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Unplug to put things in perspective
I was recently in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho where I’d joined my brothers for their mule deer hunt. Being in the mountains and being disconnected from the news – family, church, community and the world alike, as we had no cell service – put things in...
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God’s love endures forever
If the Bible says something more than once, we should pay attention. How about if it says something 17 times in the span of just one chapter? This is what happens in Psalm 136, where God’s people basically tell the story of God’s care and redemption. Then, between...
Easter’s not over yet
Easter isn’t over. According to the Church calendar, Easter Sunday actually began a whole 50-day season of Easter. Just as for the 40 days of Lent we mourned, repented and fasted, for the season of Easter we are supposed to rejoice, celebrate and feast. You would...
How can the church reach young people?
The numbers don’t paint a promising picture of Christianity in America, especially when it comes to young people. Consider these stats that Andy Jung shared on Sunday during his session, “Growing Young,” about how churches like First Pres can be more welcoming to...
Everything sad will be undone
“Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the world?" This line, spoken by the Hobbit Sam in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King, so captures Easter Weekend. On Good Friday...
God’s love compels us to love
Love compels us. That’s what Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians. But what does it compel us to do? Well, it compels us to love God and to love neighbor. And the best way to do both of them is to tell people about Jesus. And Paul actually shows us the way one...
The Sundae Funday Bowl brought us together
The Sundae Funday Bowl, a community event we held at Valley Lanes in Harrisonburg, featured bowling, ice cream from Smiley's Ice Cream, face-painting, a prize wheel, card tricks and time to be together. Here are some highlights. Photo Highlights [gallery size="large"...
Lean into Jesus
Judas had seen Jesus. He had been with Jesus. He had heard Jesus. He had seen Jesus raise the dead and walk on water and heal people. He had seen Jesus do all these amazing things and yet Judas betrayed him. He ended up in the night. (That’s such a powerful line in...
Many Americans still believe in God and want to grow spiritually. That’s an opportunity.
They won’t want to hear it. That’s the excuse I often tell myself about telling people about Jesus and our faith in Him. Have you thought or said the same thing? In a time when the decline of the Christian faith in the West is on full display, it’s easy to get...
We are better together
So, I’ve been at the ECO National Gathering this week with eight others from our congregation (including Pastor Scott and Karen!) and around 1,300 others from our denomination. It has been wonderful to catch up with friends, network, learn and worship. Naturally there...
The power of praying in Jesus’ name
I’ve been thinking about why we pray in Jesus’ name and the difference it makes in our prayer. The why of praying in Jesus’ name is straightforward: Jesus tells us to. “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” This also speaks to the difference...