As followers of Jesus we often overlook a huge part of what the bible promises for our lives today. We talk a lot about things like the story of creation, the flood, the burning bush, Jesus’ baptism, His death and resurrection. But truth be told, as important as these are, the key to what Jesus promises us today is His Holy Spirit. Continue reading
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The bible is full of wonderful imagery that just pulls us into the presence of something bigger than we could ever imagine. The imagery of the blood of Jesus is something that is permanently burned into my mind. True I wasn’t there to see it. I wasn’t physically present when the nails were driven into his hands and feet, but I can still see it. I see the bloody sweat running down his face. I see his skin smudged with mud and sand. I can hear him gasp for air as he hangs there. He did it for me! Continue reading
When we look at the obstacles in our lives, all we see the is the pain. When we look at failure, we end up failing. When we look at our strength it’s easy to convince ourselves that we have it all together. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus in faith, God can accomplish great and mighty things in our lives.
Are you one of those people who look back all of the time? 
Do you live in the past more than in the present? I have a friend who calls it bad fishing when we keep dredging up the negative pieces of our past. We cast our pole behind us hoping to catch something and drag it into our present.
There’s a great song that addresses this exact issue. The song is called That was then, this is now. The idea is pretty simple actually. Leave the past in the past. Quit trying to dig it back up. Quit trying to re-live it. It’s done. It’s over. That was then!
If we, as followers of Jesus, truly believe in the power of confession then we’ll take this to heart. Jesus invites us to lay our problems, hurts, and burdens at the cross. He tells us that he is going to take them from us. He promises that he has them covered and we need not worry about them any longer. He tells us that was then!
But he doesn’t stop there. He then invites us to a new reality. This is now! Now is the time for this new life. Now is the time to live in the freedom of forgiveness in Christ. Now is the reality that Jesus death and resurrection have made us new and we are now free to live a life that God always had in store for us. That was then, this is now!
Live in the NOW of God’s redemption and grace.
The book of James contain wonderful imagery of how powerful our words really are. The words we speak have the ability to build up and to destroy. James is very clear that our words can wreak havoc in our relationships but they can also be used to encourage and build up. How do you use your words?
We’re now in week eight of our journey through a book called The Ways of The Alongsider: Growing Disciples Life2Life by Bill Mowry. The idea of an Alongsider might be an uncommon thought to some of us, but Bill does a great job with the details at the outset of the book. Then as we moved deeper into our understanding of what an Alongsider was we hit six topics of great importance to discipleship: A Way of Life, Intentionality, A Life of Prayer, Relationships, Depth of Relationships, and last week we talked about Studying God’s Word. This week we’ll move from mere conversation and telling to a deeper discovery level. Continue reading
When you go to church you hear all about faith, but what does it look like? It’s not something you can hold but it holds onto you. It doesn’t move but it causes you to move forward. This week listen as Pastor Derrick shares what it means to have a faith that walks.
Have you ever seen one of those infectious smiles? Not everyone has them but when you see one, you can’t help but smile right back. My daughter has one of those smiles. She smiles and I just can’t help but smile right back at her. I don’t know how to explain it. Continue reading
We’re now in week seven of our journey through a book called The Ways of The Alongsider: Growing Disciples Life2Life by Bill Mowry. The idea of an Alongsider might be an uncommon thought to some of us, but Bill does a great job with the details at the outset of the book. Then as we moved deeper into our understanding of what an Alongsider was we hit four topics of great importance to discipleship: A Way of Life, Intentionality, A Life of Prayer, Relationships, and last week we talked about Depth of Relationships. Continue reading
There’s a war brewing around us. It’s war that’s been around for ages. Admittedly we feel more prepared for this war than others, but there’s no doubt about it – we are armed and dangerous! Dangerous to the enemy. But who is that enemy? Listen as guest preacher Terry Cripe, President of the Ohio District of the LCMS brings God’s Word to the 15th Anniversary celebration at Living Word Galena.
