Steadfast 10

We can choose joy!

“What…are you crazy? Don’t be disingenuous.”

“Whoever said that, obviously has never really suffered.”

This weekend we will take a closer look at joy...

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

At times we can have a love/hate relationship to our church experiences. What should the expectations be? Encouraging groups are awesome! It’s amazing what we can do to support each other. Our...

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

On the last day of 1999 I flew from New York to Vienna. The plane was almost empty, so I stretched out on five seats and just slept the night away! What the news media had projected about Y2K...

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Be encouraged today! The return of Christ could come at any moment. If you are in Christ, you will rise to a destiny that is almost indescribable. It will erase every doubt in your heart that...

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Are you curious what God’s will for your life is? What should you be doing with your life? What path should you take? What kind of work should you be doing? How are you to invest your resources?...

1 Thessalonians 3:1-13

How do you become something? Doesn’t it take intentional training over time?

Whether you want to become a pilot, or an accountant, you need others who will teach you what you need to know and...

Steadfast | 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

Most people don’t like conflict; face-to-face that is. (Online, anything goes).

Speaking of conflict. If you accept God’s word, then it puts you in direct opposition to the world. Why?...

Steadfast | 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

What you say and do matters!

Paul probably thought his trip to Thessalonica was a failure, but in reality it was foundational to Christianity spreading into Europe and “everywhere”(1 Thess....

Steadfast | 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10

What does it mean to be “…loved by God…” (1 Thess. 1:4a)? How do we reconcile that with our afflictions? Perhaps being loved by God has far deeper implications than we would have thought....

Steadfast | 1Thessalonians 1:1-3

Have you noticed the temperature of rhetoric rising in our country? People have strong opinions ranging from politics to religion, sexuality and everything in between. Along those lines, if you...

Solitude

Extrovert: “Solitude is punishment.”

Mother of young children: “Solitude would be wonderful.”

Choleric: “I meet God when I am actively doing things.”

Religious person: “I love...

Vision Sunday | Healthy Community

Happy New Year!

Whenever a new year rolls around I get a little reflective.

I try to ask, “What does God really care about…?”

I know God is love, and as a result He cares about caring...

Resolution Realignment

Happy 2019! The new year brings an exciting sense of fresh beginnings. At the same time, most resolutions begin with the wrong end in mind, and shortly after this season of high hopes many of us...

Advent | Joy

Twenty-five years ago, on Christmas Eve, I asked Jen to marry me! I was ready to make a wedding vow based on the value I saw in her. It’s interesting that Leviticus ends with a chapter on...

Leviticus |  Hope

What is hope?

“Hope you have a nice Christmas.”

“I hope it all works out for you.”

Hope in the Bible is deeper than that. More like an inner confidence that finds strength in...

Leviticus | Rest and Remember

Happy Thanksgiving! Yeah right!

Yesterday, as a woman walked by me on her way out of a grocery store, she snarled, “Jesus Christ! These PA laws for buying alcohol are ridiculous. How is...

Leviticus | You Shall Be MIne

As we continue to look into Leviticus and God’s covenant with the nation of Israel, we see some of the moral and behavioral requirements he gave to them. Having rescued them out of bondage in...

Leviticus | Pride

In our story, two of Aaron’s sons offer unauthorized incense and the Presence of God takes them out (Lev. 10)! What? Is the God of the Old Testament really so different or are we missing...

Leviticus | Priesthood

We are deeply loved by God. However, since Adam and Eve we are independent of God. So the story of Israel being led out into a desert to experience the presence of God becomes our story.

We all...

Leviticus | Confession

Why is confession such a painful topic when it is actually a gift from God? God knows that we need purification and restitution, and that is why He created the sin and guilt offerings. These...