Pastor's Pen

From the Pastor’s Pen… SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT :  Possibility of being able to worship together for Mother’s Day next Sunday. Determination to be made by elders this week! DRIVE-UP COMMUNION  SERVED AT OUR CHURCH,  10:00-11:30 AM  AGAIN THIS SUNDAY. ELEMENTS WILL BE SERVED IN INDIVIDUAL, SEALED CUPS. I WILL BE WEARING N-95 MASK AND GLOVES.   DRIVE INTO  SECOND  ENTRANCE , USE THE FIRST TO EXIT. YOU MAY CHOOSE THIS OPTION, OR ENJOY COMMUNION AS PART OF THE ONLINE SERVICE IN YOUR HOME, PROVIDING YOUR OWN ELEMENTS ******* Counsel for Tough Times (1 Corinthians 16:13, 14) No one would deny that these are tough times in which we are living. The coronavirus is just the tip of the spear. We have all been impacted by the shelter in place orders, and impacted by the economy and loss of jobs. The world as we know it is a different place than it was even three months ago. I remember thinking back to April 27, 2011, when our home was hit by a tornado. Ultimately 268 people were killed in

Pastor’s Pen… SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT :  DRIVE-UP COMMUNION  SERVED AT OUR CHURCH,  10:00-11:30 AM AGAIN THIS SUNDAY. ELEMENTS WILL BE SERVED IN INDIVIDUAL, SEALED CUPS. I WILL BE WEARING N-95 MASK AND GLOVES.    DRIVE INTO THE SECOND ENTRANCE , USE THE FIRST FOR EXIT. YOU MAY CHOOSE THIS OPTION, OR ENJOY COMMUNION AS PART OF THE ONLINE SERVICE IN YOUR HOME, PROVIDING YOUR OWN ELEMENTS ******* Daniel: A Mentally Healthy Man In recent days, calls to the mental health hotline have multiplied exponentially. In the face of the COVID 19 pandemic and the resulting economic collapse, depression, fear and anxiety have become what some have called “a pandemic of its’ own.” The National Institutes of Mental Health reports a 300% in calls to their hotline. Addiction and domestic violence have also shown marked increases.  Is it possible to experience mental health in such stressful times? Look no further than Daniel for an example.  The life of Daniel reveals several significant insight

From the Pastor's Pen...     How do you prove that Jesus actually rose from the dead? Perhaps the greatest evidence for the reality of the resurrection lies in the transform lives of the disciples. Picture them cowering in fear, locked in an upper room, terrified at every footstep outside. . Yet within a matter of a few days they were transformed into a company that no persecution could silence. They were willing to risk danger, arrest, and beating, even death to proclaim from the housetops of Jerusalem and the roads of the Roman Empire that the Savior has risen from the dead!     While we celebrated Resurrection Sunday last week, the reality is, every Sunday for the Christian is a celebration of Easter, of the empty tomb, of the risen Christ! This Sunday as we worship together and examine John 20:19-31, we will see how the reality of Jesus’ resurrection transformed lives-- the lives of His disciples, and especially the life of a doubter!  I.                 The impact o

After the President’ s news conference was over one day last week , one of the reporters made the observation that for the first time in our nation’s history we won’t be celebrating Easter.  That may be the attitude of many as we move through  passion week . But truth is ,  he’s dead wrong! We might not celebrate what Easter has become ,  in that there may be no new clothes bought for that Sunday. We might not hide and hunt eggs in mass quantities. We may not travel home to attend church with our family. We might not see some folks at our worship services that we haven’t seen  since Christmas .    B ut we   a re  going to Celebrate Easter ! In  fact, every Sunday is Easter Sunday. Every time we assemble for worship we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus  Christ. Pilate couldn’t kill  Him , and the grave couldn ’t hold Him. If y ou think the Coronavirus is going to stop Easter , you are dead wrong !.  Likely m ore  people this year will hear the G ospel than a