Pastor's Pen

  Pastor’s Pen, This Sunday:  Epaphras: Faithful Service                                                                  Colossians 4:12, 13    I f someone were to ask you  to identify the most impactful servants of Christ, it is likely the names of Paul and Peter would come to mind. Certainly they and other members of the  apostles served our Lord faithfully.   However if you were to had the opportunity to ask the apostle Paul that question, I suspect he my name a man named Epaphras. A native of the city of Colossae,  Epaphras  likely played a key role in planting churches in Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis, the three key cities of the Lycus Valley in what today is Turkey.  After playing a key role in founding the churches there, he wound up spending time with Paul in Rome, where he was identified as a ”fellow prisoner.”  There is much to be learned from the life of this little-known New Testament saint.   *****   We appreciate those  who help sanitize our facilities for services e

  Pastor’s Pen, This Sunday: Aquila and Priscilla: Family Ministry                                                        Acts 18:1-28   Thanksgiving is typically a time when we gather together with family. We eat turkey, watch football, maybe take a nap. Family is important to us, and family is important to God. As we continue our series of biographical studies of Biblical characters, this weekend we will consider a family engaged in significant ministry, partnering with the apostle Paul to spread the Gospel throughout the world.  Their names: Aquila and Priscilla. As we consider the various facets of their ministry, let's think about how God may use our families and service to Him. ***** We appreciate those who help sanitize our facilities for services each Saturday morning in in in in in in in in in in in preparation for Sunday worship as well as those who make it possible for us to ‘live-stream’ on Facebook at 10:45 each Sunday morning, and to post each Sunday’s message

  Pastor’s Pen, This Sunday: Onesiphoras: A Legacy of Caring                                                  2 Timothy 1:16-18   This past week at my sister’s celebration of life, her son Michael talked about how Suzi genuinely cared about people. An RN who often worked the graveyard shift in the emergency room, she faced medical challenges that would be beyond the imagination of most of us. But as Michael explained it, Suzi consistently demonstrated her caring concern for patients and fellow staff. We saw this trait in other aspects of her life as well. Suzi would frequently give to neighbors and friends, even when she couldn’t afford to. She loved to share encouragement over the phone (she was definitely low-tech!) and was prayer warrior and supporter. In all of this, she left a legacy caring. In the New Testament Paul wrote to Timothy of a man named Onesiphoras.  Apparently when the apostle wrote, Onesiphoras, like Suzi, had already gone on to heaven. Yes this man, whose name

  Pastor’s Pen, This Sunday: Barnabas: How to be a World-Class Encourager                                           Acts 4:32-37   A number of years ago I was scheduled to record a radio interview with two athletes. One plate for the Dallas Cowboys; he weighed over 300 pounds and was extremely muscular. The other was a slender African-American man who didn't appear that athletic.  However, his name was Carl Lewis and at that time he was known as the world's fastest human. Carl was what's known as a world-class athlete.  This weekend I want to introduce you to one of my heroes, a man I consider to be a world-class encourager. His original name we would have called just plain Joe. He was a member of the early church, and they actually renamed him Barnabas because that name meant the son of encouragement.  In the book of Acts, Luke writes four descriptive vignettes that illustrate four major ways we can be and encouragement to others. During the stressful days in which

  Pastor’s Pen, This Sunday: Daniel: How to Live by Convictions                                                         Daniel 1:1-21   We live in a day when convictions are not popular. These days opinion polls dominate the landscape. Politicians operate on the basis of them, lifestyles are embraced based on what's popular, marketing is driven by research and regarding what people want, and everyone wants to be politically correct. It seems like no one wants to go against the grain. It in our day it is critical that we learn to cultivate biblical convictions and live by them. There is probably no better example that shows how to do this than the familiar story of Daniel. I trust God would use his story to help us develop and maintain biblical convictions. ***** We appreciate those who help sanitize our facilities for services each Saturday morning in in in in in in in in in in in preparation for Sunday worship as well as those who make it possible for us to ‘live-stream’ on

  Pastor’s Pen, This Sunday: Jeremiah: Recovering from Hopeless Despair                                       Lamentations 3:17-25   Have you ever felt yourself in a situation where you were overwhelmed with feelings of despair? You tried to figure out a solution, maybe even prayed about your circumstances. But they just seem to be no way out. Over the years, many of my radio callers have expressed despair. I remember Stacy, who called him two weeks before Christmas, feeling suicidal because of marriage breakup, a lost job, and children who were rejecting her. My friend Ron, after years of faithful service was fired from his pastoral position the same week he and his wife discovered their 10-year-old daughter had osteosarcoma.  Despair touched our lives and our family the night we received a phone call telling us our grandson Albert had died at age 21.  Despair is a feeling of utter hopelessness, and because of that the ultimate antidote for despair is hope. We learn from Pau