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The Obscentiy Override

The electronic sign in front of our building is a marvelous asset to our ministries. It takes advantage of our location on a heavily traveled street to make people more aware of our church. It promotes our programs and has prompted people to visit our worship. It can be conveniently uploaded from our office computer, so we no longer have to walk out and tediously slide plastic letters in racks. And it can present our messages with all sorts of…

“And God, Could you…”

Events unfolding this past week reminded me of something that happened when our children were very young. Our four-year old son was sitting down to eat his breakfast. As we bowed to pray to God, he asked God to help his cough get better and to help his sister get well and not have fever anymore. Then it happened! What we have all thought but perhaps were hesitant to pray. At the very least, what we have all wanted to…

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time [redeeming the time], because the days are evil. (ESV) Ephesians 5:15-16

There has been a great amount of press lately on the effort being made to identify wasteful and corrupt spending of taxpayer dollars. Billions – trillions of dollars will be identified as having been unwisely or corruptly used. When our government continually operates with trillions of dollars of debt, I am hopeful that some long-lasting good will come out of the audits taking place. Since most of us live in the real world, we know what it means to Budget!…

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Have you ever wished that you had your own neon sign from God where He would flash a direct answer to decision with which you were wrestling? Or a direct message of assurance when you were feeling overwhelmed with frustration or fear! We have been challenging ourselves from the book of Joshua as we focus on our theme for the year, “Go Forward: Be Strong and of Good Courage.” I would love to tell you that I have reminded you…

The Living and Abiding Word of God

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. The Hebrews writer declares…

Go Forward

(I read this article during the sermon last week. I thought it would be good for you to be able to read it. It fits well with our sermon series from Joshua, and our Theme for 2025, “Go Forward: Be Strong and of Good Courage.”) God has always wanted His people to go forward in doing His will. To be motionless, or go backward in His service, is to fail. (See. Rev. 3:15-16 and Lk. 9:61) When the children of…

The Father’s Love (in Us)

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:14). John made a strong statement regarding loving the world and the things in it… We want our Father’s love to abide in us, and if we should believe we do not have His love in us we would be deeply discouraged. His love is the highest love there is, and to become…

What Every Christian Needs

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love” -1 Corinthians 13:13 In our confused, broken, and chaotic world, there are some fundamental things every person needs! Yes, they need each of these things. These things are not to be taken lightly or dismissed as trivial. They are basics of life. We need faith. Without faith we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith we cannot be saved (John 3:18; 8:24). Without trust in…

The Salutation of Our Life

In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, Paul tells the church of God at Corinth, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” When we read through the New Testament Epistles – the letters that men inspired by God’s Holy…

Go Forward: Be Strong and of Good Courage

Last Sunday our Elders challenged us with the Plan of Work for 2025! I want to urge you to be prayerful that God will use each of us effectively for His glory in the year ahead! May we all experience growth in our personal relationship with God, in our one another relationship with each member of our church family, and in the development of our talents in service to God. Someone once said, “Every journey begins with a single step.”…

To the Work, To the Work…

“To the work, to the work, we are servants of God. Let us follow the path that our Master has trod…” Today is an exciting day for our Graeber Road Family as our Elders will be introducing our Plan of Work for 2025! Know that our Elders and Deacons have put much thought and prayer into this! Also, know that it was your faith and financial commitment that has made it possible for this plan of work to unfold! The…

In the Year of our Lord 2025

In Isaiah 6, the prophet is shown the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe [His majesty] filling the temple. Isaiah is immediately overwhelmed by a sense of his sinfulness in the presence of the Lord’s holiness. As he fears for his life, a seraphim flew to him with a live coal, touched his mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”…