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Lacey and I were blessed to go to Focal Point recently and wanted to say “thank you” as well as share a few lessons and reminders from our time there! Focal Point is a week -long seminar that focuses on the work of preachers and ministry in order to renew, recharge, and encourage. 1. The meek spirit of Moses is alive and well in the church (Num. 12:3). Every preacher I heard presented humbly, standing firmly on the Word of…

It is coming faster than we would think and not soon enough for kids in school! Summer is nearby, and that means a whole different kind of busy -ness for a lot of families. Vacations, camps, travels, and family reunions quickly fill up the calendar (if they haven ’t already)! Consider three ideas to help make God the focal point of your summer! Make God the purpose of your travels. Camping, visiting national parks, or even a really long drive…

In verses 12 -19 of I Peter 4, the apostle deals with the subject of suffering. Those who first received the letter were not to consider it a strange thing, but were to meet it with rejoicing (12 -13). No Christian should be ashamed of suffering if it is for being a Christian (16). Other lessons could be noted, but verse 19 might be overlooked. Goodspeed ’s translation has it like this: “Therefore, those who suffer by the will of…

Before Sunday morning Bible class, Their hands in loving grip, Hand in hand through the parking lot, He makes sure her feet don’t slip.   He leads her to her Bible class, Where students she will teach, Makes sure she has just what she needs, And grab whatever’s out of reach.   After class, he’s at her door, To take her to her seat, They sit in church both hand in hand, Worship together it is sweet.   As they…

One of the chief sources of problems and difficulties that we will most regularly deal with in our lives, comes from communication, the lack thereof, or the misunderstanding thereof. Marriages fail because husbands and wives stop communicating. If they do communicate, they do so in the wrong way or they misunderstand each other to the point of assuming and behaving as individuals instead of “one flesh” as God intended (Gen. 2:23-25). Issues with communication can happen anywhere and in any…

We are busy! It doesn’t matter whether young or old, employed or retired, there is a LOT going on in our lives. Sometimes, we can feel overwhelmed and on the brink of burn out but just keep going on. Before that happens, or if that is how you feel right now, consider these concepts from scripture: 1. God rested. After six days of creating, God “rested” from all the work He had done (Gen. 2:2). That is, He ceased creating…

Long before e-mail and long before texts, people were sending messages. Solomon sent a message to Hiram, asking him to provide lumber for the building of the temple (I Kings 5). Hiram answered with his own message, “… I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs” (I Kings 5:8). John wrote about the message that came from God and had been declared to others: “. . . God is light and in Him is no darkness…

This week is an anniversary of which we would not like to remember, but that we would always do well to remember. It was this week two years ago that we closed the doors to the building in an effort to “flatten the curve” as our health advisors told us at the time. I am grateful to God for a state government that is not still restricting movement, mandating, or even keeping us locked down as I know many places…

The Compassion Card program began with the goal to help make contact with folks who have significant life-changes (ie. Death in the family, new baby, new job, surgery, painful diagnoses, etc.) and to bestow the church’s love and care for them—with the purpose to follow up and introduce the recipients to Jesus and His church. Here are a few ways to remind us of what’s important about this program: It begins with compassion. We feel with and for people in…

Acts 7:9 – “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.” This is THE classic example of God thwarting men’s plans while having a far grander plan in mind. Genesis 37:28 should have been the last we heard of Joseph. Maybe…

In John 15, Jesus refers to Himself as “the vine” and calls His followers “the branches” (5). The purpose for this is clear (5b-6). A relationship to Christ must be maintained and fruit must be produced. Jesus could have stopped there. But, He wants the connection to be more than this. In John 15:9-15, He talks of love and friendship. These verses suggest some wonderful thoughts. First, we see evidence of His friendship. His friendship would be demonstrated in a…

You learn to appreciate people who do not walk in lock-step with the status quo, but instead make thoughtful and loving stands for what is right. We are noticing the work of black brethren as Black History Month continues, and how men like these have helped shape this country and the church. This profile highlights a dedicated servant both in upholding truth in politics, as well as upholding truth in the pulpit. John DeBerry served as a Democratic member of…