Isaiah 63:7 “I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” As we get ready to enter 2015 I think it’s important to remember what God has done for us in times past and to thank Him for what He’s going to do for us in the future. Our theme for 2014 was “Vision”. Vision to see what God expects of us, vision to understand the commission to make disciples and vision to edify, encourage and exhort one another. 2015’s theme is: “Commit”. We’ve been able to do great things in times past to bless those around us and we want to continue to be a blessing to both those in the community as well as to each other. It’s always a good idea to reflect on what God is doing and to prayerfully consider which direction He wants us to go next. We need to renew our commitment to follow God. Psalm 51: 10   "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." The greatest commitment we make is to our God. We are privileged to come together to worship Him in song and service. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart”. We engage in ministry when we “Love our neighbors just as we love ourselves”.  We practice evangelism when we “Go and make disciples”. We “Baptize them” in the name of the Father, Son & Spirit to build God’s kingdom on earth. We engage in discipleship when we “Teach them to obey all things God has commanded us to obey.”  The Church Exists to do what God has called us to do! (Psalms 122:1)  "I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." "(Psalms 34:3) "O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together." Will you be willing to commit yourself to see God’s desires come true in 2015?




Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you! Kevin

When the message of Jesus came to Mary, her son was to be called the “Son of the Most High”. There’s no way Mary could have missed the significance of that terminology. Unfortunately, I believe WE sometimes miss what was actually being communicated. The fact that her baby was to be called the “Son of the Most High” pointed to His EQUALITY with Yahweh. If we are to look at this concept in Semitic thought, a son was a “carbon copy” of his father, and the phrase “son of” was often used to refer to one who possessed his “father’s” qualities. It’s hard for us to fathom that Jesus was God in the flesh! To take that to its logical conclusion, it seems to me that one of the tragedies of Christmas is that we continue to worship ‘baby’ Jesus. In fact, some of us are still in the habit of picturing Jesus in the nursery and not on the throne. It’s important that we remember the greater message of Christmas. The greater message is that this baby, who uniquely invaded the world, grew up to be the Savior of mankind. His incredible courage and contagious love compel us to visit Bethlehem, the starting place in the celestial journey of the One who came to save His people from their sins. The late scholar of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), W. E. Garrison, declared there were two high tides in the Christian year: the night of the nativity, and the morning of the resurrection. While they are events in time, they are also timeless, mysterious, and symbolic. No one can fully comprehend what happened in Bethlehem any more than one can understand what happened on Golgotha. If one can accept history and common observation, these events shape one’s entire comprehension of life! Not only do they shape our comprehension of life, they have the potential to transform us into Jesus’ image. Both the birth of Christ Jesus as well as the death, burial and resurrection proclaim the same essential message: Emmanuel, God with us; the living Christ! This holiday season don’t confuse a helpless infant lying in a manger as the message we preach. That “helpless infant” is the Creator of the universe! Herod couldn’t kill him, the apostles failed to understand Him and his own people rejected Him. But, none of that negates the fact that JESUS IS LORD.

Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you! Kevin

From the first century on, people have struggled with the idea of resurrection. Because of its supernatural basis it defies reason. It’s important for us to understand, however, that believing Jesus rose from the dead needs to be a solid fact for Christians. If the resurrection didn’t happen, then Jesus Christ did not triumph over death. And without His victory, we cannot be free from sin and its punishment.  It’s not just a ‘pie-in-the-sky’ belief that we hang on to. In the first place, Jesus promised He would raise from the dead (Mark 8:31). His return to life wasn’t a fluke or trick; rather, it was part of God’s plan since the beginning. In fact, centuries before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah and Daniel prophesied about resurrection (Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2). Yet another truth we need to consider is that Jesus’ disciples and apostles were so convinced Christ had returned from the dead that they proclaimed a risen Lord even to the point of the majority of them being martyred for the faith. They faced persecution, physical suffering, and even death for preaching their message. How foolish would it have been for them to lay down their lives unless they were certain about Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection?  Another certainty to take into consideration was when the Jewish Christians transformed their worship methods to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. They moved their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday because He arose on the first day of the week (Mark 16:2). Even more persuasive is the fact that they stopped bringing animal sacrifices because they accepted Jesus as the atonement for sin. Jesus said He would rise again and then sit at His Father’s right hand in heaven. (Hebrews 1: 1-3; 10:11-12). Did Jesus rise from the grave? He certainly did! He did exactly as He promised. And the best news about that truth is that we have the same hope! Our bodies won’t be confined to the grave. We too have so much to look forward to! Have you given your life to Christ Jesus? Have you taken Him on in baptism? Are you anxiously awaiting His glorious return?

Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you! Kevin