Blog: June 2021

Rebecca McLaughlin, author of the 2020 Christianity Today Book of the Year, Confronting Christianity, just came out with a brilliant little book, The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims. You’ve seen the yard signs that popped up last year:  “In this house we believe…” followed by a list of claims like “love is love,” “science is real,” “black lives matter,” “no human is illegal,” and “women’s right are human rights.”  Just think of it:  our neigh­bors aren’t shy; they want us to know what’s deeply important to them.  Sounds ...

On Sunday, June 27, our worship gathering will be an Ordination Service for Pete Manni, our Associate Minister (at 10:30 a.m., in the FLC).  After that service, Pete will be recognized as our Associate Pastor. The Elders and I have been developing plans for over a year for Pete’s ordination.  His desire to take this step and our affirmation of him and his ministry have, together, led us prayerfully to move forward. So what is ordination?  There are some differences in how various church traditions view the ordination of their pastoral ...

The Peacemaker:  A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, by Ken Sande, is a balanced, helpful handbook for our relation­ships as Christians and for our body life as a church. As we seek to speak truth and follow Jesus faithfully in a world of spin and lies, Sande can help us.  Here are a few practical insights from the ch. 5, “Examine Yourself” (2nd edition): Humility is square one:  “Until we have dealt with our faults, it will be difficult to help others see how they have contributed to a dispute” (p. 91).  Can we see the log ...

Our exploration of James 3:1-12 last Sunday has me thinking about the many practical Bible passages on “the tongue”—our talk:  what does it mean to be a faithful steward of our speech? “Stewardship” is a term we often use in regard to money and material resources.  But it’s wise to apply it to all our possessions:  everything we have comes from God (1 Corinthians 4:7); “life and breath and everything” are his gifts (Acts 17:25).  What’s more, all that we have actually still belongs to God (Psalm 24:1).  You your­self were bought with a ...

Summer Adult Sunday School June 13 thru September 5, 2021 • 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. Meeting in Fellowship Hall This summer several teachers will share from God’s Word and their life experience in our combined adult study and discus­sion series.  The topics are wide-ranging, and the opportunities to learn and grow together are great.  Come join the conversation! June 13       “Equipped” – Part 1- Mark Boyer June 20      “Equipped” – Part 2 - Mark Boyer June 27      “Stewardship: Finances from a Biblical View” Ed Duguid July 4 --No ...