500 Years Later: What Was the Reformation and Why Should I Care?
500 Years Later: What Was the Reformation and Why Should I Care?...
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The Final Four: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell
Join us for the next four weeks as we take the journey every church must travel. We will study death, the judgment, heaven and hell. We will answer our questions, feel our fears, and emerge more ready to enjoy life than ever. ...
What Is Lent and Why Can't You Eat Chocolate?
Lent reminds us that suffering is not pointless, that there must be a death in order to be a resurrection....
On Guilt and Anxiety
Your sin is no match for God’s love. He has overwhelmed and forgiven it. ...
Church Should be Easy - new
According to Harold Best, God created worshippers. We were created pouring out worship. Each member of the Trinity continually worships the others. God created us in his image. We were created to pour out worship upon the Trinity, but since we are fallen we worship created things rather than the creator....
Awakenings, Revivals, and RiverOaks
Awakenings occur within the church. People who have continued to come to church for years realize that they have never known Jesus, never felt his love, never hated their sin, never really believed. ...
What is Holy Week and How do I prepare for it?
The last week of March, starting on Palm Sunday, March 25th, and culminating on Easter Sunday, April 1st, is known as ‘Holy Week.’ Some consider this week the most important week in the entire church year. During this week, we follow the timeline of Jesus’ last week before His resurrection. You can read about this ‘final week’ in all four of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, with each gospel writer giving slightly different perspectives on the events of the week....
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Don't Be Afraid of Halloween
The Holy Spirit infuses the Christian's life with joy and hope. Therefore, our parties can be true celebrations. The world's parties have a desperation to them, a lingering feeling of trying to forget sadness and anesthetize emptiness. Christians should show the world how to celebrate. ...
Keep ReadingWhat are Elders and Deacons?
A presbyterian church is led by her elders and deacons. ...
Keep ReadingElevator Speeches
Could you give someone a 30 second summary of the gospel that would at least make them want to know more?...
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Divided We Fall
So how are we going to live in this divided country of ours? The easy option is to isolate ourselves away from all those who disagree with us. We can make ourselves feel good by agreeing with each other about how right we are and how dumb “they” are. We all agree, feel good, and get along ...
Keep ReadingSaved into Family
Jesus came to save people from every tribe, language, and nation, and to knit them all into one family, and we must work as hard as we can to make that diverse family a reality....
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What is Lent and why do people have ashes on their heads?
Today, Wednesday, March 1st, you may notice people walking around with ashes on their foreheads. This is not some bizarre cult ritual, it is a symbol of Christian repentance. It is a part of Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season known as Lent. Lent covers the 40 days prior to what is known as ‘Holy Week,’ the week beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter ...
Keep ReadingThree Days Later
We ask God why he did not help. The worst answer of them all is, "I could have helped but chose not too." In John 11, Jesus faces the pain of that answer for the first time. What can we learn from his tears? This blog post was inspired by reading Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale Oct 26, 1977 by Frederick Buechner...
Keep ReadingLadies Helping Distribute Communion
Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed some changes during communion. We have started inviting women, typically but not exclusively, the wives of elders, to distribute the elements with the elders. I would like to briefly explain why we have made this change. ...
Keep Reading"Home" - From War to War
Our journey as warriors is not new. From the ancient literature of Homer's Iliad, and the Odyssey; to the war that inspired the writings of Hemingway, and all who have served before and after, we have learned that going to war and returning from war, is each its own unique journey. We leave home unable to fathom what is getting ready to happen in our lives, then we try t...
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