Church

Do you fold your hands when you pray? Is closing your eyes during prayer a prerequisite to receiving God's answer? If you're like me, many of us maintain certain rituals even when we don't fully understand why. Not all of them are bad. We might say "God bless you" or "Gesundheit" when someone sneezes; what we may not know is that this originated from a belief that a person's soul might fly out of their body when they person sneezed. Most religious rituals are comforting and provide a consistency to life. A family tradition might be appropriate for birthdays, but when a religious ritual replaces personal faith in God -- then we've wandered into dangerous territory. This weekend we will be exploring the tension between placing our faith in rules and rituals instead of God. I hope you'll join me as we dig deeper into Romans chapter four!

William Dixon was a widower who lived in Brackenthwaite, England.  In addition to losing his wife, he had also lost his only son. One day the house of his neighbor caught on fire.  His neighbor, an elderly grandmother who was caring for her orphaned grandson, was able to get out.  Her grandson, however, was trapped inside the house. Dixon climbed an iron pipe on the side of the house and lowered the boy to safety.  Unfortunately, the hand that held on to the pipe was badly burned. Shortly after the fire, the grandmother died and town council gathered to decide who would care for her grandson.   Two volunteers appeared before the council. One was a father who had lost his own son and volunteered to adopt the orphan as his own. The other volunteer was William Dixon.  When it was his turn to speak, instead of saying anything he merely…

This morning our men's ministry sponsored free oil changes for single moms in Westwood.  Nearly 20 guys showed up to help -- and it was a great deal of fun.  Of course, someone had to supervise ... so I volunteered.  Kudos to everyone who helped!

"If you would hit the mark you must aim a little above it; every arrow that flies feels the attraction of the earth."  --  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Colossians 3:1-4 ... Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Communion is a time to aim a little higher -- to set our sights a little higher -- because the attraction of earth is all around us. Posted from WordPress for Android

Perhaps you've heard of Corrie ten Boom, a young Dutch lady whose family helped hide Jews during the height of Nazi persecution.  After the war, she went on to become a powerful and inspiration speaker and writer. You may not know much about her family, particularly her father: Casper ten Boom.  While operating a successful jewelry business, he also started a ministry to the poor in Amsterdam.  It was called "For the Salvation of the People."  When the Nazi's began their persecution of the Jews and required the Jews to wear the star of David, Casper ten Boom wore one, too. In 1942 he became an active part of the Dutch Resistance, helping hide Jews as they traveled to safety.  Two years later, the Gestapo raided his house, arresting Casper and his family.  He was 84 years old when they sent him to prison. Here's how his last few days…