PASTOR'S ARTICLES FROM 2023

Here is a story that is edited from “A Renegade's Guide to God” by Pastor David Foster. It has been told many ways over the decades, but it’s message can speak to us in every age.

Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth.

If you have any doubts this Christmas that Jesus is who He said He is, simply consider what the God inspired writers of the Old Testament said would happen.

The real Christmas Jesus is the one who grew up to turn over tables of people taking advantage of the poor, who challenged those in power and suffered silently on His cross to die for the sins of the world and win our eternal salvation.

We should never underestimate how profound a miracle life beginning is.

We are to stop seeking security, and worrying about the limits that we cannot change. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God.

I believe Christians should pray for and support Israel for Biblical reasons.

Stories are extremely important to our faith.

I was never a big fan of the World Wrestling Federation. Let’s face it, men with no pants fight for a belt. But if we look at Genesis 32, we see an intriguing wrestling match between God and Jacob.

It is so important that Christians be associated with the word Forgiveness as well as Love.

When God showers mercy and grace upon us He does so in the full amount all the time.

A Christian is not one who never does wrong, but one who is enabled to repent and begin over again after each stumble – because of the inner working of Christ.

It is not an easy task in a world that we can often times allow to bombard our minds with so much immoral behavior.

The Western World View is built upon the idea that God doesn’t exist.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

God has a plan for His creation, and one day, in His perfect timing, He will establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Free will is God’s greatest gift to us, but it is this gift that causes us to reject God’s plan for the way we treat each other.

Last week I referenced a four-year-old video by Dr. James Tour on how Origin of Life Scientists are not even close to understanding how to create life in the laboratory. Interestingly, this week, Dr. Tour issued a challenge to ten leading Origin of Life Scientists to answer any one of five questions about how to make a cell.

In 1952, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey successfully did an experiment that changed the “Origin of Life” world.

Grace is much easier to illustrate than it is to define.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.

It is the love of God and trust in God’s will that allows God to bring all things to good in our lives.

Our words of blessing can change a person’s life in wonderful ways.

Sin lives within us. We cannot escape it.

Revelation tells us clearly that the number 666 will be a number used by the antichrist for commerce, and to weed out believers for death.

Even though Christ has won the war against satan, the battles continue until Christ comes again.

When you are fighting the battles of life do not forget your greatest gift, prayer!

Faith and a spiritual family help to make us healthier and happier as people.

Involvement by the father in the life of children, especially sons, is critical to children growing up to be strong, confident adults of faith.

These next two weeks I want to share some thoughts about being a Dad.

I do believe that Jeremiah's prophecies connecting national strength to religious commitment is a timeless truth for all nations.

Tithing, the giving away of 10% of one’s income is a spiritual discipline.

Our world is full of vast contrasts of beauty and ugliness.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Are you ready to celebrate with your mom? I found some entertaining stories in Reader’s Digest to brighten your Mother’s Day.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have a little Dr. Jekyll and Mr./Mrs. Hyde living within us.

Arrogance and pride are way too common, and we really have no reason to be overly proud.

At our Easter service everyone that wrote down their 'Cardboard Confession' talked about what a beautiful experience it was to write down their struggle and Christ’s victory as briefly as possible

God will do anything necessary to save us, even dying on the cross. God loves us no matter how unlovable we are.

When life does not conquer death, Jesus does.

If we decide to follow Jesus, we must not love anyone or anything greater than we love Christ.

When we know we are loved, and have the love of God in our hearts, we become powerful tools for God to spread love to others who are searching for the love they need.

God, who gives us all we have, has asked for us to give back a tithe, that is 10% of what He has given us, to help us keep money from becoming an idol.

Over and over again I find God’s healing mercies poured out on people when people pray together.

During the lockdowns Gen. Z experienced social isolation which led to increased screen time. This affected their socialization skills negatively and added to their struggles with stress.

God engineered an amazing set of circumstances to open the doors for me to go to Barbourville last Saturday evening.

Anger can be as bad as murder if we allow it to destroy our souls, and the soul of the one with whom we are angry.

Some reading this article may agree that worship is not an “Essential Business.” The first four of the Ten Commandments make it clear worship is much more than a suggestion.

You can’t know how to love fully, like loving your enemies, unless you know your capacity to hate.

Choices are critical in our lives. It is so easy to choose what is evil. The fallen nature of Adam is our nature. The fallen nature of satan fights against our faithfulness to God. And truth be told, sinning can be so much fun, and so very satisfying, at least in the short term.

It can feel good to be right and can feel better to prove the other is wrong. It is also an attitude that will destroy relationships.

When I finally read the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, I was overwhelmed with how the Bible held together as the complete story.

We are to learn to be thankful for those things we think are bad as well as the good.