a word from the pastor

Affirming Others

Affirmation in today’s world isn’t just clicking a “like” or “love” button. Nor is it flattery, which is often insincere praise motivated by selfishness. We flatter people because we want to be liked, gain influence, or avoid consequences. In Scripture, flattery is usually mentioned in negative ...
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Behind Enemy Lines - Part 1

My wife and I recently watched the miniseries “Band of Brothers”, a World War II drama based on the Stephen Ambrose book by the same name. In one episode it’s pointed out to Captain Winters, the main character, that they’re surrounded by the enemy. He cooly responds, “We’re paratroopers, we’re su...
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Why Christianity Is "Fair Game" for Critics

A number of years ago Richard Dawkins was cancelled from speaking at an event sponsored by Berkeley’s KPFA radio. The station cited Dawkins’ offensive and hurtful language against Islam as the reason which was being contested by Dawkins and other supporters. The evolutionary biologist and best-se...
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Challenge to Fathers: Be a Hero

One of the great tragedies in American society is the absent father. The greatest fall-out of broken and failed marriages is its devastating impact on children. So this Father’s Day I want to put forth a challenge to men who are fathers or who plan to be one day. When children are small dad is th...
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Tips on Tatts

“To tatt or not to tatt,” that is the question, and one that is often asked particularly by young people. Is it wrong, meaning sinful, for a Christian to get a tattoo? The short answer is no, but in order to do justice to this issue we need to consider two basic questions. First, why do some ...
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Pintos and Parapets: A Lesson in Loving Others

In May of last year, a fire broke out in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Senegal. Faulty wiring was said to be the culprit and had the electrical circuits been properly installed, those children would be alive and well today. An essential part of manhood, and especially Christian manhood, is t...
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Being a Man of Influence

As you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, God begins to influence others through you. The life of Jesus becomes increasingly manifest in your being (see 2 Corinthians 4:11). As you daily die to self, living through the Spirit, that glorious life of our Savior becomes a real...
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Living in the Real World

Suppose you could travel to one of the most remote areas of the world and find a tribesman who had never known anything but life in the jungle, without any knowledge of the modern world or its contrivances. Suppose you took him to one of America’s large cities and left him to fend for himself. Yo...
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Mouth Guard

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! (Psalm 141:3) Growing up playing Pop Warner Football, we were always required to wear mouth guards on the field to reduce the risk of dental injuries (although I would use the same mouth guard for an entire season, which ...
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In Our Own Eyes

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit. Proverbs 16:2 Since human nature hasn’t changed at all in the last 3,000 years since Solomon penned these words, they remain as relevant as ever. A biblical worldview holds that God made man in his image (Gen 1:27)...
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