news & insights
Join Us for Summer Fun!
Posted on: Monday, July 1, 2019
JOIN US FOR SOME SUMMER FUN!
"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun." (Eccl. 8:15 NIV). We have several summer excursions planned and hope that you can join us!
» Read moreLet's Get Started!
Posted on: Tuesday, June 18, 2019
This is it – school is finished, and summer has officially begun! After about a week of lounging on the couch, your kids will realize how much time they have on their hands. They can only watch so much TV, and it’s not healthy for them to be on screens an additional 35 hours per week. Of course, the first thing you will probably hear when you limit the devices is a loud chorus of “I’m bored!” Contrary to kids’ opinions, boredom is not bad. It’s a breeding ground for creativity.
» Read moreFinals Frenzy
Posted on: Saturday, June 1, 2019
As the school year comes to a close for students across the nation, there is one last challenge to endure: final exams. Final exams are often lengthy and can make up a sizable portion of the course grade, so students must take them seriously. Even though many teens would prefer to be outside enjoying the spring weather, they instead spend hours reviewing notes and reading textbooks in preparation for these end-of-the-year tests. Tests are inevitable
» Read moreHonoring THE FATHER this Father’s Day…
Posted on: Saturday, June 1, 2019
Around this time every year, my children begin to ask what their father would like for Father’s Day. My answer is always the same, “He doesn’t need anything, he would just like to share the day with you!” Of course, they aren’t satisfied with that answer and usually begin the search for a unique gift. But honestly, what father wouldn’t like to spend the day with their children, or even to just receive a phone call from that far-away child.
» Read moreCreated, Called, Crowned
Posted on: Sunday, May 12, 2019
Life is a series of seasons. During challenging seasons—from unique phases of life and rites of passage to the days surrounding deeply meaningful occasions like Mother’s Day or birthdays—it is not uncommon to wonder about our purpose in life or even question it if we ever knew what it was. As a child, I remember being asked to draw a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. It seemed so simple back then to dream up anything and just run with it, but somehow as we grow older we can be...
» Read moreSpring: A Time to Start Anew
Posted on: Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Springtime is a season of new beginnings, especially as we continue to celebrate new life following Easter. But in a lot of ways, spring is also about endings. With school projects and papers due, graduations looming, final exams to take, and end-of-year concerts and tournaments, you can get weighed down. Sometimes it is hard to find your inspiration, that spark that makes you feel like the next project or task is worth completing, rehearsing or studying. You have what it takes inside of you to...
» Read moreA shaft of light...
Posted on: Sunday, April 21, 2019
We have all walked “tomb-ward” like Mary, on a morning of defeat or despair or deep grief. Pick up the daily paper. Evidence that evil is growing, death reigns, and sin is triumphant is splashed across the front page. It is not the newspaper’s fault. That is just life. Defeat, despair, and deep grief are all around us and yes, within us.
» Read moreWaving your palm...
Posted on: Wednesday, April 10, 2019
It’s not every Sunday you receive a gift at church. However, on Palm Sunday, we will distribute palm branches to those who attend worship. You may see long palm blades that can be folded into a cross while our worship leaders may be using the leafy palms to wave during the singing of hymns. The palm branches that waved during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem were a sign of Jewish pride and victory. With so many Jews gathered in town for the Passover festival, it is not surprising that palm...
» Read moreLent and Promises
Posted on: Saturday, March 16, 2019
Someone once counted all the promises in the Bible, and said there are a total of 8,810. Of these, 7,487—about 85% of the total—are God’s promises to us, and these are utterly reliable (Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, p. 645). We can afford to trust in God’s promises to us throughout our lives; one day we will be judged on whether we’ve kept our baptismal promises to Him.
» Read moreGod's Eternal Love
Posted on: Tuesday, February 12, 2019
“What does the word ‘forever’ mean? It is similar to the word, ‘eternal,’ a bible word which means never-ending and timeless.” Worldly ideas of “eternal” love (such as marriage) is nothing compared to the fullness of God’s love. Consider the following verse, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NRSV). God’s action is unique – sending his own son, Jesus, to die for us when we least deserved it. God’s eternal love gave us Jesus and...
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