I worked with a design consultant several years ago who said something that stuck with me: “a company’s brand is a promise.”  He was thinking of ‘brand’ in a very broad sense as not only the logo or catch phrase used by a given company, but the entire aesthetic and feel of a company’s marketing and communication materials.  He believed, …

I can’t describe how deeply I was affected by our Easter Services last week!  I continue to be grateful for our volunteers who stepped up in such a big way, and our staff’s commitment and dedication to our church was on full display across the board.  The spirit in our community was so joyful and it was an honor to …

This year, Pastor Matt has been challenging us to take being “For Our Neighbors” to the next level by doing three things: Pray, Serve, and Gather. I’d like to ask you to do the same for one of our neighbors that’s close to my heart. It’s our literal neighbor, J.C. Booth Middle School. For some of you (including me) it’s …

As much as I like to tell myself I don’t sweat the small stuff, I do. It’s just how I’m made and at this point in my life, I’ve realized that’s not going to change. So, planning events like Easter Jam, no matter how many we have done, can still be crazy for me. There are a lot of pieces …

Judas is the worst.  We can all agree on this! He betrayed the savior of the world, thus earning himself the supreme title of “The Worst That Ever Was.” We don’t know exactly why he did what he did. Maybe he was greedy? Perhaps he was jealous? He may have been trying to ‘encourage’ Jesus to call down heavenly armies …

Loving our neighbor is not optional, it is literally God’s command to us. (Matthew 22:39) So how do we do this?  During this Lenten season, we must show the same love and grace God has given to us all. We must pray for our neighbors, we must serve our neighbors, and we must gather with our neighbors.  Step 1: Pray …

“I’m looking for loopholes.” W.C. Fields, comedian, reading the Bible on his deathbed How many words does the average person speak per day? There have been dozens of studies attempting to answer that question. Results of those studies range from 6,000 to 16,000. The number of words we individually speak is dependent on our personality, our context, and several other …

I have a confession for you this week, but first, a Public Service Announcement: next Wednesday is Valentine’s Day!  It may not seem like we’re deep enough into 2024 for this to be true, nonetheless here we are!  Gentlemen: follow the scouts: be prepared! Coincidentally, February 14th also marks another (perhaps slightly more important) event in the life of the church: …

I was recently in Guatemala City for an international conference hosted by one of our mission partners, Centro Christiana Cultural de Guatemala (CCCG). It was great to learn how we’ve been able to help support what the church is doing in Guatemala and the surrounding areas. What was even more exciting than that was to hear how much of an …

Groups were made for moments like this…. Do you ever get that pit in your stomach when a certain topic comes up in a conversation at dinner or out with your  friends or coworkers? You know what I mean. It’s always one of those difficult topics that every person at that table feels and believes something completely different from the …