by Jeff Kephart | Jun 5, 2020 | Encouragement
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) As the COVID-19 pandemic situation plods on, a new crisis has drawn the nation’s attention. The George Floyd tragedy has...
by Jeff Kephart | Jun 4, 2020 | Encouragement
One of the challenges many are facing as we experience the “COVID-19” world is “fear.” That word comes up repeatedly in news reports, Zoom discussions, and person to person exchanges. Fear is defined as “a feeling of dread or apprehension”; Roget’s Thesaurus lists...
by Jeff Kephart | Apr 23, 2020 | COVID-19, Encouragement
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” —Esther 4:14 Esther is unique among the books of the Bible in that God is never mentioned directly in the entire book. Further, the namesake character endures a difficult arranged...
by Jeff Kephart | Apr 6, 2020 | COVID-19, Encouragement
“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is...
by Jeff Kephart | Mar 19, 2020 | Encouragement
As all of us deal with the life-disrupting challenges brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, I am reminded of Psalm 46. 1-3,7: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains...
by Jeff Gerig | Mar 9, 2020 | Encouragement
The first parable Jesus shares in Luke 15 presents a formidable challenge to churches. There, Jesus tells of one sheep that has wandered from a fold of one hundred. Compare that with those presently not in church on any given Sunday, which David Olsen suggested in his...
