Our Blog Words of Encouragement & Useful Resources

The turn of a new year is traditionally a time for new focus, new passion, and new direction. Questions like “what should I give up,” “what should I pursue,” and “in what should I invest my resources” bubble around us. The pivot points of those questions are often the...

In an oft-played Christmas favorite, John Lennon and Yoko Ono sing, “So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year older, a new one just begun…” Few Christmas songs share such a direct challenge to personal evaluation, but the question is an appropriate...

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, thoughts turn to thankfulness in general and to thankfulness for God’s blessings in particular. We celebrate the joy of all that Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection—forgiveness granted, eternal life provided,...

“Give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion, give me that old time religion—it's good enough for me!” So goes the chorus of the oft-quoted song, considered a plea to remain faithful to the “old ways” in the face of trendy innovations, which by...

“‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10) Reflecting on the uncertainty that marks so many aspects of our...

Our Camp Meeting, held July 18-24, 2021, was a great success this year! If you were unable to attend, here are some of the messages from our camp.                        

My wife and I recently stopped by “Cedar Bog,“ a nature preserve outside of Urbana, Ohio. The welcome center host there will quickly inform all visitors that Cedar Bog is incorrectly named—it is actually a “fen.” The oft-repeated clarifying statement there is “bogs...

Last month, I shared about how God’s heart for churches is that we intentionally think beyond just getting “bigger” to engage our call to go “wider.” Jesus’ Acts 1:8 instructions are to multiply disciple making efforts in an ever-expanding geographic circle, not just...

A common evaluation question for the health of a church is “are you growing?” The underlying assumption is that God wants churches to grow, and I agree—with an important qualifier as to the type of growth God seeks. Growth is usually measured by addition in the...

Jesus’ command in the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20, is to make disciples. His desire is that, “going, baptizing, and teaching,” we would be about the work of disciple multiplication. Therefore, if we claim to be obedient to Jesus, we must answer these basic...

I’ve spent some time recently reviewing the first ten chapters of Jeremiah. I am sobered by how this prophet, who wrote some 2600 years ago to Judah in the days before its fall to Babylon, still speaks so powerfully to our present generation. I encourage you to read...

In October of 2019, the Little Fliers Food Program (LFFP) opened its doors to serve over 60 students from a local elementary school. In reality, this program was put upon the hearts of its volunteers long before. Searching for a way to help students at the elementary...

One way to evaluate the health of a church is to determine whether the proper “TEP” balance is present. “T” is “truth,” the uncompromised Biblical foundation upon which any church must be built. “E” represents “excellence,” the intentional pursuit of the very best we...

The American church has been shaken by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As followers of Christ, we need to ask God to show us what we must learn from the past year to help us better fulfill Jesus’ mission for His people moving forward. The understanding of the...

Since our first week together in LifeWise Pandora-Gilboa, we have been chronologically going through the Bible starting in Genesis. From the creation of the world, creation of man, sin entering the world, Cain and Abel and then Noah and the Flood, we have discussed...