During my first ministry, we purchased a house that was by a 90 acre woods. I was always concerned that my sons, would go out into the woods and get lost. So I set out to help give them principles to determine how to get home. I would take them out and we would turn right and left as we walked, and stop and talk. We wondered aimlessly as we would go deeper and deeper into the woods. Finally, I would tell them that they were responsible to get me back to the house. I was always aware of how to get there, but it was important for them to be able to use the principles that they had learned to find their way home. Getting lost is a scary proposition, What a wonderful passage Luke 19:10 is “For he Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” It is critical that we understand the principles to help us be “found” because we are all lost. God does not wait for us to be “found” He sent His Son to make sure that we are found. From the very beginning, God did not wait … READ MORE

Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” This leads to the question, “Do I sin because I am a sinner, or am I sinner because I sin?” This is like the old question, “which came first the chicken or the egg?” If you believe the account of Genesis 1-2 the answer is obvious …. “The Chicken!” God created all the animals first, then came offspring. The problem is that God created man as sinless, and then man chose to sin! It would seem that, we are sinners because we sin, except for the clear teaching of the Word of God. David says in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” and in 1 Corinthians 15:22 we are told “In Adam all die.” The answer Biblically is we sin because we are sinners. Why is it important to understand this point? This answers the question of why death and destruction effects all humans, because we are conceived as a sinner, and therefore, are subject to the consequences and battle with sin from the beginning of our lives. We are born separated from … READ MORE

There are many people who are laughing at those who say that the Lord is planning on a return. Some of it has been brought on by the date setters and the radical fringe who have made a mockery out of that event. But the reality is that many deny Christ’s return because they hate the thought of divine retribution. They want the freedom to pursue all kinds of lustful pleasures without any fear of future punishment. As we evaluate our culture and our world situation, we see that the attitude and actions of the world and the church point to the reality that the return of the Lord is at hand. What does that mean for us as we consider this reality?1. We need to make sure that our relationship with Christ is based on the clear teaching of the Word of God.2. We need to seek to honor the Lord every day with our actions and thinking.3. We need to understand the truth so that we can continue to be a beacon of hope and help to our community.4. We need to live in the hope that is provided by understanding that this world is moving rapidly toward … READ MORE