Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you, Col 3:13. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message about forgiveness – we forgive as God forgave us. This corrects society’s idea that forgiveness is solely for us – it makes me feel good about myself. No, forgiveness isn’t […]
Elisha Hoffman was a pastor at a church in Vassar, MI in 1894. He visited an elderly lady who was facing severe difficulties. She shared her problems with him who in turn tried to comfort her pointing her to particular biblical texts. He urged her to pray and tell her problems to Jesus. Somehow that […]
“Just follow your heart.” Ever hear that advice? We hear it all the time. The secret to a fulfilling life is chasing after what your heart wants. Even the Christian community has bought into that counsel. But that is exactly what Eve did in Gen 3. She followed her heart. Gen 3:6, So when the woman […]
Do you know one of my dreams for HBC? Wayne Grudem, a favorite theologian of mine shares that vision. He writes, “One day by God’s grace we may have churches full of Christians who can discuss, apply and live the doctrinal teaching of the Bible as readily as they can discuss the details of their […]
Last Sunday at the annual meeting we distributed the brochure outlining our new strategic plan. Copies can be found at the kiosk. Special thanks to Heather Anderson for her design. May I encourage you to use this to give to someone? In the past we’ve had folks join the church because we had such a […]
I believe most of us wouldn’t consider ourselves plagued by the sin of envy. That word sounds so revolting. And yet envy is simply focusing more on what others have than on what I have, ie, what God has graciously provided for me. Envy causes me to question the goodness of God. With that definition […]
Susan and I recently watched the movie, “Boys in the Boat” (rated PG13 for language). I few years ago I read the book and wrote a “pastor’s pen” on it. Once again I share the redemptive qualities gleaned. Out of the depth of the Great Depression comes the story of 9 working-class boys, the sons of […]
He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt and ratty-looking blue jeans. He was a college student – bright and young. It was thru some ministry at the college he had trusted Christ. Across the street from the campus was a very conservative church. They wanted to develop a ministry to the students but were unsure how to […]
Happy New Year! In a few weeks we’re going to begin a new expository series in the book of Acts. I’ve taught this before but have never preached thru it. I am excited! The series is going to be entitled – “The Church on a Mission.” I’ll never forget – and will forever appreciate a comment […]
One of the most important disciplines of the Christian life is regular Bible reading (I don’t mean reading the Daily Bread or like devotionals). On the kiosk there is a schedule we’ve used before. I plan to use it again this year. Reading the Bible through in one year is a great milestone. There’s nothing […]