Elect Exiles (1 Peter 1:1-9, 13)Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:1-2, ESV)To the elect exiles. ...  Read More

Have you ever wondered, like I have, “who am I to proclaim the Gospel of Christ?” I’m not a great theologian. I don’t know or understand all sixty-six books of the Bible. I’m not eloquent. And while I’m being honest, I struggle with my sin nature (some days more than others). Isn’t this being hypocritical?These are the common thoughts of humanity, and perhaps even spoken allegations from humanity ...  Read More

When I first joined pastoral staff at RiverLakes Community Church, I was commissioned with the task of teaching for our Young Adults. The first book I chose to teach through was 1 Corinthians. It was during this time that I came across a term in a commentary that quickly became a favorite of mine and several others… that term is “Meaningless Imponderables”.Meaningless imponderables are those thing...  Read More

National Day of Prayer was May 1, which was created in 1952 by Congress and signed into law by President Harry Truman. But this goes way back. In 1775 the first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln called for such a day.It is a time to come humbly before God and seek His guidance and grace upon us as a people. We typically pray for our country, for one ...  Read More

Life in its purest form can be seen in the eyes of a newborn child. They are soft, they are vulnerable, they are simply a touch of perfection. They are born so fragile and dependent that without adults caring for them they simply could not sustain life on their own. In what seems like a lifetime ago, I worked in the medical field. During my time in that profession I worked in surgery assisting sur...  Read More

How do you pray? Do you pray boldly and pray expectantly as the author of Hebrews said in Hebrews 4:16, which says: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”Unfortunately, prayers are often one or the other: praying boldly but not expectantly or vice versa. Well, the Bible has one of the great stories of prayin...  Read More