As we all know, Easter 2024 is nearly upon us. I hope you will plan on joining us for Easter Weekend on March 29 – 31. I was recently asked by Bakersfield Life Magazine to answer the question, “What is the significance of Easter?” The following was my response:Easter is one of the most important celebrations on the church calendar. It is a time when we remember that although death is the penalty f...  Read More

Staff Devotion from February 15, 2011I’m not gonna be really spiritual today. I’m not gonna go through a passage with you. I’m gonna be really practical. I tried to think of some Scripture passages I could tie in with what I want to say but I didn’t have a lot of luck. Everything I’m gonna say has something to do with something a staff member has brought up as an issue over the years and it’ll be ...  Read More

The year 2024 is here and, of course, another list of the top 10 New Year resolutions. A recent Forbes Health/OnePoll survey listed the following top 10 resolutions for 2024 and there are no surprises:Improve fitness.Improve finances.Improve mental health.Lose weight.Improve diet.Make more time for loved ones.Stop smoking.Learn a new skill.Make more time for hobbies.Improve work-life balance.These...  Read More

As we stand on the edge of a new year – I know it’s somewhat of a cliché but nonetheless it’s true - it is a good time to reflect on the year that is ending and look forward to the year that is beginning. It is also a good time for all of us to take inventory of our walk with God and where we are in our relationship with Him!This is a great time to examine ourselves and see where we have been, whe...  Read More

We all have that favorite movie or book; the one you can enjoy over and over again and it never grows old. It is always entertaining and the more you watch it the rainbow of your imagination fills the characters with a richness the plot alone could never achieve. One of those movies, for me, is the sweet story of a shepherd pig named Babe. This movie came out in 1995 and its main character is an o...  Read More

Who among us believes their prayer life is an A+, with no room for improvement? Clearly, we all strive to have close union with our Lord through prayer, but there are times when prayer feels stiff and distant. Fortunately, the Bible has 650 prayers that are wonderful examples that can be utilized to help us communicate with the Lord.One of those 650 prayers occurs in the book of Daniel, in chapter...  Read More