Christ is Born… For YOU!
The angels told the shepherds, “For unto you is born a Savior.” Who is “You”? Does it refer to Israel? To the Shepherds? Or, could it even refer to Us???
Read MoreJohn Wesley’s Flash Cards
In 1733 ,John Wesley published a series of questions about our relationship to God, and he encouraged his followers to ponder them every day. Kind of like those flash cards that you may have used to learn multiplication tables. How’s your “math” today?
Read MoreYou Were There! (Camp Meeting, 7/16/17)
Rev. Jim Hughes has a unique ministry where he dresses up as a Biblical character and gives a first person account of what he lived through; of how he saw God or walked with Jesus. Over the years at the Pitman Camp Meeting we’ve seen him portray characters such as Judas, Peter, and John. Some of those costumes were pretty heavy. And on a warm July night in the Grove Auditorium, they can be pretty uncomfortable. There have been evenings where his performance cost him 5-10 pounds from...
Read MoreWord 3: Behold Your Son, Behold Your Mother (3/8/15)
On Sunday March 8 2015, Pastor Jim continued his lenten series on the seven final Words of Christ from the cross. His message this morning was from John 19:26…. Woman, behold your son. Click on the below “Play” button to start the recording. Scroll down and follow along. The scripture was from John 19:25-27. Open the drop down box to read… John 19:25-27 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of...
Read MoreSound the Trumpet (2/18/15)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on Ash Wednesday challenged us to pay special attention to our relationship with God during this season of Lent. What do we need to walk away from in order to walk closer to God? The passage was from Joel 2. Click the below “Play” button and follow along… Joel 2:1-18 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at...
Read MoreAll in All (1/11/15)
The sermon on January 11, 2015 was given by Lay Speaker Larry Bakely. His message included a personal testimony and a look at Hosea 11:1-11. Click the below “play” button to hear the recording, then scroll down to follow along. Hosea 11:1-11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,I...
Read MoreA White Christmas (12/21/14)
Today was the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and Pastor Jim wrapped up his Advent sermon series looking at the “Colors of Christmas”- tools we use to Look Up and to keep our focus on Christ during this busy season. Click the “Play” button on the following player to listen to the sermon, then scroll down and follow along. The scripture reading was from Luke 2:8-15. Open the drop down box to follow along. Pastor Jim read from the New King James Version of the...
Read MoreCount Your Blessings: Meaningless Cliche or Powerful Truth?
The signboard message posted on October 25, 2014 said the following: WANT TO FEEL RICH? COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS! Probably most grown ups (and maybe even many kids), grown when they hear the phrase “Count Your Blessings!” The Sunday School song “Count your blessings name them one by one…” probably pops into mind. We’ve heard it all before. And probably when someone tries to cheer us up by suggesting blessings they start rattling off things like family,...
Read MoreDeclarations of Independence (7/4/14)
As we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July holiday, we express our thanks for the freedoms we are blessed with in this country. But God gives us more than civil freedoms. We’re surrounded by God’s grace and freedoms that are expressed in a variety of ways. Here are a few expressions of freedom… The US Declaration of Independence. The 4th of July holiday celebrates the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Click below to open up the entire text of the...
Read MoreGrace Rains Down
“Don’t Put Up Umbrellas When Grace Rains Down” What is Grace? How’s it Rain Down??? Grace is when we get something that we don’t deserve. Mercy is when we DON’T get something that we DO deserve. Genesis chapter 3 tells us that there’s something messed up within humankind that makes us want to love ourselves more than God. Somehow wired within us is this pride that makes us want to try to get along without God, or even to think that we could do a...
Read MorePalm Sunday 2014- Grace Present, Past, and Future (3/13/14)
Abounding Grace… The choirs presented an entire musical service for Palm Sunday (April 20, 2014). The service opened with the traditional singing of “The Palms”, as children weaved between the pews to welcome the Savior into our midst. As we’ve seen in our recent Lenten devotional series, we are surrounded by God’s grace; unmerited favor. Grace that draws us near to God, grace that leads us to accept God, grace that makes us more like Him. The musical...
Read MorePalm Sunday Cantata: “Grace- Past, Present, and Future” (4/13/14)
Grace… On Palm Sunday morning (April 13),the members of the music program will present a Sunday worship service filled with grace! This Lenten Season, our church family has been reading through the devotional, “Forty Days of Fruitful Living: Practicing a Life of Grace.” On Palm Sunday, as we gather together to worship, we will celebrate the grace that is ours in Jesus Christ. By His death and resurrection, we are free to live a life of grace. Grace- God becomes human and...
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