Is Salvation By Faith or Works?

We believe that salvation is a gift from God, completely and wholly.  Salvation is a process that happens by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that our righteousness (or right living) is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Even the person who lives their entire life perfectly means nothing to Christ.  So it is completely by grace and not works that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).  By the same token, if we are saved our lives should show it.  Read the rest of this entry

Genealogy Is Important

The study of where you came from is important.  Many people have researched their family lineage to find famous people or even royalty.  It is vital to know where you came from.  But rarely is someone more proud of where they came from then by what they are leaving behind.

There are some people mentioned in the Bible that are notarized by their faith.  Jacob, even though he was the younger son, strove to steal the family blessing from his brother Esau.  Rahab the harlot did not die in Jericho like all of her other neighbors because of her faith.  Ruth married Boaz, her kinsmen because of her faithfulness and favor with God. Read the rest of this entry

Room To Grow

Right now, Gavin, my 3 year old boy, is of an age where we must think ahead.  When we buy pants, we make sure we buy them with “room to grow” in them.  Meaning, if we buy them for what currently fits, then he will outgrow them shortly and we will be back at the store buying him bigger pants.

For some reason, as we grow older, we forget this childhood adage.  We do everything exactly as we currently need it.  Read the rest of this entry

Taking the Bad with the Good

Try to picture this with me.  A woman gets a knock on her door.  When she gets to the door she looks outside and sees a big group of people standing on her porch.  There are cameramen, photographers, boom microphones, all of her neighbors and a very nicely dressed, handsome man at the front of the large crowd.  Right behind him someone is holding what looks like a regular bank check on steroids.  On the sum line it says “Ten Million Dollars.”  The lady opens the door and a man introduces himself as Ned McTan and he informs her that she just one a sweepstakes of ten million dollars.  The woman starts screaming and saying, “Thank God. I can’t believe this.  Thank God.” Read the rest of this entry

Possible Does Not Mean Permissible

Each of us have wondered at some time, “Why is it that God answers some prayers and not others?”  Many great preachers have taught great sermons on this matter.  Sometimes the most simple explanation suffices in place of deep theological exhortations.  This is one possible simple explanation.

Everyone loves to hear a scripture like Mark 10:27 where it says, “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”  This is good for our faith.  To know and believe that God can do anything should give us strength and hope.  That same scripture can be a problem when we have a need for something seemingly impossible and God does not come through for us.  Read the rest of this entry

Let Winter Pass

           Thanksgiving is now a few days behind us and Christmas is approaching fast.  We are headed into the dead of winter.  Winter is often associated with a time of dormancy.  The bears are hibernating, the trees lose their leaves, the ground lays inactive waiting for the cold to pass.  The same concept applies in our lives.  There is a time in our lives that we know as winter.  Its those times when nothing seems to have any life.  The world around us is cold. Read the rest of this entry

Buy Him Flowers

James gives us a great perspective on our walk with God.  James 2:14 reads, “Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?“ (The Message)  If talking about faith is all it took then I know some of the most religious people on earth.  Because they are always talking about what God can do. Read the rest of this entry

Step Into the Unknown

As July 4th came and passed a memory came to mind.  I remembered the previous July 4th.  I can still see me standing in my front yard in Houston with my wife and Gavin watching the fireworks.  I remember the sense of expectancy as the next Sunday would be my first service as a Pastor. But I also felt a twinge of fear. Read the rest of this entry