This Weekend's Message: Make It Count

I had a friend in college who was an argument waiting to happen. Wherever he went, conflict seemed to follow. There was always an issue to be debated, an argument to be had, a mistake to be exposed. People had different reactions to him. Some thought that he was great because he always stood up for his beliefs. Others thought he was a trouble-maker. But everyone agreed that controversy followed him wherever he went.

The Bible says that Christians will experience conflicts in the world. Does this mean that we are supposed to be like my friend, initiating conflict wherever we go? If not, what is the source of the conflict we experience, and how does God call us to respond?

Dan Franklin

This Weekend's Message: The Sound of Silence

There is much to criticize as the secular world looks at the Christian community. As I think back over the past several years I recall too many personal failures by pastors and Christian leaders in our nation. Many of these make headlines in our national news. For example, a few years back the pastor of a mega church in Colorado who had preached over and over again against sexual sin had actually been living in repeated acts of sexual sin for some time. And the result of this was that he lost his position at church, he lost his reputation, and he did great damage to the name of Jesus and his followers. Yes, the critics of Christianity have much to point to in a Christian’s life as a lack of consistency in living the teachings of Jesus.

But what if...? What if the people who follow Jesus could silence the critics? What if the way Christians lived gave critics no reason to speak badly against Jesus or his followers?

This week in our series through 1 Peter, called “Home Away from Home,” we’ll look at that “what if.” We’ll look at what Peter says characterizes the lifestyle of a believer who sees himself or herself as a temporary resident on this planet – their home away from home.

I hope to see you on Sunday,
Gary Keith

This Weekend's Message: Strangers in a Strange Land

Many of us like to go camping, but very few of us would enjoy living in a tent full-time. Even though the adventure of camping has its good moments, we often long to return to our long-term homes. We want to be somewhere that is familiar and safe and comfortable. Home is close to the heart.

What if you found out that you would need to live in a tent for an extended amount of time? What if you were unable to settle in and set down roots, but instead needed to live in a temporary home? It would be tough. You would probably need a really good reason...and a really good payoff.

Pastor Dan Franklin

This Weekend's Message: Life-Altering

I love to watch my son play in Little League games, but I often feel sorry for how hard the coaches have to work when the kids are young. The coaches consistently bring the same messages to the kids: “Swing early,” “square up to the ball,” “pay attention,” and “use two hands.” Despite these constant reminders, many of the kids continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Sometimes I daydream about what kind of a team they would be if they actually put the instruction of the coaches into practice.

When we read the Bible, we are exposed to a new world that opens our eyes to reality. What would happen if we were truly to put the faith of the Bible into practice?

Dan Franklin