Holy Week – Day 1: Palm Sunday – What’s the Buzz?
An Introduction Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” –John 11:25–26 Most of us are familiar with the verses above, but think about the last part of the Scripture—do you believe this? This is the heart of our discussions about our faith and something we should continue to ask ourselves daily. Do we really
From the Pastor: The Privilege of Repentance
Many of us think that Jesus came for the sole purpose of bringing us into lives of mind-numbing boredom and monastery-like religiosity—with endless Bible lessons focusing on rules, warnings, and condemnation. I’ve been in churches where the Holy Spirit doesn’t show up unless you’ve sung choruses for over 45 minutes or the sermon has to be at least an hour long. Often, non-believers and believers alike think Jesus spends most of his time in deep fear that somebody somewhere is
Jesus Is Lord
No matter where we go or what we do, we need to remember that we don’t exist for ourselves, but for a higher will and greater purpose than our own. For this reason, God never intended us to set off on our life journey by ourselves. He is very aware of the powerful forces surrounding us and how inadequately prepared we are to stave them off. So he promises to be our Helper and our Guide. In short, then, the
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 19 – Rejoice!
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 6:6-7 There he goes again—the ever-optimistic Paul! Rejoicing while in prison! How does he manage to do that? "He [Paul] was
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 18 – When We Feel Forsaken
by TJ Bates "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?" -Psalm 22:1 Have you ever felt forsaken by God and asked this question when praying? Isn't it comforting to know that David felt that way as well? And we know that from reading his other Psalms that he was never really forsaken at all. We read in Your 100 Day Prayer: "What we need to
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 17 – Living Our Purpose
by TJ Bates "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." -Philippians 2:13 I'm often confused when I read a verse like this one. Do I have free will, or am I a puppet with the strings being pulled by God? Dr. Snyder says, "No, we are not robots, mindlessly moving forward in some sort of hypnotic daze. We are real people who are acting freely for the first time, no longer
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 15 – Saltiness
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." -Matthew 5:13 I am a "salty person," not a "sweet person." Of course I'm referring to taste, but Jesus is referring to who we are. Dr. Snyder explains it this way: "We're the ones who are supposed to be salty, tasty, tangy. We're the ones who
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 14 – The Master Plan
"The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth, he humbles and he exalts." -1 Samuel 2:6-7 Have you ever expressed fear about what is happening in the world, or what is going on in your own life, and someone replied "not to worry because the Lord has a plan?" Did you believe it? Dr. Snyder does and explains why. "God and God alone is the one who has
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 13 – Nothing’s Impossible
by TJ Bates "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'" -Mark 10:27 Is this word in your vocabulary? Do you use it or think it quite often? Pastor Snyder says it isn't in God's vocabulary. He goes on to say: "…it makes perfect sense that if the God of the Bible exists, then there's nothing, literally nothing, that's impossible. By definition, God excludes the realm of the impossible. Water into
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 11 – Pressed But Not Crushed
by TJ Bates "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body." -2 Corinthians 4:8-11 Paul is amazing!
