PASTOR’S BLOG

What Jesus Wants John 17:1–26 “Why don’t you just tell me what you want?” One of the most challenging things in relationships is wanting to please another person but not knowing what they want. I have seen so many relationships struggle because the other person can’t figure out how to please the one they are with. They want to love their spouse but just don’t know how. We are left frustrated and say, “Why don’t you just tell me what you want?” Things are a lot easier when the

Resurrection Joy John 16:16–33 Think back with me almost ten years ago to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. For a lifelong Cubs fan, it was one of the most stressful sporting events I have ever watched. The Cubs had not won a World Series since 1908. More than a century of losing. The Billy Goat Curse. Steve Bartman. Year after year of disappointment. And now we were one win away. The Cubs took the lead, and for a while it looked like we might actually do it. Then in the botto

The Spirit Convicts John 16:4b-15 I have to admit, I had never read Pride and Prejudice. Growing up as a meat-and-potatoes Midwesterner, I was always more interested in the ball game than in classical literature. But one day, when our kids were still young, Ellen called me and said, “Jay Camp is going to come over and watch Pride and Prejudice with the kids.” That was a sentence I never thought I would hear. Jay came over, and we watched Pride and Prejudice almost like you w

The World Hates Us John 15:18–16:4 The world hates you. It hates Christ, it hates Christ’s church, and it hates every person who bears Christ’s name. Behind the world’s rebellion stands the adversary, Satan, whom Jesus elsewhere calls “the ruler of this world.” He is not all-powerful, but he is malevolent, cunning, and determined. He cannot take you from the hand of Christ, but he will use every scheme available to weaken your faith, silence your witness, divide your home, an

Abiding in the Vine, Living as Friends John 15:1-17 Over the last several weeks, we have had a number of storms come through our area, and every time another storm rolls through, more sticks and branches seem to end up scattered across my yard. I have not been as diligent about picking them up as I should have been, so this past week I finally walked around gathering them. Some of those branches had been lying there for several days, a few others for a couple of weeks. When t

The Promise of Presence John 14:15-31 In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a man stranded alone on an island after a plane crash. Desperate for companionship, he eventually begins talking to a volleyball he names Wilson. It sounds ridiculous for a grown man to talk to a volleyball, but by the end of the movie, when Wilson floats away and Hanks desperately swims after it crying, “Wilson!” nearly risking his life to get him back. After years of isolation, even

Not My Plan John 14:1-14 Keith Doster has often said, “That’s not the way I would have planned it.” Those words have echoed in my ears over the years as I have watched heartbreak and sorrow eventually turn into joy and gladness. It’s the broken leg that leads to a conversation with a physical therapist, the conversation leads to the gospel, and God uses the gospel to bring that person to Christ. We would never choose the broken leg, but we rejoice in the salvation of the phys

Should a Christian use AI? Recently, as part of a series addressing questions Christians commonly ask, I was asked, “Should Christians use artificial intelligence?” It is a question pastors and churches increasingly need to consider. Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of everyday life. Students use it to study. Employees use it to write and research. Doctors use it to analyze information. Pastors use it to prepare. Parents use it to answer questions. Increasingl

Love for God’s Glory John 13:31-38 At 20 years old I was struggling with living out my faith in Christ. I was asked to serve at a Christian camp as a counselor to help campers, but the camp helped to transform me. The main impact on my faith was not in the teaching of the camp speaker, but it was the genuine faith and love of the other counselors. It was one of the first times I witnessed the authentic, empty tomb affection of real Christian love. And my life has not been the

The Last Invitation John 13:21–30 History and literature are filled with stories of betrayal, but perhaps none is more famous than the assassination of Julius Caesar. According to William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, as Caesar looked upon the men attacking him, he recognized one face he never expected to see, his trusted friend, Brutus. Shakespeare immortalized the moment with the words, "Et tu, Brute?" or "You too, Brutus?" Whether those were Caesar's actual words or not, th

Thirteen Observations from the Upper Room John 13:1–20 If you knew you were going to die, what would you want people to remember about you? More importantly, how would you spend your final hours? As John 13 opens, Jesus knows that His hour has come. Within hours He will be arrested, tried, crucified, and laid in a tomb. Yet before going to the cross, He gathers His disciples during the Feast of the Passover. For nearly fifteen hundred years, Israel had celebrated this meal to

The Anatomy of an Unbelieving Heart John 12:37-50 What would it take for you to believe that aliens exist? For some people, not much. A blurry photograph, an unexplained military report, a strange object caught on video, or the testimony of a former government official is enough to convince them that intelligent life exists somewhere beyond our planet. Entire documentaries, podcasts, books, and television series are devoted to the subject. Interest in extraterrestrial life ha

The Father’s Delight John 12:20-36 One of the most moving scenes in cinema comes at the end of Field of Dreams. Throughout the movie, Ray Kinsella is wrestling with regret, longing, and unresolved pain surrounding his relationship with his father. Years earlier, they had argued where harsh words were exchanged and their relationship was fractured. Before they could be reconciled, his father died. Throughout the film, that wound lingers beneath the surface. The baseball field

What do you Worship? John 12:1-19 What do you worship? That may seem like an easy question. Most of us would immediately say, "God." But before we answer too quickly, it may help to define worship. To worship is to bow down. It is to assign worth. It is to arrange your life around something because you believe it is valuable. Worship is not merely singing songs on Sunday. Worship is what captures your heart, commands your loyalty, occupies your thoughts, shapes your decisions

Our Place John 11:45-57 Bill had run a nursery business for more than thirty years. He started with little more than an old truck, a few tools, and a willingness to work long days in the South Carolina heat. Over time, the business grew. His name was on the sign out front. Customers knew him and his employees respected him. The nursery was not merely his livelihood, but it had become part of his identity. As the years passed, his son joined him in the business, bringing new i

Hope in the House of Death John 11:1-44 “Hope is the word which the finger of God has inscribed upon the brow of every man.” Victor Hugo wrote those words in his classic work Les Misérables, one of the greatest stories of redemption ever written. It is the story of Jean Valjean and his journey from hatred and despair to mercy and hope. Hugo understood something that every human being eventually discovers: we cannot live without hope. As Hugo gave hope to the world with his pe

Hear and Hold John 10:22-42 One writer nails the human heart with one sentence, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” When was the last time you sat alone in a quiet room for 30 minutes without checking your phone? No multitasking. Not with music playing in the background. No reaching for a screen the moment your mind slows down. Just you… and silence. For most of us, that feels almost impossible. Within seconds, we feel the u

The Voice You Trust John 10:1-21 Picture three year old Benson on a playground, full of energy and curiosity. He runs from one piece of equipment to another, climbing, laughing, completely absorbed in the moment. His parents are nearby, watching, but for just a moment he rounds the corner of the building and cannot see them anymore. He is still safe, still within reach, but now he is out of sight. Now two voices begin to call out to little Benson. From one side of the buildin

Questions for the Blind John 9:1-41 In 1748, a young sailor was caught in a violent storm at sea. As the ship, the Greyhound, was battered by the waves and began to break apart, he worked through the night, desperately trying to keep it afloat. And with every bucket of water he threw overboard, he began to think about his own soul, wondering if this would be his last day and asking, “Could God forgive my sin?” This was no ordinary ship. It was a slave ship, and he was a slave

Never Taste Death John 8:48-59 Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” And every year about this time, we are reminded of at least one of those. April has a way of bringing reality into focus. You can put it off for a while, you can try not to think about it, but eventually it comes due. Taxes have a deadline you cannot escape. But there is another certainty that no calendar can contain and no deadline can postpo