Mary & Joseph-Young, unexpected, confused, tired yet courageous. Mary had not a clue what was going to happen that first night. Shepherds-probably outcasts, nothing special, just doing “their job”. It was supposed to be a normal night. Simeon & Anna-Old and just waiting for prayers to be answered. Faithful…

Becoming a GOAT We all want greatness and our world can pressure us to be a GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time. This desire is not necessarily bad but can be confusing. Who defines greatness? If we want to be great, and I am not opposed to it, then we must ask who gets to define greatness. Christmas gives…

Simple does not equate with easy. We need to be reminded of this truth. Just because a concept is simple does not mean it is easy. Just because someone may “get it” easier does not mean only a few can understand and live it out. We are familiar with cynicism, criticalness and bitterness. These are the…

Many people need help. The needs of our community and the people in our lives is great. This can be overwhelming, trust me I know. The prophets job: comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. This is a line I read from John Goldingay in his Jeremiah for Everyone commentary. Think about this statement…

What “P” words can you think of this morning? Patience, perseverance, pitching, problems, etc. How are we to live in this world? This is a primary question I ask each week as I study the Scripture and our text for hours in order to try and answer. If we do not live out the Word of God it matters little…

How would you describe life right now? What words come to mind when you think of life? We need a word from the Lord. As we enter this week I hope this message will help you hear the Lord. I will try even more than usual to be brief and straight forward. Israel’s world was being turned upside down. The…

God still speaks today. This is, I believe, a fundamental truth we must learn. God still uses the words of old to help us live in 2024. Jeremiah gives us a “parable in action”. The phrase most likely comes form the NIV Application Commentary but when we have this framework it helps to understand the…

Who, and what, is man? I use the term “man” in a very generic sense here; one devoid of gender. Jeremiah in our passage, and those before, is trying to get the nation to see how God answers this question. We too must answer the question. Follow your heart our world says. This is a popular phrase in our…

What is Biblical prayer? Have you ever thought long and hard about this question? Most of us, and for many years I have been similar, the answer is probably not. We know some of the great “prayers” of the Bible but it is the unknown prayers we may want to consider. Having faith when God is silent. It…

Life is unfair! This is a hard truth everyone one of us faces, sometimes weekly and sometimes not as often. Right does not always win. The better team sometimes loses. Why do evil people succeed? Ever wonder this? I struggle to use the word “evil” because it is so easy to see others as being awful, incompetent,…