Communion, the Lord's Supper is one of those things that many Christians participate in but do not necessarily understand. This act of Worship was commanded by Christ and it is important to understand why we are to do this. The Lord's supper is meant to be so much more than just a dry routine. Remember Jesus by understanding and celebrating the Lord's Supper.

So many people have a distorted view of the church. Some people think steeples, others think candles and still others think irrelevant or not for me. The church is meant to be God's people on mission as God's agent - right here and right now. Christ gave some good pictures to describe the church in the New Testament. Family, Body and Bride are three of the most powerful ways to describe what the church is meant to be.

It is always beneficial to know where you stand. At our sixth month anniversary of meeting in the Selah Civic Center we incorporated our annual meeting into the morning. We asked the question,

You've heard it... You may have even said it...

We all need a challenge in our lives. Something to live up to, something to live for. The apostle Paul, shortly before his death delivered a life sized challenge to young Timothy and to us. The challenge is to preach the word of God relentlessly (in season and out of season). May we live up to the challenge to preach and live in response to the Word of God.

Jesus revealed during His earthly ministry that He would be returning to the Father in Heaven. He said, he was going to prepare a place for us. After His death, burial and resurrection Jesus called his disciples together to give them instructions on what they should do until his return. The second instruction for his followers is baptism. It is important what Jesus said about Baptism. The what, who, when, where and how of baptism is clearly explained in the scripture. We invite you to Understand Baptism for yourself!

We respond well to the approval of people, how much more do we want and need the approval of God and desire to hear the applause of heaven. What does it look like to be approved by God? The Apostle Paul encourages young Timothy and us in 2 Timothy 2:14-26 to

SOLDIER: You may be armed with a skill, an education or just sense of determination but you have weapons. There are things that you hold dear to you that are worth defending. There are goals that are worth fighting for. Whether you’ve ever seen yourself as a soldier there is no doubt that there is warfare all around you. The challenge is to embrace your inner soldier receive your deployment orders from the scriptures. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV)

The Scriptures are going to urge us to live out our faith in an Unashamed way. Another way to say that is that Christ would want us to learn and live in a Shame-less way. Shame is a powerful force. Shame goes beyond being embarrassed. You may have been embarrassed by someone's actions or words but have you ever been ashamed of what you said or did or may be what we didn’t do and we know we should have. Shame can control a person and keep them from doing what they should. Shame has always been associated with Sin. In the book of Genesis, the direct result for Adam and Eve in their disobedience is that immediately felt shame. The good news is that God can show us how to live a shameless life.

Practicing