Lenexa Baptist Church

May 10th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

We live in a world of busy-ness. We are pursued with technologies that have made our lives more comfortable. But these same technologies that are meant to serve us also distract us. There used to be a day when you could go on a vacation and not be interrupted. Not today. Wherever we go, our office goes with us. No matter where we go, we can be found, located, and contacted. For this reason, we spend most of our time focused on issues, items, and things that are trivial. Things that are demanding in the short-term, but in the long-term are unimportant. We are constantly pushed toward what is immediate, but not necessarily what is important.

Throughout our study of Psalms, I have found the psalmist inviting us to a place where it is just us and God to consider and focus on the things that really matter. In most of our study, it has been David inviting us into his prayers and songs. This week, Moses, in Psalm 90, similarly invites us into his heartache to focus on and consider what really matters. To think deeply upon God and our relationship with Him. To consider our sin and its consequences in our lives. And finally, to consider God’s lovingkindness and grace.

I pray that you will join us this weekend for worship as we spend time with the Lord as a corporate body of believers. Join me in praying that God would move in our worship and, most importantly, in our hearts so that we are drawn closer to Him. Pray that the Spirit of God would penetrate lost hearts so that they might come to know the joy and peace that we have found in Christ.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

May 3rd, 2026

Pastor Chad Mcdonald

Have you ever been driven to a place of desperation? Perhaps you have had a desperate need for a job, a relationship, or a physical or emotional healing. In Psalm 63, David finds himself in a place of desperation. His enemy has chased him into the desert. He has no food or water and could be very near death. In that place of desperation, David cries out with urgency and clarity for the very presence of God. The great cry of his heart is not for physical water, his throne, reconciliation with his son from whom he is running, or the comfort of his palace. Instead, David longs for the presence of God like a dying man longs for water.

Does this kind of thirsting after the presence of God mark your life? More personally, I have had to ask myself, “Does this thirst mark my life?” I pray that you would join us this weekend as we walk through this psalm and seek to discover more about this kind of thristing after God.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

April 26th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

Charles Spurgeon had this to say about Psalm 51. “Such a psalm may be wept over, absorbed into the soul, and exhaled again in devotion; but, commented on – ah! where is he who having attempted it can do other than blush at his defeat.”

I have certainly felt this way in preparation for this weekend’s message. There is probably no more well-known, humbling, convicting, and encouraging psalm in the whole Bible. I encourage you to take the time to read it in preparation for worship this weekend. Come before the Word humbly and allow its truth to penetrate your heart. Prayerfully we will all realize afresh and anew the lovingkindness of God as we study it together.

Don’t forget our 8 am worship service on Sunday mornings and our 5 pm service on Saturday night. Whichever service you attend, I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

April 19th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

Derek Redmond was a runner on the British sprint team. He was running the 4x400m relay with his teammates. At the onset of the race, his team was doing well. Then came the handoff to Derek. He was the anchor leg. His job was to bring it home for his team. But as he turned the corner, he pulled his Achilles tendon and fell flat on his face. He laid there on the ground in desperate pain. He couldn’t walk, so he began to crawl. The audience was silent as all eyes were fixed on him as he tried to scratch his way towards the finish line.

During the unfolding drama, a man ran from the stands and picked up Derek Redmond. One of the judges tried to stop him, but the man waved him off and said, “Leave me alone, this is my boy.” Derek’s father left the stands and came down to where Derek had fallen. He picked him up, put his arm over his shoulder, and with his arms around his son’s waist, helped Derek across the finish line. The crowd erupted in applause. Derek and his dad received more applause than all the other runners who needed no help.

This week, as we turn our attention to Psalm 46, the psalmist reminds us of someone in the stands who is willing to come down, pick you up, and let you put your arm over His shoulder. He’ll put His arm around your waist, and He will carry you. He is not just a help. He is a very present help in times of trouble.

Make plans today to worship with this us this weekend. Don’t forget our new 8 am worship service and our Saturday night service opportunity. I look forward to seeing you at church.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

April 12th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

In January 2003, a young man named Terry Drier was in the water twenty hours after his boat had capsized. He gave a valiant effort at survival, although he later confessed he felt certain that he was going to die. After a long while, a helicopter located him and sent word to a ship on its way to the Persian Gulf. The name of the ship was the USS Comforter. This vessel was on its way to do battle and paused to deliver one man. They went out of their way to save one man, and there was a doctor on board who nursed him back to health.

Some of you may feel as though you are treading water, and you are not sure how much longer you can hang in there. This weekend, as we turn our attention to Psalm 40, we are reminded of our Deliverer who is always hovering nearby. The God of all comfort will make sure that the comfort we need comes our way.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

April 5th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

Imagine a young student in graduate school. He knows Christ and is seeking to follow Christ and honor him in a secular, humanistic, educational environment. While he remains faithful to the Word and the gospel, he is overlooked while the accolades and recognitions go to the one who denies the gospel, God, and the Word. That is tough, but that is often the Christian life. We walk with God in faithfulness, and we sow to the Spirit and often our acts of righteousness are not immediately rewarded.

On the other hand, the acts of unrighteousness and sin often face no immediate judgment. More simply, the faithful seem to suffer and the immoral and wicked seem to prosper. It is a dilemma for the believer that we all face. David faced it. He had been anointed by God. God had promised that he would be king. He walked in faithfulness, and life often got more difficult. King Saul walked in unfaithfulness, was disobedient to God, and even consulted witches, and it often appeared as though God never even noticed. Is that frustrating?

When you walk with God in faithfulness, and there are no immediate rewards or recompense, and the wicked and immoral flourish, how do we respond? How do we move forward and avoid anger and bitterness?

This weekend we will learn from one who had been there and was inspired by God to write Psalm 37. How do the righteous respond to the prosperity of the wicked? I pray that you will join us this Palm Sunday weekend as we worship our Savior in song and the study of His Word.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

March 29th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

Imagine a young student in graduate school. He knows Christ and is seeking to follow Christ and honor him in a secular, humanistic, educational environment. While he remains faithful to the Word and the gospel, he is overlooked while the accolades and recognitions go to the one who denies the gospel, God, and the Word. That is tough, but that is often the Christian life. We walk with God in faithfulness, and we sow to the Spirit and often our acts of righteousness are not immediately rewarded.

On the other hand, the acts of unrighteousness and sin often face no immediate judgment. More simply, the faithful seem to suffer and the immoral and wicked seem to prosper. It is a dilemma for the believer that we all face. David faced it. He had been anointed by God. God had promised that he would be king. He walked in faithfulness, and life often got more difficult. King Saul walked in unfaithfulness, was disobedient to God, and even consulted witches, and it often appeared as though God never even noticed. Is that frustrating?

When you walk with God in faithfulness, and there are no immediate rewards or recompense, and the wicked and immoral flourish, how do we respond? How do we move forward and avoid anger and bitterness?

This weekend we will learn from one who had been there and was inspired by God to write Psalm 37. How do the righteous respond to the prosperity of the wicked? I pray that you will join us this Palm Sunday weekend as we worship our Savior in song and the study of His Word.

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

March 22nd, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

One day a man rushed into his home and with a panicked look on his face declared to his wife, “We are in trouble!” She said, “What is it?” He responded, “The car.” She replied, “What is wrong with the car?” He answered, “Water. There is water in the carburetor, and it won’t run.” The wife, knowing her husband did not have a mechanical bone in his body replied, “How in the world do you know that there is water in the carburetor?” The husband, hanging his head in shame said, “The car is in the swimming pool so there must be water in the carburetor.”

Obviously, the man’s problem was much bigger than what he stated. Water in the carburetor was just the tip of the iceberg. The fact of the matter is, we are more messed up than we are often willing to admit. We may only admit to some water in the carburetor when our whole life is in the pool.

The first half of Psalm 36 gives us a clear presentation of the estate of man. We are guilty and we are without excuse. We may be able to dress up our lives and talk a good game, but we are all guilty. We all stand condemned before God. We all stand in absolute need of Jesus. The ground at the foot of the cross is level. The second half of the psalm gives us reason for hope. Not in ourselves but in the lovingkindness and faithfulness of God.

I pray that you will make plans today to join us for worship. Church is not a hotel for saints. It is a hospital for sinners. So, whether you just have some water in the carburetor or your life is in the pool, I will pray that you will join us as we turn our attention to the great physician, King Jesus.

March 15th, 2026

Pastor Jim Fruth

This week in Psalm 27, David comes “face-to-face” with his fear, but he isn’t paralyzed by it. Instead, he turns his attention to “One Thing.” Fear is a real emotion that is produced in the flesh when we face trouble, enemies, or even when we listen to anything contrary to God’s Truth.

David’s earnest prayer is an example for us to follow as we face down our own enemies. Psalm 27 is a well-known passage that has much to say about our fearless trust in God! Make plans now to attend one of our services this weekend.

March 8th, 2026

Pastor Chad McDonald

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

There’s something powerful about hearing this message from someone who has just walked through the valley and seen the Shepherd’s care firsthand. Pastor Chad was scheduled to preach Psalm 23 this weekend, and in God’s sovereignty, the timing could not be more meaningful.

The Lord knew exactly what this journey would hold before he and Faith ever stepped on the plane.

Don’t miss Psalm 23 this weekend.