When Christians get a bad rap, how can we set the record straight?

The apostle Peter said that the best way to silence our critics is to prove them wrong by living undeniably good lives.

But what does a “good life” look like? We’ll find out as we study 1 Peter 2:11-25 together.

If you are a Christian who lives in the most unchurched county of the most unchurched state in the nation, you dare not base your self-image on what people around you think of those who follow Jesus.

No, to get a more accurate description of your true identity, you need the mirror of God’s word. In 1 Peter 2:4-10 (the passage we will be studying this Sunday at White Pine), you’ll see yourself as God sees you–and it will change the way you engage with those who treat you as if you’re from away. I hope you are encouraged by this study!

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” That’s 1 Peter 2:2, which may be a familiar verse to you–but what is “pure spiritual milk”?

That’s an important question, because whatever it is, it provides the nourishment you and I need to become spiritually mature.

This Sunday at White Pine, all of us–even those of us who think we already know the answer–will learn more about what we should crave if we want to grow to our full potential.

We have the secret to eternal life. So why do some people treat us as if we have the coronavirus?

There must be something that will make us attractive rather than off-putting to those we love. There is, and this Sunday at White Pine we will discover how to get it into our lives so that others will come close enough to get what we’ve got.

It’s

a question that most of us have asked, but few of us have done so out

loud. We know it’s not the kind of question we should be asking, but

under the influence of raging passions, or in the fatigue of our battle

against sin, we wonder: Does holiness really matter?

You know how I am going to answer that question. But do you know why?

If you want convincing answers that have a stronger magnetic pull

than the relentless urge to do what you know is wrong, join us for a

study of 1 Peter 1:14-21.

Is it possible to be sad and happy at the same time? 

That’s not a hypothetical question for you, is it? There is something in your life that is making you sad.  You are, to use the words of 1 Peter 1:6, “suffering grief” in some kind of trial.

And yet, even in the midst of that pain, it is possible to “greatly rejoice” (1 Peter 1:6) with “inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).

But how? We’ll find out this Sunday at White Pine as we study 1 Peter 1:3-13 together.

As one who is not a native Mainer, I know that I will always be “from away”. No matter how hard I try to blend in, there’s no hiding the fact that I am out of my element.

If you are a Christian, you’re “from away” too–no matter where you were born. Your true home is heaven, and that means that, as long as you live here on earth, you’re going to face many challenges.

But God has given us the Book of 1 Peter to help us journey through life successfully. This Sunday at White Pine, we are going to launch into a study of this practical and encouraging book. I pray that, as you engage in this study, your longing for home will grow and your impact in the foreign land through which you are traveling will deepen.

If you follow Jesus long enough, you’re bound to meet two sisters by the names of Mary and Martha. A famous scene takes place in their home in Luke 10:38-42, and what happens there teaches us a lot about the balance between delighting in Jesus and doing things for Jesus.

This is a great time of year to restore our balance, and to help us do that Will Truesdell is going to lead us through a study of this great passage. I hope you will be among those who benefit from his teaching!

It’s 2020! What better time to believe that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE? Why, I’ll bet you have heard sentiments like this countless times in the past few days as you have been challenged to make bold new year’s resolutions.

The only problem is that some things–often the things we want most–are impossible, humanly speaking. That’s why the most important resolution you will make this year is not about WHAT YOU WILL DO but rather WHOM YOU WILL TRUST.

This Sunday at White Pine, I hope to help you entrust what is seemingly impossible to the One for whom everything is possible. Imagine if this is the year He gives you the desire of your heart!

If I were to ask you to tell me about your family, I’ll bet you couldn’t do it without getting emotional. 

For better or worse, our family is the unit with which we experience so much of life. How can we navigate the twists and turns of family life successfully? This Sunday at White Pine, Larry Strondak will help us learn from Jesus’ family some important lessons that we can apply to our own family life.