One Powerful Way You Can Move Your Church Out of Crisis I remember when the first week of ministry was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. We contacted our ministry leaders, who…
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas in 2020, many are wondering has there ever been a more difficult season to work through Christmas. We are experiencing a medical crisis with thousands dying and many more sick from the pandemic. We have severe racial and political unrest and even a financial crisis taking place. Families are not permitted to gather or are strongly discouraged from doing so, and it appears this Christmas of 2020 is going to be different than anything we have ever experienced.
It would be easy to think we have it tough and we are alone in humanity and history in what we are experiencing. As we turn the pages back in our local history to the time of the Civil War in the Fredericksburg area, we are reminded of what our country and even our local community was experiencing on Christmas. In December of 1863, our country was at war, right in the middle of the Civil War between the North and the South. The Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania and Orange areas locally became a strategic location for the war, that many called the eastern theatre of the Civil War. There were several major battles and campaigns in our area. Just one year prior in December of 1862, nearly 17,000 casualties occurred in the Battle of Fredericksburg.
A few months later and a few miles west, at the Battle of Chancellorsville over 30,000 casualties in the Wilderness of Spotsylvania. A year after Chancellorsville, and a few more miles west, another 30,000 casualties occurred in the Battle of the Wilderness in Locust Grove. A few days later and a few more miles south east, another 30,000 casualties at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.
Christmas for the country and for our local community in the years of 1863 and 1864 was a disaster to say the least. Each one of these conflicts had several hundred thousands of troops marching through the locals’ properties, taking
As I take a moment to think of the Love that God has for all humanity, I think about Adam & Eve. They had it made! God loved them so much that…
On Sunday, we lit the candle of peace. We began Advent by discussing HOPE. How the world needs hope. Too many are filled with despair. Thankfully we serve the God…
As I reflected on Advent and the Joy candle that was lit this past Sunday, I thought of one of the most famous Christmas Carols ever written, “Joy to the World”. According to an article at Crossway.org, Joy to the World, written by Isaac Watts, was never intended to be a Christmas Carol. However, these words provide us with good reason to have great joy and spread it everywhere we go.
Let us take a moment to think about where we would be if it were not for our Savior Jesus Christ coming to the earth to seek and to save the lost. He did this through His submission to the Father and taking upon Himself the sins of the world. He took our place and paid the penalty for our sin. “Let the earth receive her King!” Once we accept the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we can truly proclaim, that our Savior reigns! (more…)
Looking for the right gift? Don’t forget about the gifts that don’t cost money! Words Of Affirmation “... a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” Proverbs…
Hope is something we probably have mixed feelings about. Again and again, hope seems to have disappointed us so many times in the past. Our disappointing experiences with hope are not so much from hope itself failing us, but rather what we have placed our hope in. Hope by itself has no great qualities, brings no great results or satisfaction. But what we place our hope in makes all of the difference. The Bible speaks of things that we should be cautious of placing hope in. The things in life that we can misplace our hope in are many and various from people, things, ideas and more. Some things in the Scriptures that we should be careful not to place too much hope inside of include military might (Isaiah 31), our own wisdom (Proverbs 26:12), our own righteousness (Ezekiel 33:13), and even riches (Proverbs 11:28). Placing our hope in these various places often leads to disappointment. In fact Proverbs 25:19 say’s “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble (more…)
The holidays have officially begun! The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday and Elvis singing Blue Christmas. At our house the Hallmark movies have already started and we are in the middle of decorating our house for Christmas. So many wonderful memories from my childhood and even more of my four kids celebrating this season. Whether it was sitting on Santa’s lap, driving around looking at lights, preparing reindeer food for Rudolph or putting ornaments on the tree, Paula and I worked hard to develop family traditions and make our time together special.
One fond memory that I have is those years when we would light the Advent Candles as a family. Advent simply (more…)
Get Out Of That Cave A Biographical Study of the Prophet Elijah HOW DID I GET HERE? But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and…