Suicide is a difficult topic to discuss, but one that needs to be addressed as suicide rates continue to rise in the United States. A 2016 Center for Disease Control Study noted that suicide rates increased in nearly every state from 1999-2016, and this increase was across gender, age, racial...
As we approach Labor Day weekend, I have been thinking about calendars, life patterns, and rhythms. While Labor Day originally was intended as a holiday to remember and celebrate the contributions of American workers, it has come to be known more for marking the end of summer. Similarly...
In Faith Church’s current sermon series, “At the Table”, a couple of passages we’ve looked at are from the Gospel of Luke. Jesus having meals with people and often teaching at a table is a key theme in this gospel and in fact, many of these stories are found only in the...
A question I have received on multiple occasions as a pastor is whether it is okay for Christians to get tattoos. A verse that comes up in this discussion is Leviticus 19:28. This verse reads: "You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord&rdquo...
Over the past couple of weeks, the 4 Year Bible Reading at Faith Church has been going through the Old Testament book of Daniel, so I have been thinking about this book lately. There are some things that makes this book unique and interesting. For example, part of the book is written in Hebrew...
Do you ever have a moment when you “connect the dots” on different experiences you have recently had, seeing how these seemingly unrelated moments are all linked together and perhaps teaching or showing you something bigger? That happened to me this week; let me recount what...
As Christians read the Bible,, a key principle to recognize is that the Old Testament points forward to and tells us about Jesus. Why do I say that? Well, because Jesus said it! An important passage on this point is John 5 as Jesus says in v. 39, “You search the Scriptures because you...
