From Our Family and Music Minister | My first youth trip as a leader was taking 18 young people to the youth evangelism conference in Macon, Ga. Just as we had done in previous years, we hit up the food court at the Macon Mall before heading back on Saturday evening. The plan was always that youth would break up into groups of 4 or 5 and check in with us periodically. Then, after a few hours, we all would load back up and head home. It had been a great trip, with no significant issues, and the conference had been incredible.

From Our Pastor | Graduation – what an exciting time! It is a time of celebration as we rejoice in our seniors’ success in their studies. It is also a time of anticipation as we think about our seniors’ goals, dreams, and hopes for the future. We hope each of them succeeds wonderfully in their lives.

From Our Family And Music Minister | A mother can be a tremendous influence, and guide her children in the ways of God. She can model love, grace, truth, and strength. God calls mothers to teach children about living a Christian life. The Bible is filled with examples of the importance of generations teaching new generations how to live a life acceptable to God. However, children are influenced by both of their parents, so it isn’t only a man’s or woman’s job to model the Gospel, it’s every parent’s job to show Christ to their children.

From Our Pastor | Will you let God bless you?  That may strike you as a strange question.  After all, who wouldn’t want God’s blessings on their lives?

From Our Family and Music Minister | Growing up, my dad did most of the cooking because he was always home earlier than my mom.  The same circumstance presented itself when my sister and I were off at college; I was home first, so I did most of the cooking.  There is no better way to learn to cook than to do it out of necessity.  However, I got a little bit of my mother in me, so I would love to try new things.  To make a long story short, I made a big pot of spaghetti when we had friends coming to stay for the weekend.  It tasted so bad that I refused to eat it or let anyone else eat it.  We cleaned up the dishes and did take-out.  Yes, it tasted that bad.  Fortunately, the next time I cooked, my friends were willing to taste my food and even continued to give me a second chance even when I had a flop now and then.  Aren’t we glad that we serve a God who continues to provide us with a second chance when we continually mess up and make mistakes?

From Our Pastor | “How can we reach the people of this generation?” That is frequently the question Christians ask one another these days. Believers look at an increasingly sinful and hardened culture and begin to grasp straws for a “formula” to reach people.

From Our Family and Music Minister | We all need encouragement from time to time. Encouragement can be helpful when we are feeling down, struggling with a difficult task, or trying to achieve a goal. Encouragement can come from many sources, such as friends, family, teachers, mentors, or even strangers. It can be as simple as a kind word, a hug, or a pat on the back. When we are encouraged, we can receive the strength to keep going when we feel like giving up. However, we can’t always be on the receiving end. As Christians, we need to make sure that we reach out to our family and friends who might need encouragement. As Christians, there are so many ways we can encourage each other:

From Our Pastor | As we remember our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, we cannot help but be in awe and amazement at our Father’s great love for His children. Everything we remember and celebrate this week testifies of God’s great love for us.  Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

From Our Family and Music Minister | Over the years, I have attended many youth rallies and worship services.  These events can be great times of teaching and worship for young people; however, many of the youth just get caught up in the emotion of the event.  As a result, they will come down during the invitation, be attentive during Bible study, and even show up for Sunday School the following Sunday for the first time in a year.  Unfortunately, this change usually passes within a few days because they were caught up in the emotion of the whole event and honestly had not made a heart change.

From Our Pastor | What difference does salvation make in everyday life?  We usually think of salvation in terms of eternity.  We focus on its impact after death.  While salvation is the determining factor in our eternal destiny, it also completely changes our lives now.  The Christian life is a completely different life than the non-Christian life.