Filled With Hope or Filled With Despair?

It seems like lately there has been a lot of sickness, death and worry taking place in our lives.  This pandemic has hit close to home for many of us while others have had to face the loss of loved ones through natural process. Others are filled with anxiety and worry over finances, their marriage, the state of the world and dozens of other reasons. It's been hard to find things to be hopeful about when things in this world seem to be falling apart at the seams.

However; in

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Forgiveness

Sometimes forgiving others is a very difficult task isn't it? When they've done something to hurt you and show little to no remorse it's a lot easier to want to hold a grudge or get even than it is to forgive.

But what about us and our concern that God can't forgive us for something that we have done - maybe even a very long time ago? It's hard to imagine that the creator of the entire universe can actually forgive us isn't it? Maybe you committed adultery.....or perhaps yo

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End of Life for a Christian

Should we rejoice or weep when a brother or sister in Christ dies? Is a Christian funeral service a celebration or time for mourning? 

As some of you may know, I am going through the end of life battle alongside of my mom at this time. Hospice has been called in and they are doing a wonderful job of making sure that she is loved on, cared for and kept as comfortable as possible.  However; when someone dies and their time on earth has come to an end, many Christians aren't r

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The Great Commission Wasn't Just for Disciples of the Bible

The disciples spent three-and-a-half years with Jesus. They saw mind-blowing miracles and heard life-changing teaching. It must of been like drinking from a firehose. How do you remember it all? What stands out when everything you've experienced is life-changing and revolutionary?

Obviously, the crucifixion and resurrection changed everything forever. The euphoria of seeing Jesus's triumph over death must have caused the disciples to look at their experiences with Him in a

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Christ Died Alone

I can remember when I was a young boy about the age of 8 or 9 my parents would sometimes leave me at home alone for a very short time to handle a farm-related situation. I enjoyed the fact that they trusted me enough to be alone but sometimes it was in fact a bit scary.  What if someone came to the house that I didn't know? What if a storm were to brew up and the winds got violent and I was all by myself? 

Jesus felt very alone in his final hours here on earth too. His heav

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God Isn't "For Sale"

My wife Ellen enjoys selling things online. Sometimes she'll even get up on a Saturday morning in the summer and spend the morning hours going to garage sales.  As the saying goes, "One man's junk is another man's treasure!"

If you have been to many garage sales you know that "bartering" is a part of the process.  An item might be marked to be sold for just a dollar but still, someone wants to make that deal and get it for just 50-cents!  It's amazing to me what people will

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Pursuit of Happiness

As we are now fully engaged with another new year it always brings with it resolutions, goals, dreams and thoughts of what we would like to accomplish in the next 50 weeks of living here on earth.

One thing that nearly all of us think about is happiness and sometimes we'll do just about anything to find it! One person that was convinced that he knew how and where to find happiness was King Solomon. If anyone had the ways and the means to pursue happiness it was him because

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Life is a Story

All of us would like to someday be able to sit down with our kids, our grandkids or some family members and tell our life story -- the whole story.  But what story will you choose to tell?  Will you be forced to stop mid-sentence and ask yourself "what version am I going to tell here?"  After all, it's your chance to tell "your story" about life and the mistakes that you made, the lessons that you learned and the truth about everything.

Let's face it, we've all got a few ch

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Christmas is Near!

From his very birth, Jesus was recognized as a King.  There was just something about Him that inspired others to be loyal to him and to pay him respect. Wise men brought him gifts and shepherds fell to their knees worshipping him!  Another King, Herrod, realized that this baby Jesus was a threat to his throne so he tried to have him killed.

During his 3-year ministry, Jesus laid claim to the lives of ordinary people and their loyalty to him was total and absolute.  He wasn'

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Advent is Here!

It's hard to believe but we are officially kicking off the Advent season on Sunday, November 29th!  Advent in Latin means "Coming" and this is the time each year that we as Christians start to celebrate the 4 weeks prior to the birth of Christ Jesus and the Christmas holiday.

Advent reminds Christians of the sacred meaning of Christmas. Despite the secular preparations taking place, eg buying presents and going to parties, Advent reminds Christians to remember and prepare f

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Anger

Have you ever been accused of something that you didn't do? How did that make you feel? Later, when it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were innocent, did you still feel like others thought you were guilty?  Did the unproven and untrue accusation damage your reputation?

That kind of experience vividly shows us the dangerous power of a lie or a false accusation. Normally, when that lie or accusation is about us, the first thing we are tempted to do is strike ba

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Coming in Glory

Jesus' first coming passed almost unnoticed: He was born in a very small, out of the way town and laid in a manger with only animals and shepherds to greet him.  Even at the peak of his ministry, Jesus could say "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Luke 9:58 NIV)

How different Jesus' second coming will be! "Then every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7 NIV) and He will come with glory and power to establish His...
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Learning from the Past

I've heard people ask the popular question, "Why should I bother reading the Old Testament?  Isn't that pretty much obsolete since Jesus came to earth and fulfilled profecy?"

The Old Testament is just as much God's Word as anything that you'll read in the New Testament.  In fact; God has a lot to teach us in ALL of the pages of the bible.  In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteo

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Listening to the Silence

I haven't updated my blog on here for awhile. Did anyone notice? It's not that I've been lazy or that I had nothing to say.  I was being still and trying to listen for God in the silence.

I've been struggling with working a fulltime job and then trying to find or sometimes - make the time for handling what i need to do as your Pastor.  I work fulltime as the Sales and Marketing Manager for an assisted living community in Findlay.

Lately, the sales have been tough and trying

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Are You Running From The Lord?

When I was younger I played just about every sport there was. I enjoyed football, basketball and baseball and even hit the tennis ball around and later got hooked on golf.  I was active and running was a big part of my athletic years.

However; as I got older I lost the interest to run and be as active as I was in my younger days. Now, the only running you'll see me do is from the living room to the refrigerator during TV Timeouts to get something to eat or drink!

But how man

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