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FIRST WORD "God's Plan"
5/31/2025
What if we knew what was going to happen each day? Would we still enjoy it? Would knowing the future make our life easier, or maybe worse? What if we knew if we’d pass a test, or who we might marry? Or what job we would get, or when we were going to die? While it sounds good at first, I don’t think we would enjoy it as much as we think we might. It would rob us of the mystery, suspense, and hope and joys we need in our lives. Scripture tells us that God has a plan for us. It’s a good plan, one that focuses on growth and a hope for the future. While we don’t know the specifics of God’s plan for us, scripture clearly calls us to a life of transformation and discipleship. It includes growth in character, love, and service of God and one another.
FIRST WORD "Gone Camping"
5/23/2025
We are hosting a Vacation Bible School (VBS) with all the other churches onsite. Nowadays a lot of churches call their VBS program “Day Camp”. Ours will be held on the evenings of June 24, 25, 26 from 6:30-8:15 and will include singing, teaching time, games, and snack time. Our theme is “Run the race. Live the call,” based on Philippians 3:14. We will be helping them connect faith with their love for sports.
FIRST WORD "Sow Generously"
5/17/2025
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIVDo you know how much ministry is happening on our property? Our church council was curious about that so we surveyed the nine groups of ministries sharing ministry on our property recently. We asked everyone fora rough count of the number of people that came for their ministry events during the two-week period of May 1-15. Some people came for their main worship services on Fridays, or Saturdays, or Sundays. There were a number that came for counseling, music rehearsals, and Bible study. Still others were part of youth events (Youth For Christ). A big bunch even came for a wedding that one of the churches had. How many people would you guess were onsite for those two weeks? Maybe a few hundred? Five hundred? No, even higher! Seven hundred? Higher yet!
FIRST WORD "Mommy's Here"
5/8/2025
Everything that is holy, good, and beautiful in motherhood we find in Jesus. Just as mothers delight in the love and attention of their children, so the Lord delights in us. Like a mother, Jesus has the ability to nurture and to feed us. Like a mother, Jesus is relentless in his willingness to sacrifice for us – to protect us, to heal us, and to understand our unique quirks and shortcomings. That’s the love of a mother – it’s also the love of Jesus. Have a happy Mother’s Day!
FIRST WORD "Spring Planting"
5/2/2025
In John 12:24 Jesus uses the analogy of a grain of wheat to explain a spiritual truth for us about life and death. He tells us that if you leave a seed alone, it won’t do anything. But if you plant it, it will sprout and grow, and produce many more seeds. That’s what farmers do. They sacrifice a seed in order to get a plant to grow and multiply.
FIRST WORD "Resurrection People"
4/19/2025
That first Easter changed human history. It was a day when God broke into this world, severed the chains of sin and death, and gave us victory as he rose from the dead. Through faith in Jesus as our Lord and savior, we become Easter people, people of the resurrection. What exactly do resurrection people look like?
FIRST WORD "Hosanna in the Highest"
4/11/2025
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:13-14)Hosanna! It’s a fun word we get to say and sing each year on Palm Sunday. Back when I was a Bible Camp director, the word also meant something else – a sauna! Yes, the camp had a sauna down by the beach where someone had painted the word “ho-sauna” on it, and the name stuck. The “ho-sauna” was a favorite among many of the guests, both kids and adults.
FIRST WORD "A Noisy Deliverance"
4/4/2025
The story of Israel’s deliverance in Exodus 14 was really noisy. Just listen! There was the sound of horses’ hooves pounding the dirt with the rattling of chariot wheels as the army pursued them. The wind was howling, and the waters churning as it formed vertical walls on both sides of the path, roaring like a waterfall. Hear the sound of the Israelites crying out in fear and the Egyptians warriors screaming in panic as they drown. Add to all of that noise some pyrotechnics – the pillar of fire that led them by day, or the cloud by night. It was one big, loud, chaotic mess!
FIRST WORD "Idols and Plagues"
3/29/2025
The Ten Plagues of Egypt are described in Exodus chapters 7—12. These disasters were sent by God upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves from the bondage and oppression that they had endured in Egypt for 400 years. This may be an interesting Bible story, but you might be tempted to say: “What does this judgment against Egyptian idol gods and the plagues mean to me today?”
FIRST WORD "The Burning Bush"
3/20/2025
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” (Exodus 3:1-3 NIV)
FIRST WORD "Plan B"
3/13/2025
In our Exodus story this week, we find the Egyptian Pharaoh turning to Plan B when Plan A failed. Enslaving the Hebrew people just made them multiply even more! So, what was his Plan B? He decides to try birth control. No, not a pill, something more barbaric – he forces the midwives to become executioners, to commit infanticide. Boys could become soldiers, a potential threat for an uprising, so he told them to kill them at birth. Leaving only girls would ultimately dilute the Israelite bloodline, forcing them to become Egyptian, less a threat to his reign.
FIRST WORD "Exodus"
3/6/2025
The Exodus story in the Bible starts when there are new people are now in charge in Egypt. Memories of previous generations and former loyalties have faded. The new king is afraid that the Israelites are becoming a threat! They are becoming so numerous and potentially powerful by their numbers, Pharoah could lose his throne if he didn’t act quickly. What would he do? How would God deliver his people from slavery and bondage? Join us this Lenten season for this powerful study!
FIRST WORD "Golden Rule"
2/20/2025
Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31) Does that phrase sound familiar? Many know it as the Golden Rule. The rule is included in Jesus’ sermons both in Matthew 7 (Sermon on the Mount) and Luke 6 (Sermon on the Plain). The golden rule simply means to apply the logic of treating others the way we would like to be treated to every situation when we interact with other people.Do you want others to yell or swear at you? Steal from you or cheat on you? Lie or gossip about you? Of course not!
FIRST WORD "Be Mine"
2/13/2025
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, just in case any of you guys need a reminder! The big day reminds me of candy hearts, also known as conversation hearts. These tiny, heart-shaped sugar candies have been a Valentine’s staple for generations. Their charm? Short, sweet messages that capture the spirit of love. These heart-shaped treats featuring over 30 romantic expressions including “Be Mine,” “Hug Me,” “Love You,” etc.
FIRST WORD “The Foreigner”
2/8/2025
He [the LORD] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:18-19
