Everyone has struggles and setbacks. Unfortunately there can even be prolonged periods of troubles, when the bad things add up to an entire season of hardship. There is little we can do to prevent these times. A popular bumper sticker from years ago sums this principle up. This being a church newsletter article and all, Read more…
The stories of how our church got started are by now heralded as revered history. In the mid-1980’s Pastor Jim Panos, walked throughout the neighborhoods of Lawrenceville, knocking on doors and generating interest in starting a new Lutheran church. He knocked on literally thousands of doors. He wore out at least one pair of shoes Read more…
By and large the majority of Christians I spend time with are an open and accepting group. We are a product of a tradition of grace-centered Christianity and therefore we are easy going. Convinced that God’s unconditional love is for everyone, understanding that we all fall short of what God wants for us, grace is Read more…
Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. Habakkuk 2:2 Consider the amount of messages you receive on your average morning drive: billboards, radio advertisements, bumper-stickers, personalized license plates. Be they big or small, long or short, someone is seeking to Read more…
Most everyone from the atheist UPS driver to the devoutly Christian college student knows when it’s Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday has become day sanctioned for indulgence, a warm-up for another well-known date on the Christian calendar, St. Patrick’s Day. Drawing far less notoriety is the time after Mardi Gras, the season of Lent. Feasting on Read more…
Amazing Grace is having an anniversary, celebrating our founding which occurred 25 years ago. Twenty-five years! Twenty-five years of proclaiming Christ’s life-changing grace. Twenty-five years of Easter, Christmas, VBS, Sunday School, confirmation, Council meetings, youth activities, Bible Studies and other gatherings of two or more in Christ’s name where He was present also. That’s 1,300 Read more…
Most all of us know that a critical habit to cultivate when in relationship is listening. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to be in a relationship with someone who will not or cannot listen. There is a constant give-and-take, to-and-fro between two people that keeps a relationship functioning. If this is true for people, it Read more…
Be it a family gathering, a project at work, just reading a book, sometimes events turn out the way you hope they will, but often times they don’t. Expectations are tricky to manage. Somewhere between pie-eyed optimism and deep skepticism is the right level of anticipation, but finding that right combination . I have expectations Read more…
