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Isaiah saw Him coming, the One who would be God's answer for sinners like you and me. He saw Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, He came with wisdom and purpose, with a perfect plan. Follow Him. As the Mighty God, He will accomplish all His purposes. The Devil threw everything he had at Jesus and couldn't thwart God's plans through Christ. Hide behind Him. As the Everlasting Father, He loves us endlessly. Enjoy being in His presence. And as the Prince of Peace, He reconciles us while we are still his enemies. Trust Him and welcome His rule.

The messaging throughout this pandemic has terrified some crippling them in fear and keeping them in lockstep with all safety guidelines believing it is careless to open society back up without a vaccine. At the same time, the same messaging emboldened others to live as they normally would not allowing anyone or anything to infringe on their freedom believing it is careless to allow protected rights under the constitution to be taken. And then there are others that are somewhere in between those reactions; people wanting to care for fellow man but refusing to allow this to continue 1 moment more than necessary.

As a result, the rhetoric is ratcheting up and the political winds are blowing once again; the polarization of our country continues. But what should be the church’s response? How are we going to navigate through all these complex decisions in the midst of such complicated emotions? We have all been impacted, but we have been impacted differently. How will you stay grounded and steer clear of making judgmental claims or callused comments regarding anyone that does not see things the way you do? Short answer? Love where you live.

Moms give and give with little or no appreciation or affirmation, that is why it is so important that we designate this day to reflect on motherhood, celebrate our moms and affirm one of the most significant roles in society. With all its stumbling blocks, pitfalls and broken dreams, for all the soiled diapers, crayons on the wall and spoiled plans, being a mom is a beautiful thing; it’s a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love and tender care to light. Today we honor you!

What if we are living life upside-down? In other words, what if we are missing it? What if we are getting it all wrong? What if all the things that we are living for are the wrong things or (at least) not the right things? Is it possible that we have missed what it is to be a faithful Christ follower? The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of Jesus’ teaching, yet perhaps it is the most misunderstood and arguably the least obeyed. However, this teaching is the nearest thing we have to a manifesto that Jesus ever uttered for it is His own description of what he wanted His followers to be and to do.

This year our Easter celebration looked a little different. With the threat of the Corona Virus looming and the appeal from the government to stay at home to help battle the spread, the church building was empty. Butbe reminded, so is the Lord's tomb. The symbol of of the Church has become the cross, an rightly so. Without the shedding of blood there is no deliverance for sin. But the strength of our faith resides in a resurrected Savior. In like manner, the strength of a church is not measured by the attendance on a given Sunday, but rather as the body of Christ is scattered about how many are being the hands and feet of Jesus. This Easter challenge is all about the provoking question our Lord asked after declaring that He was the Resurrection and the Life. He asked, "Do you believe this?"

Life is full of endings. It’s natural to want to push past the "endings" as quickly as possible in an effort to minimize the discomfort and insecurity that our ending can bring. Typically, we want to move on to more positive feelings associated with new beginnings, but we must not fail to recognize that endings represent significant turning points in life, and although the end may include some pretty complicated emotions, we do not have to live in fear when the end draws near. Instead, as believers of Christ we must remember, the end is so good and so glorious that we should be living with the end in mind.