When I lived in Pennsylvania, my wife and I both worked at St. Luke’s hospital, which was named after Luke because he was a physician himself. October 18th happens to be the feast day for St. Luke. “According to Christian tradition, he was a Syrian from Antioch, a doctor by profession and neither Jewish nor…
Pastor John Writes: When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, Jesus said in a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell…
While I am not usually a big fan of sports, I have found myself glued to the Olympic Games this year. It amazes me that so many people are able to come together from so many different places around the world for a single event. Despite all of the division and conflict we see too…
Pastor John Writes: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:10 Humility can be defined as “a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness.” The word comes from the Latin word humilis, which may be translated as “humble”, but also as “grounded”, or “from the earth”, since it…
In my office, I often find myself gazing at a picture of the original Friedland church building. I try to imagine the people who built this building. What did they look like? What did they sound like? What hopes and dreams did they have? What did they struggle with? And how did they overcome those…
Pastor John Writes: Philippians 4:8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Near the end of the Letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul provides…
A church member recently gave me some Easter candy I had never seen before. Unlike your typical egg and bunny clad wrapping, this chocolate bar featured a picture of Jesus carrying a lamb. I began to wonder, what theological significance a chocolate Jesus bar could potentially have? Firstly I noticed that this is a solid…
Pastor John Writes: Holy Week Update Holy Week begins this month on Palm Sunday, March 28. Once again, we’ll have evening Holy Week readings at 7:00 pm, with a band prelude beginning around 6:30 pm. These services will be each night from Palm Sunday through Good Friday, April 2. Our Holy Week Schedule: Palm Sunday…
As I looked around my office at the church, I failed to find proper inspiration for the newsletter article this month. So, I decided to get a different perspective from a different location: the roof of the fellowship hall. I can’t think of any church activities that have ever taken place on the church roof…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and…