Daily Pursuits

By: Ruth Jones She was a beautiful innocent young lady still trying to navigate through her formative years. Facing many of the same challenges we encounter today, she was starting to develop a few of those lifetime milestones that we cling to later in life–claiming increased wisdom and understanding because of them or just a…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers Just a few weeks ago, Annie and I went on a weekend vacation. We traveled to Ohio and stayed in an Air-BnB.  It was a good way to get away for a little while, shop in new places, and try new food.  At one restaurant, in particular, I ordered my favorite…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers There are quite a few stories in the Bible that make us squirm in our seats. Like spotting poison ivy while hiking through the forest, we give these stories a wide berth, for we know the discomfort that would lie in the future should we creep too close.  Sunday school teachers,…

By: Pastor CJ Phillips Each year, as the Christmas season draws near, the familiar sounds of festive Christmas music and carols begin to fill the airwaves. If you are anything like me, you often find yourself singing along at the top-of-your lungs, much to the dismay of your family. However, there is one song that…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers My wife hates change. I’ve been trying to convince her to switch from an Android phone to an iPhone for the longest time. Despite how many features, apps, or specifications I describe to her, she remains set in her ways.  “I don’t want an iPhone. I like my phone.” “But why!?…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers Temptation is an experience that is shared by every human to have walked the earth and yet it’s an experience that is difficult to describe.  Temptation is not sin. After all, Jesus himself was tempted. Instead, temptation is the inclination to sin, the moment that our heart and our mind pause…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers  Sometimes we need someone to tell us that everything’s going to be okay. When our minds are spinning out of control and our heart is beating out of our chests, a calming word from a friend or a realtive can truly make a difference.  This is especially true with our parents.…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers When you view the Israelites’ story from the top-down, it appears as if they had one major problem: idolatry.  Whenever they were released from slavery in Egypt, one of the first things they did was  abandon God and instead construct a golden calf they could worship. After all they’d seen God…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers Humanity tends to stumble upon greatness. Like cleaning out an attic and accidentally discovering a lost family heirloom, greatness spills onto the floor of the world unnoticed while we are distracted, rifling through the clutter.  Such is the way of greatness and of great hope. Easily accessible but easily missed. Easily…

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers There’s an entire branch of history that is concerned with asking the question: What if? It’s called counterfactual history. If circumstances had been different at a particular point in history, how would the repercussions ripple into the present? What if the Allies had lost World War II? What if the colonists…