“Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of god has come near to you.” Luke 10:8-9 

Evangelism has always been about the combination of being in community with people, doing good works for them and telling them good news from God. I think if you remove any one of those elements your ministry becomes unbalanced and ineffective. If you just tell people the good news but don’t show love or live in community then they might receive the gospel as just another product. If you share community and do good but fail to tell people the gospel then they may like you but they won’t grow closer to God. If you are in community and share the good news but fail to do good then the gospel is just words and ideas that are no earthly good. I think we as a church and as individuals would do well to evaluate our own evangelism against this standard.  

-Pastor Travis Norton

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“I will follow you wherever you go.” -Luke 9: 57

The text for this week is the story of Jesus passing through a village of Samaritans when they won’t prepare a place for him and moving ahead where then he will encounter others who want to follow him but want to do what they need to do first. Jesus instructs them to not look back.
I find it ironic that Jesus is looking back each time as he instructs people not to look back.  In a world where we find ourselves rejected, as Jesus was, what keeps us on a forward path?  How do we overcome what was, so that we might live into what is meant to be?
 
No matter what it is that we have faced in the past, Jesus calls us to look ahead, to look towards Him and what His message for the world is.  It seems cruel to not to let people take care of the matters that are close to them before they are to move on in their faith and call to serve Jesus.  But living in what was, might just keep us from the hope that Jesus knows lies ahead.  Where do you find yourself stumbling through the past, holding you up from experiencing God in your midst today?

-Pastor Carrie

 “Therefore, I tell you, her sins which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. but the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Luke 7:47 

She showed her love for Jesus by kissing his feet and anointing them with expensive oil. Her love embarrassed the pharisees and others at the house. But it didn’t embarrass Jesus. Jesus thought it was the Pharisees who ought to have been embarrassed for their lack of love. I wonder if we fully understand how much Jesus has done for us. If we did, would our behavior be more like the woman’s?

-Pastor Travis Norton

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

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 “Therefore, I tell you, her sins which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. but the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Luke 7:47 

She showed her love for Jesus by kissing his feet and anointing them with expensive oil. Her love embarrassed the pharisees and others at the house. But it didn’t embarrass Jesus. Jesus thought it was the Pharisees who ought to have been embarrassed for their lack of love. I wonder if we fully understand how much Jesus has done for us. If we did, would our behavior be more like the woman’s?

-Pastor Travis Norton

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

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