I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow

We have been introducing a “new” hymn, “I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow.” These lyrics were written by John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, in 1779. You may have found yourself a bit taken aback by some of the phrases of this hymn, so I wanted to give a little...

Six practical steps to pursuing unity

This past Sunday, we began Ephesians 4, which transitions from the proclamations of God’s grace and glory in chapters 1-3 to the ethical and moral commands for the church of chapters 4-6. It begins: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner...

Jews and Gentiles

This past Sunday we jumped into a new section of Ephesians, as Nate preached on Ephesians 2:11-18. This section (which we’ll continue in this coming Sunday) deals with the relations of Jews and non-Jews (known as Gentiles) and how those relations are transformed in...

Book review: Practicing the Way

John Mark Comer is one of the most widely-read Christian authors currently, if not THE most widely read. While formerly a pastor in Portland, OR, he now seems to be focusing primarily on his writing. I have only read one of his books, Practicing the Way, but this book...

Politics and the church

There is, understandably, lots of conversations about politics happening right now. At work, around the dinner table, at gatherings and parties, online, and in the news. But what about in the church? Should political conversations within the church be any different?...