Posts by FBCAtown

DEVOTIONS HOME Real Power “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” – Hebrews 1:3a What is power? I mean, real power. Some people might think it is a 1,200 horsepower engine racing towards the finish line. Others might think it is an electromagnetic rail gun that shoots projectiles up to 5,000mph with a distance of over 100 miles. Still others…

DEVOTIONS HOME Have you ever had a moment where you looked at another person and said “I don’t know where I’d be without you?” Whose that person that holds everything together in your family. For me that has been my mother and my wife. Without my mother I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made it to adulthood. A person can only live so long on swiss cake rolls and soda… Not only was she my nutritionist, she was also a…

DEVOTIONS HOME All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name! “Inconceivable!” (Vizzini, The Princess Bride). “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17). Our former pastor would joke about how some of his lady congregants would invite him over for a…

DEVOTIONS HOME “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”. Omnipotence, not a word you hear of, or use in every-day speech. It’s one of those “church” words, like sanctification, glorification, or regeneration. Again, not used much in normal conversation. It’s not even a word found in the Bible; however, it definitely is referred to, especially about God. If you have read enough of the Bible you can clearly see that God is indeed…

DEVOTIONS HOME Take Up Your Cross [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man…

DEVOTIONS HOME “RELIGION ALONE DOESN’T MAKE YOU HOLY” BACKGROUND INFORMATION In Jesus’ day, religious people were consumed with following rules and laws that were impossible to keep. They were obsessed with outward appearances and looking good to other people. But in Matthew 15:11, Jesus taught, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” This was a radical idea at that time because Jesus was challenging the idea that…

DEVOTIONS HOME THE PREREQUISITE FOR FORGIVENESS Forgiveness is a common theme in the pages of scripture. This is appropriate because it is an on-going process throughout life for all us to give forgiveness and receive forgiveness. It’s not easy to forgive, but it is a requirement for all of us as we grow in our faith. C.S. Lewis poignantly said, “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.” In his famous sermon titled…

DEVOTIONS HOME This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I was in my mid 30’s before I understood why people used the phrase “You can’t have your cake and eat it to”. In my head it didn’t make sense for this phrase to be used to explain to people that they had to make a choice. In my mind If you had cake of course you would eat the cake, why else would you have cake! Then I realized…

DEVOTIONS HOME You, Too, Can Be Great! “When everybody is somebody, then nobody is anybody — We know this is true” (John Steinkamp). The above saying was written in my high school yearbook by my history professor (not in parchment!). Although written decades ago, its meaning rings true today. It seems everybody wants to be somebody, and everybody is a winner. The race is on to get the most number of “likes” — And speaking of races, commuting on Route…

DEVOTIONS HOME A Message from Jesus: Having the Right Priorities cuts out Worry. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” — Matthew 6:25 ———————————————————————————————————————— If asked whether I worry, I might say “Of course I worry about my life and the things that keep me alive;…