When folk hear the phrase “church discipline” a whole host of things may come to mind. For many, they think of a formal process that is really designed to remove a person from a church as quickly as possible, with little regard for actual growth and maturation and repentance in the person being disciplined. At…

Throughout the story of the Old Testament and God’s direct dealings with the nation of Israel are these one-off, seemingly isolated stories of God dealing directly and personally with foreigners. From the beginning of the story of Israel when God rescued them from Egypt, “foreigners” have been counted among God’s people. The “mixed multitude” that…

On December 22 our Pastoral Resident Will, who has been with us since August, made an announcement concerning his future—and ours. Further, Dave, on behalf of the Council of Elders, added to that announcement. If you missed it you may find it here.

I was asked an interesting question recently, and it’s a two-part question: did God design us to live on other planets, and do we have the same responsibilities for Mars that we have for earth? The first question is far simpler: no. Mars does not have a breathable atmosphere, therefore we are not designed to…

Church discipline is not practiced enough. We need more church discipline. Right now you’re thinking, “What?!” I suspect that for the majority of us, the expression “church discipline” has been purely punitive. It is punishment and even retribution for sinning. You’ve probably seen it play out: a person sins, confesses his or her sin, the…