I was nine years old with an insatiable appetite for the dangers of weapons. I had collected pocket knives and had filled an entire briefcase with my many flea-market spoils. My parents eventually bought me my very own BB gun, which turned out to be as much a source of entertainment for my father as it was for me. My father and I would shoot at milk cartons filled with water in our backyard and watch as our shots left the carton to bleed water from its many holes. But there is one incident with my BB gun that stands out more than any other. It was family camp week for Ramona First Baptist, the church my father was pastoring at the time. We brought my BB gun. During camp I pleaded with my father to take me out to shoot it. Finally, he agreed to take me out with several other kids at the church. I would stick the gun between my legs to pump it up as many times as I could. We shot it out into the distance at really nothing in particular. When my dad took the gun to shoot a few himself, all the kids gathered closely to watch
God Does Not Stay Dead – The Doctrine of Resurrection (Part 1)
It was a hot summer day in Ramona, California, a dead-end, desert town in the San Diego region. The dry heat radiated off the unbearable asphalt in visible waves. I was 7 or 8, walking with my best friend Taylor, to his house from mine. His parents were gone but his dog was in the backyard and we were going to pay him a visit. When we pushed past the gate at the side of his house and made our way to the back, what confronted us was far and beyond what we could ever have expected…
Filled With Purpose: The Doctrine of Creation
My son, Rogan, is 3 months out from being born. And if it were the case that I did not believe in an omnibenevolent (all-good) creator of the universe, I think I would avidly avoid broaching the subject of how the universe began. I could, in different words no doubt, tell my child when he was old enough to hear it, that all of matter purposelessly materialized by unguided and largely unknown processes, where over millions of years of agonizing nothingness, through death and despair, protoplasmic, vertebrate hominids made an appearance and over millennia of Darwinian selection, he was finally born to an ultimately and objectively meaningless existence, where he will live only briefly and die as he was born—for nothing—without objective purpose or meaning. It is a conversation I am fortunate to avoid…
Scripture as Vital (part 2)
Before reading, check out Scripture as Vital (part 1). I have heard some people defend the veracity of the Bible by quoting the Bible. Let me submit to you that such a method is an exceptionally poor way of convincing others. [bra_blockquote align=’right’]To appeal to the authority of the Bible in order to prove the authority of the Bible is not substantially different than allowing the accused to preside as judge over their own hearing. [/bra_blockquote]To appeal to the authority of the Bible in order to prove the authority of the Bible is not substantially different than allowing the accused … Read More
Church Music 7/28/13
This Sunday Chad is preaching on giving God our best in sacrifice and worship. These topics (sacrifice and worship), as you might have guessed, are close to my heart. It seems that too often American’s half-heartedly worship God and I’m excited to examine God’s spoken word on the topic as recorded in Malachi. Along with this though, I’m also a bit anxious because it seems that so many American Christians are so far removed from true sacrificial worship. Many consider missing a football game for church attendance a deeply sacrificial act. Many view offering a quick prayer while stuck in traffic … Read More
Distinct
Written over 2,500 years ago, the book of Malachi has much to say to the culture of today. It speaks of half-hearted worship, allowing sin to become normal, divorce, and the difficulty in remaining faithful to God when it doesn’t seem beneficial – all things that need attention in our time. The book, a dialogue between people and God, offers people in all ages clear guidance on how to live out a real and vibrant faithfulness. We hope that you will listen to these sermons on Malachi and develop a distinct faith.
Scripture As Vital (part 1)
I once had a professor who informed my class that we ought to think twice about including the belief in the inspiration of the Bible as a core church doctrine when we worked on forming creeds for our latest assignment. At first I thought he was joking, but then when I saw all the enthusiastic nods of students in my class, I realized with unfortunate certainty that not only was he not joking, but many students already agreed with him.[bra_blockquote align=”]A bible without authority proclaims an impotent gospel, mere words without power to make its readers tremble. To take inspiration … Read More
Facing Fear! Trusting God!
Too often people live insignificant lives. A majority of humanity lives only for their own sustenance and satisfaction. This either either causes or comes from lives that are fear filled, worry driven, and timid. Christians do not seem to be immune to this type of attitude. They often live scared and it prevents them from accomplishing their God given purposes. The Bible shows something different. It shows that Christians shouldn’t be living only to stay alive and be comfortable, but rather should be living to change the world for the glory of God. Moreover, the Bible shows us that Christians should not just be attempting to change the world, but have the ability to do so through their relationship with God. Jesus himself declares that his followers “will do will do the works [he has] been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…” This sermon, which focuses on the theme verse for Creekside Bible Church’s 2013 VBS, will help you know how you can live your life facing fear and trusting God.
Church Music 7/14/13
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” This is the key verse from Chad‘s sermon this week the focus of our music set will be on the confidence (strength) we can have in the Lord through the Gospel. I love this verse because it emphasis that our strength is not our own but, it comes from God. With this in mind, I think that we should celebrate that God is on our side and He is offering His power, love, and self-discipline to each of … Read More
How Big is God?
The way we view God dictates almost every aspect of our lives. And, our understanding of him is largely based on our answer to one question – How big is God? Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” This sermon explores the words of this passage and what it says about God’s bigness.