What image comes to mind when you think of grace?-Asuper-duper paper towel that can clean all the dirt off of you?-An eraser that has erasedall your sin?-Tweezers that can pluck the tiny imperfections out of you?How can we best picture whatGod has done for us in Jesus?I heard this story a while back and took the time to find itso I could quote it exactly:"An old Indian, af...

I feel sorry for my kids' teachers today. Last night, Nikki and I stayed up to watch the Rockies/Cubs Wild Card game (and postgame) until after midnight. My kids will be exhausted all day because she was a bad parent and allowed themto stay up until midnight to watch with us, despite my protests to send them to bed at a reasonable hour. (At least that is how I remember ...

On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you"stop and smell the roses"? Our days are generally filled with what we need todo,aren't they?Putout the next fire.Schedulethe next meeting.Gothrough my checklist to see what I have forgotten to do today.Go.Go.Go.We live in a time when there is always more we could be doing. We look around us and the person next to us is going pretty h...

Apologies to all of you who grew up in church for what follows: Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, JerichoJoshua fought the battle of JerichoAnd the walls came a-tumbling downYou may talk about your men of GideonYou may talk about the men of SaulBut there's none like good old JoshuaAt the battle of Jericho.Guess what will be stuck in your head now all day?You a...

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God is alive, active, and transforming lives, and we want to celebrate those who have put their faith in Him as they give a public expression of that faith through baptism. (From our doctrinal statement)AtRockland, as established by the authority of the Holy Scriptures, we hold Baptism to be an act of initiation into the Christian Fellowship of one who, by public declarat...

Suppose you have hired someone to comeover to mow your lawn. You are quite excited because you want to win yard-of-the-month and this young man may be just the answer you need to earn that coveted prize that will make you the envy of everyone in the neighborhood. Fame, fortune, and status will at lastbe yours! You tell him to really take his time, to trim the corners, and...

One of the great blessings of being a Christian in the 21st century is the ability to read what brilliant people have written about the faith over the centuries. I've had many of you ask what I am reading for our current series, "Follow Me". I haveread, apart form the Bible,about 8 books, but here are the three I have found most helpful and a great quote from each. I reall...

This week I got an answer to a question I wasn't even asking: "What is it like to have 165 children running around the church all week?" (That's right:165 children.) 165 souls that can understand God in mighty ways now and can grow to understand Him in even mightier ways as they grow and mature. It is so fun and uplifting to see them singing praise songs and dancing around...

Have you ever thought that it would have been so much easier to follow Jesus if we had been one of the first apostles who literally got to walk and talk with Him? I have, though I'm not sure I am right. Which would be easier - followingHim then or now? Option 1: Knowing Jesus in the first centuryOne on hand, I have all the miracles of Jesus I get to witness firsthand. I...