By Cindy Koch - Just a scroll through Pinterest, and that was all it took. I was simply looking for a new Sunday School craft and I was suddenly distracted by a fun object lesson involving water. You have probably seen it. A jar of dirty water, representing our personal mess of sin. But along … Continue reading Pinterest Repentance
By Paul Koch - At the end of the Nicene Creed, we confess together, “I believe in the one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sin, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” Now, creeds are important to … Continue reading The Apostolic Church
By Joel A. Hess - This Thursday, many of us will celebrate the birth of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States. We will not only celebrate our freedom from British rule, but ideally our freedom from any rule. We pride ourselves on being a people free from any tyranny, If … Continue reading The Tyranny of Me
By Joel A. Hess - He noted that first came the date of her birth And spoke of the following date with tears, But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years. - Linda Ellis Sadly, you have probably already heard of this sad poem. Worse, I have heard this read at … Continue reading Dashes into Ashes
By Paul Koch - This week our congregation hosted Vacation Bible School. It was a week of songs, food, and fun as together we shared God’s great story of promise and salvation with the children that gathered here. Now, there are a lot of reasons why a church might choose to hold or not hold … Continue reading God’s Gracious Surprise
By Cindy Koch - It doesn’t seem to matter enough to the young, the privileged, the hopeful. Society as a whole doesn’t make a big deal out of it much anymore. Grade school instills a healthy childhood annoyance for such conversations. Paramount Pictures and Netflix portrays the world that we are creating for ourselves. Athletic … Continue reading Irrelevant Jesus
By Paul Koch - I love gardening. I had never thought I would love it, even 15 years ago, but I do. I’m not saying that I’m all that good at it either. Though, let’s be honest, it’s somewhat difficult to be a bad gardener when you live in Ventura, California. But I do love … Continue reading The Promise of Something New
