Pastor’s Blog

Daily Devotion October 30, 2025

Posted on Oct 30, 2025 in HomePage, Pastor's Blog |

“Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.” (1 Peter 1:21, NLT).

Several years ago, a study was conducted by psychologist Roy Baumeister. His purpose was to study the limits of human willpower. Baumeister had one group of people exert their willpower by resisting the temptation to eat delicious, fresh, warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookies by eating radishes. The other group did not have to resist eating the cookies at all. Then, all of the subjects were assigned complex math problems to solve in order to measure how long people will exercise willpower to persevere through frustration. The people who had to resist eating chocolate chip cookies gave up on the math assignment much more quickly than the others. In conclusion, Roy Baumeister determined that the human power of will is easily fatigued. We can use our will to overcome a habit for a few moments. But, over the long haul, our habits will always beat our willpower.

Daily Devotion October 29, 2025

Posted on Oct 29, 2025 in HomePage, Pastor's Blog |

“If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. They will say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’” (Luke 14:28-30, CEB).

The New Testament describes anxiety as a divided mind. Thoughts are split between present happenings and what may or may not happen in the future. Yet, how does one distinguish the difference between feeling anxious about the future and planning for the future?

Daily Devotion October 28, 2025

Posted on Oct 28, 2025 in HomePage, Pastor's Blog |

“Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Your speech should always
be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person”
(Colossians 4:5-6, CEB).

When I came into ministry nearly thirty-seven years ago, I wanted to be the best leader I could be. I wanted to influence people in positive ways. I wanted to help others become the best versions of themselves. However, the person from whom I learned most about leadership is the
Apostle Paul.

Daily Devotion October 23, 2025

Posted on Oct 23, 2025 in HomePage, Pastor's Blog |

“Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do” ( Psalm 1: 1-3, GNT).

Last January, wildfires swept through large portions of Los Angeles County leaving a trail of destruction of more than forty-five miles. 16,000 homes were destroyed. The total economic impact is estimated at $150 million.

Daily Devotion October 22, 2025

Posted on Oct 22, 2025 in Pastor's Blog |

“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

My heart has been breaking since I received the news that a friend of mine died. The cause was death by suicide. Grief is never an easy burden to bear. However, grief becomes more complicated when someone chooses to take his own life. Death by suicide creates within those who survive a heightened mixture of pain, confusion, anger, doubt, and regret.

Daily Devotion October 16, 2025

Posted on Oct 16, 2025 in Pastor's Blog |

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains” (James 5:7, NIV).

I have an ambivalent relationship with ATM’s. I hesitate to withdraw or deposit money into these faceless contraptions for fear that the transaction will be recorded wrongly. I feel more confident having a teller count out the bills as they are placed into my hand.