Joleen Willis

John 8.31-39"If you were Abraham’s children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Thus states the Declaration … Read more

"Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1.16) Holiness.  What do think of when you hear the word "holiness"? Women in dresses, conservatively dressed, little or no jewelry?  List no’s: no movie theatres; no dancing, etc. Last week we talked about “Boundaries.” God places boundaries that are “good and pleasant,” so that we prosper, … Read more

Psalm 16 Don’t Eat the Forbidden Fruit (by Rev. Morgan Murray)Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s omnipotence didn’t extend to God’s kids. After creating  heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was: "Don’t." "Don’t what?" Adam replied … Read more

Acts 1.1-5 I’ve never heard anyone say, "Oh goodie, we get to wait in line at Wal-Mart!" or "Oh look, there’s road construction signs ahead. I wonder if we’ll get to wait!" Waiting is probably one of our least favorite things to do. It’s a waste of time. We want to be doing something. We … Read more

We’re talking about the Holy Spirit. Two weeks ago (Pentecost Sunday) we looked at Acts 2, and specifically, the symbol of fire. Luke 24.13-35 We want to continue to look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, and will do so today by also taking a look at the … Read more

Acts 2.1-4 This is the story of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit in all of his fullness. The Spirit is present throughout the Bible (Old and New Testaments). Recently we looked at Ezekiel and the dry bones, as well as John 20 where Jesus, after the resurrection, breathes on the disciples, saying “Receive … Read more

The story of Hagar is found in Genesis 16 and 21. Genesis 21.9-21 We have much history together. One would imagine such great people of God would have been good to live with and work for, but it was not the perfect family. And the Bible does not let any secrets untold. Let me tell … Read more

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that  whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3.16) Genesis 1-3 — The story of creation and rebellionThe first Gospel promise: 3.15b "he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." God  curses the … Read more

Luke 10.38-42 At first glance, this looks like a negative example — one that it is even anti-hospitality or anti-food. But we know that Jesus was definitely not anti-food. Jesus was known to dine with sinners, to feed 5,000 on a hillside, and his first miracle took place at a party, turning water into wine … Read more

John 20.19-23 We began the year with a series on discipleship entitled “Follow me.” The series was based on Jesus’ calling to the first disciples. But the calling did not stop with “Come, follow me.” Jesus continued with the ultimate purpose of the call: “and I will make you fishers of men & women.” (Matthew … Read more