Stepping out in faith…
As I write this blog post, I know that I enter into this writing with my own perspective. But, I don’t want my perspective to skew the intention of my pastor. Jon Porter usually takes us on a journey and he gives us a hint at where he wants us to end up when he …
God made clear his desire to welcome outsiders into the story. Long before the New Testament, Israel's role was to be the reflection of the law for outsiders. Do the stories of the Old Testament belong? The stories of battles and rules? In Pastor Jon Porter's sermon from Sunday 1/12/25, he spoke of God's grand …
As we enter a new year, Jon Porter brings us a question to consider. “Does God’s love really include you?” It’s difficult for us, in our humanness, to make sense of God’s love. It doesn’t make much sense to us because we are more likely to love those who first show love to us. But, …
What makes Christmas so special? When I think about the decorations on the trees and the lights that create such a glow, I see the happiness reflected, but it’s only temporary. Pastor Jon Porter brought us a message on 12/22/24 from 1 John 4;7-12 and John 3:16 that shows us the love that is meant …
Have you ever felt like joy is just out of reach? Wondering where the joy is? This blog post is my takeaway from Jon Porter’s sermon from December 15, 2024. I love his heart, but he’s got a way of digging into scripture that takes me to a new level of understanding. Often as human …
We all want peace, but where can we find it? There will always be wars and rumors of wars. If that’s the truth, how can we ever have peace? This blog post is my take away from pastor Jon Porter’s sermon on 12/8/24. It’s advent, a time when we celebrate the anticipation of the arrival …
When we think of darkness, it’s usually in the sense that we can’t see. But, sometimes it’s an emotional or spiritual darkness that seems to hang over us. Pastor Jon Porter encouraged us this week to remember that this is a season of hope. Light is breaking into the darkness. Hope isn’t just a wish, …
The season of Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on what we have to be grateful for. Our sermon this past Sunday by Jon Porter was from the book of Luke. I think when I was reading this passage on my first journey of reading through the Bible, I failed to look deeper into …
We often think out of scarcity. That was the case with the four men with leprosy that we find in 2 Kings 7. They were in a hopeless situation and discussed the options they had: If they stayed where they were outside the city, they would die. Going into the city where the famine is, …
This blog post is my take away from my pastor’s sermon on 11/10/24. It’s good to look back over the notes I take and spend a few minutes during the week to remember what the message was. I’ve listened to a lot of sermons in my life and many of them I don’t remember. But, …
Where God Leads 