What is life all about? What exactly is life? How did we get here? What is our purpose for living? These are just a few of the questions that we has humans often ponder. “The meaning of life and the universe is not ‘42’, as the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy facetiously claims.”[1] The…
“Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but…
In preparation for a Wednesday night prayer group I was reading through Psalm 27. In verse 14 it says, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Waiting is a very difficult thing to do. We often become impatient and frustrated when things…
“Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” – 1 Peter 2:17 Many churches across our nation uses this simple phrase as their church slogan: A heart for God and a heart for people. This stems from the greatest command given to us by our Lord, to love God and to love…
In a previous post we looked at the pastor as a shepherd. Part of shepherding is teaching the sheep. The scripture very plainly shows us that God gives us pastors in order to equip us for the work of the ministry. There are a lot of things that a pastor does, however, the one thing…
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of…
Sitting at ‘our beach’ (the rocky beach in walking distance from our house) I was looking out at the beauty of the day and listening to the kids play and every now and then reading a few paragraphs from a book. As I was sitting there and meditating a little bit, the thought came to…
There are many aspects to pastoral ministry. All aspects are of equal importance. Put together and working in harmony with one another, each aspect creates a complete pastoral ministry. I’d like to take some time to examine each of the following aspects of pastoral ministry: shepherding, teaching, oversight, and evangelizing. The first aspect to consider…
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light: Which in time past were not a peoples, but now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but…
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, behold I lay in…
Pastor Chris Noland 