This week I want to share a message with you that is not my own.  Many people within our church family have been influenced over the years through the teaching ministry of the late Dr. Charles Stanley, who served for more than half a century as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  The following message was one he shared through In Touch Ministries on January 20th, 1993, as Bill Clinton prepared to be sworn in as our nation’s newly elected President.  The principles which Dr. Stanley put forth in a message he entitled, “How to Pray for a President,” were worth heeding over thirty years ago.  I am convinced that our nation needs to apply these same principles today as we anticipate Donald Trump’s upcoming Presidential inauguration in the next few weeks. The responsibility for America does not rest upon the man who is the President.  The responsibility for this nation rests upon the people, primarily upon godly people who believe that the heart of the President is in the hand of God, and the people of God can move the hand of God to move the heart of the President.  There are two principles we must embrace as we seek to fulfill this biblical responsibility: First, every Christian has the obligation to intercede on behalf of our President (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1 – 3). Then, two, God sovereignly rules over this nation (cf. Psalm 75:5 – 7 \ Daniel 4:17 \ Romans 13:1 – 4). I want to challenge us as the people of God to make a

Well, it is the week of Thanksgiving, and as disciples of Jesus, we have much for which to be thankful.  Karen and I pray that you and your loved ones and friends will have the opportunity to spend some cherished time with one another over these next few days.  We sincerely wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. In relation to the Thanksgiving season, I brought a message this past Sunday (November 24th) from the passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 entitled, “The Lens of the Christian Life.”  As the Apostle Paul sought to conclude his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he shared a brief, yet profound, thought with that church.  He wrote these words:  16) “Rejoice always,  17) pray without ceasing,  18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  Well, now.  That sounds simple enough to live up to, doesn’t it?  Or, is it? May I ask you something?  Do you always feel like rejoicing in life?  Do you always feel compelled to pray as experience certain moments and seasons of life?  Do you always feel thankful as various circumstances play out in your life?  Let’s be honest with one another and before the Lord here.  None of us feel rejoiceful within our hearts all the time.  It is difficult to maintain a prayerful mind and attitude through every moment and season of life.  And no, there are certain circumstances in life which make it so very hard to feel thankful and grateful within our souls.  So, back to this exhortation which Paul wrote to the church in

This week we resumed our series of study entitled, “Come to the Door.”  Thus far we have shared four messages in this series, with each one focused upon God’s offer of salvation to all of humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ.  The fifth message is based out of Matthew 7:13 – 29, and is entitled, “The Inescapable Choice.” Throughout life, all of us face the responsibility of making choices and decisions.  Many of the daily decisions we make might be considered trivial and unimportant in the big scheme of life and eternity.  For example, on a daily basis we make decisions regarding the clothing we wear, the food we eat, how we make use of our time, places to which we need or want to go, and so on.  There are other types of decisions we must make which prove to be greatly significant to us because they are ones which are life-changing.  Once these choices are made, our lives are impacted forever.  For example, decisions regarding a person’s educational pursuits can prove to have a profound impact upon one’s life.  The type of career a person chooses to pursue has tremendous significance.  Whom a person chooses to marry is certainly a life-changing decision of major proportion. However, the most crucial of all decisions that must be made in life relates to what each of us purposes to do with Jesus Christ and His kingdom.  This is the ultimate choice that must be made in life.  This is “The Inescapable Choice” that must be made in life, because what we choose to do with Jesus

Imagine an alternate reality where another country invades the United States and conquers us. How would you feel? Such an experience seems unlikely to us, but it seemed unlikely to the people of Judah too. In 605 BC, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and took some youths back with them to Babylon.  In Daniel 1, Daniel described what happened to him and his friends when they first arrived in Babylon as youths because he wanted the Israelites to remain faithful to God during their Babylonian Exile. When Should We Trust in God? (Dan 1:1–10)When Life Is Chaotic or Difficult (Dan 1:1–7)God had been warning the people of Judah since the time of Moses that he would judge them for rebellion against him by expelling them from the land. After almost 1000 years, the people of Judah were seeing these prophecies as empty warnings. They called God’s bluff, believing that he would never actually let his temple be captured, much less destroyed. The temple was like a talisman that kept them safe from outside forces. In 605, however, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and won. Judah had to be tribute, including handing over articles from the temple and allowing Nebuchadnezzar to take some young men to work in his government. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem a second time in 598 after Judah rebelled again him, resulting in more tribute and deportations. Finally, in 587, fed up with Judah after rebelling against him again, Nebuchadnezzar ordered Jerusalem to be destroyed. This time, the temple and walls were