Dear Church Family, We have finished our time in Matthew 5-7! I’ve mentioned it several times over the past month, but if you just can’t get enough of the message of the Sermon on the Mount, the letter of James in the New Testament has many connections to Jesus’s words in Matthew 5-7. For example, a keyword for Jesus in Matthew 5:48…
Dear Church Family, I don’t know about you, but for me this summer has been flying by! I’ve been challenged and encouraged by the Sermon on the Mount as we’ve worked through Matthew 5-6 in our Sunday sermon times. I hope you have too. One phrase that comes up several times in the Sermon on the Mount is “the kingdom of heaven.”…
Dear Church, With the weather gradually getting warmer and warmer, I can sense my outlook on life changing! I’ve always enjoyed spring and summer over the cold of winter. I find I have much more energy and excitement about life when the sun is shining, and the air is warm. Speaking of energy and excitement, there are several things in the life…
Dear Flora First Christian, I want to take the first part of this article to say “thank you” to all of you! You’ve paved the way for us to move from Minnesota to Indiana. You’ve cleaned and painted the parsonage, and moved in all of our furniture, and cooked us meals, and checked up on us. Chloe and I are SO grateful…
Dear Flora, As I write this in my dining room, I have to be honest: our house is in chaos. We’ve started packing up our things in order to move from Minnesota to Indiana. There are boxes full of dishes and decorations sitting on the floor, alongside empty boxes waiting to be filled. One of the biggest questions facing us in this…
Tristan Oren and I serve as the new Co-Interim Team as of November 1st.As Senior Pastor of the Team, I come to you with 48 years of full time ministry experience.My wife, LaVonne, and I make our home in Bargersville, Indiana.Our son, Kris, is married to Tammy and their daughter is Shelby.Our daughter, Yvette, is married to Ronn Oren and have three…
Dear Flora First Christian Church, The word of the Lord spoken to the Prophet Isaiah keeps popping in my mind. mind.“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah 55.8). Being from Angus, Texas I had zero thoughts of ever being in Flora, Indiana. Truly His ways are not our ways. So as Christians we hold on to…
Dear Flora First Christian Church, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I praise God for each of you. You are living up to your reputation of being a great body of believers. It is good to be here. I appreciate serving the Lordwith you. Of course, the search for a new pastor is on everyone’s mind. Please,…
To the Believers in Jesus Christ in Flora, Indiana, Almost 49 years ago, while in college at Texas Christian University, I had a job working on a bridge-building crew. That particular bridge was part of the I-20 connection between Dallas and Ft. Worth Texas. That experience taught me many lessons that became useful in my career as a minister. Lesson number one:…