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Staff Trax

Football Lessons

The weather has cooled significantly, and the leaves have changed. We are also in the middle of football season. I know that not all of us are interested in football, and that is just fine. We all have different interests in life. I just happen to be very focused on football. I have learned the game, which has helped, and I really enjoy watching it. However, I also feel guilty about the time and…

Why Do We Celebrate Reformation Sunday?

Every year on Oct. 31 (or on the Sunday closest to that date), we commemorate the day Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, October 31, 1517. Luther chose that date, the evening before All-Hallows Day (also known as All Saints Day), because he knew the church would be packed full of worshipers the following day and they would see it on the door when…

Treasure Every Moment

Treasure every moment that you have, and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with. Remember that time waits for no one.

Enjoy life; don’t worry about the future. There is no better time than right now to be happy, and happiness is a journey, not a destination.

There is so much uncertainty in life, so much that is beyond…

Food is Love

There are a LOT of scriptures about banquets, feasts, and food in general. Sometimes they’re just about having a place at the table in fellowship with others. Sometimes they suggest we should eat with people that the world says aren’t worthy, but God says they are. “Jesus is the Bread of Life” talks about how His peace fills you, so you’ll never be hungry or thirsty again.

There…

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Have you ever noticed how many times the Bible lifts up the orphan, the widow, the foreigner, the poor, the prisoner, the grieving, and the sick? Jesus is with them, and he invites his followers to join him in caring for the least, the last, and the lost.

Although we may like to passively observe the biblical narrative unfold, it goes without saying that discipleship is not a spectator sport.…

Why Faith?

Why is faith so important in our lives as Christians? Faith allows us to believe in something that we cannot see, feel, or touch. Matters of God require us to believe and rest on the Word of God.

In the Old Testament, God would reveal Himself to His people in amazing ways. People would have faith in God, but some would go back to worshipping idols.

In the New Testament, Jesus walked…

But That’s Not Fair!

[Jesus said to the disciples:] “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will…

Challenges

There are many times that we go through challenges in our lives. We pray for guidance to help us through those times. But is that enough?

I start my morning with prayer, giving thanks for what I have and what God helps me with. I pray for my family and loved ones, and end with a prayer for myself. The prayer I ask is for guidance, protection, and many other personal thoughts. It’s a conversation…

Only By His Grace

There’s a beautiful song that our Salem choir sang earlier this year called Grace Alone. It talks of promises, prayers, steps of faith, and differences we make that are only by His grace. The words keep coming back to me as we spend this week ironing out details for our next big leap of faith together as a congregation.

I want to thank the small but mighty crew of volunteers…

God, Is That You?

Truth be told, sometimes the change process feels more like a tomb than a womb. After all, change, especially unwanted or unwelcome change, often entails loss — the loss of a building, the loss of a tradition, the loss of relationships, the loss of stability, you name it. As a result, a community undergoing change and transition may find itself challenged to see and experience God’s presence…

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