Pastor Craig Carter What do you want to be? Ask that question of children and you’d expect them to say things like, “I want to be a firefighter or an astronaut or a baseball player or a dancer.” Ask that same question to the kids’ parents and you’ll probably get a radically different response: “I…
Pastor Craig Carter This spring when government officials issued “stay at home” orders there was a great deal of debate about what were considered essential services. Remember, you couldn’t go to stores selling clothing, jewelry, or sporting goods, but you could still buy lottery tickets, liquor, and firearms (all deemed essential). You could get your…
Pastor Craig Carter As Christians, we oftentimes use language that is meaningless to the unbelieving world. I’m not even sure we even know what we’re talking about in many instances. Last Sunday, I quoted a verse from 1 John that reads something like this in many translations: Jesus Christ is the propitiation {RSV: expiation} for…
Pastor Craig Carter One of the perplexing and troubling things about COVID-19 is its unpredictability. Some folks contract the virus and don’t even know it – they are asymptomatic. Others get it and suffer only mild symptoms. And others are severely affected by the disease and their lives threatened. Health care professionals are still trying…
Pastor Craig Carter I’m happy to be back in action following my “COVID vacation.” My daughter and I recently tested positive for the coronavirus and we’re fairly certain everyone in our household had it also. We thank God that our symptoms were relatively mild and we’re trusting the Lord that we will suffer no long-term…
Pastor Craig Carter A couple of years ago, my wife Lee and I went out for an anniversary dinner. When I made the reservation I mentioned that we would be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary … in the hopes we’d get a free dessert! So when the waiter came to our table, he offered his…
Pastor Craig Carter According to Luke’s gospel, Jesus ended His earthly ministry by speaking these words to His disciples: “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (Luke 24:49 NLT) It’s interesting…
Pastor Craig Carter As our regathering and rebuilding process continues over the summer, we’re looking at what is essential to our existence as a congregation in a sermon series by that title. So far, we have identified that the most basic ingredient needed is God Himself and secondarily, we need each other to truly be…
Pastor Craig Carter As most of you are well aware, we were scheduled to resume in-person worship in our newly renovated church facility last Sunday, June 7. With everything in place and ready to go, we received word on Friday, two days before the planned opening, that we did not have the required certificate of…
Pastor Craig Carter Among all the things the Lord made, one particular group is uniquely related to Him – human beings. That’s because they are created in His image and made to be like Him. Let’s explore the first members of the human race – Adam and Eve. The name, Adam, means “human” and Eve…