Genesis 6:9 - “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” - NLT

Last month we began our two month series on Discipleship. What does it really mean to be a follower of Jesus? Hard to imagine that I could give you a Scripture passage about Noah and it would help us understand what it means to follow Jesus, but here we go.

Noah was the only blameless person living the earth at the time God chose him to build the ark. Most Biblical scholars and researchers estimate the construction spanned anywhere from 50 to 75 years. Noah was already following God, but during this time of doing what God asked of him, Noah was treading on ground that had never been. For 75 years Noah was building a boat (no one had heard of a boat), and was waiting for a flood (no one knew what a flood was).

Can you imagine what it must feel like to go that long with no definition of what you were doing, and trusting that God was in charge and you were simply following orders? Noah was a great example of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. We are not called to understand what Jesus desires from us, but to simply follow the teacher, our rabbi, and do as He does.

There will be times in our lives in which the direction seems pointless, or even impossible, but if we are truly in relationship with God, through Jesus, one day it will all make sense. We simply need to trust Him! This might be the most difficult thing about discipleship. Taking a leap of faith, going “all in” to follow Jesus where He leads us, and letting Him lead us into strange and crazy dreams for His name sake.

​I pray that this month we are willing participants in following Jesus! - Pastor Mike

Matthew 4: 19-20 - “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.” - NLT

For the next two months of this summer season, I want us to get back to what it is that Jesus called us to be. More than anything, Jesus called us to follow Him. In the time of Jesus there would have been a tradition of following a rabbi or teacher. Once the choice is made, one would follow the rabbi and do whatever it is the rabbi did, and say whatever it is that the rabbi would say.

When Jesus calls out to Peter and the others on the shoreline in Galilee, He is making it known that He would like to be their rabbi and that they would be His followers. He is about to teach them how to fish for people and increase the kingdom. These working class men, dropped the tools of their trade and instantly began to follow their teacher.

My prayer is that over the next two months we will see Jesus, the Messiah meeting people right where they are, in the middle of their daily routines. Helping us realize that we don’t need to be a perfect people, or “perfectly qualified” in order to follow Him and be used by Him.

I also hope that we understand that following Jesus can be rewarding, but it will demand the best of us and it will likely cost us a sacrifice of obedience to our teacher. These men had to abandon their primary source of income and security to take that next step into the unknown. Are we willing to follow Jesus so closely?

We have an obligation as those who say they are following Jesus, to step out in faith as we follow Him and understand that Jesus equips His followers. He is the source of our identity, our purpose, and empowers us to share His message with the world. I pray that you will join us on this journey, and that you will look to begin this life of discipleship, follower our Teacher and our Savior!

- Pastor Mike
 

Isaiah 41:10 - “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” - NLT

The prophet Isaiah is one of the greatest, and my personal favorite, Old Testament prophets. He delivers truth that can feel rather harsh at times to our sensitivity, and yet fills it with hope and expectation on a God that always delivers on His promises.

Hope in the book of Isaiah is a profound theme of confident expectation and active waiting on God’s promises, particularly during times of deep crisis, exile, and darkness. It serves as a reminder that God remains present, active, and faithful.

The most famous expression of hope in Isaiah, which comes from Isaiah 40:31, is the promise that "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength". This hope is not wishful thinking; it is an active, patient trust in God's timing over our busy, chaotic, overwhelming lives.

Isaiah ministered during an era defined by political upheaval and the Babylonian exile, when the nation of Israel sat in profound literal and spiritual darkness. In the middle of it, Isaiah delivers the message, from Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light". This light ultimately points to the arrival of the Messiah, bringing ultimate peace, justice, and redemption from sin.

My hope is that this month we will see the severe warnings of judgment given to us by Isaiah,  yet also see the glorious messages of comfort and hope. My prayer is that we look forward to a day when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and justice will roll down like a river, and creation itself will be renewed. We can have hope in the promises of God given to us by Isaiah and have a Summer of Hope! 
​- Pastor Mike
 

Genesis 50:20 - “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many.” - NLT

We just finished our journey with Jesus and even learned about what our journey should look like in the light of the empty tomb. Jesus calls us to be disciples and to follow Him. Are we really following Him? Has the world gotten to us and made us a little upset?

Joseph, in Genesis 50 has every right to be offended by what his brother’s did to him. They tried to kill him and then sold him into slavery. When finally brought back together, Joseph had an opportunity to hold an offense against his brothers, or to forgive them and help them. Joseph understood that being offended wouldn’t help anyone, not even himself.

When we hold on to offense, we are simply drinking the poison that we wish our enemies would drink and expecting it to effect them. The Bait of Satan by John Bevere was written in 1994, long before the internet would invade our everyday and smart phones would be at our beck and call. He understood that when a human being gets offended and holds onto it, the devil loves to use it to tear us apart from the inside out.

How can our walk, our journey with Jesus look different in light of understanding that we should be the least offendable people on the planet, thanks to a Savior who saved us long before we knew Him. The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 3:13, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Even the worst of all sinners knows the importance of not being offended.

I am praying for you this month. That God opens doors that offense has closed and that the full power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed in your life. Time to follow Jesus!
​- Pastor Mike
 

John 4: 4-6 - “4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.” - NLT

Jesus is no stranger to a nice long journey. When He had gotten to Jacob’s Well in Samaria, Jesus was weary and tired from the journey. Yet, He realized the importance of being in a location that was meaningful to the person that was there with Him. Jesus was attempting to connect with the Samaritan woman at the well, even if it mean rejection. He was willing to shed light on her situation, and hopefully God’s Spirit would speak to her in a new way.

My prayer for us on this Lenten journey with Jesus is that we find a way to see His interactions with people, learn from what He is showing us, and take Him with us on our journey. This life was intended to be lived alongside our Savior, following Him as closely as possible so that our life is a reflection of His.

This month we will continue that Journey and we will see the things that Jesus did as we walk through His life in the Gospel according to Luke. We will find a Savior who is connected, a Savior who faced rejection, a Savior who showed great compassion, and a Savior that would seek to find the lost.

He is our King! He defeated sin and death for us, so that God’s great love could shine throughout our lives. He deserves to be given credit for all that He has done to right our broken relationship with our Father, God.
My prayer for us this month is that we do not simply take Jesus along “our” journey, but that we begin to follow Jesus along “His” journey for our life.

- Pastor Mike 

Luke 9: 2-3 - “Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes - NLT

February is typically the beginning of our season of Lent. Lent is the season of prayer, fasting, and giving in preparation for Easter. It involves self-examination and repentance, and participants often give up specific foods or habits to develop self-discipline and draw closer to God. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes, for us with Easter Sunday. Typically lasting 40 days when Sundays are not counted as those would be considered celebration days.

I believe what God desires of us, is that we might say “YES” to Jesus and begin a life-long journey with the one who saved us from certain death. I believe that Lent is a time in which we can focus on that journey and see where we stand. Are we doing what it is that Jesus desires us to do? Are we simply calling ourselves a follower of Jesus without actually going anywhere? What can we learn about who this Jesus is and what He is calling us to do?

This month we will get ready for the journey, and then on Ash Wednesday we will say yes to taking a very supernatural, exciting journey with the one we call Savior. I pray that we are going to find new things about His life as we follow Him from His baptism all the way to His death on a cross.

Jesus calls us to be more than mere fans of His work. He desires true disciples. He wants people who are lives that are changed, who will come running after Him, so that the world can see Him in our everyday lives.
Where will Jesus find you on this journey? A welcomed participant, eager to learn and grow? Or will Jesus find you in the same old place, doing the same old things? The choice is yours.
​
- Pastor Mike
 

Matthew 16:24 - “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” - NLT

God, our Creator, has always had a plan. We are coming out of our season of Advent and beginning a new year in 2026. The past few years we have been on quite a journey. We left the loneliness of pandemic that left us hiding from each other. We moved into a new world that is still finding its own way and learning about how we do life now. We are more focused on earthly things, politicians, and the world than we ever have.
I want to encourage us to not forget the God of Advent. This God, who chose to come close to us, made a way for His people to be with Him. He was the initiator. God came to each of us, in search of those who might love Him. Jesus was the embodiment of this God, teaching us all about His character and His love.

If we are wise, we will take the beginning of 2026 and we will make sure that we are honoring this God. If each of us was so important to God, that He would come to this earth and be one of us, and then choose to die in our place, what should we be doing. God initiated the contact, calls us to be followers of His Son, Jesus, and for us to bear fruit in this relationship. Everything we do from this day forward is a reply to the God who chose to save us.

This month we are going to see what it means to have a Radical, Next Level Discipleship as followers of Jesus. We are a people who are overwhelmed with worry, doubt, and fear, and none of that is what God called us to be. He wants us to be empowered. He wants us to be fearless. He wants us to be radical followers of Jesus.
My prayer for us this month is that we take this relationship seriously, and we dive in to a radical transformation at the hands of Jesus. 

- Pastor Mike
 

Isaiah 9:6 - "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - NLT

In the Scriptures there are more than a hundred prophecies that predicted the coming of the Messiah. From Jeremiah, to Isaiah, to Micah, and even in Numbers, all of these texts were critical in predicting the arrival of our Savior. Some of these writings happened hundreds of years before Jesus arrived in Bethlehem.

What is incredible during this time of year is that we remember the birth of the Messiah and it may seem like old news. We know this story, we have heard it every year since we were born. Yet we have this hope and this good news because of what God has done, and that never changes.

My prayer for us this month is that we not only look forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus, but that we understand this arrival of our Savior was not a one time thing. Jesus came, and he also lived, died, and rose from the grave. When He did all these things, He left us with a promise. A promise that He would return. In Matthew 24:36 we see this response, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”

For as much as the prophets heard from God, and gave fair warning to the world that the arrival of the Messiah was imminent, we now live in a world in which His final return is imminent as well.

I pray that during the next five weeks we seek the Savior. The Savior of the world, who was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. Who lived a blameless life, and died for our sins. He rose from the grave, defeating sin and death, and His next arrival is on the way! 

- Pastor Mike

1 Samuel 14:1 - "One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. - NIV

I am not sure how it happened, but I stumbled into the story of Jonathan one day. The son of king Saul was wondering about with his armor bearer and realized that a massive Philistine army was approaching his father and 600 Israelite soldiers. He knew that if they were going to stand a chance against this army that they would need some help.

Jonathan trusted that God would protect them and help them in the battle. In verse 6, Jonathan says, “Come, let’s go. Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” What drew me to this passage was not Jonathan’s unwavering trust in God, it was the way his armor bearer responded to his request. He said to Jonathan, “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”

Jonathan had trust in his God, and the armor bearer had trust in Jonathan. There is a level of complete trust that takes them right into the heart of battle. Facing unbelievable odds, the two men only managed to defeat a large army. Verse 14 says, “They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.” After that, panic set in among the Philistines as they began to kill each other, and even an earthquake happened to confuse them even more.

This month I am going to be praying that we understand the mission of those who consider themselves followers of Christ. If we lay claim to this faith, then we should in fact be like Jonathan and his armor bearer. We should trust that our God goes before us, and that in Him is how the battle is won. What battle are you facing? Do you believe that God can be trusted to help you win the battle? It is time for the church, to be the empowered body of Christ!             
- Pastor Mike
 

​Luke 9: 23-24 - "23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” - NLT

In an attempt to avoid another August of back to school cliches, I thought it would be good for us to remind ourselves what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. Assuming, that we consider ourselves a follower of Jesus, He calls us to take up our own cross, lay down our own way, and follow Him.

There are several ways in which this is accomplished and we will spend the five Sundays of August leaning into those ways in which we can follow Jesus more closely. We will discover that Jesus can be followed and found in love and our love for others will be the way in which people see Him. We will find truth in what it means to follow Jesus, rather than simply walking behind Him. When we pray consistently and with purpose, we can find the strength to keep following Jesus. We will find out that following Jesus requires us to be part of a greater group that chases after Him together. Being a disciple of Jesus also requires us to utilize our weapon of praise and worship.

Jesus was God in human form, and yet He called twelve men to follow Him. Does Jesus need people to follow Him, or do we need someone of great character and divinity to follow so that our lives will look more and more like His?
​
If we are looking for value and purpose out of our relationship with God, it will come through our diligence in being a willing and committed follower of Jesus. Are we ready for that journey?
- Pastor Mike