Posts by Michael Nelson (Page 5)

Weekly Update – January 18th, 2023 Just like that, we are now in the third week of January. Many of us set goals and in our minds, we perhaps proclaimed that this was going to be the best year yet.  But maybe you are like me as I look back at the last few weeks and you notice that the goals you set for this year, are not really being accomplished.  Personally, I have already found myself behind on my…

Weekly Update – January 11th, 2023 Last Sunday we took time to look at 1 Peter 2:9-12.  Here we saw that because of our calling from God to himself through Jesus Christ, we have been rescued from darkness (2:9) to become his people who have now received mercy (2:10).  Therefore, we are now a people who are to proclaim (2:9) and display (2:12) the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We said that our ambition as God’s people…

Weekly Update – January 4th, 2023 The New Year always brings with it a sense of excitement. Not because it is in the dead of winter or because the Christmas season is over. No, the excitement comes with an opportunity of sorts to begin again. One way to begin the year is with a set of goals, of which I will recommend some for us as a church this Sunday.  But another way to begin a new year is to…

Weekly Update – December 28th, 2023 The end of a year is always a good time to reflect.  You might personally consider what went well or perhaps even what didn’t go well in your own life. It is good for us to do this as a church as well.  Therefore, what I want to do here is consider with you what the Lord did among us in 2023 and then praise him for the year that has gone by.  With…

Weekly Update – December 21st, 2023 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  This is how the Bible starts the creation story.  Then we read that from chaos God brought order and out of darkness God created light.  Ultimately it was out of nothing that God brought forth something.  But as great and majestic as all of this is, God’s purposes in creation were much bigger than simply filling the earth with stuff.  In Genesis 1:26 God…

Weekly Update – December 14th, 2023 On Sunday, we took the Lord’s Supper together as a church.  We did so on the second week of November as well.  For years, our church, like many other Southern Baptist Churches, took the Lord’s Supper once a quarter.  We then moved it to once every other month.  But now, we are scheduled to take it monthly together.  Perhaps you are wondering why?  Why have we moved it to monthly, and then furthermore, does…

Weekly Update – December 7th, 202 Every year we collect an offering for international missions.  Most of you should be fairly familiar with it since this offering has been a part of our denomination since 1888.  What that means is that this offering is not a generational tradition started by an older generation or our parent’s generation, but instead it is a tradition that has been in our denomination and in our church since its early days.  But why is…

Weekly Update – November 30th, 2023 Yesterday I was reading from Psalm chapter 5 and verse 7 stuck out to me.  The Psalmist writes, “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house.”  David here is writing in contrast to the wicked who will not “stand” or “dwell” in God’s presence.  His expectation is different though, as his trust rests in the Lord.  In this Psalm, David is clear here that his trust does not rest…

Weekly Update – November 23rd, 2023 As a child, I grew up around most of my family.  We would all get together throughout the year, whether it was for birthdays, special weekends or other celebrations.  But the one holiday that always stuck out, where the entire family came together around one or sometimes two tables was Thanksgiving.  It was around these tables that we had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing and every kind of casserole, along with pumpkin pie and…

Weekly Update – November 16th, 2023 In Ephesians 1:19, the apostle Paul prays that the Ephesians would have the eyes of their hearts enlightened to see the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward those who believe.  Then in verse 20, we get a glimpse into what Paul meant by power.  By power, Paul prayed that the Ephesians would see the same power that was at work when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  This power was already within the…

Weekly Update – November 9th, 2023 On Sunday we had the privilege of witnessing two baptisms: Kerrstin Petty and Timothy Goodman.  We believe that baptism is not only a personal event, where the one being dipped in the water is symbolizing the change that has taken place in their hearts, but that baptism is also a public event.  What I mean is, we believe that the one professing Christ in baptism, must do so in front of the gathered church. …

Weekly Update – November 2nd, 2023 The event that took place on October 31st, 1517, is more than simply a time in history.  It is our heritage as Christians.  We believe that we live the way that we do, because God in His grace, chose to act and bring a recovery of His gospel back to His church.  What we look back upon, more than 500 years ago, is the reformation of the church.  It all began with a young…