She was six weeks out of high school and I was six months away from graduating from college. Just eighteen and twenty-two when we got married. We were young, naïve, in love, and clueless about … Read More
Confident Parenting and the Church
by Children’s and Youth Ministries Teams The challenges facing the children and families in our society are many but we have the benefit of facing them within the context of our church family. In an … Read More
On Beer and Burgundy
Growing up, I was raised to believe there was a clear divide between the church and the world. It was us and them. The difference between us Christians and those who were worldly was clearly demarcated, … Read More
Wine, Women, and…
by Todd Fearer The commonplace enjoyment of wine and other forms of alcohol among Christians has come to mirror the pattern of society at large. This seemingly innocent pleasure has the potential to be a … Read More
Camp Sonshine: Helping Refugees in North Carolina
by Kristin Hempy For most of us from Santa Barbara Community Church, this trip to Charlotte was our first time in North Carolina. We had met and prayed as a group multiple times before our … Read More
The Beast Within
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 • On March 11, 2012, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales slipped away from his barracks before dawn in Kandahar, … Read More
Striving Toward Rest
As I write this, I’m on vacation. Birds are singing and the mountains are beautiful. I have a cup of coffee in front of me, and everything is glowing as the sun comes up – … Read More
My Friends Commiserate
My wife finds it strange, but I love the band Metallica. Most popular in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, this ridiculous heavy metal band put out a song on their Black Album entitled “My Friend … Read More
Parenting, The Church, and Your Spiritual Growth
Each season of life and each experience in life is an opportunity in which to seek Christ. Parenting is one such season. It doesn’t take too long to realize those cute babies we wanted are … Read More
Increasing Riches
by Steve Johnson I often wonder what people think of rich people who are followers of Christ. Do you secretly envy them? Do you think about Scriptures when it says that all kinds of evil … Read More