What are you thankful for???

I don’t know about you, but its hard to believe that November is already here. That means Turkey Day, the Macy’s Day Parade, and lots of leftovers are just around the corner. On Thanksgiving, we celebrate the blessings of God and his goodness in our lives. Reality is that giving thanks is not always easy. In fact when times are tough, giving thanks is one of the hardest things to do....

Does the Church have a responsibility to the poor and oppressed?

This Sunday, Bethel will be hosting Bill Payne, who is the Assistant Director of Missoula 3:16. Missoula 3:16 is a local ministry seeking to aid and meet the needs of the homeless and economically disadvantaged in Missoula. As I was thinking about their work, I recognized that throughout Church History, God’s people have responded in various ways to the plight of the poor and oppressed....

How is an “ethic of love” different from an “ethic of reciprocity?”

Across many religions is the notion, that doing to others what one would have done to themselves, is the highest expression of morality and religion. For example, Buddhists believe in the notion of Karma, that what we do to others either good or bad, will eventually come back to us. Almost every world religion seems to have an “Ethic of Reciprocity,” so what is unique about...

The Blessedness of the Merciful – Matthew 5:7

Mercy seems to be in short supply these days. Every thing in life seems to tell us that mercy is outdated and these days if ou are merciful, you are going to get hurt. Jesus will show us however, that mercy is an important part of kingdom life and that our passsion for right relatedness calls us to be merciful people. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)...

The Blessedness of the “Never Quite Good Enough” – Matthew 5:3

Somewhere along the way, the popular notion has crept into the church, that the people that have all the externals of religion sown are somehow more spiritual. In this beatitude, Jesus will show us that the ones that are blessed aren’t those that have it all together, but those that recognize that they are “never quite good enough.” Podcast: Play in new window |...

The Blessedness of the Grieving-Matthew 5:4

Life is full of grief. Maybe its grief over a decision in our past that continues to haunt us or the loss of a loved one. In this passage, Jesus will show us that there is hope when we grieve. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (35.7MB)...

Thoughts on stewardship and church growth

As many of you know, Bethel will be completing an important first step in planning for the future this week as we meet with Rick Weber and Mike Kellar from the NAB next weekend. As we have worked through the self study process, one question I have asked is “Why are we doing a self study at all?” I have sometimes heard people say things like, “If God wants His church to grow, He...