Anxiety is prevalent in so many people today. Worrisome thoughts fill our minds and it leads to a bodily response. As Christians, God’s Word tells us again and again not to be anxious and not to worry. Why? Because we have a God who is in contr...

How do Christians participate in the transgender conversation? How does God want Christians to feel about the topic, and more importantly, the people? Too often, the topic of transgender makes us think about ideologies, progressive societal tre...

We live in a country of extremes. How many of us have seen online posts that rip apart those with opposing political views? We tend to avoid politics in conversations because we know how fast such a topic can cause anger to flare quickly, even ...

As we celebrate Baptism Sunday, we rejoice that our true identity as children of God is a divine gift through baptism, not a self-made achievement. Baptism, empowered by God’s Word, welcomes us into God’s family and grants us a new, unshakeable...

Who gets the final say in your life? That question is a matter of authority. In a culture where we are raised to live out our truth, the Bible calls us to the exact opposite. We conform ourselves to the truth of God’s Word. That’s what it means...

Pastor Apt shares a message for Epiphany Sunday based on Matthew 2:1-12.

Where have you been before?  What is your background and experiences?  These questions serve in evaluating candidates for leadership. They help us form our opinions, and the stronger the background and experiences, the better.  W...

When your leader is strong, you are strong. When your leader is weak, fear and despair overtake his followers, because there will always be enemies and adversity. Fear and despair creeps into our lives because of the adversity and unknowns we f...

The anticipation of a new leader comes with new expectations for those who follow.  Are we prepared in our own hearts to welcome the one for whom we prepare?  God’s expectations stand for all time – they don’t change. Which means, we ...

Lineage matters. Family trees tell us of the values and strengths. We might look at family members of the past to gain an understanding of a person in the present, and especially their pedigree when it comes to leadership. What if the family tr...

“Eyes on the prize.” That axiom stresses that when pursuing some good goal, focus is important. You don’t want distractions or a lack of self-discipline to keep you from obtaining whatever that prize might be. “Eyes on the prize.” You summon...

Have you ever experienced that uncomfortable feeling that others are watching you, trying to find something to criticize? We don’t want others judging us. It is bad enough listening to the voice inside our own head, whispering that we aren’t wo...

Perhaps you have heard the axiom, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In other words, while you still can, use what you have in order to enjoy life to the fullest. If this life is all there is, St. Paul agrees that would be a good ...

“It will get better.” We say that to try to comfort someone who is having a bad day (or maybe a whole string of bad days). Perhaps tomorrow will be better. But perhaps it’s worse. In this life, there really are no guarantees that things will ge...

A message for Reformation Day: Jesus repeatedly told his followers that living as his disciples would bring hardship. Living life according to God’s Law is going to make one appear odd in the eyes of the world, perhaps even evil. Sharing a mess...

One of the easiest ways to make our problems worse is to dwell on ourselves and make everything center around ourselves – make our life all about ourselves. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the way life works better is when we make life abo...

Is it OK to question God? Why have you received nothing you wanted from Him? Why has He let such awful things happen to you or those you love? Or to anyone in the world? Isn’t there a limit to what He will let you endure? Do you feel guilty if ...

Do you feel like you are in complete control of everything? Or does your life sometimes feel out of control? And if we aren’t in control, who is? When we come to the realization that we aren’t in control, it becomes very important how we answer...

Has it ever seemed God isn’t listening or answering your prayers? Things aren’t going your way, and you’re reaching out, but you’re starting to wonder if God is there? Where is God in your pain? Well… look at the cross. That is where God dealt ...

When things aren’t going your way, does your family help you? Or make it harder for you? Are you and your spouse a team who can be strong when the other is weak and regularly encourage each other? Or do you sometimes panic or lash out and make ...

No matter who you are, young, old, rich, poor, sick, healthy, you face pressure in life. Parenting pressure, school pressure, work pressure, loneliness and grief pressure. We are often “surviving” one day at a time and don’t know what we will d...

Guest preacher Pastor Rob Sirilla shares a message on the Good Samaritan.

Integrating faith into daily life is essential for becoming a contributing member of the body of Christ, supporting one another like family. Jesus asks, “Do you trust me with your life?” As our master and Disciple-Maker, He guides us to grow in...

Starting the journey with the foundational teachings of Jesus’ truth is crucial. Jesus asks, “Do you listen to me?” highlighting the importance of His saving work as described in His Word. We thrive on joy rather than guilt by taking Jesus’ tru...

In this week's sermon, we discover the initial encounter of John’s disciples with Jesus, where they are invited to "come and see" (John 1:39). This invitation is not just to observe but to discover who Jesus is. As Jesus asks, “Who do you say I...