The God Who Restores

By: Jim Umlauf      

Guilt can be crippling. I’ve seen people drag it around for decades, even after embracing the forgiveness afforded by the cross. Maturing as a Christian adds its own complexity because the more deeply we understand who God is, the more thoroughly we realize the inclination and capabilities of our own hearts. The growing believer sees someone suffer the effects of a given sin and quickly notes that “it could easily be me.”

Remember that ours is a restorative God. And he is unchanging. When he promises to accomplish something, he cannot begin it without completing it. That’s good news for the aching soul. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ, not even (especially) you.

Take time to reflect on these words from Micah 7, after God had given a prosperous, teetering Judah severe warning (“...behold, the LORD is coming out of his place… her wound is incurable and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.”):

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger for ever,
because he delights in steadfast love
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.

Stopped in My Tracks

By: Dr. Jimmy Young      

Guys, I’m a preacher.  I hope you’ve noticed.  As such, because I read a lot, I am often confronted with stuff that stops me in my tracks.  Here's one such quote:

"Their testimony and the fragrance of their lives comes down to this day.  Their pulpit oratory came from their hearts, and from the reality of living near to God.  They themselves loved the Savior whom they preached and hated the sin against which they warned.  Personal religion, with devotion to Scripture and to prayer occupied a great part of their lives.  Payson’s testimony is representative of them all:  'I was never fit to say a word to a sinner, except when I had a broken heart myself, when I was subdued and melted into penitence, and felt as though I had just received pardon to my own soul, and when my heart was full of tenderness and pity.'"

Sobering, huh?

Are You Hungry & Thirsty?

By: Scott Elliott      

Working in the sports field and being around a lot of young kids and teenagers, I often find myself making the comment to parents that I wish I still had the energy that these kids possess. They seem to be able to run for hours without getting too worked up or tired. Me, not so much.

As an Athletic Director and one who should promote a healthy lifestyle, I feel I should lead by example in taking care of my body physically. I do try to workout at least 2-3 days a week to keep in shape and, if nothing else, keep my heart in check. As I tell the kids, we all shouldn’t neglect the physical gifts that God has given us.

The same regular training that is required of us physically should also be applied to our spiritual training! Our spiritual souls need daily toning and strengthening and nourishment too if they are to survive and grow. If we don’t feed our spiritual soul (like we do our physical body) then it too will grow weak and fade away.

A quick look at our society and community will tell you that we surely don’t deprive our physical bodies with the food and drink they need to keep them going. So why do we deprive our spiritual souls of the nourishment it needs? The nourishment from the Word!

The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, not only satisfies and nourishes us but also quenches our hungry and thirsty souls. I don’t know about you but I need to make sure I make it to the “training table” on a regular basis. Filling up on the Word helps to keep us going!

So next time you feed your body, don’t forget about your soul! Get back to training … the body and the soul!

Read:  John 4:13-14;  1 Timothy 4:7-10;  2 Timothy 4:7-8

The Gospel is Not Freedom and Democracy

By: Johnathan Todd      

Chinese Christians are not praying for a change in their government. They identify God growing the Chinese Church through the current government and do not wish to change what God has established for His purposes.

These thoughts were shared recently at Grace Evan by our missionary working with Chinese Christians and they reminded me of a Biblical reality:

The gospel is not freedom and democracy.

I am fearful that as North American Christians, the tendency to highlight freedom and democracy as important as the gospel is a real danger. We easily infuse the gospel and our method of government and end up confused regarding what God has established as our hope.

The gospel is Christ crucified and raised.

The hope of the world is the gospel and this is the hope that we are tasked with proclaiming to all the nations. This is the hope we are charged with being prepared to give an account of to all who inquire.

So, I’ll close with the reminder Paul gave the Corinthian Christians: "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Far as the Curse is Found

By: Jim Umlauf      





(if video doesn't show above, click here: Far as the Curse is Found)

What are Your Plans?

By: Erin Pearce        

We all have plans. Whether it is what you want to be when you grow up, where you want to go to college, how many kids you want to have, where you want to live, or even what to do for dinner tonight.

The most recent plans Andy and I have been working on are for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has turned into one of our favorite holidays, because everyone on all sides of our family get together. And it is an extreme blessing how much we all love being around each other. 

Andy just got a phone call yesterday saying he has to leave on a trip this weekend, which most likely means he will not be here for Thanksgiving. As you can imagine, we are very disappointed. This morning, we opened to Proverbs 16 which begins in verse 1 like this: “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” It ends in verse 33, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” 

Andy and I just looked at each other and smiled. How great is it that we have a God that is in control of every little thing. Now I realize that being gone for a holiday is not that big of a deal. But even in this situation, I know that the Lord is teaching us that every little plan that doesn’t go our way is still going God’s way. 

May we be encouraged that things are very much in control by a God who is good, faithful, loving, and ready to teach us to rely on Him and trust Him in any and every circumstance.

The Number is 19!

By: Johnathan Todd       


I just counted and the number is 19 – that is, 19 Bibles in my office.

It is an understatement to say that we are richly blessed with God’s Word. We have God’s Word in various English translations from the best linguistic scholars. It would not be an overstatement to say we are spoiled on God’s Word – meaning, we have moved to a point where we take such a gift for granted.

It is estimated that there are 2,000 languages without God’s Word translated.  These 2,000 languages represent approximately 340,000,000 people…people that do not have the privilege to pick up one of 19 copies of God’s Word in my native tongue and read the grandest message available from the Most High God!

Wycliffe Bible Translators and other organizations are working to focus the church on the last languages – check out this video which gives an overview of Bible translation work.

Then take a moment and thank God for 19 Bibles.

Counting and Naming Blessings

By: Jim Umlauf

I know a man going through an exceedingly hard time right now. The challenges are physical, spiritual, and emotional. Last night I heard him pray. “Thank you, Lord…” Over and over it was “Thank you,” and not much of anything else.

We tend to brush away Christian notions, especially if they’re pasted to cloying melodies. But counting your blessings, and literally naming them one by one, is not cliché at all. In fact, we’re commanded to do so in God’s word.

“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

That’s not a helpful hint for better Christian living. God wants us to talk to him about everything and anything. And as we do that, we’re to drench it all in a thankful remembering for what he’s already done and promises to continue to do.

There’s a strange result too.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

Why does that bring peace? Because it drives us right back to the person of God. Friend, if God didn’t give up on you in your sin, and spilled his own Son’s blood for your sake, doesn’t it stand to reason that he won’t give up on you now?

Spend some time thanking him in specifics. You may be surprised by peace.

Your Private Life and the Watcher

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

I don’t know of a chapter in Scripture that is more moving to me than Daniel 4. The last verse sends chills up my spine. It, in one sense, is a very dark story. On the other hand, in no place do we find such an exalted statement about God as we find there (v. 34-35).

There are numerous lessons in this chapter, most of which are fairly obvious. I will draw your attention to only one. In verse 13 and then again in verse 23, there is the mention of a “watcher.” Did you know that there is a “watcher”? Did you realize that our choices, our behaviors, our “secret sins and misdeeds dark” are subject to the scrutiny of a “watcher”?

Did you think that what we choose to do in private is unseen? It isn’t!

I think it was Plato who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” You may agree or disagree. But this much I know, the life of the Christian is lived before “the Watcher.” You think about that.

7 Billion!

By: Johnathan Todd

"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…' ” - Genesis 1:28

It is estimated that we recently reached a population of 7 billion people on earth. Now of interest is the fact that we reached 1 billion in 1804, so in the past 207 years, we have multiplied. This video attempts to identify the why behind the multiplication.