Letters from the Pastor

As a dad, one of the things that comes most naturally to me is helping provide for our daughter, Isabella, who is a senior at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg. When she became eligible to have a car on campus, I began thinking through what she might need...

Advent invites us to lift our eyes once again toward the horizon where God’s promises break into our world. It’s a season when the church leans forward in hope, remembers God’s faithfulness, and prepares our hearts to welcome Christ—who comes to us as Emmanuel, God...

Every so often, the Lord places a fresh challenge before His people—a holy nudge that invites us to see our community, our opportunities, and our calling in a new way. This past Sunday we explored Paul’s words in Philippians 3:14, where he describes pressing on toward...

One of the more recent joys of my spiritual life has been reading through the entire Bible each year. In 2024, more than 40 people from our church completed this journey, and many are continuing the practice in 2025. I used The One Year Bible in 2024, and this year I...

Every so often, a phrase lodges itself deep in your spirit. For me this week, it’s this one: “Live as if each day were the first day of the rest of your eternal life.”  I’ve often heard the advice to “live each day as if it were your last.” Tim McGraw captured...

Recently, I watched an episode of Deep Questions, a podcast by Dr. Cal Newport, titled “The Real Reason You Can’t Put Down Your Phone (And What To Do About It)” (Episode 374). Dr. Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University and a columnist for The...

In Sunday’s message from Colossians 3:12–17, we reflected on Paul’s instruction to “put on love” as we would put on a garment. Paul writes, “And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (v. 14). The word he uses for binds is...

In Sunday’s message, we reflected on the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonian church to “encourage one another and build each other up, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, and do what is good for one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11-24)....

One of the Apostle Paul’s great reminders is found in Romans 10:14–15:  “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And...

This past Sunday, Melanie, Isabella, and I worshiped at Alethia Church in Harrisonburg while visiting Isabella for Family Weekend at JMU. Alethia (the Greek word for truth) is where she and her housemates attend on Sundays. Their pastor preached from Joshua chapter 5,...