Sunday Services at 10:00am
1155 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield
One of my favorite books of prayer is The Valley of Vision: a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. If you have never read this book, it is a unique and fascinating read, full of rarely used SAT words but also with a theological and devotional depth unmatched by modern-day prayer and devotional books. Below is a prayer entitled Continual Repentance. I encourage you to read it slowly and carefully. ...Keep Reading
In Exodus 4, God approaches Moses with what must have felt like a death sentence: go to Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world, and tell him to let his Israelite slaves go free. Understandably, Moses is more than reluctant to take on the task; indeed, he seems to give every excuse in the book why he’s the wrong man for the job. But even after God assures Moses that he will give him the words to speak AND miraculous signs and wonders to display, Moses still asks God to pick someone else. And so, God angrily tells Moses that Aaron will be his mouthpiece. There’s a fine line between humility and disobedience...Keep Reading
It was not an impressive beginning for Saul. Despite being chosen by God and anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the first king of Israel, when it came time for the big reveal, Saul was nowhere to be found. The spotlight fell on the place where he should have been, but Saul was cowering behind the luggage....Keep Reading
This week, I am beginning an online book study with some people in the church on the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, a classic on spiritual growth. One story in the introduction really moved me. As Foster shares about the origin of the book, he talks about a time when he felt led to have Bill Cathers, a former missionary and a man of unusual discernment and wisdom, pray for him. He didn’t know what to have him pray for, only that he felt the need for him to pray. Foster writes:...Keep Reading
This past Sunday, I preached on pride, humility, and wisdom. I joked about it from the pulpit, but for most of us (including me), I would bet that as we listened, we had someone else in mind that we were hoping was listening or that should have been there listening. Because, after all, THAT PERSON has an issue with pride, not us. Hopefully as the sermon went on, we all realized just how much of a problem we all have with pride. In keeping with the theme of pride, I want to share an excerpt from a Charles Spurgeon sermon that I read recently and found especially encouraging and challenging:...Keep Reading
As we‘™ve been working through Philippians on Sunday mornings, it has been clear that much of the emphasis of Paul‘™s letter to the church in Philippi is unity. He loves his church dearly, and sincerely wants them to love each other with a humble love, showing each other the same grace that they have received from Jesus. In keeping with that theme, I wish to share an excerpt from a Charles Spurgeon sermon that I read today and found especially encouraging and challenging:...Keep Reading
Jesus‘ Sermon on the Mount begins with this counterintuitive statement ‘" ‘œBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.‘ In other words, Jesus declares that God‘s favor is not on the spiritually self-sufficient, those who exalt and justify themselves and think that their good works have made them righteous in God‘s sight. Instead, God‘s favor is on those who are spiritually bankrupt, who realize that in themselves they have nothing of spiritual significance to offer to God, but are completely dependent upon His grace and mercy. By the time Jesus is declaring to his disciples that they need to ‘œbe perfect as their heavenly father is perfect‘ (Matthew 5:48), I am sure Jesus‘ disciples were all thanking God that God‘s favor is on the spiritually bankrupt who recognize their utter dependence upon God for their righteousness, because none of them have measured up to Jesus‘ commands. ...Keep Reading