Preacher Paul's Blogs

This Sunday we continue our Lenten series, “I Give Up… I Quit,” by turning to Genesis 12:1–4a and Abram’s call to leave everything familiar and go where God would show him. Abram does not receive a map, a timeline, or a detailed explanation. He receives a promise, and he goes. Together we will explore what it means to give up the need to know everything before we take a step of obedience, and how our trust in God can become a blessing to others.  As you read this passage this week, ask yourself:  Where might God be calling me to move forward without full clarity?  And is my need for certainty keeping me from becoming a blessing to someone else?

In this week’s sermon,  “I Give Up… Being in Charge,”  we begin Lent by walking with Jesus into the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11. There, the temptations are not about obvious evil but about control, shortcuts, and certainty. Jesus refuses each invitation to manage outcomes and instead chooses trust, showing us that faith is not about gripping tighter but about learning to let go. Lent invites us to give up more than small habits and instead release the illusion that everything depends on us, discovering the freedom that comes when we trust God before we act rather than after we decide. As you prepare for worship, where in your life are you trying hardest to stay in control?  What might it look like this week to pray first and decide second?

Have you ever reached a point when the only words you could say were, “I give up”? Most of us know that feeling. Life becomes complicated, relationships become strained, faith becomes confusing, and we feel worn out trying to manage everything. Lent invites us to a different kind of surrender. This season is not about quitting life or giving up hope. It is about releasing the habits, fears, and assumptions that quietly stand between us and the grace of God.   Our Lenten series this year is called “ I Give Up, I Quit” . Each week we will name something we cling to and learn how faith invites us to let it go. We begin with our need to be in control as Jesus refuses shortcuts in the wilderness while Adam and Eve grasp for certainty. We move to our need to understand everything as Abram walks without a map and Nicodemus learns faith is entered, not mastered. We confront comparison through the Samaritan woman who receives dignity instead of judgment. We release grudges as Jesus weeps ...

 As we begin Lent together, this week’s message reflects on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 and the meaning behind the ashes we receive. Ash Wednesday confronts us with honesty about our mortality, yet it also frees us from the pressure to impress God or one another. Jesus reminds us that giving, praying, and fasting are not spiritual performances but conversations with God, meant for an audience of one. When faith becomes comparison or self-display, its reward fades quickly, but when it becomes trust and relationship, it shapes the heart in lasting ways. The ashes point us toward a deeper treasure, not reputation or recognition, but belonging to God and living with quiet confidence that nothing can take that away. As you prepare for worship this week, what spiritual habits might draw you closer to God rather than closer to approval?  Where is your heart storing its treasure right now?

As we prepare for worship this Sunday, we will be looking together at 2 Peter 1:16–21, a passage where Peter insists that the story of Jesus is not myth, illusion, or exaggeration, but witnessed truth. In a world where it is increasingly difficult to tell what is real and what is manufactured, Peter reminds us that the faith we stand on is grounded in eyewitness testimony, confirmed by Scripture, and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. We will reflect on the Transfiguration as a moment where God publicly affirms who Jesus is, uniting the Law, the Prophets, and the voice of God, and we will consider what it means to carry that light with us as we begin the journey toward Lent.  As you read the passage this week, ask yourself:  Am I truly listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life right now? Have I taken time to ponder what Jesus’ transfiguration reveals about who Jesus is and what that means for my faith today

This coming Sunday’s sermon, “Even a Flickering Candle Still Shines,” is rooted in Jesus’ familiar words from Matthew 5:14–16, where we are named as the light of the world. Often we hear this passage as a call to be brighter, stronger, or more confident in our faith. But this sermon leans in a different direction. It speaks especially to those moments when faith feels tired, fragile, or barely holding on. Through a simple story and Jesus’ own imagery, we are reminded that God does not require a bonfire. Even a small, flickering candle can guide someone safely home. Faithfulness, presence, and quiet acts of goodness matter more than we often realize. This sermon invites us to stop hiding our light out of fear, weariness, or self doubt, and to trust that God is already at work through who we are and where we are. As you prepare for worship, spend time with Matthew 5:14–16 this week.  Where do you feel like your light is flickering right now?  And how might God be using your q...