Posts from 2021

Posts from 2021

Connection | The Underground

As I approach the one month anniversary of coming on as interim youth director here at FPCSA and being able to talk with parents, students and church staff it’s exciting to see the vision starting to take shape. Connection. That’s the one word vision. We connect with Jesus. Through participation in Sunday service in English or Spanish, through devotionals and in collaboration with family the Underground is helping students find way to connect with Jesus. Students and their families are…

The Advent of the Messiah

“And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God,the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6b) Advent means the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.  We can speak of the advent of a president, the advent of the internet or any number of events.  In the Christian tradition, we celebrate the coming, or second coming, of Jesus Christ during the Advent season, which begins four Sundays before Christmas.  This year, the first Sunday of Advent…

Del Prado

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) For those who have been at the church for a while, you’ve probably heard some whisperings about “Del Prado.”  It might sound a bit like El Dorado, the mythical city of gold in the mountains of South American, or the ever-elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So what even is…

The Friendliness Factor

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:8f ESV) It seems there’s a lot of anger in the world nowadays.  The FAA reports that there have been more than 4,000 complaints from airlines of aggressive behavior onboard flights in 2021.  People on freeways seem to be driving faster, more recklessly, and reports of road rage are up.  I’ve witnessed several examples of road rage…

Knowing God / Knowing Ourselves

“Bless the LORD, O my soul.  O LORD my God, You are very great.  You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment.” Psalm 104:1f Many years ago, I did a sermon series on the attributes of God.  I keyed off A. W. Tozer’s book, “The Knowledge of the Holy.”  Some of God’s attributes come quickly to our minds: sovereign, almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and infinite; others come a little slower: self-existent, self-sufficient, immutable,…

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant.

“The master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…’” Matthew 25:21a When I first arrived at FPCSA, I often said, “The church gave me several gifts.”  I was speaking, of course, of the staff that was in place at that time; in particular, I was referring to Marcia Griffin, Marion Heatherington, Mary Lee, Paul McNeff, and Dick Williams.  Each of these individuals brought particular gifts and talents to their work, but mostly they brought hearts filled with love,…

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!!!

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”  Psalm 122:1 Michael Buffer has made a name for himself by calling out the phrase, “Let’s get ready to rumbl-l-l-le!!!”  And as we come into July, I feel like Michael could do his signature phrase as a call to worship.  Can you imagine Sunday worship starting with, “Let’s get ready to rumbl-l-l-le!!!”?  Ha ha hahhh!  Probably not.  But sometimes I wonder if we…

A Blank Slate

[After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem]“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer…”  Acts 1:14a  In his book, The Post-Quarantine Church, Thom S. Rainer writes, “What did they (the early church) do when they didn’t know what to do? They prayed. The Bible indicates that the prayers of the early church were powerful because the people were of one mind: ‘They all met together and were constantly united in prayer.’ They didn’t know what else…

Prayer Network!

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. 1 Timothy 2:1 Do you believe in the power of prayer? Do you have requests for prayer? We would like to restart our Prayer Network.  We are looking for people who are interested in praying for others.  We will put together a prayer list that will be regularly updated and emailed to our prayer network.  If you are interested in being a part…

The Post-Quarantine Church

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24f I love that insurance commercial where a millennial couple is stuck on the side of the road with their car, and one of them says, “Most likely, it’s out of gas, but what if we just unplug…

Post Quarantine Protocols

Welcome Home! We are so excited to re-open our church campus and say, “Welcome Home!” to our church family and friends.  Beginning on the first Sunday of May (5/2), we are open for services. POST-QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS Love your neighbor If you, or anyone in your household, is feeling any symptoms (fever, cold, cough), please stay home and join us for the live-stream service online. If you have been fully vaccinated and are feeling well, please join us in person! Wear…

March 2021 Pastor’s Page

“CONVERSATIONS WITH JESUS” [Jesus said] “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 At its last meeting, the Board of Elders (session) responded to three questions. 1) “What attracted you to FPCSA?” There were quite a few responses, from “we were looking for a Presbyterian Church” to “we came here quite by accident.”  One person mentioned they were looking for a…

February 2021 Pastor’s Page

“Honoring Black History” “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul.” Acts 13:1 There seems to be a “National Day” for everything nowadays.  Check these out: dogs (8/26), cats (10/29), tacos (10/4), licorice (4/12), friendship (7/30), mushrooms (10/15), slugs (10/29), peanut butter (1/24), brothers (5/24), sisters (8/1), siblings (4/10), martinis (6/19), roller coasters (8/16), etc. etc.…
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