Rehab’s Inclusion – Joy
Note: You can find all the info about Christmas Eve services here: ccames.org/christmas-services-2024/ Matthew’s Gospel starts out...
Peace that makes us whole.
The Perfect Gift is tomorrow! The joy of Christmas. It is a real thing. Over the years, different traditions and activities have...
Let’s Radiate Joy
The Perfect Gift is coming on the 14th!! Sign up to help at this wonderful open house event. Info and sign ups here:...
Hope
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and...
The Gospel – Good news that requires a response.
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to...
Needs and a Name
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named...
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in...
Election Day – A Pastoral Encouragement
Today is one of the days that we, as Americans, get to regularly participate in democracy. And this is undoubtedly a great privilege. At...
Why do we pray?
When was the last time you spent time praying? What was the last thing that you prayed for? Have you ever paused to reflect on the action...
Healthy Boundaries – Healthy Identity
Honoring others is a core ethical principle that we find in the Bible. That is, honoring those in my everyday life is a normal way for a...
All That You Need
This fall, we have been studying the book of Ephesians. In its pages, we’ve heard about the new life we’ve been given by Christ. A...
Truth and The Bible
One of the things that I routinely say about the Bible is that it has authority. This might sound old, odd, or misplaced to some. To...
Truth and Love
The Bible routinely offers us paradoxes. That is, it gives us two things that seemingly don’t fit together and tells us that in the...
Towards Maturity
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Do you remember when you were in kindergarten or first grade what your answer...
Victory In Christ
The Apostle John was writing to a group of believers who were going through a significant hardship. They were facing a church split over...
More Than Able
Note: Our Caring Fund helps to meet the needs of neighbors in Ames and Gilbert who are facing housing instability or difficulty paying...
Why We Gather
Heads Up! This Sunday (9/8/24), we have a unique opportunity to gather as ONE large group! We hope you will join us for our All Church...
Restored
One of the central themes of Ephesians is unity. This unity is not exclusive to God and man but also extends to unity within the Body of...
Good to Great
When I was a kid, my grandmother would take my brother and me out to eat at all of the places my parents didn’t. She was a good grandma!...
Our Reward
What is the reward for the Christian? This may sound like an odd question, or at least an odd way to phrase it. But there is a very...
The Nature of Prayer
What is prayer? A simple question, right? In some ways, yes, and in others, not really. Prayer is one of those things that...
The Complexity of Ephesus
Recently, while driving through Des Moines, we saw a group of men standing on a street corner, dressed in purple and gold clothing, holding...
Finding Religion… Missing Jesus.
I grew up in a highly religious part of the country. Here’s what I mean, almost everyone I knew identified with some denomination of...
The Reliability of the NT
This Sunday, we will conclude our study through the Gospel of Mark. Mark’s conclusion likely comes with a note in your Bible that...
The Cornerstone of Our Faith
Growing up, one of my uncles was a “jack of all trades” kind of guy. Working alongside him and my dad, I learned all sorts of useful...
Sufficient
Sufficient – (səˈfiSHənt) – adjective – enough; adequate When we read through the Gospels, we inevitably come to the...
Jesus, Our Only Hope
It’s Thursday of the passion week, and things have taken a turn for Jesus. The religious leaders have been plotting for over a year now...
Revisiting the Apostles’ Creed
As we continue in our study of Mark’s Gospel, let us revisit the Apostles’ Creed. APOSTLES’ CREED – ca. 140 I...
Rooted In The Gospel
This Sunday, we will look at a tough and confusing passage in Mark’s Gospel. It isn’t so much that the core truths or reality that...
Loyal Love
Over my 15 years in student ministry, I found that one of the most important truths that students needed to hear was that God is loyal and...
Love Your Neighbor
One of the realities of the Christian life is that as we experience the love of God, we are to give that love away to our neighbors. It is...
Lens & Mirror
As we have all heard and felt, the community of Greenfield, IA is experiencing the immense weight of loss right now. The EFCA has its...
The Joy of a Servant
As we have walked through the Gospel of Mark over the last several months we have watched Jesus’ pattern of life and ministry. We have...
God At Work
Over the last week, we had a small team in Central Asia visiting, encouraging, and investing in a few of our global partners. Here is...
Pray with us?
Over the next week, we have a small team heading to Central Asia to visit, encourage, and invest in a few of our global partners. Why is...
A New Sense of Ethics
Several years ago, when I was in student ministry, I would use a silly illustration to help connect the dots on the ethical transformation...
Our Operating System
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete...
Generous People
Don’t Miss it! Sign up for 100k Meals on April 14th – https://ccames.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2184187 One of our...
Three Pillars
Don’t Miss it! Invite your friends, and sign up for 100k Meals on April 14th –...
New People… New Motives
Today is Good Friday. It is the day that Jesus was crucified. The week had started so differently, with the crowds proclaiming...
The Rightful King
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, “The Lord of the Rings,” there is a moment early on when young Frodo receives help from an unlikely...
Faithful Leaders
When you read through Paul’s Pastoral Letters (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus), a clear theme emerges: ministry is hard, so you need to be...
Let’s Celebrate!
When you think of church, do you ever find yourself asking, “Who is in charge of the church?” This is a good question. Often, our...
Blessed to Bless
Humans possess remarkable resilience. In other words, when we put our minds to it, we are able not just to endure hardships but to...
The secret to knowing God’s will… Abide.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, they did so in an environment that was publicly saturated with prayer. That is,...
Jesus Makes a Difference
As we read the Gospels and the New Testament as a whole, we see a clear theme emerge, “Jesus makes a substantial difference in the lives...
Do you hear Him?
Is the Spirit flowing through you? Have you ever wondered what the voice of God sounds like? Have you ever had a feeling of deep...
Church Is For Messy People
I have heard it said, and I think it is profoundly true, that when we walk into church, no matter how buttoned up or put together our lives...
The Posture of Our Hearts
Have you ever received good news, but there was something not so joyful going on in your heart that prevented you from receiving the...
Pray with me? – Supplication
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. – John 15:7 Jesus tells his...
Pray with me? – Thanksgiving
Every November, we create a “thankfulness tree” with our kids. Danielle prints out red, orange, and yellow leaves that each day at...
Pray with me? – Confession
Confession… I don’t know about you, but it is a word that sends chills down my spine. I think it is the reality that confession...
Pray with me? – Adoration
One of the key markers in the early church is its commitment to prayer. They praised God in good times, they pleaded with God in tough...
The Gift of Presence
Christ Community Church Staff Team Merry Christmas! Monday is Christmas Day. It is a day that will be filled with presents,...
“Choose your miracle.”
The Christmas story and, with it, the incarnation, is a miracle. God becoming man through the virgin birth is an understandably tough pill...
The humility of the manger.
Heads Up!! – The Perfect Gift is this Saturday, and we could use your help! Over the years, different traditions and activities have...
Let’s Radiate Joy
Through our Advent series, we will continue to see that when humanity wasn’t or isn’t faithful, God was and is. This is a powerfully...
Peace that makes us whole.
The opening of John’s Gospel is striking. It paints the picture of a God who is utterly and undeniably complete and needs nothing else....
Put a name on it.
A number of years ago, I was asked a really helpful question when it came to disciple-making. That question was, “Can you put a name on...
Rooted in the Gospel
This Sunday (11/12), we will conclude our 10-week teaching series through our church’s Statement of Faith with Article #10 on...
The Return of Jesus
Over the last two months we have been exploring key or essential doctrines that we believe as a local church and the historic church has...
A New Sense of Ethics
Over the 15 years that I was in student ministry, I would use a silly illustration to help connect the dots on the ethical transformation...
Determining Doctrinal Rank
One of the questions that often comes up in the study of theology is, which doctrine or doctrines are primary and should be held as...
The Apostles’ Creed
Friday Highlight – The Apostles’ Creed Over the last month, we have been in a teaching series titled Essentials – What we...
What are Creeds?
Over the last month, we have been in a teaching series titled Essentials – What we believe. This series has been focused on looking at...
Who is Jesus?
Jesus Jesus, the son of Joseph Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth, the rightful heir to...
Jesus, Our Only Hope
As we continue our series on the essentials of the Christian faith, we look to the question of identity and the question of humanity. Below...
The need for a source of authority.
Authority is one of those things that we have a mixed relationship with. On one hand, we (particularly as Americans) don’t like it,...
Form Over Function?
Reminder – This Sunday (9/10) is our All-Church Vision Sunday. That means we will only have one service at 9:30 am in the gym. That’s...
Essentials and Unity
This Sunday (9/1), we are about to embark on our fall teaching series through the EFCA’s Statement of Faith. As an EFCA church, this is...
Expectancy Revisited
When we began our Revelation series six months ago, we began by looking at the role of expectancy in the life of the believer. As we...
A Life Like His
There are two realities that we all live in. One is aspirational, that is, who or what we hope to be or become. And the other is...
Who’s a Saint?
Have you ever heard someone call another person a saint? Maybe after someone did something particularly praiseworthy or notable? Or,...
The Thrill of Hope
As I sit down to write this post, it is the month of August. Last week, we hit high temps in the upper 90’s that felt like 110+ degrees...
Victory in Jesus
As we have been walking through the book of Revelation, we have been greeted time and time again with the truth that Jesus offers us a...
New Creations
When we think and talk about the nature of salvation in the Christian faith, we often think of and refer to heaven. And, to be sure, heaven...
United in Christ
Throughout the book of Revelation, we have heard this phrase, “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” In this...
Lasting Satisfaction
I’m not sure about you, but I am an equal-opportunity late-night snacker. It is not a great habit, I know. It is particularly unhelpful...
Now & Then
There is a phrase that theologians often use when referring to the gift of eternal life or the scope of God’s redemptive plan, that...
Allegiance
“Are you in?” I remember that question and the moment it was asked of me, clear as day. I was in my senior year of high school and...
Avoiding Heresy
When I arrived at Trinity International University as a freshman, I managed to acquire a nickname from one of my professors. Want to know...
Never On Your Own
When we read the book of Acts, what do we see? Several things. We see a historical account of the early church. We come to see with...
Living Acts of Worship
Heads up! Are you looking for a way to love others and let your life serve as a powerful reminder of Jesus’ love? Northminster...
Powerful Reminders
Heads up! Are you looking for a way to love others and let your life serve as a powerful reminder of Jesus’ love? Northminster...
Steadfast Hope
As we have been going through Revelation, we have said that it is a book of hope. Specifically, it is a letter circulated among believers...
Waiting for What Will Be
Have you ever been in a situation or a circumstance that you knew was only part of what it could be or eventually would be? Construction is...
Seeing Jesus Clearly
Up until my 7th-grade year, my brother and I had attended larger public schools, and then we had a short stint of homeschooling, which was...
New Creations
When we think and talk about the nature of salvation in the Christian faith, we often think of and refer to heaven. And, to be sure, heaven...
The Pace of Discipleship
In 1 John, we hear John tell us that our behavior matters. Why? Because what we believe in our hearts should correspond to how we live....
Eternally Changed People
Last Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection. In our time in Luke’s account, we talked about the validity of the resurrection and the fact...
Who is Jesus?
Jesus Jesus, the son of Joseph Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth, the rightful heir to...
The Rationale of Jesus’ Opponents
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the...
Rescuing Ambition
What is the most glorious and ambitious dream you’ve ever had? When I was 5 or 6, my greatest ambition was to be a cowboy. My parents...
Experiencing Victory Over Sin
In 1 John, we hear John say, “I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, young men, because...
A Global Body
Have you ever climbed to the top of something just to see what you could see? At the top, you probably realized that there was so much more...
The Dilemma of Freedom
How do I know that I am making choices that are in God’s will? If I make the wrong choice, will God punish me? Is the only way for God...
Distinctives.
20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They...
Everything
By the time Jesus walked on the earth, the original ten commandments had been expanded to at least 613, and some scholars claim that it was...
Freedom in Christ
Do you remember the feeling of freedom at the moment you accepted Jesus as your savior? At that moment, you were ushered in from spiritual...
Expectant
ex·pect·ant| ikˈspekt(ə)nt | adjective – having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially...
Humility
Humility can be a very odd virtue. Here’s what I mean by that, we live in a cultural moment where we are drawn to people who are at the...
A Different Community
When we think and talk about the nature of salvation in the Christian faith, we often think of and refer to heaven. And, to be sure, heaven...
Honoring Others
In the opening of John’s Gospel, he describes Jesus in a curious and powerful way. He says that grace and truth came through Jesus. Here...
Worldview
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete...
Allegiance
I have to confess, pep rallies were never really my thing. In high school, I attended a small private school (sounds way fancier than it...
Noel
Note: On Sunday, December 25th, we will not have gathered services at the building. Instead, we will have a special online service that can...
Redemption from Pain
Each day in the month of December, one of our kids opens a Christmas book that I wrapped. Nearly all of them are repeats we read year after...
Suffering to Joy
Can I whisper something to the hearts of those experiencing suffering this Christmas? God is working despite all that this sinful world can...
The Joy of Redemption – Rahab
Some people seem like they might never find Jesus. We wonder why bother to pray for someone who so adamantly refuses belief in God or lives...
Advent – Redemption
It’s the time of the year when holiday decorations come out, and the nativity scene appears on mantles, yards, puzzles, ornaments, and...
Our God Seeks
Zacchaeus… was a wee little man who climbed up a sycamore tree. Why? Because he wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus. This itinerant and...
Accidentally Faithful?
Danielle and I moved back to Pittsburgh in 2009 for a bi-vocational ministry opportunity. That’s just really fancy language for a...
Lord, find us faithful.
Through our teaching series in Nehemiah this fall, the importance of faithfulness has come up multiple times. We have watched Nehemiah, and...
Repentance the path to change.
One of the common statements that comes up in premarital counseling is, “Once we’re married, it will be different.” The hard truth is...
Freedom Through Confession
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from...
I See a Place
All through the OT, we get the sense that God’s people were to live in a way that was distinctly different from the prevailing cultures...
A Better Way
When we promoted our current Nehemiah teaching series, we said, “Yes, it is a book about a wall, but it is so much more. It is a book...
Transformation
One of the things that continues to strike me as I read and re-read the book of Nehemiah is the savviness and awareness of Nehemiah. He...
Home … Here but not quite.
In the spring of 2009, Danielle and I were living in Highland Park, IL (north burbs of Chicago) while she finished up her graduate work and...
Working Together
The mantra of my college head coach was, we are a team, and everyone has a role on this team to help us win, whether you are a starter or...
Find Me Faithful
As we’ve already said, Nehemiah is a book about many things. But ultimately, it is a book about faithfulness. As we journey...
Long Loyal Love
This Sunday, we will begin our fall teaching series through the book of Nehemiah. If you have ever been through this book in the Old...
An Outsized Impact
One of my favorite authors is J.R.R. Tolkien. I love The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and I’ve even read The Silmarillion. You’ve...
Having Religion… Missing Jesus
I grew up in a highly religious part of the country. Here’s what I mean by that, almost everyone I knew identified with some denomination...
Expectant
ex·pect·ant| ikˈspekt(ə)nt | adjective – having or showing an excited feeling that something is about to happen, especially...
Growing a Confident Faith
Every person of faith waivers, struggles, doubts, and questions the substance of their faith from time to time. If you have ever felt like...
Grace Changes Hearts
Grace – getting something that you don’t deserve or didn’t earn What is your first tangible memory of receiving grace? Mine...
Forgive Me?
Early into our parenting journey Danielle and I learned an important lesson about the power of forgiveness. An older couple whose kids were...
A Bigger Perspective
In college, I had a professor that liked to say, “Leaders are learners, and if you’re not learning, you’re not leading.” If I am...
The Joy of Finding
My childhood home had a huge bay window off of the dining room. It was so large that it might just have qualified as a very small...
The Tragedy of Now
Retirement. As newlyweds, retirement was one of the hardest topics for us to discuss. See, in our early to mid-twenties, retirement...
A Great Threat to Spiritual Health
One of the greatest challenges to reading the Bible is understanding how it applies to us in our modern world. We read stories of the...
The Power of Being Found
On a recent camping trip, one of our daughters realized that she had lost an earring. Which is not the end of the world, and the earing she...
Fresh Opportunities
One of the powerful strategies of Jesus’ teaching ministry was the use of parables. Over the summer, we will be walking through twelve of...
The Intimacy of Obedience
The Tragic Events at Cornerstone: By now, each of us has heard and is grieving with the families who have experienced a tragic loss last...
The Pain of Our Sin
My first reaction to the news this week of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas was a grief laden, “Here we are again.” Frustration,...
Detours Require Perspective
My family loves a good road trip. We don’t mind loading up in the car and driving two or three hours just to get some really good ice...
The Dilemma of Freedom
How do I know that I am making choices that are in God’s will? If I make the wrong choice, will God punish me? Is the only way for God to...
This Little Light of Mine
When I meet a new person in public or a new neighbor, the most uncomfortable question that I get asked is, “What do you do?” This is a...
The Good Life
The good life. Living the dream. Easy like Sunday morning. A day in the sun. Each of these phrases expresses the same core idea; our...
The secret to knowing God’s will… Abide.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, they did so in an environment that was publicly saturated with prayer. That is,...
He Changed Everything
Jesus Jesus, the son of Joseph Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth, the rightful heir to...
The Rightful King
Growing up, my dad had two stations he would play on the radio of his car, 94.5 3WS (Oldies) and 102.5 WDVE (Classic Rock). Over many...
Changed People… Changed Priorites
Last Sunday, we had the opportunity as a church to step out of our normal rhythms of worship through music and time in the Word and into an...
Blessed to Bless
I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. (Gen. 12:2) Humans possess remarkable resilience. In other...
Three Pillars
Friday Highlight – Three Pillars As we have been walking in the book of Acts, we have watched God’s people respond to the needs of...
Faithfulness First
In a message on leadership given by Jon Tyson in the middle of the pandemic, he reflected on a tough question that a mentor asked him. That...
When the World Feels Broken… Lament
This last week, we were again confronted with the deep and dark brokenness of the world we live in as we watched the conflict in Ukraine....
The Posture of Our Hearts
Have you ever received good news, but there was something not so joyful going on in your heart that prevented you from receiving the joy of...
Do you hear Him?
Have you ever wondered what the voice of God sounds like? Have you ever had a feeling of deep conviction in your heart and knew that it...
Church Is For Messy People
I have heard it said, and I think it is profoundly true, that when we walk into church, no matter how buttoned up or put together our lives...
Jesus Makes a Difference
This year we have spent the majority of our Sunday morning teaching time walking through the book of Acts. As we have done that, we have...
Pray with Me? #4 (Supplication)
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. – John 15:7 Jesus tells his...
Pray with Me? #3 (Thanksgiving)
Every November, we create a “thankfulness tree” with our kids. Danielle prints out red, orange, and yellow leaves that each day at...
Pray with Me? #2 (Confession)
Confession… I don’t know about you, but it is a word that sends chills down my spine. I think it is the reality that confession...
Pray with Me? #1 (Adoration)
One of the key markers in the early church is its commitment to prayer. They praised God in good times, they pleaded with God in tough...
Known For What?
Happy New Year! I’m not sure about you, but inevitably at this time of year, we all get caught up in making resolutions. Don’t get me...
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Tomorrow (Dec. 25th) is Christmas day. It is a day that will be filled with presents, food, family, friends and may even...
Great Joy For All People
Through our Advent series, we are seeing a story of when man wasn’t or isn’t faithful; God was and is. This is a powerfully important...
Peace That Makes Us Whole
The opening of John’s Gospel is striking. It paints the picture of a God who is utterly and undeniably complete and needs nothing else....
Let’s Radiate Joy
The joy of Christmas. It is a real thing. Over the years, different traditions and activities have prompted me to be present to the joy of...
Steadfast Hope
As we approach Christmas, there are a few words that we will see pop up around our community and in our neighbors’ windows. One of...
God Is Loyal
This last Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to teach our middle and high school students at Wednesday Night Live. They are in a series...
When God Shows Up
When you pray, do you expect God to show up? This might seem like an odd question; why else would I pray? Of course, I expect God to show...
Our God Seeks
Zacchaeus… was a wee little man who climbed up a sycamore tree. Why? Because he wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus. This itinerant and...
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
Last Sunday, we celebrated baptisms, and we heard stories about how Jesus is changing lives, bringing healing, hope, comfort, and...
New Creations
When we think and talk about the nature of salvation in the Christian faith, we often think of and refer to heaven. And, to be sure, heaven...
Let’s Pray Together
Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the community must enter every day. The renowned German theologian,...
To Be Known
Growing up, my family attended a Presbyterian church within walking distance of our home. I have often shared that many of my fondest...
Why Do We Pray?
When was the last time you spent time praying? What was the last thing that you prayed for? Have you ever paused to reflect on the action...
Find Healing
In Acts 3, Peter and John walk by a man who asks for their help by giving him some spare coins. This would not have been an uncommon sight...
Bigger Than Us
Have you ever climbed to the top of something, just to see what you could see? At the top, you probably realized that there was so much...
We Are Not The Same… The resurrection has changed us!
One of the wonderful truths of Christianity is this because Jesus defeated death in the resurrection; our lives do not have to be the same....
Never On Your Own
This coming Sunday (Sept. 5th), we will start our fall teaching series through the first part of Acts. And, over the course of the next...
Good to Great
Can you ever have too much of a good thing? Or, have you ever become dissatisfied with a good thing and instead started to yearn for...
Prayer is Powerful
Over the last two or so weeks, we have been confronted by the depth of brokenness and evil in our world. We have seen an uprising and cry...
Experiencing Victory
Early in our summer series walking through 1 John, we heard the Apostle John say, “I am writing to you, young men, because...
Powerful Reminders
Eugene Peterson, in his deep soul-oriented book on the Christian life, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, draws an image from the Gerard...
Sounding Biblical vs Being Biblical
I grew up in a highly religious part of the country. Here’s what I mean by that, almost everyone I knew identified with some denomination...
The Way of Jesus… Love
In the opening of John’s Gospel, he describes Jesus in a curious and powerful way. He says that grace and truth came through Jesus. Here...
The Pace of Discipleship
In our series walking through 1 John this summer, we have heard John tell us that our behavior matters. Why? Because what we believe in our...
Waiting For What Will Be
Have you ever been in a situation or a circumstance that you knew was only part of what it could be or eventually would become?...
Seeing Jesus Clearly
Up until my 7th-grade year, my brother and I had attended larger public schools, and then we had a short stint of homeschooling, which was...
The Freshness of Freedom
Do you remember the feeling of freedom at the moment you accepted Jesus as your savior? At that moment, you were ushered in from spiritual...
Joy Prompts Grace
What is your first tangible memory of receiving grace? Mine comes from junior high. My father was and is a wonderful dad and now grandad....
Joy Leads to Thankfulness (Including a special note from Pastor David and Pamela)
Let’s continue our conversation on the stability of joy. One of the powerfully important ways that joy impacts our lives is that it...
Lean Into Joy
Have you ever asked a question that, at the moment, you wished you could retract? I have. I had just graduated from Trinity, and with a...
Look Up! Our future with Christ is so bright
An optimist, a pessimist, and an engineer were all shown a 24 ounce glass with 12 ounces of water in it. Each was asked for an...
A Word about the word “Retire”
Yes, I know. It’s the most convenient word to use. “I hear you are retiring?” I smile each time I hear someone graciously says...
Masks “Optional” at CCC – beginning Sunday, May 16
Over the past number of months, the Christ Community Church ministry leaders and board leaders have prayerfully considered how to shepherd...
The Purposeful Wind-Gusts of the Holy Spirit
Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is...
The Wonder of Memorizing Scripture
“I have a hard time memorizing.” Yep. Heard that a thousand times if once. And, to some extent, your world agrees with you. The...
Thinking Biblically about the Conviction of Derek Chauvin
So very often, I feel out of sync with our culture and country. It struck me as odd. Very odd. The celebration when Derek Chauvin was...
First Thing’s First in Paul’s Last Letter
Sunday mornings this Spring at Christ Community Church If you were with us in person on Sunday April 11, or joining us on-line, you’re...
Moments of Resurrection Sunday Grace
“Just look at all the things the Holy Spirit is doing around this building right now.” That comment from one of our great servant...
Worth a Good Look
Every day, local churches step either closer to or further away from becoming the movement that God designed them to be. The baggage of...
Lead Pastor Transition | Celebration Update
Christ Community Church Family, Over the next two months, Pastor David Staff will be concluding his role as Lead Pastor of our body....
An Introduction to our next Lead Pastor | Kyle Bartholic
Dear Christ Community: I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve as the next Lead Pastor at Christ Community Church. Many of you...
Looking for God’s New Life
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not...
Gentleness—A Surprising and Timely Appeal
Even as we cautiously emerge from the COVID 19 pandemic, our hearts are still reeling from the social, racial, and political uproar of...
Over my shoulder…a backward glance
As we emerge from the fear and restrictions brought upon us by the COVID pandemic of the past year, it is ours to be thankful to the grace...
Pray for our Ministry Leaders
As you receive this today, be aware that this evening (Friday February 26) and tomorrow (Saturday, February 27), twelve individuals will be...
Thawing and Normalizing—The Opportunity to Connect
Uh-huh! We’ve made it. Or we are making it. Somehow past the double-digit, below-zero snap. Even with the white blanket out there,...
The Incredible Joys of the Body of Christ
Someone named Jon Foreman said it well: “My dying planet needs to see what the body of Christ looks like.” I’d say, “It...
Weeping With Those Who Weep…Today
A call to the Body of Christ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 Blessed are those who mourn, for they...
Mid-Winter Member Huddle
I’ve spent the better part of today writing letters to so many in our Christ Community Church family who have encouraged us recently with...
Thank you for praying
If you’ve had your ear to the ground (and accessed the Christ Community Church App on your phone), you are aware that we’ve been in a...
Called to One Alone—Christ
“I am of —-!!” Whom? Called to One Alone – Christ! This month, and this past week, a good number of us have been on our knees...
ASAP—Let’s Keep Coming Back
An “acronym” is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word. We use them all the time,...
How Shall We Begin 2021?
On Our Knees…Together Israel Gaither, the former national commander for the Salvation Army, directed this as an approach to...
Facing Challenges with Faith, Hope, and Love
This year has been full of challenges. What an understatement! There are, it appears, more on the horizon. Does this discourage us? ...
A Season For Seeking
Pursuit of God a Life-Changing Choice The wonders of the word of God never cease to surprise my eyes, then arrest my heart. Example? ...
Uniting in Thankfulness: A Decision 231 Years Ago
He was the new president of a new country. And in the fall of his first year, he received a resolution from the new American Congress. On...
Challenging Days and Important Steps Together
To read the Narnia Chronicles authored by C.S. Lewis—adventures of the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve in Aslan’s wonderful land...
How About Serving Jesus and His Body?
Serve Right Now with T.A.B. Another wave of COVID-19 infections is beaching in our population, and central Iowa is not being spared. A...
Days of Prayer, Decision, and Thanksgiving
In his most helpful book, A Praying Life, Paul Miller offers the following timely encouragement: When Jesus describes the intimacy he wants...
Days of Important Prayer
Discerning the Lord’s Will in Decisions Jesus, the son of Mary and God the Son, prayed. So much so that his disciples longed to get...
Gotta Serve Somebody
Serving the Lord Gladly I always look forward to Tuesday mornings. At 8:29 AM (more or less 😊), the Christ Community Church staff...
Two Flags at a Prayer March
Do the Christian flag and the American flag belong together? In the wake of all that has transpired in the United States over the summer of...
NEEDED: Leaders
Prayerful, and passionate, for righteousness November 3rd approaches. U.S. citizens will cast votes, in a variety of ways, to determine our...
Re-Connect…with more than one another
Are we staying connected with The Vine? As you know, these are late-summer, early-fall days when we are encouraging you to register to come...
September 11: Nineteen Years Ago, Prayer, and Our Need Today for the Lord
It was a Tuesday morning nineteen years ago today that our nation was shocked to the core. At least for a time. We awoke to the strangest...
One New Man
The Gospel’s Importance in our Divided World I grew up in Kenosha, the self-designated “gateway to Wisconsin.” How so? It’s the...
Readiness: In and out of season at Christ Community Church
“Preach the word!” Paul, from prison, urges Timothy. “Be ready in season, out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2) The Living Bible puts it...
Would you mind…if I praise you?
Some 3 years ago, April Stevenson authored an important blog called The Power of Words: Positive vs Negative, in which she cited the...
COVID, Stress, and God’s Purposeful Hand
The “new normal” of present living has made daily decision making much more difficult. Wouldn’t you say? An abnormally infectious...
The Priority of Unity
A treasure to guard when the race is difficult Though I didn’t particularly enjoy it, for 2 of my 3 high school years (back then HS was...
Hope on the Horizon
A Good Expectation Ahead Yes, I know. It depends on to whom you are listening. Weary are we being toggled back-n-forth between dueling...
To Mask or Not to Mask: Is that really the question?
Schools, restaurants and businesses, churches—all are asking questions. Shall we require wearing a mask when in our building with others?...
Teacher, do you not care if we perish?
There are moments when reflecting on Scripture that the obvious answer to a question is not so obvious. At least at first. In a summer...
Is it Time to be Afraid?
We have a Sovereign Savior! The title of the op-ed couldn’t help but catch my eye. I’ve Never Been So Afraid for America—William A....
Ears to Hear, Eyes to See
What’s the Spirit offering your senses? I took a motorcycle ride the other night up and back to Stratford, Iowa. High time I visited one...
Summer Listening to an Apostolic Coach
A couple of days ago, my grandson Dylan and I headed over to his new school, a beautiful new elementary and middle school facility just...
Thrilled to be taking First Steps
I’ve a theory that is likely not original with me, but I almost like to think so. It comes from simple experience. Watching my own kids,...
What You and I Can Do about Racism
Prompted by a sensitive brother-in-Christ, I made my way down to the Ames Police Station on Tuesday afternoon. Just before 5:00 PM, several...
First-Fruit Finances Questions
Wisdom urges (Proverbs 3:9-10) that we Honor the Lord from your wealth, and with the first-fruits of your produce. Then your barns will...
Finding Our Way in Hope…by Faith
The emerging beauty of these spring days—flowers blooming, trees shouting new life in fresh green—all of the wonder about us is checked...
Are Proverbs God’s Promises?
One of the questions that often comes up when studying the Old Testament volume of Proverbs in the Bible is simply this: Are Proverbs...
To meet or not to meet!
“To meet or not to meet!” Is that the question? I’m parodying the opening Act 3, Scene 1 soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Hamlet....
How does Proverbs 3:1-2 apply to me?
Proverbs 3:1-2 begins a short, Spirit-inspired address from Solomon to “his son.” It is simple, poignant, and powerful....
Where do you turn for Encouragement?
The more I learn of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, the more my amazement grows. Could I turn back the clock, I’d turn in...
Navigating the Lull: Staying Connected and Fruitful?
The text hit my mobile phone giving me a quiet jolt. “Hey pastor, are you able to meet people during these times? We...
Navigating the Lull: What are you doing to stay connected and fruitful?
The text hit my mobile phone giving me a quiet jolt. “Hey pastor, are you able to meet people during these times? We miss seeing...
A Weekend of Surprising Hope
What we Christians today call “holy week” was for Jesus and his disciples a roller coaster. Days full of wild “ups”...
One Worthy to Break the Seals
Here are three questions generated from teaching on Revelation 5:1-10. Question #1 Have any of the seals (of the scroll) been broken...
Has God Sent the Coronavirus?
These questions arose out of teaching offered on March 29, 2020 in the Gather Worship service of Christ Community Church (Ames, IA)...
Living wisely,Trusting innocently
Navigating dangers while making a difference “The Sunny Days Before the Virus”—last month small businesses were hiring...
Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.
Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.—Proverbs 20:18 As events and developments unfold for our world, our...
Let’s affirm it—“The Glass is Half Full!”
All of us are still stunned at the rapidity of what’s befallen us. New vocabulary phrases like “COVID19” and...
Overcoming in Challenging Times
Once again, my morning paper broadcasts the never expected. “U.S. Virus Cases Surpass 10,000”“Companies Retool to Fight...
Biblical Perspective, Ministry Practices, and being the Body of Christ in Unprecedented Times
What remarkable days in which we are living! Swimming in a swirl of information, recommendations, closures, social distancing, even...
COVID-19 Update-Suspension of ALL On-Campus Activities
Suspension of On-Campus ministry activities through Saturday, April 4 As we all keenly feel, these are extraordinary times for our...
COVID-19 and What You Need to Know
Dear Christ Community Church Family, At Christ Community Church, we want to care for our congregation in all respects, including the...
Does life get better when you disobey your Lord?
The warming of our planet’s atmosphere and oceans has become a major concern. We are becoming more aware that each of us leave...
When I stand in conviction, will God rescue me?
Then Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. “Did we not cast 3 men into the fire?” They answered the...
Becoming a Cord of Three Strands
Sooner or later, everyone will handle the tough stuff that inevitably happens in our lives. In a good stretch of life, we...
“They changed what?” From ‘premillennial’ to ‘glorious’ — Understanding the EFCA SOF change
How would you answer this question: When Jesus Christ personally returns (cf. Acts 1:11), what will happen next? Some would admit, “I...
Does God love Satan?
She was persistent. Hung around. Waited after the service was over. And then (as her mom encouraged her) she asked, Does God love...
Helpful Reads for Storm-Strong Couples and Families
Blogs, books, articles, podcasts…you name it, they abound. And, they are often ignored. Or can be. While it is...
How does God react when I (as His child) willfully choose to sin?
Someone recently asked, “Hey David… Because of my rebellious personality, I do things sometimes that I know that my...
Families Which Love Well Listen Well
Often, to underscore the critical need to listen, Jesus would end his teaching with “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (cf. Matt....
Imitating God…Our Loving Parent
One of the great pastors and Bible-teaching voices of the 20th century for the church completed his earthly 89 year journey on Thursday,...
A Storm-Strong Family #2 – Fearing and Loving the Lord + Your Questions
LOVING AND FEARING MY FATHER As a boy growing up on the north side of Kenosha, Wisconsin, I had the great fortune of two committed,...
A Storm-Strong Family #1 – Where do I/we start? (+ your questions)
It’s the end of the school year. Time to wrap things up, graduate…or maybe just anticipate getting out of this year and...
Plan to See Unplanned
Recently, Pamela and I saw a stunning motion picture. I’m still recovering. UNPLANNED tells the story of Abby Johnson, the youngest...
Share the Gospel — Getting Started
Let’s just suppose it’s been a while. A while since you’ve “shared the gospel.” But now, you’d...
Share the Gospel? Who, me??
Are we willing to share it, or not? What gets your attention? Enough so you want to talk about it? Rick Richardson thinks “a...
Will God hold me accountable? But I’m a Christian!
Let’s face it. We’re not all that comfortable with accountability. Still, being held accountable for good things can be...
Looking for Therapy?
Sometimes I have trouble keeping straight who’s in what generation. So I (again) looked it up: Greatest Generation:Born...
Snow-Bound Reflections on the Journey with Jesus
I live in central Iowa. Iowa is having its snowiest February in over 130 years. Which means (besides shoveling and sliding...
Do I need to be saved every day?
Eventually, it would be set to music, sung, accompanied by stringed instruments. Originally, it was a desperate plea for help. Psalm...
True Friendship with God
Friendship. It happens. It is so delightful that we may never take the time to analyze the chemistry. But it’s there, and...
A church that walks with God, following Jesus
In his recent book Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World, Andy Stanley argues that an unwarranted...
Creative Gratitude
What will you and your family experience over the days of Thanksgiving? More to the point, how might we intentionally make these days...
Deepening in Dependence on the Spirit
“This study has been life-changing.” What a beautiful comment from someone who is currently engaging the Spirit in new...
60 Days with the Spirit of God – Using the Engage the Spirit Journal
I’m still learning… …I wrote on the Day 12 page of our Engage the Spirit Journal “to ask the Spirit, in any...
PRAY – Your Questions about what it Is!
American theologian Walter Wink once commented, “Biblical prayer is impertinent, persistent, shameless, indecorous. It is more...
Are you eager for Heaven?
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Jesus, to a thief dying with him on the crosses, Luke 23:43)....
Better, or Bitter?
“They can make you bitter, or better.” That’s what Don Beckman would say to me, especially after I had preached in our...
What is a “Pastor” and Who should be one?
Someone recently asked, “If spiritual gifts are not gender differentiated, shouldn’t women be leaders in churches as well?...
1 TImothy 2:11-13 A Lower View of Women or a Leadership Call to Men?
In response to teaching on a “tough question” for God – Is the Bible fair to women?, someone candidly wrote,...
Are you “modest” or “the hottest”? Quiet thinking about presenting who you are to others
A recent teaching I offered on “God, why so old-fashioned about sex?” referenced a number of past discussions between parents...
“OK…If You’re not Preaching, what are You Doing?”
Yep. I’ve heard that question more than once. It’s a good question. Still, I smile when I hear it, and I...
Encouragement and Freedom by the Holy Spirit
Pastor Caleb White’s message last Sunday struck a chord with many of you. We can’t live well…and we might not be...
Your Kids – Your Money – Your Bible
You know that the Proverbs is life’s wisdom manual, especially for us as we are discipling the kids God has placed in our homes....
Do Your Kids Know Their Calling?
Why not clarify it with them Psalm 127: 3–5 (ESV) 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a...
Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?
A college student recently posed this question: Lately, I’ve been thinking about prayer and its power/purpose in our...
Celebrating The Lord’s Table – How CCC Does it
Recently, someone from a mainline church background wondered why we don’t “bless the elements” of the Communion...
A life of Good Works, Propitiation, Is “faith” a “do” and the Reason for Jesus’ death — Questions from October 22, 2017
Q – 2 Peter 3 speaks of salvation on the day of judgment, and the importance of living a life of good works. How does this fit...
Those in the Dark Ages? Purgatory? The Bible’s books collected? Questions from SOLA SCRIPTURA – Sunday October 10, 2017
Q – What of all the uneducated illiterate Christians during the dark ages? Do you think God allowed them grace, even though...
Purgatory, Interpretation, praying in turbulent times, Today and Pre-Reformation Days – Q/A from October 1, 2017
Q – What are we to think about teachings not in the Bible (example: Purgatory)? Do you feel that the current Catholic Church...
The Gates of Hell, Hurricanes, Bowling Alleys, including Singles – Questions from September 24 2017 teaching
Q – Why does the Lord allow hurricanes that kill people? Every day, tragic events kill people. Every day, the Lord could...
Sunday’s Questions – from September 17.2017
Q – When you notice that the Spirit isn’t flowing through you in the way He should, how do you increase the Spirit’s...
Sunday’s Questions – from September 10.2017
Here are the questions from INTENTIONAL #3 About Our Strategy Q – I have a friend who does not like secular churches;...
Why “Silver Trumpets” for a blog name?
In 50 years of reading and studying the Bible, I can’t recall reading or noticing it. Notice what? The Silver Trumpets. What silver...
