Glorious New Year

How optimistic do you feel about the New Year?  We are now one week into 2023.  T.S. Eliot once wrote, "For last year's words belong to last year's language.  And next year's words await another voice."  What's your inner voice saying so far?  What's your inner vibe?

I feel rather glorious about the New Year personally.  Oh, not necessarily just because I'm an optimistic kind of guy, but more because of a Bible verse I read this week about Jesus in John 12:27, 28.  Jesus was looking ahead to the future.  The cross imminently loomed.  Soon He would suffer humiliation, agony - even death.  Suffice it to say it was not a very glorious outlook.  Jesus, however, said, "Now My soul is troubled.  What shall I say?  ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?  Instead, for this reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name.”

Even in the face of horrific agony, Jesus was not as concerned about what was happening to Him as He was about giving glory to God the Father.  I find this so profound and beautiful.  Jesus' willingness to serve others above Himself is such a breath of fresh air that refreshes my soul.  His concern was to give glory to God in every situation, both good and bad.  As a follower of Jesus, I want this to be my voice, my vibe in 2023 - giving glory to God no matter what happens to me.

Who knows what the future holds for us this year?  I just know I'm committed to believing it will be glorious, nevertheless.  Glorious not because there won't be trials.  Glorius becuase I desire to give God glory through every situation that comes my way.

How glorious do you want 2023 to be?  If we are dedicated to glorifying God, I have a feeling it will be our best year yet.

Pastor Michael Brackett

Merry Christmas!

The gift of God’s love is the miracle of Christmas.

God’s love never fails, covers all sin, and has made us more than conquerors over this world gone wrong.

God’s love makes all things new starting even now.

God’s love gives us rest for our souls, gives us a blessed hope and already seats us with Him in Heavenly places.

God’s love presents us faultless, covers us with His robe of righteousness and removes our sins as far as the East is from the West.

Today, we celebrate God’s love as revealed to us through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

I am so thankful to be a recipient of this gift with you beloved church family!!! Thank you for showing us God’s love in amazing ways in the short time we have been with you!!!

I cannot wait to one day soon experience this greatest love together, in person, when Jesus comes again!!!

I love you all,

Pastor Michael

The Tree and Me

We loved our tree house when we were kids. It lifted us up and helped us see a better view. It was fascinating and fantastic to climb up to a house that inspired us in every way imaginable.

This week we talked about how living connected with Jesus can do the very same thing and even better. In John 15 He declares Himself to be the True Vine while we are the branches. If we remain in Him we will bear much fruit! Our life will be more flavorful in every way - for ourselves and those around us.

Jesus sacrificed His own life on a dead tree for our sins. In doing so He turned that cursed symbol of the cross into a symbol of victory!  Do we trust Him to turn our curse into something victorious? If we stay with Him, I have no doubt He can.  

Jesus is the true Tree of Life, the Great Tree House, the One Who lifts us high above the sin of this world and provides us with a fantastic view for eternity!  

I'm praying we all find renewed inspiration in Him this week!

—Pastor Michael Brackett

Submission and Obedience

Why did Satan tempt Jesus with power? Because power would save Him from the cross. In other words, power would do more than just bring Him luxury and fame, it would save His life. But Jesus said no to every voice that tried to divert Him from the path that would lead Him to His death. And we must ask ourselves, how was Jesus able to overcome such a strong and persistent temptation?  

The answer is simple: submission and obedience. Philippians 2:8 tells us that Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” The keywords are “to the point of” meaning Paul is not only referring to the obedience to die but the obedience that brought Him there. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.” Jesus was able to overcome the persistent temptation to take power by being completely submitted and obedient to the Father.

Matthew 4:1-11 is a lived example of James 4:7 where James tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Through these passages, the Bible teaches us that the key to resisting temptation is not self-discipline, or even quoting Scripture, but complete submission and obedience to God. In the end, obedience and submission are about trust. It is saying to God that you trust that His way is better, so you are willing to be obedient to His commands. It is also saying to God that you trust that He is wise and strong enough to handle your life.

The road to victory over sin, holiness, godliness, and a soul that bears the fruits of the Spirit goes through the gate of submission and obedience. If you are struggling and would like some accountability, or a spiritual guide, please reach out to me. I would love to take that journey with you.

My friends, my prayer for you is that you may submit to God, that you may have victory over your temptations.

—Pastor Alex Portillo

Why Do We Keep Talking About Love?

Why Do We Keep Talking About Love?

When I was in high school my friends and I had three things that we always talked about: girls, cars, and money. But we were fooling nobody. The obvious reality was we had no girls, no cars, and no money. So of course, no one took us seriously.

You might remember I shared this illustration in a late 2020 sermon, but I want to bring it back to your attention because it perfectly illustrates a point: When we talk authoritatively about something but do not possess it no one takes us seriously. Unfortunately, this illustration perfectly captures what often happens in the church: We talk a whole lot about love but have very little of it. It’s easy to understand why it’s so hard for non-Christians to take us seriously.

We donate some money, we say hello to a stranger, we have empathy for someone, and boom we think we understand it and possess it. Yet, a study done by the Barna Group in 2018 shows that while six in ten (62%) non-Christians and lapsed Christians are open to talking about faith matters with someone who would listen without judgment, only one-third (34%) see this trait in the Christians they know personally.[1.] We may have objections but the literature for the past 20 years shows a similar pattern. If you think you are not one of these unloving Christians, I encourage you to examine your soul because there is a 66% chance you are perceived as unloving. We would be proud (which is a sin, ref: 1 Jn 2:6; Jam 4:6; Prov 18:10–12) to believe we are the exception without self-examination.

Some might say, “why do we keep talking about love? We need to move on and talk about deeper things.” Ellen White says, “You may study [God’s] love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend… the love of God… Eternity itself can never fully reveal it.” (5T p.740) and Paul says, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Eph 3:18-19 NLT).

Why do we keep talking about love? Because eternity isn’t long enough to understand the depths of His love. Therein lie the riches and wisdom of heaven. And in that love lies the example for the church to follow if it is to be a witness of the risen Christ (John 13:15). Regardless of your good and loving works, I encourage you to examine your soul, meditate on the love of God, and ask yourself, “how can reflect the love of God more today?”

—Pastor Alex Portillo

What Does God Want? - Micah 6:6-8

This past week we looked at what God truly wants for us in this life. It's so easy to look so far ahead, that we miss the plain words of Scripture right in front of us about what God wants from us. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

God calls us to remember we are mortals. It's easy to get frustrated with our mortality as we each try to carry a superhuman load each week. We dream of doing the spectacular to really make a name for ourselves! Paul, however, showed us a better way, when he said in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

Jesus was the embodiment of Micah 6:8! Jesus showed us how to act justly by the way He treated everyone. Jesus showed us the extremes of loving mercy - even giving up His own life for all, including His enemies! Jesus humbled Himself to leave Heaven and walk with us on this earth, and still humbles Himself every day to walk with us if we are willing.

Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. If we focus on the simple, it could prove quite profound.

May God's word move in our hearts this week as we seek to touch this world with the goodness of God.

—Pastor Michael Brackett

Is Being a Fashionable Christian Realistic?

This past Sabbath we looked at how we can be fashionable Christians. In Colossians 3:5-14, the apostle Paul uses the metaphor of taking off old clothes and putting on new clothes to explain the new way of life that we are to live in Christ. While this is a great message, I would like to spend a moment asking the question, is it realistic? After all, we live in a cold, brutal world, don’t we? We have to look out for ourselves, for our families, and that means that at times we have to be tough and put ourselves first. That is to say, if we truly put on the new clothes that Paul was talking about (compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love) we are setting ourselves up to be a doormat for people to walk on. Some people might even go as far as to say that people who clothe themselves with the list above are associated with being cowards,

pushovers, and wimps.

In his book, Paul for Everyone, the Prison Epistles, N.T. Wright argues the opposite. Wright explains that putting on kindness, love, patience, meekness, humility, and compassion does not make us weak, but strong. After all, have you ever tried to love and forgive someone who has hurt you? Have you ever tried to truly be kind and compassionate to those who are unkind? If so, you know that it is not an easy task. In moments where we are tempted to think

that living the Way of Jesus means we are aligning ourselves with the way of a coward, Wright reminds us that compassion is not the same thing as being sentimental, that being kind does not

mean being soft, that being humble is not the same thing as having low self-esteem, and that meekness is not the same thing as weakness. No, for a Christian who clothes themselves with

these virtues is like a wild horse that has been tamed, all the power is still there, it's just under control.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, may we all continue to walk in the Way of Jesus. Even when the world is cold, mean, and self-seeking, may we continue to be a community that is compassionate, kind, humble, meek, patient, and loving.

— Pastor Evan Davies