Hosanna

by Pastor James Bell I thought I saw him in there somewhere. Of course, that was before I became so intentional about our small group being more purpose-driven. I had sold all of my old God Chaser memorabilia at the YWAM garage sale we were sponsoring. I was sipping my fair trade coffee in my [...]

by Pastor James Bell The whole idea of dads, moms and kids started when God designed the human body to reproduce itself by two becoming one and that union resulting in a third little human arriving on the scene. While some may disagree on whether or not it takes a whole village to raise a [...]

by Pastor James Bell   “If all were a single member, where would the body be?”  – The Apostle Paul In Chapter 12 of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul asked that question. His point? Just like the human body is made of many parts, so is the local church. Super Pastors, like super heroes, [...]

by Pastor James Bell If we were choosing up sides, I don’t think I would want either on my team. But there is a difference. Acceptance is closely related to truth, and resignation doesn’t give a hoot about truth. I also think resignation seems older than acceptance. In fact, it reeks of oldness. I accept [...]

by Pastor James Bell From birth to death is, for any of us, a relatively brief period of time. This is especially true if you are the creator of all things and view life from an eternal perspective. God sees one generation after another enter and exit the arena we call life, most of them [...]

by Pastor James Bell Sometimes we refer to it as baggage, but it’s probably more accurate to call it trash. It’s the stuff you don’t want to think about or talk about. It’s that bad, yucky, embarrassing stuff that you carry with you on your journey through life. One of the bizarre similarities between Gehenna, [...]

by Pastor James Bell Proverbs says they are faithful (the wounds, not necessarily the friends). That means there is a caring purpose in the wounds of a friend. Friends don’t hide truth, they share it. Their friendship grows as truth shapes and develops them. If you are like most of us, you have both assumed [...]

by Pastor James Bell It was 5:30, way too early in the morning for me to come strolling into our living room. Suz, an early riser, asked me what I was doing up at this time, and the dogs on her lap twisted their heads as they seemed to question why I had invaded their [...]

by Pastor James Bell A little girl said it well. Riding home from the crowded mall, sharing the backseat with her revved up siblings, she pressed her nose against the cold, foggy window. She saw the brightly lit plywood manger scene in someone’s front yard. Over the noisy voices of her excited brothers and her [...]

by Pastor James Bell What you do when things don’t work out reflects your true character. It’s when you look around for your support group and there is nothing but crickets serenading the darkness. It might be when you yell, “Charge!” and your closest allies retreat. It could be when you seek the solace of [...]