Every once in a while, I go through all the “stuff” in my house. I take inventory of things that are useful and decide what things are just taking up space. Then, I’ll put anything useless into a big pile and take it out to the trash. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all have “stuff” we need to take inventory of, don’t we? We need to know what’s useful and what’s not.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
In the Parable of the Talent, a master gave three of his servants a set amount of money. He asked them to manage it (according to their abilities) while he was on a journey. When the master returned, he asked for an account of what they did with their talents. Each servant was judged accordingly.
I’ve read this parable before and focused simply on the talent. I mainly related it to what we are to do with our God-given, natural abilities. Recently, I began to think about it more carefully.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
There is one thing I know. At some point, you will definitely offend or sin against someone close to you. Simply stated, between family, friends, co-workers, (or just doing life with people) conflict happens.
The good news is that the time between the offense and the resolution is within our control. Dealing with it quickly creates peace in our hearts. On the other hand, if not dealt with, conflict causes war in our hearts. Jesus gives us some clear steps on how to resolve conflict.
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A simple invitation could change the direction of someone’s life and eternal destination.
As part of our Mission To The City last week, a team of us passed out flyers around the Midvale City Park; we invited the neighborhood to a park party. We prayed together and broke down into smaller teams to distribute the flyers.
The group I was with had two littles who were thrilled about placing the invite on the doors. It was a great display of faith. They ran to the door, taped on the invite and ran back for the next one.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
During WWII, the idiom “Loose lips sink ships.” was created. People needed to know the effects of careless words and unguarded talk. “Loose lips” could leak secrets to the enemy, spread rumors, or create issues between people groups. Information passed from person to person could have grave results. Especially if the information wasn’t true.
Similarly, this concept was also understood and written about by Solomon in Proverbs 11:13:
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.”
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. — Psalm 25:4-5
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“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” — 1 Peter 1:6
The message Pastor Bill gave from our First Peter Series, Hope in Suffering, was a very timely reminder. A reminder that we will experience hardships in this life. But, as Peter challenged us, we need to look to the wonderful joy we have waiting ahead for us in heaven.
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“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.” — Hebrews 4:12a (NLT)
Being in God’s Word is a beautiful thing. As we read the words He has given to us, as they wash over us, they start to transform us (if we let them). The imagery of His words being used as a powerful weapon is incredible. It severs because it’s designed to remove or kill those things in our lives that are hurting us, those around us, and/or our relationship with God.
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Research shows that we speak at least 7,000 words per day — some of us, even more. It’s easy to get ourselves in trouble with that quantity and believe me, I’m no stranger to it. This can be especially true when words come out of our mouths (or from a keyboard) on topics we care about.
Our passion, our pride and our words can fly out at an alarming rate. We go toe-to-toe with anyone who wants to step up to the plate. Once done with the argument, we might feel that we came out on top. As a result, we boast about our great words. However, in times like that, most of us spoke emotionally or in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico
The idea of overcoming evil with good has been on my mind lately — I’d like to share some of my thoughts with you. You know, when someone affects you in a negative way, it’s easy to spin your attitude into payback mode. You want to show those who offended (or hurt) you, that you can do the same thing to them. The easy way to deal with your enemies (real or perceived) is to bash, abuse, sue and slander them. You want to avenge the evil they have inflicted on you. But, the Bible is clear that this isn’t the way…
(more…)Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico