Loving Well: Support During National Adoption Month and Beyond

November is always a special month in the Alexander home. Yes, there is Thanksgiving and all the joy that comes with celebrating that holiday but November is also National Adoption Month. If you know us, you know adoption is close to our hearts. Our first child entered our family through the miracle of adoption 4 years ago. I am thankful this month is set aside to help the church focus on adoption and foster care. No doubt, it is a much needed ministry in the culture today

Why Christians Must be Pro Life

As I write this America is an uproar. The Supreme Court draft leak has caught the attention of every American on both sides of the Roe v. Wade debate. Pro life America is celebrating this potential victory that is historical by all standards. Pro choice America is outraged and threatened that such a decision could be made by the highest court in the land. Of all times, this is a time for the church to rise up and be heard. 

As I have watched the news unfold, my heart has be

How to Celebrate Thanksgiving with a Heavy Heart

Thanksgiving is upon us once again. Families all across America are busy making plans that involve getting together with loved ones they seldom see throughout the year. Food is being prepared and last minute details are taking shape. Thanksgiving is a national holiday set to remember some of the founding moments of our nation. Yet, as we make plans to gather and remember, many people are doing so with a heavy heart. 

The last year, and maybe even the last number of weeks, h

A Call to Prayer

Church Family,

Along with many of you, my heart continues to be burdened over the state of crime within our city. A week does not go by that we do not hear news of someone's life being taken and innocent lives being threatened by gunfire or some other criminal activity. Some of you have either witnessed this fear firsthand or have been victims of it. This is not okay. We live in a fallen world and sadly injustice will continue to be a part of society until Jesus returns. Ye

What is Worship?

This coming Sunday I will be preaching Mark 1:1-11 in honor of Palm Sunday. Mark 1 recounts Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. A most holy time as Passion Week would begin. There is much we can learn from Jesus' humble entry into Jerusalem but we must not overlook the fact that this passage is primarily about worship. Mark 1:1-11 reveals to us the true nature of worship as all eyes focus on Jesus. 

Indeed, true worship is that which focuses all eyes on Jesus.

This s

Learning to Walk: The Hand of God

My little girl is in the process of learning how to walk. She loves to take someone's hand and go for it. In that moment she is filled with laughter and excitement with the thought of walking all on her own. However, the moment you let go of her hand she quickly reverts to crawling or she falls altogether. She is taking baby steps that will soon become "big girl" steps. My heart is overcome with joy to watch her reach this new milestone while at the same time hesitant to s

In Truth : A Plea for Expositional Living

Lately the Lord keeps bringing the phrase "in truth" to my mind. He has not revealed one specific reason though I may believe there are many reasons to be revealed in time. One primary reason, I believe, is his plea for us to live what I like to call "expositional lives." 

In 3 John 1:4 John writes the Word of God telling us "I have no greater joy than this, to know that my children are walking in the truth." God takes the greatest joy in knowing that those who call themse

Genesis 3: Communion with God

This past Sunday I preached on Genesis 3 as the foundation of why we need to take seriously our call to be personal evangelists. Our world is facing great peril but this peril did not start with COVID. It has been around from the Fall. This peril is known as SIN. 

One thing in particular struck me as I studied Gensis 3. Beginning in verse 8 after Adam and Eve sin they hear God walking among them in the garden and immediately hide themselves. They have already taken it upon

Where's Your Man Cave?

Men are known for having man caves. A place that is designed with a manly feel to do manly things. Many times these “man caves” are used as an escape from the reality of husband and fatherly duties. They become places to hang out with the guys and let the inner child come out. Men take delight in their man caves however simple or elaborate they may be.

In 1 Samuel 22 we find David in his man cave. This cave is much different than the modern areas of escape from respons

Don't Waste Your Quarantine

Over the course of the last month I have been asked numerous times to give my perspective on why God is allowing these strange days. None of us can know for certainty why God moves the way he does unless he chooses to reveal it to us. We can, however, draw principles from scripture and submit to what he speaks to us on a daily basis. As I have contemplated, prayed, and been driven to scripture throughout these days of quarantine I have a strong conviction that God is using

On Worry

Matthew 6 is a wonderful passage situated in the midst of Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus deals with many practical issues such as prayer, forgiveness, and Godly morality. As he draws this great sermon to a conclusion he speaks to the depths of the human soul by speaking to the concept of worry. He uses God’s created order to remind his hearers of God’s constant care. If God cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field he is certainly

Adoption: The Way Home

Recently I was asked to speak at a community event specifically on the topic of our adoption. In preparation for this event my mind immediately went to all of the details of our journey but also to the current course of where we are headed. The quickly approaching month of November is often set aside as "National Adoption Awareness Month" and is a time when churches and communities come together to support adoptive families but also to educate the general public on adoptio

God Will Be Up All Night Anyway

I once heard someone say, "Tonight when you go to bed give God all your cares and concerns because he will be up all night anyway." Not only is this a good motto to live by but it's actually Biblical. Life is difficult. Pain hurts. Worry is real. The anxieties of life cripple us and hold us back from experiencing the joy that God has in store for us. But in the midst of it all God deeply cares!

In the book of Philippians Paul is writing from a very hopeless situation. He is

Rhythm of Regular Retreat

I am currently reading through the Gospel of Mark with an intentional focus on the life of Jesus. I have always been quite intrigued by Jesus' rhythm of life and ministry. There is no doubt that a day in the life of Jesus was filled with large crowds of people. Especially as news about him spread across the region, people came from everywhere to see firsthand what he was doing. In Mark 6 we find Jesus feeding some 5,000 people with a few loaves and fish. A miraculous accou

Why Missions?

Our church, like most, has been in a season of taking short term mission trips this summer. These trips have consisted of working alongside local and global partners who are accomplishing great things for the kingdom. It has been a joy to see what God is doing through his faithful servants all across the world. As a pastor, I sometimes hear people ask why we do missions?

I once heard John Piper say that, "Missions exists because worship does not." How true that is! I am f