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In school, I was driven to achieve. I took detailed notes and studied them faithfully before each test. When I received each ‘A’, it was like a GOLD STAR in my heart.  Without realizing it, as I entered the full-time workforce, each baptism, each rededication, each successful counseling session, each new Bible student took on the form of another GOLD STAR for me in the eyes of people around me.  When the Lord blessed me with children, each triumph my…

Ron is his name. Like so many of our personal friends, Ron had always been a morally good person. He was a contributor to our society, had held a job since he was 16 years old, volunteered with a local charity, didn’t have any bad habits, a good neighbor to all, and a new father as his first child had been born a few weeks prior to me meeting him for the first time.  Like so many of our personal…

We have probably heard sermons or classes on Matthew 28:18-20 for years. In this verse, Jesus said the following: “… All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”…

I was overcome with a feeling of sadness. I was standing in the section of the city-owned cemetery, Potter’s Field. It was a rugged, uphill rocky area that was not desirable to families purchasing a burial plot so the city gave it to be used for people who could not afford a place to bury their loved one. The area was dotted with plastic markers signifying the location of graves. I was one of only three people at this graveside…

Throughout the Gospels, we see an overview of the life of Jesus as He lived here on this Earth. According to the inspiration of God in John 21:25, the world in which we live cannot hold all the books about Jesus that could be written. As you and I study the life of the Perfect One, we often ask ourselves: “Why did He do that or why did He do it that way?”. In my opinion, it is questions like…

 If this past Wednesday was like most New Year’s Days, about 60% of Americans made a New Year’s resolution. In terms of improving oneself in the here and now along with eternity, here is the most important resolution one can make: READ AND STUDY THE BIBLE DAILY!  This being the most important resolution one can make has been demonstrated by lots of studies and it is taught by the Word of God itself. Studies have been conducted on thousands of…

 Today is our last Sunday of 2019. Lord willing, we will gather next Sunday in the new year 2020. The number 2020 is often connected to the standard of good vision. What is YOUR VISION for the 70 West family?  In your vision for 70 West, do you see us doing a better job in reaching out to our community? If so, how will you help us all fulfill that vision? Do you see 70 West as a caring family,…

We are placed into a certain category by other people. The Lord’s church is often put into the category of “Christianity”. The religious world has only a few distinctions: Christianity, Jewish, Muslim and a few others. Do you realize that there are at least 4,000 different versions of “Christianity” as it is known by the world. However, God has only designated one church. A difference between the church for which Jesus died and the rest of the religious world is…

Once again you have humbled me with your tremendous love and encouragement. Thanks to all who attended the annual Open House event last Sunday. I was staying up with the count until the midway point around 4 o’clock and then lost all ability to keep up as there was a fairly constant stream of folks stopping by to enjoy the fellowship. At the midway point the attendance was already 79 so I know the final count was in the hundreds…

 As Christians, we are so blessed! We are blessed to have God as our Heavenly Father and Jesus as our older brother. We are blessed to have the church as our spiritual family. We are blessed because we get to experience ‘thanksgiving’ 365 days per year. Instead of only celebrating the spirit of ‘thanksgiving’ once a year as most Americans do, as Christians we offer up our ‘thanksgiving’ praise to God every day in songs and prayer.  Unfortunately, in our…

We live in a world that hears the word “church” and the image that explodes into the mind of the world is a building with a steeple. The world sees the building as holy. It is almost impossible to change the mindset of 7 billion, however, it needs to be realized that the church is different. As we explore this idea, notice that the church is different due to her worship. The church is different when we see her worship…

 In last week’s sermon, I challenged all of us, as a follow up to SPARK, to GROW in five specific areas with one of those areas being GROW IN KNOWLEDGE of God’s Word.  Proverbs 4:20-27 speaks about growing in knowledge which results in godly WISDOM. In the Bible, we find the recipe for right character, loving conversation, proper conduct, and lifestyle that can be applied to situations and decisions that confront us on a daily basis.  I can’t speak for…