Pastor’s Page | January 22nd, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read Phil 4:1-9)
Let me first say that I have made the decision to go ahead and cancel our services for Sunday morning. The models have shown that ice and snow will now extend into Sunday morning and not only will there be ice, but there will be an influx of dangerously cold air moving in. There is a chance that the roads may be clear by Sunday morning, but the parking lot would not be. I would rather err on the side of caution and keep everyone safe rather than forcing people to risk coming to church. I will be posting a video message so you will still be able to attend church by watching online. I will post it to our Facebook page on Sunday morning.
Speaking of the ice, I have been known to be a bit unstable when it comes to walking on ice. My girls used to laugh at me at the number of times that I would stumble and fall whenever the ice and snow hit. Two things helped me during those unstable moments: First, I would make sure that I knew where the slick spots were. It didn’t take me long to figure out where I tended to fall down. This meant that I was prepared for those spots and ready. Next, I would grab on to my daughters for support (sometimes against their will…. hey, if I go down, someone is going down with me!). When things get slippery, you need someone else there to help support you.
We’ve been talking a lot about maturing in our faith and becoming more Christlike in the upcoming year. How are we going to do that? As Paul brings this letter to the Philippians to a close, he is going to mention many things that will help us avoid slipping in our faith and growing in our Christlikeness. As you go through this, notice in vs 1 the “Therefore”. How does everything that Paul mentioned in Chapter 3 connect to having the stability we are talking about? How does Paul’s affection for the church impact the stability of their faith? Also, think about these two ladies and how their disagreement was impacting the church. How and who does Paul call on to address this issue?
Also, look at the attitudes Paul wants us to have. How is our joy and our gentleness connected to our gratitude? What impact does a grateful heart have in our maturing in the faith? How does this attitude then connect to our focus in vs 8? Do you tend to focus more on the positive or the negative? Do you look for the good or do you gravitate to what is wrong?
Finally, notice the way that Paul calls on the people to do this together. This is why our discipleship program is so important. Notice how Paul led by example. He showed them where to walk without slipping, but he also wanted them to walk together. And then he tells them to put all this into practice.
In this weekly email, there will be a sign up for you to become enrolled as part of discipleship groups. I want to. encourage you to pray about this and jump onboard with us and grow in your faith in Christ as we work together to be “Christlike in leading generations to be like Christ”.
February Sermon Series
“Living The Life of Love In An Unloving World”
02/01 - What Is Love? (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
02/08 - What’s Love Got to Do With It? (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
02/15 - I Will Always Love You. (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)
02/22 - It’s the Greatest Love of All. (1 Corinthians 13:11-13)
Updates, Thoughts and More
I will be heading up to Kentucky this week for the birth of my second grandchild, little Melody Gilbert. I would appreciate your prayers for not only safe travels, but that little Melody will arrive without any problems or complications. There shall be plenty of pictures in the coming weeks.
The chili cook off is set for February 15th after the 2nd service. The theme this year is love (Love of chili, that is). We will have four different competitions going on that day. First, the one we are most familiar with is the church favorite. This is where everyone will be invited to vote for their favorite chili via putting their tickets in the corresponding jar. Now, in the past, there have been some accusations of ticket stuffing in certain jars (not saying names but simply saying that I tried to do this and my jar didn’t get stuff enough). We will also be having an award for the best decorated table. We will also have an award given by a three-judge panel on the best tasting chili (no ticket stuffing, only good old-fashioned bribes). And finally, there will be an award for the spiciest chili. It’s going to be a blast. If you would like to sign up to be in the chili cook off, contact the church office.
The football season has been great this year. I hated to see the Bills lose, but at least it was a great game. I think that the Broncos will put up a fight, but the Patriots will be too much for them without having Bo Nix play. In the other game, Matthew Stafford is the best QB left in the playoffs, but the Seahawks are playing the best right now of any team. I am seeing a Superbowl XLIX rematch between the Patriots and the Seahawks.
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (01/25)
Worship Services cancelled due to weather
Monday (01/26)
We will send out an email with updates on Monday’s activities in regard to the weather
Stitching Angels - 1:30pm
Tuesday (01/27)
Men’s Prayer Breakfast - 7:30am
Bassett Bible Study - 10:00am
Wednesday (01/28)
Prayer Warriors - 9:00am
Sip And Share - 10:00am
Table Talk - 5:00pm
Youth and Kids - 5:00pm
Bell Choir - 6:00pm
Choir - 7:00pm
Thursday (01/29)
Davelyn Bible Study - 9:00am
Joke of the Week
You know it’s really winter when your prayer life gets more specific. You pray for patience while scraping ice off the windshield, forgiveness when someone steals your parking spot, and faith when the heating bill shows up. Winter is God’s way of reminding us we’re not as strong as we think — because nothing humbles a Christian faster than slipping on ice on the way into church and still trying to act sanctified.
Memory Verse of the Week
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
~Philippians 4:6 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
“What makes authetnic disciples is not visions, ecstasies, biblical mastery of chapter and verse, or spectacular success in the ministry, but a capacity for faithfulness. Buffeted by the fickle winds of failure, battered by their own unruly emotions, and bruised by rejection and ridicule, authentic disciples may have stumbled and frequently fallen, endured lapses, gotten handcuffed to the fleshpots and wandered into a far county. Yet, they kept coming back to Jesus.
~Brennan Manning
