By Rebecca Holloway There are many instances where a character of the Bible is renamed - either by God or by the circumstances they have been through. Abram became Abraham. Jacob became Israel. Simon became Peter. Saul became Paul. And that's just a few examples. In fact, the Bible says that we all get a new name when we become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We become known as children of God, co-heirs with Christ, redeemed, and many other fantastic names. But why all the renaming? In counseling, we do something called "reframing." Think about this for a moment: the frame in which you put a treasured family photo can either enhance the picture or it can make it look ordinary. Maybe you put the picture in a frame that has just the slightest hint of blue that brings out the blue in some family member's eyes. Maybe the frame has just the right shade of red that highlights the fall leaves in the background. When you pick the right frame, the picture takes on a whole new look. It has new meaning. It's more noticeable to those who might see it in your home. Reframing means we look at a situation in a totally different light, thus bringing out a whole new perspective on the events. We see it for what it really … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey Our pastoral team spent several hours yesterday planning our calendar for 2019. It’s a little strange planning Christmas now – not Christmas this year but our Christmas plans for next year! I’m convinced time seems to whiz by because we all have such busy calendars. Not only are we planning for 2019 but we’re also planning for November 2018 and  December 2018 as well. We don’t have time for October to slowly move by because we are planning for two months later. What truly amazes is me is how many young adults, college students, and even high school students who complain about the rapid passage of time. How can we get time to slow down? First, we can fully and completely live in this day, doing all we do for the glory of God, and making the most of every opportunity. Paul told the church at Colossae to do “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). He also encouraged the church to “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). The more we use our days for productive pursuits the more we will … [Read more...]