Posts and Sermons

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John 3:16-18 – God’s Love for Humanity

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”

Many of us had this drilled into our head. These are some of the most quoted words in the Bible — and maybe some of the most misunderstood. Jesus talks about love, belief, and judgment here, but not in the way we often expect. This passage isn’t about pressure or performance. It’s about what it means to be seen, offered grace, and invited into life.

Take a few minutes to listen with us as we sit with these words and reflect on what they’re really saying — and what they might still be saying to us today.

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Jerimiah 13:1-11 – Jerimiah’s Underwear

Did you know God once told Jeremiah to buy a specific piece of underwear?

It sounds strange, maybe even funny—but the reason was deeply prophetic. In Jeremiah 13, God has Jeremiah wear linen undergarments, hide them, then retrieve them later. When he does, they’re completely ruined. God explains why.

If almost any other clothing had been used, its ruin could be blamed on outside forces—dirt, wear, pressure from the world. But underwear is different. It doesn’t rot because of what touches it from the outside. It rots because of what comes from within. Bacteria from the body sat on the garment, and — given time — caused it to become worthless.

That was the point.

God was showing that His people weren’t being destroyed mainly by external enemies, but by what they allowed to remain inside: pride, stubbornness, anger, hatred. Left unchecked, those things slowly rot what God is trying to form, rendering it useless.

We were meant to cling to God and reflect His glory—not become useless, ruined garments. So the question is simple and hopeful: How do we live in a way that keeps us clean, close, and useful to Him?

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James 2: 1-10 — Justice and Mercy

God commands us to treat everyone fairly, with love, mercy and grace. But when we show favoritism, or treat people differently because of who we perceive them to be, we are destroying the very fabric that God is trying to weave us together to become. Let’s look at what God is teaching us about how to address those in the edges of our society.

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Mark 10:42-45 – Serving Others

Even Jesus didn’t exist to be served, but to serve others. That’s what we are designed to do. Our lives should be interactive. Love is the act of living together with others, reflecting God and giving grace.

Let’s look at how God is instructing us to serve others today.

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Philippians 2:5-8 – Modeling Christ

Paul brings us an appeal for unity and selflessness. We should — in humility — consider others better than ourselves.

We are called to shape our lives in Christ’s image. Jesus lived by service, not domination. He was God, and could have — rightly — dominated over all men. But he did not. So, how did Jesus live?

As C. S. Lewis said: “Humility is not thinking of less of yourself, but thinking of yourself… less.”

Are we willing to humble ourselves and serve others, even when it is inconvenient? Let’s discuss how we can model the image of Christ; the humility he brought to model and the love he gave simply because it was right.

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Happy New Year!

I genuinely want to celebrate this new year with each of you. Thank you for making 2025 so incredibly welcoming. It has been a challenge in some areas, but this year has brought so much joy as well.

While some things seem uncertain in the world, Pleasantville Baptist Church has been a place of welcoming and comfort.

I don’t know what God has in store for us in the next year, and things are already beginning to shake. But I do know this: God is in control. And God has a plan. And we are trusting in that and continuing to love one another.

And a special thanks to Pastor Ben and Angie for your love and support, helping an outsider like me fit in, find a home and feel deeply loved.

Sincerely, THANK YOU ALL for being such a wonderful family of friends and faith. And from the guy that posts the posts… May God bring each of you a happy, healthy, prosperous new year.

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Isaiah 9:6-7 – More than a Story

We’ve read this verse earlier this season, but it bears going back and re-visiting it. We urge you to look beyond this birth, but to the life of Christ.

“The Government (dominion, rule, empire, kingdom) will be on His shoulders (burden, weight, bearing on his back).”

This isn’t about any earthly government, but the kingdom, authority and rule over humanity. Jesus entered our existence fully. He identifies with our humanity. God is not distant or indifferent to our struggles. So let’s look at how he intimately cares for us, and how his being born into our world proves his very deep, personal and absolute love for each of us.

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Matthew 2:7-11 – A Journey of Worship

The Magi — people of wisdom — travelled from several countries away. They came quite a distance just to see the baby they believed was born. They probably expected to find him in some royal palace. Some well-to-do place, and this was their act of faith, because no one had broght them word that God had come down. No one had given them a direct address to travel to. This was their faith journey because they saw something different in the sky and wanted to see the reality for themselves.

They were open to hearing the truth — even if that truth didn’t meet their expectations. Mary and Joseph were not people of influence or wealth. They weren’t people in well-to-do homes. They lived a simple life. And yet, the magi — having learned that this was the child they had seen in the stars above — gave Mary and Joseph the gifts they had brought. They took in the evidence presented and came to that conclusion, despite their pre-conceived notions.

How far do we go out of our way to see what God is doing around us? Maybe not in our back doorstep, but a few feet away? How willing are we to step across that few feet and see what God is doing, and celebrate it with those God is working in?