Knowing God With Heart and Mind

God's Favorite Place on Earth: Awed in Bethany

Sometimes Christian Believers give in to unrealistic expectations, or they are unable to think outside the box. In the village of Bethany, Jesus demonstrated that prayers are always heard by a compassionate Savior, but they are rarely answered in the way that Believers desire. Still, the unmatched majesty of the LORD's Word and the supreme authority of the LORD's actions will inevitably leave His followers dumb and awestruck. Join the Shiloh family this Sunday as we recall what makes a home for the LORD in the hearts of His people.

God's Favorite Place on Earth: Awed in Bethany

The little village of Bethany was just a couple of miles from the big city of Jerusalem. Bethany was awed by our LORD while Jerusalem ignored and reviled Him. Bethany loved and served Him while Jerusalem sought to kill Him. Bethany was not a religious center but it was closer to Heaven. Jerusalem was dedicated to the Law but rejected the heart of the Law. This week we will observe the subtle and the sublime majesty of Jesus as the LORD brought awe to a home in Bethany.

The theme for this series is borrowed from Frank Viola's "God's Favorite Place on Earth" (David C Cook.)

God's Favorite Place on Earth: Introduction

It's St. Valentine's Day and it's the beginning of a new series of messages for the season of Lent. "God's Favorite Place on Earth" will be devoted to falling in love with our Savior and making a home to share with Him. As we move toward the remembrance of His passion we will learn about His most passionate followers. A simple family in a village called Bethany welcomed Jesus with open arms and, more importantly, open hearts. We will explore the many reasons  Jesus kept returning to Bethany, especially during the most challenging of times.

A Season for Everything: The Way of Wisdom

When wisdom and contentment converge, there is peace of mind. Or is there more? Solomon possessed great wisdom, but he wasn’t content? It appears that wisdom is incomplete without contentment. However, some people seem to be content, but they lack wisdom. What's the missing element? How does one attain wisdom and achieve contentment? How can we avoid Solomon's mistakes? 

For Everything a Season: Death Comes to All

In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon reminds us that difficulty and death come to all people. He urges us to resist assuming that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Solomon would have us realize that God does not operate that way. Therefore, Christian Believers cannot equate their life's trials and blessings with God's favor. Some troubles are common to all persons in a fallen world and some blessings are common too. The sun rises on the wicked and the righteous; the seasons change for all people so those warm summer days are balanced by a dreary winter's cold. Let's consider these truths and more together.

For Everything a Season: Vanity Insanity

In this week's message from Ecclesiastes, Solomon teaches us that vanity insanity will lead to the dissolution of sacred relationships and end with dissatisfaction and self-destruction. We will discuss this and consider its remedy as we dedicate ourselves to worship, prayer, learning, and service. It turns out that Solomon would have done much more of that if he'd had it to do over again. What about you?

For Everything a Season: A Time for Everything

This time we will continue with our study of the book of Ecclesiastes. We'll read Solomon's well-known "For everything there is a season" passage. Solomon's list reminds us that we must not be surprised by our encounters with life's trials since they are natural to humankind. We will contend with these realities and discuss our relationship with God under such circumstances. We'll find that Solomon made some harsh statements about God even as he demonstrated extraordinary faith in God.

For Everything a Season: Introduction

In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon reveals life's true purpose and the follies of human pride. In this series, we will learn from his wisdom and raw humanity. 

The Love of God

The entire bible is a love story. Christmas reminds us that God so loved His creation that He did everything He can do to redeem it. 

Adventus: The Same But Different

Christmas is an easy time to think too much about the times gone by, especially this year when so much has changed so fast. Subtle majesty underlies the birth story of Jesus and his gentle, desperate parent’s attempt to find shelter for his birth when we think of the star that lighted their way and the multitude of angels who attended them unseen. Unseen until they spoke to the shepherds and then sang the LORD’s glory. Those plain shepherds saw the first glimpse of what Jesus’ glorious return will be like when the barrier between Heaven and Earth opened before them like curtains. When Christ returns it will be like his birth in some ways and very different in others.