By: Rev. Jerry Chiles As a child, what were you afraid of? Did you have monsters under your bed or in your closet? Did you have imaginary people who bothered you or did you have imaginary friends to comfort you? Did you have a fear of falling or were you a daredevil? When did you […]
Do Not Be Afraid – Part 2 Read More »
By: Rev. Jerry Chiles How many times have we heard the phrase, “Do not be afraid” or have we said this to a family member, a friend, or a church member? Athletes at the 2024 Olympics were told to “shake it off”! Even Taylor Swift has a song about “Shaking it Off!” To be afraid
By: Rev. Jerry Chiles One Friday evening my wife and I were going to hear the symphony and she asked if I needed to use GPS. I said no, I knew the way. As I proceeded to go to the venue, we encountered a street closure. If I had used the GPS, it would have
The Wise Still Ask For Directions Read More »
By: Rev. Jerry Chiles The excitement surrounding the solar eclipse reminds me of another celestial event from long ago. The Magi discovered a star, and using the information they had, they set out to find a new king. Where would be the logical place to look for the Jewish child king? The obvious answer is
Even the Magi Asked for Directions Read More »
by: Rev. Jerry Chiles If we open our eyes, we can identify walls in our own church that need to be torn down. The question is how do we begin to have an impact on these walls? Here are some simple suggestions. If you are having trouble identifying them, invite a ‘church visitor’ to visit
Identifying Walls In Your Church Read More »
by: Rev. Jerry Chiles Recently I noticed a small book entitled The Wall: A Parable by Gloria Jay Evans. Why it caught my eye I wasn’t sure, but I was drawn to it. I have edited the text for the following version. I don’t know when I first began to build the wall. I suppose
Building Walls or Tearing Them Down? Read More »
by: Rev. Jerry Chiles What is an event or long-term situation in your life when you wondered if you would survive? You struggled against it and could see no end in sight. You may have wondered where God was. You may have even questioned your call to ministry. In John 6:10ff we find the story
by Rev. Jerry Chiles But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
The Covid-19 Crisis has forced many changes, but have these changes produced transformation? Where has God been at work in the midst of the Crisis? Change happens around us all the time. The dictionary definitions are: “Change (noun) the act or instance of making or becoming different. (verb) make someone or something different; alter or
Has It Changed Me or Transformed Me? Read More »
By Jerry Chiles Eddie Hammett says, “A re-fashioning, and re-framing of church is happening whether we like it or not. God is moving. Will you be a part of it or a resistant force against the ‘new thing’ God is doing in our world?” David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, says in an
What I’m Reading These Days Read More »
