Senior Pastor, the Chapel Scott Chapman

When we hear about God’s forgiveness, it can sometimes be difficult to believe that His forgiveness extends to us. We often think that God can forgive others much easier than He can ourselves. But sin is common to all of us – every single person has made decisions or acted in ways that have grieved the heart of God. Though God does not overlook our sin, Jesus took our punishment upon Himself when He was sacrificed on the cross. His death and resurrection have provided a way for each of us to personally receive God’s forgiveness and to live blamelessly before Him…

Well, it’s that time of year again – time to reflect and think about ways our life can be a bit better than it was last year. I googled New Year’s resolutions and found that the tradition actually dates back to the ancient Babylonians. Listed below are the top 10 resolutions for 2010:

1. We are going to…

I started playing golf with my dad when I was 1o years old. Some of my best memories are associated with golf – friends, tournaments, early summer mornings and that rare (in my case) unmistakable feeling of hitting a shot for all it’s worth – to name just a few.

When I was in high school, I got to meet Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer at a PGA event. It was the thrill of a young life. I remember not just what amazing players they were, but how they treated some kids from a steel town with grace and class…

Feeling like an outsider is always tough. I remember how stressful it was on the first day of going to a new school. Would there be anyone that I know? Will I make friends? Will people like me? Coming to church for the first time can feel like that too. The walk from the car to the door can be a heart-rending experience.

We all want to belong, to connect to others in meaningful ways. We are created for relationships. One of the greatest fears in life is that of being alone…

What difference does my life make? Will it matter that I walked the earth? What legacy will I leave? Will anything in the world be better because I was here? At the end of it all will my life have mattered. These are questions that all of us ponder at times. In moments when we gather ourselves and reflect on days gone by and our years yet to come, we wonder about our contribution to the world, God’s kingdom, our family and just in general…

If you were to go to a mall or park, stop passers-by and ask them what is most important in life, most would answer – ‘to be happy.’ Happiness is one of the most fundamental of human needs. We all want to experience joy, we all love to laugh. We want to surround ourselves with things that increase our happiness – or at least decrease our sorrow. And why not? It feels better to be happy than sad…

As a pastor, I have spent a good deal of time visiting people in the hospital. Sometimes it’s a happy occasion – like the birth of a child. Most of the time it’s a difficult season for someone enduring moments of pain, fear and possibly death. I always find it hard to have words to say in those moments, words that don’t sound like a time-worn cliche. I want to make everything better. I want it all to just go away. I want to promise them that they will be healed – but I can’t. I’m not God. I don’t get to make these decisions.

I am a firm believer that we have a reason for everything we do. We don’t always recognize what our reasons are, but we have them. Often, we are motivated by a deep sense of need that we can’t define or describe, but we know it’s there. All human need can be defined at its heart by five universal needs. These are needs that are common to all of us; that get to the marrow of what drives so much of what we think, feel and do. The better we can understand those issues and the passions that lie beneath them, the better we can understand our own motives.

Yesterday, I walked through four essential truths that are laid out in the Lord’s prayer, found in Matthew 6.9-13. When personalized those four truths are:

God is my Father who provides for me.
God is my Judge who forgives me.
God ...more

A while back, I was reading the Lord’s Prayer in the book of Matthew. Though I had read it many times in the past,  God gave me a new insight into Jesus’ thoughts contained within its verses. As I reflected ...more