Archive for Bruce's Blogs

Simple Service

In Ephesians 4:11, Paul writes: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” We get that. We understand that there are people called and gifted to do what we call “ministry.” However, most of us aren’t employed by the [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, May 25th, 2009

Simple Weight Loss

I hate exercising for the sake of exercising. Unfortunately, the majority of my day doesn’t include activities that cause me to use my body in such a way that burns calories effectively, and so I must purposefully add exercise to my schedule. Since “misery loves company,” we started dragging the kids to the gym with [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, May 11th, 2009

Simple Submission

When Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5 that our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” what was he expecting us to do? We usually respond, “Be humble like Jesus,” but what does that mean? Too often we reduce humility to the idea of simply not taking credit for something we’ve done or [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, April 27th, 2009

Simple Humility

There’s nothing like the events of Jesus’ last week to put the Christian life into perspective. From the beginning of the week, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, to the last supper, when Jesus washed his disciples feet, to the garden, when Jesus prayed for his disciples, Jesus shows us clearly that everything he [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, April 13th, 2009

Simple Unity

Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner. The traditions I remember growing up are among my favorite. From the sunrise service to the breakfast that followed to the amazing celebration in worship to the family get-togethers that lasted through the afternoon, Easter has always been an extended family reunion.
But it is so [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, March 30th, 2009

Simple Program

It’s cool to be a parent and to be able to say, “Because I said so.” Whether my kids do what I say is another story, but it’s a simple concept to grasp. There’s a benefit of being under that kind of authority as well. Whether you agree or not, you know immediately what you [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, March 16th, 2009

Simple Mercy

In Luke 10:36, at the end of the parable about the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” In verse 37 we find the reply: “‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Simple Commands

As we work to become a simple church, one that focuses on a single purpose-to share the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness with the whole world-we ought to consider the simple nature of our relationship with God. While the church is a body with a corporate purpose and goals, it is made up [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, January 26th, 2009

Simple Church, Simple Goal

As we face the new year, I have a single resolution: to help us become a simple church. The word simple, unfortunately, sounds like “easy” or even “dumb” to some, but that’s not where we need to go. If we go back to the word’s Latin roots, simple means “single-fold.” So a simple church is [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, January 12th, 2009

Get Connected in Joy

I’ve never really understood the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” at least that part that talks about “scary ghost stories.” Other than Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, I’m not aware of any Christmas ghost stories. The idea of being frightened at Christmas doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Unless you think [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Get Connected for Strength

Halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas, many people are wondering how they’re going to make it through the holiday season. On one side we have the preparations for our Christmas celebrations-shopping, baking, cleaning, decorating-and on the other we have the pressures of everyday life-work, bills, health, family. We’re overbooked, overworked, and overextended, and we’re wondering [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, December 8th, 2008

Get Connected in Thanksgiving

If we’re honest, there are truly a lot of things to get us down these days. It’s in times like these, as Mark and Adam preached on November 16, that we need to come together and get connected to each other as we connect with God. In 2 Corinthians 4 Paul writes about how our [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, November 24th, 2008

Get Connected as a Family

First, an invitation: everyone is invited to join together in prayer at the church every Wednesday from 1:15-2:15. It’s during this prayer meeting that I am frequently moved to see how many of our members are requesting prayer for their parents, children, relatives, coworkers, friends, and neighbors. Often I find myself praying not only for [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Get Connected in Submission to Our Leaders

I look at people who write letters and thank-you notes and send birthday cards on time with envy, desiring to be a better friend and encourager. The apostle Paul was a great letter writer. Sure, much of our doctrine comes from his letters, but you can tell from them that Paul was pretty good [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Sunday, October 19th, 2008

Get Connected Through Participation

We have a great opportunity to get connected through participation this fall. Our upcoming Christmas program will combine choirs, children through adults, to share the message of Jesus’ birth through music and song. There will be several portions sharing the message through drama. This program is planned to be performed over several evenings, and there [...]

Posted by: Bruce Stoker on Thursday, October 9th, 2008