The Magi came from the class Daniel was put in charge of six hundred years earlier — which makes the exile the hinge of the Christmas story. Pastor Adam opens a new series on the childhood of Jesus, and takes “they went home another way” literally.

James asks whether a faith that produces nothing can save anybody. Pastor Harry takes it without flinching — and lands somewhere unexpected: if nothing is being produced, the problem is not a works problem, and a list of nice things will not fix it.

Elijah has the altar soaked until the trench overflows — deliberately removing every explanation that is not God. Pastor Adam separates that from wisdom, tells the story of a job he turned down with two thousand dollars to his name, and lands on preparation.

Elijah is the headline, but this week belongs to the civil servant. Obadiah ran Ahab’s household and hid a hundred prophets fifty at a time — and then argued with Elijah about getting killed. Pastor Adam treats that doubt as permission rather than failure.

The brook dries up and God’s next instruction is worse: go to Jezebel’s home territory, where a starving widow will feed you. Pastor Adam sits with what Elijah asks of her, and with the shape of the provision — the flour never ran out and never overflowed.

James 1:1-4 opens a study of the letter on Father’s… read more

Easter in the Upper Room series: Thomas, the wounds offered… read more

John 13:36-38. Unchecked zeal burns hot but often burns out… read more

Plenty of people have saving faith and are not faithful people. Pastor Adam separates the two in Genesis 24, follows a servant who lost everything and kept steadfast love anyway, and draws a boundary line between the land behind you and the one ahead.