I’d be willing to bet that all of us have some degree of guilt and shame over things we’ve done in our past. Have you ever just been laying there in bed, trying to fall asleep when all of sudden one of your worst moments floods your mind? And you’re just laying there thinking to yourself, why did I do that? Why did I say that? Why didn’t I do x, y, or z? We all have regrets.

The internet is full of advice on how to deal with guilt and shame. I just randomly picked three. Here are three ways to deal with guilt and shame.

Originally college wasn’t intended to be a time to figure out your purpose in life. But in many ways, that’s what it has become. It’s become a season to figure out what you want to do with your life. Apparently there was a point in time where folks went to college knowing exactly what they wanted to do. What was that like?

But a lot of people even go to school thinking they want to do one thing only to later learn they made the wrong decision. And many folks end up doing something that has nothing to do with the degree they earned.

People change their minds a lot because they doubt what they’re doing. Who can’t relate to that? Even people who have done the same thing their whole lives have to go through a season of doubt. We all wonder from time to time, “am I doing the right thing?” “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my life?”

The first book we’re going to look through together is the gospel of John. The gospel of John is probably the most well-known gospel. Not only that, but the Apostle John is very explicit in his purpose. John says that he wrote it in chapter 20 so “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Direct. Clear. Simple. That’s where I want this body to begin - with the gospel. I want all of us to have a clear understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ.

And so, I’m excited to get started in the book of John. Just so you know, we’re going to be in John for the next several years. This will probably be a two to three year project. But let’s continue to pray that the Lord will bless each of us through it.

Glory to God for a very encouraging first service! Thank you to everyone who came to worship with us on Easter Sunday and who prayed for us. It was a special day that we’ll look back on with gratitude for years to come.

There are so many cliches that tell you and me how to live our lives: “Carpe diem.” “Live life to the fullest.” “Make the most of every moment.”

These cliches assume that this life is all we have and therefore we must squeeze every drop out of it. All there is, is the here and now, so you better make the most of it. Seek all the pleasure you can find. Accumulate all the wealth you can.

But Jesus gives us a very different perspective.

One of the challenges of work, often, isn't the work itself. It’s prioritizing the right tasks. Task triage is always harder than the tasks themselves. It’s true for our careers, our personal lives, and the church as well.

Acts 2:42-47 is such a beautiful passage because it encourages and reminds the people of God to put first things first. To continue to prioritize the right things.

What a whirlwind of a month! Many exciting and encouraging things have happened in the 5 months since we moved back to Virginia to plant Providence Presbyterian Church, but March has been especially full of big developments and updates in the life of this new church.

Over the past month we wrapped up our Vision Gatherings, nailed down a meeting space, have been busily preparing for our first worship service on Easter Sunday, and continued to exceed our Year One support goal. Praise the Lord!

These Vision Gatherings are an opportunity to dig a little bit more into what will be our central commitments of Providence Presbyterian Church. In this second gathering, we discussed what it means to be a prayerful church.

These Vision Gatherings are an opportunity to dig a little bit more into what will be our central commitments of Providence Presbyterian Church. And so, we need to begin by putting first things first. What is more important for a church than committing itself to Biblical fidelity? Shouldn’t being a Biblical church be our first priority?

This past Sunday we hosted the last of three informational meetings for Providence Presbyterian Church.

In this third meeting, Jake shared the vision for the church plant, including what Sunday worship will be like, how we hope to foster community and fellowship among those in the body of Christ, and our plans for outreach and evangelism. These are his notes from the meeting.

This past Sunday we hosted the second of three informational meetings for Providence Presbyterian Church.

In this second meeting, we discussed denominations and specifically why we are a part of the Presbyterian Church in America. These are Jake’s notes from the meeting.

I feel like I need to begin each newsletter with a big thank you!

We’ve been encouraged by the support we’ve received from you over the past several months and we’re grateful for how the Lord has blessed us through your prayers. He continues to go before us in planting Providence Presbyterian Church and this past month has been especially exciting.

We’re currently in Phase Two of the gathering stage.

• Phase One was preaching in the evenings at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

• Phase Two is hosting informational meetings and vision gatherings.

• And Phase Three will be launching corporate worship.

This past Sunday we hosted the first of three informational meetings for Providence Presbyterian Church.

In this first meeting, I answered in-depth a question I receive often as I meet with people in the valley. “Why plant a new church?”

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the last from the series. You can listen to previous sermons here.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the fourth from the series. You can listen to previous sermons here.

“Why do you baptize infants?”

It’s a great question that pastors in the Presbyterian and Reformed world should be prepared to answer, and one that we should take very seriously.

However, difficulty arises when there are time restraints. Because there is no silver-bullet proof text, it can be challenging to provide a succinct answer in a five-minute window.

The subject of infant baptism largely relates to how we understand Scripture as a whole. How do we interpret the New Testament in light of the Old? Answering that question requires study, research, and most of all, time.

The paedobaptist’s view is more nuanced and complex than the credobaptist position. But just because something is complex doesn’t mean it’s incorrect. After all, all orthodox Christians affirm the Trinity, and that is one of the most complex doctrines of the Christian faith.

Bearing that in mind, I thought it might be helpful to compile links to videos, lectures, articles, and books I’ve found helpful on the subject of baptism from a Presbyterian and Reformed perspective.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the third from the series. You can listen to previous sermons here.

For the first six weeks in January, I’ve been preaching through the Psalms of Ascent at the Sunday evening worship services at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

This sermon is the second from this series, but the first one recorded.

We’re greatly anticipating several exciting things that are coming up for the church plant right after the New Year.

All Christians everywhere recognize that they should worship God. It is an irrefutable fact that the Lord tells believers to worship Him. The Psalms are full of exhortations to worship God (Ps. 100:1; 111:1).

But does God care how you worship Him? Do the forms and elements of worship matter? Or are Christians free to worship however they please, inventing new forms and elements of worship?