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Romans 10:17 – Where faith and life connect! By Pastor Lee Hemen June 26, 2011 AM There are those who actually think that Vacation Bible School is old fashioned. Some in fact have tried to kind of “lie” about it and rename it “Summer Day Camp,” or “Children’s Week.” Vacation Bible School is still VBS, no matter how you try to repackage it. Nevertheless, is it still important for a church to continue to do? After all, it does take a lot of time, effort, and money. I believe it is extremely important for any church to do VBS because it is where faith and life connect! In our modern world, we have become disconnected because of the advent of electronics and the use of things like E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, or Skype. We can stay kind of connected by these means, but they tend to be impersonal, fragmented, and an excuse not to know one another face-to-face. While some of these things can be used to keep loved ones connected, they are poor substitutes for the real thing. The same ...

Nehemiah 6:15-16 - Building the Church -- Doing the work of God! By Pastor Lee Hemen June 19, 2011 AM Just when we thought we would be getting ready to be empty nesters, God had other plans. It may not have been the way we would have planned out our lives, but I am honored and willing to be used of the Lord in helping my grandson grow and mature in him. The spiritual and physical maturation of a family is never completed. It is an ongoing process and a parent can see it either as drudgery or as a blessing. I have discovered that God’s task in the Church is never completed either, why is that? I believe it is because we are to be about the Master’s business until he returns. However, have you noticed that for some Christians they never get involved in their church, for others it has become drudgery, and yet for still others it remains a joy? Now, why is that? I believe that it all depends on how you view doing God’s task! After Nehemiah’s wall rebuilding was finished, he did ...

Nehemiah 6:1-14 - Building the Church -- How Satan’s snares work! By Pastor Lee Hemen June 12, 2011 AM When you’re ten years old, there is nothing better than trapping and catching your own wild animals! Now I am not advocating hurting God’s little creatures for fun, but when you’re 10 being a “big” game hunter is an adventure! My brother and I went after the wily chipmunk. Actually, it was my father’s fault. He was the one who showed us how to make the traps! We caught and released dozens of chipmunks that summer. The little guys never figured out the traps we prepared for them! In our spiritual lives there are snares set for the unsuspecting as well and those that have no relationship with Christ fall easily into them. Sometimes, the strongest believer can be snared. Satan sets his snares well. In Nehemiah, we see several different types of these snares that were used to discourage God’s man and make him ineffective. The same snares are used on us today. When we know how S...

Nehemiah 5:1-13 - Building the Church -- Responding to the challenges! By Pastor Lee Hemen June 5, 2011 AM Up to this time, the spiritual challenges that Nehemiah had to face were mainly from the outside of Judah. Nevertheless, before the walls were rebuilt, he encountered the most difficult and intense problem that most spiritual leaders have to face--problems from within. He faced problems from his own people! How would he meet these challenges? When an individual decides to be the spiritual leader in their home or life, they will immediately face challenges from within! The challenges will come from within yourself in remaining steadfast in your faith, from within your family, friendships, or sometimes even by fellow church members! Nehemiah teaches us how to break down the challenges into bite-sized pieces, and to respond in an appropriate way as a believer. As we build our church or our lives, we can respond to the challenges that we face! READ: Nehemiah 5:1-13 Shari ha...