If you’ve ever struggled to keep up the habit of reading the Bible, you should hear this: Studying the Bible is better with friends!  In our Discipleship Groups , participants consistently tell us that the thing that has been most helpful to them is accountability. Accountability does NOT mean that if you don’t show up or you didn’t get around to reading you’re going to be in trouble. Instead, we think of accountability as positive peer pressure. When you study the Bible with

One of the phrases I’ve been using lately when someone shares an answer to prayer or some other piece of incredible news is, “Look at God go!” Admittedly this phrase is a bit hokey, but at those times when I’m overwhelmed by what God has done and I’m fumbling around for words, this expression is what comes out.  These are the words that came to mind as I was looking back at photos of the first public worship service at Lazarus in 2020 and our charter as a congregation in 2023

Have you ever wondered why we baptize people? We baptize people because Jesus commissioned us to in Matthew 28:18-20 as part of His calling to make disciples! As people who are sinful from our beginning ( Psalm 51:5 ), we need the forgiveness that is delivered to us through baptism ( Titus 3:4-7 ). We believe that the Holy Spirit is also given to us in our baptism ( Acts 2:38 ) and receiving the Holy Spirit is our adoption into the family of God ( Romans 8:14-15 ). This mean

Why is church important? The Bible encourages Christians not to give up the habit of meeting together in Hebrews 10, but what is the reason? Here’s what the author of Hebrews says: “23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as

Someone once told me that Christians should read the newspaper in one hand with their Bible open in the other hand. It is easy to get discouraged when the news reveals global conflicts, economic concerns, and yet more tragedies. Alongside news headlines like these, Psalm 46 comes to mind as one of the best Bible passages on which to dwell. So, I've included devotional below loosely based on the format used in our favorite devotional prayer app . Depending on if you listen to

January 25, 2026 Grocery stores are packed.  Neighbors are wrapping pipes. Kids are eagerly wondering if school will be cancelled.  Our community is busily preparing for this winter storm. It's good that we as the church pay attention to that and ask, "What would God's people do here?" Rather than waiting to make a decision on whether or not to gather at Birnham Woods Elementary this weekend, let's embrace this cultural moment so that we can intentionally steward it well. In