Victory News (Page 3)
Victory News – October 18, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, Louis Zamperini, American hero, knows something about forgiveness. He was an Olympic athlete who flew fighter planes in WWII. His plane was shot down, and he survived 47 days in the open sea. A Japanese ship picked him up and took him to a prisoner camp, where he faced hard labor and torture for two years. Zamperini endured all that physical pain, and yet he said, “The hardest thing in life is to forgive.” According to…
Victory News – October 11, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, It’s easy to judge others, even if we don’t intend to do so. One Sunday morning, a man in ragged clothes, looking rugged and walking slowly, made his way down the side of the highway near a church. Car after car passed by the man and pulled into the church parking lot. Some people in their cars talked about him as they passed by, and some pretended not to notice him. When the church service started…
Victory News – October 4, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, Have you ever heard anyone say, “Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites”? I know I have heard that. I’ve even thought it. We all have our stories of people who claimed to be upright, model Christians, and yet their lives were filled with envy, anger, and wickedness. In fact, maybe hypocrisy in the church is one reason that you don’t come to church as often as you used to. Well, instead of looking at what…
Victory News – September 27, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, From your perspective, what is the most scandalous thing in the news from this past week? What is the most jaw-dropping play from Thursday night’s Packers/Eagles game? What is the most outrageous teaching of Jesus? This weekend in our Start With Jesus series, I am going to share with you what many people think is the most scandalous, jaw-dropping, outrageous teaching of Jesus. I will give you a hint: sooner or later, you are going to…
Victory News – September 20, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, I don’t have a good memory. Just ask my wife. I rarely get the facts straight in my recollections. Our conversations usually go something like this: “Hey, honey, remember two years ago when we went to that Julia Roberts movie called Galaxy?” Then my wife will respond, “Yes, I remember, but it was five years ago, not two. And it was a Sandra Bullock movie, not Julia Roberts. And the movie is called Gravity, not Galaxy.” But…
Victory News – September 13, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, While on vacation this past summer, Jacky and I went to a fast food restaurant. We ordered our meals and we both opted for water. While I was paying the bill at the counter, Jacky went to the newer Coke Freestyle soda machine. The machine poured her water and she found our seats. I took my cup and went to the soda machine. When I saw a button for lemon water, thought, “Wow, that’s cool. I…
Victory News – September 6, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, We are finishing up our sermon series on the book of Jonah. When it comes to the meaning of the book of Jonah, we often miss the boat. We might think the story is just about a runaway prophet and a big fish. That story works well for kids books, but the main message of Jonah is much deeper. You see, when we read Jonah 4, we find the real reason Jonah ran away: he was prejudiced.…
Victory News – August 30, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, Sometimes when a golfer shanks their first tee shot, they are allowed a mulligan. A mulligan is a do over, a second chance. Sometimes when students bomb a test, the teacher will allow them to retake it. The teacher will give the student a second chance. Can you think of a time when you needed a second chance? A lot of times when we need a second chance it begins with us admitting our mistake -“I’m…
Victory News – August 23, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, Recently, two well-known Christians have renounced their faith: Author Joshua Harris and Hillsong singer/songwriter Marty Sampson. Both of them explained that they neither believe in the traditional understanding of God or Christianity. Although this is very difficult for Christians to hear, we shouldn’t be surprised. The God of the Bible, Jesus Christ, offends all of us at some level. For some of us, Jesus’ view of sexuality and marriage is offensive. Others see God’s unconditional love…
Victory News – August 16, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, I want lots of things: summer to last a little longer; something to eat; the College Football season to start; new clothes. We all have wants. Every human being comes into the world needing to feel loved. Often, young people will act out when they are feeling insecure or unloved. They want someone to notice them. They want to be wanted. I have good news. You are WANTED by God. And that is true for everyone.…
Victory News – August 9, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, A funny thing happened while we were in Door County. We were at a restaurant and they said it would be about a 30 minute wait. But about 10 minutes into our wait, our pager went off. They asked us if we minded sharing a table. “No, that’s cool.” And so, we set down by and enjoyed a meal together with another family made up of four generations. A funny thing happened at State Fair. We…
Victory News – August 2, 2019
PASTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, I used to believe that the goal of life was to die and have my soul go up to heaven. I no longer believe that. The Bible presents a much greater picture of heaven. Heaven is what will happen when Jesus returns. When he returns, Jesus is going to make all things new (Revelation 21:5). When Jesus returns, he is not just going to save my soul; he is going to set all creation free. He is…