Ministry in Motion

“ Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” — Proverbs 16:3 Over my 28 years in ministry, I’ve had more conversations about New Year’s resolutions than I can count. Some hopeful, some hesitant, some a little weary. What I’ve learned is this: resolutions tend to falter when they begin and end with us. This proverb offers a better starting place. It invites us to place our plans, our hopes, intentions, and even our uncertainties into the hands of God, trusting that He is the One who gives them shape and direction. As I look beyond the first couple days of 2026, I find myself leaning into resolutions that are less about self-improvement and more about spiritual formation. My desire is to honor God and serve others with greater attentiveness and humility. That means committing again to daily prayer, opening the Scriptures with open hands and an attentive mind, remaining rooted in the life of the church, practicing small acts of kindness, and perhaps most challe...

Your year is made up of many moments. Some joyful, some painful, some easily forgotten. But each one matters. As you revisit your photos, calendar, and journals, you may notice things you hadn’t seen before. This process can stir grief and gratitude, curiosity and praise. ​ I invite you to walk with me and to take time to reflect on your year. When we don’t slow down to look back, it’s easy to stay busy and miss what God has been doing along the way. No matter how difficult your year has been, there is goodness to be found. God has been present in your story, and as you look back, you are invited to notice and receive the gifts He has placed before you. Take your time. There is more here than you might expect…Pastor Keith 

God with us. Not God after we have it together, not God once the noise settles or the grief resolves, but God here , in the mess and the hurry, in homes where joy and sorrow share the same table. Advent dares us to believe that Emmanuel does not wait for ideal conditions. He enters real ones. Emmanuel is found in the ordinary and easily overlooked: the quiet flicker of a Christmas candle, lights strung in celebration, ornaments hung on the tree with great care and fond memories. The familiar aroma of a favorite meal, the laughter that rises unexpectedly and reminds us we are still alive. These are not distractions from holiness; they are places where God chooses to dwell. Small moments become thin places when we slow enough to notice. The gift of Christmas is not wrapped in spectacle or certainty, but in vulnerability: swaddling clothes, a borrowed manger, a child who comes needing care. God’s nearness is gentle and unforced, inviting rather than demanding. Christ comes not to rescue...

  Love. 🎵 ... What the world needs now is love sweet love … 🎶 Four candles decorate the outer edges of the Advent wreath, and one white candle sits in the middle, the Christ candle. On this final Sunday of Advent 2025 we bring light to the third purple candle, the candle of love.   For God so loved, He gave.  Love plays a vital role in the Christmas story. Perhaps Love is the greatest of all the virtues on the Advent wreath . It encompasses Jesus’ entire purpose for being on earth, to bring hope, peace and joy in the embodiment of Love. If Advent love arrived not as sentiment but as interruption, would you be willing to risk something costly: Your comfort? Your schedule, or your control, in order to make room for Christ? Pkes

One of the classic themes of Advent is joy . Today on this third Sunday of Advent we light the pink candle of Joy, also called the Shepherd’s Candle. We are called to remember the delight the shepherds felt when they first heard the good news of Christ’s birth. Joy to the world, the Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing. Advent joy isn’t shallow or fleeting. It springs from trusting God and His promises, even in the midst of life’s challenges, and from sharing life with others in meaningful community. When we receive something that brings genuine joy, we can’t help but share it. Joy has a way of bubbling up and spilling out. When was a moment you remember feeling pure, unfiltered joy?  Pkes  

Peace I leave with you; my pease I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27 Peace can often feel like a distant ideal in a world shaped by turmoil, uncertainty, and conflict. Yet Advent reminds us that true peace is anchored in the coming of Christ, a composure, a calmness, that remains steady even when everything around us feels unsteady. One of my favorite moments of the Christmas Eve service arrives at the very end. The overhead lights fade to darkness, leaving only the soft glow of the Advent candles at the front of the sanctuary. Someone steps forward and lights a small hand-held candle from the Christ candle—the center flame of Advent. He turns and shares that light with his neighbor, who then passes it to the next person, and slowly a warm glow spreads across the room. As the candles begin to shine, voices start to sing “Silent Night,” and soon the entire congregation joins in, the harmony growing...

Today we light the candle of Hope.  What if the hope Advent calls us to isn’t about wishing for better circumstances,  but daring to believe that God is already at work in the places that feel most hopeless? Pause. Be still. Reflect: consider Hope as a light that grows in the dark, inviting you to face the shadows with courage and watch for the first flicker of God’s coming... Pkes  

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus —“arrival.” It holds both memory and promise. We look back to the humble birth of Jesus, and we look ahead with quiet longing to His return. Advent is a season of holy anticipation, a stretch of days marked not by hurry, but by hope. It’s a time of watching and waiting, of lighting candles in the dark, of drawing a little nearer to the God who has already drawn near to us. In these Advent days, I feel the invitation to slow down, to breathe, to make space in a heart that so easily fills with noise, and to remember that the Light we ache for is already on the way. He is always coming toward us. Each week, the candles speak: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Come, long-expected Jesus. Come into our waiting, our longing, our celebrations, and our shadows. Make room in us again for Your arrival … Pkes  

Lord, In this season of gratitude, we pause to remember  that every good gift comes from You. Thank You for Your faithfulness, Your provision,  and the people who bless our lives. Fill our hearts with humility and  joy as we give thanks. Amen.