Walk in the Way

The Christian life is not a one and done. Committing our lives to Jesus is a daily endeavor. The Christian life is not a casual affair. Christ wants us to follow him sacrificially, not only when it is convenient and doesn’t cost us. Isaiah 34:8-10 is a call to a daily life with the Lord.

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'The Secular Saint'

Christian communities have try to figure out how followers of Jesus Christ are to relate to the world. There are three different schools of thought. First, Christians should withdraw from the world so as not to be drawn away from our relationship with Christ and putting our faith into practice. This approach was not just for the monastics. 

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Are you ready?'

The motto of the National Coast Guard is “Semper Paratus” which translates “Always Ready”. They must always be ready to do whatever work is required of them whether it is for defense or for recovery. No matter the task, they are ready. Are we always ready for the task at hand? Jesus tells a parable of the

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
What is ‘Righteousness’?

Righteousness is a puzzling word for most of us. We don’t use it much anymore. In the 1960s it meant the person was cool. Later it meant that someone was a generally descent person. But what does it mean in the Bible?

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Growing Small'

George Whitefield was a famous preacher during the Great Awakening. He drew thousands and even tens of thousands up and down the American colonies. But what happens the next day? Where did they go and what did they do? People went back to work and got on with their lives. Only a small percentage were transformed in such a

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Lifting up Others'

Jesus went to a Sabbath dinner at a prominent Pharisee’s home. What he witnessed stunned and baffled him. When Jesus entered the home, he noticed a man with an ailment. While others didn’t think the man should be healed on the Sabbath, Jesus does so and challenges their love for people. Then, Jesus notes that the guests

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'The Key to Mission'

A man approached Jesus about a personal matter. He asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide an inheritance with him. We immediately ask ourselves what the laws and customs of inheritance were back then. If it were merely a matter of law, the man would not need to come to Jesus about the issue.

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'The Key to Mission'

A piece of advice for people who are struggling to change bad habits is to create an objective distance, while keeping it very personal. What does that mean? Let’s take the example of someone who isn’t getting enough sleep and knows it. However, that person isn’t making any changes but remains caught in the feelings, emotions, and cycles that perpetuate the thing they want to eliminate. The whole situation could change around if the person

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Finding Contentment' 

Everyone desires contentment. We all want to be able to sit back at the end of the day feeling satisfied with who we are and what we do. However, it is sometimes a challenge to be content with being content. Too often we want what we don’t have. Even worse, we want what our neighbor has. When my boys, Wesley and Nate, were younger,

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck
'Fighting for Unity'

The second law of thermodynamics states that all things move toward disorder if there is not additional energy put into the system. I think back on when my kids were still in the house.  Day by day clothing was shed and dropped on the floor, beds went unmade, and clothes were tried on and shoved haphazardly into drawers. And the rooms

Read More
Rev. Jonathan Beck