Author: Laurin

I’m first and foremost a follower of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, striving to learn more and grow closer to Him. I am also a former public middle school English, Reading, Social Studies teacher now spending my days trying to figure out where God needs me to go next! I'm privileged to help author-friends with beta-reading and editing their work. I’m honored that I get to lead a Bible study and play librarian at my little church in southwestern Colorado. I love to serve God, meditate on His Word, read great books, take photos, be crafty, jot down random thoughts, and crochet poorly.

Transformed vs Conformed, pt. 2

March 1, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello! Yesterday, Pastor Steve continued his teaching on being the salt and the light in the world. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included our Call to Worship, links to Scripture references, and some very brief notes from the lesson. 🙂

Call to Worship
Philippians 2:12-18
Do Everything Without Grumbling
¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
¹⁴Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Scripture References

Notes

Source = God
Course = following Jesus
Force = the Holy Spirit

Series of Twos
2 Agents - The Holy Spirit & the Sword of the Spirit
2 Actions - Be willing to be renewed & practice daily discipline
2 Attitudes - Be serious & be submissive

Transformed vs Conformed

February 25, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello! Sorry for the late posting. I’m getting old, and my brain doesn’t work as well as it used to. 😉 But Pastor Steve continued his teaching last Sunday on what it means to be salt and light. He talked about being transformed versus being conformed. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included the Call to Worship and link to Scriptures that Pastor Steve referenced in his lesson. Enjoy!

Call to Worship
Titus 3:1-8
Saved in Order to Do Good
3 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, ²to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
³At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ⁸This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Scripture References

Paradigm Shift

February 14, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello from snowy Colona! We had a small, but faithful, group this morning, due to the crazy February snow that blew in overnight. But Pastor Steve made it safely to the church to continue his teaching on salt & light. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. Also included in this post are the Call to Worship and links to verses that Steve references in his message.

Call to Worship
1 Peter 1:13-19
Be Holy
¹³Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
¹⁷Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Scripture References

Covert Discipleship

February 7, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Pastor Steve is finally back on his feet, so we got to hear him teach today on Matthew 5:15-16. To hear this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included the Call to Worship and Scripture references.

Call to Worship
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Life and Death

February 7, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Since I was out of town last weekend, I am going to post two messages as soon as I can get them uploaded! This message was given by Terry last Sunday, teaching on Luke 16:19-31. To listen to this teaching, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve included the Call to Worship and Scripture references as well.

Call to Worship
Romans 8:31-39
More Than Conquerors
³¹What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Scripture References

Opposites

January 25, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello there! Yesterday morning we heard another message from Terry, this time regarding how being Christ-like means the doing the opposite of what the world sees as success. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. Also included is the Call to Worship and a list of the verses Terry references in the message with links to view those verses at Bible Gateway.

Call to Worship
Matthew 16:21-27
Jesus Predicts His Death
²¹From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
²³Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save their life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Praying you are blessed this week, resting in the Lord and trusting in His promises! 🙂

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

January 17, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Pastor Steve could not be in church today, so we were blessed to have Terry give our message this morning. He taught from Matthew, chapter 11, about finding rest in the Lord. To hear this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I have also included our Call to Worship, along with links to the verses Terry references in his teaching. (*A quick note: Terry used a different mic from Pastor Steve, so there may be moments of feedback. Sorry!)

Call to Worship
Acts 17:24-31
²⁴“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
²⁹“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. ³⁰In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Scripture References

Hebrews 3:11-12, 18-19

Hebrews 4:10

Praying that you find your rest, your shelter in these times of storm, in Christ this week and always!

The Light of the World

January 10, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Here is today’s message from Pastor Steve about the Light of the World. To listen to the message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included the Call to Worship and a list of verses he references in his message.

Call to Worship
Ephesians 5:8-14
⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹Have
nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
¹²It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³But
everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is
illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

Scripture References

Praying your week ahead is blessed indeed!

Be of Good Cheer

January 10, 2021 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Here is the message from January 3, 2021. I must apologize that I did not post this last Sunday. I simply forgot to do what I’m supposed to and have no other excuse. Sorry. 😦 But it is a beautiful message from Pastor Steve about having a cheerful heart, and I pray that it brings you joy. This Sunday’s message will be posted as soon as I get it ready. 🙂

To listen to the message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included the Call to Worship and Scripture References for you.

Call to Worship
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Praise to the God of All Comfort
³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from
God. ⁵For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of
Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶If we
are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you
patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷And
our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you
share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Scripture References

Psalm 23
   The Lord the Shepherd of His People
   A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
²He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Three Christmas Gifts

December 27, 2020 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello to all of God’s children and happy last Sunday of 2020! Instead of focusing on all of the crazy that was the year 2020, Pastor Steve’s message this morning reminded us of three of the most important things that Jesus Christ’s first coming gave to all who would believe. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. I’ve also included our Call to Worship and a list of Scriptures which Pastor Steve refers to in his message. Enjoy!

Call to Worship
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

Scripture References

The Gift of Freedom

The Gift of Purpose for Living

The Gift of Hope

Praying that your Christmas season was truly blessed and that the New Year brings you abundant life, filled with a renewed sense of freedom, purpose for living, and unshakeable hope!