Blog

A couple of years ago, 21 Egyptian Christians were beheaded by ISIS after refusing, even under torture, to renounce their faith in Christ. The stalwart faith demonstrated by these men is inspiring. Every believer in Jesus should be prepared to resist the threat: "Deny Christ or die. "But such situations are rare. If we brace ourselves only to face this kind of direct per...

Years ago, I had a friend who felt called to ministry, so he moved away from home to attend seminary. Before he could complete his studies, however, he received news that his father was ill and that the family needed him to come back home to care for his dad. Of course, as a loving son, he was glad to do this for his father, but he felt deeply discouraged. How would he e...

In my high school, back in the 1970's, all the cool kids wore athletic letter jackets proclaiming the name of our school and the sport they played. I desperately wanted a letter jacket, because I desperately needed to be cool. The problem was I was small for my age and not very good at sports. A varsity letter in football or basketball was out of the question for me. Ho...

Thank you everyone, thank you Diaconal team, for being willing to step forward in faith as a community to further our calling and mission from God. Our mission statement is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to our neighbors, to welcome them into loving community, and to equip them to glorify God. I want to share some snippets from my personal history as well as t...

In our country, the validity of laws and governmental practices is always determined by comparing them to the words of the U.S. Constitution. If the courts find that a new piece of legislation contradicts the Constitution, then the legislation is either discarded or changed. The older document (the Constitution) takes precedence over any newer documents that might be pro...

Years ago, the Righteous Brothers recorded a song that went on to become a classic. In the chorus, they sang, "You lost that lovin' feelin' / Whoa, that lovin' feelin' / You lost that lovin' feelin' / Now it's gone, gone, gone." We don't know the name of the person they were singing to, but, one thing is clear their relationship with that person had changed. It's not unc...

Why do you believe what you believe? How do you know what is true? What guiding principles govern your approach to decision-making? Do you believe whatever your parents told you? Whatever your college professors taught? Maybe you are governed by inner hunches and feelings. Maybe you don't know what to believe Our study of the New Testament book of Galatians helps us to ex...

This fall at ACC, we are studying the New Testament book of Galatians. In Galatians 2:11-21, the Apostle Paul discusses his response to something heart-breaking that took place in the early church. As the gospel spread throughout the world, it moved from its original monocultural context in Jerusalem into more multicultural settings in the Greek-speaking world. As this ...

I began tutoring Louis* at the Variety Boys and Girls Club during the spring of 2016. What a joy it has been to watch him grow and progress academically, socially and spiritually in the last 1 ½ years! He didn't know his multiplication tables in the beginning, and now he knows them almost perfectly. His writing and spelling have consistently improved. AND I had the ...

Until the end of September 2017, the ACC Session will be receiving nominations for potential new elders and potential new members of the Diaconal Ministry. Nominees for these positions will be invited to participate in a thorough training program. They will also be interviewed carefully by the Session before being presented to the congregation for approval to ministry i...