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During each week of Lent this year, we are posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post comes from John Chrysostom (305-407) the archbishop of Constantinople. This excerpt comes from one of John's sermons, titled "Dead to Sin". John Chrysostom: We must remember that we deal with a c...

Today's post comes from a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon, a Baptist pastor in London in the 1800's. The sermon, based on Habakkuk 3:2, addresses the need for spiritual revival in the church. In this portion of his talk, Spurgeon points out that one aspect of revival involves the Spirit's work in the conversations of individual Christians. Charles Spurgeon: Pay atten...

During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post comes from the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, an English professor at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the mid-20th Century. In this excerpt, Lewis writes about the way God uses diff...

During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post is taken from a modern classic titled The Divine Conspiracy Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, written in 1997 by Dallas Willard. Willard, who died in 2013, was a professor of philosophy at...

Dear Friend of ACC, This fiscal year our church has committed to giving over $50,000 to missions, mercy care, and outreach. On Easter Sunday, we will be collecting a special offering to help fulfill that commitment. Our goal is to raise $25,000 through our Easter Outreach Offering. The Easter Outreach Offering will be given at ACC on Easter Sunday, April 17th. Everyone i...

During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing on Christian spirituality, followed by some questions for personal reflection. Today's post is taken from the writings of Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). Teresa was a Carmelite nun in Spain whose writings on prayer and spiritual devotion are studied by Christians to this day. The passage...

The traditional season of Lent consists of the forty days (excluding Sundays) that lead up to Easter. Not all Christians celebrate Lent, but for many it is a meaningful time to seek spiritual renewal from the Lord. For an interesting article on a helpful approach to Lent, click here. During each week of Lent this year, we will be posting an excerpt from a classic writing ...

God is a refuge for all who are in danger. He never ignores the cries of those who are abused. (Ps. 9:9,12). God calls us to protect the weak and vulnerable (Prov. 31:8-9) and to safeguard our churches against any who would seek to hurt his people (Acts 20:28-31). Because of this, Astoria Community Church has contracted the services of a Christian organization calledGRACE...

"And this is my prayer: that your lovemay abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight " (Philippians 1:9) There is a corny, old joke about an elderly bachelor who always bragged to his neighbors about how much he loved children. One day, as he was pouring a new sidewalk in front of his house, a boy from down the block accidentally rode his bicycle through the w...

Because it was a holiday, the kids were off from school. My 17-year-old stepson had asked to borrow the car to go out with his friends. Like any parent of a recently licensed driver, I was relieved the see the car, dent-free and unscratched, parked in the driveway when I got home. But I was unprepared for what I would find when I walked in the door. Chris, my stepson, and...