The end of 2020 is finally here! Is it just me or has it seemed like this year has lasted forever? This year has been filled with difficult decisions and unforeseen scenarios for everyone. One of the questions that comes to mind as we end the year is, why is it difficult to go to church? 

​As our church has gone through the book of 1 Samuel, we have seen Eli and his “worthless sons.” I think as you see the corruptness of Eli’s son’s Phinehas and Hophni it makes you think. How did they become that way? Did Eli teach them to honor the Lord? Did he show them what they were supposed to do? Did he explain to them the dangers of practically spitting in God’s face? Scripture doesn’t give us a clear description of Eli’s parenting of his sons before we see them as corrupt priests but I believe we can make a couple of assumptions that we can learn from as parents and believers.
 
1. Eli showed them religion but did he show them God?
When we are introduced to Phinehas and Hophni they are already priests. They knew their priestly duties but did they understand what their priestly duties were for? Did they see that God was worth their praise and adoration? We do the same things today. We take our kids to church hoping that church will teach them good morals but not teaching them that Jesus is the ultimate treasure! We teach our kids that Jesus is the ultimate treasure by modeling this in our homes. What a difference it could have made if Eli would have explained the great love of our God from their house. Parents you have a responsibility to show your kids by living it out that Christ comes first. This is where Eli failed as a father and priest. He didn’t teach his children that God must come first. In what areas of your life have you let other things take center stage?
 
2. Eli conformed to the world.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
 
As we see through the punishment that comes upon Eli’s household was that Eli became like the world. He treasured things that were fleeting, he valued the creation over the Creator, and he took advantage of what God had given him by feeding his own appetite. Romans 12 reminds us that we are called to be transformed by God and not conform to the world. Do you model this for your children? Is your life evidence that you aren’t letting this world steal your heart from the Lord? 1 Samuel 2 shows us a lot about Eli’s failures as a priest and as a father. Let us not make the same mistakes but rather let us teach our children to love God over everything. 

If you are reading this then more than likely you already know what social distancing is and that our world has been asked to social distance themselves from others for their own health. I want to discuss a different kind of social distancing in this blog though. Are you social distancing yourselves from God? All our lives have changed more over the last two months than we were ready for and amidst all the change have you found yourself distancing from God.

The word pandemic has recently arose when talking about the Coronavirus. Before you read this blog I want to tell you what I will be discussing and won’t be discussing. This article will focus on how we as Christians are to act during this time, not how to deal with the virus specifically. When the world seems to be panicking, should the church respond in the same way? It’s easy to say no and think that this is something that the media is blowing out of proportion. It’s also easy to react the same way the world is and think that we should stock up our shelves with toilet paper and hand sanitizer before it’s too late. So what do we do as the church?

​Finally the new year has arrived! It’s that fresh start that everyone looks to at the end of every year. I’ll do better on that diet, I’m going to read the Bible more, or we’re going to go to church more often. These and more are the goals we end up setting for ourselves for the new year.

Reading can seem like an outdated hobby to those who have embraced a world of modern technology. I mean, why read when you could just have Siri tell you the answers? Even though we have the answers at our finger tips I believe we must prioritize reading. When I talk about reading, I am not only talking about the reading of God’s Word, but also reading books written by godly men and women.

​BY:MIKEY PESQUEDA

​There aren’t many things as fickle as our memories, especially in times of hardships. The Israelites in Exodus seem to be the biggest bunch of ungrateful people you could imagine. 

​I remember being taken out of school on this day 18 years ago. Fear and horror filled the United States as terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the Twin Towers. Many lives were impacted by this terrible event and many lives lost because of it. 

If we were all honest, prayer isn’t something that seems productive. We live in a world that focuses on making our lives, jobs, and technology most productive.