Pastor's Pondering
Read Senior Pastor Duane Mabee's weekly Pastor's Ponderings here!
Gospel-revealing Communities
by Duane Mabee on February 24, 2021What kind of church community glorifies God the most, one where we all get along well because we have so much in common, or one where we all get along well even though we have almost nothing in common but Christ? According to Ephesians it is the second type. So why do churches spend almost all their efforts developing the first kind? Because...
Read MoreSoul Anchor
by Duane Mabee on February 17, 2021The Book of Hebrews provides us with a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf,”...
Read MoreConfession is Good
by Duane Mabee on February 11, 2021If I said, “I have something I need to confess,” what do you anticipate about what I had to say next? Would you believe that we were about to have a positive conversation, or would you prepare...
Read MoreCommunion is a Holy Moment
by Duane Mabee on February 4, 2021Communion is a holy moment where we remember what Christ did for us on the cross. We celebrate our redemption and worship Jesus for taking our sins upon Himself, giving us His righteousness and...
Read MoreWhat is Prayer?
by Duane Mabee on January 27, 2021What is prayer? We are in the middle of a 40 day focus on prayer, so surely, we know how to answer that question. Or do we? How would you answer it?
For many, prayer means telling God...
Read MoreYou May be the Answer
by Duane Mabee on January 21, 2021Over this coming week, North River will join the Christian and Missionary Alliance in praying for local evangelization. We want to see our city reached with the good news of salvation through...
Read MoreMy Child in Whom I Am Well Pleased
by Duane Mabee on January 13, 2021When the Holy Spirit came on Jesus at His baptism, the voice of God the Father called out from heaven, “This is My Son, in Whom I am well pleased. You are My Son, and I delight in You.” Tim...
Read MoreWhat Can Produce Increased Confidence and Joy in Your Life?
by Duane Mabee on January 7, 2021When Jesus taught us how to pray, He included a prayer for forgiveness – “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”. Tim Keller addresses confession and repentance in his book,...
Read MoreWho Do You Pray To?
by Duane Mabee on December 31, 2020Do we pray to a God Who doesn’t exist? My question isn’t about the existence of the true God. It’s about the reality of the god we have conjured up in our minds and then pray to.
Timothy...
Read MoreRight Motivation - Love
by Duane Mabee on December 23, 2020I’ve been reading a book on prayer by Tim Keller – Prayer; Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. It’s an excellent book and you will be hearing a lot from it over the coming weeks. I finished...
Read MoreGet Used to Different
by Duane Mabee on December 17, 2020To help focus our hearts and minds on the meaning of Christmas this year, Karla and I watched Christmas with the Chosen. If you aren’t familiar with The Chosen, it is an internet based,...
Read MoreThe Spirit Lives in Us - Amazing!
by Duane Mabee on December 10, 2020What follows is a collage of quotes from Francis Chan’s book Forgotten God. As believers, we know we have the Holy Spirit, but we often don’t recognize how amazing it is that the Spirit lives in...
Read MoreThe Exchanged Life
by Duane Mabee on December 3, 2020“Yes, in me, in me He dwelleth – I in Him and He in me! And my empty soul He filleth, now and through eternity.” – H. Bonar
I mentioned in last week’s note that, after many years of fruitful...
Read MoreHudson Taylor's Honest Admission
by Duane Mabee on November 26, 2020“I cannot tell you how I am buffeted sometimes by temptation. I never knew how bad a heart I have. Yet I do know that I love God and love His work, and desire to serve Him only and in all...
Read MoreWhere's the Pressure
by Duane Mabee on November 18, 2020“It doesn’t matter, really, how great the pressure is, it only matters where the pressure lies. See that it never comes between you and the Lord – then, the greater the pressure, the more it...
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