Sometimes, to open a door, we have to unlock the door. Last week we talked about the open door that allows Jesus to come into our hearts first to offer us salvation, but then to to strengthen us to be able to show others to see the need for that open door in their own lives. This week we look at unlocking the door.

We have been talking of opening the door of our hearts and letting the Holy Spirit work through us. Literally becoming the light to the world. Are we letting darkness win?

You cannot have Satan being active in your life and still be a Godly person. We have been talking about opening the door to the Lord and still have the door open to the adversary, Satan.

One of the most beautiful pictures in the Bible of God's provision is the story of the Manna that fell for 40 years. However, we are mistaken when we believe that the day of manna is over.

I have a foster daughter who lives near Pittsburgh. If I want to see her, I have to go there. She asked me this week if she could come for a visit in April. Of course I said 'yes,' but a part of me wondered if I should bother changing plans. It has been fifteen years since I have seen her outside of the PA line. Because we are like that, it becomes hard to expect Jesus. But He is coming!

Someone asked me one day, "Why is love so hard to understand." Probably because we only have one word for it. The Greek language, which is what the New Testament is written in, has five words for love. Three of these words are in the Scripture. I don't know if that makes it easier to understand, but it does make for interesting passages.

Just another in the list of miracles and amazing things. Ho-Hum. Only, it was more than that. It was huge and left the disciples almost speechless. What was all this? Heaven came down.

Families are damaged because one or more feel they are not cared for. Marriages are destroyed because one or the other spouse feels neglected. People leave churches because they feel the pastor or the elders or the deacons or whoever is not seeing to their needs. In many of those cases, the party who feels injured has turned aside from Christ and does not feel His care any longer, and that is where the real problem lies.

To the Jews, names were not taken lightly. The expressed the essence of the person. The names were taken straight out of the language. And the names often teach a lesson not normally in the portion of Scripture we are reading.

A professor I had in seminary went through all the works of Jesus one day showing how all of them had an easy explanation that was not miraculous at all. He ended his lecture by saying, "Don't insult my intelligence with your blind faith." To which one student spoke up and said, "Don't insult our faith in Jesus with your lack of faith." In the end, it was a rocky semester for all of us. Today we see Jesus and His first work. Amazing stuff.

The man was the president of a Fortune 500 company. He was so busy that people hesitated to speak to him for fear that they would distract from some great business innovation that was flourishing in his mind. Focused. Driven. But when he went home it was all about his wife and kids. Every game, every dance recital, every cup of tea as he and his wife talked about the day. That is our wonderful Jesus. It is personal

Have you ever had conflict with someone? Did it fall into a shouting match? Did you both get angry and did an argument ensue? And, when it was all over, did either change the other's mind? Jesus. in His wisdom, provides a way.

Family. Families hold the church together. Families hold the community together. Families hold the nation together. Without Christ, the family suffers terribly. The way the world is today, society tries to force Christ further and further from us. What did Jesus say about families?

All kinds of people fill our churches. We see these people now, but even in the time of Jesus they were in attendance. We look at three this morning.

You may not be a big fan of standing out in the cold in a cemetery looking across a frost covered field and waiting for the sun to come up, but we have a hardy group that loves it. Join us as we wait for that special moment. Sonrise!

Jesus was, of course, treated terribly. After He rose again, he told us how to exact His revenge!

When you think of Thomas, the disciple, you automatically think of the doubter. But would not that be normal, given the circumstances? He was a man of courage.

Imagine you are a Christian in Cuba where they jail and torture Christians. Imagine the Lord lays on your heart the local leader who gets recognized if he captures Christian. What do you do? You know it is 95% certain you will meet a horrible end. What do you do? How courageous are you?

How important is a mother in the Bible? They are rarely mentioned, so they much not have any real value. Or do they?

One thing remains constant in my years in the ministry. Someone will have a need, or a perceived need, and the answer to the need is not coming fast enough to suit them. They will say, "Why doesn't God do miracles like He did in the Bible?" Two part answer. 1.) He is not your cosmic Santa, and 2.) Miracles happen at God's pace and may take a while in your view.

The world is full of experts. They can tell you when the amino acids came together to form life. The can tell you when an asteroid slammed into the earth and killed the dinosaurs. They can tell you that Jesus is mostly a myth. But, an 'ex' is something that no longer exists and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure. So an expert is mostly a drip under pressure who isn't around when you need him. Today we focus on the One who is always near.

What is grace? It is one of those 'God' words that we use, but most of us would have a difficult time explaining. Yet, it is the foundation, not only for salvation, but for every part of life.

When we think of treasure, we think of gold and silver and stocks. But those thigs do not stay with us for any length of time. However, there are treasures far more valuable. And they can be yours.

Dealing with the problem after it has consumed you is dealing to late.

Being a Dad has its ups and downs, but most of us would not want to give up the privilege. Which is not to say that there are not bumps all along the way. Today we look at three sons and just like today, there is something unexpected.

We have religious words we throw around without knowing their real meanings. When we do we usually rob them of their real power. So it is today. We have a notion of 'praise,' but our notion doesn't do it justice.

What an amazing country we live in! Never before have a people enjoyed such freedom. But, one of those freedoms is the freedom to not worship God at all. Our people are drifting farther and farther away.

What is your prison? We all have them. Things that come at us from all sides, things we cannot control, things that overwhelm our souls. However, prison is where we learn and grow stronger. What is your prison?

A few years back one of the talking heads on one of the talk type news shows said that fundamental Christians were just like fundamental Islamics, only the Islamics were better. This led her into ranting about Christians. Foolish people don't get it and Satan inspired people believe the lie. But, the truth is.......

We say we stand on the Rock of Jesus. But how good is our foothold?

One young man told his pastor, "I believe John 3:16. I may get in by the skin of my teeth, but I'll be there!" Or will he? This a month  with five Sundays. Always on that fifth Sunday someone else brings the Word. This morning it is Elder Claud Newcomb. We are so grateful for his ministry here at the Yoke.

Years ago we sang this little song in Children's Church; "He's still workin' on me, to make me what I otta be. It took Him just a week to make the Moon and the stars, the Sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient he must be! He's still workin' on me." Cute little kids' song. But does it apply to adults?

If your type of church music is "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," that is fine. If you just prefer that, then this video will not be for you. If, however, you enjoy tapping your feet and clapping your hands, this will be your cup of salsa. Today, the Urbana Yoke Parish presents "The Anchored." This is the annual Church in the Grove and this ladies trio is made to order. Enjoy.

This business meeting, and the one that follows on September 11 for the vote, are very important meetings. It seems we have had a lot of important meetings and projects over the last six years, but this one is no less important. Please commit this to prayer. 

"There is nothing God cannot do!" We believe that until it comes to our own situations. When people get married, they do it on faith that the union will last. When we buy a home, we are exercising our faith that we can pay for it. When the Lord is leading us forward, we stop and mutter, "I don't think so." God is better than that. He is a good, good God!

Sunday morning church! Relaxing. Visiting with friends. A little gossip here and there. The music starts and you settle into your seat. Just being there is a good feeling. But there is more to it than just that. We each have a job, or several jobs, to do. We each have a price to pay. The Lord gave so much, and still gives so much. All He asks in return is faithful service.

Final Arrangements. A great idea to have in place before you die so it will not be a burden on your loved ones. But we need to make Final Arrangements with the Lord, as well.

Greetings folks. I am on vacation (will be back next week), so I don't really know what Elder Barry Swanquist has blessed the congregation with this morning. I do know it will be straight out of the Word of God. So, let's settle back and enjoy this together.

We love forgiveness. Thank you Jesus for your great love! But what about our acts of forgiveness?

Battle. It brings bad feelings and concern. We face battles in our lives, in family in our jobs and in our church. Sometimes the battle doesn't seem Spiritual at all, but for Christians, all battles are Spiritual. How do we win these battles?

Even the best can fall under the influence of Satan. Peter certainly did and it led to problems later. The thing about Satan's influence is that it sucks us in and until we stop and analyze our Spiritual life, we don't know. Get thee behind me Satan.

What is holiness? Some say the evidenc3e of holiness is speaking in tongues and doing miracles through the Holy Spirit. But what does the Scripture say about holiness? Withoiut taking verses out of context? Let's look together.

When is it time to stop serving the Lord? When is it time to quit serving the Lord? Let's see what Paul says.

This is the fifth Sunday of October, and as on every month that has five Sundays, we have someone else in the pulpit. This Sunday it is Elder Brian Chamberlain.

Easy to say we are Christians. Easy to sing the songs. It is a whole other thing to be a Christian all the time. For a while there were bracelets with WWJD on them, for 'what would Jesus do?' They fell out of favor because they were mocked. But it is a valid question. What would Jesus do?

Remember the picture taken on Times Square when it was announced Germany had surrendered during WWII? A young sailor grabbed a nurse and kissed in the picture that warmed hearts everywhere. Victory! But the price was overwhelming. Soldiers, sailors, airman, Marines, Coasties. Some died, some were wounded, some came home changed. They all deserve honor. But what of God's soldiers?

Give thanks! Sounds easy, and it is easy. But is it inclusive? Happy and Joyous Thanksgiving to all!

Could Mary or Joseph refused? Others had refused commands from the Lord before. We rejoice in the decisions they made.

This is Part 2 of the December 4 video. There was a glitch in the recording so this is Part 1 is above.

Oh my! Christmas is coming and it will be perfect! Actually, no. Christmas didn't start out perfect and now, no matter how hard we try, it remains a complex holiday. How do we fix that? There was a glitch in the recording so this is Part one of the December 4 video. When it concludes, just scroll down for Part 2.

The story is amazing, but I have always wondered about why the prieste and leaders didn't know He was coming. I believe it was because of misconceptions. We all have misconceptions. The worst one is the belief that since He came for all, then all will be saved. Today we look at some misconceptions.

Perhaps like nothing else can do, music defines the Christmas holiday season. Today we recognize that along with a telling of the story. And there is 15 minutes at the beginning with nothing but Christmas music, both secular and Christian music, given to us by our our ladies at the organ and piano Janene Dawes and Nancy Miller. Enjoy!