Echos From The Valley

We often have a mindset that what we do in secret doesn’t matter because it doesn’t have impact on anyone else. We almost have the idea that if we can hide our sin from our family or friends or other church members that it is not important or of any concern to anyone else. Joshua 7 shows us that there is no truth to that and gives us a sobering warning! First - and perhaps most important, it doesn’t matter if we hide our sin from others because we never hide it from God. Ac

Genesis 3 shows us one of the greatest changes in human history. We see Adam and Eve go from naked and unashamed at the end of chapter 2, to hiding in the trees with makeshift clothing when the Lord comes to visit in chapter 3. What happened to bring about this change? Did they develop some new cognitive understanding with great study? Did they Google, "What to do when you are naked?" Of course not. They did the one thing they had been forbidden to do, and when they di

It is easy to feel secure when the everything is good. Life is moving along, the family is well, and nothing seems to be shaking beneath our feet. But Jesus warns us that good times do not equate to proof that we have a good foundation. In Matthew 7:24–27, Jesus describes two men who built houses. Both heard His words. Both were exposed to the same truth. The difference was what they did with what they heard. One obeyed Jesus and built on the rock. The other heard Him but bu

Everybody carries something. A concern about a child. A doctor’s appointment you can’t get off your mind. A marriage that’s struggling. A financial burden. A decision you don’t know how to make. A relationship you can’t fix. An uncertain future. Or maybe it’s something nobody else knows you’re carrying. The question isn’t whether we will carry burdens in this life. The question is: Where does the weight go? Paul writes in Philippians 4:6–7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in e

Most of us looked in a mirror this morning. Maybe the first look wasn’t pretty- hair going everywhere, tired eyes, something that needed to be fixed before we walked out the door. But imagine looking carefully into that mirror, seeing exactly what needed attention, and then simply walking away without changing anything. James says that’s exactly what we can do with the Word of God. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” — James 1:22 We can h

We spend a lot of our lives trying to grow up. We want to move up in our careers. We want our families to grow. We want our churches to grow. We want to become more successful, more knowledgeable, more accomplished. But when it comes to our faith, sometimes before we need to grow up, we need to grow down. Paul writes in Colossians 2:6–7: As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith… Think about a

One of the hardest parts of sharing the gospel is what happens when it feels like nothing happens. You pray for someone. You love them. You invite them. You finally work up the courage to share Jesus. And they don’t respond. No big moment. No obvious change. No immediate fruit. That can be discouraging. But 1 Corinthians 3 gives us an incredibly freeing reminder: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul was writing to a church that had

Acts 8 tells one of my favorite stories of everyday evangelism. Philip is in Samaria, and God is doing incredible things. People are hearing the gospel. People are believing. There is so much happening that Scripture says there was “great joy in that city.” And right in the middle of all of it, God tells Philip to leave. Not for another city. Not for another crowd. For a desert road. From a human perspective, that doesn’t make much sense. Leave the many for the possibility of

In Colossians 4, Paul gives us a beautiful picture of what everyday evangelism actually looks like. And interestingly enough, he doesn’t begin by telling us what to say. He begins with prayer. “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” — Colossians 4:2 In other words: pray, and then pay attention. Because sometimes we ask God for opportunities to share Christ and then walk right past the opportunities He gives us. The coworker who suddenly starts

The church has a lot to talk about. We can talk about what is happening in our country. We can talk about politics, schools, families, morality, culture, finances, programs, buildings, worship styles, and a hundred other things that genuinely matter. But there is one message we can never allow to get lost in all the noise. The Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes to a church that had plenty of problems. There were divisions, moral issues, arguments, confusion over spiritu

Most of us have heard the story of Zacchaeus since we were children. We remember the little song, the short man who climbed the sycamore tree, and Jesus calling him down. But this week I couldn’t get past one simple truth: Jesus noticed the man everyone else had already decided wasn’t worth noticing. To the crowd, Zacchaeus was a traitor. A cheat. A thief. A sinner beyond their concern. If anyone deserved to be ignored, surely it was him. Yet Jesus stopped. He looked up. He c

There was a time when Athens was considered one of the most educated, sophisticated, and intellectual cities in the world. It was filled with philosophy, competing worldviews, and countless idols. As Paul walked through its streets, he didn’t respond with fear, and he didn’t respond with anger. He responded with a broken heart. Acts 17 tells us that “his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.” He wasn’t grieved because people disagre

Have you ever been so focused on what was next that you completely missed what was right in front of you? I think we’ve all been there. We’re thinking about the next meeting, the next errand, the next ballgame, the next project around the house, or simply trying to make it through another busy day. Life has a way of keeping our eyes fixed on our schedules instead of the people walking beside us. That’s exactly what struck me as I studied John 4 last week. The disciples had ju

This week I’ve been reflecting on the idea of freedom. I truly am grateful to live in a country where we have enjoyed freedoms that so many throughout history have never known. Those freedoms have come at a tremendous cost, and we should never take them for granted. But this past week, as I studied Acts 4, I was reminded that there is a freedom even greater than any nation can provide. The apostles Peter and John stood before the very men who had demanded the crucifixion of J

There are some words that carry so much weight that they change the course of a person’s life forever. “I do.” “You’re hired.” “You’re forgiven.” And perhaps for every follower of Jesus, one of the most life-changing words He ever spoke is simply this: “Go.” Too often we think of Christianity as something that ends in a church pew. We faithfully attend worship, study God’s Word, enjoy fellowship with other believers, and those things are all good and necessary. But Jesus neve

This past Sunday we concluded our Follow Me series by looking at some of the final words ever written by the Apostle Paul. As he sat in a prison cell awaiting execution, Paul reflected on his life with these words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) What strikes me about those words is not what Paul says, but what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t talk about how many churches he planted. He doesn’t mention the miracles he

One of the hardest things in life is waiting. Waiting for answers. Waiting for healing. Waiting for direction. Waiting for God to move. Waiting for Christ to return. Most of us don’t mind serving God when we can see immediate results. We enjoy the moments when prayers are answered, doors are opening, and victories are obvious. But much of the Christian life is lived in the waiting. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about servants whose master goes away for a time. Before l

There is something in all of us that wants to be noticed. We like recognition. We enjoy appreciation. We naturally drift toward positions that elevate us rather than opportunities that humble us. Yet one of the most stunning pictures in all of Scripture is found in John 13. On the night before the cross, Jesus knew exactly what was coming. He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew the disciples would scatter. He knew the agony of Calvary was only h

There is something in us that loves the idea of following Jesus… until we realize following Him will cost us something. We love the invitation of grace, the promise of forgiveness, the hope of eternity, and the peace that only Christ can give. But somewhere along the way the American church has often drifted into presenting Christianity as an addition to life instead of a surrender of life. Jesus never hid the cost of discipleship. In fact, in Luke 14 He almost seemed to pres

This past Sunday at Rocky Valley Baptist Church we began a new summer series called “Follow Me.” After spending weeks in “Give Us Eyes to See” looking at who Jesus is and asking God to help us see Him clearly, we now turn the corner to a new question: If we truly see Jesus clearly… will we follow Him faithfully? In John 15, Jesus gives one of the most powerful pictures of the Christian life: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” What a reminder for us in a world that celebra