Echos From The Valley

Christmas has passed. The decorations are coming down. Schedules are starting to normalize. And for many of us, this space between Christmas and the New Year feels a little… quiet. Scripture often rushes us from the manger straight to the mission, but Matthew pauses to show us something important. Before Jesus ever preached a sermon, performed a miracle, or walked to the cross, there was a season of ordinary obedience. Joseph, Mary, and the Christ Child found themselves fleei

After centuries of waiting and silence, God speaks again—and He does so with clarity. Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, an ordinary town to an ordinary young woman named Mary (Luke 1:26–27). Nothing about the setting suggests significance, yet this is where God chooses to announce the fulfillment of His covenant promise. Grace does not arrive where we expect it; it arrives where God sends it. Gabriel declares that Mary will conceive and bear a

Isaiah opens this powerful prophecy with a word that changes everything: “Nevertheless.” “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed…” (Isaiah 9:1). God acknowledges the darkness Israel was walking through, but He also declares that darkness would not have the final word. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined”  (v. 2). What a promise to a weary people—ligh

As we step into the Christmas season at Rocky Valley, I’m reminded that the story of Christmas doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. It begins long before, in the promises of a faithful God who keeps His word even when His people can’t see how He’s working. Psalm 89 opens with a bold declaration: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever… Your faithfulness to all generations.” That’s a powerful choice of words when you remember when  this psalm was written. Israel wasn’t living i

One of the greatest anchors for the people of God is this truth: our Lord reigns with righteousness, remembers the hurting, and never abandons those who trust in Him. Psalm 9 reminded me again this week just how much confidence believers can walk in—even when the world around us feels unstable. David begins the Psalm by saying, “I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.” Notice he doesn’t say, “I will praise You when everything m

Have you ever laid down at night, closed your eyes, and your mind just wouldn’t stop? You’re tired in your body but wide awake in your soul. Your heart is racing with worries. Your thoughts are chasing tomorrow. Your peace feels like it’s on the other side of something you can’t control. Psalm 4 is God’s reminder that peace isn’t found when the problems go away—peace is found when God draws near. David wrote this psalm in one of the darkest nights of his life. His family was

Some seasons of life hit harder than others. Not because the load is heavier, but because the hurt comes from people who were supposed to love us. That’s where David was when he wrote Psalm 3. He wasn’t fighting the Philistines… He wasn’t running from Saul… He was fleeing from his own son, Absalom. A father running barefoot out of his city. A king chased off his throne. A man broken by betrayal from within his own home. And yet — somehow — in the middle of that heartbreak, Da

We live in a world full of choices — a thousand different paths promising happiness, success, and peace. But Psalm 1 reminds us that there are really only two ways  to live: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly… but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  (Psalm 1:1-2) The blessed life isn’t about luck, money, or status — it’s about direction. It’s about

We live in a world full of voices.  Everyone’s got a platform. Everyone’s got a message. You can scroll your phone and hear 10 different “truths” before breakfast. But not every voice that sounds spiritual is speaking for God. Jesus warned us about this very thing in Matthew 7:15–20 — “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” That’s a strong image. They look  like sheep. They sound like sheep. But their hearts aren

It seems like we live in a world where “Judge not” is quoted more than John 3:16 — but often for all the wrong reasons. Some use it to avoid conviction, while others forget what Jesus was really warning against in Matthew 7:1–6. Jesus wasn’t telling us to throw away all discernment or stop calling sin what it is. He was calling us to look in the mirror before we point a finger. “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be mea

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25–34  remind us that worry adds nothing to our lives—but trust in Him changes everything. When we let fear take the wheel, it’s usually because our faith has drifted into the back seat. Fear is a result of faithlessness. It whispers that God might not show up this time, that the unknown is somehow bigger than His plan. But friend, the unknown doesn’t exist to God—He is omniscient , omnipresent , and omnipotent.  There is no surprise waiting around t

Jesus closes Matthew 5 with perhaps His most radical command yet: “Love your enemies.”  Not just tolerate them. Not just avoid them. Love them. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. Why? Because that’s what our Father does. The sun rises on the righteous and the unrighteous. The rain falls on both the good and the evil. God’s love is not limited to those who deserve it — and neither should ours be. The truth is, anyone can love people who love them back.

The Matter of the Heart The Pharisees thought they were righteous because they never killed anyone or committed adultery. But Jesus reminds us that anger is the seed of murder, and lust is the seed of adultery. Sin begins in the thoughts we entertain and the attitudes we hold long before it shows up in our actions. That’s why reconciliation is so important. Jesus said if we come to worship but know there’s brokenness between us and someone else, we need to seek peace first. G

Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17) For many people then—and many today—the idea of “law” feels like a burden. But Jesus makes it clear: He didn’t come to throw away God’s Word. He came to bring it to its fullness. Every promise, every prophecy, every command finds its meaning in Him. The Pharisees thought righteousness was about keeping rules. Jesus shows us it’s about keeping our

In Romans 5:18–21, Paul draws a powerful comparison between Adam and Christ. Through Adam’s one act of disobedience, sin entered the world, and condemnation spread to all. But through Christ’s one act of righteousness—the cross—grace and justification are offered to all who believe. Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. I stand thankful for that truth every single day!! This is the heart of the gospel. We don’t have to stay under the weight of guilt and failure. No ma