By: Pastor Tom Stein “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7     Alas, here are three of my least favorite intersections in Beaver County:      > Five Points in Hopewell.  Confusing and long lights.      > Shenango and Darlington roads in Chippewa.  Too many cars […]

By: Pastor Tom Stein CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 So I am driving along the always-adventurous Brodhead Road.  It’s busy, and this road has all sorts of people doing all manner of things, so I am sticking close […]

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  2 Corinthians 5:18-19  New International Version (NIV) A clergy colleague […]

Irony:  ˈī-rə-nē : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result. I have come to believe that one of the most useful characteristics a person can have for seeing the work of God in this world is an appreciation of irony. Something is “ironic” when what occurs […]

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Psalm 133:1 I got it!  If you faithfully read my contributions, you will recall that I had a great idea for last month’s column, then couldn’t find my source.  Now I have it. It’s called “On Controversy” by John Newton.  He wrote “Amazing […]

On Confession Confession. It is something we do every week in worship. And, if you have a perceptive spouse, you do it a lot more often than that. But let’s face it. Confession as the Bible speaks of it is more than getting caught and feeling sorry for it. It is also more than remembering […]

REMEMBER! “Remember the wondrous works that he has done…” Psalm 105:5 This was going to be a brilliant contribution to Your Beaver County. I read a good article on Facebook earlier this week, and I decided to adapt it for your benefit. Now I can’t find it — on Facebook or anywhere else. I can’t […]

The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘And in this place I will grant peace.’ Haggai 2:9   You’ve probably not given much thought to the prophecy of Haggai in the Old Testament.  Haggai is a brief book, a series in fact […]

Easter 2017:  I Corinthians 15 Resurrection and our Faith—A Word to Those Who Don’t Believe If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ himself has not been raised.  I Corinthians 15:13 NIV I Corinthians chapter 15 the apostle Paul presents the signature argument for, or against, Christianity, in the entire Bible, and probably […]

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and Christ is in all.  Colossians 3:11   Racial tension is NOT a new subject for America.  We have battled race issues from our inception.  Our history with everyone from Native American to Irish, African-American to […]

On Doing the “Right” Thing. I was listening (quite against my will, mind you) to my daughter’s music. One song spoke of obeying God and avoiding Satan because, “everything he says is a lie.” Good practice (after all, I do want her to obey God and avoid Satan), but not necessarily good theology. Unfortunately, much […]

“I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” Ephesians 4:1 Every now and then, I run across one of the magazines that describe all the great things I can do in Beaver County in the months to come. It […]

Late winter is typically the time of year for our entertainment award ceremonies: the Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar awards are only three of many extravaganzas which not only reward artists for excellence, they also draw attention to movies, books,  television shows and music that leaders in their respective fields consider to be worthwhile. As followers […]

Some Gospels don’t require much explanation on the surface, often times the words of Our Lord are enough and it’s the job of the homilist to help find the deeper meaning.  That’s not today.  This Gospel, needs explanation, some exegesis or bible study if you will.  Let’s set the stage.  We are still in Matthew […]

THE UNCHANGING GOD   “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8   As I write, I am finishing a morning of work in my home office.  Through the window above me, I have seen a sky that has been clear, cloudy, snowy, cloudy, and clear — more than once.  I […]