Our wisteria vine has finally bloomed this year. The first year I put this plant in the ground (2024) it seemed to grow very little. Last year the vines started to grow up to and around the railings on the deck, but still no flowers. I had to help them attach by tying them to the railings and I spread the vines out in a pattern that would cover the most space. This spring the cone shaped flower clusters started to open up. I am really enjoying them, their beauty assure

Lord willing, we are traveling and serving in Brazil from July 10-19th. A team from Calvary will be a part of the Living Water English Immersion 2026 We will be providing much needed volunteer assistance in the annual one week English Immersion Program held at New Hope Bible Training Center (NHBTC) in Pacoti, northeastern Brazil. We were invited to come by David and Connie Johnson who are missionaries with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission. They are missionaries that Cal

75th National Day of Prayer Celebration 5/7/26 in Pekin Illinois A time of challenge, worship and prayer was held at Reach Point Church last evening. Many from our church were thrilled to participate. Below is a prayer highlighted in the brochure distributed by the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Almighty God, King of Glory, we confess our sins and repent of our pride that sought our own glory and comfort, allowing evil to take root instead of Your fruit in our hearts,

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his" (Hebrews 4:9,10). Rest or sleep can be one of those elusive commodities. Some nights are just not restful. You wake up exhausted. Maybe you can attribute it to that late night cup of coffee, or the argument you had with a co-worker or the anxiousness you carry about an unfinished and troublesome project. Hebrews 4 is not actua

Our group at RHMA conference evening service held at Grace Church in Morton For the past three years Robin and I have had the privilege to be a part of this conference designed to encourage Pastors and their wives. Over 300 people registered from 27 states this year! The President of Dallas Theological Seminary spoke in each of the evening sessions. His primary text for Monday night was 2 Timothy 3:16,17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

What's around the next bend in the road? We don't get to know that do we? If life has brought to you numerous challenges, you may have already learned and practiced too often what may be a faith compromising response? Is your faith being challenged with great uncertainties over what is coming next? Is your focus on the circumstance or a belief in an all powerful God? Is the circumstance over shadowing your ability to trust God? This is the wrong perspective! Your focus

As you walk out into your new day, how do you prepare yourself? Maybe a cup of "joe" to start? But what keeps your mind and heart at peace, come what may? We will discuss the logos of God on Sunday, so for a few moments let me pass on a few insights from my preparations. Logos, which is translated most often as "the word," or "a body of truth or communication." His Word is a living anchor and Jesus, as a person, is still today an eternal life giving Spirit (I Corinthians

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32 TAKE TIME THIS AFTERNOON TO BE STILL AND MEDITATE ON JESUS SACRIFICE FROM 4-6 IN THE SANCTUARY. WE WILL HAVE SOME DEVOTIONAL AIDS TO HELP YOU. In John 12, Jesus is speaking about the kind of death that was in his future. His death would be on a cross. We take time on this Good Friday to honor his sacrifice for us all. The prophet Isaiah predicted specific circumstances that would b

It's Palm Sunday in two days, and we remember that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as a sign of His mission of service. This event was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah in chapter 9, and verse 9: Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Some interesting facts about Zechariah. His words and the prophet Haggai's shook the Jewish peopl

"... as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head" Mark 14:3 A very precious story of worship and anointing of the body of Jesus is shared with us in Mark 14. This took place just a few days before his crucifixion. This chapter shows how controversial Jesus was. Reactions to Jesus and his visible demonstrations that he was the Messiah were met with anger, o

Could a morning devotion be a breath of fresh air? In this Sunday's message we are looking at a passage that calls every Christian to never dismiss the divine power of scripture to speak powerful to us exactly when we need God's voice. 2 Timothy 3:16: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. If you regularly start your day with time in God's Word, he can infuse you or breathe into a difficult situation

A powerful thunderstorm rolled through our area as I wrote this. There are a variety of forces at work in our world. Sometimes we witness the volatility of a changing stock market. Sometimes the up and down emotions of a teenager reek havoc on our tranquil home life. Change and uncertainty can rob us of God's peace. Some have said nothing enters in our purview without the challenge filtering first through the fingers of God. A passage from the Gospel of John has long be

Do you need a warm up on that coffee? My mom loves her warm coffee, but she drinks it very slowly. She is often saying to me, "That hits the spot!" But after her third or fourth bite of her egg and the same of her toast, the cup is not even a third finished. And guess what she asks, "Can you stick this in the microwave for me?" It's no problem. The microwave is 15 feet from the dining room table! We might repeat the process a couple times during a more leisurely meal

11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:11 Never ever walk through your week alone. Our God sees us and delights to show himself strong on our behalf. We will start our service this Sunday with Psalm 46. I have copied the Psalm below for your encouragement. 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 tho

An on time God who brings us a message of hope, correction and instruction The times we live in can be confusing. People proclaiming emphatically that know exactly what you need. And sometimes they may just be right. But as believers who have been rescued from a sin corrupted future, we have been granted access to the counsel of God. Life will confound us at times and new obstacles (sickness, financial struggles, damaged relationships, bad news) occupy our minds and can

"The decrees of the Lord are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb," according to King David in Psalm 19. It is hard to find anything that tastes sweeter than fresh honey straight from the honeycomb. God's decrees should be viewed as a sweet and special infusion to our souls. They have the power to do a work that is transformative and satisfying at a very personal and deep level. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul declares that even opponents of the gospel message can be gen

My grandpa had a couple of sheds and one of them I was told not to ever enter. That instruction sure made me curious! I am not a 100% sure on this, but I believe the reason I was asked to stay out is that he stored some of his sharpest knives there. He used them to butcher his livestock. This particular shed also doubled as a smoke house for the hogs that he would cure. The first time I saw that hog hanging from the rafters in this small space, I could not believe how big

Prayer, a privilege of great value, that challenges us to ask our loving God for even more. Jim Cymbala, “When I stand before the judgment seat of Christ, he is not going to ask me if I was a clever orator. He is not going to ask me how many books I wrote. He is only going to ask me whether I continued in the line of men and women, starting way back in the time of Adam’s grandchildren (Gen. 4:26), who led others to call on the name of the Lord.” Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire p

The one who began a good work in you will complete it (Philippians 1:6). When God begins his work in us, it is His Holy Spirit that takes up residence in our heart. John the apostle in his gospel likens this creative power in us to a spring of living water. John 7: 37-39: "... Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By thi

What are you building? Are you looking to add to your schedule the practice and study of a discipline which you want to pursue in the new year? Peter, in his second letter, calls believers to build up their faith by adding virtuous practices. 2 Peter 2 : 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godlines