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Christians raising their hands in praise and worship at a night music concert

It’s one thing to join a church. It’s another thing to become the church.During our New Year’s Eve service, we shared in a foot-washing ceremony—simple, quiet, and deeply meaningful. As several stepped forward to kneel and serve, others chose to remain seated. No judgment. Just an observation that stirred a familiar truth in my heart.Years ago, the Marine Corps taught me something that’s stayed with me for life. You can join many things—but some things, you don’t just join… you become.Following Jesus is like that.Becoming means humility. It means service. It means being willing to kneel—not for show, not for applause, but out of love. Sometimes it means washing another’s feet. Sometimes it means allowing someone else to wash yours.The church doesn’t grow by watching—it grows by kneeling, because Jesus didn’t wash feet to make a point; He washed them to make disciples.May we never settle for attendance when Jesus is calling us to transformation.

To Be the Church

Auld Lang Syne: Remembered, Redeemed, and EntrustedAs the final hours of 2025 slip away, we find ourselves doing what humans have always done at the turning of time: remembering. Auld Lang Syne asks an ancient question:“Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?”The song is not really about forgetting—it is about honoring. It is a confession that the past mattered. That the people we were, the roads we walked, the joys and the griefs, were not meaningless. We sing it because memory is holy ground.Scripture echoes this instinct. Over and over, God’s people are told to remember—not to dwell in regret, but to recognize God’s faithfulness woven through time.“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 46:9)Yet remembrance in the Christian life is never nostalgia alone. It is remembrance with redemption.Some of what we remember from this year is sweet—moments of laughter, healing, growth, and grace. Some of it is heavy—losses, disappointments, fears, prayers that still feel unanswered. We do not pretend those things didn’t happen. God does not ask us to forget them. He asks us to bring them to Him.“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)As the year closes, Scripture also gently reminds us that remembering does not mean remaining.“Forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13–14)This forgetting is not erasure—it is release. It is choosing not to be bound by what has already passed. It is trusting that God is not finished writing the story.And so, like the song itself, we lift a figurative cup—a cup of kindness—not just toward one another, but toward God. Gratitude for what was. Mercy for what was hard. Hope for what is coming.“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22–23)As midnight approaches, we stand at the threshold of time. Behind us: a year fully lived. Ahead of us: a year fully unknown. And in this sacred in-between, God meets us—not rushing us forward, not shaming us for what’s past, but inviting us to trust Him again.So we remember. We release. We entrust.And we step into the new year hand in hand—not only with old acquaintances, but with the God who has been faithful through every single one of our days.Amen.

Auld Lang Syne: Remembered, Redeemed, and Entrusted

Christian Bible Study Concepts. Christian friend's groups read and study the bible together in a home with window light. followers are studying the word of God in churches.

A Pastoral Word to the Hurting&nbsp; If you are walking through illness, loss, or unanswered prayers, hear this clearly: your suffering is not a verdict on your faith, and your pain is not proof that God has failed you. The Lord does not measure His love for you by outcomes, nor does He withdraw His presence in seasons of weakness.Scripture reminds us that God draws near to the brokenhearted and remains faithful even when the road is long and hard. You are not abandoned, you are not being punished, and you are not a disappointment to God. In Christ, you are held—securely and eternally—by grace, not by the strength of your faith, but by the faithfulness of God.We are here for you—not as a replacement for God, but as a living witness to His care. Our presence is a reminder of a deeper spiritual reality: God loves you, God sees you, God hears your prayers, and He has not forsaken you.In His love, ray

A Pastoral Word to the Hurting

Ministry glass skyscraper with mirrored sky 3d illustration

Ministry Statement on False Teaching and Pastoral Care One of the most painful parts of pastoral ministry is helping people recover from teaching that promised much but delivered spiritual harm.I have seen—personally and pastorally—the damage caused by false doctrine that treats faith as a transaction and suffering as a personal failure. These teachings have impacted my own family and have left many believers in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care carrying unnecessary guilt, shame, and confusion.Some are led to believe that unanswered prayers or declining health are evidence of weak faith. Others are left disappointed in God Himself, because what they were promised was never rooted in Scripture. In both cases, the result is the same: wounded believers who feel abandoned—by themselves, by the church, or by God.This is not biblical Christianity.The gospel does not teach that faith guarantees health, wealth, or ease. It teaches that God is faithful, present, and sovereign—especially in suffering. Scripture never places the burden of illness or hardship on the believer’s faith, nor does it portray God as a vending machine for human desires.Part of our calling is not only to teach truth, but to help people unlearn error—to gently remove distorted images of God and replace them with the God revealed in Scripture: compassionate, holy, near to the brokenhearted, and trustworthy in every season of life.We are committed to shepherding people back to a faith grounded in truth, sustained by grace, and anchored in the unchanging character of God—not in promises He never made.In His love, ray &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Ministry Statement on False Teaching and Pastoral Care

Daily Devotion: Cultivating a Spirit-Governed Mind Have you ever noticed how a single anxious thought can seize the entire day? Perhaps you wake with a sense of calm, only to have a solitary what-if—about finances, relationships, or an upcoming challenge—suddenly intrude. By noon, it can feel as though you’ve fought a dozen battles without ever leaving your own mind, weariness settling in from conflicts waged in silence.“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6Paul described this as a mind “governed by the flesh,” a state as fruitless as trying to cultivate roses in desert sand. When you hand over the garden gate of your mind to God’s Spirit, the transformation is profound. The Spirit uproots the lies that have taken root, waters the seeds of truth, and gently cultivates an inner peace where anxiety once ran wild. The circumstances of your day may remain unchanged, but the inner climate—your spiritual atmosphere—begins to blossom with hope, security, and calm.This isn’t about forcing artificial positivity or pretending struggles don’t exist. It’s about surrender—a quiet, heartfelt yielding each time worry knocks. Whisper a simple prayer: “Spirit, tend my mind.” Perfection isn’t required; only a heart willing to be cultivated by the Master Gardener. In His care, the tangled weeds of fear are pulled, truth is sown, and the strong roots of life and peace begin to flourish. With time, anxious vines lose their hold, and God’s presence becomes the defining feature of your mental landscape.Today, open every gate of your mind to His Spirit. Invite Him into the barren places, and watch as He transforms every wasteland into vibrant beauty. The journey begins with surrender—and ends with the peace only He can bring.Walk in faith, rest in grace, and trust the One who walks beside you.In His love and grace, ray mileur“Helping believers walk closer to Jesus, one day at a time.” www.raymileurministries.com &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cultivating a Spirit-Governed Mind

Daily Devotional - "When the Preacher Becomes the Hero" - “He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30 (ESV)&nbsp; There’s a subtle shift that can happen in churches—quiet enough that most people can’t name it, but heavy enough that they feel it.The preaching is polished. The stories are powerful. The personality fills the room.And somewhere along the way, without anyone announcing it, the preacher becomes the hero of the story.It rarely starts with bad intentions. Most of the time, it grows out of gifted communication, compelling testimony, or a leader who genuinely loves people. But when sermons slowly drift from what Christ has done to what the preacher has done, something sacred is misplaced.The gospel doesn’t need a main character upgrade.When sermons consistently circle back to personal success, personal struggle, personal insight, or personal authority—Jesus may still be mentioned, but He’s no longer central. He becomes supporting cast instead of the cornerstone.And the congregation feels it.They may not be able to explain it theologically, but they sense the imbalance. Worship feels more like admiration. Discipleship feels more like imitation of a man than surrender to Christ. Faith subtly shifts from dependence on Jesus to confidence in leadership charisma.John the Baptist gives us the corrective with just seven words: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”That’s the dividing line.Faithful preaching doesn’t point people to how impressive the messenger is—it points them to how sufficient the Savior is. It doesn’t leave people talking about the preacher in the parking lot; it leaves them grappling with Christ on the drive home.If Jesus isn’t the hero, something’s off—even if everything sounds right. “Walk in faith, rest in grace, and trust the One who walks beside you."In His love and grace, ray mileur ‘Helping believers walk closer to Jesus, one day at a time.’ www.raymileurministries.com ” &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;