How to fulfill our church mission and have fun at the same time
For a good way to fulfill our church mission and have fun at the same time, keep reading… According to the mission statement we adopted a year ago and are still growing into, PCF exists ‘to be a Jesus-centered community in Pepperell, speaking gospel words and doing gospel works to display... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Sep 1 | 2 Comments
Praise God, Annie's home
Annie is home! Emma and Annie came home from Southern New Hampshire Hospital this morning. It appears that Annie had a virus and that’s what caused the high fever. She no longer has the fever and is fine except for the remaining effects of the antibiotics (not pleasant). Emma and... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 31 | 4 Comments
The latest on Annie (and five keys to good hospital visits)
Here’s the latest on Annie…we’re thankful that the cultures have all yielded good news so far. They haven’t found meningitis or other nasty stuff. They will keep Annie in the hospital overnight again tonight (Monday) because it is standard procedure to keep the infant for observation for 48 hours after... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 30 | 2 Comments
God spoke to Emma and me last night
Last night God spoke to Emma and me. He spoke very clearly and powerfully, and I want to praise him publicly for speaking to us the way he did. In the late evening, Annie felt hot. We took her temperature two different ways and both were high – high enough... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 29 | 6 Comments
One who died well
I preached last Sunday on Matthew 21.18-22 and I spent a good deal of time trying to help us see that the prosperity gospel preachers have badlymisinterpreted these verses. They claim that this is the only way to pray, when it clearly is not – Jesus prays a different way... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 28 | 0 Comments
An answer to Dale Gamble
I’m encouraged by the way folks are grappling with the hard sayings of Jesus we’re discussing in our current sermon series. Dale Gamble left a comment/question on my blog this morning and I figured it might be helpful for others to read over my shoulder as I respond. Thanks, Dale,... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 23 | 1 Comments
Battling fear and anxiety
Are you ever anxious or afraid? Of course you are, at least sometimes. I don’t know anyone who’s not. Beginning September 12, Rob Stote and I will lead a seven-week adult Sunday morning class on fear and anxiety. The class will be based on Ed Welch’s new book When I... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 15 | 0 Comments
So, who’s right about the body, Socrates or the Apostle Paul?
Is the body a hindrance to spiritual pursuits, an unseemly thing to be happily discarded when all is said and done? Or is it something that can be used for God in the present and redeemed by God in the future? In Plato’s dialogue Phaedo, Socrates says that the true lover... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Aug 7 | 4 Comments
The 5 hardest sayings of Jesus
Dear PCF, I need your help. In a couple weeks I’m beginning a 5-week sermon series called ‘The 5 hardest sayings of Jesus.’ I’d like you to weigh in and tell me what you think is Jesus’ hardest saying. I will take your responses into account as I choose the five... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 28 | 16 Comments
Will you pass muster at the final judgment?
Here’s one of the most important questions you’ll ever need to answer: when you stand before God on judgment day, what will he say? Where will you turn, what will you say, as he surveys your life and decides on your final, eternal destiny? In his poem ‘Judgement,’ George Herbert gives... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 25 | 1 Comments
Straight Ahead Ministries wins 2010 Hope Award
It’s fantastic to see that Straight Ahead Ministries, which we support as a church, has received a 2010 Hope Award from World Magazine! To read the substantial article in World about Straight Ahead, click here. To see Straight Ahead’s website, click here. May God continue to bless the work of... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 22 | 0 Comments
The once for all Passion, the continuing Compassion
William Penn was a Quaker and the founder of Pennsylvania. I’m reading his book ‘Some Fruits of Solitude’ and finding much of what he says to be profound and helpful. It’s not always entirely easy to understand him because he was living and writing in the 1600-1700’s, but it’s worth... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 19 | 0 Comments
Thanking God for Annie Rose Witmer!
We’re thanking God for the safe birth of our daughter, Annie Rose Witmer, at 12.01 this morning! Annie weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces. She is 20 inches long. According to Psalm 127.3, she is a gift from God to us — and that’s how we’re receiving her. Emma was amazing,... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 12 | 3 Comments
Lest self be intended, while God is pretended
Here’s a terribly indicting but ultimately hope-giving counsel from Richard Baxter concerning our tendency to use God for our own purposes: ‘Our hearts are so selfish and deceitful, naturally, that when we are very solicitous about our reputation, we must carefully watch them lest self be intended, while God is pretended.... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 8 | 0 Comments
Steve Poirier's testimony
‘Testimony – Open declaration or profession.’ That’s what Steve Poirier gave us a couple weeks ago in our Sunday service, as he testified to the greatness of God and the way God drew him to saving faith in Jesus Christ a couple months ago. Many of you were moved to... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 7 | 0 Comments
A God-centered understanding of sin
I want my life and yours to be more and more God-centered. That requires actively cultivating a mind and heart that think and feel in God-centered ways. Toward that end, I’m occasionally preaching sermons on how to become more God-centered in our approach to life (e.g. a God-centered view of... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 5 | 0 Comments
Ministry is not worth it (unless we consider the future)
I was listening to a sermon by D.A. Carson yesterday and was so moved by one paragraph that I actually transcribed it. I’ll include the paragraph below, but here’s my loose (and expanded) paraphrase: Ministry is hard. Really hard. That’s true not just for paid ministers, but for all Christians... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jul 1 | 1 Comments
Jesus has compassion on those who grieve
I was struck a couple days ago by the focus of Jesus’ compassion in Luke 7.11-17. A man in the little village of Nain has died. As Jesus and the ‘great crowd’ with him come near to Nain, they encounter the funeral procession, which itself is a ‘considerable crowd.’ Jesus... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 28 | 0 Comments
The irresistible light
I read something a couple weeks ago that has become a significant part of my thought life and my spiritual life since then. I want it to become even more woven into my thinking and feeling and praying and doing in the months and years ahead. Here’s how I would... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 22 | 1 Comments
Hey, where'd those verses go?
Those following along in our two-year Bible-reading plan will have noticed some missing verses a couple days ago. Mark 16.9-20 may be in your Bible, but they weren’t included on your Bible-reading plan. Why not? Don’t continue to lose valuable sleep over this question. To find out and to finally... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 19 | 0 Comments
Check out this new website
I’m excited to let you know that my friend Kevin Belmonte has just launched a new website: http://www.kevinbelmonte.com. Kevin is the author of William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity (which I recently read and really liked) and a significant number of other books, many of which are just out or... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 15 | 0 Comments
Living ‘for the gospel’
A phrase we’ve been using a lot around PCF is ‘living from the gospel and for the gospel.’ What do we mean by that? Living ‘from the gospel’ means that we approach life, and we do everything we do, as forgiven sinners and children of God. It means that the... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 12 | 0 Comments
Seeing God in the life of Wilberforce
Emma and Samuel and I are back from a great week of vacation. Some good time with my parents in Monson, Maine. Some good time preparing our house for the arrival of a baby girl. Some good time in a little cottage near the ocean in Wareham, MA. And some... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 8 | 0 Comments
Pastor’s Stephen guide to really short and really good books for summer reading
We have a wealth of outstanding new books in our church library in the back of the sanctuary. They are biblical and they are understandable. I realize some folks at PCF aren’t ‘readers’ by nature. So, we’ve purchased some outstanding books that are really good and really short. Here is... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on Jun 3 | 0 Comments
Attention all commuters!
Hey, all you commuters! Do yourself a huge favor and click over to David Fenton’s latest post on the PCF Elders’ Blog. It is a hugely important and helpful post. It will bear massive fruit in your life if you read and heed. I know of at least one other... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on May 26 | 1 Comments
God’s wonder and ours
One of the most insightful pieces I’ve ever read about C.S. Lewis is the biographical essay on Lewis written by John Piper in February 2010. You can access it here. My favorite section of Piper’s talk is the one entitled ‘The Wakening of Wonder at What is Really There.’ Here... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on May 24 | 0 Comments
Take not away Thy Bible
The other day I came across the following remarkable account of John Rogers’ preaching. What a powerful reminder of the importance of reading, treasuring, and obeying the Bible we say we believe in. ‘A great Puritan evangelist, John Rogers, warned his congregation against neglecting Scripture by telling them what God might... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on May 16 | 2 Comments
The trigger and the cause
Where does sin come from? Imagine I asked you, ‘Why did you get so violently angry in traffic during your commute this morning?’ What would you say? Perhaps, ‘Because that guy cut me off in traffic.’ Or perhaps, ‘Because traffic was so bad and I was going to be late... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on May 11 | 0 Comments
Parents: some good resources for you
Parents, are you feeling the need for some help? Perhaps you feel like an inadequate parent and are unsure of who to turn to for aid. The Bible is our authoritative guide in all of life, and it has much to say about godly parenting. I preached on Ephesians 6.1-4... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on May 10 | 0 Comments
Men: some simple ideas on leading your wife into the Scriptures
On Sunday, speaking to the men of PCF from Ephesians 5.25-33, I challenged them to take a simple (but perhaps huge) step in leading their wives: read 1-2 verses of the Bible with your wife each day and then pray with them. This will be very scary for some of... Keep Reading...Posted by Stephen Witmer on May 5 | 0 Comments