Welcome to Pastor Brad’s Blog. Pastor Brad typically writes about his thoughts stemming from his daily prayer time, which is guided by the book, A Guide to Prayer for Minister’ and Other Servants. This is one of Pastor Brad’s recommended books. If you’d like to get more information about this and other books Pastor Brad recommends, please click here.

Your Christian Identity and Politics

January 19, 2016
Brad Barton
Crosswords Article

Disclaimer: If, by this title, you are expecting that I’m going to tell you who to vote for or even what to think about specific issues, please know that I will do neither. If, as you read this, you feel like I’m telling you who to vote for or what to think about a specific […]

Sunday at Seven – What it Is

Our new worship service – Sunday at Seven, began last night. The worship service was small and intimate, as expected. Maybe that will continue to be the case, maybe not. We’re still trying to determine whether or not “small” ad “intimate” are necessary components of the Sunday at Seven worship experience. However, if you’re looking […]

Sunday at Seven – A New Worship Service

January 3, 2016
Brad Barton
Uncategorized

Sunday at 7 begins tonight! If you are looking for a place to worship, then come join us! 1326 N. 1st St. (Off of first, across from Sherwood Park) There is a big parking lot…..there will be a welcome sign at the door! 7:00 PM (We’re keeping it under an hour) We’re keeping it simple. […]

Is there wisdom in knowing our days on this earth are limited? If so, what is it?

I was reading Psalm 90 this morning and found a curious verse: “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” – Psalm 90:12 I suppose you could read it many ways, but, to me, it suggests that there’s wisdom that comes from knowing our days on earth are limited. […]

Of What Does Your Life Consist?

Of what does your life consist? Sounds like a strange question, doesn’t it? But I was reminded of it while reading Jesus’ words to a crowd in Luke’s gospel today: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). I […]

“There was a city with few people in it…”

There’s an interesting story tucked away in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, a story the author claims to have “seen”. It goes like this: “There was a little city with few people in it. A great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. Now there was found in it […]

Do Christians Have to Follow The Old Testament Commandments?

Do we, Christians, have to follow the commandments of the Old Testament, like the Ten Commandments? This is a question that I get asked regularly as a minister. It’s a question that I ask myself regularly when I read the scriptures, particularly the gospels. On the one hand, we find a young man who asks […]

Why do Christians Worship on Sunday Instead of Saturday?

August 27, 2015
Brad Barton
Sabbath

Why do you suppose Christians chose Sunday to be their “Sabbath” instead of Saturday? This question was brought up in my morning Bible study yesterday, and we discussed it for a while (until I became too ill to continue the discussion – sorry everyone.) Anyway, I was so fascinated by the question and the resulting […]

Can We Really Be the Determiners of Who Gets Into The Kingdom of Heaven?

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 23:13 It’s easy to point the finger at others and point out how they are like the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. But, I wonder, is there anything we do, anything I do, that “locks people […]

Provoke to Love and Good Deeds?

Have you ever provoked someone? Has anyone ever provoked you? Do you think of provocation as a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve tended to think of provocation as a bad thing. I even looked up the definition of the word “provoke” and found, “stimulate or incite (someone) to […]