Whispering Pines Church

Why is it so hard to soften a hardened heart? This is one of the big questions that the prophet Amos explores in his book. The people of God – people who have access to God, His Word, a history of His actions and benevolence – are hard of heart. What will change them? Most people do not want to face their failure. We see that to be true at all ages. But the people of God (outside of a small remnant), had failed. As Amos 2 describes, they were “selling the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals.” This was the people of God. They didn’t resemble Him, didn’t act mercifully as He does. What does God do with a hardened heart? How can He move us beyond complacency? Join us this Sunday as we continue our survey of the prophets! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Kevin and Trina Mayfield will be with us this coming Sunday - both in Sunday School and in the morning service. They have been involved in missions full time for over 40 years. The majority of that time they were church planters in Ecuador, SA, where they helped establish 5 national, autonomous churches, a camp ministry, and a couple of Bible Institutes. In 2021, they became Area Leaders for Biblical Ministries Worldwide. They oversee the missionaries in 7 countries - Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Uruguay and Argentina. In Sunday school, they will be sharing more about their church planting in Ecuador, and in the morning service, they will be explaining their roles as Area Leaders, along with preaching the Word of God. Please join us to hear from missionaries that we support!

Repentance is a word that I’m confident we’re all familiar with. We associate it with confession, owning up to sin, asking for forgiveness. The prophet Joel speaks to a nation that has a lot of repenting to do – but it seems to have forgotten how. Joel uses one word to communicate what repentance to God ought to look like – Lamentation. Lament is the process of coming to understand our sin. It is an understanding that our relationship with God – and others – has been impacted. Lament is not, “I sinned.” Lament looks like, “How did I sin?” or “What did my sin do to other people?” Joel communicates to us the sort of person God is looking for in relationship. One willing to be honest, thoughtful, considerate, and courageous enough to return to God with empty and open hands. Join us this Sunday as we continue our journey with the prophets! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Join us as we begin a new series – a survey of the Old Testament prophets. The prophets are some of the most interesting figures in the Biblical text. They lived under grueling and disillusioning circumstances – yet spoke with a powerful mix of courage and compassion to a people who often rejected what they had to say. They were the very messengers of God – tasked with calling the people of God to return to Him. This week we’ll be introducing the prophets, and we’ll take a look at the first of the prophets we’ll be covering in this series, Jonah. Jonah is unique as a prophet in a number of ways; sent to a foreign nation, a reluctant prophet, on the run from God, seemingly at odds with God. You know the Sunday School version of this story. But who was Jonah? What was his mission? And did he accomplish it? Join us as we begin this exciting journey through the prophets together! -Pastor Nate Roschen

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” – James 4:14b One of the dangers of leading lives that are so often influenced by the hustle and bustle of day-to-day necessities is that we can fail to look at the big picture. James demands of us, “What is your life?” What is the direction of it? What are you chasing? What are you after? Jesus tells us in John 14:6, definitively, that He is The Life. He is not one path of many, one good option, a potential source. He is the life. He’s talking about worth. He’s declaring Himself to be sufficient, enough – satisfying. Join us this Sunday as we explore Jesus’ claims in John 14:6! -Pastor Nate Roschen

In addition to claiming to be “The Way,” Jesus also claimed to be “The Truth.” As with all three claims that Jesus makes in John 14:6, this claim is definitive. Jesus is not merely claiming to know truth or have access to truth, but to in a sense, “be” truth. Psalm 85:10 is a helpful verse to understand what is meant by this. It tells us that in God, “Kindness and truth have met. Righteousness and peace have embraced.” God is both love AND truth. God has authority, in effect, He “lays down the law.” Come and join us this Sunday as we explore the fullness of Jesus’ claim to be “truth.” -Pastor Nate Roschen

This Sunday we will explore how Matthew came to see Jesus’ ministry as the fulfillment of the words of the prophets. Jesus’ message is a light in dark places but maybe not in the way wed expect.” -Daniel Martinez

As we make the turn into the New Year and prepare to study the prophets of the Old Testament this Spring, I find it important to make a pit-stop at the foundational teachings of Jesus. In John 14, Jesus is comforting His disciples as He prepares them for His crucifixion and death. Thomas, ever curious, asks of Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6 Join us this week, and for the next several weeks, as we take a look at this foundational teaching of Jesus – that He is indeed the way, the truth, and the life. What do these comparisons mean? What is Jesus getting at? And how can these teachings change our understanding of Christ and His mission? -Pastor Nate Roschen

Please join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. In this intimate service, we will reflect on the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. The birth of Christ was good news, not just for the powerful, but “for all people.” Join us as we celebrate this great and glorious gift of God.

“What should I return to the Lord for all His goodness to me?” -Psalm 116:12 When we receive a gift from someone who loves us, our response should always be the same. We long to return the favor. To give as we have been given. The ultimate response from followers of Christ to what God has done at Christmas is to look to give back. Obviously, God has no need of anything we have to give. What do we have to give? This is the plight of the little drummer boy – the classic Christmas song. “I have no gift to bring – that’s fit to give our king.” So, what can we do? How should we respond? Thankfully, Scripture speaks to this. As we prepare Him room, join us as we explore Isaiah 53 and Psalm 116 to find our obedient response. -Pastor Nate Roschen

As we wait in expectation, asking God to do what only God can do – we are not removed or separate from what God is doing at Christmas. God desires us, draws us, to change. Those who witnessed the birth of Christ, the shepherds, the wise men – they were never the same again. As witnesses of God in this world – we see His great love, His forgiveness, His mercy – we also, can never be the same again. Those who are forgiven will also forgive. Those who have been shown mercy will also show mercy. This is not accomplished through intellectual enlightenment, or the “magic of Christmas” – it’s accomplished by God. Join us this Sunday as we explore how the coming of Emmanuel changes us as we explore Psalm 51 and the book of Malachi together. Come and prepare Him room! -Pastor Nate Roschen

As we prepare room for God in our lives, we move from expectation to request. Scripture is full of instances where people cried out to God because of their great needs. This week we’ll explore several texts where people voiced their requests to God as they awaited a Messiah. When do we ask of God? In the worst of times? When we’ve exhausted all other options? Or do we live in relationship with God to the point where our communion with Him is full of divine push and pull, request and deliverance? Join us this Sunday as we look to Isaiah and the Psalmist in preparation for Christmas. -Pastor Nate Roschen

This year our theme for advent will be, “Prepare Him Room.” Of course, this line is taken from the ever-popular song, “Joy to the World!” “Joy to the world the Lord is come Let earth receive her king Let every heart prepare Him room…“ What does it mean to prepare Him room? This concept comes to us from Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, where he was born in a stable and laid in a manger because there simply was not room enough for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus at the inn. But this concept has been taken to describe the necessary preparations and decisions involved with making room for Christ in our lives. What will this look like? Each week of advent we will be looking at one aspect of this. We must expect, ask, change, and give. Join us this first week as we see what Scripture has to say about expectation and what it means to look to God in expectant hope – desiring His intimate presence among us. -Pastor Nate Roschen

Here in this concluding section of his letter to the Philippians, Paul does all that he can to propel this little church forward. By his talk and by his walk, Paul has shown that we can have joy in the midst of suffering and trials. For those who have been compelled by Christ, it is our pleasure, our most sincere desire – to follow after Christ in joy. As we wrap up this letter and spend some time summarizing what we ought to take away from this four-chapter book, we will reflect on the picture that Paul has painted for us. Paul envisions a Christ follower who is not merely comforted by being non-anxious, but who is missional in their non-anxiousness. The life we are called to lead is certainly a blessing for us – it is the best possible life! But it is also a blessing for others – a witness to Christ and His goodness! Join us this Sunday for the conclusion of Philippians! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Please join us this Sunday for our Community Thanksgiving Service! We will begin with a time of worship, prayer, and reflection on God’s Word, and then enjoy a time of food and fellowship together. This Sunday, we will be taking a look at what Scripture tells us about choosing to have a grateful heart. What is at the core of thankfulness? What allows for joy and growth in difficult seasons? Join us as we see a consistent message throughout Scripture of how God uses restlessness, frustration, disappointment and doubt to grow us in compassion and grace. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:12-13

In this passage of Philippians from the middle of chapter three to the middle of chapter four, Paul describes in plain language the motivation and behavior of those who claim citizenship in heaven, and those who “live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” Paul speaks boldly about what we need to look out for, but then turns to address our own behavior. What we are called to in this passage is, in a word, attractive. With the Spirit of God’s help – we can live a life defined by some vital words: safe, glorious, thankful, gentle, free from anxiety, peaceful, mindful. I am confident that we would all agree that more people, defined by these terms, are needed in our world. Join us this Sunday as Paul describes what a life following after Christ ought to look like, and how to get there! -Pastor Nate Roschen

The first half of Philippians chapter 3 highlights a couple of important ideas. The first is that nothing that nothing about us – what we have, what we do, and what other people say about us – is worth having confidence in. Paul, of all the Jews of his time, had reason to be confident in who he was. He was highly educated, well-respected, from the best tribe and family. But none of that counted for anything eternally. The second thought shared in this passage is that Paul – wise, educated, experienced Paul – still wanted to know God more. His desire to know God truly and intimately never waned. He wanted more of God. And if that is true of Paul, what does it say of us? Join us as we continue making our way through Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi! -Pastor Nate Roschen

As human beings we are often drawn to formulas. What is the best recipe for a good chili? What is the formula for the perfect day off? What is the best way to raise a child? How many books have been sold: recipe books, self-help books, etc. that are meant to teach us these formulas? But life is often more complex than that. There is not often one formula that will solve the problem for us. And the same thing is true of the church. There is no one, singular, formula. Every church needs to navigate their given cultural context. You can’t copy and paste a church model that works in one geographic area to another and expect the same results. This is part of why Paul writes his epistles uniquely each time. Different churches have had different struggles, and different gifts. But at the end of Philippians chapter 2, we find some guidance that is useful anywhere and everywhere. Paul wants the church to “shine…like stars in the sky.” Join us this week as we explore both the “how” and the “why” of this encouragemen

This week, in one of the most familiar passages of the book of Philippians, Paul makes a further plea for the Christians of Philippi to concern themselves with their witness to the world. The beginning of Philippians two is one of the strongest arguments for humility and a gospel-centered life found within Scripture, and this week we’ll dive into the context of this passage. Paul does not base his plea on a good business strategy or the latest research. He bases his ask on the person of Jesus Christ. This might sound like a big commitment, an impossible task… But if our target must be Christ. As Christians we commit ourselves to follow after Christ, not Paul or Apollos, or any other human figure. Join us as we examine Paul’s words here, and apply them to our lives. -Pastor Nate Roschen

This week, as we move beyond Paul’s introduction to the Philippians, we come to the main portion of his letter. The first century, while certainly different from our own time, left Christians facing many of the same challenges that we do today. There were so many potential battles to be fought, causes to stand for or against, issues to be raised among people who genuinely wanted to follow Christ as nearly as they could. But for Paul, as we’ll see, it was all about witness. Everything was an opportunity. Every challenge was another chance for the Christian to respond in such a way that Christ would be made known. The important thing was to ensure that “In every way… Christ is preached”! Join us this Sunday as we explore this letter together! -Pastor Nate Roschen