Category: From The Desk of Pastor Gene

  You’ve likely heard, many times for that matter, that gospel means “good news.” In short, the gospel, or good news, is the message of God’s saving work in Christ. RO 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew...

“So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,”  Eph 2:19 (HCSB) What It Means To Be A Member The difference between “attenders” and “members” can be summed up in one word: COMMITMENT Heartland Church recognizes the need for a formal membership. We ask you to commit to...

Cherry on Top Cheri and I enjoy spending time with our grandchildren. The moments are precious. The experience is always fresh, energetic and adventurous. On one such occasion, we took the 5 eldest of the grandchildren to Peachwave in the Omaha area to get ice cream. The way the system works is you choose the...

The 10 things we need to know about love from 1 John How much do you think you know about love? How would you define love? Do you consistently show love in your relationships? Are you available to demonstrate God’s love toward others? Let’s dive into a discussion about love by defining what it is. Why? It...

  It changes our perspective, attitude, thoughts and actions toward one another What changes our perspective, attitude, thoughts and actions toward one another? The fact that we are created in the image of God. GEN 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he...

Moving from Watching to BeingOur culture is full of opportunities to be entertained. For example, we can go to the movie theater and sit and watch from reclining seats. We can sit on the couch and watch a favorite show on television. We can even watch movies on an iPad or our favorite smartphone in...

Make Your Move It was always my goal to be a present and involved father even though a career in the Air Force made it a challenge. As a result, I coached a number of my sons’ teams when they were in elementary school and I was mostly present otherwise. That is, like I said, if...

Make Your Mark Some of us make our mark in business. A handful of us in the arts and sciences. Others of us in sports. Still others in politics. But marks also come in other forms and by other means. For example, some of us are marked or scarred for life due to an accident or...

The Church Gathers Together I was driving to the office one morning earlier in the week deep in thought but sort of listening to a Christian radio station. I wasn’t listening in a focused way because my mind was full. However, as the station hosts began inviting people to call in and give their opinions about...

  Turning the World Upside Down Every year we settle on a theme that is connected to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). But why do we have an annual theme? Why do we have t-shirts made with the annual theme printed on them? Why do I preach a sermon on the annual theme the first Sunday...