The Joy of the Lord is My Strength  Nehemiah 8:10 NLT  And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”   Have you lived through enough New Years to know that making actual, lasting changes is quite difficult? Maybe you’ve tried and failed over a long enough span of time

In His Presence Is the Fullness of Joy Scripture: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” — Psalm 16:11 There is a joy the world cannot give—and cannot take away. Scripture does not say that joy is found in answers, outcomes, or open doors. It does not say joy is found in progress, productivity, or fulfilled promises. It tells us plainly: fullness of joy is found in the presence of God. Not partia

As I sit here attempting to write this devotional, in a loud house full of busyness, I realize God is here.  He is closer than we realize. Sometimes, I get caught up in a religious mindset and think the only  way I can enter in His presence is by getting on my knees in prayer and diving deep into the  Bible. Although those practices are essential in staying close to God, He is also right here- in the  midst of my busyness. He is right there with you as you read this. He is no

God Strong: Strengthened as You Wait  Scripture: Isaiah 40:31 NKJV - “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength…”  Have you ever noticed how hard it is to wait?  Waiting on God is hard. I would be lying if I said that it was easy. But one thing is for sure, every Christian must endure seasons of waiting. There will be moments where we will pray and ask God to fulfill a specific request or a promise but He will challenge you to wait. Today’s reading comes from

We watched a video of several baptisms and testimonies. Each spoke of the powerful changes and public declaration of their love for the Lord. All heaven rejoices when faith meets the water. Pastor issued an invitation to the monthly baptisms.  A new ministry is beginning at Faith Chapel called Set Free Ministry, a 12-week series starting January 20. It is a healing journey for women with past wounds, helping them break free, receive forgiveness and embrace their identity in C

Fasting that Forms  Disciplined for Destiny  One of the things that God is highlighting for His people in 2026 is the understanding of having  discipline in your maturity as a follower of Christ. He is calling His followers to have a deeper  desire to be disciplined in living a life transformed by Him. The greatest evidence of a life being  transformed is not one with a bunch of theological information or vernacular, but one that is  reflecting an internal and external transf

Tools From The Early Church  Wave goodbye to 2025 and, with open arms, embrace 2026! Our church family has always begun  the year with a season of fasting. A sacred way to recalibrate our hearts for what God desires to  do in the year ahead. We call this season Intentional 21.  We chose that name because intentionality is woven into the very DNA of fasting. A fast should  never be something we stumble through casually. That would be counterintuitive. Fasting  requires focus,

The service began with wonderful worship, numerous baptisms, and memorable communion. Several phrases stuck in my head: “Oh how we love you!”; “When faith meets the water”; “Jesus says it and does it.” Then Pastor Josiah introduced the speaker, George Elias, his father, evangelist, and head of the FC Missions’ Committee. As George began sharing, he showed pictures of Pastor Josiah being baptized when we was around ten and when he was ordained. George expressed the joy that he

“What do you bring to the King?” Pastor Josiah asked. He answered, ”a gift of honor simply.” He is worthy of it all! FC’s mission is to culture like Christ, and its vision is Jesus. Last week, Pastor Josiah shared about “The Answer,” Lazarus’ resurrection. This week we learned about the ten, healed lepers in Luke 17.  Jesus had “ reached the border between Galilee and Samaria ” where ten lepers stood at a distance  “ crying out,’ Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ ” Luke 17:11

“ Emanuel ” means “ God with us .“ In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus states, “ I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Then we sang,”There is no one like You in the heavens and on the earth.” The worship time pointed us to the Lord. We might be in an uncommon season of warring, but the battle belongs to the Lord. Pastor Josiah then cited Proverbs 21:31. “ The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory rests with the LORD .” (NIV)  Let us rest in that fact and give each

The boy had two fish and five loaves. Since he lived in Israel, the fives loaves were probably pita bread. He did not have much, but he offered all he had to the Savior. What the Lord Jesus Christ did with the five loaves and two fish was incredible-feeding five thousand men not including women and children. When we give Him what we have, our miracle-making Savior will astound us. When you live generously and give to Jesus, “you write yourself into the story,” declared Pastor

“If my days tell a story, may it be for the honor of your name,” FC sang, and that is how I want my life to count-for the honor of His name. The kids sang, worshipped, and led in prayer. They are the future of the church, and we are so blessed to see the young ones leading us in worship and prayer. Then the NexGen tag team came up beginning with Pastor Tim, who led off the sermon entitled “Identity “with the first section, “Saved.” Pastor Tim reminded us that we have somethin

He was diagnosed with stage four cancer and was not supposed to be able to sing, talk or even recover. He wanted to die. But his wife came into his hospital room and started singing, “Come thou fount of every blessing.” She forgot the rest of the song and instead sang,”You are good, God.” For three hours she declared that fact! Jason David is now cancer free, and his wife Allison and he travel all over the US in an rv sharing in schools, churches, prisons, and juvenile detent

We were blessed by the testimony of Francesca, one of our own at Faith Chapel. Francesca told her story about leaving the world of lesbianism, a powerful story of transformation. Today she is living a life that follows scriptures and honors the Lord. Give God the Glory! Mission: Culture Like Christ Vision: Jesus Pastor Josiah reminded us that our last time together he spoke of finances and stewardship, calling us to be obedient to and trust the Lord. In Luke 16, Jesus was spe

After a powerful worship time led by Pastor Tim and the worship team, Pastor Franklin called on us to press into His presence. His grace empowers us and covers us. As we pray, He heals hearts and lights fires. Thank you, Jesus for the work of the cross, that you alone restore and transform us.  Pastor Josiah introduced Bruce and Becky Grecco, who served at Faith Chapel for many years as worship and administrative Pastors. God did amazing things through their ministry. At this

“ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ” Matthew 7:24 (NIV) “ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV) Joel Munoz shared both verses with us to encourage us to stand on the Rock and receive an unshakeable kingdom. What wonderful en

Powerful worship, several baptisms, and meaningful communion started the first portion of the service. Pastor Josiah introduced Brian Barcelona who shared his testimony.  When he was a sixteen year old, he was an atheist. A friend, Albert, saw Brian at a grocery store. This friend was a Christ follower, and he invited Brian to attend church with him at which Brian said, “No, not this Wednesday.” The friend asked,”What about the next Wednesday?” “No, I do not want to go to chu

“Elohim, Adonai, Rapha, Nissi, Shaddai, Shaddai The name of the Lord is my strong tower The name of the Lord is my hiding place.” We declared the names of the Lord, for He is worthy of praise. What an incredible way to worship the Creator of the Universe who loves each of us and wants that none should perish. Joel Munoz then shared verses from Isaiah 43, ” Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you  by name; you are mine .” 43:1b (NIV) “ Do not be afraid, for I

“Come behold Him, Jesus,” we sang. As we worshipped the Lord, He impressed on me that we need to lean into Him not on our circumstances. We need to learn from Peter, who when he kept his eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, walked on the water, but when Peter looked at the choppy waves, he sank. We need to keep our eyes, hearts, minds, and souls on the living Lord. Pastor Josiah then reminded us that our mission is to culture like Christ, and our vision is Jesus. The last week he s

“Remember all that the Lord has done for us,” declared Josh Munoz. He cited Deuteronomy 8 where Moses reminded the Israelites to remember...