Posts with the tag “pastor-michael-hammond”

My wife and I are just about a month away from celebrating our 17th anniversary. Last year for our anniversary we decided to see a concert and purchased tickets for the event. The really good seats we...  Read More

I sometimes look at the commands and scripture and wonder, “How am I supposed to do that?” This is one of those examples. Give thanks in ALL circumstances?! How am I supposed to do that?! Let’s face i...  Read More

January 1st is a unique day. There are eleven other “firsts” in the year that all signify a new month, but only January 1st does double duty of also signifying a New Year. This wasn’t always the job o...  Read More

Words are interesting. What we think something means isn’t always really what it means. That’s the case here in Exodus 2:24. It might seem strange to think that God “remembered” His covenant. Does tha...  Read More

A couple years back we were on a vacation in Southern California. While down there we made a trip to the beach. We walked out on the pier and watched the surfers in the water below. Some were doing am...  Read More

Sin rarely seems like it happens overnight. Sure, a sinful act happens in a moment, but there’s always a backstory, there’s always more to it than just the individual act. Sinful action is the symptom...  Read More

Recently, my family went to a Rend Collective concert. If you’re not familiar with them, they are a great worship band from Ireland. We were all excited to hear one of our favorite bands and couldn’t ...  Read More

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “courage”? When I was in high school some of my friends and I had the great idea to go climb a local radio tower. We waited till it was night and drove o...  Read More

I still remember exactly where I was on September 11th, 2001. I was in my bedroom at my parent’s house. My mom ran into my room and told me about what had happened. I remember being confused and not u...  Read More

Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. What is now viewed as the unofficial end of summer was originally meant to provide a small break in the average worker's life. 1894 was a vastly different w...  Read More

Recently my wife and kids traveled back to our hometown to visit my wife’s parents. This meant for four days I had to see if I could survive on my own. Luckily, my wife is a very considerate person an...  Read More

Recently my wife and kids traveled back to our hometown to visit my wife’s parents. This meant for four days I had to see if I could survive on my own. Luckily, my wife is a very considerate person an...  Read More

I proposed to my wife Megan when I was 20 and she was 18. Our proposal story involves a rainstorm, a Turkish sandwich, and an 800-year-old castle in Germany. But that’s not the story I want to share t...  Read More

In 1810 a man named Peter Durand filed a patent for the tin can for food storage. Before that, there was really no reliable way to store and preserve food. This one invention changed the food industry...  Read More

On July 3rd, 1776, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail with the following quote, “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to belie...  Read More

In my office, I have a whiteboard on my wall that I rely on quite a bit to help me stay organized. Usually, I’ll list out all the things I need to do in different categories and then cross them out on...  Read More

If you read through the Old Testament book of Judges, you will see the nation of Israel engage in a cyclical pattern where they engage in sin, are then punished for that sin, repent and cry out to God...  Read More

If you google “pursue” you will get the following definition, “follow (someone or something) in order to catch or attack them.” That certainly has a negative connotation to it. A secondary definition ...  Read More

More and more I wonder about the things I get angry about. There is certainly righteous anger, and there is sinful anger, but sometimes I wonder if there’s a third category; sometimes I wonder if I’m ...  Read More

I long ago gave up the hope that I would always understand the ways of God. Time and time again I see things that make little sense to me with my earthly vantage point and yet somehow make perfect sen...  Read More

I grew up near a small town called Grass Valley. It started as a gold mining town and still has a historic downtown area. I spent a lot of time walking up and down these streets over the years. When m...  Read More

I don’t have much of a green thumb so sowing and reaping is not something that I have a lot of experience with. I certainly appreciate those who have a knack for growing things, especially those thing...  Read More

I’ve always been someone who has a lot of questions. When I was in first grade the teacher gave out awards to all the students at the end of the year. I was the recipient of the “Most Inquisitive” awa...  Read More

I love how clearly the Bible states things. Let’s be honest, we all sin and fall short. We often try to hide our shortcomings from each other and might want to pretend we have it all figured out, but ...  Read More

Does anyone want a beverage that is supposed to be hot or cold to instead be lukewarm? If I want a cup of ice-cold lemonade, I don’t want it to be lukewarm. If I want a cup of hot coffee, I don’t want...  Read More

As a child, I always thought the “armor of God” sounded like the coolest thing. If you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, a knight would have been pretty high on the list. When I read ...  Read More

When my wife and I were newly married we heard some advice that has made a huge impact in our relationship. The advice was to try to out-serve each other. It’s a simple shift of mindset, but it makes ...  Read More

My wife and I are not Fresno natives. We both grew up in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Usually we tell people “The Sacramento area” because that’s the nearest major city. We actually lived in a small t...  Read More

I first read through the book of Judges when I was about 18 years old. Before that I had heard some of the stories, mostly ones about Gideon and Samson, but I had never read the book in its entirety. ...  Read More

I love a good story. I love hearing stories and I love telling them. This is no doubt why I appreciate the way Jesus told stories to make a spiritual point. Whether short or long, Jesus’ stories are a...  Read More

Sometimes I think of the great difficulties others have faced and feel my own difficulties pale in comparison. The other side of that coin is to look at some difficulties that others face and think th...  Read More

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much above our understanding God is. It’s tempting sometimes to look at parts of the Bible or even at the world in general and think “I would have done things...  Read More

Sometimes the Bible has commands that seem impossible. I don’t consider myself a particularly selfish person (does anyone?) but when I think about doing NOTHING from a self-seeking standpoint, I feel ...  Read More

I’m the youngest of five children and I come from a fairly competitive family. Game nights were always entertaining, if not for the game themselves then for the great lengths we’d go to try to win. Ev...  Read More

I do not have a green thumb…at all. I don’t think I’ve ever kept a plant alive my entire life. Any greenery that we have around our house is solely due to my wife’s persistence and dedication. I can m...  Read More

There’s lots of things I’ve prayed for and hoped I would get the answer I wanted. One such time was the night before my eighth birthday, and I prayed to win a million dollars from a box of cereal. Let...  Read More

If you come into my office, you’ll see a rather large painting of Spider-Man hung up on my wall. One might see that and assume that I really like Spider-Man, which would be true, but there’s more to i...  Read More

The Fourth of July has always been a fun holiday to me. It has a lot going for it, no school, warm weather, barbecue, swimming, and of course, fireworks! I still remember the awe and wonder I had as a...  Read More

We’ve probably all had a moment where we realize we’re missing something. My family has a text thread with all my siblings, their spouses, and my parents (12 of us all together). The other day I was a...  Read More

Imagine, if you will, a world without instant communication. You could call locations such as homes and businesses, but not an individual person. Cell phones were not yet prevalent, and smart phones w...  Read More