Merry Christmas!
We can’t wait to see you all tonight for our Christmas Party! You can park in the driveway or street, our garage door will be open so you can come in through there, the dogs will be in their kennels … Continue reading →
Steve Durkac
Christmas Party Food List
I forgot to give you the food list from the flip chart last Sunday. But since I have your attention now, we’ve decided to kennel our dogs up so they won’t be in the mix of competing for space. Lately … Continue reading →
2 Corinthians 11-13 & Christmas Schedule
The podcast of yesterday’s recap with some additional thoughts (of course) is now available at the church website at https://www.crosshopechapel.org/podcast/. If you use some type of podcast app you can find get to it direct at https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2Corinthians.m4a. 2018 Christmas Schedule… Saturday, … Continue reading →
2018 in Scripture
I wanted to share a thought with you about where we have been in 2018, as a church in the Scriptures. We have been in 3 John, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians. We have systematically and intentionally journeyed through 3 … Continue reading →
Christmas Party
One week from today will be our Christmas Party at 4:00 or so at the Durkac’s and you are invited! We are having Honeybaked Ham and whatever you all bring along to complement it. Your appetite is all that is … Continue reading →
Podcast: Dumping the Calvary Chapel Dove
After yesterday’s email blog post titled “Dumping the Dove“ I received a few inquires asking about my position on Calvary Chapel churches and if I’ve changed my beliefs or did something happen regarding the Calvary Chapel leadership. I recorded a … Continue reading →
Dumping the Dove
CrossHope Chapel is making two changes in 2019. We are adding “Bible Church” to our full name and we are discontinuing the use of the Calvary Chapel dove logo. First, let’s deal with our name… We will still be CrossHope … Continue reading →
Eastgate Christian Fellowship
Dear CrossHope Chapel, From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank you for your financial gift to Eastgate’s Hurricane Michael Relief fund. We still have a long way to go in rebuilding our community, but you have … Continue reading →
Sunday Recap
Yesterday was a great day at CrossHope Chapel. It was good to have our Mississippi family with us – Vic and Donna, and Lynn, too! We missed you if you weren’t able to be with us, but we understand, just … Continue reading →
Happy Thanksgiving!
I want to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving! It is my prayer that we all take advantage of this holiday to consider God’s call to be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us “In every thing give thanks: for … Continue reading →
Podcast: ABC’s of Prayer
Pastoral Podcasts are available at www.crosshopechapel.org/podcast A new podcast, “ABC’s of Prayer” – 09:21, is available direct at: https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ABCprayer.m4a … Continue reading →
Podcast: “ESV & Bible Translations”
Pastoral Podcasts are available at www.crosshopechapel.org/podcast A New Podcast, “ESV & Bible Translations” – 15:25, is available direct at: https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ESV.m4a … Continue reading →
A Word About Posts
I don’t want to over post and send you unnecessary emails, so I thought it may be time to explain that anything I put on our website as a “Post” gets emailed out. Sometimes that presents me with a problem … Continue reading →
Podcast: Nov. 4 Recap
Ok, I have an idea and am trying something here, so please bare with me while I test how the below podcast link appears in this email. Vote Biblically – Nov. 4, 2018 Recap – 09:02 https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/November-4.m4a
Mid-Term Elections
I am really looking forward to this Sunday, not only because I missed you all last week, and I’m bringing some Conecuh for our breakfast potluck, but because during our Prophecy Update we’ll talk about voting biblically in next week’s mid-term … Continue reading →
First Sunday
We are back from our vacation and I am so looking forward to seeing you all this Sunday! Thank you J.P. for teaching in my absence. The notes on the flip chart tell me it was a good one. Thank … Continue reading →
Vote Biblically
In the elections here in America, I hope you will give your attention to voting biblically. When you are deciding your vote in terms of voting biblically, you will relieve yourself of the stress and defense of standing by a … Continue reading →
The Accuser’s Playbook
We may be dismayed by the behavior of the politicians and their protesting allies attempting to disrupt the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, but there is a bigger lesson here for Bible believing Christians. The lesson for those who stand for biblical … Continue reading →
Prophecy Conference’s Speaker’s Topics
In case you may be wondering about which speaker you may wish to hear, or need to plan around other activities, below is the speaker’s topics. Knowing who is speaking on what topic will likely help you plan when you … Continue reading →
Prophecy Conference Schedule
I just received an email from Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries with the Prophecy Conference Schedule and I have uploaded it to our church website at https://www.crosshopechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/101661-OT-Conf-Bulletin-091118.pdf where you can download as a PDF. If you just want a quick overview … Continue reading →
Shoe Box Sunday
This Sunday, September 23, is Shoe Box Sunday! We will be packing 25+ shoe boxes for the 2019 Hope for Honduras mission team, which they will personally deliver to the children there. Payton, who is part of that team and … Continue reading →
25 Boxes for Honduras
I bought 25 of the plastic shoe boxes for Hope for Honduras. They were only .87 cents each and that included a lid. Payton received a box packing list today, but it basically suggests everything she already suggested, except for … Continue reading →
Honduras Boxes
Here are the things mentioned by Payton for the Hope for Honduras boxes. Next Sunday we’ll put them together and I should have 20 plastic boxes to do this then, too. I am hoping to have the cork up on … Continue reading →
More on Today’s Church
A few weeks ago I posted on 2 Corinthians & God’s Word and got into a bit of a rant on my observations on the waywardness of today’s church with a trend away from preaching from the Bible. You can … Continue reading →
Potluck
Sloppy Joe’s tomorrow for potluck, and whatever you may want to bring but at least bring your appetite!
2 Corinthians & God’s Word
Sunday was a good day in fellowship. It amazes me how God shows up even when we are few. That is the promise of Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (ESV), … Continue reading →
1 Corinthians 14
Last Sunday, July 15, 2018, we opened to 1 Corinthians 14 and discussed two hot potato topics: speaking in tongues and women teaching in church. Thanks Paul. I could have gone the rest of my life in ministry not having … Continue reading →
Why Watch for Prophecy?
I realize that some Christians don’t get very excited when it comes to sermons about the end-time events, books about tribulation timelines, or even Bible Prophecy Conferences. However, there are biblical reasons to watch and recognize the signs of our … Continue reading →
Prophecy Conference
This year the Understanding the Times Prophecy Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota hosted by Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries will be live streamed at CrossHope Chapel in west Mobile, Alabama. The date is Saturday, September 29, 2018 from 8:30 AM to … Continue reading →
Why We Do Age-Integrated Church
I just watched a documentary video on the issue of children and youth leaving their parents faith and practices behind as they enter adulthood. The YouTube video documentary is embedded below and the link is too, because I am aware … Continue reading →
Prayer Update
Janet: They are keeping him overnight for observation running some type of tests every two hours but things are looking up – thank all of you for the prayer support!!
Prophecy Watch
I want to share with two video clips that are worth hearing if you have the time. The first one is by Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel on the recent developments on the Korean peninsula and the Iranian – Syrian … Continue reading →
Prayer Needs & End-Times
Jesus is coming soon, and that’s the good news! I don’t want to call what I am about to share now as “bad news” but there are 2 things I want to drawer your attention to as needing prayer and … Continue reading →
Professional Pastor?
I read an account from a church pastor who recently had some work done at his home by an electrician. The electrician asked him, as the homeowner, “What do you do for a living?” To which he replied, “I am … Continue reading →
CGN vs CCA
CrossHope Chapel is part of the Calvary Global Network, but not the Calvary Chapel Association. We are not opposed to the CCA, we were actually hoping to affiliate with the CCA when the split happened in 2016. As the split … Continue reading →
Why We Will Easter Simply
At CrossHope Chapel we are all about doing things simply. We are different that way, but only because we want to be a church community that stays closely to the principles, practices, and patterns of the New Testament, as much … Continue reading →
CSB, ESV, and Translations
I am going back to using my English Standard Version. Last August I bought a Christian Standard Bible and really liked it and I still do, but in recent months my enthusiasm for this new translation has developed into reservation. … Continue reading →
Easter Events Timeline
Here is a timeline of events (not original with me, but from a shared ministers resource [that means I have no idea where I got it from]). This timeline gives a good overview of Passion Week events… Thursday – … Continue reading →
3rd Tier Rowers
While we were looking at the 4th chapter of 1 Corinthians, I pointed out that Paul’s understanding of a minister was very different than today’s “executive” or “celebrity” image often assigned to today’s pastors. 1 Corinthians 4:1 gives us the … Continue reading →
What on Earth is Going On?
If you find the time, please take the 30 minutes or so to listen to Dr. Tony Evans, the founder and Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX, discusses a theological assessment of what is happening in the nation. … Continue reading →
Florida Shooting
When I first heard the news about the Florida High School shooting, my mind was already pondering a few other disappointing news stories of the day. I was thinking about the Lutheran minister in New Jersey who had a name … Continue reading →
The Valentine Story
The St. Valentine story as shared by History.com… “On February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was … Continue reading →
Prayer Therapy: How to Pray for Problems
In 1994 I had assumed the pastorate of a church where I had the opportunity to sit down with the outgoing pastor to discuss various issues of that congregation. As I was sitting with him in his office talking, he … Continue reading →
Christmas in Revelation
Merry Christmas to you and yours! One of my favorite Bible verses on Christmas is in Revelation 12:10, which says, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and … Continue reading →
128 Nations Vote Against God
The United Nations has voted 128 to 9 to make “null, void” the United States decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Our US Ambassador has said that we will be taking names and remembering those nations when it … Continue reading →
Jesus is God
Many years ago a sincere church member once asked me, Is Jesus really God? They went on to explain that they see where the Bible says Jesus prayed to God the Father, was called the Son of God, and they even … Continue reading →
In Jesus’ Name
We commonly conclude our prayers by saying “In Jesus’ Name” and rightly so. When you say, “Lord, in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen” you are sharing in His power by claiming His character, life, atonement, and righteousness – … Continue reading →
San Antonio, Texas
I am happy to be back in Mobile today after being in San Antonio, Texas this week. Memorial Service… The memorial service for Frank Wehrly went well and it was well attended as we celebrated and honored his life … Continue reading →
Love One Another
Please don’t let the haters of truth define what it means to “love one another” because they are pressing society to believe that love is equal to agreement with another’s sin and even celebration of another’s sin. We can love … Continue reading →
Introduction to 1 John
Yesterday at church, we backtracked just a bit to get a big picture look at 1 John by looking at the four stated purposes of why John wrote the book. First, we read in 1 John 1:4 “We are writing … Continue reading →
Making Sense of Evil
Evil is becoming common place in our society and it challenges us to wonder why. When we open the Bible we can find help in making sense of evil. In Isaiah 14:11-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-15, we understand that evil was … Continue reading →
Avoiding Malice in the National Conversation
There is a lot of chaos in our society and it is an intentional strategy of Satan, because we know from John 10:10 that he “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (ESV) and Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we “wrestle … Continue reading →
American Judgment
America may have finally squandered its moral stabilizing influence upon a world pushing for global Satanic rule, and the judgement of disasters may be God getting our attention. In 1948, God was able to use our president in the fulfillment … Continue reading →
Jephthah
Last Sunday as we looked through James 4:1-12, the topic of making our words mean something was discussed. We talked about a promise being a promise, and our words having worth. I had mentioned an Old Testament story that signified … Continue reading →
The Eclipse
Here is the video we watched today on the eclipse, and if you can’t see the video below, link to it on YouTube is https://youtu.be/Pce4-VbNAe. Remember, we are governed by “thus saith the Lord” not a “thus saith the signs” … Continue reading →
Forsake Anger
Satan is happy to incite anger among all that will yield to it, because anger can quickly and easily be inflamed into his mission “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). But I say to you, forsake anger so you become … Continue reading →
To Love God
The mission statement of CrossHope Chapel is very simple: “To love God and make His love known.” If you think of it, it is the love for God that distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever, the saved from the unsaved, … Continue reading →
Light Shows at Church?
Lately, my social media feed has been full with video clips of live church worship music and something has struck me as an oddity regarding these numerous church worship programs — light shows. I’ve noticed that there appears to be … Continue reading →
Political Fear
There is no question, from a Christian perspective, that America has gone through a recent period of leadership that has trampled on our religious freedom. Much of the harmful effects of elevating social ideologies over civil security and sexuality above … Continue reading →
Walmart and Christians
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, had an employee policy that said every Walmart employee was required to verbally acknowledge every customer within a 10 foot distance of the employee, whether the employee was standing still or walking somewhere. The … Continue reading →
American Church
Here is another video clip from Francis Chan on “How to hear from God” where he deals with comparison between the American Church and Jesus, with a godly balance speaking the truth in love. There are many speaking against the … Continue reading →
Francis Chan
I’m sharing with you a brief post and video clip of Francs Chan from my own blog (www.stevedurkac.org) of Francis Chan talking with ministers and church leaders. The subject is right in line with some of the things we discussed … Continue reading →
Temptation
We dealt with the topic of temptation last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel when we read James 1:12-14 in our current teaching series through the book of James. I thought it would be good to reiterate our study points from our … Continue reading →
When We Sin
We had a conversation Sunday during our study of James about what to do when we have sinned, and I want to share those Bible promises that I referenced again here. First, I mentioned a verse that I couldn’t locate … Continue reading →
Self-Control or Gun Control
The solution to unprovoked firearm violence in our society is not gun control, but self-control. Galatians 5:23 tells us that self-control is the result of the indwelling Spirit of God in one’s life, and without the Holy Spirit there is … Continue reading →
Repent
What are we to do when we realize we have made the wrong decision, are going down the wrong path, or have chosen evil over righteousness? Repent. The message of Jesus in Mark 1:15 is as applicable today as it … Continue reading →
Tree of Life?
Q: So when we get into heaven, will we have to literally eat of the tree of life to keep living forever, or is the tree of life a metaphorical object meaning we already have eternal life? A: In Genesis … Continue reading →
Who is the Anti-Christ?
Last Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we spent a little more time on 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and the subject of “the man of lawlessness” and who this man could be. I shared a thought I had, but I couldn’t recall if … Continue reading →
Creator of the Climate
What does the Bible say about the issue of climate change and global warming, of man destroying the seasons and the earth? In Genesis 8:22 the Creator of the climate says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and … Continue reading →
Trump’s Jerusalem Deal?
In our teaching series at CrossHope Chapel we are in 2 Thessalonians 2 which seems timely when placed as the backdrop to President Trump’s current trip to the Middle East. President Trump has traveled to Muslim Saudis Arabia, then to Jewish … Continue reading →
Fake Godliness
Today at CrossHope Chapel we took a cross-reference jump from 2 Thessalonians 2:5 to 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and read this: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, … Continue reading →
The Rapture: A Sequence of Events
Here is a 15-point sequence of events of the rapture that I pieced together from a couple different sources… The Lord Jesus Himself descends from His Father’s House where He has been preparing a place for His bride, the church. … Continue reading →
The Day of the Lord
As we get into 2 Thessalonians 2 in our teaching series at CrossHope Chapel, we’ll see that Paul is trying to explain to the believers there that they have not missed the rapture and they are not now in “the … Continue reading →
Eternal Death
The necessary consequence of sin. Rom. 6:16, 21, 23; 8:13; James 1:15. The portion of the wicked. Matt. 25:41, 46; Rom. 1:32. The way to, described. Ps. 9:17; Prov. 14:12; Matt. 7:13. God alone can inflict. Matt. 10:28; James 4:12. Is described as… Away from the presence of God. … Continue reading →
Punishment of the Wicked
Is from God. Lev. 26:18; Isa. 13:11; 2 Thess. 1:6. Because of… Their sin and iniquity. Jer. 36:31; Lam. 3:39; Ezek. 3:17–18; 18:4, 13, 20; Amos 3:2. Idolatry. Lev. 26:30; Isa. 10:10–11. Rejection of the law of God. 1 Sam. 15:23; Hos. 4:6–9. Disobedience of God. Neh. 9:26–27; Eph. 5:6; 2 Thess. 1:8. Evil ways and … Continue reading →
Christian Failure
Last night at Midweek Fellowship we looked at Psalm 37, and this verse stood out for me… “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast … Continue reading →
We’re Different
From time to time we have visitors who come with an expectation that CrossHope Chapel is just like other churches in style, format, and programs, but just a little smaller in scale. We’re different. We don’t do big church in a … Continue reading →
Calvary Chapel Split
My connection with Calvary Chapel happened by accident in 2014 while doing a trade name search when changing our church name from West Mobile Bible Fellowship to CrossHope Chapel. In our search, the name Calvary Chapel came up and my … Continue reading →
Christianity Promises Suffering
I just read an article titled “Christianity Promises Suffering and Persecution: Here’s How to Prepare.” The author Zane Pratt, of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board, states that we “need to include the subject of suffering well in our … Continue reading →
The Return of Christ
What should be our attitude toward the return of Jesus and our rapture from the wrath of earth’s judgement? Well here are five Bible verses and my thoughts about that… 1 Thessalonians 1:10 – We are to eagerly be waiting … Continue reading →
The Word of God
This morning, as my Thursday custom is, I was studying for this Sunday’s teaching at CrossHope Chapel and sensed a need to share some thoughts on this verse: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received … Continue reading →
Jealous Protesters
At CrossHope Chapel we have just started a series through the epistles of Thessalonians, and last week we looked in Acts by way of introduction. In Acts 17:5-6 we read were “the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men … Continue reading →
Bible Prophecy
As a newly saved 18 year old I distinctly remember having a disappointing conversation with a local church pastor who told me “Don’t worry about trying to read Bible prophecy, because you don’t need to know that.” That was sadly funny … Continue reading →
Steadfastness
A few weeks ago at CrossHope Chapel we were challenged by Steph to pick a word that has meaning for us as we go into a new year. I picked the word “steadfastness” and gave an emotional attempt to share … Continue reading →
The UN vs God
The United Nation’s security council, solely by the help of Barrack Obama, has decisively set the nations of the world against God’s word and the people of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu’s response states “The resolution that was adopted yesterday at the … Continue reading →
Merry Christmas!
My favorite verse from the Christmas story is found in Luke 2:10 where the angel said to fearful shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (ESV). Recently … Continue reading →
John 20:22-23
In our study of John 20 on Sunday, I didn’t have all the answers to the questions being posed about verse 22-23 which says, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the … Continue reading →
Christmas Thoughts
I came across a great Christmas theme Bible study and devotional that you may be interested in called “Christmas Thoughts” by Pastor David Guzik of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. I have a ton of respect for Pastor David Guzik of Calvary Chapel … Continue reading →
Passion Week Timeline
Here is a timeline of events (not original to me, but shared by ministers) that we are currently looking at in our Bible teaching series at CrossHope Chapel through the Gospel of John… Thursday – Passover Meal Peter and … Continue reading →
God in Nature
Wednesday evening at our Midweek Fellowship as we were looking through the promises in Psalms, we stopped and meditated awhile at Psalm 19:1-4 (ESV)… “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day … Continue reading →
Women and Men: Roles and Responsibility in the Church
I have been watching with interest lately, my former denomination (Seventh-day Adventist), fight among themselves over the issue of women’s ordination, so the topic of male and female roles in ministry has been something that has been on my mind … Continue reading →
Halloween, Again?
I wrote a post last year at this time that answers the question of my perspective on Halloween and if you happen to be interested you can read it at: https://www.crosshopechapel.org/halloween/. Want to read more good balanced insights on the topic of … Continue reading →
Sanctified by Truth
In yesterday’s teaching we looked at the four requests of Jesus in His prayer as recorded in John 17. We saw that Jesus prayed that He would be glorified, that we would be kept from Satan, that we would be … Continue reading →
Enough Faith for Healing?
Last night at Midweek Fellowship we had a discussion about being confronted with the belief that if one has enough faith they can be healed. When I hear the phrase “enough faith” I cringe. It is a subtle error of … Continue reading →
Born or Unborn Life?
CrossHope Chapel is a pro-life church that believes in the sanctity of human life. You can read our official theological statement on the sanctity of human life at our website page: https://www.crosshopechapel.org/about-us/doctrines-of-church. However, in this post I would like to speak … Continue reading →
Sevenfold Spirit
Yesterday, Sunday, October 2, 2016 we looked at John’s mention of seven specific ministries of the Holy Spirit throughout John 14 – 16 and I want to share that with you here… In Scripture, Jesus spoke most about the endowment … Continue reading →
Spiritual Dreams
This morning in our gathering at CrossHope Chapel, my wife made mention of a dream that I had recently had where she woke me because I was repeating the name Jesus. She joked that she actually thought it was some kind … Continue reading →
Works of God
Last Sunday when we were in John 9 we saw from verse 3 that the blindness in the man happened to him not because of any kind of sin or punishment but so “the works of God might be displayed … Continue reading →
Appointed Time to Die?
Today at church we discussed the old adage that goes “When it’s your turn to go, it’s your turn to go” (or something to that effect). I had mentioned that I would look up some verses that would seem to … Continue reading →
No Lives Matter…
No lives matter to Satan and his followers. Those who follow him may not walk around conscientiously declaring their allegiance to satanic forces, but their own behavior declares it. John 10:10 tells us that Satan is not interested in tolerance, … Continue reading →