Author Archives: Pastorsmitchell

By: Pastor Stephen Mitchell

            The other day I came across something on my Facebook newsfeed that caught my attention. It was a picture of two of my friends smiling, one holding a “Covfefe” mug and the other holding a mug that said, “Liberal Tears” on it. Cute cups, you may be thinking, but so what? It just so happens these two guys have been friends since college and one of them leans to the left politically and the other to the right. They have very different perspectives on some big issues, they disagree with each other passionately at times in debates, and yet, they’re still good friends.  Something like that has increasingly become, tragically, a rare phenomenon, and yet if ever our country and society needed friendships like theirs, its now. As one person who commented on the photo said, “You both are so opposite on some things but are still such close friends and can laugh about it in pics like this. The world needs more of that.” Indeed, it does.

            Unfortunately, a friendship like this stuck out on my Facebook newsfeed because it’s the opposite of what we’ve all become accustomed to in our increasingly polarizing world of shouting instead of dialoguing, unfriending, and blocking instead of bridge building, and tweets and posts with talk of a coming civil war instead of talk encouraging respectful civility. When I’d go to the gym, I’d always be fascinated by the news on the TVs in the treadmill room. One TV would have coverage from Fox News and the other from MSNBC. Talk about an ‘Interstellar’ experience seeing how the same moment or event can be interpreted and presented in such a vastly different way. The chasms and brokenness in our society seem to be beyond repair and yet for us as Americans, and particularly for those of us who profess to be followers of Christ there is an opportunity like none other in our lifetime.

            On a trip last summer to visit Independence Hall, our guide said something that really stuck out. She ended her presentation with the reported words of Benjamin Franklin who was asked, something to the effect of, “What do we have Doctor, a republic, or a monarchy?” Franklin retorted, “A republic, if we can keep it”. The guide then talked about how the stability of our democracy and of our republic is only sustained by the care and attention of each generation of citizens. As a lover of political science and social studies, I must report that I’ve never been more concerned about the survival of our system, institutions, and democracy than I am now. And as a Christian, I’ve never been more concerned about the church staying focused on its mission to share the Good News of the Gospel and speaking biblical truth in love to our neighbors than I am now.

            As Christians, we must not give in to the moment of polarizing political ideological division, rather we must rise to the moment. We cannot effectively love our neighbor if we view our neighbor as our enemy. We cannot win souls to Jesus if we are more focused on winning elections or on demonizing those whose views, and lifestyle are contrary to what we believe. To be sure, we should be passionate about issues we care about, be engaged in the political process, and speak biblical truth on even the tough matters we are confronted with in our culture. But we would do well to remember the story of Jonah, the biblical prophet who was called by God to warn of impending Judgement on Nineveh. Jonah refused because he hated his audience to such a degree, he didn’t want to see them receive mercy. God is looking for us to be prophets in this hour, not political partisans.

            Matthew McConaughey recently made headlines with his plea for Gun reforms in the wake of the Uvalde tragedy a few weeks ago, and while we all have different opinions on the issue of Gun control, McConaughey’s approach, whether you agree or disagree with what he said, was almost refreshing. In a follow-up interview with Fox News’ Bret Bair, in talking about how to come together and dialogue over our differences, he would start with talking about what we have in common. Noting that Bair is a father like him, he would begin with that common ground of fathering and what it’s like to be a parent and go from there.

            As Christians, we believe that we are all human beings, created in the image of God, that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that we all need a Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us not forget those key things we all have in common. Let us endeavor to build bridges with those we disagree and share and shine the light and love of Jesus. Let us seize the moment of our time, by following the biblical advice to, “not be quarrelsome but be kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting opponents with gentleness.” (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

            Maybe if we do those things, maybe if we can love our neighbor as ourselves, maybe if we can respectfully dialogue and agree to disagree, and maybe if we remember that we are fellow Americans, fellow human beings and as Christians, remember we are fellow sinners in need of a Savior, maybe just maybe our republic can survive and maybe the credibility of the Christian church and its mission can as well.

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely, they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”- President Abraham Lincoln

Pastor Stephen Mitchell is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Maryland. He also is the host of a regular podcast, Real Christian Talk with Pastor Steve, available on all podcast platforms.

Maybe if we do those things, maybe if we can love our neighbor as ourselves, maybe if we can respectfully dialogue and agree to disagree, and maybe if we remember that we are fellow Americans, fellow human beings and as Christians, remember we are fellow sinners in need of a Savior, maybe just maybe our republic can survive and maybe the credibility of the Christian church and it’s mission can as well.“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely, they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”- President Abraham Lincoln

The other day I headed into the grocery store and ran into one of my favorite workers that I used to have regular conversations with. He was stocking food when we recognized each other, and it was like a mini-reunion. It had been quite a while since we talked, and you could say a few things have been going on in the world since we last had a deep chat. Let’s see, we’ve had a pandemic, an economic crisis, a mental health crisis, racial tensions and protests, a highly polarizing presidential election, record-breaking inflation, and now the outbreak of war in Ukraine that has put the West on edge of the worst confrontation with Russia in decades. We talked about how crazy the last two years have been, how it has been like a trip through Jumanji, and you worry about what is coming next. We speculated on different solutions for all the world’s problems. Yet, what stuck in my mind the most from this conversation was the sense of helplessness and hopelessness that can easily take over the lens through which we view this life and the world around us. But then I got to share with my friend at the grocery store that there is an answer to all our problems, there is peace, joy, hope and help that can be found, and it is found in one event, one weekend, in one word: Easter.

For most of us, Easter is barely a blip in our calendar, it is usually a time to get together with family, get dressed up, go out to eat, and, just maybe, go to church. But if we truly grasp the meaning and the message of what Easter is about, it should change everything. It should change how we view what really matters in life, it should change our perspective on how we face death and the loss of loved ones, it should change how we view evil and suffering, it should change how we view ourselves, how we view God and how we view this thing we call history. Easter means that there is a God, a God for whom and with whom we were made to have relationship with, without which we are empty inside and incomplete. Easter means that the light of life triumphs over the shadow of death, it means good defeats evil, God beats Satan. As the late Billy Graham used to say, “I’ve read the last page of the Bible, and everything is going to be alright.” Long before Star Wars, Easter means that there is hope, not just a new hope, but a living one. Does this hope live in you today?

We struggle to find solutions to the many problems we face. The world is a mess, we are a mess, and we have a habit of making messes. The Bible says that the real problem in our society, the real problem in us is something called sin. As one commercial said, “we love stuff,” and it’s true we do. We just often love the wrong stuff. We do not love our Maker. From the dawn of time, we have chosen the Frank Sinatra mantra and tried to do it our way. We told God we did not need or want Him, and we built a wall bigger than the Great Wall of China or the one that used to stand in Berlin. Sin separates us from our Creator because while He is loving, He is also Holy and Just. How could the movie we call history have gone? God could have washed His hands and with us, He could have given the world over to death, hell, and destruction with no alternative. But He didn’t. Before time began, He arranged a rescue plan. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Easter means that God cares about us. God loves you today regardless of whether you will ever love Him back or accept Him.

Easter means that our hearts can be full of peace, love, joy, and hope. It means that we don’t have to do things the same way we did before, we don’t have to just survive, we can thrive. It means that we can have hope for tomorrow, not because we know what tomorrow holds but because we can know who holds tomorrow. You may have heard about Him, you may even believe certain things about Him, but do you really know Him? Hope has a name, and his name is Jesus, the Christ. There is a reason that Jesus of Nazareth remains the most controversial, influential, recognizable figure of all time. If Jesus was a silly bedtime story to help us all feel good about the cold realities of life, why did the proclaimers of the message of Easter willingly die for declaring that Jesus was alive? Something happened on Easter morning over 2,000 years ago that changed cowards into martyrs and that something that happened can change your life, if you would be willing to believe and receive.

Easter is not about getting religious; it is about having a life changing relationship with a living God. Easter leads all of us to ask ourselves one question: Where do you get your hope?



“Because He Lives, I can face tomorrow.”-Matt Maher

The scenes were shocking. Festive holiday lights were overshadowed by the lights of police cars and ambulances. Sights of band members and dancers bringing Christmas cheer turned into sights of people running in fear and chaos. The sounds of jubilant joy turned into shrieks of screaming as a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin turned into a tragedy of unimaginable horror, pain, and senseless violence. What adds to the heartbreak is that this community, not unlike our own, was coming together to find some Christmas spirit amidst the long shadow of Covid, intensifying division and polarization that has saturated our nation, economic hardship that has affected so many, a mounting mental health crisis and a lack of neighborly love and civility that is now increasingly becoming the norm in our society. They were looking to have something to celebrate, they were looking to find some joy after two years of hardships. They’re not alone.

            Have you noticed that this year, perhaps more than any previous year, more people have decided to put up Christmas decorations early? I’m personally a ‘one holiday at a time’ kind of guy. At our home, we’ve always put up our decorations after Thanksgiving, yet even my wife and I gave in to the demand for Christmas early and have started listening to the Holiday classics station in her car. But why? On our social media news feeds many of our friends have been broadcasting that they’ve decided to put up their holiday decorations early, and they’ve all had the same reason: Between Covid and everything going on around them and in their lives, they wanted something to be “merry” about for longer than the typical month. It’s like we’re all so worn down and exhausted inside and just want to capture the wonder, the warmth and the joy that comes with this time of year for as long as we can.

            As we get older, we care less about getting items on sale from Best Buy, Kohls or Walmart and more about things that don’t come from Amazon Prime. We are less satisfied with what the world has to offer us, and yet we continue to want, continue to buy, to date, to party, to pursue pleasure and escape all the while remaining wanting. We want that spirit of Christmas to distract us from reality, but we continue to fail to realize that what we really need is the Christ who is the wonder of Christmas, Christ who brings the warmth of love that is far better than any Hallmark Christmas movie. It’s Christ who fills your heart with joy unspeakable that permeates your soul to such an extent that you could face tragedy, discouragement, difficulty, and darkness all the while having an inner strength that sustains you and overflows your heart with peace when you have no natural reason to do so.

            On the night he was born into our cold, cruel and broken world, the angel who appeared to the shepherds declared that there is one reason we can take heart despite the evil and hatred all around us, one reason we can have hope when all seems lost and hopeless, one reason that we can have faith in the face of fear: “For Unto You is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11). The question each of us must ask ourselves is if we are willing to make room in our hearts for the Child born in Bethlehem, because whether you realize He is the one you really want, He is the one we need.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need.” – Mariah Carey

Pastor Stephen Mitchell is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Severna Park, Maryland. He also is the host of a regular podcast, Real Christian Talk with Pastor Steve, available on all podcast platforms.

          “I am overwhelmed, I had no idea”, an emotional William Shatner told Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, “I am so filled with emotion at what just happened, it’s extraordinary. I hope I never recover, that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it. It’s so much larger than me and life.” Before being interrupted by Jeff Bezos champagne antics, William Shatner went into a very profound reflection on what he witnessed by being the oldest man in history to go into space last week, and yet I was struck by both the depth of what he had to say and the emptiness of what he had to say.            

One of the few positive headlines these last few days have been about Captain Kirk from Star Trek lore becoming an actual space traveling legend, and as a huge William Shatner fan myself, I was caught up in the excitement and euphoria of the moment. Following Shatner’s career and interviews over the years, I know he has been contemplating his mortality and the meaning of life for some time now, so I was curious to hear how this moment of getting a view of our planet and the cosmos that only a select few have gotten in all human history, may have impacted what he believes and how he sees the world. Clearly this moment has impacted Shatner, and many of his words were moving, but I also was disappointed with what he didn’t say.

“The vulnerability of everything, it’s just so small”, Shatner exclaimed to Bezos, and he proceeded to talk about how incredible the thin atmosphere that makes life even possible on our planet is, and how much a “miracle” our planet and life on it is. Shatner is right, our planet is precious, vulnerable and the various factors that are so intricately balanced should bring wonder and awe from all of us, but not to our planet itself, or to ourselves or to nature itself: But rather to the Creator who displays His power and wisdom through all that has been made. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).

 The cosmos is telling us that there is a God, and the truth is, deep down, we all instinctively know that. The choice we must make is whether we will acknowledge what is clearly seen or choose to be illogical about what space tells us, and there is nothing more illogical than choosing to believe all of life and the universe are the result of an unguided natural process. What would Spock say?

“This is life and that’s death, in an instant you go, ‘woah that was death!”, Shatner said to one of the wealthiest men on the planet. One of the biggest takeaways from what affected Shatner the most from his brief trip to the stars was the realization that within seconds of seeing blue and life, his spacecraft was immersed into the darkness and lifelessness of space, and it made him wonder if that contrast is what it will be like to go from life to death. Is that how it works? All of us wonder about it, all of us are curious about what lies beyond the grave, and all of us do our best to ignore the inevitability of facing the great unknowns of death.

Yet, the Bible tells us that all of us also have an inner longing for more than being puffed out of existence after a handful of years. We search for meaning to our existence, we yearn for unfailing love, and we live in fear of death. God has “set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) because we were made in His image, and we will live forever, the only question is whether we live forever with Him or apart from Him. We can face death with dread, or we can face it with hope, which every person who trusts in Jesus Christ personally gets to experience. There is a light in the darkness of death because of an empty tomb 2,000 years ago. Death doesn’t have to be bleak or hopeless or final. Death doesn’t have the last word.

Mr. Shatner emerged from his trip to Space with a sense of urgency for all of us down here to remember how fragile our planet is and therefore to encourage us to take care of the environment, to do good to each other,  but what I’d add is that we should remember that life on this planet is a miraculous gift that is only possible because of the sustaining power of God, and our response to the gift of existence should be to worship Him, to love Him and to love each other.

Human beings have always had curiosity to look up and marvel at the wonders of the universe, but those wonders are meant to point the way to knowing a wondrous God, and it would be a tragic shame to fail to recognize the cosmic directional signs pointing toward Him. As Isaac Newton once said, “The most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being.” The same intelligent and powerful being who arrayed the innumerable stars and galaxies in the heavens knows you by name and he has it engraved on the nail scarred hands with which he willingly offered his life as a sacrifice.

The real wonder is not even in the cosmos, it’s that the One who made the cosmos cares about you and me. I’m happy for you Mr. Shatner that you got to go up to space, and I’m glad there were no gremlins outside the window (I had to insert a Twilight Zone reference somewhere), my heart was moved at the words you had to say about what you saw and how it impacted you. My hope and prayer for you is that you reflect on the meaning behind the miracle. Live Long and Prosper.

“To look out at this creation and not believe in God is to me impossible.”- Astronaut John Glenn

“Know that the LORD-He is God! It is He who made us, and not we ourselves.”-Psalm 100:3

Pastor Stephen Mitchell is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Maryland. He also is the host of a weekly podcast, Real Christian Talk with Pastor Steve, available on all podcast platforms.