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Education A.A.S. in Funeral Service from Mt. Hood College B.A. in Intercultural Studies with Biblical Studies minor from Biola University (LaMirada, CA) M.A. in Exegetical Theology from Western Seminary (Portland, OR) M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University (LaMirada, CA) Rand Wagner grew up in a religious home, but that religion was always in flux, ranging from atheism,…

Living as an Ordinary Radical The title of the message today is Living as an Ordinary Radical. I thought this title was a good fit describing the main thrust our text today- A text that most of us have heard many times before. It is the story of Jesus healing a paralytic man. But even though I…

Shock & Awe…My most recent message at GVF from Mark 1:21-28  Today we begin the Amazed by Jesus sermon series. Over the next several weeks not including the various guest speakers, we’ll be looking at some passages from the gospels where people were amazed by Jesus. My hope and goal as a pastor, preacher and Christian gentleman…

Link to audio sermon on John 3:13-18: REbirth (Part 2)- It’s All About Jesus Two weeks ago we asked the question… What is your passion in life that moves you to tears? There are lots of different things to be passionate about but Jesus’ passion is to see people Reborn into relationship with God. We…

REbirth- Audio sermon on John 3:1-10 What is your passion that drives you to tears? For me its my family and the thought that my own sin would somehow rub off on my kids or wife and cause them to be hurt or to somehow lead them away from God. I really have a desire to…

 Jesus Our Strength- The Secret of Contentment. Are you happy? Scale of 1-5 very unhappy, Mostly unhappy, Somewhat happy, Mostly happy – Very happy.  What is happiness to you? What makes you happy? When you’re rating yourself what makes you choose a higher or lower number? Maybe its because… The Phillies are in first place, Everybody…

 Jesus Our Example: Humility. If you ask me what is the first precept of the Christian Faith I will answer, first, second and third, Humility –Augustine. Today we’re looking at what is probably the central passage of Philippians and unquestionably one of the most profound passages in all of Scripture discussing the person and work…

One thing I have come to learn is this: that wisdom is not so much expressed in that which you say wisely, but in that which you wisely don’t say.  For me it seems as though, the less I speak, the better off I am. One of the areas I have struggled with in my Christian walk has been in taming…

Adversity is the experience of pain, opposition, distress, disappointment, difficulty, grief, loss, or something similar. Why does God allow adversity in our lives? One answer that has been offered is

In his, Pensées, Pascal discusses the need of many individuals to seek distractions and diversions in life in order to take their minds away from the larger questions of life and death. He writes: “Their error does not lie in seeking excitement, if they seek it only as a diversion; the evil is that they seek it as if…

The more free from sin and the more sanctified God makes me, the more I recognize how pollutedly weak my self, still bound by a sin nature, actually is. I am continually awestruck and overtly grateful for the reconciliation God has made with me. Though in my mind I am aware of my positional sanctification, I am…