Messenger Articles (Blog)

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“Allow Them to Breathe….Please!”

by Loren Roberts

by Emy Lallana Reitz Breathing should be easy and unobstructed. It is horrifying not to be able to catch your breath. We know what happened to George Floyd. He stopped breathing because a Minneapolis Police Officer’s knee was pressed into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. As a consequence of this unacceptable behavior, […]

A Special Message from ABC with regards to COVID-19

by Loren Roberts

Dear Altadena Baptist Family, Updates from governmental organizations, health organizations, local schools, and large churches throughout L.A. have led us to a few difficult, but (we hope) wise, decisions, in consultation with our Deacon Board. We do not take these decisions lightly, but we want to act in the best interest of our church family […]

No Dissing Zone

by Webmaster

No Dissing Zone by Pastor George Van Alstine I’m intrigued with one bit of slang usage coming out of urban street culture — the idea of “dissing,” as in “Why are you always dissing me?” It’s really a shortened form of “disrespect,” but because it’s a single-syllable word and ends in the strong ss sound, […]

It's Not About You!

by Webmaster

It’s Not About You! by Pastor George Van Alstine Most Christians seem to shrink from the idea that the Lord expects them to be his witnesses in this world. They know God wants to get out the word about his offer of forgiveness and salvation, and they realize that his way of doing this is […]

And Then What?

by Webmaster

And Then What? By Pastor George Van Alstine When I was a young man, I came up with a way to help clarify the moral issues I was facing. I called it the “And-Then-What?” test. When I felt tempted to do something that seemed a bit on the edge, I tried to discipline myself to […]

Counting Sheep

by Webmaster

Counting Sheep by Pastor George Van Alstine We all rejoice in a “good night’s sleep.” That’s because we’re all familiar with nights when sleep hasn’t come easily. Insomnia is a long-term serious problem for some of us, but even those who usually sleep well sometimes experience those frustrating nights when we can’t fall asleep, or […]

Think God Forward

by Webmaster

Think God Forward by Pastor Connie Larson DeVaughn Altadena Baptist Church has a handful of Transformational Learning Communities. These are our small group Bible studies and prayer groups. They happen almost every day of the week, in homes all around our communities. We call them TLC for short, and don’t mind that most people think […]

Damascus

by Webmaster

Damascus by Pastor George Van Alstine Damascus, the modern capital city of Syria, is believed to be the oldest, continuously occupied city in the world. When Abraham and his family traveled through the region in about 2000 BC, on their way to the land God had promised them, the small trading community had already hosted […]

Scattering Seeds

by Webmaster

Scattering Seeds Homeless people, carrying clever signs, standing at strategic intersections where cars stop for a red light — this has become part of the landscape in Pasadena, as in every urban center in the U.S. As I’m sitting in my car behind a few other vehicles waiting for the light to change, I’ve noticed […]

Another Olympic Moment

by Webmaster

July 30, 2012 Another Olympic Moment by Pastor George Van Alstine Jim Thorpe brought America glory in the 1912 Olympic Games, hosted by Sweden. He won gold medals in both the pentathlon (five individual events) and the decathlon (ten individual events). Of the fifteen individual events, he took first place in eight. He returned a […]