Dayspring Mennonite Church

05/31/2026

Sunday Morning Service: Divorce and Adultery

05/24/2026

Sunday Morning Service: Rejoicing in Hope and Sufferings

05/10/2026

Sunday Morning Service: Redemption of Ruth

05/06/2026

When Jesus is asked by a lawyer how he might inherit eternal life, he agrees with the man that the law says to love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. This prompts the lawyer to ask him, “who is my neighbor”. Jesus then proceeds to tell the story about the Good Samaritan.

We find this story in Luke 10:25-37. At the end of the story in verses 36-37 is the challenge for us today. “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, the one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, “you go and do likewise”.

I was reminded of this story on Monday when someone dear to me was stranded beside the road in a rural area with a broken-down car and nobody close by to help. I felt pretty helpless because I couldn’t do much from a distance. Here is what happened:

• A stranger stops and although he doesn’t know how to fix the car, offers to take him to a restaurant, buys him food and says, “I’m working close to here, let me know when you need a ride back to your car”.
• There is a Mennonite church not far from there and a Christian brother from that church who has a truck, tows him to the repair shop of another brother in the church where they repair the car.
• The repair takes longer than a day and so another couple from the church offers him a bed for the night, along with supper and breakfast the next morning.

This is an amazing, modern-day example of Jesus’ story! “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man with the broken-down car”? Let’s look for opportunities to do the same. This is how we live out our faith. This is how we honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is how the community of believers ought to treat each other. I’m glad to be a Christan.

Blessings,
Phil

04/01/2026

The tomb is empty! And we are celebrating this amazing truth Sunday morning at Dayspring. Join us for an outdoor sunrise service at 7, breakfast in the gym at 8, and a worship service in the sanctuary at 9:30.

01/28/2026

This morning in my time of prayer, I was asking God to show me what he wants me to do. But while praying this, I felt an urge to change this request a bit. Because you see, for the most part, we know what God wants us to do. What we really need is to know Him better. And so I changed it up and began asking him to allow me to get to know him better and to help me become more like Him.

This snow storm has given most of us a bit more free time to sit and reflect. I urge you to use this extra time to get to know Jesus a bit better. Instead of a rushed prayer, take time to sit with him. Make sure it is a two-way conversation. Because you see, Jesus rarely yells at us, he generally whispers, and the slower pace of winter allows us to hear that whisper better.

Jesus says in John 10:14; I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

This is an important part of the gospel message. The reason we can know Jesus intimately is because he paid the price for our sins on the cross.

God Bless,
Phil

01/13/2026

We'd love to have you join us for this event in Warrenton.

In honor of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, a community candlelight vigil will be held to honor victims and survivors, as well as the advocates who work tirelessly for their restoration.

The Fauquier County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocacy Program supports FASTA's commitment to ending human trafficking. It is important to recognize that human trafficking deeply intersects with domestic violence and sexual assault; traffickers often use the same patterns of power, control, and abuse to exploit vulnerable individuals.

Our program is here to provide dedicated services and support to victims and survivors of all these forms of violence on their journey to safety and healing.

Please join FASTA and other community leaders as we stand together in solidarity.

📍 Where: John Barton Payne Building (5 Waterloo St., Warrenton) 📅 When: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 🕔 Time: Gathering starts at 5:00 PM | Event begins at 5:15 PM

Candles will be provided. We hope to see you there as we light the way for survivors.

11/26/2025

This Thanksgiving season I have decided to focus on gratitude to God for the people he has brought into my life. As I ponder the blessing of people, I realize that most of us have multiple layers of people that God has placed in our lives. We have immediate family, extended family, friends, co-workers, ministry partners, neighbors, and business associates.

The Apostle Paul recognized the blessing of the people in his life as well. Philippians 1:3-7 gives us a beautiful picture of this.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
I notice that as he reflects on these people with gratitude, there are a few significant blessings that come out of it.

1. It brings him joy. As you focus on the people in your life this Thanksgiving season, allow the joy of the Lord to fill you. We are not meant to live on an island. We are meant to share our lives with other people in deep and meaningful interactions that bring us joy.
2. It encourages the people he’s thinking about. Why? Because he actually tells them that he appreciates them. He lets them know that he’s praying for them and that he believes God will continue to do a good work in their lives. As God brings people to your mind this week, let them know that you appreciate them, and that you are praying for them.
3. It removes the feeling of loneliness he may have been experiencing. He recognizes and acknowledges that these people are partners with him in God’s grace. You are not alone.

May God bless you richly this week as you reflect on all the people you have to be thankful for.
Phil