December 1st, 2011
Ever find yourself struggling with issues in life? Feeling the weight of concern and at times frustrated with the way life comes and at times the inability to “fix” things that need attention? You may know of someone that is going through a deep valley or it may be a personal trial that you are experiencing and feel like you are at the end of your rope.
I think that sometimes life is too much for us to handle and things happen that are beyond our ability to understand or adapt to-and we need to be rescued. We were created to look to Someone greater than ourselves, and He allows events and struggles in our lives to bring us to a place of dependence on Him. We have to choose whether we will live life on our own and struggle through it or admit that some things are “pala’.”
I love that word! I was reading in Psalm 131 and identifying with David as he struggled through things that were too big for him to handle. It cuts into our pride (v. 1a) to admit that we need help and that we can’t handle the issues on our own. David said, “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” Pala’ is the Hebrew word for “things too wonderful for me.” (NIV) The NASB translates the word “too difficult.” It means “to be marvelous, wonderful, surpassing, and extraordinary.” In the same definition it also means, “to be beyond one’s power and too difficult to do.” Fascinating! I find at times things in my life that are beyond my power to control or change, too difficult for me to handle. In those times you can find yourself discouraged and frustrated rather than seeing that we are children (v. 2) that just need to be held and allow the Lord to work. He is the One that can do things that are marvelous, wonderful, surpassing and extraordinary! It’s like a child struggling with 7th grade math (which could be very frustrating and hard) calling on his dad to sit beside him and help him to work out the problems. So the next time you find yourself frustrated and discouraged, sit back, admit you are but a child and need your heavenly Father to come in and do something wonderful!
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October 24th, 2011
Worship seems as if it has become (or continues to be) a hot topic in the church. Not the fact that we should worship, but the discussion revolves around the content and style of our worship. Over the past six months, our Elder Board has been grappling with various issues related to worship as we seek to worship in a fitting and proper manner. We have sought counsel from a number of other pastors and churches as well as individuals within and outside our church.
The content of our worship is crucial. If we select songs that don’t express the truth with clarity then it is impossible to worship properly. As we select the songs each week to be included in our worship services, we look for songs that compliment the message and have content that exalts Christ and are substantive. Many of the timeless hymns offer a wealth of richness and an increasing number of contemporary songs offer the same level of substance. Some churches consider having one contemporary service and one traditional service. Of the 6 pastors we sought counsel regarding this, some strongly discouraged this and none recommended it. These different services tend to split the church and don’t encourage a unity and broadening of our worship. I love to see the younger people learning and enjoying those classic hymns and the older people learning to appreciate the newer contemporary songs. It can be hard for some who have grown up in the church to accept a new style of worship. They are used to a piano or organ and the newer instruments used in church may seem a bit much. To say that the former is right and contemporary styles are wrong is unfortunate. We should recognize that to change the style of music is not a compromise with the Scriptures but for some it is a compromise with their tradition and preferences. The Bible encourages worship that includes using a ten-string lyre (similar to a guitar) and a “clash” of cymbals (Psalm 150). I believe that it can be a danger to put our preferences (selection and style of songs) that are not biblical above the call clear in Scripture to worship. My hope and prayer is that we want to see the Spirit work through His Word to create in our congregation a genuine, unbridled heart of worship. Though we are trying to work out issues and refine the musical aspect of worship in our services, we should recognize that as we seek to reach out to our community, we should have songs that are substantive and a style of music that engages the majority of those that attend.
Tags: Grace, Worship
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November 1st, 2010
I am so excited about our church! What a fantastic night last night at our Fall Festival! We were able to make contact with an incredible number of families in our community, the testimonies were great, and Dave and Laura shared that at least 12 people came to faith in Christ as they shared with them! But I think I am equally excited about the culture that God is creating in our congregation. What a blessing it is to see so many people from our church wanting to reach out to the unchurched, to care for families needs in our community, and to be willing to serve so eagerly and so sacrificially. What a joy it was to see from the early setting up, through the serving of the dinner, to those that ran the booths and events, all the way to the clean-up, so many individuals that were simply wanting to make a difference in the community and to reach out and provide a positive and Christ-filled event for the community. What a pleasure it is to serve this church! I’m excited about our future and know that the Lord will use us to make an eternal difference in the lives of individuals – and we have the opportunity of being in the front row to see Him work!
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October 11th, 2010
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on the, because they were like a sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34) As I read through this passage this past week, I was struck by the significance of Christ’s concern. It was a reality in the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and I believe that it is a reality today: shepherding is one of the greatest needs and most neglected opportunities. There are probably many that you have contact with that are struggling, fearful or discouraged. As the shepherd was to feed, care for and protect his sheep, I feel that responsibility and privilege as a pastor (that’s what being a pastor/elder is!) But it’s not just my responsibility. One of the most effective ways that we can care for each other and reach out to the unchurched is for believers to see themselves as shepherds. When we see the great needs around us and take on that role of shepherd in Sunday school, AWANA, the youth group, a home fellowship, or a personal relationship – when we look for others that need encouragement and support and care for them as a shepherd would – we can find ourselves being used by God in incredible ways to impact others lives for eternity. That’s what our church needs to be about – becoming God’s tools to change lives! I would encourage you to listen to the teaching on shepherding on our website under the “resources” tab on the Membership Training page. As our church continues to grow, let’s not neglect this essential element of what has made our church so strong.
Tags: fellowship, shepherding
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March 22nd, 2010
I have found myself going back again and again to the passage in John 15 where Jesus is teaching His disciples about remaining in Him. In verse 4, Christ said to them, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” I have found myself coming back to this concept of remaining in Christ. The word “remain” means to abide in, to rest in, to wait on, to cultivate an intimacy with, and to cling to. I find it incredible that the God of creation told His disciples that one key to following Him was to develop an intimacy with Him. I note that it is a command. He told His followers to remain in Him. That implies that it is not something that comes natural, but has to be worked at. It is not my nature to “remain” in Him. I find that the busyness of my day quickly consumes my time and my heart. I find it far easier to do a great number of good things and far more of a challenge to carve out the time to rest in His presence. To sit at His feet. To develop a greater intimacy with the invisible God who is able to be known and loved and enjoyed. He created me to enjoy Him. I tend to be like Martha who was with Jesus but was busy with so many tasks and is described as “distracted.” That’s me – often distracted from the things that really matter. It was Mary who sat at the Savior’s feet listening to Him. Jesus said, “Mary has chosen what is better,” (Luke 10:42) Only when we choose what is better are we able to be really productive and make a difference in others lives. Only then are we able to “bear fruit” as Jesus said.
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December 1st, 2009
I was just studying the account of Moses and Joshua at the battle of Rephidim in Exodus 17. In that story, Moses found that when he stood on the hill and raised his hands that Joshua and the Israelite army won, and when he lowered his hands they lost. This certainly is a picture of prayer and there are great implications for us today.
I think that it is easy for me to have a passive, disconnected view of prayer. It can almost seem to me that I pray out of habit and my prayers can become very repetitious and seem ineffective. I realized in this passage that my view of prayer needed to dramatically change. It is true that prayer involves communion with God and can be a source of refreshment and intimacy with the Lord. I find it all too easy to relegate it to that singular benefit. But when I picture Moses on the hill, looking down on the battle, and realizing that what he did had a dramatic effect of the victory or defeat of the Israelite army, I am stirred to a greater sense of excitement in prayer. To be sure, prayer is work, as Moses had to strain to keep his arms raised and needed the help of Aaron and Hur. It is clear that God was the One who gave the victory, be he still called Moses to prayer. James writes that “the fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” How exciting it is to realize the power of prayer and to pray understanding that our work in prayer has a direct effect on the lives and souls of those we care about. When I get that truth, it makes it easier to pray as Moses until the sun goes down.
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June 24th, 2009
People are getting tired of me whining. I guess I am a “big baby” – I miss my wife. She is in Virginia visiting her brother and her family. They are having a great time there and I am doing fine here – but I am really missing her.
It’s only natural that I should. God has brought us together as husband and wife. We have shared our lives over the past 22 years and have grown closer together. I can say (and have told her) that I miss her desperately and long for her. I think about her during the day and often text her or call her to find out what she is doing. Many times during the day my thoughts go back to her and think about how wonderful a wife God has given me. I find myself praying for those that serve in the military and have are away from their spouse for 6 months. I don’t think I can handle that. I’m finding even these 12 long days too much for me.
Here’s a question for you: Do you view God that way? Do you miss Him desperately when you are separated by sin and desire to be reconciled immediately? Have you grown closer to Him so that you want to spend all your time with Him? Do you long for Him? Do you find yourself thinking about Him and how wonderful He is?
My prayer for myself and my hope for those in our church is that we would have such a passion for the Lord. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Ps. 42:1-2) Set Him as your only Love and you will have that heart for Him.
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June 2nd, 2009
It’s exciting to sit back and see God at work! It was only one year ago that we were asking whether it was possible to have a part-time youth pastor. Though the church had for some time wanted one (and saw the great need), it was easy to question how it would take place. We asked “Would we even be able to find someone to work part-time? How could we pay for him?” We see now God’s amazing work in not only providing God’s man for the position but leading us to bring him on full-time. God surely does more that we can imagine or even think! And now in May, I found out that we received in offerings $12,858 (our budget is $12,051 for the month!) God surely is great and should receive all the glory.
Now, as we look to our future as a church body, better equipped to meet the needs of our body and the unchurched (especially for the youth and young adults) we need to wait on Him in dependence and ask Him, “What next?” He will direct us, sustain us, provide all that is needed, and it is only for us to recognize His amazing work and give Him all the credit. How exciting these days are as the Lord builds His church and does it His way!
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