Tragedy in Arizona

The tragic events which recently took place in Arizona have left us all a little numb. It is a stark reminder of how quickly tragedy may befall us, and just how fleeting this life truly is. In the novel "Brothers Karamazov" one of the characters said, "What terrible tragedies real life contrives for people." How true these words seem at times like this. Senseless actions such as these cannot be explained, and even if we know “the why” of it, it would not ease the devastation of those who have been personally effected.

But, perhaps more significantly, it is also a graphic depiction of how far we have drifted from the core values which are typically associated with this nation. I pray we as a people will seek the mind of God. Our forefathers, when faced with difficulty, sought God's help. When our nation was in its infancy, and our leaders were struggling to ratify the Constitution upon which this country would establish its governmental foundation, Benjamin Franklin stepped forward and spoke these words:

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel”.

Our leaders are looking for answers. We need to pray they will remember these words of wisdom, and that they will recognize "from whence cometh their help". We also need to pray for the dear souls who lost loved ones in this most regrettable event. May God's strength be theirs.
Lets ask God to help us! He is our trust, He is our answer.

O God our help in ages past
Our light for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast
And our eternal home.

See you Sunday!
Pastor

We Are Going On!

I read a story of some men years ago who were on a leaky, old ship in the middle of a rough and stormy sea. They were fearful for their lives. They didn't know if they were going to sink or not. One of them went to see the Captain and inquired as to their safety. The old Captain said, "I'll put it to you this way; the boilers on this ship are very weak and may explode at any moment, the ship is very old and she's taking on water. So, to be honest, we may have an explosion or we may go down, but at any rate, we're going on."

My dear friends that is how we need to face the New Year! Christ may come and we may go up! We may die and go down, then up. But at any rate, we are going on!

The old map makers would draw maps marking as far as they had explored. On the map where they had not been they would write, "Beyond this there be dragons."

They had never seen a dragon and they really didn't know what was there. It frightened them- the unknown, and the unexplored. But beyond what they had seen were the golden beaches, verdant fields, rivers and other things of beauty.

As we enter 2011 it is without any exploration having been done.

No one can tell us what is ahead. No one has been there. However, we are to trust the One who plots the course. God has promised in His Word that no matter what, He will never leave us nor forsake us. The Bible says, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what man may do to me."

I pray you will have a blessed New Year! We may go up, we may go down, then up, but until then we are going on!

See you Sunday!
Pastor