God is good and He is good all the time! God cares about us in all things, big and small.
We have cats on our farm. They all live outside in the garage, hither and yon. I have become fond of one little tiger colored kitten. The reason is my grandson loves him. He has even named him. Ready for this? He named him "Mow". It sounds like cow. On Monday evening I realized little Mow was missing. I searched in the typical places to no avail. I figured something bad happened but I continued to look. I scoured the woods and the fields. I even bothered one of our neighbors. Still no Mow.
On Wednesday I offered a prayer to the Lord. I know it was a little thing, but still I prayed. My curiosity had taken over and I needed to know what happened.
Three days and two nights later and still no Mow.
After the Wednesday evening service I went to the grocery store. At about 9:45 I turned onto my road. While driving down the road I saw something in the field. This was about 2 miles from my house. I turned around just out of curiosity. I drove up there and sitting on the side of the road, alone, cold and confused was Mow.
You can say it was luck that helped me find my boys' cat but I won't believe you. It was the Lord who answered my prayer. Call me foolish or call me naive, but I know God put him on the side of the road, not in it, at the particular time I would be coming by. I tell you folks, God answers prayer. Bigger prayers than Mow. God cares for us like a Father cares for his children. Ever since that Wednesday evening, every time I see that crazy cat I am reminded of God's goodness.
Maybe you have a dilemma in your life. Perhaps you think it is too small for God. Well, it's not! He cares! I tell you God is good snd He is good all the time! Praise Him!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
New Year's Resolution
I read somewhere that a New Years resolution is something that “goes in one year and out the other!”
But it is that time again, where we take a personal inventory of the past year, and, hopefully, identify those areas in which we can make improvements. I make these resolutions every year, but, I must admit, most I break. I have read that only 8% of Americans keep all their resolutions, so I guess I'm in the majority!
I believe this statistic reveals we often we set resolutions that are unrealistic; in other words, we set the bar so high that we are doomed to fail. Does that sound familiar? Although this is certainly discouraging, what if we, rather than not setting resolutions, lower the bar and set goals which are more reasonable to achieve, so we believe we can keep them? Instead of saying you’re going to read your Bible through six times this year, how about one time? That's more realistic! Instead of striving to lose 30 pounds in January, how about 3 or 4 pounds a month? Keeping the target within reason will provide motivation to attain the goal!
Better yet, make resolutions which are more “spiritual” rather than material in nature. Here are some I offer for consideration for the first week of the New Year: Day1-resolve to pray for someone; Day 2- resolve to say "I love you" to someone; Day3 - Resolve to appreciate all God has given to me; Day 4- Resolve to save some money for charitable purposes; Day 5- Resolve to forgive someone; Day 6- Resolve not to compare yourself to someone else; Day 7- Resolve to make your home a warmer place.
Give it a try! Remember, Jesus died not only to give us life, but life more abundant (John 10:10)! Making New Year’s resolutions is a means by which we can rise above the habit of getting lost in the routine of everyday things. I'm simply encouraging you to go “outside the box” of the normal, hum-drum of life, and to seek opportunities to be a better Christian, a better man or woman of God along the way!
I wish you all a Happy, Blessed and Prosperous New Year! I love and appreciate you all!
See you Friday night and Sunday!
Pastor
But it is that time again, where we take a personal inventory of the past year, and, hopefully, identify those areas in which we can make improvements. I make these resolutions every year, but, I must admit, most I break. I have read that only 8% of Americans keep all their resolutions, so I guess I'm in the majority!
I believe this statistic reveals we often we set resolutions that are unrealistic; in other words, we set the bar so high that we are doomed to fail. Does that sound familiar? Although this is certainly discouraging, what if we, rather than not setting resolutions, lower the bar and set goals which are more reasonable to achieve, so we believe we can keep them? Instead of saying you’re going to read your Bible through six times this year, how about one time? That's more realistic! Instead of striving to lose 30 pounds in January, how about 3 or 4 pounds a month? Keeping the target within reason will provide motivation to attain the goal!
Better yet, make resolutions which are more “spiritual” rather than material in nature. Here are some I offer for consideration for the first week of the New Year: Day1-resolve to pray for someone; Day 2- resolve to say "I love you" to someone; Day3 - Resolve to appreciate all God has given to me; Day 4- Resolve to save some money for charitable purposes; Day 5- Resolve to forgive someone; Day 6- Resolve not to compare yourself to someone else; Day 7- Resolve to make your home a warmer place.
Give it a try! Remember, Jesus died not only to give us life, but life more abundant (John 10:10)! Making New Year’s resolutions is a means by which we can rise above the habit of getting lost in the routine of everyday things. I'm simply encouraging you to go “outside the box” of the normal, hum-drum of life, and to seek opportunities to be a better Christian, a better man or woman of God along the way!
I wish you all a Happy, Blessed and Prosperous New Year! I love and appreciate you all!
See you Friday night and Sunday!
Pastor
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Great God Became My Savior!
The incarnation; it defies description. How can our finite human minds comprehend the idea that the eternal God would descend from His heavenly throne to robe himself in flesh and blood, and become as mortal man? That the master Potter would become clay? It is indeed difficult for us to fathom! No wonder the angels broke into a chorus of praise!
For those who do not believe, or are skeptical by nature, it must sound absurd. But to those of us who are believers, this is a wondrous story!
The Bible clearly informs us God's ways are not our ways, as evidenced by the supernatural means by which Adam came into existence, without a man or woman; Eve, came from a man and no woman. With Abram and Sarai, God chose a couple too old to have kids to bring Isaac into the world. And now with the Incarnation, a woman gave birth without the aid of a man. God had saved the best for last!
"Behold, a virgin shall be withchild, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
As Christians, you and I are most fortunate, for we have been given the marvelous privilege of telling the Christmas story over and over. What a thrill! It just gets better and better every time we tell it!
Merry Christmas! See you Friday night!
Pastor
For those who do not believe, or are skeptical by nature, it must sound absurd. But to those of us who are believers, this is a wondrous story!
The Bible clearly informs us God's ways are not our ways, as evidenced by the supernatural means by which Adam came into existence, without a man or woman; Eve, came from a man and no woman. With Abram and Sarai, God chose a couple too old to have kids to bring Isaac into the world. And now with the Incarnation, a woman gave birth without the aid of a man. God had saved the best for last!
"Behold, a virgin shall be withchild, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
As Christians, you and I are most fortunate, for we have been given the marvelous privilege of telling the Christmas story over and over. What a thrill! It just gets better and better every time we tell it!
Merry Christmas! See you Friday night!
Pastor
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
God's Gift
When man landed on the moon Neil Armstrong exclaimed "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind." The President exclaimed that the greatest event in human history was when man placed his foot on the moon.
However, the greatest event in human history was when God almighty came to dwell upon the earth. We call that the incarnation. We call that Christmas morning. Isaiah put it this way "For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given."
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.
So God imparts to human hearts, the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming but, in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will recieve Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
That is what Christmas is all about. Please understand, not to understand means you do not have the key to human history. How sad it would be to know biology and not know the "Giver of Life"; to know astromony and not know the "Bright and morning star"; to know geology and not know the "Rock of Ages"; to know botany and not know the "Rose of Sharon"; or to know history but not understand the story of Jesus. It has been said a wise man is ignorant, a rich man poor, and a strong man weak until he knows the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is the centerpiece, the focal point of all human history. He is called in John's gospel "The Word". What is a word? It is an expression of an idea. Jesus is the expression of God. That's why the scripture calls Him "Immanuel, being interpreted God with us!"
The cradle, the cross, and the crown are woven together. The little baby in Bethlehem was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
As the scripture says "Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." Our forefathers, for the most part, believed that. Today why not thank God for His unspeakable gift - Himself!
Take time to thank Him for His gift to you, that of eternal salvation.
God Bless! See you Sunday!
Pastor
However, the greatest event in human history was when God almighty came to dwell upon the earth. We call that the incarnation. We call that Christmas morning. Isaiah put it this way "For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given."
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.
So God imparts to human hearts, the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming but, in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will recieve Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
That is what Christmas is all about. Please understand, not to understand means you do not have the key to human history. How sad it would be to know biology and not know the "Giver of Life"; to know astromony and not know the "Bright and morning star"; to know geology and not know the "Rock of Ages"; to know botany and not know the "Rose of Sharon"; or to know history but not understand the story of Jesus. It has been said a wise man is ignorant, a rich man poor, and a strong man weak until he knows the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is the centerpiece, the focal point of all human history. He is called in John's gospel "The Word". What is a word? It is an expression of an idea. Jesus is the expression of God. That's why the scripture calls Him "Immanuel, being interpreted God with us!"
The cradle, the cross, and the crown are woven together. The little baby in Bethlehem was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
As the scripture says "Thou shalt call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." Our forefathers, for the most part, believed that. Today why not thank God for His unspeakable gift - Himself!
Take time to thank Him for His gift to you, that of eternal salvation.
God Bless! See you Sunday!
Pastor
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Merry Christmas!
I love Christmas! I never tire of the joys of the holiday season!
Since I was a young boy growing up in New Jersey, Christmas has been special. I still remember the Christmas Eve my Dad and I ventured out to get our tree. It was the real McCoy!
The house would be full of the aroma of fresh pine needles. Before we put the tree up we had to put down the Lionel train track. We had permanently secured the track on a large piece of plywood. It was oval, and we only brought it out of the attic for the week of Christmas. Playing with those trains is one of my fondest memories. The engine had smoke coming out of the stack. The caboose had a policeman chasing a hobo. It also had a milk car. When the train stopped, it would load and unload bottles of milk.
I also enjoyed decorating the tree. In those days we used large lights. Then, after the ornaments were carefully placed, we would cover it with tinsel. I mean the kind made out of lead. It's probably outlawed now! The finishing touch was when my Dad put the angel on top of that masterpiece. I believe he has the same angel to this day!
We would all sit around the tree and my father would read the Christmas story while we sipped on hot chocolate and listened to the crackle of the fire.
Early Christmas morning we were up opening gifts! We would each have two or three gifts. It truly was, as the song says, "The most wonderful time of the year!"
Personally, I think we all have a little child-likeness in us at this time of year. I know I do, and it is probably why I still delight in the joys of the season!
I have tried to pass along similar traditions to my children. Things change, but the story and wonder of Christmas endures.
I encourage you to establish some holiday traditions of your own. Make this season special for those around you, for it is truly a time to rejoice and celebrate! As the carol says,"Rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel has come to you O Israel!"
Christ has come to a world of folly,
Light the tree and lets be jolly!
I wish each of you dear, blessed ones the merriest Christmas ever and a blessed New Year!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
Pastor
Since I was a young boy growing up in New Jersey, Christmas has been special. I still remember the Christmas Eve my Dad and I ventured out to get our tree. It was the real McCoy!
The house would be full of the aroma of fresh pine needles. Before we put the tree up we had to put down the Lionel train track. We had permanently secured the track on a large piece of plywood. It was oval, and we only brought it out of the attic for the week of Christmas. Playing with those trains is one of my fondest memories. The engine had smoke coming out of the stack. The caboose had a policeman chasing a hobo. It also had a milk car. When the train stopped, it would load and unload bottles of milk.
I also enjoyed decorating the tree. In those days we used large lights. Then, after the ornaments were carefully placed, we would cover it with tinsel. I mean the kind made out of lead. It's probably outlawed now! The finishing touch was when my Dad put the angel on top of that masterpiece. I believe he has the same angel to this day!
We would all sit around the tree and my father would read the Christmas story while we sipped on hot chocolate and listened to the crackle of the fire.
Early Christmas morning we were up opening gifts! We would each have two or three gifts. It truly was, as the song says, "The most wonderful time of the year!"
Personally, I think we all have a little child-likeness in us at this time of year. I know I do, and it is probably why I still delight in the joys of the season!
I have tried to pass along similar traditions to my children. Things change, but the story and wonder of Christmas endures.
I encourage you to establish some holiday traditions of your own. Make this season special for those around you, for it is truly a time to rejoice and celebrate! As the carol says,"Rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel has come to you O Israel!"
Christ has come to a world of folly,
Light the tree and lets be jolly!
I wish each of you dear, blessed ones the merriest Christmas ever and a blessed New Year!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
Pastor
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