A Note from the Pastor

 

 

 

I'm a big believer in following what is going on in the world around us. We as Christians, while we don't need to be of this world, we do live in this world, so it is incumbent on us to be aware of the nature of world events.

It's also true that there does need to be balance. You can't be totally consumed by tracking the newspaper and surfing the net 6 hours every day so you can say, "yeah, I heard that." People do it all of the time. You need to live your life, not be turned in and tuned out and absorbed in the terrible things that are going on today.

God wants His people to be happy! That's the bottom line. He told us through the apostle Paul the book of Philippians that while we may not always be full of joy and walking around with this big grin on our face, we can have peace, we can be content. Contentment is good, peace is deeper and wider, and both of them will carry you through the worst of times.

After all Paul had experienced the worst that the world could throw at him, and he penned those words. How much more can we do? Let's talk about peace today, can we?

Yes, let's ....

 

 

 

The big feud between the Hatfield's and the McCoy's. Do you know how it started? I didn't either, so I did what you do, I Googled it. I was amazed at what I

The story goes that in 1873, in an area along the Tug River in Pike County Kentucky, Rand'i McCoy and Floyd Hatfield got in to a lawsuit over ownership of some hogs. To make a really long story really short, it escalated to blood shed and the feud was on. It wasn't officially over until June 11th, 2000.

Isn't it interesting the petty things that can cause bitterness and strife between people? This is just one example. Have you ever asked that question (Who started it?) and not even been able to remember how the fight started, you just knew that you were mad.

Having said all of that, I want to tell you today about the real fight. The fight we call spiritual warfare. We're going to see who the real enemy is and hopefully learn what to do. This is a real battle, not

just an urban legend.

In the words of the famous ring announcer, Michael Buffer, "Let's get ready to rumble!"

Stay tuned ...

 

 

Holiness. We speak of it lightly so many times. It's an easy word to say, but a hard life to live. In our global community, with access to millions upon millions of bits of information, and free access to every corner of the globe, we are exposed to an incredible variety of information that directly affects how we live our lives.

This makes us take the wonders of this vast universe so totally for granted. Let's face it; our lives are much easier today because of it. We can so casually read about the happenings a world away from us. Within seconds we're virtually there.

This casual relationship with our surroundings tends to make us casual in other aspects of life. This takes us back to the issue of Holiness. How we live our lives is a much greater indicator of our relationship with the Creator than what we profess it to be. We call ourselves Christian without really considering what that means. And believe it or not, our salvation experience is only the beginning and not the whole picture. This little spot in the bulletin is not nearly room enough!

Today, we'll address what this word Holiness means, how it reveals who we are and the difference between Them and Us. Stay tuned ...

 

 

 

Will you be my Friend?

As I have grown older, I have come to better understand the importance of having friends. In my line of work (the pastor, not the sales guy) I've discovered that you don't have as many close friends as you do acquaintances. You know a lot of people, you get involved in their lives, and you share their ups and downs.

But as a minister, who shares yours? Who can you "let your hair down" with? Not many people, but that's okay. I've learned to cherish those relationships that I do have, regardless whether they are close or not.

You see, we all need friends. The saying goes, 'no man is an island' and it's very true. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "1 do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost-work, but the solidest thing we know." A real friend is hard to find, bit if that friendship is real, it will weather the storms of life.

Going into our March campaign, I want you to see just how important those relationships are. Those people that you know and count as friends also need to know your best Friend. Can we see how very important it is to get them to sit under the gospel, to know that Friend that sticks closer than a brother? Let's show them!

 

 

In the 40's we heard such classics as Sentimental Reasons,

I'll Be Seeing You, That Old Black Magic, You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You, and my favorite, Some Enchanted Evening. Who am I kidding, I wasn't born until 1957, but these are classics.

In the 50's they were playing these songs on the radio: Love Letters in the Sand, All of You, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Unforgettable( I loved Nat King Cole), The Wonder of You, and of course who can forget the King singing Love Me Tender (ah, thank you very much). The 60's were just weird, the 70's, wow, we wore some ugly clothes but we had a couple of good loves songs like How Deep is Your Love (Barry Gibbs sounds like a girl, just my opinion) and Where Do I Begin.

The 80's gave us Willie Nelson and You Were Always On My Mind and that little mouse Fivel Mousekowitz singing Somewhere Out There. The 90's, weill don't even know.

As Christians we sometimes get so caught up in things of heaven that we forget we serve a God who delights in love. Love for Him but also love for each other. He gave us the capacity to give and to receive love. So today, let's revel in that thought. Tell that special someone today how you feel. If you want to pick a song to do it, go ahead. They might like it.

 

 

Two weeks ago when I started doing my study for the messages looking at the many ways to identify God in the Bible, I discovered something. A pattern if you will. Not once in the entire Book is there ever a negative mention of God given by His people.

What I'm saying is in every account given by the more than 40 authors in 66 books, there is absolutely no one that says, "God is okay, but He's really not that great. I just don't know what all the fuss is about. He's just God." More to the point, they always, without exception, lavish praise.

Why is that? Did everyone in the Bible have a truly positive experience all the time with God? Do we need to go there? But in the final analysis, God is who He is. He is God, unchangeable, all powerful, Wonderful Councilor, eternal, matchless in grace, limitless in mercy. He is that Name above all names.

I wish this space. was bigger. It really can't come close to covering him. So just know He is God. The very next time that you wonder, just remember the Name above all names. That's all you need to know.

"I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility"

This quote from Maya Angelou sums up our philosophy today. It seems that we humans have this whole process backwards. We feel that the more that we have, we need to rely less on the power of a sovereign God. But the less we have or when we can no longer depend on ourselves to find our own way, we cry out in desperation for His divine help.

Where are we? Have we forgotten as was quoted once, "the face of our fathers?" Do we not remember what the source for all life is? How do we walk in a dark world without divine guidance, relying merely on our own feeble strength to carry us?

Too many questions, not enough answers. Where does the solution lie today in this bizarre world? How do we find our way? The answer lies in total reliance on a sovereign God. That's the stepping off point, the lynch pin, the key.