Just thought I should let you know I'll be taking a little time away from the blog thing. You should see some new postings after Christmas. From my family to yours - Merry Christmas and May God Bless you and yours in the new year!
Pastor John
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Color
I was privileged to behold one of the most brilliant rainbows I have ever seen the other day while I was sitting in my deer stand. I was situated under a pine tree in the rain and was thinking how much fun I was having in the wind and rain when all of a sudden the sun dropped low enough on the horizon to illuminate the ground under the clouds. The most vibrant orange struck my eyes from the color in the leaves and the contrast of the dark clouds above. In an instant, a rainbow formed. The rainbow was a massive rainbow with a twin counterpart that wasn't quite as bright, but was still beautiful. Friends of mine from church saw the twin bows from as far as 20 miles away. It was huge. As the sun finished its course toward sunset, the rainbow intensified in an ebbing and flowing brilliance that is not soon to be compared. I was awe struck and amazed at the beauty of it and could not help but thank God for the color he placed in nature. I think part of the reason the color was so bright was because of the dark clouds that had been pouring rain. There's no doubt in my mind that God's blessing shines the brightest when we're in our darkest hour. There's probably another lesson in that, but you'll have to figure that one out!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day
The Bible says, "This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it". You might wonder, "Even election day?" The answer is yes! Every day is a gift from God and especially days like election day. So many people come to an election day with anxiety or fear mixed with excitement and expectation. There is much that depends on this day because the outcome of it will set the tone for our country for many years to come.
With all that depends on today, you need to know this, too! Every day is a gift from God and every day presents opportunities that have potential to shape your future. But for the providential care of Almighty God, we might waste everyday and opportunity that He gives to us. The point to this little story is this: God has clearly brought us to this point and he will cearly superintend the events of this election and guide us toward the final consumation of the age. This is the day the Lord has made; regardless of wins the election, we can rejoice and be glad in the day! Be sure to VOTE!
With all that depends on today, you need to know this, too! Every day is a gift from God and every day presents opportunities that have potential to shape your future. But for the providential care of Almighty God, we might waste everyday and opportunity that He gives to us. The point to this little story is this: God has clearly brought us to this point and he will cearly superintend the events of this election and guide us toward the final consumation of the age. This is the day the Lord has made; regardless of wins the election, we can rejoice and be glad in the day! Be sure to VOTE!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The Day Before Election
Tuesday is the BIG day! It's the day we get to vote for the next president of the USA. How cool is that? We actually get to have a say in who serves us. There is great debate over the person who will hold the most influential position in our country and arguably the world. Let me give my two cents about what a Christian should look for in a candidate.
First, the candidate must be a person of integrity. I know that seems impossible with politicians, but there are some out there. The best way to determine if the person is a person of integrity is to check his voting record with his past election promises. See if the two match and if not why not.
Second, the candidate must be a person of character / morals. There really is a debate over what constitutes morals. Some say that homsexuality is acceptable morality while others do not agree. Some say that abortion isn't a matter of terminating a human life and others disagree. The kind of morality the candidate possesses is of the utmost importance. In fact, in my opinion, it is the morality of the person that is the single greatest indicator of what kind of leader s/he would be.
Third, the candidate should be above board in his business dealings and professional relationships. We need to know where a person's allegiance rests. The associations a person keeps indicates a great deal about where that candidate's interests are, his sympathies rest and his loyalties lie.
Tuesday is the big day. Let's make it count.
First, the candidate must be a person of integrity. I know that seems impossible with politicians, but there are some out there. The best way to determine if the person is a person of integrity is to check his voting record with his past election promises. See if the two match and if not why not.
Second, the candidate must be a person of character / morals. There really is a debate over what constitutes morals. Some say that homsexuality is acceptable morality while others do not agree. Some say that abortion isn't a matter of terminating a human life and others disagree. The kind of morality the candidate possesses is of the utmost importance. In fact, in my opinion, it is the morality of the person that is the single greatest indicator of what kind of leader s/he would be.
Third, the candidate should be above board in his business dealings and professional relationships. We need to know where a person's allegiance rests. The associations a person keeps indicates a great deal about where that candidate's interests are, his sympathies rest and his loyalties lie.
Tuesday is the big day. Let's make it count.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Privilege to Vote
Since we live in a society with representative government and since our society prides itself on the practice of religious liberty, we as Christians need desperately to vote and vote our values at election time. Many Christians around the world do not have the luxury of expressing their faith or their convictions in the public arena. We do. Many Christians around the world would love to have an opportunity to be heard and to know that their right to practice their convictions in the public arena are protected.
Christians are to be Christ-like in every area of life. They are to represent their Lord in their speech, attitudes and conduct. We should never compartmentalize our faith and relegate it to something on Sunday. Rather, we should live out our faith on a day in and day out basis. That daily living out of faith should be experienced every election day when we vote. Let me give you some examples. If we believe that life is sacred, we should vote against abortion, federal funding of abortion clinics, euthanasia, assisted suicide. If we believe that life is sacred, we should vote for candidates who uphold the sanctity of life and we should vote against candidates who do not uphold the sanctity of human life. If we believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, we should vote for those who uphold that traditional view and vote against those who do not. If we beleive that homosexuality is a perversion of God's plan for humanity, then we should oppose the attempts of politicians and activists to force their agenda on our society. We should vote our values. I hope this November 4th, you'll not leave your faith at home. I hope you'll vote your values!
Christians are to be Christ-like in every area of life. They are to represent their Lord in their speech, attitudes and conduct. We should never compartmentalize our faith and relegate it to something on Sunday. Rather, we should live out our faith on a day in and day out basis. That daily living out of faith should be experienced every election day when we vote. Let me give you some examples. If we believe that life is sacred, we should vote against abortion, federal funding of abortion clinics, euthanasia, assisted suicide. If we believe that life is sacred, we should vote for candidates who uphold the sanctity of life and we should vote against candidates who do not uphold the sanctity of human life. If we believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, we should vote for those who uphold that traditional view and vote against those who do not. If we beleive that homosexuality is a perversion of God's plan for humanity, then we should oppose the attempts of politicians and activists to force their agenda on our society. We should vote our values. I hope this November 4th, you'll not leave your faith at home. I hope you'll vote your values!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Religious Liberty
Most Christians I know are unaware of the battle for religious liberty that was fought by our forefathers in the faith and the role that battle played in the formation of our own country. The simple version of the story carries us back to the days of dispute between the Pope of Rome and those dissenters who did not agree with corruption of the Roman Church. What was set in motion was a series of events that set that the church of Rome against governmental authorities and those in the church who were vocal in their disagreement with the church's policies. The Roman Church utilized force to implement its policies and silence those who were in disagreement.
As you can imagine, force didn't calm anything, but, instead, fanned the flames. The Roman Church burned people alive for translating the Bible into the language of the people. The Roman Church seized property and confiscated possession and imprisioned people when they attempted to worship God according to their own convictions. Depending upon the alliances, governments would often times participate in the enforcement of the church's policies. In an atmosphere of oppression, the religious liberty of thousands of people was squashed and the morale of the people was broken.
Enter the Ana-baptists, puritans, seperatists and others. These are the folks who refused to bow the knee to the Pope of Rome and worship in a way that was against their convictions and conscience. Those who refused to allow their religious liberty to be taken were either treated harshly or banished or allowed to leave to go to the colonies that would eventually become the United States of America. The very foundation of this country has its roots in the fight to preserve religious liberty. I would encourage you to vote this election according to your values and not allow a secular and increasingly pagan society keep you from the polls because you're Chrisitan. You have a right to vote and a right to be heard as a Christian. Exercise that privilege that was purchased with the blood of our forefathers. Vote November 4th.
As you can imagine, force didn't calm anything, but, instead, fanned the flames. The Roman Church burned people alive for translating the Bible into the language of the people. The Roman Church seized property and confiscated possession and imprisioned people when they attempted to worship God according to their own convictions. Depending upon the alliances, governments would often times participate in the enforcement of the church's policies. In an atmosphere of oppression, the religious liberty of thousands of people was squashed and the morale of the people was broken.
Enter the Ana-baptists, puritans, seperatists and others. These are the folks who refused to bow the knee to the Pope of Rome and worship in a way that was against their convictions and conscience. Those who refused to allow their religious liberty to be taken were either treated harshly or banished or allowed to leave to go to the colonies that would eventually become the United States of America. The very foundation of this country has its roots in the fight to preserve religious liberty. I would encourage you to vote this election according to your values and not allow a secular and increasingly pagan society keep you from the polls because you're Chrisitan. You have a right to vote and a right to be heard as a Christian. Exercise that privilege that was purchased with the blood of our forefathers. Vote November 4th.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Reaching People Involves LOVING People
One of the most familiar Greek terms for love is agape. Agape is defined as a love of choice or goodwill. When God penned John 3:16, he used agape to describe the kind of love he demonstrated for humanity by sending his son to live, die and rise again. God chose to love us when we were unworthy of his love. In the same way that God chose to love us when we didn't deserve his love, Christian people should extend love, genuine love, to those who do not deserve our love.
This love of choice begins with choosing to love other Christians. Jesus prayed for the unity of the body so that the outside world would see the love we have for one another and know that God is real. How else could a group a people from such economic, racial and social diversity come together and experience unity unless God had done a work in their lives. Unfortunately, most churches are known more for their business meetings or habits of running off preachers than they are for loving one another and their communities. Once Christian people have begun to practice agape for one another, they should turn their attention outward and demonstrate love of choice for those unloved by society. The church is only limited by its own creativity or fear when it comes to loving the unloved of society.
This love of choice begins with choosing to love other Christians. Jesus prayed for the unity of the body so that the outside world would see the love we have for one another and know that God is real. How else could a group a people from such economic, racial and social diversity come together and experience unity unless God had done a work in their lives. Unfortunately, most churches are known more for their business meetings or habits of running off preachers than they are for loving one another and their communities. Once Christian people have begun to practice agape for one another, they should turn their attention outward and demonstrate love of choice for those unloved by society. The church is only limited by its own creativity or fear when it comes to loving the unloved of society.
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