Pastor's Blog

Unlike the doomsayers, I believe there is Hope for America.  I will attempt to stay positive with this message, but, we must remember, we cannot be made well unless we first realize that we are ailing!  Isaiah 1 appears to be like the morning headlines of the American newspaper.  We have become a sick nation, primarily because of the lack of godly leaders with courage and convictions.  

We must individually examine our own hearts when it comes to our indifference or backslidden condition.  C. Tobey: “The things that are wrong with our country today are the sum total of all the things that are wrong with us as individuals!”  It can be said of that the average Christian has become “desensitized” or even “accommodating” to the gradual decay of Christian values in our country today! We are no longer the “conscience” of our communities!  We are to be “light” in a dark world.  If the light is dim, people will perish in darkness.  I believe that Christians are the only people who possess that true light.

Gen. Omar Bradley reflects, “We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.  We have achieved brilliance without conscience.  We are nuclear giants and ethical infants!”  As the Book of Romans declares, “We are worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator!”

Where’s the HOPE?  Psalm 114:34 – “Righteousness EXALTS a nation…”  The question is; how can we practice Righteousness?  Following are just a few suggestions:

Remain true to our Christian Convictions!  What might they be?

The Bible is the final authority for me and my family!

My Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit!

The only way to heaven is through faith in Christ!

Marriage between a man and woman is a life-long commitment to God!

Money is to be earned and managed according to Scriptural principles.

My life-style must be in line with Christian values.

My children will be raised to believe the above!

Help the helpless!   

Show compassion and mercy!  

Showing others a “better way” of living!  

America has the most admired heritage of any country of modern civilization!  Have we gotten off course?  Yes!  We need to see it and admit that!  Is there Hope for the Future?  Some would say NO, but I believe 2 Chron. 7:14!  I believe there is Hope for America and, that we, like our forefathers can leave our children a “Memorial” they can build upon!

Pastor's Blog

There is a verse of Scripture  I have included on my business cards since the 1980’s.  The verse is John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!”

The Lord does NOT promise us a life without problems, but He does tell us what to do with them!

Trouble is a marvelous destroyer of pride and an effective restrainer of self will.  It was trouble that brought us to Jesus!

In Acts 27 we see that Paul and some others in some serious trouble!  In fact, most of the passengers on this storm-tossed boat lost all hope of survival!

Have you ever been in a position where you lost all hope?

·       Marriage/Family problems

·       Financial problems

·       Health problems

·       Work related problems

·       Relationship problems

We can learn a lot from this passage.  We can compare Paul’s voyage on this boat to the “Voyage of Life” that we’re all on.

Our true faith will always be tested through the storms of life

Circumstances may spell out “NO  HOPE!”

·       The experience sailors said NO HOPE.

·       The 14 days of constant storm said NO HOPE.

·       Running out of food and supplies said NO HOPE.

·       The storm was too great, the boat was too small, the load was too heavy and the distance to land was too far!  NO HOPE! 

Have you ever been to the place called “NO  HOPE?”

·       Listen, “As long as matters are pretty sure, HOPE is mere rhetoric!

·       It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to emerge on the horizon!

May it be a voyage of faith and victory instead of a voyage of total wreckage and personal loss

 

Pastor's Blog

                                           Scars

Many of us have scars that will be part of our life until the Lord takes us out of this world.

Scars on:

·       Our body (through bodily injury whether accident or intentional). 

·       Our mind (those memories we have left their mark).   

·       Our spirit (occurrences in life that have penetrated our innermost being).  

There’s not much we can do about scars!  Scars are permanent in most cases.

There’s not much we can do “about” them, but there’s a whole lot we can do with them!  Those are scars on the mind or spirit that will NOT be totally eliminated!  The memory is there.

Can God possibly turn them around for the good?  They could be used to remind ourselves that we must be dependent only on the Lord and flee to Him for refuge.  They can also be used to help others spare themselves the pain we have experienced. 

One thing that can be said about scar tissue is that it becomes stronger tissue than the normal skin tissue.  I wonder if that can be true about the scar damage on the mind and spirit?  I think so.

Let me ask you: How have you dealt with your scars? We all have them. How is it going with you?

·       Body Scars – let the Lord use them as reminders of His love and grace! They can become “beauty marks!”

·       Mind Scars – allow the Lord to wash them with His precious blood and let forgiveness heal the wounds! They can become “precious memories!”

·       Spiritual Scars – Let the Lord Jesus cast them away as “far as the east is from the west and remember them no more!  Those scars can be turned into “Stars!”