4-10-2026

Good Morning!

             Matthew 6:20; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

    A few years ago, we took the high school kids to the Black Hills for a concert.  We stayed in a cabin in the Lead- Deadwood area; the place where gold is lore.  Men would pack up, sometimes with their families, and try and stake a claim and try to strike it rich.  This is the thing that many see as part of the American dream; man strikes it rich through good luck and hard work.  Even though these stories of men panning for gold are legendary and part of our lore; successes were few and far between.  Most of the time, this dream ended in total failure; sometimes catastrophically. 

    Most came with little more than the clothes that they wore.  As the small amount of money they had was spent, they would have to go to work for someone in order to fund their dream.  They often ended up as little more than serfs for the local supply stores.  Sometimes, if the husband was killed, his wife and family would have to try to go back to where they came from.  Sometimes, if the wife couldn’t afford to leave, she would often end up “working” in one of the local saloons.  The effect of “gold fever” was many times a destroyed life.

    We may not have “gold fever” but we many times place far too much emphasis on material items.  We measure our value by stuff.  What is always fascinating is that few ever have enough stuff.  No matter how much one has, there is someone who has more and we want to have more as well.  This “fever” can, and often does, cause pain in families and distress in relationships.  It may not end with the tragedies of the gold rush days but pain and sadness.  When we place our hope in stuff, when our treasures are here on earth; we are seldom satisfied or content.

    Jesus gives us a treasure that no amount of money can buy.  He makes us wealthy beyond any human measure.  He gives us eternal salvation; he gives the hope to face today because of the certainty of tomorrow.  He comforts us with his Holy Spirit.  His Word nourishes us and gives us the rest that we need.

   So, if you find yourself in the downward spiral of wanting “more, more, more;” remember you will never be fully satisfied, you will never be completely content.  You will always crave more and worry about what you have; you will have no rest and even less peace.  Realize that it is the world that tells you it is all about the toys you have.  God tells you it is about the relationships you have; first with Him and then your brothers and sisters.  That is the measure for which we should strive.  We should look at how much we love and not how much we have.  God’s gift to us is the certainty of our eternity.  God’s gift is the gift of life.  It is the answer to the “fever” that greed can cause.

Father, grant me the wisdom to trust in your promise.  Help me to see that the world’s fever is only an illness.  Show me that your healing grace is all that will satisfy life.  Be with those who are spiraling out of control.  Bring them safely home, in Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-9-2026

Good Morning!

     Psalm 103: 2 &4; “Bless the Lord… who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”

       “The pit;” it conjures up images of despair.  In many of the old prisoner of war movies or in the old western prison movies, they had “the pit.”  It was a place of punishment, usually not big enough to stand in, usually an actual hole in the ground.  In the movies in the southwest United States or in the south Pacific, they are hot.  In the war movies in Europe, they are cold. Usually, at some point, the hero of the movies will rescue someone from the pit and save their life.  Of course, that is what heroes do.

     As sinful creatures, we live a life in the pit.  It is dirty, dark, dank, and very uncomfortable.  It is lonely and filled with despair.  We are in the pit and fear everything and we live with no hope.  This is the condition in which Jesus finds us. It is from the pit that we are rescued.  Jesus came to us and saved us just as we were.  We were dirty and despised; yet Jesus did not turn away from us.  We were and never are too dirty for Jesus to reach out to us and to save us.  We can take comfort in that; there is nothing about you that makes you unlovable to God.

    Now we see the next step, Jesus doesn’t leave us as he found us; we are cleaned up ad lifted from the pit.  We don’t have to live in the fear that the devil can keep dragging us back to the pit; we are free from him.  We are free to walk the journey that God has given to us. He does not want us to live in the pit; he frees us from the darkness and the hopelessness.  Jesus gives us hope and peace.

   So why is it that we so often return to the pit?  Why do we return to the pain and destruction?  Often it is because that is the only life we know.  We mistakenly think that we belong there.  We tend to see it as our “lot in life” and nothing is further from the truth.  Jesus frees us from that pit of despair, from that pit of hopelessness; so why go back?  Jesus lifts us from the pit and we never have to go back, we never to live in that despair. 

    Jesus came to us to give us hope; hope that can wash away our despair.  We can live knowing that our future is secure and that God goes with us on our journey to give us comfort and to hear our fears and to share in our life.  He goes with us to protect us and to guide us.  He goes with us to remind us of the loving promises that He has made to us.  We are his children and his desire is that we live in joy and contentment in his kingdom.  We are his people.  It is by his mercy that we are out of the pit.  It is by his grace that we have the peace that God grants to us.

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for freeing us from the pain of the pit of despair.  We give you thanks for the wonderful freedom that you give us.  Be with those who are still in the pit.  Give them the certainty of their hope in you.  Keep them safe in your arms and guide them by your Spirit. Protect our servicemen and women who are in harm’s way. In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

4-8-2026

Good Morning!

     Romans 14:19; “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

    I often sit back and watch people as they interact.  It is always fascinating to me to see what causes disturbances in relationships. Whether it is one on one or it is a group relationship, they seem to have different levels of disturbance.  It usually starts with a mumble, something said under your breath about something that was said or was heard.  It will grow into a grumble where the complainer’s comments are said loud enough to be heard but not really completely understood.  It will then rise to a kerfuffle where some extras are brought into the original debate either confusing the issue or making the beginning of picking sides.  It can rise to a conflagration where tempers flare which can lead to a full-fledged brouhaha which can lead you right into the much-dreaded donnybrook, so much for peace in the relationship.

    Relationships, from personal to group dynamics, are always a struggle.  This is the result of our sinful nature.  Relationships require giving, sinful nature only looks to take.  There will always be this tension; our sinful nature wrestling with the Spirit within us for control.  The Spirit usually wins but sometimes it doesn’t.  When sinful man wins the struggle, pain, and sorrow follow.  It started when Cain killed Abel and hasn’t gotten any better.  Our sinful nature causes all our problems.

     So, we fall into the temptation and we sin against our spouse, children, brothers, or sisters; or they sin against us; how do we get back on track?  What tools do we have that the Spirit gives to us to go forward?  The greatest tool we have is also the greatest gift we have and that is forgiveness.  If you want to move forward, if you want to have peace, you have to forgive.  If you never forgive you will never have peace.  This is not a punishment or a threat; it is how we work.  If we do not forgive, we do not let go of the past.  If we live in the past we are left to repeat it.  Thus, any pain which we experienced remains in vision and we repeat the pain over and over.  So, Scriptures tells us to pursue peace and for the mutual upbringing.

    In order to have peace, we must have a clear conscience and a clear heart.  We must confess our errors and give forgiveness to those who cause us pain.  Ratcheting the struggle upward may bring a hollow victory but it will never bring peace.  It will actually do the opposite.  Fighting never brings peace, only forgiveness brings about true peace.  That is why God’s peace is so great; it is built on love and forgiveness.  If we want true peace, we need to forgive and then try and build each other up.

Father, in your love for us we have forgiveness.  Help us to grow in peace; help us to forgive.  Show us the peace that is beyond this world’s understanding.  Show us your compassion that we may be compassionate to others.  Send your Spirit of healing to those who are struggling with one of their relationships.  We ask that you bring forgiveness and peace to those in pain.  All this we boldly ask because of Jesus our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-7-2026

Good Morning!

     Luke 19:42; “(Jesus said) “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

     “If I had only known.”  How many times have you said that?  How many times have you heard that said? “Oh, if I would have only known that my mom was going to die, I would have visited her more.”  “If I had only known that this was the last time I would talk to him, I would have said something different.”  If I had only known.

    We place a lot of value on knowing something.  We think that if we know what is going to happen that somehow, we will be better prepared and that we will make better decisions.  This sounds really good in theory but not so good in practice.  Because we rarely know what is going on and we are even less likely to have a good plan in place.  Even if we see all the “signs” we are still unprepared for what will happen.

    In our verse, Jesus is lamenting over Jerusalem, and all the Jews, because they have missed the signs.  All that Jesus did while he walked the earth pointed to the fact that he was the promised Messiah.  Yet they didn’t see the signs but even now, as Jesus waits to be arrested and crucified, if the Jews would have repented, Jesus would have forgiven them.  If they only would have known and realized who Jesus really was, they would have been saved and they would have had peace.  But they didn’t know and these things were hidden from their eyes.  They failed to see because they didn’t have faith. 

     There are many times that we fail to have peace because we do not see the truth.  Too often, we want to create our own truth.  Instead of receiving the Gospel’s life changing joy, we seek to change the Gospel so that it “fits” us.  We take God’s truth and then twist it’s meaning to fit our own personal needs and agenda.  Soon, we have tried to “fix” or “improve” the sweetness of the Gospel that its truth is hidden from our eyes and we begin to call sin, “alternate choices” or “enlightened knowledge” or some other pet name. 

    Yet we only have true peace when we see that God’s pure truth is active in our lives.  God’s love for us is real as is the love that God wants us to have for all others.  Yet sin separates us from God and it blinds us to his most gracious and wonderful love.  So, we need to see God’s truth and repent of our sins.  We need to turn away from selfishness and self-centeredness and be humble before him.  We need to listen to God’s Word and to know it as true.  When we do this, we see what God reveals to us, his love and mercy.  So, trust in God’s Word; it is never too late to repent and receive the comfort of our forgiveness and salvation.

Gracious Father, in your wonderful mercy we have life.  Keep our eyes open to the truth of your wonderful grace.  Keep us steadfast in your loving arms.  Be with those who are struggling and do not see you.  Help them to see that it is never too late to hear your voice and come into your marvelous light.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

4-6-2026

Good Morning!

     1 Corinthians 13:13; “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

     Love seems to always be the answer.  The Beatles sang that, “All you need is love.”  The Andrews Sisters sang “I wanna be loved;” Elvis wanted to someone to “love me tender.”  The Righteous Brothers lost that loving feeling.  We speak an awful lot about love, in and out of our faith.  Out of our faith, the word can mean about anything from people to pizza we “love it” but what about our faith and what does Paul mean when he says the greatest of these is love?  How can love be greater than hope or faith?

   As Paul addresses this statement, we can read it in two ways; one way is temporal and one way is eternal.  The temporal understanding is about our earthly relationships.  Faith is something that you have.  You have faith; it benefits you and you only.  Each one of us has to have faith, on our own, to hold onto the promise that God makes to us.  Faith sustains me and helps me to grow closer to God through Christ. 

   Hope is what keeps you going through the toughest of times.  No matter how difficult the trek or dark the night, you have hope because of the promise that there will be a better day.  Someday, God will rescue you from this sin filled world.  Jesus will return and restore creation to its perfect state and you with it.

    Love is the greatest because you have to share love.  Love only exists when it is freely given away.  You cannot hold onto your love; if you do, it fails to accomplish its task.  You can hold onto your faith; you can hold the hope that God gives you but you have to give love away.  Love helps to build others up; it can help to lift them from the depths of sadness and despair.  Love builds the family of God here on earth like nothing else we can do.  In the temporal world, love is the greatest because love brings about peace for all.

   In the eternal sense, love is the greatest because love is everlasting.  Love is the only thing we will take into our eternal life with Christ.  We will no longer need faith because we will be living and seeing Jesus.  Faith is being certain of what we do not see; we will see Jesus face to face.  We will talk with him and listen to him and share his banquet feast with him; we won’t need faith.

   We also will not have to hope for the promise because the promise has been fulfilled.  We won’t have to hope for it to come because it is present.  All we will take with us and, like the Beatles sing, all we need is love.  We will live in God’s eternal joyous kingdom, loving all and being loved by all, especially Jesus. 

    So, love is the greatest because it is the peace in this life and the everlasting truth in the next.  All we really do need is love.

Gracious Father, you give us three great gifts: faith, hope, and love.  Help us to cherish them and to experience them and to live them.  Strengthen our faith, build up our hope, and let us love one another as you have loved us.  Be with those who do not experience love.  Move us to love them with a willing heart and spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

4-5-2026

 Good Morning All,

     Matthew 28:6; “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

I once knew an Irish man who was bulletproof. His name was Rick O’Shea.

What are you if you drive a Subaru in reverse? Ur a Bus

How do you carve wood? A whittle at a time!

    I am sure you are shaking your head by now but at least with a little chuckle. We are engaging in a centuries old practice called “Risus Paschalis.” It translates to “Easter Laughter.” The practice was for the priest to start the Easter service by telling jokes; jokes that would encourage a strong loud belly laugh. The idea stems from a belief that Easter, in its reversal of death and the devil as God outwits them. “Surely Satan laughed with glee when Jesus died there on that tree. But three days more there was a change in the score as Jesus burst out of death’s door.”

    Satan was completed outwitted and defeated at his own game. It provides us with something of a divine irony, a holy reversal that makes the powers of evil look foolish. So, we laugh, we laugh at Satan and his foolish folly of thinking he could kill God not having a clue that this was God’s plan all along to redeem his people. Justice had to be served and the debt of sin had to be paid but the devil never thought the sacrifice would be Jesus and when Jesus emerged from the tomb all the devil planned on, wanted and worked for went completely awry. One of the made for television movies about the life of Jesus ended with Jesus sitting up in the tomb, looking at his hands, and then bursting out in laughter. What a wonderful picture!

    That same victory is ours! We too, can laugh at death and the devil. They no longer have the upper hand. We have been granted by our loving Father eternal life in His Name. We possess it right now. It is a “now but not yet” gift. Like the child who is holding his Christmas present in his hands but he has to wait his turn to open it. He is shaking with excitement because he knows it will be so great, but just not yet.  His joy knows no end.

    So, this Easter, don’t just observe, don’t just participate, but rather celebrate. Celebrate the wondrous gift given to us by the death and RESURRECTION of Jesus. Our sins are atoned for and the tomb is but a path to eternal life. And we, like that child with a present, or when we hear a funny joke can laugh at the devil and be giddy with excitement when we remember Christ did al this for us. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Gracious Father, you have shown us a love that knows no end! Keep us ever in joyful knowledge of your salvation, given to us through your son Jesus. May we always look to you and know your peace. May we in joy and love celebrate this wonderful day all our lives. Keep us safe in your loving arms. Be with those who struggle that they too may know your mercy. In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray. Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-4-2026

Good Morning!

     Matthew 13: 45-46“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

    We have all seen or read the story about the person who went to a garage sale and bought a painting for $5 then he takes it home and finds out is a rare painting worth millions of dollars.  Every time I read one of those stories, I think I want to go to garage sales.  Or maybe you remember the story of the guy who inherited his grandfather’s old, broken-down lake cabin only to find a bunch of gold coins in the attic.  Or maybe yours is the story of the guy who finds a rare book at a flea market and buys it before anyone else finds it.

    All these stories involve finding something of great value but there is more than a little luck involved.  In our verses for today, everyone knew the value but the merchant sold everything to possess it.  So instead of finding a hidden treasure, this one is known to everyone and he has to outbid everyone else to buy it.  So, we misread the verses.  We often times misread these verses.

    Too many of us read this and think that “I am the merchant.”  I give everything up for this one treasure.  It can cause us to question the value of the gift.  If I have nothing to give up, then this decision is easy but what if I have a lot that I value and now have to sell it all to obtain the pearl?  Or what if I don’t have enough to buy the pearl even if I sell all that I have?  Now where am I?  No, you are not the merchant; you are he pearl.

    “The kingdom of God is like a merchant;” God is the merchant; he is the one seeking fine pearls.  He found one of great value, you, and sold all that he had (His only Son) to buy you back.  You are the treasure; you are the one whom God seeks after.  You are the fine pearl.

    We would never have enough money to buy any form of salvation, even if we were to sell our own body and life.  We don’t have enough.  Only God can afford that price and it was a terrific price- the life of Jesus.  Yet God willingly sold all that he had in order to buy you back because he loves you; you have great value.  The world may try to devalue you or to undervalue you but God never does, you are a fine pearl in his eyes.  You have great value.

    The fine pearls were lost but God sought them out and then paid dearly for them; God is the merchant and you and I are the pearls.  We are treasured by God.  We are highly prized by God.  We are loved by God with a love that knows no measure and knows no bounds.  It is a love that can and does sustain us.  We always need to remember that a pearl is always valuable; it is precious and wonderful and so are you.  God’s mercy is active and alive in your life so trust in his grace and peace to guide you and his hope will guard you.  Trust in God for he seeks you and finds you and he redeems you because he loves you.

Father, you seek me out every day, even when I try to hide.  Through your mercy, I am healed.  Protect me with your mighty hand.  We beg that you continue to seek the lost pearls that all may come to know your grace.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret