6-5-2026

Good Morning!

       1 Timothy 4:10; “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

    The English language is a strange beast. How a word is pronounced or how it is used can vary and be dependent upon the person using the word. For example, the word “stock” means something different to a person who raises animals, to a person who is a race car driver, to a gunsmith, and to a person of finance. The word “unionized” means (and is pronounced) differently between a scientist and a member of the Teamsters. (un-ionized to union-ized). Words can be difficult and frustrating but what can be very frustrating to a Christian is when the devil and the world take really good Bible words and mushes them all up and uses them to mean something altogether different.

    Hope is one of those words. In the worldly vernacular, hope is a flimsy, worthless, imagination of folly. When people use the word “hope,” you can almost sense that they think their “hope” is lost. I hope my team wins the World Series this year even though they have never won one and they traded their best players for some unknowns. I hope I have better crops this year than last year even though I have not changed anything since last year. I hope I win the Powerball lottery even if the odds are 292.2 million to 1. So, when we use the word hope like this, what good is there in having your hope set on the living God? How can that possibly be of any value?

    “Hope” in the Bible refers to the expectation of future good because of past events. Hope is a certainty not a flimsy wish. I hope that when I get out of bed, my feet hit the floor. Gravity has not failed before, and it won’t fail now. So, playing with English words, we can read “our hope set on the living God” and think “our ANCHOR set on the living God.”  Our hope is in God. We can anchor ourselves to this truth. We can hold onto God’s great promises of forgiveness and salvation and eternal life in the face of every earthly life storm.

    There is no greater power or force than God’s love for you. He shows us that love in the person of Jesus, whose death and resurrection gives us hope. It is our anchor into God’s rock of love. We will be battered, slammed, and attacked by everything this world has, yet just like the ship that rides out the storm because it is anchored safely in the cove, we too, are safe, anchored in the resurrection of Jesus and secure in his loving arms. We “wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” That is our hope, that is our anchor. We have Jesus and more importantly, He has us.

Gracious Father, our hope is in You because of your great promises which never fail. Help us to always know the confidence of your grace and the certainty of your mercy that declares us your children. Keep our hearts and minds safe in the knowledge of your love. Defend those who are struggling and send Your Spirit that they may know Your peace. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-4-2026

Good Morning!

      John 16:13; “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

    We just completed a family trip to Wisconsin Dells. Three vehicles leaving at different times from different places, what could go wrong? We all have GPS, maps on our phones and in our vehicles, and a hearty desire to get there. What could possibly happen? The first leg was to meet up in Rochester, Mn. and spend the night. Our first issue was we were given three different routes to Rochester, so we used the “shortest route.” We drove through portions of Minnesota that a wise driver wouldn’t but we had GPS so off we go. Vehicle #2 (oldest son and family with wife the navigator) was cruising along when suddenly, they are to travel down a gravel road, he is about to question this route when the navigator’s phone rings and it kicks the map off the screen. So, he continues on the gravel road, hoping no bean field is the next path (a different story) before she reconnects to the map. Safely back on track, they arrive in one piece. The next day, Vehicle #3 (youngest son, family, wife the navigator) had a commanding lead to get to our destination but was nowhere to be seen when we arrived. They entered the wrong address and went to a different part of the complex where we stayed.

    Fortunately, we have a guidance system that is far more reliable than even the best GPS; we have the Holy Spirit to guide us by reminding us of God’s blessings, promises and his wonderful words of grace.  He brings to mind all of God’s graciousness and steadfast love for us.  “Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” “Cast all your anxieties on him for he cares for you” “Christ came into the world to save the world not condemn it” “Be still and know that I am God” these are but a few there are many more for you to hold onto at the various times of your life and the journey you are on.

    The challenge in our life is much like the GPS; do you trust it?  While the GPS has been known to lead us astray once in a while, God’s Spirit never has.  So, we need to trust in God’s grace for our life.  We need to always keep in mind that God’s desire is for you to live as his redeemed child.  God’s desire is to have you live with him in eternal joy.  We need to keep this in mind.  There may be some bumps along the way, there will be times when the path isn’t clearly visible to us but God is always there for us to protect us, to guide us, to heal us, to give us life. 

    Jesus came into this world to give you life.  He came to give you hope.  He returned to heaven to rule and to intercede on our behalf.  He promised that the Holy Spirit would come to guide us and to lead us home.  This is the promise that God makes to you.  Trust his Word to see you through.

Father, as we face the struggles of this life, we sometimes are lost.  You send your Spirit to guide and comfort us. Give us the strength to trust your Spirit when we feel lost and beaten.  Be with those who especially battling life’s challenges.  Give them the courage to rely on you, in the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-3-2026

 Good Morning!

      Ephesians 2:14; “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”

       In 1965, Simon and Garfunkel released a song entitled, “I am a Rock.”  Unlike the Chevy pickup commercials, this was not an enjoyable experience.  It spoke of pain and loneliness.  The second verse goes like this:    I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. I am a rock; I am an island.

    Maybe this is you.  Maybe you have built walls.  You may have built them in an effort to stop being hurt, to stop feeling the pain.  Maybe you opened your heart and your soul to someone and they crushed you.  Perhaps they rejected you, were disloyal to you, betrayed you or caused you pain in another fashion.  Pain can be one of the greatest driving forces in human existence.  We seek to avoid it at all costs even to the point of building walls around us.

    That is often how we deal with this kind of emotional pain; we build walls.  We build them between our spouses, family, friends, rivals or anyone else who can hurt us.  We build these walls in a false hope that we can protect ourselves from pain.

    The problem with this thought is that the only thing we usually accomplish by building walls is to hold in the pain rather than keep it out.  By keeping the pain in, we self-inflict even more pain and suffering.  The stronger the walls; the more effective they are in holding in all the pain and suffering.  The more we suffer, the more we build walls; walls that separate us from those whom we love and who love us.  This is what sin does to us; it convinces us to build walls.  Sin convinces us that being all alone is better than having a loving relationship with those around us.

    Yet we know that Jesus came to bring about healing.  He came to heal all of our brokenness.  He came to break down walls.  The first and greatest wall that he destroyed was the one that separated us from God’s love.  He destroyed this wall and brought us back into his loving kingdom.  He gives us the power to destroy the walls that we have between us and those around us.  His forgiveness makes us his children.  What others say or do; how others react towards us does not define us.  The events of our lives do not define us, God’s grace defines who we are; we are his children, loved by him and cherished by him.  This is what we can cling to.  We don’t need the walls; God grace will protect us.

Father, at times we struggle with the pain of broken and harmed relationships.  This world only gives us pain but in you we have comfort; in you we find hope.  Help us to break the walls and to heal the fellowship that we have with our brothers and sisters.  Be with those who are suffering at this time.  Send them your healing Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

6-2-2026

Good Morning!

              Psalm 42:8; “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

     “Here’s a story of a man named Brady…”  “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…”   “Love is all around no need to fake it…” “Baby, if you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me…”  Does that ever happen to you?  I can be sitting at my desk working on a lesson or a sermon and all of a sudden, a tune or a song will pop into my head.  It might be just about any song.  Amazingly, they can actually and accurately match my mood at the time.  If I am especially chipper, one of the TV themes will pop in.  If I am melancholier, it might be more of a plaintive ballad.  When I watch the news and see the violence and destruction, I hear more of the 60’s war protest songs.  It is fascinating because sometimes I end up stopping what I am trying to do because I am distracted from what I am doing by the song.

    Music has that kind of power or effect on us.  This is why music is important in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.  Much of what we use from the Old Testament is actually music.  The Psalms were the ancient hymn book.  We have the Song of Moses.  We have the laments and the songs of great joy.     In the New Testament we have the Song of Simeon, Mary’s “Magnificat” and the songs of the angels.  Music plays a huge part of Scriptures.

    There is a very good reason for this and that is because music has the capacity to reach more of our emotional reactions than simple speaking.  The sounds and the resonance tend to make our joys more joyful and our cries of lament and sadness even deeper.  Music also stays with us longer.  That is why most of us can remember things better if we put it to music.  It is the rhythm and the tonal expressions that make it easier to remember.  Music can also be very soothing to us.  It can excite us or soothe us all depending upon the volume, pitch, timbre, and all the other elements tied together.

    This is part of the reason why the psalmist notes that “at night his song is with me.”  It is to evoke within us the resonance of memories deep within us.  Think of the soothing lullaby that gently calms you and gives you rest.  That is how God’s Word works for us.  It soothes us, it calms us; it is the only true source of hope that we have.  So, we want to always be able to recall it and to remember it.

    So, take some of your favorite verses and try to place them to a tune that you know.  Or try to find a couple of hymns that will do the same thing.  Find something that God will use to remind you of his tremendous love and grace.  When you find them, you might be surprised how often they pop into your head at just the right time.  God desire is for you.  His love for you knows no limits.

Father, your words of grace are indeed music to our ears.  You sing the joy of our salvation.  Help us to sing your praises.  Be with those who are in need of your soothing sounds.  Bring them the peace that only you can.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-1-2026

Good Morning!

                Matthew 18:3; “and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

     “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, the hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.”  

This was a line by Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed greatest.  “I am the greatest.”  This was his claim.  It has always been a debate as to whether he was this big of an ego or that great of a showman.  His fights were always sellouts with about half the people hoping he would win and about half hoping he would get knocked out in the first round.  He promoted himself as “the Greatest;” to many he was but he was controversial. 

    Our verse is part of this type of dialogue.  The disciples ask Jesus a question.  “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  They were hoping to be told that they were or at least be told how to achieve that greatness.  They were hoping to be the rulers of the new Israel having positions of power.  After all, this is greatness, isn’t it? 

    Not in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus uses a child as the example of greatness.  Not because children have some innate wisdom or knowledge.  It is not because they have an innocent faith or are inclined toward having faith.  Actually, the reason Jesus chose a child is because a child is completely dependent upon their parents.  Imagine a very young child, perhaps even a newborn child; this child is totally dependent upon his parents to feed, clothe, protect, and care for.  This is how Jesus defines greatness in the kingdom of heaven.  The greatest is the one who is in the most need of God’s grace.  The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who knows that they are completely and totally dependent upon God for their needs to be met. 

    It is somewhat ironic in that many people seek or desire to be around someone that they think is great.  In the kingdom of heaven, greatness is measured in terms of need.  Greatness is measured as those who know that their only hope is to cling to the cross of Christ.  Those who know that to let go of the cross, to stop trusting in God’s grace for us because of Jesus, is complete folly and failure.  To be great is to know that you have nothing; to know that you are completely dependent upon God for everything.  To know that all we can hope for comes from God’s mercy.

   Whatever healing we need, whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational, comes from God.  Greatness is to hold onto the cross knowing that this alone is how we overcome the sadness and despair of this world.  Our only comfort is God’s mercy.  So, kneel at the cross and humble yourself, know you need God to survive and to live, and cling to God’s mercy.

Father, in you we find all of our hope.  In you we have complete salvation.  Lead us to be humble, to know that all we have is from you.  Guide us by your Spirit to cling only to you and not to our deeds or skills.  In you alone do we have hope.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

5-31-2026

Good Morning!

                Psalm 121: 1-2; “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

      I watched a movie about a group of people who were traveling through a jungle.  Along the way, they were attacked by natives.  They would run a little and then hide.  They would run a little more and then hide a little more.  They went this way and that way and they kept saying over and over how they were lost.  About halfway through the movie, they decided that one of them would try and go look for help.  They drew straws and the short straw guy took off for help.  The rest of the movie was waiting for him to get help before the natives found them and killed them.  I could never figure out how that guy knew which to go for help.  He didn’t have a compass or a map.  He just took off and found help.  I guess that is why he was the star of the movie.

    So how do you know where to look for help?  In my western movies, the cavalry always comes over the hill at just the last second.  Of course, everything works out in the movies but what about real life?  Where do you look for help?  There are many times when we are like the guy who just took off and went looking for help.  In the movie it worked, in the real world, not so much.  If we were to take off like that, we would soon be very lost or worse, caught by our enemies. 

    Yet some look for help from the strangest places.  It is interesting how many people will believe anything that appears on the internet.  If you go to a bookstore, or maybe Amazon.com, you can find thousands of self-help books.  Unfortunately, they don’t work so well; maybe that is why there are thousands of them.  Where do you look for help?  Some try to use drugs or alcohol to “bring enlightenment.”  Yet this always leads to pain and sorrow.  It is never a good place to look for help’ so where do we look?

    The psalmist tells us to look to God, the One who made heaven and earth.  That is to be your standard.  Is the help that I am seeking coming from the maker of heaven and earth?  If the answer is “yes;” then go forward.  If the answer is “no;” then you might want to think again.  It is only the true God who can ever provide any hope or help. It is only through Him that we have salvation; anything else is a false hope, a false direction and will lead to your destruction.  So, look to God for your help; look to God for your salvation.

Father of all goodness, we look to you as our only hope and you give us comfort and hope.  In you alone do we find peace.  Guard and protect us from all harm and danger.  Find those who are searching on their own and finding nothing.  Bring them safely back into your loving kingdom.  Lead them to the quiet still waters of your mercy.  Give them the consolation which they seek. Protect our service men and women, especially those in harm’s way. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

5-30-2026

Good Morning!

       2 Corinthians 7:6; “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”

        It is always interesting to listen to people who have just been through a struggle in their life.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a health scare, family struggles, or even death.  Most of them are very thankful to me for “being there.”  “I don’t think I could have made it without you.”  “You were such a great help.”  “Your words were comforting.”  These are phrases that can go right to a preacher’s head.  Except that deep down, they are really terrifying.  Because if you think that these people really need you, you begin to weigh down a lot.  This is where our verse comes in and helps.

    It is important to remember that it is God who gives the comfort.  In our verse, Paul mentions that God’s comfort takes the form of Titus.  Yet it could have been Silas, or Timothy, or Luke or anyone else because God would have seen to the comforting of Paul.  The same is true today.  God may use me to deliver his comfort but he could and would use anyone to bring the comfort and the consolation to his people.  God speaks so that you may be comforted.  Who God uses as the physical hands, arms and mouth is up to him.  This has a couple of implications for us.

    When we are Paul, when we need to be comforted or encouraged; God will send someone.  It might be your pastor or a family member or a neighbor or a good friend; but God will send them.  So be prepared to receive those saints into your life.  Hear God through them.  Be comforted by their presence, their words, and their prayers.  Listen as you can hear God’s Words of comfort.  This is how God works in our lives.  He uses the church (all believers) to bring us comfort and hope.  This is part of “bear one another’s burdens.”

    Yet sometimes, you are Titus.  You are the one who brings comfort.  It can take many forms.  It might be a short visit.  It might be to take them to the doctor.  It might be to watch the children as they do something else.  It might be a meal shared.  It takes many forms because each of us has a different skill, talent, and comfort level.  You may not feel comfortable speaking but you can listen.  You really only have to be there for them.  Most of the time, people just need someone to listen to them and to be there with them.  They need someone to pray for them and to pray with them.  When God calls you to do this, be like Titus knowing that God will go with you and aid you in your task.

Father of all comfort, we come before you praying for all those who are downcast.  Lift their spirits up that they may see your wondrous love at work in their lives.  Too often we look down at the pain instead of up to you in glory.  Keep us safe from all harm.  Move us to serve as Titus when our brothers and sisters need us.  Lead us to receive like Paul when our hearts are heavy.  Lead us to bear one another’s burdens.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret