5-18-2026

Good Morning!

    1Timothy 1:15; “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” 

     I remember when I became one of them.  I am old enough that I can mutter, “What’s the matter with kids these days?”  I see it every time that I drive.  The worst are younger women between the ages of 14-30.  I think that they would have to have their cell phones surgically removed from their ear.  They are either talking/texting/ adjusting the radio, fixing their hair, checking their makeup or all of the above while “pretending” to drive.  They are oblivious to anything else.  I followed one young gal as she drove her Corolla down a two-lane county road.  She was about 2 feet into the oncoming lane and met a pickup and stock trailer loaded with cattle and she met a semi loaded with cattle.  They pulled over as far as they could; I doubt she even saw either of them.

   But, one day, while driving to town on the four-lane highway, I was trying to recall something that my wife wanted me to do.  So, I called her on the phone, as we were talking, I noticed that I was drifting into the left-hand lane which was already occupied by another vehicle.  I didn’t look the young woman who was driving the Enclave as she passed me by in the eye.  So, I became one of those drivers yesterday.

    Yet even more than that, I realized a sin that I held onto.  If you read the first two paragraphs closely, it still surfaces some.  I was just a tiny bit over the white line; she was practically in the other lane. I doubt the other driver even knew what I was doing; her other vehicles had to swerve to avoid her.  I recognized it; she probably still doesn’t know how close she came to a major accident.  Yet I noticed how easily I condemned her when I did the same thing. 

    Are you like me?  I make mistakes, have failures, and slip ups while others sin and have transgressions and iniquities.  It is at times like this that God’s law points out to me my sin and I understand why I am the greatest.  I am supposed to know better and yet I continue to judge and to keep the log in my eye while looking at the speck in others.  Perhaps, you can relate.

    The thing about recognizing our own sin is that we are often times quicker to offer forgiveness to others.  This is the point that Jesus was making in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant; the level of our sin against God is so great that the sins of others against us is minuscule.  So, I relish in the fact that my sins, as great as they are, are forgiven and I ask God to continue to keep me humble when dealing with others.  I ask God to lead me to give forgiveness to those around because I know that I am worse than they are.

Father, too often I judge rather than love, I dismiss rather than bless.  Forgive me and lead me to forgive as you so freely forgive me.  Lead me by your Spirit to reach out to others with the mercy that is poured out upon me.  Be with those who struggle with forgiving others.  Lead them to know the wonders of your mercy as it is revealed in their lives.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

5-17-2026

Good Morning!

       Ephesians 2: 8-9; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a results of works, so that no one may boast.”

      In a small cemetery in Olney, England, there is a granite marker for a grave that states; “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy.”  This is quite a story of a life. 

     John Newton spent much of his early life living in a fashion that was to prove that he was in need of no God and that there was no God that would ever be in his life.  He ended up captaining a slave ship.  It was during a return trip to England from Africa that his life began to change.

    While on this trip, a particularly stormy trip in which he expected the ship to sink, he began to read the book “Imitation of Christ’ by Thomas a Kempis.  The reading of this book, combined with the fierce storm, began to change young mister Newton.  For a while, he tried to calm his conscience by having worship services on his slave ship but he soon realized that those two identities, slave trader and Christian, could not exist side by side.  He returned to England, married his childhood sweetheart, and worked as a clerk in the Port of Liverpool.

   Yet God’s call continued until he became a preacher.  He drew great crowds because of his own personal story “Old Converted Sea Captain.”  It was out of the story of his life that he penned one of the most famous hymns ever written: “Amazing Grace.”

   His life was an example of God’s amazing grace; a man who ran from God, fought God, denied God and, ultimately, restored by God.  You may not have this dramatic of a story but you do have a story and more, importantly, God has an answer for you.  Your story may be more of benign neglect, or of ignoring God but God kept telling you, his story.  You may have not wanted to hear the story but you needed to hear it.  It may have played on your mind and in your head as you mulled it over, not sure of what it meant or how it worked.

   What you probably don’t realize is that as you “mulled it over” the Holy Spirit was working on your heart.  He kept telling you the story of God’s love for you and how Jesus died for you so that you would have life and salvation.  It is truly the most amazing story you will ever hear.  It is the one story that will completely change your life.  It takes some of us minutes to grasp it; it takes some of us years but God keeps talking to us with amazing patience and amazing love.  God’s amazing grace is being spoken to you from the first the moment you hear the story of Jesus told to you.  God’s amazing grace never gives up.

Gracious Father, your grace is truly amazing.  I never deserve or earn it yet it is always there for me.  When I need it the most, your grace pours upon me.  Your mercy restores me; your grace supplies me.  Be with those who are still struggling with your story of love and how it works for them.  Pour your amazing grace upon their heart so they may know your peace.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-16-2026

Good Morning!

Mark 4:36; “And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.”

        I was watching one of my favorite old movies the other day.  Late at night there was a showing of the movie “Jaws.”  For those of you who do not know, the basic premise is that a huge Great White shark is terrorizing a resort and eventually our three heroes go out and try to kill it.  The shark is supposed to be between 25 and 30 feet long.  On the boat is the old sea dog, a veteran of WWII, a young upstart marine biologist and the reluctant town sheriff.  The old sea dog and the young upstart spend much time sniping at each other while the sheriff gets all the “junk” jobs on the boat.

     One of his jobs is to throw bloody fish guts and pieces over the side of the boat trying to draw the shark.  As he is kneeling down over the edge of the boat, the shark jumps out of the water near the boat.  He stands with a look of terror in his eyes; he backs into the cabin where the sea dog and the young upstart are arguing.  He looks at both of them and says, “we’re gonna need a bigger boat.”  He saw the shark, saw his boat, and decided right away, “we’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

    In our verse, Jesus is crossing the Sea of Galilee when a storm hits.  He is asleep in his boat but the others, especially those on the little boats, are terrified.  They are convinced that they are going to drown.  They wanted a bigger boat.  There have been many times in my life when I wished that I had been in a bigger boat.  There are always times in our lives when the storms seem so huge and the waves gigantic; we may even see sharks in the water.  There are times I wish I had a bigger boat.  Yet, if I had a bigger boat, would I just have more room for the junk that life tells me I need?

     The truth is that what we need is faith in Jesus to be there to calm the storm.  We also need to remember that “calming the storm’ may not mean removing the event but it does mean to remove the fear and the anxiety that we experience.  We may still face job problems, relational issues, health issues and the like but these events do not define who we are.  These events do not represent “failures” in our life rather they are to show us the wonder of God.  No matter what we face, Jesus is there to calm it down.  It is never about the size of the storm or the size of the boat but about the size of God’s love for us. 

    God’s love for you will always prevail.  Even in the tiniest boat, God’s love for you will always prevail.  The challenge for us is to always look at the waves and the storm through the eyes of faith.  Holding onto the truth that God is always there to guard us and protect us.  We don’t need a bigger boat because we already have the greatness of God.

Father, the storms cause us to fear and we look at the size of our boat and we question.  Give us the faith to trust in you.  Give us the sureness of your wondrous grace in our lives.  Help us to know that you will always calm the storms for us and give us the peace that the world cannot give.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.           

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-15-2026

Good Morning!

            John 3:17; “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

     In our Sunday School program, we encourage our students to ask any question they want about the Bible. They write it down and then once a month I meet with them and we talk about them. Sometimes it is about who God is, where He came from and things like that.  It is always interesting to watch how they think.  The way they process things is a little different and sometimes pretty insightful.  Our discussion the other day was about the “have tos.”  Kids this age just bristle when they think that they “have to” do something.  They are getting to the age where they feel that they are old enough and independent enough to make their own decisions.  They don’t want to “have to” do something.  They are concrete thinkers who want a pliable life; it gets interesting and I like to make them think once in a while.

    So once again, the questions began.  “Do we ‘have to’ go to church?”  “Do we ‘have to’ say the confession of sins?” “Or the Apostle’s Creed” “or the Lord’s Prayer?” “Or do we ‘have to’ sing the hymns?”  I love these questions; I long for these questions because my answer always throws them for a loop.  Do we ‘have to’….? The answer is “no.”  None of these things will get us into heaven.  None of these things impress God.  None of these things are required of us for salvation.  No, we don’t ‘have to’ come to church or say the Lord’s Prayer or the Creed or sing the hymns; we don’t have to do these things but because of God’s grace; we get to.

    Because God loves us so much, we get to do these things.  I ‘get to’ come to worship, at the invitation of Jesus, to hear his words of love, of forgiveness and of hope.  I get revitalization in my heart and in my soul from hearing those words of his love. I ‘get to’ confess my sins, release them from me, and lay them upon Christ’s throne.  They no longer burden me.  They no longer haunt and taunt me.   They are no longer the devil’s ammunition.  I ‘get to’ say the

Creed where I am reminded of all that God has/ is/ and will do for me.  From my creation, redemption, sustaining, fulfilling, encouraging, guiding, comforting; all my needs are met in God and the Creed helps to remind me of this.  I ‘get to’ speak the Lord’s Prayer, and all prayers, to God.  I ‘get to’ enjoy this holy conversation.  I am given the permission to speak to God, the creator of the entire universe, as I would speak to my dear father.  I ‘get to’ do all of this, and more, because Jesus came to pay for my sins.

    The confirmands always kind of shake their heads.  Many of us do.  We struggle trying to keep straight that God’s love for us precedes any action on our part.  Nothing we do will ever make God love us.  He chose to do that long before you and I ever existed and that love will continue long after you and I have returned to dust. We ‘get to’ live in God’s holy presence and remain in his loving arms.  Because of Jesus, we ‘get to’ have eternal life.  What a deal for us!!

Father, in your mercy you have brought me into your holy family and given me all the rights and privileges of being your child.  Guide me to know and to use these wonder blessings that I may grow in faith and serve you in your holy kingdom.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-14-2026

Good Morning!

    Matthew 9:36; “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

     Sheep are defenseless animals.  About all they can do is charge you.  They do not have sharp teeth to bite with.  They are easily attacked by any wild animal.  They are also very docile animals that need to be led, fed and cared for.  Left to their own ways, they get lost easily.  Without guidance and direction, they will wander aimlessly and soon be separated from each other.  They are easily spooked and will run in all different directions.  They will end up totally lost, totally disconnected, beaten down and completely helpless.

    In our verse Jesus looks out at the crowd of people and compares them to sheep.  These are sheep which had a bad shepherd.  He was careless and lazy.  He didn’t take care of them properly and then just ran off and left them.  They were left to be attacked by the wolves.  They were bloodied, bruised, and destroyed.  They were lost and completely helpless; sort of like we can be.

    Being described as sheep can be very accurate.  We are easily misled.  We are often told something that sounds too good to be true but we believe it anyway.  We see dozens of others doing it so we assume that it must be ok.  We don’t think for ourselves we just follow the crowd.  We are easily led astray and soon are far from the safety of the watchful eye of the shepherd.  We soon are beaten down by the ravages of the devil and this world.  We are tormented and attacked.  We are trampled on and depleted.  We follow the wrong shepherd and end up abandoned.

    This is why Jesus had to come to the world.  We were so hopelessly lost that we would never find our way and those who should lead us had abandoned their duties.  Nothing short of God’s intervening in our lives was going to change things, so he did.  God intervened and completely changed the way the sheep lived.  The sheep (us) got the true shepherd, the one that would lay down his life for the sheep.  Because of his great love for us, Jesus had compassion on us and did whatever was necessary to bring us back into the flock of his children.  He even gave his life so we could have ours.  He healed our wounds and defeated our enemies; all because he loves us. 

    So, no matter what the world throws at us, we know that Jesus, our true Shepherd, is there to guard and protect us.  He is there to comfort us and to apply the balm of forgiveness to our wounds of sin.  He is there to offer us hope and peace.  He gathers us up and leads us to the quiet still waters and lush pasture where we can live contented lives with him.

Gracious Lord, you are the shepherd who saves us.  You are the shepherd who provides for us and protects us.  Lord, there are so many of your children who are lost and harassed, like sheep without a shepherd.  Bring them safely into your loving embrace so that they too may know your boundless grace.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

5-13-2026

Good Morning!

       Job 1:10; “Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

      It is sort of like the backyard fence.  You put it up and then you let the children play.  As long as they are within the fenced in area, they are safe.  However, if they are ever outside of the fenced in area, then danger lurks.  Stay inside the fence and you are safe; outside the fence and problems will arise.

    Our verse is part of the conversation between Satan and God as they discussed Job.  Satan claimed that the reason Job was faithful was because God had put a fence around him and only good things had happened to Job.  He was the wealthiest man in the region.  He had a large family; life was good.  So, Satan claimed that the only reason that Job was faithful was because God protected him from the pain of the world. 

    So, God, in essence, let Satan into the fenced in area to test Job.  Job eventually stood the test, as great as it was.  Yet, he was still inside the fenced in area.  He was still protected by God.  God was allowing Satan the freedom that he had but it was never out of God’s control.  Even though there were times when Job probably wasn’t really sure; he was always under God’s loving arm and protective eye.

   We are as well.  God’s grace is poured out upon us and we are protected from all that the devil will throw at us.  He can never separate us from God’s love.  God’s grace is always there for us.  The only time it is gone is when we leave the fenced in area, when we walk away from God.  Then we have made the choice to do battle with the devil all on our own.  We will fight and we will lose.  The devil is far too powerful for us to win against.  He will torment and lead us into all sorts of pain, emotional, physical, and spiritual.  Out there, we have no chance but if we stay in God’s hedges, the fenced in area, we will always be safe.

    God sent Jesus to die for us in order that the devil may not harm us but the devil still prowls around looking for new victims.  But God’s mercy is in full effect for us.  He seeks us our and places us back into the safe area.  He keeps placing us under his loving arms and care and no matter how many times we run; He will always bring us back.  Yet if we keep running, eventually the devil may trap us. 

    So, we can live contented; we can live safe within the hedge that God provides. We can remain safe in his loving arm.  We can remain safe under his watchful eye.  It is here we can live the life he has for us to enjoy.

Gracious Father, in you we have our salvation.  You keep us protected from all the devil wants to throw at us.  Keep us safe.  Bring back those who have run away and fear to return.  Bring them safely home; end their torment and their fear.  Give them the peace that only you can give.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

5-12-2026

Good Morning!

    Philippians 3:14; “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

        It was really funny to watch.  We had set up a 2x4 board on edge.  It was 6 feet long and the mounting had it two inches off the floor.  So, we challenged the kids to walk the “balance beam of destruction.” It was 1.5 inches wide and 6 feet long.  Very few could do it.  Most made it less than half the way down.  The problem was that they would look either down at the board or around at their friends; a few tried to look behind them.  The very small number who made it from one end to the other looked forward to a small sign that was on the wall directly behind the beam.  They focused on the sign and went straight down the board.

    It doesn’t matter what you are trying to do; whether it is walking a straight line, plowing a straight furrow, making a straight path; you accomplish this by focusing your sight on a specific point out way ahead, way past your intended ending point, and walk directly toward it.  You can’t look directly down at the path or you will waver.  You can’t look around or look back if you want to walk the line.  If you do that, you will fall off the beam.  Our life is the same way.

    The Apostle Paul told us to “press on toward the goal.”  The goal of course is eternal life in Christ.  The best way to accomplish this task is by focusing, not on what is happening around us, but rather by focusing on the target, the goal, our eternal life.  We can’t be distracted by the lumps and bumps of life.  We can’t look back at the past; we need to look forward.  We need to press on toward our goal, toward our eternal life with God.

    The devil wants us to look at everything around us.  He wants us to look down or back or side to side, anywhere but at Christ.   By getting us to look away from Jesus, the devil wants you to see pain, failure, and hopelessness.  When we do this, we fall off of the very path that Jesus has laid out for us.  We fall off the path of contentment.  The devil inflicts his pain.

    This is why God tells us over and over that we need to keep our eyes on him; that we need to press onward toward him, toward our goal of eternal life.  God gives us this hope for life eternal.  It is the great good that we need to keep in our line of sight so that the brokenness of the world does not detract us from the beauty of his grace.  In our life, the devil will try to cause all sorts of confusion and distress.  We best deal with this by keeping our eyes and our faith focused on Jesus and keep pressing forward to that truth.

Father of all mercies, your wonderful love and mercy roll over us like a river.  Your grace is new to us each day.  Guide us to keep pressing onward toward your great mercy, to our eternal reward.  Be with those who are distracted by the cares this life and this world.  Help them to get back on the path to walk in your light and grace.  Return them to your holy flock.  Protect our service men and women, especially those in harm’s way. In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret