6-17-2026

Good Morning!

     Hebrews 11:8; “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

    One of my favorite movies is “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”  In it there is a part where Indiana Jones has to cross this huge chasm.  He is told that he must take a leap of faith to make it across.  During the scene, we can see the fear and the angst on Indiana’s face as he takes the step.  He ends up stepping onto a walkway that is unseen.  Yet I think that his expression reveals much to us about a leap of faith.

    In our verse, we read how Abraham left his home, his father and his family, his friends and the familiar surroundings of his home and left.  He took his wife, a nephew, and his possessions.  He went in the direction that God led him but Abraham wasn’t sure where he was going.  He only knew that God knew where Abraham was going and that was enough for Abraham because Abraham had faith.

    I am not sure what kind of reaction most husbands would get if they told their wives that they were packing up and moving but He didn’t know where.  I am not sure how most men would react to the call that Abraham received.  Events that truly require faith can be difficult.  When our life is going the way, we want it to go, healthy, wealthy, and wise, it can be easy to say that “I have faith.”  But what happens when life goes the other way? 

    It is at those tough times, those terrible times, those horrific times, which cause us to feel the angst of faith.  When things go the way, they are supposed to go, happy and healthy children, successful job, loving spouse, and everything else we want; we can say “I’ve been blessed and I have faith.”  Yet when God peels away the veneers of stuff that we use to measure happiness or contentment and we are left with only Him to cling to; faith can be both fearful and angst filled.  We look and don’t see the path; we may not even be sure of the direction that we are travelling.

    Yet God tells us to trust in Him.  We can look at all the promises that he has already kept, we can look at the total faithfulness of his actions, we can look to his incredible grace already poured out on us and we can see that we can and should do just that; we should trust in His promises.  Faith can be described as hugging back.  God picks you up and holds you close to his chest so you can hear his heart and feel the warmth of his love.  Faith is hugging back and thus clinging tightly to God and his incredible mercy.  So, we may waver, we may have twinges of fear and angst but we still take that step of faith fully confident that God has placed the walkway beneath our feet to keep us safe I his loving arms.

Gracious Father, strengthen my faith.  Lead me down the path of your righteousness that I may grow in my faith that I may cling even tighter to you.  Be with all those who struggle with life’s challenges at this time.  Give them the courage to take the step of faith that we all need to take.  Guide them gently in their ways.  In the precious name of Jesus our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

6-16-2026

Good Morning!

            Romans 8:1; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

      One of the saddest conversations that I have ever been part of was with a young lady who was bemoaning her future.  She was a good student who studied intensely and worked hard in class.  She was a musician and a decent athlete.  She also was a very nice young lady.  She had a scholastic scholarship waiting for her at the college she was attending.  Yet she was looking for and waiting for something catastrophic to occur.  She kept telling me that she didn’t deserve the good things that were happening; something bad was bound to happen.

    She had this sense that somehow, she was unworthy of what she had.  She had a lot of explanations as to why she didn’t deserve what she was getting.  “The school was small so it distorted her class ranking;” “her teacher helped her fill out her scholarship papers;” “she just guessed the right answers.”  She lived a life where she felt incredible self-condemnation.  She felt that she was completely unworthy and worried what would happen when the rest of the world “figured that out.”

    Many of us live with this deep seeded fear.  We do not believe that we should have what we have.  We hear a voice that tells us that we are not good as parents, as a spouse, as a child, or worker or co-worker.  We hear the voice tell us what a disappointment we truly are and when everyone else figures this out and the truth comes out; then we know that we are the loser.

   This is why this message from Paul is so wonderful.  There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  God does not condemn.  If you are hearing the voice that condemns you, that attacks you it is from the devil and the old sinful nature in us.  It is not God telling you that you are worthless or unworthy.

    God sent Jesus to die for you.  He sent his only Son to suffer for you.  He did this so that you would be made worthy.  He did this to give you the peace that comes with the knowledge that you are his redeemed child.  He seeks not to condemn but to give you salvation and to give you hope.  God does not condemn you rather he frees you from sin and from the condemnation of sin.

    This is a great blessing but one that we must remember and we must focus on God’s voice of forgiveness rather than the devil’s voice of attack.  We are free from the slavery of sin and the bondage of the law.  We can live a life that is not filled with condemnation, self or otherwise.  We are free because of his grace.  We are free to live a life of joy and peace which he gives to us.

Father of grace, in you we have hope and in you we have no condemnation.  Give us the courage to stand up to the devil’s lies.  Be with those who are especially tormented by the devil’s attacks.  Give them peace so that they may rest secure in your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

6-15-2026

Good Morning!

   Colossians 3:13; “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

    It is always somewhat humorous to read an article or a study that “supports” the truths of the Bible.  In a study in the “Journal of Behavioral Medicine” people who forgive others, and do so unconditionally, tend to live longer and healthier lives than people who do not.  They listed many different ways that forgiving others is healthy for you.

    When we forgive others, our stress level is lower.  We can sleep better.  We are not in the angry mode which produces a chemical imbalance in our bodies.  It helps your heart.  It strengthens your immune system.  It strengthens your healthy relationships. 

    Probably the greatest physical benefit is the reduction of stress.  Stress, when it occurs over a long-term period, can damage your mental health and can lead to ulcers and other physical problems.  One of the strong ones is the lack of good quality sleep.  Sleep deprivation is a huge damaging condition.  Stress leads to many immune and cardio problems.  Not forgiving leads to stress and stress is not healthy.

    God has shown us, given us, and guaranteed us a better way.  He teaches us that forgiveness is the best way.  He shows us that to forgive is the healthier choice.  It is healthier in that forgiving others gives you peace.  In part because it puts you in charge of how you react to others.  When you forgive you no longer keep score in your head and heart.  You do not have to remember who you are upset with and why.  You are not calculating how to even the score.  You can let the pain of the sin leave you and you can be filled with God’s peace.

    It may be difficult at times, forgiving a spouse or other family member may require more time than the stranger at Walmart.  Yet God encourages to take the time and to make the effort to forgive as we are forgiven.  We may have to go to God in prayer often asking for the strength to forgive; but forgiveness is necessary.   Forgiveness frees us from the slavery of sin.  Slavery to both being the sinner and being the one who retains the sin and thus carries the pain.  Strive to forgive.  Make that your top goal in life; to forgive those sins which are committed against you.  By forgiving, you engender a more peaceful life, a life in which you are more content.  It will make your relationships stronger and help to build community with the people that you deal with on a daily basis.  Strive to forgive as God forgives you.  It will be difficult because God is perfect and we are not but we must daily strive to forgive.

Father of all forgiveness, empower me to forgive.  Strengthen me that I might rise above this world’s temptation to retain sins.  Give me the peace to forgive and the peace that I receive because I forgive.  Be with those who are especially burdened by the struggle to forgive. Give them the wisdom to forgive and to be relieved of the pain that results from holding onto sins.   Lead your Church to show the example of your forgiving grace.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

6-14-2026

Good Morning!

      Romans 8:26; “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

    Sometimes there are no words.  Sometimes we experience things that leave us in such a mess that we don’t know what to say.  There are times when we face situations and we just don’t know what to say; what to say to each other, what to say to God.  These events may be sudden like an unexpected death or a sudden change in the health of someone we love or not knowing what tomorrow will bring.  We are left stunned and don’t know what to say.  Sometimes it is just a sudden change in our surroundings.  It might be a divorce or a loss of our home or some major economic event.  What do we say? We aren’t even sure of how the story will end, what do we do when we have no words?

      It can take the form of unexpected arguments or battles that we don’t see coming and don’t know how to respond.  It can be two or three hitting us at the same time.  What do we say?  Perhaps you are a single parent at your wits end.  There has been one too many struggles.  Money runs tight, demands of the children grow, the house needs work, the car needs work, you need rest but there is none in sight and now there is trouble at school.  What do we say?  Where do we go?

    The world and our sinful nature want you to think you are all alone.  That the battles we face can and will destroy us.  We feel that there is nothing to do, we can no longer face the struggle; there is hope.  Even in this wordlessness, we are not alone and we are not without hope.  The greater our weakness, the greater is God’s grace present in our life.  Paul wrote that God’s grace is made great in our weakness.  In our weakness, we can only turn to Christ, look to him and cry.  The greatness of God is that is all we need to do.  From that point on, the Holy Spirit will pray for us, pray with us, and take our pain upon himself for us.

    So, if we feel pain, seek healing, desire peace, or comfort, we do so with God’s Spirit praying on our behalf.  We do so with God’s comforting agent being with us through the whole event.  The God who loves you so much that He sent his Son to die for you will never abandon you.  He will never turn away from you; he will never close his ear or heart to you.  He will take the pain of your sorrow and give you peace.  He will never leave you without hope.  Even when we can speak no words, God will never leave you.  He will always hold you close, like a parent comforts a crying child, God’s grace is upon you.

Heavenly Father, there are times when I can find no words to express my pain or my fear or my sorrow.  Yet I know that I have comfort and hope in you.  Lift me up that I may see the light of your salvation.  Keep me safe and warm in your loving arms.  Be with those who are especially silent at this time.  Give ear to their voice that they may be comforted.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

6-13-2026

Good Morning!

              Matthew 17:5; “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

      One of the professors that I had in college had an interesting method of teaching.  While he lectured, he would stop and say a name or place or event twice.  If he said it twice, you made a note of it as something to make sure you knew what it meant or why it was important.  If he would stop, say the name twice and then spell it; you knew it must be important.  Yet if he stopped, say it twice, and then spell it out while writing it on the board; well, you knew that it was going to be on the test and you had better know exactly what it was that he wanted you to write about it.  When he would write it on the board, it was the equivalent of him saying, “Pay attention and don’t forget this; this is important!”

    Our verse is the equivalent of God telling you, “Pay attention and don’t forget this; this is important!”   Just in case there was any confusion as to who was speaking and if what he as saying was important; God the Father makes it totally clear.  “This is my beloved Son…listen to him!”  It doesn’t get much clearer than this.  It was clear to the disciples who heard it; they fell on their faces terrified of what they had just heard.  Yet when they looked up, they only saw Jesus.

    That is what we need to do; look up and only see Jesus.  We can look to what he says, what he does and what he wants of us and for us as God’s truth.  We can rest assured of his promises of grace and hope.  We can know with full confidence that he is doing what he said he would do.  He is at the throne of God interceding for us, praying to the Father on our behalf.  He is ruling from his throne at the right hand of God, putting all powers under his feet so that every knee will bow before him.  He is expanding his kingdom so that all those who call upon his name will be saved.  With all this power at work for us, we cannot lose.

    Yet even greater than this power is the love which Christ has for us.  His steadfast love and mercy never fail us.  He continues to walk with us and to guide us by the Spirit.  We are never left to face the assaults and attacks of the devil on our own.  We can always find our comfort in his words of grace.  We can always go to him with our cries and our fears and he will hear us.  He is our rock and our fortress.

   After all this there waits for us the reward of life eternal with him in the restores creation.  It waits for us with its promise of a perfect and restored creation for us and for all who believe.  It is fast approaching, and with it, the end of pain and sorrow, of suffering and death; these will be gone.  Our hope is secure.  “Listen to Him.”

Father in heaven, open our ears that we may listen to your Son and to know him as the true Savior.  Strengthen our faith and empower our hearts that we might cling to you.  Be with those who do not hear that they may come to know your grace, mercy, and truth.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

6-12-2026

Good Morning!

    John 10:29; “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

    A young child was walking with his father down a slippery path.    His father looked down at him and told him to hold onto the father’s hand.  The young child looked up and said, “No Dad, you hold my hand in case I fall; I might lose my grip.  You should take hold of my hand because you won’t let go.” 

    This is why it is so wonderful that we are held in the Father’s hand; he won’t let go and no one can steal us out of his hand.  God holds onto me and not the other way around.  How many times have you tried to get a child to take your hand and then, when something more interesting comes along, they let go and walk away?  Or how many times have you tried to hold their hand only to have them pull away because they thought they didn’t need your hand?  Have you ever had a child let go of your hand and run away in fear?  A child holding on isn’t a very strong hold but when the parent holds on it is much stronger.

    So even during those times of our lives when we thought we knew all the answers and didn’t really need God; he continued to hold us in his hand and protects us.  Even if we rebel, he holds onto us calling us back to his gracious truth.  He holds us as a parent holds onto the wandering child.

     Yet, perhaps even more comforting, God continues to hold us when we let go because we are afraid.  Many of us have been, or are, at a place where we know only fear.  We feel like we are standing on the edge of a deep gorge and it is slippery and maybe even windy.  It seems like it is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to keep standing.  We can feel like we are ready to fall at any second and we stand in fear.  We may be struggling with the issues of our parents as they get older.  We may be struggling with issues of our children who fail to see a need for the church or faith.  Maybe we are struggling to try to hold onto our faith as it is daily attacked.  There are many issues and events in this world that cause us to fear slipping and falling down and if we were on our own, we would.  But we are not alone.

   God is holding you in his hand and he has promised to not let go.  It is not our strength or courage that keeps us safe but it is entirely God’s love for us.  So, if you feel like you just can’t make it one more step; let God carry you, he has been all along.  Trust in his grace and mercy to care for you to protect you and to keep you safe. 

Father of all love, too often I let go.  I fail to trust in your mercy and I let go.  Thank you for not letting go of me.  Thank you for keeping me safe from the devil’s attacks.  Help me to find comfort in your loving arms.  Give me the peace that the world cannot give or understand.  Help my brothers and sisters who are struggling at this time.  Let your mercy pour over them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret            

 

6-11-2026

Good Morning!

       1 John 4:8; “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

      It is generally assumed that, when it comes to men and women, there is a vast difference in the traits that each look for in a spouse.  So, it came somewhat as a surprise that of the top twenty traits that we look for in a spouse, seventeen of them were the same.  Some were at different levels by a line or two but otherwise, they were pretty much identical.  Women listed their top three traits as warm, reliable and fair while men listed reliable, warm, and fair.  The only differences were that women wanted their men to be lenient, flexible, and generous while men wanted their women to be even-tempered, creative, and practical.  Beyond this we tend to look for similar traits.

    This really shouldn’t surprise us as most studies show that, deep down, we want a spouse who is similar to us in our values, dreams, beliefs, and expectations.  This almost always is the way it goes.  Sometimes we think a couple is very different but when the core traits are studied, they tend to be as similar as any other happy couple.  We look for the right traits.

    Yet what is the greatest trait that we see in God.  Some would say it is his power and majesty; that the most important trait of God is his sovereignty.  God is God and there is none other and that is what matters.  Some say that it is the fact that God is eternal.  He always was and always will be.  Some will claim that this fact can give us comfort that God will always be so; nothing will ever change.  Some claim that it is God’s holy righteousness that is the most important trait.  Everything will be “right” at some point in time.     

    Scriptures tell us a different story.  Scriptures so us that the most important trait of God is love.  God is by nature a loving God.  It is this nature that moved God to send Jesus to be our Savior.  It is his loving nature that causes God to redeem us and not wipe us out and start over.  It is this loving nature that moves God to have compassion on us.  It is the loving God who holds us close to his heart and who leans his ear towards us.  It is God’s love that causes him to continually reach out to us as a loving father calling us back into his holy family. 

   It is God’s loving nature that moves him to send us his spirit of comfort when we are in need of his comfort.  It is God’s loving nature that moves him to never abandon you.  Abandoning you may be the right thing to do; it may be the just thing to do; but God does the loving thing and he redeems and saves you to be his child.  It is God’s loving nature that moves him to let nothing separate you from his love. 

Father of all love, you sent Jesus to die for me.  There is no greater love.  Guard me by your Spirit that I may always remember your grace and mercy.  Move me to show this same type of love to those around me, especially those who need it the most.  Help me to see that those who need it may not always return it.  Bring all to the knowledge of your saving Gospel.  Give those who are hurting and lost in their journey of life the comfort of your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret