1-31-2026

Good Morning!

       Matthew 7:7; “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

       There is an old story often told about prayer.  There once was a man who lived his life believing in Jesus and trusting in the promise of his eternal salvation.  Much of his earthly life was a struggle from one incidence to another.  So, when he died and went to heaven, he was greeted by St. Peter and shown the mansion that he was going to spend eternity in.  The man was in awe of the size and scope of God’s blessings for him in eternity.  As they opened the door to look around, the place was filled with boxes, hundreds, and hundreds of boxes.  The man asked St. Peter about the boxes.  St. Peter replied, “These were the blessings that were yours for the asking while you lived on earth.  We will move them soon as you do not need them now.”

     This little piece of fiction is designed to tell us about prayer.  Jesus, repeatedly, asks us, begs us, and pleads with us to pray.  Yet how often do we?  How many times have we faced difficulties or battles and tried to cope with them on our own rather than trusting God and placing our fears in his hands?  How many times do we turn away from God rather than toward him in prayer?  Prayer is a great blessing that God gives to us yet often I hear people say things like, “I have done all I can do; now it is up to God.”  It has always been up to God.  Or maybe, “The only thing left is to pray.”  That is where we should start.

     The problem that most of us have with prayer is that we limit it.  We define a prayer as being answered only if it goes the way we want when we want it.  If we pray for a new job but don’t get it, we think the prayer has failed.  If we pray for rain and don’t get it, then our prayer went unheard.  What we need to see is that through prayer God seeks to change us and our heart.  He seeks to give us the comfort and the solace that we need if only we would ask for the grace to receive it.

   We need to ask God to change our heart and not our situation.  We need contentment more than we need a bigger paycheck.  We need patience more than we need a faster response.  We need to see that we need to change more than that others need to change to suit us.  We need to know that healing is not always physical but is more often spiritual and emotional reconnecting.  We need to see that God answers our needs and not always our wants but when we trust in God to answer our prayers; he will faithfully do so.

    We need to trust that God’s will is the best for us even when in the short term it looks differently.  Trust God and then ask him for his bountiful blessing; he will shower you with them like a gentle spring rain.

Father of all blessings, we are often slow to come to you for the many blessings that you would shower upon us.  We walk away from you and your amazing love.  Guide us to trust in you.  Be with those who struggle and battle on their own and suffer from the loneliness that this causes.  Bring them to the safety of your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-30-2026

Good Morning!

     Luke 19:10; “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

  I am somewhat of a “trekkie;” that is, I like to watch “Star Trek.”  I like the old TV series with Kirk and Scottie and Sulu.  I like it because the special effects are kind of cheesy but the story line is usually predictable.  One of the shows was about a civilization that was controlled by a computer.  The whole purpose of the civilization was to obey the computer.  So now Kirk has to figure out how to destroy the computer without interfering with the civilization.  A tricky plot indeed.  But in the end, the computer was foiled and the civilization went on to develop as it should and it only took an hour to resolve.

     Unfortunately, we can’t solve most of our problems in an hour.  Most of our struggles can take years to develop.  It may take a few days for them to mushroom into something hugely out of control but they usually fester for years.  It might be the slight cuts of disrespect to our parents or our spouse.  It may be the cold and callous way we act toward others.  Or it might be our dietary and exercise habits over the years that have led to high blood pressure and cholesterol problems.

     We may have been less than friendly at work or maybe put in just enough effort so they wouldn’t fire us.  There are many ways our struggles begin but they will always take a painful twist because of our sin and because the devil really enjoys our pain.  He even takes minor disturbances and makes them seem huge.  Think not?  Have you ever thought of a problem that nagged at you and didn’t let you sleep?  How big did your imagination make that problem?  This is usually how it goes.  The devil loves to take those festering problems, caused by our sins, and make them blow up right in our face.  That is the devil’s sole purpose; to torment you and to drive you from God.

    Yet Jesus came to earth for one sole purpose and that was to buy us back.  He came to save the lost, you and me.  He came to bring us relief from the devil’s taunts and attacks.  He came to save us from sin and the pain that it can cause in our life.  He came to bring us back to God’s family.  Through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, he blazed the path for our eternal life and our peace with God.

    The struggles of the world are still here but they do not separate us from God and we can face them knowing that God’s love will always be there for us.  It is his grace that sustains us through our battles, through the eruptions of pain which will occur.  God’s grace will guide us along.  Jesus came to find you; rest in the comfort of the knowledge that he will never lose you.

Father of all mercy, through your wondrous grace we are found.  You have sent Jesus to make us your own dear children.  Guide us by your grace as we battle the devil and the pain which he brings us.  Be with those who still feel lost.  Shine your light of mercy upon them and give them the comfort of your peace.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

1-29-2026

Good Morning!

     Psalm 90:12; “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

       I was visiting with a younger mother the other day.  She and her husband have three children, two boys and a girl.  She has a job, he has a job and the children participate in just about everything.  They have soccer and spring baseball and softball.  They have dance, music in school and one set of piano lessons.  She has everything plugged into her smartphone which is synced to her husband’s phone.  She belongs to a couple of civic groups and is willing to help with the youth at her church.  I got tired listening to her.

    I asked her if they ever had time to eat together as a family.  She replied, “Oh yeah, real often, we go through the drive through on the way to a game somewhere.”  Well, I guess it is family time.  Yet does it really count?  One of the unfortunate side effects of trying to have everything is that when you get it, there is no time.  If you have and do everything, there truly isn’t enough time in the day and there really isn’t time in your life.

   We seem to think that in order to be happy or successful we have to have everything, do everything, and leave nothing for tomorrow.  Yet the one thing that truly suffers is our relationships because these need to be built on people and not on things.  I talked with a counselor one time who was seeing an increase in couples in their mid-40’s through early-50’s who had no idea how to interact or communicate with each other.  They were married in their early to mid-20’s, had a family, chased kids for 15-20 years and when they became empty nesters; they were left empty.

    In our verse, God is telling us to plan wisely.  The most important parts of life here on earth are the relationships that we form.  God gives us the gift of faith.  He gives us the forgiveness of sins.  He gives us the gift of reconciliation.  He wants us to foster out loving relationships with those people who he places in lives.  He gives us the time, the energy, and the wherewithal to make them satisfying relationships.  Yet we can’t keep putting “things” ahead of people.  We can’t keep thinking that having our children in one more event or that our belonging to one more club is the answer.  We have to stop seeing stuff as the answer to the hard work that relationships are.

    Relationships can get messy every so often.  This will happen when sinful people are put in the same room.  Yet God’s love for us is to have solid loving relationships here on earth as a dim reminder of the love that God has for us.  It is also to give us a helpmate here on earth.  It is to give us someone to share the glad and the sad moments with.  Our life should be about each other and not about stuff.

Gracious Lord, we see in you the perfect relationship between Father and Son.  Help us to strive for this type of relationship here in this life.  Give us the wisdom to pick people over things.  Be with those who are struggling with their relationships at this time.  Help those who are lost in the shallowness of possessions and guide them by your Spirit back into your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-28-2026

Good Morning!

          Deuteronomy 10:18; “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

      His name was William Wilberforce.  I would guess most of us do not know who he is.  He was a leading abolitionist in the United Kingdom.  He lived from 1759-1833.  He was a very influential leader who made it his total and sole ambition to rid the kingdom of slavery.  He was driven by his faith in God.  The truly amazing thing about him is that at the time of his death; his zeal had changed the debate within the kingdom, and the western world forever.

    The debate about helping people, those who were poor and homeless, those who were widows and orphans; that debate went from do we help to how do we help.  The debate was no longer do we, as a society or people, have an obligation to our fellow man.  The true question became the method to deliver this help.  It was truly a watershed time for most of western civilization.  Wilberforce’s compassion and his zeal for aiding the downtrodden moved the greatest kingdom at that time to become a more compassionate kingdom.

    This is exactly what God instructed the Children of Israel to do; to be compassionate.  They were to leave the gleanings (the leftovers from harvest), the edges of the field, and any grapes or olives that they dropped on the ground for the orphans, the widows, and the alien (sojourner) in their land.  They were not only supposed to not hurt them but they were expected to care and show hospitality to them.

    When we read the writings of the prophets later on, when they are laying out the accusations of unfaithfulness that God states to them, it is often that they mistreated the poor and the underprivileged.  This action was the result of their overall unfaithfulness to God.  The sin of cheating others, especially those who were unable to defend themselves, was an outward sign of inner corruption.

    That is how God views our good (or bad) works.  Our works are only the outward sign of what is truly in our heart.  When Jesus told his disciples that in their giving “the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.”  This is as much a call to have kindness and charity be such a part of life that it is as familiar as breathing.  Our work, before God, is to reconcile with our fellow man and to care for each other and to really mean it.

    God calls us to action and not to lip service.  He calls us to show the love that we receive to those who we have contact with.  We may debate how best to do it but we should never debate whether it is the right thing to do.  Love one another; love your neighbor as yourself.  These are the new commands that Jesus gives us.  Now we need to act.

Father of love, give me a compassionate heart and a willing spirit.  Move me to help my neighbors with true love and not grudgingly.  Guide me to share the bounty of your gracious gifts.  Guide us to those who are in need of your bounty and in need of your grace.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

1-27-2026

Good Morning!

            Deuteronomy 5:15a; “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”

      “We are slaves to no one!”  That was a comment made by the Jewish leaders to Jesus when he called them slaves.  The fact that their country was occupied by the Roman Empire at the time was just a matter of perspective, I guess.  As we read that section of Scriptures, we often chuckle at this; how can they possibly say they aren’t slaves?  Now maybe technically they weren’t but they paid onerous taxes to an occupying force and were required to ask for permission of this occupying government to do just about anything.  That sounds like slavery, a time when you do not get to make your own choices.  It is either slavery or prison; take your pick.

     That is the good thing about living in the good ole’ US of A.  We are free; we are slaves to no one; almost.  Unfortunately, we are among the poorest slaves because we are not only slaves but we willingly became one.  We have abandoned God in favor of what we call being tolerant of others.  Now on the surface this sounds good; except it has become the code word for “don’t speak the truth.”  We are slaves to consumerism and think that we have to buy more and more.  It always amazes me how everyone has a smartphone, even kids, why?  Usually the answer is “because everyone else does.”

    We are truly slaves.  We are slaves to sin, to greed, to a pluralistic consumerism that demands that we “buy” into anything.  We believe that our personal wants should supersede the needs of others.  “I want; I want” is enough of a mantra for us to turn our backs on the needs of our fellow man because we are slaves to our own selfish foolishness.  But we don’t need to be that way.

    Just as God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, so God has freed us from slavery to sin and our own selfish foolishness.  We are free but just like the Israelites often times wanted to go back to Egypt and live in slavery; we too want to go back to slavery to sin.  We want to go back because our sinful nature wants us to believe that this is the best life we can have.  Yet God calls us to a better life.  He calls us to a life of freedom from this want.  We do not have to be slaves to this want; we are free from being slaves to this want.

   God, by his grace, will give us peace and contentment if we trust in him.  He gives us so much to enjoy, the time with family and friends, the beauty of nature and the freshness of his Word.  Jesus stretched out his arms to free you from slavery; don’t go running back.

Gracious Father, in your great love and mercy you have freed me from the slavery to sin.  Give me the wisdom to maintain that freedom.  Help to overcome slavery to wants that only hurt us and separate us from your love.  Grant us the wisdom to seek your peace and your peace alone.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-26-2026

Good Morning!

      Galatians 4:5; “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

     Do you remember S&H Green stamps? I remember them from many years ago.  You used to get them when you bought stuff.  I remember it mostly from gas stations and a few grocery stores.  I can remember the salesclerk putting her finger in the right number and then spinning the coupon dispenser and you would get a handful of stamps.  Then you would go home, lick the stamps, put them in a book, and then look at a catalog to see what you could get for a certain number of books.  It seemed like it took a million stamps to fill a book.  (No, it wasn’t that much but when you were 5 or 6 and trying to figure out if you could finagle a toy out of the deal it did.) 

    I remember looking at the catalog and wondering how on earth anyone could possibly save that many stamps in order to redeem that many books of stamps and get some of that stuff.  It could take a hundred or more books for some of that stuff.  How on earth could anyone do that?  What did they buy that gave them that many stamps?  Of course, I was uninformed about “double stamp” days and promotions like that but still; that was a lot of stamps.  Yet the basic concept was good.  The retailer gave you stamps as a reward for shopping at their store.  After you had enough stamps, you could trade them in (redeem them) for something you wanted.  It could be a fancy set of steak knives or stainless-steel mixing bowls or a bow and arrow set or any number of things.

    This is what God did for you.  He redeemed you.  He traded Jesus’ life for yours.  He gave up the life of his only Son so that you can live.  Rather amazing if you stop and think about it.  Jesus, the king of kings, the Word Incarnate, the active creative agent of the Father, was traded for you and for me.  Yet this shows us how much the Father loves us.  He traded so much for us; he must value us greatly and he does.

    The great thing about this is that our salvation was complete with that trade.  You and I don’t have to make it work anymore than that salad bowl or fondue set did when the green stamps were exchanged.  It is the value that the redeemer places on the item that matters and when God redeems us, he places an extraordinary value on us.  His desire is to have us live with him in eternal life.  His desire is for you to live in his loving kingdom.  His desire is for you to be his own dear child.  So, he traded the life of Jesus for yours.  He redeemed you from the consequences of sin. He freed you from eternal damnation and he gave you life.  So, you have been traded for, you have been redeemed.

Gracious Father, you sent Jesus to redeem me, a lost and condemned creature.  Through the wonders of your mercy, you chose to save me from my earned punishment.  Give me the strength to live as a redeemed child, trusting only in your grace.  Guide me and keep me safe.  Be with those who do not experience the joy of this redemption.  Bring them to saving knowledge of your love.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

1-25-2026

Good Morning!

                Matthew 5:16; “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

      Did you ever see the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus”?  It was in the mid 1990’s and starred Richard Dreyfuss as Glenn Holland.  He was a musician who became a teacher so he could have time to spend with his new wife and then have time to write the one great musical masterpiece which would give him worldwide acclaim and lots of money.  During the span of his teaching career, he never gets this great musical piece written.  Through all these years though he has an impact on the children of the school and the lives that they lead after graduation.

     As the thirty-year career ends, he is invited into the arena area where dozens of his former students are gathered to play in his band, including the governor of the state.  It is at this time that he realizes that the opus (great work) that he was trying to write was being written in and by the lives of the young people who he touched and influenced.  It is a rather heartwarming movie.

    It also can and should describe our lives as well.  Let your light so shine is not so much about being a blazing searchlight as a gentle flashlight that points the way.  Through our interactions with others, our faith should show through.  We, as Christians, know what is important and what isn’t quite so important.  So, when those around us point the wrong way, we can gently point the right way.

    There are many ways to do this.  The most prevalent is to act as a mentor/coach to a younger person.  It might be the new guy at work or the high school kids down the street.  You do this by coaching or organizing events or just being there to help with homework if you can.  It isn’t very often that we are to be huge, bright spotlights; we are to be gentle flashlights that point the way to a more peaceful and contented life.  So, when those around you seem to be off kilter over some minor event, you can interject some sanity.  We know what is right, true and important.  We know that it is our saving faith in Jesus that gives us the confidence to trust in God’s mercy in our life.  That is what matters, everything else comes in second, maybe even fifth or sixth.

    Let your light shine and let others be drawn to this light.  Let them see the comfort that you have from your faith.  Let them know that the courage you have is not your own but from God.  Let them know that above everything else, you are a redeemed child of God and that trumps everything else.  God’s grace is alive in you, let it out.  Give this grace a place to show and let it show to those most closely around you.  Show it to your family, your friends, your neighbors and your fellow Christians.  Let your light shine, be someone’s opus.

Merciful Father, in you we have forgiveness.  Give us the courage to shine into the light of the world.  Give us the strength to let our light shine.  Help us to change people’s lives by living the life which you have laid out for us.  Help us to show your love so that they may see your glory.  Bring them to faith, dear Lord.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-24-2026

 Good Morning!

        Proverbs 10:20; “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.”

     When you were young, were ever told, “don’t talk like that, here.”  “Don’t use that kind of language, here; someone might hear you.”  “We don’t talk like that here.” It is funny how we choose to think that there are places that we can talk like that and that there are places that we can’t.  Even as we hear these things said, deep down we know that they don’t make sense.  Deep down, we know that words that shouldn’t be spoken or thought in one place are wrong in another.

    Yet we try and do it.  We go to church on Sunday and sing of God’s praises.  We speak of our faith; we raise our prayers.  We say, “amen” and “halleluiah;” we sound so holy but what do we say on Monday or Tuesday?  Do we sound so holy then?  How is it that we can so wonderfully sing God’s praises one day and the next attack and destroy our neighbor?

    How do we go from singing to God to slinging mud?  We finish the “Alleluia” chorus and then go right in to viewing someone as “a lazy, slob who has never worked a real day in their life.”  We take into our mouth the Lord’s Supper only to later spew out venom and disgust at our fellow man.  We look down on those who are hurting, seeing their problems as some innate weakness on their part.  We do this, often without thinking it all the way through.  We often respond in this fashion because we do not listen to our better angels, we listen to our own demons and our selfish pride.

    This is part of what Jesus was referring to when he said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Too often, we speak without thinking.  Too often we let our sinful nature lead when we need to let our faith step forward first.  We need to think before we speak.  It is an adage that your mother probably told you years ago and she was right.  That is what the proverb is about having a righteous tongue that speaks only after thought.  Our first impulse may be sinful, especially if it is in an area where we are easily tempted.  Part of fighting off temptation is recognizing it and fighting it.  Sometimes this is best done with patience and thoughtfulness. 

    Patience and thoughtfulness are not two words which describe the devil, for he is quick to speak and with little concern for those around.  Yet Christ often waited for a little bit before he spoke and his words were kind and gentle.  Which example should we follow?

    So, take your time and think before you speak.  Let your tongue be silver.  Let the words of your mouth be praises to God both on Sunday and the rest of the week.  Let your mouth speak of his love for you and for all.  Let your mouth show God’s mercy.

Father of all goodness, use our mouths to speak your love and mercy.  Guide us by your Spirit to move away from anger and hatred that so often spews out.  Move us to love others as you have loved us.  Guide us to speak mercy to those around and move us to ask forgiveness when we have spoken words which hurt.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

1-23-2026

Good Morning!

         Luke 10:30; “Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.” 

     This is the start of one of the most famous parables, “The Good Samaritan.” This is a very common story but it may go a little different than you think.  We often hear this and think that this guy had some really bad luck. He went to Jericho and was robbed.  Yet didn’t he know that this was a dangerous route?  He should have; he should have known that it was a bad idea to go down that path by himself.  It was dangerous but he went anyway.  After he was robbed and beat up, two people who he should have been able to count on, a Levite and a priest, walked by not even stopping.  His help came from a completely unexpected source. He was only helped by a Samaritan.

    Sometimes, we just make a wrong decision like the man in our story.  We take a course of action that is inadvisable.  We can call that “temptation.”  We know better, we know it will only end badly but we do it anyway.  Once we give into temptation, the devil and his demons fall upon us like thieves in the dark.  He will beat you up, steal all you have and leave for dead.  But you won’t be dead, not yet; he will leave you there to suffer some more.  That is what sin really does to us; it beats us up and leaves us destroyed.

    Now we may think that we can handle it or at least deal with it.  We may even have a couple of ideas of how to deal with the destruction.  We may think we can just handle it, we may think we can lie our way through it, we may think someone (parents or spouse or friend) will just bail us out, we may think that no one will ever know.  Yet when sin hits us with the guilt and the accusations; we cannot hide from what we did, we know and deep down it hurts us, deeply hurts.  It paralyzes us; it leaves us suffering almost dead.

    It leaves us to where we cannot do anything to help ourselves.  There is only one way for us to be saved from the ravages of sin, God himself had to step in and save us.  In our life, Jesus is the only answer.  He is our only hope.  He picks us up, pays for our recovery, and will pay for future “expenses” (sins).  This is our only hope all others will fail.  So, the great news is that we can trust in that hope with the certainty of God’s promised mercy and saving grace in our lives.  Even when we make really bad choices, he comes to save us and to rescue us from sin.

Father, in your mercy, you have sent Jesus to rescue us form sin.  You have rescued us from the devil and his torments.  Keep us safe on our travels.  Keep us free from temptation.  Guard us by your Spirit.  Be with those who are especially hurting at this time.  Be with those who are beaten and left along the side of the road.  Use us as your hands and feet to deliver them by your grace.  Bring them safely home.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

1-22-2026

Good Morning!

               Matthew 18:21; “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

     “Mom, Tommy hit me!”  The mother replies, “Tommy, tell your sister that you are sorry.”  Tommy, “I’m sorry.”  It may or may not be heartfelt.  This usually ends the parental lesson for the day but it shouldn’t.  How come the mother never tells Tommy’s sister to forgive him?  This is an important part of the event.

    In our verse, Peter is being generous.  It was the custom to forgive someone three times; after that you no longer were expected to forgive.  So, Peter was more than doubling the requirement.  He was being twice as generous as needed.  It would be like giving 20% of your income rather than the expected 10%.  It was doing what was required but the problem with doing what was required was that you often had to “keep track” in order to do what is required.  In this fashion, forgiveness is an act of the law and not an act of love.

    So, Jesus told Peter, “not seven times but seventy-seven (or seven times seventy, depending on the translation) times.”  Either of these are a bit of hyperbole as to show that you can’t keep track and that is the point.  Forgiveness is about letting go of the past.  Forgiveness is about the future.

    What occurred in the past cannot be undone.  We cannot undue any action we did yesterday.  We cannot “unhit” our brother or sister, we cannot take back the insults to our spouse, we cannot take back the cruel remarks to our children or co-workers or the gal in the checkout line.  We can apologize to them but we can’t take them back.  The person who received those actions or comments cannot “unexperience” them.  There is only one option; you have to forgive yesterday and move on to today.  You have to forgive, no matter how many times, if you plan on moving forward.  Failing to forgive will only hold you down and only hold you back.

    One way to view this is that forgiveness is about looking out the windshield rather than looking out the rearview mirror. (Pastor Jeske) We need to look out the windshield looking forward rather than looking in the rearview mirror where we only see what was.  It is far better to look ahead and look forward to the wonders and the grace that God has in store for us.  If we look back, too often, we focus on the pain and the sorrow.   If we look ahead, we can look ahead in hope of God’s mercy. 

    Our future is in God’s loving hands.  We should savor that and look forward to that eagerly.  By failing to forgive, we hold ourselves back by keeping the hurt within our heart.  Forgiveness is about letting go of the pain.  It is about ending someone else controlling our happiness.  By forgiving others, our happiness depends solely on God’s grace and not on our sinful desires.  Forgive and look forward.

Father, help us to see that by forgiving others, we heal our hearts.  Help us to see that forgiveness relieves the sinner and those who are sinned against.  Be with those who are struggling to forgive and to look forward to your continued love.  In the name precious of Jesus, our risen Savior, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

1-21-2026

Good Morning!

       1 Corinthians 13:8a; “Love never ends.”

      “And they all lived happily ever after, the end.”  Boy that line always sends shivers down my spine.  It is one of the first things we talk about in the pre-marital counseling sessions I do.  I look into the eyes of these young ones, all starry eyed about getting married, and I almost feel guilty when I crush this statement, almost.  This statement, or at least the belief in this statement, causes trouble in all relationships, especially marriages.

     The problem with this line is that it leaves out the truth.  Think of a couple of the classics, like “Snow White” or “Cinderella.”  In both of these stories, the young ladies are in tough positions; they are struggling to get along.  They struggle against difficult situations and difficult odds.  Then along comes the man of their dreams, sweeps them off their feet, marries them and all of their problems and struggles are over.  It works for Disney but rarely in the real world.  In the real world, this is where the work begins.

    Relationships are work, it is that simple.  There are times when “happily ever after” applies but there are times when it doesn’t; then what?  The problem is that relationships don’t solve our problems or heal our wounds or fulfill our dreams because they are not intended to.  Sometimes, the opposite occurs.  When two flawed sinners are locked into a relationship together, sometimes it can get rough and then it takes work.

    True relationships, especially marriages, work because they involve choices.  You have to choose intimacy over being selfish, you have to choose peace over “being right,” you have to choose respect over dominance and you have to choose love over control.  There are times of “happily ever after” but there are times when the struggle of two sinners struggling show up as well.

    True relationships do not make us happy; they are the result of true love; a love that never ends.  A love that we receive from God in Jesus.  A love that caused him to spread his arms for you and to hang on a cross for you.  True love is not the end of the relationship; it is only the beginning.  God has plans for our love but they generate from him and work only when our love conforms to his will.  The relationships are God’s gift to us, especially marriage.  Relationships bring us companionship, friendship, and love but we receive these from God as part of the gift.  We need to use them and, ultimately, give them to those around us.

Father of all love, guide us by your Spirit.  Lead us to love as you have loved us.  Show us that to love is to give and not to take.  Lead us to battle for the relationships that you give to us.  Help us to overcome the demons which seek to destroy us.  Be with those who are especially struggling at this time.  Protect them with your mighty arm.  Defend them from the devil that they may live in the love and the marriages you have given to them.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-20-2026

Good Morning!

            Matthew 6:34; ““Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

     Most of us tend to worry about tomorrow.  We worry about the grades we get in school.  We worry about how to pay for school, whether we will get a job after school, what about a spouse and a family; we worry a lot.  Then the worries really begin; now that we have a family that depends on us.  Will my job be there tomorrow?  Will the farm give us enough to live on?  Will my children live long and happy lives?  All this worry can cause stress in our lives and even have physical effects on us.  So how do we deal with stress?

    One of the factors of stress in our lives is that we often add to it by overwhelming ourselves with extraneous commitments.  These extra pressures can really add to our worries and our fears.  So, we need to really pay close attention to our commitments.  Are they really important and necessary or are they window dressings for the neighbors?  Do they build our relationship with God and our family or do they distract from them?

    The next part of our stress is our belief that our life can be divided into two parts.  We think we live in a secular world or that we live in a sacred world.  We think that we can separate our faith from our everyday life and it just doesn’t work.  This causes us to see that there are portions of our life that God is not a part of.  We think that there are areas where God either doesn’t care or, maybe, doesn’t need to know about.

    The real danger is that too often, when doing the calculations of our life; we leave God out of the formula.  Too often, we plan our future, looking for what we believe to be the best for us, then worry when it doesn’t seem to go that way.  Yet God tells us, repeatedly, that he will care for us.  He “has plans to prosper us,” He “cares for you,” He “provides our daily bread” and many other verses tells us that we are his children and that he provides for our needs.  Often times, our worries begin where our “needs” end and our “wants” take over.  It is when we are content with what God provides that many of our worries end.

    So don’t be anxious about tomorrow.  God will provide for our needs.  The “wants” may have to wait but our needs will be met.  So don’t be anxious about tomorrow; trust God’s promise to you.  Trust in his amazing love to carry you through the trials of today.  Trust in his grace to give you those things which are needed today.  God has made this bold promise to you so don’t be anxious about tomorrow; live in God’s mercy today.

Father, all is in your hands.  Give me the strength to hold onto this truth.  Give me the wisdom to know that your love will never fail me.  Give me the power to follow where you lead.  Be with those who are especially anxious this day.  Give them peace so that their hearts may find rest.  Guard them with your Spirit and bring them home.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

1-19-2026

Good Morning!

            2 Timothy 4:6; “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.”

      It has been many years ago that the country singer Tim McGraw sang a song entitled “Live like You were Dying.”  The song was about a young man (I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me) who suddenly found out he had cancer.  This event changed his outlook on life (all of a sudden goin’ fishin’ wasn’t such an imposition).  That is always one of those conversations that many find difficult.  How would you respond if you were told that you only had a short time to live, maybe six months or so?

     Many might be tempted to try the “Bucket List” but that would probably get old soon.  It would be tiring, expensive and it could take you away from your family and friends.  Some may just close themselves off and die quietly and lonely.  It is difficult to try and calculate exactly what one would do.  My wife and I watched a movie where a mother of a young girl died of cancer.  She had written a series of letters to this young girl for different birthdays, Christmases, and future big events.  The little girl looked forward to each letter as the father did.  So, what would you do?

    The thing that Paul did was to sit down and write a very loving and personal letter to his young protégé Timothy.  In this letter, Paul encourages his young student to continue on in his faith.  He encourages him to remain strong and true no matter what comes to him.  He does this in a way that speaks of the love that Paul has for this young pastor.  So, Paul’s last days are spent continuing to support this young man.  It is a noble thing that Paul did, but could you?

    I don’t know what I would do in this situation.  I would like to think I would write letters to my grandchildren offering encouragement.  I would like to think I would write about my sons and express my pride and happiness in them.  I would like to think I would write to my wife and thank her for her love through the years.  That is what I would like to think I would do but I might not be that strong.

    I do know that the most important thing to do is to reconcile where you need to, thank where you can, encourage as you have the opportunity and be sure that those around you know that you love them.  This is far more important than “things” or “stuff.”  This is a far better list than skydiving or sailing the horn of Africa.  What the knowledge of your impending death should do is point out that it is the relationships of our lives that matter here in this life.  What you should know is that you are dying, we all are.  So don’t miss a chance to love your family and your friends.  Live like you were dying; love like it you will live forever, for you will.

Father of all mercy, you give us life.  Even though we may die, we will live forever with you.  Help us to see that the greatest joys in this life are our family and friends.  Through the forgiveness of sins, you make us your children.  By your grace, we have eternal life.  Strengthen us by your Spirit and make us confident of our eternal life.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-18-2026

Good Morning!

Matthew 5:39; “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

      One of the hardest things we ever do is to sit and honestly look at our lives as Christians and look at our own faults, weaknesses, and temptations.  Look at your life and honestly say, “This is where I am the weakest.”  We all have at least one, most of us have a few.  There are those events or actions which trigger our “Old Adam” quicker than it should.  For some it is pride.  They look at what they have been given by God and then almost hurt their shoulder patting themselves on the back.  Some are tempted by lust.  They seem to think every person of the opposite sex is there for their pleasure.  Some are greedy; they seek money no matter what the cost.  For others it is vanity, for some it is gossip, for some it is a highly judgmental attitude.  Everyone has one of those places where we are so easily tempted; it is easy to slide into the trap that the devil sets.  What is yours?

    Mine is our verse; I do not turn the other cheek well.  This is not in a physical sense.  I have never thrown a punch or had one thrown at me.  Mine is the verbal assault.  When someone makes a caustic remark, or just an inane one, I have to bite so hard on my tongue that it can draw blood.  I am also sorry to say; I don’t always bite hard enough.  The thing about this temptation is that it is so easy.  Sometimes, as I listen to what the other person is saying, I think, “this is too easy of a target to let go of.”  Or, if the other person has been curt or cutting in their remark, well, all bets are off and he will hear what I really think.  I have no fear and I am quick and it usually only serves the purpose of the devil.

    There are a number of reasons that I mention this.  First, we all have some trigger that is more easily pulled than other ones.  Second, for me, as I look at this in my life, it makes me more compassionate as others share their short falls.  I am not better than anyone else, probably worse because I know better.  Yet I fall short, far more than I like.  Maybe you do as well.

    This is why it is important to confess your sins to God.  If you confess the same sin over and over, then maybe you need to ask God to help you find ways to deal with those issues.  One of the best ways to avoid sin is to avoid the situations where it is easily triggered.  If you are tempted by gossip, try and avoid the coffee klatches.  If you are tempted by lust, be careful what you read or look at.  For me, I try to wait a few seconds before I answer.  At least if I think, the Spirit has a chance to say “shush, you don’t really want to say that.” 

     We are all sinners.  Most of us are not the murderers or blatant adulterers that are often thought of.  Most of us are garden variety sinners, kind of like Adam and Eve.  It wasn’t much but it broke the relationship they had with God and it took the Son of God dying to fix it; just like we need him to fix us as well.

Father, when I look hard at my life, I see the holes that sin leaves.  Forgive me in my weaknesses and help me to combat those lures that the devil leaves for me to find.  Protect me this day that I may live as a witness to your glory.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret