9-4-2016

      Good Morning All!! 

         Isaiah 32:17; “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.”

     If you were to look at all the successful people in the world, whether they are athletes, businessmen, political people, authors, or whatever occupation you select; probably the most common trait that these people have is confidence.  They all believe in their ability to accomplish the task that they set out to do.  There are lots of posters or saying clips that about this.  One that caught my attention the other day said, “whether you think you can or you think you can’t; you are probably right.”  Confidence is a major element in success.

    I would always tell the kids I coached in baseball that if they went to bat thinking they would strike out; they would.  The same is true for someone trying to make a free throw, or kick a soccer score, or even get job.  The need to believe that you can accomplish a task is vital.  When you have confidence, you approach a task ready for whatever it takes and even if you have some minor setbacks; you remain undaunted by the task.  When you think you will fail, any adversity only serves to reinforce your belief that you will fail.  Confidence lets you face any challenge with calmness and a peace that whatever happens, you will persevere and, in the end, be a better person for it.

   Faith should give us confidence.  We know how everything will end; we end it in God’s restored creation after the return of Jesus and the final resurrection.  This is how it ends for all believers.  We can face any situation with the full assurance that God is providing for us.  Just like that baseball player will strike out occasionally; it is not the whole ballgame.  There will times and events in our life when it seems like we strikeout yet we need to remember that it is not the whole ballgame; we still have a lot of life left and we still have God’s assurance of eternal salvation.

    Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  This is the fruit of righteousness that Isaiah writes of.  This certainty should give us peace.  We don’t have to earn it.  We don’t have to deserve it; we just have it because God is gracious and loving.  All we need to do is to trust in his Word.  We can have the full confidence that, no matter what we face, we are assured of God’s love and grace.  Events may knock us down but they cannot keep us down.  God’s incredible grace will always pick us up.  Because of this certainty, we can face any problem with the calmness and the confidence that, through it all, we are more than winners; we are more than victors; we are God’s children with our eternal destiny assured.

Father of all mercy, your Word gives us confidence to face the challenges of this life.  Because of your great love, nothing we face is ever greater than you.  In you we have victory. In you we have peace.  Be with those who fear and have no confidence.  Build them up so they may ever know you peace and comfort.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

9-3-2016

 Good Morning All!! 

       Matthew 21:21; “And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”

     When I perform special services like weddings, baptisms and the like, I usually will print the service out.  I do this so that I can print the names in and then I use a larger font size so it is easier to read.  I type it all in, push the “print” button on the computer.  I look at the printer and see the last page come out and then the next so I go about my other tasks while the document prints.  It finishes, I punch holes in the pages and place the service into a three ring binder and off we go.  It works, except for one time.  I followed the same routine as always.  I saw the last page printed and the second to the last page was starting to print.  I turned and got out the binder, took the pages and punched the holes and put it in the binder; just like always.

    The service was going well; I was reading the rite and the responses were given loudly and clearly.  I turned the page and it was blank; absolutely nothing on it.  I turned the next page; it was blank as well.  I knew the pages were there, I saw them.  Now it was only blank.  I panicked.  I mumbled and sought out a hymnal and after a few awkward minutes (seemed like hours), a brow that was pouring water out of all pores, a moment of hyperventilation and we finished the rite.  After the service, I apologized to the participants and then picked up the binder and began to thumb through the pages.  The first three pages were fine, then the blank one, then another, then another, then the pages I was expecting.  The rest of the pages to the rite, just like I had known were there.  One more page, if I had turned one more page, I would have seen it and everything would have been fine.

    Faith is like that.  Faith is turning one more blank page because we know God’s promise is there.  We know it is there; we know God’s promise is always there but sometimes, we panic.  We see a blank page and panic.  All of a sudden, illness strikes, financial setbacks occur, the rain is slow to come and then too much, the path we were sure of now is blocked.  We panic and we begin to doubt what we know is true.  Faith leads us to know the truth is there, God’s grace and mercy are there and when the page looks blank; we turn the page.  We turn the page because we know that God’s loving promise is always there.  We turn the blank page to the truth.  That is faith.  It is turning the blank page until we find the truth that God has promised us.

Father of grace, strengthen our faith.  Guard our hearts that we may always look to you and your amazing love.  Teach me to trust your loving guidance.  Teach me to cling to your truth.  Help me to know that all things work to good for those whom you love.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

9-2-2016

  Good Morning All!! 

    Proverbs 16:9; “A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps.”

    It never fails.  We decide to go somewhere, plan the route all out, the GPS is all set and the next thing you know, we are in the middle of road construction.  There are two things about road construction that drive me nuts, pilot cars and detours.  Following the pilot car as the guy driving the pilot car bobs and weaves in and around the pot holes, equipment and men is always a challenge.  Then there is the beloved detour.  It is plainly marked, they say, you can’t miss it.  It was plainly mark before the oversized load went through and knocked down the signs.  The GPS tells us to go back and start over; the stiff necked German (me) keeps pushing on and my wife shakes her head.  I just tell her it is an adventure and we are experiencing new places.

    In our faith journey, we often experience the same thing.  We have all the necessary guidance tools.  We have God’s Word, we have the Spirit, we even have those whom God places in our lives to help us see the path as we travel on but we sometimes still get lost.  We refuse to follow the guidance tools and seek our own way.  We think our way is better or easier when in fact we are lost.

    We may plan our own journeys but God is the one who directs them.  We may have plans for wealth or being famous only to have God turn those plans into having us being servants of his in his kingdom.  This happens often as God chooses to use our talents and skills to his work and glory.  This is all fine when it involves joy but what happens when it involves pain or sadness?        

    Sometimes our journey is not what we planned or even what we want but it is the journey upon which God leads us.  He guides us through it and gives us hope.  God is the one who walks besides us and guides us with His Word and Spirit.  He places people into our lives to be his arms and voice.  It is all there if we trust him.  We will have his comfort and ultimately his peace.  Yet if we leave the path that God has given us, we will be hurt and we will be lost.  We have to trust God and rely on his grace to lead us down the path, but more than that; He walks down the path with us beside us to offer us comfort and hope.  He gently leads us to rely only on Him for our hope.  The path may be rough; it may not be the path that we had planned but God provides for us.  He provides us with the certainty of his love and grace for us.  We know that his mercy is true and will provide for us the guidance that we need to face this life.

Dearest Father, too often we look to our own plans as the path that we will follow.  Forgive us for failing to trust in your will to provide for the way that we will go.  Guard us and guide us as we travel through this life.  Lead us by your grace to life eternal.  Be with those whose path is clouded and whose journey is difficult.  Give them the comfort of knowing that you will give them the guidance that they need and the comfort that they may rely on.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-1-2016

Good Morning All!! 

       Luke 9:62; “Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

     I remember as a kid watching a cartoon called “Mr. Peabody and Sherman.”  Mr. Peabody was a beagle that was the smartest creature in the world.  After making a fortune as a business tycoon, he became a successful scientist.  He invented the “WABAC” machine and used to take his adopted human son Sherman on trips into the past.  It was an attempt to teach some history at a very young age.  During the course of the show, Sherman and Mr. Peabody realized that they could not interact with historical figures as it would change history, a nod to Ray Bradbury and “A Sound of Thunder”.

    You can’t go back.  You can’t go back and change the past.  The mean thing I did to that little boy in the third grade cannot be undone.  That mean thing I said to the young lady in the eighth grade cannot be undone; even the harsh word I had with my wife this morning cannot be undone.  Once an event occurs; it cannot be undone.  Things done or said to me; things said or done by me cannot be undone.  We cannot dwell on what someone said or did to hurt us.  We cannot keep looking to the past because this is where the devil leads us to see our failures, the failures of our family and the failures of those around us.  By focusing on the past, we focus on the pain of our sin.  This is why we are told to focus on Jesus; to focus our sight forward on the glory of Jesus.  We are to look forward to what is coming, to what will be ours and that is our eternal life with Jesus.

    Any farmer who has ever plowed knows that you have to look forward keeping your eye focused on your target or you will go crooked and then not completely plow the entire piece of land.  By looking back you take your eye off of the target.  By focusing on the past we take our eye off our target, Jesus.

    So what about the past?  Repent of the wrong you have committed and ask God to help you refrain from doing it again.  Forgive those who have hurt you even if they don’t ask.  Forgiveness lets you keep your eye on the target; holding onto the pain of the past is like looking back.  It causes us to miss out on all the joy that God has for us.  While looking back, we miss the joy of today and the glory of tomorrow.  While looking back, we see our pain of mistakes and poor choices.  By looking ahead, we can focus on the wondrous love of God, manifested in our lives through the hope of salvation. 

Gracious Father, keep our eyes and lives focused on your great mercy.  Lead us to look to you for our hope.  Send your Spirit to heal the broken and the hurting.  Keep all those whom you love in your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret