6-24-2019

Good Morning All,

Psalm 57:1; “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
    There is one thing that most people try to be aware of in the plains of the United States and that is where to go when a tornado is around.  You either have a basement, or a strong interior wall.  Some people have actual storm cellars that are there for protection.  If you live in a development there may even be a designated building for the purpose.  It is important to know where to go when there is danger.

    This past spring, the school that my wife is at had an “armed intruder” drill.  It was in conjunction with the county sheriff; it was a learning experience for everyone.  Yet it was a very important learning time.  They were determining how to keep the students and staff safe.  It is important to for everyone involved to know what the best plan for an intrusion of some sort.

    Most people have some sort of plan for when something catastrophic occurs but it is usually only for those events that we expect.  We expect stormy weather.  We carry some form of a survival kit for winter driving.  We are supposed to have some money saved for “unexpected events.”  Some people have some form of a generator for power outages.  The problem with planning for disasters is that we always plan for the last disaster; it is impossible to plan for the next one because we can never be sure what it will be.

    That is the problem with our life; it isn’t as well scripted as we would like it to be.  When we get married; it is supposed to be forever.  But what happens when forever is only three years?  What happens when illness strikes and we no longer can move a leg or an arm properly?  What happens when our ability to earn a living is gone and we have nothing left?  What happens when the disasters we plan for don’t occur but the ones we don’t plan on do?  Where do we find shelter?  Where do we find refuge?

    Too often, we find our refuge in our own skills, knowledge and abilities.  We think we can conquer anything but what do we do when we are not that strong?  Even the strongest storm cellar only protects for a few hours; what if it is weeks or months of ravaging storms?

     God is our only true refuge.  When all of our phony “safe places” in this world fail, only God’s grace will truly protect us, even when we may struggle in holding onto that faith; God doesn’t let go.  His love is our tower of strength.  It is where our refuge place is.  He is our only source of hope and comfort.

Dearest Jesus, you are our shelter and our hope.  Give us the faith to hold onto that hope; to seek that refuge.  We pray especially that for those who are struggling at this time.  Be with them and let them know that their refuge is in you.  All this we ask in your precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-23-2019

 Good Morning All,

         Psalm 116:8; “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.”
      So, it is confession time again.  I am one of them; I am a crier.  I cry at movies, at sad stories, sad songs, at touching events.  My wife laughs at me; I don’t care.  I think it is a transference device my mind uses so when I am in an emotionally stressful time, I can function as I should; then it comes out later.  I don’t actually cry at everything just those stories or movies that strike close to home; the ones that I can see myself being involved in.  We watched a movie about a soldier who was first injured in a war incident and then the struggle about him coming home and re-adjusting to family life and society.  I have a daughter-in-law who is in the guards.  She was in Iraq once and might have to go again.  I can relate to that story.  The other day, I read a story about a couple who got married and their two-year-old son, who had cancer, was the best man.  The son died a couple of days after the wedding.  Now, I have grandchildren who are that age; I can relate to that story.

    In our verse, the psalmist is giving thanks for God rescuing him and the community from calamity.  It is a psalm of joy for removing a painful or dangerous event.  It would be a good psalm to use when a drought ends or a severe storm misses you.  It speaks to God with a joyful “thank you” for sparing me.  There are all sorts of calamities and pain out there.  This world is still ruled by sin.  The devil has many deceived by his lies and distortions.  Those who believe the lies serve as the devil’s tools to assault us.  Add this to the devil’s own whispering into our ear and we are often wandering; lost in a world of darkness, lies, and attacks.  Yet we don’t battle them alone, God knows our wanderings and he gives us the hope to persevere and the faith to stand up to them. 

    While we are on this wandering, we know that we will face tears, real tears.  We will experience pain in this world, both believers and unbelievers will experience sadness and pain.  This is the result of sin both personal and world sin.  Other people’s sins affect you and me.  Think of the drunk driver who kills a van full of kids.  Tears will flow in that event.  Enough tears to fill a bottle and God keeps each one; he keeps each one as he wipes them from our eyes.  He keeps a record of them. He does this, not as a way to keep score but he keeps it in his heart as he feels our pain and loves us.  He has no desire to hurt us.  He has no desire to see us in pain; rather his desire is to love us and for us to be his children in his kingdom.  God’s love is upon us.  He knows our pain, our tears.  He watches our wanderings and offers us comfort and hope.

Dearest Father, in our wanderings we have tears and feel alone; yet you are always with us.  Give us the comfort of your Spirit and the consolation of your mercy.  Guide us in our wanderings and comfort us in our pain.  Be especially with those who are in need of an extra grace as their tears are falling now.  Use us as your hands and arms to bring comfort and consolation to their lives.  Give us your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-22-2019

Good Morning All,

         Psalm 55:18; “He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.”

     There once was a man who had bought a puppy.  He truly loved the little pup but one day the puppy got outside and ran away.  The man searched and searched for the puppy but couldn’t find it.  He was desperate but had no luck.  Soon he thought he would never see his puppy again.

    A couple of years later, he saw a man with a dog that looked like his would.  He watched as the man kicked and beat the dog.  He went to the man and asked him why he treated the dog so poorly.  The man replied, “It’s my dog and I’ll do what I like with it.”  The first man bent down to look at the dog and saw the dog tag on the collar and immediately saw that it was the puppy that ran away.  He looked up and asked him, “How much do you want?”  “$1000”, was the reply.  So, the first man gave him all his cash, his watch and his computer and took the dog and walked away.

     In many ways, you and I are like that little dog.  We ran away from God.  We ran from the loving relationship that he had with us and we took off and never looked back.  Soon we found out that it is a cruel world out there.  This new master wasn’t kind at all.  He was incredibly cruel.  Often times we were near death but survived only to be abused again.  Our future existence was extremely bleak.

    Then one day a kind man came and bought us for a ridiculous amount of money.  The truly amazing part is that he already owned us but he bought us back anyway.  He did this just so we would know how much he loves us.  He bought us away from that horrible owner, away from the pit that our life was.  He brought us home and cleaned us up and fed us.  He did this all out of love for us.

    So now we have a new life.  A new life that is really our first life; a life living with our loving Father.  We are in his kingdom; protected by his grace and mercy from the old evil owner.  We no longer need to fear the old master for God, our heavenly Father, has defeated him for us.  We can live our life in the newness of light.  We are no longer destroyed but are now living in his presence.  This allows us to live the life that God has designed for us.  This allows us to be free from the clutches and control of the old evil master.  God has bought you back and declared you to be his redeemed child.  Live each day with the certainty of this hope.

Gracious Father, you sent Jesus to be the price to redeem us back from our sin and debt.  You have freed us from despair and the suffering under the weight of that sin.  Give us the power to love and to live the life which you have given to us.  Lead us to be the light in this dark world so that others may see your grace in our lives and in our heart.  Bring the lost into the fold.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-21-2019

Good Morning All,

         Romans 5:19; “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.”

    I will always treasure the time I spent umpiring baseball.  Umpiring baseball is always a unique experience.  Baseball, in and of itself, is a very unique game. What most people don’t realize is that if you follow the rules to the letter, the umpire can do no wrong.  Whatever the umpire calls; that is the right call. 

    Now that is quite a statement; I know, however; that is an accurate statement.  There truly is no appeal or questioning the umpire.  Now most umpires know that they are human and know that they can miss or mistake a play.  When in doubt, most will ask the other umpires for help or advice.  That is the way you should do it; get it right.  Yet, if the umpire calls the runner “safe”; he is safe.  It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks or says.  If the umpire calls the runner safe; he is safe.

    It is also important to note that what the umpire calls is right.  You don’t get to claim that the runner is really out but the umpire called him safe.  The runner is safe because the umpire called him safe.  The game continues and the runner is safe and if he scores; it counts.  What the umpire calls becomes the reality.

    This is how it is for us before God.  We become the righteousness of God not because we earned it but because God declared it so.  No matter how many times the devil or the world try to tell you that “you really are bad; God just missed the call”; it simply is not true.  You are righteous because God says so.  Through his omnipotent power he is the judge of everything.  When God declares you righteous because of Jesus; you are righteous.

    Nothing matters other than God judgment.  He has judged us righteous because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  Because of this we are holy; we are righteous before God; that is the “call” he makes and that is the right one.  Life goes on from there.  At that point, we are destined to be saved by his grace alone.  We are declared righteous and no matter what anyone else thinks, says, saw or claims; God has declared us truly holy and righteous.

    The beauty of this is that now we are the redeemed children of God with all the rights and privileges that the children of the king have.  We are now able to boldly come before God’s throne and call him Father.  We are able to come to him with our fears and worries and leave them with him for him to remove.  This is the wonder of God’s grace.  God declares you to be righteous and you are.  God declares you to be his and you are.  God declares you to be saved and you are.

Dear Father, your mercies are new every day.  Give us the courage and strength to trust in your declaration of righteousness.  Lead us to trust in your word.  Show us your wonderful grace that we may live eternally with you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-20-2019

Good Morning All,

      Psalm 147:3; “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”
         Have you ever had someone tell you to eat or drink something because “it’s good for what ails you?”  It is really amazing all the things they tell you to try to fix whatever is wrong with you.  I think what fascinates me the most is how the advice about what is and what isn’t good for you changes from year to year.  A few years ago, I had a heart attack.  I was put on fish oil pills, 4 a day.  They told me that the omega-3 was good for me.  Now I read where omega-3 may cause some types of cancer.  Coffee was good and then bad but now is sort of ok again.

    Who really knows where eggs are?  They jump from good to bad like some version of a tennis match.  If you add in all the "folk” remedies, it would seem that everything is both good and bad for you at the same time.  No wonder I get a headache but I am told chamomile tea will fix that.

    While some of our physical ails might be helped by a little herbal tea, the contentment of our heart and soul cannot.  When it comes to our soul and to our heart the only real healing comes from God.  The pain that exists in our heart is not easily soothed.  It takes a lot of care and a loving touch.  This we receive only through Jesus.

    We see and experience so much pain in this world.  Some seems so chaotic, such as a child that falls of a bike and dies of a brain injury.  Some seem so self-destructive we wonder why we even do them.  Some seem just plain cruel.  Yet all these actions cause a tremendous amount of pain and doubt, both of our own worth and of God’s love.  We wallow in self-pity and in pain.  Yet the biggest effect is that it erodes our relationships.  We are no longer able to trust our family and friends, our selves or God.  We see all these as enemies because of the pain which we endure.

    Despite all of our efforts, we find no comfort; we find no healing.  There is nothing in this world that is “good for what ails us.”  Our only source of comfort and hope comes from Jesus.  It is only through his redeeming sacrifice that we are truly healed.  It is through his grace that we are rescued from the pain that the devil inflicts upon us.  Through all the pain of this world we must always remember that we are God’s redeemed children and that the plight of this world will pass but God’s love will not.  Our only hope is in Christ; hold onto to that everlasting truth as it will cure what ails you.

   Dear Father in heaven, you give us healing in your Word and the soothing balm of your love.  Give us that sense of your touch in our lives.  Comfort us and give to us the assurance of your everlasting love.  Be with those who especially are struggling with health or family struggles.  Give them your comfort and move us to be your arms and loving hands.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-19-2019

Good Morning All,

   Psalm 9:10; “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

    Trust is a very important but fleeting experience.  Most people have the Reagan theory-trust but verify.  That really isn’t trust.  Trust is so crucial to some business teams and partnerships that companies send them to “trust building” seminars.  These seminars have “trust building” exercises.  One of these exercises involves one member standing tall with his arms crossed before him.  He then falls backwards; trusting one of the other members of the team to catch him before he hits the floor. 

    You have to trust one of your fellow employees.  They may catch you or look at each other and say, “I thought you had him!”  That is when you find out who your friends are.  You have to wonder about ever trusting those guys again.  I would think that falling to the floor in a heap would really test your trust of the other guy.

    Our verse today speaks of trusting the Lord and not being forsaken.  That can be easier said than done.  It might be easy if your life is going, for the most part, in the direction.  But what if it isn’t?  Think of John the Baptist.  He did everything that God asked him to do and he was imprisoned by Herod.  As he languished in the prison, he asked Jesus, “Are you the One?”  Jesus answered yes.  Yet John remained in prison and eventually was executed there.  Trusting in the Lord can be tough.

    It can be very tough when we face those monumental tasks; those struggles that have no easy answer.  When facing the declining health of a family member or our own, trust can be a scarce commodity.  When it seems that every time you turn around, you get knocked down again and again; trust can seem like just a word.  When the people who you love and thought they loved you leave you with nothing but painful memories, trust can feel almost painful.  The thing we need to remember is that in most of these situations, we aren’t really trusting God as much as we are really trusting in our own understanding. 

    We may think we have it all figured out but we really don’t.  So much happens in this world that we think we can directly influence or change.  The truth is that the world is nothing but chaos and the only order is found through God.  Anytime we look to the world for answers all we get are guesses or hunches at best.  God is our only source of truth.  God is the one who controls what happens.  Things go according to God’s will; we may not like it at the time but God’s will is always the best.  We must trust that; that has to be the basis for our faith and our hope.  Trusting in God is our only true security.

Dear Father, too often we trust our own instincts and desires only to have them fail.  Give us the courage and the faith to fully trust in your grace.  Give us the assurance that all things work for good for those whom you love.  Give extra assurance to those who are wrestling now with questions of trust.  Give them peace Lord.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-18-2019

Good Morning All,

   1 Peter 2:10; “Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

       A few friends; that is how it always starts.  Then the planning; looking for new recipes to try.  Then it has to have a theme; whatever that means.  Then, do we have any games to play?  Then it is the invitations; mailed or e-mailed.  It started as a few friends and then it grew a little or maybe a lot.  Most people go through this every so often.  We are people who like to be with others.  We are social creatures; we long for companionship.  We are built to be in community.

    God created us to be part of a community.  We can even look at God and see community.  We see the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as a form of community.  We see three persons in one God.  God created us to be part of his community.  We were created to live in communion with Him and in community with each other.

     The problem came about when sin entered our world.  Man, then formed a very twisted view of community.  We began to see each other as competitors, stepping stones, or things to be used, abused and then disposed of.  Perhaps you have been on either or both sides of that description.  This is common for it is how the devil wants our world to exist.  For when this type of view of people exists we begin to withdraw from society.  We experience pain so we withdraw.  We experience pain so we avoid others who we see as simply wanting to use us and then dispose of us.  Soon we feel that we are all alone.

    However, Jesus came to rescue us from this sin-imposed isolation.  Jesus came to bring us back into God’s community.  Jesus came to return us to His family, to make us a people again; his people.  It can start with 2 or 3 gathered together.  That is a small community.  It is a family and the family, as God designed it, is the base unit for human community.  When a family gathers together, in faith, Jesus dwells in the midst of it.

    Even in this sinful world, where some of these communities are broken; God reaches out to us in love to rebuild or build anew the communities built upon his love and grace for us.  He wants us to build these communities upon the selfless love for others.  He wants us to build upon the selfless love which Jesus demonstrated for us. God wants to use you to build these communities.

    So, as you go forth today, thank God for making you his “people” again.  Then ask God to use you to build these communities, large or small, to bring about the kind of world that God desires.  Ask God to use you to bring a little community to a world that knows only loneliness.

Gracious Lord, you came to this world to restore the holy community of your people.  Through this you give us the comfort and hope to face the struggles that the devil throws at us.  Give to those who are struggling mightily the security of your community.  Let them feel safe and secure.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret