6-7-2025

Good Morning All,

        Jeremiah 31:34b; “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

    Have you ever been told, or said, “I’ll forgive you, but I will never forget it!”  Or perhaps the phrase “You’ll have to earn my forgiveness!”  These are two very common phrases; phrases that the world will tell you are good plans to follow.  After all, if someone hurt you, you should remember it, so it won’t happen again.  Secondly, everyone who has ever studied Economics knows that “there is no such thing as a free lunch;” everything comes at a cost and forgiveness isn’t much different.

   We hear this often when a person feels betrayed, whether by a spouse, a friend, or a co-worker.  We feel the pain and it cuts like a knife, and we want our pound of flesh for our revenge.  We often want the other person to “feel our pain.”  Yet as we see in our verse this is not the way that God forgives us.

    Scripture gives us the definition of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is just that: given.  It cannot be earned for that is either a fine or punishment of some type or a wage that is paid for a job done.  Forgiveness can never be bought or sold it can only be given.  So, if we say to someone, “you need to earn my forgiveness;” we aren’t really forgiving them.  We are simply extracting a payment from them.  It is sad that many see forgiveness this way because they miss the huge benefit of forgiveness and that is the healing of a breach between two people.  That is why God forgives us.  He does it to heal the breach that we caused with our sin.  We could never pay that debt, so God forgave it because of Jesus.

    The other thing is that the world tells you to never forget.  Forgiveness comes from the heart, and it is only true forgiveness if we let it go.  By remembering the breach, it remains in place.  If the “sinner” is not really forgiven or if the “sinned against” does not really forgive, there is not a healing that takes place.  The interesting thing about forgiveness is that it heals the “forgiver” as much as it does the “forgiven.”  When we cling to past pains or past injustices, it keeps festering in our heart, and we never heal.  We need to let it go; let God take the pain from us and let the healing take place.  I have often listened to people who felt wronged so many years ago and now they look and sound sad and, often times, more hurt than the original wrong caused.  There is bitterness in their voice that never seems to leave, and they seldom look happy. 

    This is part of the reason God tells us to forgive as He does.  It is the joyful reaction to our forgiveness by God, and it is also a healthy cleansing of our heart that allows us to truly love one another.

    Dear Father, teach me to forgive as you forgive.  Give me the strength and wisdom to do your will.  Rebuild our relationships so that we may live in peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-6-2025

Good Morning All,

    Proverbs 14:30; “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”

    When I was in high school, there was a country song by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson titled “Luckenbach, Texas.”  It was a song that a man was singing to his wife. He was telling her that they were “so busy keeping up with the Jones, four car garage and we’re still building on maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love.”  This is a common theme among songs that can be popular; yet we don’t often live this way.

    While our music seeks a simpler, easier paced life, our existence seems driven to more and more.  We seem driven to want more, buy more, demand more and then be farther in debt.  We seem to always look at our neighbors and think that they really have it made; why can’t I have that?

    I recently visited with a lady who experienced this firsthand.  She was in her early fifties.  She grew up on a farm but went to school in the “big town” up the road.  Her friends were “townies” and always had the newest clothes, all had jobs for their spending money, always went to the movies, and ate a lot of fast food.  She rarely got new clothes, made most of them, worked on the farm for her dad so had to ask for any money, went to a few movies and seldom ate at McDonald’s.  She always felt her friends had it better than she did, so she sulked a lot and felt sorry for herself.  She skipped her class reunion until her 25^th when her husband made her go. 

    She was surprised when she started talking to her friends.  They were all jealous of her when they grew up.  She had a horse, no nosey neighbors, she didn’t have to work with rude customers; she had real home cooked meals and her own room.  When she talked with me, it was bittersweet.  On the one hand, she learned that while our experiences may be different, in many ways they are the same.  Yet she also saw that for the first 40-45 years of her life she was mad at what she didn’t have instead of happy with what she did.  This she was changing and was enjoying what she had and that was a loving husband, wonderful children, fantastic friends, and a grandchild on the way.

    This is what our verse is telling us.  We can rot with envy and jealousy, or we can see God’s gifts to us and enjoy the life we have right now.  God’s Spirit gives us peace; peace with God and peace with ourselves.  The devil tries to disrupt this and when he does, pain surely follows.  God gives us the gift of a tranquil heart, a heart at peace.  Trust in God our Father to take care of you and enjoy the simple gifts of life.  Enjoy the love of your family and friends, the stars at night, the sounds of nature when you can and especially enjoy the grace that God bestows on us.

Dear Father, you give us more than we need yet we demand more.  Help us to enjoy the blessings which you bestow on us with the joy that you desire us to have.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-5-2025

Good Morning All,

    2 Corinthians 5:17; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

    I have had the pleasure of knowing a couple of guys who enjoy restoring old wooden tables, chairs, and dressers.  They get really giddy when they go to flea markets or old estate sales.  I doubt if they have ever paid more than $10 for anything.  The drawers are broken or missing from the dressers; the tables are wobbly and maybe have a piece missing.  Anything they buy looks like garbage.  I would imagine the people who are selling this stuff have to hold their breath until these two are gone so they don’t break out laughing at the two “rubes” who paid good money for kindling.

    The truly amazing thing is what the projects look like after they finish them.  They look magnificent.  The truly amazing part is how they can incorporate and actually highlight the stains and the cracks that give these old pieces their character.  When we look at them, I marvel at their skill, but I also wonder about the stories that those old pieces would tell.  Each with its own unique scratches and marks. Cut marks and burn marks abound.  Was that the height of a child at age 5?  Was the burn mark left when a sudden announcement, good or ill, was made?  How many Thanksgivings and Christmas meals did a family share around them?  They all have stories but the change in the chairs and tables is remarkable.  They have a new lease on life.  They are ready to start over as pieces of art, masterpieces even.

    This is what Jesus does to us.  He reclaims us from the junk piles and flea markets of the world.  We are broken, warped, and may even have some pieces missing.  Yet Jesus fixes us all up.  He cleans away all the years of scratches and dents and cut marks and makes us whole.  Those marks may still be seen but they do not define who we are.  We are new creations made so by the blood of Jesus and declared so by God the Father.  We started with our own similar but unique marks only to be restored and renewed by Jesus. The old is all gone and we are new again.  Redeemed by Jesus and freed by his atoning sacrifice.  Just like those two wood workers who scour the sales, God seeks you out and no matter what condition you are in, or think you are in, you are never too far gone for Christ to redeem you and shape you into a new creation.  There is no amount of damage to you that Jesus cannot fix.  No matter what sins you feel you carry; Jesus makes you a new creation.  His mercy will heal you and remove all the nicks and scratches and his grace will replace all the damage done to your heart and soul.  There is nothing he cannot do and his love for you knows no bounds.  Trust in his mercy and surrender to his love.

   Dearest Father, in your mercy you sent Jesus to redeem us and to make us new creations. Give us the joy of your eternal grace and keep us safe on our journey home.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-4-2025

Good Morning All,

    Genesis 50:20; “Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it.”

    The best laid plans of mice and men; they often go awry.  How often has this been true in your life?  How often have you planned a day out only to have the weather be perfect the day before or after but junky on your day?  Do days like this frustrate you and drive you nuts?  To many people, they do.  But do frustrations cause you much distress and pain?  These are some of the devil’s favorite ploys to cause Christians to feel pain.

    For example, do you feel embarrassed often?  The devil loves to attack us with this because it strikes at our self-worth.  He loves to needle away at your view of yourself.  The devil will never play fair, he will always attack your weakest and sorest place. Most people have some level of personal insecurity.  Most of the time, your friends and relatives don’t even see it, yet we often struggle with it.  The devil loves to pick and poke at this sore point.  The thing we need to remember is that we don’t need to look at our self through the world’s eye but should look at our self through God’s eye.  Our worth is based on being God’s blessed children that is the source of our worth.

    We can also see what our worries say about our sense of security.  While God wants you to have a solid sense of security, worry damages your ability to accept the security that God is offering you.  Pay attention to worry’s warning that you’re jeopardizing the peace God wants you to enjoy – peace that comes from trusting Him. Realize that God actually is aware of the situation you’ve been worrying about, He does care, and He is more than able to do something about it when you place your trust in Him. Entrust every part of your life (from your health and your relationships to your job and your finances) to God and trust Him to intervene in every situation you face. See God’s grace and mercy every day and rely on Him day by day to provide what you need.  

     The devil loves to take these and any of a thousand other little struggles in our life and tries to blow them up.  The devil means nothing but evil to us.  His only designs are for our torture and despair.  Yet God takes all these tortures and turns them around.  God takes our struggles and makes them our gain.  When we look at our struggles, we see our own weaknesses and we see the only source for our hope is in Jesus and his saving grace and atoning sacrifice.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

   Gracious Father, the world, and the devil battle us all day long to pull us from you.  Give us the strength to hold onto your incredible love and mercy.  Keep us in your loving arms.  Send your Spirit to our brothers and sisters who feel the sting of the devil’s attacks and give to them your comfort and hope.  Use us to bring it to them.  May we be your arms and shoulders.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-3-2025

Good Morning All,

Luke 19:10; “Indeed, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost.”

    A number of years ago, there was a movie called “Runaway Bride.”  It starred Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.  The gist of the story was about Richard Gere being a journalist who was on the bad list of his editor and sent off on some sappy story about a girl who always ran away from her weddings.  Julia Roberts played the girl and ran away from many weddings; she even started showing up in sneakers.  Eventually love conquered and they married, and she didn’t run.

    Many of us are runaway brides.  We run every time we can.  Even if we do not run, we may feel like it.  This is one of the little tactics that the devil uses on us.  He tries to get us to run from God and from the relationships that he gives us.  The devil tries to separate us from God, and he tries this by getting us to run.  When you look at stories of youth who run away, they always see it as the answer, and it never is.  They think that getting away from the ones that love them will make it so much easier.  What they find is that pain, trouble, and deeper despair.

    We are the same way.  We run from God; we run away from his love.  We think that what we have or know is far better to anything which God has so we run away from God.  We hide from God.  When we think of a small child who tries to hide from their parents by covering his eyes, thinking that if he can’t see his parents then they cannot see him.  This is how God looks at us when we try to hide from him.  We are still in plain sight even if we think we have hidden well.

    Many in the Bible tried to hide.  Jonah tried to hide.  Moses tried to hide.  Elijah tried to hide.  David tried to hide.  We are in pretty good company when we try to hide.  We all try to run and hide.  Some of us run to self-help books; some of us run to the “false prophets” of our day: the talk show hosts and the self-proclaimed “experts.”  Some of us run to drugs and alcohol.  Some of us run to a life of bad decisions, often compounded by even worse ones.  We run like the wind; we think but we only run as far as the nearest mud hole where we fall in and wallow. 

    This is why Jesus came to do his earthly ministry; to seek the lost and then save them.  He continues to do this today.  Jesus seeks you in all the mud holes and wallows and pulls us out with his merciful love.  He washes us and feeds us and then comforts us with his love.  Jesus never stops seeking us; no matter how many times we run; he just keeps coming.  So, if you think you are so lost you cannot be found; just take your hands away from your eyes.  If a loved one seems to just run and run; keep praying and reaching out; Jesus is seeking them as well.  Trust in God’s love to work his will in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.

   Dear Father, your mercies roll over us like a river.  As we run, you seek.  As we hide, you see us at all times.  Forgive us when our fears win out and our sin takes over.  Redeem us with your love and guard us from the devil’s power.  Give an extra dose of your grace to those who struggle with running from you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-2-2025

Good Morning All,

        John 11:21; “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

    Here we have it.  This is one of the most pregnant statements in the Bible.  Martha is talking to Jesus after the death of her brother Lazarus.  “Lord IF you only would have been here.”  “IF” is one of the biggest little words around.  It can play havoc with our own sense of well-being.  It drives us crazy because it drives our doubts. It is probably the biggest two letter word in the English language.

    If I was better looking, I could get a date.  If I was smarter, school would be easier.  If I had a better job, I would make more money and be happy.  Yet our biggest “if” is often directed toward God; “IF” you would have been here, my parent would not have died.  “IF” you would have been here, the accident wouldn’t have happened.  Where were you God, why did you let this happen?  This is essentially what Martha says, and, in all honesty, Jesus doesn’t really address this statement. Yet, we know a truth, Jesus is there. He is there to hold our hand, to give us strength in the toughest hours and greatest battles. Jesus invites us to trust his love and mercy so that we may overcome the battles we face because Jesus is there

    What Jesus does tell her was this, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though he were dead, shall live…”  So, while we look at the temporary things of this world, Jesus is dealing with our eternal salvation.  He is working to rescue us from sin and the devil.  The very difficult thing for most of us to realize is that the world is still broken by sin.  As painful as it is, really sad things happen.  The world is broken and will be until Jesus returns in triumphant glory.  That is the real reason that bad things happen, the world is broken, and sin rules the world.  Yet Christ rules our lives and while sin will impact us and affect us, it will not defeat or control us. 

    At times like this, it is difficult to see.  We mourn the loss of life especially young, innocent lives that seem to have so much to live for.  While you and I cry, we do so knowing that God is merciful and that all believers are saved by his grace.  We feel the pain for it is real.  Yet we can and should see that even through our pain; God is there to comfort and console us.  While we may feel like Martha and think, “where were you God?”; we can take comfort in that he is there beside us walking through the storm with us. Where are you? He is always with us, just as He promised.

Dearest Father, we often cry “where are you?” when the world seems to spin out of control.  Bless us with your presence and keep us secure in the knowledge of your unending love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-1-2025

Good Morning All,

  Psalm 34:18; “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

    Have you ever shopped at a discounted discount store?  They have all the “seconds” or the damaged goods.  You can buy some of them really cheap if you want to.  It is amazing how cheap these can be.  They are so cheap that people often pass right by them, afraid that there must be something wrong with them. 

    These goods, especially the canned goods, are often dented.  Sometimes the label is missing.  Some of the boxed goods are broken open and taped up to be somewhat presentable.  Some of the produce might have blemishes on them or be odd shaped. The store knows that the only way to sell these items is to offer a huge discount on them. Maybe. Just maybe, someone will take a chance on a dented blemished product. Even then most just bet tossed out; they are just not shelf worthy anymore.

    All of us at one point in time have felt the pain of being damaged goods.  Maybe you made some bad decisions when you were younger and have been viewed as “damaged goods” ever since.  Maybe the pink slip from your last employer left a dent in you, especially since you are on the top side of 45 now.  Perhaps looking at your spouse has left and now you are all dinged up.  Perhaps a loved one died way too early in life.  All these things can take a toll on a body and a spirit.

    The truly good news is that God has great compassion on us.  All you have to do is read the Gospels and see time and time again where Jesus had compassion on the lame, the blind, the sick and dying.  Jesus looks past the dings and the dents and the blemishes to see the heart that is broken and the spirit that is crushed.  He reaches to you and to me with all the love that we need and he gently lifts us up in his arms and brings us to his loving bosom and holds us close, safe in his arms. He heals us. He makes us new again. No dents, dings or blemishes remain. God inly sees us through the righteousness of his Son and calls us sons of the most High.

    The world will ding us pretty good and then throw us away as damaged goods, but God continually retrieves us from the damaged goods shelf and restores us to his family keeping us safe from the true pain that devil will try to cause.  God reaches out to the brokenhearted and the crushed spirits and gives them hope; and gives them life. His love never fails. His love never knows an end or a loss. His love for us is eternal and perfect. This is what waits for us. The world will call you damaged but God calls you with his love to be his children, now and forever in his loving arms.

Dear Father, we are all dented and dinged by the sin of the world and our own failings.  Give us your precious grace to cover us and your mercy to save us.  Protect us from the sorrows of this world.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret