40 Day Challenge

As most of you know, our church has been challenged by Pastor Danny to set aside 30 minutes a day, every day, for 40 days to read the Word aloud with our families, beginning and ending in prayer. Today I received the following in an email newsletter from author Ray Comfort at Living Waters. I must say that I know too well the “excuses” he mentions, as we have been fighting many of them in this challenge. I hope that his thoughts might encourage you and strengthen your resolve to have a “family altar” time, too.

If you want “godly offspring,” it is essential that you make the time to establish a family altar. Build it out of the unmovable rocks of resolution. You will need to be resolute about this because it will be a battle. Your flesh will fight it, and you can be sure there will be a continual spiritual battle within your mind. “Circumstances” will constantly crop up. Your kids will occasionally groan when you announce that it is time for devotions. Loved ones may subtly, subconsciously discourage you. However, your time of family devotions should be a priority for your whole family. Don’t be legalistic about it, but as much as possible, put all other things aside before you postpone or cancel family devotions.

It will be an altar of sacrifice, as you sacrifice your time, your energy, and sometimes your dignity. For years, our kids heard, “Six o’clock—reading time.” My wife and I dropped whatever we were doing, and the children learned to do the same, and we gathered as a family. Making it a priority for your family’s growth will speak volumes about its importance in their lives.

Again, you will find that there are many excuses for not having devotions. You may be pressed for time, feel tired, or think you are unable to teach the Bible. However, there is one very powerful reasonwhy you should have daily devotions: the eternal salvation of your children. (Adapted from How to Bring Your Children to Christ…& Keep Them There.)

Malachi 2:15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

Pastor’s Corner

Pastors Corner 4-29-2012

I was thinking about the revival when I started to write this pastor’s corner. I began by looking up the word revival in the dictionary. The definitions were technically correct and had words like “reviving” and “awakening” but did not convey a personal meaning of a revival. If you look for the word revival in the Bible you will not find it or I cannot find it. You can find were there were different places where revivals occurred (Acts chapter 2 and 8 are only two examples) and in those events it changed the lives of people. Those two events were only part of the greatest revival to ever occur and that revival is still going on today. What I am talking about is the grace/love of God delivered by His son Jesus Christ which changed the world. When you have been saved or revived by the hand of God (Holy Spirit) through his word there are no dictionary definition to fully describe the changes it makes in people’s lives. God bless and pray hard for the revival.

Pastor Danny

Pastor’s Corner

Pastors Corner 4-15-2012

This week I want to follow-up on a Pastor’s Corner that I wrote a couple of weeks ago. It was about Making God’s Word a Priority in your life for forty days. If you have not started I encourage you to start and if you have started I want to encourage you to continue. There have been a few days that it has been late and we were tired and it was a challenge to continue. The easy thing would have been to say we will skip tonight because it is late and pick it up tomorrow, but commitment does not work that way. If you are committed to doing something you do it when ever possible or reasonable. The benefits of spending time with God’s word and the family will be far greater that a little extra rest. I will leave you with a funny picture that has happen several times when we are reading God’s word. It seems that Rusty (Sherlene’s cat) thinks that it is the best time in the world to cuddle. He gets up in my lap, purrs loudly and watches and listens to everything. To someone looking in the window, knowing about Making God’s Word a Priority might think, “WOW” they must be serious because they even read to the cat. Continue reading and God bless.

Pastor Danny

Garbage In…

I was thinking about a couple of projects I did last fall, compared to a couple I’ve done recently, and the results I obtained from them. Last fall I had s couple of small side tables to refinish. I used what I had on hand, as far as paint and things go, and put a fair amount of time into both of them. But the results were, well, less than stellar. This past week I refurbished a couple of old metal utility carts. For these projects I got new paint, a specific type and color for each one, and used new and different primer on them both. I also used a different technique and products for the preparation phase. And you know what? They results were a whole lot better, at least in my opinion, with these carts than I got from the tables. I think the difference was in the products I used: what I had on hand verses getting the specific item that I needed for the projects. I guess this would be kind of an example of “garbage in, garbage out”, as the old saying goes.

This principle is equally true with what we fill ourselves with: if we fill our mind with garbage our attitudes will reflect that. The Bible says

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

. If we feast upon godly things we will produce good fruit in all areas of our lives, fruit that is pleasing to God and useful to His purposes. But if we indulge in the worldly, godless things the product will be far from fruitful; it will be useless garbage.

The Power of Prayer

R. A. Torrey, a great minister of years gone by, once told this story: “Up in a little town in Maine, things were pretty dead some years ago. The churches were not accomplishing anything. “There were a few godly men in the churches, and they said, “Here we are, only uneducated laymen, but something must be done. Let us form a praying band. We will all center our prayers on one man. Who shall it be?” “They picked out one of the hardest men in town, a hopeless drunkard, and centered all their prayers upon him. In a week he was converted. “Then they took up another, and another, until within a year, two or three hundred were brought to God, and the fire spread out into all the surrounding country.” Dr. Torrey went on to say: “Definite prayer for those in the prison-house of sin is the need of the hour.”

God hasn’t changed one iota since then, or ever for that matter. Why is it then we don’t see people saved and communities reached and churches ablaze like we once did, like in the story that Dr. Torrey told? Because we don’t plead to God like the men and women of previous generations did. Our prayers can be just as effective as their’s were if we will put the supplication into them that they did.

Specialist Divers

Not long ago I was watching a show on the Discovery Channel about divers that specialize in underwater repairs. It started, I think, with a group of Navy divers who were trained to make emergency repairs. These divers had to leave the comfort and safety of the ship to do their job, job that many lives depended upon. It was cold, dangerous work but so very necessary to the fleet, especially during war-time.

We are in a war today: a spiritual war. And as much today as any time in history disciples of Jesus Christ are under attack. The attacks come from all angles, all places, from where we, often, are least likely to look or think about. Like the specialists divers, there are times when we need to leave the comfort and safety of our “boats” and get in the water. Just like those Naval divers, we have to go to the problem even if it’s out of our comfort zone and address it directly. The cargo and supplies and people the Navy protect are very important. But the eternal cost of the lives that our enemy is assailing are so, so much more important.

In this New Year, I pray that we all, the Church, will find the courage, the desire, and the drive to get out of the boat and do the job at hand. The cost of not doing so is just too high to bare.

Thanksgiving

The dinner is done, as are the dishes, and the kids have left for the evening. More or less, the holiday is officially wrapped up at our house and has been for a couple of hours. As I sat down to relax and reflect a little I began to think about what I am most thankful for; I have much that I am filled with thanks for and my list could be very long. But there are two items that stand out above and beyond every thing else.

I am most thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. Without His love, sacrifice and mercy I would be most miserable and hopelessly lost. I am most thankful for my Jesus.

Secondly I am thankful that I am no longer the man I used to be because I have been born again. I’m thankful that the old man is dead and gone and the new has hope and a promise. I’m thankful for the new birth for without it I would be hopelessly lost and most miserable. And with being born again I received the Holy Spirit to guide and direct, teach and grow me so I’m so very thankful for Him and His presence in my life.

I am sure that God approves of our special holiday that we set aside for thanksgiving. But I’m equally certain that He would rather that we live out our thanks every day of the year, not just on Sunday or holidays. I pray that you and I do a better job of that very thing this coming year and every year we have left in our lives. For He is worthy.

On the Home Front: Teaching Your Children the Importance of Prayer

I found the following story on the web this evening. It is purportedly a true story, written by Mrs. Caruso herself. I thought I’d share it because of the simple, innocent faith portrayed in the story, some thing I think we all could do with a little more of.

Matthew 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Beverly Caruso didn’t know how much her prayer principles had shaped her

children until their family was in Hong Kong on a short-term missionary trip.

Because it was an unplanned side trip, no one at home knew where they were.

They had spent the last of their money for a night’s sleep. They sat knee to

knee on the beds in that tiny YWCA room. Fifteen-year-old Dave inquired,

“Have you ever been in this situation before?”

“Just what do you mean?” her husband, Pete, asked.

“In a strange country, with no ministry, no money, and no one knowing where

you are?”

Discouragement evident in his voice, Pete answered, “Not all at the same

time.”

“Well, then, let’s pray,” Dave said. He went on to pray a faith-filled prayer

that astounded both Pete and Beverly.

The next morning they had breakfast at a nearby mission center. They were

introduced to the couple sitting across the table from them. The couple had

just arrived form the missionary base the Carusos had left three months

earlier. When the couple heard their name they expressed confusion. They

told the Carusos they were on their way to Singapore and had been asked to

hand carry a letter addressed to them. To the Caruso’s amazement the letter

was from friends at home and had been mailed several months earlier. It

contained a check – just the amount we needed to get them to their next place

of ministry.

A Pun-ny Thing

James 3:2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Earlier today I defrosted some chicken in the microwave to make for dinner tonight. Our microwave has a defrost setting which sounds an alert about 1/2 way through the defrost cycle so you can turn or flip your food for better results. When the timer sounded I looked into the microwave and saw the plate turning on the rotisserie. Immediately the this thought popped into my head “now THAT’S poultry in motion!”. Are you laughing? Probably not. But it sure seemed funny to me at the time.

Have you ever said something to someone and accidentally hurt their feelings or made them angry? Probably; I sure have. Just like that “poultry pun” above was funny to me but probably not you, what we say isn’t always received as we intend for it to be. It’s important to remember this as both the speaker and the listener. If you find yourself in this situation, on either end of the spoken-stick, humbly seek to rectify the situation as soon as you can (in a rational fashion). Any wound unattended will only fester into some thing much, much worse the longer it is let go.

You’re Not “All That”

Psalm 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

You’re Not “All That”

There are certain “givens” in God’s universe, and one of them is this: Humility is always a good thing. No matter what the situation or circumstance; no matter who, what, where, when, or how; God desires for us to be humble people. And God gives those who have this quality the guarantee that He will guide and teach them.

It’s worth mentioning that being humble doesn’t mean being down on one’s self. Oh, I’m no good at that. I could never accomplish something like that. Humility isn’t a matter of being defeated or depressed. In fact, depression and defeatism are actually subtle forms of pride, because they’re essentially self-centered when you get right down to it.

Genuine humility, the kind of humility God desires, isn’t self-centered but simply self-aware. It has an accurate understanding of one’s place in this world. It understands its limitations apart from God-and at the same time its ability in God.

Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word here for humble carries the connotation of “learning through suffering.” The idea is that a person goes through a painful process of realizing their weaknesses and limitations as they navigate this world. Just as they start to think they’ve got it all together, God allows something to happen to prove just how undone they are without Him.

That’s the kind of humility we all need to possess. We need to be self-aware and in tune with how un-together we are. And as we are, we’ll have the kind of hearts God can guide and teach.

Lord, help us to have the sort of self-awareness about our limitations that produces humility. Protect us from any attitude that would prevent us from being led and taught by You.

What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today? -Bob Coy (www.youversion.com)