George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” There is so much truth to this. It happens all too frequently in our disposition toward our communication with God. We give Him so little time and think that our infrequent, and often short, me-centered prayers are communicating and hearing the heart of God. I don’t want to discourage the communication you are currently employing in your life and devotion to Him, but I feel compelled to remind us that often our short one-way monologue’s short change us in getting to hear God speak back to us.
I must confess I am not certain I always want to hear what God has to say to me, it often conflicts with what I want to hear. But therein lies the crux of the whole matter. Communication is now broken down between the Lord of the Universe and myself, and it is my fault. God is not in a hurry like us, He is not despairing over time, He rules time remember? We need to slow down to hear the voice of God speaking, we need to slow down and contemplate His word. I wonder often when people tell me that they cannot understand scripture, if they’re really reading with a ready, open heart.
Lord help me today to steady myself in my conquest to be heard by you, to realize again it is much more important for me to hear you. Let my heart entertain dialogue, two-way communication, where real communication happens. The most important communication there is. For I know that if I can hear your voice, I will also be able to better communicate with those around me! Let me not take this for granted, you will not break the heavens open to stir me, you will not yell, you will not push yourself upon me. I must listen for that still small voice, after the wind, and the rain, and the fire, in the silence of the quiet of my soul, there I will hear you, and there I will gain wisdom, and wholeness, and wealth not found in this world’s riches!
Communicate with God today. Let Him know you want to hear His voice, and that you cannot live without it. And mean it! Blessings! Pastor Doyle
Monday, January 26, 2009
Pastor’s Corner.
From Sunday 25th Jan 2009 bulletin
Our 44th President - an African American!
This presidency is historically significant on so many levels. The election of Barack Obama to the presidency is evidence that democracy works; that the people of America really believe in the democratic process and that they are willing to accept the voice of the people. Contrast this election with those that have taken place recently in other countries. These other elections (such as in Kenya and Zimbabwe) were corrupt and extremely violent. This is what is so profound about this election - George W. Bush voluntarily vacates his power as president to the duly elected president Barack Obama. Add to this that there is a change of political parties - Democratic taking over from Republican! And all this taking place peacefully! A testimony to the character of the American people. We are witnesses to and participants in a truly historic event! Having said that let me add some words of caution: those who have great expectations of Obama for change remember he is only a man and because he is a man he will let you down. Put your hope in God. God is the only source of real and lasting change - in people and in nations. And God is the only source of true equality between people. To those who may be anxious over this election - God is our refuge and our fortress. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us so we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:6) Our future is in the hands of a sovereign God who is rich in mercy and who is working all things together for His glory. These are indeed exciting times, but remember to "render to Caesar what is Caesar's and render to God what is God's".
Pastor Don
Our 44th President - an African American!
This presidency is historically significant on so many levels. The election of Barack Obama to the presidency is evidence that democracy works; that the people of America really believe in the democratic process and that they are willing to accept the voice of the people. Contrast this election with those that have taken place recently in other countries. These other elections (such as in Kenya and Zimbabwe) were corrupt and extremely violent. This is what is so profound about this election - George W. Bush voluntarily vacates his power as president to the duly elected president Barack Obama. Add to this that there is a change of political parties - Democratic taking over from Republican! And all this taking place peacefully! A testimony to the character of the American people. We are witnesses to and participants in a truly historic event! Having said that let me add some words of caution: those who have great expectations of Obama for change remember he is only a man and because he is a man he will let you down. Put your hope in God. God is the only source of real and lasting change - in people and in nations. And God is the only source of true equality between people. To those who may be anxious over this election - God is our refuge and our fortress. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us so we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:6) Our future is in the hands of a sovereign God who is rich in mercy and who is working all things together for His glory. These are indeed exciting times, but remember to "render to Caesar what is Caesar's and render to God what is God's".
Pastor Don
Monday, January 19, 2009
Pastors Corner
Sunday Jan 18th 2009
Herod, a man of deep faith(?).
As we move into the new year I would like to make one final reference to the Christmas story. One of the notable villains of the Christmas story is King Herod. This wicked king, in an effort to kill the baby who was born King of the Jews, killed all baby boys under the age of two in the Bethlehem area. King Herod is definitely NOT a hero of the Bible, but he did have a deep faith in the Bible. We know this because when Herod learned from the magi that they were looking for the “one who was born King of the Jews”, he didn’t dismiss it as a myth but consulted the chief priests and scribes and inquired of them where the Christ would be born. He believed the prophecy. He believed that the Messiah would be a literal person, who would be king of the Jews. Herod's conviction of the truthfulness of the prophecy was so deep that he took terrible and violent action to remove this threat to his throne. Herod's faith however, was fundamentally the same as Satan's faith. James tells us that even the demons believe and tremble! (James 2:19). In spite of his deep conviction in the facts concerning the true King of the Jews, one thing Herod would not do was bow before this king, in fact, he was determined to destroy this king. My point in focusing on Herod's faith is to point out that faith will not save us unless and until we, in faith, repent of our sins and surrender to the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ. You must do more than believe in the Christ you must bow before him to be saved. The magi came to worship the king; Herod wanted to destroy the king. Where do you stand?
Pastor Don
Herod, a man of deep faith(?).
As we move into the new year I would like to make one final reference to the Christmas story. One of the notable villains of the Christmas story is King Herod. This wicked king, in an effort to kill the baby who was born King of the Jews, killed all baby boys under the age of two in the Bethlehem area. King Herod is definitely NOT a hero of the Bible, but he did have a deep faith in the Bible. We know this because when Herod learned from the magi that they were looking for the “one who was born King of the Jews”, he didn’t dismiss it as a myth but consulted the chief priests and scribes and inquired of them where the Christ would be born. He believed the prophecy. He believed that the Messiah would be a literal person, who would be king of the Jews. Herod's conviction of the truthfulness of the prophecy was so deep that he took terrible and violent action to remove this threat to his throne. Herod's faith however, was fundamentally the same as Satan's faith. James tells us that even the demons believe and tremble! (James 2:19). In spite of his deep conviction in the facts concerning the true King of the Jews, one thing Herod would not do was bow before this king, in fact, he was determined to destroy this king. My point in focusing on Herod's faith is to point out that faith will not save us unless and until we, in faith, repent of our sins and surrender to the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ. You must do more than believe in the Christ you must bow before him to be saved. The magi came to worship the king; Herod wanted to destroy the king. Where do you stand?
Pastor Don
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bridges
This Sunday's message was from John 14:1-14 and focused on vs. 6 where Jesus answered his disciple regarding there question about where heaven is and how to get there. He gave this distinctive answer; "I am the way, and the truth and the life." We talked about Jesus being the "Bridge to somewhere". So many paths people are taking today are mock bridges built by the enemy of our souls, designed to lead us to nowhere, paths of destruction, bridges of failure, false hope, and fake dreams. Jesus invites us to his bridge of life, where we were destined and created to travel. A bridge to somewhere in particular, and that particular is heaven. No dashed hopes or false endings. A real place, with a real God, and a real celebration. As we start the new year, the choices we make this year do have an impact, and I challenged everyone to put Christ at the center of their decision making process. To make sure they get on the bridge Jesus himself constructed when He came to earth, born a baby and died a savior constructing a sure and steadfast bridge for all who choose to cross it a safe and sufficient pathway for this journey called life. Make sure you are on that bridge today, there are a lot of false bridges and we are easily deceived. Let us be informed, to see clearly through the lenses of truth, the way of God, so that we can truly have a life! The life God intended for us to have. A life of joy, and contentedness, a life anchored in eternity's great hope. Live free this week, live well, walk the bridge of Jesus today. Blessings always. Pastor Doyle
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Praying for the President.
As we approach the inauguration of president elect Barack Obama and with the controversy over Pastor Rick Warren being asked to deliver the invocation at the ceremony, I think that it would be timely for us to be thinking about how do we pray for the president? God instructs us to pray for our leaders but how do we do that?
This is a prayer by Dr. John Frame:
"We pray to you our creator, the mighty king of kings and lord of lords, who governs all things that come to pass and rules over all the nations. You raise up rulers and cast them down at your own pleasure, in the pursuit of your just and merciful purposes. We thank you for the freedom we have to worship you, sought by the founders of this nation, freedom you have given to us through the righteous laws of this land. So we call on you to be with us again during this new era. Be with our new president and all the leaders of this country, that they may be willing to hear the wisdom of your word and thus may image your justice, mercy, and integrity in their public life. As the one who remains constant throughout history, and yet who ordains change from each moment to the next, move our leaders to know how to maintain the foundations of our nation, while changing to meet the demands of new situations. Be our rock, when so much is changing in our lives. We pray for those families whose loved ones have died in defense of our country, and we pray for the young men and women who continue to fight our battles, that they may be victorious, and that their efforts may bring about the fruit of peace. We pray for those who have experienced terrible losses through the changes in the economy, and we pray that the leaders of this nation may seek out the wisest ways of responding. Above all, pour out on this nation your Holy Spirit, that there will be revival in our land, that the hearts of many will be moved to seek you, and that they may find that new life you offer us of love, joy, and peace.
This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
AMEN"
This is a prayer that I think would be an excellent prayer for us to pray for our new president and for our country.
Pastor Don
This is a prayer by Dr. John Frame:
"We pray to you our creator, the mighty king of kings and lord of lords, who governs all things that come to pass and rules over all the nations. You raise up rulers and cast them down at your own pleasure, in the pursuit of your just and merciful purposes. We thank you for the freedom we have to worship you, sought by the founders of this nation, freedom you have given to us through the righteous laws of this land. So we call on you to be with us again during this new era. Be with our new president and all the leaders of this country, that they may be willing to hear the wisdom of your word and thus may image your justice, mercy, and integrity in their public life. As the one who remains constant throughout history, and yet who ordains change from each moment to the next, move our leaders to know how to maintain the foundations of our nation, while changing to meet the demands of new situations. Be our rock, when so much is changing in our lives. We pray for those families whose loved ones have died in defense of our country, and we pray for the young men and women who continue to fight our battles, that they may be victorious, and that their efforts may bring about the fruit of peace. We pray for those who have experienced terrible losses through the changes in the economy, and we pray that the leaders of this nation may seek out the wisest ways of responding. Above all, pour out on this nation your Holy Spirit, that there will be revival in our land, that the hearts of many will be moved to seek you, and that they may find that new life you offer us of love, joy, and peace.
This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
AMEN"
This is a prayer that I think would be an excellent prayer for us to pray for our new president and for our country.
Pastor Don
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Scripture
I thought I might add a little early reminder to your New Year resolutions. We have clearly and often reminded you of the need for reading the Bible. As you commence the New Year, it is a great time to restart a broken trend that often occurs. You guessed it, we stop reading God's word. I reminded the congregation this past Sunday morning that "dusty Bible's lead to dirty lives." Howard Hendricks has it right. Someone once wrote in the flyleaf of his Bible soon after he became a Christian these words: "This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book." These words are altogether true. The lack of scripture in our lives will bankrupt our spirituality more quickly than people understand. I don't desire the fall of anyone, but the enemy of our souls cares for no one, except that we fail. The Bible is God inspired, read it and live, neglect it and you will fail! Some of the reading may be difficult, but read it anyway, God's spirit will reveal understanding in due time if you press on. However, there will never be a day that you will read this book and regret it, it carries boldly the words of life, love, and hope. It directs you away from the dark places of danger and into the pathway of light. Go ahead, pick it up and read, your destiny awaits you in it's pages. You will be blessed! Pastor Doyle
I Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is God-breathed and in useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Pastor's Corner 12/28/08
A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices.
As we pack away the Christmas stuff and throw out the paper wrappings from Christmas it’s easy to pack “Christmas” away too. We quickly return to “business as usual” and we forget the baby born in a manger; we forget the wonder of this most profound event. Our attitude of worship is far too quickly eclipsed by the pressures of daily living. Christmas marks the greatest miracle of all time – the miracle of God in human flesh. Does this amaze you? Are you compelled to ask the question “Why?”? Why did God become flesh? Why would He enter this world the way everyone else enters this world – as a baby!? The answer to these questions is found in one three letter word – SIN. In fact, one could say that SIN is the reason for the season. Our sin separated us from God and Jesus came to reconcile us to God. Listen to these words from “Oh Holy Night”:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees
Oh, hear the angel voices.
Oh, night divine,
Oh, night when Christ was born!
Only in Jesus does our soul find its true worth. The thrill of hope! A weary world rejoices! Because of Jesus we have worth, we have hope and we have joy! So go ahead, put your Christmas stuff away but don’t forget Christmas. Pastor Don
As we pack away the Christmas stuff and throw out the paper wrappings from Christmas it’s easy to pack “Christmas” away too. We quickly return to “business as usual” and we forget the baby born in a manger; we forget the wonder of this most profound event. Our attitude of worship is far too quickly eclipsed by the pressures of daily living. Christmas marks the greatest miracle of all time – the miracle of God in human flesh. Does this amaze you? Are you compelled to ask the question “Why?”? Why did God become flesh? Why would He enter this world the way everyone else enters this world – as a baby!? The answer to these questions is found in one three letter word – SIN. In fact, one could say that SIN is the reason for the season. Our sin separated us from God and Jesus came to reconcile us to God. Listen to these words from “Oh Holy Night”:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees
Oh, hear the angel voices.
Oh, night divine,
Oh, night when Christ was born!
Only in Jesus does our soul find its true worth. The thrill of hope! A weary world rejoices! Because of Jesus we have worth, we have hope and we have joy! So go ahead, put your Christmas stuff away but don’t forget Christmas. Pastor Don
Pastor's Corner 12/21/08
Not what should we think but how should we think at Christmas. How should the incarnation of Jesus impact our thinking? We are in the midst of troubling times and facing more troubling times ahead. It is being predicted that, worldwide, we are facing economically tough times. Unemployment in Michigan has risen to over 9%! Politically things are, for the Christian, not very encouraging to say the least. Corruption seems to be rife throughout our political system as well, something we thought only happened in other governments. So, what does the Christian do in times like these? We celebrate Christmas! Christmas should always be a time of hope. How can a Christian despair when they remember the baby born in Bethlehem? How can a Christian despair when they remember that the baby’s name is Immanuel which means “God with us”! God living among us in human form means, among other things, that God has not abandoned us; that we have not been left to our own devises. It means that God has a solution to the problem of man. And let me remind you that the problem with man is not economic or political; it is alienation from God through sin. As long as we are alienated from God, I don’t care how optimistic we are economically or politically, we are without hope! However, once we are reconciled to God, nothing can rob us of hope; nothing can make us despair. Where is your hope this Christmas? Is it in your bank account? Is it in your job? Or is it in Jesus? Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? If not, you need to repent of your sins and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and then, being reconciled to God, Christmas will be a time of hope for you too. Pastor Don
Pastor's Corner 12/14/08
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14. This verse is often misquoted with the words, “peace on earth and good will to all men.” The unfortunate thing is that though peace among men is a good thing to pursue it is not the story of Christmas. First, what had just happened in Bethlehem was cause for great joy and glorifying God and second, the peace on earth was among those with whom God was pleased. The birth of Jesus was in order to bring peace between GOD and man. We were enemies of God until Jesus brought peace between us and God through His redemptive work on the cross. There can be no peace among men until there is first peace between men and God. Peace among men is a worthy cause but when we allow this to eclipse the true story of Christmas – peace between God and man – we allow a good thing to take the place of the best thing. And when a good thing replaces the best thing then that good thing becomes a bad thing. Anything that takes our eyes off Jesus and worshipping Him only, then that good thing is a bad thing. So this Christmas remember Jesus was born so that He may reconcile men to God by the forgiveness of sins to all who repent and put their faith in Him. Once you have been reconciled to God making peace with men is a given. Pastor Don
Pastor's Corner 12/7/08
“Take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below.” (Deuteronomy 4:39) Life can be scary sometimes; sometimes it’s overwhelming – it’s just too much, and sometimes life just seems pointless. Have you ever felt that? What’s the point of it all? Well, take heart the Lord is God in heaven and earth. Now I’m glad that He is both Lord and God on earth because, like I said, life can get pretty scary sometimes and I draw courage knowing that God is Lord of this earth. That everything here is under His authority, so even if it looks big and is big to me it’s small to Him. But I am particularly glad that He is Lord God in heaven above because when I’m struggling with “what’s the point of it all?” I need someone from outside this mortal existence to connect with me and give me meaning and purpose. It’s the knowledge that the infinite God is connecting with finite me that reminds me that life is far bigger than just my existence; that the “story”, as John Eldredge puts it, began a long time before me and will go on beyond me. You might think that this would make me feel smaller but it actually give hope, I take heart, because I am a part of something BIG and the BIG and ETERNAL God is at work and therefore “life” didn’t start randomly and will not end randomly. Life may seem random and pointless from time to time, but the God who is in the heavens is moving us purposefully toward a triumphant, glorious ending. So, “Take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below.” Pastor Don
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Welcome
This is a new endeavor by Pastor Don and myself to create a new method of connection for our church family. We will work to put the Pastor's Corner in weekly, as well as some of our own thoughts, possible Bible studies, scriptures for memorization, devotional ideas, etc. This is obviously a work in process, and we will welcome your thoughts and ideas, as well as your comments. We are looking forward to building a connected and dynamic congregation, and hope this is another step in that direction. We know your time is a valuable commodity, and so we will try to be succinct. We will strive to keep our thoughts relevant to developing and growing faith in our Christian lives. We are so limited by the time constraints in our fast moving culture, and we know that often your lives are interrupted, and you are not able to get to all the services or studies you desire to attend. We thought this might be an added asset to being able to serve you through something that is not bound by time constraints. Let us know what you think. Blessings from your Pastors!
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