Something to think about.

“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” (Eccl. 11:4) In other words, if you wait for perfect conditions you’ll never get anything done.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 2nd Jan
“Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples—the one who would betray him—said, "That perfume was worth a small fortune. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. She did it in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but I will not be here with you much longer."(Jn. 12:3-5)
Matthew’s account of this story adds that Jesus said, “wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory." What was so remarkable about Mary’s action that Jesus said she had done a beautiful thing and that it would be told in years to come? I want to notice several things from this story. First, because this was a spontaneous action of love, it was a beautiful thing. Whatever we do out of love for Jesus, no matter how simple or small, it’s a beautiful thing. We are always concerned with the “bigness” of our action but Jesus is concerned only with the heart; with “why” we did it. A simple glass of water given out of love for Jesus to a thirsty traveler is remembered by Jesus. (Matt. 25) Second, she did what she could; what was in her power to do. And third, she did it when the impulse moved her. Because she did it then instead of waiting she was the only one who actually anointed Jesus for His burial. The woman came on Sunday morning to anoint Jesus but He was gone!
Love seizes the moment. Love does what it can and does it “now”. Don’t wait for tomorrow to say “I love you” or, “Please forgive me”. Don’t wait for tomorrow to mend the broken relationship. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring or if there will even be a tomorrow for us. So do it and do it now.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“When you let God’s love fill your heart it will show in your face”

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 26th
Every year we celebrate Christmas – the birth of Jesus. And every year we try hard to keep fresh in our hearts the shear wonder of this event! God in human skin! Immanuel, God with us! What an amazing truth! But, what is the significance of this baby born in Bethlehem? What is the message that God wants us to understand from the fact that He became flesh and lived among us? The Bible tells us that God’s creation declares irrefutably that God exists. Paul tells us that there is no excuse for dismissing the truth of God’s existence. So, what does Jesus, born of a woman in a little town called Bethlehem, say about God that the creation cannot tell us? Through creation we believe that there IS a God, through Jesus we believe IN God. Believing that there is a God and believing IN God are two different things. The baby Jesus tells me something about the kind of person God is, and, the baby Jesus tells me that God who created me and who knows me intimately wants me to know Him! He wants me to share every moment of my life with Him. He wants me to know what my purpose in life is. He teaches me these things by living life with me. A man who was losing his battle with leukemia put it this way, "I have learned that life is not like a VCR, you can't fast forward the bad parts. But I have also learned that Jesus Christ is in every frame, and right now that's enough."
How do I know that Jesus is in every frame? I know because of the baby Jesus.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

"That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it was performed." - Brother Lawrence

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Dec. 12th
Everyone has Dark Days.
The longest nights of the whole year occur during the Christmas season. It's interesting that when we are in the darkest part of the year, Christmas reminds us of the true light that pierced our darkness. Jesus said, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer wander around in darkness." (John 12:46 TLB) Jesus is not talking about physical darkness in this verse. He is talking about personal darkness. There are days when we're afraid to face the world. There are days when you don't feel like it's worth the effort. You don't want to see anybody. All you want to do is just quit life and throw in the towel. All of us experience days like these. We have days that are dark with disappointment, dark with doubt or depression. Christmas reminds me that God became flesh and lived among us to show us that He loves us. Christmas gives me hope in the face of my disappointments. Jesus gives me hope because he is Immanuel--which means, "God with us." – He is with me; he hasn’t left me to face life on my own. HOPE is the message of Christmas, hope leads me to believe that the light will dispel the darkness; that the light will remove my doubt by replacing it with a quite confidence in the love of God; the light will lift my depression because all is not lost Jesus is my savior! If you’re in a dark place right now I pray that Christmas – the message of hope – will bring the light back into your life.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor!

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Nov. 28th
“I have called you friends” (John 15:15). With these words Jesus introduces us to the amazing fact that Jesus brings us into a relationship with Him! Living the Christian life is not about keeping rules but about loving the God who created us; loving Jesus who died for us. Our obedience is not to be a mechanical check list of “do’s” and “don’ts”; our obedience is to be an expression of our love for God; we do what God asks because we have a relationship with Jesus, a relationship where Jesus calls us His friends! And Jesus is a friend that we can trust, He’s not going to abandon us for someone more popular, He’s not going to abandon us when we let Him down, He’s not going to abandon us because we’re too demanding. He’ll be with us through thick and thin. There is no greater friend than Jesus. And so, as you would do with any other friend, lean on Jesus for support and strength, He’ll not let you down.
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

The one who kneels before the Lord can stand up to anything.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Nov 21st
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev 14:13)
Wednesday was a sad day for us at CCC. What a shock it was for all of us when Kendall Smith passed away so suddenly that morning. It is on occasions such these that the above scripture holds such promise and hope for us who believe in Jesus.
There are several things promised here to the believer. One, even though they have died they are blessed! Notice this blessing is on those who are “in the Lord”, because, when they die they go to be with their Lord and will be with him forever more! The second thing the apostle John tells us is that they will rest from their labors. Life for Kendall was not easy. He had a muscular illness that made life really difficult. Well, now he can rest from all that labor. What joy! What peace is his now! Then the third thing the apostle John tells us is that there is life beyond death! John says their deeds follow them, this means that those who die in the Lord are going somewhere; deeds can’t follow someone who isn’t going anywhere. Death is not the end it is the beginning. Kendall has not been absorbed into the “great cosmic energy” of the universe; he is with Jesus at this very moment. He has left here and gone there. He is still alive, he is simply living in another place. This is the blessed hope of all believers. And this is why we grieve but we do not despair for we will see our loved ones again on that glorious day!
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

Scars are evidence that wounds can heal.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 14th Nov.
How do we stay faithful?
“Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” Prov. 19:27 Solomon was the wisest man ever (except Jesus), and yet, in spite of this he turned away from God at the end of his life. How could that happen?! How can someone with such wisdom and discernment turn away from God? Here's how, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and it was his love for these foreign women that turned his heart from the Lord. How this all happened is summed up in this verse written by Solomon himself – he ceased to listen to instruction. The bible describes his falling away with these words, “His heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.” (1Kings 11:4) God had commanded Israel not to marry foreign women because they would turn their hearts away from God to follow after their pagan gods. This simple, clear, straight forward instruction Solomon did not obey. It’s a sobering thought, is it not? Perhaps Solomon’s great wisdom became his downfall because; (I’m just speculating) perhaps he became more reliant on his own wisdom than God’s. If I may borrow these words from Tim Challies, “If Solomon could stray so far from the Lord, I know that I can too. This is a sobering thought. This is a terrifying thought, even. But the solution to avoiding the folly of Solomon is clear. I need to take care that I never cease to hear instruction. I must live with an intense focus on God’s Word, never believing that I have learned enough, never believing that I’ve arrived. I must know that from this day to the day I die, I need to maintain a humble dependence on God.” To which I say, “Amen”.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Nov 7th
The Christian and civil duty.
We’ve just gone through another election process and some Christians wonder what our role is in the political process. Well, the apostle Paul tells Christians to pray for “kings and all who are in high positions” because God desires “all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth”. (1Timothy 2:2-4) Paul reminds us that the preeminent goal of a Christian’s concern in things political is that we will be able to live lives that allow us the freedom and opportunity to preach the gospel and live our lives as Christians without fear and without opposition. This is important because only the gospel has the power to save people and only God can change the human heart. Politicians cannot change people, so our confidence is not in the political system but in God, and the only way for people to be changed is if they are born again by the work of the Holy Spirit. The world is becoming more and more hostile to the preaching of the gospel and we don’t know how much longer we will have the freedom to preach the gospel message so, when we have opportunity to vote men and women into places of authority over us let us choose wisely and prayerfully those who will give us the freedom to preach the gospel. And pray for those in authority that our freedom to live as Christians will not be hindered.
Pastor Don.

Something to Think About

“Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”(Rom 5:20) Think about this: God is a much bigger savior than you are a sinner!

Pastors Corner

for Sunday October 31st
Raised with Jesus.
“Since you have been raised with Christ, seek those things above where Christ is…set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:1-2) If you have been washed in the blood of Jesus then you have been raised up with Christ! Raised from what? Raised from the grave where we died to our former way of life; that life where we lived for our flesh and pleased our sinful selves; that life that promised so much but gave so little; that life that had no answers to the tough questions of life; that life that in spite of the hustle and bustle had a hollow ring to it. Then Jesus intersected our lives and in our brokenness we cried out for mercy and at that moment of surrender we died. But the day we died was also the day we were born! Born into a new family with a new address – the place where Jesus is! However, we’re not home yet. We’re strangers and travelers here on this earth and as such we must SET our minds on things above. If we don’t set our minds on things above, we will drift off course and become entangled with this world again. Always remember, we have been raised with Christ, this world is not our home; we’re just passing through. Our home is where Jesus is – at the right hand of the Father.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Helen Keller

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday October 24th
Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (Jn 19:19) Signs were placed on crosses as a declaration to the world why that person had been crucified. Typically they recounted the sins of the man crucified – a public declaration of the man’s shame and failure. However Jesus’ sign was different. It wasn’t a list of His crimes but was actually a declaration of who He was and at the same time it was an indictment against the Jews for rejecting Jesus as their king. Another significant thing about this sign was that it was written in the three languages – Aramaic, Latin and Greek. It’s as though Pilate wanted EVERYBODY – Jew and Gentile – to know why Jesus had been crucified. What a terrible, yet penetrating accusation, we have crucified our king! But thank God it didn’t end there; on Sunday Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive and He holds His hands out in forgiveness! We have killed our King but He is willing to forgive us if we turn from our sinful ways. Do the right thing and crown Him your King. Don’t let your past mistakes stand in your way. Don’t let your fear stand in your way. He is a far bigger savior than you are a sinner. Make Him your king today.
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

Think about Him in all your ways and He will guide you on the right paths. (Prov. 3:6)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Oct. 17th
"I Can't Change Jesus"
Bruce Howell tells the following story about Bill Irwin. “Bill Irwin, a man who is blind, has a talking computer he uses to study the Bible. He's had a few chuckles over some of the pronunciations. "For a long time," Bill says, "the computer pronounced Holy Bible as 'holly bible' until I figured out how to modify it." But there was one thing Bill couldn't change. The computer uses the Spanish pronunciation for Jesus Christ--HEYsus Krist. "The programmer is Hispanic," Bill told me with a smile, "and he made sure that HEYsus Krist cannot be altered." I like that. It reminds me that among the things in life that can be changed to suit my taste, one remains tamper-resistant--I can't change Jesus. When life is unsettled, I gain great comfort from the Bible's affirmation that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). But the statement is also a stern rebuke to my tendency to try to modify the words and character of Christ when I don't like what he says. How easy it is to forget that I came to Christ longing for him to transform me, not the other way around! Praise God that his Word and his love are perfect and unchanging. And praise him too that in his love he is working to change me.”
Full surrender is when we accept Jesus for who He is and not for who we want Him to be.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Change is inevitable – growth is optional

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Oct 10th
Too big to serve God.
A wealthy young man came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to receive eternal life. Jesus brought him directly to the point of choice – “sell what you have…and come follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away “very sorrowful.” Have you ever been there? Have you decided to serve Jesus in a certain way and then He says, “Leave this behind and follow me”? We all have areas where we are “rich”, our “natural” abilities and strengths. And so we come to Jesus bringing these “riches” but Jesus tells us to leave them behind and follow Him. You see, I can be so rich in myself that I’m unusable in His hands; I may be so conscious of my own “wealth”, my own “talents” that “I” keep getting in the way. For me to be a disciple, Jesus says, “sell what you have”, strip yourself of everything that you possess – your money; your talents, your dreams, your goals – until you stand before Him empty of “you”, ready to be filled with Him. This is the point of decision – my riches or God’s riches. This is what I think Jesus means when He says that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16:10) God won’t give you big things to do until you learn to do the small things.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday October 2nd
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psa. 119:11) “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds” (Deut. 11:18). The heart is who you are and this is what God loves and so He would have your heart full of His word and therefore full of Him. How does God’s word become hidden in our hearts? I hear the word and understand it. I then reflect upon it and meditate upon it. But at this point it’s not in the heart; it’s only in the mind. Only when in faith I believe what I’ve heard and surrender to it does it become hidden in my heart. With His word filling your heart He will greatly bless your life because “His word won’t return to Him empty”. God’s word is seed and seed must have time and stay in the ground in order for it to grow. So God’s word must be carried in the heart and with time fruit will grow. Read again the verses at the beginning and hear them as God’s word to you. Continue reading His word every day, God has promised to make His word a blessing in your heart and He will make His word living and powerful in you.
Pastor Don (Adapted from an article by Andrew Murray)

Something to think about.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Albert Einstein

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Sept. 26th
Jesus told his disciples, “Be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down.” I suppose there are many things that can “weigh” upon our hearts, but perhaps the most common is the “baggage” we carry around with us. Those “blunders” we’ve made in the past that remind us that perhaps today would be different if we hadn’t messed up yesterday. But, no matter how many times we consider our issues, we’re never going to have a better past. Jesus wants us to remember that He has set us free from our past, that we are a NEW creation! Our sins are FORGIVEN! This is the reality that we must live in TODAY! And let this reality fill your heart with joy. Leave your past in the past and remember every day is a new day and God’s mercies are new every morning! Remember, it’s just too hard to laugh with your head down.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“It’s impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into the problem.” Albert Einstein

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Sept 19th
Look to Jesus and Live!
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:14-16) The occasion mentioned here is when the children of Israel sinned against God by complaining and grumbling and as a punishment God sent snakes into the camp. The people repented and cried out to Moses to ask God to take away the snakes. So God told Moses to make a bronze snake and lift it up on a pole and whoever looked at the bronze snake was healed. Now, suppose someone said, “This is ridiculous! How can looking at some bronze snake hanging on a pole heal me?!” What would have happened to this person? They would die. So, to be healed one had to believe God’s promise to heal them if they looked at the bronze snake. This is the context of John 3:16. Jesus is making a parallel between Himself and this bronze snake in the desert. We all, every one of us, have been bitten by the serpent (the devil) and we will die from his bite. But there is salvation for everyone who will look to Jesus hanging on the cross. Jesus became sin, that is, He took my sins upon Himself and was punished for them. And now God says, “Look to the cross and you will be saved.” Here too someone might say, “This is ridiculous! How can someone hanging upon a cross over two thousand years ago save me from sin?!” Thus, only those who believe the promise of God and, in faith, repent of their sins and trust Jesus for their salvation will live; those who will not look to the cross will die in their sins. Look to Jesus and Live!
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.”

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Sept. 12th
Are you thirsty?
“O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you… My soul will feast and be satisfied, and I will sing glad songs of praise to you.” (Psa 63:1,5 TEV) King David wrote this song while in the wilderness of Judah. His son Absalom wanted to kill him and take the throne for himself. These are words written by a man, who knows betrayal; who knows hardship and struggle; who knows what it feels like to be unjustly accused and attacked. Yet, it was these very things that emphasized to David that there is nothing certain in life. His life at that time was like a desert without water, his life left his soul empty and hungry. But through this he learned that just as water is the only thing that can really quench your thirst so God is the only one who can satisfy our souls hunger and thirst. Many try to “quench their thirst” with money, fame or prestige but their thirst is never quenched, their lives retain that hollow ring. Jesus and only Jesus is the living water and all that come to him will never thirst again. Are you thirsty? Come and drink freely from the river of life and you will never thirst again!
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination”

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Sept 5th
Feeling Puzzled by God’s Ways
God’s ways can be confusing sometimes, the way up is down; the first will be last; those who save their lives will lose them. God’s way seems to be full of paradoxes. Often times when we do what God says we get ourselves into trouble. Joseph was put in prison when he did the right thing and didn’t sleep with another man’s wife. Daniel was thrown to the lions for praying to God. The apostles were arrested, beaten and put in prison for preaching the gospel. And of course, Jesus Himself was crucified and He never did anything wrong. Sometimes God’s way just seems so counter-intuitive. I do not say this with any irreverence but to actually admit to the truth that His ways often don’t make sense (which when you think about it, actually makes sense). For God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is 55:8-9) and, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Prov. 14:12) If God’s ways seem puzzling remember we don’t obey God because it makes sense but because, in faith, we believe He is right.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot protect you.”

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday August 29th
More Than Conquerors!
John Piper answers the question, “Does God want me to be happy?” in such a profound way I want to share it with you in this “Pastor’s Corner”. I can’t give all of his answer, but here’s the gist of it: “Chronic illness, difficult marriages, losing a child—doesn't God want me to be happy? God definitely wants you to be happy long-term and infinitely, and deeply now in and through those circumstances...[In Romans 8:35-36] you've got persecution and murder of Christians. And then [Paul] says, "No. In"—In—"all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." What I think "more than conquerors" means for your happiness is that a conqueror has his enemies lying subdued at his feet. You've got distress, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, persecution, and there they are, conquered at my feet. More than conquerors means they're not just at my feet. They are serving me. They're not just in chains in prison. They are serving me. My persecution, my famine, my nakedness, my loss—as painful and as tearful as they are—are my servants. God works them all together for my good...So yes, God wants you happy. But he doesn't do it with circumstance. He does it with himself. He does it with the gospel. And he does it in and through circumstances. This is a call for faith—huge faith—that God is good, God is for us, and God is using all these things for our deep happiness now and our perfect, unsullied happiness forever in the age to come.” I hope that encourages you as it did me.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

He that will not forgive destroys the bridge over which he must one day cross.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Aug. 8th
Praising God in EVERYTHING.
The apostle Paul gives an interesting directive to us: “Give thanks in everything.” Everything? How is that possible? Is that what he really meant? Yes Paul did mean everything and this is why. It’s easy to praise God when we are winning; when things are going well. Praising God in the tough times is much harder and is a true expression of faith. If we only praise God when we win, we’re not praising God for WHO HE IS but for what He gives us! And, that is not worship. Worship is when I acknowledge that HE is God and I am not. Worshipping God is accepting whatever comes from His hand and thanking Him for it, believing that this is good for me. The world is not impressed when we thank God for riches but they do take notice when we suffer and give thanks to God.
When your day is going bad remember “this is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it!” Worship is a faith choice. I worship Him because He is worthy and my bad day doesn’t change that fact. So praise Him in spite of where you are in your life for He is worthy!
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Your life either sheds light or casts a shadow.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday Aug 1st
Glorify God even in death?
Jesus said this to let him [Peter] know by what kind of death he [Peter] would glorify God.” (John 21:19) I was struck by these words of Jesus to Peter. Jesus is telling Peter that he would die a martyr’s death and that this is not a tragedy but a victory! There is comfort in these words – you will bring glory to God even in your death! Peter at the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus had run away from death, but now, Jesus says, when his moment of death does come he will not fail but will bring glory to God in his death. Remember, Jesus had risen from the dead when he said this to Peter; the significance of this would not have been lost on Peter. Jesus’ death had glorified God because it was the ultimate expression of faith in God. Jesus’ resurrection proved that Jesus faith in God was not misplaced. It also proved that even in death Satan cannot separate us from God but in fact in death he places us in God’s hands! What a victory?! What glory?! Peter and every other martyr who has died for their faith in Jesus prove that even in death God is victorious! It is my desire and prayer that in my life I will bring glory to God and when it is my time to die, I pray that God be glorified in that too. What greater desire for a Christian can there be than to bring glory to God even in our death?
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Failure is only an opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Henry Ford

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 25th July
THE KNOTS PRAYER.
Dear God :
Please untie the knots that are in my mind , my heart my life.
Remove the have nots , the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind
Erase all the will nots , might nots that may find a home in my heart .
Release me from the could nots and would nots that obstruct my life .
And most of all Dear God ; I ask that you remove from my mind ,
my heart and my life all the “ am nots” that I have allowed to hold me back ,
especially the thought, that I am not good enough (Author unknown)
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

" It is never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday July 18th
This Choice is a BIG Deal!
When choosing ice cream, you choose what you like. When choosing medicine, you have to choose what heals. (Gregory Koukl) Choices! Some are easy and some are difficult. Some are easy because they are made according to taste and others are difficult because they have serious consequences. If you make a poor choice with ice cream it’s no big deal. But choosing the wrong medicine can kill you. Many would like to put Jesus in the ice cream category – if He doesn’t suit your taste simply choose another “flavor”. Our pluralistic culture wants us to believe that every person’s belief is equally valid and equally truthful. But it is very important that we realize that the choice between Jesus and other “religions” is choosing between a medicine that heals and medicine that kills. Jesus heals on two levels. First, He heals by removing the guilt of sin through forgiveness. A forgiveness that’s not simply saying “Forget about it, try not to do it again”. He forgives in that He was punished for our sins and so our sins are literally gone! The second level is that He lives in us through His Spirit and is able to empower us to stop sinning. Now we will never be without sin but through Jesus we do gain victory over sin. Jesus is not AN answer to sin He is THE answer to sin. This is an either-or choice, so choose life – choose Jesus!
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“Being left alone by Satan is not evidence of being blessed” (from “Streams in the Desert”)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 11th July
Through judgment we are delivered.
Then I will rescue…my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. (Exodus 7:4 NLT) In order for God to deliver Israel He has to bring judgment upon the nation holding them captive. Deliverance for Israel meant judgment against Egypt for their oppression. Let’s put that alongside this statement of Jesus’, “For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:29 NLT) To set you free Jesus must judge the one who holds you captive. Is Satan holding you captive through some addiction? Does he hold you captive through pride, jealousy, anger, stealing, cheating? Before God delivers you He will judge what holds you captive first. I’m not talking about the final judgment, only Jesus can save us from that judgment. These judgments are when God very clearly puts His finger on something in our life and says, “This must go!” What do these judgments look like? When your addiction is exposed, that’s His judgment upon it. When a person stands in your path and confronts you concerning the sin in your life that’s His judgment upon it. These judgments are painful but are necessary for there can be no deliverance without acts of judgment. For example, you won’t be free until you see that your behavior is sin; you cannot be free until realize that you are in fact in bondage. And we do not see these truths unless God brings the pain of judgment into our lives. If you are experiencing such a struggle don’t be discouraged but rejoice for your deliverance is near! In fact, judgment is the pathway of deliverance.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“It is better to walk in the dark with God than to walk alone in the light.”(from ‘The Still Small Voice’)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday June 26th
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12) Writers come and writers go, many writers who once were famous are now dead and forgotten and their works are also forgotten; books that were once best sellers are now out of print, but God’s word will never go out of print because it is alive and active and thus it is relevant to every generation. It is active in that God’s word never remains passive but works on the heart bringing either conviction or inspiring one to noble deeds. You see, within our hearts there is often a mixture of motivations both genuinely spiritual and completely human. And so it is important that we use the bible as a supernatural discerning agent to sort these out and to expose what is of the flesh and what is of God. That’s why reading God’s word can be both exhilarating and uncomfortable, because it gets right to the heart of the matter and exposes what is really in our hearts. If we are not in the right place, God’s word will convict our spirit of this truth. On the other hand, God’s word can affirm that our motives and decisions are true; confirming that we are on the right path. So the word of God energizes us, it fires our passion to be the person God wants us to be. Just as the surgeons knife gives us hope even though it involves pain, because in the hands of the surgeon the knife brings healing so too with God’s word. In the hands of the master surgeon there is great healing as He exposes and removes the deadness of our flesh so that what is of Him may grow.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Only one life, it will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. C. T. Studd

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday June 13th
Jesus, don’t you care?!
Last week, in our journey through Luke on Sunday mornings, pastor Doyle preached on the story of Jesus calming the storm. An amazing event, one filled with challenging applications. In Mark’s gospel Mark adds this accusation by the disciples, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are going to drown?” (Mark 4:38) Are you kidding me?! “Don’t you care...?” Jesus must be thinking, “That’s right, the reason I came to earth; the reason I am here with you now; the reason I am going to die for you is because I don’t care?!” I’m being a little hard on the disciples, they didn’t understand yet just who Jesus was. I have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight; I know who Jesus is and why He came to earth. These disciples are still figuring it out, so I guess we can cut them some slack for accusing Jesus of not caring. However, we too are quick to say to Jesus, “Don’t you care?” “Don’t you care that my heart is breaking?” “Don’t you care that my business is struggling?” “Don’t you care that....?” (Fill in the blank) Things may be happening in my life that I don’t understand but one thing I never question is Jesus’ love for me. Since I am rock solid on that fact I can face the storms with a little more assurance. It’s hard not to be scared, many things in life are very scary, but since I know that Jesus cares and I know that He is with me I know too that I am safe with Him. I don’t know what your struggle is or why you have to go through it but I do know it’s not because Jesus doesn’t care, He does. So take a deep breath; hold on tight; Jesus won’t let you drown!
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He calms us in the storm.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday June 6th
Going where Jesus says go.
“When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch." "Master," Simon replied, "we've worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I'll let down the nets." When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear.” (Luke 5:4-6) Simon, (we know him best as Peter) is not very optimistic about going back out to fish, they had been at it all night and had caught nothing. However, Peter says something very important. He says, “But at Your word” or, “because you say so…” There are two important things that brought about this change from a night of no fish to so many fish that their nets are breaking. The first is Peter’s obedient spirit here. He basically thinks he’s wasting his time but if Jesus says go he will go. The second is, and this is the most important, Jesus is in the boat. When Jesus is involved failure is impossible! Is your heart ready to say, “if you say so Jesus, then I will do it”; are you going where Jesus is directing you? Are you doing what Jesus is telling you to do? If so, then great things await you!
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

When you start to justify a little dishonesty because it seems insignificant, be careful because you’re one step closer to doing what you never thought you would do.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 30th
No Good News without Bad News.
“Since . . . we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9). This will sound strange but we must be saved from God – saved from His wrath! Without Jesus we are under the wrath of God, or to put it another way, we are under the just condemnation of a holy God for our sin against Him, all who are under the wrath of God are condemned to an eternity in hell. That’s the bad news. But here’s the good news! If you will repent and believe in Jesus then your sins are forgiven. How are they forgiven? When you believe that Jesus took your place and was punished by God for your sins; all of God’s Holy wrath against your sin was poured out on Jesus! Now, if Jesus quenched the wrath of God then there is no wrath left for us. And if there’s no wrath then there’s only love for those who have placed their sin at the cross and received from Him a covering of righteousness. Your destiny has changed, “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Place your sins on Jesus, receive His righteousness and change your bad news to good news!
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

“If you can't ask God to make you a success at what you're doing, you should be doing something else.” Rick Warren

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday May 23rd
Has anyone seen my easy button?
One of the struggles we have as Christians is having the patience to GROW into Christ. Growing takes time and it is hard work; every day we’re faced with difficult choices and the struggle to do the right thing instead of the wrong thing. We all know that it’s not easy saying “No” to temptation. Don’t you wish you had an “easy button” for that “thing” in your life; that habit that you just can’t seem to master? If you could just hit your “easy button” and make it go away. Or, hit the “Easy button” and all the bad things about us are gone and all the good things we want are instantly added. Or, what about that decision you’re wrestling with? Hit the “Easy button” and the answer is clear. Fact is that God could just “zap” us and have us instantly changed; delivered; full of wisdom and knowledge about life, but what kind of people would we be? If we had an “easy button” what would we have learned? How deep would our relationship with God be? Would we know anything of His character? Would we know that He loves us; that He will always walk beside us? Oh, the “easy button” sounds wonderful but that would make us more like robots than people of character living everyday trusting in the providence of God. Character comes through struggle; relationships are deepened through sharing LIFE together, there’s no “easy button” and now that I think about it, that’s a good thing.
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

"When you blame others, you give up your power to change."-- Douglas Noel Adams

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday May 16th
Just Do It! (or not)
There was a cartoon in which little George Washington is standing with an axe in his hand. Before him lying on the ground is the famous cherry tree. He has already made his admission that he did it -- after all, he "cannot tell a lie." His father is standing there exasperated saying, "All right, so you admit it! You always admit it! The question is, when you are going to stop doing it?" We chuckle at this because it resonates with our experience. So many times we confess our sinfulness; we confess specific sins and we say we’re sorry and we feel bad, but when are we going to stop doing it? There is a time for sincere sorrow and apology and there is a time when we must stop doing it or start doing what we are supposed to be doing. That’s what Jesus’ half brother James is referring to when he said, “Remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. 23 For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that sets you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”(Jms. 1:22-25) Do you want God’s blessing? Do you feel restless in your soul? Maybe it’s time to stop talking about it and just DO IT! (or stop doing it, as the case may be.)
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

If I change my tone it will motivate others to change their attitude.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday May 9th
Today is Mother’s day, a day we pay tribute to our mothers, that very special and significant person in our lives. Yet I know many face Mother’s Day with mixed feelings. For some of you, Mother’s Day just highlights some of the more painful aspects of your life. Perhaps you feel sadness because your own mother is no longer around, or perhaps because you have outlived some of your children. Then too, some of you may even feel resentment toward your mother because, to tell the truth, she wasn’t a very good mom. And our hearts break for those of you who long to be mothers yet God has not blessed you with children. Maybe you are a single mom and “motherhood” is simply exhausting. The apostle Paul tells us that, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”. If you are a Christian then God assures you that He will use everything that’s happened and is happening in your life to your good. That scripture goes on to tell us that the “good” that God is working through the “bad” stuff is to shape us into the image of His son Jesus. So, whether you had a good mother or not; if your mother is still alive or not, God is using that to shape you into the image of Jesus and for that we can give Him praise. I don’t know what Mother’s Day holds for you but whether it is a good day or a “mixed” day I hope this promise of God’s will encourage you today.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

To forgive is to set the prisoner free and then discover the prisoner was you.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday May 2nd
If Jesus is not God He is not our Savior!
Our second question to ask when reading a book to discern good teaching from bad is to ask, what do they do with Jesus? Is He God? Is He God in the flesh, resurrected from the dead? Is He the wrath-absorbing Son of God? Or is He a just great moral teacher; a great ethicist; someone we should follow and emulate? Because if you leave off that He is God, you’ve left Christianity. Now, why do I say you’ve left Christianity? If Jesus is not God He cannot be our savior. Our salvation rest on two pillars and if either one or both of these pillars is removed then we are still in our sins and separated from God; we are still under His just and holy wrath that must be poured out on all sin. The first pillar is that sin must be punished. God Himself has established that the “wages of sin is death”. If God was to “blow-off” our wickedness He would violate His own holiness and righteousness. Therefore, Jesus, who is also God, put on a human body so that He could stand in your place and be punished for your sin. If Jesus is just a great moral teacher but is not God then he too is a sinner and needs a savior. Only as God in the flesh can He stand in our place as the sinless God/man and bear the wrath of God against my sins. The second pillar of our salvation is that to live in the presence of God we must be 100% righteous. Our sins are taken away in Jesus death but that doesn’t make us righteous. Jesus took on flesh so that He could live life as a man and perfectly obey God, as you and I should have done but didn’t, and then gives that perfect obedience to all who put their faith in Him. So, Jesus bears the punishment for our sin (pillar one) and gives us His perfect righteousness (pillar two) and here’s where His being God is essential, since Jesus is the infinite God He can save an infinite number of people. If Jesus is not God He can save nobody! Who Jesus is has eternal implications, so listen carefully when someone is telling you who Jesus is.
Pastor Don.

Somethnig to Think About

There is more grace in God's heart than there is sin in your past. (Erwin Lutzer)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday April 25th
If you have questions there is a book that will answer that question for you. If you don’t want to buy a book, just “Google” the question and there will be more information than you can handle. What we’ve got to figure out is who can be trusted to give us the correct answer. If I Google “God” and all this stuff comes up about God, who can be trusted to give me the truth about God - who He is and how I am to connect with Him. Last week I said I would suggest five questions that we need to ask when reading or watching someone on TV tell us how to get close to God. Here’s the first question: what do they do with the bible? Do they turn to the bible to tell us about God or do they tell us their thoughts on God? When you hear, “Well I think God is like...” you are getting conjecture, and conjecture is fun. You sit quietly and let your thoughts ramble back and forth and you come up with some pretty cool ideas on what you think God is like. But that’s all it is - your thoughts-conjecture-it’s not truth. There is only one place to go for information on God and that’s what God Himself has revealed about Himself in the bible. Don’t follow someone’s “thoughts” about God, have them show you from the bible what God Himself has revealed about Himself. Have the bible tell you what God likes and what He doesn’t like; what makes Him happy and what makes Him angry. But you see that’s where things get sticky. The bible teaches us stuff about God that we don’t like and so we prefer to go with someone’s opinions about God because they usually come up with a very passive, weak God. A God who is not offended at sin; a God who turns a blind eye to the wickedness of men; a God who saves everybody and punishes nobody. So here are my options: I can believe in the God of my conjecture or I can believe in the God of the bible. Guess which one is the real God. So if you’re reading a book that’s small on the bible and big on conjecture - read another book.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

"Today's difficult tasks are many times easy tasks that should have been
done yesterday!"

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 18th March
Blind Guides.
In our journey through Luke on Sunday mornings we came across this statement by Jesus, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit (or ditch)?” What does Jesus mean? Who are the blind guides today and how can we recognize them? There is a flood of information out there - books, TV evangelists; TV shows; movies - all giving us information on how we should live the Christian life. Some of it is good, a lot of it bad and much of it a mixture of good and bad. So how do we navigate our way through this plethora of advice and information? To avoid following a blind guide you must be able to see; you must be able to discern between the right way and the wrong way. I’m not going to tell you what to read or watch or listen to but I would like to offer some questions to ask when processing all this information. I’ll give you the questions then I will take each question - one every week - and expand on it. I’m convinced that if you apply these question when reading a book, watching an evangelist on TV you will be able to discern the good from the bad and thus be able to keep the good and throw away the bad. The questions are:
Question one: What do they do with the scriptures?
Question two: What do they do with Jesus?
Question three: Do they add anything to the cross of Jesus?
Question four: What do they say about man?
Question five: What do they say and do with sin?
As we unpack these five questions I think you’ll see how they will help you avoid “falling into the ditch”.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Life’s burdens are designed not to break us but to bend us toward God.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday March 28th
How do you feel about prayer? Really deep down, do you believe that God hears your prayers? Do you believe He will answer your prayers? We’ve been hurt so many times by people promising to help us and then never following through that it’s hard for many of us to believe that God will do anything. I mean, why should He? What’s special about me that He should even notice my troubles? Listen to Nehemiah’s prayer; it reveals something important about God. Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!” (Neh. 1:5) Hear what he says? As Nehemiah talks to God he reminds himself of the kind of person God is. He’s a God who has a covenant with us, and He “keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands.” So, why should God hear your prayer? Why should He even notice you? Because God’s love is unfailing and He has made a covenant with those who love Him and obey Him. God has NEVER broken His covenant with anyone before and He’s not about to break His covenant with you either. You see, I know God hears my prayers and that He WILL help, not because there’s anything special about me, but because of what’s special about HIM! Who is like our God?! People will abandon you but God never will. People will let you down but God never will. People break their promises but God never will. So do what the apostle Peter said, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.”
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

It’s not time that heals but what you do in that time that heals. Dr. Phil

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 21st March
Our God is so big, so strong and so mighty there’s nothing our God cannot do!
The largest animal on earth is the blue whale. Just the flippers on its tail are bigger than most animals on earth. But a blue whale isn't anywhere as big as a mountain. If you put hundreds of blue whales in a huge jar, you could put millions of "whale jars" in a hollowed out Mount Everest. But Mount Everest isn't nearly as big as the earth. If you stacked a hundred Mount Everests on top of each other they would only be a whisker on the face of the earth. And the earth isn't anywhere as big as the sun. You could fit over one million earths inside the sun. But the sun isn't anywhere as big as the red super giant star called Antares. Fifty million of our suns could fit inside Antares. But Antares isn't anywhere as big as the Milky Way galaxy. Billions of stars, including super giants like Antares, as well as countless comets and asteroids, actually make up the Milky Way galaxy. But the Milky Way galaxy isn't near as big as the universe. There are literally, billions of other galaxies in the universe. And yet, the universe is almost totally empty. The distances from one galaxy to another are beyond our imaginations. It simply defies exhaustive comprehension. And so does the One who made it! To think that he did all this with just a spoken word! Incredible! But if the truth be known, it was only an infinitely limited expression of his power. It was nothing to Him! Whatever your needs are, you have not exhausted his strength and power. Whatever your concerns, you have not run his emotional well dry. Whatever your situation, his hand is not too short to save, provide, lead, and fight for you. Whatever the depth of your offenses against him, he is not prevented from forgiving, releasing, and drawing near the truly repentant person. Nothing is too hard or too big for him! For He is BIGGER than everything! (Borrowed from an article by Greg Herrick, Ph.D.)
Pastor Don

Something to think about.

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." - Psalm
62:1 (NIV)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday March 14th
The Sword of Fear.
The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely. 4 Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and run me through before these pagan Philistines come and humiliate me.” But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
(1 Chron. 10:3-4) King Saul is afraid; afraid of humiliation; afraid that he is going to die a horrible death and his fear causes him to take his own life; to fall on his own sword. The arrows of the enemy wound us; they cut deep; they are painful but they do not kill because we have the shield of faith by which we can “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Eph 6:16) No, it’s not the arrows of the enemy that should cause us alarm, rather beware of the sword of fear in your hand. When things seem to be insurmountable; when the enemy is pressing down on you so hard you feel like you can’t breathe, don’t let fear destroy you. Fear and discouragement kills us because fear makes us give up. We give up on our marriage; we give up on our children; we give up on our friends; we give up on our church; we give up on...whatever it is that’s weighing heavy on you right now. You’ve given it all you got and it’s just not working, “I just can’t do this anymore!” “This man/woman I’m married to will never change!” The arrows of the enemy cut deep, we are discouraged; we doubt ourselves; we are in pain! And so we give up; we fall on our own sword. The apostle Paul says, “Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” (Gal. 6:9) Don’t let fear rob you of the victory that God will give if you persevere. Lay aside the sword of fear and pick up the sword of truth and press into the battle and win.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

The only thing in heaven made by man are the scars in the hands of Jesus.

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday March 7th
It’s communion Sunday so I thought it would be good to reflect on this hymn by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty about the cross of Jesus (some verses omitted for space):
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Something to think about.

"Live out of your imagination, not your history." — Dr. Stephen Covey

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 28th Feb.
Caring for the Hurting
Patricia L. Miller, a former hospital staff person, writes, “While at work in the emergency room, I learned to stop crying at the pain around me. Each day it seemed I was becoming insensitive to people and their real needs. Five years of emergency room exposure had taken its toll. Then God intervened. I was taking information for registering a young woman who had overdosed on drugs and had attempted suicide. Her mother sat before me as I typed the information into the computer. The mother was unkempt and bleary eyed. She had been awakened in the middle of the night by the police to come to the hospital. She could only speak to me in a whisper. ‘Hurry up’, I said to myself, as she slowly gave me the information. My impatience was raw as I finished the report and jumped to the machine to copy the medical cards. That's when God stopped me—at the copy machine. He spoke to my heart so clearly: ‘You didn't even look at her.’ He repeated it, gently: ‘You didn't even look at her.’ I felt his grief for her and for her daughter, and I bowed my head. ‘I'm sorry, Lord. I am so sorry.’ I sat down in front of the distraught woman and covered her hands with mine. I looked into her eyes with all the love that God could flood through me and said, ‘I care. Don't give up.’ She wept and wept. She poured her heart out to me about the years of dealing with a rebellious daughter as a single mom. Finally, she looked up and thanked me. Me…the coldhearted one with no feelings. My attitude changed that night. My Jesus came right into the workplace in spite of rules that tried to keep him out. He came in to set me free to care again. He gave himself to that woman through me. My God, who so loved the world, broke that self-imposed barrier around my heart. Now he could reach out, not only to me in my pain, but to a lost and hurting woman.”
May God keep our hearts sensitive to the pain of others so that we help them find healing and comfort in the embrace of a loving God.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do” Robert Schuller

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 21st Feb
Prepare for battle on your knees.
Prayer has always been the Christian’s first line of defense against the enemy. The night before Jesus was crucified He went into the garden to pray and He asked his disciples to pray with Him but they kept falling asleep! Think about that. On the eve of history’s most significant day, the day when God would win a victory over sin and death that would forever change that face of history, Jesus’ disciples are sleeping! And all Jesus had asked of them was to pray. Jesus still changed history; Jesus still conquered sin and death but the disciples missed being a part of all of that. They had an opportunity to be participants in the most crucial battle of the ages and they slept through it! How sad!
When Jesus went into the garden He said that His soul was heavy to the point of death. The disciples went in boldly claiming that they would die for Jesus. Jesus spent the time praying and the disciples spent the time sleeping and when the time came to engage the enemy, Jesus won the battle with unbelievable courage while the disciples ran away in fear.
Prayer is the difference between victory and defeat. Don’t engage the enemy without preparing for the battle in prayer.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

“You can choose to believe anything you want, but you cannot choose the consequences of that belief.” Rick Warren

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday January 31st
Faithful even unto death.
I have shared this with you before but perhaps it will be helpful to read it again. It was written by a young pastor in Zimbabwe Africa. It was found among his papers after he gave his life for Jesus. (Taken from the book The Signature of Jesus, Brennan Manning) “I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, uplifted by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.
My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me...my banner will be clear: I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.”
I hope this inspired you as it did me.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

I’m not who I want to be; I’m not who I’m going to be. But thank God I’m not who I used to be. (2 Cor. 5:17)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday January 24th
“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)
The thing I love most about King David is his transparency. David was the greatest king Israel ever had and yet David was always conscious of his weaknesses and his need for God. David had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands; he was a warrior who had fought many battles. He was a man among men. But David’s strength and confidence was not in himself but in the “rock that is higher than I.”
In a world where an earthquake can come without any warning and in that moment turn your world upside down; in that moment change your life so radically that it will never be the same again, we need a rock upon which we can stand, a “rock that is higher than I”. Rocks don’t move; they don’t change. They’re solid and enduring. Mountains are made of rocks and seem to transcend time. You may know of some big things in your life but mountains are bigger. They outlive all change yet remain unchanged themselves. They whether all storms and at the same time provide shelter from storms. Mountains typify for us the essence of stability and endurance; of consistency and dependability.
That is what God was for David. No matter how fierce the storm He is a shelter in the storm. No matter how much is collapsing around us, He is unmoved, consistent and dependable.
We will survive the storms of life by going to “the rock that is higher than I.”
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

We shouldn't use God to solve our problems. We should see our problems as an opportunity to find God. (Larry Crabb)

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday 17th January
Some thoughts on Haiti
Are you struggling with questions about God in the light of the earthquake in Haiti? Are you confused as to how a good God could allow such a tragedy to fall on a country already struggling for survival? Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and therefore the least equipped to cope with a disaster of this magnitude. How this country will recover from this tragedy we can only speculate. However, the earthquake in Haiti is a reminder to us that we live in a fallen world. God brought judgment on this world when our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned. Ever since then all of creation has been groaning under the weight of God’s judgment against sin and longs for the day when God will bring in the New Creation. Until then earthquakes will happen and disasters will fall upon mankind. All of this reminds us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only real message of hope. Only through the gospel do we come to understand that although God judges sin He loves the sinner. We know that Jesus loves the Haitian people because of the cross. God declares, the He so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Since God loves the people of Haiti He would have us, His children, show them His love in tangible ways by helping to alleviate their suffering, bind up the wounded, comfort the grieving and share the gospel with them. Everything about the tragedy in Haiti points to our need (theirs and ours) for redemption. May God grant the people of Haiti a new openness to the gospel of Jesus Christ and in bringing many to salvation God will be glorified.
Pastor Don.

Something to think about.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
(Albert Einstein) Someone put it this way, “If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Is it time to change?

Pastor's Corner

for Sunday January 10th
I am so blessed
Many are facing hard times right now so I would like to share this story with you. Claude and his wife lived with their 6 children in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Times were hard and his work as a carpenter had dwindled to almost nothing and now the washing machine had broken down. So Claude ran a wanted ad in the paper for a used washing machine. The next day the phone rang, someone had a used washing machine for sale.. When Claude arrived at the home he noticed they had all the things he wished for his family. Feeling sorry for himself, Claude began complaining about how expensive it was to raise 6 children; on top of having to buy another washing machine, all six children needed new shoes. The woman of the house ran out of the room crying. Her husband explained that they had only one child who had been paralyzed from birth and he had never needed a pair of shoes. When Claude got home, he picked up the worn-out shoes – worn out from skipping rope; kicking rocks; and jumping puddles – and kneeling by his bed he gave thanks to God for the worn-out shoes of his six healthy children. I know, it’s probably not a true story but it does remind us that there are many hidden blessings all around us. For example: dirty dishes remind us we have been spared the pain of hunger; dirty laundry reminds us we have been spared the indignity of nakedness; unmade beds remind us that we didn’t have to sleep on the street as many do in our city; worn-out shoes remind us of healthy bodies. What we often see as hardship is really evidence of God’s blessing in our lives. “Be joyful always… give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Pastor Don