Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Something to Think About
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, “No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.”
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday October 2nd
“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8) Life has its storms; some of them really shake us to our core. Have you ever wondered why some people survive their storms while others don’t? Obviously some are stronger than others, but where does that strength come from? Are we born with it? Is it how we are raised? The answer is in the roots. Just as a tree is only a strong and durable as its root system so we are only as strong as our root system. Where are our roots, or more precisely, in WHOM are we rooted? Just as a tree that grows next to a stream is well situated for the dry seasons so too the person who is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ is well situated for the dry seasons and when the storms of life blow, we may bend but we do not break, and when the storm has passed by, as all storms do, we are still standing.
Pastor Don
“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8) Life has its storms; some of them really shake us to our core. Have you ever wondered why some people survive their storms while others don’t? Obviously some are stronger than others, but where does that strength come from? Are we born with it? Is it how we are raised? The answer is in the roots. Just as a tree is only a strong and durable as its root system so we are only as strong as our root system. Where are our roots, or more precisely, in WHOM are we rooted? Just as a tree that grows next to a stream is well situated for the dry seasons so too the person who is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ is well situated for the dry seasons and when the storms of life blow, we may bend but we do not break, and when the storm has passed by, as all storms do, we are still standing.
Pastor Don
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Something to Think About
“Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appetite. Our need for God is not taken care of by engaging in worship—it deepens. It overflows the hour and permeates the week.”-Eugene Peterson
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday September 25th
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.(Eph 4:29) Where is the hardest place for you to keep your spiritual guard up and walk out your Christian beliefs? For me it is while I am at work. While at the workplace one can tend to get wrapped up and forget who it is we all really work for. Most of the time when I feel the conversation getting off track I can take the initiative to bring it back in line. There are sometimes however when I choose to allow myself to be sucked into this unwholesome banter and there I am throwing stones when I myself reside in the house of glass. These days the conviction that goes along with these times of underachievement really motivate me to abate the problem and look more to edification and noticing areas of grace in people’s lives. I know one thing that has helped me greatly is trying to filter my mouth by giving myself a “3 second rule”. If I take a moment to think just a little, before I open my mouth, I can save myself from saying some things I may later regret. We don’t put enough weight on our words these days. We have an amazing power in our tongue and we are responsible for bridling it and using our words to lift up, not break down. Death and life are in the [a]power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Prov 18:21) Wherever it is that seems to be your problem area, a place where you seem to fall short and find yourself left wanting. Take the time to pray yourself into that situation, come in with your spiritual tanks full and ready to edify not crucify. We can make our minds up and utilize the empowerment of the spirit to overcome and have triumph even in the places and in the company of people we have the greatest problem maintaining our spirituality around. This week take an honest inventory of where it is in your life that you need to work on the most and take these scriptures and apply them and see the benefit. Thanks Jake
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.(Eph 4:29) Where is the hardest place for you to keep your spiritual guard up and walk out your Christian beliefs? For me it is while I am at work. While at the workplace one can tend to get wrapped up and forget who it is we all really work for. Most of the time when I feel the conversation getting off track I can take the initiative to bring it back in line. There are sometimes however when I choose to allow myself to be sucked into this unwholesome banter and there I am throwing stones when I myself reside in the house of glass. These days the conviction that goes along with these times of underachievement really motivate me to abate the problem and look more to edification and noticing areas of grace in people’s lives. I know one thing that has helped me greatly is trying to filter my mouth by giving myself a “3 second rule”. If I take a moment to think just a little, before I open my mouth, I can save myself from saying some things I may later regret. We don’t put enough weight on our words these days. We have an amazing power in our tongue and we are responsible for bridling it and using our words to lift up, not break down. Death and life are in the [a]power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Prov 18:21) Wherever it is that seems to be your problem area, a place where you seem to fall short and find yourself left wanting. Take the time to pray yourself into that situation, come in with your spiritual tanks full and ready to edify not crucify. We can make our minds up and utilize the empowerment of the spirit to overcome and have triumph even in the places and in the company of people we have the greatest problem maintaining our spirituality around. This week take an honest inventory of where it is in your life that you need to work on the most and take these scriptures and apply them and see the benefit. Thanks Jake
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
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 18th September
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Who or what are “them” referred to in this scripture? In this chapter Moses is telling the Israelites that they are going to cross the Jordan without him, and Joshua will lead them into the promised land. The promised land is still inhabited by other nations of people and the Israelites are going to have to fight for what God has promised them. I believe the “them” in this verse refers to anything that keeps you from the promises of God, and true fellowship with Him. “Them” are your fears, “them” are the lies of the deceiver. Telling you to remain paralyzed with fear, unable to fight for the promises of God in your life. 2 Tim 1: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. God’s word empowers us, and encourages us to have the strength to apply change to our lives. Instead of living defeated lives we can live in triumphant victory and hope. If you always do, what you always did, you will always get, what you have always gotten. When the fear of change is eclipsed by the pain of staying the same we are then ready to apply change to our lives. God wants to help us to better our lives, every area of our lives. This week I encourage you to have the faith to make a change, big or small, and see how God blesses it. Jake Thomas
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Who or what are “them” referred to in this scripture? In this chapter Moses is telling the Israelites that they are going to cross the Jordan without him, and Joshua will lead them into the promised land. The promised land is still inhabited by other nations of people and the Israelites are going to have to fight for what God has promised them. I believe the “them” in this verse refers to anything that keeps you from the promises of God, and true fellowship with Him. “Them” are your fears, “them” are the lies of the deceiver. Telling you to remain paralyzed with fear, unable to fight for the promises of God in your life. 2 Tim 1: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. God’s word empowers us, and encourages us to have the strength to apply change to our lives. Instead of living defeated lives we can live in triumphant victory and hope. If you always do, what you always did, you will always get, what you have always gotten. When the fear of change is eclipsed by the pain of staying the same we are then ready to apply change to our lives. God wants to help us to better our lives, every area of our lives. This week I encourage you to have the faith to make a change, big or small, and see how God blesses it. Jake Thomas
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Something to think about.
“When you trust in God, pain is an opportunity for progress.” (from Our Daily Bread)
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday Sept 11th
“ I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world, lost in a sea of faces. Your body’s the bread, your blood is the wine, because you traded your life for mine.” (Sea of faces by Kutless) Do you ever feel insignificant? Have you ever struggled to find your place in this world? When these moments of doubt creep into our minds we can go directly to scripture to hear from God just how important we are to Him. When we are feeling lost in this world, we can turn to God who will recognize us out of that “ sea of faces “ call us by name and reach out His loving hand to us. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10) “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Rev 17:14) The above scriptures tell us we were created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God himself prepared in advance for us to do. We are no mistake, we are well thought out, premeditated, creations of the one true God. God had a plan mapped out for our lives before the creation of the world, He loves us, He puts great importance on our lives and especially our souls. Cling to the cross and be a called, chosen, and faithful follower of Jesus. His acceptance of you and what He accomplished at Calvary are evidence of just how important we are to Him. You are significant because God has chosen you, if you make your relationship with God paramount in your life, He will make your place in this world evident.
Jake Thomas
“ I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world, lost in a sea of faces. Your body’s the bread, your blood is the wine, because you traded your life for mine.” (Sea of faces by Kutless) Do you ever feel insignificant? Have you ever struggled to find your place in this world? When these moments of doubt creep into our minds we can go directly to scripture to hear from God just how important we are to Him. When we are feeling lost in this world, we can turn to God who will recognize us out of that “ sea of faces “ call us by name and reach out His loving hand to us. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10) “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Rev 17:14) The above scriptures tell us we were created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God himself prepared in advance for us to do. We are no mistake, we are well thought out, premeditated, creations of the one true God. God had a plan mapped out for our lives before the creation of the world, He loves us, He puts great importance on our lives and especially our souls. Cling to the cross and be a called, chosen, and faithful follower of Jesus. His acceptance of you and what He accomplished at Calvary are evidence of just how important we are to Him. You are significant because God has chosen you, if you make your relationship with God paramount in your life, He will make your place in this world evident.
Jake Thomas
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday Sept. 4th
Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God’s grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be— absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God. God is our stalwart rock of stability that does not shift like the chaotic crashing waves of life. When we are lost and need to find our way we need points of reference. Our spiritual compass will always lead us to God if our hearts desire closeness to Him. Life can become busy and we have our ups and downs, but our Lord Jesus is always there to Lead the way to the Father. We may change, but His love, grace, and mercy are always there to guide us home. Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jake Thomas
Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God’s grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be— absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God. God is our stalwart rock of stability that does not shift like the chaotic crashing waves of life. When we are lost and need to find our way we need points of reference. Our spiritual compass will always lead us to God if our hearts desire closeness to Him. Life can become busy and we have our ups and downs, but our Lord Jesus is always there to Lead the way to the Father. We may change, but His love, grace, and mercy are always there to guide us home. Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jake Thomas
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