HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In just a few hours we will usher in 2010! How the world has changed this past 10 years! I always look forward to the New Year, it is a new beginning. I am thankful that God is a God of new beginnings and I do not have to wait for a change in the calender.

I pray God's richest blessings on you as we go into 2010!

PRIORITIES IN A NEW YEAR

Yesterday, I blogged about the New Year, and I want to continue that thought this morning. The reality is that YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS. What we do with our time today, we will never be able to get it back. At the end of the day, what did we do with our time.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said - "Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."

How many have ever thought - I need more time? Well that is a wasted thought, because we will never get more time. There are 1,440 minutes in every day, and that is all we are going to get.

As we go into a New Year, what are you going to do with your time? If you cannot change time, then we must change what we do with the time that we have. I want to encourage you not to waste time in 2010.

What are you going to do with your time?

REFLECTIONS ON A NEW YEAR!

In just a couple of days we will be bringing in a New Year - 2010. It is amazing how quickly time goes by (the older you get). The older I get, the more I value time.

The reality is that time is our most precious asset that we have. As I visit with people that are dealing with life and death situations, it causes me to realize that time is precious to every person.

Think about this question: Would you rather save time or money? The average American focuses on money. But the reality is how you spend your time is much more important than how you spend your money.

Our priorities and values will determine what we do with our time. How many of us need to put time into perspective.

I read this in the book called "Today Matters" by John Maxwell. The following will help us to put time in perspective.

To know the value of one year...ask the student who failed the final exam.
To know the value of one month...ask the mother of a premature baby.
To know the value of one week...ask the editor of a weekly magazine.
To know the value of one day...ask the worker who has six children.
To know the value of one hour...ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To know the value of one minute...ask the person who missed their plane.
To know the value of one second...ask the person who survived the auto accident.
To know the value of one millisecond...ask the silver medalist in the race.

As we get ready to start a New Year let us make our time count for things that really matter for now and for eternity!

THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS!

The day after Christmas is a day when there seems to be a let down. The excitement and anticipation of Christmas is over. It is a day of putting the gifts away and the family has gone back home.

My family had a great day yesterday, with all of my family 4 other siblings, and their children and it was a noisy gathering with 25+ at my brothers house. It was just good old fun.

Today, it is over and the families have all gone their own way. It makes me realize the things that are really important are things that money cannot buy, you cannot purchase for your Wii or Playstation 2. What really matters is people!

This day after Christmas, remember to thank the Lord for the people in your life!

CHRISTMAS EVE

Christmas Eve is here and the excitement and anticipation of Christmas is mounting in the lives of children and adults. We look forward to this celebration of Christ's birth and all the other activities that have come into this day. For many, it is a day to forget about the real issues of life.

Let us remember many who can not forget about the real issues of life. I was visiting in the hospital today with two of our families that are going through a crisis with their loved ones. Life continues on, and many will not be able to sit around a Christmas tree and open gifts, eat good food and spend time with family!

Let us pray for those who are in need today, and let us remember to pray for our service men and women that are in harm's way!

Let us make room for Jesus in our Christmas celebrations!

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS!

In two days, Christmas will be here! What a wonderful time of the year. I look forward that our entire family will be getting together and celebrating the birth of Christ. I look forward to the great food, gifts, and just reconnecting with what is going on in everyone's life.

Yesterday, I blogged about Christmas is about Reconciliation. Today, I want to share about Christmas is a time of Reconnection. We live in a world of separation, families torn apart by divorce. Single parents raising children by alone. We have a world of single adults who have never been married, divorced, and others that are grieving the lost of loved ones.

As a church we need to be about RECONNECTING TO GOD, TO ONE ANOTHER, SO THAT WE CAN CONNECT WITH OUR WORLD THAT NEEDS JESUS CHRIST!

This Christmas is there someone that you need to RECONNECT with? That is the joy of Christmas!

Merry Christmas and look forward to reconnecting with you at our Christmas Eve Services. We have two different services this year.

4:00 PM - is a service geared for our children with Pastor Mike and Phil leading this service.
6:00 PM - is our Communion Service where there will be singing of Christmas Carols, Special Music, Christmas Devotion, and Communion!

Merry Christmas!

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO FIND THIS CHRISTMAS?

After the major snow storm yesterday, it is beginning to look like Christmas around here. Personally, I hope this is the last of the snow for the season! (haha). Christmas is only a few days away, and people of all ages are looking to find something under the Christmas tree.

This Christmas, we need to find the JOY OF CHRISTMAS! Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Not because of the presents, gifts, trees, and all the food that we will eat. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year because God's love is still true. Jesus came into this world, to reach down and touch us!

How can we find joy even in difficult circumstances around us? I want to look at this over the next couple of days.

Today - THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS IS TO BE FOUND IN A SPIRIT OF RECONCILIATION. Christmas should focus our hearts on the reconciling work of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:19 - "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." Any celebration of Christ should have reconciliation with it.
If God is reconciling the world to Himself, then we need this same spirit of reconciliation in our lives and homes. This Christmas if you want real joy then it begins with reconciliation!

May you find real joy this Christmas!

CHOIR AT EMERALD SQUARE MALL

If you are out shopping tonight, you will here our choir singing Christmas music at the Mall in North Attleboro. What a great opportunity for our people to share the good news of Jesus Christ in our community! May God bless them as they minister to people walking through the Mall!

That is what being the Light of our World is all about! Please pray for them today for God's favor and anointing!

CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE!

Connecting with people is something that is desperately needed today in our world. We are connected by the computer on Facebook and other ways. I even saw today on Facebook - How honest can FB friends be, and then they want you to write one word about the person!
I have trouble with that idea, because that is not really connecting with people. We need to strive for better connections with people in small groups. To help with accomplishing this in our church, we are going to begin Home Groups starting in 2010. We will have a meeting on January 14th for all those who are interested in leading a group or hosting a group. Help us to help others not only connect with God, but to connect with other believers!

Connecting with you!

Pastor Ron

Christmas thoughts

When you stop to think about Christmas and the reality of this miracle, it is truly supernatural! Think of it that God became flesh, and stepped into this world because of His love for you and me.

I am working on my message for Sunday, and I am going to share on Christmas from Mary's point of view. Can you imagine what it must of been like to be Mary. The angel comes to her and tells her that she is going to give birth to the Savior of the world!

How would you feel? react? respond to this news? I see some important qualities from Mary's life that we need in our spiritual lives today!

Merry Christmas and let us be more like Mary!

Pastor Ron

JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!

I am thankful for Dave Fisher's ministry yesterday as he preached about the 2nd Coming of Jesus! We need to talk about this more in our daily lives! Jesus is coming again and we need to be ready ourselves, and to help others get ready for His return!

This Christmas season - let us not only focus on the Lord's first coming, but let us be personally ready for His second coming!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

I'M BACK!

First of all I want to thank so many of you for your visits, cards, emails, calls and expressions of love. They are meaningful when you are not recovering from surgery. I am thankful for our loving and considerate church family!

I am thankful that even during our down times, the Lord can minister to us personally. I was reminded again from the 23rd Psalm. "He makes us lie down in green pastures." I am thankful that the Lord loves us so much that when he needs to He will make us lie down in good places where we can be renewed and restored!

Looking forward to all that God is going to do in 2010!!!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

SHORT BREAK IN BLOGGING!

For the next two weeks, I will not be blogging as I go into the hospital for a little surgery. I will be home recovering and taking it easy. I pray that God will bless you.

Allow these words from God's Word to bless you today - "The Lord bless you and keep; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

With His Love and Prayers,
Pastor Ron

REMEMBERING A GIANT MAN OF GOD

Today was a celebration of life for Lloyd Laughter (a Gentle Giant), a man who I have come to love and appreciate these last 10 years as his pastor. I have been around a lot of people in life and in death, but I have never seen the grace of God be with someone like Lloyd!

Proverbs tells us - "The memory of the righteous will be a blessing." Knowing Lloyd is a great blessing in my life and in many others! I will miss the Gentle Giant in our church! I pray that God will raise up other Gentle Giants to fill his shoes!

PRACTICE THANKSGIVING EVERY DAY!

Another Thanksgiving Day is over with all the food, family and connecting with the people that are closest too you. Today is Black Friday, the when so many people are out frantically buying gifts for Christmas. I want to encourage us not to forget the practice of Thanksgiving in our daily lives!

How do we practice Thanksgiving because being thankful is not always easy, especially when life is disappointing and frustrating.

Steps to practicing Thanksgiving every day!

1. REFLECT - Stop long enough to think about all the blessings of God in your life today and every day. How many things do we take for granted, and we never stop to thank the Lord for on a constant basis. (food, clothes, health, family, friends, church, and most important a relationship with Jesus Christ.)

2. REMEMBER - When you read in the Old Testament about the Children of Israel, we read that they were always forgetting God. Let us not forget that God is still working and in control of everything that touches our lives. Remember His Word, Remember His faithfulness and see how thanksgiving becomes thanksliving.

3. READJUST OUR PERSPECTIVE - How many of us look at our problems and get overwhelmed by life. The problems weigh us down, until we have no sense of hope. We need to readjust and see the God's Grace will see us through.

4. REJOICE - Means to choose joy. I have a choice! I can choose joy or I can choose being miserable, sad, discouraged, angry, bitter. The choice is up to each of us. Paul says - "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." If you want to be a thankful person - start rejoicing!

5. RETURN THANKS - Psalm 107 - "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..." We need to verbalize our thanks, praise to God. Let us begin to declare our praises to the Lord.!

Let us not forget that Thanksgiving is a daily thing not just an annual day on the calendar!

Thankful for you!

Pastor Ron

THANKFUL FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS!

Thanksgiving will be here in two days, and I am a blessed man because of what Jesus Christ has done for me. Being blessed does not mean that I have no problems, because I have problems like everyone else, but I am blessed because of Jesus Christ!

I am thankful for Jesus giving me a reason to live.

Here are some random things that I am thankful for.

#1. I am thankful for a personal relationship with Jesus, and He gives me a purpose that religion could never give. I am thankful that I have been serving Him since I was a teenager.

#2. I am thankful for my wife Emma. The Lord has blessed me with a woman of God, who supports, prays and loves me for who I am! I love my wife, and after 28 years of marriage, she is still my sweetheart!

#3. I am enjoying what I do and the ministry that God has given to me. At times, I get so busy, that I have to slow down and enjoy the people that God brings into my life.

#4. I am thankful that God desires to be with me all through the day. God wants to do life with me, not just when I am doing devotions or praying.

#5. I am choosing joy and refusing discouragement and dread. I am thankful for the choice that I can make because of Jesus Christ. I can choose joy no matter what is going on around me.

#6. I am thankful for the people that God has brought into my life to make me more like Jesus!

These are some of the things that I am thankful for today? What are you thankful for today?

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

Resting in a Wrestling World

I am going to share on something that Lord has given to me this week, of how to rest in a wrestling world! This was a portion that I was able to share with Lloyd this week. It ministered to me, and I want to share the principles from Psalm 37 with our church family tomorrow.

Please keep this message and me in prayer for God to anoint our heads, hearts and ears to receive from the Lord.

I am thankful that God is control!

Pastor Ron

WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE OF ME????

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God." I have read this verse probably a thousand times over my Christian journey. Different things the Lord speaks to us out of this verse.
- Do not be anxious - that is a word for us today! We get so anxious about the things that are going on in our lives.
- Pray about everything - that is the antidote for anxiety, and yet we have a hard time with prayer, praying, and seeking the Lord.
- But the one I want to think about is with THANKSGIVING. What will a thankful heart, spirit do in our spiritual journey. It will help us to be steady in the good and in the difficult times of life, realizing that Jesus is with me all of the time.

I have had the privilege this week to talk with someone that got some very difficult news, and that the goal of this person was to finish the battle well! There was no sounds of bitterness and anger towards God, for what they are going through. They had a thankful spirit because of all that God has done in their lives!

Not only during this time of Thanksgiving, but I want to incorporate with thanksgiving into my life!

Thankful for you,
Pastor Ron

FOLLOWING JESUS???

When you read the Word of God concerning Jesus ministry while He was one earth. When He came in contact with people, He would give them an unbelievable invitation. "Come Follow Me." Do we really understand what Jesus is asking of people when He gives them this invitation?

I think in our society today, there are many of us who change the words of Jesus around. Instead of us "Following Him", we change it to "Jesus come and follow Me." That is a big difference.

When we follow Jesus - He is the leader, and we do what He asks us to do. We lay down our rights to follow Him.

When Jesus follows us - We want Him to go with us, and bless us, and protect us, but we want to be the one in the front, charge. How many remember the saying - God is my co-pilot. That is the same idea - God is not our co-pilot. He is the Pilot. We have a wrong view concerning our relationship with Christ.

Our relationship with Christ is not about Him serving me, but that I am serving Him! That I am serving His purpose and not Him serving my purpose. What a big difference! We must repent of spiritual selfishness, where we think that our relationship with Him is all about us.

Today, let's make a fresh start to follow Jesus!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR TODAY?

Thankfulness is something that I want to increase in my life. We read in Psalms 100 - "Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING and into His courts with praise." What are you thankful for today? Only when we begin with thanksgiving and praise will we become alive with His presence.

What are some things that I am thankful for concerning the church?

- A RENEWED SENSE OF DESPERATION - As the chorus says - I am desperate for Him. I am thankful for people who are desperate to see Revival, Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, people saved and discipled, making an impact in this area and around the world.

- THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT - I am thankful that Jesus promised us the Gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us in living, service and ministry. I am thankful for the prayer language that God gives to us to connect with a living God.

- PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY - I am thankful for people who accept responsibility for where they are at in their spiritual journey....and willing to do something about it!

- PRAYER AND ALTAR - I am thankful for the prayer warriors in our church who are willing to stand in the gap and pray for those in need.

- MINISTRIES - I am thankful for every single person that is involved in ministry in our church! Only eternity will reveal the influence of your Spirit-filled leadership!

I am thankful for you reading this blog, and pray God will bless you in your spiritual growth!

"Give thanks in all situations, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR TODAY?

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and it is one of the best holidays of the year. When we are able to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. On facebook many people are giving the 26 days of things that they are thankful for.

What am I thankful for in the church? What makes a church become alive?

1. CHANGED LIVES...when dead people are being brought to life in Christ a church cannot remain dead. Changed lives will change the church. I am thankful for people that are coming to life in and through the ministries of our church.

2. HIS PRESENCE...His presence is what I pray for when we gather together. "In His presence is joy." I am thankful for His presence all of the time.

3. THE GOSPEL...the Gospel should be the agenda of the church, and not the newest fad or gimmick to keep people coming. The Gospel of Jesus is enough and should be enough for us today! I am thankful for the power of the Gospel.

4. GIVING...when we trust God to obey Him in our generous giving about the tithe, because we trust in Him. How can we trust God when we cannot obey Him in the material things of life. I am thankful for the many who give to the Lord in our church family!

5. SERVICE, MINISTRY...I am thankful for the many people who use their talents, gifts, to serve the Lord and our church family on a daily basis. If it was not for people faithfully ministering, we would not really be a church!

These are some of the things that I am thankful for today, and we need to see our church come alive!

I will continue these thoughts tomorrow!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

DECISIONS-3

I have been blogging about how to make right decisions in life! Life would be so much better if we just made right decisions on a daily basis. (Look at the consequences of one man's decision at Fort Hood Army Base.) 13 people killed and many others wounded, and countless families and friends lives that have been changed forever because of the decisions of one man.

How do we make right decisions:
1. Spiritual Considerations - How will this decision affect my relationship with God!

2. Internal Considerations - How will this decision affect who I am and what I am becoming?

3. Today I want to look at the RELATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS - How will this decision affect my relationship with family, friends and other people?

First - Would I want this done to me? If I make this decision how will it affect the people in my life? Would I want someone else to do this to me?

Romans 13: 8-10 - "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another...Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself...Love works no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Secondly, If I make this decision could it look as it is wrong even when it is really OK? Will it look wrong?

1 Thessalonians 5:22 - "Abstain from all appearances of evil."

Thirdly, Will this cause someone else to struggle spiritually?

Romans 14: 13, 21 - "Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way...It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."

My prayer is that I will make the right decisions today and every day in my life, based upon the Word of God!

Let's get started by making the right decisions today!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

DECISIONS-2

Making the right decisions in life is probably one of the most important things we need to do. I know that at my AGE, I want to make the right choices in life. I want to make sure that my decisions are His decisions. The best place to be is in the center of God's will for your life and my life.

Yesterday I blogged about the Spiritual Considerations of making a right decision.
How will this decision affect my relationship with God.

Today - I want to look at the INTERNAL CONSIDERATIONS OF MAKING RIGHT DECISIONS. This answers the question - How will this decision affect who I am and what I am becoming?

1. WILL THIS BRING MY UNDER THE CONTROL OR POWER OF ANYTHING THAT MIGHT ENSLAVE ME?

1 Corinthians 6:12 - "Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me - but I will not be mastered by anything. (controlled by anything)

There are a lot of things in this world that are not sinful, but I must make the decision that I am not going to be controlled by anything but the Holy Spirit.
How many things in our lives control us? Today how many people are controlled by the internet? We can spend hours on line and not even realize that we are being mastered by it. How many other things control our lives - hobbies, sports, entertainment, even the church?

2. CAN I MAKE THIS DECISION AND DO IT WITH CONFIDENCE THAT IT IS RIGHT?

Romans 14: 21-23 - "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."

3. IF I MAKE THIS CHOICE IS IT BREAKING ANY PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS THAT I HAVE MADE?

James 5:12 - "Above all, my brothers, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your Yes be yes, and your No, no, or you will be condemned."

To make the right decisions I need to realize that every decision I make will have a consequence is my own life.

Matthew 6:33 - "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

DECISIONS

Every day we must make so many decisions. How do we know if we are making the right decisions and if they line up to God's Will for my life. One of the first verses I memorized as a child was Proverbs 3: 5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Those are words that I still hold onto today even as an older man.

How do we make right decisions?

Spiritual Considerations - How will this decision affect my relationship with God?

1. Will this decision bring glory to God?

1 Corinthians 10:31 - "Whether therefore you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

2. Is this a decision that Jesus would make?

1 Peter 2:21 - "To this, you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps."

3. Will I be proud of this decision at the judgment Seat of Christ?

Romans 14:10 - "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat."

In making decisions - begin here asking: How will this decision affect my relationship with God.

Next time I will give some other considerations in making decision!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

THINK NO EVIL

I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful fall morning. We need to enjoy the sunshine, because it gets dark so early now. Let us learn to be thankful for the many small blessings that God gives to us each day!

I was given a book that I am in the middle of reading right now, and the title of the book is "Think No Evil." This is a book that talks about the need for genuine forgiveness in our lives. The author Jonas Beiler, writes about the school shooting that took place in the one room school house in Silver Mines, PA. Jonas who grew up in an Amish home talks about their beliefs and lifestyle. This is a good read for people of all ages.

I would recommend it to you and to your young people!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

TEACH US TO PRAY!

When I read that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, that speaks to me today! The disciples did not ask Jesus to teach them to preach, teach, sing, run committees or how to do miracles. They asked Jesus to teach them to pray!

I want to be a man of prayer in my daily life. I realize that unless I have His touch and presence in my life, nothing of eternal value will ever be accomplished.

Why Should We Pray? (Love to pray)

1. Prayer is the communion of my soul with God!
2. Any accomplishments spiritually is dependent upon prayer!
3. God has chosen to limit His activity to those who chose to pray!
4. Our influence on earth will be in direction relation to our intercession in heaven.
5. If we learn to wrestle with God in secret, we will never have to lower ourselves to wrestle with men in public.
6. That only thing that lies outside the power of prayer, is that which lies outside the will of God.
7. Prayer is the only road to tranquility and peace in my inner man.
8. Prayer is the breath of the soul; when I breathe I live, when I cease to breathe I will die. Prayer is my spiritual breath!

I want to encourage you to ask the Lord to teach you to pray, as if your life depends on it! Because it really does!!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

GETTING THROUGH THE FIRE - 4

This will be the last part of this blog of Getting Through the Fire.

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you." Living through the pressures of life can be like walking through the fire, and for many today it is a fire storm. Remember God did not promise that you would not feel the heat, just that you would not be burned!!

To get through the fires let me add a few more principles today:

- HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS YOU CAN! I think we take ourselves way too serious, and not God serious enough. We need to learn to laugh again! Have fun! Enjoy the small blessings of God even when the fire is burning around you! Solomon said - "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Take you medicine of laughter today!

- DETERMINE WHAT IS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL, AND WHAT YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER! The reality is we cannot control what happens to you, but we can control how we respond and what happens inside of us. We need to control our reactions, responses and our attitudes! Help me to respond the way that Jesus would respond!

- BE ENTHUSIASTIC - Enthusiasm literally means: GOD IN US. If God is really in us, let Him shine through our lives. Let us fuel a passion for God and His will in our lives! Find out God's purpose for your life and live for Him with passion.

And remember:
- God will finish what He starts in you! (Phil. 1:6)
- God will supply all your needs! (Phil. 4:19)
- God will sustain you by His grace! (2 Cor. 12:9)
- God will not make any mistakes along the way. (Psalm 18:30)
- God will defend what is worth defending. (Exodus 14:14)
- God will lead you one step at a time. (Psalm 37:23)
- God will make all things beautiful in His time. (Eccl. 3:11)

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

GETTING THROUGH THE FIRE - 3

It is so cold, that a little fire right now would be so nice to take the chill out of my old bones. The last couple of days, I have been blogging about how to get through the fires of life.

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you."

Review from the last couple of days: To get through the fires of life.

1. Keep on Walking - through the fire. Do not get weary and stop in the middle of the problem, fire. Walk through it!

2. The fire will pass. Every problem has a beginning and an ending. We need to be patient and trust in the Lord.

3. Make difficult times work for you. Have courage to believe that He that began a good work in you will bring it to the day of completion.

4. Take What Is and make the most out of it. Do not waste your time on complaining and learn to be content. Because the Lord is in control.

Today

5. Clean up your own Trash! We need to accept responsibility for our own actions. I cannot control what happens to me, but I can control what happens in me. I do not have to allow the trash of this world, to live inside of me. Read Philippians 4: 4-9.

6. Be Gladder than Madder! How will you respond to the fire storms of life. You can get angry, mad at God, people and even your self. Or you can be gladder, have a spirit of thanksgiving." Paul said - "Give thanks in all situations for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you!"

Remember: God never promised that you would not feel the heat, just that you would not be burned by the fire."

I will continue this idea next time. Eccl. 3:11 - "He makes all things (you and me) beautiful in His time."

GETTING THROUGH THE FIRE - 2

Yesterday I as blogging about getting through the fires of life. Isaiah 43:2 - "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you."

To get through the fires of life....

1. Keep on Walking - do not give up in the middle of the fire, storm, trial.
2. Remember that this difficult time will pass. Be patient because all problems have a beginning and an ending.

Today
3. Make the difficult times WORK FOR YOU.
There are many things that happen to us in life that are not good in themselves. Many things in life are hard and unfair. The Bible reminds us that everything can be used for good if we submit to God's Will and respond the proper way. We must make a decision to get better and not get bitter when we are in the fire storm. Romans 8:28 - "And we know that IN All things, God works together for the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."

4. Take WHAT IS and make the most of it. How many people are looking for perfection in life. We need to lower our expectations of ourselves, other people and look for progress and not perfection. The old saying says - "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I am making an effort of not complaining, because it will not change anything in life. But to do what Paul tells us - "I have learned to be content in whatever state I find myself in." When you are going through difficult times, let us learn to be content in God and in His Word.

Praying that you get through your fires today! (I will continue this theme next time)

Pastor Ron

GETTING THROUGH THE FIRES OF LIFE

There is something that attracts people to fires. We watch on the news the fires that spread of thousands of acres in California, and we watch with amazement the power of those fires. We tend to forget that people's lives are impacted by those fires. Fires can be very painful, destructive, life changing.

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither shall the flame kindly you."

Living through the pressure and stress of life can be compared to walking through fire. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah believed that if you have faith in God, you can walk through fire and not be burned. He did not promise that you would not feel the heat, just that you would not be burned.

TO GET THROUGH THE FIRES OF LIFE.....

1. KEEP ON WALKING!

A fact is if you stop walking in a fire you are going to get burned. When you are afraid, or under stress, or hurting - keep going! Do not give up, quit, sit down and complain. No matter how it gets - keep going, persevere, and watch what God will do!

Paul tells us - Do not get weary in doing good.

2. REMEMBER THAT THIS FIRE WILL PASS!

Many times when you are in the fire, you feel that you will never get through it. We need to remember that PAIN IS TIME-LIMITED. All fires (problems) have a beginning and an ending. Be Patient and God will bring you through.

"He that began a good work in you will bring it to the day of completion."

I will continue these thoughts next time.

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

WHAT IS OUR REAL PURPOSE?

How many people have a difficult time in enjoying today! We get so caught up in worrying about tomorrow or fretting over yesterday, that we cannot enjoy the moment that we are living in today. How many times we think, well when I get that new job, or new promotion, new home, new car, when I get married, or when I retire then I will be able to enjoy life. No you won't! We need to learn to enjoy right now!

The Shorter Westminster Catechism says - "The chief end of man is to glorify God and ENJOY HIM FOREVER." We may be glorifying God, but do we have a hard time enjoying God?
That almost sounds disrespectful, but the reality is the "Joy of the Lord is my strength."

Jesus tells us - "Do not worry about tomorrow, because today has enough evil of it's own." What is the principle? - Do not worry about things that you cannot control. That is a useless endeavor, and a waste of our emotional energy.

I want to encourage you to enjoy God today and you will glorify God!

THANKFUL FOR ROLE MODELS

This weekend we will be honoring the life and ministry of Martha Jackson, who has been faithfully serving the Lord and people for all of her life. Her impact and influence will keep on going because of her love for children and missions.

What a role model to the lives of hundreds or thousands of children when she started Dayspring over 42 years ago, and it is still touching and impacting children today. Dayspring is one of the largest ministries of our church. The other part that you may not know is that Martha has given and built churches in Bulgaria and continues to do so today. Martha has a great heart for children and missions. That is really the heartbeat of God!

I am thankful for her role model and pray that God will raise up many more Martha's in our church body!

Thank you Martha!

GROWING SPIRITUALLY!

This morning in my devotions I was reading in John 8:32 - we read these familiar words: "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." When we know the truth it will cause us to act, change and to grow in our spiritual lives. Can we really know the truth and it will not change us?"

When you read verse 31 - "If you HOLD to my teaching, you really are my disciples."
There is a correlation between knowing something, and doing something. If I am obeying God and His Word then I am a true disciple of Christ. Being a follower of Christ means that I am living, applying and walking in obedience to God and His Word! Freedom comes in obedience to God and His Word!

I want to continue to grow spiritually! No matter how long I have been serving the Lord, there is always room for more growth!

Growing with you,
Pastor Ron

WHAT'S NEXT?????

I had the great privilege to go out to breakfast with a few of the men from the church for a time of fellowship and encouragement. It was a great way to begin a Saturday morning, as we sat in Babe's and shared with one another. We need to connect with one another in smaller groups. I was strengthen and blessed by my brothers.

Last night, the couples could not go on the hayride, so we came to the church gym and played some games and got to meet three new couples in the church. Emma and I were blessed by this time in a small group!

What's next? I pray that you will become a part of a LIFE Group or small group in our church. We have many opportunities for people to connect with others and we need it! We cannot be a lone ranger as a Christian!

What's next in your spiritual walk? Get Connected!!!!

If you are looking for ways to get connected please talk with me!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

A LIGHT FOR YOUR PATH!

I have been away for a couple of days at a board meeting for Valley Forge Christian College. I traveled back yesterday and it was raining, then turned to snow and driving in the dark was a real fun time. I was thankful for my high beams and the light that it was able to give to me on the back roads of Route 6.

We live in a very dark world. Psalm 119: 105 tells us - "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

How many of us need direction in our lives today? Do we need direction in our homes, jobs, relationships, etc. How many realize that if we have to make the decisions on our own, we will mess it up. I am thankful for God's Word and that God will give us direction and wisdom in every decision that we need to make.

I want to encourage you that you can ALWAYS TRUST GOD because He is for you and not against you. God wants to lead us in ways that will help us, bless us, and even prosper us in a difficult world!

Allow God's Word to give you the light that you need today!

THINGS I CAN CONTROL?

What can we control in our lives? The older I get (turning 50), I realize how little I really can control! A pastor that I read his blog said - "The only way to avoid panic and live in peace is when we choose to focus on what we can control and let God take care of the rest." (Jeff Leake) That is good wisdom for living today!

So what can we control?

1. When I focus on - If I choose to live worrying about tomorrow, than it will produce fear, stress and anxiety. God will give me grace for NOW! I need to focus on right now and not worry about tomorrow.

2. What I do - I cannot control what anyone else does, but I can control my response. Trials, problems will come, but I need to ask the Lord to help me respond in a proper way.

3. What I carry - What are we carrying around in our life? In Acts 27, the men chose to throw things overboard in the middle of a storm, so that they would survive the storm. These things were good things, but in a storm it causes to evaluate what we are carrying with us. (No excess baggage)

4. Who I listen to - In the storms it is easy to get discouraged. When things are bad we do not need to listen to negative voices. We need to hear voices of faith, encouragement, and love.

5. What I believe - when problems come our way, we can determine what we are going to believe. We must make a choice if we are going to believe God and His Word or believe the world?

#6. Who I trust - Am I going to trust God or trust people, self etc. Proverbs 3: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Control what you can control and leave the rest to God!!!! Lord help us journey through the storms of life.

TURNING THE LIGHT ON!

Fall is a wonderful time of year, as the leaves begin to change colors. The crisp mornings and the beautiful afternoons, and great nights for sleeping. However, one thing that is not so nice is that it gets darker earlier and earlier each day. In a couple of weeks we will put the clocks back an hour and then it will really get dark a lot earlier.

In the spiritual sense we live in a dark and sinful world. Someone said, "Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle." I believe that as the world gets darker and darker, the church must burning brighter and brighter.

I was reading in Philippians 2: 14-15 - "In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. LET YOU LIVES SHINE BRIGHTLY BEFORE THEM."

My prayer is that I will let my life shine brightly in this dark world!!!

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

What are you looking at in life? How many people are visual and we love looking at all the wonders around us. Just look outside your window and see the beautiful leaves and the changes of color. Sight is a wonderful thing, and we can look at the beauty of the world around us.

I read an interesting quote from Corrie Ten Boom about what are we looking at in life.

She said - "If you look at the world, you'll be depressed. If you look within, you
will be distressed. If you look at Christ, you'll be at rest." That is a powerful statement to help us in our daily life.

If we are looking at external things, (world, people, government etc.) we are going to be depressed. If we are looking within (ourselves, our abilities) then we are going to be distressed. But if we look at Christ, we will be at rest! I am making the decision today to Look the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.

Look to Jesus today!

GOD IS IN CONTROL!

I am thankful that God is control of every situation! We live in a day when people are getting away from the authority of Jesus Christ! As I prepare for tomorrow and we will be taking communion together, it reminds me of the authority that Jesus has over every sin, emotion and sickness.

Tomorrow I am going to preaching another message on healing. Let us come expecting and praying that Jesus will minister and heal people of all sickness, and sin!

Invite someone to come with you to church tomorrow! God is still the healer!

HOW GOES THE RACE?

This has been beautiful weather to get out and run. The Bible has a lot to say about life being like a race. Life is not a dash or a short race for speed, but is more like a marathon. If you are going to run you need to get rid of anything that will distract you. If we are going to run in this race we need to get rid of some distractions.

1. We need to get rid of WORRY. Worry will hinder us in the spiritual race. The more we worry the more it will slow us down spiritually! Proverbs 12:25 (NLT) "Worry weighs a person down." We need to get rid of worry and we can only do that by giving it to the Lord, in prayer. Psalm 55:22 NCV - "Give your worries to the Lord and He will take care of you."

2. Let go of your WOUNDS. There will be many things in life that will wound us emotionally. People will let us down, failure, rejection, betrayal, divorce, gossip etc. Too many times we allow these kind of wounds to hinder us in our spiritual race. We need to get rid of them by forgiveness. Psalm 37:8 - "Let go of anger and leave your rage behind. Do not be preoccupied. It only leads to evil." I want to encourage you to let go of the wounds that are hindering you in the race of life.

3. Let go of your WRONGS. If we want to run a successful race spiritually, we need to let go of our sins, mistakes, regrets, and failures. 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let us run the race as easy as possible! Enjoy the run!

WHAT IS GOD DOING IN YOU TODAY?

I am thankful that God is working in our lives each and every day! Sometimes we are so close to the situation that we do not see what God is doing!

I was reading in Philippians 1:6 - "And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again."

How many times we forget that the God who was working in our lives when He knit us together in our mother's womb, is the same God that is working in our lives today. The God who was working in our lives even before we came to Christ and was living in sin, is the same God that is working in our lives today. The God who was working in our lives at the moment we confessed our sins, and He came into our lives, is the same God that is working in our lives today. The God who is working in our lives today, is the same God that has all the details of my life and He will bring it to pass. He will finish the GOOD WORK in me that He has started as long as I walk in faith and obedience to Him!

He is doing a good work in you and me today!!!

TURNING 50!

As I turn 50 on Monday, that is even hard saying and believing that I will be that old! People have been saying it is only a number, but I have been doing some reflecting over the first 50 years of my life. I am also looking forward to the years that I have left, and what will the future hold in store for me. I know one thing, that I want to live with significance, and purpose in the years that I have left.

There are certain events in life that cause us to reflect and review your life. I am thankful for my parents who brought me up to know the Lord. I am thankful for my heritage. I am thankful for the call of God when I was a teenager. I am thankful for my years at Valley Forge Christian College. I am thankful for my wife Emma and that she is my best friend. I am thankful for all those who have invested in my life when I was a young minister. I am thankful for over 28 years of ministry in different places, and the many friends that I have made over these years. God has been very faithful to me in the good and in the difficult times!

I am praying that I will always walk in the God's will for my life. A verse that I memorized early in life, is one that I want to still follow as I turn 50. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

Turning 50????

CONNECTING WITH GOD

I was reading in Ephesians 3 this morning and in verses 14-21 we see Paul's prayer for the Ephesian Christians. I want to focus on verses 19-20 that says - "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think, according to His power that works in us.

If we want a close and personal connection with God then we need to know, apply, live in the love of Christ for our lives. How many of us battle guilt, fear, failure that God is disappointed with us, and that He could not love someone like me. I am thankful this morning that God loves me in the good days and the bad days. We need to learn to live daily in His love.

We also need to allow His power, His spirit to work in our lives and realize that He is working in us daily. His word tells us - "He that began a good work in us, will bring it to the day of completion."

This morning every one of us can connect with this God of great love and power!
What an awesome God we serve!

SIGNS OF THE TIMES!

Tomorrow I will start a new series on the Book of Revelation for 9 weeks, that will deal with the Signs of the Times! How can we live with faith and hope in the world that is falling apart all around us! Even the world is realizing that this world cannot last the way it is going. Many of the new TV shows, movies are about the world coming to an end! I am so thankful that as a Child of God we have hope in that Jesus is coming again!

The old chorus says it best - "Because He lives I can face tomorrow..."

Invite someone to come to church tomorrow with you!!! Let us help people to have hope in these last days!

ONE MORE

I am so thankful for being able to connect with people on a daily basis. Last night we had a new believer in Bible Study and they are interested in growing spiritually! That encourages me because one more is coming to Christ!

PRAYING FOR YOU

I am praying for you this morning, that God will bless your lives. In Ephesians 1: 16-18 - we read - "I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called...."

What a powerful prayer that Paul prayed for the Christians in Ephesus. He prays for God's people to have spiritual wisdom and understanding to know God. How many of us need wisdom and understanding in our daily lives. I pray that God will give each of us wisdom and understanding to know Him, to love Him, and to make wise choices. Then Paul prays that their spiritual hearts would be flooded with light, truth, guidance. I am so thankful that God gives His children light, truth and guidance in our daily lives. Why so that we can have hope and and faith in the world today! God still has a wonderful future for His children! We are going to spend eternity with Him! You cannot get any better than that!

I want to encourage you to be with us on Sunday as I start a new series from the Book of Revelation called - "Signs of the Times." May God bless you today!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

MISSING OPPORTUNITY

There are times in life when opportunities come our way, and once we miss them they are missed opportunities and may never get them back. God's presence has been in our Revival services.

I want to encourage you to come tonight, if you are going through a storm. Greg is going to minister on the Storms of Life. If you know people that are facing a storm, invite them to come out with you tonight!

Let us believe for Jeremiah 24:7 - "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

WHY DO WE NEED JESUS?

In our devotional on the last page, I read it this morning, and I wanted to share some thoughts about why people need Jesus in their life.

1. We need Jesus because we all have a PAST. Every single one of us have things in our past that we would love to change. We have all sinned, messed up, live with regrets, and we cannot go back and change any of it. But Jesus can go back. (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus can walk into those places of failure, hurt, sin, and wipe the slate clean in our lives, and give us a new beginning. Praise the Lord!

2. We need Jesus because we all need a FRIEND. Jesus knows the real us, the parts of us that we keep from everyone else, and He still loves us! Jesus believes the best about us, and what a friend we have in Jesus. Someone defined a fried as - "A friend is someone who walks into your life when the world walks out of your life."

3. We need Jesus because He holds the FUTURE! What can we put our trust in today? What things are trustworthy in this world today? Only Jesus can keep us safe and secure in this very insecure world. God's promise is "For I know the plans I have for you.... plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29: 11-12)

That is why people need Jesus today!!!

Invite someone to come to our Revival meetings this week!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

Fall is in the air!

This morning as I got up and went running because I have a busy day today. It felt like fall with nice cool temperatures. The fall is really the start of the church year, and I look forward to getting back into the discipline of the fall.

I want to remind you that we go back to two services this weekend, back in the sanctuary. The first service is at 8 and the second service is at 10:30. We start this season off with our guests Greg and Robyn Hubbard. Why not start getting back in the routine with these special services, and invite one more person to come with you!

Looking forward to the fall!

Ron Squibb

THE BIG MOVE!

Yesterday we started the move back to the sanctuary building. I am so thankful for the many people young and old alike that came out and helped us accomplish this move so quickly!

I look forward to being back in the sanctuary and to kick it off, we will start with our Revival meetings with Greg and Robyn Hubbard. Please pray for people to come to Christ. Why do we do these kinds of things? Because of ONE MORE. One more person needs to come to Christ. I want to encourage you to invite one more person with you to come to our service this coming week because people need the Lord!

Connecting with you,
Ron Squibb

ENJOYING LIFE????

I want to encourage you to be in church tomorrow as I conclude the series on the Game of Life. How many have ever had a bad day???? We all have had them from time to time, and may be having one today. God's Word gives us some principles of how to ENJOY LIFE EVEN ON A BAD DAY!

I want to encourage you to read Psalm 27, and allow the words of this great Psalm to prepare you for tomorrow.

Why not invite someone to come to church with you tomorrow!!! Because we need to reach one more!!!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

THANKFUL FOR JESUS!

I have had a day that never stopped, with so many meetings with people and church work. I am getting ready for Bible Study tonight.

I wanted to share a few words to encourage you today from Galatians 2. In verses 20-21 - I will paraphrase what I wrote in my journal today:
"It is no longer I that lives, but Christ lives in me. I livethis spiritual life by faith and trust totally in Jesus for my salvation. I must treat the grace of God as powerful as it really is. I am not saved by my background, profession (job), family, good works or religion. Because anything that I do will make void the absolute need for Jesus to die on the Cross.

I want to encourage you to walk in the wonderful grace of the Lord Jesus today and every day!

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

BUT THEN .....

I was writing in my journal today from Galatians 1 and came across this phrase in verse 15 - "But then something happened! For it pleased God in His kindness to choose me and call me, even before I was born. What undeserved mercy."

When you read the verses before it, Paul talks about how he thought he was right and very religious, but he was not in relationship with God. But then something happened, Christ came into his life. How many times we have been like this ourselves? We think we are right and religious but we have no relationship with Christ. But then something happened - Jesus comes into our lives and changes everything. Paul had a revelation that before he was ever born God chose Him and called Him. No matter where you are today - God has chosen you and called you for a divine purpose.

Wow! God's love and mercy was given to me before I was even born! That is good news!

Let today be a day that we can say - But then something happened!

CHANGING OUR LIVES!

God's Word tells us - "This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." That is a choice that everyone of us must make. I must make a choice that I am going to control the things that I can control - me!

I was reading in 2 Corinthians 13:11 this morning, and it goes along with this idea. "Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words. Rejoice, change your ways, encourage each others, live in harmony and peace, then the God of love and peace will be with you."

The reality is - that if we want the favor, blessing, presence of God in our lives then we need to do the following:
1. Rejoice in the Lord. That seems to be a theme of when you read the Epistles by Paul. Rejoicing in the Lord is for my benefit more than for God's benefit. Something happens inside of us when we begin to rejoice in the Lord. We begin to get our focus on Him and not on the problems of life. Today - why not try rejoicing! It sure beats the alternative.
2. Change your ways. Paul is saying when we change our attitude it will begin to change our behavior. I am only responsible to change what I can and that is myself. I cannot change other people, my mate, my children, my parents, my friends etc. I can only change me! Remember what Paul said - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
3. Encourage each other - These are powerful words that will bring the blessing of God into our lives. We can either be a bulldozer and run over people and knock them down or we can be like a crane and pick up people. What do you think is the better way to live?
4. Live in harmony and peace.

Enough said! Lord help me to live this way today!

WELCOME BACK

I am glad to be back after General Council and a week of vacation. It was so good to be at General Council and to be spiritually refreshed and to be feed by all the services and great speakers. I was blessed to see friends that I have not seen for years. It was good to see Freddy and Terry Sanchez, Dale & Patti Coad, Pastor Efflin, and many others.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow in our next to last service in the gym. It is hard to believe that summer is almost over and we will be moving back into the Sanctuary for August 30th, when we being our Revival Meetings with Greg and Robyn Hubbard. I am asking now that you will begin to pray for these special servics, and that you will invite and bring one person with you to these meetings. Why do we do what we do as a church? BECAUSE WE NEED TO REACH ONE MORE WITH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! Let those words seek in - ONE MORE! How many of you know ONE MORE PERSON WHO NEEDS JESUS??????

Connecting with you,
Pastor Ron

ENJOYING THE JOURNEY

Life is a journey and we never know what we are going to face in a given day! I am thankful for the testimonies of others that encourage me when I have a difficult time in the journey. Let me recommend a website for you and for people who need to come to Christ. This is a good witnessing tool for your family and friends.

The website is www.JourneyAnswers.com

SURVIVING STRESS

We live in stressful days, and it seems that people are stressed to the limit. As a child of God we need to realize that we have an answer in God's Word about stress. Philippians 4:6 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Verse 7 gives us the result - "And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I found the following in my files of how to deal with the stress. Think about the following:

1. Accept the fact that some days you will be the pigeon, and other days you will be the statue.

2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case one day you will have to eat them.

3. If you lend someone $20.00 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

4. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

5. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

6. The second mouse gets the cheese.

7. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

8. We can learn a lot from crayons. some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have live in the same box.

9. Never buy a car that you cannot push.

10. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

Let us learn to laugh a lot more in life, and give all our burdens to the Lord!

THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD

This morning in my devotions I was reading Psalm 119. Many of us know that this is the longest chapter in the entire Bible. However, as I read it again this morning I was reminded that this chapter is talking about the Power of the Word of God in our daily lives!

I would encourage you to read Psalm 119 and see for yourself the power of the Word of God in our lives. We must become people of the Word.

Let me highlight just a few verses about the power of the Word:

Psalm 119:9 - "How can a young man (young woman, old man, old woman, child, teen) keep his way pure? By living according to your word."

Psalm 119:89 - "Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stans firm in the heavens."

Psalm 119: 103 - "How sweet are your words to me taster, sweeter than honey to my mouth."

Psalm 119:105 - "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Psalm 119: 165 - "Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."

If you want to live a victorious Christian life then you must be a person who loves, learns and lives the Word of God!

THE RISKS OF LIFE

I look forward to our service tomorrow and speaking on the Risks in the Game of Life. Risks are a part of life, but I am so glad that God gives us some great principles to face the risks and to come out a winner! I am so thankful that God's plan for our lives is to be successful and that He will lead us onto victory!

Invite someone to come to church tomorrow!

PRAYING FOR OUR FAMILIES & FRIENDS

I was at a minister's meeting this morning and many of the requests for prayer were centered around family that are not presently serving the Lord? When I got back to the office and checked my emails I received some of these encouraging thoughts from the Launchpad and thought I would convey some of these thoughts if you are praying for unsaved loved ones.

Please take time to read John 16: 8-11 and that we see the absolute need for the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

How should we pray for them?

1. Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict them of thier sin and guilt before God.
That as they become aware of their sin, that it will drive them to Jesus.

2. Conviction will come on them and they will realize that their only hope is in
Jesus Christ.

3. An awareness of eternity will be overwhelming in thier lives!

4. Pray that they will realize the power of Jesus Christ is greater than any sin,
bondage, or addiction that they are battling with!

Let us keep praying and believing for every prodigal to come back to the Father!

HOW TO HANDLE THE SUMMER

Summer is finally here, and we are getting ready to go into the the dog days of summer. I know that I love this season of the year. I love the heat, the warmth, ability to get outside, time to get away and to relax.

Life comes to us in seasons. Some seasons are easier than others. Some seasons are difficult, while others are filled with joy. Summer is a season that it seems like we can take a breather and slow down a little bit. It is the season of vacations, going to the beach or the park. People try to find relief from the heat by going to a mall or to a lake. Summer is a great season!

Matthew 24: 32-33 - "Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you seel all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door."

No matter what season you are going through right now in your spiritual journey, let me remind you that the Lord is near. We have a responsibility to bring that good news to people who are in difficult seasons of life. Let us share the love of Jesus Christ!

Enjoy your summer!

MAKING ROOM FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

Good morning, it has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged. I was away on vacation with my entire family! There were 26 of us on this trip and that was a great time of being with family and reconnecting with my siblings and their families. There were also some time of tension, but that is what family is all about!

I appreciated Dave Fishers message yesterday in church, and the one phrase that he mentioned was what a church in Holland put on the wall of the church. "Make Room For The Holy Spirit." That is my prayer for South Attleboro that we will always make room for the Holy Spirit in our church and in our personal lives. We need His Spirit, His Anointing, His Power and His Presence in our lives daily!

I want to encourage you to make room for the Holy Spirit today!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

Today is Independence Day, the day that we remember the start of this great nation. It is amazing over time how we forget about how and why America was formed.
Most Americans really do not know much about the men who pledged their lives for the freedom that we have in America.

There were 56 men who signed their names and let me share how many of them were followers of Jesus Christ.

John Witherspoon was a minister and was the author of several books of sermons, and also was the editor of America's first family Bible in 1791.

Charles Carrol, wrote out his declaration of faith when he was 89 years of age. He wrote - "On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for my salvation, and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts."

Francis Hopkinson was a church music director and edited on of the first hymnals printed in America in 1767. He also put all 150 of the Psalms to music.

Roger Sherman wrote a personal creed that was adopted by his church. "I believe that there is only one living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may now glorify Him."

There are many others that we also followers of Christ. They were men who served God in their generation, and I pray for Godly leaders for our nation in this generation as well.

Let us pray for America that God will raise up Godly leaders and people!

THE POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT

I am so thankful for a friend who knows that I have been going through something, and just called to say that he wanted to encourage me. It lifted my spirits this afternoon.

We can all be an encouragement to someone every day! People are in real need to be encouraged, so I just want to encourage you to encourage someone else today and every day!

May you be encouraged in Him today!

R & R

It was a beautiful day today, and I took some time to be outside and work around my house this afternoon. I had to sand my deck and then stain it again.

The thing that I was amazed with, is that I did not think it was that bad. Until I got close enough to see the wear and tear on the deck. That is the same way spiritually, that I might look okay from a distance, but when I get close to the Lord He reveals that wear and tear of this world in my life. Just living in this world wears away at us spiritually.

The deck looks a lot better now, since I stained it again. It looks bright, clean and new. I am so thankful that that is what the Lord does to our lives as well. He makes us clean, bright and a new creation!

The point of the story, stay close to the Lord and allow Him to clean us daily!!!

THE GAME OF LIFE

This coming Sunday, we will be starting a new series for the summer called "The Game of Life." We have been made to realize how fleeting life can really be with the death of so many famous people over the last couple of weeks. What is the purpose of life? What does all of this mean?

Is life more than just working, saving, having money and then dying? Why are you playing the game of life?

Just a thought to get you thinking about this series!

Evangelism 101

It is amazing how many famous people have died this week, and they get all the attention. The world is grieving over the death of Michael Jackson, and then today Billy Mays died. Every second people are dying around the world and how many of them did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

One of the blogs that I read is from Mark Batterson, an A/G pastor in Washington DC. He gave his church an evangelism experiment. He gave this prayer and asked his congregation to pray it every day for the next week. I am going to ask you to pray this prayer for this upcoming week.

Let us pray and believe that God will use us over these next 7 days!

Pray this prayer:
"Lord, I pray for an opportunity to share my faith with someone in some way. It's not up to me to decide who or when or where. But I know why. Because you love them and want a relationship with them. So Lord, surprise me with opportunities to share my faith."
"Forgive me for trying to do your job for you. You are the one who convicts of sin. You are the one who draws to Christ. But help me do my part as salt and light. Help me see those opportunities to reac compassionately or listen patiently or speak kindly. Through word and deed, help me plant seeds of love in the lives of others. Give me boldness when it's time to speak. Give me restraint when it's time to listen. Give me words to say. But more importantly, give me ears to hear."
"Lord, help me be sensitive to the prompting of your Holy Spirit so I can see the divine appointments you send my way. Help me not to be afraid of questions I cannot answer. Help me not to be afraid of people's reactions or rejections."
"Lord, help me preach the gospel every day, when necessary, with words."
"In Jesus name, Amen!"

I pray that God will give us divine appointments this coming week!

Mission Impossible

Last night we have our Annual Church Business meeting and I shared a message called "Mission Impossible." Those are two interesting words that as a church we need to hear today:

MISSION
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel." That is the mission of the church!
Worship, Evangelism and Discipleship. The Mission is never to end, until Jesus comes back again. So as a church we must be about the mission! The Church is not about religion, programs and just maintaining and keeping people happy! The Church is about MISSION!

IMPOSSIBLE
How many remember the TV series called "Mission Impossible" Each episode would begin the with music and there was a tape and they played it and said. Jim, if you and your team accept this mission. If you are caught the government will not be able to help you. Then they would give them the mission, and then the tape would say, and this tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

The Church feels that it is on an impossible mission today. We look at the economy, the world, the violence, the sin and feel that there is nothing that we can do about it. Let me tell you without God it is am impossible situtation!

But I am encouraged that God is still on the Throne! I want to encourage you to read Isaiah 40 and see how awesome our God is and will always be.

CAN I TRUST ANYONE????

TRUST is one of those words that can give joy, peace and contentment in life. I am thankful that I can trust my wife completely! She is my friend, my sounding board, my prayer partner, the love of my life. I can be real, honest and open with Emma because we trust each other.

There are many people today that can not trust anyone. They have gone through relationships, churches, jobs, and feel that people have let them down. People will let us down in this world.

I am so thankful that I can trust the Lord! I want to encourage you to read Psalm 25.

Verse 1 - "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God..." I am thankful that when I am overwhelmed by the situations in life, that I can cry out to the Lord, turn to Him and trust in HIM!! This is the first step!

Verses 4-5 - The Psalmist declares that I must be instructed, taught by God and it tells me: "Show me your ways....teach me your paths...guide me in your truth."
When we know whom we trust in, it makes it easier to trust in the Lord."

Verse 7 - What a great God - Lord do not remember the sins of my youth (foolish days) but that He forgives me because He is good." He is good, I fail, mess up, sin and need His grace in my life!

When you read the rest of the Psalm 25 - David cries out for God to rescue Him. I am so thankful that the Lord is my LIFE JACKET!

Help for the Journey

This life is a journey,and sometimes that journey is going uphill and is very difficult. Other times the journey seems to be a little easier. For many right now, the journey is not very easy!

I became familiar with a webpage that I would like to recommend to you, and to people that you know that are searching for answers. This is a ministry of the Assemblies of God, so you can trust these stories and testimonies.

The web site is www.JourneyAnswers.com!

I pray that God will help you in your journey today, and tomorrow!

FATHER'S DAY

Tomorrow is Father's Day and we will gather together to honor our earthly Fathers, but how much more should we come ready to honor our Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally! I am thankful for a earthly Father, that led me to the Lord, was a loving husband to my mother, and a faithful loving dad to his children and grandchildren! I am thankful for his example.

I am aware that many do not have an earthly father that represented the Lord to them, and have a hard time connecting with God because of the example of their earthly Father. It is a shame how true this is today!

I want to encourage you to ask the Lord to be your Father! Jesus taught us to pray: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." When you can relate to God as your Father, you will be able to trust Him in all areas of your life!

On this Father's Day allow your real Father to love you unconditionally! He is our real Father!

SEEING GOD!

How many people would love to see God and His glory? In Psalm 19 the Psalmist tells us that we can see the glory of God in THE WORLD, and in THE WORD!

Psalm 19: 1-6 - tells us that we can see God in the world in which we live. Just look at the beautiful nature that we have around us. We live in a very special place in our world, that we can see it all from the mountains in New Hampshire, to the ocean just miles away, we can go north to some of the best lakes in the world, and we can go west and be in the woods and see the beauty of God's nature. So many times, we never leave our homes to see the beauty of God all around us in nature.

Psalm 19: 7 - 14; we see God through His Word that He has given to us. If we really want to see God then we need to spend time in His Word consistently!! Look at what God's Word will do in your life when you read it.

1. The Word of God REVIVES - The Word of God is perfect and flawless, and it is sufficient to meet all of my needs on a daily basis. Life has a way of beating us up and knocking us down. But God's Word speaks to us and revives us, refreshes us, and gives us what we need to make it through the day!

2. The Word of God PROVIDES WISDOM - (v. 7) "...making wise the simple."
The Word of God must be our guide in the storms of life. Just like a ship or a plane that when they cannot see where they are going they need to depend on the navigation systems. Our navigation system in life must be the Word of God. God's Word will help us to see things as they really are, and not just because of how I feel.

3. The Word of God PROVIDES JOY - (v. 8) - "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart." The Word of God brings me into the very presence of the Lord, and in His presence there is joy."

4. The Word of God PROVIDES CLARITY. (V. 9 ) "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous." The Word of God gives me clarity in how to live in a chaotic world. When everything is in chaos, God's Word gives clear direction. (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

5. The Word of God BUILDS GODLY CHARACTER. (10-14) Consistently reading the Word of God will produce in us a desire and conviction to please God by what we say and do. Daily we should live verse 14 - "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Spend some time this summer looking for God!

LOSING EVERYTHING

How many people feel today that they are losing everything! I can remember the time, I lost something of great value, my wedding ring. I was playing volleyball, and my wedding ring fell off my finger in the grass. As soon as I realized my ring fell off, we stopped the game and began a search for the ring. I was thankful that we found it after an extensive search.

What happens when you experience abandonment, rejection, loss of a job, divorce, terminal illness, broken dreams, or many other things in life? In Psalm 16 - this is what the Psalmist is facing.

At first, we face shock, anger, frustration, of the crisis going on in our lives, and then after some time we begin to cope with the situation.

What does David teach us:

Psalm 16:1 - "Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord - "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
- Our security, peace, rest is in the Lord and not in anything in this world. This world is going to let us down. People will hurt us, reject us in this life. Our bodies will let us down. Everything will let us down, but God!!

Psalm 16:5 - "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure."
How many times we do not like what the Lord has allowed us to go through in this life. We pray like Jesus in the Garden - "Let this cup pass from me." But Jesus did not end the prayer there. He went on to say - "Nevertheless, not my will but your will be done." We need to know that even in hard times the Lord's will for our lives is the best thing for us!

Psalm 16: 7-11 - We see what David does even in the difficult times of life. I will praise you O Lord." I will - not I feel like it! Because there are many things in life that we may not feel like doing, especially when you have lost everything! This morning begin to praise the Lord and watch what will happen in your spirit! In verse 11 - "You will fill me with joy in your presence." It is the presence of God that helps us when we have lost everything in this world!

HOW LONG????????

Summer is here and that is the time families get into the car and take their annual vacation! We start out heading towards our destination and if you have small children, you know that one of the first questions out of their mouths will be: "How long until we get there?" Are we almost there yet?"

How many of us in our spiritual lives ask that same question to God - "How long?"
When trials, heartache, problems come at us from all sides, we ask how long?

Psalm 13:1 - The Psalmist wrote: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me."

How many of us have felt that kind of hurt and pain in life? We begin to feel that God has forgotten about us! If God loved me, He would of stepped in by now, and change my circumstances.

How long will you hide your face from me? David was saying - I do not feel your presence any more. I do not see you! I do not sense your presence in these difficult times. Remember Romans 8: 35-39

How long will I be depressed? Psalm 13:2 - "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart." Have you been there??? Have we become discouraged and depressed with situations in life? It is at times like this, that we need His presence in our lives!

In Psalm 13:5-6 we see the answer when we go through things like this: "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."

We must make a choice of what we are going to focus on! When I feel so overwhelmed by life - I need to focus on His Love, and begin to worship Him! Stop focusing on the How Long and begin to focus on How Good He Is!

RESPONDING TO HURTS IN LIFE

How should we respond when someone hurts us badly or you are in a struggle that is causing great pain? Someone has said - "It is not what happens to us that matters, but how we respond to it."

I want to encourage you to read Psalm 5. David has been hurt, rejected and is on the run. We see that David is crying out to the Lord, and he is sighing! He is overwhelmed by life. Many can relate to this today!

In verse 3 - David gets strength and comfort from knowing that when he cries out to the Lord, that the Lord hears his prayers! (The Lord hears our prayers and cries as well.) Read Romans 8: 26-29

In verses 7-8 - David worships the Lord even when things make no sense in life. He was trusting in the Lord, and that is what we need to do on a daily basis as well.

In verse 11 - David teaches us that our victory comes as the Lord is our refuge, shield. As I follow the Lord He will bless me and take care of me on a daily basis!

How do I respond to the things that happen to me in life? I am going to serve the Lord and Love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength!

HURT BY PEOPLE

How many have ever been hurt or betrayed by people that are close to you! You know what that pain feels like deep in your heart! I know when I go through difficult times, I read the Psalms because it is a Book that brings comfort and strength when things are not going well!

I want to encourage you to read Psalm 3 today and as you read it think about the following: David was a man that went through difficult times of hurt, rejection and betrayal. David prays this prayer to to the Lord in a time when he was running for his life, and he was betrayed by King Saul.

What can we learn from David's prayer:

#1. BRING ALL YOUR PAIN DIRECTLY TO GOD! Psalm 3:1 Cry out to the Lord in your pain, because He will be there to love you and He will never leave you or forsake you. People may betray you, but God never will!!!

#2. EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS TO GOD! Do not hold your pain in and let it fester. Cast all your pain upon the Lord. Release your pain, hurts, anger to the Lord. You can do this in prayer, writing, journaling. We need to get it out or God can not fill us with a new meaning to life.

#3. EXAMINE THE SITUATION REALIISTICALLY! When you are in the middle of the problem, hurt, storm it is difficult to see things with a right perspective. This is the time to wait on the Lord. (Isaiah 40:31) Allow the Lord to give you wisdom before you make any lasting decisions. Too many times we make a decision in the heat of the moment and then we realize that we acted too quickly!

#4. SPEAK GOD'S TRUTH TO YOURSELF! Psalm 3:3 Begin to focus on God's Word and speak the truth in faith! Hide God's Word in your heart! Focus on the Promises of God in the dark times of Life! "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

#5. TRUST AND REST IN GOD! Psalm 3: 5-6 - David who in the middle of the storm, hurts and rejection is able to trust and rest in God. How many of us are nervouse wrecks when things do not go our way. David says - "I lie down and sleep, I wake again, bcause the Lord sustains me.. I will not fear..." Those are good words for us today!

#6. LIVE IN THE BLESSING OF GOD! Psalm 3:8 "From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people." God will bless us when we walk in obediedence to Him!

Today pray this prayer: "Today I want to thank You Lord, that you will never hurt me, abandon me, forsake me. I turn to You today, as the lifter of my head, and I place my trust in you. Lord bless me today, as I walk in obedience to You!"

LIFE'S CHOICES

Life is full of choices! Think about how many decisions or choices that you will have to make today? What will I eat? Will I workout today? Will I go to work? Will I do my chores? Will I be happy or sad? And the list of choices will go on and on every day of our lives. We must make a decision of which way we are heading in our lives. Are we walking in God's direction of the direction of the world.

I want to encourage you to read Psalm 1 today: In this Psalm we see a checklist for examining the direction that we are going in life?

As you read Psalm 1 ask yourself these questions personally:

1. DO I WALK IN THE COUNSELF OF THE WICKED, WORLDLY, SINFUL?

2. DO I STAND IN THE WAY OF SINNERS?
Standing refers to a fixed and steady position.

3. DO I SIT IN THE SEAT OF MOCKERS?
Sitting refers to something that is final. Do I mock, ridicule, make light
of the things of God and His Word?

4. DO I DELIGHT IN THE LAW OF THE LORD?

5. DO I MEDITATE CONTINUALLY ON THE WORD OF GOD?

The reality is that my answers to these questions will determine my destiny! How many want to live Psalm 1:6

I want to encourage you to make Godly choices today and tomorrow!!!

JESUS IS THE GREATEST CHANGER!

When we are a follower of Jesus Christ, it means that change will take place in our lives. 2 Corinthians tells us - "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come." How can we stay the same when the Mighty God comes to live inside of us!

When Jesus comes into our lives let me give you a few ways that we need to change. I preached this morning on the Crippled man at the pool. He was lying around the pool for 38 years, and could not get into the water. Jesus saw this unnamed man and asked him the question: "Do you want to get well?" Do we really want to change? Do we want the Lord to revive us, change us! Then we must begin to do what the Lord tells us to do!

Here is a couple of things:

If you are discouraged, depressed, frustrated - "Put on a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness."

If you are sad, overwhelmed by life - "The joy of the Lord is your strength." "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, and again I say rejoice."

If you feel that life is unfair, difficult - "Give thanks in all situations for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Jesus will help us when we begin to do what He tells us to do! As He told the crippled man in John 5 - "Get up and walk." Let us get up and begin to walk by faith and not by sight."

FEAR FACTOR

A couple of years ago there was a reality TV show that was called "Fear Factor." There were people that would come on the show and they would have to face fearful situations. How many realize that life is full of Fear Factors. Every day we are confronted with things that challenge our FEAR or challenge our FAITH!

There are too many people that are overwhelmed with fear! Some fears are rational, (fear of heights, fear of closed places, fear of snakes, fear of public speaking, etc.) We all battle some kind of fear like this. However, there are other fears that are totally destructive. There are people that are afraid of leaving thier homes, fearful of sunlight, fearful of working, and these kinds of fear can ruin a person's life. Some fears keep people from being able to function in real life.

Fear is a powerful and destructive thing. Fear can paralyze our lives, ruin relationships, rob us of being able to make decisions, and even overwhelm our faith in Christ.

When you are faced with overwhelming fear - turn to God's Word:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging.

Whatever fear is overwhelming your life - surrender that fear to the Lord and trust Him in your situation!

Our God is a faithful God!

HOW MUCH IS YOUR TIME WORTH???

Tim Elmore wrote a book "Habitudes". One of the chapters deals with Opportunity (how we handle time in our lives.) In this chapter he included this list that I think helps us to evaluate our time.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed the final exam.
To realize the value of one month, ask a mom who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one day, ask the daily laborer with ten kids to feed.
To realize the value of one hour, ask a boyfriend and girlfriend who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute, ask the person who has just missed his flight.
To realize the value of one second, ask the person who survived a car accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the pwerson who won a gold medal.

Everyone has 86,400 seconds each day to use or misuse. What are you doing with yours today?

Connecting with you!

THE OLDER BROTHER

As I mentioned yesterday, I am reading a book about The Prodigal Son, by Henri Nouwen. In his book, he uses the picture by Rembrandt about the Prodigal Son. In this painting we see the Father who is an elderly man, placing his hands on the Prodigal son that has come home. The son is on his knees before his father, and the father is holding him tightly and his hands of blessing are on his son. The Prodigal son is dirty, with torn clothes, one sandal is broken and the other one is off. The son is at home with the father.

A short distance away in the painting is a man that is described as the elder brother. He is standing with a large distance between the father and the prodigal son. He is standing erect with his hands folded. He is dressed in royal colors, but with a scowl on his face. In the book, Nouwen talks about how many times we are like the older brother as Christians. We have this idea that we are better than the sinner, and have a right to all that God has for us! He says in the book - that we really have two prodigals in this story. One realized it and went home to the Father, and the other one does not even see his need for the father!

The reality is we all need to be home with the Father. He loves us and wether we are a prodigal in the world or a prodigal in the church, we need to be in a right relationship with the Father!

We have a father that is waiting for us!!!

THE PRODIGAL IN ALL OF US!

In Luke 15 - we have the familiar parable of the Prodigal Son. How many times we read the Word but we do not allow it to speak to us in real life issues that we deal with on a daily basis!

I was given a book by Henri Nouwen, "The Return Of The Prodigal Son." A Story of Homecoming. Henri Nouwen was a priest, who after 30 years, felt like there was more in his spiritual journey. He saw a painting by Rembrandt - "The Return of the Prodigal Son." He was scheduled to go to the Soviet Union where the painting was on display at St. Petersburg Cathedral. He sat in front of the picture for 2 days, and the book is his thoughts as he sat in front of that picture, and what the Lord spoke to him.

One of those things, was the price of leaving home! How many prodigals leave home trying to fill their lives with the things of the world. However, the reality is how many Christians leave home. Home - is the place of God's unconditional love and we try to fill it with material things, emotional things, relationships, friends, hobbies. etc.... Why would we want to go to a distant country when we can go home to the Father!

How many of us have areas that are prodigal and the Father is asking us to come back home! It is at home that God will uncoditionally love and accept us, even when we sin, fail and mess-up. I am tired of being a prodigal, it is time to go home to the Father!

OVERCOMING LIFE'S DIFFICULT TIMES

Jesus tells us in His Word - "Do not worry about tomorrow, since today has enough troubles of it's own." I do not know about you, but life has a way of throwing us very difficult, sometimes almost overwhelming situations in our lives. I know that if it was not for the Lord, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, that I would not make it!

I have been reading the Psalms during this time of great struggle and I am thankful for the Holy Spirit that fills us with His presence, His power, His love, His comfort.

I want to encourage you to read Psalm 27 and allow the Lord to encourage you from His Word.

In verse 1 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid."

David was a man who understood fear? He was a hunted man, running for His life. David committed adultery and murder and he understood difficult times in life. Today, you may be experiencing fear over situations in your life. Fear from people, fear of the future, fear of rejection, fear of finances, fear of guilt and condemnation, fear of bad choices, fear loneliness, etc.

The Lord gives us hope in verse 1 - by making these things a reality!
- The Lord is MY LIGHT (light has a way of making things clearer and easier to handle. God's Word is light - and when we are in a time of darkness, confusion, depression, what we need is God's light!

- The Lord is MY SALVATION - I need a personal relationship with the Lord! Not my parents salvation, religion, but a real and living relationship with the Lord personally in our own lives. Is the Lord YOUR PERSONAL SALVATION today?

- The Lord is the STRONGHOLD OF MY LIFE - What is the strongest thing in your life? Is is your family, mate, children, friends, finances, job, or a number of other things? These things will always fail you, let you down, disappoint you. I am so thankful that the LORD IS THE STRONGHOLD OF MY LIFE!

Today if you are going through a rough time! Encourage yourself in the Word of God!

LIGHT OF OUR COMMUNITY

Jesus tells us - "To be the light of the World." I am so thankful for the churches that pulled together to be a light in our community this morning! It was great to get together with other Bible believing churches and just serve our community. I am also proud of the great job that our people did to just serve and shine in our community!

It was a hard job, dirty job, but you all did a great job! I appreciate your servants' attitude and am thankful for you!

SOWING AND REAPING

With all the negative talk today about the economy, jobs, finances, it is so easy to become fearful and overwhelmed by life! We must make a decision concerning our lives and if we will live by FEAR or live by FAITH! When you read the Word of God - it tells us over and over that we must live by faith. Hebrews 11 tells us that without Faith it is impossible to please God! If I want to please God then I must become a person of faith and not fear.

I was reading this morning in 2 Corinthians 9: 6-9 (I want to encourage you to read it). In these verses we see that the choice of how much we sow will determine how much we reap in our lives. Sow little, reap little. Sow much, reap much. We must understand that the sowing always comes before the reaping. That is what faith is! When you really get to the issue - it is a heart issue! Do I trust God or not? Do I have faith or not? Will I take Him at His Word or not!

The choice is up to me, and I want to sow and sow and sow, so that God will give me a great harvest so that I can sow more! How about you??