The news from Indonesia has been heartbreaking with the number of people who died.  First as an earthquake hit their area and then in the aftermath of the tsunami.  It’s like a one-two punch from nature when something bad is followed by something worse.  Life can be full of one-two punches, someone gets sick and then their house burns down.  In those moments we really get what it was like to be Job, to have your crops burn, your livestock stolen and then news that your children died.  And right at first you aren’t allowed to turn to the last page and see how it all works out.  These are the times when our faith is really tested.   It is also the time when God can shine through the brightest.  I may have the best and brightest searchlight ever but on a bright sunny day it’s of minimal use.  In the darkest of nights is when it shines its best and when I need it the most.
You probably haven’t been hit by an earthquake followed by a tsunami, even though you may have been hit by a hurricane followed by days of torrential rain, but maybe lately several days have ganged up on you.  We need to remember the words of Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.”  In this section of Isaiah the Lord is reassuring his people he is there for them, they don’t need to fear.  He will take them by the right hand and lead them.  It should be noted Isaiah wrote at a time when God and Judah (the southern Kingdom) were not on good terms and much of what Isaiah has to say is a warning.  Yet even in these times God was also telling his people how much he loved them and longed for them.  He was still there for them.
Too often when we are going through difficult times we see God as mad at us, mad and punishing.  In reality even in these times God is loving and merciful, just when we need that the most.  So when you feel like life is giving you a good thrashing, look around to see that searchlight from God.  It’s there; you just have to look for it.
 

 ​I am firmly of the opinion that the character of the person I marry should reflect my relationship in Christ.  In II Corinthians 6:14 Paul says that we are not to be yoked together with an unbeliever.  Now there are many ways that we yoke our life together with someone, it could be business partners or best friends, but who we marry is certainly at the top of the list that Paul is talking about.  So why would God tell you to marry someone who obviously fits into the “don’t be yoked together” category?  I guess we just have to ask the prophet Hosea for that is what God did ask of him.
When God began to speak to Hosea the first thing he told him was to go take an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness.  God also tells him why.  Many of the prophets not only spoke God’s message to the people, they lived it out.  For further lessons on this read the prophet Ezekiel.  God loved and cared for Israel as a father and husband.  When the children of Israel came to occupy the Promised Land, God fought many of the battles for them.  Remember Jericho, all they had to do was to march around the city and then blow the trumpets and the walls came tumbling down.  Over the years what had been Israel’s response?  Time and time again they turned and worshipped other gods, ignoring the covenant and the promises. 
The life and marriage of Hosea and Gomer was an object lesson to Israel.  God is telling them of his hurt and rejection.  But just as he sends Hosea to buy Gomer back from the slave market, so God is telling his people that he longs to have them back and will forgive them if they will turn to him.
It may seem strange to us the way God sent his message to Israel and what the cost of that message was for Hosea, but God is speaking all the time to us.  Certainly we have His Word, the Bible to turn to but he also speaks to us through the experiences we have and the experiences of others.  God is willing to use any means necessary to get our attention.  Some folks have found God at the end of a divorce, others through bankruptcy.  Some find him at the end of their rope or the bottom of a bottle, but make no mistake, God is talking, God is reaching, God is loving us all the time, and we need to listen.
 
Don
 

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This question gets presented to us in a variety of ways:  “What’s your opinion on this topic?”  “How did you like your experience at our shop?” “Do you agree or disagree with a certain story or news source?”  We are bombarded not only by people asking us this question, but people telling us their positions and attitudes.  Now this isn’t a bad thing, it is us communicating with each other, expressing ourselves and at times trying to win others over to our position.  Usually the topics are ones that we feel passionate about and want to share with others.
The one position that we should be ready to share, and to have a concern for where others are at, is our position before Christ.   Where I stand with Him? What do I believe about Him?  Who is He in my life? These questions should be in the forefront of our lives.  In l Corinthians 9:19 – 23 Paul stresses that in Christ he is free, but in order to share Christ with as many as possible he made himself a slave to all men.  When evangelizing the Jews, he lived under the Law.  He didn’t do this for salvation, but to have the chance to talk with them and share Christ.  When reaching out to those who didn’t live under the Law, us Gentiles, he lived as a Gentile even though he was under the law of Christ.  He said that he became all things to all men that he might have the opportunity to save some.
Are we willing today to put aside personal positions and attitudes so that they don’t get in the way of reaching out to a group of people for Christ?  We aren’t required to do this.  Paul said he didn’t have to do it but voluntarily did it to win some to Christ.  This goes beyond just political views, but encompasses all things.  In Romans 14 Paul talks about how we should treat the ones we consider “weaker brothers”.  If I use my freedom to run over them, am I being Christ to them?  Of course the answer is “No”.  He knew that meat offered to another god wasn’t really offered to a god since there is only one true God.  But the other person, still growing in their faith, believed that meat to belong to Zeus and if anyone ate it that means they were honoring Zeus.  In that case Paul says don’t eat, because it makes my brother to stumble.  One brother believes one day is more holy than the others and must worship on that day, another believes all days are God’s.  One Christian believes only one version of the Bible is blessed of God and another enjoys looking over different versions.  One Christian may believe it is un-American to buy a certain brand of car and by extension it is un-Christian.  Another may feel that has nothing to do with his relationship with Christ and just wants to find a good deal.  Should they argue over that or should they question each other’s faith?
The point is my views and attitudes on issues outside of Christ should be of secondary importance when it comes to living in such a way that Christ is first and foremost what people see in my life (that even includes the Cowboys).  That’s not to say we don’t have positions (Go Cowboys) but these should never be stumbling blocks in presenting Christ to the world (even Eagles’ fans need Jesus).  All these things will pass with usage, but the Word of God is eternal.  Live in such a way that your position on Christ is evident to all, but is always presented in love and concern for the other.
Don
 

In the Princess Bride, as Inigo Montoya is about to avenge his father’s death by killing Count Rugen in a dual, he first says, “Offer me anything, all that I ask for.”  The Count agrees to this and even more.  Then Montoya delivers this line, “I want my father back.”  Most of us have not lost our fathers to an evil Count, but if we have lost a father we understand the hurt and loss.  If the loss happened when we were young we may imagine the activities and talks that we missed out on.  As our memories become more faded we hang onto them more tightly.  Even later in life we feel the loss of someone who was so instrumental in shaping who we are today.
Father’s Day allows us a time to remember and reflect.  We remember the times with our fathers and if you still have your father look forward to building even more times together.  We reflect on the lessons we were taught, some to hang onto, some to learn from and move on.  As I sit here at my desk I have two pictures of my dad near me.  One is at his high school graduation.  He is dressed in a suit, his dark hair combed just so and a handkerchief in his coat pocket.  We don’t always think that at one time our parents were also young, full of dreams and hopes for the future.  In the second picture he is standing with my mother.  It was taken not long before he was diagnosed with cancer.  The face is more wrinkled and weathered, but the look in the eyes and the set of the chin are still the same.  I learned so much about life from him in too brief a time.  I was just short of my 23rd birthday and less than two months away from the birth of our first daughter when he passed away Thanksgiving Day, 1979.
Holding someone in our heart of course means that we think about them, we recall times together, the conversations shared.  We smile, we laugh, we sigh and we cry.  And just like Montoya we want our fathers back.   Jesus reminds us that we have a father in heaven who also wants to share our lives, to shape us and guide us.  He has so many life lessons to share with us, so much wisdom on how to live to bring to us.  This Father’s Day make room in your heart to spend some time not only with your earthly father but with your heavenly father as well.
Don
 

   ​I’m not much of a camera guy.  Who knew I’d raise a daughter who has a great eye for photography (people are even willing to pay her money for it).  You see to really get the proper focus for a picture it’s more than just adjusting the lens on your camera.  Any more the camera will do that for you (which only proves that my camera is smarter than I am).  But what that auto focus can’t do is to compose the picture  It can’t decide which is the most important thing to focus on.  One of the big differences between a pro and an amateur is knowing how to compose the frame of the picture.  I’m always amazed when a professional photographer takes a picture of something that is common, an everyday event or activity, and by the way they see it and frame the shot, it looks like something new.  The people who take pictures for National Geographic are known for this.
      How have you framed your life?  If I were to look at the world around us through your eyes what would I see?  That’s actually a very important question for understanding others.  I know how I see the world and by default I assume everyone sees the world the same.  That’s one reason why when people present a very different picture of the world then what I have, I’m shocked or angered.  I think “Your picture is wrong, that’s not how the world looks!”  Well, you are partially right, the world doesn’t look that way to you.  But someone else can look at the same situation and frame it completely differently.  Does that make them “wrong” or maybe even evil?
       When God looked at us he could have framed us as total losers, sinners not worth the effort.  But Paul tells us in Romans 5 that’s not what God saw.   While we were sinners, useless and even enemies to him, he saw a reason to love and forgive us through his son.  What it means to have the eyes of faith is to see things from God’s viewpoint.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you could look through the lens of a great photographer and look at a common scene and see the beauty and the uniqueness of the frame.   You see as Christians that is our call.  We need to see the world with the opportunities that God sees.   Jesus told his disciples that the fields were white for harvest.  In other words, there are so many opportunities out there and so many people that need us.  The disciples may have looked around and thought Lord, there’s only the same old people, the same old problems that have always been here.  What do you mean?
       You look around and see people who don’t agree with your politics.  You see situations and ideas you don’t agree with, and situations that you think people just need to grow up and get over.  What does God see through his lens?  Opportunities!  Maybe we need to check our focus!
Don
 

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What gets your motor running?  What flips your switch?  What motivates you?  As we have been studying Paul’s letter to the Romans on Sunday mornings he is clear that the message of Christ, the gospel, is his motivation.  As he prepares for his hoped for trip to Rome he writes to them sharing his message that he longs to give to them in person, that there is a new way to be righteous through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

What if we all shared that same passion for the gospel?  What if the first thing we thought about posting on Facebook wasn’t the latest political comment or pictures of puppies but the gospel?  What if we shared that passion for Christ?  One thing for sure, the world would be made better, which is more than most of us can say for the things we post on Facebook or spend our time talking or texting about.  That sounds like an idea whose time has come.  Let’s make a point to post a scripture, a testimony, or a quote on the gospel.  What other ways can we use to share the gospel?  In conversation how do we bring Christ into the conversation?  I remember when I was younger the answer to that was usually to have a tract handy to pass out.  Or sometimes you would have a stock question to ask, usually “If you were to die tonight how do you know you would be in heaven?”  The problem with those answers is that they feel artificial, like I’m an overbearing salesman breathing down the neck of my next victim.  And usually with the same results, the person bolts and runs at the first opportunity.

So how are we to share the gospel, after all I’m motivated I want to.  I really care about people’s relationship with Christ.  The first thing is to care about the people.  Paul wanted to get to Rome so that he could hang out with them, spend time talking with them and getting to know them.  I believe Paul spent as much time just talking with people as he did preaching to them.  I know Jesus himself made connections with folks.  He went to their homes, he went out to where they were, and he had them get in close and personal with him.  You see instead of worrying over when is the right time to jump in and ambush someone for Jesus, we need to make connections and in those connections we will find that we don’t have to  force the conversation.  But we need to be willing to walk into the conversations that God opens for us.  These will happen as we really care about others and get to know them.
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Be motivated for Christ, but then live your motivation.  It will make a difference.
Don
 

​           We’ve all heard the phrase, “What would Jesus do?” made famous in the book, In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon.  And in the story a pastor challenges his congregation for one year, that before they do anything to ask the question, “What would Jesus do?”  I think to really answer that question we have to first ask ourselves, “What did Jesus do?”  Rev. Steve Miller, who has been meeting with the Ministerial Fellowship to help us with the ministry of reconciliation, said that one of the greatest challenges he received was to look in the scriptures and really think about that question and the answer.
I started reading the other evening in the gospel of Luke (Matthew already gets lots of attention being first but Luke is an excellent read too).  After his baptism and temptation, as he is beginning his ministry the first thing he does is to go home.  On the Sabbath in Nazareth Jesus reads the scripture from Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18,19) We don’t have to wonder very long what Jesus would do, he tells us himself.  He preached good news, he proclaimed freedom, he gave sight to the blind, he released the oppressed and proclaimed the year of God’s favor.  Time and time again we see Jesus reaching out to the common man, the poor, the outcast and making a connection with them.  Yes, he taught, but not from haughty pride, but from love.  He healed the sick and cast out demons, not to impress people with himself, but to impress on them that his message was from the Father.  As someone has said he comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable.
If I am to live out this idea of living as Jesus would have, I have to not worry about what society says, at both the local level (my neighbors) and the national level (media).  Now realize this, as Jesus lived out the Father’s will that put him at odds not only with secular society but with the religious leaders of his day.  Jesus’ sharpest words and disputes weren’t with the heathen, they were with the Pharisees and teachers of the Law.  Courage to live as Jesus did is courage to stand your ground even with those you love.  So ask yourself when you post something on Facebook is this something Jesus would do (if he had had Facebook, of course he didn’t).  When you take a stand are you standing with society or are you standing with Jesus?  And here’s one more thing I can’t answer that for you.  You need to be in the word, in prayer and seeking God’s will for your life to know the answer, “Is this what Jesus would do?” 
   Don
 
 
 

As I’m getting ready to type up the newsletter I title my page Newsletter January 2018, and it hits me – 2018.  What happened to 2000, that was eighteen years ago.  Now the younger ones reading this will just think the pastor has lost his marbles (not so we gave them to the grandkids for Christmas) or that he’s dipped a little too deep into the eggnog (yes, but it was non-alcoholic).  It’s just that time keeps on ticking into the future (no I’m not about to fly like an eagle – the older ones will get it, the younger ones can Google the phrase).  The real question isn’t how did time get to going so fast and how is it already 2018 (only two years away from 2020) but what am I doing with all this time?
Paul, some 1950 years ago, wrote in the Ephesian letter “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as the unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”  Eph. 5:15-17
Nearly 2,000 years ago, or two years ago Paul’s statement rings true.  The days are evil; there is much hatred and discontent in the world.  Peace is a hard commodity to come by.  We have voices and influences calling from every side.  What are we to believe?  What are we to do?  Well, the answer to that has not changed in all these years and won’t no matter how many more years I see.  Understand and do the Lord’s will.  Some will say, “OK, but what is his will?”  Study to show thyself approved.  In other words, get into His Word, study and discuss with others.  Coming up in 2018 I will be preaching over Paul’s letter to the Romans.  I’ve always considered this to really be Paul’s statement of faith, what as Christians we really need to believe.  Much like our study of Revelation it won’t be quick and to get the most out of it you’ll need to read over Romans, many times.  But this reveals to us so much of what we need to believe and how we need to redeem our time that God has given us.
Don
 

    It’s scary to turn on the news these days, scary and depressing.  It seems no place is safe and no place is sacred anymore.  With the shootings we see from sin city to the church sanctuary it is easy to feel that the world has simply gone crazy.  Churches now along with schools, hospitals, and courthouses are looking more like military installations with armed guards patrolling the grounds.  So what is our response to all this?
   Some of you may be thinking by now, “Pastor, this doesn’t seem like much of a Christmas message.”  Yet this is why we have Christmas, man’s sin and God’s plan.  The child laid in a manger represents the greatest answer to the troubles we see around us.  Our security shouldn’t be in a gun, it didn’t really help the ol’ West that much anyway.  Our security isn’t in a man in the White House; they come and go on a regular basis. 
    Security is our sense of peace, of hope, the feeling that it will all work out.  We don’t find that kind assurance in the world.  We do find in Christ the plan for our needs and as Paul tells us the peace that passes all understanding.  In Christ all the promises of God are yes.  We find what we need.  So where are you looking for your security?  Any other place then Christ is a false hope, a shifting answer for an eternal problem.  Christ is the answer for your security.