A Time to Re-Model

My wife and I are in the midst of a re-modeling project at home. Some we have professionals working on, others it is just her and I. It amazes me what a fresh coat of paint can accomplish, especially one of a different color. As opposed to a living room all one color we now have an accent wall of a different color, wow! From beige to bright(I am not allowed to say what color as we want it to be a secret from family). Anyway the old needed a little sprucing up.
The same holds true for our spiritual lives. We have a tendency to get way to comfortable in where we are in our faith. We have, I know that I have even grown complacent at times, and boy does God have some harsh words for those who grow complacent or luke warm. Look up Revelation 3:15. To help us to not get to this place we need to allow the Holy Spirit from time to time to "Re-model" our lives, so that we look more like Christ and less like everyone else in the world. We have that call in I Peter 2:11 to live as "Aliens" in this present world. To stick out amidst the crowd as followers of Christ. So how are yo doing at this? If you need a little help may I suggest that you allow the Holy Spirit to be your Spiritual Interior Decorator and to let Him make you over into the Child of Christ, He and you want to be!
Your Brother in Christ Pastor Rick

Mood Rings

Many years ago there was such a thing as "Mood Rings" that were quite the hot item. You would place the ring on your finger and in a matter of moments the stone in the ring would turn to a color that was to be reflective of the mood that you were in. How ingenuous! Maybe we should all be required to wear such a ring as this. Could save a bunch of arguments! Well if society today wore these rings, they would for the most part turn the color Blue, I believe. Not because blue is a warm or welcoming color, but instead because blue is a color associated with sadness, being down in the dumps, glum, need I go on. The weather has a part to play in this, but mostly I believe the biggest factor is that people have lost HOPE! It has run out and they no longer know where to turn. Financial woes, broken family relationships and friendships, politics, and so much more play havoc with our emotional state. So where do we turn? Take time out to read Isaiah 40:28-41, but hear just a few words from God written by Isaiah, "But those whose HOPE is in the Lord, will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint!" We, in general, turn to everything else under the sun to try and get rid of our "Blues", alcohol, drugs, sports, our toys and many more things. But only one promises hope, Christ Jesus. So as you sit and look out of your window on this blustery winter day and sigh, take a few moments, read a few words form our Lord in Isaiah and encounter His peace. Love You All Pastor Rick

With Arms Wide Open

One of the more recent rock groups that I enjoy listening to occasionally is Creed. One of the songs that they sing that feels me with great emotion and at times even causes tears to run down my cheeks is, "With Arms Wide Open". It is a song about a father dreaming about the upcoming birth of his son. About him not being ready for all that is ahead, but about him wanting to show everything to his new son that he can be. The father-to-be hoping and praying that his son will be even much more of a man of love and caring then he has been himself. This song became very special to me as I awaited the birth of my Grandchildren. That I wanted to be the grandfather to them that I never had. That I wanted to be one that would always be there with my arms wide open unto each of them through in the years to come. But the song also reminds me vividly that I have, that you have a Father in Heaven who opens wide his arms to us each and every day. His arms wide open wanting to embrace us, comfort us, let us know that everything is going to be o.k. A Father whom calls upon us to come back home to Him after we have failed Him and others miserably. A Father who does not just wait for us with His arms wide opens, but is running towards us with His arms wide open waiting to usher us back into His marvelous love! Run back to your first love brothers and sisters and feel once again the peace , hope and love that only God our Father can give!

Young Minds & Hearts

This past Sunday I did something I had never done before. What was it you ask? Well I decided to volunteer the High School youth at Church to help me teach the Pre-school thru first grade class at Church. Now I have taught most every other age group there is, from 2nd graders thru Senior Citizens, but this past Sunday I sat around a table of 10 little kids so full of energy that when the time was up I sat down for a few brief moments to access what had just happened. In a nut shell I thoroughly enjoyed myself and for that reason alone the youth and I will lead this group for the rest of the month of January. The youth did a great job as well. Coop & Austin put on a little puppet skit that they had not seen until Sunday morning and they did a wonderful job. The kids ate it up! Our puppet is our Gorilla from vacation Bible School. The rest of the youth helped the kids cut stuff out, glue things down, led the kids in a little scavenger hunt and much, much more! It stretched me to prepare for this class, but then is that not what is supposed to happen with our faith? Are we not to move beyond our comfort Zone. I am almost afraid to pick-up the teachers book for this week and to see how God is going to stretch me out once again. For those of you who have not done something like this in a while, I ask you to consider doing something outside of your Comfort Zone. Where or what is it that God is calling you to? I don't know what is in store for myself and the youth for this Sunday, but I do know this, we will ALL learn a bit more about Christ and we will have fun while doing it!
May You be open to God's leading in the week ahead. Pastor Rick

A Relationship not to enter into lightly

At each and every wedding that I officiate at there is a time in the service where I tell the couple before me, that this is a relationship not to enter into lightly. Words that come from scripture. Words that mean that Marriage is a relationship, only second in importance to that of the one we are to have with Christ as our Lord and Savior. And like any relationship that you find yourself in, they take work by both husband and wife to make marriage a mutual blessing. This past Sunday, Beckie and I celebrated 35 years of marriage, wow, that's a long time. There are days when I don't feel much older then 35 and there are days that Beckie says that I act like I am no more then 5! Anyway, because of all of our personality traits , our mood swings, kids, jobs, finances and all of that other stuff that brings stress into our lives, Marriage takes work! It takes massive amounts of patience, it takes saying "I'm Sorry" and meaning it. It takes forgiveness that sometimes doesn't come easy to give and it takes perseverance when tempted to throw in the towel. But mostly what it takes is Christ in the midst of your marriage relationship. Without Christ being an important part of both the husband and wives lives, marriage can become a relationship that may not last long or be filled with problems that are not easily overcome. I love being married to my wife. I cannot imagine not having someone to not share my life with and to not trying my best to immerse myself into her life as well. So, for those of you who are married out there, first piece of advice. Strengthen your relationship with Christ and your marriage will get stronger and the second piece is to consider your spouses needs more important then your own. Oh, one more, have dinner together every once in awhile, with no other family or friends with you and sit across the table from one another and just visit! You will soon see your relationship growing. May you celebrate many happy anniversaries with your spouse in the coming years. Pastor Rick