A Place to "Get Away To"

Yesterday in my message I used a phrase that went something like this. As Christians, with the Holy Spirit's guidance, we are to create an atmosphere within our Churches to make them places to "Get Away To" rather then places to "Get Away From".  I find myself pondering that statement this Monday morning. We live in a day and age where for MOST people, even for us who live within so-called small towns where everyone gos to church, going to Church on any given Sunday is low on their list of things to do with their weekend. This is a fact! So, we can sit here and say, "Oh woe is us" and continue to slowly fade away, or to put it more bluntly, die. Or you can ask yourselves as a church and as individuals, "What can I Do to help make my Church a place to Get Away To?" But simply asking that question is not enough. What are You going to do about it? It's time to quit the whining about what other churches have that you/we may not. About how "THEY" are taking people away. Believe me, there are plenty of people out there who need and want a good church home. The Church just needs to create that Holy Place, that healing place, that place where Hope is found, that place where everybody knows your name. Alright, that last statement dates me and my years of TV watching. So I ask you to ponder this statement as well and see what the Holy Spirit is asking you to do in making Christ's Church wherever you attend, one that people want to get away too.
Bless God this Week! Pastor Rick Koch Dutchtown  

Being at Peace

There is a verse in Romans 12 that I have tried to live out as best I can as a Christian and a Pastor. It is Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Doing all I can do to live at peace with everyone around me as best as I can. This can be difficult my friends, but it is a calling that I have tried to fulfill. One place in my life that I have had to rest in this verse is when it comes to my relationship with my mom and step-dad, Phil. It has been "Rocky" at best ever since I got out of high school. As a matter of fact neither of my two brothers or my two step sisters have much of a relationship with them, if any at all. They had always looked to me to keep them informed about was going on in Missouri. Over the years I have spent considerable energy trying to not simply, "keep the peace", but to build a relationship with Mom & Phil. Some headway was made once in a while and then in a matter of moments it would vanish amidst harsh words thrown my way and then I would hear the familiar sound of a phone hung-up in anger. I bring this up to you all today for this weekend I was informed that my Mom has Alzheimer's. And has had for a while. My step-father has made it clear that I and my siblings are unwelcome to go and see our Mom. And I now must live in the pain of knowing that I will not ever have another conversation with my Mom.
      So I try and find a little solice in Romans, knowing that over the years I have invested my heart into trying to live at peace, yet today that seems a bit hollow to me as I now have no more opportunities to try again. I write this today out of my own need to do so, to begin anew the healing. But also for those of you who have strained relationships within your families and you are striving to work for peace. Keep at it, for you never know when you might have your last conversation with that loved one. Or like myself, what did I even say in that last conversation.
       Time now for me to move and to trust in God's healing and forgiveness. Pastor Rick Koch         

Courage for the Future

I love my daily devotional "The Upper Room"! Through the writer's who contribute to it I find myself blessed on a regular basis. If you are not using it, I highly recommend that you do.
Anyway on one that recently spoke to me and I believe speaks to many of you a well. The topic of having "Courage" as we face the uncertainty of tomorrow.
I am certain that most of you out there have at one time or another longed for the "Good ole' Days". Better times in your personal life that have been swept away by time or maybe more fruitful times as a church that keep you always looking back. It happens to us all, even our heroes in the Bible. Take Joshua for instance. He was given the job of following in Moses footsteps. WOW! Talk about big shoes to fill. I cannot imagine the pressure that Joshua felt. But here now the word of God from Joshua 1:2, "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people get up, get ready, quit looking backwards and go and cross the Jordan river, into the land I have promised you." No eulogy to Moses, no listing of his conquests, only he is dead. And it is now your time Joshua to take these people from this time forward. Be strong and courageous, for I will be with you. And oh, by the way I will empower you Joshua just as I did Moses".
It is hard for us at times to move on, to consider that God has even better things awaiting us who are faithful unto Him. Therein lies the issue! The rub if you will. You see, the courage and strength you need to move forward is ONLY found in Christ! For those of you who get your courage and strength from God, you cannot fail!
So whoever your "Moses" was, cherish their memory, what they passed down to you, but now go courageously where no man has gone before. Do you like the little Star Trek blurb there? May our all powerful God empower you for whatever lies before you and may you encounter the Courage only He can grant. Love ya' all, Pastor Rick Koch Dutchtown

Intelligent Design

Time to stir the pot a little bit on this Monday morning. This past week my wife, Beckie and I took a few vacation days and we went into Chicago to see the sites. As she puts it, "we did all the red-neck stuff that people from the country come to Chicago to do". For those of you who live there or within it's proximity you can have that rat race and it's traffic! Anyway, one of the things on our Red-neck to do list was to go to the Field Museum. We had not been there for well over 10 years. It's one I need to go to more often, for there are certain exhibits we all need to see so that we can learn from our past. But the one exhibit we went through which caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up the most, was the one on Evolution. Let me get this out right now, I am one who firmly believes in Intelligent Design or in other words, I believe in the Biblical Creation Story. As I walked through this exhibit with it's sleek videos and hands on activities for kids, I found myself praying and hoping that maybe these same parents would be teaching to there little ones the miracle of God's Creation as well, or at least expose them it it and let them decide. You see for me, even though I do not have all of the answers to Evolutionist, nor do they have for me, I believe in a God that can do anything! One of the problems that I see in many of today's Christians is that they/we/me often sometimes try and put God in a box, thus limiting what He can do. What a shame! You see our God is bigger then anything I or you can ever imagine. And His power is limitless! So let's start living our faith like we believe this. Or we can just wonder about in chaos, in this stew we call life, like our so-called cousins the salamanders! Hey, I'll bet those critters are good as fishing bait!
Love ya' all! Pastor Rick Koch Dutchtown Church

Calloused Christians

I have developed a number of callouses on feet over the past few years from the running I have done. Layer upon layer of hardened skin that has built up that has now kept me from getting as many blisters as I once would get. Callouses here are a good thing! But I have also noticed that from time to time I build up callouses that envelop my heart. No, not my physical heart, but my spiritual one. This happens when I become more and more like Thomas, always needing to see over and over again Christ moving in my life or in the life of the Church. While in the midst of one of these funks I had not to long ago, I found myself reading in John 4 about the story of a sick little boy, the son of a prominent Roman official. The man says to Christ, "Sir, please come before my little boy dies." Jesus then says back, "You may go, your son will live." The next part is what I find intriguing. The story simply say, the man took Jesus at His word. He did not need Christ to go to his home, no fancy prayer needed to be uttered. Why? Because this man, who we lead to believe may not be a follower of Christ, took Him at His word! What a simplistic faith! Yet that is what I yearn for and I hope you do as well. A faith that takes Jesus at His word. No need for pomp and circumstance, just Christs word. As you are now living in the aftermath of Easter and it's glory, continue to stand firmly on God's Word and let that be enough! Have a Joy Filled Week! Pastor Rick Koch Dutchtown

Recycling

Later today, this Maundy Thursday, I will take into our youngest daughter, Nicki's home a tub full of cans, cardboard and other items to be recycled. I don't have that service here in Milledgeville so I usually make this trip into her home in Sterling when I have other Church work to be done in that city.
On this particular Thursday as our Church is getting ready for it's Love Feast, our way of celebrating the Last Supper. I think to myself how Christ has taken this soul of mine and "Recycled" it several times over the years. How He has taken this sin stain heart and cleasend it, making it useful for His Kingdom. How He recycles this body, finding myself weary in what lifehas thrown my way and then I am infused with a shot of Holy Adrenaline that cause me to be revived in body, soul and mind. I stand amazed at how God takes what this world is ready to throw out into the trash and then He uses it to bring glory unto Him.
If you are sitting there today, wondering what good you are to anyone, pray unto Christ and then get ready to be recycled by our Savior and then see what good work He has ready for you!
May you have a Joy filled Holy Weekend!
Your brother in Christ, Pastor Rick Koch Dutchtown Church

Our Craving of Appreciation

Before I get to the topic at hand for this day, I first just want to thank God for Daily Devotionals and their writers! I find so much inspiration in these short & simple daily readings that bless my life and hopefully yours! I say this because today's Blog, as in several from the past, not to mention many sermons have their roots in the words from these inspirational writers.
In Matthew 26 we find Jesus giving out instructions to His disciples about the upcoming Passover meal He wants to spend with them in Jerusalem. His very first statement is this, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that The Teacher wants to have the Passover meal at his home". A Certain Man, does this guy not deserve to have his name given to us? For he is about to host one of the most famous dinners known to mankind! In many other stories about the ministry that Christ carries out, names of people are given. Why then is this man relegated to obscurity? Inquiring minds what to know!
Does it seem to you that at times you are"Anonymous" in the world's eyes? I know that Jesus knows who I am. Shoot, He evens knows the ever dwindling hairs on the top of my head! I don't know about you, but it feels good to me to every once in a while to be recognized for the work that I am doing. Do you crave that attention or public acknowledgement as well? Of course you do, that is if you are being honest with yourself! Yet, Christ calls us to serve Him, to serve our Church and our communities without always needing that public praise. Friends, I pray for you today, especially you anonymous ones. I pray as you serve faithfully that you remember that Christ does know your name and loves and cares for you deeply and that out there in that world where your are giving your best, you know that people appreciate you!
Go know and serve our Lord Jesus and let that be enough!
Your "Attention Craving" friend and Brother in Christ, Pastor Rick Koch