Variety

   This past weekend I took part in three different worship services and one of them was not the one at Dutchtown! At a Conference I was at on Saturday, where I was a presenter, the day began with worship where we had a Charismatic, dynamic speaker who captivated all! When the conference was over we ended in a service filled with praise music up on "The Big Screen". A service filled with prayers and brief messages of hope. There we also had Communion. Then on Sunday we visited in our Daughter Mandy's Church where our grandson Ty was in a play. Very Heart-warming! But the rest of the service was one filled with old hymns, familiar passages, The Lord's prayer. Very Traditional in nature. Neither of these services was what we typically have at Dutchtown, yet I found ways to worship fully in all three. One thing they all did have in common was Christ in the center of all they did, which is right! Within the confines of our small little community of Milledgeville we have 5 small church. all of which have a variety of worship styles. None are wrong and none are completely right. They are simply a variety of ways to encounter Christ! For you who have no Church Home, there is one out there for you! And for you who do have one, embrace your opportunities to worship, remember to keep Christ in the center and as always, participate, don not just spectate! For it is in these places that we grow closer to Christ, if our attention is on Him!
 Love Ya' All! Pastor Rick      

"The Demands of Faith"

     When God says to you and I "Believe" He is demanding something that is totally beyond reason. The definition of faith has to do with something unreasonable and illogical. In Hebrews it says that, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Does sound a bit far fetched. Yet if you were to continue reading the rest of Hebrews Chapter 11 you would see a entire host of Biblical giants who believed, had hope and because of that hope and belief, the stories they tell us about God's moving in their lives is a powerful one! If Faith's demands are stretching you right now, and I know many of you are wondering how much further you can be stretched, I encourage you to read this Chapter and then move on into chapter 12 as there Paul gives to us a little Pep Talk about what is possible for you and I to accomplish because of the Great Cloud of Believer's  who have came before us. Both those in the Bible and those in your own personal lives. Someday, because of the demands of Faith and your perseverance, you can and will be a part someone else's Great Cloud of Witnesses.
Love ya" Pastor Rick   

Moans & Groans

   Yesterday in worship when we came to our time to share our prayer requests and a deafening silence came over he church. I shared about a few folks and there printed for us all in the bulletin was a very long sheet of friends, loved ones and fellow Dutchtowners who coveted our prayers. Now in years past I would have been concerned about the quiet that overcame us. But today the Holy Spirit let me know that it was OK Rick. Don't push things. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of one of His gifts to us as told in Romans 8:26-27. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will". Voices were not speaking, but hearts filled with groans and silence spoke out to God in their time of need. Today, maybe you are in this same place. Not knowing how to pray or what to say, yet deep within you your heart you are crying out to God. Know today that the Holy Spirit is right there with you interceding on your behalf before our Father in Heaven. So don't think that you have to fill the air with wordy prayers for God to know your heart, He can hear your moans and groans. Love ya' Rick         

"Sifting"

  Often times we look at the apostle Paul and see in his life that when he was "Sifted" in terms of how strong he was in his faith we see him as failing time and again. But let's take another look, After he denied Christ three times as Jesus had told him he would, I see a man looking into the eyes of Christ and melting inside. Scripture tells us that he "Wept bitterly". In Hebrew it means that "he cried a piercing, violent cry". I try to picture him running off , falling to the ground with his hands outstretched crying out to the Father, "He was right, I did not listen, forgive me Father for I love your Son". Like Peter there are times when our Faith will be "Sifted". And there will be times when we think that we have failed God, family and church miserably. But in the aftermath of those times if you find yourself repentant and seeking God's face, you and I have simply stumbled a bit. In those times Satan wants us to beat ourselves up and to think that God wants nothing to do with us. But DO NOT listen to him, he is a liar! For God loves us even in the midst of our struggles and failures. Just look what he did thru Peter and now imagine what He can do thru you! Love ya' All Pastor Rick  

In Loving Memory

Yesterday in our worship bulletin we had like many of you may have had an insert with the names of families who donated a flower or two to enhance our worship experiences on this Easter Sunday past. My wife and I bought two pots of tulips. One in memory of her mother, Janice and one in memory of my dad, Dick. I did not get a chance to look at this list until just this morning. As I read through it I rejoiced and had sadness in my heart as well, when I thought about Beckie's mom. She was a down to earth, country women, who loved the Lord Jesus and one as well that died way to early of cancer as have many of your loved ones. I sit here today certain of her place at Jesus side in Heaven. And then there is my Dad, a man who died early as well. But he from alcoholism and emphasima. My Dad whom once told me that he was glad that I had "My Thing" refering to my faith in Jesus. His eternal future I believe to be a bleak and painful one. Yet, I still sit here today, thinking back on how thay both impacted my life. I sit trying to forget the bad things and only focus on the good. I sit here today pondering Hope and grateful for it. May the Hope of Easter be with you, not just for a season, but always. Love Ya' All Pastor Rick