"Potential"

    Every year when a new Baseball, Basketball or Football season rolls around for our favorite sports team, the word "Potential" is often times thrown out in describing them. The "Potential" that is within them to do well in the coming season and to make a "little noise" in the playoffs. But then reality sets in and they sputter and spit through out the season and the playoffs simply become a pipe dream. Yet come next year our excitement rises once again as we consider the "Potential" within this years team. We never, ever even consider switching teams! That would be blasphemy! No matter how much they disappoint us we still where proudly the colors of our teams.
    If only we would do this in real life. We all have had friends, relatives, relationships with people around us whose lives have enhanced ours. And we may have even pondered the "Potential" of how much stronger that relationship might be. But then, they wrong us in some way or they do something in their life that we thought was way out of their character, something that causes us to consider breaking relationship with them. And in many cases turning against them with slanderous or hurtful remarks.
    Why is it we treat and support these "Teams" of ours whom at times have players who feel little for us, if anything. Why do we continue to treat them with more respect the we do those we claim to love? One strike though and their out as friends of ours!
  Let us all begin today to be less "Judgemental" of those whom we are close too, and to see the "Potential" in them, even when they screw up! And let us hope and pray as well that they will afford us the same mercy when we mess up.
    From one whom needs to listen to his own words and live them as well! Love Ya' Pastor Rick               

"Live Out Loud"

    Way too many times do we Christians keep our mouths shut when it comes to professing our faith! We so often times think that if we do we are "bothering others" or "being insensitive". And so we fail to talk about Christ and the less we talk about Him the less we live like Him as well. I used in our worship time yesterday a Music Video by Steven Curtis Chapman entitled "Live Out Loud". A song that encourages us in a joyful way to proclaim our faith in Christ daily by living it in such a way that one one can doubt that we are Christians. Below I have hopefully sent you a link to this Video. Once again, please remember how I am at times "Computer Illiteratete"!  Hebrews tells you and I "that we should always be prepared to give a reason for our hope in Jesus Christ". In other words Living and verbalizing our faith out loud daily. May you begin this new week with a renewed commitment to be a stronger witness for Christ and I pray that I will be committed to this as well. Love ya' All The Prodding Preacher Pastor Rick
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLHTqdkwZ0

Thank God for Small Towns

      This morning before making my way out to Church, I went thru my usual ritual of heading to Casey's for coffee a and a cinnamon roll. While there, I ran into three long in the tooth milledgevillian's Barry Imel, Jerry Gibbs and Steve Bazzell where we all talked about Family, farming and fishin'! We asked about babies on the way and shared a joke or two. And we also took time to ask about "the happenings" in each other's lives. In the midst of curing all of the world's ills, we managed to get in the way of a few customers, but it did not deter us from fulfilling our mission of being neighborly with one another. A great small town trait and one of many reasons I have been blessed to call this place home for almost 23 years now! Oh, we have our problems, like any other small town in rural USA, but our blessings abound and are much greater then our woes. Today, if you live in a small town, give a shout out for the goodness you get from living there and try not to focus on what you do not have. Oh, one last thing we four "Long Timers" all had in common as well is, we love our donuts!   
Love ya' All & a special shout out goes to my fellow Milledgevillians & Chadwickians, Pastor Rick

Thank God for Kids!

    Today I simply want to say "Thank You Jesus" for all of the noisy children & Youth at church! It's great to have them in God's house! On an even better note "Thank You Jesus" for all that they do in worship. They light the candles, thay hand out the bulletins. They take up the offering, and they make sure the mic gets passed around during worship. But they also run our Audio/Visual equipment and this past Sunday one even preached in my absence. And you adults thought that you were in charge!  So Dutchtown give God praise for our kids & youth. And for those of you out there in others churches, give thanks as well for the way your youth take part as well in the life of the church. Build these young ones up with your praise and thanksgiving for them and quit gripping when a kid gets nosey in church, that's what kids do and complain no more when a baby cries! That's what babies do, be grateful they are there!
     Love ya' All Pastor Rick  

Family

    I want to share with you a verse on this Monday morning that blesses me. It is the first part of Psalm 68:6, "God sets the lonely in families". Today I am so very thankful to God for the ways that He is putting me back into closer relationship with my own family in recent months. With my Mom and Step-dad Phil, with my sister Sheila and brothers Ron & John. I love you all. But there was a time in my life when I was Lonely and we were seperated in many ways. God blessed me in that time with my wifes family, the Loper Gang! And I was no longer lonely. This coming weekend we will re-new our relationship once again as many of us will travel for hours to gather at a an old rustic camp in southern missoura' to laugh & cry, swim & eat and of course to canoe! We have now been doing this every other year for over twenty years. Travel safe Loper Gang!
     God also has a way of "setting the lonely" of us out there in Church Families who love us, feed us and care for us and offer us the opportunity to do the same for others. Church familes He has drawn us too. Today if you are part of such a Faith Family, give God Praise! Yeah, I know that every once in a while they miss the boat in their calling from God, but most of the time they are "Spot On" in their care for us! So give God thanks for them. And for those of you out there without a Faith Family, God has one waiting to love you, care for you and to make you feel lonely no more. Of course I invite those on you in this area to consider my Church, but most importantly I invite you to find the place where you "Fit" and I pray for you Churches and Christians out there to embrace those who are searching for a Faith Family. Make the Lonely in our midst feel at home in your midst. Love ya' All, Pastor Rick