Psalm 100

Psalm 100:5 "For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

As we sometimes say..... God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. God has always been good. He doesn't decide to be good. He is inherently good. Goodness is just who He is. As sure as He is the Creator of the Universe, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, He is good. It is His character. He doesn't have to try. He doesn't have to resist His nature to be good. He is good and He is different than us. That is why we should endeavor to be like Him. Because on our own; without following Him, we can't be good.

The Word of God tells us that none is good. None is worthy. Only He is worthy. This is why our reliance on Him should be so important. We need Him in order to have a barometer for what good is and does and looks like. Only a good God's love would endure forever. Only a good God's faithfulness would continue through all generations. Now, that is good.

If this is indeed true, then why do we doubt and struggle so much? Why do we resist His transforming power? Why do we remain the same? If you haven't guessed by now, we are not good. We are sinful by nature. As sure as Adam sinned, we will sin. Even after we receive grace and salvation, we will out of our weakness, selfishness, laziness and rebellion be overcome with our natural tendencies and choose sin.

Sounds like a miserable situation except for the fact that He is good. He forgives, He restores, generation after generation He keeps redeeming and His grace is a fountain of mercy and love. When we consider this unmerited kindness it should cause us to rethink our decisions and choices, and be repentant. We should rally with new effort to walk upright and seek the Lord. We should express unwavering appreciation to our good God, who is faithful to us and loving forever. This can be hugely encouraging to us and can be a constant source of encouragement.

It is this kindness that keeps me on my knees, making renewed commitments and following through on the ones I have made. He is so good that I am compelled to try to be more like Him, to serve Him, to love Him and to give Him my all. Since God is this good, I will do better every time I remember or am reminded.

Reminding you in Him, Pastor Fred

Psalm 108

Psalm 108:4 "For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness, reaches to the skies."

God's love is so much greater than ours. Our love can reach for the skies but not to the skies. Our love can sometimes imitate God's love, or reflect God's love but never can it supersede or replace God's love. We can love like He loves, but our love will never compare to the height or depth of His love. His love is unconditional and our love has conditions. We should strive to love more like He loves, always recognizing our limitations. His love has no limits; it is endless, bottomless, matchless, precious and perfect.

God loves us. He loves me. He loves you. God so loved the world. Sometimes, I just need to meditate on that truth and let it sink into my deepest parts, so that I can appreciate it.  This verse reminds me that He the connection between me and Him is not based on time and space. The old question goes...."If you aren't as close to God as you used to be, guess who moved?" If you are not thinking straight today.... it is always us who moves away from Him.

But, isn't it always His love that comes and gets us? Doesn't He seem to show us kindness or send a word or song or encouragement or reminder of something to draw us back to Himself? We can run but we cannot hide. We can pull away or turn away or walk away or close our eyes or shut down, but He always draws us back. It is indeed His kindness that leads us to repentance. We need this kind of love.

From time to time, reach your hands up to heaven just to remind yourself that His love reaches that high. Look into the sky, above the clouds during the day, beyond the stars at night and think of how great is the love of God that reaches to the heavens. When I consider this great love I can’t resist Him. I can lean on Him, trust in Him and walk with Him. Look beyond your own limits to love and reflect on His limitless love. The great love of a great God.

In Him,  Pastor Fred

Psalm 107

"He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom,
and broke away their chains." Psalm 107:14

These words minister to me today for a number of reasons. I know a lot of people are suffering to varying degrees with depression, bouts with deep, dark, despairing gloom, spiritual attacks or bondage or a host of other maladies. Only God can bring you out of this kind of a time in your life, no matter how dark and no matter how deep. He can give you a breakthrough. Through the years, God's people have suffered adversity and affliction and always when they turn to Him, He helps. Let me describe a couple of scenarios that He can help with so you can relate.

Say you are in prison, he knows, he cares. As a matter of fact, He has special affection for the prisoner. Many times in His Word, He challenges people to minister to those who are incarcerated.
These chains are breakable.

Say you are under heavy obligation with fines or high interest rates or mounting medical costs. God cares about you and as insurmountable as your debt may seem, he can see you through.
Turn to Him for counsel.

Say you are brokenhearted having been hurt emotionally or even worse, hurt again. Your dreams of a lasting relationship have been smashed and your sensitivity to being hurt is at an all-time high.
God is there for you and He promises He won't leave you or forsake you and will heal your wounds.

Say you have failed again. No matter what it was you are just sick of not measuring up or ever being able to follow through or seemingly trapped in your current circumstance. As gloomy as that seems,
Jesus is the light for you.

Say you have a compulsion, or habit, or addiction, a repeat behavior that puts you and everything in your life at risk. You want to surrender it, you need to surrender it and you still can surrender it with God's help.
He will keep helping you and your bondage can be broken.

Say you feel so all alone. Everybody thinks you are Ok but you know you are not. You wonder if anyone cares or even notices that you are alive.
God made you especially for His purposes and wants to reveal them to you. Don't give up.

Say you are so tired and so weary of carrying the load of responsibility that you feel you alone must bear. As dark as your hopes are of ever being free to enjoy your own life,
God can lift your burden and lighten your load. Let Him give you a hand.

Say you don't know what is wrong, but you know something is and you have a sinking feeling that you are missing something or haven't done something or have a mysterious problem,
God knows the answer, ask Him for comfort.

Say your poor body is aching, or your ongoing health issues are beleaguering and nagging and just won't subside.
Don't give up, God is your healer and knows so well what is going on with you because He made you. Never forget that.

Say your attitude and your perspective have grown negative and you are lashing out at others or are languishing in your unforgiveness or bitterness, no joy in your life and you don't even want to try,
God will hear you out, talk to Him.

What can God not handle? He can bring you out of darkness and the deepest gloom and break your chains. Trust Him, turn to Him, seek Him, let Him be who He is in your life. He has always done it for His people, is doing it now for His people and will do it for you.

His too, Pastor Fred

"A Happy Heart Makes The Face Cheerful"

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Char Adams:

Catchy title for today's devotional, huh? Well, I'd like to take credit for it, but I have to give credit where credit is due. There are a lot more where this one came from. All right, if you give up, I'll have to tell you that it came straight from His Word - Proverbs 15:13.

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful..." Proverbs 15:13

God always directs me to write my devotionals based on what He would like me to share, and the ideas come from the strangest places. I got the idea for this topic as I was reading (thumbing through would be more accurate) magazines at the hospital emergency room last Sunday with our son. This topic for today's devotional came from an article I was reading in Better Homes And Gardens magazine entitled "Healthy You - Happiness". Even though this is obviously a secular magazine, the article's content seemed to have been lifted straight from Scripture. The author (and psychologist) quoted therein, Dr. David Myers from "The Pursuit of Happiness" said that "Happiness is rather like a cholesterol level - influenced genetically but also by the things that we can do."

One should not over think or over pursue trying to find happiness because that can backfire. As noted by the author, Darrin M. McMahon in "Happiness- A History", he stated that "It's like trying to get to sleep. If you focus on it too hard, the goal eludes you. Don't make happiness itself the goal. Instead, concentrate on it's main ingredients: solid relationships, gratitude, and that magical (I'll exercise poetic license and substitute "spiritual" here) thing called hope."

Doesn't that recipe for happiness seem like something that's come straight out of the Bible?

There were five things the article's author strongly stressed:

(1) LEARN TO APPRECIATE everyday events noting that the ability to see "ordinary" things with a sense of wonder is essential to contentment; We only have to stop a minute and think of rainbows, the stars, moon, sunsets.

"The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands". Psalm 19:1.

(2) BE KIND OF HEART, noting that positive events lead to further positive events. That statement recalled to me the movie "Pay It Forward" which was based on just that concept. I'd like to encourage you with the following piece, which is displayed and greets everyone who has occasion to use the Guest Bathroom at our home -

Kindness is one of the great blessings of life.
It builds bridges instead of walls.
It finds ways to heal instead of hurt.
It seeks ways to build up instead of tear down.
It looks for ways to encourage instead of disappoint.
The eyes of kindness see others' needs;
the heart of kindness reaches out to touch,
to help, and to support.
Kindness mellows hardness, bends stiffness,
warms coldness,and smooths roughness.
Kindness changes the disposition of the serpent
into the nature of the dove
and the judge into a minister of mercy.

"As God's chosen people, Holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." Col.3:12

(3) FAKE IT. That on first blush seemed like a strange concept. But, by this, the author conveyed that research has shown that going through the emotions can trigger emotions, that happiness is a choice, and suggests that by continuing to repeat happy thoughts, actions, and words, you'll soon find that they have become a part of who you are.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13.

(4) NUTURE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, the author noting that research has shown, that people's happiest experiences come from intimate relationships -spouses, family, friends. As we all know, it takes work and we can't just "wish ourselves" to have close relationships "if we're not willing to work at it. I'm sure we've all heard the expression, "If you want to have a friend, be one."

"Live in peace with each other. And we urge you Brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." 1Thess.5:14-15.

(5) COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. The author noted that "it might sound hokey and old-fashioned", but it works. I couldn't have disagreed with him more on that characterization, as it not only isn't hokey and old-fashioned, IT'S BIBLICAL! Imagine that! ("For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

"I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH." Phil 4:11-13

This was without a doubt my most favorite part of the article because he talked about the idea of a "Gratitude Journal", where people just pause each day long enough to list 3 things for which they are thankful. So, I can't take credit for this idea either, but I will take credit for deciding to share it with you because I thought it was a great idea to kick off the month of July. So, I've attached a blank "Gratitude Journal" for you, if you're up to the challenge, to just try this in July. If we can't think of (and commit to writing) "3" things we're grateful for each day for 30 days, then this probably means we're not going to do so well either with the other 4 areas suggested by the author that, by doing, "just might" lead to happiness.

I'm really looking forward to doing this, and I hope you'll join me. If you decide to take me upon this, I'd love to hear back from all of you who do. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to print out the "Gratitude Journal" attached hereto, there will be copies on the back table in the Sanctuary on Sunday. The Scriptures I quoted above are by no means exhaustive of verses which support or reinforce these 5 areas, and you might enjoy searching for some on your own in your daily reading.

Doesn't the thought of a "Happy Heart" just make you smile? Have a very blessed weekend and much happiness in July.

In Him, Charlotte

Psalm 99

Psalm 99:8 "Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds."

Though this is written about the Israelites it pertains to us also. Let's talk about consequences. God is to us, also, a forgiving God. As a matter of Biblical fact, He removes our sins from Himself as far as the east is from the west and buries our sins in the deepest sea, to be remembered no more. These are His promises to us. Just think about how far the east is from the west. It is totally and completely far. As far as it can get. And the deepest sea we have not even seen, explored measured or figured out. Pretty deep I think. These wonderful pictures allow us to realize how forgiving God is and just how much he loves us and how far His grace extends.

Sometimes we begin to presume upon that grace and forgiveness to the extent that we think that along with that forgiveness comes the elimination of consequences. If you read the stories of the Israelites they were not only forgiven a lot but they also suffered a boatload of consequences. His kindness brings us to repentance but I think we need the consequences to learn our lessons. We must need to suffer, look how many times we repeat our sins. If we learned from forgiveness exclusively we'd surely have become much more obedient by now.

What is it about us that makes it so hard for us to learn quicker? I think we probably get the lessons; it's just so hard to change and make permanent adjustments in order not to fall into the same traps again. It indeed is a lifelong process. But, we should not give up. We should try harder and do better next time. Even if there are a lot of next times.

Now, here is the difficult part of the devotional today. Over time we ought to be able to measure our maturing in real terms. Do you know what I mean by that? There ought to be some spiritual progress that is noticeable. Not only in our hearts but in our behaviors also. This is what we call transformation and victory. Not momentary relief or emergency rescue from our latest misdeed, but repentant recognition of the need to transform. Transformation comes from the renewing of our minds, The renewing of our minds comes from study of the Word. The study of the Word comes from personal discipline.

Discipline is probably what we all need. It is the action point of punishment. We must 'plan' to change. 'Take steps' to be accountable. 'Follow through' on an 'action plan' to transform our patterns and habits. If we just endure the punishment or consequences and then fall back into our previous behaviors, we miss the purpose of God. We miss the blessing of why He forgives, why He shows us grace and why we suffer through the consequences. So let us all reflect on the benefits of self-discipline before we repeat our next set of consequences. Interesting thought.

If not, we become numb, detached, overwhelmed and satisfied with the status quo. Sound familiar? I don't know about you but I am more sick and tired of the status quo than I am of the consequences. Join me in redoubling our efforts to grow up some, sooner, not later. As a matter of fact.... real soon, like starting now.

In Him, Pastor Fred

Psalm 98

Psalm 98:4 "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music."

Let me make yet another case for joy. Lately I have been suddenly filled with bursts of joy. My jubilance has been almost uncontainable at times. Anyway, why should I contain it? This great gladness comes from stepping back from the woes and tribulations of this life, shaking off the doldrums and negativity with large doses of objective truth and allowing myself to experience the joy of the Lord. That will make you want to shout.

Mind you, this phenomena which is happening with greater regularity is coming at a time of intense attack from the enemy, difficult seasons in people's lives, broken promises, shattered dreams, relational disasters and financial hardship. Yet, none of that changes the truth about God's love and plan. In the face of peril I am smiling because I see God and I am joyful.

My faith is unwavering, my hope is sure, my resolve is confident and my awareness of His presence is dynamic. That is why I want to shout for joy, let everybody shout for joy. You too can see His hand and His love and His grace and mercy. Just look around you. Not at what the appearance is but what the substance is. Faith is based on the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. My faith growing is leading to my joy rallying.

How about you? I know I am all over the spectrum of feelings from time to time but when it comes down to the bottom line, I believe God has a plan and that Grace Harbor is in it and that He will be victorious. We have been challenged lately as the leadership to fast and pray one day in the month of June to focus on the success of Grace Harbor School. We are praying for increased enrollment and new registrations. We are believing that God wants our school to flourish and that we are going to see better days ahead. May God's hand indeed touch our school, it's staff and it's ministry. Grace Harbor School has had a profound impact in the lives of students and their families for over 25 years. Let us bind our hearts together and agree in the Spirit that God is going to do even more awesome and wonderful things in this year to come.

So my friends, Shout for joy, be jubilant and burst into song for in just a little while we will be singing, He has done great things, He has done great things, great things He has done. Please pray with us.

In Him, Pastor Fred

Psalm 97

Psalm 97: 10a  "Let those who love the Lord hate evil..."

The only reason I didn't put the rest of this verse up here is for the sake of emphasis. Let's just deal with this thought. If you truly love the Lord, then you should hate evil, and you will hate evil and you do hate evil. Why do we waste our abhorring and disdain on each other when evil and the evil one deserve our hate. Not only does God merit our love, the devil has earned our hate. I am not ever going to suggest that you pick a fight with the devil. But, I do recommend hating what he does and what he represents and what he is doing to the lives of people. Additionally, first of all, resist him.

Our enemy is living and active just like the Word of God. The biggest difference of course is that the Word of God is the truth and the evil one is the author of lies. I see his dirty, conniving, deceitful hand in much of what is going on in the world today. Not only "out there", but also particularly his attack on the church.

Pay close attention to what I am about to tell you. Let me share with you what just happened as I am writing this. I am on my laptop in my car. The little indicator that tells me how much battery life I have left is for some reason not working today. Because of that, I have been 'saving' my words a paragraph at a time as I write them. (I have haphazardly lost a lot of stuff I had to rewrite) As soon as I wrote that the devil is attacking the church, my screen went black. I was tempted to just let it go and get back to this at another time, but I really think it is important to illustrate just how hard the world the flesh and the devil are operating against us. satan (non-capitalization of his name is a matter of disrespect from me and not an oversight) It reminds me to disregard him. I hate him more than I need to be compulsively grammatically correct :)

We are in a battle people and we must be conscious of our defense and offense. Certainly we must love the Lord with all our hearts, minds, souls and might. But we must also resist the enemy and be aware of His tactics and efforts. Let me remind you at this juncture that though he is pesky and determined, he is a loser and failure in the big picture. So why give him any foothold at all? Back to my point. the devil is trying to destroy the church. he will do this through dissention, through gossip, through discouragement and financial trouble. Not only will he try to do that collectively he also will try to tear down every part of the church so that if the parts are weakened the whole structure is compromised. What then should we do? We love the Lord all the more and hate evil more. The devil must respond to our claiming of the name, the blood and the power of Christ. This is how we resist and how we hate. Cling to the truth. Don't allow the enemy to bring doubt, fear and hopelessness into your mind.

Fight the good fight today. Seek the kingdom, spread the joy. Be part of the blessing and the work of the ministry of God. Support the church. Pray for your leaders. Protect the ministry. Don't gossip or believe lies or be tempted by pettiness. Don't make trouble or spread it. Bind together. Be encouraged. He, our Lord has overcome the world and we are over comers by His strength. We shall overcome though Him. He has defeated the devil. The victory is already won. Surrender your flesh to Him. Let Him be the Lord of everything in your life. We are the Body of Christ, together. The gates of hell will not prevail against us. We are His people. Now, let's be who we are.

In His Service,  Pastor Fred

Psalm 96

Psalm 96 :1-3  "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples."

This opening phrase, 'sing to the Lord a new song' is used many times in the Psalms and I think for a good reason. We indeed should sing, all of us, everyone. Not only sing but praise His name, proclaim His salvation and declare His glory and marvelous deeds to everybody. So, why a NEW song?  It must be NEW because His mercies are renewed every morning and God wants to do something fresh in all of us.

God is all about NEWNESS. So much of our lives are caught up in the "samo" stuff that we always do. Same routine, same rut, same limitations and same "yada yada yada" song. Sure we are thankful, grateful and appreciative of His grace and mercy and we love Him, but the Psalmist challenges us to do something NEW, sing something NEW, say something NEW. If your spiritual experience is stale and your inspiration is 'old' maybe it is time for some refreshing.

Are your prayers cold? Are your dreams on hold? Have you parked your vision? Do you really not expect your life to change much? Life and the enemy have a way of ganging up on our attitudes and mindsets to keep us stuck and stalled. I'm afraid that most of us live the overwhelming part of our existence in spiritual neutral, having lost our drive and just trying to avoid reverse. What is up with that? That is not ok. It is definitely time for a tune up, maybe an overhaul.

How can that happen? Easy to say, but not very easy to do. The key is right here in the 3 verses from Psalms. Let's look at some concepts that we too easily lose sight of and tend to forget. Four words..... name, salvation, glory and deeds.

#1 Name.... Somebody say Jesus! Don't make it corny either. It would be so fresh if believers would talk about Jesus more often. Drop His name in conversations. Actually it is kinda fun. Don't be rude, just mention that you love Him or pray or need Him or appreciate what He does. If He is lifted up, He will draw people to Himself. We need to lift Him up, by name. We need to say Jesus often enough so that we don't feel weird saying His name. Try it.

#2 Salvation... Wow is this ever an awkward word. Shouldn't be, but it is. What I think would make the concept fresh is to make our conversation about it focused on the JOY of our salvation. Be happy, glad, blessed and touched by His grace and what it does for us (salvation) and share that joy in a fresh way. Allow yourself to be joyful. It is Ok to be up. I really need to do this too.

#3 Glory.... Wow, we so need to speak of His glory. His glory is the sum total of His character and attributes. What an overwhelming concept that is, but it needs to be developed into something we put into words. We each must sing, proclaim and declare His glory. Everything else man has done is being glorified in our culture right now. God deserves Glory, all the glory. When we glorify Him, He responds with His wonderfulness. Give God the credit for everything.

#4 Deeds ... Too easy these days to talk about what is not happening rather than what is happening. God is doing many amazing things. In the lives of people, here and around the world. It is not time to give up. It is time to speak of His marvelous deeds. His creation, His majesty, His salvation, glory and name.

I believe it is time for the tide to turn. A NEW song, a NEW hope, a NEW faith, a NEW love. We must speak life into this life. His life, His hope, His faith, His love. Do something NEW today. Watch what happens when you put the focus and attention on Him and not on your circumstance or situation. Those things change, but He doesn't. He deserves a NEW song. It is a NEW day. Sing a NEW song. Be NEW today. Accept His NEWNESS in your life.

What a fresh concept, Pastor Fred

Psalm 95

Psalm 95:6-7
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care."

There are many reasons to worship God. There are any reasons to bow down to Him and kneel before Him. One of the less obvious titles of God when considering worship is Shepherd. Shepherd seems like such a servant role. As a pastor I have a very serious connection to the Lord being my Shepherd. I am one of His flock and under His care. I am a person in His pasture. Sure He is my Maker and my God but also my Shepherd. He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep.

As a pastor it is tremendously comforting to know that He is the Great Shepherd. One of my standard responses to compliments or praises I get for serving Him is to say that. "I work for a reputable employer." Always try to defer to Him when it comes to accolades. He is the best watch care giver ever. He cares for all of us.

Now let me consider how this works in reality. I want to come to Him and bow down in worship, to kneel before Him as my Maker and glorify Him. These verses give a good reason why...... "for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care." I must be in His pasture first and I must receive His care, personally. If I stray or if I fail to flock together with the other sheep, this role and function of His is not as effective for me.

As pastor I must keep us together, I must make sure that I am under His care and show others His care and how to receive it. The closer we draw to Him and each other, the easier it is to function like a flock. The fewer strays, the easier it is to be safe, find pastures and care for all. In this world today we desperately need His people in our lives and to stay very close to Him. When we don't 'flock' very often we are more likely to stray and less likely to get the care we need.

I hope you fellowship often. I hope you are in a flock. I hope you have a Great Shepherd and a pastor too. This is God's plan for both accountability and spiritual growth, for Christian family and for being the Body of Christ. Don't get lost in church, or just drift through. Make a commitment to Him and stay close to the flock. Find a way to plug in and find a place to serve Him in a family of God. Not always easy but certainly the right thing to do.

Your fellow sheep and a pastor. Pastor Fred

The Price was Paid... Don't Leave It On The Desk

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life".   Romans 5:6-10

Some of you may have already received this story, but it is one of the most moving and beautiful examples that I have read in a long time of how Jesus LOVED us so much that He willingly paid the price and suffered on the cross to take away our sins so that we could enjoy restored relationship with our Heavenly Father, and that He did it for everybody, whether they choose to receive the gift or not. The work was done at Calvary.  It is FINISHED! God allowed His Son to die a horrible death, hanging on a cross for you and for me. We must NEVER lose sight of that, and never take it for granted. Although the story is  long, it brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it when brother Brian McMahon sent it to me, and I pray that you too are touched by the vivid demonstration of what Professor Christianson and "Steve" went through to prove a point to this class of college students.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution.  Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.

"How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time"

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure!" Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk.  Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own push-ups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Dr. Christianson said, "Look! This is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Sternly, Jenny said, "No."

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, "No!" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut.  There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your push-ups. You are in charge now.  You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in.  Give him a donut."

Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters.  Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan.  "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His Only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

Restore Us Again, O God

Psalm 85:4a "Restore us again, O God our Savior.."

God is in the restoration business. After all, He is the Creator of the Universe, Maker of all things. If He can make everything out of nothing, why should we doubt for a moment that He can fix or renew whatever it is.  No matter how broken or how mangled, no matter how old or how weak, no matter how hopeless or how desperate, God does beautiful restoration work. He can honestly say in His promotional material that it will not only be 'good as new', but, 'better than new'. Only with Him is that possible.

There are some hugely encouraging words in this Psalm. I must admit that I have not really ever paid very close attention to this particular Psalm and that I have been very blessed in reading it. Such positive and encouraging words that express God's promises and His intentions toward us. I think I will just list them for you so you can maybe feel the restorative power of His commitments. Basically the Psalm says this.....

He shows favor, He restores fortunes

He forgives iniquity, He covers sins

He sets aside His wrath, He turns from His anger

He restores again, He puts away displeasure

He promises peace, His salvation

He gives His love and faithfulness

He gives us what is good

Isn't He good? Isn't He wonderful? He indeed restores everything. Let's bring all our brokenness to Him and allow Him to work His power to restore in our lives, our minds, our relationships and in our hearts. This is His intention, His promise and who He is. May His restoration power touch your life where you need it most.

His, Pastor Fred

Psalm 94

Psalm 94:11 "The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile."

We readily recognize that this statement is true because we are all too aware that even as believers we suffer futile thinking, particularly when we stray from His Word as the barometer for truth. How much more so then those who don't know Him or His truth? Obviously the futility of the thinking of the believer is overwhelming and inescapable.

The Lord knows the thoughts of all men, whether they know Him or not. Since He knows everything this is not difficult for Him. He not only knows all our thoughts, He sees all our actions. After all as the Psalmist reminds us in earlier verses, if God makes the eye, then He sees everything. Since he implanted the ear, He hears everything. Not too difficult for us to understand, but a little convicting to consider.

Psalm 94 is mostly about God being the avenger. The writer is noting the unthinkable cruelty that is being done to the widow, the orphan and the alien. He is disturbed at the actions of senseless leaders who are callous and uncaring about the effects of their indifference to suffering.

The futility that is being illustrated goes beyond the foolish saying there is no God. Not only does He not exist, but He doesn't care and can't see or hear what is going on anyway. As the prophets of Baal once said, "maybe he is on vacation or taking a nap". Of course after God sent the consuming fire, their last thoughts were probably that "I guess He just got home or woke up." God does know, He does hear, He does see, He does care. He is fully conscious of what the unbelievers and believers are doing and thinking.

Vengeance and grace are both His. He will repay and He will forgive. Whichever is right? In this we take comfort, but it should also inspire us to defend the defenseless and to be eyes, ears and voice for them. God has mandated this a number of times in His word. The Psalmist truly cares and cries out to God and so should we.

In His Service,  Pastor Fred

He First Loved Us

Today's passage comes from the daily devotional series from one of my favorites, Charles Spurgeon. I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me. Have a wonderful weekend!

Hank

"We love Him because He first loved us." — 1 John 4:19

There is no light in the planet but that which proceedeth from the sun; and there is no true love to Jesus in the heart but that which cometh from the Lord Jesus himself. From this overflowing fountain of the infinite love of God, all our love to God must spring. This must ever be a great and certain truth, that we love Him for no other reason than because He first loved us. Our love to Him is the fair offspring of His love to us. Cold admiration, when studying the works of God, anyone may have, but the warmth of love can only be kindled in the heart by God's Spirit. How great the wonder that such as we should ever have been brought to love Jesus at all! How marvellous that when we had rebelled against Him, He should, by a display of such amazing love, seek to draw us back. No! never should we have had a grain of love towards God unless it had been sown in us by the sweet seed of His love to us. Love, then, has for its parent the love of God shed abroad in the heart: but after it is thus divinely born, it must be divinely nourished. Love is an exotic; it is not a plant which will flourish naturally in human soil, it must be watered from above. Love to Jesus is a flower of a delicate nature, and if it received no nourishment but that which could be drawn from the rock of our hearts it would soon wither. As love comes from heaven, so it must feed on heavenly bread. It cannot exist in the wilderness unless it be fed by manna from on high. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God is His love to us.

"I love thee, Lord, but with no love of mine,
For I have none to give;
I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine,
For by thy love I live.
I am as nothing, and rejoice to be
Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee."

Psalm 93

Psalm 93:3-5 "The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea--the Lord on high is mighty."

I am absolutely an ocean lover. I find almost nothing more inspirational than the sea. I also have tremendous respect for the power and awesomeness of the pounding waves, the currents and tides and the thundering surf. I hope you have personally experienced 'big surf' at some time in your life; if not in person, at least on film. In my estimation there is nothing else like it on earth. Mighty is a good word for that sound, louder than thunder, deeper than a sonic boom, when gargantuan waves crest, rollover and crash onto the ocean floor.

My experiences are not many but they are memorable. When I was in my mid-teens on one particular summer weekend the surf got really big at The Wedge (a wave anomaly in south Newport created by a trench, a jetty and perfect alignment with a southwesterly swell). Me and my friends just had to go see and maybe get in. When we pulled into the parking lot before we could even see the water, we heard the pounding. Literally felt it in my bones. Actually scared me, because I am not a strong swimmer. But with a group of guys, my bravado was high and my ego was tempted as we approached the water. I distinctly remember that we all started running, like lemmings; my heart was pounding louder than the waves as we got to the water's edge. A few steps later, I dove in, surfaced and then made one of the wisest decisions of my life, I trudged out with two of my buddies, leaving only the two true surfers and strong swimmers in the water.

The three of us who had bailed, sat quietly, realizing that we were glad to be safe, but also knowing that we had 'chickened out'. I broke the silence by saying, "I have way too much respect for the power of the ocean to risk my life proving it." My friends agreed and we became audience and cheerleaders for our more qualified friends who also got out after a brief, disastrous and painful attempt to negotiate the churning waters. We all sat in awe together of a handful of very skilled and brave(?) swimmers who were somewhat tossed around mercilessly by the relentless huge waves. Soon there was nobody in the water and just a lot of 'Wows' and 'Awesome' could be heard from the crowd on the shore.

God is so much mightier than that. He created that. We actually had that conversation on the way home that day, way back when. Too cool, my young Christian friends all talking about how amazing God's power was, proved by what we saw at The Wedge. Recently, I heard reports of 'big surf" at The Wedge and I just had to go. Wow, awesome! The pounding was just as loud as I remember, the thundering surf and majestic cresting waves, just the same.

I noted with some delight a group of young men who ran into the waters together, only for half of them to turn around quickly and seek the safety of the shore. I couldn't help but think how God keeps illustrating his power across the decades. I only hope those boys had the same conversation on the way home as I did. God keeps speaking, we should listen and respond and learn about Him from nature and all the experiences of life. He is indeed mighty.

God Almighty.

Pastor Fred

Psalm 92

Psalm 92:8 "But you O Lord, are exalted forever."

Every once in awhile I try to put one of the Psalms in my own words. This particular one is pretty easy to do that. If you ever want to get more out of the Bible, try expressing one of the poetic passages in your own words. Note: I am not suggesting that we rewrite doctrinal sections of the Word of God. We don't need to add our thoughts to His Word. But, in these expressions in Psalms it is inspirational to put it in words that come from our own experiences. So here is my brief synopsis of Psalm 92.

'Too cool to praise God first thing in the morning, to start the day loving him, and then thank Him again and for getting you through another day and night. Hum or whistle or sing the tune of a familiar song, just make it about Him. Be creative.... I sometimes provide my own percussion. I have to because I love Him that much.'

'Praising God just makes so much sense and is so real, especially compared to all the other nonsense and drivel life brings. I mean the world just doesn't get it, I watch the traffic or the crowd and wonder if anybody gives God a thought. I hope so. They choose what they choose. After all, this will all be gone, yet God is eternal, forever and ever. Everything else will disappear."

'I am so blessed... beyond measure. I have seen some awesome stuff in my life and I have read the end of the Book. He wins. Just need to be more of a righteous man, to flourish and let Him be God. Like a palm trees swaying in the beach breeze, keep making coconuts, providing shade and add to the beauty without going completely crazy. They weather the storms and keep doing what they do. Until it is time to stop, I just need to point to the Lord, keep loving everybody, Him first because He is perfect and I need to keep my head up and serve Him. He is not like what I don't like about life and that is the Rock I hold onto.'

Catch you later, Pastor Fred

In the Shadow of the Almighty

Psalm 91: 1-2 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'."

These maybe some of the most beautiful words in the Psalms. What a wonderful picture. If asked what I need the most and if I were to be most honest I would probably say peace or rest. Since I want true rest so much, these verses can show me how to get it. I must dwell in the shelter of the Most High. What does dwell mean? To live, to abide, to take up residence, to hang out there most of the time. To hang out in the shelter of the Most High means that I must truly be focused on Him. My thoughts, actions and motives must be founded in Him and abide in Him.

Since He lives in me, I must also dwell in Him. Trust Him, give Him all, and completely surrender to Him. When I am close to the light of Him then His shadow will fall on me and protect me and give me rest. The closer I get to Him the easier it is to rest and to have peace too. Just considering it I am experiencing some of it right now. One of the best things about these devotionals for me is to experience what I am saying right as I am saying it. What a precious gift to be able to do that. I am blessed. Hope this is encouraging you too.

When we can get to such a place of rest, then we can speak the words of this Psalm. "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." For me to experience God on this deeper level, it necessitates me making a concerted effort to really abide in Him, live in Him and hang out close to Him. It is there that I know the safety of His shadow that provides me with the rest that I desire. Trust begets more trust. Closeness grows more closeness. When we move closer to God, He responds. He draws near when we draw near. We can choose to come closer to Him. When I trust Him then I learn how to trust Him more.

Lots of good stuff today folks to think about. I know I need to work on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High so I can attain that rest that only He can give me. Verse 9 tells us that "if" we make the Most High our dwelling place, He will protect and guard us and command His angels concerning us in all our ways. I sure want that. No "ifs" about it, right? Just remember that if you do this, really draw close to Him then He will show you yourself as part of that process, and that is not easy to see. Worth the results, but you will see what He sees. Actually, knowing this and dealing with this does help us to rest in His grace and mercy. I think that is what that shadow is made out of, His grace and mercy. I encourage you to try it sometime soon and then to stay as close to there as you can. It makes life so much easier and more meaningful.

In the shadow of the Almighty,
Pastor Fred

IT IS WELL - even when it may not seem that way

“One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:13-21

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

It may be a phone call, it may be a sudden illness or unexpected diagnosis, it may be a tragedy that you never EVER expected, it may be a natural disaster, it may be heartache beyond words, it may be the news of a failing marriage or a runaway teen, or a legal matter, or an accident, the loss of a loved one, the death of a child. When tragedy strikes, most people initially feel abandoned, betrayed, wounded, angry that God didn’t care enough to stop it from happening, but we must remember that although “life” changes, our God NEVER changes. NOTHING that happens on this earth will ever surprise God, He has already seen your ENTIRE LIFE, and knows every single moment of what will happen.. the good… the bad…. The ugly…. And the REALLY ugly… none of these things change the fact that God is still on His throne, and is still the loving Heavenly Father that we have learned about through scripture. Yes, God could intervene and change the occurrences or outcomes of tragedies, but when He chooses not to, we must and can only trust that He has a bigger plan. God promises that He will never allow something more than we can handle. He promises that ALL things work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Just because you are in ministry or are a committed Christian, doesn’t automatically mean that nothing bad will ever happen in your life. We attended Spirit West Coast recently and heard a small portion of a concert appearance by Steven Curtis Chapman’s two older sons, one of them being responsible for backing the family car out of their driveway and killing their little 5 year old sister. Such a senseless tragedy. Where was God when that happened, you may ask? This family serves the Lord and sings songs that change lives. As the young man shared with the audience, you could feel the sense of brokenness and grief even though it happened two years ago. I am SURE that had to be such a difficult thing to overcome, but they are moving forward in their service to the Lord, and sharing their hearts and their victories over the disaster in their private world. Their music did not stop, it only deepened to show the mercy and grace and faith of a family committed to following Christ, and singing It Is Well with my soul, no matter what. The devil would love nothing more than to see Christians turn away and blame God and show the world that God is not working in their lives when disaster or adversity strikes, but I tell you that the GREATEST testimony a believer can have is to show God’s Strength in times of weakness and brokenness. We must turn our faces into the wind sometimes and simply trust God to be God. God knows the gamut of your emotions; He is standing there in the midst of your hurricane, as the ground collapses under your footing, holding out His arms to hold onto you and never let you go. How can someone “make it” through a tragedy? They do it one moment at a time, and even if they are lying on the floor with their face in a puddle of tears, GOD is there in the midst of that pain, and will walk you through it. When Job lost everything, he fell to the ground and tore his robes, but his response was worship. Pause and consider that for a moment.

The hymn "It is Well with My Soul" is a beautiful reminder of what our response must be when faced with adversity and pain in this life. This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Horatio Spafford’s life that mirror those of Job in the Bible. The first was the death of his only son in 1871; shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially, then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Have, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone." Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died. He stood on the bow of the ship and looked into the deepness of the ocean and probably felt the depths of his own soul’s pain, and yet the words that flowed gave honor and tribute to his personal walk with God and his trust in God’s plan although it seemed that all was lost. The Spaffords later had three more children, one of whom (a son) died in infancy. In 1881 the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Israel. The Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. Horatio was a man after God’s own heart, much like David in scripture who suffered many losses and yet could pen the words of a majority of our Psalms that we have today in the Bible about God’s ever present help in time of trouble. When (not if) tragedy strikes, prepare now to know that you will trust God no matter what it looks like, no matter what the news…. God is God, and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. We must worship with Job when he lost everything: “may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21. Learn to sing, “no matter my lot, it is well, it is well with my soul”! This is the secret to a life surrendered to God fully. To see Him as our refuge and our complete strength, and ever present help in time of trouble, no matter what happens in the seen and unforeseen moments of your life and those you love.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

here are the words to Horatio’s song to strengthen your hearts this day:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste my day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall appear,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Learn to Do Good

Our Friday devotion comes to us from Council Member, Ray Beeman:

"When the righteous (good) are in authority, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, the people groan." - Proverbs 29:2

"Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; for there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out." - Proverbs 24:19-20.

"A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked devices He will condemn." - Proverbs 12:2

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." - Proverbs 15:3

"Learn to do good; seek justice..." - from Isaiah 1:17

Dear Grace Harbor Saints - my point? We are called to be good, and, though being good doesn't "earn" a spot on God's eternal team, it is sure better than being wicked! And, it can lead to being saved. On this Memorial Day, I'm moved to share a famous secular quote - I'm sure many of you have heard it already, but it is worth repeating. The French statesman and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville, was enthralled with the American Constitution and form of government. He toured America in 1831, and wrote a book "Democracy in America" based on his observations. The quote, which he apparently never published, but is credited with saying, is as follows:

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

I add my "amen" to this - so many have ceased to be good; please don't allow the enemy to steal the glory and the goodness that came from all our fallen heroes. They counted on us, the remaining, to carry on the traditions that made this country great; I for one do not want to waste their heroic sacrifices, given on our behalf, any more than I want to waste the work of Christ, who also gave His life - for us. I urge you to be thankful, be patriotic, be good! And always, when you bump into a man/woman in uniform, thank them for their service! You don't have to be wordy, just a sincere thanks (perhaps a handshake if it's appropriate) to let them know that we appreciate them. - Ray B

The Favor of the Lord

Psalm 90:17  "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us.... yes, establish the work of our hands."

Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, a man of God. I don't think anyone would argue that Moses was a man of God. For all that God did through him and all he accomplished, near the end of his life he prays like this. I really enjoyed reading this prayer and it made me feel close to what Moses was feeling and how he was reaching out to God on behalf of the people even to the very end. Moses had a shepherd's heart. After all he had witnessed firsthand the Israelites wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years and realizing the brevity of life he asks for favor and to do something valuable and lasting.

As for me, I want sincerely to make a difference. I want to count it all joy, the trouble and sorrows, the pain and suffering, the losses and mistakes. God grant us favor and may it rest upon us in such a way that what we do makes a difference. That is why physical work is so important. We need to be able to see with our eyes and touch with our hands the fruit of our labor. To experience the establishing of the work of our hands, makes labor meaningful.

I am not a craftsman, nor a skilled person in the trades. I can follow direction and am an excellent gofer. I marvel at the capabilities of carpenters, plumbers, masons, painters, electricians and any and all other people who work so skillfully with their hands. I am a laborer and a helper. I have been known to say that if I could not talk for a living, my children may have starved.

Don't get me wrong. I have had numerous jobs in my life and learned quite a few specialized skills. For example.... I have installed and serviced fire extinguishers, cut and prepared Christmas trees, split wood, cooked fast food, done a host of labor jobs and whatever it took to be working and being productive.  I don't think I have been unemployed for more than a few weeks total of my whole life since I was 15. All of that experience does not mean I would not call myself a craftsman at anything.

So I have utmost respect for those who make things, fix things and do things with their hands. I love to help them and encourage them and serve those people in whatever way I can. My prayer is that God will show favor to Grace Harbor Ministries, that his favor will rest on us and that He will establish the work of our hands. May we be His hands and do the work that He wants us to do. Not just the skilled handiwork and trades stuff, but the work with children and youth and the counseling and leading and planning and helping in the lives of people too.

Thank God for all who serve Him in any way; for prayer warriors and helpers of every ilk. We need everyone to do everything they can in order to do what He wants to accomplish.

Pray with me for His favor and for Him to establish our work for His glory.

Amen. Pastor Fred

Psalm 88

Psalm 88:9b "I call to you, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you."

This has got to be one of the saddest if not the saddest of all of the Psalms. Written by the Sons of Korah who were worship leaders for David. Very few Psalms are so despairing without offering at least a glimmer of hope. Many Psalms pour out their words of grief and misery, but none to the extent of this one. Not one word of answer to the desperate rhetorical questions. I have read this over and over and over and I can't get out of my head that it can be used as a reflection about Jesus on the cross. In verse 9 I see Him spread out on the cross.

In the notes of several references I see no indication of it being a crucifixion allegory, but for me, I see, I hear, I feel Jesus and Him bearing the sins of the whole world in this picture. Despised and rejected, forsaken, alone. Overwhelmed with waves of pain and suffering, with an agony we can't imagine. Bearing the weight of all of the sins of the past, present and future, all at once. In verse 10 the question is... 'do you show your wonders to the dead?' We know that God raised Him from the dead.

In verse 10 another question.... 'Do those who are dead rise up and praise you?' Jesus did. In verse 11 it asks... 'Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?' When thought of in relationship to how Jesus conquered death and the consequences of sin with His death and His faithfulness to become the payment for sin, it sure sounds like Him.

The comparisons go on and on for me. I am not a biblical scholar, but the reason no hope or answer is given in this Psalm is because it represents what Jesus accomplished and the actual answers to the questions are yes, yes, yes and are the hope that we need. Jesus knows our suffering and He knows our pain and grief. He bore it on the cross and we are set free because of what He did. What was horrible was wonderful. What was the worst, was the best for us ultimately. That is why Communion is such a mixed time of consideration for me. I am simultaneously struck by His sacrifice and overwhelmingly blessed by what that sacrifice accomplished.

Life is not always easy, or should I say not often easy. Jesus knows and cares. We can always turn to Him in everything and He will be there, fully understanding whatever we are feeling and going through. This Psalm is wonderfully sad and terribly meaningful. Though those words seem contradictory, so does the idea that God would so love the world that He would give His only begotten Son, so that whoever would believe in Him, would not perish, but have everlasting life. Now maybe it doesn't seem so sad, when we think of it like that. Just deeply meaningful, like a lot of other seemingly sad things.

Thanks for reading and sharing this with me today.

Pastor Fred