His Greatness We Cannot Fathom

Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.

Just because the Lord is greater than words can say or feelings can feel or songs can sing and we cannot even fathom His greatness, we should keep trying and trying and trying. For my part today I am simply going to say what David said about God just as a reminder of how we can begin to describe His greatness. The following words taken from Psalm 145 just skim the surface of who God is....... enjoy.

His majesty is splendorous
His awesome works are powerful
His abundant goodness is celebrated
His righteousness is song worthy
He is gracious and compassionate
He is rich in love
He is good to all
His kingdom is glorious
His acts are mighty
His dominion endures
He is faithful to His promises
He upholds all who fall
He lifts up the bowed down
He satisfies our desires
He is righteous in all his ways
He is near to all who call on Him
He hears our cries
He saves us
He watches over us

No wonder Psalm 145 ends with verse 21 which says... My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name forever and ever. Wow... how good it is to remember how great He is and what that means to us.

Eternally grateful, Pastor Fred

A Simple SMILE Can Make All the Difference

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. Proverbs 15:13

Have you ever thought about what a smile can do for someone? Have you ever just been walking through a grocery store and looked at each person walking past you and SMILED at them? Notice how they respond. Some may be surprised, others may hesitate for a moment, but I would say 99 out of 100 people will smile back. It is an unspoken gesture of goodwill and friendship. Most people hurry past you with their eyes down, lost in thought, but when they look up, wouldn’t it be an unexpected surprise to have them greeted with a Smile from one of God’s Ambassadors (that would be YOU…)? A smile costs nothing and gives so much. When you see a tired salesclerk at the counter of a store, start your conversation with a quiet smile. It brings a sense of peace to the other person without speaking a word. It allows the Spirit of God to reach through you to that person’s life. You do not know what that person is dealing with. Perhaps the last customer just yelled at them and insulted them and they are recovering from that wound… your smile can bring peace and comfort and reassurance that the whole world isn’t against them. Perhaps they are waiting to get off their shift to go work a second job to put food on their table, a smile can pause the moment and remind them that someone cares. Maybe they have a loved one in the hospital or a sick child at home, a smile lets them know they are not alone. You don’t have to say a lot of fancy words or bible verses, simply share the Love of Christ with a SMILE and watch God do the rest. Who knows where God could lead the conversation, maybe an opportunity to share why YOU can smile even when things are tough, or you can offer to pray for whatever is weighing them down.

Psalms 67:1 is a special psalm for me and says,

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us, And make Your Face to shine upon us; Selah."

When I consider God’s face shining on me, I see Him smiling. I feel His power and I sense the Joy of His presence surrounding me, and it gives me such comfort to know that His light brightens even the darkest of days. One of my favorite Hillsongs worship songs includes the following words that usually bring tears of Joy to my eyes:

You make Your face to shine on me and that my soul knows very well

You lift me up, I'm cleansed and free and that my soul knows very well

When mountains fall, I'll stand by the power of Your hand
And in Your heart of heart I'll dwell and that my soul knows very well

Joy and strength each day I find and that my soul knows very well
Forgiveness, hope, I know is mine and that my soul knows very well

Just like the sun shining upon us and warming us, so also does the Father’s love shine upon us when we feel alone or lost or cold in this world of darkness and pain. Isn’t it good to know that our God is a loving Heavenly Father, Who smiles down upon us each and every moment of our lives! Psalm 36:9 says , "For with You is the fountain of life, In Your Light we have the light of life." In some commentaries on this verse, the phrase “in Your Light” implies that it is coming from the Face of God, as in a smile. So, if we adjust the passage to include that, it would say, “For with You is the fountain of life, in Your Smile we have the light of life.” Isn’t that a beautiful thought, that in God’s Smile we have the light of life for ourselves, and as His children, we can share that light with others when we simply smile. SELAH (which means stop and consider this)!

I know that we all get busy with our work and our families and our lives, and sometimes get lost in our own thought as we go along our days, but I have a challenge for you over the Thanksgiving weekend coming up: as you go through your day, wherever God takes you, make it a point to consciously SMILE with at least 10 people each day and watch what happens. Let the Love and Light of God SHINE through your smile, and see the amazing Divine Appointments that God will set before you.

So again I say to you… SMILE…it can make all the difference to others who see it!

Shalom, sister Lahoma

Easy Times or Hard Times

Psalm 144:15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

We are indeed blessed, beyond our understanding I think. This Psalm basically says that we are the people whose God is the Lord, no matter what is happening to us or around us. In victory or adversity, easy or hard times, we are still God's people. What could possibly happen to me or you that would change that? Like this Psalm says, we are just a breath and our days are like a fleeting shadow. Though that is true, God cares so deeply for us to provide for our needs and to touch our hearts. He alone is... like it says in verse 2, our fortress, our stronghold, our shield and our deliverer. I know hard times come and go and that our lives can be upside down in a moment. That doesn't change the truth though, God is still worthy of our newest song, like it says in verse 9, and the one we should cast our cares on.

David knew trouble. He was both a victim and sometimes his own worst enemy. He knew this and made no excuses for his wrong choices and behaviors. He wrestled and doubted and whether victorious or beset by calamity, at the bottom line he trusted God. In the midst of some of his darkest hours he pens some of the most faith inspiring words of praise and thanks to God. When the going gets tough it doesn't mean that God is not there, it means only that times are tough, but so are we, because the one and only Lord God Almighty is our God. Nothing can separate us from the love and care of God.

Sometimes following the Thanksgiving holiday, after the tummy aches and bloated feelings subside, we are left with an empty feeling. I think more of this is physiological than psychological most of the time. But hey, it is pretty real. After the break and all the festivities and hoopla we must get back to the everyday grind and that is not often easy. We are left with feelings of comparative meaninglessness and can let the doldrums begin to set in. We are the same people of God when we buy the turkey, prepare the turkey, cook the turkey, carve the turkey, eat the turkey, eat turkey leftovers and burn out on turkey casseroles and sandwiches and soup. We all ride the rollercoaster’s of life and we go up and we go down. God doesn't change, He is there to receive the grateful praise of our ups and there to console our hurting hearts when we go down. We will be just fine if we will remember to hang on to God for the whole ride.

Many blessings on you and yours, Pastor Fred

Keep an Attitude of Gratitude...every day of the year!

"And it came to pass, as He (Jesus) went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, He was met by ten men who were lepers, and they stood far away: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." Luke 17:11-19

Thanksgiving is here, a National Holiday which dedicates a single day in our calendar year to pause and Give Thanks. You may have expected a historical dissertation today on the elements of that first thanksgiving so long ago, but I have something else on my heart to share instead. I believe that Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays of the year, why? Because as Christians, we need to stand up and share boldly that we DO have a Heavenly Father that deserves our gratitude and praise for the wonderful things He does in our lives every moment of our existence from the moment we took our first breath to the instant we cross from this life into eternity.

It seems to me that this holiday is slowly being pushed aside as time goes by, and I wonder why as I watched the advertisements for “Black Friday” and the Christmas season begin to prematurely unfold everywhere I turn. I wondered why we diminish this great opportunity to pause and reflect on the blessings we have as people, as parents, as employees, as families, as Americans… Is it because we have less to be thankful for? I sincerely do not think so. In fact, we have MORE and MORE than any generation before us, and we seem to be the most spoiled and the most ungrateful as time goes on. Is it because we foolishly think we are self sufficient and do not need to thank anyone else but ourselves? Or is it because this generation has turned so far from God that they don’t feel that they need to say Thank You to Him because if they said thank you to God, they would have to acknowledge a Heavenly Benefactor that they don’t even want to believe exists anymore. People tend to forget to be grateful when things are good, and tend to complain and accuse God of not caring when things are tough. We are like a bunch of spoiled children. We often even treat God as though He owes us something. When 9-11 happened, the churches were filled to overflowing (for a few months), and then we returned to our status quo of assuming that our security depended upon us… how foolish we are. When the fires swept through our local communities, people who had lost everything were grateful for their lives and the lives of their family members. How much MORE should we be thankful when we are not troubled by disaster or disease or famine or death. Unfortunately, sometimes we forget about all the good things that God has done for us and promised to us, and we lose focus and become ungrateful or indifferent towards God. As a matter of fact, the Bible warns that in the last days, people will become more and more selfish and less thankful to God. People will even stop acknowledging that they have any reason to be thankful to God. In 2 Timothy 3:1-2 it reads, "Know this also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy..." This passage pretty much nails our current generation, that in the last days, people would become unthankful. How many of you would agree that we are living in a society that has become unthankful? People don't acknowledge God anymore or give Him the credit He deserves as Creator of the universe. Scientists would rather believe that we evolved from primordial slime than to be thankful to God for creating us. We live in an “entitled” generation, that things are just owed to us (like jobs and financial security and such) and we become irritated when they are not. Children are less grateful for their parents. Church goers are forgetful that they are blessed with houses of worship and are not persecuted for their faith or their attendance. People are no longer thankful that Christ died on the cross for their sins. They feel that they can save themselves or make it to heaven on their own terms. People don't give God honor and glory for their success in business. They will tell you it's because of their own hard work that they have accomplished these things. A lot of people don't even call Thanksgiving Day "Thanksgiving." They'd rather call it "Turkey Day." Yes, being thankful seems to be a thing of the past.

Our passage today is a Biblical story of thanksgiving, even if there are no turkeys or pilgrims or Native Americans. It is a story that sometimes is overlooked in the gospels, but a compelling reminder to us that God’s graciousness is poured out upon us. We have here ten men who had much to be thankful to Jesus for. But after they got through the hard times and were healed, only one returned and told Jesus thanks. What about you? When you receive a blessing or answered prayer from the Lord, will you be like the nine who never came back to tell Jesus thank you, or are you going to be like the one who fell at Christ's feet? How do you think that Jesus felt when only one man out of ten bothered to come back to say thank you?

During this Thanksgiving season, please remember this one truth: God doesn't want us to say thank you just because He needs to hear it. I believe that He wants you to be thankful because He knows that your thankfulness will keep you close to Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." This verse is saying that God wants you to find something to be thankful about no matter what is going on in your life. If you are seeking God’s will, this verse tells you what it is: It is the Will of God concerning you…to give thanks. So, as you sit down at your family table, or wherever you celebrate Thanksgiving, pause and think of just ONE thing, big or small, and bow your head and give thanks to GOD for it. Honor God with your thanksigivng, bless Him with your humble heart of gratefulness, and then maintain an attitude of gratitude every day of the year.

Happy THANKSgiving Day to you, my beloved brothers and sisters!

Shalom, sister Lahoma

We All Get Depressed

Psalm 143:1 "O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief."

David is in the pits here. Really down. He goes through some pretty desperate steps trying to unload his fears and stresses on the Lord. I am sure we all understand. You have been there and so have I. When you thought it was the end, when the enemies were surrounding you and you felt faint and your heart is dismayed. You think about better days but quickly turn to words of desperation, crying out to God, but your spirit is failing and you are losing your grip. You feel like God doesn't hear you, that there is no hope and that the coming disaster cannot be averted. Read this Psalm and hear David's deep depression.

Depression is a real problem and many face it every day. Regardless of all the effort to cheer up or put on a happy face, we feel relegated to waiting for the other foot to fall and for the worst possible scenario. The tendency to pile on to our own misery is so tempting that most of us don't even resist and fall victim to spiraling negativity and hopelessness. Somehow we have lost sight of what joy is and where true happiness comes from and start actually thinking as if there were no God. David does start to get it turned around so let's look at what he does to get himself out of the doldrums and the hole he is in.

#1 He thinks of the better days. Even though it doesn't help much he does give it a try.

#2 He lifts up his hands to God and admits that his soul is thirsty.

#3 He seeks the Lord and calls out His Name and is honest about his plight.

#4 He exercises his faith that new things will come in the morning.

#5 He asks for help and surrenders to the Lord's teaching and counsel.

#6 He invokes the Lord's Name and asks for deliverance.

#7 He restates that he is a servant of the Lord.

Interesting points or steps, if you decide to use them. Most importantly, don't allow yourself to isolate, shut down and stop trying. David goes through several of these episodes in his life and each time he manages to work his way out. But, not without honesty, surrender, confession, tears, effort, a good fight and some humility. If you are blue, stuck or down, you don't have to stay there, certainly not any longer. Let go and let God. Give your trouble to the Lord. He is there, He cares and can help you. Cry for mercy and claim God's faithfulness and righteousness, He will hear you and will come to your relief. If you struggle, use some of David's steps, after all, he is a man after God's own heart. Seek the Lord, He is waiting to hear from you.

So In Him, Pastor Fred

What is Your Prison

Psalm 142:7a "Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name."

I have a growing perspective of prison, prisoners, and the many forms of imprisonment. Recently, more than any other time in my life I have been corresponding with and visiting prisoners. Some of that dynamic is because of my son being in prison and the number of people I know who have family in prison. When I leave prison I am always grateful for my freedom. I also know that just being free to do as I choose doesn't mean that I escape being imprisoned in other ways. Certainly addictions, habits, co dependencies, self-limitations, victimization and even laziness can trap us with seemingly no escape. Whatever your prison is, when Christ sets you free you will be free indeed and praising Him for it. Self-imprisonment is both terrifying and terribly convenient. It is our excuse for everything from over-medicating to not changing. Probably the most crippling debilitation is the one that happens between our ears when we put limits on what God can do. Most of the time it is not that we can't, it is that we won't change. There is the biggest difference between real prison and self-imprisonment. In real prison you are just the prisoner and not the warden too. Ask God to help you with the keys today. The keys of courage, accountability and initiative. When you do you will be praising His Name and so will I.

By His Power, Pastor Fred

Blessed Rebukes

Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me-- it is a kindness; let him rebuke me-- it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

We have much to learn about accepting criticism. Does this mean I am going to criticize you? Does this mean I am claiming to be righteous? Just exactly what do you mean to say Pastor Fred?
Wow, maybe I am touching on a sore spot. I know I can feel it. We should be open to honest criticism. God may be speaking to us through others. Nobody likes criticism, but everybody can benefit from it when it is given wisely and taken humbly. David suggests that we don't refuse it, take it as a kindness, receive it and let it work in us for His purposes (no matter how it may have been originally intended). Allow by the Spirit to let criticism be productive instead of destructive. This is how I have learned some of my most important life-changing lessons. I am not suggesting that we open up the floodgates of correction, but I know that in order to lead more effectively I must be way more direct and significantly more assertive in advising and guiding as I shepherd in Grace Harbor. That which harshly given helped me so much would surely be quite helpful to others especially if shared sincerely and kindly.

Let us all seek to be humble receivers and wise givers of criticism. We will all benefit greatly. If the Lord gives you something to say, speak the truth in love. If you receive something from the Lord through criticism...Praise the Lord. David knew what it was like to be rebuked righteously and unrighteously and he was wise enough to learn from both.

Seeking Him daily, Pastor Fred

Thanksgiving

Our Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Dolly Whitlock:

During the Thanksgiving season most of us think of celebrating the holiday surrounded by family and seated around a table overflowing with delicacies. I’d like to share this devotion that helps remind us that one day we will receive a bountiful feast from the most precious Head of the family.

Around the Father’s Table

Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the lamb! Rev. 19:9, NIV

For the past several years, my husband and I, along with our family, have celebrated Thanksgiving at my father’s house. . . The meal is always abundant and delicious—turkey with dressing and gravy, ham, green beans, … my mouth waters just thinking about it! But the highlight of Thanksgiving is not the food, or the televised football games, or the fun. The highlight is always the fellowship around the dining room table. As we sip our coffee and gorge on one last piece of pie, my father presides at the head of the table as each person shares what he or she is most thankful for.

One day, in my Father’s House, the table will be set and supper will be ready. One day all of the Father’s children will be seated around that table. One day My Father’s House will be filled with His family, and it won’t get any better than that!

Taken from The Joy of my Heart by Anne Graham Lotz, originally published in Heaven: My Father’s House by Anne Graham Lotz

Personal Invitation:

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, this is the perfect time to do that and be welcomed into the family of God. Share your decision with Pastor Fred or a Church Council member so we can put our arm around you and give you a personal welcome. There’s always room at the table.

God Bless Grace Harbor and the Grace Harbor family, and we will remember to thank You for our many blessings this Thanksgiving Day.

Dolly Whitlock

The Poor and Needy

Psalm 140:12 I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

We don't like to talk about them much and even avoid thinking about them as much as possible, but they have always been and will always be until the end. Are we responsible for them? No, but we do have to respond to them. Why are people starving, why is there so much poverty and need, why are there so many children at risk? God knows and cares. Man knows and seemingly does not care or can't respond. God will do justice for the poor, He promises; and He does uphold the cause of the needy, you are hearing about it again today as an example of that.

Let me share my heart about this, because I am grieved. My belief is that human suffering, children dying, poverty and need are caused by the very thing that causes the rest of our problems. SIN. Ever since the 'fall of man' we have individually and corporately suffered from the consequences of sin. Don't misunderstand. The sin is not poverty or need, it is greed, laziness, abuse of power, deceit and godlessness. We should never blame anything else.

My suggestion is for all of us to practice Biblical stewardship and to personally make a difference in a child's life; whether locally or around the world. Did you notice how quiet it got about the suffering in Darfur, or the human trafficking in South East, Asia? Not because it is better, because it is election time. Help the truly poor and needy and remember to do it in the name of Jesus.

He cares, secures and upholds.

With His Compassion, Pastor Fred

The Marvelous Gift of HELPS

The Apostle Paul speaking
“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. I Corinthians 12:1, 4-6, 27-28

I recently had a dear sister in Christ share with me her desire to find her ministry at Grace Harbor Church. She told me that she believes she has found her ministry as an “assistant” doing various things behind the scenes, or volunteering in the office, and then she added: “whatever needs to be done”…. which stirred my heart to realize that right before me was the perfect example of someone called to be a Minister of “Helps”! Perhaps you have never heard of this Gift, but I assure you that it is biblical and listed in scripture. Let me show you.

I Corinthians 12 is a wonderful chapter that teaches us about how God gives a variety of spiritual gifts to those in the Church. Paul compares the Church to a human body, and explains that each part of the “body” serves a purpose for the greater good of the Body and to the glory of God, all under the direction and leadership of the “Head” which is Jesus Christ, our Lord. I encourage you to take some time and read the entire chapter; for Paul begins by saying that he does not want us to be “uninformed” about such things. There are so many gifts listed in our passage today that we could discuss today such as the leadership of apostles, the proclaiming of the prophets who spoke the Word of the Lord, the teachers who lead and guide the flock to learn and apply Truth, miracles (wouldn’t we ALL be blessed with a miracle in our lives!) the gift of healing in a world filled with disease, pain and death…. but the one little gift tucked away in this list above is the one I want to show you, and that is the gift of HELPS. Have you heard of it before? Do you know what it is? Do YOU have this gift?

Essentially, the Greek definition for the word "Helps" used in 1 Corinthians 12:28 is, "antilepsis", and means "rendering practical aid and support." In a nutshell, that is the Helps Ministry, to be a "practical aid and support" to our pastors in support of their vision in the local church setting! In order to understand what the Helps Ministry is, let's look at two examples of Helps Ministers in action:

• Let's look at the need for the ministry of Helps in the life of Moses. God told Moses in Exodus 17 that as long as he held his hands high, then one particular battle they fought would go well, but if he let his hands drop, the enemy would win. Moses held his hands up, and the battle went well, but as time went by, he become fatigued and weary (as all of us do) and his hands began to drop! The battle started to turn against the Israelites so Moses' Helps Ministers, Aaron and Hur, stepped in and moved Moses up on a rock so that he could sit and rest, and held up his hands! In doing so, the Children of Israel were able to defeat their enemies! Just as Aaron and Hur did in their day, so the Helps Ministry "holds up the hands" of our Pastors and Council Members and Church Secretaries and School Teachers so that our church can win the victory and get it's job done!
• In Acts 6:3-5, the newly developing church was confronted with a similar problem, the leaders of the church found that they were spending so much time taking care of the fundamental needs of their people that they were neglecting the Word of God and prayer! They anointed men to help in these natural areas of ministry. The spiritual leadership was able to better minister to the people regarding spiritual things, because the natural things were handled by men anointed to do that work!

Do you have a burden to simply work behind the scenes, assisting where needed whether it be answering the phones in the office, stuffing bulletins, cleaning the windows, emptying trash, bringing refreshments, helping with transportation for someone who cannot drive anymore, setting up chairs, making coffee on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, donating school or office supplies, or volunteering when there is a need? If so, then rejoice….God have given you a very SPECIAL and NEEDED gift! It is a very important gift that needs to operate in the Body of Christ so that these small details are taken care of instead of assuming that the Pastor or church staff will handle it. Their arms get tired as they hold up the various ministries…. And you are being called to step up and help them. You may not get much recognition by having your name printed in the bulletin, but usually those with this gift prefer it that way! They want to simply meet the needs and are blessed to see that their service provides relief to those in ministry. If you are feeling the Holy Spirit moving over your heart in this area, please contact your Pastor or Church office and let them know… I am sure that on any given day your local church needs help as well! So don’t wait…get involved in your local church! The Helps Ministry needs you!

May the Lord richly bless all those who are gifted with the tender heart of a Helper, with eyes that see the needs and take action to simply meet those needs, one who works quietly behind the scenes reaching out to help take care of things that need attention. May you see that your marvelous gifting holds up the arms of the ministry you serve in!

Thank you for serving the Body of Christ and for being faithful in your calling.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

How to Get Far from God

Psalm 138:6 Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.

We all know that God is both far above and within, simultaneously. We understand that He is above the highest and yet is with us at our lowest moments. I am glad for this because it speaks of His greatness and His compassion. He is both God Almighty and my Personal Savior. I should always focus on reaching Him from within. When I try to reach Him on His level or try to aspire to touch Him in the heavens is when I risk in that proud attempt being farther away from Him than when I started. This verse in Psalm 138 infers that it could be pride that creates that distance. Of course it does.

Pride goes before the fall. Pride also fosters the position of superiority and tempts us to think more highly of ourselves than we should. It is He who is above all and on high and came down, not me who rises up. He arose, He descended, that was His place and role and mine is to simply know Him from within. Sometimes we can try too hard to reach God.

God will distance Himself from our proud attempts. As the old saying goes, and I repeat.... 'If you are not as close to God as you used to be then guess who moved?' It is us who creates distance from God. He can't be intimate or close to us when we don't let Him. Our pride is a false notion that separates us from His presence. If we want to keep proximity we must practice humility.

I know that my pride leads to anger, bitterness and un-forgiveness. These possibilities in me are what keep me from the closeness I desire. God cannot cohabit when I am proud, especially when that pride makes me angry, bitter and unforgiving. Like a dog with a bone, I can be with a 'high and mighty attitude' about an issue or matter that I refuse to let go of or relent about. These things particularly need to be given to God, so I don't try to Lord it over anybody.

We should many more times in life, compromise reach consensus or agreement rather than demand our way. Who do we think we are anyway? By the way, the answer to that rhetorical question is... God. We do such a lousy job of being God too. So next time you or I get way up there and all spiritual and all-knowing and all-powerful and try to be everywhere at once and have it all under control, let us quickly remember who we are and who we are not.

Whenever I try to be God, I end up farther away from Him. Not what I planned to happen. So today I will step back and step down and connect with Him from within and draw closer to Him and what He wants and what should happen. Good counsel for us all. Draw near to Him now.

In His Presence, Pastor Fred

On the Willows

Psalm 137:1-2 (NKJ) By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung up our harps, upon the willows in the midst of it.

A little over 30 years ago, Dawn and I were part of a production of Godspell, a musical about the 3 year ministry of Jesus on this earth. We gave a creative interpretation of the gospel and our cast from the Trinity Baptist Church of Santa Monica did a stellar job of presenting an accurate and redemptive Christian rendition of a somewhat secular show that to this day inspires me. One of the songs from that effort was entitled "On the Willows". The lyrics are haunting and emotional and are taken from Psalm 137. I could never and still can't sing it without weeping. The disciples in the production sing it in response to Jesus telling them He must leave via the crucifixion and resurrection. I sing these words every once in awhile to express my feelings of not finding it very easy to be in this world:

On the willows there, we hung up our lyres
For our captors there, required of us songs
for our tormenters mirth, saying.....
Sing us one of those songs of Zion
Sing us one of those songs of Zion
But how can we sing, sing The Lord's Song
in a foreign land?

Psalm 137 is about the Jews responding to the captivity and enslavement of Israel. The poetry, though a little obscure and kind of difficult to understand tells of how when they were being taken away from their homes and were watching Zion be destroyed behind them they were asked, mockingly, to sing the songs of how wonderful Zion was and how beautiful their life was before the destruction. In protest of such a requirement they hung their lyres in the weeping willows by the rivers of Babylon and refused to sing, because of how much it broke their hearts and how utterly disrespectful it was to force them to sing. Can you imagine such a terrible thing? It would be like demanding the surviving spouse to sing a wedding song about a deeply loved husband or wife at their funeral. Simply heartbreaking.

The reason I have such a deep and sensitive connection to this song is because in the production my part called upon me to touch Jesus as He was leaving us after the Last Supper and going to Gethsemane. At one particular rehearsal I really got caught up in the moment and began weeping as I tried in vain to stop Jesus from going, knowing where he was going and why and that He was going to die. How could I sing at such a moment? I emotionally, in effect, hung up my lyre and just couldn't sing. As I explained my dilemma to the cast we reflected on how many aspects of the musical were so touching that it was difficult to separate our real feelings from the drama.

Now, my point for the day…. Are you really attached to what the symbols of communion represent? Do you feel something when you see a cross? Does a song evoke emotional response from you? Can you connect to what it means when someone in our Church Body (His Body) reconciles or breaks through, or especially when someone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ? This is the most important stuff that happens in life. I know I often talk about not trusting our emotions, but that is not to say that we should not express our passions. Especially the ones associated with our love and commitment to Him. Let me put it to you this way. If you never really sing the Lord's song from your heart then I guess I understand why you don't connect to hanging up your lyre on a weeping willow.

Let us not be so detached from our hearts that we can't feel how foreign this place is to us. We are strangers in a strange land and to a degree we are captives here and this world is not our home. There are times when the world demands that I must go along with the next godless way of seeing things that breaks my heart in such a way that I just can't sing. Every Sunday there are words in our worship that choke me up. Not because I am becoming a sentimental old fogey, but because they touch my heart and evoke a deep sense of my relationship with Jesus. Almost like touching Him.

In Him, Pastor Fred

What must I do to be Saved

"What must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:30-31

“For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Our Pastor gave one of the best sermons of his entire ministry last Sunday, and it was truly a powerful message and challenge to all of us of the importance of sharing our faith with others. It reminded me of the importance to always look for opportunities to start conversations with my co workers, family members and friends. It also started me to thinking about how we take for granted that our listening audience even understands what we are talking about when we try to tell them about their need for salvation. I have been raised as a Christian my entire life. I am used to commonly used verbiage of my beliefs… Grace, Repentance, Salvation, Sanctification, Righteousness… all the familiar words and phrases of my faith, but we need to remember that we now live in a world where most people have no idea what they mean. The Church is not a dominant influence in our society anymore, the Bible is not respected or referred to, the precious name of Jesus Christ is mocked and ridiculed and people have lost their sense of need when it comes to reconciliation with a Holy God. I have to stop and consider that when you tell someone, “Good news! Good news! You need to be saved… and Here’s how to get saved: Believe in Jesus!!”, they may very well be thinking, “Saved from what? Jesus who?” Obviously, there is something missing in the approach that well meaning Christians use when they assume that people know what they are referring to when they tell people that they need to be saved. It is important, then, to prepare to share your faith in simple common ways so that people will understand and be open to the message of saving grace. So what does it mean to “be saved”. Saved from what? Why do we need a Savior? Don’t we all just try to live good lives, and hope for the best? Don’t we all go to the same place anyway? And then there are people who realize they need to be saved and then think they have to “DO” something to be saved, as our passage in Acts indicated from over 2,000 years ago. What does God say about this…. Let’s look at it together:

First of all, it’s difficult to understand the good news of being saved if you don’t understand the bad news. So let’s go back to the beginning when God created everything: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) When God created everything He said it was “very good.” This meant that everything was perfect. The whole creation was perfect. In fact, God says that all His works are perfect, and we would expect that from a perfect God. Man lived in the perfectly created earth (i.e., a paradise) with a perfect relationship with God. Our Heavenly Father created mankind to be in fellowship with Him, but He also gave man and woman the freedom of choice to embrace Him or reject Him. This is called “Free Will”. Why did God do this? Because to truly love someone, it needs to be a choice. God didn’t want robots down here just echoing what He wanted to hear… He wanted us to choose to Love Him and follow Him and fellowship with Him forever. People were originally created to live forever with God. However, Eve was tempted by Satan, who had rebelled against God in the heavenly realm), and then both Adam and Eve also rebelled against God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; and sinned (sin is rebellion against God. If you are not familiar with this story, read Genesis 2 and 3.)

The result of Adam’s sin was God’s judgment on man and separation from Him because of His Holiness. From this act of rebellion, mankind inherited “original sin.” In the New Testament, Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). One sin is enough to cause death! Because the wages of sin is death, God, in Genesis 3, shows that a life must be taken to cover the sin of Adam and Eve. Therefore, to make a temporary atonement (cover the sins for a time), God killed these animals on behalf of Adam and Eve clothing them with the skins. People began making animal sacrifices to cover their sins—an animal life for sin. There are multiple examples of this such as Abel (Gen. 4:4), Noah (Gen. 8:20), and Abraham (Gen. 22:13). The Law clearly told God’s people that without the shedding of blood, there would be no remission for sin. But what a burden to always have to kill an animal for each time you sinned! God knew that man would continue sinning, and that even the blood of animals wouldn’t completely cover ALL sin, so He had a solution, an eternal solution that would cut through time and space and reach into this world and provide the PERFECT and One Time sacrifice… the precious perfect blood of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ—far greater than any animal sacrifice—that would be sufficient to cover sin against a perfect God (Hebrews 10).

The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus Christ, our Savior, stepped into History because of God’s great love for us! Our beautiful and familiar verse today from John 3:16 tells us that God’s motivation for saving us is because of His great love for the world. This is what it means to “be saved”. We need to be saved from the punishment of sin.

When God intervened in our hopeless condition, He provided what the Bible refers to as “grace.” Grace means that we were to be rightly punished for our wrongdoings, and then the one who sentenced us to that punishment took the punishment upon Himself because of love for us. We rightly deserved death by God’s judgment. But God took that punishment upon Himself by dying in our place as Jesus Christ. He exercised that grace because of His love for us. Jesus didn’t come to the world to sentence it to death—the world was already condemned by sin. He came to save us from that sin (John 3:17). This demonstrates to us that God really is a God of love.

There is a final punishment that God will give to those who do not turn to Him. It is called hell and is a place of separation from God—and my dear friends; I assure you that hell is a real place. God never intended for people to go there. Jesus Christ came to be the final sacrifice to allow us to be saved from this penalty due to sin against a holy God. Those who put their faith in Christ will receive the FREE gift of eternal life and mercy and grace and forgiveness, not by anything you do, but because of what Christ did FOR you. Jesus was the ONLY PERSON in history that said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus, being the perfect sacrifice, offers the free gift of salvation. God loves you so much that He sacrificed His own unblemished Son to suffer the wrath against sin and die on the Cross. He calls you to repent (change your mind and turn from sinful ways) and trust in Him:

God made it simple for us to be “saved: as demonstrated in the following Bible passages:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

It is a simple and free gift. It doesn’t matter how many steps you’ve taken away from God; it is only one step back. If you are a Christian, let today’s devotion remind you of these simple truths, and pray for God to lead you to someone you know that is not a believer and then share YOUR faith with that person. Share your testimony of what God has done in your life. TESTIFY! If you are not a Christian, then consider more deeply the claims of Jesus, and please take a few minutes to pray to God in the name of Jesus to forgive your sins and to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life. Then please take some time to sit down with a Bible-believing pastor in a local church to help direct you as you begin your new life with Christ. Stop by Grace Harbor Church and someone would be honored to open up scripture and lead you to Christ, the One and ONLY way to be saved!

Shalom, sister Lahoma

Search Me

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I don't feel well today. I am sure you know the feeling. My head feels like a brick and I am stuffed up and hacking away every time I take a deep breath. Not sure when it started, but somehow I have gotten myself worn down again and I am paying the price for not taking better care of myself..... again. God knows what is going on with me and by His grace I will write this devotional this afternoon. Psalm 139 is a real beauty. It tells us how He knows and understands us.

The last two verses are a perfect prayer for us to say each day. When I was a teen I used to love to be clever with my answers and when asked if I knew something about anything I would sometimes retort, "Search Me!" It was my way of not answering and not responding and avoiding whatever I didn't want to talk about. Frankly, God is the only one I really want to be able to search me. He can handle it, whereas anyone else might be aghast at what my heart feels or my anxious thoughts would reveal. God knows me through and through and loves me still and all. A comforting thought, actually.

I am willing to have God see my offensive ways and deal with me. I often pray for Him to lead me in the everlasting ways, not the ways of this world but the eternal ways. Earlier in Psalm 139, David (nice to know he is the author of this one, because he is such a real guy) he shares that God created his inmost being and knit Him together in his mother's womb. Doesn't that mean that God values us in the womb, before we are born? Doesn't that mean that God himself is forming us before birth? We are a living soul at the time of conception. Living souls should be cherished and protected, particularly before birth when they have no voice.

I am so grateful to have been born with God already my Creator. Meeting Him as Savior is just all the more meaningful because He has known me from my conception, through me time in the womb and on to my birth and life. God wrote all the days of my life before I was even born. What a miracle. He has always known me and knows me now and will know me forever. He can search me because He knows His way around within me. He lives in me. I am so glad he judges the heart. He knows my weakness and my faith. My faults and my hopes. He can lead me because He knows where I came from, where I am and where I am going. He can search me anytime, know my heart, test me, know my anxious thoughts and deal with my offensiveness and keep leading me. I will follow Him. He knows where I am going and has my best interest in mind at all times. May His grace abound in me and you as we seek to fulfill His will.

In His Service, Pastor Fred

Semper Fidelis

Our Devotion today comes to us from Council Member, Alan:

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly." Jesus said to him, "Shall I come and heal him?" The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." Matthew 8:5-10

Today is a special day. Ask any Marine and he will tell you 10 November 1775 was when their beloved Corps was born in a simple place called Tun Tavern. On this day Marines all around the world celebrate from fancy ballrooms to fighting positions far from home. Alright, that’s enough history circle-up because I have something important to say about service in the Corps and Christian Living.

While I would certainly argue that the Marine Corps has earned a distinction as the most loyal, most revered, and most respected fighting force the world has ever known; it is not because of their rigorous training (copied in vain), nor their arsenal of (sometimes inferior) weapons. It is certainly not because every meal's a banquet, every paycheck a fortune or every formation a parade. It is due to character.

The foundation of character both individually and corporately is defined by three Core Values. And they don’t include beans, bullets, bandages or bad guys!

Honor
Always held to the highest standards, ethically and morally. Respect for others is essential. Accountable for ones own actions and holding others accountable for theirs.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Rom. 12:10
Show proper respect to everyone; Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. 1 Pet. 2:17

Courage
Not the absence of fear, but the ability to face fear and overcome it. It is the mental, moral and physical strength ingrained in every Marine. Willingness to take a stand for what is right in spite of adverse consequences. It steadies them in times of stress, carries them through every challenge and aids them in facing new and unknown confrontations.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Ps 23:4
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 Cor. 16:13

Commitment
The spirit of selfless determination and relentless dedication to excellence. It is what compels Marines to serve, like the centurion...always faithful.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Rom. 12:1
He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded. Pr. 13:13

So how do you measure up to those values? I know I’ve stumbled along the way. The good news is that there is a transformation between just doing and doing faithfully that cannot be undone and will move you into a closer walk with Jesus. In closing, I will leave you with the Marine’s Prayer.

Semper Fi
Cpl. Alan Severin, Veteran USMC

Almighty Father, whose command is over all and whose love never fails, make me aware of Thy presence and obedient to Thy will. Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose and deed and helping me to live so that I can face my fellow Marines, my loved ones and Thee without shame or fear. Protect my family. Give me the will to do the work of a Marine and to accept my share of responsibilities with vigor and enthusiasm. Grant me the courage to be proficient in my daily performance. Keep me loyal and faithful to my superiors and to the duties my country and the Marine Corps have entrusted to me. Make me considerate of those committed to my leadership. Help me to wear my uniform with dignity, and let it remind me daily of the traditions which I must uphold.

If I am inclined to doubt, steady my faith; if I am tempted, make me strong to resist; if I should miss the mark, give me courage to try again.

Guide me with the light of truth and grant me wisdom by which I may understand the answer to my prayer.

AMEN

HIS Love Endures Forever

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.

I can almost hear some of you singing now. The words that are the title of this devotional are said 26 times in Psalm 135. Why? Because the truth bears repeating and the truer it is the more it should be repeated. Wait a second; is it possible for something to actually be truer? I mean either it is true or not, at least when it comes to things about God and his character. He has complete veracity. This means, He is ultimately and totally true. Same way with His love, it endures forever. This Psalm is the never-ending story of God's love. God deserves our praise because His endless love never fails.

Everything about God is eternal, it is good and it is good and perfect. I thank Him more than once a day for how loving He is to me, to us and to all. God even loves those who choose to reject Him. God hates sin and loves sinners. No matter what His love endures forever. He proves His love over and over and over. He doesn't have to of course but He shows us constantly His mighty and precious love. The Psalm lists all the proofs of His love. I will list them so we are reminded.

He is good
He is the God of gods
He is the Lord of lords
He alone does great wonders
He made the heavens
He spread the earth out on the waters
He made the great lights
He made the sun
He made the moon and stars
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt
He delivered Israel
He divided the Red Sea
He brought Israel through it
He destroyed Pharaoh and his army
He killed mighty kings
He struck down great kings
He gave Israel land
He remembers us
He freed us
He gives food to every creature

In case you are not convinced of His great love, let me also remind you that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have life everlasting. Now, that is enduring love. The love of God is deep and is forever. Receive it, believe it, and we can experience it today. He loves me. He loves you.

His Love and Mine, Pastor Fred

God Will Do Whatever HE Dang Well Pleases

Psalm 135:6 "The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths."

Please allow me the liberty of bringing this point home by adding a *footnote* to this verse for your further edification.

* "He does not have to check it with you or me or even consider our opinion, situation or feelings when He does do whatever He pleases."

I think this may be why we sometimes desire so to be God. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to do whatever I please in the heavens and on earth, even in the depths of the sea? You see the depths of the sea are where He has put the remembrance of our sins. If I were God I would probably haul a bunch of that up and reckon with some folks. Just being a little honest here. Wouldn't that be interesting? I could selectively expose whatever I wanted to of all the forgiven sins. You know, just for fun, amusement, retaliation or meanness. Good thing there is only one God huh? Hey, don't look at me, you wouldn't do much better of a job.

God is God alone, above all and over all. He will indeed do what He pleases. He makes the rules, doesn't break the rules, doesn't change the rules and enforces the rules. That is why He is God. Sometimes we want God to be our bellhop; you know, take our baggage for a tip? Sometimes we want God to be our referee; you know, make peace so that we can rest easier and not deal with the messiness of forgiveness or the pain of communication. Sometimes we want God to be our buddy; you know, stick up for us, always cut us slack, have our back and be cool... all the time. Come on, not even your best friends have ever done that. Our expectations of God are interesting to say the least.

Trust this. God will be God, is God, will be, is now and always has been God. He was God before we were even here and will be God after we are gone. What is up with that? I guess He indeed does whatever He dang well pleases. Since He is the only One who has the right to 'dang' (damn) anything, it makes perfect sense to me. Our God is an Awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love... our God is an Awesome God. I actually feel way more secure and at peace knowing that He (not me) (or you) is in charge. Hope none of you are more concerned about my appropriate use of the word 'damn' than you are about Him doing whatever He pleases, accepting, and acknowledging that even if it pushes you off your personal throne, a little.

God doesn't need to take charge, He is in charge. Hmmm,
Pastor Fred

PS. Just read the rest of this Psalm if you want to know more about some of the stuff He did, does and will do and how we should respond to those facts.

The Lords Prayer

Matthew 6: 9 through 13:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

Most of us should know this prayer by memory – yes it is the Lords Prayer. Jesus was speaking to his disciples and (Luke chapter 11) and He said “pray in this way” – He was giving the disciples a way to pray not a prayer to pray (I am sad to admit that I was saying it as a prayer to pray). The Lords Prayer is a collection of index sentences covering every element of prayer. Follow the words – sentence by sentence – principle by principle and you will find yourself covering every possible aspect of communicating with your Father in heaven. Every requirement for prayer, every element of worship and praise, every perspective of intercession and petition is covered in the Lords Prayer. Our Lord gave us a gift when He said “Lord, teach us to pray”. Stop and just think about this.

So next time you say the Lords Prayer – I hope you remember this devotion. Here is another idea……..why don’t you try getting alone and really say this prayer and grasp what God is trying to show you. Maybe you need deliverance from temptation, or forgiveness in a relationship or to lay some need before our God………….just take the time to be with God and He will reward you.

Forever His

Kim Caldwell

His Poem

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Our Thursday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Hank:

The men of Grace Harbor were recently blessed to be able to participate in a men's retreat. On the first night, we had a wonderful guest speaker, a friend of Pastor Fred's named Pastor Jim. He shared with us from this verse and from his own personal experiences, and it made an impression on me. So much so that I wanted to share a little of it with you.

Pastor Jim related to us that the original word used in this verse and translated as workmanship is "poema", the same word from which we get our English word, poem. We are God's poem, or His work of literature, like a play or something. Isn't that a wonderful thought?

And as such, our lives are roles in the grand play. God has a part for us all to play. In other words, we have lines in the play, and as the verse describes, we are to walk in them. Of course, we don't always walk in them.

Pastor Jim spoke about a time that he knew God was directing him to speak to a friend of his, but he passed up the opportunity, and before he had another chance, that friend had died in a car wreck. He did, however, go on to share with us several times that he had followed God's directing, delivered his lines, and the blessing of changed lives that had resulted from those experiences.

When it comes to our own roles in the play, sometimes we ad lib and come up with our own lines; sometimes we don't study enough so we don't know our lines very well; sometimes we might get stage fright and forget our lines; and sometimes we might even step on someone else's lines. We have to make the effort to draw closer to God, the Director, the One who had us in mind for the part before we were even created. In fact, He perfectly designed us to fulfill the role. And as we draw closer to the Director, we can allow Him to show us how our lines are meant to be delivered. That way, our lives can become Oscar worthy performances, touching the lives of those God calls us to impact. So my challenge to you today is to remember that you are His poem, so "Don't miss your lines!"

Love in Jesus, Hank

Put Your Hands Up

Psalm 134:2 "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and praise the Lord."

Sometimes I fantasize about being a spiritual gunslinger and on Sunday morning in the middle of our worship time I would pull my neckerchief up over my nose, wheel around, point my trusty Bible at everybody and say.... "Alright everybody, put your hands up, or I'll start quotin scripture at ya." Well, I can't really do that, but I can send out this handy-dandy devotional today that reminds you that you should…….. Lift your hands up, that is, and just Praise the Lord.

Let me give you a few reasons not to put your hands up.

A. Because I said so......NO! Do it because the Bible encourages you to, many times.

B. So everybody can see you put your hands up...... NO! Remember, He alone is the audience of our worship, it should be as if nobody else is watching.

C. To try to get closer to God.... NO! Lifting your hands should be done to praise Him because you do feel close to Him or in humble declaration of your sincere willingness to draw closer to Him.

D. To participate, because it will help others participate.... NO! The Holy Spirit should be in charge of worship. If the Spirit prompts you to lift your hands, then lift your hands.

A good way to begin the process of being able to lift your hands is to respond earnestly when the song mentions that we lift our hands. Don't draw attention to yourself. Start inside yourself and do it to simply Praise the Lord. We have much to learn about worship. Can you imagine being on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus appeared to Peter, James and John? (John's brother James, by the way, not the half-brother of Jesus who wrote the book of James.) What would you have done? I can't imagine doing anything less than falling on my knees or face before Him.

Why is worship so reserved here on earth? I think we fear a 'false spirituality' or 'over-zealous emotionalism'. We need to find a way to worship with more abandonment without fearing these extremes. I remember the days in Baptist churches when nobody raised their hands unless you were little and needed to ask Mom to go to the bathroom. I miss some of what that picture of respect exemplifies, but not the staid reserved-ness that squelched the Spirit glorifying Christ in worship.

We should not wait to experience what heaven's worship will be like, when we can and should glorify Him now. Psalm 133 is not describing heavenly worship, it is describing earthly worship with hands up praising the Lord. Remember, all of us are now a priesthood of believers and must conduct ourselves accordingly.

Join me in worshipping Him with our hands lifted up as the Spirit leads us to glorify our Savior, Risen Lord and Coming King. My hands are up right now. (Uhhhh, feel free to lift your hands even when you are not in the worship service, if the Spirit leads.)

Love you all, Pastor Fred

Christians SHOULD Vote!

“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, who hate a bribe; and place such men over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” Exodus 18:21

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4

Today is Election Day and I am SURE many of you are very glad for a variety of reasons, not to mention the fact that all those nasty political ads will finally cease, praise the LORD! I get so tired of the double sided jargon, empty promises, and “candidates” (who are actually IN the office they are running for) making promises for areas they want to make change in-(so why didn’t they do what they are saying NOW while they were IN office???) Some people have decided to NOT vote because the choices are both corrupt and unacceptable in their estimation and if they don’t vote, they can’t be held responsible for the failings of another elected official… But not voting is not an option—it's both our civic and sacred duty. Voting is required of us as good citizens and as God's agents for appointing leaders. So how do we go about choosing the best candidates? Not by blindly sticking to your party’s list of candidates—that's knee-jerk ideology. The best place to go for wisdom is not the candidates' websites, or the Democratic or Republican conventions… but the Bible.

In our first passage today from Exodus, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, advised him to appoint as rulers "able men" who "fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe." The standard is competence and integrity. We should use the same measuring stick when considering a candidate who will steer the ship of America for the next four years. A lot can happen in that time, let us all pray for who GOD would want in office leading our next generation.

Our second passage from I Timothy reminds us that we need to be in prayer and intercession for all who are in authority over our nation from the very top (kings/presidents) to the local level, and for those who may become leaders over our nation. God desires that we live peaceful quiet lives (doesn’t that sound great!), so let us prayerfully consider our ballots before us today, and the proposals and candidates before us. Do they honor God in word and deed? Do they line up with God’s Word? Do they contribute to peaceful quiet living in our land?

I recently read a wonderful summary of the reasons that Christians SHOULD vote by author Jeffrey L. Myers, Ph.D. / from his book Vital Truth: Christian Citizenship (February 2003). Here they are for you to consider TODAY, ELECTION DAY,

1. God has granted us authority. All authority belongs to God, but He has put human beings on the earth as caretakers. What is our task? According to Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, we are to go out and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey God in every area of life. This includes politics. We must disciple people to make godly decisions about government, and promote the efforts of those who are already doing so.

2. We need to stand against evil. St. Augustine said those who are citizens of God's kingdom are best equipped to be citizens of the kingdom of man. The alternative is unthinkable. In the 20th Century, atheistic and secular humanistic leaders gained control of nations all across Europe, Asia and Africa. What was the result? According to historian R. J. Rummel, almost 170 million men, women and children have been brutally murdered by these governments, all in the name of human progress. These facts led historian John Hallowell to note, “Only through a return to faith in God, as God revealed Himself to man in Jesus Christ, can modern man and his society find redemption from the tyranny of evil.”

3. Christian values contribute positively to society. The Bible’s solutions make sense. It is Christian involvement in government through the ages that gave us hospitals, civil liberties, abolition of slavery, modern science, the elevation of women, regard for human life, great works of art and literature, a workable system of justice, education for common people, the free-enterprise system, and much, much more. When we see the good that results from applying God's principles, and the horror that results from rejecting them, doesn't it seem cruel and irresponsible to keep Jesus teachings about truth, love and compassion to ourselves? At very least, we should vote to keep OUT of office those who attempt to oppose God's authority.

4. Obedience to authority demands good citizenship. Paul in Romans Chapter 13 clearly states that we must obey governmental leaders because all authority comes from God. Here's the catch: in America, the people are the leaders! Here, at least, we express our obedience to God by exercising our rights and privileges as citizens. That means voting.

5. Good citizenship sets an example for generations to come. Those who apply God's principles to government pave the way for generations of blessing. In 1768 a Christian minister named John Witherspoon became president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton. While there he taught biblical principles of government to his students. Of the 478 young men who were graduated during his tenure, writes author John Eidsmoe, “114 became ministers; 13 were state governors; 3 were U. S. Supreme Court judges; 20 were U.S. Senators; 33 were U. S. Congressmen; Aaron Burr, Jr. became Vice-President; and James Madison became President.”

Beloved brothers and sisters, we need to stand for God’s Truth and God’s Word in our nation, and what better way than to speak with our vote! I encourage ALL OF YOU to get out and vote today. It is a privilege to vote, many men and women have given their lives to protect your right to speak your voice freely without retribution, so do not discard or diminish their sacrifice by ignoring this day of deciding the political direction of this beautiful country we live in. You may only be one vote, but together, we can stand for God’s Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

America, America, God shed His Grace on Thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

Transparency in Christ

"For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

You’ve all heard the old saying “Nobody’s perfect” and ain’t that da truth!!! All of us stumble and fall, all of us make mistakes, say things we wish we hadn’t, done things we found out later hurt people, misuse our time, talents and abilities, let people down, act out of our flesh instead of the Spirit. The devil would love to keep us wallowing in our failures and shortcomings, and would love to have others beat us down with guilt and judgmental accusations, but the beauty of our GRACE relationship of with God is that He knows we are weak and prone to stumble, and yet He is there waiting to pick us up, dust us off and send us on our way when we stop and confess to Him that we “ain’t perfect”. Think about it: If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need a Savior! That’s why God sent His perfect Son, He knew we couldn’t live up to the standards of perfection, so His Son was and IS the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins… for ALL of us. It doesn’t give us license to continue in sin so that God’s grace can abound, but it does provide a way of forgiveness when we fall short. Halleluiah!!! That should make you wanna SING!!! Like the song, we fall but He Lifts me UP!!! It’s wrong to put anyone on a pedestal and assume they won’t make mistakes along their journey called “life”, we should be praying for one another, holding one another accountable, and ALWAYS minister grace in time of need.

Let us all remember to hold ourselves up to the LIGHT of God’s Word and His love and mercy and grace, and to be transparent in Christ, just like the song “Hold Me Up” talks about. I hear this song on the FSH 95.9 all the time, and it both convicts and compels me to continue to be transparent before God and others, and to lovingly remind other believers to do the same. And when God shows you an area that needs repentance, do not avoid it, embrace it, run into the arms of our Heavenly Father. Take steps to right the wrongs when you can, and apply Grace in all circumstances!

Sister, Lahoma

Here are the lyrics to Andrew Carlton’s great song,

"Hold Me Up"

Everyone's got a hidden agenda
Concealing is a way of life
A simple way to satisfy dilemmas
As long as my tie's straight
The rest will fall into place

I want to be real for you
Father show through me in all that I do
Now I ain't perfect by any means
When I stumble do you question
the message that I bring?

Hold me up to the light
Can you see through?
Am I what you thought?
Everything that you knew?
Transparency in Christ
is all I offer you
When you hold me to the light
Can you see through?

Out on a limb and I'm calling to a Savior
Holdin my breath as the Spirit pours in
Cleanse me of all that is not in your favor
Father I'm whole
I am whole again

-= Repeat=-
I want to be real for you
Father show through me in all that I do
Now I ain't perfect by any means
When I stumble do you question
the message that I bring?

Hold me up to the light
Can you see through?
Am I what you thought?
Everything that you knew?
Transparency in Christ
is all I offer you
When you hold me to the light
Can you see through?

Hold me up to the light
Hold me up to the light
Hold me up to the light
Can you see through?