Pastor’s Blog

Daily Devotion Feb. 2, 2024

Posted on Feb 2, 2024 in Pastor's Blog |

Read Philippians 4:4-13

Devotional Thought

Peace is a hard commodity to come by these days. We have become a restless people. The number one factor in vehicular accidents is sleepiness. Doctors say that most of us need a minimum of seven to nine hours per night. Few of us meet this standard.

Daily Devotion Feb. 1, 2024

Posted on Feb 1, 2024 in Pastor's Blog |

“God said to Jonah, ‘Is your anger about the shrub a good thing?’ Jonah said, ‘Yes, my anger is good—even to the point of death!’” (Jonah 4:9, CEB).

How do you forgive God? Yes, you read correctly. How do you forgive when you are angry with God?

Before you brand me a heretic, please read Jonah’s story carefully (Jonah 4:1-11). Jonah was angry with God. God had sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach to the people of that city and Jonah didn’t appreciate the task one bit. Nineveh was the capitol city of Babylon—the country that had ransacked Jerusalem and taken the Jews hostage. Jonah despised the Babylonian people.

Daily Devotion January 31, 2024

Posted on Jan 31, 2024 in Pastor's Blog |

“But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little” (Luke 7:47, NRSV).

I enjoy attending twelve-step meetings. The beauty of the recovery community is its transparency. The ability to stand in front of a group of people and say, “Hi, I’m Suzy, I’m an alcoholic,” requires humility. By humility I mean self-knowledge that goes public.

Self-admitted addicts know their weaknesses, are painfully aware of their past misdeeds, and are willing to share their story of redemption with others. In Jesus’ parlance, they aren’t afraid to publicly share their story because they have been forgiven much.

Daily Devotion Jan. 30, 2024

Posted on Jan 30, 2024 in Pastor's Blog |

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20, NIV).

Forgiveness requires a number of steps. Psychologists identify the act of reframing to be one of the crucial of these steps. Reframing is the process of understanding the offense that was committed against you from a different perspective.

Daily Devotion Jan 26, 2024

Posted on Jan 26, 2024 in Pastor's Blog |

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44, NIV).

I had a rather upsetting experience last year. My Facebook page was hacked. My son-in-law had received a friend request from a rather salacious source. My technologically savvy wife quickly helped me remove the nefarious culprit from my account. I soon forwarded a word of apology to all of my Facebook friends for any distress the matter may have caused.

Daily Devotion Jan 25, 2024

Posted on Jan 25, 2024 in Pastor's Blog |

“So, Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank” (Numbers 20:9-11, NIV).

Oftentimes God puzzles me. This story of Moses is one of those instances. God instructs Moses to speak to a rock, so that water would gush forth and quench the thirst of the Israelites. However, Moses adjusts God’s instructions slightly and slams his shepherd’s staff into the rock. Even though Moses deviated from God’s orders, water still surges from the rock. Yet, God is not happy. God proceeds to punish Moses by banning the leader from entering into the Promised Land together with the Jewish people.