Month: November 2021

I Am Thankful . . .

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Grace, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Yesterday, my cousin in West Virginia forwarded the following to me. Here’s a portion of that email, written by Larry Pratt, for your encouragement on this Thanksgiving Day.

__________________________

Several years ago a good friend of ours, Mary, shared this following
email. It was found on a relative who had passed on. He had it printed
on a card that he carried in his wallet.

His name was Jim. He is dead now, but his message lives on. I hope
you enjoy it.

I am thankful . . . . . .

. . . . for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been
surrounded by friends.

. . . for the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have
enough to eat.

. . . for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and
gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

. . . for all the complaining I hear about government because it means
we have freedom of speech.

. . . for the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means
I am capable of walking.

. . .for my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

. . . for the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it
means I can hear.

. . . for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes
to wear.

. . . for weariness and aching at the end of the day because it means I
have been productive.

. . . for the alarm that goes off early in the morning because it means
that I am alive.

. . . for all the right and wrong in the world because it means I can tell
the difference.

_______________________________

May we, too, find our lives lived with an attitude of gratitude, a heart full of grace and words of continual praise to our God!

I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30).

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations (Psalm 100).

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever (Psalm 107:1).

HAPPY, BLESSED, PRAISE-FILLED THANKSGIVING DAY!!!

Dale

Making Connections

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Faith, Hiking, Jesus Christ, Joy, Uncategorized

Living the Christ-life is not a random adventure; it is not a relationship where you check the box and then go on each day as if God doesn’t exist.

Walking with Christ is a life of making connections throughout the day as the Holy Spirit guides our steps. Aware of God’s presence in your life, you look to see where He is working, teaching, and leading.

This is the abiding life. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:4-5).

Let me explain. Yesterday morning, I went to bed and awoke with a heavy burden on my heart concerning the local church of which I am a pastor. My daily Bible reading included Ezra 1-2. There I was reminded of the faithfulness of God to fulfill His promise to Israel. He even used a worldly king to accomplish His plan as the captives returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city. God was and is faithful to His covenant.

Interesting, . . . the faithfulness of God. Two days ago I recorded one of my weekly radio broadcasts, titled “Seeing the Faithfulness of God” from Lamentations 3:21-26. Then, as I read Ezra, the following was in the study notes from Warren Wiersbe. “Regardless of our circumstances, we can trust God to be faithful. Great Is Thy Faithfulness isn’t just a verse to quote or a song to sing. It’s a glorious truth to believe and to act upon, no matter how difficult the situation in might be.”

Then as I turned to read another part of my daily Bible plan, these words of Christ recorded in Luke 24:38-40 spoke to my heart. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Oh, how troubled and doubtful I become when I do not keep my mind fixed on the faithfulness of God, For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us (2 Corinthians 1:20).

As I walked through my day, I continued to see the faithfulness of God through answered prayer, discipleship, a conversation with some folk on the mountain while hiking, His creation all around me, an encouraging word from a growing believer in Christ and the words of several songs sung while hiking back down the mountain.

The events of the day were random, but the connections were not. They were all a part of living life in Christ Who is our life (Colossians 3:4).

What connections will you see today on this journey with Christ?

From A Pastor’s Heart,

Dale

GOTCHA!!

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Faith, Fear, Hope, Joy, Rest, Uncategorized

Everyday you will see something like this in the news media:

  • Latest News: Chicago Could Be Inundated by Lake Michigan (Weather Channel)
  • NASA Spots “Godzilla” in Space (Weather Channel)
  • Christmas 2021: Experts anticipate most expensive in decades as inflation, supply chain crisis lingers (Fox News)

Gotcha!! Fear-filled headlines draw you in. They capture your thinking and cause your mind to race and your heart to skip-a-beat! These well-placed, frequent headlines lead you to worry, be stressed, to try and control your future on the spot, and keep you attached to whatever news source has your attention. Fear sells; it makes millions at your expense both physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Would you sink your tap roots into the following eternal, life-changing truths? Would you meditate on these words from God Who has everything under His sovereign control? Would you dwell on divine viewpoint rather than human viewpoint?

Isaiah 41:10 – Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Proverbs 29:25 – The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

Philippians 4:4-8 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatevr is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Psalm 56:3-4 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 34:4 – I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I have given you seven scripture passages. Take a one passage a day for the next week. Please think the truth; meditate on the truth; memorize the truth; share the truth with someone. God never intended for us to live in the land of fear but the land of faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Has fear “gotcha” or is the truth continually setting you free (John 8:31-32)?