Our God is an Awesome God!

I am enclosing a picture of the Sombrero Galaxy; most of you have probably never seen it but God sees it every minute of every day. It is really not very far from the earth; only 28 million light years away. Just for the record, this means that if you could somehow stand on it and throw a baseball back to the earth at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) it would take the baseball only 28 million years to reach the earth (probably have to throw it early one morning in order to get it here in time for the next Braves game!). Furthermore, this galaxy has only 800 billion suns and it is has a diameter of a mere 50,000 light years.

Yet, God knows you and loves you, even has the hairs of your head numbered and your name engraved on the palm of His hand. Go figure!

Entering the Covenant!

At leftovers last night, we discussed this all-important question: How does one enter into the New Covenant? A "certain lawyer" (Luke 10:25)asked Jesus a very similar (actually the same) question, when he asked, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Nicodemus (John 3:4) followed Jesus' statement (". . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God") with the same question (just stated a bit differently), when he asked, "How can a man be born when he is old?"

The fact is this: every person who makes it to Heaven does so through Jesus, who is the New Covenant; there is NO OTHER WAY! It matters not whether the person is Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob; Matthew, Mark, or Luke; Joe, Jane, or Sam; in fact, it matters not whether the person is an Old Covenant prophet like Jeremiah, Isaiah, or Hosea, or a New Covenant teacher, like Paul, John, or Luke, even a post-modern Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Episcopalian--there is but one way Home and Jesus, who is the New Covenant, is the way.

You see, the question of our discussion is a very important one, one that must be addressed and answered correctly. To be honest, I think we did a good job of answering it, and I also think everyone went home with a renewed interest in simply telling their own story. At the very least, I think everyone went home without carrying the burden of having to "win the world to Jesus!" It is very freeing to know that THAT is the task of the Holy Spirit!

Just for the record!
Your Pastor

A Reminder!

Leftovers meets tonight at 7:00 at the Goddard residence and you are invited! The chapter for tonight deals with our entering into the covenant that God made with Himself and with Jesus. Interestingly, it is a "how-to" chapter, which I think will be meaningful to you.

Supper should be tasty (not to mention,tender),as I have been marinating the 'possum in liquid sunshine for several days.

I hope to see you tonight!
Your Pastor

Last Night's Leftovers

Last night took me back to some of the most incredible days of my entire life, days when God's Spirit moved in such a way that His Presence seemed tangible. To be honest, it has been a long time since I have experienced His Presence, as I did last night, and as I did, I was made very-aware of just how much I long for those kinds of experiences.

It is difficult for me to put the experience into words, even as much as I like to write, so for now I will simply say this: last night was one of those "Song of Songs" experiences, where the Lover of my soul was making me keenly aware of His love not only for me, but also for each of us!

Hopefully, He has many more of these kinds of experiences in store for us!

Grace lavished,
Your Pastor

Dancing Lessons

It is my understanding that the pictured couple are going to begin teaching dancing lessons, provided, however, that they have 5 couples who are eager students. From what I have been able to observe, Carolyn's trip to Canada set her feet to dancing and now she wants someone to set Eddie's feet to dancing.

So this is your official notice: If you are interested in learning some of the finer things of life, in particular how to dance, let one of the members of this pictured couple know!

Now you are in the know!!

An Update from Beth Stewart

The following is an update from Beth Stewart. After you finish reading it, send her an email at this address: bethstewart2007@yahoo.com

Here's an update - I'm a little tired today. Last week I took a long walk, probably too long, and then yesterday, I took another long walk. I thought I was supposed to be doing a lot of walking, but find that my neck hurts much much more after I do. And since Farah, my daughter, has been working a lot these days to raise money for her books for college, she hasn't been home much to help so I've tried to do a little around the house, but I'm trying to avoid that temptation right now. I keep thinking about what your wife, Annis told me about not picking anything up that is heavier than a plate, but I had been, but I'm not any longer! :)

I'm counting down the days until I see Dr. Stefanis on Sept 13th. I'm not sure if he will release me then to return to work or not, but right now even though I'm bored silly, I'm hoping he'll extend my return to at least the end of September. I keep hearing that if I don't heal well, I could easily wind up having another surgery in the future, or worse yet, that I'll still have pain in my neck to live with each day.

I feel that I'm just now getting "used to" not working so I'm d thinking of things to do that I haven't had the chance to do in the past. I'm making up a list. My arms are beginning to get better. They felt tingly and my hands felt as if they were asleep, but I hope to start drawing again.

I have yet to make an appointment with the cardiologist. While in the hospital, they discovered that I have a very low pulse rate. Even though I had been awake for a few hours, my pulse rate was 39, of which I've heard was kinda bad. (I'm not athletic either)

A Dr. Khan referred me to a cardiologist for an echocardiogram and to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours in order to track my pulse rate during the night. Dr. Khan commented that he was afraid that my pulse rate may be dipping lower, into the twenties, during my sleep. They took blood tests as well and found that my potassium level was very low and that I have an under active thyroid. I just finished taking those huge potassium pills. But all in all, I'm assuming that all that may be part of the causes of my low pulse rate. I think I'm too young yet to be in need of a pace maker :) But then again, one never knows.

One thing that's on my list, which I'm rather ashamed to admit, is that I've never read the bible straight through. I'm beginning to now. In a way, and this may sound odd, but I truly believe that God made me take this break in life. I've honestly have never been off work for this long since my early teens and when I lived overseas in 1984.

This "break"is beginning to allow me to rediscover myself, to face hardships that I choose to avoid by working even harder at my job (all my life and because I was a single parent), and to allow myself a rest that I've long needed to heal from those hardships, do a little crying, and become a better me in the long run by becoming closer with the Lord, and myself for that matter. It is truly a journey, and although wearisome and sometimes difficult, it is a positive step forward that has been long overdue, but it is on God's timetable! :) I find comfort in knowing that as I press on , moving forward.

Thank you ever so much from the bottom of my heart in being there for me! I always look forward to hearing from you.

Bless you and much love always, Beth :)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

A picture IS worth a thousand words, most of the time anyway! Certainly, this is true regarding this picture. How anyone could look at this and not believe that God IS, is beyond me. The picture is a bit deceiving; the butterfly (moth) is much smaller than the picture indicates, which serves only to strengthen my belief that God IS.

God is the creator of this UNIVERSE--the entire thing! He rules and reigns over it day in and day out! He can hold the sun in the palm of His hand, if He chooses! He can cause all the planets to collide with each other on a moments notice OR He can cause them to continue in perfect order. He can do whatever He chooses to do!

On this given day, He chose to show this butterfly (moth) to me and I was mesmerized with its beauty, especially as I examined the intricate details of it body and wings. Just recently, it resided in the dark chamber of a cocoon but today, well you can see for yourself that it is no longer having to exist in the confines of darkness.

The truth is neither are you and like this butterfly, you are free to live in the Light!

Can you guess where this butterfly is perched?

Blessings,
Your Pastor

Leftovers Tomorrow Evening!

This is your invitation and reminder to attend Leftovers tomorrow night at 7:00. As I see it now, we will be eating Open Air's barbecue and Brunswick stew, along with slaw and chips. The chapter title has to do with Mephibosheth: " And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me” (2 Samuel 9:6-8).

Come on out and plan to have a grand time!

Grace & peace,
Your Pastor

A Prayer Matter

Corrie, whom many of you met at church a few weeks ago, had a cyst appear, somewhere on her spine, that was putting pressure on her spinal chord. As you might imagine, this was not good news for her, as she had to have surgery and, unfortunately, it left her with numbness below her right (if I remember correctly) knee. The Doc had to do some very extensive work, which left her nerves very irritated and, consequently, she is enduring considerable pain. Anyway, she desires and needs our prayers.

I know that you would want to know!

Thoughts on a Sunday Evening

It just finished raining here at 111 River North Court and, as you probably know, the rain was much-needed! The forecast is for HOT weather this week and I am not looking forward to it because it saps my energy and I mean SAPS my energy. Maybe it has to do with my age but I do not remember heat affecting me as it does now. Anyway, I enjoyed the rain and the brief respite that followed.

Speaking of rain: I am longing to see the "rain" of His Spirit fall upon you and me. I am not really sure what that means but I think it would bring a time of spiritual refreshment that we all probably need; to be sure, I do!

After today's message, I feel sure that each of you fully understands 1 John, especially the first several verses; after all, grasping their meaning is "a piece of cake!" You know, sometimes (often, really) I wonder why the Scriptures could not have been written so they could be more easily understood, especially in light of the fact that they are the Word of God! Yes, John directed his comments to "little children" but from what I can see, he should have directed them to those a bit further along. I mean, what in the wide-world was he thinking?

In the end, I guess it all came together in this: "the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked"--completely and totally dependent upon His Father! We would all do ourselves a favor, if we chose to place ourselves where we already are but don't have sense enough to admit it--in complete and total dependence upon Him!

Still searching!
Your Pastor

The Moment Before the Jump!

You have heard of the "jumping off" place; well, this is it! Annie came to the end of the road, turned her back on all her problems, and made the jump without a parachute! Fortunately for us, she landed in a pillow of snow, surrounded by what looked like Heaven, and got up shouting, "Hallelujah, I made it home before dark and this is far-and-beyond my wildest dreams! Why in the world didn't I do this before now?

Well, this in not exactly true but I'm betting that there have a been a few times over the past several years, where this would have been inviting to her, to say the least. This girl has been traveling quite a road and she has been because she has a dream and she is determined to see it become a reality. It might-well be called the "road less traveled" because very few ever choose to make this journey. Today, everyone wants instant gratification and if they cannot find a way to legitimately get what they want, they will do whatever they can to get it by other means.

As you know, I am very proud of Annie and I really want to see her make it to the finish line and begin to enjoy living out her dream. Who knows what God has in store for her but I do know this: it is going to be far-and-above her wildest dreams!

Blessings and grace lavished,
Your Pastor