Friday, October 26, 2007
Two New Sermons
Just letting you know that Chris has added two more of my sermons to the blog! Pass the on and let us see if we cannot stir the "religious" out of their religion!
Blessings,
Your Pastor
Blessings,
Your Pastor
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
And a Good Time Was Had by All!
It really is true; a good time was had by all! From my casual observation, everyone liked the 'possum stew, as well; I am trying to come up with a name for this particular variety but have had no luck thus far. The fellowship was the kind God created His children to enjoy; I can only look forward to more of it!
Your Pastor
Your Pastor
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Leftovers on Wednesday Night!
As you know, tomorrow evening is Leftover time at the Goddard residence--a "time" of great fun, 'possum stew, and wonderful fellowship. For some reason, I have always loved "home groups" and this one has proved to be no exception! From what I have been able to see, everyone really looks forward to our gathering and for good reason: we have a great time! I might add this: the book we have been studying has certainly added to the value of our time together.
I am really thankful that our Lord takes great delight in our not only enjoying Him, but also in our enjoying one another. How would we make it through this journey we call life without the incredible fellowship of believers?
Truthfully, as I wrote those words, I also thought of the many times I have been disappointed and hurt in this journey, especially while attempting to enjoy the fellowship of other believers.
Today I saw this bumper sticker (one I had never seen before): LORD, PLEASE PROTECT ME FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS! When I saw it, I actually stopped, got out of my truck, walked over to it, read it carefully, and thought, "This ought not be so, but it is!"
Come on out tomorrow night and take the risk of actually enjoying being with His followers; I think you will be glad you did!
Your Pastor
I am really thankful that our Lord takes great delight in our not only enjoying Him, but also in our enjoying one another. How would we make it through this journey we call life without the incredible fellowship of believers?
Truthfully, as I wrote those words, I also thought of the many times I have been disappointed and hurt in this journey, especially while attempting to enjoy the fellowship of other believers.
Today I saw this bumper sticker (one I had never seen before): LORD, PLEASE PROTECT ME FROM YOUR FOLLOWERS! When I saw it, I actually stopped, got out of my truck, walked over to it, read it carefully, and thought, "This ought not be so, but it is!"
Come on out tomorrow night and take the risk of actually enjoying being with His followers; I think you will be glad you did!
Your Pastor
Thursday, October 18, 2007
New Pics of Annie & Family
I think you will really enjoy these pictures of Annie, Matthew, Mike and his parents!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Beautiful Story from Beth Stewart!
Hi Mac! :)
I want to share with you the experience I recently had when talking to a dear friend who was about to lose all hope. He is 42 years old and six years ago underwent two triple by pass surgeries in one day and then was in a coma for well over a month. It was touch and go for a long time. Needless to say, he can't work, recently lost his VA benefits ( I don't know the details with that), going through a tough divorce and has no health insurance and hence no doctor. The last doctor he saw was a VA doctor who told him that he wasn't a candidate for open heart surgery, to keep taking his medicine, and to go home and pray. Hill felt like he would be going to Heaven much sooner than he thought.
He felt so hopeless and lost. He was about to cry because he was giving up hope. I told him that in the darkest times of life is when God may provide us with an answer to our prayers and we become closer to Him. We prayed and I kept praying. Then I thought about asking the cardiologist I was going to see for the last time if he would see Hill for free. I thought that since lawyers sometimes do pro bono (spelled wrong), that maybe a doctor would and it sure wouldn't hurt to ask. The cardiologist is also from Iran, and since the first time I saw him, I tried to speak farsi with him...he was absolutely amazed that after 23 years I could still speak very well. He was such a nice person and I could see he cared very much for all the patients he saw each day. Anyway. At my last appointment with him, I began to tell him about my friend Hill and the situation he is in. I didn't even have to ask because Dr. Tehrani immediately told me that he would see him for free and that he needs to have a doctor. I couldn't believe my ears and of course had to give him a hug of thanks. I couldn't wait to call Hill with the news. Hill was so relieved and grateful..then a couple days later....a friend of his father also found a cardiologist that agreed to treat him for free as well. He couldn't believe that with in one week, when he lost all hope and had no doctor, now he had TWO!!! All this just happened recently and Hill is getting his medical records to take to the doctor his father's friend found. Prayer's are a powerful thing and I'm still pinching myself over it....Hill attends church in Macon with his parents most Sunday's but I'm hoping that he will come to ours one day once I can come back.... I wanted to share this miracle with you because I know that you would appreciate hearing about it....
Thanks so much for giving me the faith that I had lost so long ago. I feel like He worked through me to help my friend find his faith again as well.
God Bless you and miss you all! Much Love Beth:)
I want to share with you the experience I recently had when talking to a dear friend who was about to lose all hope. He is 42 years old and six years ago underwent two triple by pass surgeries in one day and then was in a coma for well over a month. It was touch and go for a long time. Needless to say, he can't work, recently lost his VA benefits ( I don't know the details with that), going through a tough divorce and has no health insurance and hence no doctor. The last doctor he saw was a VA doctor who told him that he wasn't a candidate for open heart surgery, to keep taking his medicine, and to go home and pray. Hill felt like he would be going to Heaven much sooner than he thought.
He felt so hopeless and lost. He was about to cry because he was giving up hope. I told him that in the darkest times of life is when God may provide us with an answer to our prayers and we become closer to Him. We prayed and I kept praying. Then I thought about asking the cardiologist I was going to see for the last time if he would see Hill for free. I thought that since lawyers sometimes do pro bono (spelled wrong), that maybe a doctor would and it sure wouldn't hurt to ask. The cardiologist is also from Iran, and since the first time I saw him, I tried to speak farsi with him...he was absolutely amazed that after 23 years I could still speak very well. He was such a nice person and I could see he cared very much for all the patients he saw each day. Anyway. At my last appointment with him, I began to tell him about my friend Hill and the situation he is in. I didn't even have to ask because Dr. Tehrani immediately told me that he would see him for free and that he needs to have a doctor. I couldn't believe my ears and of course had to give him a hug of thanks. I couldn't wait to call Hill with the news. Hill was so relieved and grateful..then a couple days later....a friend of his father also found a cardiologist that agreed to treat him for free as well. He couldn't believe that with in one week, when he lost all hope and had no doctor, now he had TWO!!! All this just happened recently and Hill is getting his medical records to take to the doctor his father's friend found. Prayer's are a powerful thing and I'm still pinching myself over it....Hill attends church in Macon with his parents most Sunday's but I'm hoping that he will come to ours one day once I can come back.... I wanted to share this miracle with you because I know that you would appreciate hearing about it....
Thanks so much for giving me the faith that I had lost so long ago. I feel like He worked through me to help my friend find his faith again as well.
God Bless you and miss you all! Much Love Beth:)
Sermons on the Web!
Thanks to Chris Reeves, my last two sermons are now ready for viewing! Hopefully, you will find them thought provoking and worthy of sending them on to your friends and enemies!Click here for September 30 Sermon Click here for October 7 Sermon
Friday, October 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A Better Day
Thankfully, today was a much better day than yesterday, but I am probably suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome--whatever that is! If I am not, I should be! Hopefully, Medicare will pay for my psychological treatments, if not maybe Medicaid will kick in and take care of them.
Seriously, life can sometimes be difficult to deal with, and when it is, it ain't fun by any stretch of the imagination! I thought that by this time in my life, everything would be running smoothly and the road would be bump-free, but that is what I get for thinking! But then, it ain't as bad as it could be and I know that!
Tomorrow begins in the court room, which means it is going to begin with lots of fun, I feel sure. I can hardly wait for the band to begin playing!! Why can't grown folk just do what they ought to do instead of making life so difficult for everyone--even themselves. Oh well--
We just finished Leftovers, our Wednesday night home group, which, as far as I can tell, was enjoyed by everyone. Both the pound cake that Data made and the casserole Annis made were delicious, as was evidenced by the leftovers (no pun intended!).
I hope to see you Sunday morning, if not before!
Your Pastor
Seriously, life can sometimes be difficult to deal with, and when it is, it ain't fun by any stretch of the imagination! I thought that by this time in my life, everything would be running smoothly and the road would be bump-free, but that is what I get for thinking! But then, it ain't as bad as it could be and I know that!
Tomorrow begins in the court room, which means it is going to begin with lots of fun, I feel sure. I can hardly wait for the band to begin playing!! Why can't grown folk just do what they ought to do instead of making life so difficult for everyone--even themselves. Oh well--
We just finished Leftovers, our Wednesday night home group, which, as far as I can tell, was enjoyed by everyone. Both the pound cake that Data made and the casserole Annis made were delicious, as was evidenced by the leftovers (no pun intended!).
I hope to see you Sunday morning, if not before!
Your Pastor
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Some Days Are Not as Much Fun as Others
Have you noticed that some days are not as much fun as others? Well, today has been one of those days for me; in fact, there was very little "fun" in it at all (the crises have been coming at me like machine gun bullets!). I did have lunch with Travis and his grandson, William, which was about the only bright spot in the entire "very few bright spots" day. Yes, I know that God didn't promise that we would always have sunshine, and I also know that many, many people had a much worse day that I have had, and I also know that this will probably not be my last "very few bright spots" day; even so, I am very thankful finally to be in my little cocoon, my place of solitude. The fact is one can know all the truth there is to know and still want to be alone and away from it all. Hopefully, all will be quiet for the rest of the night!
I do not know how these kinds of days affect you, but they sap my energy to the point of feeling wilted and depressed and weary and weak and frustrated and spent and really wanting to be alone; strangely, the older I become, the more I react this way. I do not know whether it is good or bad, but I do know that it is true--for me. I also know that we do have an enemy and, although, he has been defeated, he never ceases his attempts to distract God's children and, oftentimes, he is successful. Sadly, it sometimes takes a while to get back our bearings--to refocus--especially when the crises come like rapid fire, and he really enjoys that!
Strangely, just before I completed that last sentence, my phone rang and there was another crisis (10:05 PM) and I am wondering, "What is going on?" and I am praying, "Please, God, intervene and bring peace where there seems to be no peace!"
Thankfully, tomorrow is a new day and, hopefully, between now and then, there will be a good night's rest--
Your Pastor
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Sunday's Message
"And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us" (1 John 3:24). The Ten Commandments are impossible to keep; however, in comparison to this "His" commandment, they are a "piece of cake"!
Just for informational purposes, I offer this bit of trivia to you: in chapters 3, 4, and through verse three of chapter 5 (a total of 48 verses!), the word "love" is used FORTY-THREE times! I think this tells us something of the message John is attempting to convey to those who were being tempted to leave his teaching and join the ranks of those, who were teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh!
I really hope to see you in the morning!
Your Pastor
PS: This message will be a tad longer than last Sunday's, but shorter than the previous week's.
Just for informational purposes, I offer this bit of trivia to you: in chapters 3, 4, and through verse three of chapter 5 (a total of 48 verses!), the word "love" is used FORTY-THREE times! I think this tells us something of the message John is attempting to convey to those who were being tempted to leave his teaching and join the ranks of those, who were teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh!
I really hope to see you in the morning!
Your Pastor
PS: This message will be a tad longer than last Sunday's, but shorter than the previous week's.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Something I Have Never Before Seen!
Today, I was involved with the funeral service of a Reynolds man, who had spent much of his live serving our country in the Armed Forces, the US Army, to be precise. Unlike most services of this kind (with which I have been involved), there were some 50+ uniformed military personnel present at the service, including ranking officers, as in Colonels, even a General! The chaplain who spoke said this about the deceased soldier: "I want you to know that I have carefully thought through what I am about to say, so listen carefully: this man is the finest soldier I have ever known! Wow!
It was at the cemetery that I saw, what was unique to me; the honor guard folded Old Glory into its customary triangle,
and as they finished, a General walked up to one of the soldiers, and while standing at attention, he received the flag of this great nation from him, and before walking away, he saluted the flag. Then came the moment that took my breath: this General, dressed to the nines, holding the US Flag, as only a General could, walked over to the widow of the deceased soldier and knelt directly in front of her. While he was kneeling, he began to speak words to her, whispered words, but familiar words to me: "On behalf of the President of these United States of America and all the men and women, who serve in her Armed Forces, along with a grateful nation, I present this flag to you in honor and appreciation of your husband's faithful service to this great country!" Then he stood to his feet, bringing himself to "attention", and saluted Old Glory!
Now, I have seen many flags presented to widows of servicemen, even presented many myself, BUT this was the first time I had seen a General "do the honors" and I want to tell you that I was very proud to be an American!
You can call me foolish, if you like, but there was something about this General's kneeling before this widow and presenting the US Flag to her in honor of her late husband, that reminded me of Jesus kneeling before His disciples and presenting them with a towel and a basin of water.
Some leaders really are and they do not have to announce it to anyone because people simply follow them!
I will never forget what I saw today, nor will I ever forget that I, too, am called to kneel before His people and present them with a towel and a basin of water.
His!
Your Pastor
It was at the cemetery that I saw, what was unique to me; the honor guard folded Old Glory into its customary triangle,
and as they finished, a General walked up to one of the soldiers, and while standing at attention, he received the flag of this great nation from him, and before walking away, he saluted the flag. Then came the moment that took my breath: this General, dressed to the nines, holding the US Flag, as only a General could, walked over to the widow of the deceased soldier and knelt directly in front of her. While he was kneeling, he began to speak words to her, whispered words, but familiar words to me: "On behalf of the President of these United States of America and all the men and women, who serve in her Armed Forces, along with a grateful nation, I present this flag to you in honor and appreciation of your husband's faithful service to this great country!" Then he stood to his feet, bringing himself to "attention", and saluted Old Glory!Now, I have seen many flags presented to widows of servicemen, even presented many myself, BUT this was the first time I had seen a General "do the honors" and I want to tell you that I was very proud to be an American!
You can call me foolish, if you like, but there was something about this General's kneeling before this widow and presenting the US Flag to her in honor of her late husband, that reminded me of Jesus kneeling before His disciples and presenting them with a towel and a basin of water.
Some leaders really are and they do not have to announce it to anyone because people simply follow them!
I will never forget what I saw today, nor will I ever forget that I, too, am called to kneel before His people and present them with a towel and a basin of water.
His!
Your Pastor
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Fish Fry Wednesday PM
That is correct; we are having a fish fry Wednesday night at the Goddard residence. Immediately following we will discuss the current chapter of our book--"The Summation of the Christian Life"!
I hope to see you then!!
Grace and peace,
Your Pastor
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