Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!

It’s been awhile since I posted but with the holidays barreling down on us wanted to update all. The church is rolling on; the music our pianist extraordinaire Lisa has been doing lately has been exceptionally blessed and all have been greatly edified. The fellowship has been good and folks have been encouraging one another. The singing has been wonderful as the folks have been lifting their voices ever louder Sunday to Sunday. One of the greatest joys of my life is in raising my voice loud and proud so there’s no mistaking that I love the Lord. When I sing, I feel His pleasure. I am blessed whenever the sound comes up from my throat and out of my mouth. I want folks to know that I love the Lord when they hear me sing no matter the song or the setting. I’ll say it again: when I sing, I feel His pleasure and I know He enjoys me.
I have been working diligently full-time at the DMV and on my music for the Christmas season, especially with the Songspinners. The Songspinners is a group of volunteers who sing and dance for the benefit of the community and each other. They are a wonderful group of people and I consider myself lucky to be a part. Fellow church-member Nancy Jenkins is also a Spinner and has been with them for a long time; this is only my 7^th season (Spring and Christmas each year so 3.5 years now) with them. We are getting into the real teeth of our performances at nursing homes, civic organizations and churches.
We will be at the Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs tomorrow (Saturday Dec 7) at 12:30pm in the 3^rd floor courthouse. The Spinners will be at Heartsong Church Sunday Dec. 8 at 12Noon for their Friends and Family show and all are invited. Heartsong will have a potluck prior to the Spinners performance and you are invited to partake.
The Spinners will be performing at Freedom on Sunday night December 15 at 6:30pm. The church will gather for its annual Christmas Potluck at 5:30 and the Spinners will follow up. They have a performance at 5pm that day so will come to the church following that performance. For the first time maybe ever I won’t be there for the start of a potluck but Deacon Darrel will get the potluck going and the performance will be after dinner at around 6:30pm.
Come and enjoy our church; it won’t kill you to come to church and we’re not the worst church you’ll ever attend. And always remember, timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

 

Summer to Fall and the Present

Well, summer is over and fall is coming.

The temps have remained in the 90's after an entire month of rain, hail and floods. We had a special election here in Colorado Springs which concluded Sept 10; I worked on that election in the course of my employment and all went very well; it's now back to the DMV for me!
We will have a baby shower for Kellie Craig this Saturday; for all those that know Kellie and Brandon keep them in their prayers as they are expecting soon.
We concluded our studies on the Psalms and the book of Acts 2 Sundays ago and began 2 new studies this past Sunday: the book of Proverbs for Sunday School and the Gospel of Luke for the worship sermons.
The book of Proverbs is a unique book in the bible. One of our church members who wished to remain anonymous said that "Proverbs is the Bumper-Sticker book of the Bible." So true! Each verse is short, pithy and concise but very meaningful. The book is full of these little general sayings that are worthy of our learning and applying them to our lives. Even though they don't always come true in every situation, usually because we don't apply them properly or because we say we're following them when we're really not, those that will live by these proverbial sayings will live in wisdom and avoid an awful lot of trouble. I'm just sayin!
The Gospel of Luke is the longest gospel and the most detailed. The good doctor Luke wrote a thoroughly investigated and highly documented account of the life of Christ for his good friend, the noble Theophilus. Luke thought that every word he wrote and account he described was true because he was so orderly and detailed in his writing. We need such detailed people in the kingdom of God today: precise, thorough, intelligent and well-written. The last time I studied the book of Luke I was typing my notes on a typewriter, so it is high time we go back through this book with the use of word processing, spreadsheets and overheads.
C. S. Lewis wrote, “For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity” from The Screwtape Letters
As we think about our past we find many regrets, embarrassments that bring waves of shame over us (we don’t spend much time reflecting on our past triumphs)
As we look to the future we find uncertainty, fear, and hand-wringing worry: the worse-case scenario of what might happen dominates our thinking, and what future fears and frights await us causes energy-numbing emotions to fill up our souls (and crippling the body of the necessary energy for today’s problems)
And we spend so little time thinking about right now, for those people right in front of us that we can love, the little things we can accomplish now and the little pleasures we can enjoy; when we live in the present we are experiencing eternity
And in living the present we find that the pain of the past passes into forgetfulness
And the fear of the future is washed away by hope and faith
Regrets and fears are pushed out of our minds by our focus and concentration on the task or experience at hand
When we are actively doing that which is good and wholesome and right in the present we don’t let the past or the future steal our present eternal joy
And we wonder why we spent so much time and emotional energy fretting on things that have not happened yet and most likely won’t happen at all
Or reliving the grief, regret, remorse and embarrassment of those things that have already happened that we can’t do anything about now anyway
Other than to resolve to not repeat the mistakes of the past, and that takes clear thinking for the present, so the present time is all that matters now, for “the present is the point at which time touches eternity”
The Pester

Summertime and the Livin' is....

Summertime has been eventful this year. Grandchildren have visited, vacations are being taken, families have gotten together; it has been a grand time so far. We prayed for our brethren in the Black Forest and were relieved to see the fires stop. Good friends were deeply affected and our hearts went out to them. We have all been working hard to serve the Lord and support our families by the grace of God as always. We were glad to have the Songspinners visit in June and had a great time of potluck fellowship.

On August 4 we will join Heartsong Church after our morning service with a potluck lunch. Afterwards we will have a traditional gospel singing that Greg will lead and Lisa will play for. All are welcome.
We have been journeying through Psalms this summer and have rejoiced to learn that David revealed his poetic heart to us in what a personal relationship with God should be. We recently went through Psalm 139 and rejoiced in the creation of God in that “we are fearfully and wonderfully made.”

¹⁴I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

• Man as a creation of God is wonderful and glorious. Admiring the value of the creation of God means the praise goes to God, not the thing created
• When you look at man, you see the image of God. When you look at God you do not see the image of man, for God is the creator
• Man was created by God in God’s image but not created as God or a god; the idea of a human being is just that – one species, never more than a human, never less than a human
• Man will never be more than a man, a created being of God, yet man is special and separated from all other created things. It was only in man that God’s person and image was “breathed”
• This does not make mankind little gods. Even in glory man will not be deity; he will be man glorified. Man is born sinful and with a “lifeless spirit” that was waiting to be “regenerated” by the Spirit of God
• Jesus was the Son of Man. He was all the fullness of man and God in physical form. Jesus in His post-resurrection form represented the highest man will reach (Phil. 3:20-21; I Jn. 3:2), the “quintessential” man
• Man as a creation can grow and mature in the form of Christ personally and spiritually, and can emulate the character of Christ substantially, but he is still a created being. Man will one day go from being a horse to a winged horse, but will still be a horse in nature. Jesus took on the appearance of a horse but wasn’t by nature only a horse
• God should be praised for His creation. Man represents the highest expression of God’s creative nature; we are the pinnacle of God’s creation
• We are “fearfully made.” The creation is of such power and beauty that it excites awe and fear in the eyes of the beholder. God did not make us to be timid, but what He made was so wonderful that looking at it makes the one beholding fearful and awestruck
• The body is complicated, intricate and delicate in its makeup; a person doesn’t have to be a scientist to realize it. The greater mystery is not that a human being dies but that he is alive at all
• Man is also a moral being with total separation from animals. Part of man’s glory in creation is the moral nature of man and his freedom of choice
• We are also “wonderfully made.” This refers to the intricacy of creation. We are more than a chemical machine. No machine could ever duplicate the intricate creation which is a human being. Will a computer one day be the duplicate of a man (Artificial Intelligence)? This is not likely since it was man that created the computer.
• “Marvelous are thy works;” it is not that God made Adam and started the order of human procreation, then let it go on its own. Man does not make himself. God is involved in every birth, therefore we are His work. This is not to say that God is the cause of every birth
• David gave all the credit for himself to God, not to his mom and dad. No one is a prisoner of his genes, but God used genetic material to form us

The Banqueting Psalm - Psalm 23

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.

Is it odd that He only leads into the path of righteousness and then the next verse speaks of being led onto a path of darkness? No, for in this life we will always be faced with the possibility of darkness; as there is day and night, there are times of light and darkness in life’s circumstances

The “valley of the shadow of death” is literally “a valley of deep darkness;” paths that are low in valleys get dark faster than paths on ridges, and they are the easiest paths to get lost on. Since they are down low, predators like to strike from above while their prey is in a vulnerable position (righteousness keeps us on the “high ground”)
The wolf never gets very far away from the sheep and is constantly stalking (the shadow of death is always there)
Satan stalks us like a roaring lion, ready to pounce when we are vulnerable to temptation and deception; his “devouring” takes the shape of influencing us to fall ethically and morally, into “evil”
The rod and the staff were the tools of the trade for the shepherd, used to protect the sheep from predators and keep the sheep from wandering off; we can have peace and security knowing that if we begin to wander off the trail the Lord will “wop” us with His staff to get us back on track, and He will use that same “staff” to ward off the wolves
We can take comfort in this

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies
David changed the analogy from shepherd to a banquet hall where a gracious host provided wonderful hospitality. This generous host prepared a lavish table for David even while his enemies plotted against him and were even “at the door.” David takes great pleasure in the picture of enjoying a great banquet while his enemies are coming to get him
The host offered his guests cleansing and refreshing olive oil that each guest had poured over their heads in preparation for a well-prepared banquet (think finger bowls and hot towels)

David’s circumstances are not the subject of this psalm; he acknowledged that he was in trouble with the language of darkness, valleys and enemies, but he was comforted and at peace because of his relationship with the Lord. Because of his relationship with the Lord he would dwell in the house of the Lord forever

We never know how much we might miss this strange little thing called church until we don’t have it, and then we realize it means something to us. As David meditated, he understood and resolved to never leave it again
Communion with the Lord in His sanctuary is a place of peace, comfort, strength and blessing

The Psalms - Relationship with God expressed in poetry and song: the role of art in our faith

Our new worship service study will be about the Psalms
Obviously we won’t go verse by verse from Ch. 1 to Ch. 150 because we would never finish before most of us go to heaven, so we’ll stick to the highlights.
Music touches the emotions and the rational side of people; we need both in our worship
The human soul is not merely driven by intellectual and rational principles; the soul is also driven by emotion
Art touches the emotional side of man
We generally attribute emotional as spiritual, but the spiritual contains the intellect and rational side as well as emotion and imagination
In fact, there is no way to separate the emotional and the intellectual; we need both in living
The longest book of the Bible, the Psalms, is made up of poetry and songs: therefore art and music are extremely important to God
The Psalms come from human experience, the heart and soul of mankind attempting to express relationship with God in all of its glory and ingloriousness
·         The good and the bad
·         The soaring and the tripping
·         The devoted and the debauchery
There will be selected Psalms to go through verse by verse devotional style; however, if you have a favorite Psalm I will make sure and include it in our study so just let me know

We will start with Psalm 8:

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
²From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease
³When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
⁴What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
⁵Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
⁶You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
⁷All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
⁸The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas
⁹O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Easter: What's all the hubbub about?

Yeah, yeah, He's risen, but I need a job; I need to be free from depression; I need inner peace; I need victory over bad habits

So what’s all the hubbub about?
It’s not that it can’t be proven that Jesus lived, died and was resurrected; it’s that it means nothing to so many people for a variety of reasons
Because they have never experienced transformation
Because they don’t believe things ever change – all is determined by nature and chemistry
Because those that believe Jesus arose don’t live transformed lives
(Of course, what is the definition of transformed, sometimes any slight perceived imperfection is interpreted as “see, it doesn’t work” not taking into account a lifetime of struggle and victory)
Because it has not been tried for “fear of faith” (Is. 7:9, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all")
Go ahead and believe that Jesus rose from the dead anyway: Go ahead, make my day! Believe!

Five Results for us if there is no resurrection

The gospel is empty and lifeless
The apostles were lying hucksters
Faith has no basis in reality; it is a pipe dream
The dead are gone forever; we have no hope
Following Christ is a pathetic joke

But if Christ is resurrected:

The gospel is good news and absolutely true
The history of the gospel, Christianity and the church is valid
Our faith rests on historical and logical truths
There is more to life than this life, and we will see our loved ones who were in Christ in eternity
This life has ultimate meaning and holds full joy and satisfaction in Christ

We had a wonderful Palm Sunday service this morning. The weather in Colorado Springs was cold and miserable but we still had a good group. We are singing 2 old gospel songs, Farther Along and Where Could I Go but to the Lord. We are also learning 2 new choruses, Bless the Lord (10,000 Reasons) and Worthy is the Lamb. Easter music has great depth and meaning for all Christians and certainly should be celebrated with good music and rejoicing. He has risen! Alleluia!

Bad Easter Jokes

What would you get if you crossed the Easter Bunny with an oversterssed person? An Easter basket case!
How does the Easter Bunny stay fit? EGG-xercise and HARE-robics!
What is the Easter Bunny's favorite state capital? Albunny, New York!
What's the difference between a counterfeit dollar bill and a crazy rabbit? One is bad money, the other is a mad bunny!
What's long and stylish and full of cats? The Easter Purrade!
Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter egg a joke? It might crack up!

 

This Sunday - DST Begins!

 

We had a great response to the shower for the twins last Sunday. The food and fellowship were good and it was enjoyed by all. Tommy and Vicki (and Eddie and Linda for the pounding items you all brought) thank you for your generosity.

As we did last Christmas we would like to send more packages to our soldier in Afghanistan that he can share with his unit. You know what to bring so git 'r dun!

Daylight Savings will end Nov 3

Spring begins March 20th

Easter is March 31st

Potluck, Pounding and Baby Shower this Sunday

Last Sunday we announced we will have a potluck this Sunday morning after church in celebration of a baby shower for Vicki, Tommy and the twins, Sekoya and Thomas. The twins need the small things at this time: diapers, sleepers and t-shirts. You can imagine what two infants need so bring all you can for this Sunday.

Ruth and Nancy are providing the meat for the fellowship so all you need to bring are side dishes and dessert.
We are also continuing to “pound” Eddie and Linda as they have a houseful and need help at this time. They can use prepared/packaged meals (like the Stouffer’s lasagna-type and similar), your basic Folgers coffee, creamer and paper products.
Bring what you can and plan on staying after service for lunch. The Lord bless your generosity.

What does it take to survive 25 years as a church?

We have met nearly every Sunday for 25 years beginning January 31, 1988. The only Sundays we did not meet were due to bad weather and that only happened 3-4 times over the years.

When you take 52 Sundays a year over 25 years you get 1300 Sunday services. That’s 1300 worship services planned and executed; an average of 4 songs each Sunday meant 5200 songs were sung; 1300 offerings taken up with people contributing each time (I can’t remember if we ever had a Sunday where the plate was empty); 1300 sermons; 1300 offertories; and coffee was made most of those Sundays!

That is the picture of faithfulness. Not every Sunday was a flawless execution of Christian ministry, but most Sundays were well-done and meaningful. The people of God have been faithful, and that is something to celebrate.

We don’t claim to be the be-all and end-all of church; we don’t even claim to be a good church. We know we’re a small church with limits to our service and talents, but what we do is pretty good and is dedicated to the Lord. We know we’re not more right, more righteous, or mo’ bettah (sic) than any other church in town. We’re simply a church that comes together to express our worship and thanks to God the best way we can. We are a group of families who have bonded together to commit ourselves to fulfilling the sacred command of assembling together “to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:12-13, NASB) It’s pretty simple, really.
We will follow up our service this Sunday, February 10, with a potluck dinner. Bring food and be prepared to fellowship into the afternoon.

And guys, don’t forget Valentine’s Day coming up next Thursday!

 

We enjoyed and got through the holiday season. Most folks I've spoken to are glad 2012 is over for many reasons I'm sure they'll be willing to share. Our hope and prayers are with a great 2013 as we begin the 25th year of our church. That's right; this church began way back in 1988 and has continued for all those years in spite of having me as pastor! (Yuck, yuck)
I (the pester) went back to work at the end of the year , so I'm back to being a "bi-vocational" pastor. My time away from having "that other" job was about 2 years; I knew I could make it one year without being bi-vo but with the passing of my mother last year I waited another year.
I'm back to the insurance industry as a call-center representative and am currently in training. This will allow me to continue as pastor of the church and continue to handle the teaching, preaching, music and administration of the church for as long as the Lord keeps us going. The people understand and identify with our needs and have been as supportive as always. My thanks to the folks for understanding, and my thanks to the Lord for allowing me to obtain employment. Given the current economic climate that's a big deal; a lot of people are still looking and my prayers and love go out to them!
We are revamping our prayer list for 2013 and look forward to continuing in prayer for all of you as we "press on toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!"