Free In Christ

grateful

2011-11-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been overwhelmed with appreciation for something or someone? I have in the past and I am at the present. For the past ten years I have been walking in a faith walk with the over all best group of Church folk I have ever known. In these ten years, by the grace of God, we have had no unresolvable problems as a church family. There has been as sense of unity, family and humility between us all since day one. Personal preferences have been laid aside by many, time and time again, for the good of the whole Body. That is Biblically as it should be! Hardships have been faced with faith. Tasks larger than our numbers have been approached with faith. Care for staff and respect of Elder leadership has been continually exhibited. With amazement, flexibility has permeated all we do. It is my joy to say as a Pastor that even though we may face challenges from time to time as a fellowship, I am convinced that the heart of this fellowship is to meet any challenge with love, humility, and a sincere commitment toward resolution and reconciliation! Do you know how many Pastor's long for such an experience in the Church where they serve? Oh, how I know that I am blessed!

This past week I enjoyed the "icing on the cake". Though it is not necessary to know that I am loved, it is always a blessing to receive comments, notes and gestures of kindness from the fellowship you are seeking to serve. Let me say a resounding "Thank You" to all who shared notes and comments of appreciation during this past "pastor appreciation month". Connie and I especially want to say thanks for the gift of the Church enabling us to get away together for a few days. We are working on the plans and hope to accomplish this in the month of January. You know how busy it is in the holiday season. Thanks again!

If you are not a member of LHF, I hope this blog note will encourage you to reach out to your pastor. Let him know that God is using him in your life. Remember he is God's servant whom you have an opportunity to bless.

As for this pastor I say "THANK YOU" for your kindness. In the words of one of God's great pastors, Peter Lord, "I am blessed and very much so".

back from India

2011-10-22T05:16:00.001-04:00

As most of you are aware, we are back from India. Once again God did great things in the country I have come to love. It certianly is not the country I love, but the people. This year the ministry amoung the pastor's was more challenging. The Christian witness in the area of Amravati has been attacked by the army of our spiritual enemy. The churches, about 150 of them in the regional area, are experiencing very low attendence. Some of these churches are more than 50 years old. Many pastors have lost credibility in the community and are simply going through the motions of thier responsibilities. Several churches are without pastors. As a result it was challenging to get a real good attendence to the conference and revival meetings. The conference was scheduled to have 125 pastor and the revival was expected to have between 500-600 in attendance. Instead there were about 75 pastors and maybe 150 or so at the revival (with 50 of those being the pastors). The second night of the revival I preached on Sampson loosing his power in the lap of Deliah and that he was willing to pay his life to know the power of God one more time and to restore the testimony of the name of his God. God used it as Shudi called for committments and many responded to the call. That night I was overcome with intercession for the pastors in Amravati. I could not sleep much. The next morning I was in grief for the witness of Christ in a world where the power of your God is determined by His impact on your life, and there was little visibility of Christian power in lives of most of these pastors. During the day I spoke on doing everything by faith and Kerry hit a home run on challenging the pastors to serve with excellence. That evening I preached on restoring the heart of a failure (one of my favorite scripture lessons from the life of Peter). There seemed to be a breakthrough. In the last pastors meeting our topic was on Experiencing the power of God through the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There were many positive comments and several came to confess thier committment to begin to pray with other pastors for a renewal of the work of God in the Amravati area. If you are led by the Spirit to do so, please consider praying for the pastors and the Christian witness in the Amravati, India area!

By the way, it is awesome to be home, I love this "country" and its' people!!!

india

2011-10-11T07:46:00.001-04:00

As I write this email I am sitting in an Indian Government resort compound. God has so richly blessed Kerry and I with an a/c room while in Amravati, India. We just had our first full day at the Pastor's conference. Only about 75 of the 125 who registered showed up. Sometimes that happens over here. There Lord has surely been with us and all is going well. Kerry is doing a great job. He preached this morning on Leadership as a servant and did our Lord proud! We are so blessed to have him as part of the Elder leadership team at Living Hope. As most of you know,while gone Don spoke on Oct. 9th and Charles will speak on Oct. 16. I am sure God is using them among you. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have such Elders in our fellowship with such skill in ministering the Word of God!
Today we pass half way in this trip and will be back on October 18th. Please keep praying for us and we look forward to being back with all of you!

Blessings,
Pastor Chris

Here and There

2011-10-01T19:09:00.001-04:00

For over thirty years I have been amazed at watching the hand of God at work. Even in the most desperate of times God is at work. I have come to learn when one thinks that God is somehow absent during unsure times that He is indeed present and powerfully at work. I have seen this truth born out over and over again. One such example is the celebration of 10 years of ministry at Living Hope. Ten years ago many of us experienced some hard times. Over the past ten years as a fellowship LHF has faced some challenging days. There have also been many hurdles and milestones crossed. As we celebrated our 10 years together we could certainly see how God is right here among us. Surely that is true of all of us on a personal basis as well.

In just a couple of days I will be heading again to minister in India with a good friend and fellow Elder, Kerry Major. Each time I go to India I am reminded that our God is not just "our" God. He is the God of all there is. On the other side of the world I find that there are people facing tough times but they also are not alone. I find that the same God at work here is also at work there. Those who have come to know Jesus there have found Him every bit as faithful as we. Their resolve to serve Him is just as firm, if not more so. I have seem God work through the Bansod family for over 30 years. They have faced hard times. They have walked by faith. Sudnyan has seen God at work in his life, family and ministry for over 50 years.
I am reminded by the words of David, in Psalm 139:
"8 If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,"
12 Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.
13 For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb.
14 I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.
16 Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
17 How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!"

Are you in the midst of hard times? Are you celebrating milestones? Do you sense the closeness of God? Does it feel as if God is on the other side of the world? I assure you, He is both here and there. He is in your hard times as well as good times. Just seek Him and you will be rewarded!!

Blessings,
Pastor Chris

Two thoughts

2011-09-14T11:59:00.001-04:00

I am thinking of LHF today. This coming 25th of September, we are celebrating 10 years as a church family. If you are able, come join us that day. It is going to be a great celebration. We are going to eat together as well so bring a side dish along and email (office@lhfellowship.com) the church office so we can have enough chicken

As I think of LHF I am praying as Moses did when he was meeting with God at the tent of meeting just outside the camp. In their case God had chosen not to have the tent in the camp because of the sinfulness of the people. God was also considering the idea of discarding all the people and just working with Moses and his seed to rebuild the promise to Abraham. In his meetings with God Moses said something that gripped my heart and brought me to tears.

Exodus 33:15 Then he said to Him, "If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.
16 "For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?"
17 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name."

Though I do not believe LHF is rebelling from God or has done anything to loose the presence of God, my heart does agree with Moses. If LHF, or any person or group, faces the prospect of moving on without the presence of God, there is no sense moving on to anything. Once the favor and presence of God has been experienced, life is no good without it. The favor of God upon us is most definitely validated by the presence of God among us. If His presence were to be lifted from LHF I would be in despair.

I know for the Christian, God's Spirit dwells within us, but at times He is grieved, quenched and resisted. The awareness of God's special presence is lost in those times due to the loss of His favor because of resistance on our part. May we all seek to live in the favor of God so that His presence abides with us in a special way. When God's favor is upon us and His special presence is present, the people of the world will look upon us and know that though we may have struggles, we are "distinguished from all other people upon the face of the earth"!

Be Blessed!
Free in Christ!
Pastor Chris

Help

2011-09-06T10:06:00.001-04:00

Every now and then I come across something that challenges my heart on a topic that I think little about. I do not often speak or talk of racism because it is not really an issue that I struggle with. I have been interracial in my friendships since my young childhood. My closest friends in high school were brothers of another color. As a result I do not always pick up on examples of racism that take place around us everyday. I don't think much about the fact that many people are extremely racist. In today's world the racism is not so audible as it was in times past but much of it is still visible if you pay attention.
Here is how my eyes were re-opened to the deep racism that exits in many people. Connie and I went out on a date and went to see the movie, "The Help". I won't tell you all the details because I really think you should go watch it, (though I do not endorse the foul language). It was one of those movie experiences where there was not a sound in the room because everyone was shocked with the sadness and pain of the truth being exposed. If you are willing to be internally examined about the purity of your "anti-racism", go see this movie. If you go see it you will be in anguish as to how bad humanity can treat one another.
All this prompts me to encourage you today to do all you can to live a color blind life. For that matter seek to live a life free of all types of racism and discrimination. Go out of you way to love the one who is different from you. Find a way to encourage the one people avoid. Don't do this out of some concept of reparation or debt but do it out of a complete love for God's creation. Love as you have been loved by Him, forgive as you have been forgiven, bless as you have been blessed... You get the idea!
Be blessed and have a great day!
pastor Chris

uncertianty

2011-07-27T09:54:00.001-04:00

Greetings All,

Do you ever feel like you need to somehow get a handle on all that is going on? There is so much that happens in our lives daily we find this need to somehow know what is coming next in order to manage it better. Have you ever realized the fact that there are many things we never know in advance and as a result we tend to get all bent out of shape or frustrated or just overcome with anxiety. For many the unknown is a major stress point in life. I have been there before. What about you?

A while back I was given a book by one of my children (Joel). It is called, "In a pit with a Lion on a snowy day". I began reading it when he gave it to me but never finished it so I am re-reading it. The book uses the life of Benaniah, David's captian of the guard, to teach life lessons. One of the lessons is the blessing of uncertianty. The author encourages the reader to see the uncontrolable things in life (uncertianties), as a blessing instead of a point of stress. The reality is that none of us know what the day will bring forth "Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

We are going to have uncertianties and uncontrolable things in our live from now till we meet Jesus. How we handle these things will reveal who we are and whose we are.

Uncertianties are not bad things, they do not have to bring fear or stress. Really they are opportunities for faith and thanksgiving. Consider the many things that bring uncertianty in life; marriage, children, jobs, change, grandchildren, aging, and so on. Consider also the great blessings all these things can add to our lives. So many of us want God to always give us a peak into the future to know what is going to happen in areas of our lives. Maybe He intends to use the uncerianty of life to draw us to Himself and depend on Him as life moves on. I am sure that is true! For sure we are to do plan to succed. For the glory of God but most assuredly only as we rely on Him." James 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."

How are you handling the uncertian areas of life today? Do you face them with courage? Do you see the potential opportunity instead of the fear of the unknown? Are you aware that God is with you and your only real need is to draw close to Him and walk in the moment to the glory of His name!

Blessings,

Pastor Chris

Get satan out of your personal space

2011-07-08T09:25:00.001-04:00

Have you ever had anyone sneak up on you and catch you off guard. Several years ago I was out shopping and saw someone I knew. I went up behind them and just stood close till they turned around and were startled. They were in no real danger, there was nothing to fear, I was just catching them by surprise. Their response was interesting, they said; "I just knew someone was in my personal space." Personal space is that undefined close space, when entered into by another uninvited, creates a sense of awkwardness.

Sometimes I think our spiritual enemy, Satan, gets in our personal space. He waits for the time when we are not fully aware of things. Maybe we are distracted by focusing on something of interest or by being too busy to recognize what is going on around us and then he is able to get closer to us than we would allow. He is sneaky. He will come up behind you when you are not aware. As a believer he can not harm you but he will do all he can to throw you off balance. I feel like the enemy has been attacking me in that way lately. Like many of you, I have a lot going on in my life. I tend to fall into the Martha cycle. You know, being concerned about so many things. Jesus let Martha know there is a better way. Check out the story in Luke 10.

What do you do when you realize the enemy has gotten in your personal space? Here is what I do. First I remind myself of what really matters. Time with Jesus! I force myself to block out time to be with Him. Next, I try to prioritize the things that are distracting me and causing me to be an easy mark for the enemy. Somehow when we put things on paper and then prioritize them. Then I try to make a plan to do the things according to priority. Somehow when we work on one thing at a time we are able to function with more clarity and not be overcome with the rest of the stuff. If you are like me, and much of your work and life responsibilities overlap each other, it is also important to schedule blocks of time for certain things and stick to them. That is the process I am in during these days.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Blessings

Pastor Chris

Friends

2011-06-11T07:47:00.001-04:00

As stated last time I wrote it has been way too long since I posted. Like many of you my life has been crazy busy the last few months. Things are slowing down and I am thinking more of some of the extras, like this blog.

This posting is prompted by a recent event that reminded me of how blessed I am with many great friendships in my life. I was out golfing with my three sons and one of my long time friends Don Flynn. The first half of the round wasn't too bad but the back nine was looking pretty ugly. The back nine we played match play and Joel and Gabe was destroying us. After about 6 holes they had the match sowed up. We were getting tired so Don suggests we leave. All agreed. I drop Don off at the church to pick up his ride and head for home. As I approach the house things look pretty straightened up(?). In the back I notice a couple cars, maybe the neighbors are having another party, I thought. Then I see our car blocking the back drive with the hood up. I begin asking what is going on with no responses from the guys. Don pulls in behind us and then I know something is up. I am turning 50 on July 5th and I wonder if this is related. Sure enough when I approach the door I see shadows through the glass. As I curiously open the door I am greeted with a surprise shout from about 80 family and friends to wish me a happy 50th birthday. For the next hour or so I was confronted with how blessed I am to have so many good friends. A big Thank You to all who made time to come!

I don't know about you, but friendship means a lot to me. Some people call every acquaintance a friend. The Bible lays down some heavy expectations for someone called a friend. It says that a friend sticks closer than a brother. A another place in the Bible it says that a friend is born for adversity, meaning that a friend is there when you are facing adverse times. Everyone who thinks of themselves as a friend wants to be seen in the best light possible. In today's world there are many "fair weather friends".

Of course the best friend one can ever have is Jesus Christ. I found this out over 30 years ago. Jesus gives the greatest example of friendship in that He laid down His life for us. Even while we were at enmity with God in our sin, He still laid down His life for us.

(John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.)

When I came to Jesus I quickly focused on the reality that He is Lord and boss of my life. I learned from Paul's words that I am a "bond servant" of Jesus Christ by the will of God. I hope to never loose sight of the reality of those words but I am also thankful of Jesus' words,

(John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.)

Without a doubt Jesus is the "friend that sticks closer than a brother"!

"What a friend we have in Jesus"!

transitions

2011-04-26T11:16:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been walking through a think brushy area. The brush is not so high that you can not see your direction but it is so thick you never know for sure what is under your foot. You catch your balance with each step and try to find good footing for the next. You feel blessed as you are able to go one more step forward. It is an adventure, it is a bit of a challenge and there is a sense of relief with each step. That experience describes, somewhat, the way life has been for me in the past few months and as reflect maybe even the past 10 years.

Our family spent the last ten years in the same house and have just moved into another. It is causing me to reflect on what happened during those years. In many ways I see these past ten years as a time of transition. The last ten years started really tough for us. We could see the hand of God guiding us but in many ways felt as if we were walking in a thicket. Throughout these past ten years we have seen God do many miracles. Meeting needs relating to the church we are part of, as well as own family. We have crossed many first time hurdles in the church; renting a location (Kentucky Inn), buying property (two times), blending two fellowships (once but I hope not the last), many of our people involved in mission trips, adding on to the building and many other things. Our family has also crossed many first time hurdles; kids going to college (three times), kids getting married (three times), having a grandchildren (two times, how awesome), and now moving to another miracle house provided by God. All this took place my 40's. I will be 50 in a couple months. What will this decade bring. Who knows? Only God! But what I do know is that God will be there again guiding the way even if we should face a thicket or two!

Blessings,

Pastor Chris

Alan & Meagan

2011-03-30T16:58:00.000-04:00

As many of you are aware we have been blessed with the pressence of Alan and Meagan Mugumya for that last couple years at our fellowship. Though Meagan will be around for a couple more months, Alan has recently left of boot camp and will be serving six years in the United States Army. This young couple as been a blessing to our fellowship in many ways. May thier example and lifestyle be a challenge to all of us in our service to our Lord.

I have included this information in our Weekly Word to encourage all of us concerning how our lives are able to touch and affect the lives of others around us.

Recently I asked Alan to give a list of five things he would like us to pray for while he is in his first seventeen weeks of his Army committment. The is list is below. I want to encourage you to do all you can to pray these items. I also encourage you to make every effort possible to stay in touch with them as the Lord leads. Contact our church office at office@lhfellowship.com for more details on how to stay in touch.

Five prayer items for the Mugumya's

1 - Meagan's safety while Alam is away

2 - An ability to fulfill God's purpose in thier lives during this season of life

3 - Daily personal infilling of the Holy Spirit of God

4 - Carefulness to hear and follow God's direction in this new season of life

5 - Ability to maintain a close heart to each other in the midst of so much time apart

Thank you for your committment to pray!

Pastor Chris

remember me

2011-01-15T01:20:00.001-05:00

You know the old phrase, "I feel like I am meeting myself coming and going"? That is where I am at this time in my life. Things are extremely busy. We have been adding an addition to the church and that has added an extreme number of issues to my already generally busy schedule. To make the schedule worse, we felt led of the Lord to step out in faith to move to another house. Of course there is a lot of work to do (the only kind I buy), while at the same time working on little projects to get ours ready to sell (although Connie is doing 90% of this). Add a couple funerals, several discipleship meetings, hospital visits, regular planning and study for regular responsibilities and my life may be as busy as yours. I have found out if you want to be useful to the Lord and others, life is just busy.

The amazing thing in these days is that though all is so busy outside I find the Lord working mightily to still my Spirit internally. Over the years I have learned that you can live life internally or externally. I believe as Christians we are to live life internally and that our external actions will be directed by that internal living to the point of blessing others around us.

Internal living hinges on the ability and willingness to listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit who wishes to guide our every movement. Some are not very familiar with that voice, somewhat like Samuel when he first heard the Lord speak to him at night while living in the temple with Eli. Once Eli helped him to understand it was the Lord, Samuel responded as we all should, "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth". Others are quite familiar with the voice of the Lord such as David who recognized God's voice, presence and word in everything around him.

We are also able to hear the calm leading of Holy Spirit in daily activity. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is the one were Jesus says, "My sheep here my voice and they follow me." In the earlier example of Samuel we see that unclearity is the result of unfamiliarity. Over the years Samuel was very familiar with the Lord's voice and always followed it.

I encourage you to find time to become familiar with our Lord, His written Word and leading of Holy Spirit. When you think you are being prompted internally by the Lord, act on it and you will soon find out if it was the Lord. After doing this often you will become more familiar with His leadership in the Spirit. In the busiest days of life this internal direction of our Lord is priceless.

May God bless you as you follow His internal leading today!

Pastor Chris

Through the years

2010-12-14T07:15:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking of the value of long term relationships lately.

A few nights ago we had our Churches' annual "Sounds of the Seasons", which is a lime of fun, fellowship, sweets (thank you Norma and crew), and music. As usual it was a great time even though the weather created a challenge for driving home.

One of the songs presented by Paul Strang, Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas", has a phrase in it that got me thinking again on the value of long term relationships. "Through the years we'll all grow old together, if the "Lord" (wisely changed from fate) allows." For some this phrase has no real value. They have either never understood the value of growing old with the same people or have never been willing to pay the price to do the same.

Growing old "together" involves more that just an ability to maintain a recognition of others. When we speak of being "together" on something implies being bound together regularly by time and joint commitment. I know of no better way to experience this than by worshiping together at the same church with the same people (plus new comers of course) for many years. The value of growing old with the same group of people is immense. As time roles by relationships develop in a very special way. The strengths (and weaknesses) of one another become very well know thus creating a sense of comfort in the atmosphere. Dependability is so enjoyed that it is even sometimes taken for granted (I am thinking of many servers in the Church who are sometimes forgotten. You know who your are, so thank you!). There is no confusion about being loved or not. The love communicated creates a tremendous sense of security. To sum it up, these long term relationships go a long way to making true the statement "Life is Good"!

I want to say thank you to the many of you who have allowed us the opportunity and have made the commitment to enable us to enjoy this path of growing old"er" together!

It is a blessings to walk in the Lord with all of you!

Blessings,

Pastor Chris

living sacrifice

2010-10-28T14:27:00.001-04:00

Lately the weekly word has been a monthly word. Hopefully I can get my schedule back under control and be more consistent :).

This week I have been thinking a lot of the verse in Romans 12:1-2.

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

For years I have held this verse as one of my life verses. In the first two churches where I was pastor the idea of being a "living sacrifice" was presented as the theme of the church. The term "living sacrifice" is an apparent contradiction. A sacrifice is something that has been slain and is then offered as an act of worship to the creator. How is one to "live" as one who is slain. This verse flies in the face of life being all about me and what God can do to make me "happy". Instead it reminds us that life in Christ is a life compelled to pay a price for the glory of God. We are to be a living and "holy" sacrifice in our daily living. When we do see someone living in this manner we are somehow impressed at such a deep level of commitment. This verse however, tells us that this is just what is expected of the followers of God. I like the way the King James version puts it, "which is your reasonable service".

Are you today living "sacrificially". What price are you paying for the good of the kingdom of God? Do you give of your finances to the work of God? Do you give of your time to the work of God? Do you do without that others may be blessed?

Are you committed to "holy" sacrificial living? Do you pay a price to live holy, not allowing things for the sake of holiness that others may allow? Do holy things hold a priority in your time table and daily practices?

Though "sacrificial living" may imply a painful or sorrowful type of life, the opposite is true. To be a living sacrifice brings more joy in life than one could ever imagine. Try it, you might like it!

Free in Christ!

Pastor Chris

poor language

2010-09-24T12:19:00.001-04:00

It appears that my poor choice of an illustration to acknowledge some of the truth of Psalm 37 has caused me be seen as uncompassionate and disbelieving toward those with fibromyalgia or depressive struggles. If you are one of those with this perception I am deeply grieved and apologize for my poor communication.

There is an old saying that if what you say or write can be misunderstood it probably will be. Though I tried to be careful to write that "most cases are certianly not" as this doctor mentioned, I also wanted to acknowledge that there may be a grain of truth concerning the internal pain of an individual being related to sin as stated in Psalm 37. I hope you can believe me when I say my goal was to help people see the reality of Psalm 37 not diognois anyones physical condition as real or not. If anyone saw me as somehow discounting the reality of fibromyalgia, I am sincerely heartbroke and concerned. My postition is that fibromyalgia is real but that Psalm 37 is also real. I was in no way trying to say all cases diognosed as fibromyalgia is not real or genuine. I thought I had made that clear in my comments but I guess not clear enough.

Please forgive my unfortunate miscalculation of the potential of being misunderstood with what I wrote. I wish I had not used the quote of the individual. Psalm 37 stands on its own and is not at all relative to the statement of the doctors opinion of fibromyalgia. I should have just acknowleded that indeed sometimes sin can have devastating effects on the human body.

Sincerely,

Pastor Chris

God's goodness

2010-09-10T06:48:00.001-04:00

Recently a dear friend of mine has forced to find out where his hope and security is. Knowing this dear brother, I am sure he finds these in the Lord. In praying for him I have been reminded of the goodness of the Lord during the greatest time of difficulty in life. It is when times are the worst that I find the goodness of the Lord is the most apparent in my life. I am reading these days in the book of Psalms. There are so many verses where David conveys that God's goodness is truly present even, and especially, when we are hurting the most. It is when we are hurting the most that we must dwell on the goodness of God. The following verses remind me of God's goodness. I hope they will be a blessing to you today!

Psalm 31:19 How great is Thy goodness, Which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, Which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, Before the sons of men! 20 Thou dost hide them in the secret place of Thy presence from the conspiracies of man; Thou dost keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be the LORD, For He has made marvelous His loving-kindness to me in a besieged city. 22 As for me, I said in my alarm, "I am cut off from before Thine eyes"; Nevertheless Thou didst hear the voice of my supplications When I cried to Thee. 23 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful, And fully recompenses the proud doer. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.

As we fade

2010-08-28T08:45:00.002-04:00

Have you ever heard the saying,"nothing lasts forever"? Sometimes that is good but sometimes it is not. It seems the older I get the more I am aware of how fast time is flying by and as time flies things change or disappear. So much is just passing away; certain ways of doing things, people I know, businesses I have gone to, the youthfulness of many of my peers, and my hair!
When so much is changing what do you cling to? This week I was visiting with an elderly lady who has been walking with the Lord for years. Life is changing for her. She can't drive, due to Alzheimer's she can't remember things, she can't live where she has lived for the last 40+ years, I could go on. When the conversation turns to the Lord (as it always does when talking to her), she tears up and expresses so much appreciation for the fact that the Lord never changes. She fondly remembers her years of walking closely to Him and she fondly remembers the stability of His Word, the Bible.
I have found the same to be true. In the midst of all the changes of life I continue to find my stability in what will never fade away. Through daily Bible reading, I have found fellowship with God and received His advice for living in a changing world. In these past 30+ years His Word has remained a point of stability for my life. I hope you are enjoying the same!
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Free in Christ!
Pastor Chris

It is all about faith

2010-08-11T11:22:00.001-04:00

One of the blessings I have experienced in the last couple months is meeting with a few guys on Tuesdays for lunch to talk about living life "Abundantly", as Christ intended. The last couple weeks we have been talking about how faith is involved in every aspect of living life as God intended.

More often than not people tend to consider faith as that which simply relates to believing in Jesus Christ as God's provision for covering our sin. Some even go so far as to understand faith as the vehicle by which we receive the things that we request of God.

These two things are true to be sure, but living by faith is so much more. Living by "Faith" is the core ingredient to successfully living out the Christian life. It takes a lot of faith to choose to live according to God's plan as opposed to our own choices. It takes faith to refuse to follow my own feelings and determinations when the Word of God tells me to do differently. It takes faith to forgive when others are not, in my opinion, worthy of forgiveness. It takes faith to release my stuff and finances to be controlled by a plan given by God. It takes faith to deal with hard issues and conversations, as directed by Holy Spirit, when I am not sure what the outcome will be. It takes faith for all of us to serve God and His people instead of focusing on what the desires of our heart may be. It takes faith to receive a vision from God for our future and then hold on to that vision despite all the odds. It takes faith to deny our flesh the pleasures of the world in hopes of long term physical and spiritual benefit. In summary, it takes faith to follow the call of Christ to "deny self, take up the cross daily (symbol of death to fleshly ambitions), and follow Christ" Luke 9:23.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God! (Hebrews 11:6)

Faith it will be!!!!!

Blessings,
Pastor Chris

week foundation

2010-07-29T09:55:00.001-04:00

Have you ever done any building? Do you know what to look for to consider the stability of a building? Many buildings are very beautiful in appearance but a closer inspection may reveal serious problems with the foundation. If the foundation of the building is not correct then all else is in trouble. Proper footers are the most key component to a good foundation. Footers are what everything else is built on. A good footer goes at least 2-3 feet in the ground. This allows the building on top to be undamaged freezing and thawing ground changes.

OK here is the analogy. Prayer is the footer of the Christian life. The challenges of life and the attacks of Satan are the ground changes. What will enable you to be a stable Christian witness in a challenging and changing world? The answer is PRAYER! Making yourself beautiful in appearance with the markings of Christianity and belief in God may give the impression that your "building" is OK but close inspection may reveal serious foundational problems.

Take time to pray. Make time to pray. Wake in time to pray. Pray hard and long. Pray specific and clear. Pray deep enough for it to make a difference in your life. Pray for your life to be an effective Christian witness. Pray for God to use you in some way for His glory. Pray for power to overcome your challenging habits. Pray for your heart to be consumed with the presence of God. Pray for your children. Pray for your parents. Pray for your neighbors salvation. Pray for the spiritual health and growth of you Church. Pray for your pastor! You get the point you can not spend too much time in prayer. Many of the great Christians before us spent hours a day in prayer. Oh Jesus, "teach us to pray", and help us to want to pray!

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Establish a good footer for life. Establish a good prayer life!

Free in Christ!
Pastor Chris

He is Here!

2010-07-28T17:10:00.002-04:00

Life can be a challenge. No one is exempt from the heartaches it can bring. Sometimes the emotional pains can be almost overbearing. This week has placed me in several situations where the pain of life was very evident. A dear lady that I have known for 20 years is dealing with the challenge of finding out that she will no longer be able to live in her house alone. Another dear family has faced the tragedy of seeing their son depart this world before them. Others continue to face financial hardships. Still others are fighting the regular battles of sickness and disease that fills this world. I found myself frequently quoting a verse I have shared with people for years. I remember reading this verse in a quiet time with the Lord and realizing it is always true.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Jesus told us, "In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!" Where do you turn in times of trouble? Is God your last resource or your first thought? Today, keep close to you heart the reality of the promise of our God.

Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Be Blessed!
Pastor Chris

Purpose

2010-06-30T15:35:00.000-04:00

This morning I am thinking of the purpose of life. Most of us who are Christians are very focused on the awareness that we are dependent on Christ to spend eternity with God. Many however, do not realize God's eternal purpose in the whole scheme of bringing us to Him. Though He loves us and wants us to be with Him for eternity, His purpose is much greater than the desire to get us to heaven. What then is His purpose? Ultimately all that God does, is doing and will do is somehow connected to revealing Himself to all of creation. Even His desire to bless us with eternity is prefaced by His desire to reveal His love and character through us to a world who needs to know Him. In Ephesians 3:8-12 we are reminded that God is in the process of revealing Himself to the world through all us who are the Church (Body of Christ). Our real purpose in this life is not to coast through with no aim. God saved us from the penalty of our sin and renewed our lives with His Holy Spirit for the purpose of revealing His life, love and character through us to all who need to know Him.

In light of that, how are you focused on His purpose? May you be used of God to fulfill His purpose in this generation!

Be Blessed, Be a blessings!

Pastor Chris

Consistency

2010-06-12T08:54:00.001-04:00

Ok, I have had a hard time the past few weeks being consistent with the weekly word. I think the trouble started when I went on vacation? Anyway, I am starting up again and hope to be more consistent. What I am hearing from the Lord in these days revolves a lot around the idea of walking constantly in His presence. As some of you are aware I am reading a book called "Practicing the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. It is a little book but I am analyzing it along the way and I think it is analyzing me. The whole idea of the book is that our walk with God will be much more fruitful when we can get to the place of walking in an awareness of God's presence at all times. The point is not to just know He is there but to mentally be focused on His presence to the point of constant communion with Him at all times. I am sure this is what Paul meant when he directed us to "pray without ceasing". Brother Lawrence suggests this awareness and communion with God is something we must work on (practice) regularly. In the same way that other things in life must be practiced in order to become habit or "second nature", so must the discipline to walk in the awareness of the presence of God be practiced daily. I have found that when we grow in this area all areas of our spiritual life grows as well. Consistent walking in the awareness of the presence of God is without a doubt a main factor in Christian Maturation.

Be Blessed as you walk in the presence of God today!

Pastor Chris

AMAZED!

2010-05-11T12:14:00.002-04:00

Is it just me?

I don't know about you but I am the kind of person who wants to understand how something happened. As we have been traveling through the canyon country I have been amazed at all the formations of rock, sandstones, and rivers. Though I strongly disagree with the secular explanations of how these things came to be, I can understand their desire to make sense of what they are seeing. How did these things get formed this way? Since water is the great erosion producer, many have assumed that water erosion is the only explanation. Since we have studied several hundred years of water erosion and are aware of how long it takes for certain things to erode, the only acceptable secular explanation is millions of years of water erosion. On the other hand, the Bible does give a very understandable answer to how this happened. The great worldwide flood that happened in Noah's day could easily have produced what we see. This flood would have also caused collapsing of sink holes, earthquakes, eruptions of internal gases and much more. All this certainly would have happened due to the weight and volume of a worldwide flood. The beauty of the canyon county is the blessing that came from the just actions of God on an ungodly world. I find it is always that way. Whenever God finds it necessary to discipline us the end result always carries a beautiful blessing. As I look back over the years and see how God has blessed my life through times of challenge and discipline, I am amazed at the beauty He has brought to my life!

Blessings,

Pastor Chris