Pastoral Thoughts for New Disciples

Devotional Reading: Numbers 14:5-19 How does God prove He is God? Often through His relationships with His people.   We learn about God’s faithfulness through the stories of those to whom God has been faithful.   We learn about God’s provision through the stories of those for whom God has provided. We learn about God’s righteousness and forgiveness through the stories of those who have knelt in awe before God and received His mercy. But what happens when the church rebels together against God? What type of witness is that to the world? The twelve spies representing the twelve tribes of Israel returned from exploring the promised land only to give ill report. This land that God had promised them was full of intimidating giants and well-fortified cities.   They would rather return to slavery in Egypt then go in and fight for the land. How would that look to the outside world? Would it appear that God only led the Israelites out of Egypt to let them wander in th...

Devotional Reading: Numbers 13:26-14:4 Intimidation.  It is a powerful tool.  Intimidated.  It is a horrible feeling. The spies upon returning from the promised land shared how they felt intimidated. But intimidation does not have to tell the end of the story.  Courage, faith, and perseverance are tools that help us to overcome and continue forward towards the prize. How many people miss out on the blessing because they stop too soon because they are afraid?  How often do people think, "that is just too good for me"?  How often do the greatest rewards come after a time of trial and tribulation?  Intimidation shouldn't be viewed as a stop sign. The twelve spies representing the twelve tribes of Israel return from scoping out the promised land and give report.  "It does flow with milk and honey! Here is it's fruit!" they share.  And then comes, the "But..." It is the other shoe that drops.  And instead of seeing that shoe dropp...

Devotional Reading:  Numbers 13:1-25 When I was in seminary we were tasked to write a consultation report about the church we attended. We were to look at the neighborhood in which the church resided, the structure and design of the building, and even the location of the parking lot and report back to our professor what we observed.   What I realized from the assignment is that I really knew little about this church.   I quickly discovered that the church is in the neighborhood where a movie I had used for youth ministry had been filmed.   I learned that most of our church members liked parking in the parking lot behind the church, which made it look like our church was empty on Sunday mornings because no one parked in the front lot. I noticed that a foot path had been made by human traffic walking between homes and the near by commercial center – and that our location gave us a great opportunity for hosting a neighborhood event.   These were all observa...

Recently a colleague said "this is a week full of Mondays."  I wasn't quite sure what he meant, so I asked. He explained that Mondays are often the day you have to get more done than there is time.  Actually it was more like, "every day this week my schedule is trying to haul two tons of fertilizer in a one ton truck."  Well... you get the idea. Sometimes on a Monday morning, what you really need is a moment of worship .  Today feels like one of those Mondays.  Enjoy!

It has become part of my regular routine to look up commercial properties for sale on the SW side. Today, when I opened the listings on my phone a property that has regularly caught my eye was back on the market for a lower price.  I decided to drive over to the property. I pulled in and counted parking places and once again there were too few for a growing congregation.  Twenty-five in the building's lot.  Twenty-five across the street.  Not enough.  The building would also require the installation of an elevator and one of our goals is to be easily accessible for folks of a variety of abilities.  I sat in the parking lot and prayed. Then I drove to a second location. A building in my mind that was a perfect possibility, but very likely out of the price range.  I sat there and noticed the various ways it was deteriorating.  Remembered the inside of the building and how it would need to be remodeled to meet our needs. I sat and prayed.  "...

Fourteen years ago, God provided for me in an unexpected way and today God mirrored that provision in an even more unexpected manner.  When I was in my early twenties God called me to return to my home city to start a ministry reaching out to higher-risk youth.  During that time, I worked as a volunteer missionary.  I made no income for my full-time mission work.  On the side I worked odd jobs such as house sitting and helping my mother at her fitness club.  I lived in my parents' basement. My mother suggested that I redecorate the basement guest bedroom to make it my own.  We hung some greenery around the ceiling.  My uncle helped to cut some boards into shelves for my books.  My mom gifted me a beautiful pastel green and blue quilt.  When I looked around my newly decorated room, it seemed like something was missing... a chair.  In my mind I could picture a pastel green bean bag chair sitting in the corner.  But I wasn't sure if ...

Dear church family, Today while I was wandering Christian resources online, I came across an article about our God being the God of the Depressed.  I shared it with a few church members to get their feedback and they each shared that they thought it was a helpful article worthy of sharing with others. https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/02/god-of-the-depressed In my sharing this article, I want to recognize that there are several people in our church family who are struggling with depression.  There are also several families in our church who have family members who struggle with depression.  Depression can be overwhelming to those who suffer from it.  Their experience is real. As their brothers and sisters in Christ, we can respond with gentle compassion, love, prayers, patience, listening ears, and a caring hand. There are a few allegorical similarities between depression and cancer.  We know that cancer comes in many forms, some more or ...

I wonder why in the Bible there is such a strong narrative theme of lengthy barrenness prior to fertility. It isn't just for the biblical heroes, but it is also for the people as a whole. Wanderings in the desert. The long-wait for a Messiah. The birth pains of God's future complete establishment of His reign on earth. As my husband and I wait for God to answer our prayers for a child, our congregation waits for God to give us a permanent home. The journey seems long, but in the context of eternity it is really short. And it seems like the waiting makes the fulfillment all that more meaningful!  The waiting helps us to realize where our priorities lay and helps us to have a greater appreciation of the treasure that awaits us.  Kind of like heaven.  The older we get, the more we appreciate the vision for this future with God.