Pastor’s Message (Page 17)
Several years ago we did some work on our house. We were very surprised to find out that the simple remodeling we wanted to do required extensive engineering, permitting, and most of all, enormous amounts of concrete to reinforce the foundation. I don’t know what the building permit process was like in ancient Jerusalem; I…
Dearly Beloved, What is bothering you? Anything eating away at you? Is there someone pestering or provoking you? This morning in my quiet time Jesus stated emphatically to a beloved woman, “you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary.” The opposite of necessary is unimportant, secondary, trivial, insignificant, useless, and needless! Our world…
Dearly Beloved, The LORD is my Shepherd! Can you honestly say He is? When is the last time you experienced His guidance, sensed His presence, and felt His love? Today, yesterday, a week ago, or does it seem like an eternity? This Sunday we come to the 11th chapter in, “The Story.” It is entitled,…
Do you remember middle school? For most of us it was a painful time of moving from childhood to young adulthood. Braces, acne, puberty, and growth spurts afflicted most of us to the point of painful insecurity. In 1974 I was 13 years old, 6’ 2” tall, 100 pounds dripping wet, and could hardly walk…
A tumbleweed blows through a hot and dusty landscape as the passing wind creates a low and lonely whistle in the distance. A sunburned and wrinkled hand sifts the parched earth through calloused fingers as a lone tear slides down the dusty cheek of a desperate widow. A beautiful young woman is at the mercy…
Dear Family, We could almost smell the pizza and feel the padded rocking chairs as we trudged along the last two miles of our 14-mile hike in Yosemite in August, 2016. (OK, 13.8 miles if you want to be technical). My twin brother Dan and I were on the Pohono Trail which goes from Glacier…
Dearly Beloved, Satisfaction guaranteed! Is there really such a thing? Satisfaction guaranteed is a promise that if a buyer is not satisfied with the product purchased, the seller will refund the buyer’s money in full. Another name for this term is “money back guaranteed.” But can anyone honestly deliver? Are you satisfied right now? It would…
Dear Friends, I heard a story about someone who was visiting India for the first time and upon returning was showing some pictures of an Indian market. At one of the market booths, he had taken a picture of a man standing in front of several white, high quality, expensive washing machines. What caught his…
$45,000 – That’s the estimated cost most people will pay in 2021 to try to summit Mt. Everest. Approximately 800 people per year attempt to add their names to the 4,000 successful climbers of the tallest peak in the world. None of them wants their name added to 300 (10%) who have died trying. Forty-five…
Beady eyes glowed an evil red while searching for prey. Razor sharp six-inch-long teeth gleamed in the moonlit sky while the massive tail carved a swath of destruction behind powerful legs, crushing the rose bushes as it towered over our pink house in Santa Clara. I woke in a cold sweat and looked over at…