The Rock Church

Good, Close and Strong

^“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.” — Nahum 1:7

We have heard it over and over and over again: “What a year 2020 has been!” This is definitely true. Many of us have lived through circumstances we never could have predicted — and all in one year. In Utah, we have seen earthquakes, hurricane level winds, closed businesses, schools and churches. Because of the Coronavirus, many have experienced deep loss.

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Good News

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:10-11

Merry Christmas, Rock Church! As your pastors, we sure love and appreciate you all so much! You know, this time of year is special for many reasons…family, decorations and gifts just to name a few. However, the most important reason of all is that our Savior came to the earth. In Luke 2 (when the angel appeared to the shepherds) he said (paraphrasing), “Don’t be afraid! I have good news; the Savior has arrived!” 

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The Love of God

During my devotional times this past week, I’ve thought a lot about the amazing love of God. I am amazed as I consider how much God actually loves me! It says in 2 Thessalonians 3:5, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” God gave me two thoughts regarding this verse. First, my heart can be directed. And second, it should be aimed toward the fact that God loves me. Seems simple, but somehow it was profound to me.

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Church is Essential

There has been a suicide prevention campaign happening in our city recently. One billboard in particular caught my attention. It shows a group of people gathered in a circle, holding hands. The caption reads, “This is suicide prevention.” Our secular world knows something that God’s Word has been communicating for millennia. Over the last eight months, we have all seen the discouraging statistics on mental health, substance abuse, relational challenges, etc.   

God’s Word clearly communicates it is essential for people to be in regular fellowship with others for their mental, emotional and spiritual health.

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You and God

Think about this for a few minutes, Christian. God has been waiting for (and looking forward to) relationship with you since before the foundations of the earth. 

In other words, God’s desire for relationship with you is older than the stone that David killed Goliath with. It’s older than the mountain that Noah’s Ark came to rest on. It’s older than any dinosaur bone and older than anything in the periodic table of elements. In fact, God’s desire for relationship with you is older than the dust that Adam was created out of. You have access to this incredible relationship with God through His Holy Spirit, who lives in you.

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Bring Your Kingdom

Recently, I listened to a teaching that reminded me how good it is to remember that we (as Christians) are citizens of God’s Kingdom. We have a large family in the faith — brothers and sisters in the Lord, all over the world. God’s Spirit is moving and the Gospel is advancing more than ever. Our family is growing, even today! 

Jesus talked about the Kingdom more than anything else. 

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Concentrated Radiation

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8

Recently, I read this story and it freshly reminded me of what Jesus Christ did for us.

“It was May 21, 1946. The place – Los Alamos. A young and daring scientist was carrying out a necessary experiment in preparation for the atomic test to be conducted in the waters of the South Pacific.

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Restoration Projects

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you”— 1 Peter 5:10.

During last month’s windstorm, my wheelbarrow blew over and the handle snapped off as it hit the ground. A wheelbarrow with a missing handle is not that useful. I was about to throw it away when it occurred to me that I could replace the broken handle. I went to the local hardware store and, low and behold, they sold replacement handles. So, I bought two and my son, Mclane, and I started on the project. We disassembled the entire wheelbarrow, replaced the handles and put it back together. It was a fun project. I enjoyed working with my son and I saved some money (two handles are cheaper than one new wheelbarrow).

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Prepare for War

Not long ago, God reminded me that we are in a war. There is a battle raging within our society, culture and in the Church. But, our battle is NOT against COVID-19, masks, politics or people…it’s against the devil and his army. As members of God’s Church, we need to prepare for this war and walk in God’s victory.

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Fellowship

On Labor Day, an old friend invited me to go to a BBQ at his house. I hadn’t seen him in years and he told me a few of our old friends were going to be there. I decided to go and catch up. It was great to be with people that I’d experienced so much of my young adult life with; after a few minutes of small talk, it was totally natural to be with them again. We spent five hours standing around the kitchen eating, laughing and reminiscing about the stuff we used to do together. I drove home that night with a smile on my face, thinking about how intertwined our lives used to be and one word kept coming to my mind. Fellowship. 

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