The Rock Church

Betrayed

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend or family member? How about a co-worker or classmate? Maybe you’ve felt betrayed by someone you didn’t even know? I’ve been forsaken or betrayed many times in my life.

I took a guitar class when I went to college because I want to learn how to play guitar; I needed the credits and figured it would be an “easy A”. One of my classmates was an amazing, classical guitarist and we became friends. We decided to do a classical guitar duet for our final project; I bought a guitar and grew the fingernails on my picking hand for a few months. We had the duet memorized and it sounded great. Two weeks before the final, however, my friend stopped coming to class. He didn’t show up for the final, so I had to play what was meant to be a duet all by myself. Because he didn’t show up, I didn’t get an A in that class. Not a big deal, but I was forsaken by my friend nonetheless. 

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Authority

This week, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a narrow 50-48 vote. He will now take his seat next to the other eight Supreme Court Justices in our nation’s highest court. Some people are encouraged, some are disappointed, some are protesting, and some don’t care. Donald Trump is the President of the United States of America; it seems like at least a few times a week we hear about something he tweeted, said, wore, or did. Again, some people are happy, some are mad, some are protesting, and some don’t care.

How should we, as Christians, respond to our government leaders and those in authority over us? In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, we can glean some instruction from Paul. He says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” What exactly does that mean for us? How do we respond?

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Misunderstanding

Every once in a while, I get myself into a situation where I know I’ve been misunderstood. There are also times when I realize that I’ve misunderstood what somebody was trying to tell me. We all experience this, don’t we? I was recently struck by a story in Joshua (22:10-34). There was a misunderstanding that could have ended in disaster… if one group of people hadn’t been able to explain themselves to another group.

When Israel was moving into the Promised Land, one group of people were given the land on the East side of the Jordan river. They built “an altar of imposing size.” One that looked identical to the altar God had them build for the Tabernacle. They shouldn’t have done this as it was “unauthorized.” God had been very clear with them when He gave them instructions about where and how He wanted the altar built.

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Royal

In the book of Numbers (Chapter 16), we read about some men who rebelled against Moses and Aaron. They are angry because they think Moses and Aaron are making themselves out to be more holy than the rest of the Israelites. These men are envious of the position Moses and Aaron have among the congregation of Israel.

Instead of going to the Lord, however (with humble and thankful hearts for being His chosen people), they grumble and rebel instead. They are not satisfied with their relationship or position with God. They want position among men. They want to be recognized as great in Israel. 

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Priorities

I’ve been at my new job as a maintenance electrician for almost three months. For over a decade, I’ve worked a lot of overtime as an industrial/commercial electrician. I worked in mines, salt plants, airfields, factories, and high rise buildings. It wasn’t uncommon for me to get to work before the sun came up, work all day, and come home after dark. I would then sit at the kitchen table to do paperwork, while my wife waited (for an hour or so), to have a conversation with me. I worked hard to provide for my family and make sure my jobs came in on time and under budget. This is what God called me to do, right? Wrong.

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All Things New

Happy New Year! It always amazes me how quickly one year comes to an end and another one takes its place. It’s a never ending cycle. A few days ago, I was reading in the Bible (the book of Revelation). What really stood out to me was that when Jesus comes to make all things new, it will be the end of the “out with the old and in with the new” mentality we’ve all come to know in this life.

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Tradition

Every year, the pastors of The Rock Church go to our National Pastor’s Conference. There’s a tradition, one night during the week of meetings, when we go to a grocery store (or a gas station), get some snacks, and head to the hotel lobby to spend time together. We’ll play games, joke around, and laugh a lot. It has become something I really look forward to each year. 

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Eclipse

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” — Psalm 19:1

Eclipse glasses? Check. Moon pies? Check. Last week, we all saw something incredible take place. We saw the sun, the moon, and the earth, perfectly align— creating a solar eclipse. Other than destroying the sun, moving the earth, or moving the moon, there was nothing that was going to stop the eclipse from happening. I read that “According to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years.” So, no matter how hard we try, or how hard we want it to happen, there is nothing we can do to align the sun, moon and earth to force an eclipse.

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Harvest

While on vacation this summer, my family and I stayed with relatives who live on an Ohio farm of over one hundred acres! One morning, the kids were out playing in the yard and the farmer asked if we wanted to take turns riding in the tractor while he fertilized the crops?

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Legacy

“I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” — 1 Peter 1:13-15

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