The Rock Church

The Comfort of The Suffering Servant

One of my best friend’s son has recently been in the hospital for several weeks. It has been heartbreaking to see their family walk through so much pain and uncertainty. In moments like those, when the weight of our struggles feels overwhelming, I find myself praying. I pray for the Lord to help us see that suffering, while deeply painful, is never without meaning. Equally important, we are never beyond the reach of our Great Comforter.

A quote (often attributed to Augustine of Hippo) comes to mind: “God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by The Rock Church

Welcoming the Children: A Connection Through Generations

“He told them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes Him who sent me. For whoever is least among you – this one is great.” — Luke 9:48

After a sunny day with some planning, exploring, and swimming in the ocean, the work we came here for officially began. Children ranging from toddlers to nineteen years old were gathered for a time of getting acquainted and worship on the beach. Thirty-seven children in all made for a lot of volume and kinetic energy, but our time was fruitful. The night ended with a rousing game of hide-and-seek amongst the tweens and teens. This game was of course in the dark, outside, on the large resort campus of a foreign country. God was definitely gracious to us.

Posted in Missions, News by The Rock Church

Discipline, Testing, or Training?

How do you want your life (or your children’s lives) to go? Smooth, easy, tranquil, and stress-free, I assume? I certainly doubt if anyone wakes up thinking, “I would like a lot of adversity today.” or “I hope my children experience some real hardships this week.”

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Watermelon and Lawnmowers

My next-door neighbor (Mr.Grant) is an 89-year-old firecracker. He loves Jesus and has endless opinions (as you can imagine an 89-year-old man would have). Recently, his wife of 70 years passed away. I can’t imagine his grief.

Our family prays for him and loves him dearly; we offer to help him in any way we can. Unfortunately for us, he is one of them old boys who “doesn’t need any help from no one.” So, it can be difficult. Recently, however, I saw my children serve him in some beautiful ways.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

He Delights in You

As I write this, I am waiting to surprise my kids. They don’t know it yet, but we have decided to cancel school today and take them to Lagoon. We can’t wait to see the look on their faces when we say, “Instead of school, we thought it would be fun to go on roller coasters.” The entire week (for my wife and me) has largely revolved around this fun surprise.

There is no special reason for “Lagoon day”. The only reward is to hear their voices laugh with excitement, see their smiling faces and delight their hearts.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by admin

Finding Rest

One of the more frustrating things for me in life is not being able to fall asleep. I don’t often have trouble with this, but I have gone through spells of it. Sometimes, it happens when I first get in bed. Other times, it’s when I wake up in the middle of the night (and can’t fall back to sleep). Instead of finding rest, my mind races, thinking about all there is to worry about in life. 

In the still of the night, it’s so easy to reflect on those things that scare us or give us anxiety. Or, perhaps we go through items on the to-do list that we missed that day. Health, relationships, finances, parenting, news of war, what does the future hold? Admittedly, it can all feel paralyzing. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Pure and Simple Daily Devotion

I just had a chance to work through our family schedule with my sweet wife. It’s one of those weeks where all of our evenings (and most of our days) are filled up Monday through Friday.

I am thankful to have such a full life, but at times, it can feel a little bit (okay, a lot) overwhelming. This is especially true when you add kids into the mix.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor, Parenting by admin

Know

Parents — your children are SO BLESSED TO HAVE YOU! They are so blessed!

I went on a walk to stretch my legs and breathe some fresh air. It just so happened that it was also the time when many kids were getting off the bus after school. The tree-lined street was filled with children running to their respective homes.

This made me think of my kids. I thought about how quickly the time really has flown since they were born. The day is fast approaching when they will walk by themselves (without me or my wife next to them). That thought was both sad and encouraging to me. It was sad because they grow too fast but it was also encouraging because I know they are being equipped and loved every day as they grow.

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Posted in A Word from the Pastor, Parenting by admin