“Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, ‘See, we did not know this,’ Does He not consider it who weighs the heart? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?” — Proverbs 24:11-12
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I have met regularly with different groups of people for over 20 years; I’m very thankful for these “iron sharpening iron” types of relationships. I recently met with some friends and it was similar to so many of the gatherings that I’ve participated in over the years — meeting and talking about our faith in Jesus. We always encourage each other with what God is teaching us. He usually provides a theme, idea or even a struggle that is common to the group. His most recent theme was fear.
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I love this verse!
“Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.” — Psalm 68:19
Praise the Lord, indeed! He carries us in His arms, WOW! When I think of Jesus actually carrying me, it takes me to a place of intimacy and security that is beyond comprehension. It’s hard to grasp that the God of the universe carefully holds us close — like a mother holding her newborn baby. Even more amazing, is that the incredible love a parent has for their newborn child, pales in comparison to the love that God has for us. God not only cradles us as infants, but holds us close into eternity.
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Trust in the Lord. An easy thing to say and read but not always an easy thing to do.
As a young man, I had a baseball glove that I was very dependent on. Without it, I felt like I couldn’t take the field. When I first bought the glove, however, I didn’t realize how much it would help me. It was stiff and seemed clunky when I tried to field a ball. In fact, I was ready to give up on it and get another one because I had such trouble with it. Eventually, after oiling it and tying a ball in it when I slept (and using it over and over again), it transformed my game. Honestly, it seemed like I was able to stop or grab any baseball that came close to me. I was phenomenal (at least in my own mind) and I loved to play the game whenever I could.
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I regularly need to bolster my confidence in the Lord; the Bible is always my resource. Lately, the truths found in Hebrews (Chapter 11) have been incredibly helpful to me. Often referred to as the “Hall of Faith”, the author brings us to a place of remembering the past, in order to bring clarity to the present. Look at how the chapter begins:
“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in the days of old earned a good reputation.” — Hebrews 11:1-2 (NLT)
Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Brent Kendall
Recently, I have been thinking about God’s power. Mainly, I think, because our world is in desperate need of healing and the only one who can do that is God. In fact, one of His names is the God Who Heals, or the Great Physician.
It’s important to pray for healing and to grieve for people around the world who are in all kinds of horrendous situations. By praying, I think we wield more power to help change the world, and individual lives, than we can even grasp or imagine. As Christians, we are incredibly blessed to be connected to the only true Power Source of the universe. You might think Rocky Mountain Power has some authority, but they ain’t nothing… let me tell you about the real deal… Jesus! These verses say it all: “Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens. God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!” — Psalm 68:34-35
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I’ve been thinking about my walk with the Lord lately. I’m happy to report that I think I’m “in the pocket” with Jesus.
I’ll tell you what I mean by this. There is a sweet spot musicians call being “in the pocket”. It means singing in time and being in the “groove” with the rhythm of the song. You can be in pitch, but if you’re wavering ahead or behind the beat it won’t feel right.…you aren’t “in the pocket” unless it’s all coming together as it should be. As I write this, I’m feeling in rhythm with my Creator. It might help that I’m enjoying two cups of good coffee and a good night’s sleep. I’m also looking forward to a relatively peaceful day. As far as I can tell so far, I’m “in the pocket”.
The early church experienced something like being “in the pocket” of faith at a specific time in Acts.
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase” — Acts 9:31. We live in a country today where we have the freedom to pursue our faith freely. Like the early church, we enjoy peace, being built-up, and “going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”
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Some days it seems like finding joy can be an illusion to me. I see others enjoying a dreamy kind of life (where nothing ever goes wrong and no one even seems to have a bad thought). I think to myself, what a wonderful life they must have. Before long, you may even hear me humming the lyrics to Louis Armstrong’s song “What a Wonderful Life” (in an effort to fake it till I make it). Seriously, I think it is a daily fight to be joyful. But, we must engage in that fight to truly live a joy-filled life.
I was recently reminded of some foundational truths to help bring joy into my life (from Proverbs 8:34), “Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!”
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If we can somehow grasp the truth that God is love, then it makes sense that we would strive to be full of love ourselves. I mean really, wouldn’t the world be a better place if we were all filled with love?
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Is it just me or are we living in a time when people seem to be more and more disgruntled at almost everything? Have you noticed it? What’s the big problem, anyway?
Well, according to the “The Top Tens” list, the world’s top five problems are: Drug Abuse, War and Terrorism, Poverty, Population Growth, and Pollution. The list goes on; this is just the first five.
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