" Choose Ye This Day! "

" What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he shall choose.  His soul shall dwell at ease: and his seed shall inherit the earth."

                                                                            ~Psalm 25:12

From the Pastor's Study:

We are in a season of "Choice".  As you know, the political arena is full of choices, from Legislatures, Governors, Mayors to the President of the United States.  We are called upon to make a choice!  We may choose a party, a candidate, or chose to be disinterested and not participate at all.  But whatever we do, we Choose!  Choices abound daily in our lives how fast to drive, when to stop or when to go; we can choose to give our tithes unto the Lord or choose to just give a portion, or perhaps just an offering.  We can choose spiritual things, oppose them or not think about them. On and on go the choices that we are freely given.  Our text today deals with "Choosing to fear the Lord" for we find some wonderful revealing things as we look to this scripture.  If we choose to "fear" the Lord, He will teach us to choose His ways in our life.  He will cause our soul to dwell in ease, that is the fleshly realm of our being will cease to war within our inner man.  God's way always brings Peace and Rest, perhaps not immediately, but eventually!  Our seed, children will be blessed.  He will share His secrets with us and He will show us His Covenant.  " We know in part, but the time will come according to..."  1 Cor. 13:12,"... that we will know Him face to face."  God will give truth to honest seekers.  This is the hour in our generation to seek Truth, Knowledge, and Wisdom that we might choose the right ways of God.  To "fear" God is to reverence Him, respect and honor Him, His Word, and His Son who is our Salvation!  Joshua gave a powerful choice to God's people in Chapter 24: "Refuse evil, choose the good" ... "choose you this day whom ye will serve,"  And Joshua set forth a stone to remember the moment of dedication!  

                                                         Jesus is our CornerStone!

                                                             Loving you, Pastor

" Let God Arise! "

"Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: ... Let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.  Sing unto God, Sing praises to His name: extol Him ..."
                                                                          ~Psalm 68:1-4

From the Pastor's heart:
As I was in prayer and meditation these past few days, still rejoicing at the goodness of the Lord, I was reminded of several things.  [1] The enemy hates God's people to rejoice, [2] As you know, he is out to rob and steal from the saints.  Psalm 68 came into my spirit ~ Let God Arise!  Let's think on that for a moment, "Let God Arise!"  Let Him bring us above the struggles, the disappointments, the cares of this life!  Our society is filled with "fear tactics!"  Now who would be the author of fear?  When God arises, the enemy is scattered, this is His Word!  And when He arises, He calls for the "righteous," the saints, to be glad--to rejoice, to praise and to sing!  I have found it is sometimes difficult to respond to the adverse things that are going on with praise and singing... but perhaps that is because we do not Arise with our Lord!  To arise with the Word of God as our Shield and the Sword of His Holy Spirit.  Cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.  When we do thin; we bring our thoughts into the captivity and obedience to our Lord and Saviour--2 Corinthians 5.  In Scripture Solomon was given some powerful instruction which I believe would help us to arise and scatter the enemy ... "Know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; ..."  1 Chronicles 28:9.  Remember David, the father of Solomon who God said was a man after his own heart!  Therein we see a powerful learning statement; David was blessed because  "his ways pleased the Lord!"   David's way was to trust the Lord in all things and to let God Arise in every situation that he faced once his commitment was made to his God.  Let us join together and Let God Arise!
                                                                  Loving you, Pastor

" Come Before His Presence Singing! "

Psalm 95:1-2 " O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms."

From the Pastor's Heart:

We are rejoicing and praising the Lord for His wonderful works in the midst of our Church.  Our rejoicing is not just for the "burning of the mortgage," but for all the glorious things that He has accomplished through our Church in these 29 years.  God has been the substance of his people and fortified us with the strength to overcome the cares of this life and to stand strong in the face of the adversities.  Now we sing a new song unto the Lord for through Him we have triumphed over the financial difficulties.  To God be the Glorious Glory!  He is worthy of our praise and worship!  There are many ways of rejoicing that we note in Scripture:  some may dance before the Lord, some may shed tears of joy, others may sit quietly and experience a deep revelation of His presence. Some may sing and shout and wave their hands high in the air, and some may fall upon their face in the glory of His presence. But as we praise Him, our heart becomes full to overflowing with His Goodness, and then we often kneel silently in His Holy Presence and then worship and adoration comes in our being.  O what a God, our Father in heaven we give our thanks unto Thee.  O what a Saviour!  Redeemed we sing for joy!  O what a Holy Ghost, our Comfort and Power!  Let us rejoice together and offer unto Him Sacrifices of Praise!
                                             Loving you Pastor

Many O Lord, my God are Thy Wonderful Works!

"Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."
--Psalm 40:5

From the Pastor's THANKFUL Heart
My heart is full of Thanksgiving unto the Lord and to all the Saints who helped to make this day possible.  There were saints here during the addition-building and then the Sanctuary refurbishing and finally, the vestibule and the steeple refurbishing. There are so many people to Thank for this precious and glorious day!  Then there are people who came after all the remodeling and were faithful in the giving which also helped us to reach this day--The "Burning of our Mortgage!" There were many inmates and their Prayer Groups, who walked with us through the mess and the changes, praying for us every step of the way.  We thank you for covering us in Prayer through it all. There are so many people to say Thank you to--many came from other from other Churches and Prayer Groups: Some donated equipment and supplies, climbed the scaffolding and finished the ceiling. Some kept the services going in the midst of the mess! The Faithfulness of God's people: working, praying, giving; brought about this glorious day! Our Brother McClintic was always there behind the scenes making calls and getting us free items: the floor tile in the restroom and kitchen, the wood for the deck, etc. No doubt he looks down from his heavenly home and gives glory to God for this day. We want to especially Thank our Contractor, Larry Sutherland, for going the extra mile for us and doing all the things that we added after his bid.  His patience was a God-send. And to the beauty of of the altar, the cross, and the pulpit, and so many other things. We Thank Neil Parker for patiently stripping and vanishing all these precious furnishing--and working with Dorothy Funk in all the financing.  To God be the Glory!  Again I say "To God be the Glory!" - "Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works!"  So the Celebration continues as we celebrate our 29th Anniversary together in the Vineyard of our God!

                    Many, many Thanks to Jesus Great Name!  
                                   Loving you, Pastor 

What is God to You?

"Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of Thanksgiving, and declare His works with Rejoicing" - Psalm 107:22

From the Pastor's Study:
As we continue to celebrate the wonderful 28 years together, I can't help but Praise and Glorify our marvelous God!  My heart is full of thanksgiving as I look back upon His awesome acts in behalf of our Church.  All the while He was helping us and strengthening us to do what task He had called us to do, He was working in our own personal lives.  What a glorious God, sending Jesus who is our Salvation, not only in forgiving our sins, but on a daily basis He is our Salvation!  He helps us in our daily chores, He delivers us from a multitude of things that cross our paths.  He strengthens us for each day and when we feel we have no strength, He is there!  Through all the changes that have occurred these past years, He has never left us nor forsaken us, but has walked beside us in all circumstances.  He truly is our Rock, He settles us, establishes us, and keeps us from the evil one.  What is God to you?  What is God to us?  He is all these things that the Scripture reports and even more!  He is our Substance, He is our Hope, He is our Eternal destination!  He is worthy of our Praise and our Solemn quiet worship that reins deep in our heart and guides us through the day.  He is our Defense against the works of darkness and the evilness of our world.  And so often our God is our Refuge from the cares of this life.  In sorrow He's our comfort, He truly is the Lily of the Valley and the Bright and Morning Star in our lives!  He is the object of our Love, our Faith, our Hope, and our Eternal Life.  He has given us the Gift of all Gifts, His Precious Son who has imparted the Power of the Holy Ghost in our life.  God has sacrificed for us, Jesus has sacrificed for us, we can do no less. Let us offer unto Him the Sacrifices of Praise ... Psalm 4:5 -- "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord."  Ps. 27:6 -- "I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of Joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord."

                                          Giving Thanks for you!
                                                Love, Pastor