Devotional Blog

Heart

8/25/2016

Don't lose heart! Just because you do not yet see the answer to your prayers, does not mean God does not hear you. Wait! The Lord is working. Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting time is time for God to mold us and strengthen us and deepen our relationship with Him. God is at work. Trust God! God will see you through. God is at work even though you might not be able to see it. Hear again these encouraging words of the psalmist:

I would have lost heart unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27.13,14)

(prayer of the week)
Lord, help me to see your purposes in waiting. Help me to renew my strength and lean into your strength. Mold me and make me so that I may be a blessing to others, through your power and to your glory, Amen.

Open your heart to God's awesome love-Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
God uses adversity to chisel us more into the image of Jesus

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Back to School

8/19/2016

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Back to School

It's back to school time! Whether it's younger children heading to school for the first time, middle school youth anxious about peer drama, high school students feeling pressure over grades, or college students moving into the dorm for their first time away from home, most parents feel almost as anxious, if not more, than our sons or daughters. We want them to learn, but there are so many distractions. We want to pass along some reassurance to our students and find some encouragement for ourselves.
Joshua wasn't going to the school yard, but he was going to the battlefield. He was understandably anxious and even a bit discouraged. But God gave him a word of comfort and encouragement that still holds promise for both parents and students today:

(scripture of the week)
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go"
(Joshua 1.9).

(prayer of the week)
Loving Lord, watch over my family today. Help us to be strong and courageous in the face of challenge and adversity. Help us to do our best, and trust you to do the rest. Keep us safe. Keep us faithful. May we be salt and light in a world where we stand true to you. In the strong name of Christ, amen.

Blessings!-Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."
-- Benjamin Franklin

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Race

8/12/2016

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I always find watching the Olympics exciting and inspiring. Athletes have trained hard and in many cases have overcome all kinds of adversity and challenges, yet they press on with everything they have to do their best and, if at all possible, win. We all will face challenge and adversity at some point in our lives. There are times we will fall short. But the Apostle Paul urges us to forget what is behind and press on toward the goal that God has set before us. Like an athlete he urges us to stay the course and press on! Know that with God's grace and strength we can be victorious. Trust God and lean into his strength. Faith is the adventure of a life time --- and God will see you through!

(scripture of the week)

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.12-14)

(prayer of the week)

Gracious God, there are times when we run into challenge and adversity that seem too much for us. Help me to let go of the past and press on to the future you have for me. Help me to lean into your strength. And help me to be an encouragement to others. Amen

Blessings in Christ
--Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)

"Love is the abridgment of all theology"--Francis de Sales

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Grand

8/4/2016

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Some years ago, I went backpacking in the Grand Canyon. What an awesome display of the handiwork of our Creator. It is impossible to describe the beauty. The sky overhead is a deep, clear blue. Rock walls are carved from the earth's surface. Reds, orange, purplish rock, all sculptured by a divine hand. It is both massive and intricate. Desert plant life dots the floor and walls of the canyon. Desert wildlife is there, uniquely designed for this particular ecosystem. Closed away from the noise of our world, you can see so much better the wonder of creation as the orange and purples of sunset spill over the canyon walls. What breath-taking beauty! What re-defining vistas. One feels so small amid the vastness of this universe; and yet one treasures that God has so intimately planned all of it including our lives. And even more incredible is that this same great sculptor of the universe has come to us personally in Christ to show us love. What an awesome God! Like the psalmist, let your heart declare:

(scripture of the week)

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19.1-4).

(prayer of the week)

O Divine Master Designer, the creations declare your glory, and we know our lives are also created with your love and wonder and beauty. Help us to enjoy the beauty of all that you created and treasure our own lives as a blessing from you. And let us be reminded to be a blessing to others, through Christ our Lord, amen.

Blessings--Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)

"Storms make the oak grow deeper roots" George Herbert

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