Hello!
As we approach Thanksgiving it is common for us to reflect more on our lives and on our faith. I know the holidays cause me to pause and think about my life and the fruits of it. Am I living a life that is full of gratitude? Do I strive to live a humble life, putting the interests of others before my own (Philippians 2)? Do I recognize every day the depths that God went to (becoming man) to have a relationship with me? Would I do the same for Him? Is my life planted in the good soil to produce good fruits, or are their some sour apples in my soul?
Some may think I am a bit too serious when it comes to my faith and my own introspection. On some levels they may be right. But, I cannot help but reflect on these things and on the way my Christian walk manifests itself in me. In my personal faith pursuits, I came across this quote below. It has me thinking even deeper now. Maybe it will do the same for you.
"Christianity is not a voice in the wilderness, but a life in the world. It is not an idea in the air but feet on the ground going God's way. It is not an exotic to be kept under glass, but a hardy plant to bear twelve months of fruits in all kinds of weather. Fidelity to duty is its root and branch. Nothing we can say to the Lord, no calling Him by great or dear names, can take the place of the plain doing of His will. We may cry out about the beauty of eating bread with Him in His kingdom, but it is wasted breath and a rootless hope unless we plow and plant in His kingdom here and now. To remember Him at His table and to forget Him at ours, is to have invested in bad securities. There is no substitute for plain, every-day goodness." - Maltbie Davenport (Mattie D) Babcock, Short Biography
I strive to invest in the goodness of our God and Savior. That is where my true security lies. In that goodness, my treasure is found. I pray that I will continue to invest - not for the return I will get, but for the return others will experience because of Christ living IN me and THROUGH me.
Gracious God, I am grateful for how far you were willing to go to be in a relationship with me. I thank you for your goodness and I pray that Your goodness will live in me in such a way that others may say, "taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8)
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Let Freedom Ring
This week our nation celebrates and remembers the veterans of our military service. We recognize the sacrifices they have made and continue to make on our behalf and on behalf of countless others who live in tyranny and oppression.
I grew up in an Air Force family and was raised with a deep respect for God and country. Every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner I get goosebumps and pride wells up from deep inside. My grandfather served in the Army and in WWII. My father is a retired Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and still teaches at the Air Force Academy. I have a brother that is active duty Army and has served one 15-month tour in Iraq and will be leaving again very soon.
While I have not experienced any type of deployment, I do understand the waves of emotions (from pride to worry/fear) that can overwhelm family members who have loved ones in violent areas of our world. Whenever I hear of a soldier who has died, I am reminded of how fragile life is and how my own family stands on the threshold of such news when my brother is deployed. I thank God for these men and women who willingly put themselves in harms-way to let freedom ring.
Our world also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall on Monday. On November 9, 1989, our world experienced the destruction of a wall that had kept freedom out and had silenced the voices of those contained within its stone-cold barriers. I grew up in the Cold War era, always aware of the Berlin Wall. It seemed so solid, so impenetrable, so eternal. I never thought I'd see the day when that wall would come down. As a 17 year-old youth, that moment had a deep impact on me, as it reminded me of the preciousness of freedom and also its delicate nature.
Freedom in the world is a fragile thing. It can be granted and taken away before you know it. One day you are able to move freely, talk freely, worship freely, and make your own choices freely, and the next day a wall can be built that limits your freedom and liberty and you find that you are fighting for your right to survive as a free person. Freedom in the world is not a certainty. Men and women valiantly and courageously fight for it, some giving their life for it. For that, they deserve our respect, our honor, and our rememberance.
As a Christian, I understand the fragility of freedom in our world, while fully understanding the true freedom that comes from our Savior. In John 8 beginning in verse 31 "Jesus said...'If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
God's freedom refers to the spiritual freedom we have in His Kingdom, not to the physical or earthly freedoms of the world. Walking with Jesus, we may experience rejection, persecution, alienation, even death, but such struggles do not infringe on the freedom we enjoy in Christ! Galatians 5:1 says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
Friends, whether we are able to experience the freedoms of this world or not, we can give all praise and glory for the true freedom that exists in Christ and the promise that our souls and our spirits do not have to live in a yoke of bondage. May we never forget that true freedom does not exist apart from Christ. May we, like the veterans we celebrate this week, fully commit our lives to telling others about the freedom that is found in Christ. May we risk our reputations, our emotions, our relationships, our treasures, and our lives so that others may live in true freedom. LET FREEDOM RING!
God of grace and mercy, You have created me with freedom...freedom to choose life over death...freedom to choose love over hatred...freedom to choose joy over despair and hope over fear...freedom to choose You. Guide me with Your wisdom to choose wisely with the freedom You have so graciously given that through my life Your freedom may ring!
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
I grew up in an Air Force family and was raised with a deep respect for God and country. Every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner I get goosebumps and pride wells up from deep inside. My grandfather served in the Army and in WWII. My father is a retired Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and still teaches at the Air Force Academy. I have a brother that is active duty Army and has served one 15-month tour in Iraq and will be leaving again very soon.
While I have not experienced any type of deployment, I do understand the waves of emotions (from pride to worry/fear) that can overwhelm family members who have loved ones in violent areas of our world. Whenever I hear of a soldier who has died, I am reminded of how fragile life is and how my own family stands on the threshold of such news when my brother is deployed. I thank God for these men and women who willingly put themselves in harms-way to let freedom ring.
Our world also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall on Monday. On November 9, 1989, our world experienced the destruction of a wall that had kept freedom out and had silenced the voices of those contained within its stone-cold barriers. I grew up in the Cold War era, always aware of the Berlin Wall. It seemed so solid, so impenetrable, so eternal. I never thought I'd see the day when that wall would come down. As a 17 year-old youth, that moment had a deep impact on me, as it reminded me of the preciousness of freedom and also its delicate nature.
Freedom in the world is a fragile thing. It can be granted and taken away before you know it. One day you are able to move freely, talk freely, worship freely, and make your own choices freely, and the next day a wall can be built that limits your freedom and liberty and you find that you are fighting for your right to survive as a free person. Freedom in the world is not a certainty. Men and women valiantly and courageously fight for it, some giving their life for it. For that, they deserve our respect, our honor, and our rememberance.
As a Christian, I understand the fragility of freedom in our world, while fully understanding the true freedom that comes from our Savior. In John 8 beginning in verse 31 "Jesus said...'If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
God's freedom refers to the spiritual freedom we have in His Kingdom, not to the physical or earthly freedoms of the world. Walking with Jesus, we may experience rejection, persecution, alienation, even death, but such struggles do not infringe on the freedom we enjoy in Christ! Galatians 5:1 says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
Friends, whether we are able to experience the freedoms of this world or not, we can give all praise and glory for the true freedom that exists in Christ and the promise that our souls and our spirits do not have to live in a yoke of bondage. May we never forget that true freedom does not exist apart from Christ. May we, like the veterans we celebrate this week, fully commit our lives to telling others about the freedom that is found in Christ. May we risk our reputations, our emotions, our relationships, our treasures, and our lives so that others may live in true freedom. LET FREEDOM RING!
God of grace and mercy, You have created me with freedom...freedom to choose life over death...freedom to choose love over hatred...freedom to choose joy over despair and hope over fear...freedom to choose You. Guide me with Your wisdom to choose wisely with the freedom You have so graciously given that through my life Your freedom may ring!
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Increasing Our Chances
Good afternoon!
Another beautiful day in Canon City, Colorado. You would never know that we are in November with the temperatures in the mid-70s, people wearing shorts and driving around with their windows down. It truly is beautiful weather and we can give the glory to our Creator for offering us this blessing today.
I want to share another blessing that happened two nights ago. My wife and I took our kids out for a celebration dinner at El Caporal to celebrate their good reports from our parent-teacher conferences.
As we were eating dinner my daughter was talking to us about how some of the girls in her class are boy crazy. She said that she looks at them and says, "What are you thinking? We're kids and we don't need to be doing that stuff. We're kids and we're supposed to party and have fun because when you get older you don't get too many chances to do that!"
My wife and I about died. I am making the assumption that I am at the age where I don't get much of a chance to party and have fun. What can I say, these semi-old bones and this withered spirit are running out of the fun chances life has to offer!!!
It did make me think, however, of the importance of demonstrating the joy and fun in life with my children. If they think that growing up is full of seriousness, pain, discouragement, stress, etc. - then growing up and, eventually, adulthood will lose it's joy and excitement as well. No doubt, there is more that we deal with as adults, but I wonder how much different our lives would be if we dealt with it from the perspective of a child.
When that stressor comes into our lives, or that situation at work, or that gutteral reaction to things going on around us, we say, "Hey, we don't need to get worried and bogged down by that stuff! We're God's children and we're supposed to experience His joy and revel in the strength and peace only He offers! If we don't, our spirits grow old and worn and we lose our chances at joy!"
I wonder what impact that would have on my life? On the life of my family? On the relationships God blesses me with?
In this Thanksgiving month, we are reminded that there is so much to be thankful for. Living with a grateful heart will open up a whole new world to us and it may even help us to come to Jesus with the spirit and awe of a child.
In the words of George Herbert, "Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!" May that be our prayer...no matter what happens around us. With a grateful heart, our own spirits and the lives of those around us, will be able to see that there is joy to be experienced in this world and in the God we choose to serve! Maybe that will increase our chances at having some fun with this life!
O God, give us grateful hearts, that our lives may be full of thanksgiving and joy. Give us eyes to see your blessings, great and small, and may our spirits be lifted by Your presence with us. In Jesus' holy name. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Another beautiful day in Canon City, Colorado. You would never know that we are in November with the temperatures in the mid-70s, people wearing shorts and driving around with their windows down. It truly is beautiful weather and we can give the glory to our Creator for offering us this blessing today.
I want to share another blessing that happened two nights ago. My wife and I took our kids out for a celebration dinner at El Caporal to celebrate their good reports from our parent-teacher conferences.
As we were eating dinner my daughter was talking to us about how some of the girls in her class are boy crazy. She said that she looks at them and says, "What are you thinking? We're kids and we don't need to be doing that stuff. We're kids and we're supposed to party and have fun because when you get older you don't get too many chances to do that!"
My wife and I about died. I am making the assumption that I am at the age where I don't get much of a chance to party and have fun. What can I say, these semi-old bones and this withered spirit are running out of the fun chances life has to offer!!!
It did make me think, however, of the importance of demonstrating the joy and fun in life with my children. If they think that growing up is full of seriousness, pain, discouragement, stress, etc. - then growing up and, eventually, adulthood will lose it's joy and excitement as well. No doubt, there is more that we deal with as adults, but I wonder how much different our lives would be if we dealt with it from the perspective of a child.
When that stressor comes into our lives, or that situation at work, or that gutteral reaction to things going on around us, we say, "Hey, we don't need to get worried and bogged down by that stuff! We're God's children and we're supposed to experience His joy and revel in the strength and peace only He offers! If we don't, our spirits grow old and worn and we lose our chances at joy!"
I wonder what impact that would have on my life? On the life of my family? On the relationships God blesses me with?
In this Thanksgiving month, we are reminded that there is so much to be thankful for. Living with a grateful heart will open up a whole new world to us and it may even help us to come to Jesus with the spirit and awe of a child.
In the words of George Herbert, "Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!" May that be our prayer...no matter what happens around us. With a grateful heart, our own spirits and the lives of those around us, will be able to see that there is joy to be experienced in this world and in the God we choose to serve! Maybe that will increase our chances at having some fun with this life!
O God, give us grateful hearts, that our lives may be full of thanksgiving and joy. Give us eyes to see your blessings, great and small, and may our spirits be lifted by Your presence with us. In Jesus' holy name. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
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