Month: January 2018

Walking with Jesus Alone

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
1516018540207_image.jpgTherefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.                     2 Cor 6:16-17

Being a Christian may sometimes feel like a complicated balancing act. On one hand we don’t want to be like the Pharisees whose holier than thou attitude smelled pretty stinky to God. But then we come face to face with verses in the New Testament that challenge us to boldly be different from others.

When I was small I can remember summer nights playing with my cousins in our grandmother’s back yard. Games of tag turned to Hide and seek as the afternoon shadows lengthened. Finally as darkness began to fall we would wear our selves out running with empty jars to try to catch fireflies. Finally our grandmother who we called Gammy would go out on the back porch and ring the big ships bell that grandfather had brought back from the navy ship which he captained.  Hearing that bell meant to all of us that we needed to stop everything we were doing and come in.

In that same way God is ringing heaven’s bell as the shadows of time are lengthening. It is time to stop chasing after the fireflies come in to be close to Him. Quite a few years ago being separated meant that we shouldn’t join secular civic organizations, labor unions or ecumenical groups. Not to disparage those choices but on closer examination of scripture we see that He is not just calling us out. He is also calling us in.

Are you at a crossroads in your life today? Is there some decision, commitment or relationship that challenges your relationship to Jesus Christ? Making choices in life is not easy. Often good choices are the most difficult. God doesn’t promise us a comfortable and easy path. He does promise that will never walk alone. Will you walk with Him today? Does His approval mean more than the approval of neighbors, friends and even family? It won’t matter how many people like our decision. The only like that really matters comes from Jesus Christ and He gives us the awesome and fearful freedom to choose who we will walk with today!

When will we get home?

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He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

“When are we getting home?” the kids used to pester their mother and I from the back seat of our car many years ago. Whether it was one hour or one day, no matter how many times we explained,  they never seemed to be able to just relax. In much the same way the disciples of Jesus who had just finished a three and a half year apprenticeship and a forty day journey of stress, sorrow and then joy wanted to know when they would  get to the end of their journey. They could have picked up a lesson from the prophet Jeremiah who looking at all the disasters around him in Jerusalem probably wondered the same thing himself. How gracious of our God to come to us, and not to just yell into the back seat, “Just sit down and be quiet!”. God knows the depths of our anxious thoughts and He comes to give us the blessed and healing assurance. that He knows not only the end of the journey but also all the stops along the way! Some days I really need to remind myself of the words of this song – “Now I’m riding in the back seat, and I find that that’s the very place to be. Now I’m riding in the back seat. And I’m leaving all the driving to the chief!”

 

 

 

Relationship Matters in Music

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

When we worship God our relationship to Him matters more than the words we sing. In a similar way the relationship of worship leaders to brothers and sisters in the congregation impacts how truly-true our worship is!

pastorpete51's avatarWalking With Lambs

How do our relationships within the church affect our worship? Why can’t we worship the same way in the congregation as we do when we are alone? Relationship matters in music ministry is the most important and potentially most life changing of this series. In the last session we reexamined the importance of presentation (performance) because it has been so downgraded in recent years. That being said however; the concept of being in  a living relationship with those to whom we minister still reigns as the single most important aspect of worship ministry in the world. Whether or not you are a worship leader getting a hold of this approach will revolutionize your worship and change your outlook on life!

If you have interest in learning more about music ministry in the nursing home you can get the e-format at smashwords or on amazon where you will also find a…

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