Month: February 2021

A Moment for the Birds

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? Luke 12 :24 KJV

After spending the last six weeks alone while my wife is taking care of her sister on the other coast I decided to just play hooky yesterday. I did nothing more work related than have breakfast, pack a few things and head to the beach. For me there is nothing more stress relieving than walking along the shore, listening to the waves and watching birds. Maybe Jesus also walked alone watching birds. He taught us to be as gentle as doves and told us we were of more value than sparrows. Today’s verse focuses on a less lovely bird – the raven. To me they are just big homely looking black birds, but God chose to create them with the special purpose of showing us worriers that He will take care of us. Well, I didn’t see any ravens at the beach – but I did get some great photos of a Great White Egret, who didn’t appear to be too worried about anything – not even my presence! I hope you enjoy my bird photos for the week and that if you are also struggling sometimes with stress that you take a quiet walk and talk to a bird or two. Have a blessed night everybody!

Where is Our Hope?

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by          
Excerpt from Who Has Seen the Wind? by Christina Rossetti

I’m not much for remembering long pages of flowing verse from Dylan Thomas or T.S. Elliott, but what stays with me are tiny snippets of poetry that take quiet walks with me when I am alone. This week as I was struggling though some personal issues I remembered Christina Rossetti’s line, “But when the trees bow down their heads” and God gently quieted by heart. I had been making a fuss about things I could not understand like a crying child who refuses to take his afternoon nap. But like the perfect Father that He is, God comforted me with the reminder that faith is the way He chooses for everyone to walk with Him.

Sure, Moses saw the burning bush and Peter got to see Jesus transformed on the mountain. But for the vast majority of us, our faith is built on somewhat less spectacular experiences. In fact Peter himself points out that our hope and joy is based on a Jesus who we have never seen.

 And though you have never seen him, yet I know that you love him. At present you trust him without being able to see him, and even now he brings you a joy that words cannot express and which has in it a hint of the glories of Heaven; 1 Peter 1:8 Phillips Version

Some of you are probably struggling with loneliness, sickness or heartache, wishing that Jesus would just show up and fix things. It would be great to see God swing into action like Spiderman, just as our enemies close in, but He has a better way! His solution does not depend on anything we can see, but on the unseen love of Jesus Christ. We believe not because we have seen, but because we have experienced God’s gift of joy by means of a faith that gives with us, “A hint of heaven” and God’s Spirit whispers, “That hint is more than enough! “

This is Going to Hurt!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. Hebrews 12:7 ESV

Maybe the phrase, “This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you!” is imprinted indelibly in my memory, because it always preceded several well aimed smacks on my behind. It was not that I questioned the truth my step-father’s intentions, it was simply the fact that I never listened to any of the words that came after, and “This is going to hurt!” So when I first came to this passage in Hebrews my mind slipped back in time to those moments of discipline and I inwardly cringed as I waited for God’s punishment to fall.

But, as true as the fact that we need to be disciplined by our heavenly Father, is the reality that it really did hurt God far more than it hurts us. After all, God is correcting us for things we have done wrong but Jesus went as an innocent lamb to the cross to pay for our adoption into His family. Like Thomas we worry that we have been left out of blessings that we think we deserve. But the good news is that Jesus came even for a doubtful Thomas and as showed him the marks of the nails in his hands and the scar from the spear in His side. It’s as if He looked lovingly into Thomas’ fearful eyes and said, “Stop your doubting and just believe. This really did hurt me more than it hurt you, but it was worth it because I want you to be my son!”