Month: March 2021

Have You Been With Jesus?

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 KJV

After the resurrection of Jesus, His disciples went everywhere preaching the Gospel with boldness. These were not well known or politically connected men and women. None of them was wealthy or even had a formal education. What stood out to others was the fact that they had been with Jesus. If we were arrested and brought before a courtroom, what would people notice about our Christian lives? Might they be impressed with our nicely remodeled homes or the car we drive? Would folks be amazed by our educational credentials or the well-connected people we were friends with – or would they first take notice that we had been with Jesus?

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In the book of Revelation, Jesus tells one of the churches that He was knocking on the door of their hearts. That’s right, Jesus was knocking on the church door, because as they lived their daily lives, they had left Him locked outside. Maybe this morning – with Easter right around the corner – we might pause and ask ourselves, What difference has Jesus Christ made a difference in our lives today? If we’re not sure then the good news is that He is still willing to change that. All we have to do is go to the door and invite Him back in. He has a peace to share that nothing in this world can touch and a joy that no one will take away. Stress and fear will not be able to stand in the presence of the one who loved us enough to give His life on the cross so that we could forever be with Him! Have you been with Jesus today?

The Captain’s Voice

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

L ord, if it’s really you,” said Peter, “tell me to come to you on the water.” – “Come on, then,” replied Jesus. Peter stepped down from the boat and did walk on the water, making for Jesus. But when he saw the fury of the wind he panicked and began to sink, calling out, “Lord save me!” Matthew 14:28-30 Phillips

One of the strongest memories I have of my Navy Captain grandfather is his voice. That low rumble that usually encouraged or joked with his grandchildren, could in an instant change. It didn’t get louder it just lowered even further and became the voice of command in our house. “Now hear this.” he would say with a power and ring of authority that snapped all of us to attention. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that when Jesus called Peter to come out to him on the water, His call was spoken with such power that even over the wind and waves Peter could clearly heard him,and it gave him the courage to obey.

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Right now my wife and I are being called out on the waters with the life of my sister-in-law drawing to a close. We are heading out to California to say our good-byes to a sweet precious lady who is also my wife’s best friend. Walking daily in such a life is more than challenging, it is overwhelming. Like Peter, we are overwhelmed by wind and waves and aren’t so sure we are ready to walk on water in the weeks ahead. But Jesus is calling us with a voice that fearlessly echoes out over our dark waters and carries with it both His peace and a command to venture out. Hearing His voice means that He is out there waiting for us. Our assurance is that our way is not just about difficulty, it is about the miracle of the presence of God’s Son. With His call comes His promise, to reach down and pull us out of the waters so we can walk with Him.

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”   Matthew 14:31 NKJV

My Easter Miracle

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

It seems that this year in particular I have a new group of readers so it may be that my testimony is new to you. I have also trimmed it back considerably trying to keep to my own rule of less is better. So here goes the 2021 re-telling of my Easter Miracle. I am forever grateful to God that He could have worked out such a crazy plan at the cost of His only Son’s life so that I could be His child.

 I realise that I was the worst of them all, and that because of this very fact God was particularly merciful to me. It was a kind of demonstration of the extent of Christ’s patience towards the worst of men, to serve as an example to all who in the future should trust him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 Phillips

In 1971 I was just another 19 year old hippie trying to figure life out. One night I found myself along a lonely stretch of desert highway between L.A. and Phoenix. All that day I had hitch-hiked with my last ride dropping me off at a rest area.  As night began to fall I reasoned that the top of one of the picnic tables was the safest refuge from snakes and scorpions. So I rolled out my sleeping bag and struggled into it trying not to fall off the edge of the table. There I lay looking up into a vast sky filled with stars wondering where I belonged and fell asleep.

How in the world I ended up 3,000 miles from home was a tangle of events beginning with parents who seemed more confused about life than I was. So I moved out on my own at age seventeen about began a wandering that brought me that Easter morning to a highway rest stop where I met a family who invited me to church. It took a miracle to break through my fears and excuses and regrets; but it was Easter morning and on Easter miracles happen. So with the added bonus of a promised free meal I eagerly agreed to go with them.

Their church was different than anything I expected. There were many young people there my own age who were singing with smiles that showed me they knew something about Easter I had missed. More importantly that day, I felt for the first time that God might be real and actually care about me. It felt to me as if I had been running all my life and I couldn’t run any more. It took an amazing chain of miracles to bring me to God. But it was Easter and on Easter miracles happen!