Daily Verse

See You Later Banjo

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1-2 KJV

Last Sunday was a sad day here, when the Vet told us that our little friend Banjo had to be put down. Though Banjo had only been with us for the last three and a half months, he had become a part of my daily routine. God gave a calling to each of us and Banjo’s was to teach people (especially me!) to slow down, cuddle up with friends and trust. Almost every morning since he arrived after his home was flooded in the hurricane, Banjo and I had gone for a walk. Now, I have always been an avid walker, but my walks were much changed since my little buddy came along. With Banjo’s pace somewhere between a meander and a browse, I didn’t get much of a cardio workout anymore, but I met more of our neighbors, and on our nighttime walks I began to pause long enough to notice the stars and feel the bite of the breeze.

I was also reminded to be thankful for both the people and the puppy dogs around me, because we never know how long they will be with us, and we rarely understand how precious they are until they are gone. It is often said that Jesus never hurried. He took time to consider sparrows and slowed his pace for a blind man begging by the roadside. He marveled at wildflowers, and He sat by a well waiting for a woman who no one else would speak with. Today, Jesus is in Heaven ruling the universe by His Father’s side. His suffering is over, and He is in a place of perfect peace and unspeakable joy. Yet, He still takes time for sinners like you and me. His calls us to follow Him at a pace slow enough to learn to love our neighbors and notice the glory of God in the world that He has made. But Jesus also tells us to pack our bags, because this world is not our home. He has prepared a place for us in our Father’s house, and I can’t but believe that Banjo is outside mine romping through the front yard there and waiting for me to go with Him on some amazing walks around the block!

A Leap of Faith

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. 
Philippians 3:12-13 ESV

With tomorrow night being New Year’s Eve, I was reminded of a summer evening back in 1969. That night, a group of us teenagers drove down to a bridge over the Housatonic River we called the “Silver Bridge.” Some of us were excited, while others were secretly afraid of the challenge before us of jumping off that bridge into the water below. That leap of faith had become the local rite of passage standing between the comfort of childhood and the adventure of adulthood (at least we so imagined!) As I stood peering into the dark water below, I knew that once my feet left the bridge deck, there would be no turning back.

When the Apostle Paul wrote the words of today’s verse, he also stood on the edge of a bridge. Though the dangers that awaited Paul while he awaited trial were far more dire than ours, he did not face them with fear. Though Paul knew that the path ahead of him was not going to be an easy walk through the park, he says that he was straining forward with all his might towards the goals God had given him. That word “Straining,” in the Greek means “Reaching out toward something.” Paul was standing at the edge of his own bridge, and he chose to take the plunge, while reaching out for what God had for him. At the edge of our New Year, we also have a choice to make. Either we can stand frozen in place wishing we had courage to jump, or we can take our own leap by faith. To plunge into the river of God’s purposes and plans for the year ahead, then our feet must leave the safety of the bridge deck. If we are to strain forward towards the goals that God has placed before us, then we must decide to let go of the past and things that we cannot hold onto, to take hold of the eternal prize that God has promised to give us through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Unspeakable Joy

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1 Peter 1:8 KJV

I love that, Peter, who had walked on water with Jesus, seen Him transfigured on the mountain and had a meal with Him after the resurrection, intersects with our world. Peter encourages us that even though we will never have the privilege of seeing Jesus with our own eyes, that it is God’s plan for us to experience a glorious unspeakable joy. I confess that most days, I miss out on that joy. I get so preoccupied with busyness, problems, or sorrow that I forget about Jesus. Like Peter did on the day He walked on water, I get my eyes on the wind and waves, or when I do experience a little of His glory, I end up sidelined by religious duties as Peter did when he offered to build three tabernacles on the mountain while Jesus stood shining before them. But, just as Jesus waited for Peter, after fishing all night, so He waits for you and me. No, we will not see him through the morning fog on the beach, but we can see Him through eyes of love and faith on the shoreline of our situation today. Jesus still walks out on the wind and waves to our boats, waits at the manger and lingers outside the empty tomb until the eyes of our heart recognize Him. Then – oh the joy that enters into the holy place of our hearts! Though not seeing, if we simply believe, God has promised to give us an unspeakable joy through all eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!