Looking Out the Windows

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

‭‭Psalm 68:5 ESV‬‬ Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

As I walked up yesterday, I saw Norma’s hands pressed against the glass door panels of the memory care ward. She stòod there looking out and wondering if anyone would open the door for her again, as they did when she was young and lovely. But now, the door is locked. She cannot leave, nor can anyone enter without being buzzed in. There is little fresh air, no place to walk in a garden, no bench to sit at in a park, nor any birds to feed. There are just two hallways, an activity space with a television and a small lunch room. Visitors are few and the staff is often overwhelmed both mentally and physically. But God remembers. He knows her name, her heart and every sorrow. He came to earth not only for the strong, the young and comfortable. He came because He remembered all the Norma’s, and offered Himself as a friend and a Father, who has counted every hair and then gave His life on the cross for us all.

He Arose at Life Care

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 ESV

Sometimes I try to imagine, what t would have been like on that first resurrection morning and wish I had been able to see Jesus with my own eyes and hear HIs voice, saying, “Fear not.” Thomas wished the very same thing, and eight days later, Jesus obliged that wish and showed Himself to Thomas and invited him to come and touch His wounds. What a privilege Thomas had to be able to see and touch Jesus, but how humbling that must have been for him to also hear, “More blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed.” So, on those days when, like me, you wish you had been there, remember that you are more blessed than even those eleven disciples, and have an opportunity for an even greater joy. In singing Robert Lowry’s rousing hymn, “He Arose”, it gives us me the sense of what it must have been like to rejoice in seeing Jesus just like the first believers. We get to lift our voices with such a joyful uncompromising praise that my heart is filled to the brim. The most amazing miracle of all time – the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead changes both all of history and the history of our lives, because we believe in Him. I hope that you will enjoy seeing the many faces of our special friends in assisted living as they joined with us today. But no matter whether you sit in a wheelchair in a long term care facility or in the corner office of a giant corporation, there is no greater hope that you can have, than to know Jesus. He rose from the dead and has come to offer us eternal life, if we will put our trust in Him. “He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!”

No One is Too Small for God’s Purpose

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

 Saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” Matthew 21:2-3 ESV

Neither the disciples nor anyone in the village, could imagine why Jesus sent for the donkey that morning. God’s revealed that He had a plan and purpose tied alongside the donkey since He had spoken to the prophet Zechariah about it 550 years earlier. It is also important for us to know God’s purpose for our lives, but they aren’t always big purposes in our way of thinking. Though God’s big purposes aren’t about a bigger house, a bigger car, or a bigger bank account. Instead, He takes great joy in showing us that our small car, our small house and our small bank account can accomplish His plans if we will simply follow Him. And because God’s purposes are different for every person, we need don’t need to worry what others around us are doing. That morning the donkey only had to focus on the gentle tug on his reigns, to know when to slow down, to turn and when to hurry. He didn’t need to understand what people were doing around him, or know where Jesus was leading, he only needed to take one step at a time through the crowd that day.

So, what lies straight ahead on your path? Does it seem confusing that others are racing ahead of you, or do you feel confused by the sea of voices that seem to drown out yours? Be like that donkey this morning and just listen carefully for the quiet voice of Jesus, be sensitive to his touch when he pulls back on the reins and be ready to hurry forward when He urges you on. God has a big plan that includes our small part and He only asks that we trust Him about the destination He has chosen today!

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