church

Who is Welcome?

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

I posted on Facebook yesterday what I thought was a pretty innocuous thought about unity in the church. Wow I was dismayed and surprised to see the “controversy this stirred up! My hope is that if we each ask ourselves this one simple question and be willing to take personal responsibility to reach out that each of our churches will be the better. Have a blessed day!

“Will folks who think or look differently than we do feel welcome at our church? If God wanted us all the same He would have used plastic and not dust when He was forming man.”

 

All kinds of folks

Week-end Visitation Rights

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him  Psalm 103:13

My relationship with dad began with his week-end visitation rights granted when I was 15. Though I just barely knew what my dad looked like I eagerly looked forward to his one week-end [er month visits. Our relationship began about where our relationship with God often begins (It was all about me!) Dad would take me special places, buy me some things and then drop me back off at home on Sunday nights. In retrospect I am not sure what kept my dad going. But somehow my father loved me in spite of my inability to return that love for years and years until one day I realized, I really loved him. He had built the bridge single-handedly that joined us together.

In that very same way God has loving compassion on us. Even when our showing up in church is just about our blessings, our needs and our desires He remains willing to build the bridge through Jesus Christ to join our soul to Him. What a gentle awesome and patient Father we have. We have the choice on any day to walk across the bridge to Him and yield not just visitation rights, but the full rights of a father with a son or daughter to Him!

week-end visits

Come and See

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Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”  “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” John 1:38-39a
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Jesus had a way of dealing with new followers which was a lot different than ours. He didn’t say, “Come and do” or “Come and give.” In fact Jesus began the conversation with a question, “What do you want?”

Whether at the door of the church or alone on a mountain trail, God asks us every morning, “What do you want?” Am I following just because someone told me to or do I really want to for myself? His test is not about our ability to serve Him but our desire to know Him.

When we go looking for Jesus we will find Him. He knows us but He waits for us to long to know Him. Then Jesus extends the invitation, “Come and see!” Jesus wants us to get to know Him because He isn’t afraid of what we will find. Every day is an opportunity for a new discovery of His character, His will and His heart. Maybe you have kimg1621received an invitation that says: RSVP. That stands for the French “Répondez s’il vous plait” – “Respond if you please. “We have received an invitation to come to know Jesus. Jesus waits to see if we will respond. Do we really want to know where He lives? He calls out, “Come and see!”