Gospel

I Love to Tell the Story

/ pastorpete51 / 12 Comments 
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”  
Matthew 28:6-7 ESV

Whenever we turn on the news our television stations are filled with stories of snowstorms, tornados, terrorist attacks and sporting events. Then when we open our mailboxes, we find them filled with appeals to buy an unending array of products, sell our homes or give money to hundreds of worthy causes. It seems that everyone wants our money, our time or our attention. Now if our house is on fire, bombs are about to drop or a disaster strikes our neighbors, we indeed should and must act. But even in the greatest those emergencies, we must not allow the urgency of our situation to drown out the most important story of all. “Jesus has risen, and He wants to meet with us!”

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Just stop and think about that amazing detail for a moment! The One who governs the course of galaxies and who lives in heaven surrounded by angels, wants to be a part of our lives! Why not give Him our unwavering attention and listen to what He has to say before the morning news? Only He can help us to face our emergencies, and only His hope can give us the courage to help others. Just like the disciples in today’s verse, He will show us what direction to take and promises that He will go before us. As we put our trust in Him, and give Him our heart’s undivided attention, we will discover that He is going with us into the New Year and that there we will see Him, no matter what lies ahead!

Good News!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation. Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 NKJV

This Tuesday, I stopped to see my friend Don and his wife Lorna, who recently been admitted to a nursing home in our area. This facility was new to me, and I have never held any services there, so I brought along copies of our weekly newsletter. ,,, Go to Walking With Lambs to read the rest of the story.

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What is Your Treasure?

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Matthew 13:52 ESV

It may surprise you to learn that I began Bible story telling, not with my special friends at nursing home, but with 5-8 year old boys at church. Royal Rangers was a program similar to the Boy Scouts, that our denomination offered and one day I came to sign our son up for class. Now I am not the parent who just drops his kiddo off, so I stayed to see what was going on. The man who leading the group was so delighted to have another adult around to help, that he disappeared on the third week and ta-da, I became their new leader!

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Needless to say my transition from, hey I want to help, to “Whoot there it is!” you’re in charge, was rough. Kids climbed up walls, bounced off each other and in general made me crazy. But in the midst of the mayhem when I was getting ready to tear out my hair, God began to teach me how to get and keep their attention with stories. In today’s scripture, Jesus gives us the inside scoop on how to teach others about His kingdom, and He calls it giving away our treasure.

So what makes something our treasure, and who are those scribes instructed in the kingdom? Now, I’ve been to college and have a piece of paper somewhere that will prove it, but what I really treasure is those lessons learned from when God answered my cries for help in the storms of life. He seems to specialize in using our problems as His classroom and in each one He gives us a treasure of grace to share with others. Also notice that Jesus points out, we need both new and old treasures. So don’t get too comfortable where you are because life is rarely smooth sailing for long. The Biblical weather forecast is for new storms on our horizons because each one offers us a new gift of God’s grace. So whether you are trying to keep the attention of a classroom full of eight year old’s, or are having a zoom session with seniors who can’t seem to figure out where to click so they can see the video, God wants to use you in ways to spread His treasure around. So what is your story? I know there are lots of great teachers out there among my readers, so why not share one of your treasures with us today?