It's Monday, Where Are The Toast Sticks

My dog tuffy contemplating a new day

Philippians 1:3-5 

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Yesterday in worship I told a story of Mr. Rogers and a story that he told about a childhood memory. Mr. Rogers told of his beloved neighbor, an older lady that was kind to him while growing up. Rogers stated that this lovely lady would make toast sticks for him, that were nothing more than toast with butter and jam cut into stick pieces. Rogers would show up on her door step and she would say: "What are you doing here Freddie, are you wanting toast sticks"? As Rogers grew the older neighbor instructed Fred Rogers on how to make his own toast sticks, a memory, taste, and a feeling that he carried with him all his life.

As we begin a new week today, what are your toast stick memories and how to they guide your faith? As we begin a new week and share experiences with family, friends, and co-workers my prayer is that you build memories that are memorable. As we go about our faith life, may our memories and journey with Christ be like warm toast dripping with lots of butter and homemade jam. May we build memories that reside with us daily, until we stand before his glory for eternity in heaven.

Getting the Toaster Ready
Pastor Tim

It's not the cross we wear, it's the cross we carry.

As I was backing out of my driveway this morning, I stopped and took the cross from around the mirror and placed it around my neck. As I began to drive to the church I began to ask myself the question: "Why do I wear a cross"? As I journey around town I wear a cross to identify myself as a pastor, as God's Representative to the community, but I believe that I must go deeper than that. I wear a cross to show people who I belong to, who I worship, who I love, and who I am a servant of.

Beloved, the question must also be asked in reference to our Christian witness and identity that goes beyond a cross around our neck or a fish sticker on the back window of our cars.

What truly identifies the Christian to the world around them? 

Galatians 5:22-26 tells us that the true identity of a Christian is shown when we express the fruits of the Holy Spirit by being people that exude:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Generosity
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness 
9. Self-Control
10. Bear one anothers burdens (Galatians 6: 2)

Yes, these things are the true witness of a follower of Jesus Christ and they speak volumes more about who we are, rather than a person with a shiny cross around their neck. Now some of the things that a Christian is not to be identified with 

1. Worldly passions and desires that supercede one's love and passion for Jesus Christ
2. Competition for church that turns into bragging or envy, that supercedes our unified spreading of the Gospel as to save souls for Christ Jesus.

Beloved, wear your crosses in pride and show the world that as much as you wear the cross you are willing to pick up the cross and follow it wherever Christ sends you. My prayer for you this day is that you take the fruits of the Spirit, as well as your baptism into the body of Christ as your true identity as a follower of God.

Have a great day

Pastor Tim

Never Giving Up!

Hebrews 12:1

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

When preparing this morning's blog I read a story about a female runner that was competing in a twenty-six mile Olympic Trials marathon. She had completed most of the race and had two hundred yards to go until the finish line and two minutes left as to qualify for the Olympics. 

At this point she stumbled and fell to ground, she stayed on the ground for twenty seconds and just had over a minute left to finish and qualify. The runner staggered to her feet and with the crowd cheering in encouragement,she staggered across the finish line with three seconds to spare. 

Brothers and Sisters there are times when we like the exhausted runner fall down in life and we may not want to get back up. My prayer for you today is to be like the runner and to be of courage and faith and get back up and complete the race that God has set before you. Go in the knowledge that God is our biggest cheerleader and just like the crowd that cheered for the runner, God cheers for us and picks us up to finish when we feel like we can't go a step further. 

Get up and finish the race
Pastor Tim

The Answer to Prayers

*This weeks blog is dedicated to my dad (Don Blauvelt) who passed away last Wednesday. 

Jeremiah 29:11

English Standard Version (ESV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

He had been ill for the last six months, they said it was a cancerous tumor in his throat and that they could treat it with radiation and chemotherapy. We prayed for his healing, we prayed for his recovery. He was even warmed by a blanket of prayer that our church had made for him.

He didn't complain, he never whined about what the treatments were doing to his body. Instead he continued with them, never fussing once. When he could no longer eat, he did not complain but instead took feedings through a feeding tube.

We prayed and we prayed for his recovery, we prayed for his healing and his return to a life of normalcy, and still he died. What happened to the prayers? Why didn't God respond and fulfill our prayer requests? 

As I sit in my office two days after dad's funeral I feel compelled to answer the "why" questions. The text from Jeremiah tells us that our prayers were answered and they were most definitely plans for my dad's welfare. God knew that dad and his body were tired, even though the cancer had been beaten, the effects of the treatments were more than dad's weakened body could tolerate. God took dad home to a new and stronger body, God took dad home rather than having him linger in pain and deterioration in a hospital room. 

Yes, God answered our prayers even though it wasn't in the way that we had asked. Brothers and Sisters, God had a plan for dad's future, for his welfare, and it is in this that I take hope. God supplied the time for dad to say goodbye to the love of his life (my mom). God supplied the time for my brother who is also a pastor, to share the good news of Jesus Christ with dad prior to his passing. 

Yes, God answers all prayers at all times in love that ensures that we have an eternal future that is full of hope. As I sit here an mourn at the loss of my father, as I sit here hurting, I do so in the confidence and assurance that our prayers were truly answered. Not for my good, or my families good, but for the welfare of my dad who now resides with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My prayer for you this week my friends is that you continue to pray in the fact that God has our best interests in his heart, and that he keeps all promises and prayer requests, in his way, not ours.

Blessings and Peace: Pastor Tim.

Pastor Tim's We Care Message.

Tuning Our Pianos

Romans 10:17 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

As I write this weeks blog the piano tuner is in the room next to my office tuning the piano, thus the Holy Spirit and the constant sound of one note playing over and over compelled me to write about this topic. As many of us around this time of year take trips an go on vacations, we tell ourselves that our vacations will be used to rest and re-charge. 

Well I'm all for rest and re-charging, but have we ever contemplated the fact that sometimes our faith needs re-tuning. Just as a piano grows out of tune after a while and periodically needs tuned as to play the proper notes and strike the right chord, we as God's people need to take time out and tune our faith. Yes, the day to day journey that we all walk on sometimes places our faith and spirituality out of tune and out of tempo with those around us, and yes even God!

In her article: Keep Your Faith Fresh: 4 Keys to Stronger Faith, Christian Counselor Ruth Seebeck tells us the following four ways to keep our faith fresh.

1. Study the book. There's a reason teachers handed out textbooks at the beginning of the school year. To pass the tests, you had to study. The same is true with faith. If you don't know what's in the book, the principles and promises of faith, how can you put His wisdom into practice?
2. Meditate. How did you learn spelling words or multiplication tables? By saying them over and over and over. Flash cards. Repetition. Create your own flash cards by writing out Bible promises on 3x5 cards. Put then where you can see them throughout your day. Repeat them to yourself until you've memorized them and built them into your consciousness. When you know that you know that you know - give yourself an 'A'!
3. Do your homework. Teachers assigned pages of homework so you could become proficient. Faith works the same way. Practice walking in love, even when you don't want to. Practice faith on that headache, meditating and praying healing scriptures. Practice patience and self-control, knowing God has given you the wisdom and ability to ace those life-tests.
4. Stay in school. Every grade adds to your knowledge and ability. Don't let yourself play hooky. Faith, like anything else in life, requires effort. You learn in stages and there is always more revelation. You can never know it all, but you can keep learning.

So as you journey this summer season and feel your faith beginning to get out of tune, place yourself in tune-up mode and make sure that you get back on the right key of your Christian faith walk. Once this is done, just think of the beautiful and well played notes your faith will express to all those you encounter in the name of Christ.

Blessings and Peace

Pastor Tim



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ruth_Seebeck

Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone

For many of us this week (especially the youth and young adults this week), it will be a week of new experiences in which we must fully place our trust in God. 

• Last week our youth and young adults worked at the local food kitchen.
• On Sunday our youth conducted the entire service from start to finish, selected the text, selected the music, selected the bulletin covers, and finally stood be a crowded congregation and gave God's Word for the week. 
• On Tuesday our youth and young adults will be in Nashville working with "The Bridge" ministry.

Brothers and Sisters, many times God asks us to step out of our comfort zones and to venture into new areas of ministry that many of us would call the "Unknown". We truly understand that true ministry often happens in God's time and not ours, and is often conducted in the unlikeliest of places.

The things that God supplies to us when we leave our comfort zone are:

1. The stress of our everyday existence is taken away from us, if even for just a short time.
2. We actually find the out of the comfort zone moments to be fun, fulfilling, and places in which we can truly see and feel our salvation.
3. God knows us better than we know ourselves and will place us in areas that He needs us, instead of where we need us.
4. As we are able to see hope in action, we are actually given an opportunity to make God's creation a little better, by being the Body of Christ.
5. By stepping out of our comfort zones we are seeing God supplying us with the needed learning and living, that keeps everyone of us fresh and new as a people of God.

My prayer for you this week is that you step out of your comfort zones and place yourself in a "Where the Rubber Meets the Road" ministry.  Because when we leave our comfort zones, we find ourselves in a zone in which the magic truly happens. "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

May you have an out of your comfort zone week

Pastor Tim

Romans 8:29-32

English Standard Version (ESV)

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?