Music is powerful. So many songs touch our heart and emotions. This month and August I will be preaching a series on diferent songs, tying them in with Scripture and making application for our lives. Please join us for this series.And please also share some songs with me that you would love to hear a sermon on! Tell Pastor John to "Preach That Song!"
In Christ,
Pastor John
...are hopefully fixed!
Thanks to everyone who mailed in to alert us to the blog being down. We did lose any comments that we're left, but feel free to continue to comment or recomment.
Can't believe two weeks have gone by since I last posted. I left off talking about the newness that Jesus brings. He truly desires to bring us new life and that's why I have a passion for missions. Lately it seems that God has placed in my life and hands people and literature that all talk about the same thing- the need for the church to understand people who don't go to church and the need for the church to get out and go into the world. It's not just the job of the pastor but all who believe in the Lord Jesus.
Last time I mentioned to you that I have made several mission trips to Honduras. I'd like to share with you a portion from my journal from a trip in 2001.
"So many people, so many. Lord, what would You have us do? What can we in America do? What should our church do? How can we just keep to ourselves? Would we? Could we? Dare we? You told Lord to go into the world beginning at home and then expanding. As I sit here tonight waiting for evening worship I wonder how You felt Jesus when You saw the crowds. If I feel like this I can't imagine what You felt like. You made these people. You died for them. You love them and want them in heaven. I have so much and take it all for granted like water. Water is scarce in Honduras. I saw people pulling off the road to wash their cars with water running from a hillside and collecting in a ditch. We've been told that the churches down here are often a source of water. The people actually come with their buckets and draw water from a big barrel outside the church. It makes me think of Jesus sitting by the well waiting for the Samaritan woman to come along. 'If you drink of the water I give you, you will never thirst again' I've always wanted to do ministry outside the confines of the "church." I've always wanted to go to a place where I could meet people coming and seeking water. These churches here in Honduras are actually literally sources of water! Isn't that what all churches are to be...sources of the Living Water? Are we not here to quench the thirsty soul?"
It's a different world today and I'm not sure we are always doing the right thing to bring the people to the source of water. If that's the case we or at least I need to go out and find where they are and to tell them there is a life for them beyond their imagination, that there is Water so very satisfying they will never thirst again!
Is your church a source of water? Are you?
I don't always like to try new things. I don't like doing things that I might not be good at. But how will I know if I am good at something if I don't at least try it and practice it. Take writing for instance. I have always loved writing. I even won an essay contest on fire prevention back in 8th grade! In high school I thought of being a journalist because I like to write. And as a Pastor I certainly now do my share fair of writing. So why is writing for this BLOG so difficult? My worship director has been encouraging me for a long time to do it. Maybe it was because of the word BLOG. You want me to do what? BLOG?
I'm not much of a technology guy although I am fascinated by it. It's amazing all the things that are happening in the technology world. Who would ever thought that when I became a Pastor over 18 years ago that I would be blogging and that people from all over might be reading what I had to say.
So far I'm not sure I've said anything yet except that I don't always like to try new things. But there comes a time in life when you just step up to the plate and do it. At our church we try new things (it's scary sometimes) in areas like worship and missions. Back in the year 2000 I would have never guessed that by the year 2006 I would have made 5 mission trips to Honduras. I have a passion for reaching lost and hurting people. By God's Holy Spirit I tried something new and went to a strange country to share Jesus with people who are a lot like you and me but speak a different language. It was awesome!
One of my favorite scenes in the movie, The Passion of the Christ, is when Jesus is carrying His cross and He says to His mother, "I am making all things new." He can take all the junk in our lives and make it into something new. In fact, in Christ, we are all new creations and have been given power to try new things for His glory and for the good of others.
In some small way I hope He uses me to make something "new" in somebody's life. That might require me to try something new...like BLOGGING!
May you know the joy and newness of Jesus!