Monthly Archives: October 2021

Blogroll, Church, Discipleship, faith, Family, Fellowship

Sunday Night Rewind – 10/10/21

The old joke is that pastors only work one day a week, but the truth is we work all week preparing for one day and that is why Sunday is such an important day for all of us, because your pastor has been praying, studying, ministering, writing, planning, organizing, scheduling and the list goes on and on and on, for this day. On this day, your pastor hopes to challenge you, encourage you, grow you, inspire you and motivate you to the higher life that you were created and gifted for.

I love everyday and all the different things that add up to make Sunday such a special day in the life of church and the ministry. Our Sundays at Eureka just seem to get sweeter and sweeter every week. I love getting to do life with the fine folks that God has given me to shepherd at Eureka and I count it an blessing, honor and privilege to be called “pastor” by each one of them.

I usually get to the church early on Sunday mornings way before anyone else. I like to spend a little time in prayer, asking for God’s blessing, direction and guidance upon all of our lives as we assemble together. I then do a last minute look over my notes and begin to greet folks and enjoy some sweet conversations.

This morning I got to spend a few moments with the kids from Kid’s Church and I always love spending time with them, probably because I am a big kid at heart. Last Sunday one of the little girls came up, tugged on my pants leg and when I looked down at her, she looked up at me and said: “I love you!” It was one of the sweetest and most pure gifts I’ve ever been given.

We had a very sweet time in worship. A young man that was in my very first youth group and his family were visiting with us this morning and it blessed my heart to ask him to open our time of worship up in prayer. So proud of the man of God that he has grown to be and blessed to see him and his family with us today.

Our morning service was built around the theme of WINNING WORSHIP and we focused on the truth that we need each other, that God created us to do life together and that when one of us is blessed, we are all blessed. We talked about how we like to think we are smart and some times get full of ourselves, but if we are honest our only real satisfaction comes in Jesus and a growing relationship with Him. We know we are on the right track when our life is a life of worship that worship God in Spirit, truth and Jesus.

We enjoyed a great time of fellowship at lunch with some friends and then I spent a little time in my Pastor’s Study just getting ready for the next week and resting a few before Sunday evening Bible Study.

At Bible Study we were challenged from the Word to “Watch Your Walk!” We talked about how our attitude is almost constantly needing an adjustment and that we desperately need the wisdom from God’s Word to help us use our time on this earth wisely and make our days count. We discovered that the best way to do this was to: 1.) Enjoy what ever time you’ve got. 2.) Learn from your mistakes. 3.) Remember there is more to this life than this life!

It was a great day and a great evening and I am home now and almost ready for bed. Thank you God for loving me so much that you bless me with the opportunity to do life with such amazing and sweet folks. I love what you let me do and consider it the greatest blessing of my life to get to serve You by serving others… I pray everyone has a great night and an extra blessed week!

Blogroll, Gratitude, Growing, life, Nature, outside, peace

To Fix The Inside Go Outside!

We have had like five straight days of rain and while that has not exactly got us stuck inside, it does not make for the most exciting times to hang around outside. You may have noticed that some of the folks around you seem a little more cranky than usual and it could be because they feel like they have been stuck inside and their inside is itching to get outside.

“11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. 12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.” -Psalms 96:11-12

I begin most of my mornings outside, but I must admit that with the pouring rain, I did not stay outside as long as I normally would and I really failed to enjoy the little bit of time that I was outside, because I was distracted by the discomfort.

A couple of days ago, I could tell that I needed some outside time, so I got me one of my portable rockers and made my way through the rain to a dry spot out under the barn and I just say there and took it all in and it wasn’t long until I was feeling somewhat normal again.

I believe that outside/nature is one of the best natural medicines we have in our arsenal of healing techniques. It almost automatically seems to boost my mood and recalibrate my focus.

I want to encourage you to be intentional about spending some time outside this week. You may go for a short stroll around the yard or you may just sit in a comfortable chair and take in your surroundings.

Here are a few ideas to get you started in the right direction:

1.) Go outside! Just do it. Sit, stand, always around or do all three. Do whatever you like, just enjoy some time outside.

2.) Breathe! Breathe in and breathe out. Take some deeper breaths than usual and practice holding them for a few seconds. Take time to appreciate the power of a breath!

3.) Observe! Look and listen to all that is going on around you. At first you may not notice much, but as you learn to listen to the silence, you will discover that there are all kinds of things happening without your ever giving them a thought.

This is a very small thing and it does not cost you a dime, but it does more than we realize in helping us to get the most from this beautiful gift called life. Live, learn, laugh and love…

affirmation, appreciation, Blogroll, Enlightenment, Gratitude, Growing, Healing, personal growth, self improvement

The Grass Isn’t Always Greener!

We live in a disposable society. The majority of people eat most of their meals with plastic untensils, on paper plates or in styrofoam bowls, which ends up going into the trash to help contribute to the filling up of landfills, which give an enduring testimony to how we have become a “throw away” society.

If we don’t like something, then the easiest thing to do is give it to someone else or throw it away. And this attitude of consumption and self satisfaction has contributed to our society being more selfish and never satisfied. As the landfills continue to grow deep and wide, our lives become more shallow and meaningless, leaving us with the lingering question: Where did we go wrong?

I think one of the real problems is that we have forgotten what real satisfaction is really all about and bought into the lie that tells us that we have to live like someone else to really be happy. We’ve developed a “the grass is greener” mentality that refuses to allow us to experience anything as it really is. Instead, we allow ourselves to make our decisions and live our lives based on the opinions, judgments and expectations of others, who could care less if you are happy, fulfilled or satisfied.

Live your life long enough and pay close enough attention and you will discover that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and if it is, then it’s probably because it’s built on top of a septic tank. God has created each one of us and gifted us with certain skills, talents and abilities. When we grow in our relationship with Him, He is able to use what He has given us to help us build a life of joy, happiness and contentment.

Most of us miss it, because we have bought into the false advertising of the society we’ve grown up in and most of us suffer from “If Only” disease. “If only I had this or that.” “If only I was as good looking or as smart as that person, then I would be truly happy” We convince ourselves that others have it better and if we had whatever it is that they have, that we want, then we would some how be complete and happy too. The problem with the “If Only” disease is that it never stops to take in the whole picture. If you look close enough at the person or thing that you think is perfect, you will discover that the person or thing has it’s own unique set of challenges, difficulties and struggles.

The grass is not always greener and if it is, then there is a reason and the reason may be good or it may be bad. If it’s good, then learn from it and make your own grass greener. If it’s bad, then learn from it and be grateful you are not having to dig up your septic tank.

Three Steps To Greener Grass On Your Side Of The Fence!

Step One: Be Grateful For The Grass You Have! Take and make time to appreciate what you have. The old saying is true: “Sometimes you don’t know what you had until it’s gone!” If we invested the time we spend admiring everyone else’s grass into appreciating our own grass, then we would find the motivation to actually get our grass greener, which is where the real satisfaction comes from.

Step Two: Take Care Of You And Yours! Stop wasting your time getting caught up in the comparison game. Your value comes from one amazing truth: God created you and gifted you on purpose and for a purpose. Live that truth, grow that truth and share that truth. Take care of the blessings God has given you and I can promise you they will reproduce.

Step Three: Enjoy! I truly believe that this life is God’s gift to us and what we do with this life is our gift to God. I believe the greatest way to give God a great gift back is to live the life He has given me for all it’s worth and then some. There is nothing like seeing the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. There is no sound quiet as soul stirring as hearing your children and grandchildren laugh and be happy. There is nothing that taste so good as a good meal with great friends. There is no place that smells as sweet as home and there is no touch like the touch of the one you love and who loves you back.

If we are not careful, we miss what really matters, because we are looking for something better, when better was right where you live…