"And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Words of Jesus, Matthew 28:20 NLT
Because of Jesus…
We have peace that passes understanding.
We have joy that can't be taken away.
We have love that's everlasting.
We have nothing to fear and everything to hope for today, tomorrow, and always.
Author unknown
Ears Wide Open…
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Lord Jesus, please make me to be a sanctuary where your presence reigns on the inside, and shines to the outside. Christmas day has just passed, and soon the many bright lights of the season will all gradually fade away. However, between Christmases, please make your light within me more intense, more intentional, and more inspirational than I could ever imagine. Amen.” -kww
Deo Volente — as God desires.
Pastor Kerry Willis
Today, Krystal, the precious mother of a dear college student named Becca, sent me her daughter’s new Psalm written at a spiritual retreat. It touched me deeply and i believe sharing it here will be a blessing to many.
A Psalm by the Sea
by Becca Yount December 10, 2023
“Father, oh so great is Your love.
As the ripples of current sweep upon the softest of sand, so does Your love cover my being.
You have known me.
Even the waves obey Your commands; how could I not as well? And yet, I am gifted the choice to obey.
My response, dearest Jesus, is take it all. Let not myself stand in the way, but remove my foolish heart, and create in me anew.
Just as the bird sways through the air, the wind steers the ship, and the sand is pulled from its rest, Lord, uproot my traditions, religions, and self-centered convictions.
Purify me as You do the salt water to the fresh.
May others drink of me, and only say that it ‘twas by Heaven alone.
Search me, O God, and know me.
Teach me to listen to Your voice as I know my own.”
Amen and Amen.
Pastor Kerry Willis
“FOR a Child is born to us, a Son is GIVEN to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLT
Hallelujah!
Pastor Kerry Willis
"BECAUSE HE IS THE WAY!" [A Vulnerable Post of Gratitude]
It seems as you get older, medical attention is more likely gonna need to come your way. That was 2023, for yours truly. But i am not here to grumble or complain, on the contrary, i only want to express gratitude and gladness. Yes, i really want to -- and need to -- confess pure thanks in three directions:
#1: To my beloved employer, the Philadelphia District Church of the Nazarene, for the good health insurance they provide Kim and me. It is -- in so many ways -- a gift of peace, as my mom often says.
Nevertheless, with higher deductibles necessary for all of us these days, the leftover bills can still be a little burdensome, especially when they arrive at Christmastime.
So, what’s the #2 purpose of this vulnerable post of gratitude? i must publicly give thanks to a local hospital that allows payment plans for the smaller financial portions yet unpaid. The hospital financial folk were so very kind as we spoke on the phone and they were truly helpful as well. Humbled, deeply.
And #3: i am so grateful most of all to our caring Lord, Who always makes a way, "BECAUSE HE IS THE WAY.” Kim and i are extreme debtors to Jesus of Nazareth, to the Nazarenes, to Sentara Hospital and to EVERYONE ELSE. [Romans 1:14]
Finally, just as an update, i am feeling so much better after all your fervent prayers and my health procedures. A few more check-ups to go and i hope to be cleared medically for a while. Many of you have prayed for me and though many of you didn’t even know that from March to October, i was somewhat struggling physically, your obvious ongoing, genuine care, and unending compassion for me is not lost on me. It is all indescribably tender to my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Personally, i feel so enriched and unworthy, especially in this present Advent Season. Maranatha.
Sincerely,
Pastor Kerry Willis
Sent this text message to my brothers, today. We are, of course, all three “pastors.”
“We shouldn't miss Christmas in our own lives either for good (ministry) or bad (miserable) reasons. We need Christmas ourselves as much as those we preach it to.”
So be it, Dearest King Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Kerry Willis
Prayers come at just the right time from my friends…
Just received this prayerful message:
"Lord, in this Advent Season, this Christmastide that brings to us the recollection of your birth and life among us, teach us your ways. Bless my brother Kerry, our Father’s beloved son, that "in quietness and confidence shall be our strength." Grant him silence for the season, time away from the pressures of the work you have given him, that he may know You in your fullness, experience your true shalom to the core of his being, and be refreshed to lead and be led in the coming year. You are our Good Shepherd. You know your sheep. Thank You for carrying us when the weariness of the way becomes too much. Equip us for the times ahead when we must take the role of shepherd and bear your little ones in your name to pastures of refreshment and joy. Thank you, Lord!" JH
Blessed Beyond Measure.
Pastor Kerry Willis
My pastor friend, Pastor Gary O’Shell, from Virginia recently wrote this devotional piece. He said the Lord used me to inspire his writing thoughts. Humbled. You just never know who might be touched by the light of Jesus that shines from the candle of your own life. Be light. Do shine. Amazing.
Here’s the devotional writing:
"When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Genesis 28:16
“I've a good friend named Kerry Willis, who among his many talents, is a gifted photographer. Kerry is currently serving as a District Superintendent on the Philadelphia District of our denomination. He is based in Cape May, NJ, a town I know something about as I lived and served the Lord there for a little over two years in the beginning of the 90's. One of the things Kerry does is post a great number of photos of the town and area on Facebook. So many are truly beautiful, but I view them with a kind of bittersweet regret. You see, in all the time I lived there, I never saw most of the beauty he puts on display.
I could come up with a myriad of reasons why this is so, but there's only one real one: I didn't see the beauty because I was so caught up in all in my life that had no beauty. That time was one where I was adjusting to a totally different kind of life and ministry than I had ever expected or planned for. I never planned to be divorced. I never planned on being a part time associate pastor. Heck, I had never planned on living in south Jersey at all. I was thankful that the Lord had provided this place for me, and He used that place to do His ongoing work of healing. But in His healing process I had missed so much. There was real beauty all around, but I never really saw it. This was not the place I really wanted to be and as a result, everything I "saw" was obscured by that attitude. I know now that as much as He did in me there, He could have done even more if I had been fully open to all He wanted me to experience in that place. Might there be a similar reality in your life? How much beauty are you missing in the place where you're "living" right now, simply because it's not where you really want to be? It's not the place you envisioned for yourself.
Jacob was a schemer and manipulator. He was a man completely obsessed with himself. God had put His hand upon him while he was still in his mother's womb, but that hadn't really made a great difference to him up to this point. He had tricked his brother Esau out of his inheritance and was now on the run from his brother's wrath. Self-preservation was central to his thought process. That's what filled his field of vision. Then the Lord spoke to him in a dream, promising His deliverance and protection. When he awoke, he made his statement that in that place of hiding, the Lord had been totally present, yet he'd missed him. He never saw Him. For me, in too many ways, my time in Cape May was much the same. I lived, I ministered and grew in Him, but I missed too much of what He had for me there. I missed so much of the beauty that I could have experienced in that place. Right now, maybe you are too in the place where He's led you to for this time in your life.
Kerry's pictures always bring that tinge of regret. Not "seeing" what his camera sees while I had the opportunity to see it reminds me of how much deeper my contentment and well-being could have been if only I'd have been willing to see. How much better could my time have been there and how much deeper and quicker the healing if my eyes had been fully open? I'd missed so much, and though I can go back now and see what I didn't see then, the reality is that I didn't see it then, and it cost me more than I want to dwell upon.
Where in your life are you, like I was, unaware of all the beauty He has for you there? Not just the beauty of your surroundings, but the beauty of His presence. How much of your life is being lived out unawares? Unaware of Him, of His blessings for you there, and of what He is doing in that place. A place you never wanted to be, but a place He seeks to reveal Himself to you in ways you never dreamed of.
May we right now renounce our living unaware. Unaware of all the beauty He has for us even in the unenvisioned place. In the unenvisioned place, He has for us the most beautiful visions of Himself. May we not miss any of them.”
Blessings
Deo Volente!
Pastor Kerry Willis
This morning i awoke and from my heart came the lyrics to this new song of praise for my Jesus:
"IN EVERY STORM AND IN THE CALM,
CHRIST MY LORD, YOU ARE THE BALM...
...OF GILEAD, WHO COMES TO ME...
YES, YOU'RE THE HEALER THAT I NEED."
Amen.
Pastor Kerry Willis
"The Wisemen surely believed that a long journey of seeking to find The Truth, Jesus Himself, was well worth their time and their treasures." -kww
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory--this was during Herod’s kingship--a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him." Matthew 2:1-2 MSG
Blessed Christmastime!
Pastor Kerry Willis
Luke 1:78-79 records the wonder-filled words of Zechariah:
“Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from Heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” [NLT — 1996 Edition]
Shine Jesus Shine!
Pastor Kerry Willis
Love this new version of the classic Christmas carol, “Carol of the Bells” by David Crowder.
https://youtu.be/qXVqMi0jPtg?si=ecqXdXkaJR3KcPlC
Christmas is Here!
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Jesus came all the way from Heaven on high to planet earth below as a vulnerable and irresistible baby to gain our love and to give His life.” -kww
“Today, your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city.” Luke 2:11 GW
Born is The King of Kings!
Pastor Kerry Willis
