“Witnesses Unto Jesus”

“If we are witnesses unto Jesus, we will take everything that happens — praise or blame, persecution or commendation — as happening to Jesus.” Oswald Chambers

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“Come Now, Let’s Settle This…”

““Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Parable of The Lifesaving Station

Still moves me deeply in attitude and to action…

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=parable+of+lifesaving+station&mid=19D3886FB2D8A621A82919D3886FB2D8A621A829&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

“Ears Wide Open… Listening”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“Stay”

Worth 7 minutes of your day, truly.

https://youtu.be/HkNnfWiFiRA?si=Wgqrm1YIxhd6IxEa

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

“God’s”

Today, as i read the chapter titles for a classic book by Oswald Chambers, i was so moved by the title of one of the final chapters — “God’s.”

Belonging to God is at the very heart of true Christianity. Have we given up our right to ourselves to God? Do we agree with the Holy Scriptures that tell us: “You are not your own. You were bought with a price?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) 

This favorite sacred song comes to mind. Let’s pray it together and proclaim that we are His; yes, we are “God’s! Exclusively God’s!”

https://youtu.be/fU0pK85Xp9g?si=LS-gKq9nIG8lN6gv

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…” 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“A Tree Named Barbie” Written by Jen Baker

My friend, Jen, wrote this devo recently. Had to share it:

A Tree Named Barbie

Jennifer Baker - September 18, 2024

In the small Connecticut town of Essex there is a nature preserve named Bushy Hill. This summer two friends, along with my husband and myself, took morning walks through the woods before the heat got too unbearable. At this hour we were the only representatives of humankind in the preserve, no other cars in the tiny roadside pull off parking, no other voices carrying on the wind to disrupt the bird’s chorus.

It truly was a road less travelled. On one particular spur, my friend happened on a peculiar tree off the beaten path. Now while I was worried about ticks and spider webs, she braved to draw closer to what caught her eye. As I shouted across the overgrowth, “Take a few pictures for me so I can see what you’re talking about,” I heard her excitement about some barbed wire. I could only imagine what she found.

Emerging from the thicket, she showed me three pictures of a tree which had a rusted barbed wire nailed into its trunk. What made her so excited was that it was so old that the tree had grown around the barbed wire. What made me so excited was that God spoke clearly to me about His lesson in this serendipitous find.

You see, long ago someone for some reason nailed something harmful and painful into the flesh of the tree and abandoned it. But the tree continued to grow. It grew taller. It became a home for birds to nest, for squirrels to store food, for moss to flourish, and for humans to benefit from its beauty and function. And all through this, the barbed wire remained.

The nail which held the cutting barbs was now weak and rusted. The bark had grown around the painful metal thorns until they were no longer visible at points. The barbed wire snaked in and out of the side of the tree. It was no longer the nail that held the thorns, but the body of the tree. The tree had grown around the wound, hiding it inside. And yet the tree continued to flourish.

 Like the tree, we can have past wounds that were inflicted on us by another. Even if the injury occurred long ago, the hurt remains inside. We can heal over, and the wound can still exist inside. But it doesn’t have to stop our growing. We can still reach for the heights of treetops. We can still be a safe place for others around us. The tree’s strength came not from its height, its circumstances, or even its wooded neighbors. Rather, its strength came from its root’s foundation.

This flourishing tree was planted about ten feet from the creek that flowed through the forest preserve. It reminded me of Psalm 1:3 “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” (NIV) The righteous man is like a tree planted by the riverbank, bearing fruit, never withering-even when there is pain from the past that remains inside.

While I have no doubt that God can and is able to remove the nails, the barbs, the past wounds that remain deep inside, sometimes He chooses not to. And what do we do with this answer? The apostle Paul spoke of a thorn in his flesh. Something that tormented him that clearly was from the enemy. Perhaps it was physical, perhaps emotional but the scripture isn’t clear on the nature of the thorn. What is clear is that Paul asked for it to be removed three times. And God chose not to, for a purpose. That purpose was for Paul to know that God’s grace is sufficient. God’s strength works in Paul’s weakness.

So, as I look at the three pictures of a tree I now affectionately call Barbie, I am reminded of God’s grace and of His perfect strength. I see in her branches a hope. There is growth. There is fruit in this place by the river. As I ponder my journey, including the memories of hurtful remnants, I can see God’s hand in everything. I choose to trust Him all the more because just perhaps, long ago, someone nailed that barbed wire to that remote tree in Bushy Hill preserve so today God could speak to me a truth at a time I need to hear. His strength is sufficient, His faithfulness is true.

“BE ABSOLUTELY HIS!”

“BE ABSOLUTELY HIS!” Oswald Chambers

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? YOU DO NOT BELONG TO YOURSELF, for God bought you with a high price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20a NLT

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

"One Ambition" -- Oswald Chambers

"i think if i have one ambition, it is just that -- to have honorable mention in anyone’s personal relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ." Oswald Chambers, 1916, while serving as a chaplain in Egypt during World War I

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

The Foolish, The Wise

“Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis

The Haphazard / Oswald Chambers

"God's order comes to us through the haphazard. Keep very near to Him and wait. Refuse to worry. Without anxiety, welcome each day."

"Abandoned to God" The Biography of Oswald Chambers, based on words from his journal, World War I, 1916, Cairo, Egypt.

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Living Here Today

“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV

“Ears Wide Open.., Listening…” 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

"Because We Serve Jesus"

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies." ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Wait For The Lord

“Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.” Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Earthly Man, Heavenly Man

“Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.” 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭48‬-‭49‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Panic and Worry and Sin

“Jesus would never allow His disciples to be in a panic. The one great crime on the part of a disciple, according to Jesus Christ, is worry. Whenever we begin to calculate without God, we sin.” Oswald Chambers 

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

The Way of The Righteous Versus The Way of the Wicked

“The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.” Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Don’t Calculate Without God

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. — Psalm 37:5

Don’t calculate without God.

God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the things we have calculated on without taking Him into account. We get into circumstances which were not chosen by God, and suddenly we find we have been calculating without God; He has not entered in as a living factor. The one thing that keeps us from the possibility of worrying is bringing God in as the greatest factor in all our calculations. - Oswald Chambers 

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

The Lord Helps and Lifts

“The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Consumed… to Know Jesus.

“The great hunger is in me more than ever for Jesus and His work. O how few love Him and how feeble is my passionate love. i scarcely know anyone who is consumed for Him. It is all creeds, phrases, and belief, but for Him, how few. To know Him — that is it.” Oswald Chambers, 1908

“Ears Wide Open… Listening.”

Pastor Kerry Willis