"How He Loves!" (TOO MUCH!)

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday morning, I was blessed to attend our local community's annual prayer breakfast. At the gathering, a young man gave a beautiful testimony and sang three worship songs to prepare our hearts for praying.

Here's a YouTube link of the young man, George, singing and "playing" the worship tune written by David Crowder titled, "How He Loves!" Get ready to be inspired.

 Click here: George Dennehy: How He Loves - YouTube

Lord, I love you so much, because You first loved me TOO MUCH!

Grateful

Thrilled to Be ALIVE on a Monday!

This morning I received such an encouraging e-mail from one of my Pastor's Prayer Patrol brothers. It particuarly lifted my spirit, because it was sent on a Monday morning.

Here's a portion of the Good News, Brother Scott sent me:

I am so excited, thrilled actually, in the simplicity of just being ALIVE -- Truly alive, among the truly living, alive in Christ Jesus. ALIVE, I am Free to truly LOVE.

ALIVE in Christ as Christ LIVES is us, should surely thrill us!
Grateful

Love Language from God's Word

It's Happy Valentine's Day in the USA!

So, here's some of the language of the Bible when it comes to Love -- an appetizer of sorts for our hearts, I suppose:

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 5:8 "...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

Grateful

A Prayer: What's On My Heart In A Few Words...

Please pray with me today:

Precious Father God...
I am so glad I can call on Your Name and know that You hear.
I know You hear because You care.
I know You care because You Love.
I know You Love because You are Holy.

I have no worthy vocabulary to voice my praise to You appropriately.
Your Faithfulness is beyond human comprehension and expression.

Still Lord, here's the best way for me to say what's on my heart in a few words:
"I love You so much because You first Loved me TOO MUCH!
You alone are my LIFE, my HOPE, my EVERYTHING!"

In Jesus' Name! Amen!

Grateful

Blindsided by Bitterness at the Trash Dump

I have an old, early-1990's, Ford Ranger pick-up truck that I lovingly refer to as "my trash truck". My dog, Oreo, thinks it's his truck, so I affectionately refer to it as "Oreo's Truck", too.

Usually, once a week, I load up the household trash, my faithful dog, and together we make the four mile round trip to and from the local dump. It's almost always a simple time of inexpensive dog and master bonding and a short season of real release for my often weary brain. It really seems that the trip there and back restores a healthy sense of normalcy to my life. For my dog, too, I would say.

Well, today my trash trip was a little different. I mean everything pretty much started the same, but as I was unloading the trash bags in the dumpster a lady passed me and said: "Hello Pastor Kerry. I know you are a Christian, but the reason I quit going to your church is you all give money to people in our community who don't deserve it." She went on and on about how someone that we blessed financially at Christmastime is a drinker, drug user, lays out of work, and even hangs out in bars.

In a few words, all I can say is, "I was blindsided by bitterness at the trash dump." I responded slowly and sweetly to her accusations, and as I was about to pull away she passed by my window carrying an old lamp, of all things, to the dumpster. I leaned out the window of my old Ford to get more light on the subject and tenderly asked her: "So, you are upset with us as a local church because we help people who don't deserve it?" "Yes, indeed", she said."The church shouldn't help people who won't help themselves."

I just arrived back home from my interesting, trash-dump journey and my mind is still spinning, somewhat. Here is the way I see it. I'm glad that God didn't wait until I could deserve His grace to offer it to me. And, surely I am grateful that I didn't have to be willing to help myself before Jesus would offer His life as a sacrifice for my sins. I love Romans 5:8 (ESV) -- "...but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Let us not forget dear friends, that "Grace is the undeserved favor of Holy God -- showing goodness towards bad people who don't deserve it."

Yes, I do confess that the last place on earth I ever expected such an encounter was at the trash dump. However, as I think about it, maybe it was the perfect place for such an encounter, because what I heard there was some really sad trash-talking, fueled by what appeared to be stinking thinking.

Maybe you would advise me to wear a ski mask to the trash dump from now on? Then, perhaps I wouldn't be such an easy target for another disheartening encounter. But having processed the experience for a while now, I can say that for the most part I really don't mind being the target. 

You see, I am finally fondly recalling her opening words to me at the dump and I am kind of feeling even encouragement coming on. She began her complaint with an under-handed compliment, saying, "Hello Pastor Kerry. I know you are a Christian!"

Well, I say, "Hallelujah!!! Yes, I really am! And, I guess that makes me a friend of sinners, too."

All joy.
Grateful

Tonight, I Am Fervently Praying For You...

You should know that tonight, I am fervently praying for you...

"Lord, I pray for each one who reads my humble writings.
Please fill them with Your maximum presence and holiness.
Bless them in ways that will cause others to wonder about You.

Meet each person exactly where they are with Your great compassion.
Lord, as this day slips slowly away, increase Your peace within them.
And tonight as they sleep, be their Faithful Healer and Forever Guard.

When the morning comes, come to each heart with Help from Above.
Make Your Amazing Grace and Love to be indescribable and undeniable.
Show Your Power in ways that will glorify You and Unify us as Your own!
In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Grateful

Love

Corinthians 13:1-13 (NKJV)

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 

But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 

For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Grateful

"Guidance" -- A Poem to Pray

A young mother, Jen, shared with me a poem written by her great-grandmother and passed down to her. I shared it as the benediction for our Sunday worship services yesterday. It was obvious to see that the "poem to pray" deeply touched everyone present. Pray it with me now:

Guidance

Help us Lord in this depressing time.
To live and be wholly Thine.
To lead us by Thy guiding hand,
Through all the unrest of this land.
May we trust Thee as our friend, When us to Thy will doth bend.

Fill us with Thy love so great,
That leaves no room for strife or hat,
That we will serve Thee with our hearts,
And never from Thy ways depart.
Give us wisdom that we know,
How to deal with friend or foe.

Then let us serve thee in Thy way,
Se we can face Thee on that day.
Help us not Thy work to shun,
But hear Thee say, "Well done," 
And, we, through they matchless love,
Will then receive a crown above.
-- Mrs. W.L. Zembower

Deo Volente -- Whatever God Wants!
Grateful

Know. Love. Praise. Value. Hate.

Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights You most, to value what is precious in Your sight, to hate what is offensive to You. Amen.
-- Thomas à Kempis

... is Love

In my reading this week, this poem surfaced. I am not sure of the author exactly, but am sure borrowing it for my blog today will honor our God, humble the writer, and help the readers:

 

Joy is love exalting, and peace is love at rest,
Patience is love enduring in every trial and test.
Gentleness is love yielding to all that is not sin,
Goodness is love in actions that flow from Christ within.
Faith is love's eyes opened, the living Christ to see,
Meekness, love not fighting, but bowed at Calvary.
Temperance is love in harness, and under Christ's control,
For Christ is love in person, and love, Christ in the soul.

 

The fruit of the Spirit is Love!
Grateful

Five Good Questions to Pray Into

Last evening at our life group meeting, Eyde shared five good questions that she keeps in her vehicle to pray daily on her drive to and from work. Here they are:

1. Lord, how can I love You today?
2. What act of worship can I do?
3. What words can I utter that will honor and bless You?
4. What act of service can I do to represent Your love?
5. How would Your Spirit inspire me to pray today?

Five good questions to reflect upon and to pray into, for sure!

Let's remember as we reflect and pray that Christ lives in us!
Grateful

Christmas Prayer

On Sunday, Joan and Amos Wimer lit the Advent Candle for one of our local church services. After Amos read a selection from Scripture, Joan prayed a most beautiful prayer. I asked her for a copy so I could share it with others. Here it is:

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds

and the wisdom of the wise men. 

Close the door of hate

and open the door of love all over the world. 

Let kindness come with every gift

and good desires with every greeting. 

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,

and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. 

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children,

and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,

forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen

 

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

 

Grateful

If We Give Up On Christmas?

In the wake of these December school shooting in Connecticut, USA, some are asking if Christmas should just be cancelled? Should we turn off the decorative lights associated with these year-end Holy Days?

I say, "Please don't cancel Christmas. And please don't turn off the lights, because right now our dark world needs all of the light it can get."

If we give up on Christmas, we give up on Faith, Hope and Love.
And we will sadly give in to hate, violence, and darkness.

Father God, thanks for giving to us Your Son and for giving through Him Your Peace that is not of this world, but is for this world.

Click here: I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - YouTube

 Grateful

Wait for His Help

So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him
so He can show you His love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for His help.
-- Isaiah 30:18 (NLT)

Wait, trust, hope, and rest in the Lord.
Grateful

In the Aftermath of the Mega-Storm? Pray!

Let us be in prayer today following the aftermath of the Mega-storm named "Sandy" that hit the east coast of the United States last evening. The storm surge in lower Manhattan, New York City, produced the highest tide there since the year 1821.

Our daughter and her husband who live in a 5th floor apartment in lower Manhattan just contacted us a few minutes ago to say the high water is beginning to recede and except for a loss of electricity they are fine. In her words, "It's less scary now."

Devastation will be assessed in many of the north eastern states as the day unfolds. Loss of life is already being reported. Also, the stubborn storm is still wreaking havoc as it continues to move inland. Especially, those in low-lying regions are experiencing hardship unique to their own experiences. Let us pray for those who await rescue and for those who will arrive to rescue.

This song link pasted below by Kathryn Scott is on my heart this morning. Maybe some in the wake of this severe weather will listen and be encouraged and know that they are loved and there is Hope..

Click here: I Belong - Kathryn Scott - YouTube

Please, Lord have mercy... and speak to us "Peace be still."
Grateful

The Living, The Dying

A few years back as I was living a local rest home after visiting a 90-year-old widower, it seemed the Lord whispered these words deep within me:

You only love the living as much as you care for the dying.

 

Today, perhaps the Lord will remind us to pray for and even to contact someone who is specifically nearing the end of their lives. Let's express the Lord's compassion to all  generations, yes to the young and the aged, the living and the dying with the His holy passion to rescue the perishing in all generations.

 

Click here: Rescue the Perishing - YouTube

 

Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
-- Ephesians 3:21 (NLT)

 

Grateful

Live in His Love or Die in Our Sin

Let us choose to live in the Father's House of Love or else we will die in our pig pen of sin!

And I will dwell (live) in the house of the Lord forever.

-- Psalm 23:6b (KJV)

 

Grateful

At The End of the Road

When John Todd, a nineteenth-century clergyman, was six years old, both his parents died. A kind-hearted aunt raised him until he left home to study for the ministry. Later, this aunt became seriously ill, and in distress she wrote Todd a letter. Would death mean the end of everything, or could she hope for something beyond?

Here, condensed from The Autobiography of John Todd, is the letter he sent in reply:

"It is now thirty-five years since I, as a boy of six, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word you would give me a home and be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day I made the long journey to your house. I can still recall my disappointment when, instead of coming for me yourself, you sent your servant, Caesar, to fetch me. "I remember my tears and anxiety as, perched high on your horse and clinging tight to Caesar, I rode off to my new home.

Night fell before we finished the journey, and I became lonely and afraid. 'Do you think she'll go to bed before we get there?' I asked Caesar. 'Oh no!' he said reassuringly, 'She'll stay up for you. When we get out o' these here woods, you'll see her candle shinin' in the window.' "

Presently we did ride out into the clearing, and there, sure enough, was your candle. I remember you were waiting at the door, that you put your arms close about me-- a tired and bewildered little boy. You had a fire burning on the hearth, a hot supper waiting on the stove. After supper you took me to my new room, heard me say my prayers, and then sat beside me till I fell asleep.

"Some day soon God will send for you, to take you to a new home. Don't fear the summons, the strange journey, or the messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you were kind enough to do for me so many years ago. At the end of the road you will find love and a welcome awaiting, and you will be safe in God's care."
-- Vernon Grounds

A few days before his death, Dr. F. B. Meyer wrote a very dear friend these words: "I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the palace. Don't trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning."
-- Mrs. Charles Cowman, "Consolation,"

At the end of the road we will find love, welcome, and God's care.
Grateful

Help Me To Love And Trust You, Lord!

The Country & Western singer, Hank Williams, Jr., has this line in one of his songs: Why must you live out the songs that you've wrote. (Or something like that, anyway.)

My pastoral mentor, James Spruill, has tried to tell me: The Lord makes preachers live what they preach. In other words, if you preach "Do not be discouraged" get ready to battle discouragement. If you preach on "Christian marriage" get ready for a challenge in your own Christian marriage. And on and on it goes. Or so it often seems that way.

Well, yesterday, I wrote on my blog that God's perfect love presently makes all of our tormenting fears history. I know it's true. However, late last night... You guessed it. Tormenting fears came knocking at my heart's door.

Here's what happened: For about an hour I tried to get one of my family members on the phone. It was getting quite late and still no answer after many calls to their cell phone and home phone. It seemed no one I talked with knew where my loved one was. To say I was frightened and upset would be an understatement. The later it got, the more my fear-filled imagination went wild.

It's already a new day. Yep, it's after midnight now. I just asked God to forgive me and to help me personally more than ever to live out the messages I preach in the pulpit weekly and the subjects I post on my blog daily.Why? Because, I openly confess: Last evening, I imagined all kinds of bad things that might be happening to my family member, because of no answer from their end. It went on for about an hour and I was only about 3 minutes from dialing "911" when suddenly... a friend located my loved one. All was well. Wonderfully well.

I know it might seem I am being a little hard on myself, because after all, I do love my loved ones, however, last night, I did not draw fully from the perfect love of my awesome and available God. Let's just say, I allowed fears of torment to lick on the window panes of my soul.

To top it all off, yesterday, I was being still and knowing that God was God. During my stillness, I even repeated one song on my MP3 player over and over again. The title? I am sure you probably know the song well. It's an old hymn of the Church:

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to take Him at His word.
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, 'Thus saith the Lord'"

Lord, help me to LOVE YOU perfectly and to TRUST YOU totally!
Teach me that tormenting fears have no claim on me!
I'm Yours! You LOVE me!
Grateful

P.S. I'd like to repeat the song just once more, please:
Click here: TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS - YouTube

Compassion. Love. Mercy.

Everyone needs compassion...
A love thats never-ending...
Let mercy fall on me...

Click here: Lord, have mercy - Michael W Smith & Amy Grant

God knows. God cares.
Grateful