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Push, Push, Push - That's All I Do Is Push

There's the story of the Christian man who lived alone in a cabin in the mountains. He had an intense desire to grow in the Lord so he could do more for Him. He asked God for help. And this is what God told him. "Go to the huge boulder that is in front of your house and push on it every day from daylight until dark." That was God's simple message. Wanting to please God, the man did just as God instructed. Every morning he would get up at the break of dawn and push on that rock as hard as he could until it was dark. He did this for several months, push, push, push, but the boulder would never budge. Finally, the man became so frustrated that he cried out to God and said, "I have done exactly what you instructed. All day long I push this boulder until I am exhausted but it never moves. I don't understand. If this is something that pleases you, why isn't more happening?" God replied to the man and said, "I know the rock hasn't moved with all that pushing you have done but look how much stronger you have become."

Sometimes God allows us to go through circumstances that don't make sense. If He loves us so much, why does this have to happen? What God is saying is, "If you will just trust me through this trial( test, valley, "sifting"), you will be amazed at how much you will grow."

So ladies and gentlemen, let's keep pushing, pushing, and pushing, trusting, trusting, trusting, and faithing, faithing, faithing, and experience the growth God has for us.

Have a blessed day,

Pastor Gary

This Is Friday

Tomorrow is Friday (January 20th)and I'm looking forward to it. Not because it's payday or the last workday of the week, but because it's another day to live. I've got a lot to live for. First, I'm saved. That means I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Each day is a new adventure with Him. Secondly, I have a wonderful family and it's another day to be with them. Third, I have a wonderful church family and it's only a couple of days until I get to be with them.

God made the family before He made church, government, or anything else to do with humans. He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to enjoy life. As long as they stayed away from the forbidden tree they would be happy. But they couldn't resist the temptation to taste the forbidden fruit. Just a little bite. What is that going to hurt?

You too can enjoy life if you fall in love with Christ and stay away from the forbidden things. Life is too short to waste it. Live each day as though it where your last (and it might be)and do all you can to make a good difference in someone's life.

Have a wonderful Friday,

Pastor Gary

Love Is....

1 Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter. It talks about what love is and is not. Love is kind, patient, always hopeful, and endures every circumstance. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude, does not demand its own way, or irritable. All of us have a personal definition of love because we have experienced it in different ways.

I love to be loved. I'd rather be loved than hated any day. Jesus told his disciples to love one another so that others would know that they were His disciples. Love does some wonderful things. It breaks down ugly walls of hatred, it heals some nasty wounds, it forgives. I love to be loved.

Love is also funny sometimes. A young girl admitted calmly to her parents that Jason Johnson had kissed her after Sunday school class. "How did that happen?" gasped her mother. "It wasn't easy," admitted the young girl, "but three girls helped me catch him."

Have a wonderful day.

Pastor Gary

Top Ten Predictions for 2006

I received this over email the other day and thought it was worth passing on.

TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2006

1. The Bible will still have the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. Thee will still be singing of praise.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

--- Author unknown

Have a God-blessed day,

Pastor Gary

Leaders In the Church - Leaders In Life

Good morning,

In 1 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul gives Timothy the qualifications for an elder (bishop or pastor). Some of these qualifications are:

o His life cannot be spoken against (v.2)
o He must be faithful to his wife (v. 2)
o He must be gentle, peace loving. and not one who loves money (v. 3)
o He must manage his family well, with children who respect and obey him.
For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of
God's church?

These qualifications are not complicated. If a man desires the office of an elder (bishop or pastor), he desires a good thing. But if he is not qualified
according to Scripture, he doesn't deserve that office.

My point today is that not only are these qualifications for this office
described above, but they are also excellent guidelines for everyday life.
Be faithful to God, your spouse, your family, and your church. Live every
day like Christ is walking by your side. Seek to please Him, and you will.

Have a God-blessed day,

Pastor Gary

Defending Your Church

Dear friends,

If someone where to come against your family and threaten to destroy them, you would do all in your power to protect them. Why? Because you love your family. When your family is in danger, you'll defend with everything you've got. But how do we feel about our local church, our church family? Will we defend them against the enemy of God?

How do we defend our church family?

1. Be an encourager, not a fault-finder.
2. Avoid gossip at all cost. Don't spread it and don't listen to it.
3. Support your pastor and leaders. Pray that God will help them do what is right. If you have a problem with the pastor or leader, go to them and talk. Don't call others and complain about them.
4. Speak highly of your church when you are in public.
5. Be considerate of one another. Understand that some of your church family come to church sometimes with a heavy heart. If you sense this, give them a kind word. Maybe they just need to talk with someone or want you to pray for them (Don't wait to pray later, pray with them right there.).

These are just a few of the weapons you can use to protect your church family. God loved the church so much that He gave His Son for it. If God feels that way about His people, we certainly should be willing to defend them.

May you have a God-blessed day.

Sincerely,

Pastor Gary

What A Beautiful Day

Hi everyone,

I woke up this morning and a miracle happened at my house. I looked outside and the sun was shining. I missed the sun. It was like an old friend from this past summer showed up to pay me a visit. There's something special about starting our day off with the sun.

But you know, you can start off every day, even the stormy one's, in the Son. Because of what Christ did at Calvary we can start off, and finish, every day with the assurance that He lives in our hearts. Now that's a real miracle.

If you do not know Christ as your Savior, you can. The Bible says if you will acknowledge that He is Lord, and by faith believe that God (His Father) raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Clean, free, joy, peace, contentment. All of that and more comes with knowing the Son.

Have a God-blessed day,

In His love,

Pastor Gary

Pain - Why Is It Necessary?

Pain, and the suffering it causes, is one of life's greatest problems. All of us suffer painful times, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Why do we have to suffer pain? In their book, "Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants," Philip Yancy and Paul Brand talk about the tragedy of living life without pain, as did the lepers Dr. Brand worked with in India. Inability to feel pain usually leads to an early death or disability because the body has no mechanism to warn or fight against that which is dangerous to it.

Pain is an indication that there is a problem, physical, emotional, or spiritual. The pain of a guilty conscience can warn us about evil dangers and moral trouble. Pain is a necessary part of healthy human existence. Because of pain, the Holy Spirit is motivated to comfort, nurture, and console - something that often comes to us by no other means but pain.

In Romans 8: 31-39, the Apostle Paul teaches that nothing, including painful times, can come between you as a believer and God. I know there are pains that come into our lives that we don't understand or no why we have to suffer them, but God showed us that He loved us so much by giving His Son on the cross. I truly do not understand why we have to have so much pain, but knowing God loves me and wants His best for me helps me to endure. You see, one day God promises that all sorrow, death, tears, and pain will be gone (Revelation 21: 4). That's when we go to heaven. I look forward to that.

Have a God-blessed day.

Pastor Gary