Living light and in the Light

  I thought this picture was a good representation of what happened to us during the last couple of weeks.  We were just riding along and the horse stopped.  I am thankful that we are back in the saddle and Sunday was an opportunity to preach from the pulpit again.  Pastor James came out again as he was instructing us on how we are to live. James gives another illustration for us to ponder.  The farmer is taking advantage of the early rains and getting in his seeds.  He will also take advantage of the latter rains to finish off his harvest.  What does the farmer do with the time in between planting and harvesting?  If you have worked on a farm you know that waiting for the harvest is full of activities related to the harvest. Jesus came a first time in a little town called Bethlehem to seek and save the lost.  Jesus lived, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven with the promise to come a second time to judge the living and the dead.  We are living in the time between the early and

  Not so flattering picture of me (I am dealing with "it" at the moment) but it is a grand flag.  Don't tell my dad but this is his birthday present for making it 91 years!  It is completely made in the USA and I am sure he will love putting it out each day, weathering permitting, at his mobile in Florida.  He served in the Navy and the Marines and I couldn't think of a better way to start the post with than a reminder of those who serve us in this way.  My heart breaks for families who have gotten news of their soldier's ultimate sacrifice this last week and also for those who are searching for ways to get their loved ones home.  It makes "it" seem like nothing in the scope of things. This is the company and this is one quality flag.  The pole is white ash from Vermont.  Not sponsored by them or anyone but check them out if you are looking to replace your flag.  https://www.showallegiance.com/  I am looking forward to presenting it to him on behalf of m

  I kind of knew at some point I might be back to setting up another make shift studio for recording some sermons.  "It" caught up with us so we are dealing with it.  ZOOM has come back into my life also with at least 5 meetings this week!   With so much going on in our world, we find ourselves praying all the more for the advancement of God's kingdom through the local body of believers.  These havens of hope keep us grounded to the message that is eternal.  Keeping focused on proclaiming the gospel in a world that is pushing so many things onto our plates to navigate has become challenging but we are praying for some new stories to tell that come out of the fellowship. The practice of inserting a stand-alone sermon between the chapters of James I think has been beneficial to address some topics that might be better to talk about now rather than later.  After chapter 1 came a sermon on the sacrament of communion; after chapter 2 came a sermon on worship focusing on what

  After Sunday's sermon and standing in the foyer greeting people, I was presented with this beautiful artwork from the children who were in children's church.  I have received these over the years and I am always taken back by the love of the children.  I am thankful for the parents and workers who help our children understand the importance of the church leadership in their lives.  I do think as a church leader that I need to take seriously how I connect with the "little ones" of the church.  Jesus, at times, stopped everything to pull them up onto His lap.  A good question to ask myself as a church leader, "What are my connection points with those who are below my usual line of sight?" We finished up the 4th chapter of James this Sunday which means next Sunday will be a stand-alone sermon before heading into chapter 5.  I am thinking about preaching on what true Christian fellowship looks like and why it is so important.   This week we addressed one of t

  For my friends in Maine they will recognize the water bottle I grabbed for this bicycle ride.  Summer-time brings opportunities for activities like these and I find myself in the land of bike trails.  I bought this bike for the flat lands of Zephyrhills and therefore it is a single speed but I have been standing on the pedals to get up some of the Ohio hills! This ride took me along this beautiful river flowing toward Lake Erie.  It is a little odd riding on a trail through the woods but at times hearing the cars above you traveling over the interstate bridges.  In places like these, the green spaces provided for us are so precious.  It helps me to reset my mind.  A couple miles from the church is a 3 mile hiking trail that has been my "go to" to spend some time to think and pray.  It reminds me of my 2 mile walks from the accommodations provided by the church in Maine to the church building which was used to speak to God vertically while taking in His creation horizontall

  Here is a beautiful old stone church found in England.  It has been a personal goal to insert a stand alone sermon between each of the chapters of our study of the book of James.  We have finished chapter 3 so I had the inspiration from a book on what it will take to reform the church written by John MacArthur, a couple video clips from a recent event as way of illustration, and a great quote from the late A.W. Tozer to take me to the highest concentration in the Scriptures dealing with churches, Revelation 2 and 3. I created a chart to speak through these churches and also offer the congregation a way to organize the order in which the Apostle John lays out each church's condition.  This is something I will improve on because it was just too much information on the screen.  I think this version would work better with offering the corresponding verses and allowing each person to fill in their own words. Hopefully the categories are helpful to understand to message of Christ to th