Coming to the Still Waters

Well, 2017 is almost in the books.  Thanks for reading and listening along.  Here is my final broadcast of the year.  I have been thinking about the new year and some challenges to put upon my self.  My question is:  How can I bring more glory to God this new year?  

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 which read, There is an occasion for everything,  and a time for every activity under heaven: a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. This is probably one of the most beautiful passages of the Scriptures as Solomon puts in a poetic form the seasons of life or the events that occur during life.  He will mention this concept again in verse 17 which reads, I said to myself, "God will judg

I got a bonus this Christmas to go on the radio on Saturday to talk about the Christmas account in the Gospel of Luke.  I think this made my Christmas to speak to the Illinois Valley about the "other" guy who has made all the difference to those who call Him Savior, Messiah and Lord.   Have a merry merry Christmas. Adam

Here is the Christmas Eve broadcast about a fairly new Christmas carol from the Getty's.  I pray you have a Merry Christmas and time to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Adam

Today is an in between chapters devotional.  I have decided to give some of my thoughts on our annual program called  "March To The Manger." The history behind this annual Christmas program goes back over 50 years.  The reading and re-enacting of the Christmas account has become a tradition of Oglesby Union Church.  I would like to say a very good tradition that holds value especially in the world that we live in today.  It is amazing to me to have people in the pews in their 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's who once were the ones on the platform playing the part of Mary or Joseph or an angel or a shepherd.  You may watch from the pew and relive when you played the part of ___________ and you fill in the blank.   God's Word read is so important.  The reading of the accounts in the gospels of Matthew and Luke and some of the prophecies of the Old Testament like the passages of Isaiah allow us to realize the historical fact of what we celebrate at Advent.

This advent season I have read a book titled "The Lightlings" by now the late R.C. Sproul.  He has helped me grow so much spiritually through his books and messages via video and even the books he has written for children.  I was asked to make a recording of the reading of it for the adult and children who missed part of it over the last 4 weeks.  Here is the reading of "The Lightlings."   Merry Christmas because the Father of Light gave to us His Son, the Light of the World. You can find this book available at:    https://www.wtsbooks.com/the-lightlings-r-c-sproul-9781567690781

Today's verses are Eccesiastes 2:18-26, which read, v.18,19 - Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.  And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?  Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun.  This too is vanity. This section has broken up into quarters by the phrase  "this too is vanity."   Solomon is speaking of his labor which I could take to be not just physical labor of something done with his hands but also spiritual labor of something done in reference to following the wisdom and instruction of God.  We leave things behind and when we leave we also have the absence of our voice and thoughts concerning the direction in which things go. Maybe a good example is the lack of control we have when our children become adults and they start making decisions on their own and they are not what

Here is the latest broadcast on some histories of carols that we sing during this time of the year.  May you have a great Lord's Day!  Pastor Adam

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 2:12-17, which read, So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done?  And I saw wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.  The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.  And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.  Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me.  Why then have I been extremely wise?"  So I said to myself, "This too is vanity."  For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten.  And how the wise man and the fool alike die!  So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. My first impression is that Solomon talks to himself a lot and I wonder if others look at him funny when he does so.  His

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 2:9-11, which read, Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.  My wisdom also stood  by me.  All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.  I did not withhold my heart from my pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this as my reward for all my labor.  Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun. Solomon continues his summary of what he is going to explain more fully about and the conclusion that it was all vanity, striving after the wind, and of no profit under the sun.  This passage was hard to read because there is no mention of God anywhere.  He, God, seems to be void of the process that Solomon is going through.  He isn't recognized in relationship to nature or human ability or resources or pleasures of life.  His Word is not referred t

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 2:1-8, which read, I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure.  So enjoy yourself."  And behold, it too was futility.  I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"  I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.  I enlarged my works:  I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.  I bought male and female slaves and I had home born slaves.  Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.  Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. 

Here is a look at the famous carol across the pond as they say in England of "Once in Royal David's City."  I am going to take the next couple of weeks and look at some histories of famous carols and then take about a new one.  Stay tuned!  Adam

Hi all, Here is an example of what to put in your Christmas gift bag to your neighbors.  Make it personal but also be focused on making contact so that you can pray for them by name.  Adam

Today is an in between chapter devotional and so I thought I would give you what I presented yesterday afternoon at the funeral of Evelyn Moyle.   It might be odd to say but funerals are valuable to us.    I read a quote this week while preparing this message that said, “No one can preach our funeral, we preach our own funeral while we live.” 1.  Funerals have value to us because it allows us to mourn, to  weep, and to be subdued for a time.    We have the example  of our Jesus weeping at the grave of Lazarus.    We were  created to show some emotion when someone we love   passes away and funerals give us this opportunity to do so. 2.  Funerals have value that they remind us that death is near  us.    David says to his friend Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:3, 4, But David said,  “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor with you.    He has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.’”    David also swore, “As surely as the LORD lives and