Coming to the Still Waters

The first picture is my big brother Matthew and his beautiful bride, Patti.  I was so thankful to get this.  It might be the best Christmas present of the season right behind Stephanie coming back home to Maine from Florida.  My older brother gave me a love of music, of hard work, and of the great outdoors.  He still climbs the mountains and encourages others to do the same. This picture is of a very faithful attender, elder, and friend named John.  He faithfully leads a small neighboring church service before coming to his own church to guide the sanctuary Sunday School class through another passage of the Bible.  I am so thankful for the saints, like John, that God has brought across my path these many years of being in the pastorate.  They have names like Carl and Barb, Doris and Mildred, Clem and Junior, Tim and Becky, and Jim, and Jeanette.  Some are with the Lord now but all are still cherished by me. This last one is from our r...

A Merry Christmas from the Wolfgangs united back in Maine.  Stephanie is home from her trip to Florida and being a good daughter to her mom and dad.  Thank you for your prayers for them.   The photo is another beautiful winter sunset in Maine.  Even though it might be a "bit" cold for Stephanie, the sun and the scenery of this place make up for the chilly nose at times.  Anna got mom a special head gear to help with this so another photo will be coming to shown the updated winter gear. We venture into chapter 14 of John today and it is fitting for us to look at Jesus' words to His disciples about His going when we are focused on His coming the first time.  May the manger always point to the cross, an empty tomb, and the belief in a coming again resurrected Savior. Today's Wednesday in the Word is John chapter 14 and verses 1 through 6, which read, v.1 - “ Do not let your heart be troubled;  believe in God, believe also in M...

The above picture is the lemon tree, well pruned and manicured by Stephanie, on the corner of our washer/dryer shed in Florida.  It produced much fruit this year because of a good pruning last year.  It is amazing what can happen when you take some away and yet get more.   Another Christmas Sunday has come and gone.  I stood in front of another church on this designated Sunday and observed many families coming together for worship.  Sometimes it is the only time some will come into a church.  I know that some call them  "Chreasters," meaning those who only come for Christmas and Easter.  There may be a funeral or wedding brings these ones through the doors of the church but I as a pastor, a minister of God's word, am so glad they are here and for Sundays like this.   The pressure is great on these Sundays.  I feel like I have "one shot" to get it right.  I'm "swinging for the fences" to produce a "grand sla...

When will what Jesus' says be enough?  Why do we feel the need to add ourselves or the promotion of ourselves to the statement?  We find Peter doing what we do ourselves at times when our pride gets the best of us.  We pat ourselves on the back which leads to a rooster crowing our downfall because we were raising up the wrong person. Today's Wednesday in the Word will complete John chapter 13 with verses 31 through 38, which read, v.31, 32 - Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately."   The "he" who has gone out is Judas Iscariot.  Satan had entered him and Jesus ordered him to go do what was required quickly.  With Satan out of the room because he can't be in all places at all times like God can, Jesus turns to the disciples who are left.  It is time to explain again what i...

This is me telling a Christmas story at the Saturday night Christmas concert at the Machias Valley Baptist Church.  A nice lady named Katy was in the entryway and caught this image on her phone.  I thanked her for the thought of capturing me doing what I do on a regular basis. 34 years of preaching.  Multiple times on a Sunday and usually another time throughout the week.  Adding it up, it could be around the 5000 mark of verbally speaking in front of a group of people.  This doesn't include the many times I communicate through other means.  Saying all of that, I still miss something that I had prepared to say but zoomed past at the actual event.  This Sunday morning was no different. The passage was Galatians 4:1-7 and it was the opportunity to look at a Christmas passage away from the traditional Matthew, Luke and Isaiah scriptures.  We looked at the when, what, and why of Christmas.  God set the when; the what was Someone eternal, h...

The order of the disciples around the table of the Last Supper has always fascinated me and with more information about how they assembled themselves it makes for a possible interesting scenario.    Today's Wednesday in the Word will cover John chapter 13 and verses 21 through 30, which read, v.21 - When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”  What had Jesus just said that troubled Him so?  Jesus had let His disciples know that one of them was going to betray Him.  One of them was going to be used to fulfill the Scriptures that He would be turned over and ultimately crucified.  This was the plan.  Not the Jewish authorities' plan but God's plan from the beginning to provide a Promise to the problem of sin.   A perfect, sinless sacrifice would be willfully given for others to stand justified before the all mighty holy God...

Living this more mobile lifestyle has forced us to make friendships more quickly.  There is a planned limited amount of time at each local church and much to accomplish for the benefit of the future ministry of that local church.  The local church is made up of God's children and each one is precious to Him and therefore also to us.   Like the beautiful mother and grandmother pictured above with Stephanie.  Her name is Marcia.  She is a widow now but a praying woman for her church and especially the missionaries supported by the church.  One of them is her very daughter.  Marcia travels up a couple streets to be at the church for most of the services.  She is a smile that you see when you come through the door.  Her story of life and salvation is heavily weighted by her words about her Savior, Jesus Christ.   We have met "Marcia" before.  She has different names in different churches, but God plants a "Marcia" for...

A funny picture of my wife!  She is bundled up to take Buddy out for his morning constitution.  I keep joking with her that she needs to knit a nose mitt and she would be all set.  Some winter weather has arrived in Maine and it makes us all the more thankful for the warm house He has provided for us while we are here. Today's Wednesday in the Word is John chapter 13 and verses 12 through 20. v.12 - So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?" Jesus has just completed the household task of the lowest of the slaves to clean the feet of those coming into the house.  It was necessary for hygiene and the pleasantry of reclining at a table of food.  No one got up to do this.  They probably all passed by the towel and basin at the door and wondered where the slave was.  It was Jesus who took the lead.  He got up from supper, and laid asi...

I am breathing a little sigh of relief as my second online master's class comes to a close.  The final paper is done and submitted and the rental books are boxed up and on their way back to their destination.  I think it fitting to look back on this class and ask myself, "What is the lesson I will carry forward?" I remind you, as I am very aware myself, that I did not attend seminary.  I received a Bachelor's of Art in Philosophy and Religion from a religious liberal arts college but never went on to formal higher education centered on the Bible itself.  I am thankful for the education I have gleaned via the internet but much of that has been more of a "pick and choose" method to what I needed at the time.  This course was forcing me into an area of the Bible I typically do not spent time in and giving me deadlines on assigned readings and papers that gave "giving up and going onto something else" not an option.  Therefore, these blog po...