Coming to the Still Waters

Wednesday in the Word for July 31st, 2019 is John chapter 10 and verses 7 through 10. v.7 - So Jesus said to them again,  "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." This is the third  "I am"  statements of Jesus.  He has told us   "I am the bread of life"   in John 6:35 and   "I am the Light of the world"   in John 8:12.  Jesus alludes to being the good Shepherd in verses 1 through 6 but will formally say it in verse 11.  He gives us the picture of a door to think about here in relationship to Himself. The sheepfold only had one entrance, only one door.  The way in and out of the sheepfold was through that door.  It was a door where the doorkeeper stood as he inspected the sheep as they came in and out.  It was a narrow space that usually only allow one at a time so they could be counted and looked over individually.  The door was a very important tool used by the shepherd to care for...

The man speaking at this old time camp meeting is Aaron.  He pastors a church in the area and has done so for 12 years while providing for his family through the roofing trade.  His message last night on the Lord's Supper was great.  "Took, blessed, broke," and "gave" were the verbs he focused in from Matthew 26:26-29. In this area, Aaron is the norm.  Every pastor I have met so far holds down one or two jobs or is retired and still working while leading a local body of believers and some even two!  The man sitting in front of me with the white shirt and hair is Gary and he pastors two congregations and is an electrician by trade with his own work van.  This is the extreme opposite from the situation I was previously in and I feel very blessed to focus solely on this church but also a little behind to the men who have the benefit of being constantly around others in the world.  Having been in both situations I see the benefits of both.  ...

Another outing with "the guys" yielded a few more pictures and this is one that depicts what I have been thinking about as I have been having conversations with the congregants of Machias Valley Baptist Church and also those of the community.  As a minister and pastor, I realized that I am just walking in the footsteps of others who have gone before in respect to carrying and sharing the Gospel all the way back to the Twelve following in the very footsteps of Christ Himself. The history of this church I am pulling from is a book called "Roots & Branches:  Or Growing Up In Maine" by Jane Rozelle.  Chapter 5 is titled, "The Real Reason."  Jane tells the story of two families, the Rozelles and the Maces who had a desire to see a church rise up in Machias, Maine. "Our only plan was to get ourselves and the children  into a sound Gospel preaching church." It started out in their homes, alternating from one home to another and late...

What a great place to have a film camera and take advantage of the beauty of Maine.  I packed my Minolta X-700 with its variety of lens (wide angle, telephoto, pancake, and the standard 50mm 1.4) and my Nikon FE fitted with a Vivitar 28-90mm.  This first roll comes out of the Minolta with some Kodak 400 color.  So let's run the footage... The first three are of the church that we are serving, Machias Valley Baptist Church of Machias, Maine.  The church also owns the gray building in the background.  The large windows allow in a lot of natural light, especially in the morning hours.  It was the week of the 4th so the church was honoring the country that we live in.  I need to make sure to get a picture in the future that has people sitting in those pews. Through Machias, Maine runs the Machias River and "Machias" means "Bad Little Falls."  The Machias River feeds the Atlantic Ocean and the falls are the stopping point for the t...

A recent dog walk with Buddy brought a reward that this part of the country is known for.  We found some ripe, wild Maine blueberries.  "Low bush type" as they are called around here.  It is going to be hard to "look up" when these are "down there" on our daily walks with our furry companion who is loving the weather of Maine. Today's Wednesday in the Word covers John chapter 9 and verses 35 through 41.  We will finish the event about the blind man who received his sight.   v.35 - Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said,  "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" A recap of the events so far:  Jesus meets a man born blind; makes up some mud and puts it on his eyes; and tells him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.  He does and comes back seeing.  This happens on the Sabbath day.  The once blind man is asked to tell his story to the religious authorities and the crowd that has gathered.  ...

Good Monday morning to you all.  Have I mentioned that the sun rises here about 4 a.m.?  My walk to the church each morning is with the sun greeting me unless the fog has rolled in.  The picture is of the communion table at Machias Valley Baptist Church.  It is a stout piece of furniture.  I had the opportunity to share and lead through the Lord's Supper with another group of believers who confess that Jesus is Lord and He is coming again. I want to get to the urgent prayer request.  Pictured above is a Maine forest ranger named Dustin.  This weekend he was in a terrible accident and was life flighted to Boston to face a 12+ hour surgery.  His superior is a member of the church here and asked for prayer Dustin and his family.  You have prayed before for the young man who was in the bombing in Syria who is adjusting to life and so I ask again for your prayers for this young father of 3. I have had a full week.  I want to take...

I had to give one more shot for perspective of the rugged coast line of DownEast Maine.  There is probably this much or more to the ocean below.   I have also attached below the sermon given at Machias Valley Baptist Church on Sunday, July 7th, 2019.  We are covering Luke 16:14-18. Today's Wednesday in the Word is John chapter 9 and verses 24 through 34.  We continue on with the event of the man who was once blind but now can see because of the healing granted by Jesus.  We left off with his parents given confirmation that he was truly their son born blind but they would not say how it happened.  At this point the man once blind stands all alone. v.24 - So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give glory to God;  we know that this man is a sinner." The once blind man is back before the Pharisees a second time and they want him to change his story.  He is standing all alone because his parents wou...

Stephanie and I walked Jasper Beach and I found this rock in the shape of Maine.  It now sits in my office across from my desk so I can pray for the state that I am in.  The beauty of this state is amazing and I want to make sure that we experience some of it while we are here.    It was a beautiful afternoon to walk this rocky beach.  Younger ones were in the very cold waters while probably wiser ones where getting some of the sun's warm rays on this clear Maine day. On Saturday I also had the opportunity to hike the rocky coast of Maine with 9 other men of the church.  The drive for Christian men to gather together to grow and therefore live as godly men is alive here and ready to take steps to be more organized and mobilized to reach out.  My walk along the path, single file, with these men allowed me time to listen to them share about what is going on in their lives.  I see a men's retreat coming up in the future.  (p.s. -...