Coming to the Still Waters

 It is the time of mowing in Colorado.  It usually doesn't last long and for us it is taming the weeds and dandelions.  Another task of a small town pastor that I have done over the 40 years of ministry.  It has always been a great time to think through again the message coming up on Sunday.  June 1 is not only our 41st wedding anniversary but also our 40th anniversary of full-time ministry. Sometimes 40 years means covering for each other at times.  Stephanie is in Florida caring for her parents so I had the privilege of getting the Family Dinner Night ready.  It was wings' night along with potato salad and baked beans.  All things I could handle.  It is a time of grief for Steph.  We lost our dog of 11 years, Buddy, just recently to cancer and now she is sitting beside her father in his last stages of life.  The last words and last actions can be so vital to hear and see.  I am so thankful Stephanie is there as I was last yea...

  One of the tomato plants for the deck this year.  The house is looking like a greenhouse lately as we get ready for the growing season window in this part of the country.  Stephanie has the green thumb and I'm the water boy. We finished up Jesus' 5th sermon, the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24 & 25, this Sunday.  It was great to go through this passage again with Jesus speaking directly about His 2nd coming.  He makes it clear that there are only 2 groups and 2 destinations.  This week we looked at His sheep on His right hand and the goats on the left.  One is judged to eternal life and the other to eternal punishment.   It was interesting to see how Jesus used possession when speaking about His sheep and left off the possession when He talked about the goats.  Jesus also went back to the theme of focusing more on the " how " rather than the " when " and " what ."  He focused on how the sheep were responding and how the goats w...

The logo above represents an investigation that is going a little deeper tonight in the fellowship hall of the church.  We, as an small independent church, are exploring options that would help us with spiritual oversight and financial sustainability.  This is just one of the avenues we have been praying about.  As we think about the possibility of coming under the " umbrella " of another, we have to discern that this organization is also in total submission to the word of God.  From what I know of the EFCA, I believe they are and I am thankful for the opportunity to hear from a representative of the district about their Bible based mission, purpose and vision.  Pray with us and for us that we would see if this is the direction in which we should pursue for God's glory. We are nearing the end of the Olivet Discourse and Jesus has been generally answering the " when " and " what " questions of His disciples but also specifically answering the " how...

  Being 61 and approaching 62, it is part of me to be " old school ."  I count it a privilege to live through all the technological changes in the life of not only our world but the church.   I went from bulletin boards to handouts to overhead projectors to screens to webpages to video platforms to apps and it keeps going on.  The picture above is some of my " old school " coming out that you see in the lobby of our church.  I try to keep this white board up to date with the latest at SCC.  You have to be able to read my printing and I am amazed at how we have adapted to pull out our cell phones and take a pic of it.  What was old still works at times and sometimes it has even more impact than the new stuff.  I think I have well adapted to communicating via email and cherish personal responses that come into my inbox but a hand written letter that has made it through the USPS system to my mailbox still takes it to another level.   J...

  It is the last day of April and the snow is coming down again.  You can see the small leaves coming out on the aspen trees in the picture and the haze of snow in the distance.  We welcome any precipation after a winter of pretty much no snow at the 8400 elevation mark.  Any assistance naturally against forest fires stops any type of complaining about the weather. The white haze in the background is snow coming down.  This is our front window of the church.  I have always loved stain glass windows and these come to life at the close of the day with the sun setting down on Elk Mountain.   Jesus gives His disciples a 4 fold message of "no one knows the day or the hour."  He will bring this up again once more in the next passage.  It will also be a part of His dialogue with them just prior to His ascension in Acts 1.  It amazes me that so many books are written toying with the opposite of what Jesus is saying.  So many prediction...

  I don't think I have posted this picture of the main entrance to the church.  It must have been taken in the late fall.  I snapped it because of the moon above and this is my path taken from our living quarters to my office.  The moon made me think of one of the specific events that Jesus gives us in this passage of scripture.  Jesus gives specific events that must happen prior to the end of times and His 2nd coming.  What was created by Him will be de-created in a sense. Jesus goes back into the second half of His general outline in v.4-14.  The first half (v.4-8) ends with the beginning of sorrows or birth pains.  I always loved the imagery that Jesus uses when the birthing process is brought up.  The labor pains some from less severe to severe and from less frequent to almost constant.  In the wake of the whole process you know that someone is coming.  In looking at the end times we have to look at the pains that are coming and...

Maybe this drum set given to the church is a good illustration of the title of this blog.  We were given this drum set.  I have switched out the cymbals to perforated ones to reduce the ring but allow the drummer to play with sticks more naturally.  We have purchased these foam rings (one yet for the floor tom) to reduce the volume while producing a fuller tone.  We purchased a foam hammer for the kicker drum.  A drummer's throne and also separate headset with volume control from the house feed to supply a balanced output from the rest of the platform.  What is missing?  A drummer... the one to come!   On a side note, I really love these drum head rings.  I have taken apart the toms and spare to put inside foam above and below and then retuned the drums.  These you just lay on the drum and it does that all for you.  What a difference instantly.  The foam kicker allowed me to take the stuffing in the kicker drum away. ...

The trails are drying up.  A 6 mile hike this morning and venturing up to 9200 ft.  Looks promising to go higher later this week.  I am working on my new hiking map of the area and filling in some trails I couldn't get to with the snowshoes.  I am thankful for the resale hiking shop in town.  I picked up this vintage Thermos with foldable spoon and the hot soup was so delicious on the trail.  I have a new water filter to try out this year too. Another Resurrection Sunday and I ventured into the book of John.  He tells us very plainly what the purpose or mission of this gospel in John 20:30-31 (LSB). Therefore many others signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John makes mention of the signs that Jesus did again in the next chapter, John 21:24-25 (LSB). This is...

What do you do when the trails are too muddy?  You go fishing!  I found a new spot not far from the house that is a great place to spend a few hours casting the rod.  I've caught enough to start putting some in the freezer.  It is an amazing view with the mountains in the background.  It is also a great place to think and decompress like I do on the trails.  Maybe after Easter I will be back up in the mountains on the trails that get more sun. Jesus throws 3 more strikes.  The shepherds of the day were living split lives; displaying just surface holiness; and claiming not to be sinners therefore not needing a Savior.  Jesus addresses each one of these fallacies but also throws in some solutions.  I am thankful for the question He asks in verse 33, "How can you escape the condemnation of hell?"   It made me think of the question that John the Baptist asked the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 3:7b, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath...

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes.  Sometimes blessings come in all colors.  Here is a red one.  The talents of one of the men of the church was put to use to bring us up to code in our boiler room.  I am so thankful for others.  I have had to do a lot of different things but many times I do them enough to get by and not to the level of expertise.  I remember in the church plant of putting together slides for the projection but when a certain person in the church offered, the end product was so much better.  Maybe I am what they call " a jack of all trades but a master of none. "  That is okay because then others can participate in the ministries offered by the church in many different ways.  This red shutoff in the grand scheme of SCC is part of offering a safe place to gather to worship our Lord. Jesus has finished His windup and is starting to throw some pitches at the scribes and Pharisees.  5 last Sunday and 3 more to come this...

  I wish I could have seen the moose that left this track cutting across our parking lot from one stand of woods to another.  I think we just missed him or her because we left for an errand to town and it wasn't there but prominently displayed when we returned.  The animals have had a milder winter here so we will see what that calculates to when hunting season come around this year. As someone who seats in " Moses' seat " each Sunday and also throughout the week, this passage is a reminder to me on how I lead or how I operate as a servant of Jesus Christ.  A scribe or Pharisee would sit in Moses' seat and receive a scroll of God's word.  From the seat they would publicly read God's word to those assembled in the synagogue.   How bold for Jesus to say that when you hear God's word read from the person who sits in the seat, observe and do it.  Observe by hanging on every word and also being on the edge of your seat and then follow through with acti...

Probably the last snowshoe hike for the season.  I will have to deal with mud, ice and snow here and there if I venture up the trails.  I think I have snowshoed more this season than last even though we didn't have the snow depth of last year.  As I put away the snowshoes I will start dreaming of next year! We finished up chapter 22 this Sunday.  The testing is done!  4 different groups get into the ring with Jesus.  They are testing Him but soon they realize that He is testing them.  Jesus never really goes into the defensive mode that is normal if you are being questioned or tested but stays in the offensive mode to bring about a bigger issue than the one raised. Group #1:  Chief priests and elders They questioned Jesus' authority.  Jesus turns it back upon them to question their discerning authority regarding the baptism of John the Baptist.  They gave a non-answer. Group #2:  Pharisees and Herodians They questioned Jesus' loyalt...

March has come!  This picture is very similar to others on this blog.  It is the same content of a group of men but the faces are different except mine.  Here is another group I am a part of that I'm invested in.  These are men who gather every Tuesday for Bible study and once a month on Saturday for a shared breakfast and another study about being a man of God.  Over the years, since the church plant in Gaylord, Michigan, I have focused on creating these types of groups.  It is a place where men of the church can grow together and also invite those who God is bringing into their paths.  This is a great picture for me to hold onto along with all those others of the past.   I gauge the effectiveness of the group by our interaction with one another.  What are we talking about?  Can a heavy burden one is carrying be shared here?  Does the " new guy " join in because he senses this group has offered him the hand of friendship?...

Another shot of the barn with a little more snow.  I have been trying to salvage this lack-of-snow season with the cool mornings when the snow is still good for snowshoeing.  Who knows, maybe we will have some late season snows to take advantage of.  I would like to fill in my map a little more before hiking season starts. Here is a bridge over the Onahu Creek that had not been gone over for awhile.  No tracks and the depth of the snow on the deck of the bridge was about 30 inches deep.  It is a short spur trail that many don't access.  I broke trail on this day and later others started using it.  Here is another view of the bridge on my trip back. Jesus is in the testing stage of the Passover lamb stage.  He is fielding all kinds of questions from the chief priests and elders, Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees.  I marvel at the way He takes what they throw at Him with corrupted hearts and intentions and turns it around to bring about a more...

These were my pick of snowshoes for my Saturday hike up the Baker Gulch Trail.  There is a forecast of a major snow event this week so I hope to get out again this Friday up another trail to keep filling in my 2026 mail.  This was the last day of upper 40's day so I walked into town and back road walking with a distance of 10.5 miles round trip.  I keep thinking about the trails I will try to conquer this summer and fall. I am always amazed at Jesus' technique as a teacher also.  He strings together these 3 stories and by the third He is uusing some elements of story #1 and story #2 in story  #3.  Jesus also weaves together a warning, the invitation and also the requirement.  We are seeing these 3 groups again.  Group #1 are those contrary to God's anointed Messiah as Jesus.  Group #2 are those who are indifferent to Jesus as the Messiah.  They head back to work or to the shop instead of going to the wedding.  They are also the ones...