Dis-couraged

Discouragement effects everyone.

Job said, "God has no right to treat me like this... it isn't fair."

Elijah wrote, "I have had enough, Lord... Take my life."

King David wrote in Psalm 69, "I am exhausted from crying for help... waiting for my God to help me."

C.S. Lewis, "Where is God? Go to Him when your need is desperate... and what do you find? A door slammed in your face."

Mother Teresa once said, "In my soul, I can't tell you how dark it is... I feel like refusing God."

Billy Graham once said, "I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes."

And even Jesus Himself asked, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

So why do we think any of us would be immune to discouragement? Listen, it comes in all shapes and sizes. It could be from losing a job, losing somebody you love or you just losing your mind. And on top of that, what discourages you may not discourage the next person but that doesn't mean you are weaker, we're just all different.

What we really need to realize is that those things that happen to us that bum us out didn't surprise God. He knew it was going to happen to us and we have to understand He didn't cause them but He allowed them to happen. Not because He doesn't love us or because He's some evil overlord that gets His kicks out of kicking us around. But these things happen to us because He loves us enough to allow us to make our own choices in life... right or wrong. Now He doesn't want those discouraging things in our lives to make us bitter, He rather we become better in spite of them.

Now I know it sounds like I'm trying to be a ray of sunshine here... but in all honesty, as long as we're on this earth we will have problems, pain and heartache. It's just life in it's fallen state. But there is a God who loves us and tells us that He has plans to prosper us, and not harm us, plans for us to have hope and a future. And we can see those plans fulfilled even in those times of discouragement if we will not only except His Son as our Savior but live for Him as the LORD of our lives.

This is the day.

Well it's Sunday morning again. Today we're hearing a few parables or stories that Jesus told and a few stories about real events that took place. And the thing about these stories is they all have one thing in common. And that commonality still seen today. So this is the day to make a change to see this chain of stories cease.

Final Scare

Today is our 5th and final message in the "What Scares You?" series. Today's message is rated R because it's about a very Real subject and it's not only the grand finale but it's about THE grand finale! I pray that everyone leaves service today with a better understanding and a positive outlook on where they're headed after this life.

Sunday reflections

Well today is the 4th message in our October series and I am stoked to hear Jon Sproule bring us God's Word in a message titled, "What If?" It's going to be a great message and I've been excited about it all week. We were in Springfield all week because our daughter got married to a wonderful young man, Jake. Who I am glad to call my Son-in-law. So it was awesome but also hard to give my little girl away to someone else. Thanks for letting me give you away. I love you Jess.

What Scares You 2 ?

Well todays our second message in the "What Scares You?" series. And the title is "Things That Go Bump In The Night."

Sometimes our fears can either work for us or work against us. It just depends on which kind of fear we give into. The wrong fear is what caused Adam and Eve to run and hide from God when He came looking for them in the garden, but the right kind of fear which is the respect & reverence for God and His Word is what kept them from eating of the forbidden fruit in the first place.

We will be digging into and Old Testament story in Judges 6 & 7 to discover whether or not fear is good or bad for us. I pray this series helps us to battle those crippling fears that freeze us in out tracks and takes over our thoughts and actions.

What Scares You?

Well it's the first Sunday in October and we are starting a new series today titled What Scares You? We will find the origin of fear, discover what fear can do to us or keep us from doing and we will see what God's given us to conquer fear. This series will run the entire month and I'm praying it helps us all to understand there's a wrong kind of fear and a right kind of fear. So What Scares You?

Random Rambling from Rev. Ron

With everything going on in the church and in our personal life I've put the blog on hold for a while. But now it's time to let it rip.

I had a discussion with a friend who owns a business uptown the other day and we got on the subject of believers devotion. Like why is it some go to church and claim to be Christian but really never act like Christ?

Neither one of us got it.

We couldn't understand how one can wear the name of Christ but act like the devil incarnate. Are these people going to heaven when their time comes? We decided we don't know for sure, and we can't say for sure. But I personally feel if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, no matter how many times it says it's an eagle - it's still a duck.

So no matter how many times a person says they believe in Jesus, no matter how many times a person goes to church and no matter how many times they throw money in the offering bag if they're not offering their entire life wholly over to a Holy God then I would say they are merely "Christian" in word and not in deed. Jesus said you can "tell a tree by the fruit that it bears" meaning just because a tree's in an apple orchard doesn't mean it's an apple tree especially if it doesn't drop any apples.

Anyways, I was impressed by the parellel between my friend and I's opinions of this same subject. Now you can call me judge-mental all you want but I'm just calling it as I see it. And let me tell you why I'm toasted about this subject using the metaphor from earlier. There are too many ducks out there calling themselves eagles which just FOWLS everything up because it makes real eagles look like a bunch of turkeys to all the other birds out there who need to meet the One who created all of us birds.

So now that I've had my FEATHERS ruffled and I've FLEW off the handle about this subject I can go back to ruling my ROOST and stop SQUAKING about it.