BGFCN

Good morning from downtown Nashville, Tennessee! Christy and I came down on Thursday evening after the generous gifts from the church. We have enjoyed our trip very much and are so grateful for the church’s blessing. The room is great and the shows have been wonderful. There was quite a stark contrast between Olga Kern playing Beethoven at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and Little Jimmy Dickens at the Grand Ole Opry, but both were most enjoyable, entertaining, and even enlightening in their own ways.

I can’t just take something in as entertainment. I have to examine it and see how I can apply it to other areas. So I had some interesting observations. The Melting Pot restaurant was a wonderful meal and an incredible experience. We went for dinner last night prior to going to the Opry. While waiting for our table the hostess inquired about our visit to Nashville and the sites we planned to take in while we were here. We were served by two waiters off and on throughout the evening. By the time we reached the table they were aware of our story and began to ask us questions. There was so much food we decided to go to the Opry and return later in the evening for desert. After our return some six hours after our initial visit the staff remembered our faces and our story when we walked in despite the fact that we had changed clothes since the first visit. They made a great and deliberate effort to get to know as much about us as we were willing to share and to remember it. We felt very important as they were interested in us personally.

Now, if The Melting Pot can make such an effort with people in order to make a dollar how much more effort should the church (look into the mirror) make to connect with people we come in contact with - not to mention those who visit our church - in order to share life-changing and eternity-changing truth with them? We must too make a great and deliberate effort to get to know people and invest in their lives.

Well, thanks again for a great couple of days away together. We are so blessed to serve the Kingdom of God with you! See you at worship tonight at 7:00 PM and/or tomorrow morning at 10:45 AM.

Blessings,
Pastor Gary

God has always inspired men and women to write songs that communicate truth, encouragement, peace, hope, love, and so much more. Some songs survive the centuries. Some songs are only widely known for a season. He uses music from every generation, every culture, and every genre as a tool for ministry, instruction, and encouragement. They move us and have a profound impact on our thoughts and our emotions.

As I read Psalm 69, I had flashbacks of talent competitions through church during my teenaged years. One song I remember being sung frequently by teenagers in the church at that time was written by Dottie Rambo entitled, I Go to the Rock. It is upbeat and catchy so the music sticks with you. The words, though, are so encouraging especially in light of the truth of God’s Word.

Where do I go when there’s no body else to turn to
Who do I talk to when no one wants to listen
Who do I lean on when there’s no foundation stable
I go to the Rock I know He’s able
I go to the Rock.

The psalmist poetically captures the troubled human heart. He knows what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed by negative thoughts, circumstances, and people.

1 Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

The difficulty and pain are so overwhelming at times it seems as if there is no solid place to put your feet. All of the props have been knocked out from under you. The isolation and sense of despair are heavy on your chest. The writer of the psalm describes himself as poor and sorrowful in verse 29. His knowledge of and confidence in God, though, are so certain that he chooses to praise the name of God with a song, and magnify Him with thanksgiving even in the middle of his struggle and before the answer has come about. Then he reminds the reader:

32 And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
33 For the LORD hears the poor,
And does not despise His prisoners.

If you feel like you are stuck in quicksand today emotionally and spiritually then I want to encourage you to begin to sing. There is a solid place to put your feet. God is the source of life and rejuvenation. He is the source of help and deliverance. He is the source of strength and encouragement. Furthermore, He hears those who are poor in spirit. Sing and watch Him bring deliverance from the rising flood waters, pull you from the sinking sand, and give you fresh, clean water to quench your thirsty soul.

Blessings,
Pastor Gary

The need to draw us back into the deliberate study of the Scripture is a top priority for me today. I apologize for allowing less important work issues to prevent me from investing the time to engage in daily devotionals. As I read Psalm 68 this morning I am listening to a worship song that proclaims, “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty reigns.” It is an appropriate song not just for today’s Psalm but for Kingdom of God language God has been teaching me lately. The Kingdom of God reigns in sovereignty over all others. We can either choose to submit to His lordship and leadership or we can choose to remain seated on the throne of our own lives. Let there be no doubt, though, that the Lord God Almighty reigns.

Read all of Psalm 68 today and allow the truth of God’s power and authority silence the deceitful and destructive tools of the enemy in your life. We must be deliberate about embracing and living by the Truth, otherwise, we will constantly live under the bondage of the enemy.

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before HIm. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

The cry, “Let God arise,” is an ancient cry that originated while the Hebrew children were wandering in the desert. They would break out the ark of the covenant and move it ahead of the people. The ark of the covenant was a sign of God’s presence. They asking God to go before them and defeat the enemy as they pursued the direction of the Lord. With God leading the way there was no need to fear or worry so they were free to rejoice and rejoice exceedingly before God.

Satan will do anything and everything possible in your life to discourage, defeat, dishearten, and destroy you. He will cloud your vision with doubt, fear, worry, confusion. He will overwhelm you with trouble and afflict you on every front in an attempt to divert your attention from God. But the Lord God Almighty reigns! He has overcome the enemy. Today as you pray utilize the ancienct cry, “Let God arise.” Ask God to go before you in the specific situations with which you are struggling. Then let the rejoicing begin! Make the deliberate choice to rejoice exceedingly in complete trust that God is in control and the assurance He will provide for you.

Blessings,
Pastor Gary

Now that Pentecost is over we are entering Kingdomtide in the church calendar. It begins on Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, and continues until the first Sunday of Advent. The focus of this season is the work of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent growth taking place in the church. The color green, which symbolizes growth, symbolizes this season. I want to encourage you to be part of what God is doing among us. Resist the urge to fall into lazy summer living and miss the work of God. I want you to be connected and growing and productive for the Kingdom.

I have been directed back to the Psalms today and what an appropriate passage as Kingdomtide begins. I am reserving lengthy comment on the psalm today, but just ask that you read it and pray it today. I am praying it for myself and for you.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the end of the earth will fear Him.

There is apparently a strong connection between praising God - telling what He has done, celebrating who He is, being vocal about our love for God - and His gracious revelation of His will, a productive spiritual harvest, and all those around us being drawn by the awe and wonder of God. Make your life, your conversation, and your actions this week reflect a life of praise to God.

Blessings,
Pastor Gary

I have had a ride-along view of the journey to maturity in my work with teenagers for nearly 12 years. The consistent aspect of the terrain is hilly. Sometimes it is smooth and easy and others times it is rough-going. Regardless, it is always filled with emotional ups and downs. Relationships with parents, siblings, and peers endure countless tests as teens seek independence and a personal identity. Parents pull back on the reigns and teenagers push the limits. Conflict arises and frequently parents are forced to enforce discipline as a loving expression to keep their children from running too far too fast and encountering situations for which they are not yet ready. At times teens make choices about which their parents have no idea and land themselves in one form or another of trouble. They learn difficult lessons from the proverbial school-of-hard-knocks. The journey has changed along with society, but the road to maturity is filled with good and bad. The experiences of life shape the men and women we become.

The journey to spiritual maturity is much the same way. When a person becomes a Christian they are new in the faith. There is much to learn about the character and nature of God. Self-reliance and misconceptions lead to poor decisions and failures. God, the good Father, is at work in the process though desiring to lovingly teach, train, and shape character. In Psalm 66 David remembers what God has done:

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him. He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; do no let the rebellious exalt themselves. Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved. For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment…Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me! (Psalm 66:1-12, 20).

The first nine verses of this psalm exclaim the greatness of God’s power and His dominion over His enemies. David reminds the reader that it is only by the grace of God that we live to see the light of day as He keeps our soul among the living. Then in verse ten the tone changes as David writes of God’s testing His people. The refining process is slow and difficult and by all accounts painful. He writes of being caught in the net, having affliction laid on him, men riding over his head, and going through the fire and the flood. It is not the easy life that develops character. The rugged, mountainous climb offers the best view, develops strength, and forces endurance. After it all, though, David writes, “But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” It was all part of the Father’s plan to shape His people as He desired.

Is God doing a work in you right now? Do not resist or despise the difficult journey to maturity. Remain pliable in the Father’s hands and you will walk in confidence and trust that it is He who is guiding your steps. He will bring you out to rich fulfillment if you remain committed to His Lordship. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Blessings,
Pastor Gary