Esther and Lois

Please keep this family in your prayers.

Martin Luther said of his own daughter's death...How strange it is to know that she is at peace and all is well, and yet be so sorrowful!

Jesus said...Blessed are they that mourn for they will be comforted...

2 Corinthians 5...to be absent from the Body is to be present with the LORD...

2 Corinthians 4...So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal...

In times like these it is normal and imperative that we consider our own mortality.

No one lives forever. Are we using the time God has given us rightly?

Here's the formula for life: Romans 10:9&10...that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved; for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved...

We love John 3:16 but don't forget 17...For God sent not His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world but that the world thru Him might be saved...

I use every funeral as an opportunity to stand in the gap where the church has failed. We have condemned when we should have been LOVING! Oh how we fail!

If you are hurt by the Church come take it out on me, that's why I'm here...

Oh and I can't forget to mention yet again how extraordinary this church is!

Carol Roberts called me up yesterday and said the Holy Spirit woke her up and impressed on her heart to make cinnamon rolls... (she and Louise prepped the fellowship hall this morning)

So, after today's graveside service I was able to invite the family and friends to the church for some AMAZING homemade cinnamon rolls, YEAH GOD!

Slow Down

I've had so many comments from encouraging pew warmers this week regarding my message on Sunday. I thought I should copy and paste the power point and remind you to visit my podcast...

http://revpaulbwest.podbean.com/

Family Matters:

FROM BURNOUT TO BALANCE /

SLOWING DOWN

Four Effects of a Hurried Lifestyle:

1. When I get more and more hurried I feel more stress.

Song of Solomon 1:6

2. When life gets hurried I also lose my joy.

Job said, “My days go by faster than a runner. They fly away without my seeing any joy.”

3. When I get too hurried in life I am less productive.

Proverbs 21:5

Psalm 19:2

4. I can’t hear God.

Psalm 46:10

Four Starter Principles For Slowing Down In Life:

Four Principles That Spell Out The Word SLOW:

S – Stop the constant push for more.

Motivations

Values

Ambition

Insecurity

As long as you confuse yourworth with your work you’re going to be stressed out.

The starting point is to become content with who you are and what you have.

Ecclesiastes 4:6

Stop comparing.

Proverbs 14:30

Stop the competition.

L – Learn to say NO.

Proverbs 20:25

O – Obey the fourth commandment.

Exodus 20:9-10

Three Things That Should Happen On Your Weekly Sabbath:

1. Physical rest.

2. Recharge your emotions.

3. Spiritual tuneup.

B-U-S-Y: being under satan’s yoke.

Schedule R & R

Psalm 127

W – Wait for God’s Timing

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Habakkuk 2:3

Psalm 51:10

churchy fluff

So, you may have noticed by now that I LOVE TO READ!

I have the horrible habit of jumping from book to book, but I do eventually finish one once in awhile...So, in theory I'm reading like 20 books at a time, yikes...

Anyway, in my bookbag at the moment, I have Jim Palmer's Divine Nobodies and Craig Groeshchel's Confessions of a Pastor. Not sure if this is a good combination...Because they both love to CHALLENGE the status quo...get the church out of "the box"! Even the book bylines say it all: Shedding Religion to Find God (Palmer) AND Craig's first chapter is entitled: I can't stand a lot of Christians...

I really am enjoying these reads, they are helping me wrestle with the churchy fluff that truly drives this pastor crazy!

Let me share what has challenged me so far, a quick excerpt from each book to wet my blog-readers appetite:

Palmer's 8th chapter (pride and prejudice, my gay friend Richard) is probably the most thought-provoking read on how Christians fail on the homosexual issue I have ever read!

Jim included in the chapter a letter Richard had written, these words BREAK MY HEART!

"I seek Jesus...falteringly. I seek real connection with others...falteringly. I will tell you it's the hardest thing I have ever had to do. In the process, I smoke too much, I eat too many cookies, and I watch too much Fear Factor. I've stopped going to church. I don't need another fluffy pep talk. Many times I simply can't bear the thought of pasting a phony Jesus grin on my face. I want something real. I need real people in my life. Where does a guy find people like that? I'm finding non-Christians are more honest with themselves and the struggles of life than Christians. I'm bitter and just can't take it anymore. My parents go to a church where the pastor insists women wear only skirts, no pants. Is that what Christianity is all about, skirts vs. pants?!"

Groesschel's first chapter reveals just how far the church has sometimes wandered from where it should be:

"One time I preached at a small country church. The volunteer receptionist told me we'd be having a guest that day. (Someone had called to find out what time the service started.) I was greeting people at the front door, and sure enough, I saw the first-time guest. She was easy to spot because her clothes were not 'church clothes.' This apparent single mom walked nervously toward the church, Bible in hand, obviously intimidated. Suddenly one of the deacons walked up to her and told her that her clothes were unacceptable for Sunday worship. Downcast, the woman left. Rejected...by the very people who claim to represent Christ!"

The Helper and Battlefield of the Mind

This pastor is spoiled rotten!

Daily I am amazed at this church the Lord has given me!

I AM BLESSED!

Right now at this moment I'm reading this incredible book by Catherine Marshall that Keith Sr. is leading a group thru and I'm tremendously blessed by it...

(his group is meeting Tuesday evenings, 7pm)

And I'm reminded of Carie's class that is going thru Joyce Meyer's book on Tuesday mornings and I'm blessed...

Does this church even need me? The lay leadership is so strong...I have never seen anything like it! The team spirit (together everyone accomplishes more), the freedom of "everyone is a minister, everyone needs a ministry"...I'm blessed!

AND THIS IS IN THE SUMMERTIME! WATCH OUT DEVIL!

I've been meaning to blog some words from Carie's Tuesday AM class and keep forgetting.

Here's some life-changing truth:

Have you noticed that the condition of your mind changes? One time you may be calm and peaceful, and another time anxious and worried. Or you may make a decision and be sure about it, then later find your mind in a confused condition concerning the very thing you were previously so clear and certain about.

Our minds are not born again with the New Birth experience - they have to be renewed. (Romans 12:2) Satan will aggressively fight against the renewal of our minds, but it is vital that we press on and continue to pray and study in this area until we gain measurable victory...

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT!

I encourage you to check out Joyce Meyer's book (Battlefield of the Mind) and you are welcome Tuesday mornings at 8:30am...

(well every weekday morning Pat is leading a time of prayer, PTL!)

Most preachers have to put fire under their pew warmers...I have to be careful these Amazing Christians don't burnout by doing too much...

As a matter of fact, I believe we're starting John Bevere's, Bait of Satan teaching in Sunday School...either we're hungry for more or crazy, I don't know which one yet...

(and I just remembered we're still doing Rick Warren's purpose driven stuff on Sunday Eves, if we keep this up we may just hit overload...)

Here's a scary thought: are we leaving enough time to actually practice what we are learning?

I better preach on SLOWING DOWN this Sunday...

We Are Hungry - Brian Sites

YES LORD!

What a privilege to pastor a church that truly understands the importance of prayer!

Tonight Keith Sinks, Sr. organized a special time of prayer and brainstorming.

This amazing group of people within our church is truly hungry to see God move!

They have decided to meet on Tuesday eves (7pm) thru the summer to study THE HELPER by Catherine Marshall. Everyone is welcome!

I haven't read it all yet, but the first few chapters I read this evening look fabulous!

This amazing church is truly grabbing ahold of the TEAM concept (together everyone accomplishes more).

I can't even begin to say how much I AM BLESSED by people Not just sitting back and expecting the preacher to do it all...Amazing souls like Keith are walking in the freedom of "everyone is a minister and everyone needs a ministry"...

It really is an amazing privilege to pastor a church that truly understands the necessity of PRAYER!

Pat McMurtry is leading a prayer group every weekday at our church. This faithful ministry is producing fruit! Thursday morning I was surrounded by a group of ladies interceding for their pastor. Pat was given a simple vision of a door closing, which the Holy Spirit used for clear direction for Holly and I in a very important personal matter later that day!

MIRACLES happen when God's people pray!

Thursday evening Nolan B. drove a van load of us men to Mitchell for a men's mtg with other AG churches of the valley. The food, the songs of worship, the prayer, the friendship...OH WHAT A BLESSING!

And this is just some very recent stuff that's happening inside the doors of a church...real Ministry is happening everyday in little ways...maybe it's that church member on a summer vacation who experiences a divine moment...maybe it's a profound parenting moment or just playing in the park with your son...maybe it's a dynamic moment of sharing your faith, with words or without...maybe it's any and every way a kindness is shown in Jesus name...maybe a simple smile...REMEMBER we are the church and church happens every time LOVE shows up!

Presidential Prayer Team

I encourage you to visit presidentialprayerteam.com and join!

You will receive a weekly prayer update by email that will aid you in praying for your country!

I am so disappointed when I hear Christians speak poorly of their commander and chief!

We are to be known BY OUR LOVE and to pray for our leaders!

Here's a taste of the kind of inspiration this team offers:

Today's Online Prayer and Presidential Quote of the week:

Lord, we thank You that You have not left us to our own devices, but have provided Your Holy Spirit to guide and direct. You know the paths that are laid out before us, and we trust You with our steps. Help us to be more and more reliant upon You and Your Grace. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States

"Every thinking man, when he thinks, realizes that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and intertwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally impossible for us to figure for ourselves what life would be like if these standards were removed. We would lose almost all of the standards by which we now judge both public and private morals; all of the standards towards which we, with more or less resolution, strive to raise ourselves."
- President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910 message on The New Nationalism.

Colson Lawn Care and Fun Under the Sun

I am so thankful for Brian Colson.

He volunteers his time helping our church stay pretty with his amazing green thumb.

If you or someone you know is looking for a landscaper, look no further! (308) 225-1107

I am so thankful for the VEPF (Valley Evangelical Pastors Fellowship)!

We recently came together across denominational lines for some fun under the sun!

Churches from all over the valley gathered at Oregon Trail Park for INFLATABLES (Nathaniel LOVED it) games, music, food, fellowship...Don't tell me Christians don't know how to have FUN!

God Bless America

I shared some thoughts regarding the 4th of July from sermons.com in my message today:

The United States of America is 234 years old today. That's a long time for a nation to remain free. But, when you look at our history in the context of world history America is just a CHILD among the nations. Egypt, China, Japan, Rome, Greece all make America's history seem so short. Consider what a brief time we've really been here as a nation: When Thomas Jefferson died, Abraham Lincoln was a young man of 17. When Lincoln was assassinated, Woodrow Wilson was a boy of 8. By the time Woodrow Wilson died Ronald Reagan, who died a few years ago, was a boy of 12.

There you have it. The lives of four men can take you all the way back to the beginning of our country, 234 years ago. We are so young. And yet we stand tall among these nations because of the principles on which we were established: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Thus begins the Declaration of Independence, which we celebrate today. And do not let anyone fool you. Freedom ought and need be celebrated. So many churches and ministers today loathe patriotism in the pulpit. I am not one of those. I celebrate today with you the freedoms which God has blessed this great nations of ours. Now I cannot tell you whether God has blessed us with liberty and therefore we are free or we have wisely and simply built our liberty based on biblical principles. In any case our freedom is from God.

Now let me temper our celebrations with a caution: With freedom comes great responsibility. We are not free to live excessive lives. We are not set at liberty to pursue selfish ends. Our independence should not make us infidels. As Paul so eloquently puts it: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature."

What is true for the church is true for the nation: Liberty demands civility. Freedom requires righteous behavior. On this July 4th let's celebrate Freedom and Civility.

Christy Nockels - Healing is in Your hands

WORSHIP THE LORD

SING A NEW SONG

STEP INTO HIS PRESENCE

BEHOLD HIS MAJESTY

DEEP CRIES OUT TO DEEP

PRAISE ADORATION THANKSGIVING

MORE OF JESUS

EVERYDAY

wow, I have never read anything that deals with THE INBETWEEN better than this

We've been discussing much about THE RUB: living inbetween the suffering and the miracle.

God took me there again in my Family Matters series last Sunday with 2 Corinthians 4...

How can we suffer well and still expect a miracle?

How can we live in the tension, the balance, the teeter tater, carrying around death and life...?

I'm gonna order some more copies of GORDON FEE's THE DISEASE OF THE HEALTH AND WEALTH GOSPELS and have them available for the church...

It's a tiny read but powerful words!

this church just keeps amazing me

Look at these ladies work their magic, creating an enchilada heaven so as to raise funds for a boy in our community who needs a kidney!