A Bride Worth Fighting For

My husband asked me the other day what I thought was harder - marriage or parenting. I don’t think there is an easy answer to that question. Both have been tremendous blessings from the Lord in my life, but they have also been two of the most sanctifying experiences. There have been days where I have been so overjoyed at the privilege of being a mom, and other days where I have wept over the difficulty of loving and leading ten children well. Most of the time, I adore my husband and I’m so very grateful I get to do life side by side with him. Some days though, we hurt each other deeply, and my heart is full of anger at him. 

If he had asked which I thought was harder; marriage, parenting, or church, I suspect we may have both answered with church. Some of our deepest wounds have been inflicted by other believers. Years later, those scars are still tender. Church hurt has impacted both of us, as well as our children. We aren’t the only ones. I know many of your stories. You’ve shared how you have been shaped by your experiences in church - the positive, but unfortunately, also the negative. We hope the church will be a refuge, but too often it’s a war zone, and our hearts are the casualties. 

Michael asked me how I could still love the church so much after all we had been through. I told him it’s because I know how lovely we can be. I see our potential. 

Over the years, I’ve heard many people reference Acts 2:42-47 as as example of how far we have fallen. “If only we could go back”, they say. It seems we’ve adopted the fatalistic outlook of our culture. I regularly see believers and even pastors criticizing the church on social media. It can feel like God’s people have given up on the church. I’m not saying we don’t rightly deserve some of the criticism. We have too often forgotten our call as ambassadors of Christ, and rather than letting the gospel be the stumbling block to those who are perishing, our attitudes and actions have been the stumbling block. But people need grace to grow, and so does the church. 

On the day of Pentecost, three thousand souls were saved. The Holy Spirit was poured out, and the response was world changing. We are here today, halfway across the world, gathered as a body of believers in Alton, IL because of the events of that day. Luke tells us what happened following that day: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Count how many times a sentence in this passage begins with the word “and”. It’s almost like Luke is trying to communicate “But wait! There’s more!” These verses describe for us what the church can look like when we are devoted to the Word, filled with the Holy Spirit, fervent in prayer and faithful in fellowship. We are a force for hell to reckon with! A church like that can change the world! I don’t know about you, but I want that!!!!! And not just in heaven, but now on earth. 

Church, we can’t go back. We live in a different culture, time and location. But we can look back at how the Spirit moved, and we can turn back to the Lord, and ask Him to do a mighty work in our midst - for His glory, our good, and for the salvation of many. Jesus told Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. We are that church, empowered by His Spirit to proclaim His gospel to the ends of the earth. Christ will never give up on His bride. Why should we? 

My prayer for us, believers at The Bridge, is that God would day by day heal our wounds as we apply the balm of His gospel love and truth to one another. If it’s true that hurting people hurt people, it’s equally true that healing people heal people. So may we speak words of life and encouragement to one another. May we long and pray earnestly for God to move in our midst in our day and in as powerful a way as He did in Acts. And oh, that he would add daily to our number those who are being saved! 

-Natalie Runyon

Who is Your Hero?

Who is your hero? 

I have asked students this question on a First Day of School survey over the last fifteen years.

Here are some of the answers - Spiderman, Superman, Batman, professional athletes, singers, mom, dad, brother, sister.  These are all good answers.  It is important to have at least one hero.  The saddest answer I saw on surveys to the question was “idk” (I don’t know).  And another sad answer was - I do not have a hero.

When Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost all he can talk about is his Hero - Jesus.  Jesus is the first word in the sermon (see Acts 2:22) and after his hearers are “cut to the heart” and ask what they should do, Peter tells them they should repent and be baptized into the name of his Hero - Jesus.

How would you answer the question today - who is your hero?  It is ok to have more than one hero, but there is only One Hero worthy of all of our allegiance and worship. 

Jesus lived, died, rose and is reigning.

Jesus prays for us.  

Jesus protects us.  

Jesus rescues us from sin and selfishness and Satan.  

Jesus paid our debt so we could be forgiven.  

Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit on us.  

Jesus will never leave or forsake all who repent and call on Him and are baptized in His Name.

May we be a people who zealously brag and boast about Jesus - Son of God and Son of Man.  King of Kings.  Savior and Lord.  Hero of heroes.

Grace and peace,

Steven

God Speaks in My Language

The story of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles in Acts 2 is a familiar one. A violent wind...tongues of fire...suddenly each man is fluent in a different language instantaneously...all during Pentecost (Shavuot, a harvest festival), when Jews from all over the world have converged in Jerusalem to celebrate.

Have you ever asked children if they could be a superhero, what superhero power they might like to have? Usually you get answers like the ability to fly, x-ray vision, speed, and so on. In this case...the apostles are each given a language.

In researching, I’ve discovered, I totally have taken for granted the reality that the bible is translated into my language and easily accessible. I can even choose from a multitude of translations, to pick one that appeals to me most. We might not own many books but I would bet that most of us have a bible somewhere in our house or at least access to one on our technology. God speaking in our language is not really something we cherish, appreciate or even think about.

In Acts 2, we see this is a HUGE deal.

I’ve tried to learn a different language before, I took four years of Spanish in high school and am sad to say, retained very little of that education! It’s not easy to become fluent in a different language other than your native one. Missionaries usually have no choice. Full immersion in the culture and extensive tutoring is about the only way they can have any kind of success. Most missionaries have many stories of mistakes and funny things they said or did because of how difficult it is to speak and communicate fluently.

In Acts 2, this fluency is immediate. And they each are able to speak multiple different languages immediately!

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how inclusive God is, especially as we read the gospel stories and see who Jesus interacts with and how. It appears that the more people are on the margins of life the more He seeks them out...women, foreigners, the poor, the sick, etc.

I’m challenged to take an honest look at my own life and the church as a whole. I’m not sure we have gotten this basic premise right. Too often we make His message one for a few rather than for all. We make it exclusive and put up barriers to those on the margins rather than clearing the way and seeking out those on the edges. We have lots of reasons for doing this. Most of the time it happens so subtly we may not even recognize our behavior. But if we are honest and put our egos aside, we know it’s true. We’ve often made Jesus and Christianity into something that fits us and the kind of people we are most comfortable being around.

When I read Acts 2 I am reminded of the incredible inclusive nature of God, Jesus, and even The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit arrives and suddenly all language barriers are GONE, instantaneously! Wow!

Looking through church history is pretty eye opening. Do you know that there were people burned at the stake and tortured in other ways for translating the Bible from Latin to English? This was carried out by the church leaders of the day. They were extremely threatened at the notion that the common person would have access to scripture. The church leaders valued power, control, greed, and exclusivity. I would like to say these are problems the church no longer faces today. But I cannot.

I believe the Holy Spirit still fills each one of us and the outer evidence is probably in large measure how inclusive we are to those on the margins of life. This is where Jesus is found and where we need to be.

2021...let’s be more inclusive and let God speak in all languages and cultures.

Ruth

Wait for It

You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s worth the wait!”  Hopefully, you’ve had many opportunities in life to experience that phrase proved true.  As I write this reflection, I’m a bit stressed as I await and prepare for a promotional exam at the fire department.  I find myself wishing that the test would come and go along with the stress that comes with it. 

I’ve been encouraged this week as I’ve reflected on the second half of Acts 1 and the discipline of Jesus’ disciples to pray to the LORD and wait on His direction in order to act.  Prayer is a discipline and discipline is a word for Jesus’ followers.  Prayer was a learned practice for the disciples as they had watched Jesus set THE example for them in His life and ministry.  Jesus was a man of prayer and so must be His disciples. 

In Acts 1:12-26, we see the disciples with some heavy decisions that need to be handled.  What will they do?  Just back in the first half of this chapter, we heard Jesus order His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait on the baptism of His Holy Spirit.  In that moment, they seemed confused regarding whose kingdom they are most concerned with – their own or something greater.  After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples decide to obey Jesus through waiting and praying for His guidance.  What follows is that their lives become completely surrendered to the will of Christ as they embark on the great unknown of living as His followers. 

It’s in the prayer and waiting that God prepares His people for the work He will call them to do.  As I prepare for the upcoming exam, I am blessed to consider how it is preparing me for more.  The exam itself is not the ultimate goal so much as the personal development that comes from study and application in the meantime.  Prayer and waiting on the LORD can be like that as we see here with Jesus’ disciples.  The ends for which we pray are a means that help us develop spiritually to depend more on the power of Jesus and His desires rather than on our own base instincts or conventional wisdom. 

Running is one of the ways I condition for my line of work.  Sometimes, I’m tempted to only focus on the end of my run.  But for those of you that have experience with running, the endorphins come along the way in the run rather than at the end.  Our relationship with Jesus through prayer and waiting can be like that.  What we find in the process is that it’s worth the wait on Jesus because in our journey with Him, it’s the relationship of watching Him work that brings the greatest joy to our lives.  I’ve often envied the writings of Christian mystics because of their inclination to pursue greater intimacy with Jesus through ongoing constant prayer.  Isn’t intimacy with Jesus what we are all looking for in the first place?  There’s a phrase that is sometimes used to describe religious people – “they’re too heavenly minded to do any earthly good.”  But that statement is really impossible because the more any person truly tastes of Heaven (God’s Kingdom), they can’t help but be led to do what is for the earthly good as His Kingdom intends to come on earth as it is in Heaven.  Jesus always leads us to a greater Kingdom than our own.  Truly praying and waiting on Him is always rewarded with renewal and restoration toward our created purpose. 

At the end of this passage, we see God has chosen Matthias to be one of the twelve Apostles.  We never hear mention of that name again in the New Testament and yet we know that he carried on in the mission he was chosen for – a mission with eternal consequences for him and the rest of the world.  I can only imagine that the way Matthias was ushered into his Apostolic office became a daily reminder to him of how he should continue in it always trusting God in prayer and waiting for the LORD to provide the direction and power to perform on the call.

May we pray His Kingdom come on earth and in our lives as it is in Heaven for the sake of His call on us.  Let us stop trying to live for Him in our own power and wait on God’s Holy Spirit instead.  May we experience our greatest joy in witnessing how awesome and great is our Leader!  Jesus is always worth the wait!

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

A Love Letter

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 1:1

I have always wondered who Theophilus is.  How cool is it that Luke wrote Theophilus a two volume "letter?"  The name Theophilus means friend or lover of God.  Have you ever received a love letter?  I remember receiving letters from Daria when we were in college.  I opened the letter immediately and studied every word.  I would read and reread her letters multiple times.  I wonder how many times Theophilus read the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts?

Some scholars believe Theophilus was an individual person - a friend of Luke.  Others believe that Theophilus is a name inclusive of every person who is a friend or lover of God.  This makes me wonder - how would my reading of the book of Acts change if I genuinely believe it was written to me by a friend?  I confess sometimes I read the Bible with the same kind of enthusiasm as reading a love letter.  Other times I read it somewhat disinterested.  As we prepare for 2021 how do you plan on reading the Word? 

We will read and study Acts for several months.  We will learn about all that Jesus began to do and teach and all that Jesus continued to do and teach through the Holy Spirit and the apostles.  This history is HIS STORY and if you know Christ it is also YOUR STORY. 

Reading and waiting with expectation,

Steven

A New Song

As I read the passage of scripture for this special Christmas week, I keep noticing the very first sentence in Psalm 96 that simply says, “Sing to the Lord a new song.” Maybe it stands out to me because I’ve been a music teacher in a variety of settings and a worship leader for my entire adult life. When it comes to Christmas music, I’ve sung or played most any and every Christmas song you can imagine. One year I even had my elementary school children sing the 12 days of Christmas in their school program...a mistake I learned from real quick!

The idea of singing a new song...a fresh song seems so beautiful to me. Don’t get me wrong...I love the old songs and take comfort in them. If I had my choice we would still go Christmas caroling in neighborhoods with the old Christmas songs like Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful.

I guess I’m just wondering and reflecting on the idea of what a ‘new song’ would feel and sound like. I don’t mean harmony, melody, notes and rests or even lyrics. What I really wonder is what it would feel like to experience Christmas, to experience Jesus in such a fresh way that it would prompt a new song rising from my heart and soul.

Singing a new song speaks of something different. Fresh. Joyful. Relevant. Creative. Unique.

Are those words that I would use to describe my relationship with Jesus or my worship of Him? Is my relationship with Jesus fresh? Joyful? Relevant? Creative? Unique? Or is my relationship stuck in the comforts of what’s already been done, said and sung?

This Christmas I feel open to Jesus, a desire within to have a fresh encounter, a joyful celebration, a relevant and unique opportunity to experience what faith means. I believe that’s an individual decision and desire, but also one that bears even more fruit as we walk together in community.

Sing to the The Lord a New Song,

Ruth

I Am Undone

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”

I look down. I see filth on my hands.

I look within. I know the depth of darkness that lurks there.

I look up. I see God - the maker of heaven and earth, whom I am to give an account, and like Isaiah I am undone.

I am unable to ascend the hill of the Lord. How can an unholy woman stand before Him? I have nothing to offer Him but shame. Any righteousness I have is tainted. It’s but filthy rags to a glorious God.

“Woe is me!”, Isaiah cried. My heart is broken because I feel it too.

I am lost. Cursed.

Galatians 3:10 - “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Like Narnia, where it was always winter but never Christmas, all of creation cries out with me begging for relief.

Who can save us from this curse of sin that seems to go on, relentlessly, for all of history?

But at just the right time, when we were powerless to save ourselves, the ancient gate swung open, and the holy lamb of God came forth.

Christmas came.

Christ was born to die for the ungodly.

He redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. He was cursed, so we could be blessed.

I look down. My hands have been washed.

I look within. My heart is new, and filled with the very Spirit of God.

I look up. Who is this King of Glory?

Behold the Lamb of God, who makes all things new. Even me.

-Natalie Runyon

Rejoice in Christ the LORD

And the angel said to (the shepherds), “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)  What is this good news of great joy that the angel announced to the shepherds that night?  And is it still available for us today?

A few weeks ago, Kim and I saw a commercial with a couple that buys Christmas gifts for each other.  The first presents a set of watches and then the other presents two brand new vehicles in the driveway.  Kim turns to me and says, “Who are these people that can do that?”  To which I replied, “I guess the kind that can afford a house like that.”  We laughed together while looking at the immaculate house behind the couple in the commercial.  While I think we have something more humble in mind for each other this Christmas, we can relate to the commercial couple and their desire to bring cheer to each other.  Don’t you think it’s innate in humans to want to experience and spread joy? 

During the Christmas season, there are many offers from the world for what will bring the most joy to our lives.  I’m thinking about the cars and houses we’ve had over the years.  The joy in those things has been fleeting.  The feel of buying a new car with a new warranty is exciting but soon wears off and eventually so does the warranty.  Things like that remind us of our need for a deeper joy that outlasts the things that moths and rust can destroy.  Over the years, I’ve come to find that human relationships offer immense joy in my life.  But even human relationships can leave us longing as they are hampered by the seasons and stages of life.  So where can you and I find the greatest joy in our lives? 

The psalmist writes of great joy in Psalm 146.  The psalmist speaks of joy that is deep in his soul.  He describes a rejoicing so great that it will last all of his days and as long as he has being.  That’s an extensive kind of joy!  The psalmist goes on to state the reasons for his rejoicing are because of who the LORD is and what the LORD will do.  He rejoices in Yahweh as his help and his hope.  He goes on to describe Yahweh in amazing terms.   To paraphrase the psalmist in verses 6 - 9, Yahweh is…

-creator

-promise keeper

-righteous judge

-provider

-rescuer

-healer

-encourager

-lover

-guide

-guardian

-idol-crusher.

Furthermore, the psalmist says that Yahweh will reign forever as God over all generations.  The psalmist emphatically calls for people to rejoice in Yahweh because of these things. 

As we celebrate the third week of Advent and meditate on the words of this psalm, we must remember the angel’s announcement to those shepherds on the night of the Christ child’s birth and the great joy that results from the good news of Emmanuel (God with us).  Yahweh has kept His promise and made His dwelling among us to demonstrate His amazing love and radical desire for an eternal relationship with His people.  As humans, we were made for Him with a yearning for deeper joy that will only find its completion in knowing and enjoying Him.  There is no greater and lasting joy than that which is found in Jesus!  This great joy is still available for all people!  Those who’ve experienced it want to share it with others and are equipped by His Spirit to do so. 

So what are you rejoicing in today?  Blessed is the one whose help is the God of Jacob and whose hope is in the LORD their God.  Let us find our ultimate joy in Jesus.  May our souls know His love in such a way that we can’t stop praising Him will all our being for the rest of our days.  May we enjoy Him and rejoice in His everlasting reign over all! 

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

The Greater King

The Jesus Storybook Bible forever changed the way I read scripture. With the tag line, “every story whispers His name”, I learned to see the Bible not primarily as a book of rules to follow or heroes to emulate but a book that from cover to cover shows me Jesus. He is the “true and better Adam” who perfectly obeyed the Father’s will in our place. He would be the Passover Lamb whose blood could forever atone for our sins. Like David fighting Goliath, he would battle the greatest enemy our world has ever known. His story is truly written on every page.

So where can we see Jesus in Psalm 72 - a coronation prayer for Solomon? It was good and right for Solomon and all of Israel to pray for the king to judge with justice and righteousness, to uphold the cause of those who were impoverished and oppressed; for peace to abound under his rule, for all other kings and nations to be grateful for his leadership, and for every good thing to come to the people because of their king.

In some measure, Solomon did these things. He oversaw the construction of God’s temple, he increased Israel’s wealth as he strengthened relations with neighboring countries, and he ruled with great wisdom. Yet he also had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and when he was old, (despite God’s warning) “his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4). After his death Israel splintered and was never again a unified kingdom, instead ruled by wicked kings and taken into captivity by other nations.

Yet Solomon knew there was One coming who would be the King he could never be. The true royal Son was coming who would embody righteousness and impute it to His people. Those who bore the stain of Adam’s sin would one day have their shame covered by the robe of the coming King. Yes, He would defend the cause of the poor and needy and crush the oppressor to finally and fully bring prosperity to those whom He reigned over. His dominion would be from everlasting to everlasting and at the end of time, every knee would bow and every tongue confess His name. His peace would know no end.

And so it happened, nearly 1000 years later, a faithful and devout man by the name of Simeon was waiting in the temple - waiting his whole life, in fact - for Israel’s consolation. The Holy Spirit would allow Simeon to see the fulfillment of Solomon’s coronation prayer with his very own eyes. Clutching to his chest the King of all kings wrapped in the flesh of a fragile baby, he blessed God and said “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Salvation had come for a people who lived in great darkness. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”, Solomon had said. Finally, after generations of deferred hope, Israel’s prayer for a King was answered and the root of Jesse became a tree of life.

Today, we are still prone to wander, often sipping from broken cisterns instead of drinking deeply of the water of life, but our salvation is at hand and that is cause for hope. The King is coming! Even now as all of creation groans, longing for deliverance at the final consummation, we have a peace that knows no end because Jesus Christ - our perfect prophet, priest and king - has delivered the blow of death to our ancient enemy and crushed Satan beneath his heel.

Our King has come! Our King is coming! “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!” Come quickly Lord Jesus!

-Natalie Runyon

Start With Peace

Today we start the season of Advent. We are approaching the end of a year like no other. As I look at the passage of scripture for this week from Psalm 122, I can’t help but notice the word peace.

‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

    “May those who love you be secure. 

May there be peace within your walls

    and security within your citadels.” 

For the sake of my family and friends,

    I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

    I will seek your prosperity.’

I’ve had many holiday seasons that were anything but peaceful. Filled schedules, shopping, gatherings, food preparation, programs, expectations, gifts, travel, etc. And I’ve had holiday seasons where peace ruled the whole season. There is a huge difference.

How might you start your holiday season with a mindset of peace this year? What things can you say no to? Where can you simplify? What really even matters? What expectations need to be thrown out? What excess needs to be cut?

The older I get, the more I realize the beauty of slowing things down. I used to think multitasking was something to value and I admit there are times when you have no other choice. But you might be surprised how much gets done and how much more enjoyable it is to stay focused on one thing instead.

This week you and I will set the tone for the whole season. Each of us has more choices than we realize. How will you and your family celebrate this holiday season?

Peace to you,

Ruth

Give Thanks

I will give thanks to you forever! (Psalm 30:12b)

Thanksgiving is next week.  This Thanksgiving will look different for most people.  A worldwide pandemic means smaller gatherings and social distancing.  2020 is an unusually difficult year and yet we need gratitude at least as much if not more now than ever.

A popular tradition many families have at Thanksgiving is going around the table and listing things they are thankful for.  I am blessed by this every time I do it.  Jeff Maynard led an elder meeting this past Monday night and we were able to go around the table 5 times and list 5 things we were thankful for.  Jeff noticed that as we continued to share blessings our faces changed - more smiles, less stress, more peace.  David makes a list of things he is thankful for in Psalm 30 and he highlights things only the LORD can do:

1. YOU have drawn me up

2. YOU have healed me

3. YOU restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit

4. YOUR anger is but for a moment

5. YOUR favor is for a lifetime

6. YOU have turned my mourning into dancing

7. YOU have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness 

May we be a people this Thanksgiving who give thanks for ALL the things the LORD has done to save, forgive, heal, restore and set us free.  May reflecting on ALL HE HAS DONE cause our hearts to fill with genuine gratitude.

Thankful for all of you,

Steven

P.S.  I also want to share how thankful we are for ALL OF YOU.  As elders we are amazed and awestruck that God in His grace would give us the gift of being part of such an amazing church family.  We love you all and we miss you!

The Voice of the LORD

As I write this reflection, a severe thunderstorm warning is in effect.  My mind races back to leap day of 2012, when my extended family’s hometown of Harrisburg was hit by a major tornado. It was a deadly storm that came in the middle of the night while people were asleep in their beds.  We already lived in Alton at the time but I went to Harrisburg a few days afterwards with another firefighter from the AFD to help with the clean-up.  The effects of the storm were awesome as signs of its power were all over the place.  Debris scattered everywhere as homes and businesses were ravaged with many sites laid barren from its devastating power.  Even though the storm’s destruction made national headlines, many won’t remember as time goes on.  Those who were touched by it and lived through its aftermath won’t soon forget.   Dear people lost their physical lives and are still missed by many of us today.  While the town eventually recovered and rebuilt, it was shook in a massive way by that storm.  Moments like that remind people of the things that truly matter most in life. 

In Psalm 29, David uses the imagery of a storm to describe the voice of the LORD.  A storm is a powerful image when you think of what it can do.  David says that the LORD is greater than a storm with unmatched power.  His authority is eternal and over all things.  All of His means and ends are glorious.  David says these things should cause the LORD’s people to ascribe Him glory and give them strength and peace. 

Strength and peace are some of the last things on my mind when a storm is about.  Storms have the power to make me downright humbled and scared.  The storms of life don’t have to be weather related.  Each of us face things that will shake us to our core and cause a flood of anxiety.  The voice of the LORD is paramount and more awesome. The voice of the LORD has the power to restore our faith and encourage us in the midst of fear.  The voice of the LORD reminds us that eternal security with Christ Jesus is greater than any physical catastrophe we may encounter.  The voice of the LORD reminds us of the things that truly matter most.  

In Mark 4, we see Jesus was with His disciples in the midst of a storm.  The disciples were afraid of drowning.  When they saw Jesus sleeping, they awoke Him questioning why He wasn’t afraid for them.  In that moment, Jesus spoke three words – “Peace, Be still!”  Do you know what happened next?  The storm obeyed His voice.  The disciples were so amazed by this that they no longer feared the wind and waves but instead were terrified in the presence of the One who could speak such things that even the storm obeyed Him.  Wow!  The disciples had so much more to experience with Jesus before they would know just how much the LORD over that storm loved each of them so dearly.  They would need to witness Jesus’ death, resurrection, and the power of His Spirit before they themselves could truly live those three words as the storm did.            

As powerful as a storm can prove to be, how much greater is the LORD over the storms!  His voice thunders with power and majesty.  His voice speaks peace in the appearance of chaos.  The voice of the LORD is like a flashing light and shaking sifter that guides us to know and enjoy Him.  His voice has eternal restorative consequences.  Right now, we can find strength and peace in the LORD because Jesus makes good on His words of peace and His perfect love drives out all fear.  May the voice of the LORD storm our hearts in this moment blessing us with His strength and peace!  May we be still and know that He is God!  At the sheer thought of Him, may our hearts scream “Glory!”  Jesus is the King of Glory forever!

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

He Will Carry His People

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, there were a couple of pieces of artwork that were ubiquitous in the homes of Christian families; The Serenity Prayer- cross stitched was best! and a copy of Footprints in the Sand- ours was a greeting card that my Mom framed. I’m reminded of that card anytime we go to Florida because my daughter and husband love to reenact the poem on the beach. As I read Psalm 28 and came to the end of the passage, in my mind, I could see Michael carrying Madeline across the beach.

In Psalm 28 David is in some sort of grave danger. He pleads with God to hear his cries, and juxtaposes how the Lord should respond to him with how He will certainly respond to the wicked. David is humble, hands outstretched, confessing his dependence on God- his rock- and crying out for mercy and help. For the wicked it is not so, neither their hearts nor hands are outstretched to Him. They plot evil against their neighbor, and do not regard the Lord or the works of His hands. Those, David says, the Lord will tear down.

As David continues his song, his spirit is renewed and his heart exults! He knows the Lord is His strength and shield, his defender and helper. God will certainly hear him because He is all of these and more to His people.

God does not turn a deaf ear to our cries. It may at times seem He is silent or far off, but He is near.

Psalm 145:18- “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

Psalm 34:18- “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Even more, He is the strength of His people corporately and He will bless His heritage. Just as He preserved a remnant in Israel, He will preserve His church. The Footprints in the Sand poem told us that when we were strong, God walked with us, and in times we were falling apart, He carried us. It might make for sentimental artwork, but it’s not the picture David paints here. Like a shepherd, God will carry his people. Forever.

Church, we aren’t walking across a figurative beach side by side with Jesus, until things get rough. Historically, things have been and are always going to be difficult for the church. We have a real enemy- yes, as individuals, but also as a collective body. Satan wants to destroy the church, and he is wreaking havoc. We see evidence of it every single day. Yet, we, His bride, are held safe in the arms of our Savior in the midst of the battle. The church is never truly in danger of being lost or destroyed. Christ will have His prize, and we will be carried all the way home by the Father. May we look to Him alone as our saving refuge.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ppl3bFaWQ3o

-Natalie Runyon

Light and Darkness

If you walked around my neighborhood right now, you would notice that a holiday is coming this week. It’s probably the same way in your neighborhood. We don’t all celebrate Halloween the same way. Some of us have pumpkins, colored leaves and fall messages on our porches and some of us have zombies, witches, cemetery tombstones, and a variety of other scary things in our yard. Halloween is one of those holidays that you’re either really into it, or really not. Even in our own home it’s this way. I have one daughter who loves Halloween and all of the scary stuff that goes with it and one daughter already playing Christmas music! I’m in the middle with some mums, pumpkins and fall leaves on display.

In talking with my daughter who enjoys Halloween and reading and watching scary stories she told me just today...they always happen in the dark. Nothing is as scary in the day time, so those kinds of movies usually are all captured in the night. It’s amazing how something as simple as darkness can be scary.

But if you think about it, you know it’s true. I can remember going to bed as a child and how scary my bedroom would suddenly feel...especially under the bed!

Our scripture this week is Psalm 27. It’s a familiar one that has given me comfort many times over the years:

‘The Lord is my light and my salvation—

    whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

    of whom shall I be afraid?’

This week some of us will celebrate scary things, all in good fun. And some of us will take a hard pass and that’s ok too. But take a few moments to think about the Lord as The Light and how that calms your fears.

What are you afraid of right now? We all have fears. It’s human nature. How can you let Jesus turn on the lights in the middle of those fears? Circumstances may not change...but His Presence changes everything.

Trusting that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,

Ruth

Our Perfect Hero

Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in the Bible.  Yet it announces some of the perfect things that we should celebrate about the LORD God.  This psalm describes God’s steadfast love as great and His faithfulness as enduring forever. 

When I was a young boy, I can remember several times when I argued with friends about whose dad could beat up the other.  I never once argued against my own but rather always for him fervently trusting in his ability.  Looking back, I can now see that some of my friend’s dads could’ve been a hand-full, but I had complete confidence in my dad because he had always been my hero when I needed him as a young boy.  How fortunate I was to have that kind of confidence in my earthly father and the security it provided for me as a young boy.  In the years since my childhood, I’ve encountered the stark reality of my dad’s limitations and physical abilities.  While a great man in my life, he is no longer with me.  Yet part of his loving faithful legacy was that he directed my attention to the One who is perfect and never forsakes His own – Jesus.  And for that, I am eternally grateful!    

Psalm 117 is a psalm that might be sung following a Jewish feast such as Passover.  The song was a response to the heroic works of God to deliver His people from their bondage and into a gracious covenant relationship with Him.  It was and is a psalm of confidence in the LORD as the object of His people’s affection.  It was and is still to be a psalm of hope for God’s people as we remember that His steadfast love is great and His faithfulness will never end.  There is no one else like our Great God – great is His steadfast love and His faithfulness endures forever!

Where do you find your spiritual security right now?  My earthly father was a fine man but still just a man with limitations much like my own today.  And yet there was something special about the confidence I was able to have in him that carried me along.  How much more should you and I have confidence in our Great God and Heavenly Father that has shown His extreme love for us by sending His Own Dear Son to rescue us from the curse of sin and give us eternal life with Him.  He is our perfect eternal Hero and Friend.  Today, He invites you to know and trust in Him with complete confidence.  As we grow in Christ, He will reveal His unlimited love and enduring faithfulness.  Let us find our greatest security in His constant love for us!  Let us place our greatest hope in His faithfulness that endures forever!  May our assurance of these things come through Jesus Christ, the guarantor of all God’s promises.

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

Your Days Are Numbered

15,088. I’ve lived 15,088 days. For many of those days there has been at least a moment where I anxiously pondered what day would be my last (or the last for someone I love). I’ve lived with fear about what I could not control. Psalm 139 more than any other passage of scripture feels like the song of my heart. These are the things I need to be reminded of, both to fear God as I should and to fear everything else less than I do.

There is a God. He is not distant or unknown. He is sovereign, and the One who forms and fashions human beings. He is eternal and He has all power and dominion and authority, which I believe is an eloquent way of saying He is in control of all of the things that matter, in every way that matters. This God knows me better than I know myself. He knows the depths of my heart, and what I will say before it is said. There is no where I can go where He will not be present with me. I will never walk through any trial or loss alone. In my pit of despair, He is there.

But the verse I remind myself of when I am afraid of death? “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

My days are numbered.

Our days are numbered!

Our God did not knit us together in our mother’s wombs arbitrarily. He created us for good works- to know Him and make Him known- and He designed each of us uniquely and gifted us in such a way that we would be able to accomplish His will for our lives, and before that...before we took our first breath, God numbered our days and gave us the exact number we would need to complete the good works He has ordained for us. No more, and no less.

Psalm 139 is a song that calls us to live boldly, as we are reminded of how fully we are known, intentionally pursued, deeply loved, and securely held by One who is altogether greater than us. None of us know if we have tomorrow, or fifteen thousand more tomorrows, but God does. Our lives are in His hands. May we live boldly for His glory alone, until the day He leads us home.

-Natalie Runyon

HELP comes from the LORD

Dear Church Family,

2020 has been a challenging, strange, difficult, unusual, unpredictable year.  Psalm 121 is one of my all time favorite Psalms.  We are reminded in this Psalm that the LORD helps us, keeps us, guards us and works for us. 

As we ask the Lord to prepare our hearts for the corporate gathering this Sunday I want to encourage you to click on the link below and take 5 minutes to meditate on our great God who works for us when we need help and we always need His help.

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-works-for-you

May the LORD who helps us and guards us bring you peace!  May we be those who look past the hills to the One who made the hills!  He will not let our foot slip.

In Christ,
Steven Helfrich

This is Where the Healing Begins

Every one of us has things about us, things that we keep hidden and would rather no one else knew. We have fears, that if people really knew some of the things we’ve said, done and thought they would look down on us. It’s human nature. No one wants to be rejected or feel like they don’t belong. So we walk around often hiding from this stuff...repressing it, denying it, whatever gets us through the day or the situation. All the while it eats us up inside, even causes us to have mental and physical health problems.

There is a better way. What if we choose to be honest, honest with ourselves, honest before God, even honest with a few trusted other people in our lives? Most of the time, in our honesty we find...others have stuff too, stuff they feel shame and guilt about. We realize we are not alone and that in confession we can be healed. Everything must come to the light.

That’s what I see in Psalm 51. David’s sin is known, he has been confronted by the prophet Nathan and now he realizes that he can no longer pretend it doesn’t exist. So he pours it all out to God and even records the words for us to be able to read as well. What a blessed relief it must have been to get it all out.

There is something deeply therapeutic about writing out our shame and guilt. Even if we don’t share it with anyone else, just putting the words on paper is a good thing. Sometimes people do this and then burn the paper as a type of ceremony. Whatever works for you is good.

David is pouring all of this out to God and we can do the same. But it also might be helpful to talk with someone face to face in the process of confession. We know our sin. We know our shame. We know what we are trying to hide and run away from. Maybe if we can just stop running long enough, trying to hide it, we can speak it, write it, or pray it and realize healing is waiting.

God knows us. He knows our human condition. He knows we are made of dust and that we are prone to wander. God loves us and doesn’t delight in heaping shame on our heads. He wants us to be free.

As I was studying Psalm 51 today I was thinking about how God might have responded to David’s confession.  I couldn’t help but wonder what came directly after these words poured out of David. What did he feel? What message did He hear from God? I never knew this before, but today as I was reading from various commentaries, I discovered that Psalm 32 is regarded as God’s response to David’s Confession in Psalm 51.

Let these words wash over you from Psalm 32 (The Message translation):

Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be-you get a fresh start, your slate is wiped clean.

Count yourself lucky-God holds nothing against you 

and you’re holding nothing back from him.

When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans.

The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.

Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.”

Suddenly the pressure was gone, my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

These things add up. 

Every one of us needs to pray; 

when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts we’ll be on high ground, untouched.

God’s my island hideaway, keeps danger far from the shore, 

throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

Let me give you some good advice; 

I’m looking you in the eye and giving it to you straight;

“Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to stay on track.”

God-defiers are always in trouble; 

God-affirmers find themselves loved every time they turn around.

Celebrate God. Sing together-everyone! 

All you honest hearts, raise the roof!

That’s blessed relief right there. I pray all of us will search our hearts and experience the healing that can only come when we stop hiding and running and instead bring our whole selves into the open, into the light. This is where the healing begins.

You are not alone,

Ruth

Forgiven

“The past can be like sidewalk chalk if you will dance and pray for rain.” Caedmon’s Call

                What will make you happy?  What will give you joy?  Freedom?  Popularity?  Wealth?  David says forgiveness is the key ingredient in the recipe for happiness.  (See Psalm 32:1-2)

                Forgiveness is described as “removing a burden.”  If forgiveness removes the burden sin and guilt create the burden.  I remember as a child feeling the guilt of doing something wrong.  It was a heavy burden.  Trying to sleep at night was nearly impossible.  I would toss and turn and eventually I would emerge from my bedroom into the living room and ask my mom if I could talk to her.  I could no longer keep silent.  I had to “come clean.”

                Often my confession was about getting in trouble with a teacher at school or losing my temper with a friend.  What I did not know at ten that I now know is when I felt the burden of sin and guilt the Lord’s “hand was heavy upon me.”  He was proving His love for me.  As Spurgeon said, “God does not permit His children to sin successfully.”

                What made me wait so long before confessing my sin?  Fear.  Fear that I would be rejected, abandoned, shamed.  But the more I tried to lift that “heavy burden” the more I realized it was too heavy.  I needed someone else to lift it off my back.  When I was ten that was my mom.  She listened to my confessions and she hugged me.  The hug became a “hiding place.”  It was a “covering.”  The hug was a tangible reality of forgiveness.  I remember the trips back to my bedroom.  I was “lighter.”  I was “walking on air.”  Experiential forgiveness brought genuine happiness.

               I am not ten anymore, but the heavy burden of sin still weighs me down.  It is still too heavy for me to lift alone.  Thankfully, I still toss and turn and eventually “come clean.”  I say along with David, “I will confess my transgression to the LORD” and as I do I feel the hug…the covering.  The only One strong enough to lift my heavy burden comes to my rescue.  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

                What about you?  Are you carrying a heavy burden?  Pay attention to your “tossing and turning.”  Emerge from your hiding and run to the God who will hide you in the covering of Christ.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11)

Forgiven,

Steven 

He Gives His Beloved Sleep

“God, you give your beloved sleep. Please give me sleep. Help me to rest. Help me to trust that even though I don’t know the future, You do, and that’s enough.  Please calm my anxious fears. I know You are good, and that You are sovereign over all Your creation. Give me faith to trust that You will work good from this. You are good, all Your ways are good and You care for me! You ransomed me with the blood of Your Son and made me Your own. You won’t abandon me. God, please help me rest. Please help me sleep. Take my thoughts captive. I need You. I trust You.”

I cannot count the number of nights I have lain awake in my bed, heart racing, mind going a million miles a minute, begging the Lord to give me sleep. There have been nights I stayed up late toiling in vain, fewer mornings I rose early, but so very many sleepless nights when anxiety and fear gripped me and I couldn’t shake myself free of their grasp.

I could tell you that ten years of pregnancy and nursing babies will contribute to sleeplessness, miscarriages and adoptions that didn’t come to fruition, unemployment, depression, illness, loss of loved ones, kids who wander from the Lord, and in a way that would be true. There is a world of fear/grief in all of these things, and sorrow can take us to the point of too little sleep or too much. All of these things also reminded me of my powerlessness, my ultimate lack of control.

Lack of control causes me tremendous anxiety.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, reminds us that apart from God, everything we do is ultimately in vain. We can build nothing, protect nothing, create nothing unless He allows it. We may build apart from Him, but to what avail? What building stands forever? What nation is not eventually conquered? And if we spend our youth toiling to make a name for ourselves, and sacrifice our family on that altar, what good is it?

I recently made a Spotify playlist. I added my favorite worship songs and then listened while I drove. Half a dozen songs in, I noticed a theme. The songs I love most are those that rehearse the faithfulness of the Lord. They are a reminder that even in my humanity, my inability, my life is held by a God who is forever faithful. And He has been so faithful to me! I can sleep, because whatever He calls me to build, and whatever the outcome, those matters are in His hands.

Psalm 127 shows us two things; the foolishness of thinking we have control of anything apart from God, and the foolishness of being afraid to go where He leads.

What are you “building” in vain?

What is He calling you to do for His glory and the sake of His name and kingdom?

He is faithful! Will you trust Him?

-Natalie Runyon