Revitalize Your Church

Each step I take my Savior goes before me,  And with His loving hand He leads the way.  And with each breath I whisper, I adore Thee; O what joy to walk with Him each day. At times I feel my faith begin to waver,  When up ahead I see a chasm wide.  It's then I turn and look up to my Savior,  I am strong when He is by my side. Each step I take, I know that He will guide me;  To higher ground He ever leads me on. Until someday the last step will be taken.  Each step I take just leads me closer Home. I trust in God, no matter come what may,  For life eternal is in His hand, He holds the key that opens up the way. That will lead me to the promised land. -- Elmo Mercer

During the influenza pandemic of 1918 when public gatherings were prohibited, Rev. Homer Cox penned and distributed the sermon: Contrary Winds , based on Matthew 14:22-24 (KJV):  And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. Cox said: The hungering multitudes have been bountifully fed and sent to their homes in the surrounding villages the disciples have embarked for their voyage across the sea; and, as was His custom after a trying day of toil, or before a day of great responsibility, the Saviour has composed His soul in the solitudes of the mountain alone in prayer. Rapt in holy converse with His heavenly Father, the first three watches of the night h...

 One day, after making a hospital visit in Duluth, Minnesota, I was drawn by the spire of the old First Presbyterian Church. A kind secretary opened up the sanctuary for me to sit and pray for a while.  Gazing around, my eyes fell upon a beautiful stained glass window. It was the picture of a gravestone with dark purple and black hues overshadowing it. But at the top of the window, squarely in the center of a black night, shone a bright golden star -- which seemed to exude hope and light. The star was the focal point of the window.  At the bottom, the following words were inscribed: In memory of Sarah Agnes Graff  1853-1889  Build a little fence of trust around today.  Fill the space with loving work and therein stay.  Look not through the sheltering bars upon tomorrow.  God will help thee bear whatever comes, of joy or sorrow. I wondered what the story was behind Sarah Agnes Graff -- who passed into eternity at the ten...

    As children bring their broken toys   With tears for us to mend,   I brought my broken dreams to God   Because He was my friend.   But then instead of leaving Him   In peace to work alone,   I hung around and tried to help   With ways that were my own.    At last I snatched them back and cried,   "How could you be so slow"   "My child," He said, "What could I do?   You never did let go."   - Author Unknown

I referred to the following experience in my book, Filled Up, Poured Out: How God's Spirit Can Revive Your Passion and Purpose.  It holds deep meaning for me.  One day, after making a hospital visit in Duluth, Minnesota, I was drawn by the spire of the old First Presbyterian Church. A kind secretary opened up the sanctuary for me to sit and pray for a while.  Gazing around, my eyes fell upon a beautiful stained glass window. It was the picture of a gravestone with dark purple and black hues overshadowing it. But at the top of the window, squarely in the center of a black night, shone a bright golden star -- which seemed to exude hope and light. The star was the focal point of the window.  At the bottom, the following words were inscribed: In memory of Sarah Agnes Graff  1853-1889  Build a little fence of trust around today.  Fill the space with loving work and therein stay.  Look not through the sheltering bars upon tomorrow...

It was dinner time, and the crowd of 5000 who came  to  hear Jesus was getting hungry and cranky.    Jesus turned  to  Philip, one of his disciples, and asked, "Where will we find food for all these people?"  There was certainly no McDonald's within sight and no pizza delivery.   Philip froze, like a deer in the headlights.  "Uh, I don't have a clue.  Feeding this crowd would cost more than I make in a whole year!"  Andrew, another disciple, found a little boy who had a small lunch:  five loaves and two fish.  He brought the meager morsels  to  Jesus, and said, "This is all we've got."  When he gave the lunch Jesus, a great miracle occurred!    Jesus took the lunch, blessed it, broke it, multiplied it and gave it  to  the people.  It was absolutely unbelievable!  Everybody ate and there were 12 baskets of leftovers!  I can relate  to  t...

“The great spiritual task facing me is to so fully trust that I belong to God that I can be free in the world–free to speak even when my words are not received; free to act even when my actions are criticized, ridiculed, or considered useless…. I am convinced that I will truly be able to love the world when I fully believe that I am loved far beyond its boundaries.” -- Henri Nouwen "Don't wrestle -- just nestle." -- Corrie Ten Boom

Whatever you're stewing over isn't worth the stomach knot. I t's not worth the knot! I've found, from personal experience, that worrying doesn't help matters one bit. It just makes the burden heavier. We all know we shouldn't worry -- but circumstances beyond our control set us off. Anxiety is toxic waste oozing through our mind and body. It's contagious too. You can get a whole room full of people to start fretting with just a few negative fearful words. The crazy thing is -- most of the stuff we worry about never happens. And that's a fact. The other day, I came across my worry file. Several years ago, as I was trying to quit the worry habit, I would write my worries down and place them in my file. Now -- over a decade later, I've unearthed my pile of worries. Guess what. Of the dozen or so worries I had placed in the file, NOT ONE OF THEM happened!! I had spent restless nights, and hours of inner churning for nothing!! One wise guy figured it o...

A nine year old boy was given a full grown St. Bernard for Christmas. Viewing his present with extreme delight and wonder, he exclaimed, “Wow!!! That’s great!!! But is he mine – or am I his?” Now, that’s a great question for every Christian: Is Jesus mine – or am I His? The answer ought to be “Yes!” It is certainly a wonderful fact that Christ is a friend like no other. He meets our needs. He satisfies our deepest longings. He is a present help in the hour of trouble. He is the one who steps in when the rest of the world steps out. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! He is my Savior, my Deliverer, my Joy, and my Strength! We must never forget, however, who we are and who God is. We don’t “own” Him. George Barna, conducting recent research of American evangelical churches concluded that there is a deep-rooted self centeredness at the core of our religious expressions. A “consumer mind set” prevails across the board – “I’m involved with church for what I get out of it.” What’s...

The settled happiness and security which all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world; but,joy, pleasure, and merriment, He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe but we have plenty of fun and some ecstacy. It is not hard to see why. The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and pose an obstacle to our return to God;a few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with our friends, a bath or a football match, have no such tendency. Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns but will not encourage us to mistake them for home. -- C. S. Lewis

We used this video during our Christmas Eve services

A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord, A wonderful Savior to me. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, Where rivers of pleasure I see. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, That shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depth of His love, And covers me there with His hand . -- Fanny Crosby

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ''Thy will be done,'' and those to whom God says, ''All right, then, have it your way.'' -- C. S. Lewis (Found this great quote on a facebook status from my son, Wes.)

This is an absolutely beautiful song: You Tube Video here (Lyrics by Andy Park, Vineyard Music) I will praise You Lord my God Even in my brokenness I will praise You Lord I will praise You Lord my God Even in my desperation I will praise You Lord And I can't understand All that You allow I just can't see the reason But my life is in Your hands And though I cannot see You I choose to trust You Even when my heart is torn I will praise (trust) You Lord Even when I feel deserted I will praise (trust) You Lord Even in my darkest valley I will praise (trust) You Lord And when my world is shattered and it seems all hope is gone Yet I will praise You Lord I will trust You Lord my God Even in my loneliness I will trust You Lord I will trust You Lord my God Even when I cannot hear You I will trust You Lord And I will not forget That You hung on a cross Lord You bled and died for me And if I have to suffer I know that You've been there And I know that You're here now

I always get a headache when I try to fight today's battles with tomorrow's strength. -- Johnny Hunt (via Steven Furtick )

Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you. ~ Fenelon O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me! Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore! How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore! How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best! ’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me; And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

With God, the most of mosts is lighter than nothing, and without Him the least of leasts is heavier than any burden. ~ One of the ladies of the Scottish Covenant

The recent financial crisis on Wall Street has caused more than its share of alarm. In fact, recent polls have shown that over 80 percent of Americans are experiencing tremendous anxiety concerning our economy. It’s hard not to worry when your investments go down the tube. This has certainly been a stressful season. Just last week, however, a sales clerk gave me a dollar in change. I happened to notice the little inspiring message on the back: “In God We Trust.” Did you realize that your money is a faith statement? There it is in plain sight. In God we trust! Using money is like passing out little gospel pamphlets: In God We Trust! In God We Trust! In God We Trust! Your wallet’s full of ‘em! Buy a Dilly Bar at Dairy Queen, and you’re telling the clerk to trust the Lord! How ironic! We have such a hard time trusting God with our money, when all along our money is telling us that’s exactly what we should do! It is far better to trust in God than in possessions. Jesus said you cannot ser...

A sign my Dad had on his desk: The Lord Never Panics Another thought: Instead of staying awake tossing and turning, hand the situation over to the Lord. He will be up all night anyway.

My friend, Jim, sent me this e-mail today: Pastor Mark, This Sunday please spend a few minutes addressing the financial disaster that some families have faced the past 2 weeks.......Please remind them: 1) Jesus knows just where they are at. 2) Jesus will meet all their needs. 3) This world is only temporary, the kingdom is eternal.