Hello everyone,

This Sunday I am starting a new series on Sunday morning and I would like your input. I am looking at some of the myths that Christians tend to believe.

Such as:

God spares Christians from having major setbacks or defeats; If we do it must be our own fault.

Or: Christians who love God never go through deep personal pains or dark valleys; we should always have joy

Or: Obedience to God is always rewarded with physical blessings, i.e. a job, a nice house, money in the bank.

Or: Christian morality is old fashion; God is not that concerned with my actions, He really just wants my heart devotion.

These are just a few of the myths that many Christians believe to be true.

Do you have one to add to my list? I want to spend about 6 weeks in this series, so I’m looking for a few more myths to investigate. I would love your thoughts…

Have a great day.

Phil

In the last 15 months it seems like planet earth has been throwing a fit. ‘Mother Nature’ must be experiencing the flu and, when ill, is not a happy camper. If we forget about all the natural disasters that have taken place around the globe prior to Dec. 31, 2009, we would still fill volumes with disasters that have happened since.

From January 1, 2010 to today there have been literally dozens of natural disasters around the world; one website listed 31 pages of disasters in 2010 alone. We saw volcanoes erupting in Indonesia and Iceland; 28 major earthquakes in the last 15 months, most notably in Chile, Haiti, and now Japan; major mudslides in China and Uganda killing over a thousand people as they slept; avalanches in Pakistan and Afghanistan; not to mention droughts, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, and typhoons. Our planet is in an upheaval. All of these events have occurred in the last 455 days! Unprecedented events.

During this same period of time we have also witnessed major unrest among people groups. Starting with Egypt and now spreading to several Arab countries we see civilians say, ‘enough is enough’. Public demonstrations have become a daily occurrence. These protests are not focused on one particular governmental action but on simply being fed-up with being controlled and dominated by corrupt régimes hiding behind the safety of religious pretense and bully tactics. Whole populations are scanning the internet and learning about freedom and personal liberty, and are now demanding these freedoms for themselves. More unprecedented events.

What does all this mean? Is there any collective rhyme or reason to it all? Are these unprecedented events arbitrary actions or are they somehow all related? Today I was reading in Matthew 24 and was struck by the words of Jesus Himself:

6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

The events Jesus mentions sounds so familiar to what is being broadcast today. Let’s summarize His main point… when all these natural disasters take place, and when we see people groups rising up against other groups, it is NOT the end, but the beginning of the end. In other words, the return of our Lord is getting close at hand. It may not be today, but we won’t be attending too many more New Years Eve parties.

Jesus makes it clear that ‘these things need to take place’ before He returns. Why would these things need to take place? Does Jesus mean that He wants to find our planet in chaos when He arrives? That sounds a little twisted. Maybe He means something else. Perhaps Jesus wants to warn us of His imminent return. Perhaps He is kind enough to show signs that His arrival is just around the corner. He does not want us to be caught off guard when He descends on the clouds. This would be an act of kindness, an act of love. I’m not saying all the tragedies are an act of love; but telling us that they will become more frequent just before His return should wake us from our slumber. They should prepare us for the trumpet call, announcing the arrival of our Messiah King. ‘Birth Pangs’ let us know something new is about to be born; a new arrival is quickly coming.

The Bible teaches us that many unprecedented events will take place right before His return; unprecedented natural disasters and unprecedented human uprisings. I believe the facts of recent world events, just the ones over the last 15 months, are strong indicators that we are living in the time of Matthew 24:6-8. If this is true then we have been given a loving warning, just like John the Baptist did, that our Messiah is on His way. It is time to “make His paths straight”, as stated in Matt. 3:3, and prepare our hearts for His arrival. We also need to be witnessing like never before. Jesus’ return will be a glorious day for His elect, but a horrible day for those that do not know Him. Let’s stay focused on the task at hand of living a Godly life, not being caught up in the traps of this world, and let’s be a courageous mouth piece of God’s gift of grace and redemption.

I love being your Pastor. See you on Sunday.
Pastor Phil

This afternoon I’m sitting behind Roy. He is the pastor of a small church in a small town. Today we are at an annual conference we both attend. Roy is now in his sixties and he is winding down his ministry journey. Sitting directly behind him I notice the back of Roy’s head; he appears to be in need of a haircut. I’ve noticed that, as I age, my hairline recedes and hair sprouts from new places elsewhere on my head. I have come to the conclusion that maturing men don’t actually lose their hair; it simply migrates back into the scalp to later reappear in the regions of the ears and nostrils. Roy’s hair seems to have been doing a lot of migrating lately. I suffer from the same fate.

I know Roy because my first year at this retreat I was his roommate. I was randomly placed with Roy in a two-bed room. Roy was in his late forties; me in my late twenties. I was new to this Pastoring thing but had big aspirations. While rooming with Roy for a few days I learned that his ministry was not going well. Being young and wet-behind-the-ears I kind of looked down at Roy. I thought I knew the solutions to his Pastoral struggles. All he needed to do was this or that and things would improve. If I were at his church I could get it to grow.

Today, as I sit behind him, I’m reminded of the words he has shared over the last few years as we’ve prayed together at this retreat. In fact his words have been difficult to get out of my mind. For the last two years, when I have spoken with him, he has declared with a sense of sadness, ‘I’m asking God to show me where I’ve made a difference.’ After all these years in ministry he is wondering if there is any fruit for his toil and faithfulness. Can you sense the sorrow in those words? ‘Have I made a difference?’ ‘Where is the evidence of my toil and labor?’ My heart aches because I don’t seem to have any real answers to his deep questions.

I’m reminded or Hebrews 6:10; ‘For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.’ Read this verse again slowly… God will not forget your work and love shown… What a wonderful promise. What a wonderful Lord. The work we do in His name and for His people, and the love continue to show them, will NEVER be forgotten by our God. He will record them in His book. He will reward His servants for their faithfulness. God never forgets.

Over the years I have come to admire Roy. He is a gentle and faithful Pastor. His church is lucky to have him. I believe God is going to richly reward Roy for his acts of love to the saints in his church. I too have experienced both ups and downs in my vocation as a Pastor; some are a result of my choices, some the result of the choices of others. The downs are difficult and the ups are fulfilling. But God is not a forgetful being. His memory is long and detailed. His rewards are generous. I want to emulate Roy’s faithfulness.

Maybe you’ve been serving God faithfully; You’ve been a faithful spouse or parent; maybe a faithful employee or boss; maybe a faithful friend or neighbor. You’ve been hanging in there for His glory and kingdom. Maybe today, like Roy, you’re wondering when the good stuff will become evident, when will the fruit be revealed? Honestly, I don’t have an answer to that question. But I know for a fact that God is watching your good works and He notices the love you’re showing. He has a keen eye and a sharp pencil with which to record all your good works.

Hang tough, keep fighting the good fight. Keep loving; keep working and serving. For our God never forgets. He sees Roy. He sees way beyond haircuts and whiskers. He sees Roy’s labor of love to his people. And God Never Forgets!

I love being your Pastor! See you on Sunday.
Pastor Phil

Today, as I sit at my desk, I have a huge grin on my face, my heart is full of joy, my shirt buttons are popping off due to how proud I feel (not how stuffed I am), and there is almost a tear in my eye! I am reading the report of how our congregation gave back this holiday season, how we shared the Lord of Jesus to our community and to one another.

Some shared His love through acts of service by volunteering, some by giving gifts to others in need, and some by sharing their hard earned cash to help a stranger or brother in Christ.

Here are a few of the statistics I’m looking at:
• Christmas Desserts – Over 80 people in the cast and crew… 45 volunteers helped to serve… 1000 people attended, many hearts were changed!

• Dozens of gifts were purchased off our Snowflake Tree… these gifts go to Placer County Children’s Receiving Home.

As your Pastor I’m so proud. You are such a generous congregation. Giving of your time, talents, and resources has really made a difference this year. Thanks you, thank you, thank you! God does not forget these actions (Heb. 6:10) and when you see Him face-to-face He will reward you for your kindness.

I truly mean it when I say ‘I love being your Pastor’

See you on Sunday.
Pastor Phil