NEW SERIES: PART TWO : "I WILL" GIVE YOU DIRECTION

I WILL GIVE YOU DIRECTION

Psalm 32:1-11;

               There are thirteen teaching Psalms and they are Psalms of David called ‘Maskil’.              Maskil means that it is a teaching Psalm. Psalm 32: is one of them. Because David had gained some very good insight he felt the need to share what he had learned with others. The Psalm was sung and probably so to encourage those around and within earshot to listen to it because of its importance. His hope was for them to be instructed by it. David learned about failure in his life, and in hopes that others will not walk away from God or quit in failure, he instructs them to turn to God when they fail and to not give up.  It is one thing to fail, it is another thing to quit! God wants us to turn to Him in our failures and the sooner the better.

               Christ paid a heavy price for our redemption and having done so He doesn't want us to turn away from Him, but to turn to Him. It behooves us to not make His sacrifice for our sins of no worth! It reminds me of the famous story about Thomas Watson, CEO of IBM. When a vice president of IBM came up with an idea to set up a separate division, he was given permission to do so and promptly lost ten million dollars. The man with the idea was devastated and so he went in to the CEO, Mr. Watson and said because of his mistake, he was resigning. The CEO, Mr. Thomas Watson asked why he was resigning and the vice president said, "Because this thing was such a miserable failure."  Thomas Watson is reported to have answered his vice president this way, "You're not resigning now! Not after I just spent ten million dollars on your education."

               The wise man or woman will come to God in true repentance when they fail. And when they do come in true repentance, there they will find God's forgiveness and healing hand.  Those who are rebellious however, will only find misery and pain. I think it is wise to take God's instructions and be ‘happy’!

               David starts off this Psalm by expressing the absolute joy of being forgiven!  The word translated here ‘blessed’ in Hebrew is plural and means more than just happiness. It is ‘Oh, how very happy’ and if you look at Psalm 1: verse 1; you will also find it is that very same blessed or how very happy. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly” or “. . . How very Happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.” This is talking about exuberant joy and the forgiven sinner is the happiest person on earth! This kind of happiness is found only in those whose sins are forgiven and ‘covered’ and that does not mean hidden either, it means removed! It is also note worthy that David states that this joy comes to those ‘in whose spirit is no deceit’. This means those who will be honest with self and with God and not try to rationalize their sins or minimize them can find real happiness. We must take sin seriously and realize that God paid a high price in order for us to find forgiveness. We need to appreciate what God has done by taking sin and His forgiveness seriously. I read about a man who risked his life by swimming through the treacherous rip tide on the seashore to save a youngster from being swept out to sea. After the child recovered from the harrowing experience, he thanked the man for his act of sacrifice. The man responded to the boy's thanks by saying, "that's okay son, Just make sure your life was worth saving."

               The man or woman who deals with their sin quickly and honestly is a happy man or woman because they will find a God who desires to restore and heal their lives!  David now describes life when he attempted to hide his sins from God and others:  It was not pleasant. He actually became physically ill as well as emotionally ill. Guilt does tremendous damage to our hearts and minds. Un-forgiven sin and hidden sin in our life can really drag us down!

               The story is told about a large eagle that was shot by a hunter in the Alleghenies. When he examined the bird, he was amazed to find that one of its claws was held firmly in a strong steel trap from which dangled a 5-foot chain. Although it was not heavy enough to prevent the eagle from flying, the additional weight had wearied the eagle and brought it down within reach of the man’s rifle.

               So, too, the Christian can be entrapped and brought low spiritually by encumbrances and sin which make him incapable of rising to the heights he might otherwise attain. It may be that God brought physical ailments to David to get his attention and wake him up to his sin. It was this pain that finally made David cry out to God. 

               Sometimes when we think God is punishing us, He is actually loving us and working to move us toward Him, not away from Him. David acknowledges in his weakened state that he could not continue on without forgiveness, and he could not continue to hide his sin.  Un-confessed sin can make us an easy target of Satan's schemes to destroy us. David's turning point from brokenness and weakness came when he chose to repent and not hide his sin anymore!  God cannot help us when we fail to acknowledge our sins. Too many refuse to confess and acknowledge their weakness until it is too late.

               Some people think it is too hard to live for Christ, to have sins forgiven, but the truth is it is much harder not living for God! He longs to restore his people and make them whole. It violates human understanding. But that's God. In Virtue David certainly recognized that confessing his sins was far less a weight than holding on to them! Even today psychology tells us the importance of honesty and forgiveness for mental and physical health. Our society is experiencing the ravages of un-confessed sin. Instead of seeking forgiveness we seek distraction and thus the guilt remains with all its effects on our life. Distraction may temporarily shield us from the guilt, but it will still have an impact on us. We can't be distracted forever! Some hope that by keeping themselves distracted they won't think about what they have done wrong, but it won't go away unless forgiven! David understood that the Lord will forgive him if he came openly and honestly. God will forgive the guilt of his sins. Notice that David says God forgives the ‘guilt’, not the ‘guilty feelings’, these are often what we need to deal with. After God has forgiven us, we need to forgive ourselves also and then dealing with the guilt feelings, even with this God will help.        God holds out the promise that when we come sincerely and openly He will forgive! The time to repent is now, not later. Why wait to experience God's love, and besides, how do you know there will be a chance later anyway? The story is told of a famous rabbi who was walking with some of his disciples when one of them asked, "Rabbi, when should a man repent?" The rabbi calmly replied, "You should be sure you repent on the last day of your life."  "But," protested several of his disciples, "we can never be sure which day will be the last day of our life." The famous rabbi smiled and said, "The answer to that problem is very simple.” “Repent now."

               The reward of repentance is to be restored to godliness so why wait! There have been those who thought they could always ask at a later time that never got that opportunity. Today is the day of salvation; do not harden your heart as Israel had done in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:7-8; Rather than hide our sins, we need God to be our ‘hiding place’ Psalm 32:7; the place of refuge and help. For those who make God their ‘hiding place’ the storms of life will not overwhelm them, God will protect their hearts and minds. David now expresses God's desire to instruct us in avoiding the ravages of sin. He himself would serve as the example in this case. He had learned the hard way even though he knew the Word of God. He chose to ignore it, and the price tag he paid was high! How tragic that so many Christians will do this too. They know the Word of God but choose to ignore it and then are full of wonder and brokenness when the results come!

               The folly of human nature is neatly summed up by the case of the middle-aged school teacher who invested her life savings in a business enterprise which had been elaborately explained to her by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and the wonderful dream was shattered, she went to the office of the Better Business Bureau. "Why on earth," they asked, "didn't you come to us first? Didn't you know about the Better Business Bureau?" "Oh, yes," said the lady sadly, "I've always known about you. But I didn't come because I was afraid you'd tell me not to do it." The fool only learns from his own mistakes, the wise person learns from the mistakes of others and not just his own! Unfortunately David learned the hard way, with a heavy price tag; sometimes these price tags are very high!

               The stubborn man or woman who chooses not to repent is the fool, like the horse which runs ahead too fast, or the mule that lags behind. Mules and horses don't take counsel; they are led by bit and bridle because they are stubborn!

               As Psalm 32:10; says here, ‘Many are the woes of the wicked....But...the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him.’ What a contrast!  Why stay with unrepentant sin?  Why live with guilt that eats away your heart, mind, and body?  Why not experience ‘exuberant happiness’ like David starts this Psalm out with, the joy of the forgiven!?

               Those who turn toward God and have their sins forgiven are those who enjoy a happiness the world cannot know! Those who fail to come to God His way however will never achieve the goal of real happiness, even if they seem to run in this life better and faster.

               In the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Ben Johnson of Canada won the one-hundred-meter dash, setting a new Olympic record and a new world record. The American contender, Carl Lewis, came in second, and most were shocked that he hadn't won the gold. After the race, the judges learned that Johnson had had an illegal substance in his body. He ran the race illegally, so the judges took away his medal. Even though he ran faster and made an unforgettable impression, he did not deserve the reward. Though the world and even our fellow Christians may be impressed with and applaud our deeds, let's not forget that God is the final judge! He searches our hearts; He alone knows our motivation. And He will be the One to say, "This deserves a reward, ah, but that does not."

               Rejoicing and freedom from guilt is the fruit of the forgiven. God's peace rules their hearts. Do you know that peace today? You can know this ‘exuberant happiness’ and freedom from guilt by confessing your sins to Christ. Today would be the best day to do it I would think! Like a good parent, God will instruct us how to be His children. Like children, this can include painful lessons, but the long term fruit will be righteousness. We can respond like the horse that always runs ahead or like the mule that lags behind, or, we can learn from His Word and enjoy a happiness beyond being ‘blessed’!

               Look at the message of Psalm 1: it sums it up for us. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.  Psalm 1:1-6;    Pastor Coutts

NEW SERIES: PART ONE : "I WILL" BUILD MY CHURCH

This is the beginning of the little series I promised you a few days ago. I trust it will bless you and you can use it in your daily life or you can share it in a Bible Study, Sermon or whatever you wish. God promised many things and when God makes a promise and says, "I Will" you can trust Him at His Word. Enjoy and please give me your feedback, good bad or indifferent, I welcome all. Just keep your words sweet, because if you do not, someday you may need to eat them and they may not taste as good the second trip around. If you do not know Christ as your Savior, I invite you today to accept Him and invite Him into your heart. He will make a difference and you will spend eternity with Him. Let me know, and I will pray for and with you. Now, here is the first installment in the series, "I WILL", enjoy. Pastor Coutts

I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH

Matthew 16:13-28;

The world does not have a high opinion of the Church for the most part. Let me read for you something I read a while ago which really states for me the world’s sentiment concerning us as Christians. This is what I read . . . “The Christian Communications Laboratory relates the story of a small Midwestern weekly paper which ran a story saying, "We are pleased to announce that the hurricane which blew away the Methodist church last Friday did no real damage to the town."  Kind of scary isn’t it! That’s the style of reporting we get today.  One writer said, “Maybe our failure today is not that we kill the King's Son or practice violence and bloodshed so much as our being irrelevant and without impact.” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 448.)

               Unfortunately, today there are a lot of Christians who do not take a different view than those we have just quoted. Christ went to the cross for His church and the marching orders He gave did not change.  There is nothing in His final comments about Church programs, and nothing about Worship styles. There is nothing about liturgy; in fact, His final comments to His believers were in one area alone. He said, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel..."! Mark 16:15; This was His directive and it was meant solely to build His Church!  In some parts of the world this directive is not happening much anymore...consider the following:

 “France has twice as many Muslims as Protestants. * There are more spiritist healers in Paris than medical doctors, priests and pastors combined.  * Europe is the only continent where the church is growing more slowly than the population.  (Servant Magazine, May/June 1989).  

               The Bible teaches us that the Church is to be a triumphant power on Earth, not even the gates of Hell can destroy it, only apathy, unbelief and disobedience can hurt it! When Jesus and His disciples arrived in a less populated and quieter area He decided to ask them what the general views about Him were.  He asks the Disciples to respond with what they were hearing on their travels about how Jesus was viewed by the crowds. The reason He asked them was because He was nearing the end of His earthly ministry and the focus was on what people were thinking and saying.

               Their responses fell basically into three camps and reflected the prevailing opinions about Jesus of that day. Some thought that Jesus was John the Baptist....presumably resurrected from the dead! Others that Jesus was Elijah the prophet, and some even thought that Jesus was Jeremiah or one of the other prophets of old.  It is true that Jesus did have some similarities with these three, but He is not one of them! Many were not willing to concede that He was unique even though they were willing to concede that He was unusual! Strange as it seems they were willing to believe that He may be some person from the past returned but they were not willing to confront the possibility that He is not history as history goes, but that He is the present and the future! Too many people today are willing to give Jesus an unusual place in history. But in the same vein, they are not willing to face the God of the present and the future that is in Christ now!

               The people of Jesus' day were trapped by their religious activity because they had lost the focus and power of their faith. That is because the focus of their power and faith only focused on keeping the institution alive, rather than His being alive and this can happen today to! Rick Warren said, Many churches are driven by finances. The question in the forefront of every one's mind in a finance driven church is, "How much will it cost?" Nothing else ever seems quite as important. Finances are foremost.  The most heated debate in a finance driven church is always over the budget. While good stewardship and cash flow are essential for a healthy church, finances must never be the controlling issue. The greater issue is: "What does God want us to do?"  We do not exist to make a profit. The bottom line in the church is not: "How much did we save?" but "Who was saved?"  I've noticed that many churches are driven by faith in their early years and driven by finances in later years. (Rick Warren, Evangelism for a Changing World, (Shaw, 1995), p. 5.)

                Ultimately, it is not how someone else answers the question He poses that will get us into heaven, it is how we answer it ourselves! This is where we see an intelligent Peter because Peter shines here. He answers the question correctly. He says that Jesus is the eternal son of God and his correct response nets him a very positive response by Jesus! Here Jesus blesses Peter and says that on the confession he just made, He (Jesus), will build His Church and the very gates of Hell will not prevail against it! I want to make a clear point here. What Jesus does here is to make a play on Peter's name. We need to go to the Greek language to understand. In Greek, Peter’s name is, ‘Petros’. Petros literally means ‘Rock’, and Jesus says, "Upon this Rock (Petra) I will build my Church". Matthew 16;18;. Here is a bit of insight to this language. Jesus' uses the feminine form of the word Rock in this second use of the term. This indicates that he is speaking about the confession Peter made and not Peter himself.

               Wow! This is the main confession of the Church: that Jesus is the Son of God! This is what we are to tell the world! This is what we are to believe! This is the foundation of the Church, and this is what the Church will be built on. It will not be built on money, programs or styles. It is going to be built upon the person of Jesus Christ!

               The question is, are we professing this? Jesus promises them the "keys" of the kingdom, What would be the purpose? To do what? Simple. To bind what has been bound by God in Heaven and on earth and to loose what has been loosed by God in Heaven and on earth. This is not an indiscriminate power on our part to determine what can be bound and loosed, it is the power to announce what God has said is bound and loosed, the passive tense in the Greek make this clear. We don't walk around just "binding & loosing" whatever we feel like "binding and loosing". No! We educate ourselves and we learn what God has bound and loosed and announce it as so! But this requires knowledge of God's will and  God’s Word! It also demonstrates that we the Church have a spiritual power! There is no force, not even Hell that can destroy what God has declared He will build! I was reading an article from a Canadian magazine that was dealing with Hitler’s use of the swastika. They made this statement. In the end, if Hitler’s  National Reich Church had ever been established, the swastika would have replaced the cross. Point 30 of the proposed National Reich Church's 30 point program, drawn up during the war, reads like this, ‘On the day of its foundation, the Christian cross must be removed from all churches, cathedrals, and chapels, It must be superseded by the only unconquerable symbol, the swastika’.

               Well, we all know that History is the commentary on the foolishness of Hitler's dreams and on the futility of anyone who would endeavor to destroy the Church of Christ. All attempts to fight God's will,  will fail, and there are many who have found that out. Remember The emperor Diocletian. He set up a stone pillar on which was inscribed these words:“For Having Exterminated The Name Christian From the Earth.” If he could see that monument today, how embarrassed he would be!  Another Roman leader made a coffin, symbolizing his intention "to bury the Galilean" by killing His followers. He soon learned that he could not "put the Master in it".  He finally surrendered his heart to the Savior, realizing that the corporate body of Christ and its living Head, the Lord Jesus, cannot be destroyed by the onslaught of mortal men!

               Since Christ will ultimately conquer, why not join Him rather that reject Him! So now Jesus begins to tell the disciples the cost that would be involved for their spiritual life to become a reality. He tells them He would have to suffer and die for them and that building the Church would not necessarily involve ease or comfort! I think that too often today we have lost the reality of being a Christian. We look for things to excuse ourselves from commitment. If the pews are not comfortable, or the sanctuary temperature is not just right, or if the service is not short enough, and the requests for tithes are not kept to a minimum, then we will hold back from being a part of the Church!

               We need to realize that the Church is not just another marketing institution. It is a vital living entity that is the body of Christ! Gene Veith said, The early church was not market driven and It did not make Christianity particularly user friendly. Converts had to go through extensive, lengthy catechesis and examination before they were accepted for baptism. And the biggest hindrance to becoming a member was the fact that in those days, if you became a Christian there was so much persecution that you faced the death penalty for becoming one. Nevertheless, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the church grew like wildfire. (Gene Veith, Modern Reformation, Jul/Aug 1996, p. 6.)

               The cost of our salvation was great, so let's make sure we never cheapen the price by getting lost on petty things! Peter demonstrates how easy it is to one minute be right on target and then lose focus the next minute! Where Peter had just been praised by Jesus as a ‘rock’, Jesus now calls him a ‘stumbling stone’. He quickly falls from ‘rock’ to ‘stone’! It only took a minute for him to forget what God wanted and to insert what he wanted! This has always been the problem with the Church through the ages, keeping the focus clear and correct! We must stay awake and not lose sight of what counts!

               James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 93, makes this interesting point. He says, In the Old Testament kings believed that God gave them direction in dreams. If they wanted to know what they were supposed to do in their administration, they would try to receive a direct word from God in their dreams. If they weren't getting any messages in their dreams while lying in their own beds, then they would sleep in the Temple, where they believed it would work better. This time honored tradition of sleeping in church apparently has it’s the origin in what these kings did. For those who follow that tradition, I just wanted to let you know where it came from although those involved probably won’t appreciate my humor.

               The reason why Jesus says to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan" was simple. Satan in the wilderness had tempted Jesus to avoid the cross and this is exactly what Peter's statement meant to do also. So in this way, Peter was suggesting the same thing as the Devil himself! How many Christians have fallen into the same temptation that Satan has always tried to use, that we can be Christians without paying any price tag! Churches are full of people that have no desire to follow Jesus' command to preach the Gospel, or to ever share the message of salvation. I pray with all my heart that attitude changes before He returns!

               Jesus now asks for a price from His disciples too. There is a cross bearing for each believer as well as for Christ. Christianity that exacts no sacrifice on its followers is no Christianity! We too are to sacrifice ourselves for Christ and others even though we know this is not always easy, but it is the call of the Church!

               Did you know that ‘Kamikaze’ is the Japanese word for ‘divine wind.’ And divine the wind was in 1281. Never was a typhoon more God sent, if one were Japanese. The typhoon crushed the invasion fleet mounted by the ambitious Mongol emperor Kublai Khan (Marco Poli Kublai) in the wake of his conquest of China's Sung dynasty. And then again in World War II, to take the wind out of the sails of the United States naval juggernaut, the retreating Japanese organized their own kamikaze, (or divine wind), it was a suicide air force. Navy pilots slammed their bomb-laden planes, and themselves, into American ships in the Pacific. Twelve hundred pilots killed themselves taking out thirty four U.S. ships.

               Today, we need ‘Christian Kamikazes’ who will take the faith anywhere the ‘divine wind’ blows regardless of the cost. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."  Why are you a Christian?  What do you see your calling as? The world is looking for godly men and women, the Church in power! It seems today that the world just coasts along. Friends, the Church must not coast along!

               When Arthur Rubinstein, the famous concert pianist, visited New York, someone invited him to attend church. His answer: "Take me to a church that will challenge me to attempt the impossible."  Great people are attracted to great challenges, and that's why we as Christians need to dream great dreams. Christ is coming again very soon. So what are we doing as the Church? Not so much the institution we call the Church, but the believers who make up the Church. Are we taking up our cross? Are we sharing the Gospel? This is the Church's call! Christ will build His Church because He promised He would. We are His workers!

God's promise is clear: He is coming again and He will reward those who live for Him!  God never asks for something without giving something in return, and eternity will be well worth any sacrifice we might make here and now. Some day all the petty things of this life will be all but forgotten, but what has been done for Christ will live on and on. Get in on the best building program in the universe. Who do you say Jesus is and what are you going to do about it?

               The carpenter of Nazareth is still building His Church today! The Church is God's building, and we are the ‘living stones’.  Not even the gates of Hell will prevail against the Church!  Why not be a part of the only institution that will last for eternity. This is one building program you will want to participate in! {end of part one}. PB

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

From  Pastor Bob & Daphne Coutts, 


To All Who Gather Here!!! 


May you experience the love and joy of Jesus throughout this Christmas season and all through your life.


Trusting Him for your life and soul,


Pastor Bob & Daphne 

HE IS OUR LIFE! HE IS OUR "I AM".

     In John 15:1-11; John introduces us to Jesus by seven "I Am" statements and these statements reveal Christ to those who read His gospel about the nature and person of Christ. We need to study these statements so we can know Christ and what it is He calls us to. 

     One of the early things we need to know about Christ is that He is our life! We will not succeed if we ever think it is us that makes our spiritual life work. While we may have some responsibility for our spiritual growth, it is really the work of Christ that gives rise to our life.

     Some years ago, the Associated Press released a study done by an agricultural school in Iowa. It reported that production of 100 bushels of corn from one acre of land, in addition to the many hours of the farmer's labor, required 4,000,000 pounds of water, 6,800 pounds of oxygen, 5,200 pounds of carbon, 160 pounds of nitrogen, 125 pounds of potassium, 75 pounds of yellow sulfur, and other elements too numerous to list. In addition to these things, which no man can produce, rain and sunshine at the right time are critical. It was estimated that only 5% of the produce of a farm can be attributed to the efforts of man. If we were honest, we'd have to admit that the same is true in producing spiritual fruit.

     It is imperative that we understand the importance of "remaining" in Christ for our spiritual life. It is not enough to make a 'profession of faith' if it is not followed by a 'practice of faith'! The Bible teaches us that our spiritual life will falter if we don't actively remain in Christ and produce fruit, in fact, we can die spiritually if we live a totally fruitless life! 

     What About Fruitless Branches:  John 15:1-2a; says,  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. And John 15: 6; says, 

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

     As John introduces us to Christ here as a "vine," he makes it quite clear that those branches that produce no fruit will be cut off! These are branches that have been attached to the vine. It is clear that John is teaching here that branches that started off attached but produce no fruit whatsoever will be terminated and cast aside. There is nothing more tragic than to accept Christ as your Savior but then go on to live like you always did before and produce no spiritual fruit whatsoever! It is not "once saved, always saved.” It is "once saved, remain saved"! You cannot cut off a branch that is not attached already!

     It is a great tragedy when a believer or a Church moves away from any fruitfulness and finally finds itself lost. A complete loss of any fruitfulness is necessary to be removed.

• Judas Iscariot found himself cut away by his choices to turn against Christ whom he had earlier served.
• King Saul who earlier in his life had been anointed by God found himself cut away from God and His Spirit through unfruitfulness.
• Demas in I Timothy 4:10;  is said to have deserted the Apostle Paul because he loved the present world and evidently had returned to it rather than produce spiritual fruit.

 John 15:6; says, If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. When a branch once attached ceases to demonstrate any life in it, it must be removed in order to keep disease from spreading into the healthy parts of the plant. Thus the dead branches are condemned, cut, and thrown away. They are only good for a brief moment of heat by burning.

     Folks, here me!!!!  The condemnation of rejecting Christ will be eternal fire! Please come to Him today and make Him Lord of your life. You will be happy you did.

Blessings,

Pastor Bob & Daphne Coutts 

WHAT A GREAT DAY TO SERVE GOD!!!!!

A while back I had one of those days when nothing was right. The sky was falling and I felt so low I needed to look up to see a snakes belly! I felt like I was going crazy, you know like a wildcat in a room full of rocking chairs. I digress....All is much better. My wife is mending slowly and God is there every step of the way. The liver works, the back is healing our spirits are rising daily. WHY? Because we serve a great GOD that's why. How can one live without HIM? Every night you put your head on your pillow and you are left to your own thoughts. Where do they lead you? To your full bank account? Your new house or your new car. Maybe you feel secure in those things and to a degree they do bring some security, however, did you give any consideration to your soul. Christian or not we get caught up in trusting things. Bad move. The Bible tells us we should store up in heaven the things that won't rust or perish. Those things are the things we do to bring glory and honor to our God, like trusting Him, worshipping Him, reading His love letter (The Bible) to us, doing something for someone else and the list could be endless. It amazes me how we run to the refrigerator when we are hungry in body but we do not run to the word when the soul needs feeding. Hey, I don't want to get preachy here but I just feel like today (and everyday) is a great day to serve God and then the soul gets fed because we have put Him first in our lives. OK scoff if you will but remember this, one day we will all face a judgement and I trust it will be at the seat of Christ not the judgement that determines your fate!If you know Him, I praise God for that and I trust you will give Him some of your time today. If you do not know Him I trust today will be the day you will invite Him into your life and watch the change He brings about for you.

Well the new book I wrote is available at  http://writersebook.com/shopping/ and i trust you will go to that site and preview a page. The cost is really low, only $4.98 and all the proceeds go to Daphne's medical care and we thank you for supporting us in this way. While you are here, why not take a look around and check out the sermon page or some of the articles. I trust you will be blessed. Thanks for taking the time to drop in.

Blessings to you, Pastor Bob & Daphne Coutts