Resurrection Month! April 2025

Happy Resurrection Month,

One of the most interesting chapters of the Old Testament for me is Isa. 11. Verse 1-10 say,

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

It is an interesting mix of first and second arrivals of the Lord. As I read through it, my joy and anticipation increase line by line. So that as I reach the end, I see how much better Jesus’ plan is than what I see just now. The visual of amazing peace and the “knowledge of the Lord” filling the world as the water fills the oceans, Wonderful! Glorious! Rapture!

Because Jesus died and rose again to life, I too expect to rise. By faith, I hope to see the world God has planned for his children. Where no harm will come nor destruction take place. There I long to be. Jesus is the bearer of the seven-fold Spirit of God and from and through and to him all things exist. What a day it will be!

Let us be filled with hope this season of worship for God revealed to us the Good News.

Blessing to you and yours,

Pastor Dave

Bright White, March 2025

I am eager to put the cold days of winter behind me and find warmth and growing life outside again. Do you feel that way too? On the drive in today I had to put on my sunglasses to reduce the reflection off the snow. Blinding.

Isa. 1:15-18 says,

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you;

even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean.

Take your evil deeds out of my sight;

stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us settle the matter,”

says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow…”

Isaiah opens his long, redemption-focused book with a promise of forgiveness of sin. In these few verses, Isaiah points out sin’s ugliness, calls for righteous living, and points to a transformation of their moral record. Their old sins would be transformed to perfect righteousness. That perfect righteousness is imaged as white snow. White, fluffy, reflective, blanketing snow. It covers everything in every direction.

The redemptive work of Jesus changes our moral record, our moral landscape. A blanket of perfect white replaces the crimson red sin of the past and all that is visible to God is bright white. God’s forgiveness of sin is complete, transformative, and permanent.

Get out your sunglasses!

Grace and Peace from Our Lord Jesus Christ,

Pastor Dave

Quiet Times, February 2025

Thankful is how I feel for the great participation in our 2025 Church Wide Emphasis “Deepening a Heart for Jesus.” Participation has been strong. Two Sunday School classes are participating with two different curriculums. A new group is meeting on Saturdays for their study. Wednesday night HomeBuilders has high participation. And, I am aware of several who are participating independently through the recommended books.

It is not too late to participate. If it has been on your heart, you can still get on board. Both Sunday Schools are at the very beginning and it would be easy to jump in with them. The Wednesday night videos are available on YouTube and so are the videos from Practicing the Way. And, that recommended reading list is just as available as it was in December. So what do you say? Will you take a step into a deeper heart for Jesus?

The purpose of this emphasis is to encourage the development of regular “quiet times.” That is our funny Baptist way to refer to often meeting with Jesus for prayer and a little Scripture reading, some call it devotions. These times with the Lord can be life-giving, sustaining, and deeply moving, but they need to be more than a to-do list to be effective. Like any relationship, our relationship with Jesus is shaped over time and strengthened by times of trial and strain. By creating the “quiet time” habits in our lives, we carve out a little time to deepen our friendship with Jesus each day. Like a call with your kids or parents, or a conversation with your spouse, a conversation with Jesus keeps the relationship alive.

Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a [person] remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) That remaining, abiding, in Jesus is essential to a fruitful and blessed life. I pray you will join with us in pursuing a deeper abiding in Jesus.

Grace and Peace from Our Lord Jesus Christ,

Pastor Dave

Deepening A Heart for Jesus, January 2025

Hello Christian Family,

Thank you for the gifts at Christmas time. I and the others who received them were touched by your kindness and generosity. Thank you.

As we embark on 2025, we want to renew our spiritual focus for the year. Getting it started on the right foot, so-to-speak, with a Church Wide Emphasis – Deepening a Heart for Jesus. Beginning January 8th and running into March, our Wednesday night program for adults, Home-Builders, will become a midweek worship service. Our study will be about taking a deeper dive into our relation- ships with God. This program is flexible and helpful for every person whether you are a new Christian or new to quiet times, or a veteran of abiding in relationship with God. So no matter how much experience or success you have had in prayer you will find this study beneficial.

Deepening A Heart for Jesus will be flexible, personalized, and modular:
Module 1. January – What is God trying to accomplish in us?

Introductions to A Life Abiding in Christ
Emphasis on Prayer, Bible Reading, Quiet Times Personal Choices: Sabbath, Healing from Hurts, Healing from Sin, Spiritual Plans
Module 2. February – A Life Abiding in Christ
Choose a Deeper Experience in: Sabbath, Prayer, or Generosity
Module 3. March – The Fruit of Abiding in Christ
Choose a Deeper Experience in: Sabbath, Prayer, Generosity, Fasting, or Solitude

Before January you may want to get your hands on a book that will complement our church wide emphasis. Here are some recommendations. If you are hurting, doubting, questioning God then The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith would be an option for you. For those who are active, overly busy, or feel a little ADD, or maybe you want something down to earth, I recommend A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God by Larry Osborne. The Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes would fit for many of the men. If you would like background information and explanations about why prayer and other practices are helpful then Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer is for you. Lastly, if you want a deep Scriptural study from a Baptist seminary professor then Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney is the right choice. Additional options include Celebration of Discipline and Wasting Time With God. I assure you, this is not a waste of time, but an important endeavor and worthy of your participation.

I hope each person will choose to participate in January’s Module and many will choose to continue with Modules 2 and 3. These are modules, so it is easy to participate in one and not another depending on your interests.

In whatever way you choose to participate, I pray your roots are deepened and your abiding refreshed,
Pastor Dave