Oh, the patience it must have taken for Dad to sit quietly behind the oars as he taught me to fish! For hours he rowed the rented boat close to the St Johns river bank as I made cast after cast trying to hook a lunker lurking under the lily pads.  Time after time my poorly cast lure landed in a tree or in the middle of a patch of water plants. Yet again he was forced to pull the boat close enough to disentangle my lure and likely scare away any potential victim of my budding skills.  The lessons learned in the bow of those rented row boats were many and varied.

It was when I forgot to bring the water jug from home that I learned others may be depending on you for something really important.  Dad had finished  the last of the coffee from his battered old green thermos and asked for a drink of water. I reached under the seat and came up with nothing. With a sinking feeling I remembered Dad asking me to be sure and get the water jug from the counter on the way out the door. We were forced to drink river water that day. Not too bad if you're thirsty enough. But I never forgot the water again.

Another day, nothing was biting on the big flashy bass lures we were casting. We had tried everything we had but they were just not interested. I learned the importance of being willing to go back to the basics when Dad suggested we stop at a small island and dig some worms.  We had an old coffee can into which we put a hundred or so big fat wiggly worms. Dad unrolled the long cane poles he always brought along and baited up with the worms we had dug. Soon we had a live well full of beautiful panfish. Simply by changing our methods we turned a day of frustration into a day of success.

But the best lesson of all was the patience I saw role modeled before me every time we pulled up to Highland Park Fish Camp. Dad would clamp his 10 horse Mercury outboard onto the transom of one of their moss encrusted wooden rowboats. In those days before trolling motors, if you wanted to fish slowly, you had to row.  Knowing the oarsman didn't get to fish much, Dad always volunteered to row leaving me free to fish. It was those countless tangles and mess ups Dad always solved that taught me the lessons of kindness and patience that stand me in good stead even today.

Thanks Dad for your excellent example. May I ever follow in your giant tracks.

Happy Father's Day gentlemen!

Pastor Rich Orrell

Rich Orrell

1 Corinthians 13: 12-13

¹²  “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Last Sunday my friend Jerry Tate was in church and heard a wonderful message on faith and grace.    Jerry had struggled with health issues for some time and had prayed for healing.  Wednesday he went to be with Jesus.

Well Jerry, today you know, there is no more seeing things through a glass darkly: being in God’s presence you see everything perfectly clearly.   You see now what your human mind couldn’t completely analyze.

Every promise in His Book was true.  Enjoy eternity with Jesus Jerry, we’ll see you soon. :-)

Pastor Phil      

I don't recall knowing where they came from; those tiny toy cars I pushed around the narrow streets of my little make believe village. In the welcome shade of an old orange tree in our back yard the sand was cool and damp after the daily rain and could easily be fashioned into avenues, tunnels, houses and walls.  There were always plenty of weeds to use for trees and shrubs in my imaginary hamlets. And cars...lots of cars; well, at least five or six.

In my child's mind it never occurred to me to wonder how a poor family had managed to acquire such treasures.  Were they premiums in some product purchased for the home? Had a kind relative passed them on to me when their own little boy had outgrown them? Perhaps a good week financially had coincided with a birthday. Oh; and what happened to them when childhood's days were done? I have no answers to any of these questions I might pose as an adult. I just cherish the memories of those wonderful hours of make believe in the luscious shade of that old orange tree. 

Reliving childhood's idyllic times makes one wonder: What about today's blessings? Where did they come from? Who provided them? How can they be preserved for tomorrow? Should they be passed along to the next generation?

The mature believer has likely come to the accurate conclusion that, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights..." (James 1:17) One can only hope that our awareness of our Source will lead to a better appreciation of what we have and a willingness to preserve and share it. 

Stewards all,

Pastor Rich Orrell

Honor to whom Honor is due

This week we honor those who have gone   before and are no longer with us.

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor them for the lives they lived and what they meant to us.

We also honor our Veterans that have given their lives to provide us with our freedom.

Take time this week to thank the Lord for a wonderful church and church family.  We are so blessed beyond measure.

Thank the Lord also for those who have given us our Spiritual heritage:  pastors, teachers, parents and other role models.  We owe a debt of gratitude to many on this special day of remembrance.

Lastly, thank the Lord that you live in      America, the greatest country on earth.

Thank you,  Jesus, for Your many blessings.

Happy Memorial Day,

Pastor Phil      

The ink was still not quite dry on my college degree as I launched into my first pastorate. Wishing to be faithful to preach all the Gospel, I felt I should preach a message on healing. I worked Psalm 103:1-5, Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 9:20-22 into the smooth flow of my treatise on the doctrine of healing. Triumphantly, I closed with the declaration of the unchanging nature of God revealed to us in the life of Christ. Hebrews 13:8 rolled so easily from my lips as I thundered what my head and my heart knew to be the truth: "Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, and today, and forever!"

In my naïveté I spoke into the expectant hush that followed, "If anyone would like prayer for your healing, just come forward."

I was expecting headaches and arthritis to be the healing needs as a few came to the front of the church. Imagine my shock when the first lady in line asked me to pray that God would heal her of a large tumor in her reproductive system.

In the blink of an eye we had moved from the theoretical to the practical. It would either be gone following prayer or it would still be there. 

Simply following the instructions from James 5:14&15, I put a small spot of olive oil on her forehead and prayed a quiet prayer asking God to heal her. She returned to her seat with no fanfare and said nothing to me as she and her husband left the building. 

The following Sunday they were back. She asked to say something and shared how amazed her doctor was to discover that the tumor was no longer palpable. He suggested a D&C rather than the scheduled surgery.  There was nothing there. In response to the preaching of the Word and obedient prayer, God had stepped in and healed her. 

If you need a healing, study what God's Word says about the subject. Pursue your healing through the many means available to us today. Prayer, Doctors, nutrition, technology...if we ever recover from any disease, God certainly has something to do with that recovery. 

Believing for your miracle!

Pastor Richard Orrell

Stop living in the past

Jerimiah 29:11  NLT

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and  not  for  disaster,  to  give you a future and a hope.”

OK—enough is enough!   This scripture promises God’s perfect plan for our lives.   He has forgiven us for our past, so let’s quit revisiting our past hurts and mistakes.

Let’s purpose to begin TODAY to stop looking in the rear view mirror, I’ve never seen a hearse pull a U-Haul trailer.  Let the past go, it cannot be changed. To have God’s best we need to forgive and forget those hurts and those who hurt us, move forward, forgetting what is in the past, strive toward the mark God has set for our future!

Thank Him today for the great future He has  in store for us.   

Love ya, Pastor Phil      

As a twelve year old I did not aspire to do much of anything in the little church where we worshipped. I was supremely content to listen to others play an instrument or sing a special. And I certainly was not yearning for the chance to lead a song service.

I recall as though it were yesterday the terror that swept over me when Mother volunteered me to lead in the absence of the older gentleman who usually waved his hands vaguely in the air while lustily singing some selection from the hymnal.

I was assured his duties consisted largely of announcing the number of the song and getting everyone started at the right time. As Mom was the pianist and music was such an integral part of our home life I decided to attempt what seemed an impossibility.

Sure enough; with a bit of private coaching on the proper pattern for waving one's arms while singing, plus a bit of head nodding and significant glances from the piano bench, I made it through my debut as a church song leader.

No doubt it was clumsy and rough. I'm certain an accomplished worship leader might have been justifiably critical of my style and technique. But as is so often the case in our youth, Mother served to push me into something I might never have tried left to my own devices.

Special appreciation to our Moms for the foundations they laid as we grew under their supervision!

Pastor Orrell

Lord-I’m So Thankful

1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. “

This week, with the storms approaching I was grumbling to myself about my aching joints.

Then I was out-and-about and opened the door for a Vietnam Vet and his grandkids.   He had two artificial arms and one artificial leg.   He had a big smile on his face and was  enjoying time with the grandkids.   He had chosen to be happy and enjoy the moment with his grandkids, in spite of his physical condition.

When I got into my car—this scripture came to me.    We need to always count our blessings.  There are always those who have it much worse than we do.    I asked the Lord to forgive me for not counting my blessings - I have so much to be thankful for!

So I quit grumbling internally about my discomfort and thanked the Lord that I have two arms and legs.  God is so good to me!

Let's remember to thank Him for what we HAVE today!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Pressing toward the goal

Philippians 3:13-15  (NLT)

^13 “Forgetting the past and looking     forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Alright, we’ve just had a great revival, hope you availed yourself of the opportunity to  attend.  It is great to be rejuvenated  in spirit, but the lasting effect is what is important.

Did we actually allow the Lord to make a change in our lives?  

The proof is in the   pudding, we must align our lives with the new goals the Lord has placed before us, and  CHANGE to be what He wants us to be.

Begin today, Join me to worship Him with  complete abandon, not concerned about those around us.

Let’s just close ourselves in with God and Worship HIM, for He alone is worthy.

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Distracted; that's what his problem was.  He knew his Mom had some logical reason for insisting he start home at a certain time. From his lofty perch of eight years of living he could recite the usual reasons given a little boy in those days...the most compelling being, "because I said so". 

Hide and seek with the neighbor's children became easier as evening wore on and darkness crept through the pines.  In horror he recognized the daunting truth; there was not sufficient time for him to make it home before dark. 

After a hurried thank you to the lady of the house he gathered his courage and began the long trek to the security of home. It was only a quarter mile but seemed much longer to his child's mind.

Remembering the recent rattler photos taken along this very same stretch of country road, he picked up the pace and began running through the encroaching gloom. 

"Wait! What's that piled up in the road?"

His active imagination filled in all the blanks as he "saw" the huge head of the serpent atop the threatening coils of an Eastern Diamondback lurking in his path. It was too dark to return to the safety of the neighbor's home. Daddy would be coming this way soon on his way home from work but he didn't want to explain why he wasn't already home. 

In an early attempt to master fear he sidled as close to the edge of the road as he dared. In his mad sprint past the sullen beast coiled in the road he got a close-up glimpse of the monster's head. What had absolutely terrified him was just a pile of Spanish moss recently fallen from one of the towering pines sighing in the ample breeze overhead. The darkness had disguised the identity of the moss and his busy little brain had done the rest. 

There are some pretty good life lessons in this true story: 

1. Pay attention to the authority figures God puts in your life.

2. Don't allow yourself to be so entertained that you ignore looming deadlines.

3. Some of the things we fear the most turn out to be nothing.

4. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You'll make it!

5. Don't forget where home is.

If you're looking for a place where you recognize the hymns and don't need ear plugs to protect you from the sound, you just might want to come home to Battlefield Assembly of God. 

See you Sunday!

Pastor Richard Orrell