It wasn't easy for a morally good man to come to the realization he needed a Savior. A man who could buy real estate on a simple handshake. Whose basic honesty was so well-known his customers felt free to drop off their car and call over their shoulder as they walked away, "Whatever it needs Bruce!". Such trust, earned and well-deserved, made comparisons inevitable for my dad. He could say with certainty that his life was as good as the next man. That his bills were paid and his family fed. And his word was his bond.

It was all true. But daddy was not truly Christian until that fateful Sunday morning when he walked to the front of the little church where we worshipped each week.  It was his public declaration of the faith growing in his heart that God is real, Jesus is the Son of God and Calvary was for him.  It was his way of saying he finally got it; you can't get good enough to make it to Heaven. Even though he was such a fine man, he needed to be saved. His sins had to be forgiven. His name had to be written in the Lamb's book of life.

And for the little boy who tagged after his dad that day, it was the defining moment of his life. If dad in his strength, honesty and good character needed to be saved, so did I. What a moment as father and son made our lifetime commitment to Jesus together!

Forty one years have passed since dad slipped away from us.  And yet it seems but a few days ago we watched the casket drop slowly into the bosom of the earth where dad's frail physical form would await the resurrection. Death had taken away the life of the physical body. But when that house of clay collapsed Jesus stepped in and rescued the real Bruce Orrell. The faith that sustained him in life rescued dad in death. All that is everlasting about him is now with the Lord. And some day soon, the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will rise first and we will be changed! Reunion at last! Reunion with loved ones like dad who have gone on before. But best of all, we shall see the Lord...face to face in all His glory!

Get ready. He's coming soon!

Lovingly,

Pastor Richard Orrell

Looking up to you - - -

Job 34: 21  NLT

“For God watches how people live; He sees everything they do.”

Several years ago I received a Grandparent’s Day card that shows that we have someone looking up to us.    I’ve kept this card as  a reminder that not only children and grandchildren, but God is keeping an eye on everything we do.  Also, the world is watching and listening to the person we are  - God’s representatives.      Check out this copy of the card - what a powerful message.   

Let it be a  reminder to you that as the kid’s chorus says,  “Be careful little hands what you do,” 

There are many eyes watching us. 

We need to always reflect Jesus in everything we do so  others   see HIM in us.

Someone’s watching you , 

Pastor Phil 

Happy Mother's Day

Proverbs 31:10-12 NLT

“Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?

She is more precious than rubies.  Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.   She brings him good, not harm, all the days of his life.”

God has given us a very special gift in our women as wives and mothers.  My Mom is gone, but I for one have been blessed with an awesome wife and mother to our children.

Mothers sacrifice, love and care for their families by putting the family needs ahead of their own.

Join me today in honoring our mothers, realizing the gift they are to us.

We love you Mom, thank you for all you are and for all you do.  Thanks for sharing your lives so unselfishly with us.  We are blessed!

 Happy Mother’s Day !

Pastor Phil      

The year was 1960, I was singing in the school choir for a community Easter sunrise service.   As a 13 year old I had grown up in Pentecost.    I’d not been a part of the parochial mainline church scene.   The Latin and German songs we were to sing and the starchy liturgy were foreign to me.  

How empty - what was the point in this form of godliness?

How liberating and refreshing the exultation I felt later in our A/G Service worshiping the King with complete adoration and abandon.  

What a change The Holy Spirit makes!

Join me in worshiping the King in complete abandon this Easter Sunday morning.  He   deserves much more than dead songs and messages.    HE is the KING!     Worship HIM!

Psalm 24:10  (NLT)

¹⁰ “Who is the King of glory?
    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
     “He is the King of glory.“

   Happy Easter!  Pastor Phil      

Our small choir of middle schoolers worked hard to learn difficult music. With all our might we sang, "Lift up your heads oh ye gates! And be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors and the King shall come in!" (I can still remember the tune to this day.)

The theology behind the words of the song may have been a bit murky to our adolescent minds. But the enthusiasm with which we belted it out served to make up any deficiencies. We had no idea the song was referencing Psalm 24 as a prophesy fulfilled hundreds of years later by Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem a few days prior to His crucifixion. Nor did we realize the End-Time implications of that passage. All we knew was the thrill we felt as homage due Him was paid in the singing of those words.

Perhaps our youthful excitement mirrored the electric atmosphere of that day long ago as the crowds took up the chant, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!"

How sad to note that some of the voices raised in welcoming Christ as He rode into town that day were to be raised so soon in another chant, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Let His blood be upon us and upon our children!"

Lest we become too smug in our condemnation of their fickleness, we would do well to remember the times we have praised Him on Sunday and cleverly disguised our relationship with Him on Monday.

May God give us the courage to be at all times who we are on Palm Sunday and Easter. May we truly lift up our heads and welcome the Lordship of the gentle Nazarene while He extends the mercy of God in this Church Age. 

The Day will come soon enough when He will tread the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. "Seek the Lord while He may be found..."

Lovingly,

Richard Orrell, pastor

“Get thee behind me”

Luke 4:8 (KJV)

^8 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Have you ever experienced the gut wrenching fear that everything is hopeless?  You’ve  felt that there was not a chance that you could work your way through an attack of the     enemy of your soul?

Yes, we’ve all been there.  Let me encourage you friend to quote Jesus’ statement from Loke 4:8 and watch that old enemy satan slither away - a defeated foe.

Just as when Jesus originally uttered these words, satan is no match for  God’s authority.      In the Name of Jesus, we have the victory!

We are more than conquerors through Him.   When attacked, invoke the Name of Jesus!

   Love ya, Pastor Phil      

Our second trip to Israel had begun well. The tour group had gathered to JFK in NYC from many quadrants of the compass. All flights had been on time. Each had found their way through the labyrinth of concourses. Soon all thirty seven of us were in the long line wrestling our carryons toward the door of our overseas chariot.

Seat backs were upright, trays were raised and fastened, luggage bins were closed, the seatbelt light was on, the flight crew was seated as the captain announced our departure.

At that moment, several passengers thought of something in their overhead luggage that they "just couldn't live without". In spite of pointed and tersely worded commands for them to be seated we waited approximately 45 minutes while passenger after passenger stood to retrieve the indispensable from the overhead luggage bins.

Finally! We pulled back from the gate and soared out over the North Atlantic toward our spiritual homeland.

But alas; due to the refusal of a few to listen to the voice of wisdom we missed our window of opportunity during which we would have benefited from a powerful tail wind saving tons of fuel. Many of us on that flight missed our first few itinerary stops because the captain was forced to stop for fuel in Athens, Greece.

There are some valuable life lessons contained in that flight:

1. Listen to the voice of authority.

2. There is often a very good reason for rules.

3. One's actions may be detrimental to many others.

4.  Difficult times in your life may not be your fault. It may be that you are being adversely affected by unwise or self-centered actions of others.

Makes me think of Jesus' words: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Kindly,

Richard Orrell, Pastor

"What the world needs is Jesus"

Friends - often we are overwhealmed by the hustle and bustle of the busy lives we live.

We face financial challenges, physical emergencies, family unrest and yes, then there are the politics and world events.

The Scriptures say that in the last days we will have these items and even that men's hearts would fail them for fear.  Yes - we're in the last days, I do belive.  The signs are everywhere, just as the Scripture has foretold.

The 'experts' on TV tell us their solution to everything - - - but they're only flailing in the dark.   What the world needs is Jesus - nothing else will satisfy.

Join us this Sunday at Battlefield Assembly - where you'll hear anointed ministry from the World - the old-time gospel shared.   

You'll also hear encouraging and uplifting hymns and choruses, the way you remember them from the past.    If you're looking for a church that is similar to what you grew up with - you'll find a home at Battlefield Assembly.

What the world needs is Jesus my friend - come join us as we worship Him this Sunday.   A little talk with Jesus makes it all right!

See you Sunday :-) 

As though it had happened yesterday, I remember the thrill of hearing my name called in the foyer of the church building. We had only been in the church for a few months. How could the pastor of such a large congregation know a little boy well enough to call him by name and express genuine interest in things a kid would like?

You see, our minister was a “people person” who specialized in making each of us feel we were his favorite. He made it his business to know what made our eyes light up. He could shoot marbles with the best and play softball with the rag tag crowd after “dinner-on-the-grounds”. And he it was who prayed for me and washed my face with cold water when I got hit in the eye by a fast-pitch softball.

Hugh Hawkins may never have been pastor of a megachurch but he walked on the water as far as that bunch of rowdy kids was concerned.

His care for us and his interest in us reminds me of the interest God must have in His kids. Jesus mentioned that God knows the number of hairs we have. How beautiful that our Father would be so focused on us and that He would send people like Pastor Hawkins into our lives to role-model His love.

I sincerely hope you have had someone like that to telegraph God’s love for you. If not, look around. There are any number of genuine Christians waiting to interact with you wanting nothing in return.

If you have had a bad experience somewhere along the way, let Jesus and His gentle people help with the hurts of the past. Remember; there are no perfect people…just forgiven!

Lovingly, Rich Orrell, Lead Pastor

It is difficult to express the depth of my disappointment as I rolled into the dorm parking lot from Christmas break during my freshman year of college.

I had allowed a friend to use my '57 Chevy for a three day ministry trip into a neighboring state while I rode with other friends home to Florida for a surprise visit. A penny a mile was just too cheap to pass up. And after all, wasn't the '57 just a ministry tool anyway? I had rationalized as I had unwisely given my key to the other student. 

My beautiful black and yellow pride and joy was nowhere to be found. 

I soon found the borrower and discovered to my horror he had let yet another student take my car on some pretext of a family emergency to New York City! Shortly, I found someone who knew how to contact that second borrower. I called and amazingly reached him. I was not comforted to know the phone was in a bar. Barely controlling my anger, I informed him he had just 24 hours to have my car back to me or the police would be coming for him. Little did I realize he had already wrecked it. My beautiful '57 Chevy was dropped off in the middle of the night with a smashed grill, a sagging and broken bumper and a motor that had been run out of oil. My flashy chrome hub caps had been sold to buy fuel for the return trip. My nearly new tires were gone and had been replaced with almost worn out used tires. 

I was livid until the Holy Spirit reminded me of the thought He had dropped into my mind about a year earlier when He had reaffirmed my call into the ministry. So sweetly He had asked if I would be willing to give up the life I lived in order to pursue Him. My answer had been quick and positive in the holiness and sanctity of the moment. In the span of that brief instant I had been made aware my decision to follow Christ would cost me my career in Banking, the girl to whom I was engaged and yes...my beautiful '57 Chevy. 

In short order the dominoes fell and I had resigned the Bank, my girl had broken up with me...but at least I still had my car. Since it was paid for, I thought I must have been mistaken that night in prayer when God had asked if I would be willing to give it ALL up. 

It was only as I surveyed the wreckage of my dream that the still small Voice of God whispered peace into my damaged emotions. 

In the ensuing years, the Lord has always provided reliable transportation, adequate income, a fulfilling career spanning decades of service to the Communities where I have served Him, and a loving wife who has been my constant companion and dearest friend for more than 50 years. 

God's way truly is the wisest way!

Still trusting Him...

Richard Orrell, pastor