“For I am the Lord thy God . . . and I have loved thee. . . . Fear not: for I am with thee" (Isaiah 43:3-5).

As a Child of God we should anticipate daily His Divine favor.

When we receive unexpected blessings - an unexpected refund, a great parking space, kindness from a cashier, a message that exactly fits our current dilemma, those are not accidents.

Our Heavenly Father is touched with the feelings of our infirmity.  He has promised He will supply our every need, and He actually delights in giving us the desires of our hearts as well, even if they are not actual NEEDS, but just something we’d like.

As our Father, He delights in taking care of His children.    “Little children rejoice, you’re a child of the King, - - - Lift your heads up high and rejoice, you’re a child of the King!”

Quit moping about what you don’t have today and rejoice that you’re an heir to Jesus’ riches. He loves and cares for you!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Foundation repair is an industry that seems to be flourishing in our area if the number of TV ads is any indicator. Because of the composition of the soil beneath the surface, many homes experience cracked foundations due to heaving and settling. The builder may have used all his expertise in laying the foundation and building the house but if the ground underneath the foundation is subject to movement, cracks will eventually develop.

One cannot help but wonder if that is what is happening with the terrible cracks developing in the foundations of society. What is beneath the surface of a culture that protects to the extreme the lives of helpless animals but casually sacrifices its unborn children on the altars of inconvenience? What gaping crevasses yawn under the façade of Hollywood banalities reinforced with artificial laugh tracks? Have we allowed ourselves to be duped into building the structure of our lives on the shifting sands of popularity? Have we rejected the solid societal substrata offered by God’s Holy Word only to complain about the instabilities inherent in a self-absorbed narcissistic world in which one’s personal desires and perceived needs trump all else?

It might be a good thing for us to return to the simple truth of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. That is exactly what Paul presents in Romans 13:8-14 as bedrock on which one can successfully build a life.

Love ya,  Pastor Rich

Spring has sprung!   Hallelujah!

This past winter has seemed to be  extraordinarily long and grueling, glad it is behind us.  PTL !

It’s time for a fresh-start spiritually as we begin the spring season.  Let’s make worshiping Him a priority in our lives.  Plan to wake up each morning thanking God for giving us another day to serve Him.  

If we start the day with thanksgiving, and make ourselves available to do what the Lord would have us do, the day will be fruitful and we'll be a blessing.   Plus, having a positive attitude makes us much more content and pleasant to be around.

LORD -  Tell me what YOU want me to do, say and be today!   My life is in your hands to mold me into what YOU want me to be.  Try this prayer each day and see what the Lord will do through you this week.

Celebrate Jesus each day, He is our reason for being!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Wow! What an amazing time of year to be alive. Watching new life spring from winter's cold dead ground reminds us that God can take the most impossible situation and turn it around.

Even the vagaries of weather this time of year have lessons sewn into the lining of the clouds. One can easily see that one day's weather does not dictate what the year holds. Although a late winter storm may surprise us with an inch or two of snow, our knowledge of the calendar and its reliability causes us to go on with our tomato planting plans. We may in fact use the down time of waiting for the storm to pass as time to prep the mower for grass cutting season. Now that's faith!

And so it is with our emotions. The day's challenges, disappointments, stumbles, or storms cannot dissuade the Believer from the settled confidence he has in God's Word. As certainly as April follows March and May precedes June, the person whose life is built on the veracity of the Bible rests in the truth that today came to pass...it did not come to stay. 

So, if you find yourself in a trying time of life, don't park there. Watch as the seasons change around you and accept the fact that your season of life is rather like them. The change for the better that is coming in our weather is based on two things; God's Word and the calendar. He promised in Genesis 8:22 that, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." That promise and the inexorable turn of the calendar's page convince us of coming change for the better.

Would you now also accept this; whatever your current situation, it WILL get better? Come on! Turn the page! Fire up the grill! Start that garden! Break out the mower! Live your life! Come out and BE the champion God has made you.

Pastor Rich

Spring Forward!   Last night we set our clocks forward to adjust for Daylight Savings time.

Let me encourage you to also adjust your mental and spiritual outlook on life to be “Looking Forward”.

Gone are the dark days of Winter & the bad experiences of the past.  We can’t be looking back or dwelling on past failures, but need to look forward.

I once heard a song that said “Did you ever see a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer?”    NO, the hearse signals the end!   Let’s determine today that we’re going to press forward to the goal that Christ has set before us.

In Him you and I have a great future ahead of us!  Heaven awaits us!

With joys and blessings He has in store for us along the way, it will be a great ride!

Love ya,    Pastor Phil      

"Hallelujah", I'm walking with the King!" So go the lyrics to an old praise chorus from days of tent meetings and revival services.

We sang it with great enthusiasm and volume. But is there any scriptural basis for such a statement? Definitely! Ephesians 4:1, along with several other references strongly suggest that our experience with God is rather like walking with Someone.

One might infer from these scriptures that the responsibility to keep in step is mutual. The thought of walking with God should cause us to be aware of the surroundings into which we walk. He has said, "I will never leave you." His commitment is ironclad.

The question which gives pause is, do we really want Him along in every circumstance of life? Perhaps greater care should be exercised when planning a day's activities.

If there is a place we plan to go where Jesus would be uncomfortable or not welcome, shouldn't that cause us who walk with the King to change our direction?? Just a bit of "food for thought".

Be blessed today and every day as you thoughtfully and prayerfully walk with The King!

Pastor Rich Orrell

“See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6).

In this world we WILL have tribulations, the scriptures tell us this is true. However today be reminded that these troubles we are facing today have not come to stay.  Jesus has won the victory and we are overcomers through Him.

God’s Word tells us that in these last days men’s hearts would fail them for fear, but saint of God, we should not be troubled as those who have no hope!

As Christians, we have the hope of His soon return and his promise that through Jesus’ sacrifice for us we are “more than conquerors”.     God  in our lives gives us the victory.  We can conquer and defeat any foe that comes against us physically, spiritually, financially or  emotionally.

God is bigger than any mountain we may face:  Hey, He created the mountains so He can certainly move any that may be in your way today.  The winds and waves obey His command—HE is our peace!

Rest in Him today—He holds you in His hands!   He is more than enough!

Love ya, 

Pastor Phil      

The Thrill of Victory - The Agnoy of Defeat

One must shake his head in wonder at the thought that God has chosen to bring believers into the close fellowship of family. Undoubtedly, the closeness experienced when the family gathers for some festive or solemn occasion is unmatched by other moments of joy.

As we have watched the events of the Winter Olympics at Sochi unfold, some of the more poignant have been the delight seen on the faces of family vicariously experiencing a victory won by a sibling, a son or daughter. Collectively, we reached for our own hankies as Alex Bilodeau from Canada embraced his special needs brother, Frederic, having just clinched gold in the Men’s Freestyle Skiing Moguls. We felt our own hearts swell with pride as Frederic mouthed to Alex, “I love you!” in the bedlam of the winner’s celebration. 

So it is with our Father when we have a triumph great or small. It is His delight we experience and share with other family members as we coast on the wings of victory.

Conversely, and not so well publicized, were those other family moments at Sochi when the run did not go so well. It wasn’t in the winner’s circle but in the loser’s slow shuffle away from the lights and cameras that we saw the true depth of family love. An arm around defeated shoulders, an embrace while hot tears of frustration flowed down flushed and embarrassed cheeks, soft words uttered in loving consolation; each of these happened time and again as young people who had done their best but received no medal received instead the love and admiration of family who still believed in them.

Of course you will anticipate God’s participation in your best moments. But you can also count on Him to be there when you are picking up the pieces from some effort that didn’t earn you anything but a black eye. You see…He has invited each of us to become His family member. And family stands with family. You can count on God’s willingness to be there at both ends of life’s extremes.

Light for our  path  this week !

Psalm: 121:1    (Illum version)

 I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, where my help comes from. ² My help comes from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. ³ He will not suffer your foot to be moved:   He that keeps you will not slumber.  ⁴ Behold, He that keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The Lord  is your keeper: the Lord  is your shade upon your right hand.  ⁶ The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.  ⁷ The Lord  shall preserve you from all evil: He shall preserve your soul.  ⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Friend:  No matter what you are facing at this time, GOD is bigger than any battle you'll encounter.  HE is our all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful and ever-present provider.  A world champion boxer used to say he was the greatest -- news flash:   GOD is the greatest and He is wild about you, His child.

Be encouraged, He is in control!  

Pastor  Phil