Sermons from Good News: your neighborhood, your nation, your God needs you

Church 9/25/2021

Sermon thesis: Your neighborhood, your nation, your God needs you

Sometimes when things are going on in our neighborhood and our nation, we can forget the mission that Jesus gave us.

Point #1: we are sent

Jesus often repeats that He was sent. As the Father sent Him, he sends us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16, NKJV

19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

John 20:19-21, NKJV

We have a commission on our lives.

Will you do what Jesus asked?

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8, NKJV

This needs to be our prayer; that we hear the voice of Jesus, the commission of Jesus, and we say, we’ll go.

Point #2: we are sent to all kinds of people

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV

He wants us to talk to people all around the world.

9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Acts 10:9-16, NKJV

We need to pray for them, talk with them, witness to them.

Our number one job as Christians is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. God wants as many as possible saved.

Point #3: We are sent with a message.

46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Luke 24:46-47, NKJV

Our message is that Jesus died for all people so that they can receive Him and be saved. The focus is Jesus.

Point #4: you are empowered by the Holy Spirit

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8, NKJV

Philosophy on turning forty

Growing up, the consensus I got from adults was that turning forty meant someone was no longer young. The concept of the "mid-life crisis" drove home the point that, once someone hits this milestone, they're old and over the hill. As a sports fan, I noted that, pretty much without fail, all athletes were done and retired by the time they turned forty. Even someone like Michael Jordan, as great as he was, eventually had to walk away from the game. I remember thinking, ok, so athletes won't be as good as they once were once they're in their forties, but surely, at least the best of the best can still compete with the younger generations, right? Unfortunately, no matter the sport, be it basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, etc., every athlete, as they aged, always got to a point where either their skills or their body really and truly could not keep up with a twenty-five-year-old who at best may be half as good as they were.

I got to see each of my parents turn forty, and for a while, I too saw them as "old." But not in the condescending way that I think accompanied the mindset of seeing someone as "old" and "over the hill." Both of my parents were still my parents, just as capable as each of them was when they were thirty-nine. It was more that, they were no longer "young" in the sense of being indestructible and moreso the idea that they would be and look as young as they did forever. Of course, I was in my pre-adolescent and adolescent years when each of them hit the milestone, so my perspective on age, aside from what I'd heard and read, really came from a lack of understanding as to what being much older than I was at the time was like.

However, some years after that point, when I was in a dark place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, I started looking to those "older" years with longing, out of a place of hope that, by that point, I would be better. While my views were transitioning on the idea of what being forty meant, I was admittedly still holding on to this idea that forty meant "not young anymore," but also adapting a different kind of idea that I had had about my age as a kid, to what life might be like once I turn forty. That idea was simply this: "another year older, another year better."

I was in my teens and twenties when a new popular idea came out: "forty is the new thirty." That, along with similar ideas such as "thirty is the new twenty," and "fifty is the new forty," helped a little, but I was old enough by that point to start deciding (at least on some level) what ideas I would choose to believe vs. what ideas I would choose not to believe. This kind of fit the latter category, primarily because it wasn't evident in the world around me. Besides, by that point, I had not only seen my parents turn forty but then advance through their forties, to the point that, yes, they looked different from when they were in their thirties.

But even as I kind of rejected the idea of fifty being the new forty, etc., what helped me take a positive approach is the idea I had (and still have, to a degree) of "another year older, another year better." As I entered nominal adulthood and realized that having a twenty-something-year-old body meant nothing if the mental, emotional, and spiritual areas of my life weren't right, I yearned for a place that I would someday be that I still could not yet imagine, even at the cost of having an older body. Coming to faith in Jesus, and entering intensive counseling helped with that.

What also helped was, at the beginning of my healing journey, I made a conscious decision to cut out almost all friends and social groups my age, as well as almost all events where my literal peer-age group were involved. I already had a few friends that were 20, 25, 30, 35 years older than me; I intently made more friends that were substantially older. I knew that they had wisdom and maturity, even in spite of their older bodies with more mileage on them. And I got to see that, among other things, being forty years old was very young compared with the ages they all were at the time. It was really good to know that there was the potential for a lot of life -- and more specifically, a lot of enjoyment of life -- to happen after forty. I learned a lot from all of them, and I'm still learning from them.

I am not yet forty. But I soon will be. "Soon" is kind of a relative term; I am definitely in my thirties, and have been for some time. My body has already shown many signs of "you're not only not in your twenties, but you also haven't been in your twenties for quite some time." But I have a much better perspective on life, especially my life, than I ever have. I have been able to move on from almost all of the sources of darkness that affected me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, for which I am grateful, first and foremost to Jesus, but also for those whom He put in my life to assist me and walk alongside me during that time.

My hope and belief, something that I began coming up with when I turned thirty, was that my forties would be the prime of my life. If ages thirty through sixty were the middle trimester of what I hope would be my lifespan, as well as the most productive and marketable years of my career, then I would also hope that the forties would be the peak of that as well. (Not that I would suddenly be "over the hill" once I hit my fifties, but rather that they would be similarly productive and marketable as when I was in my thirties. And so on.) I still hold that hope.

As for the "midlife crisis," if it still exists, I have a hypothesis: people who have mid-life crises never allowed themselves to age beyond their mid-twenties in the first place. You can only be twenty-six once. (I was, and am happy to not be that age anymore! Even if my body was in wonderful shape.) People who get shocked at turning forty tend to think: "where did the time go? I only graduated from college (at 22) only a few years ago! Has it really been that long ago??" Something along those lines.

I think we need to stop lying to ourselves about our age. I grew up with adults who practiced that, and some of my older-generation adult friends during my therapy years did the same. Looking back, the saddest thing is, they were deceiving themselves the most. When we not only accept our age but embrace it, I think that's the recipe for aging well. Along with taking care of our bodies.

I'm not going to rush turning forty. Once I do, I realize I will never again be in my thirties. I would prefer to enjoy the rest of my thirties while they're here, and then say goodbye so that I can then begin to embrace my forties. The best is still yet to come.

Sermons from Good News: God wants to talk to you

Church 9/22/2021

There’s always a reason to rejoice in our God.

Sermon message thesis: Does God want to talk to us?

Short answer: yes.

Talking and listening to God will bring you peace, strengthen you, unload burdens, and receive from Him.

Point #1: God wants to talk to you through creation

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

If you want to get closer to God, get out in nature. Get away from the city.

Point #2. God wants to talk to you through His word.

Psalm 19:7-9
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.

Point #3: God longs to talk to you for your benefit

Psalm 19:10,11
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

God wants you to get into His word because He wants to protect you, warn you, reward you.

Sermons from Good News: getting rid of fear and receiving the peace of God, continued

[Blogger's note: I regret to share that this particular sermon I did not get complete notes on the message, particularly during the latter portion. I did get every Bible verse or passage that was used or referenced, but what is missing are some of the connecting points. To clarify my best understanding of the purpose of the message: 1. How to get rid of fear; 2. How to receive God's peace; 3. Trusting that God's word is right, no matter what is going on around us; 4. Spending time in God's word will allow what we already believe by faith to really settle in our hearts; 5. Be careful what you read, watch, listen to, etc; as that will impact what you think and what you say, which will impact whether you are struggling with fear vs. receiving God's peace. A personal experience I can add is that I have had a history of struggling with thoughts in which I am arguing with someone else in my head. Through both my faith and therapy, I have been able to manage it for the most part, and I can corroborate the teaching pastor's point that repeating "Jesus, I'm sorry for giving into these thoughts yet again. I repent; please forgive me. I give these thoughts back to You, again" over and over, really works. It did take quite a while for it to work. But it does work. Anyway, below are the sermon notes.]

Church 9/18/2021

Offertory scripture:

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:12,13,14, NKJV

Sermon message:

The anointing of God is on the Word. The hearer can draw on the Word. Any scripture verse or revelation can change the course of a persons life. A revelation can turn head knowledge into heart knowledge.

Two main recent topics:
1. How to get rid of fear
2. How to receive the peace of God

Fear. What is fear? Fear is faith in the wrong thing. But faith in the word of God is a blessing to us.

The byproduct of fear is a lack of peace.

Peace. Peace is a byproduct of staying close to God and in His peace. You can have the peace of God in your heart all the time. God has given us peace. It’s a fruit of the spirit.

First step is to recognize when fear is knocking at the door. Then saying no to it staying in your life.

How do we get rid of fear?

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17, NKJV

Perfect love will cast out fear. God is love and His word is love. Getting the head knowledge down to heart knowledge.

So how do we do that?

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8, NKJV

Meditate on God’s word. Let what you think about, let what you say, let that be God’s word. We do our part; God will do His part.

Another key: what you put inside your mind, what you watch, what you listen to, that will affect what you think, say, pray, etc.

If I can believe God for my salvation, I can also trust Him for anything else that may come up while on this earth.

Healing? Jesus did many healing miracles. And Jesus said that He only did what He saw God the Father doing.

What are we saying? Refer to James 3:

For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

James 3:2-4, NKJV

The tongue is the rudder that steers the ship, etc. the enemy is after your tongue. If he can get you to say his thoughts rather than the word of God, he can steal your victory. But the truth is God has given us the authority over everything in our minds, bodies, mouths. (Self control)

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3, NKJV

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8, NKJV

Don’t let the enemy use our tongues. But give God permission to use our tongues.

The Parable of the Sower

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Mark 4:13-20, NKJV

13 Then He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation]. 15 These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 In a similar way these [in the second group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy [but accept it only superficially]; 17 and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away. 18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation] and accept it and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much [as was sown].”

Mark 4:13-20, AMP (Amplified Bible)

casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7, NKJV

Cast your cares on God. When negative thoughts invade your mind, verbally tell God you’re entrusting the thought or situation to Him. They will try to return. Continue to give it back to God. Speak faith, speak scripture, as necessary. Lather, rinse, repeat, until the negative though goes away and stays away.

Sermons from Good News: peace is available

Church 9/15/2021

Sermon Thesis: Peace is available.

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord , is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:3-4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Isaiah%2026:3-4&version=NKJV

Point #1: Your thoughts are important

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
Proverbs 23:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Proverbs%2023:7&version=NKJV

Point #2: You have power over your thoughts

casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
2 Corinthians 10:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=2%20Corinthians%2010:5&version=NKJV

If a thought is not in line with God’s thoughts, cast it down.

Point #3: We can have peace and we can have victory

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Luke 18:27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%2018:27&version=NKJV

Sometimes we try to get victory but we fail. We need God’s strength. We can’t do it on our own.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Acts%201:8&version=NKJV

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%2011:13&version=NKJV

Point #4: God’s word can transform our minds and our thoughts.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%2012:2&version=NKJV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:16-17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Colossians%203:16-17&version=NKJV

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
Philippians 4:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians%204:1&version=NKJV

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians%204:7&version=NKJV

Point #5: God tells us how important it is what we think about.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians%204:8&version=NKJV

There is nothing more pure than the word of God.

Let’s take some psalms as examples:

Selah = stop and think about it

Many are they who say of me, “ There is no help for him in God.” Selah
Psalm 3:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%203:2&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah
Psalm 3:3-4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%203:3-4&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
Psalm 3:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%203:8&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Put them in fear, O Lord, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
Psalm 9:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%209:20&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
Psalm 24:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2024:10&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Psalm 32:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2032:5&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
Psalm 32:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2032:7&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah
Psalm 44:7-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2044:7-8&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
Psalm 46:1-3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2046:1-3&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 46:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2046:7&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 46:11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2046:11&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah
Psalm 49:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2049:15&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
Psalm 57:2-3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2057:2-3&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
Psalm 57:5-6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2057:5-6&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
Psalm 60:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2060:4&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
Psalm 61:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2061:4&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2062:8&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
Psalm 67:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2067:1&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah
Psalm 68:19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2068:19&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah
Psalm 84:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2084:4&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah
Psalm 85:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%2085:2&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Psalm 103:1-2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Psalm%20103:1-2&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Isaiah%2026:3&version=NKJV

Stop and think about it.

A stone from memory lane: September 11, 2001

Sometime around the turn of the century (and millennium), I came across a comic strip that probably hit the newspapers somewhere in the late-nineties, with some mild political humor. The comic was "Zits," co-written by Jim Borgman, who also did political cartooning, and Jerry Scott, who also co-wrote "Baby Blues." I enjoyed the strip because I was not far from the age of Zits' main character, Jeremy Duncan, and by virtue of age alone, I could relate to a number of things in the strip.

This one strip began with some kind-of graphic images (G-rated, because it's a newspaper comic strip) of different events that happened in the 1960s and 1970s, with the narration that life was more exciting for people alive at that time, due to those events. The punchline, cutting back to Jeremy and his best friend Hector Garcia (millennial generation) talking, illustrates the contrast:

Narrator: ...it's just not the same for us.

Jeremy (to Hector): where were you when Bob Dole fell off the podium?

The point being that, at that point, people of a younger generation didn't have it as "exciting" as their parents did. For twenty or so years, national life passed by without much incident.

Then 9/11 happened.

Interestingly, in interest of comparison, twenty years later, our world is wrestling with a pandemic now 18 months strong, and with all the hoopla around it. Sadly, I have to say that what we have going on now makes 9/11 (as traumatic as it was, even for me) seem tame.

But back to the year 2001.

Looking back, it wasn't just the terror attacks. The previous year and a half of my life to that point had seen plenty of change and other dramatic events. Personally, I had just moved back home from New York City, originally a move I had seen and hoped for as the best thing ever to happen for me in my life to that date. Returning home instead had numerous unhappy surprises awaiting me: changes in my home life, being around girls again, and changes in entire friendship circles I had left just a few years earlier. Of course, all of these were things I didn't know at all were going to be, not until I was back. Going back to this post, it wasn't just that I was completely thrown for a loop on each of these things, but also the nature of these changes. We don't complain about happy surprises (at least, most of us don't).

In addition to these things, then in the summer of 2001, a young woman from my church who I had known peripherally when she was in high school (she was quite a bit older than I was), had gone missing for a month before her body was discovered. It was revealed that she had committed suicide, and the entire ordeal left a scar on my church community. As far as I was concerned, 2001 was personally a bad year already.

Then 9/11 happened.

Here's the thing, the "why," as in, "why I'm writing this post." With big events, good or bad, I like to reflect on them every so often, as my life "in the now" changes. (To wit: a couple weeks ago, I posted a retrospective on my "epic" trip, why it was epic, and how I see it now.) I assure you, I intend to do that now, after spending an exorbitant amount of time sharing the negative.

I think back to my pastor's sermon comments about how the events on that day drove people to come to church. 9/11 didn't have that effect on me; I was an unsaved church-goer before 9/11, and I was still an unsaved church-goer after 9/11. But, in the many years after and since, I knew God was gradually redeeming me: first, by getting me out of that church; second, through the (self-imposed) spiritual exiles revealing to me my need, if not for Jesus directly, then at least for a lifeline to a faith community; third, for my realizing that getting saved meant a specific moment in time where I declared that Jesus is Lord and I was choosing to give my life to Him; fourth, for the many years of intensive personal healing and personal growth work needed to remove many stumbling blocks that prevented me from growing in my faith and from growing as a person, period; and fifth, for removing (and continuing to remove) different sets of stumbling blocks, specifically worldviews, that were still preventing me from actually trusting God, as well as learning to trust God in new ways. As such, my views on 9/11 changed and continued to change in different ways, and over time I thought less and less of it.

Interestingly, one of the slogans that came up in the immediate aftermath was "never forget." Sadly, I think a lot of people have forgotten. Our country and our world have changed so much in the last 20 years (compared with any 20-year period in human history) that a big part of why I think many don't remember is because they also don't remember what life was like before and after.

So, twenty years later, what do I see and think when I think about 9/11?

I'll admit I've forgotten a lot of it. I'll admit I don't remember. Of course, seeing photos and watching videos will bring back some of the memories, thoughts, and feelings. But I know that I am a much different person now than I was then. And I think about the events of last winter (2020-2021) on our nation's scene, and how, just like 9/11, what has been happening has been horrific. But, what I would tell myself from twenty years ago is to trust God. As much as I would love to tell him that, no, nothing else got blown up, and no, the Sears Tower is still intact, I would need to let him learn to develop his own faith muscles, because that's how I have had to learn. I don't think myself from twenty years ago would have been receptive to changing churches, in part because he wasn't a full-grown adult yet. (His parents would likely have vetoed the church change suggestion even if he were receptive to it.) I would also point out a verse in a hymn that also came to his mind: "...tower and temple fall to dust..." Having just now read the hymn lines again, I would have also pointed out the lines that immediately follow: "...but God's power, hour by hour, is my temple and my tower." Trust in God's power. I might try and think of other examples to contrast the horror of events that happen here with times God has acted in the past.

Another kind-of-positive result of people remembering (and forgetting) the impact of 9/11 is that, in the years since, it has been listed as "Patriot Day." I look at that on the calendar and begin to think, hey, that's another reason to get the grill out and have a cookout! Summer doesn't have to end with Labor Day! ... I have a sense that that may be something that happens with Patriot Day, just like with Memorial Day and Independence Day, holidays originally to commemorate our fallen soldiers in all our wars, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, respectively, that now are used for parties, cookouts, and travel.

And, like the pastor at our church, who didn't spend much time dwelling on it, I agree that that focus should move back toward the God of the Bible, and toward His will for us now. It is still important to remember, but, like I did a few paragraphs ago, also look at what God has done since that day. For me, it's simple: He saved me.

Sermons from Good News: getting victory over anxiety and fear

Church 9/11/2021

Offertory scripture:

Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=2%20Corinthians%209:6-8&version=NKJV

Sermon message:

Getting victory over the devil.

20 years ago was 9/11. Anxiety, fear. People came to church.

20 years later—midst of a pandemic. Violence across cities including Chicago. Political division at unforeseen levels. For a lot of people, a lot of reasons for fear and anxiety.

But there is good news. We can get victory over fear and anxiety.

Sermon message: God’s loving direction for overcoming fear and anxiety.

What you feed will grow.

What you stop and think about, you are fertilizing.

The Lord’s Prayer is God trying to take out fear and anxiety from your life. Fear and anxiety are not God’s will. Each sentence is an opportunity to release fear and anxiety.

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%206:9-13&version=NKJV

Be careful what you spend your time watching and reading. Don’t seed fear and anxiety. Instead seed faith.

Scripture says that God is love. And if He loves you, He does not want to torment you.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20John%204:18&version=NKJV

Fear gives you vision without Hope. Torment gives you fear, which is what God does not want.

Fear ruins relationships and future relationships.

Fear is like a demonic spirit that needs to be cast out.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians%204:4-7&version=NKJV

Point #1: Look for the good. (Philippians 4:4) God, through Paul, emphasizes rejoice by stating it twice. We often tend to gravitate more toward the negative, so we need to hear the positive more.

Point #2: Make your will your rudder. (Philippians 4:5) Imagine, if you will, a sailboat that is driven by the wind. Our emotions are like the wind that propels the sails. But our rudder sets the course of the boat. Make your will — your faith, your trust in God — be what sets your course. Not your emotions.

Point #3: Replace worrying with praying. (Philippians 4:6a)
Spend more time praying and less time worrying.
We want a resolution to our problems. But God wants a relationship with you.
It’s not pretending that there’s nothing to worry about. But we can — and must make — a decision whether to worry or to pray.

“Pray, and let God worry.” Martin Luther

casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20Peter%205:7&version=NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2011:28&version=NKJV

Point #4: Tell God what you want (Philippians 4:6b)

Point #5: Enjoy God’s presence and peace (Philippians 4:5b,7)

Sermons from Good News: good news in times of temptation

Church 9/4/2021

Offertory scripture:

We need God’s covering.

Giving is about the heart.

Be humble and accept/receive what God has given you. It is God who gives us the ability to have wealth. Let us therefore give because we desire to honor Him.

Sermon notes:

Sometimes when someone gets tempted they feel condemnation inside because they think it’s wrong to be tempted.

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 11:20-24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2011:20-24&version=NKJV

Point #1: Jesus Himself was tempted

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%204:15&version=NKJV

Point #2: Temptation itself is not sin.

You are not disqualified if you are tempted.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=James%204:7&version=NKJV

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Say this: “It’s not me that’s disqualified; it is Satan that is disqualified.”

As long as you are alive in the human body, you will face temptation.

How do we handle temptation?

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%204:16&version=NKJV

We will find mercy, grace, and help from God.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
James 1:13-14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=James%201:13-14&version=NKJV

Condemnation is not from God. It’s from Satan.

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
Mark 3:24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Mark%203:24&version=NKJV

God doesn’t tempt you because it goes against His will and His kingdom.

Point #3: God made a way to escape temptation

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20Corinthians%2010:13&version=NKJV

Point #4: God can bring good out of every temptation

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%208:28&version=NKJV

Temptation is Satan’s weapon to destroy you, but God can use it to bring good in your life. It can be a tool for God to turn your life around and to build you.

Jesus’ temptation

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Matthew 4:1-11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%204:1-11&version=NKJV

After Jesus’ temptations, angels came and ministered to Him. (Most theologians believe that when the angels ministered to Him, they gave Him manna.)

If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’
Numbers 14:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Numbers%2014:8&version=NKJV

So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
2 Chronicles 20:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=2%20Chronicles%2020:20&version=NKJV

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%206:35&version=NKJV

Sermons from Good News: patience brings the fulfillment of God's promises

Church 7/31/2021

Offertory scripture:

Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Proverbs%203:9-10&version=NKJV

Honor God. He wants to bring increase in your life.

Sermon message:

Wednesday healing services begin this Wednesday, August 4. Seated prayer, not prayer lines.

Thesis: Patience brings the fulfillment of God’s promises.

God will meet my needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus. But sometimes there’s a rough patch and we have to wait.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%206:9&version=NKJV

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20Corinthians%2015:58&version=NKJV

Satan of course tries to dissuade us and tries to say the work is in vain. But God says it’s not in vain. Working for the Lord will bring blessings, even if it may take some time.

There’s a time for planting, and it takes time for the seed to become what it’s supposed to become.

Patience will help you to receive God’s promises.

The Old Testament believers knew about a messiah coming. They still believed even though Jesus hadn’t come yet. We too have promises. Jesus will return. Maybe not before we go into heaven. But the promises still stand and we need to hold on to His promises.

We also have promises for the here and now. We may have to be patient as it might take a little while. But let’s hold on. Keep trusting God. No matter what. Don’t give up.

In Hebrews chapter 11 are listed the greatest heroes in the Old Testament who held on to their faith. In chapter 12 it talks about a cloud of witnesses cheering us in to run our race of faith with patience like they did before us.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2012:1&version=NKJV

Patience is important.

But the context for what God is talking about in His word begins in chapter 10. We have a better covenant than the old covenant because we have Jesus Christ. He is the new covenant. His blood shed for us on the cross is the new covenant. We still need to stand in faith like the Old Testament believers, but we have a better covenant.

Patience brings fulfillment of God’s promises.

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
Hebrews 10:36 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:36&version=NKJV

for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.
Hebrews 10:34 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:34&version=NKJV

We have treasure in heaven that is greater than treasure here on earth.

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
Hebrews 10:35 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:35&version=NKJV

Do not throw away your confidence. There is reward in hanging on. Even if you have tough times, even if someone takes advantage of you. Hang on to your faith and trust in God.

Don’t give up just because you’ve been doing the right thing and things haven’t happened yet.

“For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
Hebrews 10:37 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:37&version=NKJV

Why Christ hasn’t come back yet. According to His word, it’s because God is long suffering. He wants all to come to saving faith, as many people as possible. Jesus will still come back. But we are glad He didn’t come back before we got the opportunity to be saved.

Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
Hebrews 10:38 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:38&version=NKJV

Don’t give up. Don’t draw back.

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 10:39 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:39&version=NKJV

The whole point of Hebrews 10, 11, and 12 is God motivating us to not give up and stay patient and trust Him.

So, how do we stay patient?

Point #1: Let us draw near

and having a High Priest over the house of God,
Hebrews 10:21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:21&version=NKJV

Jesus is our High Priest. It is He who allows us to be able to draw near to God in heaven. Jesus tore the veil that separated us from God like in the Old Testament. He opened the kingdom of heaven to all.

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:22&version=NKJV

When we draw near we will have assurance of faith. Spend time with God. In His word. In prayer

Point #2: Let us hold fast.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:23&version=NKJV

Speak your faith. Repeat the word of God. Don’t give in to speaking anything contrary to God’s promises. Hold fast to your confession and profession of faith.

Point #3: Let us consider others.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:24-25&version=NKJV

Let us consider others and encourage others. Encourage others to stay in the faith and to love others. Let us gather and spend time together. Spend time with God. Spend time in His word. But also spend time with other believers.

Don’t cast away your confidence.

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
Hebrews 10:36 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:36&version=NKJV

Caution: Don’t cancel it out by saying the wrong thing. Don’t cancel out your blessing. Don’t even spend time watching or reading someone who used to walk with God but then drew back. Their fruit stinks. Their words stink.

Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
Hebrews 10:38-39 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2010:38-39&version=NKJV

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%206:9-10&version=NKJV

How to help each other from drawing back—encourage one another to have patience. To not give up. To continue to believe and trust God no matter what. To not harden their hearts.

Gathering together and encouraging one another helps us stay in the faith. Helps us stay patient no matter what.

On writing music

If there's anyone still reading this, you may or may not know that I am a composer/songwriter. It's not a topic I talk about often on the blog, not lately, and not really ever. Briefly, my composing/songwriting history begins with choral anthems and then solo piano pieces. During high school and college, I learned how to write for all sorts of classical ensembles, ranging from unusual groups like solo tenor and bassoon, to a full orchestra. After college, I began trying to songwrite. It wasn't until I was in several different jazz/blues/rock/praise bands that I got to experience what writing for the genre was really like, like how the guitar worked, how the bass guitar functioned (I had some knowledge from writing bass choir parts and organ pedal parts), and so on. To this day, I barely understand drums still.

However, by 2019 I was in the biggest compositional/songwriting drought of my life. I had been in droughts before, but only for maybe a very short while, and I always came out of it. In 2019, though, it was long, and it was bad. Case in point: after passing on a couple opportunities to attend a songwriter's workshop at my own church (I had a schedule conflict, but looking back, I could have moved it), I finally signed up for one. But it was at a church on the far side of Chicago. Hence I had to drive a while to get there. I left a touch later than I wanted (I did plan it out), but as I kept driving toward the location of the workshop, traffic got progressively worse. I gave up about halfway through, when it became clear that if I were to go, I would have already missed half of it. That's how badly traffic increased. I went instead to a Starbuck's on the return trip home, hoping I might be able to jot down some notes. I mean, I came ready to compose.

I couldn't write anything down. Absolutely no inspiration came. I mustered a few quarter notes and some letters, but I lapsed into jotting down my frustrations right on the music paper. It was disappointing, but also eye-opening. I was reflecting on how, in other difficult and painful seasons of my life, no matter how difficult or painful, I could at least count on being able to put my pain into music, and this time I couldn't. Driving home that day, I saw a bumper sticker that said "do not put God in a box." As I prayed and reflected, it dawned on me that I had been taking glory that rightfully belonged to God. Certainly in terms of music, but also across all aspects of my life.

In context, this was the year that I ended my piano teaching practice, and faced in full force the necessity of changing careers. I couldn't do music the way I was doing it as a means of earning a living. I was also, in other ways, disappointed and/or drained by various relationships I had developed with other musicians during those years, and was consumed by it. And of course, my faith was still on life support at the time, if that.

What I wanted to get to today was that I did hit a point where I told God: "I miss it when it was just You and me." (specifically in regards to music-making) I do believe He heard that. Much of my childhood music experience was marked by worshipping Him, after all. Granted, my praise to God was in the form of a choir, and oftentimes a pipe organ. That, and improvising on the piano. And He did give back to me the gift of composing and songwriting. But one thing that I started doing, if for no other reason than to remind me who really wrote the piece of music I just notated, was to write "Soli Deo Gloria," something Johann Sebastian Bach wrote on all his pieces. I don't remember every time I finish notating and formatting a composition, but I try to as often as I think of it.

One of my unofficial goals is to set as much of Scripture, particularly the Psalms, to music. To date, I have set... ok, check that, GOD and I* have set the following Psalms to music (the list includes completed projects as well as a few in-progress projects): 1, 2, 6, 8, 22, 23, 24, 42, 43, 46, 54, 67, 95, 121, 122, 130, 135... and those are only the ones I could think of while writing this post. I've also set parts of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Galatians, the Gospels, Isaiah, 1st Thessalonians, Revelation, Numbers, and other books that I'm not thinking of as I'm writing this post. I think it best that I not try to state any other specific goals, because I want to let God direct and inspire that.

In the last year, I've gotten away from playing in rock bands, so the music I've written has reflected that change. Interestingly, I've been writing more a cappella choir music (choir music without organ), as well as a few piano pieces.

In this time of change in my life and circumstances, I may not be able to write as much as I had. But I'm trusting that it will return at some point. I still periodically have ideas that come through my mind, but I forget before I had the opportunity to notate them. It happens. My trust is that whatever God wants me to write down, He'll put it to me when I have the opportunity to do so.

An attitude and faith check

 A checkpoint:

I briefly came across this post from late May and thought it good to reflect briefly. As I write, I don't really remember life before June. In fact, I kind of don't remember life before the week I was really sick (and then in the hospital). Now, another job later, I'm checking in weary. (Hey! I think there's a post for that!)

I was on fire for God (I believe it, anyway) for the entire first half of 2021. Maybe all of 2020 as well. But today, I don't feel on fire. Reflecting back on the previous decade (2010-2019), I had moments of being on fire, particularly in 2013, the year I got saved. But by 2019, I was on a bad path, so bad such that, if I had died that year, I don't think I would have made it in to heaven. Suffice to say, I was so thoroughly angry at God about a whole bunch of things that had, in my opinion, "gone wrong" in my life, that my heart had hardened. But by His grace He picked me up out of the mire and clay, once again.

Thing is, falling from being on fire in one's faith doesn't happen in a day. It takes time. I'm not saying circumstances don't or can't play a role, but we have our part to play as well. And checking in now aware that I haven't been on fire for God in the same way since before the summer began, and now that I have a difficulty, and am fatigued, it's a checkpoint. The main question lingers: what must I do to not go back to where I was in 2019? Or 2009? Or [insert other years here]?

Tying in the fact that 11 years ago I went on this big epic trip to California that included so many things that happened both before and during the trip, I remember the day before I hopped on that plane. Now, a lot I've forgotten about it (I had to dig up an old blog post to read about it). But I remember helping a stranger out, a man who had come to my old church for the morning service. I invited him to lunch with friends, and bought his meal, and then dropped him off somewhere that he asked me to drop off. But I was angry. In the post that day, I had written that I felt I was "supposed" to be doing something else. That's a load of garbage. In my heart, I didn't want to be going to lunch with the group of friends (or be helping this man out). It wasn't because I didn't specifically want to do either, but rather I wanted to be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else. (Never mind that, I did get to "be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else" later that evening, anyway.) Bottom line, I wanted to be in control. And I was angry that I wasn't.

That was also the attitude I was carrying going into this Colorado/California trip. In the weeks leading up to the trip, I periodically would mutter angrily under my breath to God something along the lines of "that California trip had better happen!" over and over. (I don't remember what other angry things I muttered to Him.) But I remember feeling this angry "[bleep] it, I want to be in control because I don't trust You to be in control, and You had better do what I say!" attitude that, quite frankly, has no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. (I had the nerve to order God around on what I thought He should do!) And in 2019, even though I had gotten saved, gotten baptized, spent years in therapy, and grown a heck of a lot, I was back in that same place, with that same attitude.

It's why, earlier this year, when I was angry at the world for not only falling away from God but also that the world was giving Him the middle finger in the process, I became aware and concerned about even therapy taking His place. I kind of talked about it in this post, and I even brought up my concern in the group I was in as I was preparing to leave (I felt that the group and therapy center may have been falling away from Jesus a bit), only to be met with blank stares. An awkward moment, for sure!

But I must apply that to myself, as well.

It's why, a few weeks ago, I felt God prompting me to read through Psalm 119. That same "my will be done" attitude reared up, complaining to Him and telling Him I didn't want to because I found that particular Psalm to be "long" and "boring." I apologized and repented later, and began reading. I've only really made it through the first three sections (there are twenty-two in all). Below are a couple verses that have jumped out to me:

How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.

Psalm 119:9, NJKV

Blessed are You, O Lord!

Teach me Your statutes.

Psalm 119:12, NKJV

But it began something, an attitude check, because it also led to God then asking me if I was doing this:

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Mark 12:29-30, NKJV

He was basically asking me if I loved Him. It was a heart-check. I said yes, recalling a time in 2017 when I saw a piece of paper taped to a window of a store on my street that said: "I love you. Do you love me?" Hours later, hoping to get a photograph, that piece of paper had disappeared. But I knew when I first saw it that it was God asking me that question.

Another verse from Psalm 119 that speaks directly to this:

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,

Who seek Him with the whole heart!

Psalm 119:2, NKJV

Am I seeking God with the whole of my heart? After reading the first installments of Psalm 119, the same day I complained about the Psalm's length and "boringness," I found myself later muttering "teach me Your statutes" under my breath over and over. Recalling the 2017 event regarding God asking me if I loved Him, I took my time and thought about it. Realizing that speaking faith, even if I didn't feel it right at that moment, was more important than standing by whatever I felt, I said, "yes, I choose to love You. I may not feel it right now, but I am choosing to love You. Because it's important."

It's not a done deal, like I say the right thing and then everything is magically better. Since then, I have found myself out of work and looking once again, and I had a flare-up in my gut. Plus, the hospital bills finally arrived, and right now the total is more than I can afford. Gratefully, it's not a whole lot more than what I can afford, but still. But I'm being tested, because I understand that God wants to know if I will still choose to follow Him and more importantly, love Him, even when things get really hard.

I am sad to say, based on my past responses -- even when I thought I had grown -- that I don't know how my attitude will play out. I want to be able to say that this time I will finally respond differently, and choose to trust Him (both with my words/mutterings as well as my actions), and not harden my heart and take His Name in vain again like I've done. Given what I have said and done and how I've hardened my heart, I realize now that it is only by His grace that I'm still alive and here today to share this with you.

Before I found myself out of work, I did feel God encourage me to let go of the job I was working at. I did so not thinking I was going to be gone from it, but rather I had found that I had created a tunnel vision for myself and the career I'm trying to begin entirely within the scope of this particular job. By letting go, I found myself free to start thinking about what would be beneficial for my career at this beginning stage. Bottom line, I have a template there. But now, I have to once again guard against "my will be done" and instead trust that "God's will be done" will know the exact timing -- and place -- that is best for my next stop.

"Teach me Your statutes" prepares my heart to receive not only God's training but the training I need to succeed at not only the job but the career. Loving God with my whole heart is the next step, because it is, as Jesus said, the First and Greatest Statute. And loving Him with the whole heart means that there will be rewards for it, as Psalm 119:2 and so many other verses say.

Back to the basics.

Sermons from Good News: what to do when you get weary

Church 9/01/2021

Worship time scripture:

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Proverbs%2018:10&version=NKJV

Sermon message: what to do when you get weary

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%206:9&version=NKJV

Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.
Galatians 6:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%206:9&version=AMP

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
Galatians 6:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%206:9&version=MSG

Sometimes we have to wait for blessings from God (depending on the season)

Three things to remember about God when we are waiting:

God will cause a harvest to come.
God is never early or late: He is always on time.
Good seeds bring good harvest.

But what if we are feeling fatigued?

Turn to God
Read God’s word
Focus on God, and not the problem

It is a fight. The Bible says to fight the good fight.

More word = more faith
More world = less faith

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Isaiah%2055:8&version=NKJV

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Isaiah%2055:8&version=AMP

Keep it simple: have a relationship with God. Don’t worry about anything else.

Spending time with God gives you strength.

For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.
Galatians 5:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%205:17&version=AMP

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Galatians 5:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%205:17&version=NKJV

You become who you hang out with. Are you going to spend time with God or with the world? Are you influencing others, or are others influencing you?

Consider Mary vs Martha. Jesus said that what Mary was doing was more valuable.

and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=2%20Timothy%203:15&version=NKJV

What does spending time with God look like for you?

It’s meant to be a constant conversation. But it’s a battle.

Sermons from Good News: motivation, determination, and instruction

[Blogger's note: after being crazy busy one month, and then crazy sick for much of another month, by God's grace I am finally back and able to catch up on posting my notes from sermons at my church for the months of June and July. Thank you all for your prayers; I am believing and claiming that I will be completely healed, and even healed beyond whatever Satan or the world calls a "preexisting condition." I completely reject that term in Jesus' name, and choose to receive by faith the complete healing that GOD says He has for me: a new [undisclosed part of the body] in Jesus' name!

In the meantime, I pray that you are blessed by these sermon notes as much as I was blessed by these sermons. I will post sermons twice weekly until we are caught up again, in the same manner that I did from January through May, 2021.]

Offertory scripture:

All you have to do is trust God.

If I can trust God with my salvation and my life and eternity, shouldn’t it follow that I can also trust God with my finances? Or healing in my body? Or other earthly circumstances?

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:1-2,8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Joshua%201:1-2,8&version=NKJV

You don’t need to be perfect, just commit to following God’s word, and do the best you can.

Announcement:

Wednesday August 4, 2021 we will resume services. This will be a miracle healing service.

Sermon message:

God is good and His mercy endures forever.

God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Thesis for tonight: Motivation, determination, and instruction.

Point #1: Motivation. Really important. Companies hire motivational speakers to rally their employees. Parents try to motivate their children. Coaches try to motivate their players. Roadblocks: fear, self doubt, and insecurity. We all have struggles with these things. Hence the need to be motivated by [companies, parents, coaches, etc]

God is a motivator. God wants you to succeed. He loves you. He is a parent. He knows you have fears, doubts, and insecurity. But He still loves you and wants you to succeed.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Mark 9:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Mark%209:23&version=NKJV

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians%204:13&version=NKJV

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Romans%208:37&version=NKJV

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20John%204:4&version=NKJV

Whenever you have doubts or worries, you can crawl into God’s lap as a child and you can talk with Him whatever is going on. He will encourage you and motivate you.

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Luke 18:27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%2018:27&version=NKJV

If these “common folk” in the Bible did it, you can do it!

Point #2: determination

They made it by their faith and determination and by trusting God. Not by their height, strength, smarts, or any other physical attributes. They had God. They did it.

And so can you. Because it’s through God you can do it.

Hebrews 11 is a hallmark of the Bible to show examples of people of great faith. The point is not to make you feel bad. The point is to illustrate that through faith they did it, and because of it, so can you.

Consider Abraham and Sarah. God did not brag on them being a baby factory. He bragged on their faith, that in spite of their age and being “past childbirth age,” they believed Him and God rewarded them with a child. That child eventually led to the nation of Israel a few generations later.

God doesn’t brag on David’s height, strength, smarts, etc. God bragged on David for his faith in Him.

God didn’t brag on Noah having great building skills. Or great tools. But He brags on Noah’s faith and determination.

And so with every character that walked with God.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
James 5:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=James%205:17&version=NKJV

Satan will try to discourage your faith and determination by pointing out your lack of experience or skill. But that’s not what God is looking for. He is simply looking for faith and determination. (My addition: And obedience.)

Hebrews 11 is a big motivational chapter. But in Hebrews 12 God motivates us again.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2012:1-2&version=NKJV

In heaven, you have saints in heaven cheering you on. Abraham, David, Paul, Timothy, etc ran their race and then passed the baton to the next generation. Now it’s our turn to run the race.

Point #3: God’s instruction

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2012:1&version=NKJV

Let us lay aside everything that gets in the way of us running the race.

Get rid of weight. Get rid of bad teaching that says you have to be perfect. Yes let’s get rid of sin. But also get rid of beating yourself up. Be patient with running the race. Run with patience. Don’t look back. Keep looking forward towards Jesus.

We need patience.

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Hebrews%2012:2&version=NKJV

Look to Jesus. Not the circumstances around you. Peter walked on water because he looked at Jesus. Peter began sinking because he stopped looking at Jesus.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Keep your eyes on Him. He made it. How? He endured the cross and the shame with joy. Jesus looked ahead to you and me. He kept His eyes on the joy set before Him, kept His eyes on the Father, and on you and me. He looked ahead too. So can we.