God

Let This Soak in…

/ The Pastor

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
Psalms 24:1‭-‬2 ESV

Let that soak in for a bit;
the fact that the earth is the Lord’s;
including those who dwell therein;
You
You are the Lord’s.
This is a matter of possession,
and thus of provision.
You are the Lord’s and therefore,
You are valued.
You are loved.
You are cherished.
It is that fundamental.
It matters not who you are.
It matters not what you’ve done.
It matters not what you will do.
You are the Lord’s.
He established you.
He founded you.
He knows you.
You are never out of His
Sight
Reach
Shelter
You are the Lord’s.
Fear not the Lord but fear the Lord.
It’s that simple.
It that fundamental.
It’s that awesome.
You are the Lord’s.
Let that soak in…

The Pastor -|—

Strength and Shield

/ The Pastor

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
[Psalms 28:7 ESV]

Oh Lord,
You are my Strength.
You are my Shield.
In You I am found safe and secure.
In You I am on firm footing.
In You I shall never to be moved.
And thus I praise You,
oh Lord,
for many would assail me,
Satan’s torments crash against me as the waves of the sea.
Sin is constantly enticing me to turn away from You.
On my own I am weak.
On my own I would surely succumb to the evil one.
On my own You are not glorified.
But You ARE my Strength.
You ARE my Shield.
And thus I am here to praise You.
My heart exalts.
My heart is over-joyed.
For You help me,
and You shield me.
You place a hedge of protection around me.
And there is nothing and no one that can snatch me out of Your hands.
And so, as I begin this new day,
may I ever remember You as my Fortress,
and say with confidence and boldness,
“Satan, bring it on.”
To You, oh God, be all glory and honor and strength and praise.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Beauty

/ The Pastor

“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.”
[Psalm 50:2]

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder;
oh Lord,
heal my eyes that I may behold the beauty that is You.
May I see You for who You are.
May I be awed by You.
May I not be seduced by the world’s beauty,
except to be drawn to You.
The beauty of Your creation is perfect, as You are perfect.
The beauty of life is perfect, as You are perfect.
Oh Lord,
beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,
heal my eyes that I may behold You.

The Pastor -|—

A Colorful God

/ The Pastor

I just love the wonderful pieces of artwork from God this time of the year. Even though His beauty is all around us year round, His masterpieces seem to jump of the page in the fall.

The Pastor -|—

Rejoice and Be Glad

/ The Pastor

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[Psalm 118:24]

There is much in this life in which to be depressed.
There is much in this life in which to be angry.
There is much in this life in which to be frustrated.

I recently read a blog post (I won’t get into details as they aren’t important here) that made me frustrated. Nearly ever day I watch/read something in the news that makes me roll my eyes. Each morning I wake up in some degree of back pain as I deal with arthritis. There is much in this life in which to complain.

But…

…there is much in this life is which to rejoice.

Namely?

God made this day.
God is in charge.
God has redeemed this creation through Jesus Christ.
God has created you for a purpose.
God is sovereign.

When one reflects on that (and the many other truths that could be written) how can one’s heart not rejoice?

This is indeed the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it 🙂

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

Oh God, You are…

/ The Pastor

Oh God,
You are the God of the past.
You are the God of the present.
You are the God of the future.
You are the God of my everything and for all time.

Oh God,
You hold me securely.
You hold me lovingly.
You hold me faithfully.
Therefore I shall never fear and tremble before this world.

Oh God,
You are present with me in the bad times.
You are present with me in the good times.
You are present with me in all times,
and therefore You are to be praised always and forever.

Oh God,
You reign over uncertainty.
You are faithful despite my anxiety.
You are calming in my anxiousness.
You are healing.

Oh God, You are many things,
and therefore,
all praise to You.

The Pastor -|—

The Future

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

The future lurks.
It lurks like that boogie man from childhood stories.
The future stalks.
It stalks like those scary Stephen King creatures.
The future waits.
It waits like a predator eyeing it’s prey.

The future is coming,
and all we can do is
wait and
wait and
wait…

And it’s scary,
the not knowing,
being out of control,
not being able to plan and
anticipate and
prepare.

But that’s how the future likes it.
It wants you scared so it can control
you.

But God says, “Fear not”
But I say, “The future is scary”
But God says, “I am your past, present and future“

“I love you, my child”
“I love you, more than you can imagine”
“I created you”
“I shaped you”
“I gave my Son for you”
“I love you, so do not fear“

[goose bumps, sigh, breath, smile]

Take that you lurking, stalking and waiting future.
My God is bigger.
My God is stronger.
My God is my refuge.

Oh God, I wait for YOU…

The Pastor -|—

Life

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness.
I see naked trees
with fallen leaves;
that which had color now possesses
none.

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness.
I see empty roads;
quiet streets.
Activity that once was bustling
has gone silent.

As I look out my window,
I see lifelessness
but
I am reminded of the beginning;
a beginning that was chaos and nothing;
nothing but Your Spirit, oh God,
hovering over the waters of the deep.
And so the lifelessness I see is really not lifeless.

You are hovering.

So as I look out my window,
I see Life.
I see beauty,
created by You.
That which I saw as lifeless
really is not.

As I look out my window…

🙂

The Pastor -|—

Lists of Praise

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14 ESV)

Oh God, You are my…
Creator
Life
Hope
Salvation
Refuge
Shelter
Shield
Defense
Rock
Father
Lord
All in all
Sure foundation
Provider
Sustainer
Abba
Peace
Delight
Comfort

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Oh God, You are…
Holy
Life
Loving
Faithful
Compassionate
Merciful
Forgiving
Just
Worthy
Powerful
Almighty
Wonderful
Caring
Wise
Trustworthy
Sovereign
Truth
Awesome
Righteous
Pure
Gracious
Precious

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Oh God, I am…
Loved
Safe
Secure
at Peace
Thankful
Joyful
Worshipful
Content
Blessed
a Disciple
a Evangelist
Your child
Your handiwork
Your servant
Your creation

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Oh God, I lift my praise to You. Keep me steadfast in Your Word that I may never turn aside after false gods. And may I continue to add to these lists for they do not even come close to describing You, oh God. All praise and worship be to You, through Christ Jesus my Lord, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Forever

/ The Pastor

Once again, I have felt inspired to write another faith-filled poetic piece. I’m not sure why, all of a sudden, I have posted something like this two days in a row but here you go.

I praise You in the sunshine,
I praise You in the rain;
for You are God over all,
and ever will You reign.

I love You in the morning,
I love You in the eve;
for You are always with me,
and ever will You be.

I thank You with my whole heart,
I thank You all my life;
for You are holy awesome,
and ever be my Light.

Jesus is my Lord and Life,
for his life did he give.
You are always faithful, God,
and ever will I Live.

May God bless you, always and forever 🙂

The Pastor -|—