Balancing Ministry N' Work

Hebrews 12:1-3 “12  Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2  keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3  For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.” When our oldest, Chris, was in middle school he ran cross country. Before each of his meets, I would tell him to leave it all on the field. In other words, I was encouraging him to give every ounce of effort he had so that he could be proud of his effort regardless of the results. I believe that is exactly what the author of Hebrews wants us to do. To give it all we got! Let’s dig into these verses a little deeper. Hebrews ...

John 3:22-20 “ 22  After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized. 23  John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, 24  since John had not yet been thrown into prison. 25  Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew about purification. 26  So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi, the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing—and everyone is going to him.” 27  John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28  You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’ 29  He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. 30  He must increase, but I must d...

Jesus had just finished teaching and feeding the five thousand. He had sent His disciples on a boat ahead of Him and then walked on water to meet up with them. Then this happens: “When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus” – John 6:24 CSB When the crowd did not find Jesus they went looking for Him. I hear people talk about looking for a better job, looking for that perfect someone, or looking for a good deal on something they want to buy. It is rare that I hear someone saying they are looking for Jesus. People will say they have found Jesus, are born again, state they are believers, and more. It is almost like people believe once they found Jesus they are done. Is there some truth to that? Absolutely! We do not need to be saved over and over again, but just because we have found Jesus once does not mean we stop looking for Him. The people who were looking for Jesus in verse 24 abov...

Life can be absolutely crazy. We all have those ups that make us feel like we are soaring like an eagle and those downs that make us wonder how to carry on. When I think of the good times, I remember the first night I danced with my wife, our wedding, the birth of our children and many more. We all have those times that we like to think about. Then there are the things we don’t like to talk about, those challenges that knock us on our knees, that seem to make us feel like life is out of control. We have all experienced things like this. It could be a medical issue that feels like you been punched in the gut, financial struggles that are holding you back, the loss of a loved one, housing problems, problems at work, you name it. No matter if you are a lifelong Christian or someone who is sitting here this morning wondering who Jesus is, life is going to be challenging. There will be times you want to celebrate and times you will break down and cry. We went through a major challe...

Things don’t always go the way we plan or would like them to. During our lives, there has been very little time of true peace. Whether it is a military conflict or a flat out war, there has always been somewhere that our troops have been serving our country and risking their lives in another country. Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan to name a few of the more recent places our troops have lost their lives. We have most likely read or heard the statistics of how many of our brave young men and women have died. It is something we do not like, but it does not always hit close to home as we hurry about our lives. What about the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ? The Middle East is a dangerous place for Christ Followers… Egypt, Iraq, and Iran. China persecutes believers. Not the level of persecution we talk about here in the USA where we are concerned about if our free speech is going to be limited. Our fellow believers are facing life and death decisions when they...

Not too long-ago Pastor Don preached on the Parable of the Lost Son. As we read through the Parable something jumped out at me that I thought would be a good follow up to his message. Most of us have read these verses many times and been taught the meaning behind them many times, so you will be familiar with them as we read. Luke 15:11-24 “ 11  He also said: “A man had two sons. 12  The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. 13  Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14  After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15  Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16  He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eatin...