"Prayer Request"  Hebrews 13:18 " Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience in all things desiring to live honorably." The writer of Hebrews requests prayer for those in ministry leadership. I do too. Please do pray for us. Pastors, Missionaries, Elders, Teachers, Administrators, Directors, Principals, Council members, Ministry Leaders. All of us. That we do desire to live and serve honorably in all things. I know for me l want His will and His purpose manifested in my service of Him. I am confident that my conscience is clear, so l request prayer to lead accordingly. Lord, that l may be bold and firm, compassionate and gracious. Pray for me, for us that l/We may lead with true heart and conviction that comes from Him. ln His service with you, Pastor Fred

"Call Upon Me" 


Psalm 150:15 " Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

I have a friend who has been hammering out his life story on a hard anvil of doubt for many decades. Great guy in many, many ways, but unable to make that commitment to Christ in a personal relationship of salvation. I know He is not alone. Many struggle with surrender, acquiescence, and basic faith issues. Maybe they kinda believe in something or even go to church or have read some of the Bible or had a childhood connection of some kind. But, in fact, they are not yet on board. They have not known the saving grace of Jesus as their Savior.

This last week my friend, after 50+ years of wandering and wondering, came home. He did it in a time of trouble. Just started reading Psalm 50 and talking to God, honestly. God met him at his point of need about verse 15 and the epiphany came. God is there, and real, and there was no more denying that. My friend has been glorifying God ever since. In his words, "Who knew?" Well, God knew that if anyone will just call upon Him, He will show up. God is good. He will deliver us. When we know that, we will glorify Him. Glory to God! If you cannot say that today, call on God. He is there and real. Open up, He has something for you, and it is good.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

Daily Devotional by Charlotte Adams

 I Need Thee, Oh, I need Thee; Every Hour I need Thee!

As I was reading this week one of the daily writings of Sarah Young in “Jesus Calling” centered on “trust” and “thankfulness”, the words from the old hymn noted above in the title, came flooding into my mind.  Now, I can’t explain that because I wouldn’t be able to tell you the last time I’ve even heard this song sung.  But, I do remember that it was a song that I heard often growing up, being sung in my Mom’s Baptist church.  The words were penned by Annie S. Hawks in 1872 and set to music by her Pastor, Dr. Robert Lowry.  There are four verses, each followed by this chorus:” I need Thee, oh I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee.  Oh, bless me now, my Savior.  I come to Thee”.  The endings of the four verses bring home the point of the song -  first verse: “… No tender voice like thine can peace afford; second verse: …“Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh; third verse: “… In joy or pain. Come quickly and abide or life is vain; fourth verse: “… Most Holy One. Oh, make me Thine indeed. Thou blessed Son.”
 
Sarah’s piece simply reminds us that if we trust God and express our thankfulness to Him, doing just those two things, will get us safely through each day.  Of course, that doesn’t mean only doing that as we start each day, which hopefully we all do, but exercising the choice to do that many times throughout the day as we stay focused on Him.  It means trusting Him with all that confronts us and being ever so thankful to know that He is with us, and that He’s “got our back.”  We get so easily caught up in worrying and obsessing about “stuff” and criticizing and complaining about “stuff”.  Where does that get us in the end?  It seems a much simpler solution is to entrust it to God for Him to handle as He sees fit, without any unnecessary interference on our part.
 
Be encouraged by the Truth of His Word: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,  continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. Colossians 2:67NIV; “But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in You I take refuge”…Psalm 141:8NIV; “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”. 1Peter 5:7NIV.
 
Some of you have maybe have seen this on a plaque or read it somewhere, but I first encountered it many years ago displayed in a dining room cabinet at my older sister’s home in Virginia.  Hope the truth of it will bring a smile to your face as you read it, and hopefully,  it will help you (and me) keep our perspective daily.  “Good Morning.  This is God.  I will be handling all of your problems today.  I will NOT need your help.  So, relax and have a great day.”
 
Wishing you a very blessings-filled weekend and week to follow. We invite and would welcome you to join us Sundays at Grace Harbor for Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m., where the Book of Romans (Chapter 5) is currently the study, and Sunday Worship Service and Children’s Sunday School at 9:00 a.m.
 
Love In Him,
Charlotte Adams

 "Excellence" 

 Psalm 8:9 "O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!"

From time to time, usually every day, l must pause to consider truths like this. His Name is indeed wonderful. Not just the name of Jesus, but God in all His Majesty. Not only in nature and creation, but in the detail and minutiae of everyday life. Consider that The LORD is over all and in all and through all. He is marvelous beyond description.

In today's world most things come up short or do not last, or are not all they were purported to be. Not God, not Jesus, not The LORD. He is all that and more. Then, He is more than all that. He is excellent in all things. This is where we put our faith and hope and trust. Not in man-made things or human accomplishments, but in God who is truly excellent. Let us speak of Him more. It is He who is our standard and reference point. This is the day that He has made, l will rejoice and be glad in it. Why? Because He is excellent. His Name reminds us of His excellence. Consider Jesus today and as you do, remember The LORD is good. He is excellent. We need excellence. How excellent is He? Totally, perfectly excellent.

Enjoying that just now,
Pastor Fred 

Daily Devotional
by Vicky Tucker 
 
When I saw this, it moved me because of Wednesday's tragedy in a Florida High School.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 34: 18-19

 
Trading Hurt for Wholeness
We live in a world gone wrong, one that was created perfect but now suffers the ravages of sin; death, violated relationships, children born with disabilities and deformities, disease, man’s inhumanity to man, moral failures, tragedies of major proportions, chaos. It is, indeed a broken world. But it is one thing to shake our heads at the mess the world is in; it is quite another to confront the reality of it in our own lives. One layer away, it is sad. But when it hits us, it is ominous.

When we stand in the middle of a lifestorm, it seems as if the storm has become our way of life. We cannot see a way out. We are unable to chart a course back to smoother waters. We feel defeated and broken. Will that brokenness produce a cynicism that will keep us forever in the mire of “if only” thinking? Or will we yield up that brokenness to the resources of One who calms the winds and the waves, heals the brokenhearted, and forgives the most grievous of sins? The choice is ours.
 
By: Verdell Davis
Riches Stored in Secret Places
 
Please let’s keep all those affected by Wednesday's tragedy in our hearts and prayers.
Love in Christ,
Vicky Tucker

“Seriously”
 
Romans 12:9  "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good."

The idea of Christianity is easier than the practice. Saying we love and acting hateful is hypocritical. We don't exactly abhor evil either. Rather, we tolerate it, flirt with it and minimize it. As for clinging to good we rather flirt with it too and on good days consider it more and maybe even prefer it. Sounds like Christianity, at least Biblically speaking, is more serious than we make it.

C.K. Chesterton said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." I have long contended that we are nowhere near as totally committed as we should be. Our practice of being Christ followers lacks enough fervor, love, goodness and adequate resistance of evil. We will be taken more seriously when we take our faith more seriously. The world is waiting for the manifestation of God's power through God's people. This will not happen until we act like we are transformed.

Convicted,
Pastor Fred

“The Whole Fruit Basket”
 
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23 

I love this passage from Galatians, it is so positive. 
It is important to note why this well-known passage starts with "but". It is because previous verses talk about our "fruit" without the spirit of God. It lists things like envy, idolatry, hatred, envy and more. If we have accepted Christ we have his spirit, and so can be freed from these things and get his "fruit" instead.

The Bible is clear that God bestows different gifts to different people. Some are teachers, some healers, etc (I Cor. 12). That is NOT true of the fruit of the spirit. If we are in Christ, we get ALL of it, the whole fruit basket. We can't say "patience" (forbearance) is not my thing- we have all the fruit- we just may not choose to partake or use all He has given us. 

So, need a little joy, peace or self-control? I know I do. Time to reach into that "fruit salad" of the Spirit of God in all of us who are Christians.

Hungry for Him,

Angie Wahl

“Our Helper”
 
John 16:7 " Nevertheless, I tell you the truth:  it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you."

Have you ever thought or said how great it would be if we could actually, physically see, walk and talk with Jesus the way His disciples did when he was on Earth? That was what Jesus' disciples experienced every day. When He told them He was leaving, they were filled with sorrow, but He told them that they would actually be better off when He left. How could that ever be possible?

Only after Jesus returned to His father in heaven would The Helper, The Spirit of God be sent to them. On the day of Pentecost, when The Helper came to them, He was not limited to a physical body. Since then He has lived within every believer, every moment, everywhere, working in and through us. The Spirit, The Comforter, guides us into all the truth, helps us in our weakness, and glorifies Jesus by declaring the things of Jesus to us. He also convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. We have an advantage that Jesus' disciples did not have when He was on Earth. We have The Comforter, His Holy Spirit with us, in us and for us.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

Daily Devotional by Faith Peay

Would we go, if we knew what was ahead?

     My next-door neighbor and I reached an agreement.  I will get the sofa she does not want anymore and in exchange, become her personal designer for payment.  She shared with me that day about her walk with God.

     She had a rough year last year and became the victim of a tyrannical principal, who nearly ruined her career and put her through a year of emotional upheaval and strain.  This is no ordinary teacher.  She is a master of technology and has been a highly esteemed teacher in our school district.  The big reason she survived this ordeal, is her incredible past experience and having people in high places who believed in her.  In spite of all that, she finally landed an unbelievable job in the private sector.   (4 hours a day for prep, 15 eager students, robotics and tech materials, higher pay and benefits)  It’s a dream job!

     She told me that the whole time she was going through this ordeal, she prayed, and prayed.  She felt like God was not giving her answers, and sometimes she felt abandoned.  As she reflected back, she began to see how all of the puzzle pieces fit together.  If she had not gone through this step-by-step, she would have never got to the place she is.  God was there, even when she could not feel Him.  He orchestrated every step to get her where she is today.  She realized if He had shown her everything she had to go through to get where she is, if he gave her all the answers when she wanted them, would she have gone through the torture?  We both knew the answer to that.

     Sometimes when I have to cross the Jordan River, so to speak, it drives me crazy not to know what is on the other side.  I know I should leave it up to God, and just trust, but God knows me.  He knows how I will react and he chooses my path to make me grow and work on things I need to change.  There is a plaque in my apartment from a writing on a cellar wall. The words on the plaque were written by a survivor of the Holocaust.
 It says:
            I believe in the Sun even when it’s not shining. 
 I believe in Love even when I cannot feel it. 
           And I believe in God even when He is silent.

      It has gotten me through many tough times.  I am trusting Him to take me through uncomfortable situations, even when I get myself into a dither.  When you cross a river, you get wet, in some places you’ll feel like you’re drowning, and sometimes have to swim against the current.  Just remember; not only is God on the other side, he is in that river with you.

“Tough Questions”
 
Luke 14:6
“And they could not answer Him regarding these things.”
 
Trick questions are tricky. I guess that goes without saying. Jesus often turned the tables on scoffers by asking questions of His own. His questions were deep, yet direct, and simple. His detractor’s questions were loaded traps, full of innuendos and half-truths.

Questions can be powerful. Questioning God can be risky business. We like to be the one asking the questions, but not as often answering the questions. Here is a thought. Maybe we ought to answer to God as often as we question God. As good of answers as we expect from God, answering Him is a different story. What would you like to ask God? Would you be willing to answer Him? We will all answer to Him one day.

I think we should ask less and answer more. What do you think God would ask you? Could you answer? We sure ask a lot of questions for people who don’t have answers. Today I will answer a question that Jesus asked Peter “Who do you say I am?” and I will answer like Peter. “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Somehow after I say that, my questions seem impertinent. No more questions for me today. (Forgive me, Lord.) I just need to answer Him. How about you?

Humbly,
Pastor Fred

"Your Heart's Desire" 

Psalm 20:4 " May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose."

I write a lot of personal notes in cards. Over the years l have wondered how often l have repeated myself. No doubt with as many notes as l write, l have surely said nearly the exact same thing to many people and probably the exact same thing to the same person, maybe a number of times. It certainly does not diminish my intent, nor invalidate the sentiment. But, l do try to be fresh, original and heartfelt.

That being said, l do have some favorite things to say. Some l have heard said, or read, others, that just come to me as l think and pray about what to say. When l read and study His Word, some of these ideas come to me. For example, regarding this verse, I have written many times, this note... "May the Lord grant you every desire of your heart that is in the center of His will." I am sure that note is somehow inspired by this verse. I share this verse and sentiment with you today in hopes that it touches you afresh, or reminds you of what l once shared with you.

In the Grip of His Grace,
Pastor Fred

"Not Shaken" 

Hebrews 12:28 " Since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."

Lately, there seems to have been a whole lot of shaking going on. Whether health concerns or financial challenges, drama or attacks from the enemy. Yet, we have indeed received a Kingdom from our King who is immovable. We are called to serve Him in His Kingdom work. As His Word says, let us do it with grace... acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

No matter what other things we face or endure, His Kingdom work continues. He is not shaken. We can be bolstered by His established position. He will give us strength, faith, and power not only to survive, but to serve.

May confidence in Him embolden you to live victoriously. We can do it, whatever it is, because of Him. May we find ourselves serving Him in any and every way with gladness and joy, day by day. God is good. He deserves our service. May His grace abound in you and me today as we serve Him.

With Him and with you,
Pastor Fred 

Daily Devotional by Shastitiy Ortiz 

1Corinthians 16:14
Do everything in Love.
 
I love this verse, and it should be everywhere for us all to see. It doesn’t say to do something, or when we feel like, or when we are in the mood; it says do everything in love.

I so often hear “I don’t know why or how you do it”, but the answer is because I love to. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do. So the things that you do should be because you love to.

So the next time you hold open the door for someone, answer the phone, talk to the person next to you in church, do it in LOVE.

We all need to Love more and hate less.