Notes of Faith March 25, 2022

Lean on Me as you face the circumstances of this day. Whether or not they realize it, all people lean on —depend on —something: physical strength, intelligence, beauty, wealth, achievements, family, friends, and so on. All of these are gifts from Me, to be enjoyed gratefully. However, relying on any of these things is risky because every one of them can let you down.

When your circumstances are challenging and you are feeling weak, you tend to obsess about how you are going to make it through the day. This wastes a lot of time and energy; it also distracts you from Me. Whenever this happens, ask Me to open your eyes so you can find Me in the moment. “See” Me standing nearby, with My strong arm extended toward you —offering you My help. Don’t try to pretend that you have it all together or that you’re stronger than you really are. Instead, lean hard on Me, letting Me bear most of your weight and help you with your problems.

Rejoice in Me —your Strength—and worship while leaning on Me.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.—Proverbs 18:24

But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to You; You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. —Psalm 59:16-17

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.—Hebrews 11:21 NKJV

*

When anxiety is great within you, turn to Me for consolation. Other words for “consolation” are comfort, compassion, empathy, help, encouragement, reassurance, and relief. I gladly provide all of this —and much more —for My children. Yet your natural tendency when you’re feeling anxious is to focus on yourself or your problems. The more you do this, the more you forget about Me and all the help I can supply. This worldly focus only increases your anxiety! Let the discomfort you feel at such times alert you to your neglect of Me. Whisper My Name, and invite Me into your difficulties.

Seek My Face, finding comfort in My compassion and empathy.

Look to Me for encouragement, reassurance, and help. I know all about your problems, and I also know the best way to deal with them. As you relax in My loving Presence, I strengthen you and provide relief from your anxiety. I reassure you that nothing in all creation can separate you from My Love. My consolation is full of blessings, beloved; it brings Joy to your soul.

When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.

—Psalm 94:19

When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” —Psalm 27:8 NKJV

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  —Romans 8:38-39

Excerpted from Jesus Calling for Moms by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.

 Every day may be filled with challenges, problems, busyness, and troubles. In everything we face, God invites us to lean on Him and His strength to endure, to be encouraged, and to thrive. We are to seek Him and find joy in Him!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 24, 2022

John 4:1-26, John 4:28-30, John 4:39-42

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John —although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples. So He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

Now He had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give Me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to Him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can You ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered,

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you —I am He.”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a Man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

This Samaritan woman had been searching for something, but she had looked in the wrong place —she had had five husbands and was with a sixth man. She was filled with shame, coming to gather water at high noon, well after all the other women had finished that chore. Then Jesus spoke with her and said He was the Messiah and the living water, echoing Isaiah 12:3: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” What did the woman do next?

How, in your life, has Jesus been like “a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” changing shame into worship?

Excerpted from The Hope of Easter , copyright Zondervan.

Jesus broke all the cultural rules and sought out an outcast woman from a rejected people group because He is Love personified. He loved the Samaritan woman and He loved the Samaritans just like He loves you. Jesus turns shame into worship! 

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 23, 2022

So I’ll cherish

the old rugged Cross,

Till my trophies at

last I lay down;

I will cling

to the old rugged Cross,

And exchange it some day

for a crown.

George Bennard was born in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1873, less than forty-five minutes from my own hometown of Alliance. He also happened to be the writer of one of my all-time favorite hymns, “The Old Rugged Cross.” It is arguably the most beloved hymn of all time.

After coming to Christ during a Salvation Army meeting, Bennard and his wife became active in the Methodist Church. It is said that he wrote “The Old Rugged Cross” in response to some ridicule he had received. The source or topic of the ridicule isn’t clear, but his response is found in the lyrics of the hymn. His answer was to cling to the cross. He is reported to have said that, for him, “Christ and the Cross were inseparable.”

Perhaps it is best that we do not know the specific reason Bennard was ridiculed. Who among us has not faced criticism or torment of some kind? We can relate to his situation without knowing the details —maybe even more so because we do not know the details. We can then apply his answer to anything we encounter.

The answer is always to cling to the Cross.

Have you ever been mocked for your faith? Cling to the Cross.

Have you ever been misunderstood? Cling to the Cross.

Have you endured hardship and heartache? Cling, sweet friend, to the Cross.

Don’t be afraid to bear its shame and reproach because, one day, you’ll exchange it for a crown.

Lord, help me to always be true to the Cross.

Excerpted from 100 Favorite Hymns by Stacy Edwards, copyright Thomas Nelson.

Cling to the Cross. No matter what is going on in your life today, the answer is “cling to the Cross”. Jesus came and paid for you. Personally. So no matter what you are enduring, know that Jesus is with you, for you, He loves you, He will never leave you, and the Cross is the proof of His unfailing love.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 22, 2022

When you came to know Jesus, you weren’t just rescued from your old path; you were invited into a new spiritual journey.

Jesus’ first words to His disciples were:

Come, follow Me. —Matthew 4:19

Following implies growth, change, learning, and giving space in our lives for God to refine and shape us until

Christ is formed in [us].—Galatians 4:19

Every day is an opportunity to be covered in His dust.

This journey wasn’t meant to be traveled alone, but rather with people who are dustier than you. Do you have someone like this in your life? A coach? A mentor? A pastor? A spiritual director?

• Like a garden, your soul can’t flourish if there is no one to tend it.

You need people who can roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and dig into the thorny issues, hardened ground, and weed-infested patches you’d rather ignore.

Because God knows soul-care is arduous work, He gives us the gift of others. He also gives us the gift of His Word.

Every time you read the Bible, you’re introduced to men and women who’ve gone before you and navigated dark and grueling seasons. They’ve battled weariness, discouragement, soul-numbing depression, and betrayal, but were sustained by God’s un-abating grace. The highs and lows of their lives are examples for us to learn from (Philippians 3:17).

For me, that dusty person is Peter. He was quite the colorful character: feisty, assertive, courageous, insecure, and notoriously unpredictable. One moment he was walking on water, and the next he was drowning. One moment he boldly declared Jesus was the Messiah, and the next he lectured Jesus for predicting the cross. Jesus’ reply? “Get behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23). Can you imagine? Peter was doubtless called a lot of things in life, but Satan was a new low. Did you know Peter was the only disciple who was interrupted by the entire Trinity? It’s true. (See also Matthew 17:5 and Acts 10:44.) Peter was the only one who denied he knew Jesus. But he was also the only one Jesus pursued to restore back to ministry (John 21).

Peter’s journey of the soul is one of calling, near catastrophic burn-out, and a slow migration toward flourishing. In his early days, people called him Simon. Simon means “to hear.” Later he was given the name Peter, which means “rock.” It’s an interesting combination of names because Jesus once used these words in a parable to describe inner growth. He said the spiritually unformed person “hears” the word but does nothing with it. Their life is like someone who builds a house on sand. When winds and rain come, it collapses because it has no foundation. But the person who obeys God’s Word builds a house on a rock. Even though the storms of life beat against it, the house endures because its foundation is robust (Matthew 7:24–27).

Every one of us is on a journey from Simon to Peter. It’s a rigorous, humbling, and exhilarating path to walk, and we’ll need all the help we can get. But that’s why God gives us guides. Peter is wonderful to learn from because his life exemplifies that no matter how fractured our lives are, they can still become rocks. Look how far he came: he began as an exhausted, impetuous fisherman with an undeveloped soul, but he ended as a mature, Spirit-drenched disciple in a prison cell writing about seven ways our souls can flourish. That’s quite the turnaround.

Let’s sit at His feet awhile and see what we can learn.

1.Rumi, The Essential Rumi, trans. Coleman Barks (New York: HarperCollins, 1995), 142.

Excerpted from Your Longing Has A Name by Dominic Done, copyright Dominic Done.

Do you have a mentor? Who is helping you tend to your soul and grow in your faith? Get in the Word of God today! It is the Bread of Life!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 21, 2022

Notes of Faith March 21, 2022

My marriage was not in crisis. We, like many young couples, were just busy with work, kids, and social commitments. Even with our monthly dates, marriage counseling, and dance lessons, neither of us felt truly fulfilled. Our daily interaction looked more like a meeting between coworkers than two lovers. I wanted the romance. Now, there are certainly two people in every marriage, both with the responsibility to pursue the other. But I could take steps to set an example of pursuit.

While pursuit is traditionally considered the role of the husband, the Song of Solomon shows us that the wife also pursues her lover (3:1–2ESV):

On my bed by night

I sought him whom my soul loves;

I sought him, but found him not.

I will rise now and go about the city,

in the streets and in the squares;

I will seek him whom my soul loves.

In the New Testament, Paul indicated the mutual nature of desire (in this case, sexual) by commanding both husbands and wives not to deny each other without mutual consent (see 1 Corinthians7:5). Combining the intentionality of biblical love (see 1 Corinthians 13) with the passion and mystery of falling in love is powerful. And then there is flirtation. Flirtation—I was taught—is inherently deceitful and insincere. But is that true? As I dug deeper into the Word, I couldn’t find a solid case against flirtation when it was expressed to a person you genuinely wanted to date. Scripture is actually very open to the idea of female pursuit in marriage. Since love reciprocates and initiates, it makes perfect sense for a wife to cultivate the chemistry she wants to see in her marriage.

I did research on actions and attitudes that encourage “spark” in romantic relationships. I wrote down thirty items, and with them in hand, I started the Flirtation Experiment. I was completely out of my comfort zone and I was nervous about appearing silly or out of character. The first week of experiments consisted of tiny changes in my words, body language, and attention that took a little effort (and discomfort) on my part at the beginning. But on day seven I noticed that my husband’s attitude had changed. He took more interest in reciprocating, in taking an interest in my day, in bringing me little surprises. In the context of positive flirtatious teasing, trust was growing. I was feeling more fulfilled, and so was he. It was working!

I firmly believe that marriage is meant to make us holy—but holiness also includes joy. A godly marriage will also be a happy marriage. In 1 Timothy 6:6, Paul wrote that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (ESV). Contentment is a heart attitude that does not strive for more than what it has. A contented marriage is a happy marriage, a marriage brimming with fulfillment.

The List

My list of thirty ways to pursue my husband that launched the Flirtation Experiment provided me with a structure to build powerful habits of affection, admiration, and affirmation in my marriage. What started out as a desire to rekindle romance and closeness grew into something deeply profound and far more beautiful than anticipated. Not beautiful in the sense of everything turning out perfectly (which it never does!) but genuinely beautiful in how our loving God did a work in our hearts.

God has the best intentions for your own relationship. You have the freedom to be courageously proactive—empowered to act where you might have been less inclined or thought, That’s not what Christian wives are supposed to do.Embark boldly on the journey—enjoying the full measure of what God intended for your marriage. Every husband is a different personality. Every marriage has its own story. As you begin your Flirtation Experiment, remind yourself that it is more about you than it is about changing your husband. The Experiment will reveal areas of growth in your own heart. Are you ready to begin?

Affection

I began my Experiment with an area I needed to work on: physical touch. Nowhere inside of me was there a desire to hug or be hugged, to touch or be touched; doing so made me extremely uncomfortable. I had no problem in the bedroom; it was almost as if I’d compartmentalized our physical interaction, placing any physical contact in the “sexual” part of my mind. I loved to cuddle my babies, but with my husband, there was a wall. He felt it. I felt it. I didn’t realize it then, but my disdain for physical touch was actually fear. I was terrified that reaching out to my husband would result in rejection.

Once I recognized what fear was doing to me and my marriage, I had a starting point. I couldn’t change years of fear patterns overnight, but I could take small steps to fight back. My first step: touch Josh—not in a seductive or sexual way, but in the simple way one does to say, “I’m here, and I love you,” instead of passing him like a coworker at the water cooler.

It was new at first. I felt awkward. But I noticed that these little efforts at affection, with no strings attached, made me more attached. He didn’t say anything, but he squeezed my hand when I gave it. He came up beside me as I tossed laundry in the dryer and touched my shoulder too. It was like affection was contagious. My personality fought against the vulnerability, but my heart was grasping for that single straw of hope. In loving him, I felt loved. Maybe affection wasn’t to be feared after all. I had taken the risk and I was overcoming my fear. God was at work in my marriage bringing unity, passion, and love, and I was ready for more!

Adapted from The Flirtation Experiment: Putting Magic, Mystery, and Spark into Your Everyday Marriage by Lisa Jacobson and Phylicia Masonheimer.

What is your role in bringing transformation to your and your husband’s heart? Where can you begin your Experiment? You may have a fear to face, or busyness may be holding you back. Time in God’s Word understanding what He promises to those who follow Him and how He says to deal with fear is a starting point. Then express your love. May the power of pursuing love—and the fun of flirting with your man—be the beginning of something truly beautiful for you both.

Getting close to our 43rd anniversary brings only good thoughts and memories.  I realize that the relationship between Robin and I has not been perfect but with both of us pursuing Christ we always return to the love that was given to us for each other.  Small efforts to express love mean much to the one receiving them.  A gentle touch, speaking the words “I love you” are most often received and returned with respect and trust in one another.  If you are married or seeking marriage, trust the Scriptures and the holy Spirit within to guide your thoughts and actions toward Christ-like love toward the one God has given you or is providing opportunity to love.  Wonderful blessings of God await.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 20, 2022

Article by John Piper

Before I entered college, I scarcely gave any thought to cancer and terminal illness in general. Then I went away to school at Wheaton and two of my very close acquaintances died before they were 22, one of leukemia and one of cancer of the lymph glands. Then I went to Fuller Seminary and, within one year, watched my systematics professor, Jim Morgan, shrivel up and die of cancer of the intestines. He was 36.

Then I went to Germany to study for three years, and six months before I was finished, my mentor, Professor Goppelt, dropped dead on the way to the subway of a massive coronary. And then I came to Bethel and taught for six years and watched administration and students and faculty die of cancer: Sue Port, Paul Greeley, Bob Bergurude, Ruth Ludeman, Graydon Hale, Chet Lindsey, Mary Ellen Carlson. All Christians. All dead before their three score and ten were up. And now I come to Bethlehem, and Harvey Ring is gone, and you could multiply the list tenfold. What should we say to these things?

Wounded for Us

Sobering. Then I’ll fast-forward. Later in the sermon, Pastor John goes into healing: God’s promises for our healing, and his timing for our healing. Here he is.

There is coming a day when every crutch will be carved and every wheelchair melted down into medallions of redemption, and Merlin and Ruben and Jim and Hazel and Ruth, and all the others, are going to do cartwheels through the kingdom of heaven, and we will rejoice. But not yet. It may not be yet. The day is coming, and that’s my second affirmation.

Third, Jesus Christ came into the world to die to purchase that redemption, to demonstrate its character as both spiritual and physical, and to give us a foretaste of it. Now, listen very carefully here, because right here is where I think many healers in our day misunderstand God’s purposes and distort his intention. The prophet Isaiah said in 53:5–6 — a text that Peter, in 1 Peter 2:24, picks up and applies to Christians —

He was pierced for our transgressions;

     he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

     and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

     we have turned — every one — to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

     the iniquity of us all.

The blessing of forgiveness and the blessing of healing were purchased in the death of Christ, and everyone who joins to Christ and lives for Christ will have both blessings.

Healing for a Few

But when? That’s the question of our day. When do those blessings come in full force? When will our bodies no longer be enslaved to corruption? The ministry of Jesus, as we read it in the Gospels, was a ministry of healing and a ministry of forgiveness. He said, for example, to those disciples of John the Baptist, who were very perplexed,

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. (Matthew 11:4–6)

Offense? Why would anybody take offense? He raises the dead. He’s bringing the kingdom, the long-awaited kingdom. Why would anybody take offense at someone who can do that? Easy. He raised three people and left thousands in the tombs. Why? Why did he only raise three if he came to raise the dead? Maybe because the relatives of all the others didn’t have enough faith? Baloney.

In Luke 7, he raised the widow’s son. She didn’t know him from Adam. She didn’t know who Jesus was. She hadn’t even seen him. All the text says was that he felt compassion on her as they were carrying the boy out of the town in his casket. Well, didn’t he pity all the widows in Israel? Sure he did.

Reserved for the Age to Come

The answer to why Jesus raised only a few people and not everybody is that, contrary to Jewish expectation, the first coming of the Messiah was not the consummation of redemption nor the closing of this fallen age. The first coming of the Messiah was to purchase that redemption, and to illustrate the nature of that redemption as physical and spiritual, and to give us a foretaste of it. He is going to come again, and now we know from his illustrations that when he comes, there will be resurrection for all his people, and there will be healing for all his people. No more crying, no more pain at that day.

“When Jesus comes, there will be resurrection for all his people, and there will be healing for all his people.”

But let me stress here, lest there be a misunderstanding, that we do have a foretaste. We do have a foretaste of that redemption. The benefits of forgiveness and the healing are real. God can and does heal the sick now in answer to our prayers, and nothing I say should be construed to imply that he doesn’t. But he doesn’t always, does he?

The miracle-mongers of our day who guarantee that Jesus wants you well now are guilty of a gross distortion of God’s intention. And I think it’s this: they have failed to understand the nature of God’s purpose in this fallen age. They have minimized the depth of sin, and the cruciality of the purgative nature of suffering, and the value of faith that comes through suffering, and they’re guilty of trying to force into this age what God has reserved for the age to come.

We Ourselves Groan

Notice the flow of thought in Romans 8:23–24: “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.” Because of Christ’s purchased redemption, we already have the Spirit, but it’s only a firstfruit. It’s only a down payment. It’s only a foretaste of redemption. And you can’t help but see that when Paul stresses this — “We ourselves . . . groan inwardly” — what he’s doing is warning the Romans and warning us against a false inference.

“We wait also for the redemption of our bodies, and we groan as we wait.”

The false inference would be, “I have the Holy Spirit — almighty God is reigning in my life. How then shall I remain subject to the bondage of this age?” And Paul is against that inference.  He says, “We ourselves . . . groan inwardly” — waiting, waiting, waiting for the redemption of our bodies.

Christ has purchased redemption, he has demonstrated and illustrated that it is both physical and spiritual, and he has given us a glorious foretaste of it.

Notes of Faith March 19, 2022

Notes of Faith March 19, 2022

Author John Sowers adds in the author's note "I began writing these letters to my daughters in early 2020 —one year after I lost my mom, their nana. I felt empty knowing there were no more conversations with her. No more stories or laughs or wise insights. She was gone. I started writing these letters to speak my full heart to my daughters, to tell them I love them and pass on everything given to me."

In his letters, he shares insights, kindnesses, fatherly wisdom, and his passes on his love of God and his faith just as we are instructed to do in Deuteronomy 6 and all throughout the Word. Enjoy!

May 10, 2020

Dear Rosie, Dass, and Evangeline,

You girls know Ms. Dianne. She is kind. And not just in the surface way. Not like those who dress up and smile at parties but are mean at home. Ms. Dianne is kind in her bones. She is kind to everyone she meets. Gentle and strong. She raised four children, adopted another, and has spent years helping people in need. When you’re around her, you can feel her peace. When she smiles, you feel warmth radiating from her.

When I think of beautiful people, Ms. Dianne comes to mind. She has spent her life making good choices, choosing kindness, light, and love. She quietly chooses beauty, and by choosing beauty, she becomes it. After years of choosing beauty, it resides in her eyes and heart, resting on her head like an invisible crown.

Beautiful is something you are and something you become.

Beauty is hard to put into words. Sometimes it is seen dancing between lines of poetry or songs. But mostly, like the sun, it is too brilliant to behold. You have to look sideways at it, peeking through your fingers. Beauty makes you shield your eyes.

Beauty is something you see and feel. It is something you remember. Somewhere deep in our cells, hidden in some lost language, is a longing for beauty. This longing is an eternal one, bursting with divine things, with Paradise Lost and Will-Be-Found, with the farewell and the return. Beauty calls us home.

Beauty is alive, shimmering with movement. It is not passive, not just something to look at, like a gold-framed painting in a museum. It is active. Moving and breathing. It creates and replicates, blooming on the surface and in the hearts of everyone it touches.

Beauty is advocacy. Calling us to something infinite, to Someone radiant and full of glory. Beauty does not wilt or surrender in the never-sleeping darkness. Beauty is stern and unyielding. Like the White Tree of Gondor, blooming defiantly in the face of shadow.

Beauty hovers over all of us, existing in our darkness and our light. It exists in the withered frailty of life. In the breathless triumph of death. Beauty lies in our sleeping and waking, our innocence and tragedy. Beauty is found in small, unseen gestures of love, humming softly in every act of kindness. Beauty is everywhere.

You are beautiful. You are made in the image of the beautiful God.

Words can be ugly. Choices can be ugly. Actions can be ugly. Some people make ugly choices and develop ugly character. But all people, in their created essence, are beautiful.

The world will try to define beauty for you. They will say beauty is a product to purchase. Buy this; become beautiful. They spend billions of dollars trying to convince you, telling you to add something to your lives to become beautiful. They say beauty is found in an object, like a dress or makeup. They say beauty is an image to become. They will bombard you with images on your phone, on your computer, on televisions, and in magazines. Saying you need to buy or change something to be beautiful.

Here’s a secret: You don’t need to buy or change anything. Beauty is a heart to cultivate and a character to develop. Like Ms. Dianne.

There are many pretty faces, models on the covers of magazines and stars in movies. There is nothing wrong with being pretty or wanting to be pretty, and I like buying you dresses and fingernail polish. But beauty is deeper, stronger, and more enduring than pretty. And some people with pretty faces have ugly hearts.

At the pinnacle of creation, God made man and woman in His image. He created you as a holy reflection, a walking, breathing, laughing, divine reflection. And I believe He made you to say something specific, to echo something about who He is inside your heart and outside to the world. I believe it is this holy word on repeat, whispering, “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.”

We are beauty reflectors, changed from glory to glory.

His beauty shines on us when we lift our hearts and hands. Our brief and fragile lives are splintered reflections of infinite and immortal beauty.

Some of the most beautiful creatures go through the harshest struggles. They often come out of the struggle changed. Born again. Beautiful. Someone once said that we marvel at a butterfly’s beauty but seldom ponder the changes it has gone through to become beautiful. Without a cocoon, there would be no butterfly.

Flowers, too, are buried before they can bloom. Diamonds are formed under intense pressure and heat. Gold is purified by fire. No struggle, no diamond. No fire, no gold. In the same way, your beautiful life is formed through heat, pressure, and struggle. Struggle will come in different forms. Unfulfilled dreams. Lost relationships. Betrayal. Pain. I don’t wish this for you. But I’ve lived long enough to know the truth of Jesus: “In this world you will have trouble.” Struggle is your opportunity for growth and beauty.

But struggles can have a negative effect; some people never get over them. Some people choose to be bitter. They nourish those negative thoughts. They blame and lash out at others. Some people stay bitter. They live in the struggle, even if it happened years and decades ago. For the rest of their lives, they carry the struggle as their story, the story they tell themselves and others. But others forgive, learn wisdom, and emerge from the struggle humbler and more beautiful. As Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote,

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

We are made and marked by struggle. Sometimes we are even scarred by it. The scars are quiet reminders of the pain and the process, poor choices and failures. My struggles have left me more accepting and less judgmental of others and myself, more grateful for my friends and the grace of God. One of my favorite writers, my friend Myquillyn Smith, wisely said, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”

Beautiful is something you are and something you become.

You are beautiful,

Dad

Excerpted from Say All the Unspoken Things by John A. Sowers, copyright John A. Sowers

What letter(s) would you write to your loved ones? To your children? What would you tell them about themselves and what God says about them?

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 18, 2022

Notes of Faith March 18, 2022

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.—Psalm 145:8

Have you ever witnessed road rage? Once, a burly man in a truck started angrily gesturing and screaming at me. I’m not even sure what I did to rouse his fury. Perhaps I cut him off. Or perhaps I did something else wrong. But his behavior left no doubt in my mind as to how he felt. Then, as if obscene gestures and expletives weren’t enough, he began to aggressively tailgate me. It wasn’t until I turned into the parking lot of a nearby police station that he stopped his enraged pursuit.

I’m glad that God is not like that angry, impatient man.

Scripture repeatedly affirms that He is slow to anger (Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17). When it comes to being provoked, He’s extremely tolerant and puts up with a lot. That’s not to say that wrongdoers will forever go unpunished (Nahum 1:3). Rather, He gives people ample opportunity to avoid this fate. Peter explained,

The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9

The patience of God ought to give you great comfort and confidence. If you do something wrong, He won’t respond like that hothead in the truck. He will be patient with you. You can run toward Him rather than away from Him. You can draw near without fear, knowing that He will not respond in anger but with mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16).

Thank God that He is patient and slow to anger. 

Excerpted from Growing Greatful by Nell O’Leary, Leana Bowler, Brittany Calivitta, Jenna Guizar, and Liz Kelly, copyright Blessed Is She Inc.

If you have thought of God as angry, let that belief go. Read the above Bible verses again and spend time meditating on the assurance of God’s patience.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 17, 2022

Notes of Faith March 17, 2022

Pray for one another. —James 5:16 ESV

Abraham and Sarah weren’t expecting company. They certainly weren’t expecting a visit from God. But He came their way one afternoon, uninvited, unannounced, and disguised in the form of a man. Two other men, angels incognito, were with Him. We aren’t told at what point Abraham realized he was in the presence of God, but it must have been early in the encounter. The patriarch rolled out the red carpet. Bread was baked. A calf was slain. A feast was prepared and offered.

Abraham looked at Sarah. The question, if not on their lips, was all over their faces: Why is God here, and what on earth is He up to? After the feast the divine trio walked away from the camp, heading toward Sodom, the home of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Abraham walked with them for a short distance to send them on their way. At a certain point God paused, wondering to Himself,

Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?—Genesis 18:17

“No, I will not,” He decided. And He told Abraham that

the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see.—Genesis 18:20-21

Abraham stood stone-statue still. He knew what God would find in Sodom. He knew the stench of the streets and the wickedness of the people. Yet he believed there were some worth saving. He had family in the city. Maybe that is why he did what he did.

Abraham still stood before the Lord.—Genesis 18:22

Like a lone tree on the prairie, the father of the faith had enough faith in his Father to position himself between the people who needed mercy and the One who could give it. And he spoke on their behalf.

Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?’—Genesis 18:23-24

Gutsy move. He was just a bedouin shepherd. Hair to his shoulders. Bristly beard reaching his chest. Scruffy and wind bent. Missing a tooth or two. Still, he stood there.

Just as you did. That day at the courthouse. That night in the ER. That time when your colleague confided in you. “I’ve made a mess of things,” he admitted. And you did what Abraham did. You placed yourself between the one who needed help and the One who could give it.

You prayed.

For soldiers. For senators. For prodigals and preachers and prodigal preachers. You dropped a coin in the beggar’s cup with a prayer. You ran your hand over the head of your child with a prayer. You read the news of yet another war, divorce, or scandal, and you prayed, God, have mercy.

You’ve done what Abraham did. You’ve stood where Abraham stood. In between them and him. And you’ve wondered, Does God listen?

Abraham’s story gives us reason to hope.

He was bold with God. He begged God to spare certain citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying,

Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?—Genesis 18:25

Thus far in human history no one had summoned the chutzpah to ask God to reconsider His plans. Adam and Eve didn’t. Cain complained, but he didn’t negotiate. Methuselah had a birthday cake with 969 candles, but never, as far as we know, did he beg God to revisit the drawing board. Nor did Noah. The ark builder stayed mum. But Abraham spoke up. In the nearby tent we can hear Sarah gulping and whispering, “Abe, hush. You’re gonna get us all killed!” She huddled in the corner. Thunderbolts any minute now.

But God didn’t nuke Abraham. He listened to him. God: “Fifty righteous people and the city is safe.” Abraham walked away and then paused and returned. “Perhaps forty-five?” God, smiling: “All right, forty-five.” Abraham turned and then touched each finger as if counting.

“Maybe forty?” God: “Forty is fine.” The back and forth continued until they finally settled on a number: ten righteous. Abraham went his way. God went His. And we are left to ponder this astonishing thought: God wasn’t miffed; He was engaged. He wasn’t put off; He was responsive. While Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, the nephew of Abraham escaped.

• All because Abraham stood before the Lord.

He did what Scripture urges us all to do:

Pray for one another, that you may be healed. —James 5:16

Someone you know is under attack. Your neighbor is depressed. Your sibling is off track. Your child is facing an uphill challenge. You may not know what to say. You may not have resources to help. But you have this: you have prayer. According to these promises your prayers prompt the response of God in the lives of those you love:

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.—James 5:16 NLT

Come near to God, and God will come near to you.—James 4:8 NCV

The Lord is close to everyone who prays to Him, to all who truly pray to Him.—Ps. 145:18 NCV

When we pray for one another, we enter God’s workshop, pick up a hammer, and help Him accomplish His purposes.

*

Our prayers unlock the storehouses of Heaven. The link between God’s goodness and your friends is your prayers. When you pray, when you speak for the ones who need help to the One who can give it, something wonderful happens.As thrilling evidence consider the case of the centurion and his servant. The soldier asked Jesus to heal the man. When Jesus asked if He should go to the man’s house, the officer stopped Him.

Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. —Matthew 8:8

Jesus was so impressed with the faith of the soldier that He answered the request on the spot. He didn’t inquire about the faith of the slave. He didn’t ask if the man had confessed his sins or requested the Messiah’s help. Jesus healed the slave because the centurion did what Abraham had done: he placed himself between the needy person and the One who could meet the need.

Let’s do the same.

We have the opportunity to offer heartfelt prayers for every person we see. We can pray for the attendant at the grocery store, the nurse in the doctor’s office, the maintenance staff in the office building. You don’t have to tell them of your intercessory prayer. Then again, I’m surprised at the welcome response from people when I say, “I’d like to pray for you. Do you have any particular needs?”

Not surprisingly, when we seek to bless others through prayer, we are blessed. Studies draw causal links between prayer and faith and health and happiness.

*

The act of praying for others has a boomerang effect. It allows us to shift the burden we carry for others to the shoulders of God. He invites us to cast all our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Impossible burdens are made bearable because we pray about them. Don’t fret about politicians. Pray for them. Don’t grow angry at the condition of the church. Pray for her. Don’t let the difficulties of life suck you under. Give them to God before they get to you.

Rather than fretting about the future of your family, pray for them. Rather than assuming you can do nothing to help others, assume the posture of prayer.

*

You are His child.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!—1 John 3:1

You are part of His family. You come, not as a stranger but as an heir to the promise. You approach God’s throne, not as an interloper but as a child in whom the Spirit of God dwells. You are His!

You are His ambassador.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.—2 Corinthians 5:20

The ambassador represents the king. He speaks with the authority of the throne. He carries with him the imprimatur of the one who sent him. If the ambassador sends a request to the king, will the king listen? If we, God’s ambassadors in this world, come to our King with a request, will he listen? By all means.

You are a member of His priesthood. Peter said,

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. —1 Peter 2:9

Although God has no need of our assistance, He invites us to bring it.

*

Be the Abraham in your cul-de-sac, the centurion in your workforce. Plead with God on their behalf.

Why would He tell us to pray

Thy kingdom come.—Matthew 6:10KJV

If we have no impact on the coming of the kingdom? God will not turn you away! Your persistent prayers will open God’s door for your friends.

*

Our calling is to be an Abraham on behalf of the people in our world. Place yourself between them and God, and speak up. Be assured, He will listen.

Excerpted with permission from How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

I prefer the King James version of the Bible for translation of this verse:

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

KJV

Pray, talk to God about everything and everyone…He loves our intimate communication.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 16, 2022

Notes of Faith March 16, 2022

It's #john316day! Text it. Post it. Tweet it. Say it to someone today: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 is the most searched-for verse in the Bible according to BibleGateway.com. For more than a decade, March 16th has been a day for many Christians to share with people around the world the good news declared in the Bible in this one verse.

Will you join us in sharing it with someone today?

Finally, if you're not signed up for Max Lucado's 3:16 OBS, there's still time! We get started in just 5 days, so don't wait another minute! Join today to get the John 3:16 art prints, access to Max's videos, and other freebies! We pray that you are blessed by today's exclusive excerpt...

God's Whoever Policy

by Max Lucado, author, 3:16 The Numbers of Hope

Sometimes I detect my favorite fragrance wafting from the kitchen: strawberry cake. I follow the smell like a bird dog follows a trail until I’m standing over the just-baked, just-iced pan of pure pleasure.

Yet I’ve learned to still my fork until Denalyn gives clearance. "Who is it for?" I ask. She might break my heart. "It’s for a birthday party, Max. Don’t touch it!" Or, "For a friend. Stay away." Or she might throw open the door of delight. "Whoever." And since I qualify as a "whoever," I dig in.

Thankfully for us, God’s gospel includes a "whoever" policy that’s always open for business.

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16 NIV, emphasis mine

Whoever unfurls 3:16 as a banner for the ages.

Whoever unrolls the welcome mat of Heaven to humanity.

Whoever invites the world to God.

Jesus could have so easily narrowed the scope, changing whoever into whatever. "Whatever Jew believes" or "Whatever woman follows me." But He used no qualifier. The pronoun is wonderfully indefinite. After all, who isn’t a whoever?

The word sledgehammers racial fences and dynamites social classes. It bypasses gender borders and surpasses ancient traditions. Whoever makes it clear: God exports His grace worldwide.

For those who attempt to restrict it, Jesus has a word: Whoever.

Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge Him before my Father in Heaven.—Matthew 10:32

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.—Matthew 10:39

Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.—Mark 3:35

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.—Mark 16:16

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.—John 3:36

Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.—John 4:14

Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.—John 6:37

Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.—John 11:26

Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.—Revelation 22:17

The downturns of life can create such a sad state of affairs that we wonder if God still wants us.

But God’s "whoever" policy has a "however" benefit. Just ask Lazarus, the street sleeper with dogs licking his sores. There’s no need to clean up or climb up. Just look up. God takes you however He finds you.

This policy also features a "whenever" clause. Whenever you hear God’s voice, He welcomes your response. Sometimes we think the invitation has expired. We’ve waited too long. But just ask the last-minute vineyard workers in Jesus’ parable who were paid the same wages as the all-day workers: God offers eleventh-hour grace.

We may struggle with such a thought. A last-minute confessor receives the same grace as a lifetime servant? Doesn’t seem fair. But request grace with your dying breath, and God hears your prayer. Whoever means "whenever." And there’s one more clause: whoever means "wherever."

Wherever you are, you’re not too far to come home. Just ask the prodigal son.

We may lose sobriety, solvency, and sanity. We may lose jobs and chances, youth and vigor, idealism and dreams. But we never lose our place on God’s "whoever" list.

Excerpted from Jesus by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

God's whoever policy is for all of us. Whoever. Whenever. Wherever. You're not too late. You're not too far gone. You're not too much or too little. You're so loved!

Pastor Dale