Notes of Faith May 12, 2022

Notes of Faith May 12, 2022

Empty Nest: Finishing Well

As the old saying goes, "The days are long, but the years are short." Every day we prepare for the finish line and it goes by much quicker than we think it will. Starting strong is easy; continuing that way takes planning and preparation, especially for faithful Christians who want to hear "Well done."

Principle: Do whatever it takes to make your top priorities your top priority.

“Significance and a well-lived life are not accidental.”

My friend Paul, who is in his late sixties, told me he once had a leader say to him, “I hope you are doing well as we sprint toward the finish line of life.” Sprint? Really? Isn’t life more like a marathon than a sprint? No one has ever suggested that I would make a good sprinter, ever. I wasn’t fast in high school, and now that I’m in the empty nest, I’m even slower. But one of the biggest issues of life doesn’t usually cross our minds until we hit the empty nest, and that is to finish the race well.

I’m not an expert at running marathons. I’ve run only one in my life. I finished it, but let’s just say that my time was not going to take me to the Olympics — or even the Senior Olympics. When people asked about the marathon, they didn’t ask about my time; they asked me, “Did you finish?” My pat answer was, “Yes, and standing up.”

Most runners sometimes experience tough times in a race, blisters, aches and pains, maybe a sprain or some other setback, but still their goal is to finish the race well. So it is in life.

Since the game of life is usually won or lost in the second half, there may not be a more important goal than to finish well.

The apostle Paul sums it up best:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. — 2 Timothy 4:7

Finishing well is not about results, but about faithfulness

What does finishing well mean to you in your marriage, if you are married? Or in your relationships with your adult children or with your grandkids? In your faith? In your work?

Saint Augustine suggested that the most important question regarding our legacy is, “What do I wish to be remembered for?”1 He implied that when you can answer that question, you have achieved the beginning of adulthood. When we are on our deathbeds, we won’t be asking about our retirement funds or the work we left undone. We will be asking questions like, “Was I faithful with the gifts God gave me? Was I faithful to my values, my faith, my family?”

Finishing well is not about results but about faithfulness.

Living a life of faithful significance is not accidental. To live well is to live with purpose, mindful of a goal. For me, that goal centers much more on who I am than on what I do. But that was not always the case. So much of my self-esteem was wrapped up in my vocation, success, and recognition until I finally concluded that I wanted to make my goal to be able to say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This doesn’t mean we lose our drive or work ethic. It simply means that we have a higher purpose than our vocation or kids’ success. This past year a few “superstars” of Christian leadership have stumbled in such huge ways as they neared the finish line. They had success in their careers, but they will be remembered for their lack of virtue and their failures rather than their life’s work in ministry. That is not what you want for yourself.

How will you spend the productive years remaining to you to finish well in the important areas of your life? The path to finishing well is not found. It’s most often made.

You must create the most effective path to get you to the finish line with excellence. One of the greatest byproducts of finishing well is that your family and those closest to you can benefit from your good decisions. What do you dream of accomplishing in those twenty-five to thirty-five years you have left? Even if you don’t have that many productive years left, what do you hope can happen with your life? This is where I lean into Scripture.2 I love to read the books of Proverbs and Psalms for guidance on living productively.

These two books are part of what is called the Wisdom Literature of the Bible. Some people have been greatly inspired by reading one chapter of Proverbs and five psalms each day for a month for wisdom and direction. Since there are thirty-one chapters in Proverbs and 150 psalms, you can finish both books in a month.

The Scripture that has helped me most as I think about finishing well is in the New Testament, written by the author of Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. — Hebrews 12:1–3

This is what those few sentences have profoundly taught me about finishing well:

Learn from other runners. The writer of Hebrews mentions a “great cloud of witnesses.” It’s so important to learn from others. Are there people who positively influence you on a regular basis? If not, you are missing out on great opportunities to gain wisdom. The group of four men that I have met with every Tuesday morning for the last eighteen years has given me such great wisdom and knowledge. These men help me with my judgment. I’m a better husband, father, and leader because of those Tuesday mornings. Find your group of men or women who are your replenishing relationships. Do you have mentors? Mentors are effective in business, but I find that mentors for marriage, parenting, and spiritual focus can make you a better person. Some of my mentors are younger than me, and others I “met” after they died, by reading the wisdom in their books.

Run light. The writer of Hebrews also talks about throwing off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us. Peter Drucker says, “First things first, last things not at all.” As you run toward the finish line, is there anything you can do to run lighter and to remove obstacles that would keep you from finishing well? Stuff happens. Sometimes it’s issues with our families, health, or circumstances over which we have no control. That’s why we need to run light, saving the energy to have the right attitude about draining things that come our way, that sway us from our callings. I have a psychologist friend who always says, “Live your life at 80 percent.” Doing so creates some margin in your life when tough times come your way.

Run with perseverance. Perseverance and grit help us overcome so many of our obstacles. Perseverance, endurance, grit, and courage are characteristics of people who have successful marriages, businesses, and relationships. I don’t know anyone finishing well who doesn’t possess these traits. Psychologist Angela Duckworth, in both her book and her Ted Talk about grit,3 says her studies on high achievers in business and education reveal that success has almost nothing to do with talent but much more to do with a never- give-up attitude. She calls that attitude grit. Nobody said life would be easy, but the healthiest way to walk the path marked out for us is to combine our perseverance and passion with pure grit.

Keep your eyes on the prize. The prize for me goes back to the word faithful. That’s what I want more than anything else—to remain faithful to God, my wife, my family, and my calling. The key to my being faithful is focusing on the foundation of my faith, which is trusting in Jesus. This is a simple but not easy decision. When I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, things fall into place. I can handle the difficult circumstances life brings my way. But when I take my eyes off the prize, my focus becomes dim, and I can easily lose my way. I once asked a mentor who was nearing the end of his exemplary life, “What are you doing to finish well?” He answered, “It doesn’t start with my outside life; finishing well is an inside job.” He quoted a great thinker, Dallas Willard: “If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life. If your soul is unhealthy, no external circumstance can redeem your life.”

1. Quoted in Buford, Halftime, 18.

2. I realize many of my readers do not share my biblical worldview. I’m always so honored that you would read my thoughts anyway.

3. Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (New York: Scribner, 2016).

Excerpted from Finding Joy in the Empty Nest by Jim Burns, copyright Jim Burns.

I never dreamed about the empty nest . . . but I was a runner in days gone by and I know what it means to finish well.  Therefore,

Phil 3:12-14

I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 11, 2022

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' — Jeremiah 29:11

I had been head coach at Valparaiso University for one season. And I’d just missed out on a chance to experience March Madness for the first time as a head coach because we lost in the finals of our conference tournament.

In some ways I was very much trying to be like my dad. I wanted to be a good family man; I wanted to be a good leader and godly example for the players and people in my life. But if the opportunity came, I also wanted to be at a place where it would be easier to make the tournament and win a national championship. I told my assistant coach, Matt Driscoll, that I loved Valpo. But my dream was still to win a title and experience that One Shining Moment.

If God has put something on your heart, don’t think it’s an accident. God is big enough for our dreams. In fact, he’s the one who gave them to us in the first place. Since I was a child, I’d always wanted to be a part of March Madness. To have a “One Shining Moment” of my own.

The chance to chase my dream came way sooner than I was expecting.

J.O.Y. — Jesus, others, self

Just a few weeks later, Coach Driscoll and I were in Los Angeles for a networking retreat. By this point, Baylor had been featured on the news for over a month. We knew that a player had been murdered and that another player had confessed.

The keynote speaker that evening was legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Coach Driscoll and I sat at a table alongside Tim Floyd, the head coach of the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets. Hours earlier, Dave Bliss had resigned as head coach at Baylor. Given the amount of attention the Baylor scandal had received, his resignation made sense and made headline news. As we sat around the table, the topic of the Baylor opening came up in our conversation. “Actually, you would be really great for that job,” Tim Floyd said. “You’re young; you’re Christian; you’re energetic.”

It was nice to hear, but I was a young guy with one year of head-coaching experience. I wasn’t sure I could even get an interview, let alone the job. But then Coach Floyd said he knew the women’s coach at Baylor. He pulled out his phone, called her, and said, “I need to get the president on the phone.”

I couldn’t believe it.

Coach Floyd was very optimistic I would get an interview. When I was contacted by the headhunter Baylor had hired, I knew I was officially in the running. Suddenly, I had a choice to make. Did I want this job? Baylor had announced that it was self-imposing penalties, including probation, meaning it wouldn’t be eligible for postseason play the next season. My dream of having my “One Shining Moment” would be delayed at the least.

Did I really want to leave Valpo after one year? What did I really even know about what had happened in Waco? I did what I usually did when I had a decision to make. I prayed; talked to my wife, Kelly; and talked to my dad.

The thing my dad kept saying to me was with God, anything can happen. Philippians tells us quite clearly that with Christ, all things are possible. And I had never seen anyone, be it my dad, my brother, or me, go wrong by betting on God. So that part wasn’t really tough at all. And then my dad also reminded me that anything I did there would be an improvement. Baylor could only move upward—there was nowhere to go lower than where they were. So while some people saw it as a job filled with obstacles, some potentially unconquerable, after praying about it, I felt led to go to Baylor.

It was a head coach position in a major conference and a faith-based school. If things worked out, I would be able to live out my faith and have a chance to get to the Final Four. I told the headhunter I would take the interview and he arranged for me to meet the selection committee.

Once I knew I was getting the interview, I was all in. I wanted to make sure they got to know me, my passion for coaching, and my passion for connecting.

I wanted to cast a vision not for what the job was at the moment but what it could be. The people at Baylor needed to see how, in the midst of their brokenness, their redemption could reflect God’s glory.

After a four-hour interview, the Baylor selection team boarded their private jet to travel on to the next candidate’s interview. I got back in the car with my dad and returned to Valparaiso.

I’d like to say that I got the job because of my performance in that interview. I did find out that they admired my energy, my honest discussion about my faith, how comfortable I was working in a Christian environment, and thought my optimism for what God could do at that school was refreshing.

After a few days, Baylor called and offered me the job. I made sure my father was comfortable coming out of retirement and taking over at Valparaiso and that Valparaiso was good too. It is amazing how God works things out, because after sitting out a year, my dad was rejuvenated and had missed coaching. So this turned out to be a blessing for him to coach again at Valpo.

The roots of God’s plan for us are woven throughout the soil of our lives. Think about where God wants you to grow.

I accepted the job. After all, God was the One who was writing the ultimate story.

Lord Jesus, I want to live each and every day according to Your purpose and plan for my life.

Written by Scott Drew, author of The Road to J.O.Y.

God plants us where He wants us to grow and be an influence on those He places around us.  Be fruitful and bless the Lord!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 10, 2022

Grief that comes with loss is overwhelming. Emotions are so heavy we can stagger beneath the weight. Scripture becomes even more precious during bereavement. Lean in with this excerpt from Through a Season of Grief.

Your emotions

Your emotions can be intense, draining, and hard to hold back; they run deep and are tangled up inside you.

Everyone goes through some unexpected emotions, and it helps for you to identify and sort out the emotions that apply to you. This is part of the healing process.

Which emotions have you experienced during the grieving process?

denial

rejection

guilt

anger

jealousy

fear

pain

loss

sorrow

apathy

rage

confusion

anxiety

sadness

inadequacy

envy

dread

anguish

betrayal

distrust

loneliness

helplessness

disappointment

resentment

vindictiveness

depression

bitterness

dismay

abandonment

lack of control

Jesus can identify with your sorrows.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. — Isaiah 53:3

Lord Jesus, You alone know my suffering and pain. Please sort through these emotions with me. Amen.

Sudden and unpredictable

Emotions during grief do not occur in an orderly fashion. You cannot follow a checklist and mark off the emotions you are finished with and then move on to the next. They come suddenly and unpredictably.

“People ask me, ‘How are you doing?’ And I say, ‘Wonderful.’ One moment I’m sobbing uncontrollably — I carry Kleenex around in my pocket — and the next moment I’m so exhilarated with joy with all that God is doing in my life,” says Dr. Jim Conway.

Circumstances will change. People will change. Surroundings will change. But the Bible leads you to the one sure thing:

I the Lord do not change. — Malachi 3:6

Almighty, unchanging God, I grasp on to Your hand as my emotions confuse and overwhelm me. You alone cannot be moved, and I am confident that as long as I remain in You, I, too, will not be moved. Amen.

Out of control

Not only are your emotions unpredictable, but they may also seem uncontrollable. This changing nature combined with the intensity of the emotions can cause you to feel disoriented, forgetful, and over-powered.

“There was this overwhelming feeling of being out of control... overwhelmed and watching life pass by,” says Cindy following her daughter’s death.

Your response to these uncontrollable emotions can be confusing to you as well as to others; for instance, sometimes you may want people with you, and sometimes you do not. You may also act in ways you later regret.

Job expressed this sentiment:

If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been impetuous. — Job 6:2–3

Precious Lord, You know the desires of my heart. In my confusion give me peace to know that You are in control of all life and You do not make mistakes. Amen.

God puts great salve on deep wounds

This can't be happening

Although your mind knows the facts, your heart is often reluctant to accept the death of someone you know and love.

“You may have a tendency to deny,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright. “Denial covers over the sharpness of the pain.”

 Denial is a process that occurs during grieving to minimize the struggle. This is a natural and transitional part of your healing journey. Randy shares how he experienced denial after his sister died, but over time, he found that denial was impossible: “After the funeral I was basically in denial. I tried to dive into my work and forget about it. It’s taken a long time. Little things will remind me: things that she did, places she went to. Things like that will all of a sudden bring this very empty, hollow feeling inside me, where I can’t breathe. I feel like the air is just sucked out of me. It’s been five years, but trying to deny it or to ignore it is not possible.”

You may be tempted to “dive into” your work and fill your mind with anything but the truth of the situation. But the book of Proverbs tells us to be open to the truth and to pursue it:

Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. — Proverbs 23:23

Jesus, give me the courage to face the truth. With Your help I know I can do it. Amen.

Isolation

Sometimes you just want everyone to leave you alone. So you build a protective wall around yourself, not only to keep other people out, but also to guard against unwanted emotions. You may think you are playing it safe, but instead you are blocking out the healing.

“There are people who love you and want to pray for you and want to talk with you,” says Dr. Tim Clinton. “If you allow that to happen,

God puts great salve on deep wounds.”

Doesn’t that sound wonderful—a great salve on deep wounds? Jeremiah cried out to God for just such a thing and found Him to be faithful and true.

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? — Jeremiah 8:22

‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares’. — Jeremiah 30:17

Faithful God, bring me out of my self-imposed isolation that I may be healed by the Balm of Gilead—Jesus Christ. Amen.

Suppression can lead to explosion

Are you quelling your emotions within you and consciously keeping them at bay? Think about the amount of force and energy this involves. Your emotions may be packed in so tightly that the pressure could build up to the point of possible explosion.

“You can delay the grieving process by denying it or just not allowing yourself to cry or to face it,” says Dr. H. Norman Wright. “It’s like you put a lid on your life and on your emotions. It is a form of repression, and whenever you repress any of your feelings, you bury them alive. Someday there will be a resurrection, but you will not be in charge of it. It could come through depression. It could come out through explosiveness.”

In the midst of overwhelming emotional suffering and pressure, Jesus looked to God with determination.

And being in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. — Luke 22:44

Holy God, may my resolve to release my emotional pressure and to seek You be as earnest as Jesus’ prayer. Amen.

Anger: your strongest emotion

The Bible instructs you to be angry!

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. — Ephesians 4:26 NASB

Anger by itself is not a sin, and it is one of the most common emotions associated with grief.

“I went through that shock and denial period for about three months,” says Dora after the death of her daughter. “Then suddenly, as the shock wore off and the reality set in—anger. Intense anger. Just wanting to wail, to scream from the depths. There’s no way I could express as much anger as I was feeling.”

You need to release your anger in a way that is productive for healing and not harmful to others around you. To release your anger does not mean to lash out, to throw a fit, or to lose control of it; releasing your anger involves the open and honest expression of your emotions in a way that is physically, mentally, and emotionally freeing. You can do this by expressing your anger to God in prayer (don’t hold back!). You can release your anger in the presence of a person who will listen quietly and neither judge nor offer advice. Another healthy way to release anger is to write down every angry thought that comes to mind until you cannot think of another angry sentence to write. Some people find that expressing their anger out loud—and loudly—in a private place is helpful.

The fact that you should “not let the sun go down on your anger” means you should deal with it when it is present. Don’t go to sleep and forget it, only to have it come back in greater strength later.

Holy Spirit, grant me the freedom and opportunity to release my anger in a way that helps, not hurts. Amen.

Excerpted from Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard, copyright The Church Initiative, Inc.

God can and will heal our weakness and every need will be met if we come to Him and ask for mercy and grace.  Job recognized that God’s promises are sure and that his eternal destination, salvation, healing, being made complete like the Messiah to come was guaranteed.  He worshipped through all his distress.  May we walk with God and have Him speak of us as He did Job, calling him a righteous man.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 9, 2022

When it comes to personal awareness and self-evaluation, I use three words to keep me grounded: mind, heart, and soul. These three checkpoints provide a tool to evaluate my balance and point me to next steps.

Mind

For the sake of this discussion, consider your mind as the hub of your thinking. In this hub, we store memories, create, organize, and solve issues. Not bad for such a small object! (Pat your brain on the back and thank it immediately, okay?)

We expect a lot of our minds! But here’s my next question: What do our minds need from us?

Aside from our brain’s physical needs, we can support our brain in other ways. Reading, writing, listening to podcasts, taking courses, and journaling can all help prepare our minds to complete their daily tasks.

I want to offer a simple technique I use to get in touch with my innermost thoughts. I start by sitting up, getting comfortable, and listening to my body. My physical needs must be met before I can focus, so I run to the bathroom, or wash my face — whatever it takes to get comfortable. Nice smells help too. (Some people call this a bubble bath.) When I’m finished pampering myself, I pull out a journal and pen.

What have I been consuming? Billboards? TV Commercials? Pinterest? Instagram? Books? A screen? Nature? Art? What have I been learning? Discussing?

What has my digital footprint looked like this week? How do I feel about these things? Name the feelings.

What have I been creating? Words and paragraphs? Paint on canvas? Thread to needle? How was my day?

I leave the “how was my day?” question until the end, because if I started there, I’d never get to the other two topics, which are easier to answer and more important. What I’ve been consuming causes me to face reality. Everything I do is pretty much documented in this day and age. What time I woke up, when my heart rate went up, how many steps I got in, how much screen time I used, and what I looked at in those moments. Heck, Alexa may even be listening to me yell at my kids — who knows? Since the answers to this question are so easy to determine, it quickly gives me a deeply honest perspective on my life. When I don’t like the answers to my questions, I change my behavior: less screen time, more patience, no doom-scrolling, more walks.

The answers to the second group of questions tell me what I’ve been working on and how I’m giving back.

There’s nothing more beautiful: the sharing of your soul, so bravely, with our beloved, broken world.

The answers to the third question help me reduce speed. Why reflect on a day I’ve barely finished? Reflection brings a new perspective, giving us insight and understanding into our actions. And I don’t need to convince you we could all use a slow-down.

Listening to how I answer these questions gives me insight about where I could shift my focus. I’m less concerned about if I should shift my focus. I’m a grown adult. I know what I should do. The problem is I don’t always do it. This is because I have made a choice, within my control, not to prioritize it. I can choose, going forward, to do it or not to do it. The least I can do is not beat myself up about my choices and not overcommit my future self.

The world will shame us enough, friends, if we let it. I will not let my own heart, soul, and mind jump on that bandwagon. There’s a better way to equip myself.

Heart

I know, I know. It’s what this whole book is about.

Those three questions will resuscitate many feelings. When you think about the word heart, think about your emotional well-being. Our hearts dictate:

Our self-esteem: how we feel about ourselves on any given day.

Our perspective: how we feel about life’s ups and downs.

Our empathy: how we feel about people.

Our resilience: how we feel when we’re mistreated, betrayed, or abused. (Do you feel empowered to make a choice and set a boundary, for example, or do you feel trapped?)

Our confidence: how we feel about our ability to create change in our circumstances.

Our self-compassion: how we talk to ourselves. (Is your inner dialogue critical or compassionate?)

Have you ever had your emotions take you by surprise at an inopportune time? One moment you’re fine, and the next, it’s waterworks central with emotions pouring out for everyone to see.

Everything you’ve been avoiding, everything you’ve been stuffing deep, confronts you. This is one of the pitfalls of ignoring our emotional health.

Apathy always results in a loss of motivation. Emotions are fuel for our actions.

When we overlook our emotional world (for fear of what it contains), we suppress the engine that drives many daily decisions. No wonder we procrastinate, or feel tired and disconnected! Numbness simply cannot produce the same quality of life that healthy emotion provides.

Speaking of which, two major symptoms of ignoring the emotions of our heart are meltdown and burnout. Maybe these feelings sound familiar to you. I know they do to me. When we don’t check in with our hearts, we lose sight of what we need, we allow ourselves to revert to old habits and patterns, and we eventually fall apart.

To check in with our hearts, here are a few questions we can ask ourselves:

How am I feeling?

Where in my body am I experiencing these feelings?

Am I hurt? Grieving? Angry? Scared?

Am I happy or grateful?

Is there something from my past holding me back today?

How do I feel about the future?

Checking in with my emotional heart gives me insight into the feelings that influence my outlook, beliefs, and decisions. Awareness won’t eliminate these emotions, but it will empower us to understand our feelings and support a healthy mind.

Soul

Of these three elements, the soul is perhaps the most difficult to define. But we talk about it all the time. We find soul mates, do soul-searching, and have soul sisters. People have been known to bare their souls, sell their souls, and lose their souls. There are gentle souls, old souls, satisfied and hungry souls. For as little as we understand it, culturally it seems we all agree it’s an important part of who we are.

When we discuss the soul here, I’m talking about the higher self, the part of us that feels connected to something bigger than we are. This is your intuition, the gut instinct that just knows, and your sense of purpose in the world.

Our souls are an influential part of who we are. You could think of your soul as a majority shareholder, a board member with a controlling interest in our lives. Our souls have a lot of sway in how we feel, think, and live. But they’re quiet, and easily forgotten. And many of us are ignoring our souls.

Our souls help us:

feel connected to our community,

feel a sense of purpose and order in life (even when it doesn’t make sense),

know in a deep way we are loved,

experience a sense of awe,

trust that we are supported, and

surrender to difficult circumstances, trusting there is a bigger meaning.

We all have a soul, and many of our souls are desperate for refreshment. So many souls wander this planet, feel lonely or disconnected, and wonder why they’re here or if any of this matters. A well-kept soul is a deep well from which we can draw strength when we face challenges.

We need to regularly check in with our souls. I used to disregard this soul-care stuff as new-age propaganda, but maturity has helped me understand the value of the soul. We must cling to an inner anchor, or we will perish in the outer storm. In the next section, we will brainstorm ways we can nourish our souls, but for now, here are some questions to ask yourself.

Do I feel connected to myself?

Do I feel connected to others?

Do I feel connected to nature and the physical world?

Do I feel connected to God?

Have I prayed or meditated today?

It is in our souls that we feel connection and purpose. We can discount the spiritual, the unseen, but I remind myself humans have only recently begun to overlook the spiritual part of our lives. In the outside world, things may not be going as planned, but in my inner world I feel a deep sense that I am safe and everything will be okay. With regular soul-tending, we will feel anchored in the midst of chaos.

Doing these check-ins might not fix anything right away. In fact, if you’re not used to turning to your inner world, at first you might feel as though paying attention to your thoughts, emotions, or soul makes you feel more anxious, rather than less. It might make things—for a time—more chaotic than they were before. Remember, discomfort means we’re growing. (I know, I hate it too.)

Don’t write off these checkpoints. We experience transformation when we routinely tend our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs. We make better decisions. We find conviction to say no to things not meant for us. We break the cycle of overcommitment. We gain clarity about the future while we focus on the road ahead. We navigate muddled and messy days without losing hope or our sense of self.

This is the power of the inner world. This is the gift of knowing what is happening under the surface.

Excerpted from A More Beautiful Life by Whitney English, copyright Whitney English.

We are told by the Scriptures to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.  God knows already . . . we need to find out for ourselves.  May we all find grace and mercy in the presence of the Lord.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 8, 2022

The book of Proverbs begins, "The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel." He was a great king and the son of a great king. That means he was famous and powerful and supreme in all the realm. People bowed in his presence. They did what he said. He had immense authority and honor.

Even Great Kings Should Bow to Their Mothers

How did he treat his mother in this exalted role? You recall his mother was Bathsheba. She had married his father David under very ugly circumstances—very displeasing to God. But she was his mother, and this is what it says in 1 Kings 2:19,

Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right.

Then they had their conversation. He rose for her. He bowed to her. And he called for a throne to be put beside his for their conversation. She was his mother. Even kings should stoop when their mothers enter the room.

Solomon was not a perfect king. He was not a perfect man. None of the writers of the Bible was. But God guided his insights and preserved for us true ones here in the book of Proverbs. And I want us to listen to God's word through Solomon today.

Six Lessons: The Ultimate Issue Is God

There are at least six things he tells us in Proverbs 1:7–9. They all relate to God. They are not merely the kind of wisdom you might pick up in reading "mindworks" or Parents magazine or Ann Landers. They overlap with the wisdom of the world. But the absence of God in the world's family-advice is ultimately a fatal flaw. Solomon means for us to hear his counsel as all related to God.

We often think of the book of Proverbs as a book of what you can learn from ordinary earthly life. And much of it is. But the point of the book is to bring all that into relation to God so that he becomes the center of it all.

Just one example. In Proverbs 30:8 it says,

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, 9 Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.

Do you see what this says about God? The wise man prays, "Guard me from riches and guard me from poverty." Why? Because if I'm rich I might say, "Who needs God!" And if I'm poor I might steal. And why is that so bad? Because you might get caught and go to jail? Or because you might lose your reputation? No. He says, Because if I steal, I will profane the name of my God.

Riches are dangerous because the ultimate issue is God. And poverty is dangerous because the ultimate issue is God. The book of Proverbs—the most practical, down-to-earth book in the Bible—is written for God's sake. That we might not deny God in our prosperity and that we might not profane God in the hour of need.

All six lessons in Proverbs 1:7–9 relate to God, and they are all intensely practical.

1. The Origin of Family

The family is God's idea.

Solomon takes for granted that there are mothers and fathers and children related in relationship of unique accountability. Verse 8: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching." This is just a given with Solomon. It used to be with us too. But perhaps it can't be taken for granted any more. Families are God's idea. God's plan. God's way. They are not arbitrary evolutionary developments based on instincts. The family is ordained by God in creation.

In the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:27, it says,

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth . . . "

How are they to do this fruitful earth-filling? By indiscriminate mating and pregnancies? The second chapter of the Bible (Genesis 2:24) gives the answer: A man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

A profound covenant relationship between one man and one woman—a cleaving to each other alone, in a one-flesh union—is God's idea of the heart of the family. When this is broken by a tragic death or a tragic divorce, there may have to be single parent families. And God has been faithful to millions of mothers and fathers who have had to raise children alone. But God's original purpose for the heart of the family was one man and one woman cleaving to each other as husband and wife and becoming one flesh in fruitful sexual union. In that way he meant to fill the earth with humans who image-forth his glory, and with couples whose covenant-relationship shows the world the way that God relates to his covenant people in love and faithfulness.

The family is God's idea and it is for God's glory. Solomon assumes that here in Proverbs 1:7–9.

2. The Family as a School

The family is God's basic school for instructing children how to live in the world.

Verse 8 again: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching." The father is an instructor and the mother is a teacher. Therefore the family is a school.

God ordained the family not just to be fruitful and fill the earth with people, but to fill the earth with instructed people and taught people. The family is the place where the next generation is born and where the next generation learns how to live.

Life does not come naturally for human beings. The sucking reflex comes naturally. The falling reflex comes naturally. The iris of the eye closes naturally in bright light. We don't have to learn to cry when hungry. But that's about it. And those skills will not get us very far in this world. Humans have to learn just about everything from the most basic skills of walking and talking and eating, to the moral actions of courtesy and gratitude and respect and faith in Christ.

The family is God's school for this huge undertaking—teaching the next generation how to live in this world and be ready for the next.

And if a mother and a father seek help from others through relatives or nannies or day-care or Sunday schools or day schools or primary schools or secondary schools, the responsibility is still the parents' and we parents will give an account to God for how the minds and hearts of our children were shaped and molded by the educators and care-givers we entrusted them to.

That's point number two: the family is God's basic school for instructing children how to live in the world.

3. The Fear of the Lord as the Unifying Theme

The foundation of family instruction is the fear of the Lord.

Verse 7: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." In other words if we ask, what's the basis and beginning and integrating theme of the father's instruction and the mother's teaching—what is it that runs through all their daily modeling and counseling and explaining and correcting and disciplining that give unity and meaning to it all—the answer is "the fear of the Lord."

The family isn't just a place where children learn to hold spoons and walk on two feet and say" please" and tie shoes and read and look both ways and cut grass and put on makeup and drive a car. The family is where all of this and more begins in God, is guided by God's Word, and is shown to be for the glory of God. The fear of God—the reverencing of God, the standing in awe of God, the trusting of God—is what family's are for.

The family is God's idea. The family is a school. And the unifying theme in the curriculum of this school is God.

4. The Responsibility of Both Fathers and Mothers

Under God both fathers and mothers share in the responsibility of this family instruction.

Verse 8 again: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching."

It does not say, "Fathers instruct, and mothers change diapers." It does not say, "Fathers work at the office and so have no responsibility to teach their children." Nor does it say, "Mothers work at the office and can turn the responsibility of teaching over to a care-giver." It says fathers instruct, and mothers teach. They share this responsibility.

If it were Father's Day I would probably trumpet a challenge to you fathers to take fresh initiatives at home. But it is Mother's Day, and I want to encourage mothers that this responsibility to teach your children is an immeasurably significant privilege.

God has a way of nullifying the greatness of the great and exalting the lowliness of the lowly. In our culture motherhood is, I think, on the upswing. But only after decades of unusual lowliness and bad-press. The last five our six years have abounded with letters and articles like this one to Ann Landers:

I'm so tired of all those ignorant people who come up to my husband and ask him if his wife has a full-time job or if she's "just a house-wife." . . . Here's my job description.

I'm a wife, mother, friend, confidant, personal advisor, lover, referee, peacemaker, housekeeper, laundress, chauffeur, interior decorator, gardener, painter, wall paperer, dog groomer, veterinarian, manicurist, barber, seamstress, appointment manager, financial planner, bookkeeper, money manager, personal secretary, teacher, disciplinarian, entertainer, psychoanalyst, nurse, diagnostician, public relations expert, dietitian and nutritionist, baker, chef, fashion coordinator and letter writer for both sides of the family.

I am also a travel agent, speech therapist, plumber and automobile maintenance and repair expert . . .

From the studies done, it would cost more than $75,000 a year to replace me. I took time out of my busy day to write this letter, Ann, because there are still ignorant people who believe a housewife is nothing more than a baby sitter who sits on her behind all day and looks at soap operas. (Ann Landers, May 1988, quoted in Mom, You're Incredible, by Linda Weber, Focus on the Family, 1994, pp. 23–24)

That's true. And it is good to have it said. But vastly more can be said. Let me give one great illustration from the New Testament: the effect of Timothy's mother and grandmother.

Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:5,

I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

Then in 3:14–15 Paul says,

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them [that is, your mother Eunice and through her from your grandmother Lois]; and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures [because your mother taught them to you] which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Now that's a remarkable testimony. Timothy's father was a Greek (Acts 16:3). He probably didn't know the Scriptures. So Paul celebrates the great heritage that Timothy has through his mother and his grandmother. They did what his father could not or would not do. They filled him with the Scriptures, and the Scriptures brought him eventually to faith in Christ, and faith in Christ brought him salvation.

Timothy will live forever and ever because his mother and his grandmother were faithful to Proverbs 1:8.

5. The Submissiveness of Children

God calls sons and daughters to be submissive to their mothers and fathers.

Verse 8 again: "Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching."

These two commands warn against the two common temptations of rebellion. One is when a child is home; and the other is when he is away from home. If he is home, the temptation of rebellion is not to listen when his parent speaks. So Solomon says, "Hear your father's instruction." If he is away from home, the temptation is to forsake what he was taught. So Solomon says, "Do not forsake your mother's teaching."

Young people, when you are at home, listen to your parents. Do not write off what they say. Do it for God's sake. This is so important in God's eyes that he made it part of the Ten Commandments that sum up the whole law. Exodus 20:12, "Honor your father and mother." Honor your father by listening respectfully when he speaks. And honor your mother by remembering what she taught you about right and wrong—about the fear of God—when you are away from home and no one can see but you and God.

6. The Promise of Reward

Finally, God ordains a reward for sons and daughters who do not forsake the teaching of their mother and father.

Verse 9: "Indeed [literally, "because"], they [hearing your father's instruction and not forsaking your mother's teaching] are a graceful wreath to your head, and ornaments about your neck."

What this verse makes plain is that the instruction of fathers and the teaching of mothers, rooted in the fear of the Lord, is good news. Kids don't always feel that. Sometimes parents have never grown up into grace enough to feel it either. But that's what the verse says: hearing a father's instruction and not forsaking a mother's teaching will be a wreath of grace and glory and joy; it will be like gifts and prizes around your neck. In other words it will mean triumph and celebration and joy.

The apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:2 that "honor your father and mother" is "the first commandment with promise." All the commandments are full of promise, but God goes out of his way to make this explicit for sons and daughters. There is great promise in honoring your mother and father and embracing the fear of the Lord which they taught.

"In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence . . . The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life" (Proverbs 14:26–27).

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil" (Proverbs 19:23).

This is the wreath on your head and the ornament on your neck for embracing the fear of the Lord that your mother and father taught you—a fountain of life and strong confidence and deep satisfaction.

A Mother's Crown of Joy

But since today is Mother's Day, perhaps the way we should end is by reminding ourselves as sons and daughters—whether old or young—that the fountain of life, and the strong confidence and the deep satisfaction that come from honoring all the truth that our mothers taught us also comes back to them as a crown of joy and honor and blessing in their later years. "Do not despise your mother when she is old" (Proverbs 23:22). "Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you" (Proverbs 23:25).

Happy Mother’s Day

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 7, 2022

Article by Greg Morse
Staff writer, desiringGod.org

Some texts mark you for life. As Jacob, you grapple with them, and though you come away with a blessing, you leave with a limp. You think differently. You pray differently. You love, speak, and act differently. Life as it was before can be no more.

Elijah’s question to the wavering people of Israel has been such a text for me. As a young college student, alone in my dorm room with a Bible I had just started reading, I came to it:

How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Kings 18:21)

When I read it on my futon, it was as though I witnessed the scene unfold firsthand.

“Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” The wicked king addressed the prophet he had hunted like a deer in the forest. He sneered. Not often did the prey beckon the hunter or the fish, the fisherman. But here, weaponless and alone, the prophet emerged from his hiding place to challenge his pursuer, and all of his prophets, to a public showdown.

“I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals,” Elijah replied. “Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:18–19).

Ahab happily complied.

News spread quickly; the people of Israel clamored around to see the spectacle. I took my place among the masses. The excitement was palpable as prophets and their gods prepared for war. Baal’s king and his army of prophets stood in one corner; the Lord’s prophet approached alone, taking his position in the other.

Pierced Without a Weapon

Yet as the prophet advanced toward the mountain to face off with the hundreds of prophets, Elijah’s eyes of fire rested elsewhere. He gazed at us, drew near to us. The contestant walked over to the crowd, slowly looking us over, and lifted his voice for all to hear,

How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Kings 18:21)

Weaponless, he shot the first arrow. Swordless, he cut me to the heart. Alone, I trembled to hear another speaking.

As I read those words, a lifetime of spiritual indecision flashed before my eyes. It took shape before me. The amphibious creature, offspring of a hearty worldliness and brittle religiosity, reared its head. It bore the horrible beauty of a demon. This angel of light had pleased and soothed my half-waking conscience for a lifetime, while remaining false enough to damn my soul.

This god I followed took no issue with the lukewarmness — the starts and stops, the ins and outs of what I took to be Christian devotion. None of my prophets interrupted me, nor protested when I went my own way. For over a decade, my god was compliant, polite, civil. He did not ask for much, nor threaten me, nor ask me to do anything I did not already agree to. He sat in the corner of the world, just smiling at me, his beloved.

If He Be God

The prophet, however, served another God. A jealous God. One who would not endure the waffling another moment. And this prophet burned with his Master’s fire. Elijah decided that if he was walking headlong into his death, he would leave his half-hearted people with a simple question: How long, O faithless bird, will you go fluttering back and forth between two branches?

We, the people, were the only ones undecided before that mountain. The priests of Baal were decided, even to the point of shedding their blood. They cut themselves with swords to invoke an answer from Baal. King Ahab was also decided. He and his wicked wife Jezebel hunted down Yahweh’s prophets and feasted with Baal’s. Elijah was decided. He stood alone before a spiritual legion of darkness, sure that his God could swallow all these mighty minnows.

“A God, if he be God, must be totally followed. Any true God must be completely obeyed.”

At this, a nearly novel thought pressed against my mind: A God, if he be God, must be totally followed. Any true God must be completely obeyed. He demanded a decision. He must be the most important reality in one’s life. Then the amazing conclusion that I professed for years finally caught up with me: I believed God existed. An eternal being, an infinite Person, a supreme monarch.

Elijah looked me in the eyes and said, If the world or your flesh or you yourself be god — follow them. Eat, drink, for tomorrow you die. But if the God of Scripture is God, then reason, justice, and sanity itself cries aloud: If this Glorious, Mighty, and Beautiful God will have you, you must follow him — unreservedly, unquestionably, unhesitatingly.

How did I answer the prophet?

“And the people did not answer him a word” (1 Kings 18:21). I joined the crowds in solemn silence.

The most daring among us held their tongue. Tough guys didn’t protest. Not a chirp was heard before the mountain; all beaks were stopped. What could we say in our defense?

If Christ Be God

Before the sun beat upon the forsaken and bloodied prophets of Baal, before fire fell from heaven and gave the outmanned Elijah decisive victory, before the people rallied and slew the priests and Elijah ran for his life, the prophet’s question seared me: How long will you go on indecisive?

How many more days and months and years will pass while you still pretend to have made up your mind? “If Christ be God, follow him. If the world, follow it.”

Has Elijah’s question lost its edge? To others not refusing to associate with Jesus, yet simply adding him to a collection of other allegiances: “How long will you go on fluttering between two branches?” Between Christ and the love of money. Between Christ and this world. Between Christ and your favorite sin. Between Christ and your comfortable, uninterrupted life.

How long, professing Christian, will you too live halfhearted, half-bowed? How much longer will you persist with half-waking commitments to Christ? How long will you think to give him the loose change of your attention, the crumbled bills of your affections? “If Jesus is God, follow him; but if your girlfriend be god, your reputation be god, your earthly pleasures and career be god — then follow them.”

Footsie with the Almighty

“I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5). “You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)” (Exodus 34:13–14). One cannot play footsie with the consuming fire for long.

“One cannot play footsie with the consuming fire for long.”

The Christian God is God, and he will not sit idly by within a pantheon of other gods and pleasures. He entertains no rivals. Friendship with the world is adultery and enmity against him (James 4:4). This text, and this reality, God used to shake me awake and bring me to Jesus.

Dear reader, is your Jesus really God? If he is God — and the Jesus of the Bible is God — then follow him. I long for fire to fall again, pleading with Elijah, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:37).

Is your desire for intimate relationship with God as the psalmist speaks in

Psalm 42:1

42 As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.

NIV

If He is God, let us worship Him with all our heart!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 6, 2022

IT troubles you, fatigues you, shames you. IT is the disease you can’t heal, the job you can’t stomach, the marriage you can’t fix, the rage you can’t tame.

IT hurts.

IT looms over life. Two towering letters, tall and defiant. IT! They march like Frankenstein’s monster. Each step a thud. Each thud an earthquake. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. IT! IT! IT!

“Look out! Here IT comes!” “I can’t take IT anymore!”

IT overshadows and intimidates everyone —everyone, that is, except people who take IT to Jesus. People like the Roman soldier.

He was a centurion. He held unquestioned authority over his men. Yet there was something special about this particular officer. He loved his servant.

‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him’.

— Matthew 8:6-7

The soldier’s prayer was un-embroidered. He simply stated a fact: “My servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

That was enough to set Jesus in motion. He turned and immediately began to walk in the direction of the centurion’s house. But the officer stopped him.

Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.

— Matthew 8:8-9

The centurion understood the dynamic of authority. He was a man under authority and a man with authority. His superiors sent directives to him, and he obeyed. He gave commands, and his soldiers obeyed. They didn’t question his decisions. The Roman army respected the chain of command. The centurion knew authority when he saw it. And he saw ultimate authority in Jesus Christ.

“Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” [Jesus] marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!.. Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

— Matthew 8:8, Matthew 8:10, Matthew 8:13

The centurion’s confidence in Jesus ran deep. Jesus could handle the request long distance. Just a word from Jesus would suffice. Jesus was stunned. Finally, His response implies, someone understands my authority!

Do we?

Jesus has unimpeachable authority.

He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.

— Hebrews 1:3

God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name.

— Philippians 2:9

The Roman government tried to intimidate Him. False religion tried to silence Him. The devil tried to kill Him. All failed. Even “death was no match for Him” (Acts 2:24 MSG).

Jesus “disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross” (Colossians 2:15 NLT). He was not kidding when He declared,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

— Matthew 28:18

Jesus is the command center of the galaxies.

Two sparrows cost only a penny, but not even one of them can die without your Father’s knowing it.

— Matthew 10:29 NCV

He occupies the Oval Office. He called a coin out of the mouth of a fish. He stopped the waves with a word. He spoke, and a tree withered. He spoke again, and a basket became a banquet. Economy. Meteorology. Botany. Food supply.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

— Matthew 11:27

That includes Satan. The devil was soundly defeated by Christ on the cross. Jesus outranks him in every situation. He must obey Jesus, and he knows it.

Prayers offered in the name of Jesus have “divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV). Demolish! Not damage or hamper but demolish. Prayer falls on strongholds like lit matches on a grass hut.

The devil fears prayer. Imagine this scene. He sat in the back of the room during a strategy session. A dozen demons had gathered to hear a report on the life of a particularly stalwart saint.

“He won’t stumble,” groused the imp responsible for his demise. “No matter what I do, he won’t turn his back on God.”

The council began to offer suggestions.

“Take his purity,” one said.

“I tried,” replied the fiend, “but he is too moral.” “Take his health,” urged another.

“I did, but he refused to grumble or complain.” “Take his belongings.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve stripped the man of every penny and possession. Yet he still rejoices.”

For a few moments no one spoke. Finally, from the back of the room, came the low, measured voice of Satan himself. The entire council turned as the fallen angel rose to his feet. His pale face was all but hidden by the hood. A long cape covered his body. He raised his bony hand and made his point. “It’s not enough to take his purity. It’s not enough to take his health. It’s not enough to take his belongings. You must take what matters most.” “What is that?” asked the subordinate.

“You must take his prayer.”

Prayer slaps handcuffs on Satan. Prayer takes problems out of the domain of the devil and into the presence of God. Prayer confesses, “God can handle IT. Since He can, I have hope!” When we pray in the name of Jesus, we come to God on the basis of Jesus’ accomplishment.

Since we have a great high priest [Jesus] over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

— Hebrews 10:21–22

As our high priest, Jesus offers our prayers to God. His prayers are always heard.

Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.

— John 16:23

There are those who say, “Prayer changes things because it changes us.” I agree but only in part. Prayer changes things because prayer appeals to the top power in the universe. Prayer is not a magical formula or a mystical chant. It is the yes to God’s invitation to invoke His name.

Mark it down: IT won’t have the last word. Jesus will.

God raised [Christ] from death and set Him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from His rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything.

— Ephesians 1:20–22 MSG

The phrase “In Jesus’ name” is not an empty motto or talisman. It is a declaration of truth: My cancer is not in charge; Jesus is. The economy is not in charge; Jesus is. The grumpy neighbor doesn’t run the world; Jesus, You do! You, Jesus, are the Head Coach, CEO, President, King, Supreme Ruler, Absolute Monarch, High and Holy Baron, Czar, Overlord, and Rajah of all history.

Just speak the word, Jesus . . .

Pray! Since God works, prayer works.

Since God is good, prayer is good.

Since you matter to God, your prayers matter in heaven. You’re never without hope, because you’re never without prayer. And on the occasions you can’t find the words to say, pull these out of your pocket:

Father,

You are good.

I need help. Heal me and forgive me.

They need help.

Thank You.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Excerpted from Before Amen: The Power Of A Simple Prayer by Max Lucado, copyright Thomas Nelson.

 The health crisis in your life does not hold the power. Jesus does. Your marriage mess is not in charge. Jesus is. The teenager whose behavior is worrying you doesn’t rule the world. Jesus does! Pray! Praying in Jesus name has power.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 5, 2022

Today, May 5th, is the National Day of Prayer in the United States. Join us as we humble ourselves (2 Chronicles 7:14) seeking God’s face together in prayer.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. — 1 Timothy 2:1–2 NIV

America’s leaders first called this nation to prayer in 1775. The Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom as they worked to form a nation, and the call to prayer has continued throughout our nation’s history. The National Day of Prayer was organized in 1952 to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders. It continues to stand as a call for us to humbly come before God for our nation.

The idea of praying for people in government didn’t originate with America. The apostle Paul called the Jews to pray for their Roman rulers and oppressors. He urged the Christian community to not only pray for the Roman leaders who were persecuting them, but to pray for blessings on them. Paul also called the believers to pray for the leaders with thanksgiving so that peace might reign.

Are you praying for blessings for America’s leaders, local and national, even those you disagree with?

God, I don’t always agree with our leaders, but I do desire peace in our land. So help me to do as Paul urged and pray faithfully. Amen.

Day of Trouble

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! — Psalm 20:1 NASB

Unemployment, wars, terrorism, natural disasters, leaders’ poor decisions — times are hard. But as our older relatives will tell us, hard times are nothing new. Flip through old family photo albums or history books, and see how difficult life was. Against the background of diseases, droughts, and financial depression, we see men and women of deep and abiding faith.

Turn in the Bible to the book of Psalms. There we hear the cries of God’s people in times of trouble. We also hear echoes of our own frustration, our own fears, and our pleas for help from the only One who understands, the One who can best respond.

When the troubles of this world crash in around you, flip through the pages of that photo album to gain some perspective. Then open the Psalms and find words of encouragement and peace for your weary soul. God is faithful, He understands, and He hears your prayers.

God, thank You for believers in ages past who struggled in times of trouble yet held fast to their faith. Help me to be able to hold fast to my faith. Amen.

Listen Carefully

I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly. — Psalm 85:8 NKJV

It’s been said that God gave us two ears and one mouth to show us that we ought to listen twice as much as we talk. Some people do a better job of this than others. We have no trouble meeting our quota for talking, but when it comes to listening — to truly listening and to listening twice as much as we talk — we struggle.

We would do well not only to apply this 2:1 ratio to our conversations, but also to our prayer conversation with God. When we think of prayer, we think about what we want to say. When we seek instruction for how to pray, we focus on what we say to God. Far less frequently are we reminded that we need to listen.

Knowing His written Word will help us recognize His voice; choosing to ask for the Spirit’s guidance will help us listen and obey.

Key to all of this is making time to shut out the world. When we are still, we will have an easier time hearing God’s voice and, at the same time, experiencing the peace of His presence with us.

God, help me to work toward that 2:1 ratio and make a concerted effort to hear Your voice, listen, and obey. Amen.

Excerpted from 365 Devotions for Peace by Cheri Cowell, copyright Zondervan.

Today is a great day to pray! Even if it’s just for a few minutes, take a break and pray. Ask the Lord for His wisdom, guidance, and direction. Ask Him for peace, hope, and encouragement. Ask Him for revival, for Him to pour out His Holy Spirit afresh upon us, and for us to welcome obedience and humility. Ask Him for unity and kindness, grace, mercy and love.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 4, 2022

Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.—Psalm 4:1KJV

This verse is one of the greatest testimonies ever written regarding the effectiveness of God’s work on our behalf during times of crisis. It is a statement of thanksgiving for having been set free not from suffering but rather through suffering. In stating, “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress,” the psalmist is declaring that the sorrows of life have themselves been the source of life’s enlargement.

Haven’t each of us experienced this a thousand times and found it to be true? Someone once said of Joseph that when he was in the dungeon,

“iron entered his soul.”

And the strength of iron is exactly what he needed, for earlier he had only experienced the glitter of gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams, and dreaming actually hardens the heart. Someone who sheds great tears over a simple romance will not be of much help in a real crisis, for true sorrow will be too deep for him. We all need the iron in life to enlarge our character. The gold is simply a passing vision, whereas the iron is the true experience of life. The chain that is the common bond uniting us to others must be one of iron. The common touch of humanity that gives the world true kinship is not joy but sorrow —gold is partial to only a few, but iron is universal.

Dear soul, if you want your sympathy for others to be enlarged, you must be willing to have your life narrowed to certain degrees of suffering. Joseph’s dungeon was the very road to his throne, and he would have been unable to lift the iron load of his brothers had he not experienced the iron in his own life.

Your life will be enlarged in proportion to the amount of iron you have endured, for it is in the shadows of your life that you will find the actual fulfillment of your dreams of glory. So do not complain about the shadows of darkness —in reality, they are better than your dreams could ever be. Do not say that the darkness of the prison has shackled you, for your shackles are wings —wings of flight into the heart and soul of humanity. And the gate of your prison is the gate into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged you through the suffering of sorrow’s chain. ~GEORGE MATHESON

If Joseph had never been Egypt’s prisoner, he would have never been Egypt’s governor. The iron chain that bound his feet brought about the golden chain around his neck.

Excerpted from Healing Water for the Soul by L.B. Cowman, copyright Zondervan.

It might seem like suffering and pain are pointless, but that is not true in the Kingdom of God. Trusting in the Lord through trials and strain strengthens and builds us in our souls and character just like going to the gym builds our muscles!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith May 3, 2022

~ It’s Mental Health Awareness Month ~

It’s Time to Talk About It

Written for Devotionals Daily by Shawn Johnson,

author of Attacking Anxiety: From Panicked and Depressed to Alive and Free

Have you ever struggled with anxiety, depression, hopelessness, or suicidal thoughts? If you have, you’re not alone. Those thoughts are running rampant in our world today.

The CDC says that over 50 percent of all Americans will struggle with mental health issues during their lifetime. That stat tells us that every one of you reading this right now have either dealt with anxiety or depression yourself or know somebody who has. It's that prevalent in our society today.

Which means there couldn't be a better time than right now to start having really good, open, honest, and biblical discussions about mental health! But unfortunately, the church can be the hardest place to talk about it.

That was my story. I'm the pastor of a large and growing church, but for years I kept my mental health struggles to myself. I didn't talk openly about them because I didn't think I was allowed to. So instead, I suffered silently until I hit a breaking point and couldn't hold it in any longer.

There's this weird stigma with church where we talk about, learn about, and sing songs to Jesus, who gives us peace, joy, and freedom. But for many of us, there is a disconnect between what we are singing and what we are actually feeling. Because in the middle of our seasons of mental health struggles, peace, joy, and freedom are the furthest thing from what we are experiencing.

And so we start to feel like we must be second-class citizens, second-class Christians. We think we are the only ones struggling and we start to think, Maybe I don't have enough faith. Maybe I don't really believe in God. Maybe I'm too broken. Maybe no one else will understand.

Since we feel like we are the only ones struggling with mental health, we assume we must be doing something wrong. Plus, we feel so much shame about it that we start to think we are supposed to hide it. After all, everyone else has it all together, so no one else will understand, right? So, I've just got to hide it and pretend that I'm okay.

We treat church like a courtroom instead of a hospital. We go there and pretend that everything's okay instead of being open and honest about what we're struggling with.

And Satan absolutely loves it. He wants us to suffer in isolation.

The Bible says that we're supposed to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2). But when we hide our burdens, how can anyone help us carry them? How can they bear it if they don’t know it exists?

I’ve learned over the years that we're all suffering from the same thing, but we don't know it because we're all keeping the same secret. It's time to start talking about this in the church. We have to start admitting that it's a real issue. And the starting point is calling out the lies of the enemy:

No one will ever understand.

I must be going crazy.

I'm so broken.

I've got to hide this stuff.

Those are lies from the pit of hell. The Bible shows us that we don't have to just deal with depression and be attacked by anxiety, but through the spiritual weapons that God has given us, the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, and the powerful name of Jesus, we can experience more peace, joy, and freedom than we ever thought possible.

And it all starts with opening up the discussion!

Have you ever felt resistance to entering into the community of God during a season of profoundly isolating trial and suffering? What happened when you dipped your toe back into church? How did the fellowship of other believers help?

This church is a close nit family.  And my heart says that we would accept anyone made in the image of God into our midst even with the worst of damage and frailties caused by our fallen world.  You have been welcoming, loving and helping with your gifting for all who enter our doors to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us be even more aware of the needs of those around us and ask God to bless us to meet their need through His church!  Amen!

Pastor Dale