Notes of Faith November 27, 2023

Notes of Faith November 27, 2023

Slowing Down in a World That’s Gaining Speed

When my family and I lived in Turkey a few years ago, we witnessed a pace of life we thought only existed half a century ago. A neighbor invited us over to their home at 2 p.m. on a Sunday. And before we could say “baklava,” we were all cramming into their car like clowns, headed for a teahouse down on the Aegean Sea shoreline.

Our afternoon was spent lingering over hot çay, sugar cubes, laughing children, and words mangled somewhere between two languages, adults laughing as we attempted conversation like toddlers. We would sip tea down by the water for hours, with no agenda, no rush to the next better thing, the red-fire sunset ablaze over Mediterranean waters.

Life was... slower. Savored.

It wasn’t perfect, of course. There were many challenges to living cross-culturally, and a slower pace of life didn’t compensate for the complexities of hovering somewhere between a natively Western worldview and Eastern mores.

But still, it was fascinating to experience life in the slow lane surrounded by electricity, subway systems, and fluorescent-lit grocery aisles. It was indeed possible to live slower in the twenty-first century, so we learned.

Fast-forward years later, and we’re well immersed back into our North American life. Smartphones were released sometime when we were abroad, so when we moved back, I saw many loved ones’ tops of their heads for the first time. People were absorbed in their handhelds, their heads, the four walls of their houses.

Eyes freshly opened, I saw there was a direct correlation between an obsession with self and an exhausting pace of life. Centering an entire day on productivity or effectiveness as a goal equaled very little focus on other people or relationships.

Jesus, of course, poured Himself out as an offering.

His world was slow when He fully touched earth, so that we could be wholly alive and whole with God. He is the embodiment, the very manifestation of sacrifice — the giving of self for other people. His agenda wasn’t on getting things done. And as a follower of His, I want to be like that too.

If we want to put others first, like Jesus did, then we must. slow. down.

I want this so fervently — so why is it so hard to shift my focus, my center, my default, to other people? Why does it feel like a burning of my flesh and a rewiring of my brain to give up my to-do list in order to make time for people?

I want to put relationships first. Hearts before agendas. Lives ahead of schedules.

I want to die to my productivity, so I can truly be with people. And I have to remind myself daily that slowing down matters.

It matters because then I can hear people. It’s absolutely essential, really.

The more crammed our schedules, the less time we have to give others. When we only allow nooks and crannies in our days for rest, time alone, and self-care, then we are left threadbare to love others when they most need it. When our calendars are scribbled out in the margins because they are too full, we have no way to empty ourselves out in sacrifice.

If we want to put others first, like Jesus did, then we must. slow. down.

It’s the only way we can survive, thrive, be who we are meant to be in this rapid, rapid world.

My mind drifts back frequently to our life in the Middle East. Sure, my glasses are rose-colored, but what I remember most is how I felt. I felt... slower. More contemplative. More at rest with myself and those put purposely around me. There, we could equate our life’s measure not by boxes filled with pencil scratches but by how much freedom in our days we had to linger over çay with neighbors. With people. In relationship.

I think a slow life can happen anywhere, in any culture.

But it’s harder, and it requires swimming upstream, when we live in one where the default setting is lightning fast.

And we have to be vigilantly aware of this so that our fingers continually twist the dial on our life to slower, slower, slower.

A slower-paced life isn’t just a good idea, or hip, or wishful thinking. It’s essential if we want to have time to be the body of Christ.

~ Tsh Oxenreider

Excerpted from Prayers to Help You Thrive by contributors: Christine Caine, Chike Chukudebelu, Katie Hardeman, Margaret Hogan, Denise Hildreth Jones, Shauna Niequist, Tsh Oxenreider, Rachel Randolph, Alece Ronzino, and Ruth Soukup. Copyright Zondervan.

A slower paced life comes from a perspective. Living in the country as opposed to to city does not necessarily make life slower. There are many who work hard from sun up to sun down, often before and after. It is an attitude that makes one take in the joy of each day. I wanted to hunt and shoot a deer or two this season but there were none in shooting range of the property we were hunting on. However, driving home one day God let me see and be mesmerized by the most handsome and glorious buck that I have ever seen. It was near the side of the road as we drove by and as we approached ran back the other direction. Though I could not shoot at it, it was a glorious experience of a creation of God. The slower pace of life idea is to enjoy such opportunities as they come. Being with five of our grandchildren is never slow paced but again relishing each opportunity and participating in their growth, both physically and spiritually brings great joy, and adds to the wholeness of who I am. Seize the day, for it was given to you by God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 26, 2023

Notes of Faith November 26, 2023

Growing Strong

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us. — 2 Peter 1:3

How can we develop a faith strong enough to see us throughout our lives?

The key is this: God wants us to be spiritually strong and has provided us with every resource we need.

We need God’s strength to face life’s challenges — and He wants to give it to us.

Tragically, many Christians never discover this. They have committed their lives to Christ… they may be active in their churches… they pray and read their Bibles on occasion — but they remain spiritually immature and weak in the face of life’s temptations and setbacks.

We may be old in years, but if our faith is immature, we will be fearful and unprepared. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Just as a baby needs food and exercise in order to grow, so we need the spiritual food and exercise God has provided for us. Without them our faith is weak, but with them spiritual strength increases, and we are better prepared for whatever life has in store for us.

What are you doing now that will make you spiritually mature when you’re older?

*

"God wants us to be spiritually strong and has provided us with every resource we need."

— Billy Graham

From Seedling to Tree

He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season. — Psalm 1:3

It is no accident that the Bible compares us to trees, urging us to grow spiritual roots that are deep and strong. But a tree wasn’t always a tree. It began as a small seed. Spiritual life also begins with a seed — the seed of God’s Word planted in the soil of our souls that eventually sprouts and becomes a new seedling as we are born again. But though we’re saved, we aren’t meant to remain spiritual seedlings, weak and vulnerable to every temptation or doubt or falsehood or fear. God’s will is for us to grow strong in our faith and become mature, grounded in the truth of His Word and firmly committed to doing His will (1 Peter 2:2).

Giving your life to Christ is an essential first step — but it is only the first step. God’s will is for you to become spiritually mature, growing stronger in your relationship to Christ and your service for Him. Conversion is the work of an instant; spiritual maturity is the work of a lifetime.

Is your faith like a seedling, a sprout, or a mature tree?

*

Mature Fruit

Be mature and complete, not lacking anything. — James 1:4 NIV

We cannot pretend to be something we are not; a Christlike character cannot be faked. If Christ is not real to us or if we haven’t learned to walk with Him and submit our lives to Him every day, then our spiritual impact will be far less than it might have been. People are very sensitive to hypocrisy; if they sense it in us, they will dismiss our pretenses and pay no attention to our advice. On the other hand, if they can sense our faith is sincere and our love is authentic, then they will respect us and take us seriously (even when they know we are not perfect).

This is why it is important to begin building our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ now, instead of waiting until it is too late and the problems of old age overwhelm us. Every gardener knows that mature fruit does not appear overnight. It takes time to grow — and so does the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Start tending your garden today, so you may be “mature and complete.”

In what place in your life do you most need spiritual growth?

Excerpted from Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham, copyright Billy Graham Literary Trust.

Do we just seek to get into heaven or to have a deep intimate and mature relationship with the God who created us? I pray for you the latter…

No matter how old we are we should continue growing in faith, hope and love. To be more like Christ is a promise God gives in His Word, to those that He calls and adopts as His children. He will discipline in love to make us more like Christ.

Do you still have a desire to draw closer to God? I do. Let’s pray for each other, that we might be drawn to the light of the world, closer and closer every day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 25, 2023

Notes of Faith November 25, 2023

The Inescapable Problem of Pain

The problem of pain is perhaps the most profound question many of us raise against Christianity. How could a good God — a loving God — allow so much pain and suffering in the world?

All God would have to do is move the geological plates a few inches and we wouldn’t have tsunamis or earthquakes. All he would have to do is eradicate the cells that attack our bodies and cause cancer and other horrendous diseases. Why doesn’t he do those things? Why doesn’t God stop it all? How can we trust God, considering how painful life is? How could our pain have any significance?

These are huge questions — and great questions. They’re questions we’ve both asked God, and I’m sure you have as well. And yet the apostle Paul talks about pain being fundamental in the life of a Christ follower. He wrote,

Since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. — Romans 8:17–18 NLT

As loyal followers of Jesus, we are liberated from the controlling power of sin and death. We are God’s children, part of His family, and we wait in expectation of a pain-free forever in Heaven with our living Lord! That is our incredible inheritance.

However, the world has not yet been liberated from the controlling power of sin and death. Sin still wreaks havoc in our world, bringing death, decay, and dysfunction — from the smallest cells in our bodies to the leadership of the largest countries.

The growing effects of sin lead to evil and suffering that God allows but does not cause.

Paul goes on to explain that pain is woven into the very nature of creation itself:

The creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. — Romans 8:20–21 NIV

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Creation was subjected to frustration by the will of the one who subjected it? Why does Paul say that? If we go back to the creation story in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we read that God gave His great gift of life and relationship to Adam and Eve. They lived in perfect harmony with God for a while, but then they rebelled.

That’s when sin entered the equation, and God allowed frustration to collide with creation. Why? Because He gave us free will. Frustration is the result of sin, a result of our free will, and it ushered in decay and eroded God’s perfect creation — a creation that included a world without pain.

To deal with pain means we must first acknowledge it, and that requires being painfully honest about it.

Who’s Responsible for Pain?

The fall of humanity, this rebellion, was not and is not God’s responsibility. It’s ours.

And because of that choice, we live in a place that’s frustrated, that is not perfect and is often marked by pain. Because of that choice, the storms of life rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

You might say, “Well, I certainly wasn’t in the garden of Eden. I didn’t rebel against God. Why am I paying for someone else’s mistake?” Have you ever sinned? Ever told a lie, even a “little white lie”? Ever coveted what your neighbor had? Ever fudged a bit on some of your tax numbers? Dealt with pride? Battled selfishness?

All of us are guilty of sin, so all of us have contributed to the fallenness of the world.

But the good news is that Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin and restore us to a perfect relationship with him! Remember, Paul tells us that our current sufferings are nothing compared to what Jesus can and will do in us.

Pain is inescapable, yet it is also explainable when we understand that we live in a fallen world. But having that knowledge doesn’t necessarily make enduring it any easier, does it? It doesn’t stop the hurt, doesn’t heal the wounds, and doesn’t teach us how to maintain joy and peace despite the constant flow of pain in and out of our lives. Navigating our way through our pain and making progress toward healing is a process — one that requires honesty.

Being Painfully Honest

The problem with pain isn’t just that it hurts but that we have no idea how to handle the hurt. We want to avoid it. Ignore it. Make it go away by any means possible. Above all, we don’t want to face our pain — anything but that! Why? Because pain makes us uncomfortable, and we’re creatures who cherish our comfort.

To deal with pain means we must first acknowledge it, and that requires being painfully honest about it.

As part of Lisa’s and my decision to be honest about what we’ve been through, we recently did a pain audit of the years we’ve been married. Some people a lot smarter than us conducted a study and put together a list of especially stressful experiences that often lead to divorce, a list that includes infertility, having a child with special needs, and the death of a child. When we read their synopsis together, we just looked at each other, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

As we look back on our life together, do we still have questions? Oh yeah. Are some of these experiences still painful to talk about? Incredibly so. Are there times we are both still angry, wondering why God has allowed us so much pain? Absolutely. But we also know it is essential to be honest about our pain, not only with ourselves but also with God. Our honest anger doesn’t frighten Him, and our difficult questions don’t intimidate Him. How do we know? Just read some of the psalms, such as this one, in which David pours out his heart to God:

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?

Why are You so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest. — Psalm 22:1–2 NIV

That’s some pretty raw honesty. And we’ve all been there, haven’t we? God, where are You? Why aren’t You answering? Why aren’t You acting? Why am I still in pain?

While it’s okay to ask, “God, why? Why?!” there comes a time when we must also ask another question. That’s when we move from “Why me?” to “What now?” At some point, we transition from the disappointment and grief that consume us to the hope and healing only Jesus can provide. Our daily decision to navigate through the pain together with God will determine how well our pain management and recovery go.

Adapted from A Path Through Pain by Ed & Lisa Young, copyright Ed & Lisa Young.

I have come to understand pain and have more compassion and empathy for those that struggle with pain, the older I get. When God created the heavens and the earth and then made man and woman, He called everything good. It was great! It was perfect! There was no pain and suffering. So what caused it to happen? Man, through His rebellion and sin, brought pain, suffering and death, all through disobedience to God. Wouldn’t we all like to go back and be obedient?! But God, in His love, provided a path to perfect healing, no pain, no suffering, no tears, no more medications… When Jesus walked on the earth He healed many of their physical maladies, but more importantly spoke truth about the kingdom of God, spiritual truth that would bring reconciliation with God, and life eternal in a perfect environment. If you know God, truly know God, you will endure this life through any pain and suffering, looking for the return of your Savior, and the perfect healing that only He can provide.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 24, 2023

Notes of Faith November 24, 2023

Perfect time to share a personal note… I have been deer hunting the last few days and supposed to be today…maybe a little later… that is why I am having to catch up with my Notes to you. Have seen many a deer, but none where we have the right to hunt and shoot. God’s will be done. Having fun with my family1 What a blessing from God!

Let Me fill you with My Love, Joy, and Peace

Delightful Lord,

I love listening to the song that You continually sing to me: “I take great delight in you; I renew you by My Love; I shout for Joy over you.” The voices of this world are a cacophony of chaos, pulling me this way and that — especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Help me not to listen to those voices but to challenge them with Your Word. Show me how to take breaks from the noise of the world — finding a place to be still in Your Presence so I can hear Your voice.

I believe there is immense hidden treasure to be found through listening to You. You are always pouring out blessings upon me, but some of Your richest blessings have to be actively sought.

I rejoice when You reveal Yourself to me — through Your Word, Your people, and the wonders of creation.

Having a seeking heart opens me up to receive more of You. The Bible gives me clear instructions: Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.

In Your generous Name, Jesus, amen.

Let Me fill you with My Love, Joy, and Peace. These are Glory-gifts, flowing from My living Presence.

The Lord your God is in your midst; He is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; He renews you by His love; He shouts for joy over you. — Zephaniah 3:17 NET

While [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!” — Matthew 17:5 NASB

Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. — Matthew 7:7 AMP

‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hands.

Restful Lord Jesus,

I come to You seeking to find rest in Your Presence. As I relax with You, Lord, I can enjoy Your Peace during this exciting, hectic season. How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly! I long to be increasingly mindful of You. You’ve been teaching me that awareness of Your Presence can give me rest even when I’m very busy. An inner peacefulness flows out of remembering that You are with me always. This remembrance permeates my heart, mind, and spirit — filling me with Joy.

I confess that sometimes I get so focused on the problems I see and the predictions I hear that my joy gets buried under layers of worry and fear. When this happens, I need to bring my concerns to You — talking with You about each one, seeking Your help and guidance, asking You to remove those worry-layers. As I entrust My concerns into Your care and keeping, Joy begins to emerge again. I’ve learned that the most effective way for me to nurture this gladness is speaking and singing praises to You — the King of Glory!

In Your praiseworthy Name, amen.

I, your Lord and Savior, am alive within you. Learn to tune in to My living Presence by seeking Me in silence.

Excerpted from Jesus Listens for Advent by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.

No matter our circumstances we can rest in the perfect joy and peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Are you, like me, and sometimes get wrapped up in the moment that you forget that God is always with you, through anything and everything? Learning to live in the presence of God takes practice…kind of like learning patience but takes even more spiritual discipline. If you have never tried living in His presence, always knowing and feeling His heart and desire for you… start today. If you have… keep it up. I’m praying for you to continue to grow in His grace, mercy, strength and power.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 23, 2023

Notes of Faith November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!: The Right Attitude

Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name. — 1 Chronicles 29:13

The Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth to settle in what became the United States of America can teach us an important lesson about giving thanks.

During that first long winter, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as homes were made for the living. Seed, imported from England, failed to grow, and a ship that was to bring food and relief, brought instead thirty-five more mouths to feed, but no provisions. Some Pilgrims caught fish, and others hunted wild fowl and deer. They had a little English flour and some Indian corn.

Yet William Brewster, rising from a scanty dinner of clams and water, gave thanks to God “for the abundance of the sea and the treasure hid in the sand.”

According to today’s standards, the Pilgrims had almost nothing, but they possessed a profound and heartfelt gratitude to God for His love and mercy. Gratitude is one of the greatest Christian virtues; ingratitude, one of the most vicious sins.

Our English words thank and think come from the same word.

If we’ll stop to think, we’ll be more thankful.

For the Christian, every day is Thanksgiving Day!

Give Thanks

Enter [God’s] gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. — Psalm 100:4

Throughout the Bible we are commanded to be thankful. A spirit of thanksgiving is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord.

First, we are to be thankful for the material blessings God gives us. Some people are never satisfied with what they have, but what a difference it makes when we realize that everything we have has been given to us by God!

Second, thank God for the people in your life. It is so easy to take them for granted, or to complain or become angry because they don’t meet our every wish. But we need to give thanks for our spouse, our children, our relatives, and our friends. Most of all, thank God for Christ and His love for you.

Third, thank God in the midst of trials and ever persecution. We draw back from difficulties, but not one of us is exempt from trouble. Yet in the midst of trials we can thank God because we know He has promised to be with us and help us.

For the Christian, every day is Thanksgiving Day!

Excerpted from Wisdom for Each Day by Billy Graham, copyright Billy Graham Literary Trust.

Give thanks with a grateful heart = every day!

I pray that you have a wonderful time of giving thanks with family, friends, or just you and God. He is enough for everyone!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 22, 2023

Notes of Faith November 22, 2023

Gratitude Changes You

Just look at us! We’ve become overcome with gratitude! Gratitude can’t occupy the same area of space in your heart as carping and complaining. Which will it be? The truth that emerges from the center of you, from the core of your being, is revealed to you by the One who chose you, and this is worth celebrating. You’re possessed by God, you’re surrendered and blessed. As His loved child you possess all things.

It’s time to be grateful.

Look for small things to celebrate. The way your fingers move across the page of this book, the touch of sunlight on your neck, the sound of leaves scraping against the window. Pay attention to the small things and be grateful.

For who has despised the day of small things?” — Zechariah 4:10

When you purpose in your heart to be grateful, you’ll thank and praise the Lord all day long for no reason at all. You’ll thank Him for Himself alone, and that’s the purest form of gratitude to God.

You no longer need answered prayer to be grateful. You no longer require things work out the way you planned to be grateful (though we rejoice and celebrate these blessings!).

Your personhood now and forever is His, and you can exclaim with a sigh of grateful relief, “It is well with my soul.”

The studies made of the effects of gratitude on the overall well-being of a person are unanimously positive. It proves one thing: God created us to be grateful. A thankful heart frees you to love life.

Nothing opens the gates of Heaven like gratitude. In gratitude all things are yours.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18

It is good to give thanks unto the Lord, And to sing praises to your name, O Most High. — Psalm 92:1

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. — 2 Chronicles 16:34

The purest form of gratitude to God is thanking Him for Himself alone.

Gratitude has been shown to reduce health complaints too numerous to name, but I’ve had clients tell me their ulcers have vanished, their headaches are gone, their skin has cleared up, and their bruxism (teeth grinding) has ended. Gratitude must start and end your day.

Deep inside the grateful heart is the treasure of the joy that the whole world seeks.

For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. — Deuteronomy 14:2

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. — 2 Corinthians 4:7

What do you need to be grateful?

An inmate serving a life sentence in a Texas prison wrote the following poem. He sent it to the prison ministry spearheaded by Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister.

A THANKSGIVING DANCE

I own nothing but these arms,

So I swing them,

So I clap them.

I have nothing but these legs,

So I lift them in dance.

I have nothing but my own hips,

So I sway them in a trance.

Except I may not even own this body

— but I move.

Even still I may not say where I go,

Yet I possess my soul.

“Dance, dance. Dance,” said He.

“I am Lord of the Dance” said He.

For all these I give thanks

To the One I owe,

(O my soul dance)

the fact that I exist,

that I breathe and that I know

the One from Whom all blessings flow.1

(Used by permission)

1. William Backus and Marie Chapian, Telling Yourself the Truth(Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2000), used by permission.

Excerpted from Quiet Prayer by Marie Chapian, copyright Marie Chapian.

Give thanks with a grateful heart to God, the provider and sustainer of everything for you. His grace is truly AMAZING!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 21, 2023

Notes of Faith November 21, 2023

El Shaddai

Scripture: Genesis 43:14; Psalm 131:2-3

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]... I have made you a father of many nations I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.” — Genesis 17:1, Genesis 17:5-6

And may God Almighty [El Shaddai] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. — Genesis 43:14

Because of your father’s God [the el], who helps you, because of the Almighty [Shaddai], who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. — Genesis 49:25

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will never forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands. — Isaiah 49:14-16

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me O Israel, put your hope in the Lord. — Psalm 131:2-3

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. — Matthew 23:37

El Shaddai

In somewhat the same way as God is bigger than any and all of the names we can name Him, He is also bigger than the images our minds conjure of a single gender.

Scripture, in showing us facets of who God is, sometimes portrays God in terms we associate with the feminine gender.

The Hebrew name El Shaddai comes as close to capturing this aspect of God as does any of His names. The traditional translations of Scripture have consistently rendered this name “Almighty.” But to appreciate its full flavor, it will be helpful to examine its Hebrew roots.1 El is a shortened form of Elohim. It sets forth the might, the strength, and the excellence of God. Shad is the Hebrew word for “breast.” Shaddai pictures God’s fullness or bounty, His tenderness, His generosity, His desire to nurture us and make us fruitful. In one name, God’s attributes of might and tenderness are brought together!

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, El Shaddai appeared to him and said, “I have made you a father” (Genesis 17:5). Speaking in strictly human terms, it takes a woman to go to a man and say, “I’m going to make you a father!” Sometimes this announcement comes as a shock. Often the shocking aspect of this news is mingled with a great deal of joy and thanksgiving, along with some apprehension. Certainly all of these emotions were present as El Shaddai’s announcement was received.

You will be very fruitful — nations and kings will come from you.

— Genesis 17:6, paraphrase

It was Elohim Shaddai who gave birth to the nation of Israel. The prophet Isaiah described the birthing process thus:

Like a woman in childbirth I cry out, I gasp and pant. — Isaiah 42:14

Jacob is full of anxiety as he is about to send his beloved son Benjamin off to Egypt in response to the whimsical demand of the ruler who dispensed food.

May [El Shaddai] grant you mercy before the man,” he cries. — Genesis 43:14

Later, as Jacob is pronouncing God’s blessing on his son Joseph, he says,

Because of the El and the Shaddai, may you have blessings of the breast and the womb. — Genesis 49:25, paraphrase

Isaiah, in describing the love of God, says it is greater than that of a nursing mother. A unique bonding occurs as the mother holds her child close to her breast. She is the source of all the infant needs for nourishment as she holds the child close to the warmth of her body, within the sound of her heartbeat and secure in the safety of her arms.

A further dimension to this picture is added by the psalmist in Psalm 131. The psalmist feels like a weaned child. “Why am I being deprived of what, from my point of view, seems so good and so right?” he may have been asking himself. “This is what I need, God. Why can’t I have it?”

Have you ever asked God these sorts of questions?

God, who, like a mother, knows that the growing child must move beyond breast milk, still holds the child close enough to hear the divine heartbeat, allowing the child the warmth and security of being held tightly in divine arms.

Children’s questions may still be unanswered. But their souls are stilled and quieted “like a weaned child with its mother” (Psalm 131:2), because they know, without any doubt, who is holding them!

El Shaddai, almighty, tender God, hold us close to Your heart today.

This ancient name shows God simultaneously mighty and tender. Imagine God’s firm, loving hand on your back right now, leading you with intention and ultimate goodwill. Lean into God’s strength and kindness. How does that make you feel?

Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament, reprint ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 32–34.

Excerpted from All the Glorious Names by Mary Foxwell Loeks, copyright Mary Foxwell Loeks.

Looking at the names of God given in your Bible you begin to understand His character and nature. One of my favorites is God is Love. It is His character and nature to be loving. If He were not, we certainly would be eternally punished for our debt of sin and rebellion against Him. But He did send His Son Jesus to die and rise again to offer us salvation and eternal life with Himby His grace through believing faith! What an amazing God we have!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 20, 2023

Notes of Faith November 20, 2023

You Are Already Saved

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. — John 3:16 NKJV

Tuck God’s truths away in your heart. Holding on to those promises and thinking about them every day is a form of self-care that should not be underestimated. The truth is that God loves you so much He sent His only Son to die for you. Even when you feel overwhelmed, reminding yourself how deeply and unconditionally you are loved will help. This truth allows you to take a few deep breaths, slow down, and let God’s love for you surround you with comfort and peace.

Prioritize quiet time with your Father this week, and explore some of His other promises:

Joshua 1:9

Isaiah 26:3

Philippians 4:7

John 15:7

Mark 13:11

Romans 8:28

2 Corinthians 7:6

Psalm 116:5-6

James 1:2-3

Deuteronomy 33:27

Genesis 15:1

James 4:8

Hebrews13:5

Which of those promises is your favorite? Why?

Which of those promises have you already seen fulfilled in your life?

Tuck God’s truths away in your heart.

Talk to God

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. — Colossians 4:2

Maybe you pray when things are tough, and you pray a little less when life feels easy and it’s going your way. But your relationship with God will flourish when you talk to Him like a friend. God doesn’t just want a laundry list of your accomplishments or failures for the day. He wants to hear how you’re feeling, what is worrying you, what you’re dreaming about, and any other little thing on your mind. The more you open your heart up to Him, the more you will feel His peace and His presence in your life.

How often do you talk to God?

What do you usually pray about?

What’s something that you don’t usually talk to God about that has been burdening you? How can you start sharing that with Him?

Listen to God

The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. — Isaiah 58:11

Prayer is only half of what it means to have a conversation with God. If you spend all of your time talking, you miss out on the things God is trying to tell you or show you in return. Sometimes caring for your spiritual health is about being still and listening for God. He often works in ways that are mysterious, but His ways are not your ways. When God “speaks” to you, it may be subtle, like guiding you toward specific people or nudging you to read a verse in the Bible. Listening to God might mean paying attention to the things on the path before you.

The more time you can spend listening to and paying attention to God’s presence, the easier it will be to notice those little internal nudges from the Holy Spirit that steer you away from a certain choice or prompt you to go talk to a stranger.

Spend quiet time today just breathing and listening for His voice.

Is being still and listening already part of your prayer life?

If not, how can you start adding in this practice?

Have you ever heard or felt a reply from God when praying? How did it make you feel?

Excerpted from The Weekly Self-Care Project, copyright Zondervan.

Did you look up any of the verses and ask God to speak to you through them? If not, please take some time to do so… you will be blessed!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 19, 2023

Notes of Faith November 19, 2023

It’s Going to Turn Out All Right

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” — Matthew 14:27 NLT

God’s call to courage is not a call to naïveté or ignorance. We aren’t to be oblivious to the overwhelming challenges that life brings.

We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. — Hebrews 2:1 NASB

Do whatever it takes to keep your gaze on Jesus.

When a friend of mine spent several days in the hospital at the bedside of her husband, she relied on hymns to keep her spirits up. Every few minutes, she stepped into the restroom and sang a few verses of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Do likewise! Memorize Scripture. Read biographies of great lives. Ponder the testimonies of faithful Christians. Make the deliberate decision to set your hope on him.

As followers of God, you and I have a huge asset. We know everything is going to turn out all right. Christ hasn’t budged from his throne, and Romans 8:28 hasn’t evaporated from the Bible. Our problems have always been his possibilities.

Feed your fears, and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will.

We know everything is going to turn out all right. That’s the promise of Romans 8:28. But it’s hard to remember when all the possibilities of what could go wrong are swirling around us. When fear is plentiful, let’s fix our gaze on Jesus and remember this:

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. — Romans 8:28 NKJV

God’s Promise to Me

The Lord is in control. He knows how it all turns out. And He promised it will be for my good. He will give me the courage to keep going and the hope to hold on.

*

Believe He Can

Don’t be afraid; just believe. — Mark 5:36

The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. Even Christ was afraid (Mark 14:33). But make your fear a visitor and not a resident. Hasn’t fear taken enough? Enough smiles? Chuckles? Restful nights, exuberant days? Meet your fears with faith.

Do what my father urged my brother and me to do. Summertime for the Lucado family always involved a trip from West Texas to the Rocky Mountains. (Think Purgatory to Paradise.) My dad loved to fish for trout on the edge of the white-water rivers. Yet he knew that the currents were dangerous and his sons could be careless. Upon arrival we’d scout out the safe places to cross the river. He’d walk us down the bank until we found a line of stable rocks. He was even known to add one or two to compensate for our short strides.

As we watched, he’d test the stones, knowing if they held him, they’d hold us. Once on the other side, he’d signal for us to follow.

“Don’t be afraid,” he could have said. “Trust me.”

We children never needed coaxing. But we adults often do. Does a river of fear run between you and Jesus? Cross over to Him.

Believe He can. Believe He cares.

Does the path ahead look uncertain, even frightening? Maybe this image will help. When a father leads his four-year-old son down a crowded street, he takes him by the hand and says, “Hold on to me.” He doesn’t say, “Memorize the map.” Or, “Take your chances dodging the traffic.” Or, “Let’s see if you can find your way home.” The good father gives the child one responsibility: “Hold on to my hand.” When fears threaten your faith, remember this:

My Scripture of Hope

You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. — Psalm 139:5 NLT

God’s Promise to Me

I don’t have to live afraid. Because God cares. He holds my hands and leads me safely to Him.

Excerpted from Calm Moments for Anxious Days by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Depending on God is never easy. We want to accomplish tasks and think we did it all by ourselves. Pride is the issue. Feeling that we don’t need anyone is the issue. We can do nothing without God! But we can do anything with Him!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 18, 2023

Notes of Faith November 18, 2023

Some of you may have noticed that you three “Notes of Faith” today. I left for Kentucky on the 16th of November and did not have a working computer until now. Though I may not get tomorrows edition out early, I hope to get it completed on the correct day. Pastor Dale

Getting Comfortable with the Reality of Flawed Friends

Most modern friendships last only until the first conflict. Like plastic cups, we toss them out and just grab new ones. But why would we expect deep relationships without deep conflict?

Here is the thing about your friends: they are sinners. Here is the thing about you as a friend: you are too.

This means all of our friendships and communities have the same active ingredient: sinful people like us. So we should not be surprised in the least that we hurt one another. Often deeply. On the contrary, we should expect to be hurt by our friends.

This is, at first, counterintuitive. It is easy to get caught up in romanticized visions of friends who have no conflict, share only laughter, aren’t bogged down with the ordinary pains of life, and are deeply grateful for one another’s commitment.

The problem with that vision is that it’s a total lie.

To be friends with sinners is our only option. You should expect to be friends with people who are downright selfish, who don’t care for you exactly the way you hoped, who miss opportunities, and who let you down. The question is,

What do we do with the painful reality that friendship hurts?

We will answer that question momentarily, but to ignore the question is to entertain a false vision of friendship without conflict. A false vision of friendship (like a false vision of marriage or a false vision of church community) is the greatest enemy to the real thing.

Bonhoeffer saw this when he wrote Life Together. In a work that is otherwise soaring with encouragement and hopefulness, his passages on false visions of community are the strongest rebukes in the whole text. “Innumerable times a whole community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams.”1

I love that Bonhoeffer sees the shattering of our false visions as a grace.

He is right. We often forget that it is our failures that God uses as the means for encountering grace. On hearing the voice of God in his own struggle, Paul writes, “

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.2

That logic of grace does not change on a communal level.

You may think that conflict with your friends is the barrier to deeper friendship. But that is true only if you do not practice forgiveness.

With forgiveness, conflict in friendship is the doorway to communal grace.

TO BE FRIENDS WITH SINNERS IS OUR ONLY OPTION.

Forgiveness is for us as much as it is for our friends who hurt us.

Practicing Forgiveness

The reasons to forgive are eminently practical.

Relationships cannot exist without forgiveness.

Either we forgive or we fall apart; there is no middle ground.

Given that all good friends will eventually hurt you, if you do not practice forgiveness, you will either be stuck in a cycle of endless resentment or never have a true friendship at all. In a moment that has elevated the spirit of cancel culture and downplayed the beauty of forgiveness, it is no surprise that so many are drifting into the loneliness of resentment. Here again we must swim against the current if we are to have friendships at all.

But even more than practical, forgiveness is profound. Here is the strange reversal:

forgiveness is for us as much as it is for our friends who hurt us.

In His parable of the unmerciful servant, Jesus told of a man whose debt was mercifully forgiven, but then the man went on to mercilessly demand repayment from others.3 The way he treated others showed that the servant didn’t understand what had happened to him.

The most important reason we forgive others is to reexperience the way Jesus has forgiven us. We learn it by practicing it.

Importantly, our forgiveness is not predicated on our friends’ apologies. We don’t forgive one another because of how good the apologies are, we forgive one another because Christ has forgiven us.4

In practice, this does not mean pretending your friends did not hurt you but rather first acknowledging that they did. Then, instead of inflicting pain to make them pay, you bear the burden of the pain. This is the logic of our salvation: Christ bore our burden so we wouldn’t have to. It is also how friendships work.5

I recently had a difficult conversation with a friend I needed to forgive. It began with a text saying, “Can we talk?” I recommend that. If there is someone in your life you need to forgive, then initiate with them. What happened next was we set aside an evening to be face-to-face and say the things we were hurt by. Unsurprisingly, there were mutual errors, and I had to apologize too. Also unsurprisingly, I didn’t get the perfect apology I craved. Yet remarkably, we left in forgiveness, with imperfect apologies accepted, and continue to work toward deeper friendship.

Without the practice of forgiveness, I know we would both still be burning in anger, incessantly turning over in our heads the things that were said, consumed by perceived slights. That is who we become without forgiveness. But because of the grace of Jesus for us, this conflict became the doorway to deeper grace. This friend and I have found a second chance and a more tender friendship.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community, trans. John W. Doberstein (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1978), 26. To continue the quote: “Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves. By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream. God is not a God of the emotions but the God of truth.” (Ibid., 26–27.)

2 Corinthians 12:9.

Matthew 18:21–35.

Ephesians 4:32.

We will talk more about when it is healthy to leave a friendship, or what to do when someone is unhealthy and hurting others, but it does not change the primacy of forgiveness. Even in friendships that have to end, forgiveness should be extended first.

Excerpted from Made for People by Justin Whitmel Earley, copyright Avodah, LLC.

Wow! I never knew I was flawed even if I did notice a friend or two that was not quite perfect. All kidding aside, we have our deepest relationships when we realize that we are all sinful and need to forgive and be forgiven. Amazing how God shows us the way to do this, isn’t it? Just do it! Okay, enough of that. But we do need to forgive and ask for forgiveness and grow deep friendships.

Pastor Dale