Notes of Faith January 25, 2024

Notes of Faith January 25, 2024

God’s Peace for When You are Missing a Loved one

Missing a loved one is a very lonely feeling.

The only thing to really resolve the ache of loneliness is to actually see the person you’re missing. But many times, it’s not that easy. You may miss your mother who passed away last year, your daughter studying abroad, or your husband on a long business trip. Even though it may not be an easily fixable situation, there is a longing in your heart that cannot be denied.

It’s a mixture of sadness, grief, discontentment, loneliness, and maybe even a bit of anxiety when you’re missing someone you love. When you miss someone, that void can’t truly be filled unless they are in your arms, hugging you. But that doesn’t answer the question of how you can get to sleep tonight, when you’re feeling their absence so tangibly.

The answer is simple, but it’s not simplistic. Call to God to fill your void.

He hears you, and He will come to your aid. It may not be in the way you want or expect. It won’t mean a certain loved one will come jetting back to you in the next twenty-four hours. It doesn’t mean that you won’t feel a palpable absence. But when you cry out to the Lord, He is quick to bring compassion and comfort. He will be your refuge, dear friend. He will console you in His perfect, timely, all-knowing way.

We can find comfort in the presence of our God — especially when we are troubled or missing a loved one.

In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NKJV) says that the God of all comfort “comforts us in all our tribulation.” Cling to that truth, dear sister or brother. Look for the Lord’s presence this evening. He can fill that empty, cavernous hole that feels so desperate. Pour out your heart to the Lord; He will sustain you in your most pain-filled moments. He will provide a light in the darkness; He is a reprieve in the pain, a provider to the weary, and a strength to the weak.

Trust in him at all times, O people; before him pour out your heart; God is a refuge for us. — Psalm 62:8 ESV

He will answer the prayers of the needy; he will not reject their prayers.

— Psalm 102:17 NCV

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. — Revelation 7:17 ESV

Dear Father, I miss ___________________________ so much right now. The ache I feel is almost unbearable and the void is so palpable. I know You will sustain me, and I ask You to come quickly to my aid, Lord Jesus. ease the pain I feel in my heart and wipe away my tears with Your loving hand.

Excerpted from God’s Peace for When You Can’t Sleep, copyright Thomas Nelson.

We have many in our church family who have a loved one who has gone before them to heaven and are facing this separation. All of us likely have someone in our mind that has been away from us causing anxiety and loneliness. May we trust the God of love and care to draw us close to Himself and meet our every need.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 24, 2024

Notes of Faith January 24, 2024

Open Mind, Open Heart

Elie Wiesel was a correspondent for a Jewish newspaper in Paris, France, in 1954. A decade earlier he was a prisoner in a Jewish concentration camp. A decade later he would be known as the author of Night, an account of the Holocaust. Eventually he’ll be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Nobel Peace Prize.

But tonight Elie Wiesel is a twenty-six-year-old unknown newspaper correspondent. He is about to interview the French author François Mauriac, who is a devout Christian. Mauriac is France’s most recent Nobel laureate for literature and an expert on French political life.

Wiesel shows up at Mauriac’s apartment, nervous and chain-smoking, his emotions still frayed from the German horror, his comfort as a writer still raw. The older Mauriac tries to put him at ease. He invites Wiesel in, and the two sit in the small room. Before Wiesel can ask a question, however, Mauriac, a staunch Roman Catholic, begins to speak about his favorite subject: Jesus. Wiesel grows uneasy. The name of Jesus is a pressed thumb on his infected wounds.

Wiesel tries to reroute the conversation but can’t. It is as though everything in creation leads back to Jesus. Jerusalem? Jerusalem is where Jesus ministered. The Old Testament? Because of Jesus, the Old is now enriched by the New. Mauriac turns every topic toward the Messiah. The anger in Wiesel begins to heat up. The Christian anti-Semitism he’d grown up with, the layers of grief from Sighet, Auschwitz, and Buchenwald — it all boils over. He puts away his pen, shuts his notebook, and stands up angrily.

“Sir,” he said to the still-seated Mauriac, “you speak of Christ. Christians love to speak of Him. The passion of Christ, the agony of Christ, the death of Christ. In your religion, that is all you speak of. Well, I want you to know that ten years ago, not very far from here, I knew Jewish children every one of whom suffered a thousand times more, six million times more, than Christ on the cross. And we don’t speak about them. Can you understand that, sir? We don’t speak about them.”1

Love is patient.

— 1 Corinthians 13:4

Mauriac is stunned. Wiesel turns and marches out the door. Mauriac sits in shock, his woolen blanket still around him. The young reporter is pressing the elevator button when Mauriac appears in the hall. He gently reaches for Wiesel’s arm. “Come back,” he implores. Wiesel agrees, and the two sit on the sofa. At this point Mauriac begins to weep. He looks at Wiesel but says nothing. Just tears.

Wiesel starts to apologize. Mauriac will have nothing of it. Instead he urges his young friend to talk. He wants to hear about it — the camps, the trains, the deaths. He asks Wiesel why he hasn’t put this to paper. Wiesel tells him the pain is too severe. He’s made a vow of silence. The older man tells him to break it and speak out.

The evening changed them both. The drama became the soil of a lifelong friendship. They corresponded until Mauriac’s death in 1970. Mauriac even dedicated a book on Jesus to him: “To Elie Wiesel, who was a crucified Jewish child.”

“I owe François Mauriac my career,” Wiesel said, and it was to Mauriac that Wiesel sent the first manuscript of Night.2

What if Mauriac had kept the door shut? Would anyone have blamed him? Cut by the sharp words of Wiesel, he could have become impatient with the angry young man and have been glad to be rid of him. But he didn’t and he wasn’t. He reacted decisively, quickly, and lovingly. He was “slow to boil.” And because he was, a heart began to heal.

May I urge you to do the same?

“God is being patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9 ICB). And if God is being patient with you, can’t you pass on some patience to others? Of course you can. Because before love is anything else, love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Excerpted from Stories for Your Soul by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

I just spoke to a Messianic Jewish friend yesterday who changed my life and spiritual understanding by sharing the history of his family and the pain and suffering caused by “Christian” anti-Semitism. I am grateful for his patience in my ignorance and my impatience and lack of understanding. Let us pray for grace to be patient with others and let God draw them to Himself in His time.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 23, 2024

Notes of Faith January 23, 2024

The Win-Win Principle: Be Sensitive

Sensitivity is essential in the building of worth-while relationships.

When Paul said to Philemon, “Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting” (Philemon v. 8), he was essentially saying, “I could be bold and order you do the right thing.” But this people person was sensitive to the fact that people do not like to be bullied through coercion or compulsion. The best way to win them is through consideration and cooperation. Paul could have played the win-lose game, but he resisted that temptation. His desire was that all three of these men would emerge as winners when all was said and done.

Instead of being sensitive in relationships, there are some who like to give orders and make other people squirm. Some are foolish enough to think they win by taking this approach. The easy thing for Paul to do with Philemon was to call in his chips and order Philemon to do what he ought to do. But Paul resisted. There was no hint of a command. In fact, he appealed to Philemon on the basis of love and with a high degree of sensitivity, saying,

For love’s sake I rather appeal to you. — Philemon v. 9

Any other approach would have caused guilt or a grudge, with a damaging result to all three of the relationships.

When sensitivity becomes a lost word in our relational vocabulary, we have eyes for our side of the issue only.

Paul was extremely sensitive to Philemon here. His goal was a long-term, continuous relationship with his trusted friend. Consequently, he was sensitive enough to realize that if he muscled and maneuvered his way into this breach, both Philemon and Onesimus would end up losing in the end.

Sensitivity is essential in the building of worth-while relationships.

The fact that Paul reminded Philemon that he could pull rank in the issue was not lost in his sensitivity to the delicate matter, which he would soon broach — that being, to receive Onesimus back, and not as just a servant but as a “beloved brother” (v. 16).

Paul had already encouraged Onesimus, the offending party, to do what he ought to do. This meant to face up to his wrong and go back to Philemon in a spirit of general remorse and repentance, making restitution and asking for forgiveness. Next, Paul turned to Philemon, the offended party, encouraging him to do what he ought to do. This meant to forgive and receive the repentant Onesimus “no longer as a slave but more than a slave — a beloved brother” (v. 16).

How many relational breaches would be resolved if we would simply do what we ought to do? At home. In the office. In our social circles. The first step in developing relationships in which everyone involved ends up winning is to be sensitive, to walk in the other person’s shoes for a while.

Some people live a lifetime with few long-term, lasting interpersonal relationships because of their desire to control and command others on their own terms. The lack of any semblance of sensitivity to the others’ feelings and needs is too often prevalent for many of us.

If you are in a relationship with someone who always has to be in control, who issues commands with no sensitivity to your own needs, you are headed for trouble, no matter how much you continue to live in denial.

The first step in paving the way for win-win relationships that are genuinely, mutually beneficial is to be sensitive. It may take two to tango, but often in relationships one person doing what he or she ought to do — being sensitive to the other’s needs — can start a new beginning in which everyone ends up on the winning team.

Be sensitive.

Excerpted from The Connection Code by O. S. Hawkins, copyright Dr. O. S. Hawkins.

This goes against our fallen nature. We are sensitive to ourselves and want what is best for number one. But, being a follower of Christ compels us to be sensitive toward others, to consider others more important, to be humble and love and respect others. This is a Christ-like way to lead. May we continue to pursue the call of God on our lives through Jesus Christ.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 22, 2024

Notes of Faith January 22, 2024

Devotionals Daily - Make every day a better day… when you start with the Lord!

How to Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You

Today's inspiration comes from:

30 Days to Understanding the Bible

by Max Anders

There is a very close connection between God and His Word.

Jesus Himself is called the Word of God (John 1:1, John 1:14; Revelation 19:13). To know God, you must know His Word; to honor God, you must honor His Word; to be in touch with God, you must be in touch with His Word. Mighty promises are given to those who master the Bible so well that the Bible masters them.

We are promised spiritual stability, fruitfulness, and true prosperity as we meditate on His Word day and night (Psalm 1:1-3).

When the words of Jesus abide in us, our desires will be given to us, according to God’s will (John 15:7).

Meditating on God’s Word leads to prosperity and success in our endeavors (Joshua 1:8).

We will have more wisdom than our enemies, more insight than our teachers, and more understanding than the aged (Psalm 119:97-100).

We will have greater power over sin (Psalm 119:11).

We will have comfort in affliction (Psalm 119:50).

By drawing near to God, we have His promise that He will draw near to us (James 4:8).

These astonishing observations, these magnificent claims, these profound promises — they help us to realize how important the Bible is, and what remarkable potential we bring to our lives when we become serious students of Scripture. That’s why it’s so important that we commit ourselves to mastering the Bible so well that the Bible masters us.

There are four steps to mastering the Bible so well that the Bible masters you:

Read the Bible

Study the Bible

Memorize the Bible

Meditate on the Bible

Seems simple. Obvious, even, for those who have been Christians for a while. Yet very few people take all four steps. Many take one step. Some take two steps. A few take three steps. Very few take all four steps. As a result, very few people ever experience the full life transformation, the fellowship with God, the spiritual stability and strength, the power in ministry, the joy in worship, and the spiritual prosperity that the Bible promises to those who master it so well that it masters them.

READ THE BIBLE FOR BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE.

To begin a mastery of the Bible, you must read the Bible. This may seem self-evident to some, but to others who have never developed the habit, it is groundbreaking. Some Christians do not read the Bible, or they only read snippets that are attached to daily devotionals. This will not get you where you want to go. You must begin to read the Bible widely.

It is only by covering a lot of territory in Scripture that you gain a breadth of knowledge. If you never read the Old Testament, you will never have a general knowledge of it. If you only read the Gospels, or the Epistles, you will never have a basic grasp of the other sections of the Bible. As a result, your life will be untouched by important truth, plus your ability to connect the dots from various different Scripture passages — a critical component of a mature Christian experience — will be limited.

The New Testament tells us that many stories in the Old Testament were “written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). If we never read those Old Testament stories, we will never gain the insight, the power, or the freedom that become ours when we do.

The good news is that there is a simple way to read for breadth of knowledge. If you read the Bible for five minutes a day, you will read the Bible over thirty hours a year! (5 minutes × 365 days = 1,825 minutes divided by 60 minutes per hour = 30.4 hours!)

Think of it!! Thirty hours a year! Perhaps no other discipline will provide a breadth of Bible knowledge more easily. If you want to master the Word so well that the Word masters you, begin by reading it.

Very early in my Christian experience, I was challenged to read the Bible at least five minutes a day. I took that challenge, and have not missed my daily time in God’s Word in over forty years. As a result, I have read the Bible for a couple thousand hours! And it was all done at the manageable pace of five minutes a day. There is no easier way I could have gained and maintained the breadth of knowledge of Scripture than by taking this simple step. I urge you to take this first step, too.

Mighty promises are given to those who master the Bible so well that the Bible masters them.

Pick a readable translation.

To begin with, pick a translation that is easy for you to read. Many Christians have a New International Version of the Bible, which is a fairly readable translation. I study out of the New American Standard Bible, which is a good study Bible because the translation is very literal. However, for those times of just reading for the story and flow, and breadth of knowledge, I have found that more conversational translations sometimes allow the Bible to come alive in a way that the NASB does not. I experimented for years with more conversational Bibles and, frankly, was disappointed with them for two reasons. First, they often interpret unclear passages for you to make it more readable, and I didn’t always agree with the translators’ interpretation. Second, in their attempt to be conversational, they often dumb down the language so that it is unsatisfying to read.

However, I have found The New Living Translation to be an effective reading Bible. This version began as a paraphrase that author and publisher Ken Taylor wrote to help his young children understand the Bible better. In a paraphrase, you start with an English Bible and reword it to make it easier to understand. But in 1995, Taylor commissioned a team of translation experts to go back to the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and change whatever needed to be changed in order to bring the version up to the level of a translation. In my opinion, they did a commendable job.

All Bible versions have strengths and weaknesses. More literal translations have the strength of being closer to the original languages but the weakness of sometimes being more difficult to understand. More conversational translations are often easier to understand, but sometimes that clarity comes at the expense of accuracy, especially when a difficult passage may have two possible meanings in the original language.

For those reasons, I prefer having both a more literal translation for studying and a more conversational translation for reading. This way, I can compare both translations to gain a fuller understanding.

Pick a time to read.

I read before I go to sleep. By experimentation, I learned that I could always carve out five minutes before I go to sleep. But when I tried to read in the morning, sometimes I would get too busy and forget, and I would end up having to read in the evening, so I just switched to reading in the evening.

I found that I can always stay up an extra five minutes to read. No matter how late it is, another five minutes is not going to make or break my evening’s rest. There have been times I have been so tired I had to read standing up so I wouldn’t fall asleep, but I did it. I have been accused of being legalistic. I’m not. I’m being realistic and disciplined. I’ve learned that if I give myself an excuse one day, I am likely to give myself an excuse another day and another day. So, I have just not given myself an excuse. And more than two thousand hours of reading the Bible later, with a breadth of knowledge of Scripture I could never have gained or maintained any other way, I am glad I haven’t.

Others find that they must read first thing in the morning. It really doesn’t matter when you read. The bottom line is: read when it is best for you.

Read for understanding.

This was a recommendation given to me by the man who led me to the Lord. He said, “When you read, don’t get bogged down by anything you don’t understand. Just skip over it, and read for the things you do understand… and underline everything that seems especially important.” This counsel was extremely valuable to me, and it set me on a course of Bible-knowledge acquisition I’m not sure I would have taken any other way. Without that advice, whenever I would come to something in the text I didn’t understand, I would grind to a halt, or be forced to stop reading and start studying, both of which destroyed the original intent.

Read with a plan.

Many people are motivated by the goal of reading through the Bible in a year. I think it is something that everyone might want to do at least once, just to know that one has read the entire Bible. However, it is not an easy task, and many who start the project do not complete it. You might set a goal of reading through the Bible without committing to having to do it in a year. Just read five minutes a day, and let it take however long it takes to get through the entire Bible. Other reading plans can be found online.

If the Bible is new to you, I recommend what my mentor recommended to me when I first became a Christian. Read the Gospel of John six times in a row, not worrying about what you don’t understand but underlining everything that seems especially important. Then you might read the rest of the Gospels and then the New Testament. After that, you might read the first seventeen books of the Old Testament, known as the historical books. Or, there are eleven primary historical books that you might start with: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Those are the eleven books that tell the story of the Old Testament. The other Old Testament books give additional information, but do not advance the Old Testament story significantly. Then, reading Psalms and Proverbs is always a profitable experience.

On the other hand, if you are a more seasoned Christian and are generally familiar with the Bible, read what is interesting to you in your current circumstances… but be open to stretching yourself into other territory from time to time, remembering the importance of reading for breadth of knowledge.

STUDY THE BIBLE FOR DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE.

Few of us can gain a depth of knowledge without sitting under skilled teachers. So, for most people, they must sit under effective preaching from the Bible and be involved in a Bible study taught by an effective teacher. For maximum benefit, Bible study must have assignments that get you studying and interacting with the Bible on your own. To gain a depth of knowledge, you cannot be passive. You must become active in the process of deepening your knowledge. Crawl before you walk, and walk before you run, but this should be your goal. That is the only way you will progress to a depth of knowledge.

If this is new to you, begin by attending a church that is committed to teaching the Bible, not only from the pulpit during sermons, but also in small groups or Sunday school classes. You might also find helpful information in Christian bookstores or online. More seasoned Christians might be able to give you helpful suggestions as well. If you are an avid reader, there is a wealth of knowledge available to you as well through good books available online or at Christian bookstores.

Excerpted from 30 Days to Understanding the Bible by Max Anders, copyright Max Anders.

My great desire for our congregation since I started was for each person to spend more time in the Word. It is alive and powerful and changes lives. Do you have a designated time and space to be still and know God? If not, there is no better time to start than right now!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 21, 2024

Notes of Faith January 21, 2024

Bringing Out the Best in Those We Bless

We want to bless the ones we love…. but sometimes we lack the knowledge or skills. After more than a million copies sold, the John Trent and Gary Smalley’s classic The Blessing is newly revised and is a great tool for everyone to learn the gift of blessing others.

Picturing a special future for a child, spouse, or friend can help bring out the best in their life. It gives that person a positive direction to strive toward and surrounds them with hope. We can see this very thing in our relationship with the Lord. Listen to the beautiful way the prophet Jeremiah assures us of the special future we have in our relationship with God:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. — Jeremiah 29:11

Jesus also went to great lengths to assure His insecure disciples that they had a special future with Him. During their last Passover meal together, Jesus made sure they knew their future together would not end at His death.

In My Father’s house are many mansions, He told them, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. — John 14:2–3

Time and time again in the Bible, God gives us a picture of our special future with Him. However, His written Word is not the only way God communicates this message to us. Scattered throughout nature are a number of physical pictures of spiritual truths, pictures that illustrate the importance of providing a special future for the ones we love.

Anyone who has ever watched a caterpillar emerge from its cocoon as a butterfly has seen such a picture. The caterpillar is probably not on anyone’s list of the world’s “ten most beautiful creatures.” Yet a caterpillar has the potential to be transformed into a list-topping, beautiful butterfly. What does this have to do with the Blessing? Words that picture a special future for a child, spouse, or friend can act as agents of this kind of transformation in that individual’s life.

Words really do have that kind of transforming power. The apostle Paul certainly thought so. The actual term for the trans- formation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is metamorphosis, based on a Greek word. Paul used this same Greek word in the book of Romans. He was aware that the world had tremendous power to squeeze and mold the saints in Rome into a godless image. To counter this, he told these young believers,

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. — Romans 12:2

What does it mean to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”? One excellent New Testament commentator explains the concept this way: “Since men are transformed by the action of the mind, transformed by what they think, how important to have the organ of thought renewed!”1 In other words, godly thoughts and thinking patterns have the ability to transform us into godly men or women rather than leaving us to be squeezed into the imperfect mold of the world. Let’s see how this works with regard to the Blessing.

Children are filled with the potential to be all God intended them to be. It is as if the Lord places them on our doorstep one day, and we as parents are left as stewards of their abilities. During the years we have children in our homes, the words we speak to them can wrap around them like a cocoon. What we say can shape and develop them in a positive way.

Words that picture a special future for a child, spouse, or friend can act as agents of this kind of transformation in that individual’s life.

Let’s look at another important picture in nature that mirrors what happens when we bless our children with words of a special future. This picture, explained to me by my twin brother, Jeff, a doctor in the field of cancer research, is found in something that happens in every cell in our bodies.2

Imagine a typical cell in your body by thinking of a circle. Attached to the outside of this circle are a number of receptor points. You could picture these receptor points as little squares that almost look like gears on a wheel. To make things easier to under- stand, picture these receptor sites as little square people.

Floating around near the cell are hormones and enzymes.

Think of them as Harry Hormone and Ethyl Enzyme, who would each love to shake hands with (or activate) these little receptor people. And while a great number of these hormones and enzymes have the ability to connect with a receptor site, some have a special ability to stimulate a cell’s activity and cause it to work harder.

You can picture this special ability as someone coming up to you and shaking your hand up and down so vigorously that your whole body shakes and you feel energized. In fact, your neighbors start shaking and feel energized too. Such stimulation by hormones and enzymes, which causes the receptor sites to work harder, is called positive cooperativity.

But other hormones and enzymes act in a negative way when they shake hands with a receptor site. This is negative cooperativity. Have you ever had your hand squeezed so hard that you almost crumpled over in pain? That’s the kind of thing that happens when these hormones and enzymes grab hold of a receptor site. In fact, not only does this one receptor site shut down and stop working because its “hand” is being squeezed, but all the receptor sites around it stop too.

And this applies to the Blessing... how?

Words that picture a special future for a child act like positive hormones that attach themselves to a cell. They stimulate all kinds of positive feelings and decisions within a child that can help them grow and develop. Words of a special future can inspire a child to work on a particular talent, have the confidence to try out for a school office, or even share their faith with other children.

But just like the negative hormones that shut down cell activity, a critical, negative picture of the future can crush or pinch off healthy growth in a child. Emotional, physical, and even spiritual growth in a child can be stunted because of the stifling effect of a negative picture of the future.

Jay Stifler, The Epistle to the Romans (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983), 119.

We would like to extend our special thanks to Dr. Jeffrey M. Trent, associate professor of medicine, University of Arizona, for putting this example into “everyday English” for us.

Excerpted from The Power of the Blessing by John Trent, Gary Smalley, and Kari Trent Stageberg, copyright John Trent and Kari Trent Stageberg.

We would experience a blessed life if we were a positive infuser into the lives of those around us. It is hard work to be that kind of influence all the time but being a negative infuser causes us and the world around us to be bleak and miserable. Let us seek to be positive and healthy infusers with truth and grace and bless the world around us!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 20, 2024

Notes of Faith January 20, 2024

Hoping through Grief

Mike Nappa’s book Reflections for the Grieving Soul was written after his dear wife, Amy, passed away from cancer. Mike sought refuge in Scripture when bereavement became his constant. Here’s a little of what Mike wrote in forward for you:

If you’re reading this book, your world has been irrevocably changed by the death of someone you love.

I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

You are in an awful time. And you deserve help as you grieve.

Right now is unbearable, I know. Forget about “one day at a time,” right? Let’s shoot for “the next ten minutes” and see how that goes. That’s why this book exists. For you, for me, for the next ten minutes.

So this is my prayer for you now, after the funeral:

May God be noticeably near to you. May the promises and pains of His Word comfort you today as they did for me yesterday. And may they give us both the strength we need to wake up and face tomorrow. Or at least the next ten minutes.

*

I hope that when I’m gone, you’ll still see God’s goodness. Still see His love for you. Still find joy in each day. ~ Amy Nappa, Journal entry, July 8, 2016

But God knows the way that I take, and when He has tested me, I will come out like gold. — Job 23:10 NCV

Before she died, I asked Amy to write her own obituary. I just couldn’t do it. I told her I would put in the appropriate dates, but she had to do the rest. So she did.

May God be noticeably near to you.

This is how she wanted to be remembered...

Amy Wakefield Nappa was born on November 10, 1963, in Portsmouth, VA, to Norm and Winnie Wakefield. She moved to Heaven on Sunday, September 11, 2016.

Amy was a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend. She loved her family and her friends dearly. Her greatest joys were to spend time with family, to hang out with her friends, to laugh, and to mentor those a little behind her in the journey of life.

Amy loved Jesus with all her heart, and her greatest desire was to be remembered as a woman who shined the love of Jesus.

Looking at this now, months later, I feel a touch of pride. She was everything she said in this obituary — and much more. She left out the parts about how she was a successful business executive, a bestselling and award-winning author, a woman whose published works influenced the lives of millions of people in nations all over the planet, a speaker to thousands, and (because she ranked it highly in her life) an annual volunteer at the “Imagination Station” of our local VBS productions.

Amy changed the world. I’ve asked myself how she did it, how one little woman living an obscure life in a small town in Colorado could make such a difference for millions of people. The only answer I can come up with is this:

Amy’s greatest desire really was to be remembered as a woman who shined the love of Jesus.

That was just who she was; it was natural for her. And God used Amy just being herself to shine His love through her and spray it out into the world. And when she suffered, when her body failed her and her faith was tested in the extreme, she was still just Amy being Amy, shining His love on all of us who were near.

It was the worst time of my life.

And the most extraordinary time I’ve known.

God knew the way that Amy took, and like Job of old, at the final end she came out shining... like gold.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Dear Father, I think I’d like to shine — just a little bit. When I’m tested today, may Your Spirit be the help I need to come out of everything shining. Like gold.

Amen.

Excerpted from Reflections for the Grieving Soul by Mike Nappa, copyright Nappaland Communications, Inc.

There is great loss and grieving when we lose a loved one. But God knew all along when these things would take place and has plans for the one left behind. May you be blessed in knowing that you are in God’s hand and that He cares for you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 19, 2024

Notes of Faith January 19, 2024

Jesus’ Favorite Subject

There’s something we’re all yearning for... and it’s about to happen.

So let’s talk about this “Kingdom of God” thing. It’s a phrase that freaks people out (“Is this a political or theocratic thing?”), but it’s also perhaps one of the rare terms that can be simultaneously alarming to some while being incredibly boring to others.

For a lot of church people, the Kingdom of God is a topic that doesn’t move the emotional needle. I think I understand why. I’ve noticed religious talk can become like wallpaper to me if it seems like it doesn’t relate to my daily life.

So what is it? The Kingdom of God is wherever the things God wants to get done get done.

When Jesus taught us how to pray, He told us to ask for more of it.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

— Matthew 6:10

We all have our own kingdoms. And sure, your kingdom, or my kingdom, might be a small sphere of influence, but we all have one. The Kingdom of God that Jesus described is stunning, surprisingly subtle, and the exact opposite of boring. It’s life-giving.

I think when we really get it, we go from being freaked out or bored by it to loving to talk about it. Jesus sure enjoyed it. In fact, it was Jesus’ favorite subject.

I tried to make this point when I was a guest speaker for a big gathering of high schoolers and faculty in a Christian school gym. In retrospect, I don’t think I did it very well. In retrospect, I see that perhaps I shouldn’t have said what I said quite the way I said it. Yes, in retrospect, I can see clearly now.

I asked them, “So what was Jesus’ favorite subject? What did He talk about more than anything else?”

Some brave kids hazarded some good guesses. “Love?” “Oppression?” “Hypocrisy?” “Money?” “Hell?”

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

“Wait: Nobody knows Jesus’ favorite subject that He talked about all the time?” I asked. And then I said that thing I maybe shouldn’t have said, now that I think about it: “What kind of ‘Christian’ school is this?”

In the ol’ rearview mirror, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Hindsight is 20/20, et cetera. I meant it as a joke, but... yeah... they were real nice people, I’m sure. Sorry I said that thing I said. My sense of humor is dry and odd. And the bluntness? I’m not above blaming the Asperger’s. In fact, I think I’ll do that right now: it was totally the Asperger’s.

But even though I didn’t say it quite right, and even though they never asked me back, it really is true: the Kingdom of God really was what Jesus was here to tell us about. He said that’s why He was sent, to “proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43). But few seem to know it.

Jesus kept trying to explain it to us. Over and over. He unpacked it by telling stories about it and comparing it to things we can understand.

The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...

The Kingdom of God is like a pearl...

It’s like a man who holds a wedding feast...

It’s like some yeast that a woman took to mix with some flour...

He was not just giving us dry theological concepts. He was describing something, something worth giving everything for. It’s something worth falling in love with.

For Jesus, “The Kingdom is here!” isn’t just good news. It is the good news.

It’s the gospel. It’s the whole point, and it’s a point I’m afraid we’re missing.

When God is in charge, healing happens. Chaos turns to beauty. A field of trash and ashes is reclaimed, and it becomes a place for the rejected and broken to dance.

This Kingdom is really, really good, and here’s my theory: we all want it, deep down, even people who won’t admit it and don’t even believe in it.

And here’s another of my weird theories — one indicated by goose bumps: we all get brief flashes of it in life, fleeting impressions that leave us moved or yearning for more. We may not even be able to explain why. There’s a German word for this, because they have a word for everything: It’s fernweh, which literally means “farsickness.”1 It’s feeling homesick for a place you’ve never been.

C.S. Lewis wrote about this desire for our own “far-off country.” He said he even felt shy talking about it, because it’s so deep within us it seems like we shouldn’t even name it. We’re not quite sure what the yearning means, or where it came from. We might be a little embarrassed by it.

But for some reason, he wrote, we do have this longing for something that’s never actually happened to us. It’s not enough to just relive something beautiful we’ve encountered in the past.

The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was long- ing. These things — the beauty, the memory of our own past — are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.2

When a writer for Atlas Obscura asked readers what places evoke this sense of farsickness, a lot of people mentioned Irish coastlines or the highlands of Scotland. But many others responded with poetry, or fictional places like Lewis’s Narnia or Tolkien’s Middle-earth.3 (I would go with the Shire. I don’t even have to think about it. But that’s me.)

Good filmmakers, I believe, know exactly how to tap into this. They can combine sound and image to evoke this nostalgia for places we’ve not been. We tear up. We get goose bumps.

I believe this is part of our longing for our real home. It’s the Kingdom of God, where every tear is wiped away from our eyes. Where things are finally set right. Where everything sad becomes untrue. Where reunions happen.

We all want to go back to Eden. Even if our minds deny the idea of Eden, our souls simply can’t. Our souls are hungry for the Kingdom, to get back to the way things ought to be. Based on my observations, I’d say we humans are even obsessed with it.

We physically react to it.

Here’s a small example: I’m not a particularly emotional guy. I’m a little robotic. But show me one of those videos where a dad or mom returns from serving in the military and surprises a little girl or boy and... I can’t handle it. I recently saw one where Dad snuck into a classroom in his fatigues, and when his daughter opened her eyes, he was right there. She didn’t immediately hug him. She just sobbed and sobbed, overwhelmed and overjoyed, before finally throwing herself, limp, into his arms.

I almost can’t type now. Gets me every time.

It doesn’t even have to be a kid. Have you seen the “soldier reunited with dog” videos? The car door opens and the dog comes bounding out of the house in a tail-wagging frenzy? Yeah. I can’t handle those either. It’s too good.

Imagine that... multiplied. The Kingdom of God in its fullness, when people are reunited with those who have gone before. Once lost to us but now found. Together again. We all long for it.

People around the world watch the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. They see the nations walking in peace and a massive, diverse crowd joyfully celebrating. And all over the world, people get goose bumps.

When I was a kid, I watched our Olympic hockey team beat the Russians. It was an upset no one saw coming. Just a bunch of scrappy college kids, amateurs, against Russian pros. The crowd went wild. Everyone was in tears. We love upsets, and not just for our favorite teams. People love Cinderella stories in the NCAA basketball tournament each March.

When the impossible happens, the underdog wins? Goose bumps. There’s something about the last suddenly being elevated to first. The world turns upside down, which we intuit is really right side up. It’s another theme of the Kingdom of God. The humble are exalted.

There’s another sign there, I think, pointing to the place we’re nostalgic for.

I recently saw a video of a girl being able to hear for the first time. Shock. Laughter. Tears. And again: goose bumps. There’s just something about healing and restoration. As I say, healing is an advance trailer of Heaven, and so, I believe, are these other goose-bump moments. Just little glimpses ahead.

“The Kingdom is here,” Jesus said. And then He reached out... and people were healed. Life was set right. The way they were supposed to be. The way they were always supposed to be.

We can all feel it.

Excerpted from Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Let’s Dance. by Brant Hansen, copyright Brant Hansen.

I do think of wonderful places I have experienced. I do like the fictional places mentioned above. But the glory of heaven that awaits those who belong to the Lord, though it may well be like Eden, before sin entered the world, I believe it will be even better and more glorious! Our minds cannot imagine what God has prepared for us. It is indeed a place that I have not been that my heart yearns for! I pray that yours does too!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 18, 2024

Notes of Faith January 18, 2024

Think Big... No, Bigger!

Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. — Philippians 4:8 NCV

It’s not easy to put on a happy face when it feels as if nothing in your life is coming together. You’ve prayed and believed and acted in all the ways that make sense to you, but nothing has changed. You begin to wonder if God even knows about the mess you’re in, the burdens you bear. Maybe God doesn’t care or He’s too busy with the rest of the world to bother with you and your troubles. Where does that leave you?

When you’re going through a rough patch where everything in life feels upside down, you may be struggling to hold on to hope. When even your friends don’t know how to comfort you, you might slip into negative thinking that tries to convince you that you’re not on God’s list of favorites. But you can change your thoughts!

If you want to step out of the doldrums and move forward into God’s promises and peace, start by changing your heart and mind. Stop counting your miseries and start counting your blessings. That’s a great place to start.

You only need to shift your focus so you can see God’s hand at work right now.

The writer of Philippians suggests that we open our minds to new possibilities by thinking new things; we can alter our perspective by thinking about big things — and even bigger things! Recall what you’ve experienced that made you feel joyful and aware of God’s gracious hand at work, and then give God the praise.

You only need to shift your focus so you can see God’s hand at work right now.

Once you start counting your blessings, you’ll have nowhere to go but up.

Your face will feel the warmth of the sun, and your heart will be quickened by the knowledge that God is near. You will notice how your thought patterns change, shifting from negativity and disappointment to thankfulness and hope.

Change your thoughts today and reflect on all that brings you genuine joy. Look for God to show up right now and shine His face upon you, ready to make all things new. Keep thinking bigger and bigger — brighter and better — because you serve a great big God, and He makes all things possible!

Lord, I get caught up in the swirling frustrations and miseries noisily bombarding my mind, and I forget how to quiet them again. I know that all I really need is You and the gentle reminder that You have bigger plans for my life. Help me to meditate on the big things that are possible for an even bigger God. Amen.

Excerpted from It’s Still Possible by Karen Moore, copyright Karen Moore.

We should never stop dreaming the dreams of a child. What could be, what might be, if only . . . Great things happen through great dreams and ideas. No matter how old you are you can think and dream what’s next. What can I do through the grace of God to increase His kingdom and bring Him more glory! Your opportunity may be only a dream away!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 17, 2024

Notes of Faith January 17, 2024

Make Space for Hope

Lord God, hope sometimes feels so costly, yet our hearts can’t live without it! You are the God of all hope and the giver of all good gifts. Let hope arise within me on this day! Not wishful thinking or positive thoughts; I want redemptive hope — a pure, confident assurance that You are up to something good and soon my eyes will see it. Heal the places in my story where disappointment still lives. Help me plant fresh seeds of hope, knowing the harvest will come in due time. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

We were out to lunch recently with our son Jake and his precious wife, Lizzie. They’re the ones who’ve battled infertility for many years. I’ve watched them graciously play with nephews and nieces on the floor and enter into family times with a heart hospitality that’s left me breathless. I’ve watched holidays come and go with no signs of a breakthrough. Still, they’ve stayed engaged in their relationships. They buy thoughtful gifts for birthdays and Christmases. They pray for the rest of us when we walk through hard times.

I’ve marveled as I’ve watched them. I’ve cried out to God more times than I can count. I know He hears us, but this has been heartbreakingly painful.

They’ve tried hormones, IUI, and IVF and are now walking through the process of something called snowflake adoption. Over lunch, I told Jake, “I’m praying for an acceleration of your paperwork. That you’ll be matched with a baby sooner than you expect.” Jake’s eyes welled with tears, and he reached for my arm. “Mom! Don’t pray that way for me. That’s not what I want. That’s not helpful right now. I don’t need this process to speed up. I need my heart to heal.

Our hopes have been dashed so many times; I need a heart that has space for hope.”

Ugh. I choked back the tears and said, “Of course, honey. That makes so much sense. That’s exactly how I’ll pray.”

I asked Jake and Lizzie if I could share this part of their story, and he said, “One of the ways we can partner with God for the renewal of all things is to use our story to help others.” I love that boy.

I can think of countless times when I was willing to bypass hope and just wanted relief. More than relief, God is after the full redemption of our story. We just want a break, but God is after a breakthrough. Jake’s prayerful plea was bursting with wisdom. It’s not enough just to get what we want when we want it. God wants life to spring up in every aspect of our story. He wants our hearts to have lots of space for hope.

God knows our end from our beginning. He’s written out all our days before we’ve lived even one. He knows the way we take, and He knows we’ll come through our trials as gold, as ones purified by the fire.

Let hope arise.

If hope feels too expensive for you, don’t despair. Just whisper a prayer to the One who loves you, holds you, and will never let you go. He is your faithful God, and He knows what you need and even what you strongly desire. His plans for you are good. Really, wonderfully good.

“I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

— Jeremiah 29:11 AMP

The word translated as “well-being” in the verse above means peace in relationships with others and God, soul prosperity, health, safety, and wholeness.1

Let your heart rest in His goodness. Dare to trust Him with the most vulnerable parts of your story. He’s tender with your weakness and compassionate with your hurts. He’ll surround you with His favor as with a shield. You can trust Him.

Let hope arise.

FAITH DECLARATION

Jesus is my Lord.

He holds my heart.

He gives me hope.

He renews my strength.

He is always good to me.

Excerpted from Waking Up to the Goodness of God by Susie Larson, copyright Susie Larson.

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!

James 1:17

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. NLT

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith January 16, 2024

Notes of Faith January 16, 2024

When Grief Goes Deep: Facing Your Emotions

Read: Genesis 37

When Jacob learned of his beloved son Joseph’s (supposed) death, he did five striking things in response to his grief: he tore his clothes; he put on sackcloth; he mourned many days; he wept; he refused to be comforted. Our tendency might be to dismiss some of his reactions as culturally different, unusual. These reactions to grief, however, were common in ancient Near Eastern cultures. After observing our culture, I wonder if we might learn something from Jacob about facing grief.

We have intriguing expressions in American culture about showing grief and other strong emotions. They include “falling apart,” “losing it,” and “breaking down.” We also assign emotions to either positive or negative categories. We place grief in the latter. Our language constructs our perception of grief and our preference for turning from grief rather than facing it.

What if expressing grief is actually “coming together” rather than “falling apart”.

I remember visitation at the funeral home following the death of my younger brother, Dick. When my friend John C. came through the line, he hugged me and I wept. Later, someone who had observed my reaction described it as “Dave lost it.” After hearing this, I didn’t want to make others feel uncomfortable, so I chose to hide my grief. I got the cultural message and let it shape my response to my grief.

What messages have others given you about grief? How did they affect you?

In Dr. James Pennebaker’s book Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotion,1 he cites several studies which indicate that we gain protection against harmful internal stress when we express emotions. We also gain the long-term benefits of decreased risks of future diseases and increased health in our immune system.

Jacob not only faced his grief but also embraced it. He put on sackcloth — a culturally accepted way of expressing grief — which was typically coarse black cloth made of goat’s hair, much like wearing black in some cultures today. He wept and he mourned; he became a person who was acquainted with the pain of grief.

Jesus is also “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3) — or as the King James Version puts it, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” He wept when His friend Lazarus died. God wants to develop the heart of Jesus, a man of sorrows, in us. What if not facing and embracing our grief means we are resisting this development?

What if expressing grief is actually “coming together” rather than “falling apart” — our heart and spirit coming together with our body?

Dear Jesus, I choose to trust You. Form Your heart in mine. Amen.

~Dave Beach

Excerpted from When Grief Goes Deep edited by Timothy Beals, copyright Zondervan.

My father has been with the Lord for 41 years. I was 28 at the time. I held in my grief, partly because dad had suffered with cancer for 2 years that we knew he had it and we experienced his dying and were grieving during that time. Ten years later, some would say I had a breakdown…driving on the freeway by myself, I suddenly started crying, no sobbing would be a better description. I had to pull over and continued full body, muscle contraction, fists clenched, heartbroken. I have felt healed ever since. Yes, dad is still gone, but my memories and love and trust and faith in God have taken my earthly loss to heights of eternal gain. This taught me to grieve with others, to help them to grieve and express to God the pain and loss. For most that I share with, they already know God knows their suffering and trust Him to get them through each day…but it is still hard. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Jesus gave us these emotions and expressed them Himself!

Pastor Dale