Yesterday I came across an article about how Deion Sanders, the famous athlete and now college football coach ranks his children.   The rankings vary at different times and I’m certain it’s more about publicity than anything real.  He posts it on social media which is run by his son Deion Jr. who no coincidentally somehow always is ranked 1st.  It gave me a little chuckle and I’m sure upset some people who don’t realize that Deion will do anything to stay in the limelight.  I did begin thinking about my joke that I often say that Jesus loves you but I’m His favorite.  The Bible does have many passages of scripture which talk about just how special we are to God.  Let’s look at one of them together today from I Peter 2.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You are chosen by God and are His special possession.  Let that sink in for a minute.  You are significant and special to the Creator of the universe.  He wants you to feel like you are number one on His list.  I don’t know about you but that is something that I want to hold on to.  I pray that we might all embrace just how special we are to God and then use that to serve Him and love Him and others with our lives.  You are at the top of God’s ranking list.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever been around someone who was very excited? Perhaps their favorite team won. Maybe they experienced the birth of a child or another life event that was joyous. Maybe they got a promotion at work. Whatever the circumstance when you are around someone with that kind of enthusiasm it can be contagious. I often picture Peter, the disciple this way. He sure sounds excited when he writes the beginning of I Peter. Read his words and see if you can find some excitement as well. 

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

That is writing from someone who is truly excited about his faith. When we have that level of excitement about anything others become interested. Peter was a great evangelist for the early church and I wonder if his secret power wasn’t his excitement for Jesus. Others want to experience and know that kind of excitement as well. When we talk about Jesus with excitement like that others are immediately interested and want to be a part of what is going on. Allow yourself to be overwhelmed with the goodness and love of Jesus and then take that excitement and enthusiasm and share it with others. Watch and see what God does with that excitement in other people’s lives!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Have you ever thought about just how powerful prayer is?  The Bible is filled with references to the power of prayer.  Prayer by individuals, in groups, persistently, and prayer in faith are all singled out as having tremendous power.  Sometimes I wonder if we really believed in how powerful prayer is if we wouldn’t do a LOT more praying and less worrying about other things.  Certainly God calls us to act, to live, and to share His love with others.  He also calls us to pray and see what He will do.  Let’s look together at one such passage on prayer found in James 5.

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

God says that our prayers are powerful and effective.  He asks us to come to Him in prayer and seek Him with our needs and desires.  Prayer also helps us to be in the proper mindset of just how very much we need God.  It is easy to at times in life become “independent”.  The reality is however that we are always dependent upon God.  Prayer helps us restore this balance and reality in our lives.  My prayer for us all is that we would be a people of prayer.  That we would cry out top God consistently and passionately.  Watch and see what He does when we do just that!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever had battling interests going on in your heart and mind?  I’m certain that we all have and even have that somewhat regularly in our life.  This wrestling that goes open in our lives in mentioned often in the Bible.  Paul talks about it as the battle between the spirit and the flesh.  Jesus talks about the Kingdom life vs. the life of the world.  James talks about the desires within us battling each other.  Let’s look at his take from James 4 together today

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

The thing I like about James’ take here is that he gives everyone the answer on how to combat it.  It’s a simple answer but it certainly isn’t easy.  He tells us to submit to God, resist the devil, come near to God and allow Him to come near to us.  I think that perhaps the key is an attitude change that he subtly mentions as he tells us to grieve mourn and wail.  When we are truly grieved over our sin we are aligned in our spirit with God.  True brokenness over our sinful desires leads us to a place where we long to seek God.  It is from this place that we begin to live the kingdom life or life by the spirit.  I pray that through God’s spirit within us we might all be broken over our sinfulness and submit to God in our lives. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Who do you consider to be particularly wise? Maybe it’s a trusted friend.  Perhaps a grandparent that offered tidbits of wisdom over the years.  Maybe a trusted counselor or pastor.  Perhaps it is someone who has shown the ability to help in the midst of difficult situations.  I think we often have the tendency to equate wisdom with the ability to pass along knowledge to others.  James offers us a different take on what true wisdom looks like.  He equates wisdom with how we live and act.  Let’s look at his take on wisdom together this morning. 

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

When I read these words from James I tend to think about the many arguments and disagreements that I see in the world today.  I think James would say that the wise person is somehow able to stay above the fray.  Avoiding these quarrels and disagreements about who is right and who is wrong.  The wise person doesn’t need to be right or win the argument or convince others of their way.  I love James’ definition of what it means to have Godly wisdom – pure, peace loving, submissive, considerate, impartial, and sincere. Full of mercy and good fruit.  Too often today I see “wisdom” that is angry, pushy, demanding of its own way, and contentious.  I pray that God might grant me and all of us Godly wisdom.  Wisdom that wouldn’t convince others of our way but that would make others simply want to be with us and like us. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever said something and immediately regretted it?  Maybe it was the heat of the moment or perhaps you just were not at your best.  The thing is sometimes our words can cause far more damage than we ever intend.  I can still remember the sting of unkind words said to me all the way back to elementary school.  By the same token our words can be a powerful tool to pour into others and build them up.  Let’s look at James words about how we use our words in James 3 together today.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

For me when it comes to sports sometimes I am not at my best.  I am a hyper competitive person and there are times in my life when that has gotten the best of me and I have regretted my words.  Over the years I have worked hard to be better in that area particularly as I have gone from player to coach.  The competitive edge is still there but I know how important it is to build your players up with words and encourage them.  That is why yesterday meant so much to me.  Out of the blue an Advent student whom I coached last year came up and thanked me for something I said to him last year during basketball season.  He said, “Coach PD I know that I am not very good at basketball, but when you told me how important I was to the team because of the way I hustle in practice it stuck with me and I’m still not very good but I love basketball now and practice all the time.”  I told him how much his words meant to me and I immediately thought of this passage.  There are any number of negative things that I thought and could have said about this players basketball skills, but because I said something positive this student held on to that almost a full year later.  Our words have incredible power.  May we seek to use our words to build others up today and every day. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever met someone who was all talk and no action?  This is particularly troubling when it comes to our faith life.  When you see someone who talks about faith but doesn’t seem to live it out it can be a big turn off.  Our actions don’t earn us anything when it comes to our relationship with God but they certainly are evidence that it exists.  James talks about this a lot.  Let’s look at his words in chapter 2. 

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Thinking or knowing that something is true and living its out are two distinct things.  James knows that we are truly only saved by grace and not by any works that we can do.  He simply is saying that real faith or real love results in action.  What if you said over and over how much you loved your spouse but never lived out that love?  How would that relationship be?  While how we live does not change our status or relationship with God. James is telling us that our relationship with God should be evidenced by how we live.  Jesus showed us how to live as we follow Him.  He lived a life of love and calls us to do the very same.  I pray that through His strength we might all live the kind of life that would be filled with sharing His great love with others.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Yesterday afternoon I got a random call from an old friend.  He said that he has a practice of reaching out to old friend very so often to catch up.  After joking with him about how far I must have been down the list that it took 25 years for him to call me we truly enjoyed catching up.  We joked about his old nick name, Mr. Follow Through.  He was known as a great guy who said he would do things but rarely followed through.  He told me that he continued to work on this area of his life and was truly helped by memorizing a few verses from James 1.  Let’s look at this passage together today. 

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James uses a little tongue in cheek reference to motivate us to obedience and it helped my friend as well.  The person who listens but doesn’t follow through and do is like the person who looks at themselves and forgets what they look like.  Obviously we would never do that so why do we sometimes listen and not follow through.  Maybe we do truly forget.  Perhaps we get distracted by something else.  Maybe we deliberately do not because we do not want to.  Whatever the reason it is about priority.  We do not forget our face because we are important to our self.  If obeying God and following through is important we will not forget, or get distracted, or do something else.  That is what my friend learned and he told me that he began prioritizing the things he said he would do.  He said that he has made it a goal to gain a new nick name, Mr. Dependable.  I thanked him for sharing and told him I was going to make him famous and write about him tomorrow.  May we all strive to become Mr/Mrs Dependable when it comes to following God’s Word. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

Last night I got a really nice phone call from an old volunteer that worked in ministry with me.  It was nice to catch up and here from them.  I was truly touched when he began sharing that I had impacted his life for the positive as we worked in ministry together.  I was waiting to hear what I told or taught him that was so impactful and he threw me a curveball.  He said that he didn’t really pay too much attention when I did my training and equipping sessions.  He also said that he couldn’t remember too much of what happened when I met with him one on one.  I’ll confess that I was temporarily pretty bummed to hear this.  He went on to say that what he learned from me and how he was ministered to is by simply watching me live out my faith.  It got me thinking about how this is so true.  How we live is every bit and probably even more important than what we teach.  Let’s look at Paul’s words about this found in I Corinthians.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Paul offers much in the way of teaching but then he says to follow his example as he follows Christ.  Others are always watching hoe we live out our faith.  Followers of Jesus and those who are not both are looking to see what our lives are actually like.  Do we love like Jesus called us to?  How do we talk to others?  Even in raising our children our example is every bit as important as our words.  I pray that God would give us all the strength to represent Him well because we do represent Him whether we want to or not.

In HIs Grip,
Pastor Dave

This week on Sunday we will be looking at Jesus’ statement – I am the Good Shepherd.   I have been looking throughout the Bible at different references to sheep and shepherds.  They are found throughout Scripture.  One that has been sticking with me is the passage found in Isaiah 53.  Let’s look at it together.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.

It is in the nature of sheep to wander off.  We all have a tendency to wander off and go our own way.  Jesus our Good Shepherd lays down His life for us in the midst of our wandering because that’s what it takes to bring us home.  Many of us may struggle to relate to the illustration of sheep and shepherd because it is not as familiar as it would have been to those in the time of Jesus.  Think of what lengths you might go to save your child if they wandered off.  You would search and hunt and ask others to help and do anything in your power to recover your child.  Even risking your own wellbeing to recover them.  That is what Jesus does for us we go our own way and wander off.  Thanks be to Jesus for His incredible love for us His children and his wandering sheep.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave