The other morning as I was backing out of my driveway I saw a couple walking at the last second before I backed out.  I quickly apologized and went on with my day.  No one was harmed and I didn’t even come close to hitting them.  They were simply in my blind spot.  The thing is sometimes we have blind spots not just in our cars but in our spiritual lives as well.  It is important that we have people in our lives to help point out those blinds spots so that we can avoid trouble.  Let’s look together at Proverbs 27 today and reflect on having someone in our life who can help us along the journey of life. 

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
    an outsider, and not your own lips.

Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
    but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
    but who can stand before jealousy?

Better is open rebuke
    than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
    but an enemy multiplies kisses.

One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
    but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

Like a bird that flees its nest
    is anyone who flees from home.

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
    and the pleasantness of a friend
    springs from their heartfelt advice.

Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
    and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—  better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
    then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

The prudent see danger and take refuge,
    but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
    hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.

If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
    it will be taken as a curse.

A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping
    of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;

restraining her is like restraining the wind
    or grasping oil with the hand.

As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

Who do you have in your life that helps to sharpen you?  Sometimes that means encouragement.  Sometimes that means pointing out our blind spots.  It can be a pat on the back or a kick in the backside.  The point is we all need people in our life who have our back and have our permission to be that for us.  If you have someone like that in your life thank them today.  If you don’t seek that out in your life.  We all need it in our life so that we can be the best version of ourselves.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Have you ever had one of those days that’s starts in such a way that you think oh boy here we go.  Today was such a morning.  I got up early and jumped in the shower.  No hot water.  Oh well I thought a cold shower on a hot summer morning isn’t the worst thing.  I got dressed and looked for my keys and could not find them anywhere.  Turns out Sarah had used my car to run to the beach to see the sunrise (I’m pretty sure she was also responsible for the no hot water thing but that’s another story)  While I was looking for the keys still I started a pot of coffee so I was ready when I found them to head over to church.  I heard it finish brewing and walked excitedly over to the pot of coffee to have that first delicious sip of – hot water.  In my haste I brewed a pot of hot water.  Turns out the coffee grounds are an important step in the process.  I’ll I could do is laugh and think oh boy this is one of those days.  My mind quickly turned to Psalms 118:24 let’s look at some verses from Psalm 118 together this fine morning. 

Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone. 

This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we pray, O Lord!
    O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
    up to the horns of the altar!

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
    you are my God; I will extol you.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

This is a truth and also a mantra we can hold to when our day doesn’t quite start like we may have hoped.  It would have been easy to start today with a bad attitude, frustrated, and in a lousy mood.  Sometimes those little hiccups to start our day do just that.  When we hold onto the truth that this is the day the Lord has made, we gain the perspective that God has good things for us this day as well.  He has given us each day as an opportunity to share His love and message with others as we go throughout our lives.  No matter how your day has started I pray that you might hold on to the truth that God has made this day, let’s go forth and make the most of it! 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave 

Do you ever experience worry?  I don’t consider myself a big worrier but like everyone I struggle with worry sometimes.  As school starts I am sure that students, teachers, and parents are probably all experiencing a little bit of worry.  Paul gives us a brief passage about how to deal with worry and gives us three steps to combat it in an unusual way.  Let’s look together at Philippians 4 today

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

First of all Paul starts by telling us to rejoice.  That’s probably not anyone’s first thought when it comes to worry but maybe it should be.  We rejoice in what God has done and continues to do in our lives.  When we rejoice we remember His faithfulness and it puts our minds in a different space.  It resets us and reminds us of God’s goodness to us.  Once we are in that head space we are told to place our anxiety on God through prayer.  I find that most often we worry about things that we have no control over anyways.  Why not give those worries over to the one who has control over everything, Jesus.  We are promised that when we really give those things over to God in prayer we will be given a peace that passes understanding.  The problem is that often while we pray we also hold on to those worries instead of truly releasing them to God.  Most of us are closet control freaks and even though we can’t do anything about it by holding on to worry we retain a sense of control.  We need to learn to release the situation fully to God and trust that He will work for our good.  Then the last step Paul gives us is to shift our thoughts to whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable anything that is excellent or praiseworthy.  I find the best way to do this is to recall some of the promises of God from the Bible.  Today I leave you with an assignment look up some of the many promises of God from the Bible and write your favorites down.  Hold on to them and next time you need them remind yourselves of just how great our God is.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

It is already that time of year again.  Teachers are back at Advent getting ready for the start of the school year.  Today we have our first chapel with teachers as they prepare for the start of another great year here at Advent.  This morning I was reflecting on different teachers that I have had throughout my years.  One thing that struck me is that the greatest lasting impact I had from them that I can specifically recall is not any knowledge I have gained.  I know that I was taught much over my years as a student.  The thing that stands out to me today is how much I learned from watching how my teachers lived.  The way they modeled faith and life has stuck with me.  Paul offers this advice to Titus in his letter to him.  

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

It is one thing to be taught how to treat others and how to follow God.  It is something entirely else to see it in action.  When we see faith modeled it is something real and tangible and powerful in our lives.  We all have the opportunity to be teachers in this capacity and we all remain students as we go through the journey of life.  I pray that we would all “teach” others what it looks like to share the love of Christ with our lives.  I also pray that we would all continue to be students and watch and learn from the way others live out their faith.  Please join me in prayer for a great year for our students and teachers here at Advent. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

What refreshes you?  When you are feeling spent what do you do to recharge?  Maybe exercise helps you.  Perhaps you enjoy a nice walk along the beach.  Maybe you need prayer or solitude.  We all have different ways to recharge our batteries.  I find that I get recharged often by spending time with friends and spending time with God.  I am coming back refreshed from spending a few days away with some good friends on vacation.  I recently read an article about the need for “mini vacations” or two hour blocks of time to de-stress and refill.  The author suggested that each week you should figure out how to do this mid-week sometime.  For him it was a Wednesday night ritual of his hot tub, a glass of wine, and some prayer time with God.  Let’s look at a familiar passage of scripture that talks about being refreshed.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 

    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 

    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.

4 

Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

Green pastures and quiet waters sound refreshing but the key for me in this passage is that it is God who refreshes our soul.  Whatever your method to experience refreshing in your life, make sure that you are incorporating some time with God.  He is the only one who can and does refresh us spiritually.  When we are refreshed spiritually the rest of our life tends to stay more refreshed as well.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

I have this crazy thing where whenever I go out of town something goes wrong with my house.  I am not the most handy guy but some things I like to think I can fix and certainly figure out how to get it fixed.  Well once again as I am out of town my AC went down.  It makes you feel worthless when there is nothing you can do to help from afar.  It got me to thinking about how God never goes “out of town”.  When we have problems he is always available for us.  Let’s look at His words in Deuteronomy 31 together today.

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Whenever we are facing tough times or challenges God promises that we do not have to be afraid or worried because He will always be with us.  I don’t know about you but that truly gives me confidence as I go through life knowing that inevitably things will happen but that no matter what I may face God will be by my side.  Hold on to that promise today and the broken Ac’s of life won’t seem so daunting. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you been around someone who was singularly focused? I am currently in downtown Louisville and it feels like the area I am in is singularly focused on bourbon. Every restarting, bar, and even hotel has a bourbon focus. When you walk the street there are signs everywhere that say Louisville the birthplace of bourbonism. I’m sure much of this is playing into the tourism that is associated with people going on the bourbon trail. It got me thinking however about this passage of scripture from. Colossians 3. Let’s look at it together today. 

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

What might it look like if we all had a more singular focus on things above. If we avoided some of the sidetracks that life can send us down and devoted more time and attention to God. I suspect it might be like my experience here. Everything in our lives would point people to God just like Louisville seems to be pointing everyone to bourbon. Imagine how impactful that would be in our communities, families, and even our church. I pray that we might all be a people who set our minds on things above and see how God uses that in and through our lives. 

In His Grip, 

Pastor Dave

This morning I got up early to head out on a trip with some good friends.  I recently did the TSA pre check process because I hate lines.  I do not like to wait at all.  I went through the TSA pre check line and was smiling as I watched my friend, Kevin go through the regular line.  I got up to the front only to be told that they had not put my TSA pre check status on my boarding pass.  That meant I now had to go all the way back through the regular line.  One advantage of arriving at the airport at 5:30 AM is that the lines are not too bad so it wasn’t a huge deal but it made me think about how sometimes we need to wait.  Sometimes we even need to wait on God.  It reminded me of this passage from Isaiah 40.

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.

30 

Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;

31 

but those who wait on the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

When we wait on God good things happen in our lives.  He gives us the strength that we need to accomplish the things that He has for us to get done.  He gives us strength when we feel like we have reached the end of our rope.  I know that I am going to make sure my TSA pre check status is entered before I fly back this weekend but I was also reminded that sometimes waiting isn’t a bad thing.  Especially when it comes to waiting on God.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Have you ever had one of those rough night’s sleep?  I leave my phone on at night because every once in a while I will get a late night call from someone who needs to talk to a Pastor.  Those calls never bother me and after I hung up around 12:30 I prayed for the person and I think fell quickly to sleep.  After that however I got three more robo calls last night that woke me up between 1:00am-3:30am.  After that it was tossing and turning and not much rest.  I finally gave up around 5:30 and decided to head to the beach for the sunrise and some time with God.  It was a good decision.  I was reminded of this passage from Lamentations 3.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.

23 

They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

24 

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

25 

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;

26 

it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

27 

It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

God’s compassion and love never falls short in our lives.  When we seek Him we always find Him.  This morning the sunrise, the ocean, and some time with God was exactly what I needed to reset.  I was grumpy and irritable after the night I had and left the beach totally refreshed and happy.  God has a way of meeting us where we are and giving us a fresh dose of His love. Whether you had a night like mine or a great, restful night’s sleep seek to be filled with a fresh dose of God’s amazing love today. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

This morning I witnessed an interaction in the parking lot that encouraged me.  At first, I thought I was going to have to break up a fight.  Two people were vying for the same parking spot and one person whipped in while the other person, who was there first was waiting.  He jumped out quickly and the other person parked a few spots away.  While they were both headed to the store the first man, who stole the spot began yelling something at the second man.  I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying but as I got closer I realized he was taunting the man.  It was like he was trying to pick a fight.  The second man simply listened.  He was a good bit larger and appeared to be significantly more fit than the angry man who was yelling but he simply listened.  I was getting upset on his behalf and asked if everything was ok as I walked over.  He said to me that his God says to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  I introduced myself and thanked him for being such a good example and living out his faith.  I think his actions are enough of a devotional for us all but here is the text from James 1 that he was referring to. 

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.

Talking to him further he said, that he used to be a very angry person and God has been working on that in his life and seems to give him lots of opportunities such as this morning to work on this.  We are constantly faced with opportunities each day to encourage others and share the love of Christ simply by how we live.  I pray that our lives might all minister to others like this man ministered to me today. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave