West Salem Trinity UMC

A Word

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:44:00 +0000

In my reading this morning from "When You Pray" there is an article by Celia Allison Hahn taken from the book "Growing in Authority, Relinquishing Control" that says what I've been thinking and teaching. It says, "In this they(Integrated Leaders) follow One who called himself the Way(rather than the destination), and made conversations on the road the centerpiee of his leadership training."

Comments: We often think that once we have accepted Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior we have completed the act, bought the ticket, if you will to our destination heaven. But in all reality we have just been brought into the kingdom where as a Christian there is a journey of faith that leads to the final destination. However, the destination is not the most important thing for us. We are reminded by Jesus in that piece of scripture that says, "When you've done it to the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me." That reminds us that while we are walking on this earth we are the presence of the Kingdom, we are the hands and feet of Jesus to touch others and fulfill what Jesus says are the two greatest commandments. To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a very "now" thing not some future destination.

I pray that you will let this thought be a time of your meditation this day. God Bless

Pastor Brad

Just A Thought

Sat, 15 May 2010 23:02:00 +0000

In reading today from Luke 4, the temptation of Jesus, I read the commentary from the Renovare Bible on 4:1. It says this. "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,..." Comments--The wilderness gives Jesus strength. It is not simply a place of negation or temptation. It is also a place of preparation and perceptiion, absent of human power structures and controls, a wild place where supernatural forces move unfettered--a place that can empower, depending upon how the experience is handled. Our wildernesses and deserts are not our ending. It is the Spirit of God who leads us about in them. They are our opportunities.

How often do we look at our wildernesses as a time of punishment rather than as a time of opportunities to grow in our faith, to trust the One who leads us during those times? A point for thought today might be, "Do I feel like I am in a wilderness right now?" If so, we may need to listened to our hearts and check our response. Maybe the Lord is just trying to help us become stronger and trust him more for our journey of faith. Let go and let God have control.

God Bless

Living In The Spirit

Mon, 10 May 2010 14:01:00 +0000

I was reading in my devotion this morning in Romans 8:12-17.

"We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

As I read this and began to reflect on my own life and I came up with these thoughts:

First, I believe when we consider the "flesh" we often focus on "Sexual Sin." But in reality for me it means more than that. It means to live within our own desires and wants.

Living in the Spirit means living within the desire of God for our lives.

As we ponder our day, I think we must look upon our "schedule" from the Spirit point of view. Is our day lived out according to God's will for our lives according to ours.

The text from Romans reminds us then, if we live by our desires(in the flesh) we will die. Or in other words we won't have the peace and joy of life that God intended for us. However, if we live by the Spirit we will reap all of life that God intends for us.

I pray that you will take the time to read this entire text and to meditate on it today and in the days to come and discern where you are on this thinking and being willing to adjust your life accordingly. God wants us to have life and peace and joy as we move forward in our journey of faith.

May God bless you this day,

Pastor Brad

Pastor's Desk Direct To You

Fri, 07 May 2010 23:57:00 +0000

In watching the "Great Home Make Over Show" on TV a few times, there are a couple of observations that I would like to make in correlation to our spiritual lives. There are generally always two things that I see that are present in the TV Show. First there is a family who has a special need of some sort in the raising of family or of an individual with a special need. This group comes in and in just a short time they rebuild, remodel, add on to, trans-form this place into a whole new place.

The key here is that it is not just a new thing, but as they work to transform the house, it is transformed to meet the needs of the family or individual.

When I look at this from the Spiritual life I begin to think that this is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. He looked down and saw our need and sent Jesus to be the transforming power to meet the spiritual needs of each one of us.

When Jesus says he is doing a new thing, I don’t think it is just like a washing of clothing, but rather it is the trans-forming of our life to eternal life in him. It is supplying us with the life that gives us peace even in the midst of the storm. It is a life that guides each and every day and it is all based on our needs and trusting the Lord to supply those needs.

The question for this week is, "What are your needs and have you given them up to the Lord?" Give that some thought.

God Bless

Pastor Brad

From The Pastor

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:59:00 +0000

I am currently reading a book by N.T. Wright. Bishop Wright is one of the world’s top biblical scholars, a prolific author, and the Bishop of Durham for the Church of England. The book is titled, "Surprised by Hope."

On page 18 he makes this statement, "’God’s Kingdom’ in the preaching of Jesus refers not to postmortem destiny, not to our escape from this world into another one, but to God’s sovereign rule coming ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’"

Bishop Wright is referring to the oft way of thinking that as we accept Jesus as our Lord, that secures us a home in heaven and our vision focuses on the "out there somewhere" in time and space. But the reality of coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in our lives is the beginning of a journey right now in the "here and now." We need to come to the knowledge of what it means to have God reign as sovereign in our lives.

For me that focus comes to us when we realize that worship on Sunday morning is not just another inoculation to get us to the next Sunday, but rather becomes a time of being drawn closer to the Lord and discovering, not just on Sunday but in our every day journey, what the Lord expects of us. The faith journey is not just a casual stroll to heaven in whatever time we deem that God is giving us, but it is a sacrificial journey of love, hard work, and suffering as well as the celebration of life that we have because we know Jesus Christ.

We are the agents of Christ to bring to earth His kingdom. I believe when we pray the Lord’s Prayer that is what we are saying. "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," is talking about this very thing and as Christians we are to be signs of the Kingdom of God to those around us.

So for us today, we need to begin to think where our focus is? Is it on dragging along in the world, waiting on being "taken" to our home in heaven, or are we living the journey of faith that God has called us to in the scripture? Give this some thought this week in your devotional time and see where God is calling you.

God Bless

Pastor Brad

The Gang Member and Church

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:12:00 +0000

In the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan page 152 he tells the following story:

A while back a former gang member came to our church. He was heavily tattooed and rough around the edges, but he was curious to see what church was like. He had a relationship with Jesus and seemed to get fairly involved with the church.

After a few months, I found out the guy was no longer coming to the church. When asked why he didn't come anymore, he gave the following explanation: "I had the wrong idea of what church was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was going to be like joining a gang. You see, in the gangs we weren't just nice to each other once a week--we were family." That killed me because I knew that what he expected is what the church is intended to be. It saddened me to think that a gang could paint a better picture of commitment, loyalty, and family than the local church body.

Just for your thoughts this morning.

Don't just talk about it!

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:08:00 +0000

In a book I am reading by Francis Chan "Forgotten God" on page 153 he says, "As for me, I am tired of talking about what we are gong to do. I am sick of talking about helping people, brainstorming and conferencing about ways we can be radical and make sacrifices. I don't want to merely talk anymore. Life is too short. I don't want to speak about Jesus; I want to know Jesus. I want to be Jesus to people. I don't want just to write about the Holy Spirit; I want to experience His presence in my life in a profound way."

As for me, I want to ditto his remarks! Let's move forward in ministry and to do that we have to "do" it, we can't just talk about it.

Back To Kingdom Building

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:04:00 +0000

This has been such a great season of renewal. First, Lent and all of the preparation of my heart for Easter. Then Easter, that great celebration of the resurrection, of new life budding forth like the first flowers of spring. What an exciting time. It is even more exciting as I watch others bloom forth with new life and new strength for ministry.

Then there was the preparation for the Deeper Still Conference. That was a lot of work. Thanks to everyone who made that happen. You are great people!!!!!! But boy was I tired when it was all over.

I have taken a couple of days off and feel so relaxed and ready to get back with Kingdom building and looking forward to working with all of the congregation on reaching people for Jesus Christ. Being the Beacon that guides people into a relationship with the Lord.

Thoughts

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:15:00 +0000

As Christians we always have choices to make. For me there are two things that help us in making the right choices.

1. The level of our spiritual disciplines, especially bible study and prayer

2. The accountability we have in living our Christian lives

God Bless

Brad

Prayer for today

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:52:00 +0000

I just read a prayer for today taken from Richard Foster's book, Prayers from the Heart. I thought this might be a great prayer for each of us to pray today.

Today, Lord, I yield myself to you.

May your will be my delight today.

May your way have perfect sway in me.

May your love be the pattern of my living.

I surrender to you my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions.

do with them what you will, when you will, as you will.

I place into your loving care my family, my friends, my future.

Care for them with a care that I can never give.

I release into your hands

My need to control,

My craving for status,

My fear of obscurity.

Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish your

kingdom on earth.

For Jesus' sake. Amen.

May God bless you this day and always through the love

of Jesus our Lord

Pastor Brad