DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF...

I like the scripture where the bible says that David encouraged himself in the Lord. He was going through a major crisis, and even those closest to him had turned on him. The word of God tells us that the situation looked so bleak in the natural that they wept until they had no more power to weep. Shortly afterwards, David's men spoke of stoning him.

Church stonings aren't nice, are they? When people turn on you for no apparent reason. Church splits, bitterness, divisiveness are no place for the child of God. But most of us, if we have been in ministry for a number of years, have been hurt. As a matter of fact, most people who have lived any length at all have been hurt, whether by church folk, or just people in general.

But David encouraged himself. I am blessed by people who encourage me, pray for me, and befriend me. But when no one else comes to my aid, I need to remember that I am never without help. I can encourage myself in the Lord. He is my strength, not man.

I just want to encourage you today to believe in yourself. Or rather, believe in the power of God to work on your behalf. Call on His name. He is a very present help in time of need!

We had an awesome service yesterday. I spoke on Jesus coming to the widow of Nain, and raising up her dead son. Like the story in the bible, Jesus will come to your out of the way place to rescue, redeem, and resurrect you and your broken life. I am encouraged today by the word of God. I want you to be, also.

Vacation Bible School got off to a great start last night! The kids had a great time. Come on out tonight, and bring the kids.

Be blessed,
Pastor Ronnie

The Agony of De Feet

A number of years ago, ABC aired a sports show called Wide World of Sports. The show was popular for a number of years. It's slogan was "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat".

My blog today is a play on words, "the agony of de feet". A couple of days ago I was moving something into the basement, and hurt one of the heels of my feet. The pain came suddenly, and it was intense. I hobbled around the rest of the evening, and some of yesterday morning, until I finally sensed some relief as the day progressed. I'm not sure exactly what I did, but have learned my lesson from wearing sandals and flip flops while doing manual labor. I'm not as young as I used to be, and not as light. The weight on my feet needs more support, and I learned a valuable lesson: - if the feet aren't strong, the rest of you is not going to be effective.

I want to protect my feet, and I want to protect my walking. What happened to me was painful, but it served as a reminder, both physically and naturally. In the physical sense, I need to take care of myself, and have proper attire for the work involved. In the spiritual sense, the lesson is similar. I need to guard my steps.

I like the thrill of victory... I don't like the agony of de feet :)

Y'all be blessed,
Pastor Ronnie

LET'S WALK

I'm trying to get back in the habit of some things in my life that are healthy for me. That includes a morning walk. I've got a lab dog, and I usually walk him. "Buster" is a handful, and he usually winds up walking me, rather than me walking him. But I have found that walking helps awaken me, loosens my joints and muscles, and makes me feel better. While walking, I take the time to pray. So, it is both a natural and a spiritual exercise.

Not only am I walking physically, I am walking spiritually. The day, and the week, work much better when I take the time to meditate on the word of God, to read some scripture, and have a devotion. If I will take the time to do this before I begin the daily grind, it helps. My mind is renewed, my faith is built, and my heart is stirred. I am disciplining myself to cater to the things of God, and not of the world.

I opened my bible this morning to the book of Lamentations. That is not usually where I begin my meditation. Normally I will go to the book of Psalms or Proverbs, or maybe John. But my bible fell open to Lamentations 3:55-58

"I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drawest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life."

Like Solomon of old, I have learned to call upon the Lord when in low places of life. I have found the strength and the help from a God that will draw near and rescue me. His help is available, if we will learn to turn to Him, pray, and trust.

Wow! I'm glad I've had my walk today. I will walk some more as the day progresses. But it's good to get it started off right!

Be blessed,

Pastor Ronnie

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

I know all the verses, and am aware of the phrases, the confessions, etc. And yet, sometimes I allow myself to speak the problem, and not the solution. I find myself magnifying the troubles, thinking the worst. As a minister of the gospel, I preach just the opposite. But I confess to you that I am not always a positive person.

Joel Osteen, I'm not.. I like Joel. He's got the big grin, the happy looking countenance, and says all the pretty things. Some call it "gospel light" as he preaches a positive gospel. I wish I could be more like him, but I'm not there. Not like him in the "gospel light" stuff, but in the positive outlook, the joy, and the life that flows from him.

Yeah, I know the verses. I've quoted them, preached them, and have at times walked in them. I also know the phrases. Phrases like "your attitude affects your altitude". But it's not enough to know them, we must live them. And living them requires daily commitments to do so. Yes, there will be challenges, tests. There will be opportunities to be negative. But we must choose to stay positive, to believe that God will bring us through every situation. We must keep our minds renewed, and speak life in every situation.

Occasionally I will go through some of my old sermons and resources. I will find some, and think, "Wow, how did I ever get by with preaching that?" I will thank God that I am delivered from the narrow mindedness or whatever may apply in the sermon notes. But then, I will find something that I preached, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, and be moved by it-- it is still fresh. It might stir me and move me, get me to thinking... That's the way it is with this attitude thing.

And so, here I go. Ask me how it's going, and I will tell you, IT IS WELL!

Y'all be blessed,
Pastor Ronnie

SUMMER COLDS

I've got one of them. Yep, I've got me a summer cold. Or, I could better say, it's got me. This thing came up suddenly, and hit like a ton of bricks. Along with the sniffles and scratchy throat is an overall icky feeling and a headache that won't go away. It probably was brought on by my deciding the first of the week to clean out the basement. At any rate, I feel lower than a snake's belly.

Y'all have fun today. As for me, I'm going to sit around here on my recliner watching sportcenter for the tenth time, and old reruns of Andy Griffith and Lucy shows on TV Land that I've already seen a thousand times.

That's it, my nose is running, and I've got to go catch it. I guess I'll take some benadryl and sleep half the day.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Ronnie

EMPTY ME...

The last several days I keep on humming the current contemporary christian hit song, "Empty me". The song is being played repeatedly on the stations, as it is currently at the top of the charts. It is sung by Chris Sligh, who was a worship leader in nearby Greenville SC, and who appeared a couple of years ago on American Idol.

Like the words to the song, I have had enough of me. I want more of Him! That sentiment has been echoed through the ages, as man has learned that the road into the Divine fullness is through self emptying. John the Baptist spoke those words of Christ, when he said, "He must increase, I must decrease". One translation said it this way, "There must be more and more of Him, and less and less of me".

I will confess to you that I still see too much of me, and not enough of Christ. I know that the process is a continual one as long as I am in this body of flesh. I also know that it takes discipline to walk that road. You see, being emptied is not a one time thing... it is a continual process that we must walk in daily.

Lord, empty me, so that I can become filled with You!

Y'all be blessed,
Pastor Ronnie

SWEET FELLOWSHIP

I wrote a blog a couple of weeks or so ago about fellowship. I want to follow up today on the subject. Yesterday afternoon we had a summer outing. We had the cookout, games, home made ice cream, and swimming. It was a ton of fun. The turnout was great, and everyone seemed to enjoy the time together. The little ones, kids, teens, and adults all had an enjoyable time.

I've said it before, but I want to say it again: Fellowship is important in the church. Times of sitting around, talking, and just having fun is a great way of bonding together. This event is something we usually do a couple of times in the summer, and it always makes Trish and I feel that it is something we need more of.

I appreciate the times of worship together, praying together, and serving in the church. Those are uplifting and life transforming times. We have been having some awesome services. And i would not take anything for that... but the same applies to our fellowship events.

Some people just don't seem to get it. They feel disconnected with the church, as if they don't belong. The same people arrive late and leave early. The same people miss half the services at church, are unpredictable and unaccountable. And they never attend a church function outside of a Sunday service. I feel sorry for them. They are missing the value of forming friendships and relationships they need. They are missing out on a vital connection..

Trish and I are so glad you came to our house. Come back anytime.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Ronnie