Bloom Where You are

'Thrive' - Kaiser Permanente Healthcare slogan

Joseph. Daniel. A couple of men whose lives were lived in harsh conditions, but yet they thrived. Hmm!

If you've ever watched a few of the National Geographic or Planet Earth shows you'll notice they show the beauty of nature under some of the harshest conditions. Plants, trees, ponds, etc., that get watered sporadically, maybe once a year. But boy, when they get it they thrive - all of life in all its beauty and activity burst out. The saying is 'bloom where you are'! For possibly all of us, life isn't quite what we envisioned or expected in certain areas (job, marriage/singlehood, health, finances, etc.) but be that as it may, God's grace, mercy, and compassions are NEW every day, so we should still be full of life and hope, a display of God's beauty for all to see. May we be more attracting than distracting to the kingdom today.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Living the Slower Pace

Sure, the tortoise is slow, but he is surefooted in his progress. - Anon

Noah took 100+ years to build the ark because that’s what God gave him. Hmm!

It’s no secret that most automobile accidents are caused by someone driving to fast. Likewise, it’s also no secret that most lives are destroyed by fast-living. Life is not meant to be fast. It is meant to be lived, experienced, and savored. Haste truly does make waste. When we take the time to actually live life and savor our experiences, then we can begin to determine what is really important and necessary and what is not. If we were to analyze it we would find that most of our life is just busy work – just look at all of our gadgets. If we read through the scriptures we find there is never a time that God or His Son Jesus was in a hurry. No matter how much we want to speed things up so that we can multi-task and experience it all, we can’t change the laws of nature, that’s God’s business. When we continually move too fast we miss opportunities to stop, gaze, and savor the world through God’s eyes. Care to take a look?

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall…” – II Peter 1:10

Tempering Your Speech

When words are 'heated' they lose their sweetness! - Anon

When they brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, he thought long and hard before he spoke. Hmm!

Coffee! Cocoa! Chili! Some things are good served piping hot. It adds to their overall presentation and enjoyment. We couldn't imagine receiving it any other way. But when it comes to conversation our words are not one of them. The bible tells us 'practice self-control', 'be slow to speak, slow to get angry', and 'in your anger do not sin'! Why, because in our anger not only do our tempers rise (think temperature) but our desire to inflict hurt, harm, and pain on others also increases. It's a mixture of self-presentation combined with pride, and everyone knows that's not a recipe to help build community. It's true, there are times we need to 'say what we need to say', but it should always be thought through and said constructively and in love. Sometimes silence sends an even greater message.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." - Colossians 4:6

Discovering A New Way to Worship

Nothing in all of humanity had ever “been done that way before” until someone tried it. – Anon

Though God made the seas during creation, no one tried sailing the waters until Noah’s time. Hmm!

Problems…problems…problems. It seems life is filled with them. But God is not so much interested in us solving problems as He is in us being available to Him that He may solve them through us. We’re the hands, feet, heart, eyes, etc. that He works through. And He is as diverse in His ways as the entire color spectrum. Failure is never certain until we stop or give up trying. We’ve all been faced with challenges and obstacles to overcome that seemed insurmountable, but yet by the grace and provision of God here we are today. Why, because we tried doing something and it worked out. The key here is to try, never to give in, but to seek God’s way to see you through. If we’re wrestling with God over something maybe He’s trying to show us a ‘new way’ of doing His will.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” – Isaiah 43:18-19

Unlocking Biblical Secrets

“Get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.” – Proverbs 4:7

Even in captivity, Daniel rose in prominence not just because he studied the Babylonians ways, but because he held fast to God and His Word. Amen!

SAT! GRE! GMAT! LSAT! Exams for schooling. CPA! CMA! UBE! RN! NP! Exams for work. Civil Service exams for governmental work. Everywhere you look it seems like we must study to pass an exam to qualify. But the good thing is there are books and courses we can take to prepare ourselves, gauge our readiness. What about life though? With all its written and unwritten rules, social norms, and customs, and the relentless pace at which it comes to us. How does one prepare for it? Well, in truth there is also a book we can and should refer to. The bible – God’s Word. It is full of His wisdom on how to navigate this life successfully, with meaning and purpose. But the bible only unlocks its secrets to those who are ready to receive them, and that requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for He interprets all things of God for us.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple…” – Psalm 19:7

Pursuing God

If we lose God, it is not God who is lost. – Anon

The book of Judges shows the folly of God's people trying to live without Him in their midst. Time and again they came looking for God to save them. Ouch!

It is said "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Could that be us at times. Having the history of our ancestors recorded for our posterity, you would think we should know of a certainty which way to go - God's way. Though He won't forsake us, it is possible we can forsake Him. If you are continually being defeated by everything you face, it's possible you have lost God's favor and your heart has departed from Him; for He has assured victory for His children. Maybe now is a good time to check our life compass.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity...." - Jeremiah 29:13-14

One of the Great Mysteries of Grace

God doesn’t always smooth the path, but sometimes He puts springs in the wagon. – M. Lucas

Joseph’s pathway to prominence as Pharaoh’s 2nd in command wasn’t the smoothest, but God’s hand of favor was always upon him. Amen!

Hardship is as much a part of life as the air we breathe. For if we had no hardship, we really would not know the true experience of joy. Troubles may come and not seem to get better with much prayer and meditation, but God has promised to be with us every step of the way, and where one area of our life may be particularly troubled, God is still blessing in other areas. That’s one of the great mysteries of ‘grace.’ If we count our blessings, we’ll see it’s true.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘MY GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”’ – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9