Weathering Storms

Sometimes God puts a storm in our lives to blow our sails in the right direction. - Anon

God was ready to 'blow a ship apart' because Jonah wouldn't listen. It only got worse for him. Hmm!

Even though giant cruise ships can sail through almost any kind of weather, they never knowingly sail into bad storms. But oftentimes the storm finds them at sea. It can be a harrowing experience. The same is true of us in life. We would rarely venture into a storm (we hate the first sign of rain) but quite often God has something in mind for us when He allows the storms of life we face. His goal is often a course correction for us to a different conclusion than the one we had in mind. The key is to hang on, not abandon ship, and remember to praise when the smooth sailing returns. He alone knows the plans, places, and events that lie ahead for us.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" " Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting... Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'" Acts 9:3-6

His Way Will Prevail

Man may have his will, but God will have His way! – Anon

Jonah did all he could to get out of preaching to the folks at Nineveh. The moment they heard him they repented. Hmm!

The struggle for supremacy and direction in life is one of the battles we face consistently each and every day. Do we give in to the desires of the flesh, base thoughts of the mind, or follow the will of God. Often we get into our ‘stubborn’ streaks or ‘selfish’ ways and try to go against the will of God, and satisfy what we think are our own needs. But in the end it is God who wins out, and we’re sometimes bruised and battered for our troubles. God gave us the Bible that we might come to know Him and draw close to Him, and if we read it thoroughly we find out in the end in all things, He wins! God may allow us to go against the grain for a short time, but in the end His way will prevail, and we can save ourselves much trouble by getting with His program.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” – Acts 9:4-6

Most Likely To...?

There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future. – Anon

Paul called himself the “chief of sinners,” yet he was one of the greatest evangelists and missionaries to ever live. Wow!

Most High School Yearbooks carry photos of those voted ‘Most Likely to…..?’ I’m sure if we compare then and now for the most part the pictures were way off base. The same can be said of us in our way of thinking. We often portray people we meet as ‘Most Likely to…? or ‘Most Unlikely to….?, particularly when it comes to being Christian. If we’ll own up to it there are just some people we thought would NEVER belong to God. And the sad truth is when we find out that they do, we often doggedly try to find areas, circumstances, and actions to discredit them. When you think about it, it’s amazing how often we want grace and forgiveness extended to us but we seldom want to extend it to others, but that’s the great thing about grace – it applies to everyone equally. God can take the worst sinner and make him/her a saint, not perfect but saintly, and we should just leave it at that.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

"All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?....Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.” – Acts 9:21-22

No Avoiding It. God Wins

Man may have his will, but God will have His way! – Anon

Jonah did all he could to get out of preaching to the folks at Nineveh. The moment they heard him they repented. Hmm!

The struggle for supremacy and direction in life is one of the battles we face consistently each and every day. Do we give in to the desires of the flesh, base thoughts of the mind, or follow the will of God. Often we get into our ‘stubborn’ streaks or ‘selfish’ ways and try to go against the will of God, and satisfy what we think are our own needs. But in the end it is God who wins out, and we’re sometimes bruised and battered for our troubles. God gave us the Bible that we might come to know Him and draw close to Him, and if we read it thoroughly we find out in the end in all things, He wins!  God may allow us to go against the grain for a short time, but in the end His way will prevail, and we can save ourselves much trouble by getting with His program.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” – Acts 9:4-6

Worst to Best

There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future. – Anon

Paul called himself the “chief of sinners,” yet he was one of the greatest evangelists and missionaries to ever live. Wow!

Most High School Yearbooks carry photos of those voted ‘Most Likely to…..?’ I’m sure if we compare then and now for the most part the pictures were way off base. The same can be said of us in our way of thinking. We often portray people we meet as ‘Most Likely to…? or ‘Most Unlikely to….?, particularly when it comes to being Christian. If we’ll own up to it there are just some people we thought would NEVER belong to God. And the sad truth is when we find out that they do, we often doggedly try to find areas, circumstances, and actions to discredit them. When you think about it, it’s amazing how often we want grace and forgiveness extended to us but we seldom want to extend it to others, but that’s the great thing about grace – it applies to everyone equally. God can take the worst sinner and make him/her a saint, not perfect but saintly, and we should just leave it at that.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?....Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.” – Acts 9:21-22

Most likely to...

There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future. – Anon

Paul called himself the “chief of sinners,” yet he was one of the greatest evangelists and missionaries to ever live. Wow!

Most High School Yearbooks carry photos of those voted ‘Most Likely to…..?’ I’m sure if we compare then and now for the most part the pictures were way off base. The same can be said of us in our way of thinking. We often portray people we meet as ‘Most Likely to…? or ‘Most Unlikely to….?, particularly when it comes to being Christian. If we’ll own up to it there are just some people we thought would NEVER belong to God. And the sad truth is when we find out that they do, we often doggedly try to find areas, circumstances, and actions to discredit them. When you think about it, it’s amazing how often we want grace and forgiveness extended to us but we seldom want to extend it to others, but that’s the great thing about grace – it applies to everyone equally. God can take the worst sinner and make him/her a saint, not perfect but saintly, and we should just leave it at that.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?....Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.” – Acts 9:21-22