New Point of View

We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are. – Anais Nin

Mary & Martha believed Jesus as the son of God but could only see him as human like them. When Lazarus died, their “eyes” were opened! Wow!

Often, the hardest thing to see is what is right before us. Why, because we often have a fixed or made-up mind of what it should be. We live most of life this way. But God is asking us to trust Him, have faith that He knows what He is doing though it may not appear so to us. We must remember just as God is not through with us, He also is not through with those around us and those in our lives. Our call is not to make or pass judgment on them based on our flaws or imperfections but to see every bit of God at work in their life as much as possible, and help it along.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Peter replied, ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." - Acts 10:14-15

Fight the GOOD Fight

When it’s time to fight a war, it’s best you know who the enemy is – and who it isn’t. – M. Nappa

During his kingship, Saul spent a great amount of time and energy pursuing David as his enemy. He should have just looked in the mirror for that. Hmm!

Anyone who has ever tried to do something worthwhile knows it often comes amid battle. Trying to live the righteous and Christian life is no different. However, the battles we fight are often of our own making and against our own ally (God) because of our hardness of heart and selfish desires. Like Paul we often ‘kick against the pricks’ when God is trying to work in corrections or bring blessings in our lives. Life would be much easier if we could get ourselves out of the way!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” – Matthew 16:23

Lose some weight

The quickest surefire way to lose excess weight is to stop carrying a grudge. – B. Myers

David said when he 'confessed his sin' to the Lord a great weight had been lifted off of him. Whew!

Most if not all of us always want to look our best. We work out when we can, try to eat healthy when we can, and try to keep ourselves looking as fit as possible. It’s true the bible does say “bodily exercise” is of some value. But we often neglect our ‘inner man” or heart and force it to carry around a lot of unnecessary weight, and that in turn has a heavy toll on our physical well being. I think this is why Jesus gave Peter the great discourse on forgiveness, it was for his own health and eternal benefit. I pray all of our hearts will become a bit leaner and fit today.

Until tomorrow……..

Pastor Botts

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy seven times.’” – Matthew 18:21-22

How He Loves Us

God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. – R. Murray

After his denials of Christ Peter went and wept. After his resurrection, Jesus went to Peter and ‘reinstated’ him. WOW!

The world gives adulation to its own. Movie stars, star athletes, writers, politicians, etc. are heaped great praise and adoration for their actions, and often begin to believe they deserve such. It’s easy for us to get caught up into the mode of thinking we deserve God’s love because of what we’ve accomplished for Him, how long we’ve been faithful, or even because we can see the ‘change’ in our lives. The truth of the matter is God loved us from the very beginning, when we weren’t the people we are now, when we had not accomplished the things we’ve accomplished now. He even loved us when we went astray, and rejected Him. Aside from His holiness, love is His nature. There is nothing we can really do earn His love, for He freely gives it to all. May you feel loved today!

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Sweet Defeat

A defeat that leaves you humble is better than a victory that leaves you proud. – D. Martin

The Israelites were ‘cocky’ in going up against the little town of Ai, telling Joshua they didn’t even need all the men of battle. They got routed and sent home hurting.

We are taught early on that ‘nobody likes a loser,’ or that when in battle it’s ‘victory at any cost.’ But in truth sometimes defeat is necessary. First, if we never taste defeat we would never really be able to fully appreciate and enjoy the victories we have. Second, defeat also gives us opportunity to improve on what went wrong. Last, defeat keeps us humble and forces us to realize there is someone greater than ourselves that we need to make it through this life – God. There will come a time we will all taste defeat, but remember; a saint is just a sinner who fell down AND GOT UP!

Until Monday…….

Pastor Botts

“Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” – Matthew 26:75

P.S. - Don't forget our 'Good Friday' service tonight at 6:30PM in the sanctuary. Movie to follow. Also, don't forget Sunday morning at 9:15AM our own A2K has a special treat for us. Hope you can make it.

P.S.S.- Don't forget to enter/exit the campus through the 'center gate' when driving.

Making the most of a second chance

The best time to plant a tree is 25 years ago. The 2nd best time is today. - Anon

Jesus gave Peter a second chance to be bold and Holy Pentecost! WOW!

It's true no matter who you talk to. Every person has something in their life they lament, something they maybe wished they started earlier upon, got more training in, etc. But none of that matters now. The truth of life is there's no time like the present to become an expert on something or at least improve on our position or lot in life. We may not be where we want to be or what we want to be. And thankfully, we serve a God who's not content to leave us where we are anyway. So the good news of today is "things are finally starting to look up!"

Until tomorrow....

Pastor Botts

"......being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

How Are You Doing?

Feedback is the breakfast of champions. – B. Hybels

Jesus once asked his disciples ‘who do you say that I am?’ to make sure they were getting the message he was conveying. Peter knew the answer. AMEN!

Product surveys, town-hall meetings, suggestion boxes, etc. – what do they all have in common – they are ways people solicit feedback to see how they are doing and what they can do better. They go directly to the source – you. Jesus did it often with his Father as an example for us to follow. The best way to ensure we’re carrying out God’s plan and not our own is to check with Him often and take time to listen to what He says. He’s already assured us in His book of the victory.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20

The Truth Hurts... Sometimes

The truth doesn’t hurt unless it ought to. – B.C. Forbes

Peter was ‘hurt’ when Jesus questioned his love those 3 times after his denials. But he finally got point. OUCH!

Jesus referred to himself as ‘the Truth.’ God never gave us the truth to hurt us, but to set us free. The power of the truth is in its application – love. If we walk in the truth we feel the love and warmth of God. If we walk outside of the truth we feel its painful sharp edges trying to push us back into line. If pain lingers its only because of our refusal to acknowledge and accept God’s plan and purposes over our own. We can get mad and go away but the TRUTH (God’s Word) will never change, for it is His agent to change us. Lets strive for a pain-free day today!

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.” – John 17:17

Know your enemy

When it’s time to fight a war, it’s best you know who the enemy is – and who it isn’t. – M. Nappa

During his kingship, Saul spent a great amount of time and energy pursuing David as his enemy. He should have just looked in the mirror. Hmm!

Anyone who has ever tried to do something worthwhile knows it often comes amid battle. Trying to live the righteous and Christian life is no different. However, the battles we fight are often of our own making and against our own ally (God) because of our hardness of heart and selfish desires. Like Paul we often ‘kick against the pricks’ when God is trying to work in corrections, or bring blessings in our lives. Life would be much easier if we could get ourselves out of the way!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” – Matthew 16:23

Starting Right

There are two kinds of people. Those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, its morning!" – Anon  

Jesus sneaked away early one morning to pray. Peter found him to remind him there was ‘work’ to do. Hmm!  

You would think by now in our many years of life we would have learned to adjust or adapt. Our alarm clock goes off the same time every morning, and often it upsets us to no end. We awake and often greet the day with an attitude geared toward what we know is scheduled (Monday mornings, meetings, doctor’s visit, school test, work, etc) rather than with an attitude toward who created the day and woke us to see and be a part of it. The first order of business on any day, rain or shine, is to spend time with the one who created it, seek His will, direction, protection, and provision. Nothing ever takes God by surprise and if we let Him do the leading in our daily lives rarely will it happen to us. This is a day He has made, we should just rejoice!  

Until tomorrow……  

Pastor Botts  

“For by him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16

Talking Heads

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. – Plato

When Jesus was ‘transfigured’ before the disciples there, Peter just couldn’t seem to hold his tongue. God set him straight! OUCH!

Look around, we now live in a culture where everyone is virtually connected at the hip by cellphone. And everywhere you go they are either ringing to be answered or someone is already talking on one. It didn’t use to be this way, but technology has made it easier and affordable – but that does not necessarily translate into needful. God has said our conversation is to be uplifting, seasoned with grace, non-condemning, and for the benefit of His kingdom purposes. Given the truth that we will one day have to give account for every word we speak, maybe we should weigh our words a bit more carefully.

Until tomorrow……..

Pastor Botts

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:37

The Intangibles

Not everything than can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. – A. Einstein.  

Peter was the most widely known of the apostles saving 3,000 with one sermon, but it was his brother Andrew that brought him to the Lord. Hmm!  

Degrees, awards, titles, plaques, notoriety, etc. – these are all things that help draw attention to us and show others our worth and value. And while nice to have they are still a far cry from the humanity others and God would have of us. The things that really matter in life don’t hang from walls or go on business cards but come from the heart. Things like trust, loyalty, discipline, benevolence, respect; just to name a few; are incalculable in a relationship. The lives we will touch for God will not be because we have great resources behind us but because we have divine resources within us. No one knows how far a touch from God will go.

Until Monday…..  

Pastor Botts  

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” – Philippians 2:2

P.S. - Don't forget our Sunday School Devotional and Birthday Recognition time this Sunday at 9AM in Parmes Hall.

Send a little Encouragement

Living a good life is like eating with chopsticks, it looks easy until you try it. – Anon

In his mind Peter was ready to die for Jesus, that is, until his physical life was at stake. Good thing Jesus forgives. AMEN!

Lots of things in life look easy enough, that is as long as we stay on the sidelines. But get us in the game action and we find complexities and challenges we never imagined, and a skill set that seems all thumbs at times. It is something we should always bear in mind with others we see and encounter, possibly doing their best and giving it their all, just because it doesn’t measure up to what we expect. God only knows the struggles or hardships they are dealing with, so our response should be one of encouragement. Besides, the same holds true for us as well. In our ‘all thumbs’ episodes of life God never once criticizes, He only offers encouragement, help, and of course hope.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – I Thessalonians 5:11