Look What I Can Do

One act of obedience is better than a hundred sermons preached. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Though the apostle Paul wrote many letters to the churches he instructed them to look at his life as an example. Hmm!

When we were kids we always wanted our parents, siblings, and anyone else around to watch us when we did something we thought was extra special. Now that we are grown and knowing that we are possibly the only ‘bible’ some folks will ever read we need to ask ourselves do we still have that “watch me” mentality. Example is contagious behavior and often the only way to reach someone. And a sermon isn’t really preached until it is put into action. We need to be mindful that as instruments of God, somebody is receiving a message loud and clear, so we should pray our walk is in line with our talk.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “ – Matthew 7:20

Staying Faithful

When you’re unable to pray, count your blessings. – Anon

King Saul sought out a medium or spiritist in his turmoil. David continued faithful and waited on God for his answer. We know which one was God’s man! Hmm.

Prayer is our most important communication link with God. He covets it and there is never a time when He does not hear us. But there are times in life when it seems like our prayer link to God is broken, we just can’t seem to get through when we really need Him most no matter how often we call. In truth, there are times that God is silent not because of our sin or distance, but because He has already “graced” us with blessings that fulfill all we need. Just try counting, I’m sure you’ll find you won’t be disappointed.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; BLESSED is the man who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8

Meaningful Conversations

To make a long story short, don’t tell it. – Anon

Jesus could’ve preached at them when they brought him the woman caught in adultery, instead he just ‘wrote.’ Hmm!

Secrets – do they really exist? Is it really better to leave some things unsaid? Take a look around you and listen up, and you’d be hard pressed to think so. The truth is conversation is good, it does help us to relate to one another and build relationships; but it should be meaningful, insightful, practical, respectful, and truthful to the person to whom we’re speaking. We all love good stories and humor, but we should never have to ‘enhance’ them, and we must still speak in such a way to please God. Remember, when words are many sin is not absent, and besides, it doesn’t really matter how ‘big’ the fish was that got away, if it got away.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“….a time to be silent and a time to speak…” – Ecclesiastes 3:7

Prepare for Transmission

Prayer must mean something to us if it is to mean anything to God! - Richard Murray

Daniel let nothing and no one interfere with his prayer time with God. Hmm!

Growing up in our home, we as kids all learned that the phone was not a toy. It was to be used to conduct business, stay in touch, and pass along information. So when you picked it up to dial someone you had a purpose for doing so. The idea of 'just talking loud and saying nothing,' where the conversation was meaningless, pointless, and without purpose or conviction was not tolerated. Truth is, nobody likes conversation like that. Not even God. And though He has inclined His ears to hear our every call, we should always prepare our hearts before we call on Him, and we should have something worthwhile to chat about when we call Him. Even if it's just to tell Him we love Him there should be some conviction in our tone, or if it's to praise Him there should be some passion in our voice. Remember, as we talk He's looking at our heart.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart......" - Psalm 24:3-4

Nothing Less. Nothing More.

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 their fingertips by cellphone. And everywhere you go they are either ringing to be answered or someone is already talking on one or ‘thumbing’ through something on the screen. 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

Confused? This Is What to Do

A boggled mind needs a bended knee. – Charles Swindoll

Not really knowing what to do after his crucifixion, the apostles thought prayer might help. Boy did it ever. AMEN!

No doubt about it, this world we live in has some awe inspiring, breathtaking wonders. Look at any scenic calendar, natural wildlife, even the birth of a new child and you know it. But it also has some conundrums and seemingly illogical aspects and life issues that utterly frustrate and confuse us. In either case it is mind boggling. But that is one of the great secrets of prayer and praise. Whether it be wonder and amazement at His vast creation, or puzzlement and confusion from the issues of life; God is always open to hear our response and/or questions. We can never praise Him too much nor call on Him too often. He has so designed life that there really is no way we can ignore His existence, and when we think about it there really is no reason we should want to. May He hear from us all today!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20

Don't Leave Home Without Him

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. - Philip K. Dick

Jesus just couldn't seem to convince the rich young ruler to take his mind off of his riches for something far better. Hmm!

"Don't leave home without it!" AMEX - at one time maybe, but now the tagline belongs to something else more noteworthy in our lives. The cell phone! Nobody, but nobody leaves home without it. It must be in our hands or on our person within reach at all times. We'll turn around and go back home to get it if we've left it behind. We've even put it in our children's hands. And though we try to convince ourselves it's for communication/connection purposes, that's the least of our usage. Oh, if only we were that devoted to being connected with God. Where His praise was always on our lips, His words were always being meditated upon, our soul was boasting about His goodness. God is constant in His call for us to return to Him, to stay connected to Him. If only there was some way we could reach Him by phone. Hmm!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." - Joshua 1:8

Wisdom in Listening

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. – Doug Larson

It’s interesting that God gave king Solomon a ‘wise and discerning heart’ rather than a booming, commanding voice. Hmm!

Silence – it seems like the word is dead and gone. We are now a nation of talkers, not communicators, just talkers. We talk back and forth, often only surface issues, nothing deep seated. And we have to offer our opinion, give our input or the latest update; we want to explain ourselves, tell our side of the story, or just shoot the breeze. The idea of sitting alone thinking things through (meditation) or asking God and actually waiting for Him to answer (secret prayer) have all but vanished and have been replaced with talk or other ‘noise’. We’ve been duped into thinking we must be in contact or in touch with someone at all times. God gave us two ears for more than just stereo sound, that we might listen twice as much as we speak. May we all be discerning and wiser today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

"But the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth be silent before Him!” – Habakkuk 2:20

Words Count

"This call may be monitored for quality assurance purposes....." - Operator

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter was surprised when God let it be known He was listening in. Hmm!

Communicate! We love to do it, we live to do it. Talk, text, post, tweet, I/M, D/M, etc., we just can't seem to get enough of it. We are social beings. After all, communication is at the crux of all relationships, and we were made for relationships. But I guess the bigger question we need to consider is what are we saying or communicating when we go at it? And why? We must remember as God's people we don't get a free pass at this. He said we will "one day give an account of every word we've spoken." The intent there is not a verbatim review of what we said, but what was our 'motive' behind what was said. Was it necessary, helpful, informational, etc., and most of all did it glorify Him? We may not want 'big brother' listening in on our communications but we need remember our Heavenly Father always is.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Does He who implanted the ear not hear? Does He who formed the eye not see? - Psalm 94:9

Learning God's Context

All things being equal, all things are never equal. - Anon

Cain brought God an offering while Abel brought God his offering. We know which one God honored. Hmm!

I’m sure we can all recall spelling bees and spelling tests from our past, and how we studied and were drilled in this. It helped us learn to read, write, communicate, and understand one another and the things of life better. And then we learned that certain words had more than one meaning so we had to learn the ‘context’ to get it right (i.e. bread – foodstuff, money). That’s one of the keys to understanding God at work in our lives. He often has a completely different spelling or understanding of words we encounter. We see them one way and He has a completely different expectation. For example:


Us                God

Problem =     opportunity

Love =          time

Faith =         obedience

The key is for us to learn these and other words in the context God presents them and respond accordingly, and remember the end result is always for His glory.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…. For my thoughts are not your thoughts….” – Isaiah 55:8

Hearing Beyond The Tech

We are drowning in communication technology, but still have not perfected the art of listening. - Anon

It took God three attempts before He got young Samuel's attention. Hmm!

Smartphones, I-Pads, ZOOM, Facetime, Facebook, and other apps, all designed to keep us connected, up to date, and well informed. We spend so much time with technology and communicating via technology, we have lost the art of casual, intimate conversation and relationship where listening takes place. Technology has not really made life simpler, it has only sped it up. We’re so ‘wired’ we no longer know how to slow down and catch our breath and actually catch up with one another, especially God. This is not to say technology is a bad thing, particularly in light of the current pandemic climate, but we must remember God was communicating long before technology came into being. So, no matter how technologically advanced we become, the intimacy we seek with God and others will always be up close and personal.

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

No Hype Communication

One reason the dog has so many friends, he wags his tail instead of his tongue. – Anon

David put to death the man who lied about killing Saul. Though Saul was David’s enemy, he was still God’s anointed. Hmm!

Years ago TV stations merely reported the news as it happened. Today in our media saturated culture they are out and about chasing and looking for it and then “marketing” the news, giving their own bias or slant to it. Often we fall prey to the same type of communication process. Out and about passing on our views on sights and sounds often without the “full understanding.” And when it backfires we’re often wondering why. Conversation is great, but conjecture on others lives is best left unsaid.  Just as the things we do say a lot about us, the things we say communicate even more. Sometimes silence is golden.

Until Monday……

Pastor Botts

“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” – Proverbs 10:19

Connection Issues? Count Your Blessings!

When you’re unable to pray, count your blessings. – Anon

King Saul sought out a medium or spiritist in his turmoil. David continued faithful and waited on God for his answer. We know which one was God’s man! Hmm.

Prayer is our most important communication link with God. He covets it and there is never a time when He does not hear us. But there are times in life when it seems like our prayer link to God is broken, we just can’t seem to get through when we really need Him most no matter how often we call. In truth, there are times that God is silent not because of our sin or distance, but because He has already “graced” us with blessings that fulfill all we need. Just try counting, I’m sure you’ll find you won’t be disappointed.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; BLESSED is the man who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8

Time to Listen

Hearing is one of the body’s five senses, but listening is an art. – Anon

The boy Samuel heard God’s call several times before he knew what it took to just listen. Hmm!

We live in a world of constantly increasing communication. Just witness the explosion of ‘smart/social’ media technology (iPads, iPhones, Facebook, FaceTime, Twitter, etc.). But in a world full of communication mediums we have a lot of misdirected, misunderstood people. The art of talk-speak has increased and we have confused hearing with listening. To truly listen is to understand the other persons heart, passion, and desires when they speak. Listening takes time, which we often don’t seem to have; and it takes one’s full attention. This is why we often miss out on God’s responses to our prayers and directions for our lives – we don’t take the time nor give our full attention to Him. God will be speaking today as always, I pray we all listen up.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Then Jesus’ disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things’…. “You believe at last!” Jesus answered.” – John 16:29-31

Don't Sleep

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one. - Anon

You have to think God parting the Red Sea made someone say WOW!

It makes children giggle, the elders take umbrage - someone sleeping in church. But in truth it's nothing new, even Eutychus fell asleep while the apostle Paul preached in Troas. But before we cast an evil eye at these folks we may need to check ourselves. All of us sleep through some of God's most compelling sermons or lessons. If the heavens truly declare His glory imagine what  the world you live in shouts about Him. See the truth is not all sermons of God happen in church settings. A flower blooming (God's renewal/provision), a cricket chirps (God making music/not being silent), a gentle breeze (God's spirit among us). God loves for us to grasp His countless ways of communicating His love, care, concern, and presence amongst us. So let's WAKE UP!

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"....he who has ears, let him hear....." - Matthew 11:15

Monitored Communication

This call may be monitored for quality assurance..... - Operator

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter was surprised when God let it be known He was listening in. Hmm!

Communicate! We love to do it, we live to do it. Talk, text, post, tweet, I/M, etc., we just can't seem to get enough of it. We are social beings. After all, communication is at the crux of all relationships, and we were made for relationships. But I guess the bigger question we need to consider is what are we saying or communicating when we go at it? And why? We must remember as God's people we don't get a free pass at this. He said we will "one day give an account of every word we've spoken." The intent there is not a verbatim review of what we said, but what was our 'motive' behind what was said. Was it necessary, helpful, informational, etc., and most of all did it glorify Him? We may not want 'big brother' listening in on our communications but we need remember our Heavenly Father always is.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Does He who implanted the ear not hear? Does He who formed the eye not see? - Psalm 94:9

Listen intimately

We are drowning in communication technology, but still have not perfected the art of listening. - Anon

It took God three attempts before He got young Samuel's attention. Hmm!

Smartphones, I-Pad/IPOD, PDA’s, Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi technology, etc., all designed to keep us connected, up to date, and well informed. We spend so much time with technology and communicating via technology, we have lost the art of casual, intimate conversation and relationship where listening takes place. Technology has not really made life simpler, it has only sped it up. We’re so ‘wired’ we no longer know how to slow down and catch our breath and actually catch up with one another, especially God. This is not to say technology is a bad thing, but we must remember God was communicating long before technology came into being. So, no matter how technologically advanced we become the intimacy we seek with God and others will always be one on one, face to face.

Until Monday…….

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

Meaningful Prayer

Prayer must mean something to us if it is to mean anything to God! - R. Murray

Daniel let nothing and no one interfere with his prayer time with God. Hmm!

Growing up in our home, we as kids all learned that the phone was not a toy. It was to be used to conduct business, stay in touch, and pass along information. So when you picked it up to dial someone you had a purpose for doing so. The idea of 'just talking loud and saying nothing,' where the conversation was meaningless, pointless, and without purpose or conviction was not tolerated. Truth is, nobody likes conversation like that. Not even God. And though He has inclined His ears to hear our every call, we should always prepare our hearts before we call on Him, and we should have something worthwhile to chat about when we call Him. Even if it's just to tell Him we love Him there should be some conviction in our tone, or if it's to praise Him there should be some passion in our voice. Remember, as we  talk He's looking at our heart.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart......" - Psalm 24:3-4

Silent Speech

Let your speech be better than silence, or be silent – J. Gibbons

At the transfiguration, it seems Peter just had to have his say. God spoke and put him to SILENCE!

There is an old proverb that says, “it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” How true. But in this day and age of communication technology silence has gone the way of dinosaurs (extinct). Truth be known often we converse with others just to hear ourselves talk. We need be careful of what we say and how we say it, but moreso we need remember God is a friend of silence, for in the midst of it He often speaks. Are you listening?

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted; and by your words you will be condemned.” – Matthew 12:36-37

The Art of Listening

Hearing is one of the body’s five senses, but listening is an art. – Anon

The boy Samuel heard God’s call several times before he knew what it took to just listen. Hmm!

We live in a world of constantly increasing communication. Just witness the explosion of ‘smart/social’ media technology (iPads, iPhones, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, etc.). But in a world full of communication mediums we have a lot of misdirected, misunderstood people. The art of talk-speak has increased and we have confused hearing with listening. To truly listen is to understand the other persons heart, passion, and desires when they speak. Listening takes time, which we often don’t seem to have; and it takes one’s full attention. This is why we often miss out on God’s responses to our prayers and directions for our lives – we don’t take the time nor give our full attention to Him. God will be speaking today as always, I pray we all listen up.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Then Jesus’ disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things’…. “You believe at last!” Jesus answered.” – John 16:29-31