Life According to The Master's Plan

Our task is not to do the master planning, but the planning of the Master. – Richard Murray

God gave Noah exact measurements on the ark, it worked. Jesus gave two of the disciples exact instructions on preparing for the last supper, it was just as he said. Maybe we should just listen and obey. Hmm!

Midlife crises! Biological clocks ticking! Lifetime achievements. It’s truly amazing how many lives are impacted by such events, and the great strides we take and hurdles we leap to make such inroads to the life we dream about. Dreams and aspirations caused by our own man-made thinking and desires, often cause us to cast aside the purposes of God for our own. True, life as it is now may not have panned out the way we planned it, but it may be going just the way the Lord planned it. The great thing is our life is still going, so the sky is still the limit and untold blessings are still possible. When it comes to God’s plan maybe we need to try it His way, on His terms. History has proven Him right every time.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm.” – Psalm 37:23

God's Project

Many of us live as prisoners of others' expectations, rather than one set free by divine promises. – Henry Nouwen

The Samaritan woman at the well thought this was all life had to offer. Then she met Jesus and it all changed. Hmm!

It is a wonderful thing to live within an arena of family and friends who provide us with affection, encouragement, stimulus, and even challenge. These things are necessary to help us in our development. But there is a possible downside to this, when these inputs become binding, restrictive ties that do not allow us to grow into our ‘giftedness’ from God. Though our strong points/qualities may blaze through like the sun, they should not keep us in the proverbial ‘box,’ and not allow us to develop further as God orchestrates our lives. Others expectations based on what they see or perceive they need from us should never overshadow what God is currently doing in and through us. God is always at His work, and you are His project.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…..It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery….” – Galatians 5:1

Standing During Challenges

It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life. – E. Kenny

Little scrawny Gideon was hiding in a winepress threshing wheat when God called him to battle. After finding his courage the rest was easy!

The world today preaches a ‘tainted’ tolerance. We’re to tolerate everyone and their views and desires except when it comes to promoting Christ and his kingdom. This only works to the advantage of the enemy. We took prayer out of schools – look at schools today. We’ve spared the rod on our children – look at children today. This was not the example Jesus gave. Everyday he was challenged by the ‘religious right’ and everyday he stood his ground and told them what his Father said. Jesus had a backbone then and he should have one still today. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “It’s not so much the noise of the bad; it’s the silence of the good.” God is expecting us to be witnesses not observationists.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then…..” Ephesians 6:13-14

Growth Through Persecution

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them. – D. Brinkley

Even as he hung there dying on the cross the people continued to insult Jesus. He never said a word but yet built the firmest foundation a man can have – SALVATION!

If there is one thing we know as a certainty, it’s that we will be persecuted. It matters not whether it be family, co-workers, church members, or even our friends; persecution seems to come in abundance at times. But the desire of God in all of this is that we take these opportunities to grow our character in a way that lets the light of Christ shine forth in our lives. The greatest success is not to get back at our opponents but to “shake off” the dirt they throw upon us and “step up.” Done enough we’ll rise as more and more dirt falls to the ground to build upon. True, it’s hard work; for nothing worth having ever comes easy, but the rewards are much sweeter.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me…the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.” – II Timothy 3:10-11

Faithful InThe Little Things

Be not weary in doing little things for the love of God, for He regards not the greatness of the work; but the love with which it was performed. – Brother Laurence

Naaman was cured of his leprosy not because he was someone of great stature, or because he did a great deed; but because he listened to the words of a little servant girl who had faith in her God. Amen!

Nest-eggs grow with disciplined investing. Educational goals are conquered with disciplined study and planning, and so forth. It’s the little things that happen in our lives every day and how we respond to them that determines the success and greatness of our lives. God will never trust you or your character in the great things if you haven’t proven yourself faithful in the small things. No matter how mundane today’s trials may be, remember He is testing us for something greater up the road.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” – I Corinthians 15:58

Just Reach

It's only in our 'reaching' for God that we see He has been reaching for us! - Anon

When Peter's faith faltered and he started to sink into the water, Jesus' hand was already extended. WOW!


Nobody I know, including myself, likes to eat humble pie. Just the mere thought of it (not the taste) idles our tongue in confession, stiffens our resolve in apologizing, and puts cement in our feet as we approach our confessor. The idea of admitting we of all people were wrong, or need to repent and come clean is seen as a great weakness, and we can't be weak! But here's the picture the bible paints for us. When the Prodigal Son returned to his father I'm sure the last thing he expected was his father to come running/crying out to him. He had rehearsed his speech and was ready to take the heat afterwards. His father's actions had to be a complete surprise. But that's the way our Great God operates. We find it hard to reach out to Him in our time of need, but if we only open our eyes in faith the view is quite beautiful.


Until tomorrow.....


Pastor Botts


"[The Lord] lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." - Psalm 40:2

Keep At It!

You just can't beat the person who never gives up. - Babe Ruth

Through many conflicts, persecutions, and even imprisonment Paul never quit proclaiming Jesus. Amen!

The Grand Canyon. Without question it is one of nature's greatest miracles to behold. In trying to describe it, someone once said "the Colorado River has shown what can be done just by 'keeping at it.' It was the constant flow of that river that carved such a masterpiece." Are you 'keeping at it?' We must realize our lives are not a sprint, relay, nor a lap or two around the track, but a marathon to be run with perseverance. The greatest thing that can be said of any of us after we've gone on to glory, is not the achievements or awards we collected, nor the great discoveries we may have made, but the fact that we 'plodded on' or kept at it no matter what. None of us know where our race will take us, how many hills, valleys, deserts, or mountains we'll have to endure even in sickness or dire circumstances, but hopefully they will be able to say, he/she was a 'plodder', they never gave up, even when it seems they were beat, they kept at it. That's a life Jesus will one day call "good and faithful servant...."

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain." - I Corinthians 15:58

P.S. - I'm still looking for volunteers to facilitate our Wednesday Night Studies for September beginning with this week. Let me know ASAP.

That Little Push

Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm push. – J. Thomas

The light that ‘knocked’ Saul to the ground on the Damascus road, pushed him into a whole new world! Amen.

Though we rarely if ever think about it, all of us got our start in life this way, by our mother’s ‘pushing’ during the birth process. And there we were, in a brand new surrounding; unsure of what just happened and what would happen. But in retrospect that little push was the greatest thing to ever happen to us. God does not ‘push’ us per se, but often He does allow our self created circumstances to help us see the path we must travel. And though we may not like it at the time, the beauty of the journey into the unexpected is that He’s promised to be with us every step of the way. If we’re not happy with who we are or where we’re at all we need do is ask for a good firm push and let God work out the details. That’s what faith is all about.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." - Psalm 119:133

You can't dig UP

If you’re already in a hole, it’s no use to continue digging. – R. Walters

While in the lion’s den Daniel didn’t antagonize the lions, he prayed. Hmm!

Live long enough and life’s activities or circumstances will deal you a setback upsetting your plans (finances, school, faith, etc.) putting you in a rut or hole. It happens – but the key is to not let it stop us dead in our tracks or make us tunnel further down. A hole only remains a hole if we do nothing to fill it, and gets deeper with worry. Putting off for tomorrow what we can do today, right now, is only digging a deeper hole. Hoping things will get better without doing anything about the situation is only digging a deeper hole. Hoping someone will rescue us is a start, but still we must cry out for the help. And when the help comes we must be willing to accept the instructions and not give directions. God is standing by right now.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” – Psalm 40:1-2

Specific Instructions

Our task is not to do the master planning, but the planning of the Master. – Richard Murray

God gave Noah exact measurements on the ark, it worked. Jesus gave two of the disciples exact instructions on preparing for the last supper, it was just as he said. Maybe we should just listen and obey. Hmm!

Getting in the 'right' school. Living in the 'right' neighborhood. Marrying into the 'right' family, etc. It’s truly amazing how many lives are impacted by such events, and the great strides we take and hurdles we leap to make such inroads to the life we dream about. Dreams and aspirations caused by our own man-made thinking and desires, which cause us to cast aside the purposes of God for our own. True, life as it is now may not have panned out the way we planned it, but it may be going just the way the Lord planned it. The great thing is our life is still going, so the sky is still the limit and untold blessings are still possible. When it comes to God’s plan maybe we need to try it His way, on His terms. History has proven Him right every time.

Until tomorrow……..

Pastor Botts

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm.” – Psalm 37:23

Face It

He who loses wealth loses much, he who loses a friend loses more, but he who loses his courage loses all. – M. de Cervantes

Of all the things Judas lost on that fateful night, his courage to seek a forgiving Christ cost him most. Ouch!

Often we don’t want to face the trials God puts before us, meet the challenges His church requires of us, or step out on faith as His word tells us, but we must. For it is in going through the circumstances of life we grow our faith and our courage for the next battle. We need remember, Satan’s best and most used tool is “discouragement,” and he keeps it at the ready. So we must pray that the Spirit will empower us for today, for the challenges, they are a'comin.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith, be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” – I Corinthians 16:13-14

Never Give Up

You just can't beat the person who never gives up. - Babe Ruth

Through many conflicts, persecutions, and even imprisonment Paul never quit proclaiming Jesus. Amen!

The Grand Canyon. Without question it is one of nature's greatest miracles to behold. In trying to describe it, someone once said "the Colorado River has shown what can be done just by 'keeping at it.' It was the constant flow of that river that carved such a masterpiece." Are you 'keeping at it?' We must realize our lives are not a sprint, relay, nor a lap or two around the track, but a marathon to be run with perseverance. The greatest thing that can be said of any of us after we've gone on to glory, is not the achievements or awards we collected, nor the great discoveries we may have made, but the fact that we 'plodded on' or kept at it no matter what. None of us know where our race will take us, how many hills, valleys, deserts, or mountains we'll have to endure even in sickness or dire circumstances, but hopefully they will be able to say, he/she was a 'plodder', they never gave up, even when it seems they were beat, they kept at it. That's a life Jesus will one day call "good and faithful servant...."

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain." - I Corinthians 15:58

Bricks of Success

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them. – D. Brinkley

Even as he hung there dying on the cross the people continued to insult Jesus. He never said a word but yet built the firmest foundation a man can have – SALVATION!

If there is one thing we know as a certainty it’s that we will be persecuted. It matters not whether it be family, co-workers, church members, or even our friends; persecution seems to come in abundance at times. But the desire of God in all of this is that we take these opportunities to grow our character in a way that lets the light of Christ shine forth in our lives. The greatest success is not to get back at our opponents but to “shake off” the dirt they throw upon us and “step up.” Done enough we’ll rise as more and more dirt falls to the ground to build upon. True, it’s hard work;  for nothing worth having ever comes easy, but the rewards are much sweeter.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me…the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.” – II Timothy 3:10-11

A Good Example?

If you can’t be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning. – C. Aird

Noah, Moses, Job, David, Peter, the Babylonians, Assyrians, Canaanites. God used them all: some He saved, some He didn’t save. Hmm!

It is said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” meaning its left open to the interpretation of the individual. What one may consider beautiful, magnificent, or breath-taking; someone else may find hideous and gross. Though the statement holds a lot of truth, the bottom line is that most if not all folks would rather fall on the side of beauty – something to behold and appreciate; and we’re no different. And if we think it through this is exactly what our lives are about. We are either being molded into something of beauty for God that others can appreciate and model or we’re becoming an ‘icon of poison’ for others to see and avoid. And since there is really no such thing as an ‘unfulfilled life’ the question we need be asking ourselves is on which end of the spectrum are we treading?

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…..So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” – I Corinthians 10:11-12