2025 One Chapter Closes Another Opens

Another year is dawning…

Abraham got up early in the morning taking Isaac along with him in obedience to God, for an experience that changed them both forever. Hmm!

Though our God is ‘outside’ of time as we know it, He is still the divine keeper and ruler of time and space. He knows exactly when to act and to will His good purposes for us. Just think “at just the right time” Jesus was born. Or “when the time had fully come (Pentecost) the Holy Spirit was poured out” and the church was birthed. If God is truly God, He has it all mapped and planned out. We need not spin our wheels like those we see darting in and out of traffic causing all kinds of mayhem and danger trying to get ‘there’ first -whatever that may be. Our lives may not be where we want or expected it to be right now, but we can pray and trust God will be there at the appropriate time to do what only He can do, and no amount of hurrying or worrying will speed up His arrival.

“This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles…” - Psalm 34:6

FYI – After much prayer and meditation, I write to let you know this will be the last post for ‘The Thought for Today’. It’s been 21 years since I began this and I think this season has run its course for me. I pray it has been a blessing in your life for I know it was in mine. What’s next I do not know, but I trust God will guide and direct us all. Thank you for giving me your eyes all these years.

Blessings!

Pastor Botts

Singing in the Shelter

The greater our present trials and troubles, the louder our future songs of praise will be. – Charles H. Spurgeon

The Psalms, Mary's 'Magnificat'. When you remember the sufferings of people like Moses, David, and even Mary - it gives greater meaning to their songs of praise. AMEN!

Life is exact in its dealings with us. It plays no favorites. From time to time all of us must face discouragement and defeat. Winter, spring, summer or fall, the season nor our age gets us a pass. And sometimes, we experience life-changing personal losses that may leave us reeling. It is what we do in those moments that determine who we are and whose we are. The same God we praise is ready to be called upon when we are in trouble, waiting, standing at the ready to heal, restore, protect and comfort us according to His good pleasure and will. So if our world seems to be trembling or crumbling beneath our feet, we need to seek the protection of the One who can’t be moved. The God who made this universe and everything in it will keep us if we ask Him….so let’s ask Him. We’ve got nothing to lose and stand to gain everything, and if we actually think about it, what He’s already done, we should sing until we’re hoarse.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“….this is what the Lord….says…I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you….” – II Kings 20:5

Music of the Heavens

In the silence behind what can be heard lies the answers we have been searching for for so long. - A. Fransson

The book of Genesis tells us God 'spoke' the heavens into existence; and they haven't been quiet since then. There's a lesson there!

We've all probably witnessed it. Ask a grandmother how are her grandkids, and be prepared to spend some time there. Out come the photos, then come the stories told with much joy and love. It's just a natural response to a beautiful relationship. And so it goes with the 'heavens.' The question I would ask is how much 'airtime' do we earnestly give to God. We live in a world with a video/audio megaport that constantly and loudly promotes anti-biblical themes, values, self-promotion, and ungodly living. But yet, none of these things can really hold a candle to the truth and goodness of God if we would but silence our hearts and listen. We talk about easy listening music - God invented it Himself at creation.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"The heavens declare the glories of God......there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." - Psalm 19:1, 3

Let Him Install the New OS on Your Mainframe

"You have heard that it was said....., but I tell you......" - Jesus

After meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul spent close to 3 years learning what he thought he already knew as a 'holy' man. Hmm!

Just like a computer has an operating system to guide and direct it, our mind serves the same role with us. And whatever we allow in becomes part of our operational way of life and thinking. And just as a computer often needs an upgrade to its operational system, so do we. And if we study the teachings of Jesus we see that a great deal of His time was spent on the goal of 'unlearning' with His disciples. Half of spiritual growth is learning what we don't know about Christ, but the other half is 'unlearning' what we think we know. And it is often our failure to 'unlearn' those irrational fears, misconceptions, and ideologies about Him that keep us from becoming truly who God made us to be. And the truth of the matter is 'unlearning' is twice as hard as learning, for the hardest lesson to learn is the one we thought we already knew. It is so much harder to get old thoughts out of your mind than it is to get new thoughts in, which is why Jesus often led with the premise, "You have heard that it was said....., but I tell you......" We should all be alert as Jesus will be attempting to install some new programming today!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

".....but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." Romans 12:2

Curiously Defined

Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge, and we are ALWAYS God’s children. - Anon

The heavens 'declaring God's glory' is a hard vision to imagine but it's no less true. WOW!

Awesome! Mighty! Magnificent! These words summon up some colossal thoughts and ideas in our minds, particularly when we try to apply them to our Great God and measure His vast nature. But in truth they are only our definitions to help us and our curious minds. God's nature and character go beyond any description we can come up with. He transcends all of life and its beauty because He Himself created it. And though we can have some vivid imaginations the scriptures tell us He is also able "to do more than we can imagine." If the highest heavens can't contain Him what makes us think we can truly define Him. We should just bask in the truth. He is both Great and Good all the time, and we should seek to know Him in a new and different way today. Now that's a thought worth pondering.

I will be away for a few days so this keyboard will be silent. Until then....

Pastor Botts

".....no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him...." - I Corinthians 2:9

Easy Listening Music

In the silence behind what can be heard lies the answers we have been searching for for so long. - A. Fransson

The book of Genesis tells us God 'spoke' the heavens into existence; and they haven't been quiet since then. There's a lesson there!

We've all probably witnessed it. Ask a grandmother how her grandkids are and be prepared to spend some time there. Out come the photos, then come the stories told with much joy and love. It's just a natural response to a beautiful relationship. And so it goes with the 'heavens.' The question I would ask is how much 'airtime' do we earnestly give to God. We live in a world with a video/audio mega port that constantly and loudly promotes anti-biblical themes, values, self-promotion, and ungodly living. But yet, none of these things can really hold a candle to the truth and goodness of God if we would but silence our hearts and listen. We talk about easy listening music - God invented it Himself at creation.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"The heavens declare the glories of God......there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." - Psalm 19:1, 3

Future Praise

The greater our present trials and troubles, the louder our future songs of praise will be. – C.H. Spurgeon

The Psalms, Mary's 'Magnificat'. When you remember the sufferings of people like Moses, David, and even Mary - it gives greater meaning to their songs of praise. AMEN!

Life is exact in its dealings with us. It plays no favorites. From time to time all of us must face discouragement and defeat. Winter, spring, summer or fall, the season nor our age gets us a pass. And sometimes, we experience life-changing personal losses that may leave us reeling. It is what we do in those moments that determine who we are and whose we are. The same God we praise is ready to be called upon when we are in trouble, waiting, standing at the ready to heal, restore, protect and comfort us according to His good pleasure and will. So if our world seems to be trembling or crumbling beneath our feet, we need to seek the protection of the one who can’t be moved. The God who made this universe and everything in it will keep us if we ask Him….so let’s ask Him. We’ve got nothing to lose and stand to gain everything, and if we actually think about it, what He’s already done, we should sing until we’re hoarse.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“….this is what the Lord….says…I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you….” – II Kings 20:5

Betta Recognize

A good conscience is rarely heard because most people do not take advice from strangers. – Anon

Though God was their guiding cloud by day and fire by night, and did many miracles among them, He was still a stranger to the Israelites. Hmm!

“I should have listened to my first mind.” It’s a refrain we’ve all heard and even said many times in our lives, generally when things are not going as they should or we’re in distressing situations behind our decisions. Often, it’s the same way in our faith walk. No matter the amount of time we invest in prayer, study, and meditation, we seem to make decisions as if we’ve never consulted God, even at times ignoring the obvious. True, life is a summary of our experiences, but nowhere in His Word did God say they all had to be ‘personal experiences.’ Life is often rough because we take matters into our own hands against sound judgment. We can and should learn from others experiences and God’s Word to enrich our lives. As the circumstances and situations of life arise today, remember God’s Spirit is friend, not foe.

Until Monday……

Pastor Botts

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27

Child Like Wonder of the Indescribable

Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge. - J. Locke

The heavens 'declaring God's glory' is a hard vision to imagine but it's no less true. WOW!

Awesome! Mighty! Magnificent! These words summon up some colossal thoughts and ideas in our minds, particularly when we try to apply them to our Great God and measure His vast nature. But in truth they are only our definitions to help us and our curious minds. God's nature and character go beyond any description we can come up with. He transcends all of life and its beauty because He Himself created it. And though we can have some vivid imaginations the scriptures tell us He is also able "to do more than we can imagine." If the highest heavens can't contain Him what makes us think we can truly define Him. We should just bask in the truth He is both Great and Good all the time, and seek to know Him in a new and different way today. Now that's a thought worth pondering.

Until tomorrow....

Pastor Botts

".....no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him...." - I Corinthians 2:9

Reeducation

"You have heard that it was said....., but I tell you......" - Jesus

After meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul spent close to 3 years learning what he thought he already knew as a 'holy' man. Hmm!

Just like a computer has an operating system to guide and direct it, our mind serves the same role with us. And whatever we allow in becomes part of our operational way of life and thinking. And just as a computer often needs an upgrade to its operational system, so do we. And if we study the teachings of Jesus we see that a great deal of His time was spent on the goal of 'unlearning' with His disciples. Half of spiritual growth is learning what we don't know about Christ, but the other half is 'unlearning' what we think we know. And it is often our failure to 'unlearn' those irrational fears, misconceptions, and ideologies about Him that keep us from becoming truly who God made us to be. And the truth of the matter is 'unlearning' is twice as hard as learning, for the hardest lesson to learn is the one we thought we already knew. It is so much harder to get old thoughts out of your mind than it is to get new thoughts in, which is why Jesus often led with the premise, "You have heard that it was said....., but I tell you......" We should all be alert as Jesus will be attempting to install some new programming today!

Until Monday.....

Pastor Botts

".....but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." Romans 12:2

P.S. - Hope you can make it for our monthly Sunday Devotional this Sunday at 9am.

Good Great God

Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge. - J. Locke

The heavens 'declaring God's glory' is a hard vision to imagine but it's no less true. WOW!

Awesome! Mighty! Magnificent! These words summon up some colossal thoughts and ideas in our minds, particularly when we try to apply them to our Great God and measure His vast nature. But in truth they are only our definitions to help us and our curious minds. God's nature and character go beyond any description we can come up with. He transcends all of life and its beauty because He Himself created it. And though we can have some vivid imaginations the scriptures tell us He is also able "to do more than we can imagine." If the highest heavens can't contain Him what makes us think we can truly define Him. We should just bask in the truth He is both Great and Good all the time. Now that's a thought worth pondering.

Until tomorrow....

Pastor Botts

".....no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him...." - I Corinthians 2:9

The Stranger Within

A good conscience is rarely heard because most people do not take advice from strangers. – Anon

Though God was their guiding cloud by day and fire by night, and did many miracles among them, He was still a stranger to the Israelites. Hmm!

“I should have listened to my first mind.” It’s a refrain we’ve all heard and even said many times in our lives, generally when things are not going as they should or we’re in distressing situations behind our decisions. Often, it’s the same way in our faith walk. No matter the amount of time we invest in prayer, study, and meditation, we seem to make decisions as if we’ve never consulted God, even at times ignoring the obvious. True, life is a summary of our experiences, but nowhere in His Word did God say they all had to be ‘personal experiences.’ Life is often rough because we take matters into our own hands against sound judgment. We can and should learn from others experiences and God’s Word to enrich our lives. As the circumstances and situations of life arise today, remember God’s Spirit is friend, not foe.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27

System Upgrade

"You have heard that it was said....., but I tell you......" - Jesus

After meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul spent close to 3 years learning what he thought he already knew as a 'holy' man. Hmm!

Just like a computer has an operating system to guide and direct it, our mind serves the same role with us. And whatever we allow in becomes part of our operational way of life and thinking. And just as a computer often needs an upgrade to its operational system, so do we. And if we study the teachings of Jesus we see that a great deal of His time was spent on the goal of 'unlearning' with His disciples. Half of spiritual growth is learning what we don't know about Christ, but the other half is 'unlearning' what we think we know. And it is often our failure to 'unlearn' those irrational fears, misconceptions, and ideologies about Him that keep us from becoming truly who God made us to be. And the truth of the matter is 'unlearning' is twice as hard as learning, for the hardest lesson to learn is the one we thought we already knew. It is so much harder to get old thoughts out of your mind than it is to get new thoughts in, which is why Jesus often led with the premise, "You have heard that it was said....., but I tell you......" We should all be alert as Jesus will be attempting to install some new programming today!

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

".....but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." Romans 12:2