Investing Wisely

You cannot kill time without injury to eternity. – Henry David Thoreau

Jesus told his disciples they MUST work while it is day, for it would soon come a time when they couldn’t. OUCH!

Alarms, bells, whistles, chimes, etc. We’re surrounded by gadgets that each day remind us of the time. Time is the most precious commodity on planet earth. It is even more valuable than money. We can get more money, but we cannot get more time. Each morning we all awake with the same 24-hour timeframe with which to work. How we spend it will well determine where we go when our time is no more. The key is not to waste it on fruitless endeavors, dead-end roads, harboring resentment and hate, or meaningless living; but rather invest it in lives and projects that will make an eternal difference. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “the time is always right to do what is right.” And that time is now, for none of us is getting younger by the day.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts


“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

Stretched Thin?

A man who chases two rabbits catches neither. – D. Ashwell

King Saul wanted his own fame and that of David. He lost everything including his life. Hmm!

If you’re human chances are you’ve suffered a time or two from ‘opportunity-itis,’ the giving of yourself to too many enterprises and activities. As Christians we often feel compelled to chase a number of activity options for fellowship, ministry, and service. This in itself is not bad, but when we add family and friends and other social gatherings to the mix we become stretched thin and lose the ability to do anything meaningful. Jesus called on his followers to live ‘focused’ lives. Lives that have a distinct purpose that will impact others. Just as a laser is more powerful and effective when narrowly focused, so should we be.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

The Spiritual Value of Living In The Present

Time is a versatile performer. It flies, marches on, heals all wounds, runs out, AND will tell! - F.P. Jones

Jesus never hurried a day in his life, yet he could still proclaim "It is finished." WOW!

Time! It's the one thing we can't get more of. It is God's gift to us to be enjoyed and used wisely. But we often find ourselves abusing it by putting off for tomorrow those things we should do today, which then puts us in a frenzied state. So often one person's constant hurry becomes another's stress. There is great spiritual value to living in the present moment. Being able to 'stop and smell the roses,' or 'give someone your full undivided attention,' or even 'play games freely and unhurriedly with your children or family.' What truly makes the present moment so special is God dwells there. When we live, work, and play by a frenzied pace, we develop a 'just get it done' mentality, and it quickly makes the situation more important than the relationship. We then miss opportunities to connect that bring closeness, intimacy, joy, peace, and contentment. So no matter the situation before us today we need to make God's gift of time 'holy' by being aware of those with whom we are sharing it with.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

".....teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...." - Psalm 90:12

Don't Waste A Moment

How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever. - D. Norris

Paul wrote to the Ephesians that a wise decision is to 'make the most of every opportunity for good.' Amen!

24 hours in a day! That's true for all of us, no matter our pedigree, wealth, nationality, or age. God gifts each person the same 24 hours per day. And the world we live in goes overboard with opportunity after opportunity on how to spend it. Notice I said spend, not invest. Like money and babies, time also DOES NOT come with instructions but only a warning to use it wisely. It's been said that to 'kill time' is to harm eternity. If left unchecked time stealthily slips away taking with it much more than it brought, often leaving heavy regrets in its wake. I pray today may be a wake-up call for us all.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12

Today's Wonder

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. – K. Kelley

When God spoke to the Israelites from the mountaintop, they were in AWE. Too bad they missed him all the other times. Hmm!

A baby's first steps or first words. A beautiful sunrise or sunset. Gazing into the Grand Canyon. Winning a game at the buzzer. These are all events that are common to most folks, and all with heart-throbbing emotion, and a need for expression. The key is to notice they are events, not things. Events that require us to take the focus off of ourselves and shift it to others. We spend a great deal of life trying to acquire things, but God is found in the interactions with others and his creation. Jesus said, “my Father is always at his work,” and with that truth we can expect to be awed and amazed sometime today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf.” – Psalm 66:5

Numbering Our Time

Time is a versatile performer. It flies, marches on, heals all wounds, runs out, AND will tell! - F.P. Jones

Jesus never hurried a day in his life, yet he could still proclaim "It is finished." WOW!

Time! It's the one thing we can't get more of. It is God's gift to us to be enjoyed, and used wisely. But we often find ourselves abusing it by putting off for tomorrow those things we should do today, which then puts us in a frenzied state. So often one person's constant hurry becomes another's stress. There is great spiritual value to living in the present moment. Being able to 'stop and smell the roses,' or 'give someone your full undivided attention,' or even 'play games freely and unhurriedly with your children or family.' What truly makes the present moment so special is God dwells there. When we live, work, and play by a frenzied pace, we develop a 'just get it done' mentality, and it quickly makes the situation more important than the relationship. We then miss opportunities to connect that bring closeness, intimacy, joy, peace, and contentment. So no matter the situation before us today we need to make God's gift of time 'holy' by being aware of those with whom we are sharing it with.

Until tomorrow......

Pastor Botts

".....teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...." - Psalm 90:12

Time to make the BEST investment this planet has to offer

You cannot kill time without injury to eternity. – Henry David Thoreau

Jesus told his disciples they MUST work while it is day, for it would soon come a time when they couldn’t. OUCH!

Alarms, bells, whistles, chimes, etc. We’re surrounded by gadgets that each day remind us of the time. Time is the most precious commodity on planet earth. It is even more valuable than money. We can get more money, but we cannot get more time.  Each morning we all awake with the same 24-hour timeframe with which to work. How we spend it will well determine where we go when our time is no more. The key is not to waste it on fruitless endeavors, dead-end roads, harboring resentment and hate, or meaningless living; but rather invest it in lives and projects that will make an eternal difference. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “the time is always right to do what is right.” And that time is now, for none of us is getting younger by the day.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

Finish It

Life has two rules: Number One -Never quit.  Number Two -Always remember rule number One. - Duke Ellington

Abraham, Joseph, David, Job, Paul. In spite of the difficulties and trials in their life they always kept God first. God never quit on them either. AMEN!

Growing up playing games as a kid the last thing anyone of us wanted to be known as was a quitter. Scrapes, bruises, bleeding, even darkness didn't matter - we played on and on. Quitting was dishonorable. What happened? If we're truly honest with ourselves it's amazing how often we quit on God. We start something and almost at the drop of a hat or the first hardship we quit. Attending church, bible study, prayer time, giving, even righteous living go out the door when it's an inconvenience to us. Thankfully God is gracious, though He will not be forever. And though He may not deal directly with us now, rest assured that one day we "will have to give an account." And with God, results count; excuses don't.

Until tomorrow........

Pastor Botts

"Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" - Luke 9:62

Living Focused Lives

A man who chases two rabbits catches neither. – D. Ashwell

King Saul wanted his own fame and that of David. He lost everything including his life. Hmm!

If you’re human chances are you’ve suffered a time or two from ‘opportunity-itis,’ the giving of yourself to too many enterprises and activities. As Christians we often feel compelled to chase a number of activity options for fellowship, ministry, and service. This in itself is not bad, but when we add family and friends and other social gatherings to the mix we become stretched thin and lose the ability to do anything meaningful. Jesus called on his followers to live ‘focused’ lives, lives that have a distinct purpose that will impact others. Just as a laser is more powerful and effective when narrowly focused, so should we be.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

The Precious Gift of Time

Time is a versatile performer. It flies, marches on, heals all wounds, runs out, AND will tell! - F.P. Jones

Jesus never hurried a day in his life, yet he could still proclaim "It is finished." Wow!

Time! It's the one thing we can't get more of. It is God's gift to us to be enjoyed, and used wisely. But we often find ourselves abusing it by putting off for tomorrow those things we should do today, which then puts us in a frenzied state. So often one person's constant hurry becomes another's stress. There is great spiritual value to living in the present moment. Being able to 'stop and smell the roses,' or 'give someone your full undivided attention,' or even 'play games freely and unhurriedly with your children or family.' The present moment is special for God dwells there. When we live, work, and play by a frenzied pace, we develop a 'just get it done' mentality, and it quickly  makes the situation more important than the relationship. We then miss opportunities to connect that bring closeness, intimacy, joy, peace, and contentment. So no matter the situation before us today we need to make God's gift of time holy by being aware of those with whom we are sharing it with.

Until Monday......

Pastor Botts

".....teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...." - Psalm 90:12

Connection Interrupted

Heaven's phone number has not changed but it seems to be getting fewer calls. - Anon

I Samuel 3:1 tells us 'there was a time when God's revelations were rare...' What do you think was the cause? Hmm!

Most of us have had that frustrating cell phone call where the person on the other end keeps cutting in and out. You may be talking while driving (hands-free of course), in the middle of a long story or a funny moment or even a serious problem, only to realize the call was dropped miles back. Don't you hate that? Have you ever thought maybe that's how our communication is with God? We think we are in conversation with Him, but in truth because of our continual practice of sin or unrepentant lifestyle our prayers cut in an out and get dropped. God has told us what it takes from us for Him to 'hear' our prayers, and He has never backed away from His desire to hear from us and commune with us. If we're out of reach or cell coverage it's not His fault but ours. When we place our call we need to make sure of our connections.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"....if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - II Chronicles 7:14

Killing Time

You cannot kill time without injury to eternity. – H. D. Thoreau

Jesus told his disciples they MUST work while it is day, for it would soon come a time when they couldn’t. OUCH!

Alarms, bells, whistles, chimes, etc. We’re surrounded by gadgets that each day remind us of the time. Time is the most precious commodity on planet earth. It is even more valuable than money. We can get more money, but we cannot get more time.  Each morning we all awake with the same 24-hour timeframe with which to work. How we spend it will well determine where we go when our time is no more. The key is not to waste it on fruitless endeavors, dead-end roads, harboring resentment and hate, or meaningless living; but rather invest it in lives and projects that will make an eternal difference. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “the time is always right to do what is right.” And that time is now, for none of us is getting younger by the day.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

P.S. - Don't forget our Sunday School Devotional time this Sunday at 9AM. Also, don't forget to set your clocks back 1-hour this Saturday night as Daylight Savings ends.