We're Still In It

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place. - Paulo Coelho

The exile upended Daniel's 'known' world but it never separated him from God. Hmm!

True, the current political climate and inactivity of Congress has caused great disruption to the world, and forced many changes in the world's operations. It has caused many businesses to downsize or to shutter their doors or close permanently. But it has not impacted God's kingdom at all. No matter what happens here on this earth.....God's kingdom will never be restructured, downsized, streamlined, or whatever other adjective you can think of meaning change. Life's situational changes may leave us on the sidelines but because of God's great grace and love, we'll always fit into His plans. And He will always have a place and purpose for us in His story. So no matter where you are, know that He's not done with the blessings just yet.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"In all of this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." - Job 1:22

Remembering the Good Things

Life would be truly wonderful if we could forget our troubles as quickly as we seem to forget our blessings. – Anon

The Israelites cried out to God for over 400 years to be free of their Egyptian oppressors. As soon as He set them free and they came to the Red Sea they were ready to go back. Hmm!

Truthfully speaking, it is a great day and a great time to be alive. No matter the circumstances of our lives or what station we occupy now, we are blessed beyond measure. Hardships may come, sickness may strike, but these don’t last always and often God will use these instances to help us grow stronger in our faith – and draw us closer to Him – that He may bless us even more. If we are to be in heaven praising eternally, God wants us to be long in memory and character as to what that really entails, so as the day unfolds God wants us to practice keeping our focus on Him and his purposes no matter what may arise.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.” – I Chronicles 16:11-12

Remember to Press On

To keep proper focus always remember: From where you came; Where you are going; and to Whom you must give account. – Richard Murray

In all of his misery Job never forgot that “naked I came into the world and naked I shall depart, but the Lord is to be praised.” WOW!

With all that’s going on in the world around us and in our immediate lives sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. The number one goal of our enemy is to get us to take our focus off of God. Where we begin to major in the minor things in our life, our imperfections, failures, our losses, making them the focal point. This happens when we get caught up in self-pity, for we leave little room for God to work in us and on us. We can’t wallow in the moment, we must remember we’re on a journey for God. Progress sometimes is slow, but if we keep moving forward we will one day have a good report.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Philippians 3:12

New Every Morning

Your past should be a springboard, not a hammock! – E. Burke

The book of Judges is proof positive that God has little recollection of yesterday’s performance. Amen!

One of the truths of baseball is that it is hard to make it to the major league level, but once you do, it is even harder to stay there. They have so many metrics, statistics, and ways to measure your performance. One bad day/week and you can easily become overwhelmed by a stat sheet analysis. Thankfully, God is not that way with us. Even in our most difficult season we can still rejoice in His faithfulness, for our current situation in His sight is always based not on what we’ve done but on His unchanging heart for us and what Jesus has done. And though we may feel down or defeated He offers new mercy and hope each day. So let go of yesterday’s shortcomings and live on today’s opportunities.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:19-23

Responses That Reflect Your Calling

What they call you is up to them, what you answer to is up to you. - Anon

Saul once called David a boy, but after the Goliath event he realized David was a warrior. WOW!

Winebibber, glutton, friend of sinners, Beelzebub! Those who despised him had many names for Jesus, most of them unflattering and downright mean. But he never forgot who he was nor his ultimate calling - SAVIOR. People of the world today are not much different than people then, this we know for many of us have had some unflattering names, gestures, and remarks hurled our way. It just goes with the territory. The question is how we respond, if we respond. Remember, you don't have to attend every argument/fight you're invited to. But if and when we do, may we like Jesus remember our ultimate goal - to reflect God in all we do in word and deed.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." - Matthew 5:11

Precious Lasting Memories

One day, you'll be just a memory for some people. Do your best now to make it a good one! - Anon

When the mysterious woman anointed Jesus by pouring perfume on his head, he said her act will be remembered forever. Hmm!

Walk into any home and you'll probably see them. Photos, framed and placed around the house of children, spouses, and others. And each one has a story behind it. The age or grade level, the event or gathering, and usually the joy or happiness of the day. Precious memories! In truth, no one wants to be forgotten, and that's not really a bad thing, it's human nature. The question is what are we doing now that is worthwhile to be remembered fondly? Life is fast and fleeting but if we do it right by God's standards our memory can be around long after we're gone. LIVE WELL!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope....." Lamentations 3:21

Forgetting What Is Behind...

To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it. – Confucius

Though Peter scolded him and denied even knowing him, Jesus still gave him Pentecost. WOW!

We live in a fallen world with fallen people. So often we seem to forget this fact. Fallen people tend to do wrong, sometimes intentionally. The truth of the matter is that we will be lied to, lied on, mistreated, misjudged, and flat out hated at times just because we breathe or exist. These are the issues of life that will create excess baggage and emotional instability if we allow it. The example Jesus gave to us is that we just keep moving closer to God, give it all to Him and allow Him to heal it and make us stronger for the fight ahead. Forgiveness is a great gift once we learn how to use it properly and remember God will bring justice as He promised.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10

The Secret to Being...

Recipe for contentment: Remember the day’s blessings, quickly forget the day’s troubles. – Anon

The apostle Paul said he ‘knew’ the secret to being content in all things. It was his new attitude in Christ. Hmm!

We spend a great deal of our time, resources, and efforts chasing after the seemingly elusive ‘zone of peace.’ The bible does tell us to seek peace and pursue it, but it never said it was in the things made by man. The only true peace comes from being rightly related to God and not straining or taking the relationship for granted. Since we alone choose what to allow our hearts and minds to dwell on, in Christ; contentment, peace, and happiness are just a mindset away. As the day unfolds what it cooks up will be up to us.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

"I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be on my lips...." - Psalm 34:1

Remember to Have An Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to remember past mercies. – C. Jefferson

The publican in his prayer request. Paul in his letter to Timothy. They both understood “it” – Grace!

Did you ever stop to wonder why God gave us the ability to remember things? I think the main reason is so that we would never forget what He’s already done for us. It’s true, were we to actually stop for a minute and try remembering our past blessings, we would truly realize how gracious and merciful God has been to us; which in turn should make us the most gracious and merciful people on earth. The question of the day is are you humbly grateful or grumbly hateful? Gratitude is a great attitude. Thanksgiving was yesterday, will we have an gratitude today?

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” – Psalm 103:1-5

Ready Or Not

For those playing hide-and-seek with Jesus, remember it's "ready or not here I come!" - Anon

The foolish virgins were banging on the door to get back into a fellowship they previously had. Hmm!

Discovery! We all like to find new things. We will often go out of our way to find and try something new and exciting. We plan outings and trips to discover. And often these adventures interfere with our worship, giving, serving, and attendance of the things of God and kingdom. If truth be told many of us play games like the 'hokey-pokey' or 'hide-and-seek' with our attention to Jesus and His commands. The parable of the 'foolish virgins' wasn't told just for entertainment, it's purpose was to instruct us to ALWAYS be ready for the Master's return for it could come at a moment's notice. And when Jesus does return to call us before Him, we want to be discovered in a READY position. Now is the time to do so.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"......However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" - Luke 18:8

A Faithfulness to Remember

When we look back on the faithfulness of God, we praise Him. When we look forward to God’s faithfulness, we trust Him. – K. Watters

God knew the shortness of the human mind which is why He instituted ‘feast days’ and ‘memorials.’ It’s all about HIM. Amen!

Though we are not where we want to be as a nation, a people, or a person; let us never forget THE ONE, and others who fought and died valiantly, wrote and argued vociferously, or protested loudly, to bring us the freedoms we now enjoy. And let us continue to do all we can to push the issue forward for future generations, keeping it all anchored in Christ and His Church.

Happy Memorial Day!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples. For great is His love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the :Lord." - Psalm 117

Loved with an Everlasting Love

Always remember you already have the greatest gifts ever, someone to love and someone who loves you: GOD – J. Sinor

The 'Ugly Duckling’ is a fairy tale of a graceful swan born in a duck’s nest and considered an ugly outcast. Shunned, he spends his life traveling from place to place in search of the most meaningful gift – LOVE. Hmm!

Many of us are like this. We chase after false ideals, dreams, and even people thinking they will fulfill this need; forgetting or neglecting the only ONE who can truly fill it. The enemy's aim each day is to make us forget or take our eyes off of the one constant truth - 'God is.' We only need to remember this each day, and that no matter what happens to us or who happens upon us, God still loves us as if we were the only one who matters.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt….’” – Jeremiah 31:3, 33

P.S. - Our Annual Business Meeting will be this Sunday after services. Hope you can make it!

Forgiveness: The Great Medication

Remember that when you forgive you heal, when you let go, you grow!

I’m certain it took Peter at least a few days to fully understand Jesus’ math lesson on forgiveness. Hmm!

Ask any professional pitcher or quarterback and they’ll tell you there were many times in their career where the ‘moment’ the ball left their hand they wished they could have it back. The end result being a homerun given up or an interception thrown. Not a good feeling. But that bad feeling is not limited to sports. How many times in our lives have we wished we could take back our mis-timed or harshly spoken words, correct a mistake or action that hurt someone or caused a negative reaction? And though it's part of being human, that doesn’t make it feel any better. But forgiveness does. It’s a great medication. And like the pitcher or quarterback who plays on, with God we know that His forgiveness always comes with another chance to get it right. So, today is an opportunity to do better than yesterday. WOW!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

Humbly Grateful or Grumbly Hateful?

Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to remember past mercies. – C. Jefferson

The publican in his prayer request. Paul in his letter to Timothy. They both understood “it” – Grace!

Did you ever stop to wonder why God gave us the ability to remember things? I think the main reason is so that we would never forget what He’s already done for us. It’s true, were we to actually stop for a minute and try remembering ALL our past blessings, we would truly realize how gracious and merciful God has been to us; which in turn should make us the most gracious and merciful people on earth. The question of the day is are you humbly grateful or grumbly hateful? Gratitude is a great attitude.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” – Psalm 103:1-5 kjv

Developing Good from the Irritations

If there are irritations in your life, remember the oyster, who uses them to make a pearl. – Anon

Joseph had brothers who sold him into slavery. But he later saved them and his people. Moses had the Israelites who continually vexed him. But he led them to become a great nation. Hmm!

If there is one thing true of this life, it is we all have irritations, crises, stress, and bad-timed events happen to us that sometimes seem to “chafe” at our spirit. Surprise – Jesus said it would happen! And whether it’s the work of the enemy, or God trying to grow our faith, the key is to focus on the ‘positives’ these circumstances create and use this to still bring about a good work for God. If God can work ‘all things for our good’ shouldn’t we try the same. Here’s praying our ‘presentation’ be pleasing today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers; whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

Life Runs On Prayer

Remember that nothing will run itself, unless it’s running downhill. – Anon

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus exhorted the disciples to “keep watch and pray” and not sleep. Though they failed on several occasions, they finally got it right later. AMEN!

It’s true the life Jesus promised us is the life we all want, but it’s also true that to have the life we want we must put in the “work” required. If we were to ever seriously look at the life Jesus lived we would see the first and last order of work is prayer. The reasons our lives are often run down, drained, and without effect is because we don’t do the necessary work in prayer. Prayer is what keeps the life running. It is as vital to the Christian life as food is to the physical life. Without it we cease to exist. I pray yours is effective.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

"Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - I Corinthians 15:58

Before You Speak...

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. – Richard Murray

At a heightened moment of temptation, Jesus let it pass and carefully uttered “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” WOW!

One of the old clichéd truisms of life is “please think before you speak.” The adoption of this principle as a doctrine of life could save us from many stressful situations and later apologies. All of us from our childhood have been taught how to talk and enunciate our words, but not so much when and how to choose our words or responses carefully. We should always be ready to speak the truth, but even then, it should be spoken in love, not in hostility or with other unnecessary commentary. And yes, there are times when we should just remain silent and refrain from ‘adding’ in our two-cents on matters that are not constructive about others. Temptation will indeed be great to go off course today, but remember God will provide a way of escape.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it….” – James 4:11

God's Not Done Just Yet!

When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place. - Paulo Coelho

The exile upended Daniel's 'known' world but it never separated him from God. Hmm!

True, the pandemic has caused great disruption to the world, and forced many changes in the world's operations. It has caused many businesses to downsize or to shutter their doors or close permanently. But it has not impacted God's kingdom at all. No matter what happens here on this earth.....God's kingdom will never be restructured, downsized, streamlined, or whatever other adjective you can think of meaning change. Life's situational changes may leave us on the sidelines but because of God's great grace and love, we'll always fit into His plans. And He will always have a place and purpose for us in His story. So no matter where you are, know that He's not done with the blessings just yet.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"In all of this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." - Job 1:22

Navigating the Course of Life

Yes times does fly, but remember you’re the pilot. – M. Altshuler

At 17, Joseph was sold into slavery and later went to prison. At 30, he was second in command only to Pharaoh. Why – he flew according to God’s plan. Hmm!

Here we are in February 2021, and the pace is moving along pretty quickly. Time will continue to march forward as God Himself pre-ordained it. But the good thing about it is He has set the pace such that life can be lived to its fullest potential, enjoyed immensely, and shared with others; as long as He is kept first. It’s only when we allow life and its circumstances and events to ‘pilot’ us that we seem to lack the time necessary for godly virtues and values. A good pilot knows his destination and weather conditions before he even takes off, allowing him to navigate the course smoothly and timely. If things are moving too fast maybe you need to seek God about a course correction.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.” – Proverbs 15:21

Focus Forward

To keep proper focus always remember: From where you came; Where you are going; and to Whom you must give account. – Richard Murray

In all of his misery Job never forgot that “naked I came into the world and naked I shall depart, but the Lord is to be praised.” WOW!

With all that’s going on in the world around us and in our immediate lives sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. The number one goal of our enemy is to get us to take our focus off of God and major in the minor things in our life, our imperfections, failures, our losses. When we get caught up in self pity we leave little room for God to work in us and on us. We can’t wallow in the moment, we must remember we’re on a journey for God. Progress sometimes is slow, but if we keep moving forward we will one day have a good report.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Philippians 3:12