The Necessary Heartbreak

If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart. – Oswald Chambers

God heard Hannah’s painful heart-broken prayers. He answered by giving her a son mighty in the priesthood. AMEN!

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but pain, sweat, and tears are what get the job done. Now admittedly, we all have an aversion to pain of any kind. With so much to do, so many places to go, or people to interact with we seldom have time to be laid up or sidelined with it. But that is the call of an intercessor, to have a deep-hearted pain for others that only God can soothe and heal. Pain is not optional in our Christian walk, it is inevitable; and as much as we try to avoid it, sometimes we need to ask God to break our heart.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” – Psalm 51:16-17

Laws of Attraction

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? – Anon

John the Baptist and 2 of his disciples were intrigued by Jesus and asked “where are you staying?” Jesus said, “come and see!” They spent that whole day with him. Hmm!

It is often said “you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” In other words you must be able to attract them. The same idea is true in our faith walk each and every day. What attracts or draws us to those we associate with? The best way to attract people to Christ (who draws all men to himself) is not so much to ‘act’ like a Christian, but just live as we truly believe. A Christian has hope in all situations and circumstances so life is never bleak and we shouldn’t wear long faces. Our life should eventually impact those we walk with. If we’re not attracting anyone maybe it’s time to get re-focused on who we’re following.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit…..” – I Corinthians 16:17-18

P.S. - Don't forget the 'Christmas Sweater contest' and our 'Afternoon of Comedy' events are this Sunday (12/15)

Condition Check

The will of God has far more to do with our spiritual condition than with our geographical location. – P. Smith

Even exiled in a foreign land, Daniel still held fast to his ‘dietary and faith’ regimens for God’s purposes. Hmm!

Were you to ask any real estate broker or agent the primary factor that helps move a house for sale, they’ll give you their professional credo: location, location, location! Often we tend to think the same way when it comes to serving God, we’ve got to be ‘at church’ or in some ‘sort of setting.’ But God is not so much interested in our location as He is with our hearts condition. Truth is, there is no place we can go where God is not. So wherever we may be today, may we do His will. All it takes is a willing heart.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” – Psalm 139:7

Just Do It...Righteously

Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies just because they become fashions. – G.K. Chesterton

The idolatry practiced by their neighbors looked like fun and good times to the Israelites, but God thought otherwise. Ouch!

Wokeism. Cultural appropriation. Personal pronouns. New Age. Avant-Garde lifestyles, etc. Call it what you will, but we now live in a society where it is fully acceptable to find new ways to lower morality and shun any personal responsibility or acknowledge Almighty God. Everybody has turned to his own way. Even we as Christians if we’re not careful can get easily tangled up in the worldly offerings (media, leisure, clothing, idols, affirmations, etc.). But no matter what society calls it or how society sells it, before God it is still SIN, period! Don’t just do it, do it righteously.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” – I Thessalonians 5:19-22

The Power of Change

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. - C. Kettering

The Israelites wanted freedom from bondage, yet when God was bringing it about through Moses they sure complained a whole lot. Hmm!

We look forward to it, but yet we abhor it at the same time. What is it - CHANGE! We embrace the idea of new adventures, relationships, opportunities per se, but we hate letting go of existing ties. Like a child going away to college, they know they'll eventually form new relationships and gain new friends, but also the friends and relationships they leave behind will change, or possibly die. But the fact of the matter is God brings change in our lives to grow/mature us and even shows us more of His majesty and purpose for us. In truth, the only constant in life is change. All of us come here as infants, but look at us now, my have we changed! And not just in shape or appearance, but in thoughts and attitudes. If God is truly leading us in our lives, then change should never be feared - even when we don't fully understand if. We should just trust in the One who's leading, that He knows the way ahead. After all, change is a good part of the life God has for us.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed." - I Samuel 10:6

Let It Begin with Me

Everyone prays for change in the world, but nobody wants to be the first volunteer! - Anon

When God asked 'who will go? "Isaiah immediately and without hesitation said "Here I am. Send me!" Hmm!

Think about it. We all have them, friends, associates, and even family members who could be a much better person if they just changed......... that about them. That one little thing that just 'irks' us. That one little thing about them that we so often point out to others about them. The truth we need to face is that our criticisms of others will never change them, but our prayers will. And the faith behind our prayers for others is actually that step we need to make to become a volunteer for change. Why, because God often has to do a work in us first that we may be able to see the changes He's making in others. So friend, let's keep praying!

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests......always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." - Ephesians 6:18

Ripple Effect

When one person sneezes, everyone around is in danger of a cold. – Anon

Achan’s one little act of deceit had mighty repercussions. OUCH!

We all know the teaching about dropping a pebble in the water and watching the ripples expand outward – with the understanding we never know how far one good deed will extend out. That’s true, but it is equally true for one bad deed or moment of anger as well. We never know how far that ‘ripple’ will extend out. Life is not perfect and no matter how much preparation we do in advance, dotting all the ‘I’s’ and crossing all the ‘t’s, systems crash, people are late, things get misplaced, and people forget. It’s in these moments we’re tasked with representing Jesus or ourselves. We must remember the person in front of us or on the phone is not our enemy for ours is always a spiritual battle. When things go awry today or tomorrow we must let the ‘Christ’ in our heart lead and not the ‘anger’ in our attitude. It’s important because the ‘ripple’ will travel outward from there.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.’ – Ecclesiastes 7:9

Sometimes We Need A Break

A horse must be “broken” before he’ll work. So must some people. – Anon

God at one time made King Nebuchadnezzar ‘unfit’ for society until he acknowledged God’s greatness and sovereignty. Amen!

In the midst of turmoil or struggles in our life we are prone to ask the "why me" question. And though trouble comes to all men equally, there are times when God speaks directly to our situation and relationship with Him. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we often chase our own success, satisfaction, and glory to the detriment of our relationship with God. Often we think we’re giving God His due, but it’s merely ritual platitudes and tokenism. And though it pains Him to do so, sometimes God has to completely ‘interrupt’ or ‘subdue’ us (financial crises, ill health, detached relationships, etc.) to get our attention, to show us the error of our ways. So our question should not so much be "why me," but what is God trying to tell me?

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” – Psalm 51:16-17

Saying NO to Misery

True enough, misery may love company; but no one said it had to be you. – Sparks

The rich man died and opened his eyes in hell, then wanted the company of Lazarus to ‘wet’ his parched tongue. Abraham said sorry, no can do. AMEN!

There is a big difference between being comforting and just wallowing in misery. One is born of love the other selfishness. Misery is a tool of the enemy that melts the heart. The real reason many of us often wind up in the company of misery is we fail to acknowledge the power of the Spirit within us to just say ‘NO,’ I will not be a part of this. The Word tells us ‘do not quench the Spirit.’ When we do, we’re on our own. We are each responsible for maintaining the inward joy Jesus brings to us, and SHARING that joy wherever we go. Go for it!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22

Bitter to Better

The fruit of the Spirit does not include sour grapes. – S. Stone

When Martha complained about the ‘lack of support’ from Mary in preparing dinner, Jesus reminded her who chose what! Hmm!

One of the first things you learn in your faith walk is ‘it is not about you,’ it’s about God. With a good understanding of that we should get along just fine, knowing that things are not going to go the way we want them to all the time, they’ll go the way God wants them to. Now generally, when you know what’s coming, even if it’s not what you would have wanted; you don’t get upset or bent out of shape. But with us it’s sometimes amazing how we go on griping and complaining about the troubles in our life when the one we live for told us we would have them, "in this world you will have troubles". The idea is not to become bitter by our trials but better by them. To gripe and complain is like adding more fuel to an existing fire. Sour grapes will only ruin the rest of the fruit.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another…” – Ephesians 4:30-32

Cleaning House

A trip to nostalgia now and then is good for the spirit, so long as you don’t set up housekeeping. – D. Bartolovic

After witnessing Jesus' transfiguration, Peter wanted to stay there and build altars. God said no, follow My Son. AMEN!

Closets, attics, trunks, garages, refrigerators. What do they all have in common - they are storage spaces. But the other thing they have in common is every so often they need to be cleaned, purged of old useless, spoiled, outdated items. True, some of these items carry great memories, but yet and still they must go to make room for new ones. Even God told His people "forget the past, behold I'm doing a new thing...." All too often our holding on to items, relics, etc., make us complacent and unable to move forward. But move on we must, and the truth is we will experience even greater marvels of God's glory in our lives. So maybe it's time we do a little housecleaning in eager expectation that something good is on the way.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"....But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me......" - Philippians 3:13-14

True Joy

God only wants for us what we would want for ourselves if we were smart enough to want it. – A. Rogers

God set opportunity before the Israelites and even told them to choose ‘life.’ He’s been busy trying to give it to us all since. WOW!

More of this, less of that, more of those, none of those. If we had it to do ourselves this is precisely how we would set our life to run. It would be a life of all joy, excitement, unlimited resources, and unlimited time. Everything would go our way and no one would tell us NO! But that’s not how it goes and not how it should go. We would never know true joy if we never experienced sorrow or grief. We would never know what plenty meant if we never experienced lack. God knows what’s best for us which is why life isn’t as we want but it is as we need it, that we may be perfected in His righteousness. The key is to try and think like God or have a heart after God – this makes it much easier to bear and quite a bit more enjoyable.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us….” – Romans 8:26

Post-It Prayers

Once you choose hope, anything is possible. - Christopher Reeve

The angel told Cornelius his many prayers came up as a memorial before God. Hmm!

Years ago, the 3M Company (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co.) came out with a great invention: 'Post-It' Notes. Those little yellow sticky note pads that allowed you to leave a note for someone 'stuck' to a place they couldn't avoid seeing. It was a winner. Soon, these little notes were seen all over the place, often as reminders to ourselves to do something important. Just a short, quick, note! Maybe this is something we should adopt in our prayer lives. Not so much the note; but short, quick, prayers. I'm sure God is honored when we take time in our closets or 'in the WILD' but I'm sure He loves it even more when we take time throughout the day to 'stick' a prayer request, or a thank you note, or even a song of praise on His 'window'. And the more, the better. For it keeps Him centered in our daily walk. So, let's 'Post-It!'

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests...." - Ephesians 6:18

A Key to Easing Stress

Patience! The windmill never strays in search of the wind! - A. Sklivis

Throughout the whole bible there was never a time God or His Son was in a hurry. Hmm!

Haste makes more than waste; it makes folks tired. There is almost an inverse relationship when you really think about it. The more patient we are, the more accepting we will be of what is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as we would like it to be. Without patience, life is extremely frustrating. We become easily annoyed, bothered, and irritated. Patience adds a degree of ease and acceptance to life, and it’s essential for inner peace. One key to having this patience is learning to look for and see the innocence in the situations that arise that test us. People interrupt us or situations arise not out of conspiracy but because life happens. Our loved ones show up unexpectedly, street lights slow us up, long lines crop up, not because of a vendetta against us; but because life was never supposed to be catered to us but lived by us. To try and hurry it along only brings stress, and I imagine it makes God laugh a bit too!

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"....But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...." - Galatians 5:22

Choice, Circumstances and Conclusions

In the grand scheme of things there is God in ALL things. - Anon

Rahab is in the genealogy of Jesus for a reason. Hmm!

"How did the world wind up like this?" "How did I wind up in this position?" Why are people so evil...?" Honest questions we all ask from time to time. The 1-word answer - SIN! God did not create sin but He knew it was an inevitable possibility with giving us free will. But even with that He created a way out for us (Jesus) and a place for those who don't want Him (Hell). Again, letting us by our own free will make the choice. Life is full of choices. No one is a victim of their circumstances; they are victim of their free will choices to the circumstances that presented themselves. The good thing is that though we may make a bad decision from time to time, God can take it and make it work out for our good if we're willing to trust Him. It doesn't mean He will take the situation away, but He will give us a new perspective and a renewed spirit to see and deal with it in a way that brings glory to Him, and that ain't all bad.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind." - Ecclesiastes 12:13

Flights of Faith

"I want to fly like an eagle, til' I'm free, fly like an eagle let my spirit carry me..." - Song lyrics

You ever notice once Abraham 'trusted' God he was NEVER in want for anything. Hmm!

You see them soaring overhead, oftentimes just floating on the wind, looking majestic and proud - birds of the air. It wasn't always that way. There was a day when they were pushed out of the nest to their first flight. Their parents thought they had what it took at that time to fly - and fly they did. Maybe not perfectly, and maybe not a long flight, but long enough to convince them they could. You ever think God works that way with us. Trying to nudge us out of the nest (our comfort zone) into something new and exciting. He knows He's prepared us for it and will walk with us through it, but He just needs us to take that 'flight' of faith. Faith only grows when it's put to the test/trial. We can learn a lot by reading the bible, but to build our faith takes practical exams. God is saying to all of us today: "Welcome to flight school!"

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31

Acts of Kindness

You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force. - Publilius

Tabitha's kindness brought a community together in prayer and solicitation. It also moved God. AMEN!

We call them small acts of kindness! But in truth there is no such thing. As 'kindness' is one of the fruits of the Spirit, it has God written all over it, so it really isn't small, it's God reaching out. Though we may think little of our actions, to the one on the receiving end it may just be the hinge that swings open the door allowing them to move from despair, grief, anxiety, etc., to praise and a new hope. And that friend is not insignificant - it's monumental.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." - Proverbs 19:17

Heart Smiles

A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight. – Richard Murray

At the initial reunion, the Prodigal Father’s face told his son all he needed to know. AMEN!

True, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line; but the quickest way to set someone’s heart at ease is with a curve of the lips, or smile. It can change the tenor of a room, conversation, or even an individual. It’s amazing when you truly think about it, but God made us in such a way that when we smile truly from our heart, our whole body feels it. It costs nothing but gives so much; both to the one to whom it is given; and to the one who gives it, for you cannot give a smile without it warming your own heart. Life may have its ups and downs but never so much to where we can’t smile about it.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” – Proverbs 15:13

Feel the Breeze

The winds of God are always blowing, but you must set the sails. – Anon

Though Abraham did not know with certainty where he was going, he knew he was being led there by God. AMEN!

Basic science has taught us that the earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every 24 hours. We readily accept that fact, but if you ever stopped to ponder the math, it means we’re moving at a very rapid pace although we feel nothing. It’s the same way with God. Though His nature is unchanging, He is ever present, ever moving, ever desiring to draw us closer to Him. When we can’t feel His presence or nearness, or when it seems we’re heading into the wind, maybe we need to adjust the set of our sails. I pray you feel His breeze today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8

Radiant People

You are the light of the world, but the switch must be turned on. - A.A. Lewis

When God blessed Solomon with the 'spirit of wisdom' people travelled far and wide just to hear him speak. WOW!

The bible tells us that when it came to looks and appearance Jesus had nothing that would really draw you in. But yet the people thronged to Him, went out of their way to get a glimpse of Him. What did He possess that made this so - RADIANCE! It is true that beauty is only skin deep, but radiance is a completely different matter. Physical beauty is observed with our eyes, but radiance is recognized with our spirit. Just think of how many people you know personally, who the moment you see them or even just hear their voice it lifts your spirits, renews your hope. That's what Jesus possessed. And the great thing is God wants that same radiance to come from us. He did not create us just to be seen from the outside. He created us to be a 'jar of clay' for His radiance to seep through, that people may see, hear, and experience Him and have their spirit lifted. So as you look around yourself today, how's that working out?

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"For God......made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us." - II Corinthians 4:6-7