In the Stillness of This Hour...

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom - Francis Bacon

King Saul sought the witch of Endor and still got horrible news. Hmm!

Tea leaves! Tarot cards! Horoscopes! Cloud formations! When stretched thin and desperate, folks often resort to all kinds of ways and mediums to try and get a word of wisdom or insight on what the gods or God might be up to in their life. But sometimes silence and stillness is our best option. Sometimes silence is the clearest language possible. "Be still, and know that I am God", carries a lot of weight, power, and oftentimes many of the answers or wisdom we seek. Though we now live in a fast-paced, answer at your fingertips world, we need be reminded - God never set this pace nor is He obligated to operate at our speed. Stillness before Him pays big dividends.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." - Psalm 27:4

Jammed Signal?

Prayer - the best wireless connection ever! - Anon

Going to the temple to pray every day was not a ritual but a necessity to the early disciples. Hmm!

A short! Faulty wiring! It's a nuisance. It drains the battery, causes static in the music or the TV picture. Causes the car to stall, etc. It robs us of the intended use of our devices causing much frustration. Here's a question to consider. What do we allow to steal our energy and grieve the Holy Spirit within us? Our spiritual well-being and growth is energized by our connection with God and His Word. It can be greatly diminished by small little parasites and distractions, things that may seem minute and inconsequential to us, but a major impediment to our connection. It all depends on where and how we stop to feed ourselves. If we're giving more time to social media feeds, worldly passions/pursuits, or even earthly success, we're being drawn away from our true source of power. God doesn't distance Himself from us, but we can distance ourselves from Him, allowing for much interference.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer....." - Acts 3:1

Wisdom in Listening

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. – Doug Larson

It’s interesting that God gave king Solomon a ‘wise and discerning heart’ rather than a booming, commanding voice. Hmm!

Silence – it seems like the word is dead and gone. We are now a nation of talkers, not communicators, just talkers. We talk back and forth, often only surface issues, nothing deep seated. And we have to offer our opinion, give our input or the latest update; we want to explain ourselves, tell our side of the story, or just shoot the breeze. The idea of sitting alone thinking things through (meditation) or asking God and actually waiting for Him to answer (secret prayer) have all but vanished and have been replaced with talk or other ‘noise’. We’ve been duped into thinking we must be in contact or in touch with someone at all times. God gave us two ears for more than just stereo sound, that we might listen twice as much as we speak. May we all be discerning and wiser today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

"But the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth be silent before Him!” – Habakkuk 2:20

Temples of God

Unless love is written on the heart it is merely just a word. - Anon

The Good Samaritan acted because of a heart condition. Hmm!

In Old Testament times the 'Book of The Law' of God was kept in the temple and read to the people by the priests. Every so often because of war or sinful leadership it was lost or misplaced so there was no reading of it. No keeping of the commands of God. Hence, God's decision under the New Covenant to put His Word in the hearts of the people, therefore we are now the temple of God (our hearts) and the Word of God should reside within us, so it can never be lost or hindered in its power to work. That's why it is imperative for us as Christians to set aside time to study, meditate, pray, and commune with God that His Word will become more ingrained in our hearts. It takes more than just sporadic Sunday church attendance, it's a pining in the heart for connection, which then translates to action. After all, love is a word of action.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?..........God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" - I Corinthians 3:16-17

Temple Maintenance

No one owns his or her own body – it either belongs to God or is enslaved by sin. – Anon

Daniel loved God so much he felt that even eating the kings food was not good for him. He was right. Hmm!

Street Walkers! Junkies! Alcoholics! We sort of stand at a distance and look at such individuals and wonder how in the world they could abuse their bodies in such a wasteful manner. But in truth, oftentimes the only difference between them and us is they go at it openly and hard. God gifted us with the physical body to be a dwelling place (temple) for His holy presence within. When we use it or adorn it in any way that does not glorify Him – no matter how sleight – we are equally like them. It’s true we should be judged by what’s in our hearts, but with many folks they may never get that close because of the ‘wrapping’ we’re in. 

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God….Therefore honor God with your body.” – I Corinthians 6:19-20

Let's Get Physical

Exercise does not take time

out of your life. It puts life in your time. – L. Maxwell

David's young warriors

would often play a round of 'spirited' games to keep their skills and bodies

ready. Hmm!

Though we are steadily

progressing via technology, automation, robotics, etc., we still live in busy

times and there will never enough hours in the day. Be that as it may, God has

so designed the human body to require some sort of physical exercise for

maintenance. Physical exercise helps the body spur on certain chemical processes

that aid in health, healing, stress reduction, and longevity, not to mention it

serves as an aid in spiritual and emotional development. And I think those are

all positives in this business of life and godly living. So we should all take

time to maintain “the temple’s” appearance. 

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“For physical training is of some value, but

godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present

life and the life to come.” - I Timothy 4:8

God In Silence

To be alone with silence is to be alone with God. - S. Hageman

Even though Jesus was in the desert alone for 40 days, He knew His Father was nearby watching. WOW!

Pop-quizzes, mid-term exams, finals, UGH! We all remember these from our school years. And yet, we survived them. And in all of these settings there was one common denominator - silence. Even the teacher sat by quietly. We often wonder why it seems that God is silent, particularly in those "hard times" of life. Could it be He is testing us? Could it be He is expecting us to show our growth and maturity in the faith. After all, God never gives us a test without preparing us for it beforehand. So if it seems God is distant at this moment in our lives, maybe we should go back and study His Word a bit more to get the faith lift we need to ace our current test. It is an open book test, you know!

Until tomorrow....

Pastor Botts

"But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." - Habakkuk 2:20

Temple of the Heart

Unless love is written on the heart it is merely just a word. - Anon

The Good Samaritan acted because of a heart condition. Hmm!

In Old Testament times the 'Book of The Law' of God was kept in the temple and read to the people by the priests. Every so often because of war or sinful leadership it was lost or misplaced so there was no reading of it. No keeping of the commands of God. Hence, God's decision under the New Covenant to put His Word in the hearts of the people, therefore we are now the temple of God (our hearts) and the Word of God should reside within us, so it can never be lost or hindered in its power to work. That's why it is imperative for us as Christians to set aside time to study, meditate, pray, and commune with God that His Word will become more ingrained in our hearts. It takes more than just sporadic Sunday church attendance, it's a pining in the heart for connection, which then translates to action. After all, love is a word of action.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?..........God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" - I Corinthians 3:16-17

Growing Into...

If man is not rising upwards to be like an angel, he is sinking downwards to be a devil. – S.T. Coleridge

Near the end of his ministry Jesus told his disciples one of them was a devil. And each one had to give it some deep thought. HMMM!

Family reunions are great times to catch-up on old times and bring one another up to date. Often you’ll eventually hear the phrase “you haven’t changed one bit.” But to say we are the same person today as we were 5 -10 years ago is to say we have wasted a great deal of God’s time. There should be some definite growth in the life we live and the way we view the world. And done in accordance with God’s plan our growth will create a desire for even greater growth and closeness to God. God is testing us in this life to ensure our eternal desire is for Him alone, for if we don’t love to praise Him in all things here, heaven is not for us.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” – Psalm 27:4