Pastor’s Note 07/16/2021

A NOTE FROM PASTOR TIM
 
Last week was a busy fun-filled week as I was with our pre-school children every day doing a mini VBS (Vacation Bible School for those that don’t know what VBS stands for). I loved seeing the kids each day and spending time with them, singing, praying, and telling them a story about God.
 
One of the things during our chapel time was to read from a children’s book entitled “What is God like?” by Matthew Paul Turner. It is also beautifully illustrated by Ying Hui Tan, (You will hear little bit about the book during this morning’s sermon). The thing that I liked was how the authors’ descriptions about God helped the young people’s minds of our children think about God in ways that they could understand. The things that made children feel safe and brave and loved are good descriptions of what God is like,
 
You may be wondering what God is like too. That is a good place to be in life. Wondering about God- who He is, what are Hid characteristics – are things that people have done since the beginning of time. One of the best ways to learn about our God is to read the Psalms. They are a great starting point for gleaning characteristics about God. That is one of the benefits of our current sermon series. My prayer is that we will all learn a bit more about our God as we study the Psalms together this summer.


Pastor’s Note 7/8/2021

4-5 I’m not trying to get my way in the world’s way.
I’m trying to get your way, your Word’s way.
I’m staying on your trail; I’m putting one foot in front of the other.

 I’m not giving up.
Psalm 17.4-5 (The Message)

 
Life is a series of choices.
 
Some of our choices are big and life changing, other choices are mundane and simple but in any choice, we can either be people who are trying to get our own way in the world’s way or we can people who are trying to work on behalf of God’s way, His kingdom way. 

If you were to read all of Psalm 17, you would discover David (the author of this Psalm) crying out to God for help. David is crying out to God in the middle of the night and he is asking that God would find a way to help him in his desperate situation (Isn’t that when most of us cry out to God? We can’t sleep, we are worried about a situation and
we cry out to God for help!). David is crying out to God with a pure heart, a heart that is following God ways. He is confidently expecting that God will help him with his desperately big choice.

This Psalm gives us permission to also cry out to God. In both our big and small choices, we can cry out for help and God will answer. 
         
In all of our choices, the countless choices that you and I will face in life, may we seek the way of God and His kingdom, not our own way or the world’s way. May we walk daily, putting one foot in front of the other, not giving up on the way of God and His Kingdom.

Come this Sunday as we dig a bit deeper into this Psalm of David and listen to another selection from “God’s Greatest Hits.”
Know that I am praying for you and am looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.