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October 20, 2021

This week, in our study in Colossians, in verse 6, there is a command to “walk in Him.”  And then what follows is an explanation of what is expected and what that looks like…a walk in Him.  I am reminded of an old hymn called O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee.  The words are:

O Master, let me walk with thee

In lowly paths of service free;

Tell me Thy secret, help me to bear

The strain of toil, the fret of care.

Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee

In closer, dearer company,

In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,

In trust that triumphs over wrong.

Walking by faith with the Lord can be a walk that challenges our pragmatism.  It doesn’t always make sense because a walk with the Lord can be costly and take us places we never intended to go.  We must think clearly about the faithfulness of God and His care for us in circumstances that take us out of our comfort zone.  This week we have a mission team in East St. Louis, Missouri.  They will be challenged by what they see and experiences they will have.  But God has them in a place where they can “walk” in fashion that is consistent with His will for their lives this week.  And by doing so, they have an opportunity to be used in way that will be useful to the folks there and bring glory to God in a way that they might not have done before.

It’s a real blessing to put yourself in a position to be useful to the Lord without considering the discomfort that might come from it.  And discomfort is often a reality, but it always brings a blessing.  Be praying, this week, for our team in Missouri, that they would be used in a great way for God’s glory.

We are sometimes so afraid of “senior moments” and the embarrassment that they can bring, that we protect our comfort zones and lose out on moments of service that fulfill God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  Don’t do it. 

Lord, help us to fulfill Your purpose for our lives today.  Let us walk with You in the path You have chosen.  May we live each day with great anticipation of what You will ask us to do, so that we can do it.

Blessings to you…

Pastor Frank

October 13, 2021       

Fanny Crosby wrote,

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,

And filled with His fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God

For such a Redeemer as mine!

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

And covers me there with His hand,

And covers me there with His hand.

It’s a great hymn and it reminds us of God’s glory and power, and His ability to protect and provide according to His resources.  The hymn is based on Exodus 33:22 where Moses is having a conversation with God and asking to see His glory.  And the Lord says to Moses that “no man can see Me and live.” Vs. 20.  So, in verses 21-23, God says to Moses, “…Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.  Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses was asking God for something that God knew would be harmful to him.  And God provided a way that would protect Moses from harm.  In our own weakness and lack of understanding, God provides for our needs.  In times of fear brought on by “Senior Moments” we sometimes make requests of God that He knows don’t represent our need in that moment.  It is truly wonderful to know that He hides us with His hand and provides for us exactly what we need.  He has promised to do that in Philippians 4:19, “…according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

So, walk today assured that God is with you and that He knows your needs better than you know them yourself.  He loves you and will care for you and will provide for you.  What a blessing to walk with Him in the shadow of His hand.

Blessings to you.

Pastor Frank

October 6, 2021

In Revelation 22:8 and following we read,

“…I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.  But he said to me, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book.  Worship God.’ “

Wow!!  That is really something.  That verse sums up major problems in our lives that lead to “senior moments,” no matter how old or young you might be.  The angel here is saying that we need to pay attention and make sure that our focus is appropriately directed.  So, the Apostle John is being shown so many fantastic and wonderful things, and he is being instructed to write it all down, and he is so overwhelmed at what he is seeing that he falls on his knees to worship the one who is revealing all of this, and the angel says, stop it…get your focus in the right place and worship God.

Now, when you think about it, our lives are fantastic.  In spite of all the problems and challenges around us, God has shown us and given us so much.  And we try to manipulate it all in such a way as to make our lives better and to be in control of all that we see and touch.  But He has given us His Word, which gives us everything we need “for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3) He has poured into us all that we need to live this life and to enter into eternal life with Him.  What a tremendous thought.  The problem is that we become so enamored with our own abilities and strength, that we lose sight of the most important thing that we can do on this earth…worship God. 

And by failing to do that really well, we engage in “senior moments” that make us look foolish and demonstrate how weak we really are.  Stop.  Think.  Remember who you are and your purpose for being here.  The only way we can really fulfill our purpose is to begin by appropriately worshipping God.  Get that down first and all the rest of life will fall into place.  It’s what the angel was trying to tell John…stop looking at me and all the wonderful things I have shown you, and worship God…then you will understand all the rest and be able to communicate what God wants.

Remember these words?

O worship the King, all glorious above, And gratefully sing His wonderful love;

Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Our prayer today…Father, we are grateful for You…we love You…and we worship You.  Cause us to remember in the middle of life’s distractions, that our primary purpose is to worship You.  You are worthy.  Thank you for loving us.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

September 29, 2021   

I’m teaching through the letter to the Colossians right now in our Wednesday evening Grace University.  We start this evening, and we will be looking at Paul’s greeting to people he had never met.  His letter was in response to the moving of the Holy Spirit and what he had heard about the church.  Paul begins by thanking the Lord for them and praying for them because he had heard of their faith in Christ and the love which they had demonstrated for other saints.  (vs. 4)

His initial response was to what they had displayed and to what had become their reputation.  They had demonstrated faith in their lives and had a reputation for loving the saints.  Now, there were problems, and Paul will address those in the letter, but his first comment about them was to reveal what others had seen.

Our lives are filled with many components…personality, jobs, relationships, hobbies, origin, etc.  The list can be long as we seek to identify ourselves.  But God has given us a new identity and that is found in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Are we mostly thought of in terms of that or of the multitude of other characteristics that we display?  What is most important to us and what do people see?  When people think of me, do they think faith and love…or something else?  It doesn’t have to be bad…but is it faith and love?

In 1924, B.B. McKinney wrote,

While passing through the world of sin, and others your life shall view,

Be clean and pure without, within, Let others see Jesus in you.

Your life’s a book before their eyes, they’re reading it through and through;

Say, does it point them to the skies, do others see Jesus in you?

Let others see Jesus in you, Let other see Jesus in you;

Keep telling the story, be faithful and true, Let others see Jesus in you.

Seeing Jesus in us is a guarantee of others characterizing us with the terms faith and love.  So a relationship with Jesus is the key. 

Lord, help us to always think of Jesus and our walk with Him.  May we always exhibit faith and love in our walk.  Would you use those characteristics to draw people unto Yourself through us.  What a blessing that would be.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

Consider this: For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. 1Corinthians 1:26-29.

…”So that no man may boast before God”…is the statement in these verses that really spoke to me…especially in light of what we dread…”senior moments.”  We do dread them because they indicate weakness as the result of long life.  And knowing that sometimes we display more independence before God than we ought, we need that reminder that He doesn’t really need us for anything.  When you look at this passage, you see that God will probably do the opposite of what we think is best.  The world, who think very highly of themselves, is going to be shocked when they see that God is going to use the weak to accomplish His task. 

So even in the weakness of my “senior moment,” God can and will still use me for His purpose.  I might not even be aware. So, you see, it is not so important that I evaluate my strengths and weaknesses, because I might not even fully understand them.  It is important that I make myself available to be used by Him for His purposes according to His will.  No second guessing, no argumentation…just obedience.

Do you remember this old hymn?

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit as His feet

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way?  What He says we will do,

Where He sends we will go: Never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus,

But to trust and obey.

He might use us in our weakness to accomplish His task.  He might use us in our sickness to accomplish His task.  He might use us in our old age to accomplish His task.  Our job is not to evaluate our fitness in the moment, but to obey and trust Him for the outcome.

Blessings to you.

Pastor Frank

God is not someone to be challenged in the arrogance of our puny abilities. Yet sometimes we seem to do just that when we question our calling as believers or walk in fear relative to things we don’t understand. He says in His Word in Isaiah 46:8-9,

This is the God that we serve.  There is nothing hidden from Him in the past, in the present, or in the Future.  He has control which should bring us great comfort in times of trial.  It doesn’t mean that there will be no trials…it does mean that He will be with us in them. 

There is an interesting hymn written by William Poole in 1907, that really sums up a walk with Him.  It says,

The more excellent news is that His presence is not limited to just when I need Him most…He is there at all times, in every season.  He is there in joy and in sorrow…in health and in disease…at all times, He is there. In our “senior moments” we tend to forget things that we think are important to us at that particular time.  Let us not ever forget that God is with us, He cares for us, and He loves us more than we can even understand or articulate.  What a blessing!!

Father, may we walk in such a way as to demonstrate our faith in You and Your care for us.  May the world see that we trust You and that our faith gives us strength to walk in the peace that surpasses understanding.  Thank You for loving us and caring for us.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

September 8, 2021     

I was reading this morning in Ephesians 5, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” What a powerful reminder for us in these difficult days. To be an imitator of God has tremendous impact on those with whom we come in contact, as well as ourselves.

Imitating God gives us a tremendous opportunity to be a witness to those with whom we come in contact. What happens is that they see Christ in us and are encouraged to follow him because of our witness. I’m not just talking about what they see in our lives, but what they hear coming from our lips. While our lifestyle is a valuable witness, what we say is most likely what the Lord will use in our lives to draw folks unto himself.

Imitating God is also valuable witness in our own lives. When we follow Him and model our lives after His ways, we are encouraged and are strengthened in our own walk. This is encouraged in the last three chapters of the book of Ephesians. So imitating God gives us a great testimony to others, but it also is a great encouragement to ourselves. Another way that we are encouraged in imitating God is in the words that we say. If we are continually negative in our speech and saying things that are inconsistent with God’s will, we will walk in discouragement and not experience the blessings of the Lord.

This is where the “senior moment” comes in to play.  We might forget functionally who we are in Christ as a result of what we say with our mouths.  Nothing has changed, but our momentary discouragement becomes more of an experiential reality because of the negativity of our own words.  This is the way a testimony works.  Good fruit is the result of a positive testimony and bad fruit is the result of the negative.  See how this works? 

So, the best ammunition against the negative “senior moment” is to be constantly bathing ourselves in the truth of God’s Word.  Quoting Scripture and reminding ourselves of the things that we have seen to be true throughout our lives in Christ, is good medicine to defeat the discouragement that comes from “senior moments.” 

Remind yourself today that Christ is with you.  He promised to be in the end of Matthew’s Gospel, when He said, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  What a great reminder…and it’s true…He is with us now.  Remembering what Jesus has said, and living according to those truths, is a great way to imitate God. 

Lord, help us to remember today that You are with us and to reminds ourselves of that truth.  May we not grow weary as a result of all that rages in the world because we know that You are over the world and that we are in your hand.  We love you so much and are so grateful that we belong to You.  Help us share that good news with those around us.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

September 1, 2021

Fear is a powerful force…one that no one wants to acknowledge in their life.  I think that is why the proverbial “senior moment” is such a negative.  It instills fear and demonstrates lack of control.  The truth is, most of our lives are lived completely out of control and we fool ourselves into believing that we are in control much of the time.  The Lord has probably protected us and preserved us in many situations in which we have no idea relative to His participation. 

How many bacteria or viruses have you been exposed to while eating in a restaurant or being overseas that didn’t make you sick.  Any idea? No.  How many times did you avoid an accident because you went back into the house to fetch that item that you forgot?  Don’t know.  How many thousands of interactions have you been protected from that might have been harmful to you?  I have no clue. 

The truth is, we have no idea most of the time about God’s interaction in our lives.  How He protects, or how He encourages, or how He works is often unknown to us.  Might it be important for us to be paying more attention to the course of our lives so that we could possibly see His work in progress?  Some of us live life on cruise control to the extent that we really don’t pay that much attention.  So much so that we just take for granted that we’re doing well without really thinking about how God is working.

I am challenged by this idea because I think that I am as guilty of taking God for granted as much as anyone.  And I think I need to stop doing it.  There is nothing like a good crisis in your life to sharpen your attention on God’s presence and providence for our lives.  I guess my counsel is to not wait for the crisis but begin to pay close attention right now.  I think “senior moments” are pretty normal for most of us as we age.  Nothing really to be alarmed about.  We just don’t like it because we think it makes us look dumb or out of control.  Actually, I think it’s an indicator of fear and weakness.  We should just acknowledge it and admit we are afraid.  But we don’t need to be.  The words of this hymn remind me of whose I am…

Father, thank you for being with us at all times.  Help us to rely on You and to be watchful for your activity in our lives so that we can appropriately give you glory for all that You do. What a faithful and loving Father You are.  Thank You for freedom from fear that leads to a lack of faith. Thank You.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

August 25, 2021

The Steadfast Love Of The Lord Never Ceases,
His Mercies Never Come To An End,
They Are New Every Morning, New Every Morning
Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Oh Lord)
Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great lyrics.  And a great reminder for us all in times like these.  We seem to be inundated with bad news all around us.  The world is at war.  No peace.  Illness is everywhere.  No peace.  The future is uncertain.  No peace.  But in the middle of all this uncertainty…there is the steadfast love of the Lord that never changes.  He is with us every minute of every day.  And as we arise to face new days, His love is new every morning. 

The Scripture reminds us in Lamentations 3,

The tendency for us is to evaluate life based on how we feel and the experiences of the day.  Never forget that He is with you and that life is determined by Him, and that His love for us never fails.  That’s a great reminder in times like these…that just reminded me of another song!! I’ll save that for another day.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

Slow down!!  Do you remember saying that a million times to your children…or someone else’s children?  Slow down! You’re going to fall!  Slow down! You’re going to break something!  Slow down! You’re going to knock someone over!  And then there were the…walk faster…you’ve got to keep up…what’s the matter with you…are you sleeping???  All these admonitions coming from us or being thrown our way are emblematic of our lives.  There always seems to be displeasure with the pace of the world and those who are walking in it with us. 

We get frustrated and take note of those who are walking with us when they don’t follow the pace that we set.  I often wonder what the Lord thinks about us relative to pace.  Our pace is not a surprise to Him since He knows everything from beginning to end.  It’s not like He is disappointed or surprised since He knew before we started, our decisions in life.  Disappointment requires an unmet expectation, and since He knows what we will do before we do it, His expectations of us are never a surprise.  But what does He think of the pace that we keep and what should be our response to His expectations?

1 Peter 2:21, says, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…”  Could it be that the pace is not as important as the steps themselves?  I believe that the Lord is not looking necessarily at our pace, like we do with our children or others who walk with us.  He is looking more at our obedience, or whether we are considering His steps and the example that they have given us.  In other words, it’s not the speed we walk, but the accuracy with which we follow in His footsteps.  You may ask, “what does that look like?”  The question that needs to be answered in each of our lives is, “do my attitude and actions reflect the mind of Christ or do they just simply bring pleasure to me based on my expectations of life?” 

It’s a great question and one that will bring answers that will lead to change or confirm the steps of our lives right now.  I’m grateful for God’s Word and His Spirit.  These blessings are the source of knowledge that will lead us in the paths of righteousness.

Thank you, Lord, for not leaving us alone and giving us no direction.  Thank you that your admonitions are not condemnatory in nature but encouraging and equipping.  Thank you for being with us moment by moment and for the instruction of your Word and the empowering of your Spirit.  May we walk faithfully.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

August 11, 2021

It’s been a great week for watching and observing the faithfulness of our Lord.  We saw many come to Christ this past Saturday during the Grace Boom Bash.  God continues to save folks in spite of what some say about the effectiveness of the Gospel and the work of the Church.  It’s truly amazing to see that people are being saved all around the world, and even in places where their salvation could cost their lives. 

It’s a miracle.  Have you ever noticed that when God does something it is never “too much” or “not enough?”  When I do things, they always seem to be a little out of line.  My “too much” is never a good thing…it always leads to some problematic outcome.  And my “not enough” sort of speaks for itself.  That’s why our “senior moments” bother us so much.  They can create both of these extremes and the outcome creates a problem for us.  The problem is that we focus too much on performance and not enough on obedience.  It is obedience that glorifies the Lord and takes the attention away from the performance.  Our consistent obedient witness might be more important than how many decisions for Christ we see.  The number is neither “too much” or “not enough.”

There is a hymn that really sums up the activity of our Father.  The words of the verses are really great, and the chorus makes a powerful statement.

My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed;

I trust the Ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead.

Enough for me that Jesus saves, this ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to him, He’ll never cast me out.

And then here’s the chorus:

I need no other argument, I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died, And that he died for me.

The Lord provided all that we needed for salvation.  Not “too much” or “not enough.”  It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me and you.

Thank you, Father for providing that which is enough for our salvation.  Your perfect provision in every aspect of life is all we need and gives us comfort in the midst of the fear brought on by senior moments.  Help us focus on obedience and not performance.  Thank you for the peace that surpasses understanding.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

August 4, 2021

I had an interesting “senior moment” yesterday.  The kind that you don’t really want to have.  I could not remember the name of someone I know very well.  She’s a co-worker here at the church.  Her name is not difficult…it’s only 4 letters.  I’ve known her since being here and I see her every day.  As a matter of fact, she sits just outside my office door.  How does that happen???

Isn’t it great to know that we walk with the Lord and that He doesn’t forget us or anything about us for even one nanosecond??  When the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, He told him that, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  (Jeremiah 1:5) 

Now the same thing is true for us.  He knew us before we were born, and He has a plan and purpose for our lives.  We decide to obey or disobey…whether to trust Him and walk with Him and glorify Him…or make ourselves the focus of attention.  If we are the point, we will never know the fullness of His purpose for our path here.  What a shame.  I am reminded of the hymn from years ago that declares:

Consider anew today what it might be that the Lord has for you and never forget that His presence and His awareness of you never ceases.  No “senior moments for the Lord.  Aren’t you glad?

Father, thank you for your never ending presence in our lives today.  You are the same yesterday, today, and forever and we are grateful.  Thank you for knowing us, loving us, and being with us in every moment.  May we honor you today and every day for your glory.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

July 28, 2021

Read here the second verse of the old hymn, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.”

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered, Was all for sinners’ gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression, But thine the deadly pain;
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ‘Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with thy favor, Vouch-safe to me thy grace.

In my Senior Moment today, I want to reflect on the sacrifice that was made on my behalf and the suffering that He endured for my salvation.  I think that often we lose sight of what He actually endured for our benefit.  Now I understand that what Christ did, He did for the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:11), but the result made possible our salvation.  And I also think that often we tune out the horror of it so that we don’t experience the depth of our sin.  I am a sinner.  I have committed thousands of them and only one of them made me unfit for Heaven.  So, He bore the depth of my sin and yours, on the cross that day (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

What a tremendous thing to do…give His life so that we may live.  The question then becomes, “am I living today in a fashion that demonstrates my gratitude for that gift?” I think that we become so consumed with the mundane activities of life that we lose sight of the tremendous cost of our salvation.  Could it be true that we go through even one day and never seriously think about the cost?  We go to the bank…we go to the grocery store…we go to the mall…we go out to eat…we visit friends…we go to church???  What? We go to church and never seriously consider the cost?  Could it be true?  Sometimes, I think, we go through the vicissitudes of life without even a thought for what our Lord endured to make it possible for “abundant life.” 

Hebrews 13:15-16 records the attitude we should adopt when it challenges us to, “Through Him the, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thinks to His name.  And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice for our salvation.  Help us to remember daily the tremendous cost and the pain endured.  We want to walk faithfully in your path for your glory.  Father, thank you for the plan that made our salvation possible.  What a blessing it is to know you and to be known by you.  Our desire is to bring glory to you every day of our lives.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank

This is the first in a series of blurbs (that’s what we used to call them…I guess now they are blogs), that I’ll be writing to celebrate “senior moments.”  Now all of us of a certain age have experienced what we call “senior moments” and it usually refers to something that we have forgotten or cannot remember in that particular circumstance…and we use that term to excuse the moment.  There’s a lot of discussion about how normal that is at a certain age, but no one seems to know what age it is that it becomes normal.  As a matter of fact, I can remember using the terminology when I was quite young…especially when I had forgotten to do something that Teresa had asked me to do.  “I’m sorry dear…it was a senior moment.”  The only problem was…  I was 31 at the time…!

What I want to do here, is to use this space as a reminder of God’s faithfulness…God’s graciousness…God’s goodness…God’s salvation…God’s forgiveness…God’s blessings…God’s longsuffering nature…God’s generosity.  And the list goes on and on. 

Today I am reminded of God’s great faithfulness.  I often think of that hymn we used to sing…

Great is thy faithfulness,
O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

In Lamentations 3:22-23, we read, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” No senior moment there for any of us who are paying attention.  God’s faithfulness can be observed with very little effort.  Pray to the Lord right now and begin to recite all the evidence of His faithfulness in your life today and in recent days. 

Thank you, Lord, for loving us and caring for us and for making it easily seen.  You are so faithful, and we are so grateful.  Thank You.

Blessings,

Pastor Frank