A Crown of Life

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. Revelation 21:4

Why all the effort to stay fit? To stay alive?  We pop pills, pump pecks, pass on the pie, and pursue the polyunsaturates.…

Why? Because we are worried about staying alive. In heaven that won't be a worry.

In fact, you won't be worrying at all. You won't worry about your kids getting hurt. In heaven there will be no pain. You won't worry about getting old. We'll all be ceaselessly strong.

Scripture describes heaven as a place where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying or pain.

We are not made of steel, we are made of dust. And this life is not crowned with life, it is crowned with death.

The next life, however, is different. Jesus urges us to "be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).

Max Lucado

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From Tired to Inspired

From Tired to Inspired

We all get tired. Somebody once told me the crucial question for ministers was not, "Am I tired in the work?" but, "Am I tired of the work?" I have to admit there've been times when I could answer either query in the weary affirmative.

Even preaching, my first love in the ministry, the thing I truly feel called to do, I've gotten tired in and of. There have been days when I felt I could make more impact throwing beans against the wall (or at the folks in the pews!) than by preaching. There have been days when study time insidiously morphed into e-mail time and sermon preparation sailed dangerously close to sermon rehashing. Even though I try to remain fresh and engaging, the very words I'm required to use Sunday after Sunday — believe, repent, confess, even Jesus — can sometimes lose their flavor. Depending on what's going on in the church — infighting, a scandal, simple doldrums — an imp seems to hover near my eye with brush and jaundice- palette.  I'm tempted to cynicism.

Been there? Because we preach as sinners to fellow sinners, we all have. Thankfully, for most of us, such times don't last. Thankfully, God's grace and power somehow waft back to our lives, lifting the sagging sails, refilling our preaching with purpose, clarity, and emotion.

It might be a vacation that does the trick or maybe a conference. The rekindling of power might come with sunshine after weeks of slate-gray skies. Or maybe it comes wrapped in some member's thoughtful, encouraging note.

(To read the entire article "From Tired to Inspired" by Gary D. Robinson at Preaching.com)

Ancient Words- Words and Music by Michael W. Smith

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart.

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us Home

Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart /4x

We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart



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Do Not Lose Your Vision

"Like the blind we grope... feeling our way like men without eyes..." Isaiah 59:10 NIV

The Pilgrims landed on the shores of America full of vision. The first year they established a town. The next year they elected a council. In their third year the town council proposed building a road five miles out into the wilderness for westward expansion. But the people criticised it as a waste of public funds. Amazing! Once they had been able to see across oceans to new worlds, now they could not see five miles down the road. What happened? They lost their vision! How can you keep that from happening to you?

First, refuse to become self-centred! God wants you to enjoy success, but anytime the profit margin becomes more important than the service principle, you will forfeit God's blessing. Second, do not get lost in the mundane! One successful leader writes, 'In preparation for the day, I focus on the main event and ask, "In order to make the main event a good event, what must I know? Do? Eliminate?" Some things will be fun, some will not, but with preparation the most important things will get done well.'

Third, refuse to go with the flow! Most of us are married to the status quo. We want what is, not what can be. We seek safety and simple answers. To keep your vision alive you must give yourself permission to go a different way; to break new ground. The moment your eyes open each morning remind yourself, 'There is more out there than what I've experienced', then commit your day to God and get moving!

- Bob Gass
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Daniel: A Travel Guide by Michael Milton

The Book of Daniel is the place where prophecy and theology meet in a teenage boy named Daniel in captivity to a foreign king. Along with Daniel's friends, the reader comes face-to-face with the realities in his own life:

How a believer must live in times of apostasy

How a believer may follow the Lord in the most secular of conditions

How a follower of Christ can trust Christ even when it seems He is not in control

How a disciple of Jesus can meet the demands of discipleship in the tough, hard places of life

This part of Daniel grips me as your pastor. So I am back to why I love travel books. Think of Daniel as your divine guide to living for God in those times when it looks like God is nowhere to be found. And if we are truly becoming the secular nation that many say we are, then Daniel is God's guide for our lives as we stand up for Him in this generation.



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