For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:13-16

It’s Monday morning and do you know something important about yourself?  You are fearfully (awesomely) and wonderfully made.  You are not a mistake, you are not a mess, you are not anything terrible for you were made by an awesome artist. 

Long before you were born, you were in the eye of the Creator, and woven together as something special.  Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.  You may be different than others, you may think differently, you may be quirky, you may be orderly, you might be picky, but you are you.

As you travel through this week, remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Go out and be the original God intended you to be.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139:7-12

Wherever you go, God is already there.  Wherever you are, God is there with you.  Isn’t that incredible?  You cannot go where God is not, therefore you are never alone.

On the other hand, whatever you do, God is there.  For some that might strike terror for God knows what you do, what you think, what you are.  However, for others, you might understand something.  Even if you are not perfect, even if you are not without blemish, God is still with you.  That is the point, through God, you can be made clean and whole.

As you journey through this week, allow God’s light to shine in the darkness of your life.  Allow God to show you areas where you may need help, and know that God is still with you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  Psalm 139:1-6

When I think of Psalm 139, I imagine the Psalmist perhaps sitting by a body of water, surrounded by lush greenery, maybe an oasis in the desert.  He is contemplating life and God, and came to the realization that God knows him, and us.  God knows us so much that nothing we do is a mystery to God.  But the Psalmist doesn’t say this in a threatening way (“you better be good because God is watching you), rather in a beautiful and intimate way, such as a parent watching a new born baby.  God knows us so well that God understands even our muddled thoughts and incomplete ideas. 

Often when I am in prayer, I get stuck.  I know I need to be praying for something or someone, or I’m trying to express myself fully to God but cannot say or even conceive of the words.  Yet God knows what I am asking.  The very act of coming before God in prayer is all we need as God will do the rest.  In Romans 8, Paul says “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 through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Thanks be to God that God knows me so well.

Pastor Bill

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  Luke 17:6-7

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  The apostles come to Jesus with what I think is a huge request.  They hear Jesus teach and preach, they see him do amazing signs and wonders and they might be feeling inadequate.  Or at least that is how I sometimes feel.  Jesus commands the wind, commands demons, heals the sick, brings people back to life and teaches with amazing authority.  Maybe if I had “more” faith I could do a few of those things. 

Then I thought about the mustard plant and plants in general.  A seed gets buried and as it sprouts, must work through the soil to grow.  Plants seek out the sun and will turn in that direction if necessary.  They endure hardships, lack of rain, too much rain, other plants growing around them, and more.  Yet plants keep growing. They keep going.

Perhaps that is the key to growing our faith.  We all struggle with things, not because of lack of faith, but life is filled with struggles.  Part of those struggles builds us up just as adding weights builds our muscles.  When we face adversities, we need to keep believing that we are not alone, that God is with us, and that God will guide us through. 

Faith is not a magic answer to our issues, faith is the belief in a God who answers us.

Peace,

Pastor Bill