Pastor's Blog

This week has been a mix of success, and failures, ups and downs, highs and lows. Does this disqualify me to be a child of our heavenly father? If you’re one of those people that think you are never going to be good enough, or you have to set your life right before you can enter into a relationship with God. I’m going to tell you that you don’t need to feel that way, because in the eyes of God, you are a BEAUTIFUL MESS. Despite your fears and failures, God continues to poor out his love on to you.
I can honestly say I have not been the most perfect child of God over the past few weeks, I struggled and I failed and at times I wanted to give up…. but it’s easy to just throw in the towel and say I’ve had enough and I’m done. Living this christian life is probably the hardest thing we will ever do, because the cost of being a disciple requires us to deny ourselves, and pick up our cross daily. Being a disciple means that we practice discipline, we practice surrender, and we place our faith in an almighty God. It means that we give up our life and say to God, despite my mistakes and failures I’m giving it up because what this world has to offer isn’t worth it….

Sometimes that hardest thing in life is giving up the one thing you love the most, and the question is are you willing to give it up?? Because if you don’t decide to give it up, your actions are basically implying, “Your cross was not worth it to me, and right now this is more important.” As hard as it sounds, it is completely true! When I was thinking about this, it rocked me too, and made me realize despite how blessed I am, I am so selfish not to give it up.

Ephesians 2:1-10: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

During my devotional time, I have been going through the book of Ephesians, and I absolutely love this passage. Christ gave it all for us, and he is calling you and I to step into a deeper and intimate relationship with him. Christ gave it all for us, are we willing to do the same for him? We don’t have to be perfect, but we need to try and give it our all. Christ wants you to come as you are, broken and wounded, dirty and ugly, and wants to heal you, cleanse you with his blood, and make you pure and holy. Will we still make mistakes? Yes we will. Does it mean God has had enough of us? No, he would go to the cross again for us! He just wants us to be honest and give it our best shot. The beauty of the Cross is that we have a second chance to make things right, and allows us to come as we are, broken…

God knew that we wasn’t going to be perfect, that why he had to send His one and only son to redeem us from death. YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL MESS and there’s nothing you can do about it except embrace the grace of God and Shine like stars in the universe! Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you are never going to be good enough! and most of all NEVER LISTEN TO SATAN when he tells you, you’re not good enough, because you are, and Christ believes in the goodness that is inside of you!! Give it up, surrender it….Now is the time! Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, GIVE IT UP and see the greatness you can achieve with the presence of God working in you!!!

Hope you are blessed by this blog! I sure was rocked while thinking of this!! You are loved by the God almighty!!! Despite our mistakes, and failures…WE ARE A BEAUTIFUL MESS

Frank Ocampo

There are three types of Christians when it comes to Missions: zealous goers, zealous senders, and disobedient -John Piper

This month as we’ve started to focus on Missions I’ve been convicted by my lack of zeal when it comes to sending. Perhaps you could also use a reminder of what it means to be a sender (or a goer for that matter)…

I think we often emphasize the heart of a goer, but we forget to take a look at the heart of a sender. Instead we focus on the sender’s wallet. God demands a whole lot more than money. In fact, He does not want our money, He wants our hearts. Remember the story of the widow who offered all she had? Jesus praised her for her heart of sacrifice, not her cash. To be a sender is to have the same heart as God. Remember, God Himself was a sender, and a sacrificer. He did not just fork out pocket change, He sent His one and only Son.

So what does it really take to be a sender?

1. Senders are prayers

Matthew 9:37 Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus commanded his disciples to pray for goers. We call ourselves senders, but ultimately it is God who sends, our job is to bug God. Seriously.  When we cannot stop begging and pleading for Him to send somebody, He knows our hearts belong to Him.

Do you do this? Do you cry out to God for Him to send workers?

To be honest, I forget this is in the Bible a lot. I confess, I rarely ask God to send anyone, especially because I’m afraid He might send me. But this is wrong. It is sin to neglect God’s will, and His heart! If we are to be senders, we must be pray-ers.

2. Senders are compassionate.

As it is sinful to neglect God’s heart, it is also sin to neglect His people. Jesus constantly harped on the Pharisees because in keeping the Law they neglected their parents, took advantage of their neighbors, judged the sinners, and completely dismissed the Gentiles.

Matthew 9:36: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus’ heart broke for the kind of people the Pharisees ignored. It was out of compassion that He commanded us to pray for workers.

1 Corinthians 13:3 tells us “if I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing…

Senders do not send because it is something to do, they send because they cannot bear to watch this broken world die without knowing God’s love. They send because they are possessed by the same Spirit of compassion that sent Jesus to the cross, or that made Paul say:  “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people…” Romans 9:2-3

Have you ever prayed that God would send you to hell in order to save the broken lives around you? When is the last time you wept over the unbelievers in your family, or on your street?

Senders are pray-ers filled with compassion,

3. Senders are aware of the brokenness and needs around them.

How can we be filled with compassion if we do not recognize brokenness when we see it? However, If you are anything like me you probably avoid brokenness. It’s much easier to turn our heads than to look the homeless man in the eyes and see him as God’s child.

My friend Tony spent one of his summers traveling across much of Africa. He was instructed before leaving on his trip, to never turn his head away from the suffering. So on a daily basis he had to walk by crippled beggars, and drunkards on the streets, and bloated orphans suffering from malnutrition and dying of AIDS. Tony came back a different person. When we see suffering for what it is we are changed. It is far too easy for us to ask “how are you doing?” and never intend on hearing the answer. We avoid pain and brokenness on a regular basis. Seldom do we look for hurting people, but Jesus did just that

Jesus was on the lookout for brokenness. He constantly spent time with the sinners. He ate dinner with Zaccheus and tax-collectors alike. He didn’t walk around Samaria but purposely went through and found the woman at the well. Frank preached about How God heard the cry of His people in Egypt. Can we here that same cry? do we see our neighbors as sheep without a shepherd?  To be a sender means to share the heart of God.

Senders are pray-ers, filled with compassion, and completely aware of the need for goers.

I would like to conclude with lyrics to one of my favorite songs, Starfield’s I Will Go:

Let me not be blind with privilege,

Give me eyes to see the pain,

let the blessing You’ve poured out on me

not be spent on me in vain,

but let this life be used for change.

That is the heart of a Sender.

Will Nockles

“We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives.” (C H Spurgeon— M&E January 2)

Prominent and conspicuous…!  Prominence is the state, quality or fact of being ‘for sure’ noticeable and distinguished.  Conspicuous is readily attracting visible and noteworthy attention.

Our heavenly Father has made the fear of the Lord prominent in His Word and He intends for it to be conspicuous in our lives!

I have been thinking a great deal lately about the biblical truth of “fearing God”.  We are called to fear the Lord and in doing so we will receive wisdom and understanding.  In Proverbs 1:7 ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…2:10 ‘wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul…14:27 ‘fear of the Lord is a fountain of life turning a man from the snares of death…15:33 ‘the fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom.’

Fear of God brings an understanding into our life that delivers us from sin and death; placing our feet on a firm path; a path of life!  As I give myself to this truth I’m noticing it all over the pages of scripture; both in the Old and New Testaments.

Moses in Exodus 20:20 proclaimed to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”   It’s as if we are being called to not fear so we will fear so we will not sin so we will glorify God!

This ‘Don’t be afraid but fear’ instruction runs deep in the Psalms and in the writings of the apostles Paul and Peter.  See as examples:  Psalm 46, Philippians 2:12-13; 3:17-21; 4:4-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17; 3:8-16.

Our Lord brings deep clarity when He instructs and demands of us to not fear those who can kill the body but rather to fear the One who can destroy our soul. (Matt 10:28). Perfect love drives out fear…earth-bound fear, like the fear of the storm in Mark 4; this fear, a fear of creation and the praise and approval of man, we must die to but there is a fear…a holy fear which causes us to cry out Abba Father.  A fear which delivers us into the embrace of the Father, this holy fear we must take hold of if we are ever to find our gospel voice!

Dear ones belonging to God look away to Jesus Christ the Champion of your salvation…may His perfect love give birth to a holy fear and drive away earth-bound fear.  Abide hard by the cross and the victory will be yours!

Declaring His Praises,

pastor Stephen

I can still hear Grandma Isom as she would sit down to her old upright piano, play the Christmas carols in her distinct honky-tonk style and say, “Come on, everyone, gather around and let’s all sing.”  And of course, all who were in her house gathered around the piano with Grandma and began singing with gusto, those beloved songs.  Fond memories!

I remember my dad teaching me how to shoot mistletoe from the tops of the old oak trees on our farm with his 22 caliber rifle (no scope).  We would look through the binoculars to see which cluster had the most berries and exactly where it was attached to the limb and then we proceeded to shoot it out of the tree.  Such fun!  We would hang some over various doorways in the house and try to catch Mom and Dad under the mistletoe so they would have to kiss each other.  I know they would pretend to wander under the berried branches by accident, but we knew better by the smiles on their faces.  Fond memories!

Driving up to the north end of our farm to pick just the right tree to set up in the house was always a highlight.  Taking turns sawing at the base and helping carry it to the wagon were relished jobs.  Then we would put it in its stand and the annual custom of decorating the tree would begin.  Some of those ornaments were historic.  Remember the bubble lights – the tinsel – the popcorn on a string – the glass colored balls – the handmade ornaments we made at school or church – and of course, the angel on top of the tree.  Then we would hang our stockings above the fireplace.  Fond memories!

But I have to be honest!  The fondest memories I have are not any of the physical gifts I received, but the gifts of time.  Spending time with family and friends – laughing and enjoying each other’s company were the best!  I believe it is still true today.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to give memorable gifts.  The best gifts are gifts of yourself.  Find a way this season to give yourself to others.  Spend less on yourself and more on giving to others.

Milwaukie Christian Church is a very generous group of people.  I am so proud of you.  You show your generosity in so many ways: Angel Tree gifts; Back Pack Buddies food; sleeping bags for the homeless; socks for the homeless; coats for the homeless; clothes for children in need; helping feed the elderly through Meals on Wheels; Serving at a Compassion event; Helping at a local school; Serving Hot Chocolate and cookies at Milwaukie’s Umbrella Parade; Supporting our youth when they do the Set One Free Bike Ride; Giving funds to help our people go to Haiti or Argentina to do a Short Term Mission Trip; Giving to help the Gideon’s place Bibles all around the world; knitting hats, gloves, and scarves to hand out to the homeless; making quilts to give away to others; Giving to our Caring and Sharing Fund to help people who are in need of assistance; and the list goes on.  I truly believe God is always pleased when he sees us giving to help others.

So let’s keep the tradition alive this holiday season: Spend less on yourself and more on helping others.  You will be blessed!  They will be blessed and God will be blessed!!

That is a great way to build fond memories!

Pastor Russ

October is a month with good things in it!  Glowing red and orange leaves surprise us.  Rich, golden harvest moons light the night.  We find our sweaters and snuggle up.  Candles are lit, soups are cooked and we begin to look for hot beverages – cider, coffee, hot chocolate and tea.  I LOVE it!

October also brings a celebration that makes many Christians very uncomfortable – Halloween.  I get uncomfortable!  I don’t want the Lord Jesus to find me celebrating a day that has its roots in evil practices.  I don’t want to glorify God’s enemy, who is Satan and Satan’s pals – demons.  Yet, I know from God’s Holy Word that neither does He want me to live in fear these things.

This year as the holiday approaches, I seem more unwilling than ever to embrace the celebration of death, violence and evil creatures represented in the costumes and decorations.  Yet, the joy of the beautiful leaves, the finishing of the harvest and the ridiculous fun of costumes, candy, popcorn, and caramel apples keeps calling to me!  So what is a Children’s Director to do?  God’s Word is always a help to me!

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV).

Power – I keep thinking of some ways God showed His power that were really kind of gross or scary.  Maybe this time of year we let ourselves and our kids dig into those stories instead of freaky demon and ghost stories.

Ezekiel – Four Living Creatures: Right off in the start of this book (Ezekiel chapter 1) is a description of God’s creatures that rivals any UFO sighting I have heard of!  Very scary creatures with four faces, wings, and eyes EVERYWHERE!  The eyes are even all over crazy wheels that accompany these creatures.  Wild.

-Dry bones:  Later, in Ezekiel chapter 37, God shows the prophet a vision that is also VERY freaky.  Ezekiel sees dead bones.  A LOT of dead bones.  He is looking at these bones and they start to move and come together as skeletons.  OK, that is a Halloween kind of story right there.  But it’s a God story.  He wanted Ezekiel to know that He has power to raise the dead.  Read the whole thing.  It is a very cool way God shows Ezekiel not only His power but His love for His people.

Lazarus – The Mummy:  Lazarus was definitely a dead man.  He had been wrapped up and put in his tomb.  He had been dead 4 days.  Jesus tells him to come out of the tomb and here is what the Bible says “The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.” John 11: 44 (NIV).  A walking mummy is what that would have looked like!  God is not into scary mummies though!  He is stronger than that.  The man was really alive again!

Love – I want to love others this month.  I am not going to get caught up in judging what they do about celebrating Halloween because that drives wedges in relationships.  It is clear the spirit God gives us is one of love.  I am probably going to give candy to kids who come to my door too.  Because I love kids.  And candy.

Self-discipline – OK, I am going to ask God to help me stop EATING the candy!

At my house we will revel in Fall, give out treats and may even dress in funny costumes.  Since there aren’t any little children here any more, we might even dress the pets.  Above all, we will continue to follow the God who gives freely of His power and love.

By the way, if you want to read more comments about Halloween from a Christian perspective, crosswalk.com has several interesting articles and blogs.

~ Teresa Ellis

“Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.  All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.  The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.   My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.  Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.  May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” (Psalm 25:8-10; 14-15; and 21 NIV)

Some help is help and some help is not.  Some help is help but it is limited by the strength and resource of the helper.

Like “help” I received while trying to obtain an old-school phone line in Ecuador.  The phone company had a “representative” who lived in our neighborhood who could assist us in getting a phone.   The representative took our money but never followed through with his end of the deal.  The phone company said there was nothing they could do because he no longer worked for them.

Like “help” I gave on a bike ride.  I came upon a person in our riding group whose bike tire had gone flat.  We set ourselves about the job of repairing the flat tire.  When the time came to put air into the tube I got out the tire plump and began to inflate the tire.  Because I was not attentive to the PSI in the tube the tire blew out again causing delay and frustration.

Creature help is like that…short sighted, resource limited and sometimes even self-centered and self-serving.   However, Creator help is a different story altogether.  The Bible instructs us to look away unto Jesus Christ, for in Him our Mighty Lord; we find help and will not be afraid. (Hebrews 13:6 and Psalm 118:6-7)

Our Creator has come near to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He delivers help… guiding help to the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.  He encircles with friendship those who fear him and he makes the promises of his promise-keeping known to them.

Our Heavenly Father, in the good news of Jesus, provides guarding help to those who take refuge in him.  His great loving power shields the humble from shame, delivers life and rescues those who embrace his way.

At the heart of our Father’s gospel is undeserved giving help to those whose eyes are on the Lord, for only he will release our feet from the snare.  Mankind is lost, short-sighted and resource deprived. In fact the Bible says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins and were without hope and without God in this world (Ephesians 2).  Praise God for gospel grace! Real hope made eternal by Heaven’s guiding, guarding, giving, gospel help!

Thank you Father for being the real deal,

pastor Stephen

Over the past 30 days I have had the privilege of loving on all seven of our grandchildren.  It is such fun to snuggle with them – play games with them – tickle them – read books to them – go on a walk with them – have a water fight with them – make S’mores with them – and talk with them.  We always try to get some good pictures during our visits.  They help remind me of the wonderful times we have shared together.

On a regular basis, I asked each of our grandchildren a question as I put my arms around them: “Have I told you today that I love you?”  One of our granddaughters likes to respond to the question with: “No, you don’t love me!”  I insist that I do.  “No, you don’t!”  “Yes, I do!”  Then she lays her head back and asks me to tickle her.  So Papa has to tickle her.  She laughs and begs for more.  I love this job!

I like to remind each of them that they are loved very much even when they beat Papa in a game of Uno.  I don’t believe we can say to our children or grandchildren or family members or friends: “I love you!” too often.  We all like to know that we are loved.  That never gets old!  God created us to be loved.  God has given us children, grandchildren, family and friends to love.  Don’t put off telling them you love them.

Just recently, I was at a funeral for a baby.  She had lived just a few days.  These are always the hardest funerals for me.  It was such a small casket at the front of the chapel.  The grandpa sat in the front row and was one of the four pall bearers.  As the daddy placed that small casket into the ground at the cemetery, I thought to myself, “This grandpa is not going to have the privilege of snuggling with her or playing games with her or tickling her or reading books to her or going on a walk with her or having a water fight with her or making S’mores with her or talking with her.  He will not be able to take any pictures of her growing up.  My heart ached for that grandpa.

I can’t wait to see my grandchildren again – to put my arms around them and say: “Have I told you today that I love you?”

Pastor Russ

“Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.  When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set.  Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.”  Genesis 28: 10-11

I LOVE going to church camp.  I like camping out too, but don’t ask me to “rough it”!  I am miserable without a few creature comforts.  The guy in this scripture is really roughing it!  The most comfortable thing he can find for a pillow is a rock!

Jacob was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham.  He would become the father of the Jewish nation.  In this section of scripture he was NOT camping out for pleasure!  He was on the run from his brother Esau.  It’s a long story, and filled with trickery and anger.  The end result – Esau made a vow to kill Jacob.   This family had moved past dysfunctional!  They were ripping apart.  Jacob was running for his life toward his mother’s relatives whom he had not met.

I love what God does next.  God meets Jacob there on the stony ground.

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  There above it stood the Lord, and He said ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. . . . I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you.’”  Genesis 28:12-13, 15

Scared, alone, knowing he shared in the ruin of his family, and running for his life, Jacob gets to see God and His angels in a dream.  God shows up.  Every one needs God to show up for them, to know that God has a plan for them.  The core reason Jesus came to this earth was to BE God showing up – Emmanuel, God with us.  He paid the price for the many times we have contributed to ruin in our lives, our families, our communities.  Sin, the stuff we do wrong, the words and actions that are outside the holy character of God.  We can’t make it go away.  We need the savior who gave His life for us.

Last week a bunch of teens and adults laid aside their regular activities and came to Sports Camp.  Last week a bunch of parents, grandparents and guardians roused sleepy kids, packed the lunches and sunscreen, and brought kids to Sports Camp.  Did we have fun?  You bet.  Yet we were pursuing more than fun! We were trusting God to meet us there.  On the stony or grassy ground.  In the classroom and the snack room.  We wanted to grow in our understanding of Jesus!  And we did.

So how about you?  There is still plenty of time for church camp or camping out this summer!  Maybe if you lay aside your normal comforts and business for a time, the Lord of Heaven will meet you in a new way.  The Lord of Heaven told Jacob He would not leave him until He kept his promises.  The Lord of Heaven speaks a great truth today to all those who believe in His name.  In Matthew 28:20 Jesus said “and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

~Teresa Ellis

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.  If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.  If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.”  (Mark 2:21-22 NIV)

Jesus Christ… there is none like Him!  He is separate unto Himself to be compared to no other.  The good news of Jesus is unique, distinctive, exclusive and unmixable…there is none like Him!  All other religious ideas and religious forms and religious persons are man-made and earth-bound only the Lord Jesus is set apart as the matchless ONE!

You and I need to be reminded of the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus and the uniqueness of His gospel. To forget is spiritual folly and ruin.  The heart and soul of Christianity is the wonderful gospel of Christ Jesus which cannot co-exist with any other means of salvation…the gospel of Jesus will not mix with ‘other ways’; it is the only way to relationship with the Creator of all things!

You and I need to be reminded that our life in Christ began in the gospel; is upheld presently through the gospel and will be sustained for all eternity by the gospel of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ!  To forget this is to surrender our hope to the lies of the enemy and the feeble efforts of mutable men!

You and I need to be reminded that Jesus brings a newness through His gospel that cannot be confined to old forms… “no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment”…the old way cannot receive and contain the new way.  What does light have to do with darkness? “No one pours new wine into old wineskins”.  The gospel is new wine poured into new wineskins…the old is gone and the new has come!  To forget this is to bring tragedy upon our heads!

My daughter Grace and I share a journal between us.  She will write and mail and then I will write and mail.  We know snail mail is old school but the journal is meant to be a blessing for the present and for the future when death will separate us for a brief time.

Grace recently wrote the following: “I have been thinking a lot about the word ‘remember’.  Lately I have been in the Old Testament and God puts a huge emphasis on that word. Whenever it talks about the Israelites turning away from God in Judges, it says they “forgot their God and did evil in His sight”. This wasn’t a passive forgetting. They didn’t just wake up one morning not remembering God. It was a result of small steps away from God and it was the result of not remembering.  I get the sense that this too is not passive.  God wants us to be intentional in our remembrance.  It’s active! Without an active remembrance, our faith becomes cold.  This has been really impactful for me. To not just go throughout my day busy with school or even ministry, but to actively remember the character and essence of our Creator…and let those memories draw my heart closer to His. [Dad] may you actively remember God today!”

Dear Ones…May we not forget the uniqueness of Christ, the power of His immutable gospel and the holy newness of life His grace imparts!

Christ is all…pastor steve

Fear can paralyze us.  Fear can bring on doubts.  At its center, fear is a perceived loss of control.  When life spins out of control, we grab for a part of life we can manage: our diet, an exercise plan, cleaning the house, etc.  We can become testy and on edge.  It could be because we are feeling cornered.  Sometimes our fear is based on what we think might happen.  We can become all worked up and then the feared “thing” turns out to be not nearly as dreadful as we first thought.

I remember one of those times.  Even though it was over fifty years ago, it still seems like yesterday.  I was twelve years old.  We had a large flock of sheep on our farm at the time.  It was lambing season that winter in the Willamette Valley.  This particular evening, it was my turn to feed and check on the sheep.  We had to do this each night during the lambing season to help any of the ewes who might have problems giving birth.

I left the house with my flashlight (it was very dark) and headed for the ridge on the east side of the farm.  It was about a quarter of a mile from the house.  Once I arrived, I began checking the fence rows and wooded areas to see if any sheep were in trouble.  I finished up at the big shed on the ridge which housed the hay we fed the sheep.  This building was about 150 feet long and about 40 feet wide.  It had a gate on the east and west ends with a feed rack all along the north side where we put the hay for the sheep.  I broke open some bales of hay and scattered it along the feed rack.

As I was finishing, suddenly there were the large paws of “something” walking along the south side of the shed. It was not a sheep.  I could just see the feet below the metal siding.  Recently, we had heard that someone had spotted a cougar within a mile of our place.  My first thought: “It’s the cougar!”  The feet were big and blonde in color.  The animal was headed to the east end of the shed.  The house was to the west.  How fast can a cougar run?  I wasn’t sure!  I waited until the “feet” reached the east end and then I made my move.  I vaulted over the gate on the west end and ran for my life.  I have never run so fast, ever!! There was a large gate at the edge of the field which opened into a lane that led to the barnyard and the house.  Usually, I would stop, open the gate and then walk through.  Not this time!  At full speed, I launched my body over the gate, never missing stride.  In a flash, I was back inside our house.  Safe from “the cougar”!  My heart was still pounding as I explained to my parents what had happened.

The next day, we found out that the “cougar” was just a new neighbor’s big yellow Labrador Retriever we had never seen before.  I felt a little sheepish, but it certainly didn’t diminish the fear I felt the night before.  That was REAL sweaty-palm fear, but it was based on a false assumption.

In the midst of a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you so afraid?”  You would think the answer is obvious:  “The waves are crashing into our boat.  We could drown.  That is why we are afraid!”  His disciples had just seen Jesus heal many people and perform several miracles.  Yet, they had a false assumption: “Jesus can’t deliver us from these stormy seas.”

After Jesus asked them the question, he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The disciples were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

No matter where we are in life, Jesus can help us handle the situation without fear.  Whether it appears that “the cougar” is stalking us or we are caught in a fierce storm of life, or wrestling with an uncertain future, Jesus tells us not to be afraid.

Fear may fill our world, but it doesn’t have to fill our hearts.  It will knock at our door, but we don’t have to let it in.

Jesus doesn’t want us to live in a state of fear.  I don’t believe any of us want to live in a state of fear.  Jesus takes our fears seriously.  The one statement he made more than any other was this: “Don’t be afraid.”  Remember how much He loves you. Remember He died for you.  Remember He lives for you.  Remember He intercedes for you.  Remember He invites you to be with Him at all times! We don’t have to live in fear!

In John 14:1 & 3 Jesus says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me…I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”  2 Timothy 1:7

Pastor Russ