Tuesday Morning on the Run 07/27/2010
As I’ve been reading ahead in the book of ACTS for our Wednesday night study, I noticed an interesting fact regarding Paul’s service on the island of Malta after being shipwrecked. The story occurs in Acts 28 and the thing we remember is that Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake with no ill effects. That truly is a miraculous event, but have you ever considered what Paul was doing when he was bitten. It says that “..it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.” (Acts 28:3). Think of it. Here is the great apostle; preacher to thousands, planter of churches, miracle worker and healer. Here’s a man who has spoken before kings and rulers. Here’s a man who wrote a third of the New Testament. Yet, on a cold rainy night he gathers brushwood for the fire. Paul could have sat grumbling about how terrible life was treating him. After all he’s a prisoner. He’s been falsely accused. Now, he’s been shipwrecked. He could have said, “Let someone else tend the fire.” “Let some else gather sticks.” “I’m too important.” Or, “I’m too tired.” Or “it’s not my job.” Or “tending fires is not my gift.” He could have found a million excuses, but instead he serves. In Galatians 5:13 Paul encourages the church to “serve one another in love.” Here he models that love in a place where few would even notice. I’ve been impressed by that same spirit of service after our first night of Vacation Bible School. Not only do we have a dedicated staff of workers, but many showed up just to ask, what can we do? It is great to see love in action. Thanks to all of you who are pitching in to make this VBS week a success. Hope you have a great week! Pastor Barry Tuesday Morning On the Run 07/20/2010
I heard an expression the other day that I thought was unique. Two guys were talking and one of them said …”You know how small a herd of cattle looks when you whiz by them on the interstate. They are just dots on the hillside.” He went on to say, “I feel about as important as a gnat on the head of one of those cows.” It was his way of saying, “I feel pretty small.” Life has a way of making us feel pretty worthless and insignificant at times. At times our self-esteem takes a beating, and we wander does my life even matter? Would anyone even care if I were to suddenly disappear off the face of the earth? I believe the Devil loves to plant those damaging thoughts of self-doubt in our brains. But God’s Word tells us a different story. Look at some of these amazing verses: Jeremiah 1:5 "I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world."; Psalm 139:14-16 (Actually the whole Psalm reminds us how special we are to God.) “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous … and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Matthew 10: 29-31 “Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. so don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” Or finally, Ephesians 2: 10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." These verses remind us that we are not an accident. We are God’s gift to the world. We are a masterpiece, a work of art, created and signed by the master painter. I have a friend who worked for NASCAR who has a hood from a car driven in the Daytona 500 that is signed by over 30 NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin. Now there is nothing special about the hood. It is simply sheet metal and paint. You could probably buy one at a junk yard for less than a hundred dollars. The thing that makes it valuable are the signatures. The same is true with us. In the grand scheme of nature, human beings are not all that special. We’re not as fast as a cheetah, we’re not as strong as a horse, we’re not as tall as a giraffe, and some of us definitely do not have the memory of an elephant. The thing that makes us unique is the signature of God. We are “His work of art, created in His image to do good deeds.” We are significant not because of what we do, but because of whose we are. Remember that this week when the world starts to beat you down. Have a great week! Pastor Barry P.S. I hope you are inviting children to our VBS starting next Monday night. We are praying for a great week. Tuesday Morning on the Run 07/13/2010
IMPRESSIONS OF DISTRICT CONFERENCE Wow! What a great weekend of spiritual renewal. I feel like I’ve been to the mountain! (literally—the Parkway Church in Roanoke is on the highest peak on the East end of town) But more importantly it was a mountain peak spiritually. Next year you have got to plan on being a part of at least the Sunday night rally. The music, preaching and atmosphere is electric. I was extremely proud of our delegates and representatives this year. Both Ethelyn and Kelli did a great job sharing some of their passion for missions in the rallies. [I don’t think anyone told Kelli there would be nearly 1000 people there when they recruited her to share her missions testimony] But she handled it with tremendous poise. Pam did a great job reporting as District WKFM director. I asked Pastor Dale and our delegates to share their thoughts. “I look forward to District Conference each year. One because we get to see our Shenandoah Wesleyan Family. Two, because of the dynamic worship times we share together. The Holy Spirit ministered to us and fell upon us. Dr. Anthony Graham BROUGHT the Word of God. Wow! Can he preach. It was an amazing time of fellowship , worship and taking care of the business of the district! —Pastor Dale “The presence of the Holy Spirit and fellowship and worship with believers from all over our district is a wonderful part of conference. Hearing about what God is doing in our Shenandoah district, General Wesleyan Church and around the world is a blessing beyond measure.” - Ethelyn Kilmer “Conference was a wonderful experience for me. It was my first chance to attend and I really learned a lot about what's going on in our district and how our church compares to the others. Worship time at the Power Rallies was amazing and I especially loved getting to know some of the delegates and pastors from the other churches. Thanks for the opportunity!” - Kelli Hope you have a great week. Pastor Barry Tuesday on the Run 07/06/2010
How Patriotic should a Christian be? There was a time when the prevailing thought of most Americans was “My country, Right or Wrong”. Then after Vietnam, Watergate, and several other political disasters, patriotism became a dirty word. The events of 9-11 brought about a renewed surge of national pride, but for the most part it has long since evaporated. The question that arises for believers is how much of a flag waver do I want to be? I recently received an e-mail from an individual who sincerely believed we should not have an American flag in our sanctuary. Some believe the only option is to totally divorce church and state. After all how can we be a citizen of two kingdoms? Augustine reconciled this dual citizenship by saying that “we should be godly citizens of whatever kingdom we are in. If children, parents, kings, judges, taxpayers, and tax-collectors were all “that Christian religion has taught men should be,” the result, Augustine argued, would be “the salvation of the commonwealth.” This responsibility of Christian citizenship was well expressed by a Nepali pastor imprisoned for preaching the gospel, which is against the law in his Hindu nation. “Of course I must obey my Lord and spread His Word,” he said during a recent visit to the U.S. “But even though we are persecuted, we who are Christians in Nepal pride ourselves on being the best citizens our king has. We try to be faithful to the fullest extent we can. We love our country—but we love our God more.” C. S. Lewis offers the analogy of the family to illustrate how the Christian loves his country. One doesn’t love family members only when they are good; rather, we seek lovingly to correct their faults. So, too, the Christian can remain faithful to country while weeping over and seeking to correct its faults. I like Chuck Colson’s comment that a “Christian patriot spends more time washing feet than waving flags”. The flag reminds us that God has placed us in this amazing country for a reason: that we might make it a better place. In my opinion the only hope for America is revival and spiritual renewal. That means more than just getting a few laws passed. If we as believers would live godly lives and demonstrate the love of Jesus our nation would be changed. I hope you had a great Fourth of July and enjoyed being together with your family. Have a great week! Pastor Barry P.S. Attached are two additional pieces of inspiration. (1) The first is an article given to me by Lisa Merritt, written by Billy Graham that reminds us of some of the things that make America great. Question: My friend keeps sending me e-mails about what’s happening in the world, and some of them are really scary. We seem to be headed downhill faster and faster—economically, socially, morally, you name it, I don’t see much of anything good happening in our country, do you? Answer: Yes, we live in unsettled and uncertain times, and only God knows what the future holds for us (for our future is in His hands). If all we had to go on were the daily headlines (or your friend’s e-mails), we’d be right to be alarmed. But this weekend I hope you’ll also take time to look on the other side, and pause to thank God for all the good things we still enjoy as a nation. Tomorrow we will be celebrating July 4th, commemorating our birth as a nation. Think of the freedoms we still enjoy, and the opportunities and resources God has given us. Why not let this holiday be a time of thanksgiving for this nation, and for God’s blessings to us? After all, in spite of our problems (and they are many), our nation is still the greatest nation on earth and God has not completely withdrawn His blessings from us. The Bible’s words concerning ancient Israel could be applied to us as well: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). But I hope you’ll also make this holiday a time of intercession, asking God to intervene and bring us back to Himself. Many of the dangers we face are self-inflicted, because we’ve left God and His will out of our lives. This is why our greatest need as a nation is repentance and spiritual renewal. May God bring us back to Himself– beginning today. (2) The second is a video and country song I heard this week that reminds me of the price of freedom. We've included in the blog for you today. Tuesday on the Run 06/29/2010
Good Morning. I hope you are having a great day! In spite of the heat, and in spite of whatever problems you’re facing, I hope you are still rejoicing in the Lord. Which brings me to the theme I want us to think about this morning. How are you doing at obeying the command of I Thessalonians 5:16 “Be joyful always.” Is there much joy showing in your life today? How’s your sense of humor? Have you laughed today - even if it’s at yourself? I read a story recently about two great expositors of the world James M. Gray and William Houghton. Dr. Houghton writes of an occasion when he and Dr. Gray were praying together. Dr. Gray, though getting up in years, was still interested in being an effective witness and expositor. He concluded his prayer by saying: “And Lord, keep me cheerful. Keep me from becoming a cranky, old man!” That is a pretty good prayer. As most of us get older, we do tend to be a little more negative. Instead of mellowing out we often become increasingly impatient and short-tempered. We need to pray that the Lord would increase our joy quotient. Solomon gives us some wise counsel in the book of Proverbs about the benefits of maintaining a joyful spirit. A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken … All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast….A joyful heart is good medicine [the Hebrew says, “causes good healing”], but a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 15:13, 15; 17-22). How often do we let minor irritations and insignificant problems rob us of our joy? I have to confess that on a recent trip to a large city [Baltimore] I allowed traffic, one way streets (usually going the wrong way), time pressure and the inability to find a parking place ruin my day. [If that GPS had said “Recalculating” one more time, it might have gone out the window!] My joy disappeared and I just about ruined an otherwise perfect day. Fortunately, Rosemary’s calm spirit and a seven block walk from where we finally did find a parking place allowed my blood pressure to return to normal. I can laugh about it now, but at that moment Satan had robbed me of ALL my joy. The question is how can I keep that from happening again? God (and Rosemary) have forgiven me, but what are some steps I can take to keep minor irritations from getting the best of me. I came up with several:
Be Joyful! Pastor Barry Tuesday On the Run 06/22/2010
Encouragement for Dads Good morning! I hope all you Dads had a great day on Sunday. I’m sure your families treated you like a king. I hope you know how important you are! Strangely our society has relegated fatherhood to the status of non-essential. According to TV, Dad’s are sorta like a toaster or some other small appliance, “It’s nice if you have one, but you can probably get along just fine without them.” Other than pay the bills and make stupid comments on most of the sitcoms, their role is secondary to the mom who really runs the show. Now, I’m not downplaying the role of a godly mom, but I’m a little outraged by that characterization. And to be honest, the statistics tell a different story. Look at these figures from the Virginia Fatherhood Initiative: Do we really need fathers? 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. 71% of teenage pregnancies come from fatherless homes. 85% of all youths in prison grew up in fatherless homes. 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers are fatherless. 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. The spiritual influence of a Dad committed to Christ, is even more amazing. A well known Christian magazine recently completed a 25 year study. This study proved that if both Mom and Dad attended church regularly and were committed believers, 72% of the time their children would remain faithful and would follow in their parent’s footsteps. If the Dad attended church regularly and the Mom did not, the percentage dropped to 55%. This was a significant decrease, but still over half would become believers. But if only Mom attended regularly and Dad played golf, or went fishing or worked or stayed home then only 15% remained faithful and continued to attend church. Evidently the Father’s example was an extremely crucial part of the equation for family success. The Scripture, particularly the book of Acts, seems to bear this out. It is amazing how many times when a man becomes a believer, his entire household follows him in that decision. Look for instance at the Philippians jailor (Acts 16:31)They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." So Dads, don’t let anyone downplay your role. Step up to the plate and be a major influence in the life of your children and grandchildren. Have a great week! Pastor Barry Tuesday on the Run 06/15/2010
As I sit here at my desk this morning I’m reminded of all the people at our church who do so many things behind the scenes to make our Sunday services a success. From opening the doors (and locking them when it’s over), to making the coffee (very important job), to passing out the bulletins, to taking up the offering, to marking the attendance …. There are hundreds of little tasks that never get noticed unless someone isn’t here to do them. Even during the week we have people who carry trash to the dump, restock the kitchen cabinets, put out offering envelopes … Lisa even washes my coffee cup once a week whether it needs it or not. Without these unsung heroes things would not run so smoothly. May their tribe increase. And to each of you we say a huge thank you! Yet, I know at times you may feel like no one notices or no one cares. It is easy to get discouraged. I love Paul’s encouragement in Galatians 6: 9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” If you feel like giving up this morning, whatever your task, maybe this little story will help. Some years ago Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall. It was a black-tie affair—a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a woman who had brought her nine-year old son, hoping that he would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could just hear the great Paderewski at the keyboard. Weary of waiting for the concert to begin — and being there against his wishes anyway — the lad squirmed restlessly in his seat. Then, as his mother turned to talk with friends, the boy slipped out of his seat and down the aisle, strangely drawn by the ebony concert grand sitting majestic and alone at the center of the huge stage. He sat down on the tufted leather stool, placed his small hands on the black and white keys, and began to play “Chop Sticks.” Suddenly the crowd hushed, and hundreds of frowning faces turned in his direction. Irritated and angry, some began to shout: “Hey, get that boy away from there!” “Where’s his mother?” “Somebody stop him!” Backstage, Paderewski heard the uproar and the sound of the simple tune. When he saw what was happening, he hurried onto the stage. Without a word to the audience, he walked up behind the lad, reached his arms around either side of him, and began to improvise a countermelody. As the two made music together, the master pianist kept whispering in the boy’s ear: “Keep going. Don’t quit, son. Keep on playing ...don’t stop...don’t quit.” So it is with us. We hammer away at life, and sometimes it seems about as significant as “Chop Sticks.” Then, about the time we are ready to give up, along comes the Master, who leans over and whispers: “Don’t quit. Keep going,” as He provides His finishing touch of grace, love, and joy at just the right moment. Take courage! Keep on keeping on! Who knows what God may accomplish through our feeble efforts. Have a great week! Tuesday on the Run 06/08/2010
Good Morning! Sunday was another great day at Parkway Wesleyan. I keep hearing comments like “God is doing something great in our church” or “WOW! Was God’s Spirit ever here this morning!” Another person told me recently, “I don’t want to be away for fear I might miss something.” All I can say is that “It is a God Thing.” The Lord is pouring out His Spirit upon us. We were especially blessed to have Pastor Luis Martinez with us this past Lord’s day. Luis shared with us some exciting stories concerning the recent flooding, volcanic eruption and subsequent mud slides in Guatemala. God granted Luis favor with the police who used their 4-wheel drive vehicle to rescue an 11 member team of nursing students from Indiana Wesleyan University, who had to walk 3 miles through mud sometimes almost to their waist. He also shared about the critical need for things like blankets, water and food. Please keep the people of Guatemala in your prayers. Hundreds, including many children, are missing and presumed dead. Many are isolated and do not even have access to the basic necessities. We were able to send Luis back with an offering of over $1,700.00. It is still not too late to give your offering just mark it for Guatemala Relief. Pastor Luis shared a great message about asking God to give us eyes to see the world as He sees it; and ears like God’s that are attentive to the cries of the needy; and a heart that loves like Jesus and that is moved with compassion. As I was driving home from church the Lord reinforced Luis’ message by allowing me to hear the popular song by Brandon Heath, “Give Me Your Eyes”. Listen to the words of the chorus …… Give me your eyes for just one second Give me your eyes so I can see Everything that I keep missing Give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken hearted The ones that are far beyond my reach? Give me your heart for the one’s forgotten Give me your eyes so I can see. I trust this week we will allow the Holy Spirit to make us sensitive to the needs that are all around us. Let’s love like Jesus loves. Just a quick report. Our Missions team (Pastor Dale and Don) arrived in Arizona. Reports are sketchy, since they have no phone or internet service. We will try to post updates as soon as they are available. Pastor Barry P.S. Don’t forget the Men’s Breakfast this coming Saturday, 7:00 AM at Country Cooking. Tuesday on the Run 06/01/2010
 A number of years ago I remember taking my children to see the Vietnam Memorial (TheWall) in Washington DC. We had been laughing, talking and having fun as we visited the Lincoln Memorial and walked across the mall area. But as we approached that sacred memorial a sense of reverence and awe overcame us. No one spoke and we walked in silence. There were several families placing flowers. There were men in uniform touching names carved into that wall. One soldier stood at attention and saluted. And though I did not personally know anyone whose name was on that wall, I was keenly aware of the price they paid for my freedom. We should never take that lightly. I hope you took time over this weekend to give thanks and remember those who paid the ultimate price for our security and freedom. As I reflected this weekend, I also thought of the host of spiritual warriors who have battled the forces of evil down through the centuries. Their courage, their witness, their prayers have made it possible for us to know the gospel. Were it not for their faithfulness, we might still be walking in darkness. We need to consider what kind of legacy we are leaving for the next generation. Unless we remain committed to the truth, unless we faithfully share the good news of the gospel, and unless we demonstrate a clear example of holy living our grandchildren may grow up in a totally pagan environment. Finally, I can’t help but think this Memorial Day of the One who so willingly gave his life for me at Calvary. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with god because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 4:25-5:1. Every time we gather to worship, every time we pray, every time we celebrate Communion we remember Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. As the hymn writer puts it, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.” Have a great week. God bless. Yours for Christ, Pastor Barry Tuesday on the Run 05/25/2010
Good morning! I hope you are having a great day. I am enjoying the sunshine for a change. I appreciate the rain (I haven’t had to water my tomato plants for two weeks), but it is really nice to see the sun. The only problem is I have yard work that is getting way ahead of me. My theory is it will get done eventually. This morning I thought I would follow up on Sunday’s message on Stephen being full of the Holy Spirit with a Bible promise and a story. As a young man, Oswald Chambers, of My Utmost For His Highest fame, battled a persistent sense of barrenness in his Christian life. He finally wrote: I was desperate. I knew no one who had what I wanted; in fact I did not know what I did want. But I knew that if what I had was all the Christianity there was, the thing was a fraud. Then Luke 11:13 got hold of me. [In case you’re wondering, Luke 11:13 says, If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!] To continue Oswald Chambers’ story, he attended a little meeting in Dunoon, where in the after meeting a lady asked them to pray and sang the song, “Touch me again, Lord”. Oswald Chambers says, “I felt nothing, but I knew emphatically my time had come. I rose to my feet. Then and there I claimed the gift of the Holy Spirit in dogged committal on Luke 11:13.” I had no vision of heaven or of angels; I had nothing. I was as dry and empty as ever, no power or realization of God, no witness of the Holy Spirit. Then I was asked to speak at a meeting and forty souls came out to the front! I came to realize that God intended me, having asked, to simply take it by faith, and that power would be there. I might see it only by the backward look, but I was to reckon on the fact that God would be with me. From that point on, Oswald Chambers ministered with unusual power. His words and writings touched people around the world, especially when he taught, as he frequently did, from his favorite verse, Luke 11:13. And when Oswald died at an early age in Egypt during World War I, an old Australian soldier, whom he had led to Christ had a Bible carved in stone for his grave. Its pages were turned to Luke 11:13. I hope you are continuing to pray, as I am, for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit. As we sang on Sunday, “Holy Spirit, Rain Down…” Let’s claim the promise of Luke 11:13. Oh, how we need His power! Yours in Christ, Pastor Barry | ArchivesJuly 2010 Categories |
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