God is good...

Friday Update...

This has been such an awesome week and the power of God has been so obvious! I could not wait until tomorrow to tell of all that God has been doing in our lives. If you will recall, in last week's episode we had lost our camera. We don't lose things like this. It's amazing how God reveals Himself to us in everyday, simple ways. Yesterday (Friday), I was on my way to the store and topped a hill, my truck died! I was going fast enough that the momentum allowed me to pull off the highway. I phoned my wife and informed her of my situation, then I phoned my mechanic. Some may wonder why I called my wife before I called my mechanic? The logic is simple: my wife prays about EVERYTHING! I tried to start the truck several times and it wouldn't work. I sat and prayed and called the mechanic, not two minutes after the phone call I tried the truck again and it has not done it again. Some say this is coincidence, I say this is God smiling back at us. Monday we went camera shopping and decided we weren't giving up on our old camera yet especially after pricing new cameras. Today, (saturday), I got a call from my sister telling us she found our camera on her dresser! Again, same may call this carelessness, I am gonna go with God looked down at us and smiled! Today I was doing a job that was way over my head with my limited knowledge. I spent about an hour in the humidity trying to figure it out. I finally asked God to lead me in what to do next...He did! It worked! Some may call this trial and error, I'm gonna say it was the Power of God!!! God is good...All the time...

Tony

Luke 15...

Luke 15...is what many refer to as "the lost chapter". They call this "the lost chapter", not because it was missing or was added later or anything like that. The reason this chapter is called "lost" is because there are three parables and in it three things are lost and then are found. In the first parable there is a shepherd who has one hundred sheep. He loses one and leaves the ninety nine to search for that one until he finds it. Then it's party time! He calls his friends over and they rejoice because he has found that one that was missing! In the next few verses we find a lady who has lost a coin. She turns her house upside down looking for that coin until she finds it! After finding her coin she calls her friends and throws a party! In the last parable we find the story of the "prodigal son". Here we have a man who has two sons. The older one decides to take his inheritance early and goes off and squanders it. When he comes back home after he has spent all he had and ate with pigs from the same trough, his father welcomes him home with open arms. These three parables are awesome. They end the way they should. I love this chapter so much that my very first sermon I preached came from this chapter.
Well my friends, it doesn't always end the way it should. Please allow me to tell you my story. I decided on Sunday that I needed to go baptize some minnows that had made a decision earlier in the week. What's a fishing trip without a camera? I asked my wife for the camera and...wait for it...wait for it...the search began! We dropped the ninety nine things we were doing to go and search for that one that was missing...no rejoicing. We turned our house upside down searching...no rejoicing. I went ahead and went fishing...a little rejoicing. The prodigal son returned from fishing...and still no payoff! There is no picture to go with this devotion because there is no camera. We have no idea where it is. One minute it was here and the next it was gone.
The camera can be replaced. Prayers are still being sent as I write this. The camera is probably somewhere really obvious. As I searched for this camera it made me realize how much you miss something you had once it's gone! Perhaps some of us had a relationship with Jesus at some point, but we have wandered off the path. He is still there. Maybe we want that relationship but we think we're too busy, or not good enough, or too far gone in life! Good news, God is still there seeking for us to come back. My prayer for this week is for those who once had a close relationship with God, that they come back, so we can have a party together someday! God Bless

Tony

Happy Mother's Day!

The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten married -- for the fourth time.
The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband's occupation.

'He's a funeral director,' she answered.

'Interesting,' the newsman thought. He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.
She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she'd first married a banker when she was in her early 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, later on a preacher when in her 60's, and now in her 80's, a funeral director.
The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.
She smiled and explained, 'I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.'
I can't even begin to tell you what a mother means to me! After watching my wife work around the house all day I want to ask her when the last time she had a hot meal was or when the last time she enjoyed a shower without people knocking on the door to ask where something is, or how about when was the last time she did something for herself! Moms are simply amazing! I thank God every day for mine and for the wonderful mother that my children are blessed with...God Bless you mother's, I can honestly say, "you are my heroes!"

God Bless,
Tony

Wow! What a busy time this has been for all of us! I slacked off a little last week and didn't get to put up a devo. I appreciate all the feedback I received and all that asked where it was. That makes a person feel good! Have you ever found yourself in a really strange situation and you try to make sense of why or how you got there? I am currently in one of those "pickles." By now most of you know that I am no longer Pastor of the church where I was serving, however I am still working with the youth out there. This makes for an interesting conversation. When someone askes how things are going out there, I never know if they're asking about the church or the students.
Another thing that is really strange in my life right now is the fact that we don't have a "home" church. What I mean by this is that we are not attending any church at this time. Why? Maybe it's because I don't know how to shop for a church. I have always worked at the church I attended. I didn't know church shopping was so exhausting. The churches we have attended have really been kinda cold and fairly stuffy with no real sense of purpose or direction. That is a very harsh statement to make, but if I was to list the places we have visited I think you would agree. This has me really concerned about where churches are going and/or what churches have become.
I have started to really look at myself and evaluate who I am. What do I believe? Why? I have started digging a little deeper into the scriptures to see what they have to say about all this. I have started reading the book of Ecclesiastes. Here we find Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived and he has some pretty deep insights on some of these questions. I'm sure I will be posting some of my findings soon. Those who are reading this and are current church members; let me encourage you to support that church as much as you can, good churches and staff are hard to find. If you are not attending church right now; let me encourage you to continue that search. I really miss the fellowship of church. I also miss seeing choir members dozing off during long announcements, children's sermons going out of control, and those deacon prayers, you know the one's we ALL have memorized that we can lip sync and nearly finish for them!
Here is a quote I read that is really standing out in my head, perhaps you can apply it as well..."God will never change, this is why our faith must rest on His identity and not necessarily His activity..." Sorry I didn't post last week, but maybe this will give you something to chew for a few days!

God Bless You
Tony