Where is God in my painful circumstance? Job pours this question out in the company of friends, much the same as you or I would. However, the correct answer does not lie with the friends, but only with the LORD himself. Much to our surprise, God does not reply with kind or soothing words, but stings Job with his own set of questions (Job 38) – all to point out that Job does not have a clue. His knowledge is far too limited to understand God and how he works – just as ours is.

The baffling part of this story for many; is that GOD uses Satan in a TEST of JOB. We often don’t think of God as someone giving out tests, or interacting with Satan, but he does. The New Testament supports this as well: Count it all joy my brother, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (James 1:2-3). What is even more mind-boggling is that the TEST, as painful as it may be, has a PURPOSE. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:4). God desires to perfect our faith, to bring us to completeness, to ensure that we lack nothing of his character and in order to do so, He will bring challenging circumstances into our lives.

So, where is God in my painful circumstances? He is right there. A better question to remembers is: Who am I to be questioning God about my circumstances?

As you have read Job – What have you learned about God, the Adversary, our Mutiny and so on…? Here are a few of my thoughts.

God – What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me and many such things are in his mind. (Job 23:13-14)

Adversary – And the Lord said to Satan, “have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him…so Satan went out from the presence of the Lord” (Job 1:6-12)

Mutiny – Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? (Job 40:8)

Human Condition – “…How can he who is born of woman be made pure”? (Job 25:4-6)

Restoration – Offer seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up burnt offerings for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly…and the Lord restored the fortunes of Job (Job 42:8-10)

God – And they all showed sympathy and comforted him for all the evil (disaster) the Lord had brought upon him…the Lord blessed Job (42:11-17)

I remember trying to read through the Bible as a High School student. Unfortunately, I never met my goal. While my heart was in the right place, I found that I could not understand very much of what I was reading and consequently, I lost heart…I eventually gave up.

Several things made the Bible more difficult than it needed to be. First, I was reading from my Thompson Chain Reference Bible King James Version. It sounds impressive and it was!!! It was Leather-bound, name embossed,and not to mention that I had won that bible a Christian Skating Party, so I cherished it. But, the King James (KJV) was beyond my English abilities. I was getting lost just in the wording which was translated from Greek to English in like the 16th century. So my first tip in Reading the Bible through in a year is READ from an EASY ENGLIGH Translation. I recommend the ESV, the NIV or the NLT. I will spare my further explanation on these translations for another occasion. Just trust me when I say, that it is better to keep it simple and go the distance.

Next failure I had was the time in the day I chose to read. Not being a morning person (duhhh. I was in High School), I read the bible at night, typically right before bed. BAD IDEA!!! My brain cells were tired, I was exhausted from school, work, sports, chores and studies. I was inadvertently giving my worst time to God in an effort to spend time with him in the WORD. I many occasions I feel asleep with reading light on, Bible on my chest and maybe a bit of drool down my chin. PICK A TIME to READ when you are at you PEAK energy and attention. Give yourself and God 20 minutes of quality time, so you can read once with great attention; rather, than reading a chapter and then asking yourself, “what did I just read”?

My final flaw and I didn’t even know it at the time, was my lack of theological understanding to support what I was reading. By this I mean that I didn’t know enough about God’s Story to understand the scriptures I was reading. It felt like the chapters I read were like puzzle pieces and I was trying to put the puzzle together, but I did not have the box top to show me what the puzzle looked like. I now realize that I need a framework of understanding…a “box top” to help me put the pieces of scripture together, so that they make sense.

I think you will find the following illustration very helpful as you read through the Bible. It is a diagram that tells the Big STORY OF SCRIPTURE. This story line unfolds immediately in Genesis 1-11 and will be played out over and over again as you read God’s Word.

At the top of the diagram, the story of scripture starts with God, “In the beginning God created…” (Gen 1:1) God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, of all. The Bible is primarily about God, just as our lives are primarily for him.

Moving to the left of the diagram, the Word tells us about who we are up against – our adversary – the serpent (Gen 3:1-16). We are told elsewhere in scripture that the serpent is a fallen angel, who rebelled against God. His vanity and desire for power has not diminished with time, Satan continues to twist truth and seduce people into his power.

Continuing to move counterclockwise, God’s Word tells us about the Mutiny – our turning against God. Make no mistake, it is more than a rebellion against the authority of God in our lives, we – all humans – actually want to throw God, the captain of the ship, overboard and take control of our own destiny. Just like a nautical mutiny, we often work with others in this cause (Gen 3:6f). It is not as if Satan has to twist our arm, humans are filled with pride and are sure that we can lead our lives (and the world) better than God.

The problem is we have no idea what the consequences of the Mutiny will be. Our fallen state in sin, our separation from God in the Garden, reveals a Human Condition of shame, accusations, loneliness, pain and hatred, but to name of few (see Genesis 3:8-24 and into chapter regarding Cain and Able).

Thankfully, God does not leave us in this fallen condition, God provides and Rescue & Restoration for our lives. Though God will drive Adam and Eve out of the Garden as a consequence of their sin (mutiny), God also covers their shame by clothing them and restores their standing before each other and him (Genesis 3:21). God also speaks of a rescuer in Gen 3:15 who will be born of the woman EVE, someone who will bruise the head of the serpent, though his own heel will be bruised. God is speaking of Jesus Christ, the one who will rescue us from the sin & death of the devil. Since Jesus is the SON OF GOD, once again we realize that the story of scripture is all about God and we return to the top of the diagram.

This diagram can help you as you read along at any point in scripture by putting these Big Themes of scripture into questions, such as: What is this scripture saying about God? What role does the adversary play in this chapter? Does the reading say anything about the mutiny? What does God’s Word say about my mutiny? How does what I reading relate to my Human Condition? What is this saying about the Rescue and Restoration that God has for us. Try out these questions as you read through the book of JOB, which is coming up this week.

11/12/10
 
There are several reasons why short-term mission experiences are important. The first being and MOST important is that Jesus sent his followers out on a short-term assignment.

Apparently, Jesus felt a short-term, concentrated engagement between People & The Good News, was a necessary part of the discipleship process. In my opinion…this will never change. As a church we are in the process of “returning to a simple plan of discipleship” (read Simple Church to find out more) and this is why I have place a series of Short-Term trips to South Africa front and center in our agenda.
Furthermore, we live in a world that is growing more secularized and compartmentalized. By this I mean, that globalization has secularized people largely through a NON-GOD FEARING MEDIA. Equally as true, we have become less “neighborly” in the WEST. Globalization has outsourced jobs, making us compete on higher levels. This often means more travel to your job, for your job and maybe travel to find a job….we are moving around a lot and our relationships with neighbors, family and friends and suffering.

A short-assignment for Jesus gives us an opportunity to break through the clutter and busyness of our lives and focus of God and his plan to seek and save that which is lost. But it also gives us time to focus on the relationships with those on the short-term team with us, not to mention, develop relationships with those we meet in ministry.

Our short-term trip strategy to South Africa will be Christ Centered. Community Connected and has the potential of bearing some serious fruit on a number of levels. I hope & pray that you consider joining the effort over the next three years. – pb

11/10/10
 
It seems like the world of short-term mission trips is a mixed bag. In my experience as a pastor and as a missionary, I’ll admit that some go on ministry trips that are really like vacations. Nice hotels, cushy air-conditioned buses, an easy going ministry schedule with a little shopping mixed in…even a trip to Starbucks.


It’s also true that some people go on trips that are really hard, like digging a well or building a school, maybe even living in tents or going without showers (uggghh!) But does a tough living environment or hard-work constitute a successful short-term trip? What is the purpose of such trips? Are they just about us or are they about the people we are serving? AND what about the people we are serving – what obligation do they have to serve with us? Are these trips to give “hand outs” or a “hand up”?
OR …None of the Above?

Jesus sent out his disciples on a short-term trip in Luke chapter 10. A few things jump out to me from their experience that probably should be included in ours. First of all, the harvest is great and workers are few. Counting yourself in as a worker (even for a short while) is a good thing…no, it is a God thing! Of course we are not alone as a workers…Jesus sends us out in small groups….2 by 2.

Secondly, the kind of journey Jesus provides is tough. You don’t have much money, you have to rely on others and you are among wolves. Soft trips are not Jesus trips!

Thirdly, there is a purpose given: Heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God is near (Lk 10:9).

Lastly, there will be evidence of changed lives after you return (Lk 10:17).

There is plenty more to say on the subject. But what I want to say now is…This is the kind of life Pastor Elaina is going to be living. She will need our prayers and as God leads, our financial support. She is relying on others and those others are US! Please help send her. For more or to support her, use the link below. PB

http://elainarogers.theworldrace.org/.

11/8/10
 
One of the hardest things for me is to “fit it all in.” I have a tendency to want too much or want to do too much. For instance, if I have an appointment at 5:00pm and one at 6:00pm, I am pretty sure I can squeeze something or someone in at 5:45. It’s the just the way I am wired.

World Missions can be one of those things we “squeeze in” to our church life…or it can become central to what we do. How does it feel to you?

Thankfully, God did not just squeeze in his plan to reach to the world with his love. The Father’s plan to seek & save the lost became apparent in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Jesus told us that he came to seek & save the lost and showed us the compassion, service & sacrifice that it would take. The Spirit came to empower us to seek & save the lost, as well as to help, comfort and guide us. God’s plan from the beginning until now is consistent. You might even say that God has not changed…I wonder if we have changed?

To what extent are we, the church, functioning like God?

How central is God’s plan to “seek & save the lost” to your life?

My hope, prayer and plan is to see our church make Christ Central to our lives and that includes his plan to “seek & save the lost.” This World Missions Week is designed to help us understand God’s plan more fully so that we can participate in greater ways over time. Please take time to attend the special services this week.

Thursday, 11/11 @ 7pm – Alan Buckley: The Voice of the Martyrs and Elaina Rogers: The World Race

Friday, 11/12 @ 7pm – Missionary Movie: “The End of the Spear” in the Fusion Center

Sunday, 11/14 @ 10:30am – Missionary Update: Jim Strysko of Zimbabawe and Missionary Evangelist: Jim King working in Ukraine, China, Israel and more

Sunday, 11/14 @ 6:00pm – Guest Musician: Julius Kay of Kenya and Missionary Evangelist: Jim King speaking towards the state of the church in Israe

We did it! We survived 5 Sundays of worship together as a church family. Actually, we did more than survive…we thrived. Not because our program was so great, but because our God is so great. The LORD met with us through his SPIRIT and through his WORD. Allow me to briefly recapture the Sundays of May.
Review
May 2 – We were challenged to “answer the call” of the King. Drama provided by Fusion Students
May 9 – Obeyed the 5th commandment by “honoring our Mothers.” Ministry provided by FirstKidz and three moms: Mrs. Ledbetter, Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Appiah
May 16 – The King is calling for more laborers in his Harvest Field. Ministry provided by YWAM Boston with emphasis on our Local Mission
May 23 – Pentecost Sunday. God spoke through messengers in our congregation and we moved with the Spirit in prayers for salvation, confession of sin and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Ministry provided by Pastor Dan
May 30 – Ordinance Sunday. We recognized the LORD’s deliverance through Communion and obedience to the LORD through Baptism. Word of exhortation provided by Okey Asoh.
God encouraged us as families to continue what was started during these services. Rather, than think of our encounters with God as events, we were challenged to pursue a process. However, before the process of growth can get into full swing – we must fill ourselves with God’s information (His Holy Word) before the transformation (the changed life) will take place.
Men and Women, Mothers and Fathers let us take what we have heard &experienced this past month and apply it to our lives and in our homes. If you currently read the Bible as an individual or as a family, I challenge you to INCREASE your intake. If you currently do not read the Bible as an individual or as a family, I challenge you to BEGIN reading GOD’s TRUTH for YOUR LIFE.
Feel free to COMMENT on this blog…what did you experience during our May worship services?

Into every life a little rain must fall, says modern proverb. We know that dreary days are a part of life, just as much as sunny days. When the sun shines, we feel upbeat and excited, we want to get out of the house and enjoy. Equally true, when the dark clouds form and thunder rolls, we naturally want to stay inside…we snuggle under a blanket, drink warm tea and quietly read a book (or play video games). In any event, God has created us in such as way that we instinctively respond to our environment.

Jesus describes an environment in Matthew 9:37 – 38. He uses agricultural words to describe the environmental condition and in fact, “the people condition.” Jesus says: The Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. For an agricultural audience Jesus just described an environment and created a sense of urgency that those of us in post-agricultural/post-industrial America may miss. Please let me explain.

Grain is planted in the spring months here in New England and is harvested in late summer. When grain is ready to be harvested, the head of the grain is very heavy and the strength of the stalk is weak. This is why you will see the grain/grass sway in the wind and the tips bend over slightly from the weight of the head. When the harvest is ready, the biggest threat to the crop is no longer pestilence, or bugs, but the weather. If a very HEAVY STORM comes, it will knock down and flatten the grain, because there is no strength in the stalk. A farmer will lose the crop as the earth & moisture corrode the very valuable grain found in the head.

As a boy growing up in a farming community and coming from a farming family, I assure you that when it was harvest time, ALL HANDS were on deck to bring in the harvest. I remember being 6 years old working with my grandfather, father and uncles stacking hay into the night hours. Being a 6 year old, I could not lift a 75 lb. bale of hay very well, but I was still responsible to do participate in the harvest. My uncle would throw the bails to me, so they fell into the stack almost perfectly and I would straighten them out.

By the time I was a teenager, our family farm was sold, but we lived in a German farming community. When it was harvest time, the doorbell rang and I was asked to bale hay. On the wagon I worked next Frau Schneider, a grandmother who knew how to handle herself. EVERYONE – no matter their age, gender, strength or weakness has a role to play in Harvest season. If not…if no one shows up to work…if everyone has an excuse…the Harvest will be lost.

Jesus is saying: The Environment of People is HARVEST and it is PLENTIFUL…this means that people are ready to respond to the good news in great number. But there is a problem, The Environment of Christian Workers are few. This means that unless we ASK the LORD for more workers and BECOME WORKERS OURSELVES…the Harvest will be lost. A strong Storm will blow into someone’s life and flatten them. However, as we obey (Matt 9:37-38) and pray – THE LORD of the HARVEST will send us into his field (Matt 10) and GREAT will be the HARVEST of PEOPLE.

Let us become a church that understands the urgency and the bounty of GOD’S HARVEST.

To all our moms, grandmoms, grannys, nanas, me’me’res and all the special women in our lives, I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day !!!
I am looking forward to spending the day with the mother of my children, her mother and hoping that my mother gets our Card and gift in time.
Our Sunday Mother’s Day service is being prepared by our Children’s Pastor, Elaina Rogers. She has plans to involve children and mothers in a celebration of God’s special relationship and role he has given to moms.
I know the task of being a mother is great. The responsibility and demands never end. Meanwhile the energy it takes to be a Mom, seems to end all too quickly. And yet, Mothers press on and we Honor you on this Day.
The scriptures point out the primary duty of parenting in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This truth gets plays out in both the positive and the negative aspect. If we train our children in proper behavior and good habits, they will stick through their life. Equally as true, if our training allows poor habits and improper behavior to exist, then they will stick through our children’s life.
As your pastor, I realize that the stakes are high for Motherhood. Therefore, the Executive Board of our church recently adopted a mission, vision and goal statement which acknowledges the great task of parenting and our near-term plans to support the family unit. The core of the document is as follows:
Mission: Christ Centered Community Connected
Vision: To bring salvation, health and support to families and community by being child centered, family focused and relationship driven.
Goal: To be a spiritual leader to our children, families and community: We will accomplish this by focusing on reaching children from birth to age 21 and training their parents towards Christ centered lives.

This Sunday, May 2, we begin our Family Worship adventure…with an adventure. Our illustrated sermon will bring to life the action-adventure story found in Matthew chapter 9:35-10:42. Up until this point the disciples have been witnesses to Jesus’ authority, but now Jesus gives them authority and says, “Go tell people and show people that the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.” Our King is telling his loyal subjects to get to work in his Kingdom.
This Sunday’s message will involve a dramatization of this story. Not a line by line retelling, but a capturing of the spirit of the story with the same call to action. What I find so interesting in this account is the fact the Jesus first calls the disciples to pray. Few times in scripture does Jesus give us clear instruction on prayer and this is one of those times. Jesus says, the Harvest (speaking of people) is plentiful, but the workers (also people) are few, so pray that the LORD of the Harvest will send laborers into HIS harvest. Sounds simple enough…pray that people will go out and save souls.
What’s so amazing is that right after Jesus instructs his followers to pray this way, Jesus sends the disciples into the Harvest. You may have heard of a “self-fulfilling prophecy,” well this is a self-fulfilling prayer. Jesus, our King and incidentally, also the LORD of the Harvest, is showing us that our prayer is inevitably answered as we go out into the Harvest field.
Jesus wants the life of a disciple to be an adventure, to be action packed, to be somewhat dangerous, to be risky and to be filled with faith. How dangerous you wonder? How much action is required? There are factors at play here that are too deep for this discussion. Suffice it to say, the extent to which God uses us is a mixture of willingness, calling, giftedness, faith and obedience. But rest assured – no deed whether big or small, will be over looked by the LORD of the Harvest. According to Jesus (Matt 10:42), “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cold cup of water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
All of us can give a simple cup of water to someone in need, whether a Kindergartner or a 59’er. No matter our age or stature, we all have a role to play in LORD’s Harvest. Begin praying the prayer of Matthew 9:38 as a man, woman or child and don’t be afraid to live it out. The King is counting on us!

We are now one week away from our Special Family Services during the Month of May. As you look at Sunday’s bulletin, you will see the upcoming schedule and get a sense of where we are heading.

As you know, we have been grappling with Matthew’s Gospel which explains to us what being a Disciple or a “Follower of Jesus,” is all about. The idea that being a Follower of Jesus is EASY is completely false. Matthew’s Gospel lays out a pretty challenging picture of what it means to Follow Jesus. Disciples shouldn’t expect the comforts and security of home, we shouldn’t expect that disciples are found only in church and we are commanded to go and make other disciples. In short, Following Jesus comes with great expectation.

One of our goals in holding these family services is to demonstrate those expectations to our children. Kids today learn very visually. Like it or not, America is no longer a “print-based” culture. Most newspapers are struggling, but the computer industry is thriving. We will use visually means to explain to our children what follow Jesus is all about. This many come through the depictions of communion, water baptism, and through an illustrated sermon which is planned for Sunday, May 2.

These visuals are geared to lay out the biblical expectations of being a Christ Follower. Communion bread and fruit speak of the love and devotion Christ showed us, that in turn should show HIM and each other. Water baptism illustrates the expectation that death leads to new life – a clean life, washed in Christ. And the illustrated sermon will speak of the Harvest of souls that is expected. The only thing missing is the labor force…and that is you, me and our kids…the followers of Jesus.

Our goal is to go beyond illustration and actually give the church opportunity to become part of Christ’s labor force. This summer we have several local missions opportunities available and we will invite ALL the body to join in the Harvest. You will be given a brochure to explain our summer mission opportunities and prayer needs, with an offering envelope included. I simply ask that you Follow Jesus by Praying, Giving and Going this summer…More on that in a few weeks.

Parents for now, we ask that you be prepared to sit with your kids in the main service for the month of May. Please give them instructions on behavior, encourage them when they do well and discipline them when they are out of line. Our Children’s Pastor is preparing a special bulletin for the kids. This will have information for them at their level and several questions that they can answer during the service. This will help them engage in worship and observe all that God is doing. After the service, the kids will be able to turn in their completed bulletin for Kidz Cash that can be redeemed the following month in their Kidz Club service.

I’ll admit that I have never been a part of a church that has done one whole month of family services. So, I don’t know exactly what will happen. I am walking by faith…but I think that’s what we are supposed to do…right?