Step Forward

This month I would like to share a story from the daily devotional, Extreme Devotion, published by The Voice of the Martyrs organization. The devotion comes from the real-life story of Mary Skotsobaugh who was being held in a Nazi concentration camp. One night, two women escaped from the camp and therefore, the officials ordered all prisoners to get in a line and the guards were to count the prisoners. The guards were ordered to execute each tenth person in line.

[“…seven, eight, nine – you! Step out!” The Nazi guard yelled at the woman. “Please have mercy on me! I have a child,” the tenth woman pleaded. Mary Skotsobaugh stood next in line. In her heart Mary heard, “Step forward and say you wish to die in her place.” She replied to the inner voice, “Why? She is not a Christian. She is a Jewish Communist. When the Nazis are overthrown and the Communists come to power, they will be as bad as the Nazis.”

    Then Mary remembered that it was Good Friday. The voice said, “On this day I died not for the good ones but for the bad ones, for sinners.”

    Mary then stepped forward. “I wish to die.”

    The officer laughed. “If you are stupid enough to die in her place, all right, you come forward. Her turn will come soon enough.”

    As Mary went to be executed and burned in the ovens, she told them, “When God took His people out of slavery in Egypt, it is written in our Bible that he walked before them in a column of fire. I pray when my body burns it would be a column of fire that will show you the way to God.”]

“One step forward can make all the difference. Christians often live their lives precariously balanced on the ledge between safety and the unknown. Those who have taken the small step forward into the unknown have always found the faithfulness of God. Noah. Moses. Abraham. Deborah. Ruth. Mary. Paul. The list of biblical examples goes on and on, not to mention a host of history’s hall of fame. One step of faith changed their lives from ordinary to extraordinary. Is God calling you to step forward in faith today? Do you hear His voice in your heart? Listen up. Prepare to move. Your small step of obedience could show others the way to God.      

                                                                   Pastor Jason, Youth and Worship Pastor

(Consider) The Tree

For Christians, the “Message of the Cross” cannot be overstated.  As a prelude to my testimony scheduled for August 1st, I wanted to share a poem regarding the transformation of the meaning of the cross (for me) from a historical tool of death and suffering to a redeeming instrument of life rather than death; love rather than hatred; and joy rather than sorrow.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  (KJV - Philippians 2:8)

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”  (KJV - 1 John 2:2)

(Consider) The Tree

There they were crippled on the lawn The morning after the storm had passed Two trees crisscrossed, one on top of the other Striking the sign of the cross Symbolic pose of 6th century BC  to 4th century AD Instrument of death by the most tortuous  and painful of ways Earlier, before the sun turned on its light I emerged from an insentient slumber And looked out a window To the somber painting-like rendering Of the Crucifixion On what happened to be, oddly enough  Palm Sunday Compelled to consider the tree My attention turned to a wooden graphic A bit more theological…The Cross Where the unblemished Lamb God’s only Son Was nailed to the intersection Of God’s love and justice Sacrificial blood flowing red Revealing His character Of greater love hath no man than this - Mickey Grubb

But what I recognized later that morning From my regular place on the pew Was the mercy tree where He hung for my iniquities Secured by the nails driven by my sin Wearing the thorns woven by my shame He who is sinless and pure Died in my place An atoning sacrifice for my transgressions All because He loves me more than I can imagine Toward evening, a once active chainsaw Had left behind a sprinkling of sawdust Along with a scattering of a few ragged leaves Remnant reminders of a storm’s clamor And the place of two windblown trees It is my prayer That one day, you too, may rise at dawn And look out a window Copyright © 2018 by Mickey Grubb

Life isn't fair

If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that one. Clichè or not, it is a truism which frequently bears out in everyone's lives. Sometimes the unfairness factor of life rushes at us in absolute fury. We maybe doing everything we are supposed to do and yet we are still left to deal with pain, suffering, illness, heartache, disappointment...the list goes on into infinity. But we forget that until something comes along in life that reminds us of the inherent unfairness of it all.

     Recently my wife, Stephanie, and I were reminded that even if you do what you should you are not granted a special pass on bad stuff. A few weeks ago we were involved in what could very well have been a catastrophic accident. Thankfully, neither of us sustained anything more serious than bruises, but we were scared out of our wits. We were not doing anything wrong, we were doing exactly what we were supposed to do, but that did not keep a potential tragic situation from happening. All it takes is one person to momentarily take their eyes off the road, to glance at something in their vehicle, ignore a stop sign or light, and things can get very bad very quickly. Now, this is not meant to be a PSA for safe driving. No, there is a far more important lesson to learn here.

     The wisest man of the ancient world wrote, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6, CSB). We often take that verse out of context and twist it to mean something that it never has. Solomon does not instruct us that if we trust God everything will always be perfect. He doesn't teach us that if we seek after God with all our heart then life will always be fair. Instead, he is telling forgetful, hardhearted, stubborn believers that trusting in God depends upon you giving up on your understanding. Seeking and following Christ means totally trusting in Him.

     So, what does this mean for us? And what does an auto accident have to do with this? Trusting in God means that sometimes you are doing what is right, you are following Christ with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, yet bad things still happen. When those bad things happen we are to keep trusting in God, and forget everything we know about how things are supposed to work. Knowing God in all of our ways means that sometimes the paths God is making straight for us go completely off-road. You might think it is scary, horrifying and even insane, but God has laid out a straight path for you. 

     Life rarely turns out the way we want it to. When things go crazy, keep trusting God with all your heart. When your world is literally turning upside down on you, keep on knowing God in all your ways. Will everything turn out Okay? From our perspective, possibly not. From the perspective of the Father, those paths were laid out straight, just for us, long before.

- Ray Perdue // Men's Ministry Director

A Note on Faith and Families

The weeks of late spring/early summer bring important events to our family calendars, particularly Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Vacation Bible School.  Families and churches, not to mention gift shops and florists, pause to commemorate the love and devotion of parents for their children.  Although we might hesitate at the commercialization of these two special events, we all agree that celebrating parents and families is good, even biblical when we recall the “Honor thy father and thy mother” statement found in Exodus.  Additionally, VBS provides an opportunity to expose and engage families with the Gospel as it’s taught and displayed in a variety of ways, such as lessons, puppets, and missionary stories.  VBS becomes a time when young people frequently receive Christ as Savior or, if already born again, can grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Bible and the Lord’s call upon their lives.

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and VBS are all significant, not just because they provide fun experiences, shared memories, and photo opportunities, but more importantly, because they reflect the biblical truth that there is a special connection between faith and family.  It’s a relationship that was designed by God in the beginning with Adam & Eve, echoed in the Ten Commandments, referenced in the Psalms & Proverbs, described in the parables of Christ, and explained in the inspired writings of the Apostles.  Additionally, familiar words, such as father, brother, sister, family, child, son, and home,have application to the family-unit and to biblical faith.

The Scripture is clear to teach that the responsibility of creating a family environment of faith is placed squarely on the shoulders of the parents.  It’s the parents who set the priorities that reflect what’s important in raising the children.  Parents make the choices regarding how time is used and how money is spent, they decide where to go and what to do.  They resolve how faith will integrate into the family and to what degree, if any, biblical values are prioritized.

Being a parent is demanding physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually.  It’s not easy, but it can be wonderfully rewarding.  However, parenting becomes an even more difficult task when done without biblical principles and guidelines of truth to structure the family and rear the children.

A recent search of Amazon’s website using the phrase “parenting books” revealed more than three dozen categories and a total of more than sixty-thousand results.  Categories spanned a wide spectrum of ideas, research, trends, and “how to” topics.  After a brief survey of the results, it was easy to arrive at a conclusion…parentingmust be one of the most written about subjects of all time.  But when you think about it, that shouldn’t be a surprise.  The typical goal is to be a “good” parent, and in that pursuit of “good,” people, especially first-time parents, are looking for guidance and advice, of which, there is certainly an abundance of resources.  

However, as Christians, let us notfall prey to the “abundance of resources” about parenting which are built upon the shifting sand and feeble foundation of worldly, and even anti-God beliefs.  The goal of Christian parents is not just to be good, but rather to be godly… intentional and purposeful in creating an environment where Christ is honored, biblical-truth is valued, and church is prioritized.  Establishing such an environment is a recipe that can keep a family grounded in truth, abounding in love, and growing in the Gospel.  May we strive to make our homes a place where God’s truth is regularly sewn into the hearts and minds of our children and our children’s children.
 - Dr. Harlie Miller // Associate Pastor

A Note on Mother's Day

Growing up and attending school in West Virginia from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s (wow, where did the time go?). provided a reasonable measure of West Virginia history in the classroom (a required course then, but not so much now). As part of the curriculum, students read about Anna Jarvis, a native of Grafton, West Virginia. Anna was recognized as the founder of Mother’s Day in 1908.  Mainly because of Ms. Jarvis's efforts, Mother's Day observancesbegan to spread to a number of cities and states until President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 officially set aside the second Sunday in May for the holiday.

The Mother's Day holiday quickly became a strong stimulus of consumerism.  However, commercialization was not Anna’s intent. The death of her mother in 1905 inspired Anna to simply want a day established where children could celebrate, appreciate, and recognize, not all mothers collectively, but their individual mothers, the best mothers they would ever know.  That’s why she accentuated the singular “Mother’s Day” as opposed to the plural “Mothers’ Day”.

For me, Mother’s Day is much more than cards, flowers, and/or dining out.  Those expressions are certainly okay; but, the most important part to celebrate is “mother”.  I was fortunate to be blessed with a special mother.  She was a great example of a mother faithful in both her belief and teaching me (as expressed in 2 Timothy 1:5).  Momma said: “Prayer is the shortest path to God. Travel it often.”

Here are a few more Bible verses that help remind me of how important mothers are:

John 19:25-27 (These verses demonstrate Jesus’ love and care for his mother, an example of how we should treat our mothers.)

Isaiah 49:15(This passage describes a mother’s endless compassion, never forgetting their children.)

Exodus 20:12(We are to always honor our father and mother.)

Leviticus 19:3(God commands that we respect our mother and father, to obey all of God’s commandments.)

An inspirational short story for Mother’s Day (theholidayspot.com)

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away.  As he got out of his car, he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb, sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.  But, I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.”

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me.  I’ll buy you a rose.”

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.  As they were leaving, he offered the girl a ride home.  She said, “Yes, please!  You can take me to my mother.”

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

-Mickey Grubb (Adopted at the age of 3)

The Significance of the Resurrection

Below are some thoughts from Dr. Warren Wiersbe on the resurrection.  I thought you would enjoy.

“We must never underestimate the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The world believes that Jesus died, but the world does not believe that He arose from the dead. Peter's message at Pentecost emphasized the Resurrection. In fact, it is emphasized throughout the Book of Acts. What is the significance of the Resurrection?

It proves that Jesus is God's Son. Jesus stated that He had authority to lay down His life and to take it up again (John 10:17-18).

It verifies the truth of Scripture. Both in the Old Testament and in the teaching of Jesus, His resurrection is clearly taught (see Pss. 16:10; 110:1). If Jesus had not come out of the tomb, then these Scriptures would not be true.

It assures our own future resurrection. Because Jesus died and rose again, we shall one day be raised to be like Him (1 Thes. 4:13-18). In fact, the entire structure of the Christian faith rests on the foundation of the Resurrection. If we do away with His resurrection, we have no hope.

It is the proof of a future judgment. "Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man who He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).

It is the basis for Christ's heavenly priesthood. Because He lives by the power of an endless life, He is able to save us "to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:23-28). He lives to intercede for us.

It gives power for Christian living. We cannot live for God by our own strength. It is only as His resurrection power works in and through us that we can do His will and glorify His name (see Rom. 6:4).

It assures our future inheritance. Because we have a living hope, we can experience hopeful living. A dead hope grows weaker and weaker before it eventually dies. But because Jesus Christ is alive, we have a glorious future (see 1 Peter 1:3-5).

Whenever God's people gather on the Lord's Day they bear witness that Jesus is alive and that the church has received spiritual blessings. When the followers of the Lord gathered that first Lord's Day, they were discourged and defeated.”

Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) - New Testament - The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1.

I think the most wonderful thing about the resurrection is that you and I can come to know the risen Savior personally, and in so doing we receive redemption, forgiveness and a home in heaven. Since we know the risen Christ personally, we can learn to walk in fellowship with him throughout our journey. It is my prayer that we will learn to trust him for his strength, comfort, joy and peace in the midst of life‘s troubles, disappointments, challenges, blessings and adventures.

 - Paul Luttrell / Senior Pastor

Overcomer

Once again we have been painfully reminded of the evil and corruption that is a part of our world. Sadly, a quick scan of the news shows us how bad humans are to one another. The world, and strangely enough most believers, are left wondering what, if anything, can be done. Some advocate more laws, more government and more money to be spent on this or that program in order to combat the horror of the day.

     But is that what the Word of God tells us? How can we defeat evil? We can start overcoming evil by doing good. The apostle Paul was very explicit in this when writing to the Romans: 'Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To

the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink: for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.' Romans 12:17-21

     It really doesn't get much clearer than that, does it? It's not through government, wars, grandstanding, name-calling, or blame-games that evil is defeated - it's by doing good. One of my all-time favorite authors wrote that 'Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.' - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

     Being kind to each other - those we know, as well as those we do not know - will combat more evil that the most powerful weapon man has yet to devise. Of course the greatest, yet simplest, act of kindness and love we can do for anyone is sharing the Gospel. There have been some dark and downright bizarre times in history, and often they paralleled a neglect of the Gospel by believers. It is only through the transforming power of the Gospel that any of us have any hope. It is only through the transforming power of the Gospel that can make bad people good, that a society can be changed. The Gospel is the light that scatters the darkness.

 - Ray Perdue  //  Men's Ministry Director