Dear Church,

While there are some folks celebrating Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) by indulging in all the things they will give up for the next 40 days, I thought I’d use it to check in with you to see what decisions you and the Lord have made about Lent. Your discipline starts tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Are you ready?

There are a few things to keep in mind. First the attitude of humility is primary. Why are you doing this? What do you want to learn in this process? Are you doing this with a teachable spirit? Recall that humility is laying your preferences at the feet of Jesus so his Presence can prevail.

Second the temptation factor will be very real. Remember Satan came after Jesus to distract his purpose and derail his character. He will do the same to you. He’ll make every attempt to distract you from God’s voice and teaching. He will try to discredit your character by getting you to disobey God or fail in your commitment. Stand firm. Keep in mind that Satan is a liar and has one goal…to defeat you. Jesus Christ is the Truth and his goal is to save you. He has modeled the way to defeat temptation by standing on God’s word and crying out to the Father in prayer. It works!

And third the commitment to see this challenge through will take courage. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The first 10 days will be cake. The next 30 will be tough. If you are relying solely on your own strength and ability, it may go south quickly. Oh yes, you might be able to pass the test, but to pass the test while listening to the Lord and drawing closer to him will require a daily reliance on his Spirit and an obedience to his will. You can do this with God’s help.

We all can do this…together. Let’s be praying and encouraging one another as we walk the Way of Brokenness. See you Sunday for our second step.

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church,

We just finished a fairly challenging series on stewardship (management) of God’s finances, spiritual gifts and time that he places in all of our hands. Each Sunday has prompted conversations and questions which reveal that the Holy Spirit is talking to us and we are listening. In the last couple of days I’ve had four conversations about the gift of time that God has given us, and more specifically, about the urgency of the times in which we live and how appropriate it is to be more intentional in our conversations. The questions have focused on the difference between a desire to share a good word about Christ and the detriment of coming off as abrasive or judgemental. What is the proper approach? How do we balance urgency with relationship building?

I believe the leadership of the Holy Spirit is the key. There is no doubt that building a relationship with lost people is one of the ways we make a difference in our world. As we walk the journey of life with them, we build bridges of mutual trust and respect. When the time is right, and that’s where the leading of the Holy Spirit comes in, we can share a Bible verse, a testimony or a story of how God is working in our lives and pray that the Holy Spirit will apply that truth in their hearts. Because of the trust and respect already present, it is more likely that the message will “stick” because they have seen the reality in us. God will faithfully lead both participants in next steps of his will. While building a relationship can take OUR time, we must be sensitive to the urgency of GOD’S time that can help change a life…a marriage…a home and a community in the near future. The scripture reminds us, “Today is the day of salvation.” Let us learn to discern and walk this balance for the honor and glory of our Father. See you this Sunday as we begin our Lenten season.

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church,

How exciting it was to see so many of you picking up the Spiritual Gifts Assessment survey after the service last Sunday. The point is that through this process we can begin getting the “right people in the right seats” for effective ministry. It is the next step to realizing the vision that God has given to us.

While the survey has changed and become more focused over the years, I remember taking a similar questionaire as a sophomore in college majoring in pre-med studies. The pastor had preached a series on spiritual gifts and then passed out the survey to the congregation. You can imagine how shocked I was to discover that my top three gifts were “Pastor/Shepherd”, “Teaching” and “Serving”. My life didn’t change in that moment, but it did start the process of soul searching and seeking God’s will for my future. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Please don’t get nervous that this survey will lead you into pastoral ministry as a career. But do know that your eyes may be opened to gifts that are confirmed or gifts uncovered so that you can begin seeking God’s will for your place of ministry in His kingdom. Remember we are called to follow Jesus to make a difference. And this is one practical tool that helps get us “out of the seats and into the streets”. May God bless you as you discover what gifts you’ve been given and how you will use them. See you Sunday! 

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

After the second service last Sunday, Marilyn reminded me that she forgot to share in her testimony that after they decided to sell their house and downsize so they could keep giving God His tithes, Ken lost his job at the dealership. If they had not made the decision to downsize, they would have lost their home and just about everything. God honored their faithfulness! God will honor your faithfulness!

I’ve had some interesting conversations about tithing since Sunday. I will not share names or details, but let me say that I’m glad there is conversation happening about a fundamental discipline of the faith. One of the words that I keep hearing is “convicted” which is very encouraging to me because it tells me that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us and that we are listening. This issue of giving generously is not a “campaign slogan” but a biblical mandate that God has initiated to help us 1) fund His mission and 2) keep the temptation of greed in check. Think about it…when we honor God with His tithes and our offerings, He blesses us in moving His vision forward AND puts us in the position of making wise decisions about the money that remains to pay our bills, spend on leisure and cut out waste or extravagance.

If God is talking to you about “this grace of giving” (words of Paul), He has faith in you. He knows all about your income, bills, spending patterns and desire to be obedient. I believe He wants to teach you something about faith and His ability to come through. This is your personal journey with the Lord. I believe He wants to bless you. If you will be faithful, I know God will be faithful. Let’s keep the conversations going. See you Sunday! Don’t forget to wear your favorite team colors!

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

 As I reflect on our Sanctity of Life Sunday, I’m reminded of how blessed we are to have so many children and to know that we have 6 more coming! There’s room for more volunteers to help lead, guide, model and make a difference for Christ in their lives. What a ministry!

 But also I was thinking about the wide range of ages we have and how we, not only need each other, but have a mutual respect for one another. The sanctity of life includes a reverent appreciation for the differences, personalities, gifts, talents and journeys we all share. What a blessing!

 And then there is the shared vision. From the youngest to the oldest, God has placed before us an open door to share the sanctity of life with our neighborhood. Even though we haven’t met all of them yet, the same things we just mentiond about our church family apply to our community. This is an opportunity to reach, teach, interact with and include others in God’s kingdom. What a privilege!

 So there ya go…a ministry…a blessing…a privilege. You didn’t know a “holy appreciation for life” had so much potential, did you? And we get the joy of choosing to follow Jesus into what God has planned for us. So let’s celebrate life and the joy of living! See you Sunday.

 By the way, the love offering (so far) for the Hope Life Center was over $1600! Thank you so much.

 Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

Pure joy! That’s how I would describe a picture of my 19 month old granddaughter being pulled on a sled in the snow. She’s all bundled up in her coat, gloves and boots. Her cheeks are pink (matching her coat) and she has this incredible expression on her face. Her eyes are gleaming and her smile is contagious. It’s one of those pictures that would make a great “create a caption” challenge. My caption would be … “I can’t believe this is happening to me!”

Pure joy! When was the last time you experienced that feeling about your relationship with the Lord? When you think about God creating you in your mother’s womb; when you consider His watchful care and prevenient grace in your youth (even when you might have been rebellious); when you ponder Jesus’ death on the cross for YOUR sins and consider His resurrection power that leads you in victorious Christian living daily; when you contemplate the personal leadership of the Holy Spirit that propels you into faith challenges and maturity in Christlikeness; when you anticipate an eternity spent with Jesus, our Savior and Lord…how can you experience anything less than pure joy?! May we embrace every day with the assurance in our hearts and, perhaps, the expression on our face that sends the clear message…”I can’t believe this is happening to me!” Enjoy this week and I’ll see you on Sunday!

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

While ministering to a family in the ER this week, I was reminded of the importance of working together when it comes to a crisis. Whenever a “code blue” is alerted, staff come from everywhere in a matter of seconds. Every person knows their job. The only words being spoken are those focused on the immediate situation. The single most important goal is to come together to meet the need of the patient.

I’ve been thinking about a “code blue” as it relates to hurting people, broken relationships, misguided friends and unsaved loved ones. While there are always people with needs on a daily basis, there are times that situations can get critical fairly quickly. The question is…how do we respond? As we go about our daily responsibilities, are we sensitive to those urgent needs? Is it possible that the Holy Spirit sounds the “code blue” in our hearts concerning hurting people in our sphere of influence. And if He does, what do we do about it? Wouldn’t it be great if we responded as a “team”, working together in prayer, support, help and encouragement, with the single most important goal of meeting the need of God’s child. Why can’t we do that? If it works in an ER, it can work in the Kingdom. What role will you play? May the Lord keep us tender and gracious toward others in our lives. See you Sunday!

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

 I got a new perspective on the “rear view mirror” teaching coming home from Missouri yesterday evening. I’m sure there are some of our newer readers that don’t know what I’m talking about, so let me take a moment to explain what I’m referring to. In one of my early sermons here at SFC, I talked about rear view mirrors and windshields. Both of these pieces of glass serve important roles in driving a car. The rear view mirror gives us a glance at what’s behind us and where we’ve been. And as important as that is, we don’t drive by the rear view mirror. We look ahead and move forward with the use of the windshield. The lesson: while we glance at where we’ve been, it’s most important to see where we’re going.

And so, in the late afternoon hours yesterday, Sue and I were traveling eastbound on Rte 34 toward Galesburg. The scattered clouds had pretty much moved out leaving nothing in the clearing blue sky but a bright sun setting in the west and glaring directly in both my rear view and side view mirrors. I couldn’t see anything behind me except the sun. And it was at this point that the Lord gave me the new perspective. You see, on Monday, sitting around a dining room table with my dad, brother, sister and in-laws, we had been discussing old memories and stories. While some of the stories are “favorites” and shared whenever we get together (and we all laugh though we know what’s coming), there were some new revelations that could be more accurately termed “confessions”. That led to a discussion about God’s forgiveness, forgiving others, and what’s to be done with past memories and moving forward. Pretty heavy, huh? We all concluded that while we will never forget the things that have happened in our lives, God’s forgiving grace includes a power and ability to keep our past sins and hurts covered by his blood and totally in his care. Peter told us to “cast all our cares upon Him” and Jesus himself extended the invitation, “Come to me (with your burdens and weariness) and I will give you rest”.

Now, finally, the new perspective. As I looked in the rear view mirror and could see nothing but the sun, it was as if God was showing me that He’s as much a part of my past as He is my present and future. When a thought or memory brings our painful past to mind, I believe God wants us to know…”I AM THERE. YOU GAVE THAT TO ME AND I STILL HAVE IT. CONTINUE TO TRUST ME AND LEAVE IT IN MY CARE. YOU JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD IN MY WILL.” And so, in this new year, we will commit to do just that. When we’re tempted to look back in the rear view mirror of our life, may we see nothing but the Son. May God bless you this week. See you Sunday!

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

Sunday is going to be a wonderful illustration of new beginnings. It is the first day of 2012 and we step forward into a new year of possibilities and challenges, all under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The next few weeks are crucial for the continued advancement of the vision we believe God has given us. The church board has an important strategic planning meeting January 12. We will be electing our next wave of church leadership on Sunday the 15th. The Finance Committee will be meeting later in the month to set a vision-focused budget for this next church year. You play an extremely vital role as you pray for all these crucial steps toward God’s preferred future for SFC. Please pray.

But the greatest illustration of new beginnings this Sunday will be the baptism service. As we focus on this significant “next step” for new believers, we are reminded of God’s great grace that sought us, then bought us with the price of Jesus’ own blood. Such a gift that transforms us, giving us new purpose and a whole new direction in life, is what we celebrate in new beginnings. I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year, can you?! I hope that you will be present for the first worship service of 2012 and that you will also come as a great encouragement to our new Christians. They need to know that they are a part of a wonderful church family of faith, hope and love. Come expecting God to speak to your own heart as well.

See you this Sunday at 10:45. Remember this is our only service and there is no Sunday School. We’ll be back to our regular schedule on Jan. 8.

Love ya,
PB

Dear Church Family,

This is the last “advent” connection of the year. As you remember, advent means “to prepare for the coming” and we have been focusing on preparing our hearts with an attitude of repentance for the coming of Jesus Christ. The advent for Christmas is to remember what Jesus’ first coming meant to a dark and broken world in expressions of hope, love, joy and peace. In both of our services this Christmas Sunday (midnight and 10:45) we will be lighting the Christ candle to signify that Christ, indeed, has come. In his coming the Lord Jesus makes hope, love, joy and peace a reality for all who will accept him and believe on his name.

For us today, however, advent means preparation for Christ’s second coming. Much of the world is still living in spiritual darkness and there is no doubt that it is broken. There is still a great need today, even in the Sauk Valley, for hope, love, joy and peace. You may even be experiencing those needs in your home and family. Darkness can be that close and that personal. If we ever needed the coming of Jesus Christ into our spheres of influence, it is today. And if there were ever a time that believers, with hearts of repentance, needed to prepare for Jesus’ return, it is now. That’s why Christmas is such a great time of celebrtion. Jesus HAS come! Jesus is HERE today to walk with you in your agenda! And Jesus WILL come back for his own! Hope, love, joy and peace are still realities TODAY! As the carol proclaims, “Let us then with angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King’; peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinner reconciled”. That is the reason for our celebration. Hope to see you Christmas Day, but in case I don’t, have a blessed time with family and friends. Merry Christmas!

Love ya,
PB