Barbara Johnson once authored a book titled, “God uses cracked pots”. It was a best
seller and offered us a glimpse of how the Holy Spirit of God shines through the
“chinks in our armor”. Life has a way of shattering our dreams from time to time,
doesn’t it? But what happens when things aren’t just shattered? What if certain
things in life unravel so much that we don’t believe things can ever be mended; that
God can’t put things back together again? What about when things are shattered
beyond repair? When there’s nothing left but dust? I’m not sure if you’ve
considered it or not, but our God is an expert with dust! As a matter of fact He
began the entire human race with dust and then breathed the breath of life in him.
(Gen. 2:7). Although a monumental moment, this wasn’t the only time God used
dust. He once spat on the ground and used the clay to anoint a man’s eyes so he
could see again. (John 9: 5-6). Mixing dust with water forms clay and clay is easily
moldable in the hands of the potter. I used to work with a man who referenced death
as one being a ‘duster’. I asked, “What on earth do you mean by that?” His response
was, “You know, ashes to ashes, dust to dust”? It’s possible that you can see
nothing good coming from the situation you currently find yourself in. You may
think things aren’t salvageable, that nothing good can possibly come from the
shattered remnants. Remind yourself: God uses dust. Dust doesn’t have to signify
the end. Dust is often what needs to be present for the new to begin.
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!

- Kevin

Some of the most disheartening things in life originate in daily distractions.
Busy schedules, deadlines, and appointments are a part of daily life.
Unfortunately, these obligations can easily rob us of the tranquility God longs to
give us. How often have we arisen in the morning only to down a few cups of
coffee, shower, shave and move on with our day without first taking into
account the One who gave us the day to begin with? It’s a common theme.
What’s sad is that today’s society APPLAUDS busyness. If a person is moving
at break-neck speed society believes they’ve learned a secret to success we
would all do well to learn. I’m not downgrading hard, industrious work. On the
contrary! We can combine our hard efforts with time alone with God so as to
receive incredible blessings! We have no problem carving time out of our
schedules to prioritize our obligations for the day. Certain things carry more
weight than do others. Unfortunately, our connection with our Creator slides
down the scale of importance far too often. We become entangled in the world’s
affairs and forget that there will come a day when NOTHING in this world will
mean a thing! How foolish will it be to stand before your Creator as you try to
give excuses for the efforts you’ve expended on things that are temporary as
opposed to the things which are eternal! (Mark 8: 36) Because this is something
we can easily fall prey to, maybe we need to schedule our mornings to include
time alone with God. Arising fifteen to twenty minutes earlier is all it takes.
When my day starts and ends with communication to God it goes much easier,
carries more relevance and creates far greater joy than trying to do everything
on my own! I pray you find this to be true in your own life as well.
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!
- Kevin

     Justin Kirk and I along with 6 others are set to ride a 5-day bicycle ride from
Pittsburgh PA to Harper’s Ferry WV starting tomorrow. I would like to think the
old saying is still true: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. And yet,
sometimes we might think it’d be easier to be dead! For instance in my
preparations for the trip I began a regimen of strict eating and exercise. I was told
by a friend of mind that the word “diet” is only one letter short of “die”! There’s a
lot of things we do in this life that challenge us to our core. One of them is being
willing to forgive someone who’s wronged us. The deeper the hurt, the greater the
challenge. And yet, it’s not impossible! You see, when we leave God in charge of
cleaning up the messes other people make it allows us the freedom to heal. We
don’t have to concern ourselves with whether or not we’ll be vindicated for wrongs
inflicted on us. It’s a done deal! God knows all, sees all and judges all
(righteously). I realize that it’s hard for us to sometimes release a hurt that someone
else has inflicted. Remind yourself when you’ve been hurt: God is the judge and
you are not. When we refuse to forgive, we remove God off the throne and try to
take His place. It’s as if we don’t trust Him enough to make things as they need to
be. Remember, God is a righteous judge and justice will prevail. Remember the
text we used last week: Romans 12: 19-21 “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 so doing you will heap burning coals
on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” It’s hard
to relinquish control, but as I told a buddy of mine on one of our trail rides: “If it
were easy everybody would do it.” Forgiveness is hard! There’s no way we can
free someone from the wrongs inflicted upon us if we choose to harbor bitterness
while seeking revenge. Let God handle it. He’ll do a far better job than any of us
ever could.
​
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!

-Kevin

We're starting a new class this morning: “Laugh your way to a better marriage”. If you or someone you know could benefit from this class, see me for details! This year’s theme is “CONNECT”. There are a variety of things we’ve been discussing in regard to what we connect to. Because January was depression awareness month, we discussed the subject of connecting with the healing God provides. February is considered by many as being the month of love. We shared messages with you on the subject of connecting with our mates. March was finances month! Because Easter falls in April, Joel and I have been giving messages on appreciating and embracing a Christ-centered life. In May we will be dealing with connecting with who we are in Christ Jesus: God’s original design for His creation and our purpose in rediscovering who we are in Jesus. In June the subject matter will be: “Today, tomorrow & forever”. In July we will be sharing certain truths in regard to evidences relating to where everything originated from. It’s a study in apologetics or evidences as to why all things exist as they do. In August our sermons will discuss the subject of generations in relation to how God uses each of us (throughout all generations) for His glory. Because September is back to school month, we will be connecting with the importance of using the Word of God as our guide. We hope to share some practical truths with you in regard to how to study the bible. November we are excited to share with you “Kingdom” concepts. We speak often of Christ’s church, but how often did Jesus share with us truths about the Kingdom of heaven? And December will round out 2017 with the subject of “God’s present to mankind”…the birth of the Christ child. We hope you’re able to be a part of this year’s theme: Connect. If you’re visiting with us today for our Friend’s & Family Day, we’re thrilled you decided to stop by. We hope to see you more often!
 
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!                                       
Kevin

Years ago Rick Warren published the now infamous book, “The purpose driven life”. It was a springboard for other books written in that series of understanding and appreciating our purpose. It was also a best seller. Rick is a man of integrity. Of the fortune he gained from producing the book, many of the proceeds went to pay back the church (where he preaches) a lump sum total of his wages from the time he’d been employed at Saddleback church. Regardless as to how you see his view of scripture, none can question his motives. Speaking of purpose, we need to understand when the fall occurred in the Garden of Eden, it wasn’t that man fell from his union with God, primarily. In the garden, God walked with man in a relationship unhindered by sin. Even though he walked with man, he did not reside in man. It wasn’t that Adam fell from the salvation God offers us through Christ. It was more the understanding that when Adam fell, he fell from purpose, hence why Warren’s purpose driven books have received such attention. When Adam fell, he fell horribly short of what God had created him to be and to do. He lost all ability to bear in himself God’s intended testimony and to abide in his created purpose. In other words, he “fell short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Remember, Adam and Eve didn’t fall from God’s grace because they touched something with their hands. They fell from his grace because they had first accepted something into their heart. Man’s fall came when he swallowed Satan’s lie. The sad truth of man’s fall brought on a new perception Adam had never experienced before. Now he was Self-aware, Self-consumed, and SELF-condemned. Satan had permanently altered and had entirely corrupted the way they viewed themselves and their Creator. They changed their God-given perspective (the perspective that would have given them purpose) substance and life for their own purpose and perspective. Truth was compromised and self was promoted. Sounds like the world we inhabit today, does it not? The way, the truth and the life still have their origin in God. It’s now in Christ Jesus, our Savior. Give your heart to Him today and embrace the purpose for which you were originally created.
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Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!                                                       
​Kevin

​I enjoy watching football. I especially enjoy watching football when the team I like comes out on top. Currently we are in “no-game” land…where the only football I’m able to watch are reruns of games already played. I think back to this year’s Super bowl. For those who aren’t aware, the Patriots won. I’m sure it was rigged somehow. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Interestingly enough the Patriots engineered a masterful comeback after being 20+ points behind toward the end of the game. It was considered the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all time. And, then, the unthinkable happened.  The star quarterback’s smelly jersey disappeared. Interestingly enough, after this incredible feat of football brilliance, the jersey was now worth a whopping $50,000! Believe it or not, NFL security, the New England Patriots and even the FBI were searching for it! Now that’s one important piece of dirty laundry. The jersey was stolen and carted across the Mexican border since the Super bowl took place in Houston TX. The Mexican tabloid La Prensa identified the suspect as Mauricio Ortega, the newspaper’s director. Houston Police Chief Art Acevado said he would “fully anticipate charges being brought,” and that the charges could include transporting stolen goods across state lines and out of the country. This story would be hilarious were it not so sad. While I see the importance of placing the jersey in a glass case alongside other memorabilia reminiscent of glory days gone by, it amazed me as to how much time, effort and toil was spent returning it to its rightful owner. Honestly, there are folks less interested in returning human beings to their rightful owner! Think about it. We’ve been created in the image of the Almighty God. We chose to live a life of sin. Jesus came to ‘find us’, reclaim us, wash us and display us for the world to see. But, you’ll fail to see the importance of folks giving their life to Christ in the headlines. It’s just not that interesting, is it? Personally, I wouldn’t have given you $100 for the jersey, unless I could have made a huge profit, which I’m certain it could have. But I’d sure like to see folks redeemed from their sins. News like that need to be tomorrow’s headlines.
 
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!                                                        Kevin

Proverbs 27: 5-6 “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Most generally, the folks I know like to fix things. If somethings broke, just fix it! Right? Yes…to an extent. Sometimes we try too hard to fix something that will take more than simple remedial work. For instance, say you have a good friend who struggles with a problem that they’re ashamed to admit to someone else. Maybe they came to you. First and foremost you should feel honored. But, at the same time you should feel humbled. You’ve been given a great responsibility to help someone through a difficult time. What steps should you take? What advice should you give? First, make sure that the person who is talking to you is actually soliciting advice. He or she may just want you to listen and be a good friend, seeking instead understanding, empathy, and compassion. Don't assume that everyone wants advice. You may have some insight into the problem(s), but you really need to listen attentively to a person first for a very long time to understand the situation. If, and only if, your friend actually ASKS for advice should you then furnish it. Make sure you’re willing to listen. Every situation is unique, so never assume you know all you need to know about a problem. Listen carefully to the person who wants advice, and learn as much as possible about this situation. If you need clarification, ask questions. Being an active listener will not only help you give good advice, it will also increase the chances that the person will take your advice. Secondly, put yourself in that person’s shoes. Try to imagine yourself in the other person's situation. If you've been in a similar situation, think about what you learned, but don't rely solely on your experiences to give advice--imagine that you are giving yourself advice for the unique circumstances that the other person is facing. While you're at it, think about the consequences of not taking your advice. If there's no significant difference between the results of those two scenarios, your advice might not be bad, but it's not useful either. The same thing is true if the action you advise is impossible. Sometimes when we wish to help another person we give advice so as to move them forward. Make sure the advice you give brings them closer to Christ Jesus. It’s possible they need to reverse their actions so as to see how God can use them for His glory later on.
 
Have a blessed day, and remember the One who gave it to you!                                                                                                Kevin

Col 3:12-15 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”  One would think this particular subject would be the most simple to incorporate…just love each other. Show genuine concern for someone other than yourself. Make sure you look out for the wellbeing of those around you. And, yet sometimes it appears to be the most difficult. At times it becomes increasingly allusive. Our society grows more and more distant from each other. Husbands and wives become disinterested with each other. Siblings grow apart; communities remain aloof one from another. The result of all this alienation makes Paul’s admonition to the folks in Colossae very difficult to emulate! Have we stopped recently to consider why human beings are so disconnected these days? In some areas of the world if you were to speak to another person, they might look at you as if you were just beamed down from another planet! I’ve received looks from others after trying to be cordial that made me ask myself why I even bothered in the first place! But, just because the world doesn’t know the concept of putting on tender mercies toward others, doesn’t mean God’s people shouldn’t know! Notice Paul addresses this admonition to God’s ELECT. Responsibility to put on tender mercies doesn’t belong to the world. It belongs to God’s people! So, the next time you’re cordial to someone and they snub you in return, don’t return their scoff. Pray for them. Pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you. (Matt. 7: 12; Matt. 5: 43-48).
 
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you!                                            Kevin
​

​CLASSIFIED ERRORS, from a small-town daily: (Monday) FOR SALE - R. D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 555-0707 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap.
(Tuesday) NOTICE - We regret having erred in R. D. Jones’ ad yesterday. It should have read: One sewing machine for sale. Cheap: 555-0707 and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him after 7 p.m.
(Wednesday) NOTICE - R. D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in his classified ad yesterday. His ad stands corrected as follows: FOR SALE - R. D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 555-0707 and ask Mrs. Kelly who loves with him.
(Thursday) NOTICE - I, R. D. Jones, have NO sewing machine for sale. I SMASHED IT. Don't call 555-0707, as the telephone has been disconnected. I have NOT been carrying on with Mrs. Kelly. Until yesterday she was my housekeeper, but she quit."

An elementary teacher asked her students to define the word ‘frugal’. After many a puzzled stare, the teacher gave them a hint by saying, “To be frugal means to save.” Now, define the word ‘frugal’ by putting it into story. Mary Jane immediately raised her hand. “Once upon a time there was a valiant prince who happened to be riding on his white horse. In the distance, he heard a damsel in distress. The damsel was locked inside a castle. She repeatedly cried, “Frugal me, Frugal me!”
Again, that’s not quite right, but it’s the thought that counts, right? We can easily become confused, can’t we? Without even meaning to, we can confuse laziness with serenity, meekness with weakness or contentment with being melancholy. How about confusing a frugal person with one who’s cheap? And, if we use the word ‘cheap’ could we not be defining a concept of how something was built? There’s a definite difference between ‘cheap’ and frugal. God calls us to be frugal. Everything we have comes from Him. He has blessed us in innumerable ways. Live your life in such a way as to be a blessing to those around you. Live in such a way as to honor God even with your finances!
 
Have blessed day and remember the One who gave it you!
                                                            Kevin