Weekend Sermon -- A Foundation For The New Year

      Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. I have been having a rough time due to the really bad winter weather. I am sorry that I couldn't get anything posted last week, but I couldn't get out. Even if I could have gotten out, nothing was open. Thankfully, I am able to post the messages again. 

     Before I start the message, I wanted to say that Jan 13 is a special day because that is when my friend Toby came to live with me. I want to thank the Lord Jesus for letting us find each other. 

     The new year is always a great time to take stock of one's life. That is true in the natural as well as in the spiritual.

     As we begin the new year, I wanted to share with you a verse that I think can be a building block for all of us as we start 2025. Colossians 2:7 tells us, "Keep your roots deep in Him, and have your lives built on Him. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always be thankful."

     In order for us to be effective Christians going into the new year, we have to have our roots in Jesus. This means that in order to have the life that we need to please guide, we have to have our lives anchored in Jesus. We must have Jesus as our Savior and our Lord. I believe that this verse is also talking about sinking our roots and anchoring our lives in the words and the teachings of Jesus. When we learn more about Jesus and what He taught, it allows us to be able to withstand in this world and be what we need to be in order to be an ambassador for Christ in this world. 

     There are two major ways that we can place our roots deep in the Lord. First of all, we need to be students of the Word. As we start this new year, all of us need to make the commitment to study more in the Bible. We need to read the Bible, but I am saying something deeper. We need to do in depth study and plumb the depths of the theology and doctrines revealed in the Word. 

     We also build roots in the Lord through building a relationship with Him through prayer. I urge you as the new year is starting to make the commitment to pray at least twice a day. Pray about all manner of things. Spend time with Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit speak into your heart. 

     Having our lives built on Jesus to me means that all of our lives are centered in and around Jesus. Being a Christian to me means that Jesus is all in all. He is who our lives revolve around. Whatever we do, we ask what Jesus would do in that situation. In that way, Jesus really and truly becomes the Lord of our lives.  

    In 2025, let us be strong in the faith. That means that we practice what we preach. We look to Jesus, and then we act like Jesus out in the world. We do good unto the least of those among us, and we spread the message of Jesus' love to others. We are not lead astray by the things of the world, but we live lives of holiness and sanctification which is pleasing to God. 

     Finally, we need to be thankful people in 2025. We have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful that the storm didn't take out my power and the heat stayed on. I am thankful that the Lord gave me by best friend Toby. Of course we must always be thankful for the fact that Jesus has come, and because of Him, nothing will ever be the same again in this world and in our lives. 

     This year, express your thanks to the Lord often. Whenever the Lord answers a prayer, make sure to say thank you. Start the year off right by being a thankful person. 

     We have a new year ahead. Let Jesus be the center of you life. Live for Him. Let Him lead and guide you in all things in the year ahead. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I would like you to please pray that I can find another job. I am thankful for my current job, but it is really stressful. Thank you. 

     The fires in Los Angeles have been horrific. Pray that these fires can be extinguished. Pray for the recovery efforts and that people can get the aid and the help that they need. Pray for the safety of the firefighters. 

     Keep praying for those affected by storms here in the US as well as in Mayotte, Madagascar, Mozambique and Comoros. 

      Pray for peace. Sudan, Ukraine, Israel and Gaza all need our prayers. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Vietnam and Singapore. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I am starting a new sermon series. I will post the verses on Tuesday. May God bless you all. 

Snow Days

      Where I live, we just had the largest one day snowfall since 1962. That was before I was born. I think we had just a little over 10 inches. Some places near me had well over a foot of snow. I lived through the largest two day snowfall ten years ago. We had 7 inches one day, and then we had 8 inches the next day. 

     With all of this snow falling, I was reminded of all of the fun that I had with Toby when the snow days came. That dog really loved the snow. When I was younger, I used to like it too. Neither of us cared for the super cold days when it was really windy, but any other time when the snow was on the ground, the two of us where ready for outdoor adventures. 

     Toby really came to life in the snow. Even when he was really old, he would get an extra burst of energy when we went out in the snow. He loved it when I would through snow at him. He would run around barking and biting at the snow. 

     I remember one winter in particular. We had a big snow with a lot of drifting. There was a drift in the backyard as high as the fence. That evening, freezing drizzle came down making a hard crust on the snow. Toby had a blast going up and down over the drift in and out of the yard. 

     About three days later, we had a little melting. Toby went out to walk up and down the big snowdrift, and it collapsed under him. All that was sticking up was the tip of one of his ears. I rushed over and dug him out as quickly as I could. He had a stunned look on his face. He was not at all happy that his drift climbing days where at an end. 

     What always amazed me is what an easy time he had getting through the snow. Being a corgi, he didn't have much ground clearance. It didn't make any difference. He would bound through the deepest snow and the largest drifts with ease. I think he would have loved living in a place where there was snow more of the year. Maybe he is running through the snow up in Heaven right now. 

Verses For The Week And An Update

      I was not able to post anything last week due to the bad storm. The area where I live had the heaviest snowfall since before I was born. I couldn't go anywhere for days. I do thank the Lord that the power stayed on so that I had plenty of heat. Starting today, I hope we can get back on track here on the blog. 

Here are the verses:

Psalm 46:1 -- "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

II Thessalonians 3:3 -- "But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one."

Weekend Sermon

      This Weekend Sermon is going to be short. There are many things happening where I live. More on that later. I hope that everyone is doing well. 

     As we start the new year, I have been thinking a lot about the words in James 4:14 that tells us life is like a vapor. That is like the visible steam that you can see coming off a pot of boiling water. You see it for just a moment, and then it has vanished.

     Life is so short. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was running around with my friend Toby both of us having the time of our lives. 

     What I wanted to reflect on today is that we all only have so much time to do what we want to do and what God has called us to do with our lives. As we start this new year, I urge you not to put off doing what God has called you to do. Do all that you can this year to live the dream that God has given you. 

     I also want to speak to those that may have been putting off deciding to give their lives to Jesus. Today, is the day of salvation. Now is the time. 

     I know that was short, but I have something very important that I need all of you to pray about. There is major winter storm coming into my area. They are calling for a lot of freezing rain. So much is forecast that I am really worried about power outage and damage to the house. I have many old trees around the house. I've actually been thinking about getting out of there during this storm. 

     Please pray that the storm won't be as bad as what is currently being predicted, and pray that the power will not go out. Also, pray that I will have wisdom from the Lord about what to do.

     I have several new series planned for the new year. I am looking forward to continuing on the blog for as long as the Lord allows me to do it. 

     Remember to keep praying for peace, and pray that people will come to know Jesus around the world. 

     Next week, I hope to get back with a proper sermon. Thank you all, and may God bless you. 

Happy New Year

      I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I hope that everyone will be in good health and will be happy in the year to come. Thank you for reading the blog in 2024.

Verses For The Week, An Update, And A Prayer Request

      Due to work scheduling, I am going to start posting the verses on Tuesdays. The sermon will still almost always be posted on Friday. I would ask that you pray that the predicted bad winter storm for my area will not materialize. Thank you. 

Here are the verses:

I Corinthians 5:17 -- "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come."

Psalm 98:1 -- "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things, His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him."

Weekend Sermon -- "Do The Right Thing"

       Welcome to the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone had a good Christmas. 

     This is the last Weekend Sermon for 2024. It's hard for me to believe that I've been posting these messages for almost 14 years. I do thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to do this. As we close out the year and move into a new one, I wanted us to focus on what we need to be doing as we head into 2025.

     Shortly after Jesus was born, He received a group of very important visitors. The Bible tells us that wise men from the east saw a star and followed it. They came to Herod and asked where they could find the one who was born the King of the Jews. Herod didn't like hearing about anyone but him being a king, so he asked the wise men to search for the child, and when they found him, they were to report to him his whereabouts. Herod intended all along to do away with Jesus because he didn't want a potential rival for his power. 

     The wise men came and found Jesus in Bethlehem. They presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That night, they were warned by God not to go back and say anything to Herod. Trusting in the message of God, the wise men went home and did not report anything to Herod. 

     The wise men are examples to us of doing the right thing. They had a choice to make. They could have played it safe and gone back and reported to Herod. That way, he wouldn't come looking for them and try to harm them. They made a different choice. They honored God and obeyed Him. They disobeyed the political power and chose to follow God. 

       As we move into 2025, I hope that we will all be those who will do the right thing in this new year. That has several levels of meaning. First of all, I hope that we will do the right thing and follow the teachings and the commandments set out for us by the Lord Jesus. I hope that we will make it a commitment to work as hard as we can to obey the Great Commission and tell others about Jesus and what He can do for them. 

     In 2025, I hope that as Christians we will do the right thing and stand up against injustice and oppression. I hope that we will honor the way of Jesus over and above any leader or political party or philosophy. I hope that we will follow what the Bible tells us to do and not what a politicians says is right. 

     Finally, as we go about doing the right thing in 2025, I hope that we will all find ways to make this world a better place. We all can do something to help others to have a better life. We can contribute to making this a safer and more peaceful world. We can work to make sure that future generations have a thriving world in which to live. 

     Let us all determine in our hearts to do the right thing for the Lord Jesus in 2025. Amen.

Prayer Requests

     I want to thank the Lord for helping me with some of my health problems. I am still having a lot of arthritis pain, so continue to pray with me about that. Thank you. 

     Pray for those who were involved in the Azerbaijan airplane crash. Pray that the injured will recover. 

     Keep praying for the people living in Mayotte. Pray that they will get the aid and the help that they need. 

     Remember to continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Sudan all need our prayers. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week. let us pray for those living in the nations of Indonesia and Bangladesh. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, I will post another message. I may start a new series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.