Written by Bill Grandi on May 14th, 2025
How many times have you heard “Pride goes before the fall”? A million. A zillion? If you have heard it only once you know it is very true.
I was struck this morning as I read the Scripture that was the focus of Everyday Gospel, reading how relevant that saying is. Here is what the Bible says: ‘“He (Uzziah) did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” (2 Chronicles 26:4-5) Verse 15 says, “His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.”
But then we hit verse 16 and the hammer falls:
But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.
When confronted by the priest, Azariah, King Uzziah raised the incense burner to strike him and when he did leprosy broke out on the forehead. He lived in isolation the rest of his life.
I hate reading those words “But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.” His success contributed to his demise. I don’t think I need to ask how many times we have seen this in our day and age. A CEO gets too big for his/her britches. An entitled executive has an agenda. (Does Bud Light ring a bell?) A pastor gets too pompous in his “empire” and with all the “yes” people around him, he has no checks and balances. Embezzlement. Misuse of funds. Sexual charges (of all kinds). An entitled athlete finds himself mired in scandal or not so high on the leader board as he/she once thought they were.
Tragic events happen when pride rears its ugly head. I’m not saying there isn’t a good type of pride. A young man did a fine job giving the communion meditation this past Sunday. Rightfully so, his parents could be proud of their 17 year old son. But even something as beautiful as that can be turned into a moment of ungodly pride by the father of lies.
Let’s keep our feet on the ground, our head out of the clouds, and our heart beating for the Master. Pride is ugly; humility, although much harder to maintain, is the key.
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Tags: Christian Living, Humility, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Pride, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on May 13th, 2025
I tire of the news. Am I alone? I don’t think so. Maybe I ought to clarify more of what I mean. I tire of bad news. I tire of mainstream media news. I tell myself I should just quit listening to it. I have one app on my phone where I sometimes read the news. I definitely don’t find myself listening to or reading any of the mainstream media news, and that TV show that has the female talking heads- (who to quote a Tommy James song from the ’60s-“Talk and signify and say nothing)? Not a chance. To be honest, I have better things to do with my time than watch mainstream media news-like watch grass grow or twiddle my thumbs or (here is something novel)-READ!
Part of my problem is I need to know what is going on in the world so I can converse and not act so ignorant when people talk about current events. But there are so many political, cultural, and ecclesiastical events which occur every day. I sometimes feel like an owl with my head spinning in circles. I no longer digest one event that another smacks me in the face. Someone has snarkily said, “If if wasn’t for the bad news there wouldn’t be any news at all.” That’s not totally true but it sure seems like it.
The problem as I see it-and I’m not expert-is that the media has seemed to have already doomed us from the start. Their viewpoint is that the world we live in is an out-of-control mess and there isn’t much we can do about it. No sense in fighting it because there is no chance to change it. And in some ways I agree. Our world will not be changed by a law, a treaty, a tariff/no tariff, a deal/no deal, a ruler/party in power, or any such action. But I am not a doom-and-gloomer type of person. I’m well over a 90+% positive person. But do I think the world will get better? No, not really. It may make progress but humans being who we are-humans-we will eventually revert to our old sinful desires.
There really is only ONE who can change things and there really is only one way it will happen. When we sing the Christmas song “Let there be peace on earth” it all sounds good. But only when Jesus reigns supreme will there be the peace we so desire. I DO KNOW THIS: God has not been and never will be dethroned. It may look like it. But He is still on the throne. All the talking heads can ignore or deny Him, but I will choose to stand with Him. Remember that old song? “He’s got the whole world in His hands”? I still believe that.
Soapbox dismissed.
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Tags: Commentary, God's Plan, Opinion, Politics, Reflection, Worldview
Written by Bill Grandi on May 12th, 2025
“I’m at a loss. I don’t know what to say.” “I hate going to funeral homes. I don’t know what to say and if I speak I am afraid I will say the wrong thing.” I can’t even begin to tell you how many time I have heard that in my 50+ years in the ministry. It is a touchy subject without a doubt. NO ONE wants to be THAT person…the one who opens mouth and inserts foot, or the one who simply says the wrong thing at the wrong time. As I was rereading and ultimately finishing last night Douglas Grouthuis’ book, Walking Through Twilight, he gave some helpful tips on how to help lighten the load of someone, like him, who was going through the slow decline and ultimate death of his wife. Following are his suggestions and I add some commentary:
First, we ought to pray for wisdom before speaking or communicating with someone under the pressure of loss. Ask God for the right words to say or not say. Pr. 12:14 says, “Wise words bring many benefits.” In that same chapter it says, “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” (v.25). Choose your words wisely. Douglas gives an example of one who just found out she had cancer. The other person said, “Oh, if I had to have chemo-just shoot me.” There is a saying for that: “Better to keep your mouth shut and thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Second, avoid overinterpreting the dire situations by trying to read God’s mind. Stay away from cliches like “Oh, God will bring good out of evil.” That is true, but the person doesn’t want to hear that right now. How much better to sit silently and not give meaningless platitudes.
Third, learn to lament with people. Listen to the stories of suffering and identify with them. Stop interrupting. Say unprofound but appropriate things like, “I am so sorry” and “That is terrible.” Don’t wax poetic. Don’t wax spiritual. And please, please, please, don’t say, “I know how you feel.” No. No you don’t. Every situation is unique. How much better to say, “I’m sorry. I don’t know how you feel, but I will be here for you.”
I’ll add a fourth. Don’t say, “If you need me, call me.” They won’t. I’ve taken to say, “How can I help you right now?” “Can I do anything for you right now?” I’d like to also add: don’t disappear. Perhaps worse than hearing empty pablum is hearing nothing at all. If you care, put yourself out there. Martyred missionary, Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” That is especially true when offering lament to someone.
May we learn to empathize well.
I wrote about Douglas’ book in this post.
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Tags: Christian Living, Death, Empathy, Humility, Kindness, Mercy, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Speech
Written by Bill Grandi on May 9th, 2025
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! Even as I write this I know I have isolated a portion of those who either read this or will be there Sunday. Every pastor faces a Catch-22 on Mother’s Day. He can stand in the pulpit and read from Proverbs 31 and gain the ire of every women in the congregation, especially if she feels he is preaching to them. OR he takes a chance isolating those who are not mothers-either by choice, inability, or life choice. I have chosen to take a different approach and speak about godly woman.
The Everyday Gospel Devotional we are using for 2025 is not focused on holidays or special days like Sunday. So I took each day of this week and found a theme for each day. I then hunted the Scripture for a woman who illustrated that quality. The following is what we will be looking at Sunday: A GODLY WOMAN…
Prays (Hannah)
Receives and Gives Grace (Samaritan woman in John 4)
Worships with Passion (Mary of Bethany)
Leaves a Godly Legacy (Rahab/Ruth)
Exhibits Humility (Abigail)
Stand Hopeful (Woman caught in adultery in John 8/woman with illness in Mk 5)
Gives Glory to God (Deborah)
I hope you will join Sunday at 9:00 or 10:45. If you unable to you can check us out by sending a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In. Or you can watch via YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you online. And let me ask you to do me a favor: please let us know you are watching and then feel free to comment-yay or nay. If you have any questions, please ask and I will get back to you. Thanks. And thanks for praying for us.
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Tags: Reflection, Sermon Series, Women
Written by Bill Grandi on May 8th, 2025
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer?” Well, probably not because they are usually talking about someone else and their inability to “get it.” So here is an honest confession: I know I’m not always the sharpest knife in the drawer. I can pawn it off these days to my age (72) or to my lack of knowing the “now” lingo of this current generation. For example, our youth pastor has just begun mentoring our part-time Children’s Ministry Director and has tasked her with “glowing up” a couple of the youth classrooms. Say what? What in the world is “glowing up?” By a process of elimination (including my mind) I figured out that it meant “to make the classroom come alive, to not be stodgy and cold.” Truthfully, it needs it, but “glowing it up?” (Rolling eyes emoji here).
But I digress. Let’s go back to my original statement: I am not always the sharpest knife in the drawer. There is usually someone smarter than me; someone (most often) more media savvy than me; someone more up-to-date and relevant than me.
But then I started thinking this morning: do I really care? I came to the conclusion, Nope I don’t care. What made me think about that this morning? I was reading 2 Chronicles 1 and Proverbs 8 this morning. The passage in Chronicles is where Solomon is taking over as ruler for his father, David, and in 1:7 God asks him, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” I seriously doubt I or many in this day and age would answer as Solomon did: “Give me wisdom and knowledge to lead them (the people as numerous as the dust of the earth-v.9) properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?” (v.10). God’s answer is classic: “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, or fame , or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people-I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested.” (verses 11-12) Oh…He also gave him wealth, riches, and fame. Sadly, Solomon couldn’t handle it.
I’ve always been impressed by Solomon’s answer and have wondered what I would ask for. I hope at this stage of my life and maturity I would still ask for wisdom and not say, “Live a comfortable life financially and be able to travel anywhere I want (which I don’t want to do anyway).” I hope I would still seek wisdom. Pr. 8:10-11 says, “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.”
Okay, time for you to answer: what would you choose to ask for?
{Note: All Scripture from the New Living Translation}
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Knoweldge, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Wisdom
Written by Bill Grandi on May 7th, 2025
Viktor Frankl. Douglas Groothuis (pronounced Grewties quiet “s”). What do they have in common? Viktor is a concentration camp survivor. Douglas is a philosopher who anchors all he says and believes in his faith in Jesus. Around 2014 his wife, Becky, was diagnosed with PPA (primary progressive aphasia). PPA is a rare from of dementia, worse than Alzheimer’s. It took a brilliant wordsmith and a member of the MENSA society and made her a shell. Douglas wrote a book Walking Through Twilight that I am rereading for the second time. There are several reasons, none of which are relevant to this post, so I will forego the reason. Doug is lamenting the loss he is suffering as he watches his once brilliant wife waste away to nothing. (She mercifully went home to Jesus in 2018).
He was writing at one point about visiting his wife in a psych ward (a terrible place for her). The drive to and from was about 60 miles, so visiting, while still teaching at Denver Seminary, was taxing. But he said, “God met me in those visits.” (p.12). He had been re-reading Viktor Frankl’s classic study of suffering and meaning, Man’s Search for Meaning, in which Frankl expresses that human value can be affirmed in the thick of searing suffering, as he found in Hitler’s prison camps. Be we have to change ourselves. Frankl says,
When we are no longer able to change the situation…we are challenged to change ourselves. (p.12)
But it is later that Frankl wrote what I consider to be the gem of his work:
We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. (p.12)
WOW! That is a mouthful. And a heart full. While I am not one of the “positive thinking gurus” who walk around talking positivity is the answer to all of life’s questions, I do believe our attitude does play a lot in our view of life. Too many people, including those who call themselves Christ-followers, spend way to much time looking like they sucked on pickle juice for a good part of the day-or even their life. It’s the old discussion of is your glass half empty or half full. As I work my way through the book of Job in my reading, I am reminded again of Job’s perspective versus his so-called “friends.” You know the old statement “With friends like you who needs enemies”? That fits. Job didn’t need them. He needed the reassurance of God’s presence. He got it eventually. So do we. In fact, it is never failing. May your day be a reassurance of that truth.
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Tags: Choices, Dementia, Faith/Feelings, God, Opinion, Perseverance, Positive/Negative Attitude, Reflection, Suffering, Trials
Written by Bill Grandi on May 6th, 2025
Temptation to do something wrong is always “there.” So is the temptation to do something mischievous. I know you thinking, “Who me? Do something mischievous?” Yeah, I know what that’s like. I have those times too.
Something I read today about a teacher who lined her students up to go to lunch and they always jockeyed for the front of the line spurred my thinking. One day she switched it around and those in the back where the ones who went first. That got me to thinking about being snarky and mischievous. More mischievous than anything. You see…it is always a joke, especially in a church, how people jockey for the back row. I have one (Gail) who stands in a crowd all her own. She immediately goes to the front row. Like me, she knows distractions abound when you have others sitting in front of you. I prefer the front row. But I digress. Most people (except the really spiritual ones like Gail and me 🙂 ) head for the back rows. Now, here is where the little mischievous boy in me comes into play. I have been tempted-and so far I have resisted-to suddenly stand up to preach and change directions. Go to the back of the room and make people turn their chairs around. Can you imagine the moans and groans and the words reserved for Pastor Bill? It’s not possible to do that anymore since we have a camera set up in the back for our live stream, but oh…the fun I would have! Or the mutiny. Take your pick. 🙂
That teacher had to teach her class a lesson in “me first, you second” vs “you first, me second.” Jesus did the same. He once taught that the “one who wants to be first must be last.” There is something to be said and something that happens when we learn to put others before ourselves. When I was a kid I was taught J–O–Y– is Jesus first; Others second; Yourself last. In our get-ahead world, imagine the difference it would make if we all had this attitude. Others Before Self.
Jesus came to start a revolution (“I did not come to be served, but to serve.”). Maybe it is time we picked up on it.
And yes, I published this before Gail was able to put her .02 worth in. But I know Gail: she will forgive me. 🙂
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Humility, Jesus, Joy, Kindness, Leadership, Lifestyle, Love, Mercy, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection
Written by Bill Grandi on May 5th, 2025
During Spring Break about 15 of our people went to east Tennessee to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) with cleanup and rebuilding homes caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene. They were supposed to give a presentation of their work on April 6th but ironically, we had to cancel services that morning due to extreme flooding in our area and a RED travel advisory (only emergency vehicles were to be out). So we rescheduled it for May 4th (yesterday). As the people spoke about the one item that stood out to them, I noticed what I thought was a theme that wove its way through each one: the opportunity to serve. There were variations of that to be sure, but several of them came right out and said it: “I wanted to be a Mary not a Martha. I wanted to listen to people.” “I wanted to serve in any way possible, even if it meant shoveling gravel” (said by a young lady who was not strong-looking by any stretch). Several others related how they simply wanted to serve these people. One even mentioned how the lady’s whose house they were building served them a hot meal every day. I guess you could say, “The served being the server”?
In his May 5th devotion in Everyday Gospel, the author, Paul David Tripp, began his devotion with this little gambit:
Grace transforms us from being those who live for our own glory to being those who find joy in living for the glory and fame of another.
In this case, it was David’s passion to build the Temple, but God in His wisdom told him that he was a man of war and a man of peace was to build the Temple. That man of peace was Solomon, his son. David’s words to his son were, “MY son, I wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God.” (I Chron. 22:7) David did his part in helping build the Temple by gathering materials needed for the building. He commissioned men to use their gifts to build the Temple. He solicited the help of others in getting the lumber for it.
Put plainly: David wanted a building that would show off the magnificence of God. It really wasn’t for him to have a lasting legacy of “Look what David built.” His sole purpose for building it was the honor and glory of God to be spread. What a great purpose for our lives!! What a great challenge for today, for every day. Live my life to bring honor and glory to God. And you?
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Humility, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Purpose, Reflection, Servant's Heart, Service, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on May 2nd, 2025
Have you ever noticed that you can be reading or watching or even going somewhere and you get this feeling of deja vu? Deja vu was first put forth by a French philosopher named Emile Boirac in 1876. He defined it as a “reminiscence of memories.” For lack of better words I will simply say it is the “feeling of having experienced something before.” It is easy to get that feeling when you read Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament, especially if you read them back to back. It’s like “been there read that.”
In 1905 a man named George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In a speech to the British Parliament in 1948 Winston Churchill echoed those words a slightly different way: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Those are wise words. They would have been wise to each of the men I will be talking about this Sunday in my message entitled Simple Words-Lifetime Lessons. Those men are Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah, and David. And, of course, they are wise words to us today.
Our Scripture from the Everyday Gospel Devotional for this past week was 2 Kings 20- I Chronicles 17. I’d like to invite you to join us in person for either our 9:00 or 10:45 service. We also live stream both so if you are unable to join us in person please feel free to join us online. We would love to have you join us! You can send a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In. Or you can watch via YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you online. And let me ask you to do me a favor: please let us know you are watching and then feel free to comment-yay or nay. If you have any questions, please ask and I will get back to you. Thanks. And thanks for praying for us.
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Tags: Christian Living, Church, Reflection, Sermon Series
Written by Bill Grandi on May 1st, 2025
“Don’t send a boy to do a man’s job.” That is the phrase we use when something is challenging and it is going to take a little extra to get the job done. (or we jokingly use it when teasing someone about coming after us).
That is how I felt as I read I Chronicles 10-11 this morning. Chapter 10 is fairly benign-the death of Saul’s sons and the death of Saul himself (by suicide). But chapter 11 opens a whole new chapter as David takes over as king. What is interesting about this chapter is instead of lauding David’s feats, it spends time talking about David’s mighty warriors. He had the mightiest warriors called the Three. The leader of the Three was named Jashobeam the Hacmonite. It says he once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. Next in rank was Eleazer son of Dodai. He and David held their ground in the middle of a barley field and beat back the Philistines. This was after the rest of the Israelite Army had fled.
David was also surrounded by his 30 Mighty Men. One, Abishai, used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. He was the commander of the 30. Another of the 30 was Benaiah son of Jehoida. He killed two champions of Moab (giants?). Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was 71/2′ tall and who was armed with a spear as thick as a weaver’s beam. He wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
Feats like this make us think Marvel-Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, etc. But these men were not armed with superpowers. No machine or pill or something that made Marvel comic book heroes was present in these men. No, in fact, they had nothing of the sort. What they did have is found in Psalm 89:13-14- “Powerful in your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted in glorious strength. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.” (NLT) There are multiple passages in Psalms where God’s strength is on full display. I’m reminded of a song I like to listen when I work out. It contains the following lyrics: “Evil is his name/Oh the Dragon’s rage!/Who can save us from his war flame?/ Knight in shining armor won’t do/Jesus, Lamb of God, is His name/Indeed He came to our rescue/We cry victory! Victory! The Dragon’s lost this war!” (“Victory” from Ashes of War by Shining Light Music-2025) (You can find the song on YouTube and Spotify. Be forewarned: it is not tame). 🙂
God has not promised an easy life. He has promised HIS strength to get through every battle of this life. May you experience His Victory today.
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Tags: Christian Living, God, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story, Victory, Warfare
May 13
Written by Bill Grandi on May 13th, 2025I tire of the news. Am I alone? I don’t think so. Maybe I ought to clarify more of what I mean. I tire of bad news. I tire of mainstream media news. I tell myself I should just quit listening to it. I have one app on my phone where I sometimes read the news. I definitely don’t find myself listening to or reading any of the mainstream media news, and that TV show that has the female talking heads- (who to quote a Tommy James song from the ’60s-“Talk and signify and say nothing)? Not a chance. To be honest, I have better things to do with my time than watch mainstream media news-like watch grass grow or twiddle my thumbs or (here is something novel)-READ!
Part of my problem is I need to know what is going on in the world so I can converse and not act so ignorant when people talk about current events. But there are so many political, cultural, and ecclesiastical events which occur every day. I sometimes feel like an owl with my head spinning in circles. I no longer digest one event that another smacks me in the face. Someone has snarkily said, “If if wasn’t for the bad news there wouldn’t be any news at all.” That’s not totally true but it sure seems like it.
The problem as I see it-and I’m not expert-is that the media has seemed to have already doomed us from the start. Their viewpoint is that the world we live in is an out-of-control mess and there isn’t much we can do about it. No sense in fighting it because there is no chance to change it. And in some ways I agree. Our world will not be changed by a law, a treaty, a tariff/no tariff, a deal/no deal, a ruler/party in power, or any such action. But I am not a doom-and-gloomer type of person. I’m well over a 90+% positive person. But do I think the world will get better? No, not really. It may make progress but humans being who we are-humans-we will eventually revert to our old sinful desires.
There really is only ONE who can change things and there really is only one way it will happen. When we sing the Christmas song “Let there be peace on earth” it all sounds good. But only when Jesus reigns supreme will there be the peace we so desire. I DO KNOW THIS: God has not been and never will be dethroned. It may look like it. But He is still on the throne. All the talking heads can ignore or deny Him, but I will choose to stand with Him. Remember that old song? “He’s got the whole world in His hands”? I still believe that.
Soapbox dismissed.
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Tags: Commentary, God's Plan, Opinion, Politics, Reflection, Worldview