Written by Bill Grandi on January 6th, 2025
Well…the order of the day is snow, snow and more snow. First, let me be very clear: I did not order the snow! Some goofy youth pastor of the church we pastor ordered it. As we were getting ready for the live stream yesterday (due to having to cancel in person worship due to the…ahem…snow), he decided to get on the bad side of the four of us who were there (sound tech, Power Point & her husband, and me) by spouting off how much he loved snow and couldn’t wait to get out in it to play with his three teenagers. Yeah, they all need their head examined. Good thing I like him and he is doing a great job!! I jest, of course. As much as I hate to admit it the weather people got this one right. Gone (for now) is my saying from Back to the Future when Doc Brown says, “Since when can the weatherman predict the weather.” It started with a light snow around 9ish and then as the day moved on it picked up volume. As I type this this morning I have heard conflicting reports of 8″ up to 12″.
As I already stated, we did live stream yesterday. The decision was made on Saturday at noon in order to give our folks enough lead time to know, but also to give our “callers” the time to do their ministry. They either call or text people on their list to let them know of the change. Diana, our church secretary (also known as Lady Boss or the more professional, Administrative Assistant) spearheaded getting the ladies to help and then sends out a text to all of them to pass along. Now THAT is efficiency! That means I work with a youth pastor who thinks he is funny but good at what he does, and a very efficient secretary who often goes above and beyond her “job description.” I wonder where that puts me? 🙂
It all makes me appreciate even more those I work with. I’ve been rereading some works which are called fables. They are leadership books/fables written by men like Jon Gordon and Pat Lencioni, leadership gurus who have been around a long time. The Garden, Stick Together, and The Carpenter by Gordon; The Motive by Lencioni; and The Servant by James Hunter have been great refreshers for me on leadership. They have reminded me of the value of a good team, but that it really does start with me. Planting seeds of positive reinforcement, making sure we work together with a common goal, giving the best we can but realize we need breaks, making sure we are a leader for the right reason, and knowing being a servant leader is the primary leadership principle, are all part of being a leader. I have no pretense that I am a great leader (I try and want to be), but one of my desires for 2025 is to become a better leader. I’m going to do what I can to make that happen.
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Tags: Christian Living, Church, Leadership, Ministry, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Perseverance, Reflection
Written by Bill Grandi on January 3rd, 2025
First Sunday of 2025. Predicted possible snow accumulation: 5-8″. Some say even more. Oh yay. (Notice the tongue-in-cheek)
My theme for the year is, as you can see, Burning Hearts. You can also see it is from Luke 24:32. For those who may not know, I decided to do something totally different this year. It is something I have NEVER done before. Using the Everyday Gospel Devotional (EDG) by Paul David Tripp as a guide, I am planning to preach each week on the previous week’s reading. The people of OVCF and some friends have also made a commitment to work their way through the devotional as well as reading through the Bible through 2025. (As an aside: we ordered 135 books to distribute!). Reading the Bible is a daunting task. Many start out with the best of intentions, but soon schedules, boredom (the OT can do that in places), other interests, and life get in the way. Needless to say, I am hoping we can all stick with it. It will certainly make a big difference in our lives.
This Sunday is the start of it all. The January 1-4 reading of EDG involved reading Genesis 1-15. Creation. Adam & Eve. Cain and Abel. Noah and the flood. God’s covenant with Noah. The Tower of Babel. The call of Abram. God’s covenant with Abram. Lots of good stuff and that is not all of it! Due to the denseness of the happenings, I have chosen to hit the highlights. I’ve titled my sermon Just the Facts.
You may not be able to attend in person but you can join us via live stream. You can send a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In). Or you can join us on YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. If you do join us please feel free to comment. If you can join us we normally meet at 9:00 and 10:45. That is, of course, weather permitting. Please check with us about this Sunday. I look forward to hearing from you!
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Tags: Church, Sermon topic
Written by Bill Grandi on January 2nd, 2025
One of my takeaways from the Everyday Gospel Devotion for today is the devastation that sin has. I know. I know. I already know that. I have seen it and lived it. I have experienced the devastation in my own life, enough to not be shocked by it. But that still does not stop me from sometimes doing what Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3. When confronted by God in the Garden as they hid from Him, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Personal responsibility? What is that?
Yeah…been there done that. Worse is the denial of sin or trying to minimize it. It is so much easier to look at someone else and point a finger at their sin than for me to look inward and realize, “Oh man. I’m just as bad or worse.” The comparison game is so insidious. Their worst vs my not-so-worst. Not a fair fight!! But that is human nature at its “finest.” It is far easier to be more concerned about or irritated by the sin of others than my own. I was reading just yesterday about a preacher and an intern who were going to talk to a man who really messed up when the pastor asked the intern about whether he could commit that sin. The intern said, “Oh no way!” The pastor told him that he better stay away and he would go himself, because unless he realizes he could commit that same sin, he should not visit the man. I totally agree. The moment you and I think we are incapable of committing a sin is the moment we become the most vulnerable. I also remember reading about a pastor who publicly proclaimed that he would never cheat on his wife. There was a woman in the audience that day who took him up on that challenge. Needless to say, the end result was not a good one.
Minimizing sin by either not seeing its “power factor” or thinking “it would never be me” is a dangerous game to play. It immediately puts us in the crosshairs of the Hunter (our enemy, Satan) who will consider it a challenge causing us to fall. And he will use every means possible to make that happen. I think we can all agree that sin is real. In fact, before Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4) God warned Cain that his anger and jealousy would be his downfall. Not long after that Cain killed Abel.
The words found in Genesis 6 are frightening. It says, “God saw the wickedness in the heart of man and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” It also says that it “grieved God’s heart and He regretted that He made man on the earth.” Those are devastating words to read. The flood followed.
We can’t handle sin on our own. The best gift ever given was God’s redeeming grace. Sin loses its power when stacked against that.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Forgiveness, God, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on January 1st, 2025
As I said in yesterday’s post, the chances of anyone reading this today are slim to very slim (maybe none). In that post I commented how I had preached on Feels Like Home during the months of September and October. Earlier in the year I had read several books which gave me an idea to write something. Those books were Feels Like Home by Lee Eclov; Glad You’re Here by Walker Hayes and Craig Cooper; and Just Show Up by Drew Dyck. I was inspired reading those books and got a hair-brained idea to write something. OVCF, the church I pastor, recited it occasionally early in the year, but when I preached in September and October we did it almost weekly. It is part of our DNA. We have not recited it since the last Sunday in October but will start 2025 off by saying it together. I thought I would share it with you today:
WE’RE GLAD YOU ARE HERE!
If you are happy we want to celebrate with you.
If you are tired and need rest;
If you are hurting and need comfort;
If you have failed, feel guilt and shame and wonder if God still loves you;
If you feel you are at the end of your rope and need a lifeline;
If you think you are too great a sinner and feel hopeless;
If you are here but can’t raise your eyes, head, or hands in worship…
That’s okay. We want this to be a place where you find strength to go on. Let us pray for you, stand beside you and even carry you to God’s throne where you can find new hope.
Maybe you need to read or hear this today. You may never be able to attend OVCF or have a personal conversation with me, but I want you to know there is a God who is always available, always accessible, and will NEVER turn you away…no matter your state. May 2025 be the year of an encounter with Jesus for you.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Forgiveness, God, God's Plan, Grace, Hope, Love, Mercy, Opinion, Reflection, Seeking, Story, Surrender
Written by Bill Grandi on December 31st, 2024
I’m not a betting man but, if I was, I would be willing to wager I will NOT be the only person to say this today: “December 31st-the last day of 2024. Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday we were turning the page to 2024” (or something similar). It does seem that the old adage is true in more ways than one: “Time flies when you are having fun.” Like everyone else on the planet I would not say all of 2024 was fun, but I would say it was eventful.
Jo and I made our first ever trip to Arizona courtesy of a friend. We not only spent time with he and his wife, but we also got to meet another longtime blogging friend of mine. Along the way we saw the Grand Canyon, stayed in Sedona for two nights, ate some great food and met some amazing people.
We made several trips to Ohio to watch our grandson play high school baseball, both during the school year and during the summer. This past fall we were able to watch him play several football games. He is now a senior and will graduate this coming May. His dream of playing college and professional baseball is pretty much dead in the water (unless he grows about 5 inches and packs on some muscle). BUT he is currently sitting at a 4.25 GPA and is about 90% sure of attending THE Ohio State University. Cameron, his sidekick, also plans to attend OSU. They met while working at Skyline Chili (that stuff gives me shivers. Who in the world thinks that cinnamon belongs in chili?). She actually approach someone about him asking her to the prom last year. Times sure have changed haven’t they? 🙂 We got to spend some time with her on Christmas Day and thoroughly enjoy her.
There have been funerals and weddings in the church family, some I participated in and some of which I was an observer.
Speaking of the church: we are in the process of an expansion. It has taken since 2018 to raise enough money to get started with excavation and hopefully this spring with construction. The leaders have made a commitment to building debt free for which I am in total agreement. We have, by God’s grace, seen an upswing in interest in the church. I (and the other leaders) are still trying to grasp what it is that is leading the interest. I spent the months of September and October preaching on the Feels Like Home, of the church being HOME to people. I know tomorrow is New Year’s Day and the probability of people reading this blog are slim to very slim (maybe none), but I plan to include the saying we began saying to remind ourselves who we are and who we want to be.
Finally, my big thing in 2024 was my knee replacement surgery. As of yesterday, Monday, December 30th, I was at the 7 week mark. My bend is 125%+ but my knee flat on the table is still at 3%. They say my cycling has tightened my hamstrings and they won’t allow my knee to straighten. It is painful trying to get it straight. They say where I am at 8 weeks is where I can expect to be the rest of my life. The PT is working hard, as am I on my own. It just may not happen. But I’m okay with that since I can now walk pain free and am no longer bowlegged in my right leg. The doctor shaved the top of my bone, rearranged some ligaments and tendons and said I would feel fantastic in about 6 months. Time needs to fly! 🙂
That is a short recap of my year. There is, of course, more I could include, both triumphs and disappointments/heartbreaks, especially spiritually. How was your year?
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Tags: Christian Living, Church, Friendship, God's Plan, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Perseverance, Reflection, Story, Year end recap
Written by Bill Grandi on December 30th, 2024
Hello and welcome to Living in the Shadow! If you are new here, I’m glad you came by. If not, thanks for being a faithful reader (and hopefully making comments)! 🙂
The new year always brings mixed emotions. Some are glad the previous year is over with. I talked with someone just the other day who had that idea. Some look back but then look forward with anticipation for what is ahead. My philosophy is that I can’t change the past; don’t live in regret; learn from the mistakes and the bright spots; and move forward trusting God to lead. In two short days 2024 will be in the history books and 2025 will be laid out in front of us. I can honestly say at this point the only thing I dread about a new year is knowing I will have to do my taxes. It is such a tedious thing and I have so many other more important things to do! Know what I mean? 🙂
The new year brings what many call “New Year’s Resolutions.” I don’t make them. You know how that works. “I’m going to lose so many pounds this year.” “I’m going to spend less and save more.” And for the gym rats among us it is the dreaded “I’m going to start working out more.” That means for January and about half of February the Y or gym will be crowded. Fortunately (for me but not for them) that resolve will soon get lost.
The new year is also a time of spiritual reflection for many. “I’m going to read my Bible more.” “I’m going to pray more.” “I’m going to get involved in church more.” “I’m going to be nicer to people, even those who mistreat me.” Sadly, those will often go by the wayside way too quickly as well. Least one hopes they last further than January or half of February.
The church I pastor is doing something we have never done as a congregation before. We are using Everyday Gospel Devotions by Paul David Tripp as a guide for our daily walk with Jesus. By the end of the year-if we stick to it-we will have not only taken part in the daily devotions, but also in reading through the Bible. I’m trying to help that out by basing my Sunday morning messages on the previous week’s Scripture reading. For example, this coming Sunday the sermon will be from Genesis 1-15. Sounds like a lot but I preach about 20-25 minutes so it will be a condensation of that Scripture. My theme for the year is Burning Hearts taken from Luke 24. After Jesus’ encounter with the two on the road to Emmaus they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
My prayer for myself and for the people of OVCF is to have my heart come alive and burn as I study the Scriptures. Feel free to join us in our venture. For more information just respond in the comments.
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Christian Living, Church, God's Word, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on December 23rd, 2024
As I write this it is hard to believe that Christmas is only two days away. Of course, if you go according to the retailers Christmas has been happening for a couple of months. I heard yesterday that WalMart already has Valentine’s Day stuff out. Well…so much for Christmas. Let me rephrase that: so much for the commercial side of Christmas. I’m biased enough as a Christ-follower to realize that the season holds a much deeper meaning than presents, trees, endless “elevator Christmas” music, and debt.
Christmas often has hackneyed words or phrases which are used that diminish or even misrepresent the season. We often hear “Joy to the World” and yet it is during this time that more suicides happen, more sadness is prevalent, and endless violence (can anyone say a car careening through a marketplace in Germany for no real good reason at all) seems the norm. Our culture is in the throes of an antisemitic mindset that makes us forget that the very Savior whose birth we celebrate is both Jewish and middle eastern.
But I’m off on a rabbit trail with that. My whole purpose for writing about hackneyed phrases is one we hear often. Each time I hear it I cringe. I give grace because so many mean well, but the truth is that the phrase is not true. I know what the saying is trying to say and I know that those who say it are truly trying to keep the focus where it belongs, but I believe it gets it wrong. That saying?
JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
I can hear the gasps now. “How could you Bill? How can you possibly say that is wrong?” Easy. Because it is. I’ll say this as simply as I can:
JESUS IS THE MEANING OF THE SEASON. WE ARE THE REASON.
The whole reason Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh, was to purchase our salvation by dying on a cross for our sin. We were lost and desolate and had no hope of a future because of sin. Sin had separated us from God. Not from God’s love (hence the reason why Jesus came), but from a relationship with Him. John 3:16 is clear on that. Sin brought separation; Jesus’ death brought salvation. But all that was not possible on our own. It was only possible by the humble act of God becoming flesh in the form of a baby. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
So you see…we are the reason.
And I hope you now see that Jesus is the One who gives this whole season any meaning.
I’ll get off my hobby horse now. 🙂 I’ll simply wish you a joy-filled Christmas as you remember the real meaning of the season. This will be my last post this week. We leave early tomorrow morning for Ohio to spend some precious time with Janna, Mike, Braden (our grandson), Cameron (his girlfriend…although to call her that is so 90s), and Andrew (Mike’s son). We will plan to be back home on Thursday. I know I will run into a ton of traffic tomorrow and hopefully not as much on Thursday. I’m just hoping that all travel is safe for all. I will be back here, Lord willing, on Monday, the 30th.
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Tags: Christmas, God's Plan, Jesus, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on December 19th, 2024
I have a laptop that I use quite a lot. Over a year ago someone in the church gave me a big monitor which I absolutely love. My laptop sits closed at the base of the monitor because I like using an external keyboard rather than trying to fit my big fingers on the small keyboard of the laptop. I have a Bible open to my favorite chapter in the Bible sitting on top of my closed laptop and a post-it “thingy” (it looks like an arrow that says, “Read me!”) pointed directly to my favorite verse. I have one pointing to Luke 24:32 since that verse is the theme for my 2025 year of preaching. When Jesus walked with the two men on the road to Emmaus following His resurrection, they realized who He was when He broke bread with them. Their words were “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” I want to keep that constantly in front of me as I study.
But hands down my favorite passage in Psalm 37. I have the post-it arrow focused on verse 5. Please allow me to share with you the words from Psalm 37:1-8 this morning. I can think of no better way to start the day than to read Scripture and focus on what it says. Maybe this will be just for you today.
“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. (That was verse 5) He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper-it only leads to harm.” A little later in that chapter (verses 23-24) he writes, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Scripture from NLT)
I wrote it without verse divisions because I wanted you to see its flawless reading. How it flows. But most importantly the meaning and encouragement this chapter gives. I hope and pray you might take some time today to meditate on these verses and then allow them to flood your heart and soul. Who knows? They just may become your favorite as well!
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Christian Living, God's Word, Lifestyle, Ministry, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Quiet Time, Reflection, Scripture look, Truth Telling
Written by Bill Grandi on December 18th, 2024
Just a series of random thoughts this morning:
Is anyone else getting tired of hearing about the drones? Find out what they are and shoot them out of the sky for crying out loud if they are invasive. Quit playing around (can anyone say Chinese spy balloon?), get to the root of the problem and take care of it. Sort of like the moles in my front and back yard. They are invasive and a pain in the you-know-what. If I knew blowing up my front and back yard would take care of them, I would be tempted. Nothing has worked and it has been worse since my knee surgery because I couldn’t go hunting. I believe if was able to look I would find a whole city and amusement park underneath. There is some reason God created them. If you figure it out let me know.
Another senseless school shooting. If they know what led to it they are not telling. Those poor parents. They will have to live with the reality of their daughter’s suicide, as well as the stigma that she took other lives as well. The trauma the others will experience is unthinkable. I have a daughter who teaches Kindergarten in our local school. Is it any wonder I pray for her everyday and that our church focuses on a different educator each week to pray for?
Getting the knee replacement was an absolute necessity. Because I was bow-legged the doctor told Tami he had to shave the bones and move ligaments and tendons around. “He will be sore for awhile (ya think?), but in about 6 months your dad is going to feel absolutely fantastic.” Is it 6 months yet? Nope. Just 5 weeks. I have graduated from a walker to a cane and now to falling flat on my face (just kidding). I do not need the cane anymore, but I still ice it several times a day. Hey, it is a great excuse for sitting in my recliner and reading or watching the inside of my eyelids. 🙂 The worst part has been where they gave me the nerve block and used the tourniquet (upper thigh not at my shoulders). It is still pretty tender and keeps me up at night. My sleep pattern is all messed up. I sleep anywhere from 1-3 hours in bed then I am up. I usually find my way to my recliner where I hope to fall asleep again. Last night I did that and actually decided to try going back to the bed after about a half hour of icing my knee. (This was at 12 midnight). I actually slept 3 more hours in bed! I’m praying for a full night’s sleep since we will be heading to Ohio next week and two nights in a hotel with no place to go will be a real trial.
Rehab is going pretty well. They measured my knee bend Monday and it was at 125%. They were shooting for 120. The backside of my knee lying flat on the surface was around 3% (they want 0%). I’m not sure it was ever flat but I will keep trying. I go to the Y as often as possible to rehab it and to get on the recumbent bike. He said I’m about a week away from trying my bike at home on the trainer. I’m guessing there will be a mixture of joy and fear at the same time.
Speaking of rehab: it is done to measure progress during recovery. There has to be a way to measure the growth and maturity of a person in his/her walk with Christ. In preparation for the concentrated effort of reading through the Bible next year using Everyday Gospel Devotional, I finished reading Psalms for the second time in 2024 this morning and closed my Bible after reading Revelation 14 (second time through the NT in 2024). But how does one tell if growth has taken place or if reading the Bible was just that…reading? Any thoughts?
Thanks for “listening” to my ramblings this morning. Have a great day!
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Tags: God's Word, Leadership, Ministry, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Perseverance, Prayer, Reflection, Rehab, Spiritual growth
Written by Bill Grandi on December 17th, 2024
With the coming of Christmas on the horizon talk begins about the humble beginnings of Jesus in a manger. That humble beginning started a “trend” that we see throughout the course of Jesus’ earthly ministry. His was a ministry of humility, of caring, of sympathizing and empathizing with others. The only ones He had trouble with were those who didn’t think they had a problem-the religious leaders. They were, after all, the elite. Or so they thought. Jesus was constantly bringing them down to earth, down to reality, and He refused to be impressed or intimidated by their so-called credentials or status among the people. He saw through their duplicity and hypocrisy and called them on it.
Take the life of Jesus as a perfect example. He was unlike any earthly king. He did not invade the earth to impress anyone or to set up an earthly kingdom. No matter that the common folk expected Him to do that. Some suggest Judas betrayed Jesus to “call His bluff” about being king and when it went south, he turned in the silver and took his own life. That’s one of those unanswered questions that will stay unanswered. Jesus once gave His perspective on the whole thing. He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mk.10:45) Consider also His death. His death displayed the ultimate humility that characterized His whole life.
Being a servant is not on many people’s radar. Whether we talk about politicians, school administrators, CEOs, a church leader, a pastor, an athlete, or someone you work with every day, being humble, sacrificial and a servant is missing. In the church, we have false apostles and hirelings who are always looking to make a name for themselves. They make themselves the central focus of every story. They paint themselves as the hero who rides in on a white horse, instead of admitting their lack of discipline and/or having the answers. Their preaching is little more than glorified displays of their own egos. They erect monuments to themselves (while all the while publicly saying it is all about God). Somehow I just cannot see Jesus living in a multi-million dollar home and being in debt up to the yazoo because He had to have a church building that was nothing more than a glorified temple to Himself.
The Apostle Paul hit the bullseye when he said, “May I never boast except in the cross of Christ.” (Gal. 6:14) Those are wise words we would do well to emulate. Jesus set the example for us. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, not build monuments that will soon turn to dust. In reality though, you don’t have to be a rich anything, or live in a mansion to have the attitude of being better than others. Let’s begin following the example Jesus set for us: humility and sacrifice for others.
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Tags: Christian Living, Generosity, God's Plan, Humility, Jesus, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection
