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May 6

Tuesday, 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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April 21

Monday, April 21st, 2025

I was going to do my 5th installment of my thoughts on Glynn Young’s Dancing Priest series but decided to hold off a day because of the subject matter in Book #4. Instead, I wanted to focus on what yesterday (Resurrection Sunday) meant. There are so many directions to go in but I thought I might just summarize some of my thoughts from yesterday’s message.

The crucifixion of Christ was supposed to be Satan’s final act of devastation and death to Jesus. He thought He had won. But He didn’t know the God who was in charge and the power He had! That God was not limited like mere men. Instead, through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ He showed Himself to be unequaled. He showed Himself to be powerful. He showed Himself to be uncontainable. Perhaps most important of all, He showed Himself to be our one true hope when all seemed hopeless.

The late theologian, J.I. Packer, wrote, “While there’s life there’s hope, we say, but the deeper truth is that only while there’s hope is there life.”  Hope keeps us going. Take away hope and you take away a reason to keep plugging away. Where will we find that hope? Politics? Rhetoric spewed out by all sorts of people? Religion? The answer is No. No. And no. The only real answer is that hope is found only in Jesus, the Savior of the world, and His resurrection which, of course, we celebrated yesterday.

Sadly, we live in a hopeless and sadness-filled culture. There are so many who just give up and quit. They check out-mentally, socially, and tragically, permanently- because they have lost hope and meaning to life. That is why the resurrection of Christ from the dead, the greatest event in history, is so essential. It gives hope beyond the grave. It gives hope when all hope is lost. It gives hope when life says, “Let’s end this pain and misery.”

Did you know the first words of hope were not uttered in the New Testament? They were actually uttered in the Garden to Adam and Eve. God told the serpent the woman’s seed (Jesus) would crush the serpent’s head and all he would be able to do is strike his heel. (Gen. 3:15). There is a big difference between striking the head and striking the heel. When Jesus rose from the dead it was and still is the greatest event in history.

You can argue with this. I realize that. But let me leave you with a saying I learned long ago: “If you are right and I am wrong, I have lost nothing; but if I am right and you are wrong, you have lost everything.”  I will leave that thought with you today.

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Burning Hearts -April 20

Friday, April 18th, 2025

 

RESURRECTION SUNDAY!

 

The crucifixion of Christ was supposed to be Satan’s final act of devastation and death to Jesus. But He didn’t know the God who was in charge and the power He had!  Jesus gave his life on a cross, was buried in the tomb, and God raised Him to life where Corinthians tells us He conquered death, hell, and the grave.

So…how does a pastor preach a Resurrection sermon from I King 3-22?  If you read that passage it is Solomon’s building of the Temple in Jerusalem. I decided to simply go with Solomon’s prayer to start with and preach on God is Not Limited by: 1)  a building; 2) our idols; 3) our religion.  I’m going to finish up with GOD IS OUR ONE TRUE HOPE.

Sadly, we live in a hopeless and sadness-filled culture. There are so many who just give up and quit. They check out mentally, socially, and more tragically, permanently, because they have lost hope. They have lost hope and all meaning to life.  That is why the resurrection of Christ from the dead, the greatest event in history, is so essential. It gives hope beyond the grave. It gives hope when all hope is lost. It gives hope when life says, “Let’s end this pain and misery.”

Please join us Sunday at 10:00. If you able to in person, we will be meeting at Abram Event Venue (next door) in order for us to worship together as one body. Parking is limited so you can park at the church parking lot and be shuttled there. If you watch the live stream, we will be live at 10:00. Please join our live stream via our Facebook or YouTube channel. 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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April 17

Thursday, April 17th, 2025

“My hope is built on nothing less/Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness/I dare not trust the sweetest frame/But wholly lean on Jesus’ name/On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face/I’ll rest on His unchanging grace/In every high and stormy day/My anchor holds within the veil/On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.” (Traditional)

I hate to say it since I am a contemporary worship kind of guy (except for most songs from Hillsong, Elevation, and Bethel), but sometimes the old hymns have it all over the newbies. Whether it is sung in a more traditional way and setting or in a more uptempo style, there is not much more that can be said about what this song is teaching. In his devotion for today, April 17, Paul David Tripp wrote this:

Thankfully, God is not like me. Nothing can thwart His will, nothing can challenge His rule, and nothing can stop the march of His grand redemptive plan. The hope and spiritual security of every believer rest on the fact that our Lord cannot be stopped. His rules rules. (Everyday Gospel Devotional-p.133)

That first phrase strikes a chord in me. “God is not like me.” I cannot even find the words to express my joy in them, other than to say, “I am so-o-o-o-o glad He is not like me.” I make a mess enough of things without doing it on a grand scale. When I am faithless, He is faithful. When I am fearful, He is fearless. When I am blind, He is light. When I am wishy-washy, He is ever true. Nothing moves Him. Nothing overwhelms Him. Nothing overcomes Him. Nothing surprises Him.  He never has to say, “Ooops.” He never has to say, “My bad.” He never does a face plant. He never slaps Himself on the forehead and says, “I should have had a V-8.” 🙂

God is always the same. He never changes. He never waffles. He never has to say, “I forgot about that.” God is my hope. God is my rock. God is never-changing. God is my firm foundation. (Check out this song). This Resurrection season I pray you know that truth because that truth is the anchor for our hope.

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April 16

Wednesday, April 16th, 2025

Unknown people are often the ones we need to learn about the most and take lessons from.

For example, Katherine Wright. Chances are pretty good you may know someone by that name. But not this Katherine. Recently one of the men in the church gave a communion thought on Katherine. You may be more familiar with her brothers-Orville and Wilbur-who invented, built, and flew the first successful airplane in the early 1900s.  Because of their prominence many, perhaps most, have never heard of Katherine. Yet in their successful endeavor of building a “flying machine,” Katherine was vital to their success. While they concentrated on the details that brought them success, Katherine was quietly behind the scenes essential to their success. You may be thinking, “But I’ve never heard of her!” Exactly! That’s my point. She kept their bicycle shop going (her brother’s source of income), left her teaching job to nurse Orville back to health after a plane crash, and managed the details of their growing fame.

Katherine is a perfect example of someone who knows their role and fulfills it. Up front or behind the scenes, it takes all kinds of people to do essential things. In this case helping her brothers reset travel. (Do you think they envisioned air travel today back in their early days? I think not). Anyway, Katherine chose her spot and filled it with grace and service.  We have people like that today who do just that. For every up front people who likes/desires the limelight, there is someone behind the scenes doing the camera work, the script writing, the sound board, the live stream, fixing communion (in a church setting), teaching a kid’s class while the adults are meeting, and a myriad of other tasks. My wife is one of those people. Every week she makes me look like I know what I’m doing by typing and showing the Power Point during my sermons. She has been doing this for more than the 19 years we have been here.  She knows me like a glove and even when I mess up, she covers me. 

She is just like the ONE we celebrate and remember this week as we head  toward Resurrection Sunday. This week is often called Holy Week because it is the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. From His entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey to His crucifixion and resurrection one week later, His whole life was one of being a servant. He showed us how to a servant throughout His life; demonstrated it the night He washed the disciples’ feet; then willingly laid down His life on the cross. For all for us. We could ask for no greater example than Him.

Follow in His footsteps. Serve, even if it is in the shadows. “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

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April 2

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025

What do you do when your finely tuned approach to Christianity and your faith is rocked? For sure it wipes out the whole idea that  following Jesus is a walk in the park. “Biblical faith involves not just your mind; it also requires a commitment of our heart that radically changes the way you think.” (Everyday Gospel Devotional-Tripp-p. 114)  What a shocking wake up call when one finds out the Christian life is not one of ease, but one filled with difficulty, experiences that rattle your cage. I will admit that I get upset when I hear of those shysters who simply want to take advantage of people to line their own pockets.

A recent incident/teaching has got me a little riled up. The teaching is by prosperity teacher (I refuse to call her a pastor) Paula White. It is called Paula White’s Passover Promises. Here it is in a nutshell:

Paula White, televangelist and spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump, has suggested to donors who give at least $1,000 to her ministry between April 12 and 20 that God will release seven supernatural blessings upon them. “[W]hen you honor God on Passover…you can receive these seven supernatural blessings, for you and your house, according to Exodus 23.” 

The blessings she claims donors can release from God with their gift include:

  1. An angel assigned to them;
  2. God being an enemy to their enemies;
  3. Prosperity;
  4. Sickness removed from them;
  5. Long life;
  6. Increase and inheritance; and
  7. A special year of blessing.

She ties these blessings to a passage from Exodus 23 where God commands the Israelites to celebrate the Passover (verse 15).

Question: Can I throw up now or later?

I spent some time at the local hospital on Saturday, Sunday and Monday visiting a man who has really struggled with diabetes and an infection they say they can’t find. This is not the first time he has been in for the same thing. I went to the hospital yesterday (Tuesday) after receiving a text from his wife that he had passed away. He had gone from only moaning on Saturday, to sleeping (finally) on Sunday, to being fairly alert and able to take dialysis on Monday, to having a very talkative morning only to pass away just moments later. They were both godly people and had raised 6 children to love Jesus. So…please tell me Mrs White-Cain, where your spiel comes in at? Oh yeah, that’s right! They didn’t send you a $1000.

People, be on the lookout for hucksters and shysters like her and others of her ilk. Fortunately for Tim, his salvation was not determined by works, or giving money to shysters, or “naming it and claiming it.” He is now dancing on streets of gold (he had a leg removed to his knee due to complications with diabetes). And he is singing his country gospel at the top of his lungs-on key.

I’m grateful God is not tied to hucksters and shysters but is simply full of love and grace.  (And yes I know this post is a bit snarky).

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March 25

Tuesday, March 25th, 2025

Ask many office personnel what is their most dreaded time and they just might say, “The staff or office meeting.” Many feel as though it is like pulling teeth to go. In fact, many may prefer going to the dentist than to sit in a staff meeting. One word most often defines them: B.O.R.I.N.G.

Yesterday I was in an almost 3 hour staff meeting. There are three of us-myself, the youth pastor (Ryan), and the office manager excellente’, Diana. Every Monday morning unless an emergency takes one of us away, or one or two of us are gone, we have a planned staff meeting at 9:30ish. I use the “ish” because Ryan tends to run late on Mondays. But that’s okay. Sunday is usually an extra busy day for him due to youth activities. Back to my thought: we had our normally scheduled staff meeting that went extra long. I have to tell you that our staff meetings tend to be disjointed. We spend a few minutes catching up, then we have a devotional thought or watch a video (often from The Chosen since Ryan likes it), we pray for various people/circumstances and then Diana brings us up to date on “stuff.”

Yesterday was somewhat different for us. Ryan had taken 14 people to east Tennessee to help with flood relief from Hurricane Helene. Yes, I know that was several months ago but the pictures of the destruction of where they worked are stark. (I’m going to leave the area where they worked unnamed because I never heard of it before). They helped work on some houses- erecting walls, putting insulation in crawl spaces, shoveling and using a wheelbarrow to take gravel for a drainage system on a house. One of the men is a licensed plumber and he and his teenage daughter spent time at another house doing plumbing. A good section of our staff meeting was spent talking about the team, what they did, and looking at pictures of the area.  To give you another perspective, these were teens and adults who gave up their lazy spring break to travel from Spencer to Elizabethton, TN to work for a week in mud, grunge and grime. They got sunburned on Tuesday and Wednesday and then froze their faces off and wore multiple layers on Thursday and Friday. All while sleeping on cots at night in a church building.

I am so proud of Ryan, his wife, Hope and the others who went. Those who went were complimented that they never complained, even though they spent hours in a crawl space hanging insulation. They were given tough jobs but they did it joyfully, never complaining. Ginger was certainly grateful for the house being built on a small lot given to her by her sister after everything she owned was washed away. So were the Fosters and others who had plumbing done after losing everything.  Oh…I failed to mention that we partnered with a group called IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services), an organization from Noblesville, IN well worth looking into.

Well done group. Thank you for your servant’s heart.

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February 26

Wednesday, February 26th, 2025

“God is a bunch of contradictions.”

So some say. They have trouble reconciling a God of love with a God of justice. They have issues with God being a God of love and yet demanding we, human that we are, live a life of purity and sacrifice. “How can a God whom you say is One of love send anyone to hell?” “If God is a God of Omniscience (all-knowing) how can He forget my past sins?”

I don’t pretend to know all the answers (how foolish would that be?). But in Numbers 35 there is a unique set-up put in place by God that shows His character. Please keep in mind that “God’s attributes never work in conflict with each other.” (Tripp-2/26-p.70) If you yawn, I mean read through Numbers, 🙂 you will find yourself approaching the next to last chapter in chapter 35. In this one incident we see God’s attributes working in tandem with each other. It is true that God expects His people to act differently. We see His love working in tandem with His holiness. We see His justice working with His holiness. We see His patience working with His desire for the salvation of His people.

In Numbers 35:6-12 God establishes what are called “cities of refuge.” These cities are designed to be just that…refuge. But not refuge for the brokenhearted, or the sick, or the dying, or anyone who is seeking rest. No. The cities of refuge were designed for those who accidentally killed someone. Not acts of anger or revenge, but accidents. I swing an axe and the head flies off striking you and killing you. We are joking around and I push you and you stumble and fall, hit your head and die. Justice by the family or even townspeople would likely be swift and “an eye for an eye” type of revenge. But cities of refuge were for those who accidentally caused the death to flee to until he/she could get a proper hearing. There were certain rules to abide by and they could not be broken. For example, the person was required to stay in the city. If he left for any reason and was found by a member of the family, his life could be taken. Sounds harsh but in reality it wasn’t.

Here is the point I am trying to make: God is uncompromisingly holy and sin is an affront to Him and needs to be dealt with. But this is not one of those situations. A city of refuge provides mercy where mercy is needed. God’s holiness and mercy are not in conflict but actually in tandem with each other. We see these two attributes come into play thousands of years later when a man who was more than a man (He was the Son of God) makes His way to a cross. God’s justice for sin is taken care of in this divine act of mercy.

Contradictory? Nope. I’m thankful for mercy and justice working together.

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February 25

Tuesday, February 25th, 2025

Politics or not? Racial shots or not?

I have pondered writing this since last night, but decided to sit on it. I’d like to preface it with these words from the Apostle Paul: “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God…When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to  you in weakness-timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.” (I Cor. 1:18; 2:1-5  NLT)

With those words in mind, please allow me to share my thoughts. While waiting for a delivery late yesterday afternoon, my wife had the TV on and featured was an African American “pastor” ranting and raving and hyperventilating this past Sunday morning from his pulpit. He was using racial slurs that if I had used them would have led to demonstrations and calls for me to be cancelled. It was, in my opinion, a disgusting display from the pulpit- the place where God’s Word and God’s Word only should be preached. I have NEVER in my 72 years and 50+ years of ministry ever preached politics from the pulpit (and I won’t start now), nor have I ever displayed the disgusting speech I heard from Sunday’s “sermon.” I will not give the man’s name since I don’t want to give him any press. I won’t call him a “pastor” because pastors are shepherds who feed sheep, not incite or beat sheep. Now, maybe his people are used to that type of carrying on. But I do not see that as anywhere close to what the Apostle Paul says ought to be our main focus: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (2:2).  How anyone could have walked away from that display and said, “Christ was preached and honored today” would be beyond me. Nor could anyone walk away saying, “I heard the Gospel of Jesus and how much He loves me and I want Him as my Savior and Lord.”  All they would walk away with would have been hatred and vitriol and incitement to riot.

I’ll get off my soap box. I’ll close with more words from Paul: “You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.” (2 Cor. 2:17 NLT). I will continue preaching the Word of God and only that. Not politics. Not incendiary garbage.  Christ crucified and raised and coming again.

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February 17

Monday, February 17th, 2025

“Pay attention!”

“Hello! Earth to Bill.”

“Did you hear what I just said?”

How many of you have heard those words or words which are similar? If I earned a dollar for every time I heard them I could retire and live off the interest.  🙂  It isn’t that I am ADHD. I’m not. But my mind is often not where it belongs and my attention is elsewhere. Someone may have dropped a thought moments ago and my mind is pursuing it instead of listening to what is being said or to who is saying it…NOW!

I recently reread a book I read many years ago. It is copyrighted 2004. In my effort to be a better leader in 2025, I have been reading a multitude of books on leadership. This particular book is entitled The Way of the Shepherd by Dr. Kevin Leman and William Pentak. It was invaluable as I read and highlighted and even re-highlighted some previously chosen sections. One that stuck out to me early in the book was the following (and inspired this post):

You have to take a personal interest in each of the people who report directly to you,” Neumann answered. “You need to discover their skills and interests. You need to know their goals and dreams, what motivates them when they walk through the door in the morning, what their career ambitions and frustrations are. In other words, Ted, you have to make a point of knowing what things are impacting them at the moment. (p.27)

Nothing makes people feel more “seen” or more “heard” than to know the one whom they answer to on a daily basis truly cares about them, truly listens to them and knows them. I’m not shaking any new stick when I say that people are complex and we are all different. What is on one person’s mind never crosses someone else’s mind. What is a burr in someone’s saddle is like a mere mosquito which is crushed by one slap to someone else. But it is absolutely essential that each person in your orbit know they are important to you. That is especially true if you are a leader.

But it also applies to each family. Each church. Each business. Each sports team. Each class. Each job. Each person is just that, one person. That is why the short statements I gave at the beginning are so crushing. To have them used is like saying, ‘I have my thing; you are have yours; and never shall the two cross.” I’m glad Jesus sees each of us as individuals and not as a group. He doesn’t lump us all together as “Unruly” or “Disinterested” or “Prime listener” or “___________.” He pays attention to us one sheep at a time.

That’s good advice as you begin your week.

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