Our Saviors Birth

As I get ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I am reminded of the lowly manger where Jesus lay. Do you ever think it would be amazing to go visit Israel and walk where Jesus walked and visit where Jesus was born? This fall our staff retreat included a trip to a Biblical antiquities museum.  They had many articles on display that they claimed to be first century and from the Israel area.  They even have a stone manger that they heard might have come from the Migdal Eder or the Tower of the Flock near Bethlehem where the shepherds would have prepared the lambs without blemish for the Temple sacrifices.  So to the curator, he would like to believe that baby Jesus might have even been laid in the actual manger that he has on display there at his museum.  These items were neat to see and to hear what their possible history might have been.  But why do we get so excited about seeing and touching things that Christ might have seen and touched?  Do these things and places change us somehow?  Is there some kind of blessing bestowed upon us?  What is the draw?  Over the centuries, we humans have even erected churches over the places where we believe Jesus events took place. Don’t get me wrong. I do often think it would be super exciting to visit Israel to see what Jesus would have seen while here on earth and to see the places I have studied in God’s Word.  And I do believe it is important to have these special places to remember the life of our Savior here on earth. But am I too much of a fan of these items? By placing so much worth on these items, am I worshiping them?  They are just items right?  They are not Jesus himself.  And while Jesus created these things, didn’t he also create the things in my backyard?  Isn’t all of nature created and sustained by our God? “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3

All of creation praises the Creator.  These things that are spoken of in the Bible should be discovered, studied, and displayed so that we can keep proving the Word of God is true and in so doing, prove to skeptics that Jesus lived and is the Son of God.  But maybe I should keep my “fangirling” under control. I need to always remember that in seeing and studying these things from Jesus’ time, it is to always bring me closer to my God, not things.  In comparison, it is pretty exciting isn’t it then that this Creator of the universe, our King of kings and Lord or lords desires to be near us? 

He even made a way for us sinful broken people to be redeemed so that we can have eternal life with Him. I imagine that someday, when we are face to face with God, we will look back and think that our infatuation with the things Jesus touched was nothing compared to what we are experiencing. 

I will keep enjoying and studying Biblical artifacts, but only in worship of the One who made it all. I want to praise the one who was laid in the manger.  I want to get closer to the one the angels sang of.  This Christmas let’s praise HIM with all our might!

I want to wish all of our Grace family a Merry Christmas!  

Let all the earth rejoice!

Blessings,

Amy

Everybody Wants a Speaking Part

At our dress rehearsal for “What the Angels Heard on High” everyone wanted to go to heaven!  Let me explain… they wanted to climb up the ramp and stand up on the scaffolding which we used for our heaven scene.  And why wouldn’t they?  It looked awesome! (Shout out to Bo Tucker, Debby Graber, Amy Thompson, and Sean Gardiner for a great job!)  It was at least 6 feet higher than the stage itself.  I haven’t been a kid for many years, but even I thought it was awesome, and had a childlike excitement going up there!  So, I had to be the mean guy, and tell everyone to stay off the heaven scene, except of course for the kids who had speaking roles in the heaven scenes.  And then of course everyone wished that they had a speaking part so they could go up there.

            I’ve got a few analogies I want to share with you.  First, Heaven is going to be awesome!  If we really knew the glory of being fully in God’s presence all of us would have a child like desire and excitement about it.  In Philippians 1:21-24 Paul says, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ – which is far better – but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”  Being with Christ is FAR BETTER! (Check out Randy Alcorn’s book, “Heaven” or John Eldredge’s book “All Things New” for more about Heaven)

            My second analogy: we can’t simply go to heaven.  God isn’t mean; He is holy, and as sinners we can’t be in His presence.  Our sin against God keeps us from being with Him in heaven.  One of my newest memory verses is Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”  Our sin has to be dealt with, and removed from us for us to be with God in heaven.  And that comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done through His death and resurrection.  Only by being cleansed through the blood of Jesus can we experience the glory of His presence in Heaven!

            My final analogy: if you want to be in Heaven, someone has to tell you how you can get there.  Those kids needed to know that they had to have a speaking part in the play if they wanted to be in the heaven scene.  We need to tell others about Heaven and share with them that Jesus made a way for us to be there with Him in glory!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Kyle

Kyle’s Rightnow Media pick of the month

https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/content/details/835672 Galatians with Michael Defazio

Temporary Halt in Communication

I’m standing at my desk and my phone rings; it’s Courtney. I can hear her breathing a little heavier than usual as she quickly begins with what sounds like an exciting story. 

Turns out, a fellow resident in our neighborhood accidentally knocked over our mailbox. We happen to know this guy (great neighbor in our area), and we know this could happen to any of us. So, all is well.

The downside is that we won’t get our mail until we have a mailbox; one that isn’t lying on the ground. And, per the usual when the unexpected happens, this made me think of my relationship with God.

Sometimes it may feel like we aren’t “getting our mail” from God. It’s like He’s not responding or sending us anything. However, it may just be that our metaphorical mailbox is down. The problem isn’t with the carrier. The problem is on our end. 

We aren’t receiving anything because we’re not positioned to.

I know that if I don’t set aside time to listen to God, I won’t hear Him. I think this is why Jesus had to get away from the disciples to a private place (see Mark 1:35). Even God in the flesh had to position Himself to spend time with the Father.

This is the season of Immanuel—God with us. But that doesn’t mean we will automatically sense His presence if we are too distracted with the noises and people around us. 

My prayer for my family and yours is that you will get in the right position to hear from Him. It’s always worth the effort.

I’m looking forward to the Christmas Program on Sunday. This is one story that never gets old!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jack

Gospel Games

Anybody remember Bible drills? Everyone lines up at the front of the Sunday school class. Everyone in ready position, one hand on the bottom of their faux leather bible, the other on top. No fingers allowed on any of the sides, for chance of those sneaky cheaters pre peeling those crisp ivory pages open a millisecond too early. Moments before the passage was blurted out by the leader you could hear a pin drop it would get so quiet. Then BAM, “Hosea 1:10” is called out and everyone is off to the races. Frantically flipping through every page. Each individual tries to remember how far past Psalms, (the mathematical center of the bible) Hosea truly is. One lucky soul opens directly to the page directly before Hosea and only has to turn over one sheet before yelling out “GOT IT.” Everyone else lets out a defeated gasp, shoulders fall, eyes roll, and heads are thrown upwards as they cry out to the Lord for help on the next one. The champion then proceeds to read the correct verse and receives the coveted first pick of the assortment of candy the teacher brought that morning. I myself was on the lucky end of a few of those -open directly to the right page- moments. They were truly glorious!

But, why did we do this? To familiarize ourselves with scripture right? We know the importance of reading scripture and hearing from God’s word  and so it's a good way to have fun and familiarize ourselves with where passages are in the bible. 

I’m convinced we need some sort of game or activity like this for sharing the gospel. I’ve been increasingly more convicted over the last six months to grow in my ability, and just obedience, to share the gospel with others. Admittedly I need to get better at this. But I have also noticed that there is a decreasing number of christians, that when asked to, even know how to articulate the Gospel or the faith that they have in Jesus. We seemingly need a game or at least some practice to help us in this area as well. 

However, I feel as if we over complicate things and put too much pressure on ourselves. But that's just it, the success of our gospel conversations are not in how well we communicate it or how well practiced we are. But our success is truly just in the obedience of doing it. After all, who causes the life change? Who has the power to bring people from death to life? That is solely on God: We do not possess the power. The greatest gospel presentation is the one that happens. 

Are you sharing the good news, the gospel, with others? If so, Amen, keep going. If not, how do we start? Is it practice so you’re ready when the moment arises, or has the Lord laid someone on your mind right now that you just need to go tell? 

I’m grateful we attend a church that highly values sharing the Gospel. I pray you are too. We are the Church, Now let's go be the Church!

Peace and Blessings Church!

Bryant hart

Enjoy Your Birdie

Happy Thanksgiving!  Or, as a golfer might put it, “I hope you enjoy your ‘birdie’…however you might choose to fix it.”  Seriously, may the Lord give us many opportunities to savor, not only the turkey and gravy of the holiday, but his tender care and goodness as well as we share time with family and friends.

One day I was surprised to hear that the land our church building sits on was originally plotted for a golf course!  Nothing against golf (a sport I really enjoy!), but I can imagine the Lord smiling and saying to himself, “I’ve got a better plan for that land!”

When I joined the pastoral team at Grace in the fall of 1997, I relished hearing stories of how, under the leadership of our founding pastor, Dave Reimer, the Lord started this church in 1987 with a core group of 13 mostly retired folks who had a vision to plant a biblically grounded, culturally relevant, gospel-sharing church. When the Lord provided our current 12-acre plot of land back in 1990, our church facilities were on the fringes of Newton, and no one had any idea how the Newton community would grow up around our church campus.

Interestingly, one of those city development projects was the Sand Creek Station Golf Course just across Anderson Avenue from us.  As someone who jumps at the chance to play a round, I watched with great anticipation as the golf course was laid out and began to take shape.  I walked the fairways under construction and imagined what it would be like to actually tee off on this Jeffrey Brauer (a famous golf course architect) designed course when it was finished.  Honestly, I was pretty pumped that a nationally acclaimed public golf course was located right across the street from our church! And, I wondered how the Lord might use our proximity to connect golf with his kingdom work.

The Lord began opening doors right away.  Wanting to build connections and eventual bridges for the gospel, when Sand Creek Station opened in 2006, we as a church happily let golf tournament patrons and spectators use our parking lot, and we also lent Sand Creek Station our tables and folding chairs for their golfing events.  Chris Tuohey, Kemper Sports’ Regional manager and head of the Sand Creek team, has valued that connection been eager to maintain a relationship with us.

Personally, I’ve enjoyed interacting with the Sand Creek Station team by golfing there occasionally, volunteering at golfing tournaments there, and by offering to be a liaison when Chris asked me recently whether or not GCC might be willing to help with hospitality facilities at the upcoming prestigious USGA-sponsored Adaptive Open Championship in July of 2024.

I presented this request to our elders back in August, and they readily agreed to this opportunity to serve our community next summer. By offering our facilities at next year’s USGA July 5-10 event, we will be part of a welcoming and serving team that will host the golf world’s top handicapped golfers and their families.

Perhaps you know that the USGA (United States Golf Association) is the governing body for amateur and professional golf in the United States.  It reviews and sets the rules of golf, as well as sponsors 15 national golf tournaments, including the US Men’s and Women’s Open Championships. The US Adaptive Open Championship began in 2022 and is a unique and emotionally moving USGA sponsored tournament for qualified amateur and professional golfers with disabilities from all over the world.

At the Adaptive Open Championship, Sand Creek Station will host ninety-six golfers, who will be divided into eight different impairment categories to compete for the overall championship (Men’s and Women’s) and for the best score in each impairment category (such as arm and leg impairment, amputees, vision impairment, intellectual and neurological impairment, etc).

Being selected by the USGA for the Adaptive Open Championship is an incredible honor for Sand Creek Station as well as for our Newton community. I’m excited that, in offering our facilities as a place for the several hundred volunteers to receive orientation and have a place to quiet, we will be sharing the welcome and love that Jesus provides, especially to those with life-altering disabilities.

Our participation, I believe, gives us a chance to mirror the heart of God, who loves to “heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds,” as Psalm 147:3 puts it.

I’ve already blocked out the three days of July 8-10 next summer to volunteer in the tournament, and I encourage anyone with a heart to serve our community and the world to participate in any way possible.  If you’re interested, please contact Sand Creek Golf Station at 316-284-6161. And watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAeDGrtO8fg)

Blessings,

Steve Friesen

JOY!?!?

This time of year they say starts one of the most depressing times for a lot of people.  I have never understood that, until last year with it being the first holiday season since my dad passed.  This year the season is starting out in about the same way as last year so this word God is giving me is so very relevant to me. Maybe it will be what someone else needs to hear also.

When we look at it, we start with Thanksgiving, a time when we stop to think about all the good things in our lives.  In some cases it may be just a few things that are good, but none-the-less good things.  Then we move on to Christmas when we should focus on others and giving.   Christmas is also the time when we should be thinking about the gift of Life and forgiveness that God gave us in His Son Jesus Christ.  

I know that things in life can get hectic around this time of year and there are alot of things that can get us down, swamped and occupied.  But that doesn’t have to take away the joy.  Yes, I said joy.

Let me expand upon that. First let's look at what joy means as a word.

Joy–noun

 1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally

     good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: 

 2.a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly

    valued or appreciated: 

 3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety

 4. a state of happiness or felicity.

As I think about this a few lyrics from songs come to mind.  Well actually they were floating around in my head and being voiced in the shower the other day.

• You give me joy that's unspeakable and I like it, and I like it, yeah Your love for me is irresistible I can't fight it, I can't fight it

• I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

•  Joy to the world the Lord has come.

It was quite a concert, let me tell you. Glad you all couldn’t hear it. 

But, back on track, ever since I got out of the shower I have been thinking about Joy.  Man it is so easy for me to get bogged down with the details of life.But why do I do that when I could be living in the Joy that comes from God.  Now I don’t know what your situation is in life but I can tell you one thing for sure.  That is, our God is not a God of worry, depression, resentment, regret or remorse.  Our God is a God of love, peace and joy.  If you let all the other stuff become the focus in your life you will miss everything good that God has for you.  I want to encourage you with a few scriptures before I sign off.

David knew all about hardships but he also knew about joy and where it came from:

• Psalm 49:19  When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

• Psalm 50:1  Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

One last thought and reminder for me as well as my prayer for you as you start this holiday season.

 I pray that you will put your trust the God of peace, harmony, wholeness, and joy so that he can completely pour into you until you cannot help but overflow, with the hope that comes from The Holy Spirit, I pray that He will also protect you heart and mind in the power of Jesus Christ and that He will give you peace that goes so much farther than anything you can know or comprehend. May you experience a holiday season that is saturated in the powerful all encompassing love of our Heavenly father through His Son Jesus Christ 

AMEN

Romans 15:13  (Tree of Life Version)

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and shalom (peace, harmony, wholeness) in trusting, so you may overflow with hope in the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh.(The Holy Spirit)

Philippians 4:6-7 (Tree of Life Version)

6 Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.[a]

I hope that you can sing for joy in the shower and not care who hears it!

Pastor Sean

Guts, Glory and God's Design

I have been listening to the Bible on my way to and from work. This gives me a good 40 minutes with God’s precious Word during the day. Listening to it versus reading it tends to make the Bible more virtual and visual for me. I really experience the drama. So as I am hearing about battles, and demises I start to feel emotional. There are many instances in 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Samuel where people were killed and parts of their body were taken to be displayed. Hands were cut off, heads were delivered… sometimes by the time I get to work, I feel nauseous. During battle scenes, I want to close my eyes, but I can’t because I’m driving. I figured I felt this way because I am a mom. I am weak. I know that God made male and female different in characteristics as well as physically, so I was curious how men in general feel about these events in the Old Testament. Recently, when I got to work, I asked the guys. 

If you are a female, this might shock you. They collectively said they really enjoy reading the fighting scenes in the Bible! What!?! Are you kidding?!! How can this be? (God made men so tough) It’s kind of embarrassing confessing that parts of the Old Testament make me queasy to read.  But then I wondered if there might be a few of you out there that have the same reaction?  Then one of the men added that he and his wife have talked about this before because it is not easy for her as well.  Well, I am glad I’m not alone, but I still would like to learn from the hard parts of the Old Testament. So what do I do? I need a plan.

         I am going to try to focus on a few things while listening to history unfold.  Obviously, the first thing that I need to do is to ask the Lord to help me read through those parts and then glean from the events what He wants me to learn.  But then I think I can also focus on how God is our protector.  God’s chosen people went through more struggles than any other people group that I am aware of. God remained faithful to them.  Even when the Israelites went their own way, it was not long before they cried out to God again knowing that they needed Him. God will protect us, He is with us always.  I can also focus on how God is powerful and sovereign. God’s power is also beyond my comprehension. This fills me with awe that we can even approach our Father.   

Then I probably should be thankful that the Lord made my stomach weak.  This is hopefully part of how He made me a nurturer for the children He has given me. I pray that He will use me and my difficulties to hear about battles to teach my children peace.

God, you are worthy to be praised. Please help me to take my eyes off the violence and keep them on the One who can save…You. Lord thank you for making men so tough. Thank you for examples in history of your great deliverances! Amen.

Amy

He's Been with Jesus

   The other week I was out to eat with some brothers and a man stopped by our table to tell us about Jesus.  This guy wasn’t dressed up like a preacher, or a white-collar businessman.  Nothing about his presence said that he was a distinguished person or well-educated man that everyone should listen to, but immediately you could tell that this guy had been with Jesus.  He was bold, and his presence was full of joy and gentleness and love.  He radiated Jesus with every word spoken, and we were greatly encouraged by his boldness to share Jesus with us!

            I love what the Scripture says about Peter and John in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”  No matter how impressive or unimpressive we may think we are, when we spend time with Jesus through prayer and the Scriptures, people can see it.  When we spend time enjoying Jesus, it comes out in the way we interact with the world.

            Can people recognize that we are spending time with Jesus?  Would someone say that about you?  Of course, if we are not spending regular time with Him, that won’t be said of us.  When we spend more time with Him, our boldness to share Him with others will increase, we will find ourselves loving the people around us in a more powerful way.  It doesn’t matter how ordinary we might be, if we spend time with Jesus, really enjoying him, then people will know that there is something different about us.

            I’m praying that we will spend time daily enjoying Jesus, and it will be said of us that we have “been with Jesus”!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Kyle

Kyle’s Rightnow Media pick of the month: click Faith Foundations with David Platt

Sudden Danger and Trouble…

Proverbs 3:25–26 (NASB 2020) 25 Do not be afraid of sudden danger, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;  26 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

I’ve been tempted recently to fear “sudden danger” and “trouble from the wicked.” 

What is “sudden danger?” From what I understand, it includes the gloom-ridden and spurious news we are constantly bombarded with. It makes me think of the current wars going on in Israel, Ukraine, and countries within Africa. Some of these people have just as much hate for Americans as they do the people they are fighting. They certainly hate Christianity and all that it represents.

I also have some more personal and localized sudden danger that has been keeping me up at night. Maybe you do too.

As for “trouble from the wicked,” this could be our religious freedoms slowly eroding away. There are consequences for injustice and a government that perverts God’s laws. Our country, communities, and culture are moving further and further away from God’s righteousness, and there will be trouble and ruin in their wake. Even if we oppose it, we will have to deal with the repercussions. 

So, it turns out that I (we) desperately need the truth in Proverbs 3:25–26. 

One, it reminds me of where my confidence comes from—the Lord. He must be my confidence. When I trust Him, I have nothing to fear because nothing can overturn His hand or stop Him from acting.

Two, because the Lord is my confidence, I don’t have to worry about a trap. He knows the future. Nothing will take Him by surprise. So, when I follow in His footsteps, I know I have a sure footing. If you’re walking with Him, then even the valley of the shadow of death won’t overcome you.

Brothers and sisters, fear is not an undefeated champion. It doesn’t have to bring you down. Just remember, it couldn’t keep Jesus down during the week He was betrayed. And that same power is within you.

Looking forward to Sunday morning! May God give you His confidence to face the day.

Grace and Peace,

Jack

Things that the God-breathed nature and Lack of Errors of the Bible Don’t Mean

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV ‘84)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Simply put this verse teaches us that God’s word as contained in the Bible are His Words! His words are useful to us to make us more like Jesus. Through this process, which cannot be done alone, we are made more complete and ready to do the good work God has for us. But scripture being rock solid, perfect, and life changing can get misunderstood or misused. I am going to highlight a few of the ways that I have seen this happen.

There are some dangers that some of these ideas can lead us into. Inerrancy, Inspiration, and authority of Scripture are so good when we remember who did the inspiring what is inspired, and why God did it. It is a good exercise to look at what it doesn’t mean and it isn’t useful for. Scripture, reading, studying, and having others bring it into your life is not for proving to yourself that you are complete. Scripture is part of the process of that happening and the work is never done. If we cannot see the next thing that God has to teach us or the next point of connection with God that we haven’t explored yet then we need more people ti live in authentic community with. The Bible is not a pass or fail report card on our lives, everyone of us has failed, and if you aren’t sure how you are failing then it’s pride. I don’t say that to accuse you or make you feel bad. Knowing where we start and where we are before God is a joyful thing. When we agree with Him about where we are then He lights a raging fire of connection and change. We should always be holding our lives up to the standard of Jesus, seeing we fall short, and running to Him. For you perfectionists out there you have special dangers in this. This is not a checklist and perfectionism does not help you be godly it actually uses shame and self punishment as a fuel to move you in your own mind closer to your standard you have for yourself. God want to walk alongside you as you become more like Jesus and He cares a whole lot more about being in a relationship with you than you thinking you know what you should be like or you trying to do it with your own effort. The rock-solid nature of scripture cannot lull us into a sense of security, it is solid we are not and until we see Jesus face to face we aren’t supposed to be. (Psalm 1, 1 John 3:2)

Knowing Scripture or living in a community of people with a high level of Biblical literacy or theological understanding is great. The danger comes in when we think we can settle on theological preferences and unverified explanations of certain verses. All Scripture is inspired by God but all of our interpretations of that are not. Do you know when a theological principle was first written about? Do you know who promoted it to the church? Do you know what the church taught before or after this theological stance became prevelant. If you can answer those questions you are a giant leap towards taking something you were taught or maybe something that is convenient to believe back to the Bible, and back to the community of believers you connect with on a soul level. Then you can really decide if what you believe comes from lots of verses in the Bible and not just one or two. You can learn about the interpretation that people did to come to that theological conclusion and decide if you trust their work and their conclusion. What the Bible says is never in question, what people have said about it should always be. It is definitely ok to have long held beliefs and it is ok to be passionate about them. It is ok to have confidence in what you believe the Bible teaches that far outweighs your doubt. But if you have never searched out how accurate something is that you hold passionately to or put it to a historical test you can never be confident that you have weeded out as many human errors from that theological principle as possible. (Acts 17:10-15)

Scripture is not for you to weaponize against others. Our first temptation can be to see how awesome scripture is and then decide we will teach, rebuke, correct, and train others. Before we can ever do that we have to let it first be done to us. We have to be taught and be rebuked before we can offer that to those around us. It is a commonly held principle that you cannot give to anyone else what you do not have. If you don’t have $5 you can’t give someone $5. The same holds true with change in someones life from Biblical teaching or correction. If you have never experienced correction yourself or rebuke then you cannot hope to change someones life with a word from Scripture or a principle learned from it’s pages. At best you will say the right thing in the wrong way. When the Biblical king David talked about Scripture he first said it was a “lamp to my feet and light to my path” Psalm 119:105. This means real life change only happens for us in community. We need others to see our blindspots not only to help us but so that we can learn how to see blindspots in others. Then we have to learn how to infuse our relationships with Scripture and it’s principles but first it needs to be infused into us. Like the tea has to touch the water and steep this process requires both time and closeness. If we get excited about what the Bible says because we see how wrong it makes other people look we are in danger of weaponizing it. If we keep those thoughts to ourself then we are at least quitely judgmental and we have only infected our own hearts with bitterness. But if we open our mouths we run the risk of giving people a bad tast for God or His Word when He has the sweetest flavor (Psalm 34). Jesus had a lot to say to the Pharisees who made a profession out of weaponizing Scripture and it isn’t flattering. (Matthew 23:1-4 read it in the ESV and the NLT)

Every one of us is susceptible to using Scripture and our interpretations incorrectly. Rest assured though. We have a great foundation to our faith and we can rely on the direction we are headed because many people throughout history have resisted these dangers. The challenge is to be one of them yourself and to be an entire family that takes the Bible for what it really is. It is better than we can imagine to make us complete and ready to do God’s work but we only shine a candle to it in the amount that we light a beacon piercing the darkness out our collective humanity, always holding ourselves up to to its great light.

Will Regier

Your Move

Deeply tragic are the events that transpired in Israel about a week ago. If you are unaware of what I am referencing, a terrorist group known as Hamas invaded parts of israel and began murdering hundreds of individuals as well as taking women, children and elderly as hostages. I am not a direct witness, nor do I really have any ties directly to Israel but when I heard this had happened my heart was immediately burdened for the people and families involved. I’m not an expert on history, war, or international relations so I can’t offer any explanation of the years of disarray and conflict in this region like others might be able to. However, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit I believe we have a direct line to God’s desire for the outcome of this situation: As well as the response we are to have as individuals a part of His big C, Church. 

I’m not saying that God is calling us all to do the exact same thing, some might be moved to more action than others. However, there are some responses I believe we should all experience or lean into if we are followers of Christ. But, no matter the circumstances we need to move closer to our creator.

When an event like what is going on in Israel happens, we should be moved to sorrow, empathy, and compassion. God loves his creation, he loves us, so even the loss of the most detestable person's life is the life lost of an image bearer of God. This should trouble us to a certain degree. Then this Sorrow, empathy, and compassion we’re experiencing should move us to cry out to the Lord in prayer. Praying for him to mend the broken, bring peace in the fighting, establish joy where there is only sorrow and that in everything he would intervene. For man alone is not able to stop evil, but only God is. 

Then after prayers of petition should come prayers of thanksgiving. Yesterday the staff had gathered for a time of prayer and after praying for Israel we began to discuss the tragedy of some of the events that took place. In this, Kyle said something that was simple but profound to me. “We should be grateful that this land, in our lifetime, has never known war.” He’s right; things like the events in Israel are not a normal occurrence in our country nor have they been, and I pray they never will be. But in that statement, I realized the gratefulness, and the thanksgiving I need to be giving to the Lord everyday for the safety that he has provided for me, my loved ones, and everyone in our community. I take that for granted and I definitely shouldn’t. I recognized my need to move closer to my creator.

Every event, every happening, every difficulty, every blessing we should be moved to interact with God more in one way or another. Sometimes it's in sorrow that we have to cry out to him. Sometimes it’s in pure joy that we need to praise him. No matter the circumstances God’s desire is that we would be brought closer to him. Then respond, by choosing to move in a direction that is closer to God. Where do you need to move to be closer to your creator? 

Bryant Hart

Hide and Lose!

At home we have a 50” TV on the wall and 2 old  32” TVs sitting in storage.  The 50” TV is in the family room with the DVD player and XBOX hooked up to it. The other two are in the garage with all our other stuff we don't use.  (Why we still have them I don't know. Maybe in the back of my mind I am hoping to have a man cave where I can watch multiple games at once.)

Let’s just say for the sake of a point to be made that someone gave me a 85” flat screen TV. (Like that would ever happen, but it would be nice.) That’s right they just gave it to me free and clear.  “Why?” you might ask.  Well just because they thought I might want or need it.  So, to set up the storyline here.  I come home from work on a Monday night (You know a MONDAY UGH! Haven’t you ever had one of those?) and there on my doorstep is a box with a brand new TV. The box says, Samsung - 85" Class QN900C Neo QLED 8K Smart Tizen TV. (I have no idea what all those letters and numbers mean, but I do know it means nice and expensive.) 

Well there it is just sitting there in a box and a sign that says to the Gardiners because we love you.  Did I tell you that it was just sitting there?  FREE!  Did I mention it was FREE!!!   I think to myself this can’t be true so I just walk in and close the door.  The TV is still on the porch.  Later I open the door and low and behold the TV is still there so I bring it in and put it on the dining room table and leave it there all week,  looking at it every time I go by.  On Friday I think about opening it but decide not to.  It sits there a few more days.  On Sunday I start feeling guilty for having the TV and not opening it, so I put it in the back of the guest room closet and shut the door.  A few weeks go by and I think about it again and think boy if I put that in the family room then I could have the old TV in the shop (awesome).  But, the TV stays in the closet.   Down the road I might hang it on the wall but I won’t plug it in or hook it up to the media devices, it just sits there and waits and waits and waits to be utilized.

This seems kind of stupid but it is not as far-fetched as you think.  You see there is a much better gift that people do the same thing with.  You know everyone at one point or another in their life has a huge gift set out for them to have, a gift that has listed on it forgiveness, love, acceptance, salvation, power,  24 hour help-line and peace that passes understanding.  That gift is Jesus Christ, He is presented to people everyday and they just walk on by for a period of time and maybe accept his gift later and then just put it in a closet.  Sure they have taken advantage of the grace and forgiveness and salvation but they never experience the fullness of the gift. They never know what having Jesus as an active vibrant part of their life can bring.  Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  Did you hear that, He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. 

Abundantly is defined as “present in great quantity; more than adequate; over sufficient; well supplied; abounding; profuse; overflowing.”  Is this how you would classify your life or are you lacking, needing, unfulfilled, longing, or just plain not satisfied?  If you are these later statements, you don’t have to be.  Jesus can give you peace to know you are forgiven and loved, security to know you are saved, fulfillment because He gives purpose, confidence because He gives strength and knowledge.

Where are you today?  Have you walked by that gift on the porch, is it on your table, or have you hidden it in your closet, maybe it is on your wall but you aren’t hooked up to it yet.  I challenge you not to live another day without experiencing the fullness of Jesus and the Gift He offers.

“I have come so that you can have life and have it abundantly!”

- Jesus

BXFC (Be Xtreme For Christ)

Pastor Sean

YHWH

You know how the Hebrew name for God is YHWH (we spell it Yahweh)?  An article in the Archaeological Study Bible states that “As early as the Second Temple period following Israel’s return from exile, the name YHWH came to be regarded as so holy that it’s public pronunciation was forbidden”  Their reverence for God is amazing, but can you imagine not being able to say God’s name out loud? Let me tell you, I think they actually spoke this name for God all day long every day.

I have read somewhere how this name for God, YHWH, is compared to breathing.  That makes sense.  YH sounds like inhaling, while WH sounds like exhaling.  In other words, when we breathe, not only are we sustained by God, but it sounds like we are actually saying His name.  We praise God with every breath we take.  Hallelujah!  It’s pretty neat that the sound of our breathing sings His name.

How comforting is it then that when we are feeling alone, if we stop and listen to our breathing, we can be reminded of God’s presence?  I like to think of it this way- that when we are scared, we may hold our breath  (clinging to God) and we may need to breathe slower to calm down (feeling God’s reassurance). When we are sad we may take deep breaths as we cry or sigh (opening the doors wide for God to enter and engulf us with His love and compassion), or when we are going to attempt something difficult we take a deep breath for courage (reliance on our Creator). God’s breath IS life.  

God breathed life into creation and breathed life into us. Genesis 2:7 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  Since the first man was created, we have been singing His name.

God’s breath is a blessing. God has given us this gift of His presence. He is in and all around us.  If we are lost or sad or full of joy, this verse rings true “Be still and know that I am God '' Psalm 46:10.  For when we are still and quiet, we can hear God the best.  Not only just putting away our own thoughts, but inhaling and exhaling the name of God and knowing that He is near.

There is a song from our children’s camp that we sang a couple of years ago that has been stuck in my head today.  “Fix My Eyes On You” by Evan Craft, there is a line that says “Let every breath I breathe speak of your glory”.  This has me reflecting differently on this thought of breathing the name of God.  I will attach a link to this song in case you would like to listen to this song in a new light.  I hope this blesses you.

Fix My Eyes On You

God bless you all,

Amy

I Was A Child of the Devil, A Child of Darkness, A Child of Wrath!

Not that long ago Pastor Jack reminded us of a truth that sometimes gets confused.  Not everyone is a child of God.  To be clear, God is everyone’s creator and all of humanity is created in God’s image and therefore has value. But the Bible is very clear about who we were and who we are in Christ.

Ephesians 2:3 reminds us that at one time all of us were children of wrath, living according to the desires of the flesh, and deserving of God’s wrath against our sin.  John 8:44 shows us that for anyone who is not in Christ, as religious as he or she may be, they are a child of the devil.  1 Thessalonians 5:4-10 makes it clear that we are either children of light or children of darkness.

Even while I was growing up in the church, until I turned to Jesus in faith, I was a child of the devil, a child of darkness, and a child of wrath.  Had God not intervened, I never would have become his child.

One of my newest memory verses is John 1:12, “But to all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.  1 John 3:1 says “See what kind of love the Father has lavished upon us, that we might be called children of God”.  Ephesians 1:5 and Romans 8:15-17 remind me that I have been adopted and am now a child of God.

I’m so thankful that at the core of who I am, I am a child of God saved by grace through faith in Jesus!  My core identity isn’t as a husband, or a father, or a pastor, but as a child of God. I want to live out of that identity everyday, and I want to share with others that they too, can be God’s child.

Pastor Kyle

Runners in a Stadium

Last week Courtney and I checked off a bucket list item and attended our first NFL game, and it was a doozy! Most notable were the mascots for the teams: Aslan from Chronicles of Narnia (Lions) and Charles Entertainment Cheese, the mouse of Chuck E. Cheese (Chiefs).

Hours before the game we participated in the largest Tailgate party...in the world.

That’s what I was told, anyway. But just between us friends, if you’ve ever been to a small outdoor concert...

It got better when the players were warming up before the game. I got my hat signed by Chad Henne and Mike Danna!

Right before the game, they brought out 3 enormous Lombardi trophy replicas to excite the fans.

This was meant to be a centerpiece of their accomplishment as a team, and it got me thinking.

This team is spending hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of hours, suffering a huge toll on their bodies, and giving their very best for this one award every year.

And even though I respect their efforts, and I’m genuinely happy for their achievements, it’s only temporary.

It is what the Apostle Paul calls a “perishable crown.”

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 (CSB) 24 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown. 26 So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

If they are willing to put it all on the line for a temporary trophy, we have even more reason to give it all for an eternal reward. Enjoying this football season has encouraged me all the more to exercise self-control in everything, and to “run” as if the prize I’m fighting for is worth my life.

I look forward to this Sunday with you.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jack

Pickleball Peace?

Professional pickleball is in absolute disarray. From the PPA offering out massive short term contracts to the MLP offering long term stable health care benefits! Each individual pro is being maliciously ripped from one side to the other. Okay, let me backup just a little bit. I understand some of you do not even know what pickleball is; let alone the fact that there are multiple professional organizations for it. Which is a total shame, because it is only the fastest growing sport in america! It’s enjoyable for anyone to play; 5 years old, 85 years old, retired professional football player, or recreational nap taker. It doesn't matter who you are, it is fun for everyone! I can also make a pretty strong argument for why it’s one of the most enjoyable to watch as well. But I won’t bore you with those details. 

If you’re still lost let me first explain what the sport actually is. Pickleball is a racket sport that is played using a wiffle ball and a pickleball paddle that is somewhat of a mix between a ping pong paddle and a tennis racket. Pickleball is similar to both those sports -Ping Pong and Tennis- in that the objective of the game is to hit a ball across the court, over a net, towards your opponent and hit it so well that they can't hit it back.  Though you might just now be hearing about this sport it has been around for approximately fifty to sixty years; and yes there are multiple professional organizations vying for the top spot right now.

In recent years there have been two organizations that have risen to the top of the pickleball sphere gaining many notable brand deals and millions of dollars in investment funds. The PPA (Pro Pickleball Association) and the MLP (Major League Pickleball). Both have different visions of how to move the sport forward and make it mainstream like Basketball or football. For a fan like myself it has been fun to watch these two pickleball juggernauts dual it out by introducing the next “brand new never before seen” thing over and over again. But last week while all the top Professional athletes in the world were in Kansas City for a PPA tournament, the Major League Pickleball executives dropped an atomic bomb of an announcement on the pickleball world. 

They were signing as many Pros in the space as possible to exclusive contracts that were higher paying than ever before and promised great benefits that also had never been offered in pickleball. On top of this they were poaching players that were previously PPA contracted players, stealing away many of the best athletes right under the PPA’s noses. They had completely blind sided the PPA. Now in a frenzy, it was time for the PPA to respond, and they did. They immediately started offering absurd cash contracts -funded by their billionaire owner- that were double what the MLP was offering. 

Now here’s the whole point of this. The players were now faced with a massive decision that might change the course of their life. I’ve listened to several podcasts from pros that were present while all these decisions were being made and all of them describe it as complete chaos. Everyone was non-discreetly in a corner on the phone talking to both organizations, their managers, and other pros. Trying to make a wise decision on which organization to go with definitely was no easy task. The players were faced with questions like, what if one organization doesn't get as much traction as the other and goes belly up? What if signing with one organization completely ruins relationships with everyone in the other. Then a multitude of other unknowns that no one can predict. All while trying to focus on playing in a tournament, that depending on the outcome, could directly affect their current livelihood. 

Though none of us are professional pickleball players we can all relate to the feeling of being torn in a thousand different directions. Activities, sports, homework, investments, entertainment. Trying to make wise decisions for our family. Serving at church in multiple capacities. Maintaining a good devotion time. Trying to take care of our mental health. Sabbath, what even is a sabbath??? Life can be overwhelming at times. Honestly it can feel overwhelming a majority of the time. But I want to give you the subtle reminder, though those things can cause chaos at times, God is always willing and ready to give you peace in abundance. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Though it might be a simple reminder and one you have heard many times before, maybe it’s exactly what you needed today to get through to tomorrow. Take courage brothers and sisters because he has overcome this world and all of the stressful overwhelming situations we are in! 

Love you Grace, thank you for accepting me as one of your own. Oh and here’s a link to some sweet pickleball points if you want to indulge! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRRy0kpiP0s

Bryant Hart

Sheep

`Psalm 23 is well-known to many of us. The basic premise is that God is our shepherd and we are well taken care of. He leads us beside peaceful water and to the best pasture. He protects us from enemies. This all sounds awesome at a funeral or in our personal devotions.

But are we willing to be sheep? Are we willing to let ourselves be thought of in that way outside of our chair where we read our Bible or when we are at our best not at our weakest?

Sheep never have a positive connotation. Oh, they may be tasty but they are also not considered strong or smart. Are we willing to accept that reputation in the world? Weak and hapless are not on the top of the list when I hear people dreaming about what their kids will be like. It seems very logical though that if we want God to be our shepherd then we need to be the sheep. We cannot avoid the necessity of this arrangement. We have to be humble and willing to follow. We also have to let it slide when outsiders or even those close to us view us differently than we want them to. The reason we will look this way is because we are all following the shepherd's voice if we are doing what we are supposed to. We know from other parts of scripture that we do not all have the same gifts and we do not all have the same roles in the church. That means if we are listening well to the shepherd what we are doing may not be exactly the same as the next sheep we are next to. And here is where it breaks down for many of us in the church. We readily understand that because we are following Jesus instead of the system of the world what we do will be different than what non-believers do. However, inside the church, just as sheep do, we all wanna look alike, and move alike, and we don’t understand the sheep that is acting differently. 

If each of us is willing to let ourselves be viewed as sheep to each other then at times we will not look strong. We will not look like the wolf who is so effortless and smooth in his hunting. We need to remember too that as sheep, both for ourselves and for others, we will not always be hearing the shepherd's voice well and that is where the power of the flock comes in. We both need to listen to the shepherd as individuals and as a church. We experience the goodness of this when we are not hearing the shepherd’s voice clearly. Then we can move with those sheep around us that we have come to trust. That’s the positive of the flock of sheep but again it will always just be a flock of sheep. It won’t be a herd of sleek and powerful horses coursing the plains. The flock will always be a bunch of jiggly, jumpy, fluffy sheep. To the outside and even at times to other churches, they will see us that way. But the choice is clear, be seen as a sheep because you are one and be seen as a bunch of sheep because we are or don’t follow the shepherd. There is no other choice. All the benefits of the shepherd await if we are willing to give up the trappings of the sleek efficiency and power of the corporate world. We cannot strive to be like to wolves or horses. Sheep are humble and our only hope is to grow in that humility if we want to be close to the shepherd. Growing in humility as a flock will keep us following Him together. 

Psalm 23 and all the beauty of its language is ours if we can put on the humble garb of the sheep. It’s not always gonna feel great when we see how others view us but it always feels great to be with The Shepherd.

Blessings,

Will

Our Kids’ Mission

You guys have got to see this!  I have a video for you that will show you what mission we support with our Awana club.  This is super exciting!  Every year the kids raise money for “Awana GO!”  This is a ministry that takes the Awana program to other countries in need.  For the past few years we raised money to help Awana programs in Nepal.  Last year we were presented with a new challenge out of Africa.  This was something that amazed us all!  The Awana program was started in 30 schools and was a great success. They decided to invite the Africa’s Secretary of the Ministry of Education to see the schools.  When she saw how this program had changed the children and schools for the better, she said this program needs to be in every school in this district.  Not only are the kids changing and being saved, but their families are being saved as well.  There is now opportunity to bring this scripture based Awana program to 7 other countries across Africa.   Our kids here at Grace in the Awana program raised $1737.13 last year for Africa.  That means we were able to help place the Awana program in almost 3 schools!  Watch this video to see how your kids are making a difference across the globe.  Then please pray for these schools where God’s Word is being planted!  It is so precious to hear these children say scripture from memory and see the smiles on their faces!

Africa Child and School Initiative

God Bless!

Amy

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

I have always been one who loves to be in competition and sports fed my hunger for that. I think that my high school wrestling coach was even more competitive than I was. I am pretty sure he  had obsessive compulsive disorder when it came to his team being as close to perfect as a team could get with technique and application of their craft.  He would remind us every practice in not so polite ways that, “Practice makes perfect!”.  I had some bad dreams with him yelling, “AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN!!!!!”,  only to find out that I was awake and at practice. UUUUGH!!!!

His pressing us toward perfection carried over into other sports for me. When I was a yell leader  in college, that drive to do everything as perfectly as I could,  made me spend hours tumbling and stunting every week to be ready for game day.

You might be wondering what brought this “practice makes perfect”  thing to my mind after all these years?” Well, I am going to tell you. (Whether you want to hear it or not.)

I was listening to the radio the other day and one of the DJs was talking about how man has had almost six thousand years to perfect the craft of sin. 

At first I was like, “That is so true, he really has.”, but as I thought about it more I decided that that is not true.  Man didn't need to perfect that craft. It was a perfected craft almost from the get go. Man didn't have to perfect it because satan had already perfected the craft of being in direct opposition to God, before man was ever around.  That doesn't mean that we have’t continued to practice and practice and practice. In Fact maybe that practice to perfection has driven us to live in an ongoing game day of rebellion and disobedience.  I know that we (mankind) are very good at it.  

Just as in a sport you know that the other team is doing the same thing and that is what drives each side to work harder. I am so thankful for the fact that there is an opposing team to our rebellious craft and that team doesn't even have to practice to be perfect, because God is already so perfect in His knowledge, wisdom and grace that he had a game plan before the other team was even on the field.  

Try as we may to fight againstGod and his ways there is never a time when God cannot reach even the person with the most practice at living in opposition to Him.  

This is what we as believers and the church are all about, “The wondrous and powerful love of a gracious and forgiving God. A God that never sees anyone as a lost cause.  A God that pursues His prized creation and is not willing to lose any, but yet He loves us enough to allow us to make our own decisions even if it breaks His heart. 

Sometimes it is easy to forget that God loves His creation so much that He was willing to give His only son as a payment for the debt that their rebellion has created.

The best way to always keep that in the front of our mind is to practice. God reminds us in scripture of what we need to practice.

In our practice we are to make a decision every day as to who or what we are going to follow and serve. In that decision we are encouraged to draw near to the one who loves us and hold strong to the faith that we have chosen to have. Not only should we walk by that faith but we should walk in it. Faith is what draws us closer to God and helps us live a life that exemplifies The one who gives us life, hope, love and purpose.

To steal from God’s word (Oops! There is that practice again, “stealing”.) We live by faith and not by sight. If we practice living by the faith we claim to have, then we will be more likely to have that faith show itself in our actions, attitudes, words and relationships.

This may sound cliche, but it is so true, the more we practice the better we will perform.

I don't know about you but I am going to practice more on living by faith and less on living by sight. 

So let us practice being on guard, Standing firm in faith, being courageous and strong and seeking the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. (There I go once more, stealing. LOL!)

Now let’s get to it: practice, practice, Practice, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!!!

See you on the Game Field!

(Places I stole from: Hebrews 10.22-23; Psalm 119.30; 2 Corinthians 5.7; James 2.18; 1 Corinthians 16.13; Mark 12.30-31)

- Pastor Sean                                            

I Have Beautiful Feet!

   We have a little inside joke in our home. Back in college some girl told me I have beautiful feet. I must have believed her at the time, because it stuck with me.  And now my whole family jokes about it. Every opportunity I get, I will passively comment about my feet being used to model for flip flops, or that my feet have the optimal toe arrangement where the big toe is the longest on down to the pinky toe. The second toe shouldn’t be longer than the big toe, that doesn’t make for beautiful feet.  Okay, enough about my feet…

            This morning I came across this verse in Nahum 1:15, “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!” This prophecy concerns the fall of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, the people that God used to punish Israel and defeat them in 721BC.  Through Nahum, Israel was told that God would punish Nineveh as well and that Israel would rejoice in their punishment. The feet that bring good news were the feet that would eventually come announcing Nineveh’s fall.

            Many of you probably recognize this prophecy that is later used in Romans 10:13-15, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”

            So I guess, it turns out, I really do have beautiful feet! And you too, can have beautiful feet! We are called to proclaim the good news to the people around us. It’s why we end our service with “We are the church, now let’s go be the church. Grace, we are sent.” If you see yourself as ‘sent’ to proclaim the gospel in your neighborhood, or at your work, or at your school, or to your family, then you have beautiful feet! (even if they are truly repulsive LOL)

-       Pastor Kyle