Sunday, April 21, 2024

Learning Christ...

Teach me, my Lord,
to be sweet and gentle in all the events of life,
in disappointments, in the thoughtlessness of those I trusted,
in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside, to think of the happiness of others,
to hide my little pains and heartaches, 
so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path.
Let me so use it that it may make me patient, not irritable.
That it may make me broad in my forgiveness,
not narrow, haughty and overbearing.

May no one be less good for having come within my influence.
No one less pure, less true, less kind,
less noble for having been a fellow traveler
in our journey toward Eternal Life.

As I go my rounds from one distraction to another,
let me whisper from time to time, a word of love to Thee.
May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of power for good,
and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

Saturday, April 20, 2024

My soul, hearken to the voice of your God...

My soul, hearken to the voice of your God. He is always ready to speak with you when you are prepared to hear. If there is any slowness to commune, it is not on His part but altogether on your own, for He stands at the door and knocks, and if His people will but open, He rejoices to enter.  
-CH Spurgeon

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Readiness...

God called unto him…and he said, Here am I.  -Exodus 3:4

When God speaks, many of us are like men in a fog, we give no answer. Moses’ reply revealed that he was somewhere. Readiness means a right relationship to God and a knowledge of where we are at present. We are so busy telling God where we would like to go. The man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who carries off the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea of some great opportunity, something sensational, and when it comes we are quick to cry — “Here am I.” Whenever Jesus Christ is in the ascendant, we are there; but we are not ready for an obscure duty.

Readiness for God means that we are ready to do the tiniest little thing or the great big thing, it makes no difference. We have no choice in what we want to do, whatever God’s programme may be we are there, ready. When any duty presents itself we hear God’s voice as Our Lord heard His Father’s voice, and we are ready for it with all the alertness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us as His Father did with Him. He can put us where He likes, in pleasant duties or in mean* duties, because the union is that of the Father and Himself. “That they may be one, even as We are one.”

Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready when God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the ready soul, it is ablaze with the presence of God. -by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, April 13, 2024

There Is Hope...

There Is Hope/CityAlight

1. There is hope in grace unceasing
You withhold your wrath from me
Poured it out upon my Saviour
On the cross of Calvary

2. There is hope now for the hopeless
There is victory all can know
For the tomb lies bare and broken
And deaths pow’r is overthrown

CHORUS
Jesus Christ my hope forever
Hope unlike the world can bring
Your steadfast love beyond all measure
There is hope in Christ my king

3. There is hope for sons and daughters
Who have wandered on their own
Hear the songs of joy from heaven
As the lost are welcomed home

BRIDGE
Hallelujah, Hope of heaven
Precious treasure of my life
All my joy is in your presence
I am yours and you are mine

4. I will wait until I see him
Though the twilight turns to night
For my hope is not defeated
It will greet His dawning light

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

“For as the earth brings forth its sprouts..."

“For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, 
 and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, 
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations." -Isaiah 62:11

Asiatic lilies

Daffodils

Periwinkle


Early spring garden blooms....

Saturday, April 6, 2024

God of Every Grace...

God of Every Grace
 Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa

O let not this world of sorrows
Steal my only hope away
For the power of Your gospel
Shines within this jar of clay
In affliction You bring wisdom
That my comforts can displace
How my true and greatest treasure
Is in You the God of grace

Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrows, sing with faith
O praise the God of every grace

Weary with the weight I carry
Give me wings of faith to rise
For You know each grief that lingers
Through the watches of the night
Surely You have borne our sufferings
At the cross took up our pain
And You lead us on to glory
As we trust You, God of grace

Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrows, sing with faith
O praise the God of every grace

There’s a dawning hope before us
That I know is soon to break
As I wait upon Your mercy
Which will swallow every ache
Cries of joy and songs of victory
When we enter heaven’s gates
All Your children home together
All with You the God of grace

Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrows, sing with faith
O praise the God of every grace
Now to the God of every grace
Who counts my tears, who holds my days
I sing through sorrows, sing with faith
O praise the God of every grace
O praise the God of every grace
O praise the God of every grace

Come People of the Risen King!

Come People of the Risen King - Keith & Kristyn Getty 

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

REFRAIN
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land –
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands –
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing –
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all

Sunday, March 31, 2024

He is risen, He is risen!

He is risen, He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice:
He has burst his three days' prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice:
Death is conquered, man is free,
Christ has won the victory.

Come, with high and holy hymning,
Chant our Lord's triumphant day;
Not one darksome cloud is dimming
Yonder glorious morning ray,
Breaking o’er the purple east,
Symbol of our Easter feast.

He is risen, He is risen!
He hath opened heaven's gate:
We are free from sin's dark prison,
Risen to a holier state;
And a brighter Easter beam
On our longing eyes shall stream.
-Joachim Neander

Saturday, March 30, 2024

On That Day...

On That Day/CityAlight

 I believe in Christ, risen from the dead
   He now reigns victorious, His kingdom knows no end
   Through His resurrection death has lost its hold
   I know on that final day I’ll rise as Jesus rose

CHORUS
On that day we will see you shining brighter than the sun
On that day we will know you as we lift our voice as one
Till that day we will praise you for your never ending grace
And we will keep on singing on that glorious day

2. What a blessed hope, though now tired and worn
   We will spend eternity around our Saviour’s throne
   Though we grieve our losses we grieve not in vain
   For we know our crown of glory waits beyond the grave

BRIDGE
Hallelujah what a day it will be
For at home with you my joy is complete
As I run into your arms open wide I will see
My father who is waiting for me

Holy Saturday: Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
 But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
 my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
 And he will redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.
-Psalm 130 

Friday, March 29, 2024

Jerusalem...Praise the One Who saved us!

 
Jerusalem/CityAlight

See Him in Jerusalem
Walking where the crowds are
Once these streets had sung to Him
Now they cry for murder
Such a frail and lonely Man
Holding up the heavy cross
See Him walking in Jerusalem
On the road to save us

2. See Him there upon the hill
Hear the scorn and laughter
Silent as a lamb He waits
Praying to the Father
See the King who made the sun
And the moon and shining stars
Let the soldiers hold and nail Him down
So that He could save them

3. See Him there upon the cross
Now no longer breathing
Dust that formed the watching crowds
Takes the blood of Jesus
Feel the earth is shaking now
See the veil is split in two
And He stood before the wrath of God
Shielding sinners with His blood

4. See the empty tomb today
Death could not contain Him
Once the Servant of the world
Now in vict'ry reigning
Lift your voices to the One
Who is seated on the throne
See Him in the New Jerusalem
Praise the One who saved us

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Holy Thursday: Is It So?

Then He poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. -John 13:5
 
The Lord Jesus loves his people so much, that every day he is still doing for them much that is analogous to washing their soiled feet. Their poorest actions he accepts; their deepest sorrow he feels; their slenderest wish he hears, and their every transgression he forgives. He is still their servant as well as their Friend and Master....humbly, patiently, he yet goes about among his people with the basin and the towel. He does this when he puts away from us day by day our constant infirmities and sins....It is a great act of eternal love when Christ once for all absolves the sinner, and puts him into the family of God; but what condescending patience there is when the Saviour with much long-suffering bears the oft recurring follies of his wayward disciple; day by day, and hour by hour, washing away the multiplied transgressions of his erring but yet beloved child!....While we find comfort and peace in our Lord’s daily cleansing, its legitimate influence upon us will be to increase our watchfulness, and quicken our desire for holiness. Is it so? ...CH Spurgeon Image

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Your Will Be Done...

 
Your Will Be Done/CityAlight

1. As Jesus walked, so I shall walk
Held by Your same unchanging love
Be still my soul
Oh, lift your voice and pray
Father not my will but Yours be done

2. How in that garden he persisted
     I may never fully know
     The fearful weight of true obedience
     It was held by him alone

CHORUS
What wondrous faith, to bear that cross
To bear my sin, what wondrous love
My hope was sure
When there my Saviour prayed
Father not my will but Yours be done

3. When I am lost, when I am broken
     In the night of fear and doubt
     Still I will trust in my good Father
     Yes, to one great King I bow!

CHORUS
As Jesus rose, so I shall rise
In ransomed glory at the throne
My heart restored
With all your saints I sing
Father, not my will but Yours be done

4. As we go forth, our God and Father
     Lead us daily in the fight
     That all the world might see Your glory
     And Your Name be lifted high

CHORUS
And in this Name we overcome
For You shall see us safely home
Now as your church
We lift our voice and pray
Father, not my will but Yours be done

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Sunday Message: Genesis 1

 
Sunday Message: Dr. Todd Williams 
March 17, 2024

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Sermon: Matthew 7:1-6

 
Pastor Rob Burns: Matthew 7:1-6 
 March 10, 2024

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn 
to attack you. -Matthew 7:1-6

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Come Unto Jesus...

 
Come Unto Jesus (Acoustic Lyrics/Chords) 
- Laura Story, Jordan Kauflin, Keith & Kristyn Getty

Come unto Jesus, all you who are weary;
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, broken and needy;
Come unto Jesus, mighty to heal.

Joy of the comfortless, Light for the straying,
Hope of the penitent, Peace in our strife;
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying:
"My yoke is easy, my burden is light." 

Come unto Jesus, 
Come unto Jesus.
Lay down your burdens, He is enough;
Come unto Jesus, rest in His love.

Come taste the Bread of Life, broken for sinners;
Drink from the cup of His promise made sure.
Feast at His table as sons and as daughters;
Grace overflowing is yours evermore.

Come unto Jesus, 
Come unto Jesus.
Lay down your burdens, He is enough;
Come unto Jesus, rest in His love.

Come now and follow Him, this life forsaking;   
All that was gain, count as nothing but loss.
Trade all this world for His kingdom unfading;
Come unto Jesus, take up your cross;
Come unto Jesus, take up your cross;
Life everlasting He offers to us.

Come unto Jesus, 
Come unto Jesus.
Lay down your burdens, He is enough;
Come unto Jesus, rest in His love.

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Sermon: Matthew 6: 19-24

 
Pastor Rob Burns: Matthew 6:19-24 
 February 25, 2024

 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 
-Matthew 6:19-24

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Words, Words, Words.... For Those Who Have Ears to Hear

Andrew Klavan
February 26, 2024

Excerpt:
But at the core of the Christian faith is the confirmation that the human experience reflects reality. It can be gotten right, and its truths can be spoken. When Moses saw the burning bush, he saw the universe in full, creation and destruction without end. From that eternal process, came the voice of God and his name: I AM. The dance of being emanated from a person, a person who could speak his name and his nature. Because of that, I AM could ultimately take human form and speak the truth about our lives.

The Word — and all the words, words, words with which he spoke of it — became flesh.

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.   Read it all...

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Philanthropy in the Desert...

First Things
by Hans Boersma
2/23/24

It is meet and right that Lent should start with Matthew 4. Its first sentence sums up not just Lent but the entire Christian life. “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). We may apply this to ourselves: “Then was I led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Our brief span of life is the wilderness. The Spirit himself has led us here. His purpose is that we be tempted by the devil.

This sentence contains a great mystery: Why would God himself—the Holy Spirit—lead us into this world so that we might be tempted by the devil? I cannot solve this mystery, for God's mysteries are not like puzzles. They cannot be solved; they are meant to be lived instead.

When Jesus comes into the wilderness and the devil tempts him, he does not ask, “Why does the Spirit lead me here? What rational sense can I make of this?” What he does instead is fight the devil, with the Scriptures as his weapon. Read it all...

Saturday, February 24, 2024

It Was Finished Upon That Cross...

 
 It Was Finished Upon That Cross: CityAlight

How I love the voice of Jesus
On the cross of Calvary
He declares his work is finished
He has spoken this hope to me
Though the sun had ceased its shining
Though the war appeared as lost
Christ had triumphed over evil
It was finished upon that cross.

Now the curse it has been broken
Jesus paid the price for me
Full, the pardon he has offered
Great, the welcome that I receive
Boldly I approach my Father
Clothed in Jesus’ righteousness
There is no more guilt to carry
It was finished upon that cross.

Death was once my great opponent
Fear once had a hold on me
But the Son who died to save us
Rose that we would be free indeed!

Death was once my great opponent
Fear once had a hold on me
But the Son who died to save us
Rose that we would be free indeed!
YES He Rose that we would be free indeed!

Free from every plan of darkness
Free to live and free to love
Death is dead and Christ is risen!
It was finished upon that cross.

Onward to eternal glory
To my Saviour and my God
I rejoice in Jesus’ victory
It was finished upon that cross.

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Sermon: Matthew 6:5-15 Part 2

 
Pastor Rob Burns: Matthew 6:5-15 Part 2 
 February 11, 2024

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Love Among the Ashes...

  
February 14 this year brings the rare convergence of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. Rarer still is that it will happen in 2029 as well, twice in one decade. The two observances will not meet again until 2170. That rarity highlights an apparent disparity: “sackcloth and ashes” seem uneasy neighbors with roses and chocolates. What does penitential fasting have in common with romantic indulgence? When we look a little deeper, the coincidence of these holidays unveils a surprising complementarity, as each can bring out the true meaning of the other. Read it all...

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Sermon: Matthew 6:5-8

 
Pastor Rob Burns: Matthew 6:5-15 Part 1 
February 4, 2024

 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. -Matthew 6:5-8

Thursday, February 8, 2024

A Moment in History Pregnant with Purpose...


Excerpt: 
Do you question that God’s hand is sculpting the challenges we face today?  If so, it is never too late to “awaken” to God’s truth and, through His truth, to find implacable strength.  As one of the most popular Christian hymns ever written ebulliently declares: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me! / I once was lost, but now am found; / Was blind, but now I see.”  John Newton, an English slave-trader turned evangelical cleric and abolitionist, wrote that stanza, coincidentally enough, around the same time that Americans were declaring their independence from Great Britain.  Throughout history, spiritual awakenings have consistently provided the timely foundations for every great struggle for human liberty.  Ours is not at all different.

Enlightenments are messy.  Social and political revolutions are fraught with unpleasant moments.  Every quest for human emancipation is filled with heartaches, setbacks, and miseries.  Yet it is what we do with the obstacles before us that changes the course of history.  We are not expected to pick up the weight of history, heave it over our shoulders, and carry it to the place it belongs.  We are nudgers.  We push and pull at the current and help shape its path.  You feel that impulse in your soul, don’t you?  That’s because God is nudging each one of us, too.  Read it all!

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Sermon: Matthew 6:1-4

 
Pastor Rob Burns: Matthew 6:1-4 
January 25, 2024

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  -Matthew 6:1-4

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Jesus, lover of my soul...

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high:
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;
O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, oh, leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name,
I am all unrighteousness;
Vile and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.
-Charles Wesley

Thursday, January 11, 2024

In the Cross is salvation...

In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross. Take up the Cross-, therefore, and follow Jesus, and go forward into eternal life. Christ has gone before you, bearing His Cross; He died for you on the Cross, that you also may bear your cross, and desire to die on the cross with Him. For if you die with Him, you will also live with Him. And if you share His sufferings, you will also share His glory. -Thomas a Kempis

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.
-George Bennard

Monday, January 1, 2024

New Year 2024...Lord, make all things new!

Come, Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Risen Christ, be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide, and our Comforter.
Be our Strength, our Courage, and our Sanctifier.
May this new year be a time of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely and unconditionally,
A time for growing in virtue and goodness.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Be with us today and always.
- Author Unknown

A happy and blessed New Year to all!