Posts Tagged ‘life’

Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings

October 27, 2014

We will be voting soon, so:

Matthew 22:34-46:
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it:‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

We Are Citizens of This World

In an invocation prayer at the United States Senate, Peter Marshall said, “Lord Jesus, Thou who art the way, the truth, and the life, hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make men free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Make us to see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please, to do what is right.”

It is unthinkable that a Christian would not vote! It is unthinkable that Christians would not run for public office! It is unthinkable that Christians would withdraw from the responsibility of taking part in public life. The Christian has a responsibility to Caesar for all the privileges which the rule of Caesar brings. We are citizens of this world and must be good ones, if we are Christ’s disciples.

While we may not all be suited to public office, we must all vote. It is not only our right to go to the polls and vote but it is our responsibility as Christians to go vote our Christian values. I will not tell you who to vote for but I will tell you that if we love God with all our heart, soul and mind then we must reflect that love in the life we lead and the things we do to make life better for all of God’s children. For us as Christians we must not vote by party lines but for individuals who best reflect God’s will in this world. It is your choice, it is your conscience, it is your relationship with your God that will lead you to vote for who best reflects your relationship with God.

Have a blessed month in Jesus Christ,

Pastor Randy

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Pastor’s Ponderings, Wanderings, Wonderings

July 13, 2014

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As I sit looking out the window from our timeshare the blinds are partly closed to help keep out some of the brightness from this clear, blue sky day outside. Looking out the window caused me to think and apply the sermon I just heard from the North Shore United Methodist Church at Canyon Lake. The blind reminds me of how we put blinders on to keep the light of Jesus Christ from shining into our lives.

The pastor at the church used a very familiar life situation to all of us as an illustration. She talked about her childhood and climbing the ladder to the high diving board. I can well remember being in that very same situation. The part about getting up on that diving board, walking out on to the end of it and looking down at how far the water seemed to be away from my toes hanging on to the end of that board. At the time it seemed like something that I could never overcome. That I would never be able to make that leap of faith into the water below.

As I thought about that sermon and that leap of faith I had to apply it to my life. I can remember many times refusing to take that leap of faith off of the high diving board of Christian faith. There are many out there in the world who have the same experiences with the real high diving board and water as well as the leap of faith that says we as Christians are willing to trust in our God and leap into the life that Christ has for us.

As we take one step at a time in our faith climb we can gain strength and knowledge of who God wants us to be. Looking up that ladder building our courage we must know that there is the living water waiting for us to plunge into. Jesus tells the woman at the well that if she had asked Him for a drink He would have given her the living water that would never let her thirst again.

When I finally made that leap of faith off of that high diving board I immediately knew that I could and would do it again and again. It was the same with my Christian faith. When I finally gained the courage to leap into the living water my life and my life witnessed changed forever.

Have you the courage to take the leap of faith into that living water?

Take the plunge and live the faith. It really is cool and refreshing.

Pastor Randy

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Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings

May 2, 2012

The sun might be setting in this picture but heaven is alight with God’s presence.

Our Bible Study for the past couple of weeks is over Randy Alcorn’s book “Heaven”. There are five sessions left so if the topic is of interest to you come on by on Wednesday nights. We have a covered dish fellowship meal at 5:30, prayer at 6:15 and we start watching the video about 6:30. You are welcome at all or part of the evening. So many of us have heard so much about Heaven, about what it is like and what we will be doing. So many different ideas and many of them have nothing to do with scripture. The Rev. Dr. Randy Alcorn bases all of his ideas and statements on scripture throughout the Bible. Here is an excerpt from his book.

“A fundamental article of the Christian faith is that the resurrected Christ now dwells in Heaven. We are told that his resurrected body on Earth was physical, and that this same, physical Jesus ascended to Heaven, from which he will one day return to Earth (Acts 1:11). It seems indisputable, then, to say that there is at least one physical body in the present Heaven.

If Christ’s body in the present Heaven has physical properties, it stands to reason that others in Heaven might have physical forms as well, even if only temporary ones. It also makes sense that other aspects of the present Heaven would have physical properties-so that, for example, when Christ is seen standing at the right hand of God(Acts 7:56), he is actually standing on something. Otherwise we would have to conclude that the resurrected (and thus, embodied) Christ has been floating for two thousand years in a realm without material substance. (He could, of course, but does he?) If we know there is physical substance in Heaven (namely, Christ’s body), can we not also assume that other references to physical objects in Heaven, including physical forms and clothing, are literal rather than figurative?”

We hope to find many scriptural answers to the many questions we have. At least we will hear scripture quoted to support Randy Alcorn’s opinions and we can make educated, spirit-led decisions about our future life eternal.

With a first name like Randy, I just have to listen to him.

Have a blessed week,

Pastor Randy Branch

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Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings

April 17, 2012

Jane and I attended a funeral Sunday afternoon and the funeral began with this song, Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky.”  The video was taken from youtube and I thought it was well done. It was uploaded by “utuber423.” It has been a while since I heard this song but it sure brought back some memories.  The song while not used in many funeral services is really pretty appropriate and relevant to the Christian message that you will hear when you go to most United Methodist funerals.

The funeral was ended with the Pastor singing “How Great Thou Art” and he sang it beautifully. What I received from the funeral was a picture of how the person who passed lived his life.  I heard it described this way before, “with both feet on the gas wide open and when the end comes slide sideways into the grave.” This person lived his life as a friend to all and as a friend of Jesus Christ.  That pretty much captures the Christian message doesn’t it.  I have a friend in Jesus and He is going to recommend me to the Spirit in the Sky.  I like that….

Randy

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