God Hears

One of the best known stories in the Bible is the story of Israel and their slavery in Egypt. The nation of Israel was in Egypt because of a famine during the life of Joseph. God had placed Joseph in Egypt to provide for them. Over the generations, Israel increased greatly in number. A new king came to power in Egypt who didn't know any of the history. He came to fear the Israelites and devised with a solution to control them - make them slaves.
The slavery was extremely oppressive. And, as anyone would do, they prayed for God's deliverance. It seemed like God was being slow to respond.
In an attempt to destroy Israel, the king of Egypt came up with a plan - kill all the baby boys as they are born. That has happened more than once in history, kill the babies. Jesus talked about the thief, the evil one, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Killing, and especially killing children, is one of Satan's favorite tactics to destroy and control people. The people responsible for killing the babies in Egypt refused to cooperate with the scheme and God blessed them for that.
The Lord brought a man on the scene who would be the deliverer. His name was Moses. But, God didn't rush things. He prepared Moses for 80 years before he stood before Pharoah to demand freedom for his people. When God's time came, they were supernaturally delivered.
The book of Exodus says that Israel cried out to God and He heard them. That is positive encouragement for us. When we cry out to God, He hears us. Don't be discouraged or give up. God hears His people and responds in His perfect timing.
Then comes the story of Moses and the burning bush. He was in the desert and saw a bush burning, but not being consumed by the fire. God spoke to him out of the bush and declared that he was standing on holy ground. What an awesome experience, to stand in the presence of God.
We have been privileged to stand in God's presence and see Him answer. An interesting verse in Exodus says that God heard Israel and was concerned about them. Then the story goes on to tell their deliverance. As we stand in God's presence, as we pray and seek God, He also hears us and is concerned about us.
God, in His perfect timing, in display of His awesome power, will always be there with us. We have every reason to rejoice and receive His answers to prayer. So, we can stand on holy ground and worship God. We can pray. We can live and work in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We can rejoice, because we know that God hears.

A New Week to Serve The Lord

How many people dread Mondays? Lots of them. They get up at the beginning of the week and complain that they have to start a new week, go to work, and all that goes with it. UGG!!!! But, instead of complaining, we can thank God He is giving us a new week to serve Him. Not everyone has a job, not everyone has the physical ability to go to work. Not everyone feels that they are loved.
Yesterday we had a great time as we gathered to worship the Lord. Church was, as it should be, fun and inspirational. And, I enjoyed our combined Sunday dinner, lots of conversation across the tables. As we continue to build on what God is doing this year, I spoke on the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit in all our lives. We must have, we must live and work in the power of the Holy Spirit. What was normal in the early church should continue to be normal today. They expected to receive the Baptism in the Spirit. They expected that Spirit-filled believers would express the power of the Spirit in their daily lives. We need to expect the same.
I want to encourage you to regularly seek the continued fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Thank God for what He has done in the past, and ask for more of His power and direction in your life so you can continue to be used in greater ways that bring honor to God. He will give you divine appointments that will come disguised as coincidence. You will just "happen" to come across someone, or a situation where you can show the love of God in some way. You will feel God's leading to talk or give or help and the other person will be better off. And, God will get the praise.
This title of this note today is "A New Week to Serve The Lord". That's what we have now. Instead of dreading a new week, thank God for the opportunities He will give you as you serve Him. Be open in your thinking to recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that believers will have rivers of living water in their lives, He meant that we will have the power of the Spirit to guide and empower us. That means we can have a great week. I expect it. I hope you do, as well.

League of Light Feast - A Time To Get Together

Friday evening provided an opportunity for fun and food, always a great combination. The League of Light, a shooting league for men, had their first annual Game Feed. There was a good variety of food provided, including some great venison stroganoff. I'm prejudiced about that because it came from deer my son, David, and I shot. And, the tasty dish was prepared by my wife. Of course, there were lots of other tasty dishes. The evening was fun because we had a low key time of visiting, sharing stories, etc. The evening was for the whole family and the kids had a great time. Some good hunting stories were swapped. Hopefully they weren't filled with too much exaggeration. We even had a turkey call competition. The league started last year when Reinhart had a dream to provide a place for men interested in shooting to get together for learning and competition. One of the meetings this year included instructions in proper shooting techniques. Then we had the opportunity to try them out. One month included a competition that raised money for the Bible League, and enough was raised to send over thirty Bibles to Mexico. The League will continue to meet. Having a place of connection and friendship is important to all people. No one likes to feel alone. A local church is supposed to be a place like that, friendly. Friday evening's event provided that for all who attended. Even those who are not hunters enjoyed the time. In our church fellowship we want to provide opportunities for getting to know people. We do this monthly on the last Sunday of the month when we have our Fellowship Dinner after the morning service. I enjoy sitting at the table, talking and listening. Most of the food at our feast was from wild game. I really enjoyed the lefse, that I know must have been made from wild potatoes. Times of getting together are important. A week ago we had our annual open house. In spite of the fact that the night was one of the coldest of the season, lots of people came out. Again there was laughter and talking and getting to know people. Everyone was welcomed and had a good time. We will have more times for getting together. Don't miss them.
I just couldn't pass up one deer hunting picture. I tried to put it on the bottom of the page, but the software won't let me.

Getting Caught Up

I started this blog last year, wrote a test post, and then never did anything with it. I guess that's what a lot of people do with important things, they get started on something and then drift off to other things.
Lots of people do that with God as well, they leave Him on the "to do" list and then get caught up with many other details in life. They forget that He is the most important ingredient in life. You can do well in life without many other things, but you can't make it without Him.
2008 has started out in a powerful way. For many months we looked forward to our week of prayer. God fulfilled our desires for a deep sense of His presence. We were privileged to have Rocky and Sherry Grams with us. They shared powerful teachings. The attendance was good and we joined together to pray. We were challenged to trust God, to step out in to new areas of life and let God help us accomplish more than we ever though possible. Several people gave testimony to physical healings.
Because we gave God time in our busy schedules, we experienced His presence. Experiencing His presence is something I have had a deep desire for. All who participated in the meetings experienced the same and have a desire for more and more of HIM.
Now, as we continue in this new year, we long to build on what God has started. We will continue to study the Bible and hide it in our hearts. That will strengthen us spiritually. We will continue seeking the power of the Holy Spirit in our services and personal lives. This is going to be an awesome year.
If you have not read Rocky's book, In Awe in Argentina, be sure to read it. It is very inspiring.
My goal in this blog is to keep you informed as to what is happening at Cornerstone Assembly. I want it to be a conversation and encouragment in our Christian lives. I trust that you will frequently check out our website. There you can sign up to receive reminders when the bulletin is posted. You can send in prayer requests. You can stay up on what is happening.
Check it out at www.cornerstonenr.org

I am going to need to learn the editing options available to me to make this blog look better than just plain text. So many things to learn. Thanks for your patience and I trust that there will be many items of interest that you will find as you check in regularly.

Blessings on you and yours,

Pastor