The View From My Window Pastor's Weekly Blog

On a blog talking about the funny things kids do, one lady posted this: My son gave me a big hug to wish me a happy birthday. Unbeknownst to me, while his arms were wrapped around me he left a booger behind my ear. I found it an hour later sitting at my desk at work.

Aren’t children wonderful? Mostly, but they do have their moments. Some children have more moments than others. As those ‘multi-moments kids’ mature into less challenging human beings their improved behavior becomes a source of great delight to their parents.

Such is the case with us & God. The more we mature, the better behaved we become, the more joy we bring to His heart. “Improvement” is the key. Keep getting better at obeying your Heavenly Father, He’ll notice your effort & reward you accordingly.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

The other day we had a problem with our home internet network so my wife called Comcast. The 1st rep she got told her there was an outage in our area & that she would not be able to help until after 8 p.m. Barb tried to tell her that the system was not down & that we were connected to the internet but the lady was insistent.

Barb called Comcast a 2nd time only to have a fellow tell her he didn’t know how to solve our issue. Finally, on the 3rd call she got a gentleman that was able to help her fix the problem. Best we could figure, that 1st tech had figured out a way to get people to call back after her shift was over by insisting that each caller’s system was down anytime they had a problem she couldn’t navigate through: smart but not very helpful.

There is One who has all the answers to life’s most important questions. He’s available 24/7, speaks our language & can make sense of the most troubling of circumstances. It’s time to connect with Him more intentionally than ever before: prepare your mind for action!

– Pastor Joel Everhart

When it comes to gaming I like solitaire & Scrabble. Personally, I don’t need the stress of being shot at, eaten, killed or trying to figure out where some key is hidden. For those of you who are gamers, each platform you face is a key that unlocks a higher level. After you have worked your way through the frustration of mastering the skills necessary to complete one challenge you move on to face greater tests. Your reward is not just completing a section of a game but actually developing abilities.

Perhaps we can think of life as a video game where we get many opportunities to develop skills & master challenges like relationships (with God & others), school, a career, managing your body, your time & your sanity. Christians have a safety net. We know that all our trials are orchestrated by the Master Gamer in such a way as to help us mature & develop a godly character. Even when we fail, we get a chance to redeem ourselves through repentance because we have been redeemed by Him.

What I’m trying to say is enjoy your reality as much as you enjoy virtual reality. In real life you will take some hits but God’s got your back & you’ll always be able to bounce back & overcome. Learn what you can from each failure to become better in the next round.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

In March an officer attempted to pull a man over for failing to use his turn signal. The car bolted but was soon stopped by a utility pole. The man fled because, in his words, “I didn’t want to go back to prison.” He was driving a stolen vehicle with plates he’d stolen from yet another car in order to throw off suspicion.

What struck me was that he wanted to avoid more prison time. He could have helped his cause tremendously by stopping his criminal activity. Instead, he tried to apply another layer of crime (switching license plates) in order to cover his offense. He thought being a better criminal, not becoming a better citizen was the answer.

One of the requirements for heaven is that you leave your life of sin. Excuses won’t cut it, cover ups don’t work; adoption into the family of God awaits all who are ready to live a new life. Surrender, confess (agree with God’s definition of what is & isn’t sin), repent (turn away from sin & start following Jesus), accept God’s forgiveness, then start living in obedience to His commands. It’s a much better life than trying to outsmart the long arm of the Lord.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

There are many different kinds of crowds. There are hostile crowds like you get on a Black Friday where everyone is competing for merchandise (Watch out, door unlocking dude!). There are friendly crowds like you get at a Christian concert. There are united crowds like those gathered in Washington to demonstrate for a common cause. There are pumped crowds like those gathered to cheer for the home team.

Church is an altogether different kind of a crowd. It can contain elements from all of the above mentioned examples but it should stand apart as unique. If our church is going to benefit you to the fullest extent of its potential you’ll need to buy in: come often, get involved, make some close friends, & become part of the family. I know its tempting to stay at arm’s length & avoid any potentially awkward moments but life is a team sport. Each of us is stronger when we work together. Get crowded, join the church, & become a part of something bigger than yourself.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

I was out walking the dog one afternoon when I spied a man on a bicycle headed toward us on the sidewalk. He was on the next block so I expected him to leave the sidewalk & ride on the road to avoid us. Instead, he peddled through the crosswalk & continued to move in our direction. I was thinking bad thoughts about this guy.

When he got within about 10 yards of us he looked up, jerked his bike over the curb onto the road & said, “Sorry buddy I didn’t see you.”
“No problem; happy days,” I replied.
“You too,” he said as he sped past.

I thought, what a nice young man. A moment earlier I was ready to condemn this guy for inconveniencing my life. His words & actions changed my attitude toward him. He was the exact same person he’d been but my attitude toward him did a complete 180. That’s when I felt an all too familiar conviction that I’d rushed to judge someone based solely on my limited perception of the circumstances. Oh to see others as Jesus sees them! This morning we get a look at what Jesus saw & felt as He hung on that cross in our place.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

My wife has been concerned about our dog’s teeth for some time so we finally scheduled an appointment with the vet to have them cleaned. In order to clean a dog’s teeth they use anesthesia. While the dog is out they remove moles, trim the nails & do anything else they can find. Don’t you wish it worked that way for humans? Go in for a surgery & come out with everything fixed!

Some poor souls have gone in for surgery, were mistaken for another patient & ended up having a procedure they didn’t need. That’s kind of what the original Palm Sunday was like: the people cheered Jesus thinking He would soon be becoming their King (and in a way He did), but within a few days Jesus died on a cross.

Within the crowd that saw Jesus that day were His loyal followers, His bitter enemies & a sea of the uncommitted either way. Those divisions persist today. Which of those categories would your friends say you belong in?

– Pastor Joel Everhart

I played racket ball with a few friends from the church the other week. It was the 2nd time I’ve played in 40 years. I really enjoyed playing but was so sore for the next couple of days I had to decide if I ever wanted to do it again.

I am a firm believer in healthy routines. Nothing good happens from one exercise session or one good meal. To examine who we are, the things we do & why we do them is wise. To continue in patterns that are destroying our health & relationships is foolish. Do something different. Find something to change for the better then after you’ve accomplished that move on to something else. Before you know it you’ll be living a pretty good life.

This morning I’m asking you to reexamine your spiritual life. Need a tune up? Need better spiritual routines? The 1st step is always to identify your weaknesses then do something to strengthen them.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

I did my taxes this year on February 3rd. Why did I do them that early? So I wouldn’t have to keep reminding myself over & over to get them done. With each reminder would come that little “jab” of dread. I’ve saved myself a ton of dread!

My greatest device for guarding against laziness is my desire to make tomorrow easier. There are many things that IF I get them done today I don’t have to do them tomorrow. My wife asked me the other day, “Why are you doing the floors now?” My response was, “So I don’t have to do them tomorrow.” I find myself giving that answer a lot.

In today’s study the writer to the Hebrews cautions us not to become lazy in our spiritual lives. A little spiritual exercise today: prayer, Bible study & service will make tomorrow much easier & much more productive.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

About 6 years ago a friend of mine died. His mother gave me a pair of his shoes, brand new in the box. They were a size too big for my feet but I kept them thinking that someday I’d wear them. Last Sunday was that day. I put them on & although they felt a little sloppy they were comfortable.

During the worship service I noticed that pieces of my left shoe had fallen off onto the floor & another section was hanging from the side. I picked up the pieces & peeled off what was dangling not giving it another thought. When I got home & pulled my shoes off the soles of the shoes completely detached from the leather. They’re a great looking pair of useless shoes. I was thankful that I didn’t leave pieces of my shoes all over the church to end up walking in my bare feet!

A lot of us are like those shoes: look good & healthy but close to collapse. I don’t mean to upset you but that’s usually not due to circumstances. Many people live through devastating drama & do not fold under the pressure. Add to that the fact that as people of God we have His promise that we’ll never be given more than we can bear & His many promises to overcome any obstacle in our path… Usually the deciding factor between endurance & collapse is the quality of our own soul. Grow up. Stop seeing yourself as a victim & start living like the conqueror God has equipped you to be. If it happens in your life, God knows you can master it.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

As we finish this 40 days of fasting I realize I’ve broken free from my passion for chocolate! I’ve never enjoyed vegetables more. I no longer use any sweetener in my tea. I’ve given up soda pop altogether. Far from missing any of those things I feel like a champ; like I’m winning.

“You are what you eat.” You’ve heard that phrase before. It’s true physically but it’s also true emotionally, mentally, & spiritually. A large part of our 40 days of fasting was to get better. In order to get better we need to develop better appetites because we do what we want to do. Fasting resets your palate. Food you used to turn your nose up at suddenly becomes delicious when you haven’t eaten for a few days.

Determine in your heart to do without whatever is causing you trouble for a determined amount of time: food, sex, smut, negative thinking… Then allow yourself only what is healthy for the new you that you want to become. You can, with the help of God, literally rebuild your life. Start today or — if you have started — continue on!

– Pastor Joel Everhart