The View From My Window Pastor's Weekly Blog

Last night I needed to be up in the middle of the night for a while so waking up this morning was a bit more of a challenge than usual. Every time I woke up I’d look at the clock to calculate how much time I had until I had to get out of bed. Finally I willed my feet out onto the floor, trudged to the bathroom, & began my daily routine. About a half hour later I was startled awake – apparently that whole getting out of bed & starting my day had been a dream! Who dreams about waking up to brush their teeth? What a dirty trick my own body played on me. I had to wake up twice this morning: once in a dream and then again for real.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Now why in the world did that just happen?” That’s exactly what we’re going to be talking about this morning: Why do so many unusual events, actions that seem contrary to all that is logical, take place? There’s more to this than meets the eye.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

It was snowing. Dawn was breaking. There was already about a quarter inch of new snow on the sidewalk as my dog & I were the first to put our prints into it. The sound of my feet pressing into the snow reminded me of stepping on small packing bubbles. The sensory experience was really quite amazing. As we turned the corner toward home the scene was picture postcard perfect. I’d never seen our neighborhood look so beautiful. Everything was blanketed with a fresh, clean coat of white.

That’s when I heard the Spirit of God say, “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow.” The Lord was reminding me of the power of His forgiveness. I often see myself as in need of many renovations, however, God sees me covered with a fresh coat of perfection. But let’s not forget the first part of Isaiah 1:18, “Come let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow.” Only those who have been to Jesus, asked for forgiveness & salvation get that covering. Have you been to Jesus & had your sins covered?

– Pastor Joel Everhart

I had the joy of taking my 2-yr-old grandson for a walk on a sunny, warm January afternoon one week after the blizzard of ‘16. The sidewalks were bordered by walls of snow that in some places were taller than him. This proved to be very helpful with keeping him contained and headed in the right direction. Every so often he would stop & take a bite out of the wall of snow. For him it was like manna from heaven. He pointed out flags, signs, an airplane, a hawk, puddles, cars, trucks, trees, sticks, a big brown dog, a large snowman … It was a great day.

Halfway through the walk he said, Me hold you? That’s his way of asking to hitch a ride. Perched up on my shoulders he loved pointing & saying, We go this way? I would reply, No, we go this way. This is the way to Memaw’s house. He wanted to go to see Memaw but he wanted to get there his way which often led off in the opposite direction. His bearings need a little maturing. He’d offer up some mild protests when the mule he was riding wouldn’t follow his instructions but then he’d see something else to point out and would once again settle in to enjoying the journey.

We need to remember that sometimes our sense of direction is skewed. We need to trust the One carrying us to glory. Stop protesting so much. Lean back into Him & enjoy the trip.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

God has decided to refine my character. His favorite tool to facilitate that goal is a stretcher (as in pulling, bending & extending) & my list of responsibilities has steadily grown over the past several years. There are times I feel like I’m going to end up on a hospital stretcher but inevitably I’ve had the strength, time, knowledge, & help needed to finish each task.

I hate to admit this but I still forget to cast my cares on the Lord. I’ll worry over something for quite a while before I remember to pray about it! Instead, I’ll pray about a bunch of other things while another part of my brain is trying to figure out what to do about the worrisome item on my to-do list. Eventually I remember to take my problem to the Lord, & my blood pressure returns to normal, peace settles over my soul, & everything works out just fine.

I’m sure you’ve been there too. Let’s not waste all this good stress: let it drive us to Jesus & shape our character exactly the way He wants it to be. That’s called sanctification & it makes diamonds out of dust.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

For as long as I can remember I’ve hated vacuuming floors. As I approached the chore the other day the thought struck me: how come you like mowing the grass but you hate vacuuming the carpet? It was a good question. I was faced with two options in order to stay consistent: 1) start hating to mow or 2) start liking to vacuum. What I like about mowing is that it’s mindless labor: my body accomplishes a task while my mind can take a vacation. I’ve decided to try this tactic when working on the floors. A shift in attitude can make a big difference in the level of enjoyment we get out of life.

This morning we’re going to be talking about shifting our attitude toward one another from one that gets offended to one that loves in spite of offenses. Like learning to enjoy sweeping it will take some practice but as with any journey it all begins by taking that first step: decide which way you want to go.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

It’s been said that people won’t do what you expect but what you inspect. In other words, if you want to be sure someone does their job right give them some feedback to let them know you are taking notice to what they are doing.

Encouraging words when they’re doing well just as corrective words when you find their effort subpar can help propel them to new heights. Did you know it’s possible to follow up on yourself? Set some goals, write them down, give them dates, chart your progress & reward your growth. It works with devotions, losing weight, exercise, continuing education & many other life improving initiatives. Many new apps & computer programs are now available to help make tracking your progress easy.

What is there about you that you would most like to change? Don’t just grumble about it; take action. Write down what it is you want to improve then find out what the next step might be & keep going! With God’s help you can do it!

 – Pastor Joel Everhart

The sun isn’t up this time of year when I take my dog out for her morning walk & she’s started to be more apprehensive about the dark. She’s all wiggles & excitement as I get her leash out & put her halter on because walking is one of her favorite pastimes. However, once we hit the street she moves so slowly that I find myself pulling her along behind me. The one thing she seems to respond well to is the sound of my voice. If I speak reassuringly to her, urging her onward she will trot up beside me for a while. If, however, I get absorbed in my thoughts & don’t say anything for a while I can, once again, feel the drag on my line.

That reminds me of when Jesus said that His sheep know His voice. Sometimes we wrongly think that Jesus only speaks to give us marching orders. Not so! Most of what He has to say is to reassure us to not be afraid & to move forward in the confidence that He’s got us covered. Be sure you are abiding in Him before you go anywhere: it’s a cold, dark, dangerous world otherwise! “What a friend we have in Jesus…”

– Pastor Joel Everhart

I’m out on my morning run when a little creature, sized somewhere between a mouse & a chipmunk, scurries out from behind a light pole & does a curl pattern right at my feet. I danced up on my tiptoes doing my best to avoid the little thing but as luck would have it I heard & felt a crunch beneath my shoe. That’s when I realized it was a leaf. I went from freaked to saddened to amused in less than one second. Most leaves don’t draw that much emotion out of a person.

What if we could get more out of our life than we previously thought possible? What if we can draw more out of God than we have in the past? What if He is wishing that we will? What if He asked us to ask Him for an abundance of His presence, peace, joy & love? Would you do it?

– Pastor Joel Everhart

If you are a sports fan you know there are several kinds of games you enjoy watching — probably in the following order: (1) your favorite team win, (2) your team’s rival(s) lose, (3) teams with players from your fantasy team, (4) a team (that you normally dislike, but you’re cheering for) whose win will help your team make the playoffs.

However, on a rare occasion you get stuck with only one game to watch & you hate both teams equally. You surf the channels to find twelve cooking shows, six Hallmark type movies, & two documentaries: one on the science behind how grass grows & the other on how the Baroque art style has influenced the development of decorated tissue boxes today. Inevitably you end up back at the game.

No matter how many channels we have there will be times we simply aren’t entertained. Such is life. No matter how well you prepare to enjoy your life you will experience feelings of loss, bored moments, & blue seasons. Even there find your peace, hope & joy in the Lord. Unlike your cable system, there is always more worth experiencing in God.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

In order to help challenged children develop life skills, leaders from Dover High School bring their class with them here to New Life every other week. They do a really fine job of cleaning & other helpful tasks Pastor LeRoy can find for them to do.

As I sat in my office I heard one of the teens enter the kitchen below singing “Hark the Harold Angels Sing.” He sang with full vibrato. His pitch was way off but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it sung more beautifully. Here’s a young man with more challenges than most cleaning up after us yet fully caught up in the Christmas spirit. I think I heard what Jesus must hear whenever we worship with all of our hearts.

No matter what our circumstances may be there is always reason to worship Him. Don’t focus on your disabilities this year; don’t even focus on your abilities. Focus on Jesus who said that we can do all things through Him because He strengthens us.

– Pastor Joel Everhart

Bananas drive me bananas. I like my bananas ripe but not too ripe. When I buy a bunch of bananas I like to get them a little green but that means I won’t be eating them for a couple of days. They all ripen at once but I’m pretty much a one banana a day kind of a guy.

When the kids lived at home they liked their fruit a little less ripe than I like mine & often the bananas didn’t live long enough for me to get one. Now that the wife & I are a little older we tend to be a little more banana moody: some days we feel like a banana & some days we don’t. How sad when my bananas ripen on the day I’m not in the mood! Our freezer can only hold so many loaves of banana bread made out of those that got too ripe. I suppose I could buy one banana every day & line them up on the counter eating them as they ripen.

With so many banana type things to worry about in this life isn’t it good to know that God is rock solid? He is faithful, ready, able & loving; because He lives I can face tomorrow.

– Pastor Joel Everhart