The View From My Window Pastor's Weekly Blog

My mother was very generous and giving toward us kids. One thing she was generous with was discipline. She was bent on raising good citizens of both the United States and the Kingdom of God. We were created by God and for His pleasure; so was everyone else in the world and the world itself. For the longest time we believers have been tiptoeing around like we’re an intrusion to the party. Actually, we are the party, we belong here, it’s our Father’s world. It’s time for the riffraff to start acting right or go find their own planet. A long time ago perverted people started crying “freedom of expression”, “1^st Amendment Rights!” when their immorality was censored. Moral watchdogs backed off in order to “share the stage” and the enemy’s true colors were unfurled. They had no intention of sharing anything. Now we’re being censored right off the map! Conservative voices are being banned from college campuses, twitter & many other social media and public forums. It’s time for us to claim, “freedom of expression” & “1^st Amendment Rights”. If they can curse, we must be insured the right to bless. If they can lie, we must take the initiative to speak the truth. “People get ready Jesus is coming to take from the world His own.”

-Pastor Joel Everhart

We have a friend who got a Yorkie puppy about 7 or 8 months ago. It’s really cute and she’s very attached. Unfortunately, the dog has severe health problems that began to show up soon after she brought the dog home. Fortunately, they purchased pet insurance when they bought the puppy. Unfortunately, the dog has had to spend several nights in the veterinary clinic and undergo some nasty procedures, medicines, etc. Fortunately, it’s a smart little pup that has learned a few tricks already. Unfortunately, its owner has severe health issues of her own. Fortunately, having the puppy helps her cope with her issues. Unfortunately, the puppy’s issues add to the stress of the owner’s problems…

Any realistic person has to be somewhat pessimistic. After all, bad stuff does happen to each of us. However, a person of faith is called to be optimistic because of all the great and precious promises we have been given from the Lord. Joyful people choose to focus on the future results of having endured those bad episodes rather than the present pain they cause. We don’t need to deny that the pain exists in order to be joyful. We know that the pain will end and there will be a treasure at the end of that rainbow.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

From time to time you’ll notice that someone had come ahead of you into whatever building you enter with muddy shoes. They leave a trail of clumped up dirt behind. Our hope is that they don’t know their feet are dirty or they’d quickly take care of the problem. None-the-less, they’ve muddied up the joint. Those coming behind will grind the dirt deeper and get it on their own shoes if they’re not careful, in other words, it’s infectious.

Sometimes people drag attitudes or actions into church that mar our shine. Instead of others receiving a great blessing from the fellowship and services they go home offended or hurt. Our hope is they don’t know what they’re doing or they’d quickly take care of the problem. May the Holy Spirit make us aware of anything we’re doing that causes others to miss out on the love and ministry of the Lord in this place.

Paul helps us to be aware of such things with a Plea, an Example, and a Work in today’s message. See if you can pick out each of them from the sermon.

The Plea:

The Example:

The Work:

-Pastor Joel Everhart

Happy Mother’s Day! Paul put the phrase, “faith, hope & love” together as he called for maturity among believers as they use the gifts God has given to us. It would be hard to find three words that better state the temperament of a godly mother. She leads her children to the Lord, instills a hope beyond this life in them, and loves them like no one else. Just this week I saw in my news feed how a lady took on a deadly snake to protect her children. Remove the children from the scenario and that lady would have run for her life but with their lives on the line, the snake didn’t stand a chance. Motherhood is a clear reflection of God’s character. Mom, your love for your child/children channels the presence and power of the Lord into your family. Being a mother can, at times, be a thankless job but it is never an unnecessary one. We love you, keep up the good work!

-Pastor Joel Everhart

“Every cloud has a silver lining” or as I like to say it, “Every silver lining has a cloud wrapped around it”. Everything worth having, doing or accomplishing comes with a degree of difficulty commensurate with the value thereof. What is a soul worth? How about a community of souls? What would you be willing to do to be a part of an effort to turn our whole society away from the waterfall of sin it’s heading toward and back toward obedience to Christ? That’s how Paul ended up in chains and it was working!

Paul didn’t want to be in jail, but God was able to use his incarceration to spread the gospel and save many souls. You in?

-Pastor Joel Everhart

It’s been said that there are different “love languages”. Each of us gives and receives love in different ways. For some people being remembered with thoughtful gifts on special occasions really floats their boat. For others, they really appreciate a warm embrace. Words of appreciation, quality time together and doing things on one’s behalf round out the “Five Love Languages” made famous by Gary Chapman.

What language does God speak? How does He know we love Him? He speaks all five fluently. In fact, if you really want to love Him well, you’ll not skimp on any of them. Words of praise is huge but they better be backed up with good deeds that fit what we’ve said to Him. Talk is cheap UNLESS it’s backed up with a lifestyle that honors the Lord.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

Some subjects and some people are polarizing. You either love them or you hate them. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, black liquorish & Donald Trump come to mind. Personally, I’m not a coffee drinker. Recently I made another attempt to condition my palate to its flavor but once again walked away wondering how anyone could possibly tolerate drinking that cousin to turpentine. Yet, many can’t live without that vile liquid and drink it by the gallon.

Like they say, “There’s no accounting for taste.” Some people fall in love with God from their very first encounter. Others acquire a taste for Him. Still others seem to fight His advances their whole life long. Don’t be stubborn, stop resisting His love, He is the one universal good thing that if you give Him an honest chance, you’ll be glad you did.]

-Pastor Joel Everhart

One thing that amazes me about the ministries of both Jesus and Paul, as well as the other New Testament writers, is how they stayed so distant from the political influences of their day. Those politics clearly affected their ministries as they found themselves on trial, in jail or exile and, for most of them, executed! They didn’t speak out against the abuses of either the Roman or Jewish governments. Each maintained a laser focus on the Kingdom of God and its influence on people.

The glory of it all is that what they preached eventually toppled those archaic, ungodly systems with their slavery, persecution, and corruption. Those systems could not stop the advance of the gospel! That gospel has led the world into a new burst of freedom, whether individual nations recognize its work or not. Even as we work to maintain such a costly liberty, we must always lead with the gospel we love. Pray for breakthroughs like the one we are studying today. A moment of revival can do what nothing else can in a lifetime.

-Pastor Joel Everhart