The View From My Window Pastor's Weekly Blog



April 17, 2022

Who doesn’t like good news? The best news comes after the worst news, like, you were being sued but the judge ruled in your favor and your opponent has to pay for all your fees. Or, you were told you had cancer but now you are cancer free!

Easter is all about moving from mourning to joy, from grief to extasy. “Low in the grave He lay, Jesus our Savior…UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE WITH A MIGHTY TRIUMPH O’ER HIS FOES!” “Our savior displayed on a criminal’s cross, darkness rejoiced as though heaven had lost. But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand! That’s when death was arrested and my life began!”

Easter is the past victory that ensures my future success. Because Jesus died my sins are forgiven. Because He lives I will also live. One of these days the bad news will be, “Joel died” but the good news will be, “Joel is in heaven!” That’s because of what happened on that very first Easter. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

-Pastor Joel Everhart

April 10, 2022

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

April 3, 2022

If all went well, I will have spent the past week with my wife visiting our kids in Virginia. Chris & Kayla have 3 boys: Colten, age 10, Hudson, 8, Cooper, 6, & a girl, Adaline, who is 3 (all ages are Grandpa approximations, for accurate numbers along with birthdays see Memaw). The only numbers I’m responsible for are my wife’s birthday, our anniversary, and her Social Security number. BTW, her birthday is coming up later this month, if you know of any Yorkie puppies for sale, let me know. How old will she be? Some numbers are not meant to be published.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

March 27, 2022

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

March 13, 2022

On the 4th of July we celebrate our nation’s independence. On December 7th we remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into WWII. 9/11 will ever be remembered for the lives lost in New York City, Washington D.C. & Shanksville, PA. The Day of Pentecost is the Church’s D-Day, the day the tide turned. Until then the disciples were a relatively small group of believers meeting together, trusting in the risen Christ but pretty much dead in the water. But, beginning on the Day of Pentecost, the church went on the offensive and people were swept into the Kingdom by the thousands.

We need to be aware of what the Holy Spirit did on that day, and has been doing ever since. We need to be open to what He wants to do in and through us. Pentecost separates the spectators from the participants.

Many professional athletes attended this year’s Super Bowl. It was a very competitive and entertaining game. Many of those athletes in the stands would have preferred to be playing in the game. In those luxury booths they had expensive snacks, comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi, and porters at their beck and call. Out on the field big men were smashing into one another, they were sweating, bleeding, panting. Still, how many of the athletes in the stands would have preferred playing in the Super Bowl rather than watching it? I’d have to say nearly 100% of them. Don’t be a fan of ministry, be a participant.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

March 6, 2022

The enemy crept up on us slowly at first. We hardly noticed how much he devoured. But now he’s consuming vast stretches of territory at a time. We are in the fight of our lives for our own freedom to worship God as well as that of our children and grandchildren.

Satan has gained control of the narrative through the media and social media. We, and our beliefs, are on the outside looking in. Social norms are now abnormal. Christians are losing their jobs right and left. Criminals are going free and faithful citizens are being locked up. This is serious. How do we defend ourselves? It starts on our knees and must include fasting as well as prayer. We are no match for our enemy but we can incite God to act on our behalf as we humble ourselves before Him. Aren’t you sick of where our nation is headed? Do something: fast & pray. Ask God to save us. Ask God to arise and defeat those who are fighting against all that is right and holy. Stop expecting someone else to do something. Now is the time. Today is the day. Storm heaven. Discipline your flesh.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

February 20, 2022

Ever strain at opening a jar but the lid just won’t budge? Sooner or later you stop kidding yourself and you look for something that will help, like gripping it with a dish towel, hitting it with the back end of a butter knife or you ask someone stronger to help you.

Ever strain at solving a problem in life but it just won’t budge? There is something about fasting that gets the attention of God better than praying alone. Certainly, it helps us to focus on what it is we’d like the Lord to do for us but somehow it helps Him focus on it too. Often, we pray for things so casually that when the Lord does respond we don’t even pause to thank Him. With fasting we have “some skin (or fat as the case may be) in the game”. We become more vested in the need that must be addressed. When the mountain finally moves it is a great relief to us mentally, spiritually and physically.

Paul taught us that when we are weak, He is strong. The weaker we become through fasting, the more He asserts His strength into the situation. We don’t manipulate God, we invite Him into our struggles, laying aside our might in preference to His.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

February 13, 2022

God is smarter than we are. When Adam and Eve allowed themselves to question God’s motives toward them everything got derailed. It has never been His intent to keep anything good away from us. He has ever worked to bless us. Included in that work is the rules He set down for living.

If you love your kids, you’ll teach them to look both ways before crossing the street, to wash behind their ears, and not to trust strangers. You didn’t make those rules up just to mess with them or prove that you’re in charge. In fact, if they do venture out into traffic you run out at the risk of your own life to save them. That’s why they should trust you, because you love them. That’s why we should trust God, because He loves us.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

February 6, 2022

The Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It also teaches that the lack of money is often the result of living foolishly. Blaming the economy or other people when we neglect the wisdom given to us through God’s Word to develop marketable skills, tithe our income (giving 10% of our earnings to the Lord’s work), spend sparingly, save & invest consistently, and give generously is the roadmap to financial ruin. The Lord Himself promises to put holes in the pockets of those who disobey His directives and to increase the savings of those who obey.

Personally, I’m amazed at how much money people are unable to live on. I’ve counseled a number of couples through the years who make two or three times as much money as I do who have nothing but debt to show for it. As disastrous as their disobedience to God’s Word has been, most of them just can’t take that “leap of faith” in order to land in the Lord’s secure arms. Remember, the 1st step to getting out of a hole is to stop digging. Turn your finances over to the Lord and start reaping a harvest instead of losing your shirt.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

January 30, 2022

Monday, December 27, 2021 was our first measurable snowfall of the season. We’d just finished prayer, Cheryl looked up and said, “It’s snowing!” Ray, Cheryl, and I stood there enjoying the scene as though we were all ten year old’s. Large flakes fell from the sky and quickly covered the ground. In no time at all it was a winter wonderland. So much in life comes to us as a surprise. Even with all our technology, experience, and know-it-all-ness, it’s the simple, unexpected delights that fill us with wonder and awe.

When will it snow? When will you graduate, get a promotion, get married, move, retire…? It’s nice to know when but it’s also nice to be surprised. Waiting is a key ingredient to receiving all the good things God loves to pour out on us humans. We, of course, want to know when those blessings will come. The Lord reserves the right to bless us in His own good time. It is for us to follow His will; it is for Him to choose how and when He will reward our faithfulness. Here’s a hint: it always takes longer to get rewarded than we think it should but no one ever regretted waiting on the Lord.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

January 23, 2022

The other day I walked my dog to the park and back, about 1½ miles through residential neighborhoods and along a few busy streets, without putting her leash on her. She’s not one to “heel” but she will obey when I tell her which way to go or to stop. She enjoys being off the leash but her freedom is directly linked to her obedience. My commands are for her safety. Disobedience could be disastrous. Therefore, I’m careful not to allow her more independence than she can handle. Yet, the more trustworthy she proves herself to be, the more freedom she enjoys.

Our freedom in Christ works much the same way. His commands are for my safety. The more I prove my faithfulness to follow His will, the more He enjoys leading me through joyful experiences. Some believers need strict laws and harsh discipline lest they ruin their lives through sinful actions and attitudes. If you let The Master be your Master, if you trust Him, if you obey Him, you’ll find a life worth living filled with many delights along the way.

-Pastor Joel Everhart

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