● July 2024 "The Mountain Top Messenger" Newsletter
(please click on above link to open current newsletter)
I pray you all had an enjoyable Fourth of July Holiday. June and I spent the day recuperating
at our camper at Little Girls Point, as I had a summer cold and then shared it with her.
It was a nice day, not too warm (rather chili 65 actually) with a slight breeze coming in off
the lake, overall relaxing.
As we head into the middle of summer the weather still seems a bit confused, at least in
the Northern part of the country. I am thankful we have not experienced any of the extreme
heat and other weather conditions that have been around the nation and even some of our region.
As I was wondering on a topic for this month's cover I was considering our last month or
so of discussions from second Corinthians and all of the things that Paul encourages the
Corinthians and us with in his writings. Then I figured perhaps we have looked at that
enough for now. It turned into quite a stretch. So, I began looking into the future and realized
that in this post Pentecostal season, that kind of what it is all about, it is kind of the
teaching season. In Advent we prepare for Christ's first coming, then in Lent we prepare
for His passion, death, and resurrection. We follow that up with the Easter/post Easter
season with His Ascension and then the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Once that
is completed we get into the season after Pentecost where we really get into the life and
times of Jesus, the three years of teaching and sharing with His disciples and all of His
dealings with the people.
People like you and I, people who toil and struggle through this life looking for answers. It
is in this teaching season that I, as your pastor use to try to help you understand, and if
you do understand, to help you strengthen your understanding, that Jesus is the answer
to all of your questions in this life. It is a never-ending journey. It is a journey that at least
for me has had many ups and downs, many highs and lows. As I grow older, I can see
with much better clarity. where Jesus has been and what He has done in my life.
I look back and remember times when I wondered where He was, fortunately hindsight
has now allowed me to see Him there. I know without He and the Holy Spirit leading and
guiding me throughout my life I certainly would not be where I am today. I will be the first
to admit, it is not and has not always been an easy journey, there were times I could have
turned away, even times when I was being called to take a different path. I look back at
those times and thank the Lord that He stuck with me. I remember some of those challenges
could have gone the other way. I am reminded of several things I had heard in my
life, one was a statement from my mother. I was struggling, unsure of what to do, unsure
of which way to go, she reminded me to trust the Lord, and watch out for the pull of Satan.
She told me as she had before "Satan doesn't waste his time on lost causes." So when
you feel that tug of Satan know that you are not a lost cause. The other came from my
mentor Pastor Bo, when I first became deacon here at Zion, he warned me, "be watchful,
for the target on your back just got bigger". Both of these statements have been a guide
for me particularly in the last ten or more years of my life. I do my best to continue to grow
in my faith, and to share that faith with you all of you in every way I know how. Even knowing
that as our faith grows, that target gets large. For I have come to realize that as that
target grows so does that shield of faith.
So as the apostle Peter reminds us; "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8). Don't
be so scared you don't venture out, but be prepared, trust in the Lord, always, and trust in
the Holy Spirit. For while the devil prowls around looking, the Lord is protecting, and I am
always trusting in the Lord.
So, as we travel together through this common season, as we learn of the teachings of our
Lord, take them to heart, read, mark, and learn them. Grow in the faith, share the faith, be
watchful, but above all, trust in the Lord always. That's enough for now, I hope to see you
all at the Church Picnic on August 4th.
In the meantime,
The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious
unto you, the Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
Pastor Rick
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