When the Answer is No

I had a lifelong dream of being in the Olympic games. Well, lifelong until I was twelve. That's when I tried out for the junior high track team. I wanted to run the hurdles, so the day came for the coach to pick hurdlers. Ten seventh graders lined up to run down the track hurdling to the best of our ability, with our coach timing each of us individually.

At the end of my tryout, the coach pulled me aside and told me, "You have great form going over the hurdles. If only you could run between them a little faster...." Apparently the actual time it took me to get to the finish line was more important than how I looked going over each hurdle.

I didn't make the team. My Olympic dreams dashed, I thought my life was over. Fortunately, our life is not determined by our success or failure in the seventh grade. God was still good, even though the only gold medal I would ever win was the participation medal I got in Cub Scouts.

God told David he would not fulfill his life dream of building the temple. It was not, however, a defeat in David's life. This week, we will learn how to win by saying yes when God says no (2 Samuel 7:25-26).

See you Sunday!

Best Seat in the House

One of the best parts of being pastor is that I get the best seat in the house every Sunday morning. While everyone in the congregation is looking at me (please accept my apologies for the green tie), I get to look at everyone in the congregation. I have seen it all, from an elderly deacon chasing a duckling down the church aisle (yes, you read that correctly), to a child ducking under a pew to escape mom's grasp (excellent downfield technique; I think he's a running back now), to the occasional "Sunday Morning Siesta" pose (head back, open mouth). The great thing about it is the variety of people who gather for worship each Sunday. It's a blast praising God!

David knew well the enthusiasm of worshiping the Lord. Even when some others around him did not get it, he could not wait to give praise to God (2 Samuel 6:21-22). Join us this Sunday as we learn the priority of worship.

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Mismatch?

Reese's peanut butter cups were created by a man who was struggling to support his growing family. After working sometime on a dairy farm run by the man who owned the Hershey Chocolate Company, he became inspired to create his own chocolates in his basement, as a means of providing a little extra money for his family. Initially, the two didn't seem to go together at all. Why would PEANUT BUTTER be put in chocolate? But of course the rest of the story is that enormous growth came out of that pairing.

Sometimes when trials come, we think there must be some mistake. This doesn't go together. We're a Christian, shouldn't our path be smooth? Why are we hurting, when we're striving to live a Godly life. Has God forgotten us? Isn't He noticing??

But eventually, we can see in the rear view mirror that what God ALLOWED in our lives, combined with our trust in Him and His perfect will, created growth and more than we even could've dreamed. God never has a mismatch.

Grudge Match

Sportswriters use the phrase frequently: grudge match! Whether it is a boxing rematch between two grizzled fighters, a football game between rival teams, or a pitching duel between two baseball powers, a grudge match represents more than just a game. These teams are settling an old score.

We might think that would make life more exciting. Unfortunately, it does the opposite. Grudges in real life only make things worse. David discovered a secret we can all use. Mistreated by Saul in every way, David finds a way not only to forgive him, but to celebrate the good God had done in his life (2 Samuel 1:27). Learning how not to hold a grudge is important for us everyone.

See you Sunday!

Winning Strategy

Coaches are famous for developing winning strategies. They often encapsulate those strategies into a single statement:


Winners never quit, quitters never win - Vince Lombardi


Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. - Pat Riley


Maybe I can put you in the game next week. - My third grade basketball coach


Join us this Sunday as we learn the winning strategy David learned in 1 Samuel 30-31: We win the battle when we trust God.

See you Sunday!

Still Fighting Giants

We all face giants in life. Whether it is a difficult diagnosis, a lost job, a broken relationship, or worse, the giants in our life can seem like more than we can handle. David faced his share of giants and found God always to be faithful. Join us this Sunday as we find out in 1 Samuel 30:6-8 how God is faithful in the battle against our giants as well.

The Game of Life

I was never very good at the Game of Life. The board game invites you to choose a career, buy insurance, lose money in the stock market - all the fun and exciting things life brings our way. For me, I could never figure out how to make the right choices. As you move your car load of kids around the board, spaces offer choices of which path to follow, how much money to spend, all while hoping to make it to the next payday. The game ends with a final choice - move into retirement and hope you have enough money or take one final spin with the chance to win it all and become a millionaire or park your car for the rest of the game in bankruptcy.

You can guess where my car load of kids ended up.

Choices are part of life. We've all made our share of bad ones. Join us this week as we find out how God gives us tools to spot bad choices in life, and the grace to win even when we don't, a lesson learned from the life of Saul (1 Samuel 28).

See you Sunday!