TASTING THE GOODNESS OF GOD - by Susan Fochler

It is good to remember what it was that first drew us to know Jesus, for it can give us compassion for those who are still on their journey to discover Him.  For myself, I distinctly recall 2 people from my high school, a brother and a sister, who just seemed to radiate love and kindness.  Whatever it was that I saw on them I found very attractive.  Neither of them ever talked to me about God, but looking back, I realize that I was seeing the presence of the Holy Spirit illuminating their lives.  It was one point of light among several others that helped me choose to say yes to Jesus.  As we spend time communing with God, we become more and more like Him, and our lives increasingly reflect His life.  In John 15:5, Jesus tells us that “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches.  As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you” TPT.  In this union with Christ our hearts soften and yield.  We connect to Him, spirit to spirit, and receive direct downloads of His essence.  After all, it is Christ who lives in you, the hope of glory.  Not by trying hard to be good but by turning our thoughts to Him again and again, in worship, in gratitude, in simple acknowledgment. Being filled with His love, we release a river of living water into the world around us.  And this water “tastes” like something, just like I tasted in high school.  Jesus had this to say:  “if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied!  For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” (John 4:14-15).  I can think of many times when I’ve seen someone “taste” that water for the first time, and they are always amazed!  It is so beyond anything the world has to offer!  According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of abiding in Christ looks like this:  love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, self-control, goodness and faith.  These are the same qualities that flowed through Jesus and impacted His world when He walked on earth, and they impact our world through us as well.  Our hearts are the conduits through which Heaven is reaching earth.  May we continue to abide in this love as those thirsty ones around us have eyes to see what is readily available to them.  Love, Pastor Susan

DON'T DISCOUNT THE SMALL STUFF - by Karena Lout

It’s been important to me to know my neighbors but I found it more difficult when we moved to a new neighborhood several years ago. Recently our neighbor’s dog escaped and was running in busy traffic on our street. After returning her back to their house, the family was extremely grateful. The mom began to share her life story with me and has been sharing family photos and bringing homemade treats over. A small act of kindness opened the door to a new relationship.   Sometimes we discount our small, kind interactions with people because we might feel we’re not preaching the gospel or it doesn’t feel comparable to an encounter from the book of Acts. But I’ve found that staying consistent in showing kindness builds relationship and trust. Your life is an epistle, a letter to the world (2 Corin. 3:2).    “Purpose with resolve to treat strangers as saints; pursue and embrace them with fondness as friends on equal terms of fellowship. Make yourself useful in the most practical way possible.” Romans 12:13 (Mirror translation)   “Take tender care of one another with fondness and affection; esteem one another’s unique value.” Romans 12:10 (Mirror)   At the beginning of this year, I felt God encourage me to keep my heart more open to love and honor those he put in my path. Honor is accurately acknowledging someone’s God-given value whether we think they deserve it or not. While trust is often earned and built over time, honor is God’s gift to us. Psalm 8 says “God crowned us with glory and honor.” We often don’t know if honor is a part of our value system until we’re challenged to give it to someone we think doesn’t deserve it.   A good question to ask Jesus this week: “Is there someone you want me to encourage?” Maybe you smile and complement a store employee or reach out to a family member who needs encouragement. What may feel like a small step has greater impact than you know. To take it a step further, try showing kindness to someone you haven’t been fond of or agree with. The light and love of Jesus in you is brighter than you know.   Love, Karena

REVIVAL OF LOVE - by Shannon Downs

This last Saturday night we hade a long time of worship, lingering in front of the Throne of God, you could say. Holy Spirit moved on a few of our folks to share some things. One in particular was amazing friend Shiela.  Shannon, who moved to Texas a while back but still connects with us online, was so moved as she was tuning in. The things that Sheila was sharing went so very beautifully with a poem that Shannon had written that very day!  We wanted to share that poem with you below:

Revival of Love I closed my eyes and I did see:  Jesus and I sitting on a bench  There are trees all around Yellow flowers blooming on them Like stars in the sky A river flowing nearby I look into your eyes I look away Feeling a little shy I hear him whisper, He did say My child, there is no shame No guilt, just the foundation  Of my Love that is being built So look at me, tell me, child What do you see? I see the night falling Dusk disappearing The darkness has come Yet you are sitting here Shining glory bright Like the noonday sun Leading the way As if the darkness never came My heart is burning with The fire of your love I see you transforming every heart Of those who cry out your name Longing for the same My child, tap into my love  Let it flow so others may know My love is never-ending The river of love is flowing It keeps on flowing  From the throne room of Heaven It is a revival of love that will never end Oh, it will never end…. ©Jennifer Shannon 02/24/24

What Are We Surrendering To? - by Sarah Eom

The word ‘surrender’ used to scare me.  I felt it meant resigning to some bad, painful or uncomfortable circumstance and being ok with it.  A while ago, I had a physical symptom that was very bothersome and debilitating.  A few loving and wise people suggested that I ‘surrender’ this to the Lord.  I thought that meant that I accept the status quo and be ok with never getting better.  I tried but just could not do that!  Then I felt bad that I couldn’t. I felt  my inability to surrender was because I didn’t love and trust God enough.  The result was I now had shame to deal with as well as the original symptom. Then recently, I realized something that I believe is from the Holy Spirit.  The surrendering I am to do is not to the situation.  I am not surrendering to the problem.  Jesus was never a victim of his circumstances and neither is he calling us to.  Instead, I am being asked to take my focus, even for the moment, off the problem and turn my attention to God.  I was being invited to surrender to Him.  You see,  I was barking up the wrong tree by trying to surrender to the problem. Do you feel you are being invited to surrender?  Does the prospect scare you?   It’s ok.  There is no shame in that.  Just remember that you are not surrendering to a dreaded future or a difficult present.  You are giving yourself over to God’s goodness and mercy.  You are yielding to Jesus who is called ‘Faithful and True.’  You are surrendering to the enough-ness of God.

THE GLORY OF HIS LOVE - by Bill Hernandez

The Lord is personally, fully accessible, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He has removed any barriers that separated us from Him, making it easy to experience His radiant glory. This glory is an expression of His very being which is Love. Simply opening our hearts and talking with Him opens the door to a deeper relationship. He longs to share His love with us, and in turn, we can become like Him - bearers of His love, His glory. As Hebrews 4:16 encourages, we can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." He actively seeks us out, as Revelation 3:20 reminds us: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." He calls for openness and fellowship, as stated in 1 John 1:7: "if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another..." As we actively seek Him and open our hearts, He exemplifies love in His actions. As a result our connections deepen with Him, our community and beyond. We all have many doors in our lives where we can persistently invite Jesus in deeper. The more honestly and openly we share with Him, the more we discover His loving nature - His tenderness, patience, and kindness. His response to our vulnerability is never what we expect; it's always filled with empathy, understanding, and endless compassion. His transforming glory in our openness with Him causes us to show His glory to others - to show His love to others. We become bearers of His glory to the world. Glorious love bearers. The light of His glory is about to be released in an unprecedented revival. We are His lights of love in the Great Commission. We came to Him and opened everything to Him and He opened up what true love looks like and feels like. Go therefore and shine! I John 4:7-8 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

For my audio sermone that expands on this topic, you may listen here.

THE POWER OF YOUR STORY - by Brent Lokker

Last week after going through a few challenging days, I said, “Father, I need your encouragement.” Sometimes when we’re needing something, we can forget the obvious, which is asking God directly to provide for us what we can’t seem to muster on our own. Our Father loves this childlike dependance on him.   A day or two after asking for encouragement, I was sitting at my back window looking out at a sky filled with dark grey clouds while also looking down to read from the Mirror Bible. When I got to Titus 3:4, I read “But then, oh happy day. It was the generosity of God and his fondness for humankind that dawned on us like a shaft of light. Our days of darkness were over. Light shone everywhere and we became aware: God rescued the human race.”   At that very instant, I looked up and that sky had opened up right in middle with a golden shaft of sunlight pouring through! When sharing this story last Saturday at our worship service, I failed to mention that after encountering this sudden burst of sunlight through the otherwise entirely grey-filled sky, I looked down to read another verse or two and looked up to see that the sunlight had completely vanished behind the thick curtain of grey once again. It had only been there for that one verse I was greatly encouraged by.   I didn’t think that just maybe God was doing that to encourage and bless me…I knew He was! By cultivating a life that expects blessings to follow me all the days of my life, I try not to miss Papa’s kisses of kindness and I make intentional decisions not to dismiss them either.   This is an example of one small story in my life that has the power to interact with someone else’s story at just the right time. If I were listening to another person’s struggle, I could first empathize and draw out more of their story and at a time that seems right, offer this part of my story as a way to bring encouragement and hope. This is how we get to keep bringing portions of the light we carry to a world full of people often steeped in anxiety and depression who desperately need a ray of sunshine.   You are that ray of sunshine: “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day.” (Proverbs 4:18)   As we take time to truly listen to someone else’s story, we don’t have to be quick to share our own, but we can take time to draw that person out with genuine interest in the questions we ask. And at just the right times, Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance a bit of your own story to share that will be a bright ray of sunshine.   It’s not our job to fix people nor to tell them what they have to believe. But just like Jesus did, we get to drop a seed of hope into the soil of the heart of the one we’re sharing life with and watch how God causes that seed to grow.   Your story is quite likely the most powerful and inspirational thing you have to share. Don’t believe the lie that it isn’t important or flashy enough or whatever other lies we may tell ourselves. Your story is actually the story of Jesus encountering you in a million different ways. Don’t miss or dismiss it.   Enjoy sharing a bit of yourself as you also allow another to share a bit of themselves with you. This is the beautiful transaction of life.

SEEING GOD IN OUR STORIES - by Susan Fochler

When we pray, “Your Kingdom Come”, we are inviting God’s kingdom to invade our daily lives, both in the big events, and the tiny details.  And when we add “Your will be done”-we are agreeing that His ways are higher than our ways, and that life is better when we embrace His perspective and priorities in how we engage with our world.  In Joshua 3 and 4 we read how the Israelites finally get ready to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land after 400 years of slavery and wandering in the wilderness.  God gives clear instructions on how they are to do this:  1) Keep your eyes on the ark (God's presence) 2) Remember what He has done for you, and keep telling that story to your children. And He immediately gives them something to remember: as the priests carry the ark across the Jordan River the water miraculously dries up just as it did for Mosesat the Red Sea!  Those instructions still apply to our stories today.  But there’s one part of that story that’s been a mystery to me: why they were told to stay so far behind the ark, approximately 1/2 mile.  The priests stood in the middle of the river, and the Israelites were to keep their eyes on the ark as they crossed over to the other side.  God reminded me that sometimes I can get so close to and familiar with my story that I become hyper-focused on the expected outcome and I can miss the fullness of what God is doing in the moment.  In the Kingdom of Heaven, the process is just as important as the outcome, perhaps even more; for God is all about filling our process with His presence and purposes, and allowing the end result to develop as the fruit of that journey.  On my work computer system, a change made on one monitor won’t automatically transfer that change to my computer unless I do a “refresh”.  Sometimes I need to do the same thing in my life’s journey.  I need to step back, invite Heaven in, widen my view and “refresh” my perspective to see where He is and what He’s doing.  And may He continue to do, in us and through us, abundantly beyond anything we could ask or imagine! Love, Susan