I still remember an interview Katie Couric had with Anne Graham Lotz just a few days after 9/11. (Lotz is the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham.) Though my quote may not be exact, it is very close to what was said.
Couric asked Lotz - "If there is a God and He is so loving and kind, why did He allow something like this to happen?"
Lotz responded by saying - "God is a gentleman and He will not force Himself upon us. For decades we have been telling Him that we do not want Him to be a part of our Government, our schools or our lives. Perhaps He is doing what we have asked."
Many see a strong comparison in the current condition of America and a time in the history of Israel. Repeatedly the Lord had tried to warn His people to return to Him, yet they continued to live sinfully and independent. Finally the day came when the Lord said that enough was enough.We read these sad words from Jeremiah's prophecy - with the continued bloodshed in Gaza, they have been on my mind a lot lately.
"Harvest has passed, summer has ended, but we have not been saved." Jeremiah 8: 20
We read in the first chapter of the book of Romans that there can come a time when God will give people over to a 'reprobate mind.' A reprobate mind is a mind that is rejected because it has become completely worthless. Some translations refer to this as an evil mind. Others call it depraved.
We learn from 2 Peter 3 that in the last days there will be many who will mock the possibility of the return of Christ and judgement of the world. Yet Peter tells us that the reason God delays His coming is not because He has forgotten or gone back on His Word, but because He is - 'not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.' Christ still wants us to share the Gospel with those who are lost.
I noticed the days getting shorter this week ... as we see summer winding down and fall quickly approaching, let it be a reminder to us of the shortness of our time and our need to tell others about God's saving grace. One day the harvest will be passed. One day summer will be ended. Let us pray that when that day comes
our friends and family will not have to say - "but we have not been saved."
~ Pastor Todd
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Pastor's Penpoint - "Christian Cola" - June 2014
I call it soda. Some call it pop. Still others call it soda pop. Cola is my favorite ... Coke actually. I think you know what I'm talking about. For many years now, Americans have had a love affair with soda. There's nothing that tastes better on a hot summer day than to come into the house from the sweltering heat, grab your favorite ice-cold soda, flop down on the couch, and just let the summer heat dissolve into that sweet carbonation.
As I was thinking about this article, the Lord began to speak to me about "Christian Cola." Don't write me off as a nut case just yet; stick with me. I have been feeling very dry lately with life in general. And it seems like the more I try to quench my thirst, the thirstier I get. It's as if some big joke is being played on me, and I don't have the sense to stop and figure out what's going on. But anyone who has ever felt that way and goes to God for the answers can tell you, He always puts His finger on the problem and helps you work your way out of it.
He began to show me that all the things I was filling my life with, trying to quench my thirst, are like soda. You know what I mean. It tastes great at first and at first, you are satisfied. But within just a few minutes of finishing the first one, your mouth gets all pasty again and you need another drink. The more you drink, the thirstier you get.
God has created each human being with an inborn desire to reach beyond ourselves for fulfillment. He knows, and every true believer in Christ knows, that thirst is satisfied only in Him.
Jesus, in speaking with the woman at the well, said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4: 13-14).
Since Adam and Eve sinned and were thrust out of God's perfect garden, mankind has been in a struggle to replace our need for God's living water with anything else. Satan is more than happy to oblige by giving us "soda" of every color and flavor. But God has been there all along, pleading with us, holding out His hands to us, longing for us to come back to Him. He knows, because He created us ... that only His water can refresh us.
You may be saying the same thing the woman said to Jesus some 2000 years ago: "Sir give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus is the Living Water. If you are tired of chugging the Christian Cola that never really quenches your thirst, all you have to do is stop wherever you are and cry out to God from your heart. Everyone who sincerely looks for God will find Him.
Come. Take a drink of the water God is offering you.
~ Pastor Todd
As I was thinking about this article, the Lord began to speak to me about "Christian Cola." Don't write me off as a nut case just yet; stick with me. I have been feeling very dry lately with life in general. And it seems like the more I try to quench my thirst, the thirstier I get. It's as if some big joke is being played on me, and I don't have the sense to stop and figure out what's going on. But anyone who has ever felt that way and goes to God for the answers can tell you, He always puts His finger on the problem and helps you work your way out of it.
He began to show me that all the things I was filling my life with, trying to quench my thirst, are like soda. You know what I mean. It tastes great at first and at first, you are satisfied. But within just a few minutes of finishing the first one, your mouth gets all pasty again and you need another drink. The more you drink, the thirstier you get.
God has created each human being with an inborn desire to reach beyond ourselves for fulfillment. He knows, and every true believer in Christ knows, that thirst is satisfied only in Him.
Jesus, in speaking with the woman at the well, said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4: 13-14).
Since Adam and Eve sinned and were thrust out of God's perfect garden, mankind has been in a struggle to replace our need for God's living water with anything else. Satan is more than happy to oblige by giving us "soda" of every color and flavor. But God has been there all along, pleading with us, holding out His hands to us, longing for us to come back to Him. He knows, because He created us ... that only His water can refresh us.
You may be saying the same thing the woman said to Jesus some 2000 years ago: "Sir give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus is the Living Water. If you are tired of chugging the Christian Cola that never really quenches your thirst, all you have to do is stop wherever you are and cry out to God from your heart. Everyone who sincerely looks for God will find Him.
Come. Take a drink of the water God is offering you.
~ Pastor Todd
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Rest in Peace, Nancy Daggy
Nancy Lee Daggy, 96, of Staunton, passed away Sunday, May 11, 2014 at Legacy at North Augusta in Staunton. Nancy was born in Mt. Solon, VA, on April 15, 1918, and was a daughter of the late Nancy Rose (Sandy) and Jacob Lee Props. She retired from Bridgewater Garment Factory, and was a member of Mt. Olivet United Brethren In Christ in Mt. Solon. On November 24, 1945 she was united in marriage to Leon Edward Daggy, who preceded her in death on September 12, 1994. Nancy is survived by a daughter, Faye Graham and husband Curtis, of
Staunton; two step-grandchildren, Debra Wenger and Daniel Graham; two
great step grandchildren. She is preceded in death by a son, Jesse Lee Daggy. A funeral service will be conducted 11 a.m. Wednesday May 14, 2014, at
Mount Olivet United Brethren In Christ in Mount Solon, with Rev. Todd
Lilly officiating. Burial will follow at the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at Johnson Funeral Service in Bridgewater.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mount Olivet United Brethren in Christ, C/O Ellen Rawley, 827 George Walton Rd., Mount Solon, VA 22843
We will miss you.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mount Olivet United Brethren in Christ, C/O Ellen Rawley, 827 George Walton Rd., Mount Solon, VA 22843
We will miss you.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
The Market Animal Show
Congratulations to Garry, Victor, Rudy, McKensie and Austin for their success at the Augusta County Market Animal Show last week. They put in a lot of time and hard work with their animals and each won ribbons. Great work guys!!
Friday, May 2, 2014
Pastor's Penpoint - "In the Dust of the Rabbi" - May 2014
And when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,"Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you." Luke 10: 10-11
There were many parts of the April 27th Homecoming Service that made an impact. For me. one of the most significant was a comment made by Bishop Whipple while he was preaching. He mentioned the notion of walking so close to the rabbi, that you become covered in their dust. I had never heard this before, and it got me thinking of another time that Jesus mentions dust in scripture. But first, back to the rabbi.
It was customary for a rabbi to select a group of disciples to be trained to follow and imitate him. His shoes were fitted with a flap which kicked up dust when he walked. His disciples would walk in a line behind him and the one closest to him would be covered in the dust kicked up by the flaps on his shoes.
It was such an honor to be covered with the dust of the rabbi that they would not wash it off but rather show it off. This dust symbolized the blessing of the rabbi's influence and it was used as a verbal blessing spoken over people, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi."
By contrast, Jesus instructed His disciples to wipe of the dust of a town that would not receive them. He did not want them to be influenced by the attitudes of hardness expressed by that town's rejection of them. They were His representatives. What they said and did was what He said and did because He identified with them completely in their ministry. Therefore if the people of a town rejected His disciples, hey rejected Him and His Father.
There is a lesson for us in this teaching of Jesus. If we are disciples of Jesus, we take part in His labor, His way of interpreting the scriptures and His way of living the Word of God. We will live under His influence, covered with His dust, if we walk close behind Him. But if we allow the influences of an ungodly world - their dust to cover us, we will shake off that dust on other people as we go through life.
Jesus said that we are to shake off the dust of an unbelieving world because it will affect the way we carry His dust in the world. We need to ask ourselves daily, "Whose dust am I covered in today?"
~ Pastor Todd
There were many parts of the April 27th Homecoming Service that made an impact. For me. one of the most significant was a comment made by Bishop Whipple while he was preaching. He mentioned the notion of walking so close to the rabbi, that you become covered in their dust. I had never heard this before, and it got me thinking of another time that Jesus mentions dust in scripture. But first, back to the rabbi.
It was customary for a rabbi to select a group of disciples to be trained to follow and imitate him. His shoes were fitted with a flap which kicked up dust when he walked. His disciples would walk in a line behind him and the one closest to him would be covered in the dust kicked up by the flaps on his shoes.
It was such an honor to be covered with the dust of the rabbi that they would not wash it off but rather show it off. This dust symbolized the blessing of the rabbi's influence and it was used as a verbal blessing spoken over people, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi."
By contrast, Jesus instructed His disciples to wipe of the dust of a town that would not receive them. He did not want them to be influenced by the attitudes of hardness expressed by that town's rejection of them. They were His representatives. What they said and did was what He said and did because He identified with them completely in their ministry. Therefore if the people of a town rejected His disciples, hey rejected Him and His Father.
There is a lesson for us in this teaching of Jesus. If we are disciples of Jesus, we take part in His labor, His way of interpreting the scriptures and His way of living the Word of God. We will live under His influence, covered with His dust, if we walk close behind Him. But if we allow the influences of an ungodly world - their dust to cover us, we will shake off that dust on other people as we go through life.
Jesus said that we are to shake off the dust of an unbelieving world because it will affect the way we carry His dust in the world. We need to ask ourselves daily, "Whose dust am I covered in today?"
~ Pastor Todd
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Welcome, Jordyn!
Jordyn Elizabeth was born at 2:17 pm on April 8. Congratulations to Josh and Beck, and also Jacob!!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Pastor's Penpoint - "Simon, the First" - April 2014
Simon grumbles beneath his breath. His patience is as limited as space on the Jerusalem streets. He'd hoped for peaceful Passover. The city is anything but quiet.
"There he is!"
Simon's head and dozens of others turn. In an instant they know.
"It's a crucifixion," he hears someone whisper. Four soldiers. One criminal. Four spears. One cross. The inside corner of the cross saddles the convict's shoulders. Its base drags in the dirt. Its top teeters in the air. The condemned man steadies the cross the best he can, but he stumbles beneath its weight. he pushes himself to his feet and tilts forward before falling again. Simon can't see the man's face, only a head wreathed with thorny branches.
The centurion grows more agitated with each declining step. He curses the criminal and the crowd. "Hurry up!"
The cross-bearer stops in front of Simon and heaves for air. Simon winces at what he sees - the beam rubbing against and already raw back. Crimson streaks the man's face. His mouth hangs open, both out of pain and out of breath.
"His name is Jesus," someone speaks softly.
"Move on!" commands the executioner.
But Jesus can't. His body leans and feet try, but he can't move. The beam begins to sway. Jesus tries to steady it, but can't. Like a just-cut tree, the cross begins to topple toward the crowd. Everyone steps back, except one. Simon instinctively extends his strong hands and catches the cross.
Jesus falls face-first in the dirt and stays there. Simon pushes the cross back on its side. The centurion looks at the exhausted Christ and then to Simon and needs only an instant to make the decision. He presses the flat of his spear on Simon's shoulders.
"You! Take the cross!" Simon dares to object. "Sir, I don't even know the man!"
"I don't care. Take up the cross."
Simon growls, balances the timber against his shoulder, and steps out of the crowd onto the street and into history ... and becomes the first in a line of millions who will take up the cross and follow Christ.
He did literally what God calls us to do symbolically - take up the cross and follow Jesus.
"If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
~ Pastor Todd
"There he is!"
Simon's head and dozens of others turn. In an instant they know.
"It's a crucifixion," he hears someone whisper. Four soldiers. One criminal. Four spears. One cross. The inside corner of the cross saddles the convict's shoulders. Its base drags in the dirt. Its top teeters in the air. The condemned man steadies the cross the best he can, but he stumbles beneath its weight. he pushes himself to his feet and tilts forward before falling again. Simon can't see the man's face, only a head wreathed with thorny branches.
The centurion grows more agitated with each declining step. He curses the criminal and the crowd. "Hurry up!"
The cross-bearer stops in front of Simon and heaves for air. Simon winces at what he sees - the beam rubbing against and already raw back. Crimson streaks the man's face. His mouth hangs open, both out of pain and out of breath.
"His name is Jesus," someone speaks softly.
"Move on!" commands the executioner.
But Jesus can't. His body leans and feet try, but he can't move. The beam begins to sway. Jesus tries to steady it, but can't. Like a just-cut tree, the cross begins to topple toward the crowd. Everyone steps back, except one. Simon instinctively extends his strong hands and catches the cross.
Jesus falls face-first in the dirt and stays there. Simon pushes the cross back on its side. The centurion looks at the exhausted Christ and then to Simon and needs only an instant to make the decision. He presses the flat of his spear on Simon's shoulders.
"You! Take the cross!" Simon dares to object. "Sir, I don't even know the man!"
"I don't care. Take up the cross."
Simon growls, balances the timber against his shoulder, and steps out of the crowd onto the street and into history ... and becomes the first in a line of millions who will take up the cross and follow Christ.
He did literally what God calls us to do symbolically - take up the cross and follow Jesus.
"If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
~ Pastor Todd
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