Pastor Jim Howard,
First Baptist Church
233 S. Main, Cedar Springs

Over the years I have come to appreciate the time that I spent with my grandparents as a small child and then as a young adult. I have many precious memories of the things that were said and the things that were done. It has been said that certain smells or odors will bring back the most vivid of memories, and I believe that it is true.
I recall as a small child going to grandma and grandpa’s dairy farm when I was just knee high to a grasshopper. It was during the winter, and in those days the snow seemed to be so much deeper than what we get today. I had gotten up early with grandpa to go out and do the milking. As we left the house by way of the garage I can remember the sound of the screen door slamming behind us, and then watching as grandpa struggled with the storm door as he pushed the snow in getting it open. Imagine my glee as a small child when I saw all that beautiful white snow.
Grandpa stepped out and headed for the barn calling for me to follow. I took two steps and suddenly realized that I could go no further. I was trying to step into the tracks left by my grandpa, but his steps were too far apart for me to follow. Several yards from the garage, grandpa looked back and realized my dilemma. He immediately came back and began taking much smaller steps in order for me to follow. It took grandpa twice as long to reach the barn, and I have never forgotten that experience or that lesson.
My grandpa left me a heritage of experiences and memories that will last my whole life. Whether he knew it or not, he was teaching that young lad lessons that would be passed on from generation to generation.
Timothy (2 Tim. 3: 14-17) was another who did not forget his heritage. The Apostle Paul praised Timothy for continuing in the faith, for taking to heart the lessons learned as a child and then in turn, sharing those lessons and experiences with others.
Many of you who are reading these words are already reminiscing about your own experiences with parents and grandparents. The lessons learned at the knee of someone respected and honored will stay with you your entire life through.
The substance of that heritage and the truth of the Word must also be shared with the younger generation. The children and young people of our communities are growing up without an accurate understanding of what life is all about. The end result of the instruction received by Timothy from his mother (Eunice) and his grandmother (Lois) was wisdom and salvation (2 Tim. 3: 15b). Knowledge is not synonymous with wisdom. Knowing your Bible is not enough! It requires faith in the God of the Bible (Eph. 2:8-9)!
The accumulation of head knowledge will mean very little without the practical application process. Children learn very early the difference between sincerity and hypocrisy. Teach how to live and live what you teach!
Being a parent and grandparent is one of the greatest privileges on earth. What a tremendous responsibility and opportunity to train the next generation of leaders. Don’t abdicate your privilege. Dare to make a difference just as Eunice and Lois did!

Pastor Mike Shiery
Pilgrim Bible Church

As Thanksgiving Day looms in our near future, it is a fitting time to stop and examine the depth of our gratitude. In spite of the many challenges that we face as a nation and even in our individual lives, we are a people blessed beyond measure. In spite of the terrorist threats, the economic decline, the corruption of many government officials, the protests in our streets, and the general uncertainty of the future, a large percentage of the world’s population would quickly trade places with us if given the opportunity.
However, despite our liberties, opportunities, material blessings, and technological advancements, we are long on our demands, vociferous in our complaints, and deficient in our thanksgiving and gratitude.
It was a common practice in Old Testament times, for people who were distraught over bad news to publicly display their dismay by tearing their clothes and dumping ashes on their head. They would put on close of mourning. It was referred to as “sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” These unfortunate souls would weep and wail and complain about their lot in life. They were not pleasant to be around during those moments.
The antidote for that is recorded in Isaiah 61:3 where we read that God gives His people the “garment of praise” (NKJV). The Apostle Paul exemplified this verse. Wherever Paul went, he appeared in “the garment of praise.” Some people, if they ever wear thankfulness at all, wear it only when everything is going right in their life. As long as they have their health, there is excess money in the bank account, they get a raise at work, they have a new car, and they can go on vacation, they will deign to offer a few morsels of gratitude. When adversity strikes their life, gratitude becomes a forgotten virtue.
Paul refused to live on such a low level. Flowing continually through his writings are exhortations to thanksgiving and gratitude. Time and space do not permit us to list them all here, but let me share just a few.
“We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 1:3 NKJV
“Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” Colossians 1:12 NKJV
“…abounding in the faith with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7 NKJV
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 NKJV
“Continue earnestly in prayer; being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 NKJV
“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11 NKJV
That last verse is amazing given the challenges Paul faced in his life. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 give a vivid description of unpleasant moments in Paul’s ministry. He was beaten with whips and rods, stoned, shipwrecked, almost drowned, faced robbers, hunted by religious and secular leaders, betrayed by supposed friends, endured severe cold, lack of food, and battled exhaustion and insomnia. Yet, his writings are filled with praise and thanksgiving and not personal gripes and complaints.
Let‘s endeavor to be people of gratitude, not just at this Thanksgiving season, but every day of our lives. As the poet once said so eloquently: “O Lord, forgive me when I whine, I’m blessed indeed and the world is mine.”

Pastor Herb Vanderbilt
East Nelson United Methodist Church
9024 18 Mile Road, Cedar Springs

“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers; flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations, it can never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them” Psalm 104:1-8.
When we talk about creation in the Bible, many people think that we are automatically talking about the story in Genesis 1 but this is not the only place in the Bible we learn about creation. Psalm 104 is one of the many “creation” writings attributed to David. In fact, not only do these Psalms echo the Genesis story but they are in an art form that in some ways is even more graphic than the depiction we see in the first chapter of the Holy Book.  My wife and I strolled through the streets of Grand Rapids looking at some of the over 1500 creations that have been entered into Art Prize 2011. Each piece is unique and reveals something that the artist sees or feels. Some of the entries have the artist present and many are willing to talk about their work and explain the meaning.  This is a special treat, getting to know the artist and their creation. They are often very passionate about their work and it shows.  The passion of the artist in Psalm 104 also comes through the verses that are rich in color and feeling. This is truly a piece of art of the highest quality. Many of the pieces of art in Grand Rapids will be scattered a long way far from here, but the collection of the Psalms we have with us as long as Bibles are printed. Sometimes God seems to be far away and distant but when we read a Psalm like 104 once again the creator touches our heart and mind, once again he, like creation itself is real again.

Pastor Kevin Reed
Grace Evangelical Free Church
4714 13 Mile Road, Rockford

“…Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… …Just as the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:26,28 (NIV).
There is an old song that we used to sing in Sunday school, and the words went something like this, “If you wanna be great in God’s kingdom, you gotta be a servant of all…” It is a catchy tune and still all these years later I remember it.  But lately I have been asking myself the question, “Do I believe it?” It is easy to sing about being a servant, it is harder to become one. It’s easy to quote the Bible verses where Jesus tells us to be a servant, but it’s harder to live them. It’s easy to praise Jesus for his selfless act of becoming a servant as mentioned in Philippians 2:5-11 (take the time to read it), but it’s harder to follow his example as we are commanded to in the beginning of that passage.
To serve others is a great idea, and we all believe it needs to be done, but at the core of our being we would much rather be served than serve, and therein lies the dilemma. Our society tells us to do what makes us feel good, well that is to let others serve us, while our Savior tells us to do that which goes against everything we feel, and that is to forego our perceived “right” to be served and use our lives to serve others. As Children of the Most High, this is a crossroads that we are faced with everyday. Whom are we going to follow? Whom are we going to listen to today? After all, being a “servant” seems so dirty, so low, so unamazing. Why would anyone want to voluntarily do that?
I would like to encourage you today that in becoming a servant we have the privilege of showing other people Jesus, and shouldn’t that be our number one goal as children of God? You see, it was Jesus who came to this earth and deserved the “red-carpet” treatment. He deserved to be worshiped, but the Bible tells us that he chose to serve rather than be served. There are enough people (Christians and nonChristians alike) in this world who want to be served, but there are few true servants who have realized that only in serving others do I have the privilege of showing them the greatest servant of all, Jesus.  And friends, may I propose to you that the world needs to start seeing less of God’s children and more of Jesus! The only way we can accomplish this is by being a servant, because only in becoming a servant can we reflect to this world our Savior! Think about it—who can you show Jesus to today?

Pastor Craig T. Owens
Calvary Assembly of God
810 17 Mile Rd, Cedar Springs
www.cscalvary.org

On Friday morning all around Cedar Springs, people will force themselves out of bed by saying, “T.G.I.F.—thank God it’s Friday!” But why not change that to this: T.G.I.T. – Thank god it’s today!
I did a quick search in my Bible concordance, and I noticed something very telling. The word today appears 203 times; as opposed to tomorrow, which only appears 56 times. The word now shows up nearly 1200 times; but later only appears 83 times. In God’s eyes, clearly today is the day, and now is the time. T.G.I.T. – Thank god it’s today!
In the Old Testament Moses wrote a song about T.G.I.T. It’s in Psalm 90: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:12, 14, 17 New International Version).
So make today and everyday T.G.I.T. – Thank god it’s today!
Do something memorable today… do something life-altering today… do something kind for someone today… do something for God today and He will establish the work of your hands.
I love the words of Mother Teresa: “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is a beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is life, fight for it!”
Here’s to a great today! T.G.I.T.!

Tim Bauer, Capstone ministries

Psalm 22:16-18 declares the very words of Jesus while suffering on the cross. He says that “dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet… They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
These prophetic words speak of evildoers surrounding Him at Calvary. The Hebrew word for “divide” in verse 18 is “chalaq.” It means “to divide, to be smooth, to be slippery, to flatter, to be deceitful.” This same band of evildoers surrounds Him today . Through their smooth and flattering speech, these deceitful teachers divide the church, piercing His Body.
They are the ones described in Daniel 11:32 who, by “smooth words turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant…” The Hebrew for “smooth words” in this passage is “chalaqqah”, which is taken from “chalaq”. It is defined as “flattery, smoothness, fine promises.” Through fine sounding arguments (Colossians 2:4) these deceived teachers persuade those with a divided heart in the Body of Christ to turn away from the truth.
Those who fall away are the ones who “act wickedly toward the covenant” they have entered into with Christ, leaving an open doorway in their hearts for Satan’s seductions. Those who violate the holy covenant through rebellion and disobedience are corrupted, soiled, and polluted by adherence to the smooth talk (flattery) of Satan’s liars, his false prophets.
The opposite reaction is found in the rest of verse 32 of those who walk in obedience to the covenant. It says, “but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.” Recognizing a wolf in sheep’s clothing, they will rise up in great courage and strength of heart, firmly resisting these wicked men.
Paul warns the believers in Romans 16:17-18 saying, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions (“disunion”) and put obstacles (“snares, traps”) in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”
We are exhorted to watch for those who cause disunion in our midst, causing others to stumble and fall away from obedience to God’s revealed truth, and turn away from them. These people usually like to be first. They want to be the one in authority.
II Timothy 3:13 says, “But evil men (“evildoers”) and impostors (“a seducer, deceiver”) will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Their seducing spells divide the Lord’s people, removing their covering. The leaven of falsehood has leavened the church in America. The Lord is dealing with this issue by exposing them in order for us to separate from them before His judgment falls. He is cleansing His bride in preparation for His return.

Pastor Craig Carter
North Kent Community Church
1480 Indian Lakes Rd., Sparta,
Church Phone #: 550-6398

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” John 1:14-18 (NIV).
Like you, I have met a lot of different people in my life. The people I have met along the way have been “full” of many things. In my college years, I recall meeting a lot of guys who were “full” of themselves. Others were “full” stories, some plain BS! Others were “full” of lies in order to get want they wanted in life.  On the contrary, I have met a number of great people as well; people who were “full” of kindness and caring, laughter, humor and generosity. Without a doubt, though, the ones I remember the most, were those who were just “full” of grace.  Grace is unmerited favor!  It is an ability to accept and love other for no apparent reason. They have this gift to show kindness to those who are “undeserving and less fortunate.” These Grace “full” people give when there is nothing to be personally gained by it!
Jesus Christ was this kind of person. The Gospel of John 1:14 tells us that Jesus came to earth on a mission from His father with two things. They were grace and truth. This verse tells us He came to earth “Full” of them. He needed them in “fullness” in His life because they were the two things necessary for Him to accomplish His purpose in life. So, it is with us! Have you ever stopped to think that the two things most needed in your life were grace and truth?
Here is what I find most interesting about Jesus Christ and these two essential things in life.  The first is that He lived them both. He often taught truth, but he simply lived grace. You can search the Bible and you will not find one “formal” sermon or teaching that Jesus gave on grace. Why? Because he lived it! Jesus lived a grace “filled” life. Grace became the cornerstone of his life and ministry.   Grace impacted people and changed lives, for all eternity. Grace is the means to salvation. Ephesians 2:8 reads, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (NIV). God’s grace is still the greatest gift to us all. So, here are three important things to remember in our desire to live a grace “filled” life.
The first is, spend less time talking about its importance to you and others. Like Jesus, just live it! Learn to focus on and be concerned about the needs of others, especially those who may not have the means to give anything in return.
Secondly, remember Grace is a gift! A free gift at that! One we never deserved, nor could we earn. We will never be “good enough” to earn or deserve the Grace (unmerited favor) of God. We simply must learn to receive it. Religious people are good at placing some expectation on themselves or others.  They live as if God’s grace is not really free! It must cost you something. Sadly, the message they speak to others is that such grace is “too good to be true.” True grace is always free. Grace “filled” people say, “freely I have received, so freely will I give.”
Thirdly, Grace is the key to living a victorious Christian life. We all struggle with things in our own lives. It could be a persistent sin or shortcoming in our own life. It could be the behavior or decisions of others that you feel is affecting you.  We are quick to beat ourselves up, or judge others, forgetting that God’s grace is still the answer for both.  I would like to close with this scripture found in the book of Romans. “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:15-17 – NIV).
The ability to “reign” in this life comes from receiving the grace of God found in Jesus Christ. God gives it to us in abundance. This abundant grace enables us to live a grace “filled” life. Be a person full of grace, first towards yourself and then toward others. Do yourself and others a favor—start living a grace “filled” life today!

Pastor Kristi J. Rhodes
Hillcrest Community Church
5994 18 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs, MI 49319

I was listening to the “Message,” (which is on XM Radio), in my car the other day and I heard one of the band members from “Tenth Avenue North” talking about one of their new songs. The song is titled “Love Is Here.” He shared their inspiration for the song and I thought “oh, how often we miss the fullness and the depth of the love of Christ for all of humankind!”
Sometimes we drift into this trap of thinking, “I’ll know God loves me if He gives me a parking spot, or I’ll know God loves me if He fixes my marriage, or if He gets me this job, or if He heals my loved one, or if this or that! Don’t get me wrong; it’s not wrong to ask for these things, but we play a dangerous game when we ask God to prove something He already proved when He died on the cross for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV) tells us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He has already proven His love for us. God is love and he can’t love us any more than He does and He won’t love us any less!  Even when we mess up He won’t love us any less.
Even so, it does break God’s heart when our choices lead to destructive behavior, but that’s our doing and our choices, not His!  He’s not sitting on His throne just waiting for us to mess up! On the contrary, He’s the one who sits at our bedside just waiting for us to wake up saying, “Come on, get up!  I want to spend the day with you!” Romans 8:35, 37-39 (NIV), “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So when you are tempted to wonder if God really loves or cares about you, please remember He has already proven His love.
The greatest man in History, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.  He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today and his love endures forever and ever!
We are so blessed!

Pastor Ryan Black
Cedar Springs Christian Church
340 West Pine Street, Cedar Springs

From the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we learn certain lessons. The first lesson is about reason. You cannot have radical faith until you’ve exhausted all reasonable solutions. Mary and Martha didn’t send for Jesus until they’d done everything they could do for Lazarus. Be reasonable; if you can do it for yourself, God won’t do it for you. For example, unless you are willing to change your diet and start eating right, how can you go to God with confidence for healing? Unless you are willing to put the needs of your spouse above your own, what’s the point in praying for a happy marriage? James writes: “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
The second lesson is about relationship. Some folks only turn to God when they have a crisis. Prayer is a foreign concept to them until they have a car wreck, or their marriage falls apart, or they lose their job. Then, incredibly, they say, “God, why did you let this happen?” It’s hard to go to someone when you’re in trouble, if you’ve spent no time building a relationship with them. Jesus often spent time at the home of Mary and Martha, eating at their table. They were givers, not takers. “It was that mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” (John 11:2). When you love the lord to that extent, you can go to him in faith knowing your needs will be met.
The third lesson is about relinquishment. As long as you believe you can handle the problem on your own, you will not reach for the miracle-working power of God. You have to be in a situation so terrible that you pray the prayer of relinquishment: “Lord, I’ve done all i know and things aren’t getting any better. So I’m through trying to fix it. I turn it completely over to you. I don’t know how you’re going to handle it, but I know you love me and want only what’s best for me. So here it is, Lord; it’s all yours.” This is not a prayer of defeat; it is one of total trust. David wrote: “Though i am surrounded by troubles…the Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, o lord, endures forever” (ps 138:7-8 ).
Before leaving the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, here are two more lessons: the fourth lesson is about radical faith. When somebody is dead and buried, that’s as “final” as it gets. To believe God in the face of such a situation requires radical faith.  Until this moment, Martha had “if only” faith. “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). But then she began to realize what Jesus could do, and moved to “even now” faith. She said to Jesus, “but even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Radical faith says, “Lord, I believe that my future can be greater than my past, that you can turn the situation around and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, that nothing is too hard for you.” Radical faith in the face of radical circumstances brings radical results.

Pastor Dick Nichols
Cedar Creek Community Church
2969 14 Mile Road, Sparta

“Why” is one of the most puzzling words in our language. It isn’t generally the first word a baby learns to say, but just wait, it will become one of the most used words you will hear throughout the years of raising a child, and especially from our grandchildren. And because of our inquisitive nature, it seems that “why” remains with us through the rest of our lives. Having just completed a memorial service, it is a fresh reminder to me of how many times I have heard this short question inserted into all types of conversations.
Why do people ask why?
As children, this world is a place of wonderment that really needs to be discovered.  The word “why” is our most functional approach to learning new things, and when we process the answer, (if we get one,) we can then decide to pursue “why” deeper (which is the beginning of innovation) or let it go for now.  And there is no doubt in my mind that our great nation has benefitted since its founding by the question “why can’t we?”  Thus, this little word that can sometimes be so annoying when we hear it over and over, is definitely advantageous to all of us individually and as a nation.
Sometimes though, the why of it isn’t really what we want to know even though we may ask anyway.     I believe that as we get older, the question why becomes more like the examples we see in the Bible, meaning that we are mostly interested in finding out whose fault it is.
Our faith contains many examples of people who asked this question. Think of the trials of Job in the Old Testament, loss of health, the loss of all his children, along with his material wealth, left him in a position of asking God why.  He had the counsel of his wife and his friends, which in the end they were merely trying to establish that it was Job’s fault, that he had somehow done something that had really gotten God ticked off.  Ultimately Job asked God why, and surprisingly God answered him.  God’s statement to Job is what we really need to hear. Simply put, in my paraphrase, God said, “God is God. Job, you’re not God, so trust me.” Yes, sometimes that is it.
Jesus was told of the atrocities that were taking place under Pilate (Luke 13:1-5 KJV). Jesus knew what the underlying question was (it was why) and replied “Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
Stuff happens in life. Bad things and good things happen to everyone, and yes there are times we can easily identify why. Jesus’ point to us is that there is something more important than the things that happen to us while we’re here on earth. The prophet Isaiah states “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6 KJV)
Life is not to be understood, any more than God can be fully understood.  There is a peace to be found in Jesus Christ, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27 KJV)
That is why!