When I was a teenager, I had a good friend and neighbor who taught me how to work on cars. He always seemed to have something going on in his life, and, most of the time, it wasn’t anything good. He would always look at us with a funny smile, then sigh and say: “If it isn’t one thing, it’s three!” Then he’d laugh and go on about life.

I’ve always remembered that saying, but more importantly, the attitude. Paul writes in II Corinthians 12 about a thorn in his flesh that he asked the Lord to remove, and in verse 9 we see God’s reply and Paul’s reaction.

“9 He said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.’ So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me.” (Common English translation)

Most of us have something in our lives that annoys us. Many of us are blessed with a multitude of them! But what good are they? I discovered at a young age that some people feel that no one without the same issues as they experience can understand them. So believe it or not, if you have an issue, it may turn out to be a ministry tool. I am blind, and no one who is blind can say: “you just don’t understand what my life is like” because I do! And this helps me to establish a connection that others may not be able to. I have a good friend with cancer who ministers to the people who are having treatments at the same time. Again, a door is open through a common link. God’s presence truly becomes strong in our weaknesses.

And what if you are blessed to be without these kinds of issues? God will use you in other ways! Everyone has been given a job to do, to spread God’s word to the world. The best way to do this was given us by St. Francis: “Preach the gospel daily, and if necessary, use words.”  The best way to show God’s love is through action.

Often on Sundays, someone comments that they couldn’t get up in front of people and talk like I do. The truth is God doesn’t call everyone to show God’s love in the same way. How we do that is going to be different for all of us. You don’t need to preach. Giving a neighbor a ride or checking in on someone on a hot day; leaving a bag of groceries on a struggling family’s porch; or reading the mail to a person who can’t; all these show God’s love. Again, our weakness will be used by God for good by showing us other ways to serve His people. And the best part?  People I talk to who reach out to do God’s work, even if they weren’t comfortable, felt far more blessed than they ever expected, but then, that’s God for you!

Pastor Darryl Miller

Sand Lake UMC,
65 W. Maple, Sand Lake

South Ensley UMC,
13600 Cypress, Sand Lake

In Matthew 16, Jesus gives Peter a glimpse of who he (Jesus) really was. Jesus told Peter He would be a rock that Jesus would build His Church on that would be so strong that the gates of hell would not even be able to prevail against it. We see in the book of Acts, after Jesus ascended and sent the Holy Spirit, that Peter did in fact live out what Jesus had told Peter; but we see in the Gospels that Peter’s journey to becoming that rock wasn’t an easy one.

All of us have a preconception of what life will be like after entering into a relationship with Jesus and we begin living out the calling He has on our lives. We quickly learn that it is much more difficult than we had thought previously, and there are many trials that we face and overcome on our way to also becoming a rock that God can use to build His church and minister God’s love to others.

One of the most frequent and common trials we face are the trials of inaction.How do we overcome the trials of inaction and live out God’s calling for our lives? Let’s learn three lessons from the life of Peter on how he overcame the trials of inaction.

When Jesus hit the scene at the beginning of the gospels, He invited Peter and three other disciples to follow Him. They followed and left their current life behind, but we see in Luke 5:1 that Peter and the disciples went back a short time later. Through a series of circumstances, Jesus asks Peter to follow Him again, and Peter realized he didn’t trust Jesus enough to completely follow Him the first time Jesus invited, and Peter repented and followed Jesus for good.

There are two things we learn from this to help live out God’s calling for our lives.

First, we have to evaluate our priorities to add and subtract activities from our lives that will allow us to live out God’s calling. Peter had to adjust what he spent much of his time doing to follow Jesus. Many times we become overly busy with activities that clog up our lives or do not spend enough time on certain activities that would allow us to pursue God’s calling. We have to prioritize and add or subtract those activities accordingly.

Second, we will be required to take uncomfortable and inconvenient steps of faith. Peter was required to leave all that was secure in his life. Although your adjustments most likely will not require a change of vocation, we are often required to make life adjustments that are uncomfortable and inconvenient and fear begins to attempt to stop us.

In John chapter 21, after Peter denies Jesus and goes back to his old life of fishing, Jesus returns to meet the disciples at the water in His resurrected body. Peter notices Jesus, and Peter swims to the shore, where a conversation and meal together occurs. In the course of the conversation Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves Him, and after Peter answers yes all three times, Jesus tells Peter to focus on feeding His sheep. What we can learn from this conversation is that Jesus was telling Peter, my plan for your life is not about you!  Even though Peter made some big mistakes and had some big insecurities, God used them to prepare Peter for the calling God had on his life to minister to others, after Jesus would leave earth.

We all have made big mistakes and have big insecurities. We need to realize God has used and is using all those things to prepare us and make us who we are today. We also need to realize it’s not about us. It’s about God and how God can use us to minister to others. God has plans to use your life to build His Church and minister to others in very important ways that have eternal implications. Don’t let the trials of inaction limit God from using you.

Prioritize your life; take the uncomfortable and inconvenient steps of faith; and realize that God is using everything that has happened in your life to make you the rock He can use to minister to others. Let’s overcome inaction in our lives and live out the calling God has for us!

Pastor Chad Hampton
Solon Center Wesleyan Church
15671 Algoma, Cedar Springs (just north of 19 Mile)

If you haven’t heard yet, the 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London from July 27-August 12. The qualifying trials have already started. Our TV has been tuned into track and field, swimming, and diving. We’ll be watching more this summer. Our kids are excited about the different sporting events, the athletes, and the competition. They really are amazed at what folks can accomplish when they invest their time and energy!

It’s no accident that the theme of this Olympics is “Inspire a Generation.” I’m  drawn to the Olympics because of human stories of hard work and dedication, both on the part of the athletes and their families.

Many have had to overcome major obstacles to get where they are. It’s also interesting to consider the amount of time they’ve invested into their sport.

I was reading an article that cited Author Malcolm Gladwell, who says that people who are fabulously successful have almost always put in more than
10,000 hours of practice time in activities related to their success. I’ve thought about that when it comes to anything that I seek to do well, and I’ve used it in talking to my kids about practicing a skill. It’s a big number!
And then there’s the question: What if we applied this rule to the practice of living faithfully as Christians? How do we practice enough to be faithful Christians? Thankfully, we know it’s a journey that we make with God, in Jesus Christ, and yet the challenge is before us, to keep on practicing our faith.

Hear God’s Word from Hebrews 12: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (NIV)

I hope that you’re inspired by God’s grace to live faithfully, to continually put your faith into practice. If you’re looking for a church home, I invite you to join us on Sunday mornings this summer at 10:00 a.m.

Pastor Mary Ivanov
Cedar Springs United Methodist Church
140 S. Main St., Cedar Springs

Many years ago I can remember growing up and spending a lot of time on my grandparents’ dairy farms. In the course of those years I learned a great deal about farming and life in general. I have always been fascinated by farm equipment, which follows me to this very day. At the ripe old age of eight, my grandfather needed me on the farm to help with the summer hay season. It would be my job to drive the tractor (AC WD45) pulling an old New Holland bailer.

On the farm, children seem to grow up much faster than other kids. I had been driving the garden tractor for a couple of years and the big rigs for minor things already. But before we went to the fields, grandpa told me there was a lesson to be learned about respecting the equipment. So he took me out to the tool shed where the tractor was hooked up to the bailer. After starting the tractor and the PTO, grandpa took a burlap sack and proceeded to explain to me how dangerous farming could be. His objective was to help me understand that I had to be alert at all times for the obvious and the unexpected.

Grandpa took the burlap bag and draped it over the moving PTO to the bailer and told me to watch. After a few seconds of watching, something snagged the bag and yanked it out of his hands faster than you could possibly imagine. The “whapping” noise the bag made as it kept hitting the draw bar is something I will never forget and a lesson well learned.
As I have aged and gained more experience in life, I have noted how temptation and sin resemble that old PTO. As human beings we have a fascination with temptation and sin. We try to see how close we can get without being contaminated or tarnished by it. And the closer we get, the more dangerous the footing and before you know it, “Whap, whap, whap!” Someone has wisely said that “sin will take you farther than you are willing to go, cost you more than you are willing to pay, and keep you longer than you wanted to stay” (author unknown).

My friend, don’t fool around with temptation and sin. The Bible tells us that we are to flee from these very things and find refuge in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And in those times when we get too close and get pulled in, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9 NKJV).

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

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.
But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’” (Luke 10:38-40) (NKJV)

Steve Tran was tired of spotting them crawling down the wall while he watched TV. He was tired of the middle-of-the-night discoveries when he turned on the kitchen light. He was tired of finding the roaches hiding in the dark corners of his pantry. Steve was fed up, and ready for revenge.

There were stores in Westminster, California, that sold bug bombs and Steve bought some. The instructions on the packaging said that two would do it for a house the size of Steve’s, but he didn’t want just two bug bombs. He had it with the roaches, and he was ready to blow them to smithereens. So he bought twenty-five bombs.

You guessed it! The thick spray reached  the pilot light of his stove, ignited, and created  the biggest bug bomb folks had ever seen in Westminster. Steve’s screen door blew clear across the street. Every window and piece of glass in his apartment was shattered. His furniture caught fire and the fire department soon soaked his smoke-damaged belongings. It took $10,000 for the apartment complex to repair the damage, and years for Steve to recover from his anger. And wouldn’t  you know it ? The roaches were back by the following Sunday. The moral of the story? If you’ve got  a problem inside your house, be sure you solve the problem without destroying your home! Sibling rivalries have been destroying homes for centuries. In the Bible, some of the most memorable stories are of brothers and sisters who simply couldn’t get along. Joseph upset his brothers with his dreams of ruling over them. Jacob and Esau were wrestling with each other as they were being born. Some of David’s family seemed determined to destroy one another. One of the clearest lessons in the Bible for families today comes from the story of Mary and Martha, two adult sisters living in the same house with their brother Lazarus. Let me quickly share some thoughts with you from their lives that can move you from conflict to resolution. Confrontation avoided is a conflict in the making. Martha and Mary had drastically different ideas of what should happen when Jesus came to their house. They failed to have a very necessary conversation. Martha grew frustrated with Mary but didn’t communicate that frustration early on and it actually made the problem far worse. Here’s something important to remember. Confrontation is no more than a conversation about differences. And confrontation is a lot more pleasant than conflict! Secondly, notice that serving one another is the price of success. Few conflicts inside a family are the fault of one person only. If Martha’s mistake was avoiding confrontation, Mary’s mistake was in placing her own desires ahead of those of her sister. Many family fights are conceived and birthed in the concept of selfishness. Remember the Bible tells us to esteem others more highly than ourselves. It is contrary to the current teaching of our culture, but it still works when it is tried. And lastly, remember that knowing Jesus is the key to any family’s success. Martha and Mary eventually suffered through the greatest crisis of their lives when their brother Lazarus died. Miraculously, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and in John 12:1-3, we read of a celebration banquet in their home.

Martha served. Mary worshipped, Lazarus was very much alive, enjoying the meal. The family was working perfectly a far cry from the first time we  met them. The difference? Jesus not only had been in their home–now they followed Jesus and His teachings with no reservations.

Rev. Mike Shiery
Pilgrim Bible Church

Pastor Herb VanderBilt
East Nelson United Methodist Church
9024 18 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs

Do the right thing

Titus 3:1-7: Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Do the right thing. It sounds so simple doesn’t it? But in my experience, it is one of the toughest standards to meet. Sometime things happen and it is hard to know how to respond. The words of Paul, in his pastoral letter to Titus, a Greek convert to the Christian faith, still ring true today in our society. But Paul is talking about more than just obeying the traffic signals or paying your taxes, he is reminding us that only by the grace of God are we in a better place today than many others.

The early church started out in Jerusalem, and, when you read the book of Acts, you will see that the early Christians were a tight community. They helped each other out as much as they could, because they were pretty much all in the same boat. The Greek Churches, on the other hand, did not have that foundational experience and at times were unsure of what the right thing was to do. Titus was a strong Christian, but even he needed to be reminded to be ready to do good. So what does this being ready to do good look like?

I suggest it looks like the East Nelson Praise Team. One night we were trying to figure out the best way to respond to a family in need, when they came up with the idea of putting on a concert to raise some money. Plans were put into motion and on Wednesday evening, May 23, generosity poured out, as the folks who were there were treated to a symphony of music to the glory of God. We had musicians from 18 to 80 and plenty of food to start the evening off. May we always be ready to praise God’s name and do the right thing.

Pastor Kevin Reed

Grace Evangelical Free Church

4714 13 Mile Road, Rockford

John 14:1-3:“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am going.”

We believe that heaven is real, and we would probably even agree that we can’t wait to get there, but if asked the question, “How often have you thought about heaven this week?” most of us, if honest, would probably have to admit that we have been so focused on this life that we’ve had little time to meditate on the next. We are so busy that every spare second is filled with something. From work, to taking care of children, to running our children everywhere they need to be, to paying bills, to helping with homework, to fixing all the stuff the children break, and so on and so on, we are busy, and most of the time the things we are busy with aren’t necessarily bad. As a matter of fact, quite often they are necessary. And so we find ourselves so focused on taking care of the responsibilities we have in this world that we fail to ever take time to pull away and focus on the next.

We need perspective if we are going to make it through this world. It’s easy for all the stuff we go through and have to deal with in this world to cause our “hearts to be troubled,” and the only remedy for a troubled heart is to remember the hope and inheritance that awaits us in heaven. C.S Lewis wrote, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

This is crucial to our walk with Jesus. We can’t become bogged down with the things of this world and live effectively for His glory. He knew that, and that is why He encourages his disciples to remember what is awaiting them. It’s the remedy for a troubled heart, it’s the medicine for a worn out body, it’s the perspective that each of us desperately need. Don’t focus so much on this world; instead keep an eternal perspective.

Pastor Craig T. Owens

Calvary Assembly of God

810 17 Mile Rd, Cedar Springs

www.cscalvary.org • http://craigtowens.com

Memorial Day is just as it sounds: a day for memorializing. It is important for us to remember the past, and honor our heroes, or else, as George Santayana said, “Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it.”

So without discounting Memorial Day at all, I’ve been wondering about how to create memorials for the other 364 days of the year. A year ago I gave myself the challenge of writing down three unique things everyday for which I was thankful. I did this publicly on my blog so that everyone could see my list of 1095 things as the year progressed. That was helpful, but perhaps not the most practical.

Then I read this verse in the Bible about a memorial. The Israelites had just accomplished something great with God’s help, and their leader Samuel wanted to make sure that they never forgot how God had helped them. So the biblical account says, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us’” (1 Samuel 7:12).

Samuel set up a stone, and he named it. (By the way, the word Ebenezer simply means “helper.”)

So this is what I’m doing to try to memorialize the blessings for which I am grateful. It might be a coffee mug that memorializes a special family trip, or perhaps a bookmark that a child made for you on Father’s Day. Or, maybe it’s a dried flower from the wildflower arrangement your daughter picked for you.

The point is not what the “stone” is, but the memory or blessing it signifies. Set it up and name it. And then express your gratitude for it every time you see it or use it. I have found that we can never count our blessings too often, nor can we ever be too grateful to the God who provides them.

Pastor Craig Carter

North Kent Community Church

1480 Indian Lakes Rd., Sparta, 

Church Phone #: 550-6398

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 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” (Romans 8:35-39 NIV).

The Apostle Paul wrote these amazing words to the church in Rome. It was a group of people, whom the apostle Paul had never even met. Yet, he loved them so much, he wanted to remind them of God’s love for them. We see from this verse that he asks them a very simple, yet profound question. “Who or what can separate you from the love of God?” So, precious people of North Kent County, who or what can separate you from the love of God? I, like the apostle, have never met the majority of you reading this article, yet I am compelled to remind you of God’s love for you.

An amazing truth! I have found that it is easier for people to believe that God exists, than it is for them to truly believe that He loves them—that He is crazy, head over heels in love with them and concerned about every detail of their lives. If our understanding of God does not go any deeper than His existence, we will continue to believe that the things of this life have somehow separated us from His love. God’s amazing love convinced the apostle Paul that there was nothing that could separate him from it. Do you believe this? Or are you like many of us who struggle to believe it? If you struggle with believing or accepting the love of God, then I encourage you to simply say, “Lord, convince me!” Then sit back and watch Him show you that His love for you is not tied to your behavior, good or bad, but in His nature alone. The nature of God is love. That is why I am continually convinced myself that God enjoys convincing us of His love. Are you convinced yet?

Why the hoopla over convincing us of His love? Because it makes us more than a conqueror! Notice what the apostle Paul said in verse 37, “No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” We learn from this verse that his love reaches all things. There is not one area or circumstance of our lives that God’s love does not touch. Secondly, it makes us more than conquerors. The love of God not only gets us over circumstances but can keep us there. His love cannot only provide a job for the unemployed, but can pay every bill. His love cannot only save your marriage, but can make your love for one another thrive and flourish again. His love cannot only get you over depression but also can renew your hope and restore your joy for the future.  Now that’s being “more than a conqueror.” What made it possible? The love of God! Will you receive it today? Will you quit believing that God simply exists and start believing that he exists to reveal His love to you? If have never received God’s love, then open your heart and acknowledge this priceless truth, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).” Enjoy the Love of God!

Pastor Kristi J. Rhodes  

Hillcrest Community Church

5994 18 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs, MI 49319

Recently there was a call-in radio show that had, as their guest, an atheist, who was sharing his views. While frantically trying to get a call through to the station, there were a dozen or more Christian callers talking to this man. It was appalling at the ease with which he was chewing them up and spitting them out! It seemed that every Christian who called was incapable of giving an intelligent reason for the faith that he or she held. “The Bible says such and such,” each would begin in trying to support what she or he was saying. The atheist would counter: “Well, why do you believe the Bible?” Every one of them was reduced to stammering out something like, “Well, I’ve got it down in my heart.” The atheist would answer, “Well, it’s not down in my heart, friend, and I don’t believe it.”

This is what prompted D. James Kennedy to write a book entitled, “Why I Believe.”

It’s especially important in these days for Christians to be able to give a reason for the hope that is in them. 1 Peter 3:13-17 (MSG) says: “If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are (defend what you believe), and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad” (emphasis mine).

Challenges from unbelievers and seekers confront us always. Television, books, magazines, and movies subject our faith to questioning in thousands of ways! As Christians we must be ready to speak to those who question our basic beliefs.  We sin against God when we remain silent because we’re incapable of defending what we believe.

Not only that—when we don’t stand ready with a reason for our hope and don’t know why we believe what we believe, we give others the impression that Christianity is a religion based merely on blind faith or emotional prejudice. Nothing could be further from the truth!

We often accuse those who reject Christianity without at least examining the evidence of being prejudiced. Then is it not also true that if a person accepts it without examining the evidence, then that too is nothing other than prejudice or gullibility?

The Bible tells us to examine all things and to hold fast to that which is good. Yet too often we’re not willing to do that just because it takes a little effort on our part to become workmen who need not be ashamed. When we don’t examine the grounds and foundation for our faith, we find that Satan will use our ignorance to attack our belief, and when we experience difficulties, he will sow doubts in our minds.

We must be better at knowing what we believe and why we believe it so we will be ready always to give a reason for the hope that we have in us. Read and know the Bible, which is foundational for Christian belief!