Pastor's Blog

“Safe-Place People are Available”

Safe-Place People indeed are those who unconditionally Love as Jesus Loves us; … are forgiveness ready, as Jesus is towards us; and … are nonjudgmental listeners as Lord Jesus listens to us. But in order to “be” all these “things”, Safe-Place People need to be available. …

They need to be available physically. If they are not there, they cannot even be good listeners, forgiveness ready or even Love. They need to be available emotionally. Our Lord Jesus had compassion on those who came to Him (Mt. 9:36). They knew He cared; they connected with Him and He with them…. And they need to be available spiritually. Our Lord Jesus was spiritually vulnerable, not just in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1ff), but throughout His earthly walk among us (Heb. 4:15). He experienced life with us. He was not aloof, disengaged or offish….

He came to us, became one of us, lived, ate and slept with us. And hurt with us…. He is the archetype of Safe-Place People. By coming to us, He made Himself available. He could have stayed in the Holy of Holies, aloof, offish and insensitive. Ah, but while we were still sinners, He so Loved us by dying for us and our sins (Cf. John 3:16 & Rom. 5:8). He came to us…. He made Himself available. …

I want to live like Jesus, I want to be Him to others. I want to be a Safe-Place Person…. Would you like to join me in being available to be Safe-Place People?

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5–8 NIV84)

Shalom,

Pastor Mike

Is the Josiah Revival Upon Us?

s and congressmen to call the nation to repentance. Alas, no response. Then I gave up praying for a Jonah Revival. Roughly ten years ago at a National Day of Prayer Observance, I mentioned this to a pastor friend, and he said, “Why did you stop praying?” Normally I would have an immediate retort, but the Lord gave me pause. And I deeply reflected on this question, leaving it unanswered.

I went home and entered into fervent prayer. It was a bit, but the Lord finally opened my ears to hear Him speak of a Josiah Revival that is coming. And it will start with the youth.

Why do I mention all this? Because in the mid-1970’s I received a prophecy: “There will be one more period of prosperity, then the Revival, and then the End.” Mind you, the inflation rate roughly 25% then. When Reagan’s “Prosperity” came, I thought this was it, or perhaps we have been in a rather long prosperity run since? But what ever the case, the Josiah Revival seems to be upon us. Not just on universities and college campuses, but on High School campus, and as I substitute teach throughout our school district, even in elementary schools. These young, excited followers of Jesus are talking more about Jesus and less about “god” and “religion,” and this is even in the face of some apparent insurmountable challenges; the Lord is faithfully strengthening them to make the right decisions in spite of the peer (and teacher) pressure!

Now, about the timing….

As I have been faithfully working out at home this last year and a half, I have been using timers a lot. Intriguingly, I keep checking on how close to the “end” my timer is getting. Well, it has taken me almost all this time to realize the parable hidden in this small exercise.

The LORD has been prompting me to relax and just wait for the timer to go off; all this long “hinting” that I need to relax because no matter how closely I watch the “timer,” it is going to go off when it is at its end!

Yes, this has a lot to do with the Josiah Revival which as been sweeping this nation and even our city for a little over a year now. Josiah’s revival lasted roughly 13 years give or take a year or two. (He foolishly didn’t obey the LORD and died needlessly and prematurely, at least from a human perspective.) But, my query is this: Have we just entered the roughly 12 years of the Josiah Revival?!?

I obviously do not know, and the LORD is not telling me. But I do know this: If we relax and possess a “conquest” mentality after this election, we are in for some deep kimchi! If, however, we continue the repentance, tearing down the strongholds and following roughly Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Josiah Manifest, we may get those 12 years…..

But whatever is on the horizon, the Church must stay vigilant, continuing to repent and live a life pleasing to the LORD Jesus:

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him

—2 Peter 3:11–14 (NIV84)

“How’s the Pausing Coming?”

As we enter the Holiday Seasons, we all the more to need prepare our hearts. Hearing from many of you, I know the Lord has been offering us many opportunities to Pause, Reflect and Collect. But, if you’re like me, I look for something to fill the void, and the Pause Button doesn’t stay on for long….

And for many, “Reflecting” is very challenging, too. It brings up all the hard times, our short comings and our failures…. But, maybe, just maybe, we can start reflecting on all the blessings the Lord has given us? Enough with the negative focus and self-talk, right? It is time we see all the blessings the Lord has so lavished on us, and engage in some healthy “positive self-talk!” Besides: “Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes” (Mt. 6:25 NIV84).

Join me in pressing the Pause Button, taking time to Reflect, so we can “Collect” all the blessings the Lord has so graciously bestowed on us. Then, from a heart filled with thankfulness and humility, we can be His Light during this Holiday Season.

Are you up for it?

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col 2:6–7 NIV84).

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life. (Phil. 2:14–16 NIV84).

In Thankfulness,

Pastor Mike

“Of Droughts & Wildernesses”

As with physical droughts and wildernesses, there are spiritual ones, too….

We can wander into a wilderness or be sent. Likewise, we can choose to enter into a drought period of our lives or the Lord will send us into one. Whether these are self-inflicted or divine appointments, know this: The Lord has a purpose for these times in our lives.

Self-inflicted droughts & wildernesses are used as discipline. The Lord is denying us what is important in life to remind us to “go and sin no more” (see John 8:11 & 5:15), thus showing us what is important in Life—His Life….

But what of those divine appointed droughts and wildernesses? David went into one; Moses did, too. And even our Lord Jesus was sent into the wilderness. All these, and more, are showing us that the Lord is using these thirsty and wandering times to purify us and protect us. While in the wilderness, often we are being hidden from those that would do us harm—even ourselves. While experiencing severe thirst, He shows us what water really satisfies.

So, are you in a drought? Do you feel like the Lord has abandoned you in a wilderness? Join me: Cease our striving. Quit trying to figure it out or even “get out”. Simple rest in Him. Pause, reflect, collect. Pause: Intentionally take time to be with Him—Alone. Reflect: During this Pause reflect on what the Lord has done, and is doing. Collect: As you intentionally pause and reflect, begin to collect all the little nuggets the Lord is uncovering, both in you, through others and in His Word.

And through all this rest…, knowing that only in His time will the drought end and the wilderness give way to a land of milk and honey.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Ps. 42:1–2 NIV84.)

O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Ps 63:1NIV84)

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isa. 55:12 NIV84)

In Faith Thirsting & Wandering together,

Pastor Mike

“Your Sorrow Shall Turn to Joy—At the Appointed Time”

It has been almost a year since Robert and Amy moved to the East Coast, and now our dear sister, aunt, mother, Vivian, has moved to the Eastern Slope. We all grief; each in our own way—and in varying degrees, but nonetheless we grieve. She was like an aunt to me. She even looked like my Aunt who had passed shortly before Vivian first arrived at VBC in 2006. It created an immediate bond. We grew close even in there departure. And the blessing of her returning a few years ago has spread to many, if not all….

So, in light of her departure, our grieving, and a follow up to my last blog, “Two Ways to Step out in Faith,” I’m sharing a devotion from Streams in the Desert, July 4th’s entry (p. 199).

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time … though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Hab. 2:3.)

“IN the charming little booklet, Expectation Corner, Adam Slowman was led into the Lord’s treasure houses, and among many other wonders there revealed to him was the “Delayed Blessings Office,” where God kept certain things, prayed for, until the wise time came to send them.

“It takes a long time for some pensioners to learn that delays are not denials. Ah, there are secrets of love and wisdom in the “Delayed Blessings Department,” which are little dreamt of! Men would pluck their mercies green when the Lord would have them ripe. “Therefore will the Lord WAIT, that He may be gracious unto you” (Isa. 30:18). He is watching in the hard places and will not allow one trial too many; He will let the dross be consumed, and then He will come gloriously to your help.

“Do not grieve Him by doubting His love. Nay, lift up your head, and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on the way to you, and you will be abundantly rewarded for the delay which has tried your faith.”

So, Dear Saints of Valley Bible, know that though there is waiting, there is an appointed time where our grief shall turn to joy. And this, too, is by faith.

Join me in …

Walking in Faith together,

Pastor Mike

“Two Ways to Step out in Faith”

As I read the Word, I discovered at least two ways to step out in faith. The first way is like Moses & the Israelites. Moses is told by the LORD in Exodus 14:15-22: “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” This step of faith was after the waters had already been divided. Oh, Moses still had to act in faith raising his hands. If nothing happens, no harm. Just an old fool lifting his hands. This step of faith was clearly the Israelites walking between “a wall of water on their right and on their left” (Ex. 14:22 NIV84). Imagine their reluctance. Huge walls of water could come crashing down at any time…, but they all made it, even Moses, whose faith initiated theirs….

The second way to step out in faith is somewhat opposite of Moses’. In Joshua 3:9-16, the priests are basically told to get their feet wet first before the waters will “wall” up and they can cross the river on dry ground: “And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the LORD of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap” (Joshua 3:13 NIV84). Imagine the priests’ reluctance. The river was at flood stage with rapid currents, and yet they are told to step into the water before the miracle will happen….

Which way do you prefer? Before or After? Which way is the LORD prompting you? As we wait on the LORD to provide finances to pay our bills & repair our cars, or fix our relationships, do we need to step out after or before He “parts” the the waters? Both require faith. Both result in a miracle. And yet, each is uniquely different. Again, which way is the Lord Jesus prompting you to step out in faith?

Whichever way it is, make sure you take a big step!

“for we walk by faith, not by sight”—2 Corinthians 5:7:15–16 (NASB95)

Walking together in Faith,

Pastor Mike

“In Order To Bloom….”

Keeping with the “April Showers Brings May Flowers” theme, I know you know that in order to bloom properly, flowers needs to be properly watered, fertilized, weeded, and, oh, yeah, plenty of sunshine….

So, if you and I are going to bloom and be a wonderful fragrance for Jesus, we, too, need to be properly watered, fertilized, weeded, and get plenty of Sonshine….

Too little or too much water or fertilizer will either dry us out or not be sufficient, or it will flood us or burn us up. We need just the right amount of the Word (Eph. 5:26) to water and fertilize us…

Next comes the weeding. I personally weed my flowerbeds daily and no less than four or five times a week. Likewise, I find that daily confession keeps my soul’s flowerbed clear of any “weeds” that will suck my water, fertilizer (attention and development, etc.) from me. Some may go days without weeding (i.e. confessing their sins; and much to say about establish weeds and their root systems, but this is for another blog), and they will find that these weeds are stealing essential nutrients from their soul—beyond the physical and emotional drain….

And are we getting plenty of Sonshine? I have to be intentional here, too. Not just reading the Word, but fellowshipping with others who shine for Jesus. The Word shines a bright light on my soul and my brothers and sisters are both sonshine and water, refreshing me and correcting me on my Journey with Jesus.

Is your “flowerbed” helping you to bloom?

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”—Ephesians 3:16–19 (NIV84)

In the Hope of Healthy Flowerbeds for blooming,

Pastor Mike

“The Storms of Life”

We all grew up with the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” It was said whimsically, hopefully. We know that the flowers are the blessings—the beauty—of life; ah, but the showers…, they get in the way of life. We may handle a gentle Spring rain, or a mild thunderstorm, but the fierce lightning of a potential tornado sends us, at best under, under the covers and at worst into the storm cellar….

Sadly, instead of seeing the good that comes from the “April shower”, thunderstorms and tornadoes, we want sunshine all the time, but a line in a song my son-in-law, Josh, wrote observes, “all sunshine makes a desert, you know.…” It is the April showers that quench a dry and thirsty soul. It is the thunderstorms that drive us under the covers of prayer and under the wings of the LORD; … and it is the tornados of life that remove a lot of what got in the way of our relationship with the Lord Jesus….

Painful, but true. Questions of “why” this or “how come” that may still linger in the aftermath, but as our Beloved brother, the Apostle Peter notes:

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”—1 Peter 4:12–13 (NIV2011)

and

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”—1 Peter 1:6–7, (NIV84)

All the “April showers” we encounter are ordained to bring the beautiful glorious “May flowers” of our Lord Jesus Christ’s glory. How? Revealed in and through us. Just amazing, isn’t it?

In the Hope of May Flowers blooming,

Pastor Mike

“Have You Been Passed Over?”

Have you ever been passed over for a promotion? A team’s choice? By a love-interest? All these hurt deeply, especially when we feel there is no future. Worst: When we feel the LORD has passed over us and chosen someone else….

Notice I said ,“feel”? You know the right answers. You know He has not forgotten about you or passed over you, but for some of us these feelings are hard to dismiss….

But the good news—the GREAT NEWS, is the LORD has passed us over! But not in the way the world has. You know this! He has passed over our sins and failures; our missteps and our misgivings; our weak faith and lack of faith. All these—and so much more—He has passed over. He has not only passed over them, but He has removed them from us. How far?

“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”—Psalm 103:12 (NIV84)

Why? “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Cor. 5:7 NIV84).

So in our doubt, in our unbelief, in our insecurity look to the Lord Jesus: “…“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NKJV, emphasis added)

He is the greatest blessing for being passed over, right?

With Joy of being Passed Over,

Pastor Mike

“Have a Hard Time Loving?”

In the past decade or so, it has become rather popular to say, “I love you,” when we part with Loved ones. I do not want to challenge the sincerity of the one saying this, but I do want us to challenge ourselves….

Do we? Do we Love them? Or are we just caught up in a culture of saying something we “kind of” mean?

So in this Month of Love, I’d like us to truly inventory our Love for our Loved ones (and for Jesus, too, by the way). I would like us to see how much we are willing to Love our Lord Jesus and each other as He has Loved us.

I’d like us to Love as smooth as S.I.L.C.

Sacrifice, but don’t complain.

Initiate, but don’t impose.

Listen, but don’t assume.

Care, but don’t possess

If we but yield to the Lord Jesus to have Him do these simple Love-Acts of Kindness in and through us, we would be more than modeling the Love we profess at each parting…, and we will be manifesting the Lord’s divine Love of Grace….

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. –1 John 4:16-18 (NIV84)

Peace,

Pastor Mike