Forgiven Forever

Before you committed your first sin
Sins were forgiven forever.
Before you confessed your sinful nature
Sins were forgiven forever.
Before you continued to struggle with sin in the flesh
Sins were forgiven forever.
You are a child of God, a perfected saint, because
Sins were forgiven forever.
You have a new covenant written on your heart, because
Sins were forgiven forever.
No offering or sacrifice is needed, because
Sins were forgiven forever.
Your sins are remembered no more, because
Sins were forgiven forever.
Two thousand years ago
Sins were forgiven forever.
~Rebecca Phillips


Hebrews 10:11-18
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

The Time of the Singing of Birds is Come

Spring is coming! 

Maylou Holladay

I absolutely loved the snow, but it is pleasant now to see the “greening” of the landscape around our house and city. Bright yellow daffodils and purple crocuses are stretching up through green leaves. Even a few blooms have popped out on our cherry tree. Fat robins are hopping around our yard, listening to my attempt to converse with them with my tweets.

God is “doing it again.” He reminds us of the glorious (one of my favorite words) creation He has made for our use and delight. Wake up! Be alert to His goodness. The eternal, powerful God… our loving Heavenly Father… has given so much to us to enjoy. Lift your “sacrifice of praise” to Him with thanksgiving this spring.

One of my favorite excerpts from Confessions of Four Friends (Zondervan) is this one by Gloria Gaither. Let’s not miss the “food for our souls” God gives us through His beautiful world.

WE’VE BEEN DRIVING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS, LORD

Gloria Gaither

We’ve been driving through the mountains, Lord,

Winding our way in an air-conditioned car up the narrow road.

Cutting through the towering oaks and maples, pines and tulip trees,

The mountain laurel and sassafras sprouts are at eye level as we drive along.

And I know the fragrance is heavenly, mixed with the musky smells of mosses and rich earth.

Why was I so timid then, Lord, when I suggested we roll down all the windows?

Why was I so easily silenced when someone said

The wind would mess up our hair?

Now, I know we will return to the flat plains with our hair intact, but not our spirits.

The mountain trails were beautiful to behold,

But You gave us at least five senses as avenues

To transport food to our souls,

And we settled for using only sight.

We could have filled our nostrils with fresh mountain air

Fragrant with a hundred rare perfumes.

We could have heard the leathery rhythm band of colliding oak leaves

Accompanying the song of a thousand birds.

We could have felt the wind in our hair, caressing our faces.

We could have stopped and touched the shagbark hickories and the smooth beeches.

We could have pulled up a small sassafras seedling and

Nibbled on a sliver of root.

We could have peeked under tulip leaf to find

The lovely yellow and orange blossoms so rare to huge trees.

We might have stopped at one of the pull-off places and leaned over a cliff to see

The valley below and behold vistas that would have taken our breath away.

But at least, Lord, we didn’t sweat and our hair didn’t get messed up.

His Love Never Fails

It's a fact that change is a big stressor.  Even good change is an adjustment.  We've had a lot of it lately, and more is coming.  I'm not complaining; I'm acknowledging that we need to keep our eyes on the God who never changes.  Malachi records these words from God: "I am the LORD; I do not change" (3:6). James calls him "the Father of lights, with whom is no variation" (1:17).

This week in high school chapel, we sang this song.  The message is so encouraging. I knew at once that I should share it with you.

"One Thing Remains"
Jesus Culture

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains, yes, one thing remains

Your love never fails
It never gives up
It never runs out on me

Your love never fails
It never gives up
It never runs out on me

Your love never fails
It never gives up
It never runs out on me

Because on and on and on and on it goes
Before it overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever, have to be afraid
One thing remains, yes, one thing remains

Let us rest in God's unchanging love.

--Sherry Poff

God is With You

I love to hear people share their God-sightings. It's amazing to see how God is at work in lives all around us. Often, we are quick to share those God-sightings that have happy (for us) endings. However, if God cannot be sighted in the moments of fear, sorrow, grief, despair, and devastation, then we are hopeless. 

I am so thankful that our God is with us always. 

My prayer is that no matter your situation today, you will be able to see God.

If you're frightened and overwhelmed...God is with you.

If you're being pursued by enemies...God is with you.

If you're wondering how you're going to make ends meet...God is with you.

If you're being persecuted for righteousness' sake...God is with you.

If you're tempted to sin...God is with you.

If you're feeling lonely...God is with you.

If you're facing the unknown...God is with you.

If you're desperate for help...God is with you.

If you're grieving...God is with you.

Whether you reflect on the verses below or others that have ministered to you in difficult times, set truth before your hearts and minds today. Enjoy God's presence, and cling to Him-the only One who will never leave or forsake you.

~Rebecca Phillips

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Joshua 1:5-6

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 23:4 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 73:23-28
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

Psalm 139:7-10
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Jeremiah 15:20
And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23-24
“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Matthew 1:23

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ...

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Who's Hangry?

So I recently posted a picture on facebook that I thought was kind of funny--and also sadly accurate.  It was an image of a t-shirt that says, "I'm sorry for what I said when I was hungry." I even related how a student had once offered me a sandwich in class.  This may be because he wanted to eat one himself, but still . . .

Last year the kids I had right before lunch introduced me to the term "hangry."  I thought it was something they had made up to describe me (oh, the vanity!) until I saw someone else using the word on--you guessed it--facebook.

On another occasion recently, I apologized for a delayed response to an email, citing my need to eat first because "I'm not worth much when I'm hungry." Almost immediately I was convicted--not of waiting to answer the email but of blaming my bad moods and ineffectiveness on hunger. The truth is this: There is never a legitimate excuse for being unkind.

The fruit of the Spirit still includes kindness and self-control (Galatians 5:22) regardless of the state of my stomach. In Second Timothy 3, those "without self-control" are listed right alongside "slanderers" and "traitors." If it's true that "I can do all things through Christ" (Philippians 4:13), which here includes being hungry--truly hungry, not just wanting some lunch--and suffering, then I cannot keep giving in to the weak flesh.

I know that we should take care of ourselves. It's not wise to get into such a state of fatigue and hunger that we can't be productive. Bea Ward, one of my favorite people, is sort of famous for saying that sometimes the most spiritual thing one can do is take a nap. One of my goals for the new year is to get more sleep. I do want to take care of myself (I'm eating a bowl of cereal right now!) But the Spirit who lives in me is stronger than hunger, stronger than fatigue, and I need to stop making excuses.

--Sherry Poff

Come Get "FOCUS"ed!

I've been enjoying the Tuesday night Women's “Focus” studies that Mina Oglesby has been leading this month. Mina has turned our focus toward women in the Bible from whose lives we can draw strength and encouragement for our own. In the busyness of our schedules, it’s challenging to pull away even for the short 50 minute sessions to meditate on Scripture, but the time spent with the dear women of our church has been well worth it! I’m thankful for Mina's funny, yet rich perspective on some “obscure” women whose lives are mentioned in the Bible.

The first night we discovered the hospitality of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4. She had embraced the ministry of Elisha, even to the extent of building a room for him in which to stay during his travels. I was challenged to seek ways that I could emulate this kind of generosity. Further study revealed that the Shunammite woman had also experienced much grief in her life. Yet, in the midst of disappointment she had lived out her faith in God. I was reminded that God does not promise to eliminate sorrow from our lives (John 16:33), rather He says He will never leave us-that He’ll be with us to comfort and guide us (Genesis 28:15, Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5-6).

Last Tuesday, Mina began by taking us to some funerals. In Numbers 20:1 we learn that Miriam dies. There is no suggestion that the Israelites mourned her death as they did Moses’ and Aaron’s deaths. She seems to go off the grid after her bout with leprosy in Numbers 12. We can’t speculate, but it is interesting that this woman who’d been known for her bravery, quick thinking, and leadership abilities even as a young girl is not mentioned again until her very basic obituary in Numbers 20:1. While Miriam’s leprosy had been cured, we are left to wonder if the leprosy of her soul is what led to an absence of recorded ministry later in life. There have been times in my life that I struggled with bitterness. Even recalling those circumstances to memory threatens to overwhelm me with the hurt, embarrassment, frustration, and anger I felt in those moments. So I can completely understand if she did, in fact, withdraw from any future ministry. I’d like to think that she grew from that experience and that we simply have no record of the impact she had on those around her. What I take away from reading her story is that life is full of challenges and opportunities to grow. I’m thankful for His Spirit who lives in me and is helping me to transform by the renewal of my mind (Romans 12:1-2)!

I’m looking forward to one final “focus” tonight at 7:00p! If you’ve been unable to come, join us tonight! You won’t regret it!

~Rebecca Phillips

My Hope for 2015

I always love starting a new year--The possibilities it presents, the "newness" of it. Being an eternal optimist, I always look for a better year than the one before. For several years now, I have longed for a cessation of the constancy of heart-wrenching trials. I want to just rest and praise my Lord. This is probably a foolish longing this side of heaven. The trials continue, my faith is tested constantly, and the victory is nowhere in sight. So, what do you look forward to if you give up hope in your dreams? If - your life as it is today- is as good as it gets? Well what do you do with that?

The answer lies in the book of Job. Job…the one to whom we dare compare ourselves, secretly, way down deep in our hearts. Job…the one for whom we cheer, condemn, and eventually imitate. Job…the one who beautifully accepted tragedies few of us will ever endure; and then massively wiped out when further tested.

I live the Job cycle, going from "The Lord gives and takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord forever," to long chapters (in the book and in my life) of contemplation. These are the times I would never verbalize but constantly try to understand –“Why, God?” Much of our walk is tied up too frequently in trying to understand the ways of The One whose ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:9). We are not alone in this. Besides Job being mainly about this quest, we see this in many of the saints of old. Was that not the question of: Mary & Martha regarding Lazarus, Paul regarding the thorn in his flesh, Jacob regarding life, Jonah regarding God's heart, Elijah regarding his expected outcome of his ministry efforts, etc.? We could go on and on. Eventually, we will all be stumped by God’s dealings with us.

So, how did Job deal with this? He lamented his confusion about the ways of God. Many of us get stuck there. We carry on with an outward show of faith, but inside we are not in agreement with God- the question of “Why?” is ever present between us and our Maker. This results in "self-efforts" regarding our trials; we pray less and work more. We look for different ways out of our mess- sometimes so utterly disillusioned with God that we are unable to take our burden to Him anymore. In Abram’s life this resulted in Ishmael. In ours, it results in a pseudo walk with God- we are not in step with God unless we are depending on Him for everything.

So, we have the problem: the why question. We have the result: self- effort and distance in our walk. So where is the triumphant end?

THE END to the trial is not the FIX of the TRIAL, or the ANSWER to why the trials in the first place. THE END to the trial is surrender to the truth that we will not understand God, and frankly that is not our calling in the first place. The END is the END of the question... Job’s "answer" from God was not an answer at all. It was a proclamation of God's vast greatness. The message being: God is so infinitely awesome, mighty, and omniscient that we, as mere mortals, could never comprehend the reasons behind His works. In essence, God said to Job, "Son, you can't "get" me, and it is the height of arrogance that you would try." The tone of reprimand is clearly evident throughout God's response. Who are we to question God? If He takes all we have in this life, is He not still worthy of our praise? God is God and we are not. We must be still and know that God is God (Psalm 46:10).

We can surrender to God by accepting He is good no matter what our life looks like, that He may or may not change our circumstances, and that that is irrelevant. We must humble our hearts, and give up our pursuit and perceived right to understanding in exchange for trust. Trust in a God who is love and who can ultimately only do what is the best for us because of His very nature.

This is the heart we need to have, which then leads to the next result. Because, Job had humbled his heart, his faith took on a deeper dimension evidenced by: "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; (Job. 42:5).” Deeper faith is never about understanding God, but about understanding that He is too great to understand. This "maturing" in Job’s faith immediately brings about an outward work. He then prays for his friends. Notice his focus has completely left his trial and has changed to his being used of God for others.

This message has been put on my heart repeatedly by God throughout the last couple of years; however, the culmination to the message came to me Sunday when Pastor Winget brought to us nearly the same truth. God spoke to my heart this way:

Sarah, will you give up your desire for security in exchange for trust, and will you give up your complaining in exchange for thankfulness?

This is what I want for 2015...

“But this is the one to whom I will look: 

he who is humble and contrite in spirit 

and trembles at my word.” 

Isaiah 66:2

Sarah Beasley