This page contains recent communications of the church
The Weekly Update page is extracted from a weekly e-mail sent out by
Assistant Pastor Donna Pollock
Abram, later assigned a new name to go with the transformation of his character, Abraham, did something few of us have the courage to contemplate, much embrace. He left everything he knew, his entire security system (that’s what family was for), and followed God with his Grrr-eat! Promises. God dangled a dazzling promise before Abe and he succumbed to God’s charms. Would you trade the family cow for a handful of “magic” beans like fairytale Jack? Or, your livelihood for a journey with no clear destination? By the way, he was 75 at the time, and even if people did live longer then, this still seems impressive to me.
God offered…a future beyond dreaming, but not without cost. Abe had to leave home and wander, but not without God for company! As Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, says, “You can’t go with God and stay where you are.” There’s a cost to staying close to home and a different cost to going off with God, but there’s always a cost, whether hidden or obvious. Abe went for the promise of what God called a “blessing.” God offered land, children, protection, reputation, power, and a future. Abe took the chance and went. Without a leave-taking, however, he never would have discovered what God could do. No wonder we are told that “God reckoned this to him as righteousness”—his astonishing trust.
As Pentecost approaches along with our Annual Meeting, I think God has BIG plans for this church of his. The God of Abraham remains God. He still makes and keeps promises. But his promises require change, leaving behind the things that we think keep us secure. God offers a wide open field of future blessing, but not without cost. The things that we think are “settled” are what God demands in exchange. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to “settle” for less than the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus can do! More, Lord!
Pastor Jeff