Pastor Casey’s Blog

What a bunch of weeds!

This past week I spent almost all of Friday outside. Not fun playing in the sun, but weeding, mowing, and edging the lawn. It was hard work. Afterwards, my neck was a little red (first time in months) and my legs and my back were sore. It was a long day. I would never say that I enjoy spending that much time weeding. If anyone would say that, they are welcome to come over to my house and take care of it for me.

After mowing, edging, weeding, and watering the landscape, I was finally ready to head back inside and try to relax. Two days later I was watering the grass and I noticed….more weeds! They were not really big, but tons of little ones all around the flowers. They were everywhere, all the picking that I had done didn’t even seem to matter.

I started thinking about how we try to remove ourselves from sin (or weeds) in our lives. God wants our lives to be blameless, pure, free from weeds and anything else that might cause us to stumble, or keep us from growing closer to God.

If we try removing the sin from our lives by ourselves, it will not last long before our sin is back and trying to take over our lives. Not only can God remove the weeds from our lives, He can purify us from them and keep them from coming back. Only if we will let him. Are you trying to remove the weeds yourself? Or are you letting God remove the weeds for you?

Pastor Paul’s Blog

Well, Spring is here! Or is it? I guess part of the nature of Spring to be a little unpredictable. Spring, for me, brings an almost uncontrollable desire to play golf. I’ve kept it pretty well suppressed until this past weekend watching on television The Masters golf tournament played in Augusta, Georgia. I think part of what makes golf such an enjoyment for me is the aspect of getting outdoors. One famous golfer had this to say about the leisure activity, “Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: taking long walks and hitting things with a stick.”

One of the other aspects of golf that draws me to it is how it is governed. It’s the only sport, that I know of, where a participant can enforce a penalty on him or herself. There are instances, in tournament play, in which players contending to win the tournament disqualified themselves because they had broken a rule. In some instances, no one else was even aware of the infraction, but the player was honest enough and possessed enough integrity that he disqualified himself.

Integrity – doing the right thing even when no one is watching. I can’t say that I’ve always been guilty of having impeccable integrity. One thing that has helped me was my mom’s voice constantly reminding me of Numbers 32:23 which says “But if you fail to do this you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Even with her constant reminders I’m still learning what that all means in my life. Let’s face it, God has always known all about our sins, but just like Adam and Eve, we’ve tried to hide them from him and each other. Here is the good news! In spite of our sin God loves us, and the apostle Paul reminds us that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. God Loves You! Christ Died For You! I’m trusting you’ll accept His free gift today.

Pastor Tim’s Blog

THE CHOICES WE MAKE

Along with my Bible reading this year I’m going through a collection of author C. S. Lewis’ writings called A Year with C.S. Lewis that is broken down into 365 daily readings. It’s quite good—and certainly gets both the heart and the mind engaged! The other day, this is what I read (taken from his book Mere Christianity):
People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, ‘If you keep a lot of rules I’ll reward you, and if you don’t I’ll do the other thing.’ I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.

So, if Lewis is correct (and I believe he is), we are becoming more and more one kind of person or another. Judging by the choices you’re making today, what kind of person are you becoming and where will that ultimately get you?

Pastor Tyler’s Blog

NO GREATER LOVE

In recent weeks we’ve been on the journey with Christ as he moves closer and closer to the cross. It’s a journey we have taken before. We hear the stories of Christ; we know the conspiracy taking place with the religious leaders. We join in the shouts of “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday, and we prepare for Easter Sunday. We remember the cross, but do we truly remember why it was Jesus went there in the first place? The journey that took Christ to the cross is a journey no one else could have taken. It’s a journey that He made for the most part with no one understanding what was about to happen.

I have had moments in my life where I knew what was coming and I didn’t want to face it. I remember specifically walking towards the day when I was going to have to share with my youth group that I was leaving. I knew it was going to hurt, and all my focus was on that moment. I think it’s possible to expect Jesus had those same feelings. We see it in the garden as He prays, “Lord, if you are willing, let this cup pass from me; yet not my will but yours.” Deep down Jesus knows what His sacrifice will do, but that doesn’t mean He’s not recognizing what it’s going to take to get there.

One of my favorite scenes before the cross is Jesus with His disciples during the Passover meal. John 15:9-16 reads:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this; that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit—fruit that will last.”

There is no greater love than that which would cause you to lay down your life for your friend. We understand the sacrifice for our family, many of us would freely give our life for our family, but friend has a different context. Jesus doesn’t say, “You are my family, my brothers.” No, he says, “YOU ARE MY FRIENDS! I chose you to be my friends, and because I love you, I don’t want you to experience the punishment for sin, so I will.”

It’s a love that doesn’t make sense to a lot of us. We think we understand it but when you consider the lengths that love took Christ…it’s an uncommon love. I was watching scenes from The Passion of the Christ, and as I did, the punishment Jesus endured, and the strength in which he did is humbling. I don’t know how you can watch that movie and not feel convicted for how you live out the appreciation of that love.

It is a Great Love! Jesus knows the last part of the journey is right here before him, and he confesses to those he loved, you are friends. He says the same to us. So how then do we respond to such a love?
Do you respond by missing Sunday morning worship? Do you respond by meeting schedules? Do you respond by doing homework? Do you respond by not giving? Do you respond with judgment? Do you respond without love?

His command to us was to love, the way he did. He commanded us to love each other, but if you listen to His heart, if you really listen, I believe he’s asking, “will you love me?” Will you measure the greatness of your love for him this Easter? Have you fallen in love with something greater than the One, who had no greater love than the love He has for you?

Pastor Paul’s Blog

Last night as I was walking into our weekly Wednesday night meal that we host here at Valley Shepherd, I stopped to greet a couple young girls. The older of the sisters greeted me and quickly added “my daddy’s coming home in five weeks, and we’re gonna have a party. She and her younger sister have been separated from her dad for over a year now. I wish I could describe to you the look on her face. She is so excited about having her father return home. Well in a little over three weeks “we’re gonna have a party” here at Valley Shepherd. The excitement is already overwhelming me, as I look forward with anticipation to the celebration. Imagine the excitement the disciples felt when they were reunited with a resurrected Christ. I would invite you to spend some time meditating on the scripture passages of those days we call Holy Week, in preparation for Easter. In Matthew it starts at chapter 21, in Mark, chapter 11, in Luke, chapter 19 and in John, chapter 12.

Pastor Casey’s Blog

Need a Map? Or not?

This last week I was able to go up to Bogus Basin area and go snow shoeing with my wife Alyssa.

We bought snow shoes last year and want to do it more often but this was the first time getting out this year.

We started up a pretty steep hill and soon found it was going to be more difficult than we expected. We made it up a little ways before we needed to stop and rest.

Finally, after moving side to side, we made it to the top…only to be disappointed by the view. It was fairly foggy that day and even from the top of the mountain, we couldn’t see more than 100 feet in front of us. We rested for a little bit and then began contemplating which way we could try going in order to get back to our car. We had a rough idea of which way we needed to go. It was not snowing at all, so our tracks were still easily visible. Not long after beginning the trek down had we run into our own tracks from hiking up. We made it back to the bottom of the mountain with ease. I don’t doubt we could have made it back without our tracks; my manly instincts would have kicked in and I would have never needed to even ask for directions…right? But it was still nice to know that we “for sure” were heading in the right direction.

I was reminded about this incident later on when my Upward team went through the Gospel message and the salvation prayer (all teams did so this week). We had our prayer time and then following our prayer time I was able to meet with each boy to see if they “knew” which direction they were going. We talked about Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And then verse 13 of the same chapter says that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The direction I want to go is the one where God is leading the way. We can be assured that God does not turn his back on us, he continues to be there waiting for us to open our arms to Him. Knowing that by following our tracks in the snow, I knew we would never be lead toward the wrong direction. The same happens when you put your sites on God. Following His plan for your life is exactly what He longs for. We can not get lost when we keep our eyes on Jesus. You may feel distracted but no matter how off course or distracted you feel, God is still waiting to help you get right back on track. No map required…good thing for most men.

Pastor Ron’s Blog

FROM MILK TO MEAT

A college student was heard to confess: “The thing that bothers me, is that I’ve received Christ as my Savior, but I have all the same problems I had before. I don’t have victory…It seems all I do is struggle, struggle, struggle, and it isn’t a pleasant experience. Jesus Christ is my Savior, but I don’ feel He’s real to me. I want to feel He’s alive to me, that He’s right here controlling and directing me as I try to walk with God.”

We have an example of this same problem in the life of the Apostle Peter. He tended to live by feeling and not walk by faith. He was reflecting immaturity and the fact that he had not advanced in his Christian walk. He was incredibly slow to catch on, insecure, loudmouthed, hot headed, and with his foot never far from his mouth. But Peter, having failed so miserably in life became repentant, broken and submissive. We see a picture of this changed man one morning after breakfast when Jesus begins to probe deeply into the quality of Peter’s commitment to Him. The Scriptural account is as follows in John 21:15-17, “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these”? “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep. The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Why did Jesus question Peter in this manner? He needed Peter to affirm his deepening faith. Indeed Peter was moving from living on milk, as a infant Christian, to taking on the meat of the Word. His love for Christ was not just a feeling but was becoming a strong walk by faith. .

Lets take a moment and do a self evaluation to see if there is a need to move from milk to meat in our Christian journey.

__I often feel like I’m standing still as a Christian

__I know I’m a Christian and Christ has definitely made some changes in my life. I think I should be more mature.

__I often feel frustrated at myself for yielding to the same temptation over and over again.

__Too often I live under the circumstances and fail to experience the joyful abundant life Jesus desires.

The steps to maturity are the same as Peter experienced, repentant, broken and submissive. The Christian life is a journey and it can be a joyful one as we live in obedience to our wonderful Lord.

Pastor Paul’s Blog

Unsolicited advice – if you don’t want it stop reading this blog. I can’t get away from that phrase and thought. It was at Valley Shepherd’s one day marriage conference that Dr. Todd Bennett spoke to us about unsolicited advice. Think about it, if you’re dealing with an issue in life, whether spiritual, mental, financial, physical or any other, you don’t want to hear or listen to anyone’s advice unless you solicit (ask for) it. And then, even if you ask for their advice, you won’t necessarily take it unless you believe in and trust the individual giving it.

My problem is that I think I know enough about life and what it’s all about that I don’t ever need to ask for anyone’s advice. Ah, but I’ve noticed that the wiser I get in my old age the more I solicit other’s advice. I read this proverb one day in a devotional book by Chuck Swindoll which said; “A Freshman doesn’t know that he doesn’t know. A Sophomore knows that he doesn’t know. A Junior doesn’t know that he knows. A Senior knows that he knows.” I don’t know that I know which one of those stages I’m in right now in life. I’m pretty sure I’m not the Freshman and I know that I know I’m not the Senior.

So why am I blogging about this? Well, I guess because I watched a movie last Sunday night with our teen group – “To Save A Life”, in which the main character stood up in a youth group meeting and gave some very stern “unsolicited advice”. In the scene he said something to the effect of “If we’re not going to allow this stuff to change our lives then what are we doing here?” Well, what are we doing here? Why are you reading a blog on a church website? Why do you attend church? Why do you read the Bible? Is it all just a bunch of unsolicited advice to you? Or do you let it change your life? I’ll be honest, at times it’s been the former for me, but at other times and especially as of late it’s been the latter.

So here’s my bit of unsolicited advice for you; Read God’s Word, listen to Him when you pray, go to church, get involved with the Body of Christ, and let His love change your life. Hey, and if you don’t like it, re-read the first sentence in paragraph one.

Pastor Tim’s Blog

LEAVE A LEGACY…

As many of you know, Valley Shepherd has partnered with the Church of the Nazarene Foundation in what is called “Legacy Ministry.” Through Legacy, we’re being challenged to consider leaving a legacy of ministry that will outlast our lives. (By the way, Cindy and I have appreciated the wise input of Bob Crew, the Financial Consultant with whom Valley Shepherd is working. He has great credentials in the financial world, plus a heart for the Lord—which helps him understand our priorities. If you didn’t come to the workshop or take advantage of the opportunity to meet with him personally, I’d sure encourage you to do so the next time we have him here—perhaps next fall.)

Legacy Ministry is prompting a lot of thought regarding the legacy of faith I’ll leave my children (and grandchildren!) when this life is over. What will they have learned about Christ through my life? What will they have learned about Christ’s faithfulness? What will they have learned about the need for us to stay close to Him? What difference will they have seen that Christ has made in my life? What will they say at my funeral? What will they say to their children and their grandchildren about me?

One thing I’m convinced of is that the example of our lives makes a difference. I know our kids—even as young adults—are watching my life. When I walked through the most challenging season of my life, one thing that kept me leaning hard on the Lord was the knowledge that my kids were watching. I so much wanted them to see the faithfulness of God when my personal resources were depleted. And God was faithful!

So…what do others see in your life right now? What legacy are you leaving others? What do you want them to see?

Pastor Tyler’s Blog

READY OR NOT…

As a toddler or child, you most likely played this game. If you have a toddler, then you’ve most likely played this game recently! It starts by closing your eyes and beginning to count. Once you begin to count, everyone else scatters and runs to find the best hiding spot. Finally, you say it—“Ready or not…here I come!”—and everyone freezes as to not make any sounds to reveal their whereabouts.

For the last three Wednesday nights, we have been in a series entitled, “Ready or Not…” We have found ourselves in three different stories, with three different characters, each with a unique lesson to be learned. In week one, we read in Mark 9 about a guy by the name of Bartimaeus. He was a blind beggar. We learned how he shouted above the crowd in order for Jesus to hear him and not pass him by. He was rebuked by the crowd, but that only encourage him to shout louder! Jesus heard him and furthermore, called to him. The text says he immediately through off his cloak, stood to his feet, and made his way to Jesus. Then he was healed of his blindness!

In week two, we learned about Zacchaeus. He was a Jew that was hated and despised, as he was a tax collector. He was considered a traitor to his own people, a sell-out to the Roman government. We read how he, too, knew Jesus was going to be passing by and he didn’t want to miss it. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the tallest guy around. So he changed his position and climbed a tree. He put himself in position to encounter Jesus. Sure enough, Jesus passes by and calls out to him. The text says immediately Zacchaeus climbed out of the tree and took Jesus to his house. Zacchaeus is restored and changed because of Jesus.

This past week we read in Luke 17 about ten individuals who had leprosy. In that day, they could be found on the outside of the village. They were labeled as “unclean.” Therefore, they weren’t welcome…they were outsiders. We read in the text that these men were the first to meet Jesus as he was passing through. Just like Bartimaeus, they shouted out to Jesus. Jesus instructed them to go show themselves to the priest. The key part of what happened next isn’t the fact that they were healed, but the text reads, “…as they went, they were healed.” As they went. They weren’t healed until they responded to what Jesus told them to do.

There is an interesting thread to these three stories. In each one, Jesus is traveling somewhere. In each one, Jesus is passing by. Each of the characters had their own set of challenges, yet they were willing to position themselves in the right way to meet Jesus.

The blind beggar shouted above the scolding crowd. Zacchaeus rose above and separated himself from the crowd, even willing to look foolish in order to see Jesus. These lepers were willing to shout and present themselves as servants in order to be healed. The interesting thing about the ten lepers, though, is that only one returned. If you read the story in Luke, it says they shouted, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” In their shouting, they proclaim Jesus as their master, implying they were willing to serve Him. Yet when they found themselves healed, only one lived out the act of servant hood by returning to the feet of Jesus to thank Him.

There are a couple of truths I want to highlight. There is always a crowd. Sometimes they’re yelling at us to be quiet. Sometimes they judge us because of our reputation. Other times they’ll completely shut us out and close the doors behind. Jesus is always passing by. Sometimes it is at a distance, sometimes it is with the intention of coming to our house for dinner, or sometimes it is in the midst of entering a city. Jesus will notice us if we’re willing to make ourselves available and known to Him. We may have to shout above the crowds in our life. We may have to separate ourselves from our reputation or from the judgments of the crowd. We may have to wait as an outsider, away from the busy life inside the city walls. And maybe most importantly, we all have a choice as to what our response to Jesus will be. We can choose to throw off what hinders us and get up as Bartimaeus did, handicaps and all. We can choose to come down from the tree—or come down from our pedestal—and go with Jesus. We can choose to turn back after Jesus heals us and thank him. Or we can simply choose be a part of the crowd.

The crowd will yell at others to be quiet or stay at a distance. The crowd will judge and point fingers, or maybe scoff at the fact someone wants to see Jesus. The crowd will keep their schedules running, and life will go on just as long as we keep “those” people outside the gates. But, crowds or not, the question with which I’ve challenged our teens is this, “Are you willing to let Jesus pass by without responding to Him?”

Likewise, the questions I pose to you are these:

1) Are you willing to shout above the “crowds” in your life in order for Jesus to hear you?
2) Are you willing to rise above the “crowds” in your life, to put yourself in position to see Jesus?
3) Are you willing to not just cry out, “Jesus, Master…” but actually turn around and make Him Master?

Jesus is passing by today…how will you respond?

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