It’s a grim outlook if you watch the news to see how we’re measuring up as a nation. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen several studies-have-shown reports covering such topics as mental/ social/ physical health of children and adults, the education system, anger management, social media, etc. None of them have been positive. Reports are also coming in daily of the latest commodities to experience cost inflation, political scandals, and terrorist activities. I have no idea how accurate what we’re being fed actually is, but I’m not surprised that many around us seem to be affected by it.

Perhaps in your congregation you’ve experienced an increase in people showing up and looking for something. Neal pointed out to me that many of the Bible studies and baptisms here have been young adults from the community. They seem to be searching for solidarity and truth. One young woman even said, “I want to believe. I just don’t know what to believe.” She simply wanted to know about God and the Bible. Another word that keeps coming up from searchers is “community.” People are tired of disconnectedness and superficial relationships. They’re looking for family, support, and a good place to belong.

I imagine every generation thinks the condition of the world during their lifetime is the most ridiculous. Think about what our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents experienced! But no matter what is going on out there, the church stands secure (Daniel 2:44), has a solid foundation (Eph. 2:20), is full of purpose (Eph. 2:10), and is all about community and support (Rom. 12:5). What a contrast to the senselessness around us!

Let’s keep our eyes and hearts open to the souls who are hungering for more than what the world has to offer.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. (Eph. 2:19-21)

By Kathy Pollard

Ephesians 5: 13- 14a “But the light makes clear how wrong those things are. Yes, everything is made clear by the light”

Gotta be honest –I’m not a fan of winter. Darkness prevails long after my first cup of morning coffee. Darkness returns long before the first inkling of a dinner plan comes to mind. But thankfully, my favorite season has arrived: SPRING! Behold the beauty of new life in radiant color. I am ecstatic! That is, until all the glorious sunshine rushes through the windows and displays to the world my entire vintage collection of winter dust!

And just like that, my favorite spring season collides with my least favorite: spring-cleaning season. All that visible nastiness destroys my, “Out of sight, out of mind,” peace and I feel compelled to head to the cleaning supply aisle at the store – the aisle I successfully rushed past all winter long.

But spring-cleaning is scriptural. Chapter 5 of Ephesians instructs us to rid the filthiness from our lives and clean out all the nastiness of evil, greed, unwholesome speech, and sexual sin.

Like the bleakness of the winter season, our lives without Christ are filled with darkness. But the light of the Lord shines and exposes the dirt in our lives. When evil is exposed by God’s light, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work purging any speck of sin from our lives. Once clean, we can redecorate ourselves with good deeds, clean living, encouraging words, and thankfulness.

Yes, spiritual spring-cleaning is hard work and exhausting. But like spring-cleaning, the transformation is worth the effort. So, let’s dust off our Bibles and disinfect every hint of sin from our lives as we prepare to reap incredible joy in God’s light.

Father God, may we always strive to live a life that is clean and spotless in your light. Thank you for the grace to forgive the stains we fail to remove.

HELPFUL HINT: Leave it to my sweet mother to find a positive in the winter season. Understanding that low lights can hide dust, she enjoyed entertaining by candlelight all winter long. Her guests thought her to be a romantic, when in reality, she just didn’t have time to dust. You’re welcome!
Blessings for a glorious spring,

Rita Cochrane

Is my name written there?
My destination is where?
Each day of the week, yes seven,
Mark my daily journey to heaven.
No amount of bragging
No foot dragging
No denial
No trial
Will improve my odds,
As this journey requires many foot trods,
To reach this life’s destination.
I am on my journey to my heavenly nation.
With God to help me all along the way,
I will joyfully arrive in Heaven one day.

Mary A. Wright

The writers of the Bible weave a theme of purity from the beginning of time and throughout the New Testament. There is a reason God put so much emphasis on purity. In order to see God, we must be pure in heart (Matthew 5:8).

The roadblocks for being pure in heart are those things of the world—lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. They are not of the Father, but they are of the world (First John 2:16).

Adam and Eve were the first to be faced with the sin of pride. Satan’s subtility provided the perfect approach to the woman. Though she had been told not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Satan convinced her that it was not only good for food, but it would make her as wise as God. God’s warning, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die” (Genesis 3:4) didn’t stand against the devil’s promise that Eve would know “good from evil.”

Eve ate the fruit, gave it to Adam, and they immediately knew they were naked. They made themselves aprons of fig leaves. They recognized that they were not appropriate for God’s presence. Before this, they were naked but unashamed. In verse 10, Adam tells God that they hid because they were naked and ashamed. After God pronounced His punishment on Satan, Adam, and Eve, verse 21 says that He (God) made them “garments of skins and clothed them.” Obviously, the fig leaves weren’t sufficient.

The sins that involve the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye are apparent through Scripture as well. When Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the law, God had some instructions for him. “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments” (Exodus 19:10). God was about to come into their presence, and He wanted them to be unstained and holy. They had to come before Him purified in body and spirit. Sadly, their fear and unbelief led them to make an idol, and their lusts overshadowed their memory of their life of slavery in Egypt. Led by their own sinful hearts, they worshiped the idol and were found partying when Moses came down from the mountain.

King David, a man after God’s own heart was confronted with nudity. He saw it, he liked it, and he acted on it. He committed adultery in his heart even before he committed the physical act. His adultery caused him to lie and even commit murder. When Nathan, the prophet, confronted him, David admitted his sin, but the enormity of his sin came with a price.

God condemns lustful intent in Matthew 5:27-28. Just looking at a woman in a lustful way is sinful. What about the woman’s part? Will we be held accountable for our dress? When we appear in clothing (or lack of clothing), and a man has lustful thoughts, who is responsible? He is, of course. The Bible says so. But can we say our hearts are pure when we wear clothing specifically designed to entice?

Paul, speaking in Second Corinthians 6, says that he had put no obstacle in anyone’s way so that no fault could be found with his ministry. Paul didn’t want to do anything that would cause someone else to stumble. We should feel like Paul. We should not want to do anything that would cause someone to stumble.

Paul exhorted Timothy to “be an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (First Timothy 4:12). In his second letter to the young Timothy, he says, “If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” Then he tells Timothy to flee youthful passions. To do this, one must pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, and “those that call of the Lord from a pure heart.”

It’s that time of year when the birds are nesting, the flowers are growing, and the women take off their clothes. Nothing is left to imagination. Christian women cannot participate in immodest dress and expect to see God. Immodesty is a sin. Then there is that big question, “Just what is too short? Just what is too tight? Just what is too low cut? Just remember that the heart determines our choices. Those that are pure in heart will make good choices, and they will see God.

Sandra Oliver

‘Home’ is a word that you feel. It is often associated with security, belonging, rest, and love. It seems to me that God blesses us with a home three times over:

• Our Family Home– We have the one we grow up in and the one we create as adults. If we build them with biblical wisdom, they can be “precious and pleasant” (Prov. 24:3-4).
• Our Church Home– This household of God is filled with brothers and sisters who love and honor one another (1 Tim. 3:15; Rom. 12:9-10).
• Our Heavenly Home– The Father’s house is filled with many rooms (John 14:2-3), will last forever (Matt. 6:19-20), and is built by the One who loves us most (Heb. 11:16).

Our family homes aren’t perfect, are they? As much as we love each other, we still experience strife, heartache, and disappointment. Yet our homes are most dear to us, and we do our best to protect and cherish them.

Our church homes aren’t perfect either because they are filled with imperfect people. Sometimes there are personality conflicts and growing pains. But we sure need each other (!), and we thank God for the love and support of our Christian family.

Only our heavenly home will be perfect. As much as we enjoy our special homes here, the best one yet is waiting for us. There will be no tears or disappointments. God is filling it with light, love, rest, peace, and true comfort. That’s what we have to look forward to! HOME.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

(John 14:2-3)

By Kathy Pollard

Philippians 3:13b-14: “but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Here’s a riddle for you:

We create them, yet we despise them. As soon as they appear, we cannot wait to be rid of them. What are they?

The answer? Regrets!

Have you ever pondered regret? Tracing it back to its conception, regrets were born on the sixth day of creation as God fashioned humans with  freedom of choice. God created us but we created regret.

Regrets are plentiful, coming in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Relatively few days are void of regrets, but gratefully most are insignificant in the scope of life. Perhaps we begrudge eating that extra helping of dessert as we attempt to zip our jeans. Or maybe we choose to delay laundry and it turns into a deplorable mountain of smelly socks.

However, other regrets are not so easily overcome and produce great difficulties. Words spoken in haste can cause immediate anguish, holding the power to fracture solid friendships. Actions motivated by jealousy and pride bring remorse as they backfire and hurt those we love most. And idle gossip is powerful enough to crush spirits and create great divides.

Since regret is so very problematic, why is it we, humans, create so much of it? Because regret is a tricky little thing, clearly visible only when looking behind. By the time our past actions come into clear focus, it is too late to avoid them. Those deeds, good or bad, have already etched a place into our story.

Friends let’s stop here to praise the Holy Spirit for including Paul’s story in scripture, for if anyone modeled a life lived beyond regrets, it was Paul. His past was filled with all things regrettable. But once a Christian, Paul realized his past lay in direct opposition to his future in Christ. So Paul’s focus changed and he forged ahead in his new life.

Although Paul wrote of forgetting his past, we know from scripture he never disregarded his former life. He referenced it as he spoke and wrote his epistles of encouragement. But Paul chose not to live in accordance with his memories. Instead, he used his past to fuel his future kingdom work.

At some point, our actions will guarantee us regret, requiring we bring it before the Father and make amends with those we have hurt. Then we may store our regret in the past where it belongs, using it only as fuel to live out the beautiful, productive life God calls us to live.  Remember friend, our prize lies not behind. It lies ahead in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Father God, help us to use our past failures to insure our future with You.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

When our son was one year old, we moved to Indiana. The church was a small mission congregation of about twenty members. Bob’s work was centered around preaching, visiting, getting to know the people in the community, and trying to hold this little group of Christians together.

There was a couple in our congregation that had been converted some years before. They lived in the house next to the church building; and we were told that before they became Christians, they would sit on their porch drunk and shout ugly things to the members as they entered the building. They obviously changed, but she was an outspoken lady; and he was a quiet little man who did exactly what she said. She was known for making people move if they sat where she liked to sit, and she controlled whether the window was open or closed. I think everyone was a little afraid of her. I know I was.

When David, our son, was about three, the lady passed away. Her husband asked me to come to their house and choose clothes for her burial. I was so shocked when I saw her neat little closet and her well-organized dresser drawers. Her wardrobe consisted of five or six freshly-starched dresses. Her funeral was a simple service with her husband, a few church members, and a nephew.

When David was five, her husband died, and we decided this would be a good time to take our son to the funeral home. He had been asking some questions about dying, and we thought we could better answer his questions at the funeral home. Bob called the funeral home and asked them if we could take him at a time no one would be there. The funeral director arranged a time, and we explained to David what we were going to do. As we stood in front of the casket, we waited for David to ask us questions. Instead, he just stared into the casket without saying a word. Finally, Bob asked him if he had any questions. “Yes Daddy”, he said. “When will they take him out of that box, wrap him in a blanket, and put him in the hole?” Needless to say, we were shocked. We realized that his perception of death and burial was like what he saw on television in the westerns he had watched. That’s the way they buried people, and he thought that was the way everyone is buried.

Later that same year, a little girl in David’s kindergarten class at school was hit by a car and killed. The two of them were best friends, and we did not take our son to the funeral home to see her. It did, however, present an opportunity to talk about death a little more with him.

I tell you this story to say that we all need to understand the truth about death. We don’t need a view of death the way it is expressed in movies and television. Children have questions. They have a right, at the proper time, to have them answered. They experience loss of friends, relatives, church family just like adults.

About seven or eight years ago, I had a particularly inquisitive group of fourth and fifth grade students in my Bible class. We were studying the life of Jesus. One of our lessons was on the death of the rich man and Lazarus. The children wanted to know if they could ask some questions about death, and I told them they could. I had them write out their questions and bring them to class. One of the girls brought a list of more than twenty questions. These questions were well-thought out and eye-opening to me.

The misconceptions of most children are: that we go directly to heaven when we die; that we become angels when we die; that we can see people on earth; that no one goes to “the bad place”. Study the Scriptures and learn about death and dying. Learn about heaven and hell. Don’t make up something about heaven (or hell) that isn’t taught in the Bible. Your children will be better off knowing the truth.

As a side note. Please pray for the church in Winchester, Indiana. Their building was demolished in the recent tornadoes in that area.

Sandra Oliver

Isaiah 46:4 (ESV) “Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

I have no recollection as to the exact origin of the phrase, “Oot me,” but one of our grandchildren manufactured it. Perhaps I should provide you some background information. The word, “oot” is pronounced like the word, “hoot” minus the sound of the H. During our grandchild’s language formation season, while attempting to say, “Hold me,” his words came out “Oot me.” And just like that it stuck, leaving these words forever immortalized in our family’s vocabulary.

I delight in hearing the words, “Oot me,” for they indicate my grandchild wants me to pick him up and hold him close. Without hesitation, I reach down and scoop up a precious little one whose arms open wide for my embrace.

There are numerous reasons our children need to be held. When they play hard and their tiny bodies grow weary, we hear “Oot me.” If their little life seems big and scary, overpowering their smallness, they run to us with, “Oot me.” When the challenges of growing up fill them with insecurities, it’s “Oot me.” When their feelings get hurt, “Oot me” heals their wounds. And sometimes “Oot me” is simply needed to feel the comfort of loving arms.

Friend, the sweetness of embrace is so very reminiscent of the relationship our Heavenly Father wishes to have with us. God is never too busy nor important to “Oot” us, for we are His precious children and He longs to hold us close. In His arms of love, our weariness finds rest. In His loving embrace, our insecurities vanish. All fear dissolves as He carries us through our darkest valleys. And when we feel overlooked by others, God sees us and reminds us we are adored. So open those arms up wide and prepare to be loved.

Father God, may we seek Your loving embrace.

Blessings for rest in His loving arms,

Rita Cochrane