Church

Sep

2024

The Bond of Marriage

The topic of gender roles within marriage has been debated for centuries. While some people may find this verse controversial, it’s important to understand the biblical context and the intended meaning.

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body.
Ephesians 5:23

Understanding the Headship

The phrase “head of the wife” doesn’t mean that the husband is superior to the wife in every way. Instead, it refers to a specific type of leadership.

Spiritual Leadership: The husband is called to be the spiritual leader of the family. This means providing guidance, direction, and spiritual support to his wife and children.
Loving and Sacrificial Leadership: The husband’s leadership should be characterized by love, sacrifice, and service. He should be willing to put his wife’s needs before his own.

The Wife’s Role

The wife’s role is to respect and submit to her husband’s leadership.

This doesn’t mean that she is inferior to him or that she must always agree with him.

It means that she recognizes his authority and seeks to support him in his role as the spiritual leader of the family.

Model of Christ and the Church

The verse uses the relationship between Christ and the church as a model for the relationship between a husband and wife.

Christ is the head of the church, and He loves and protects it; even laying down His life! In a similar way, a husband should love and protect his wife.

The Importance of Unity

The goal of this biblical teaching is not to create a power dynamic within the marriage but to foster unity and love.

When a husband and wife work together in harmony, their marriage can be a beautiful and fulfilling experience.

The biblical understanding of the husband’s role as the head of the wife is one of love, leadership, and service. When this role is fulfilled in a loving and respectful way, it can contribute to a strong and healthy marriage.

Upside Down: 15 Week Bible Study

You Have Been Seated with Christ in the Heavenly Realms

God’s great hope for us is not simply the forgiveness of sins and a place in heaven when we die; but rather, He wants us totally restored, in heart, mind and soul . . . NOW!

As we enter into this amazing adventure with God, we soon recognize that we are a part of something tremendous, something that is beyond our earthy perspective, and we are transported into the heavens with Christ; we live, breathe, and find our being in Him!

This Bible study will help you rediscover how it all began, what happened in the Garden of Eden, who is the Devil really, and what is he up to today.

Head into the heavenly realms and discover profound truths concerning your relationship with God, and His incredible plan for you.
Search your heart, preparing for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. In this study, you will enter into God’s armory, suiting up with the whole armor of God.
Discover the Keys to the Kingdom given to you, and learn what they unlock; discovering your true nature in Christ, the authority given, the Sword of the Spirit, the covering armor, and the mission ahead, you will truly learn to pray . . . Upside Down!

Get your copy today! – Pray Upside

Jan

2018

Jesus Counts

While serving as pastor of a small church my wife Sherri, did far more than anyone would ever know. The pastor’s wife is often the unsung hero of any ministry endeavor! One of the many tasks Sherri took on was to record the attendance of the various meeting we would be holding.

Sherri would often get volunteers to count the folks who attended Sunday morning services; but when those volunteers were unable, she would do the count.

We held a mid-week Bible study too; Sherri also attended, and at the end of the week, she would let me know how many had come.

One particular week, I saw a discrepancy in the numbers she gave me. I remembered clearly that seven people attended; five others, Sherri, and myself yet she marked down eight. I went over it again and counted only seven.

I mentioned to her that I thought the count was off a little and I shared with her the names of those who attended. She looked quizzically at me and said; “you forgot one.” No, I am sure seven, were there that night. She looked at me again and said a little indignantly; “how can you forget the most important person.”

Did you forget Jesus?

I finally blurted out . . . “Who am I missing!” She looked at me and said; “Jesus was there, and He counts.” She went on to say that every time she takes attendance, she always counts Jesus, because He is always there, and He matters.

As I pondered her reasoning, I began to realize that many times we have had meetings and never acknowledged Jesus was there; and I started to wonder how many times He did not come, for that very reason!

Since then, I have made it a point, to always acknowledge that Jesus is present, and to never just assume that He is. I try not to talk about Him as if He were in another room, but rather as a distinguished guest. I do not always get this right, but I do make a concerted effort to remember His significance and to not just assume He is there.

Yes . . . Jesus counts; are you including Him on your rolls?

Sep

2017

Searching for Big Foot . . . Seriously?

In 1996 while driving down an old country road, I drove past the Old Gardeau Community Church; located about 3 1/5 miles from Sizerville State Park. As I drove by this old church; which had been closed for about 6 years, I told the Lord how awful it was that this aged church was shut down!

Later that same night, a feisty old lady by the name of Arlene Walker, called me out of the blue! Arlene was a tough lady with a heart of gold. She called me and this is what she said; “Hello, this is Arlene Walker, me and a bunch of us old ladies wants to get the Gardeau Church opened again and heard you were a preacher now. Will you come up here and open this church?”

WOW! I told her I would consider it and get back to her. After she hung up, I told the Lord; “well that was quick!” After a little more prayer and talking it over with Sherri, we decided to go forward and open the old church.

The church needed a great deal of work; so we all dug in and cleaned the bugs, bats, and mice out, the best we could, and we started holding services there . . . oh, the stories that this old church could tell!

After several years, we decided the church could use a paint job; so I took on the project. I got a pressure washer and took all the old paint off of the church; it was a pretty big job. I primed the entire structure, and then proceeded to paint everything!

When it was all done; I stood back and admired the work . . . it turned out pretty nice, even if I do say somyself! Getting a little “puffed up” over how nice thechurch looked; God decided it was time to deflate me a bit.

One Sunday, a few weeks after the paint job was done, as I was getting ready to close up the church and head home, I noticed a gentleman drive up in a car and get out, heading over to the church. I could see that he was carrying a camcorder and a clipboard. My head started to swell with pride; clearly, he was here to do a story on the old church and how beautiful it looked now!

The Gardeau Community Church

As I floated my ego out the door to greet this man, he came over to me, shook my hand, and asked me if I was the pastor. Beaming, I told him I was, and then he pointed across the road toward a valley and asked me if that was Parker Run. Confused by his question a bit; I told him that it was indeed Parker Run.

The man then turned to me and handed me his business card. He told me that he was here to investigate a Bigfoot sighting! WHAT! Bigfoot here? I looked at the business card; “Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, Timblin, Pa.”

He went on to say that a good Christian man owned a camp up there and he reported seeing a Bigfoot recently. I thought to myself; “That a good Christian man may have been seriously backslidden up there with some Jack Daniels and maybe saw a black bear . . . but a Bigfoot . . . Come On!”

This gentleman asked if anyone reported seeing a Bigfoot in the area. I told him that no one had mentioned anything to me about seeing a Bigfoot anywhere around these parts.

Now I did tell him that my son and I had hiked up Parker Run recently, which we did, and that the only thing we saw up there were a large population of beavers. About 3 miles up it looked like a Lincoln log factory; with beaver dams all over the place.

The man turned around quickly and with excitement in his voice, said “no way!” I said, “Yep, lots of beavers up there.” The man looked me squarely in the eyes and with conviction told me that beaver was Bigfoot’s favorite food!

I thought I was going to die! It was all I could do to keep from losing it. The man jotted down a few things, thanked me for the info and off he went.

Ego effectively deflated . . . And who said God does not have a sense of humor!

For many years I carried that business card in my wallet and I would pull it out occasionally and share it with fellow pastors saying . . . “You know you pastor a country church, when . . .

Hope this one made you smile!

Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.