Seeker's Chapel

Pastor’s WeeklyWord- February 16th

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“The Lord therefore be judge and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.” 1 Samuel 24:15

Dealing with difficult people is one of the more trying challenges a Christian can face. David, who had conquered the lion, the bear, and Goliath, found the confrontation with King Saul to be a significant test of his faith. There is wisdom in the way he dealt with the matter. There are four things he did that took him through the situation. #1 David was not paralyzed by negative feelings but focused on the positive. One can read the Psalms and see clearly that David practiced this.#2 He believed in himself regardless of another’s opinion, because He knew his standing with God. #3 He learned that you can’t curry favor with a problematic person in the hope that if they just somehow knew you better they would stop causing problems. The truth is, troublesome people are not irritant because they don’t like you, they are troublesome, because they don’t like themselves. #4 David focused on his supporters and not his enemies, and when necessary, acted in God’s wisdom, but never reacted by his emotion.

Ultimately, David knew God was in charge, and he let God be God in this matter. It all comes down to trusting in God’s love and His wisdom.

God Bless You,

Pastor Bob

February’s Newsletter

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Click on the link below to access February’s newsletter.

FebruaryNewsletter-email

January’s Newsletter

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January’s Newsletter has arrived!

Happy New Year to all! Please click on the link below to find out what’s going on at Seeker’s this month!

January Newsletter

Pastor’s Word for the Week-February 9th

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” It is written, ‘ You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ” Luke 4:8

It is so easy to allow our Christian experience to be lost in the midst of a swirl of busy-ness. Being busy may make us feel important, but before long the life and joy of God can be diminished in the details. It is best illustrated by a humorous story about two ranchers trying to impress each other with the size of their ranches. One asked the other, “What’s the name of your ranch?” He replied, “The Rocking R, ABC, Flying W Circle, Bar U, Staple Four, Box D, Rolling M, Rainbow’s End, Silver Spur Ranch.” The questioner was much impressed and exclaimed, “Whew! That’s sure some name! How many head of cattle do you run?” The rancher answered “Not many. Very few survive the branding.”

There is some truth to this rather silly story in that we can find ourselves wearing so many hats that the life God fails to thrive in us as it once did. Instead of being the focus of our life, God is just another responsibility, and the warmth of a genuine relationship is lost. C.S. Lewis said it best in this short phrase. “Aim at heaven and you get the earth thrown in. Aim at the earth and you get neither.”

Let’s remember God’s promise that if we “seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, everything else is supplied.” (Matt. 6:33)

God Bless,

Pastor Bob

Pastor’s Word for the Week-January 31st

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“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38

Isaiah 58:6-8 teaches that when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or encourage the oppressed, then our life is going to break forth like the dawn. As we focus on the problems of others and how we can help them, something very supernatural happens. When we decide that in some way we will be a blessing, God makes sure that we will be blessed. I remember reading about a woman who was diagnosed with cancer and instead allowing her own fears to depress and separate her from people, went to church to pray others who were sick or in need. She decided that she would give of her life, no matter how much life she had left, and soon discovered that God’s healing hand gave her health to her own body.

Living to give refers to more than just money. We can give smiles, compliments, time, but most importantly love to those around us. If we would be creative, and think of a ways to be a blessing to those we are in contact with each day, God’s light will shine in our own circumstances.

God Bless,

Pastor Bob

Pastor’s Word For The Week- January 26th, 2012

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”…for I have learned to be content in whatever

circumstances I am in.”

Phil 4:11

It has been said that until we make peace with who we are, we will never be content with what we have. So few learn that happiness is inward, and not outward. As a result there is the unending pursuit accumulating things in the hopes of making us happy with ourselves. But if we accept who we are, then we can make real progress in what we can do.

Christy Brown was born in Ireland in 1932 with a severe form of cerebral palsy. He could not walk, talk, eat, or drink without help. He never went to school.

One day he watched one of his siblings drawing letters with crayons on a piece of paper on the floor. Christy suddenly moved his left foot and picked up a crayon with his toes and tried to copy the letters. It is said from that day until his death he was only able to use his left foot, but did learn type with his toe. That was enough for him to write his autobiography, My Left Foot, which became a major motion picture. He spent fifteen years typing one book, Down All the Days, that was nationally acclaimed. He became a success because he accepted his limitations, but then rose above them.

The Bible records for us so many individuals who accepted who they were, and then went on to do great things with what they had.

God Bless You,

Pastor Bob

Pastor’s Word for the Week – January 10th, 2012

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“When Jesus saw him lying thee, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6

Jesus had come to Jerusalem during one of the yearly feasts. Thousands of pilgrims came from throughout Israel. While he was there, he paid a visit to a place called Bethesda, “the house of mercy.” It was a pool near the Sheep Gate in the northeastern section of the city. Five colonnades (or porches) were built by the pool. As one writer put it, it was the Jewish Lourdes of that day. The Jews believed that an angel would come and periodically stir the waters. The first person to enter the water after it had been stirred would be healed of his diseases.
So hundreds of sick people gathered around the pool, waiting and hoping for the water to be stirred. On the day that Jesus passed by, he met a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. When he found out how long the man had been paralyzed, he asked only one question, “Do you want to be well?”
On the surface it seems to be a bizarre question. Why else would the man be there? Of course he wanted to be well. Was Jesus insulting his intelligence? No, not at all. He was asking a very serious question. He was asking because it was entirely possible that the man did not want to get well.
The man answers something like this: “Do I want to be healed? That’s a crazy question. Why do you think I’m here? You must be new here. You don’t understand the problem. Every time the water is stirred, somebody else beats me to the water. No one will ever help me. They just push me out of the way. Have you ever heard a sadder story? And notice that Jesus did not respond to his sad story. And why didn’t He?
I think Jesus is probing at the level of the will. He’s forcing the man to realize that as long as he blames others for his problems, he’ll never get better. Ray Prichard made a wise comment about this story. “Change is scary because you get comfortable with the way the way things are even when you know it’s not good. It takes a lot of faith to truly want Jesus to change you. Sometimes it’s easier to stay the way you are.”
Jesus is saying us all, “Do you really want to be changed?” If the answer is yes, then miracles can take place. If the answer is no, then even Jesus cannot help you.

May God bless this New Year, Pastor Bob

5K Rescue Run Results – June 11, 2011

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Pastor’s Word for the Week- January 3, 2012

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¹⁴ “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15

Each Sunday following the worship service our family picks a restaurant to dine at. With three adult children and their spouses, the number is usually no less than eight, counting my wife and I. At the conclusion of our dining the check comes and I pay for the family meal. Time and again I am sure that my adult children wonder why I do not let them chip in, or pay their portion. But for me the privilege is all mine, and I enjoy doing it. Why? Because of all the memories of the stories told,the laughter, the holding of hands while the prayer of thanks is spoken, and most importantly, because I love them. It is no different with the Lord. God loves to be with the ones He loves, and that is the best way to explain why He came here in our flesh, and personally paid the price for our salvation. He took care of the tab held over our head by the devil, so we could live free of debt and enjoy all that life has for us forever.

May God Bless This New Year, Pastor Bob

Pastor’s Word for the Week – December 20th, 2011

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December 20, 2011

This is an article written by Michael (Boomer) Felton, a member and teacher in our congregation at Seeker’s Chapel.

“Over the past few years, I look forward to Jim C’s Christmas party. As host of the holiday celebration of a weekly men’s fellowship group I attend, the party gives each attendee an opportunity to bring something to the table to contribute to the gathering.

And one particular item helps me build anticipation, see opportunity and consider possibilities while preparing for the joyful occasion — the serving dish. The serving dish fulfills perhaps the highest calling in the kitchenware/tableware family. It stands ready, willing and available for whatever its master/creator sets upon it, and the dish is best utilized when friends, family and guests are gathered near us. The serving dish is a vessel used to provide nourishment, provision, and an offering to those around us, often satisfying a need and bringing comfort while lifting spirits.

Consider yourself a serving dish this season. And while doing so, fulfill the high calling given unto us by our own Master/Creator and remembering how our Lord lived His earthly life in such a way and implored us to do the same.

“Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant. Whoever wants to become first among you must serve the rest of you like a slave. In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.” Matthew: 20:26-28 (NCV)

No matter how many times I read the Scripture, it blows me away that the greatest among us told us that to be the greatest, we have to be nobody — a lowly servant — like Him. Words coming from the One who began and ended His life as an offering. Placed in a manger — a feeding trough — for us at the start of human life and then offered as a sacrifice on the cross, again for us. (see also Phil. 2:7-8)

So we should stand at the ready. We pray for and prepare a willing heart, and we say “yes, Lord” when asked to be made available for his good works which He “prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10)

And we, as the willing vessels, bring the nourishment of God’s word and truth. We help deliver His provision by opening our homes or sharing our resources, time, experiences and testimonies. By Him and through Him we help fill other’s needs with encouragement or by sharing or extending the comfort and power of God’s love by our words and deeds.

Praise God for His work in our lives and transforming our hearts and minds from a spirit of “what’s in it for me?” to “what can I do for you?”

Love others. Serve others. And God’s blessings, love and peace be upon you and your family, friends and loved ones this Christmas season.”

God Bless your Christmas,

Pastor Bob and Seeker’s Chapel