Author: Don

Dear Friends,

How would you feel if you were listening to a sermon when the pastor paused, smiled, then before he continued his sermon said, “But to you who are listening?“ Would you be offended? Would you wonder if he thinks his teaching is so powerful that everyone should be listening? What if you had heard what the pastor was saying — but in truth —you hadn’t really been listening.

Perhaps the pastor realizes that hearing is passive, listening is active. Your brain is amazing, but it can’t process more than one conscious thought at a time. You can’t wrap your thoughts around a discourse on the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, if you are worrying about the pork roast you left in the oven. Your mind may flip from the Beatitudes to the pork roast, but you will not be actively listening when your mind is in pork-roast mode.

Another problem is perceptual filters. If we like someone and they are saying things we agree with, almost anything they say is OK. If we don’t like them or if the message touches a sore spot, almost nothing they say will be acceptable. We need only look at the ministry of Jesus to know this is true. Contrast the reaction of those who followed him with the scorn of the Pharisees:

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching … “ Matthew 7:28 (NIV)

^“But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Matthew 12:24.

Back to that hypothetical pastor who inserted into his sermon the words, “But to you who are listening.” It could be he was borrowing from another sermon.

In Luke 6:20-22, we read: Looking at his disciples, he (Jesus) said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.   Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you     and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward   in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”

At this point Jesus offered a contrast that may have caused a portion of the crowd to tune out.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.  Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”

Jesus knew that some in the crowd would have stopped “listening” because they had other things on their mind. Some would have tuned out because Jesus had bumped into their perceptual barriers. Jesus knew that even he couldn’t hold everybody’s attention so he continued, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Jesus emphasizes the importance of listening later in Luke when he says, ““So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” Luke 8:18 (NLT)

In proverbs we read, “The mind of a smart person is ready to get knowledge. The wise person listens to learn more.” Proverbs 18:15

Romans teaches: “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

None of us has “20-20” hearing 24-7! Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will help us to listen with ears tuned to God’s frequency, more frequently.

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

Coincidence or miracle?

Anne had just returned to her apartment from out-patient eye surgery, and the burning in her eyes was almost more than she could bear.

“Dear Father,” she prayed. ”Please send someone who can go to Walgreens to get the eye drops I need.”

A soft knock on the door and the kind voice interrupted her prayer. “I was thinking about you and wondered if there was anything you need.”

She opened the door to find her friend Bonnie who had missed her birthday and had stopped by to drop off a gift. The real gift came when Bonnie was able to pick up the prescription her friend had just prayed for.

Several Scriptures come to mind:

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16b “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:1 “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.” Psalm 6:9

In this instance, God answered the prayers of a righteous person by having a friend arrive at just the right moment.

Of course the skeptic will say that this was just a coincidence. Actually, Bonnie had just decided that morning to visit Anne. Had she arrived early, Anne would not have been home. But rather than going directly to her friend’s home, she stopped by the Automobile Club to pick up her new license plates. It took much longer than expected to get the plates, so she stopped for lunch before driving to see her friend.

Bonnie didn’t see a vision like Ananias did in the Acts 9; she didn’t hear a whisper like Elijah did in 1 kings 19 — but we believe that, as we read in proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

Merriam-Webster defines a miracle as an unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God. Do you see the amazing things that happen in your life as coincidences or as miracles? Psalm 66:5 invites us to “Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!” Expect a miracle today.

“Coincidence is God’s way of being anonymous.” ― Laura Pedersen,

Verse for the Week:

“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NIV)

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ

The plates Bonnie picked up are a reminder that Jesus Christ loves you too!

Dear Friends,

The pastoral search team at Village Bible Church in Bella Vista dedicated countless hours to finding the perfect pastor. Based on his first few weeks as our senior pastor, Marty Field is a gift from God, a pastor committed to spreading the Word of God and helping our congregation learn to live, love, and serve more like Jesus.

Serving the Lord isn’t always easy. Think how much time is required for your pastor to write the sermon each week. Add to that the time and emotional energy it must require to comfort the sick, counsel the oppressed, and conduct the day to day business involved in running a church — all of this while living up to the standard the Apostle Paul set forth in First Timothy 3:2, “So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.”

Over the years I have been blessed by being exposed to some great teachers: Billy Graham, J. Vernon McGee, Chuck Swindoll, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Robert Schuler, Beth Moore, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Timothy Keller, Max Lucado … to name a few. STOP! As you read each of these names, what thoughts came to your mind? My guess is that some of the names brought back memories of lessons you may have learned, while others make you feel uncomfortable.

These are people that have touched thousands, if not millions of people with their teaching, yet they don’t appeal to everyone. When you bring it down to the church level, it becomes even more striking. From the rector at the Episcopal church that I attended as a child all the way down to the seminary candidate who preached at a church that I attended last year, some have sent me from church seeking to know what God wanted me to learn from the message, while others have sent me seeking another place to worship.

To quote Shakespeare, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” Too often, I fear, we are looking for the shepherd’s “S” on a pastor’s chest rather than the Spirit in his heart. There is no perfect shepherd save Jesus Christ. We can only pray that those who lead us will, in Paul’s words from Second Timothy, “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.”

With this in mind, wherever we worship (with apologies to JFK), let us ask not what our pastor can do for us, let us ask what we can do for our pastor.

Blessings,
Your Friend in Christ

Dear Friends,

A few weeks back we wrote about the difficulty Christians may have honoring God while participating in the election process. The battle lines have been drawn, and as we move toward the general election things threaten to get worse rather than better. How can we Christians avoid being sucked into the bitterness?

A starting place is to realize that the responsibilities of our election as sons and daughters of God supercede any stake we may have in an election campaign.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love … Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 5-7, 10-11 (NIV)

In Philippians 2:13, as it appears in the International Children’s Version (ICV), we learn that God gives us the power to do things that please him: “Yes, God is working in you to help you want to do what pleases him. Then he gives you the power to do it.” But as we read on to verses 14 and 15a, we know we fall short. “Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without anything wrong in you. You will be God’s children without fault”.

Over the next few months it is likely that we will encounter brothers and sister in Christ who have political views with which we strongly disagree. If we are going to be God’s children without fault, we are going to have to pray that God will give us the power to embrace the qualities listed in 2^nd Peter.

Faith: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Goodness: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

Knowledge: “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.” Proverbs 18:15

“Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.” Psalm 119:66 (NIV)

Self-Control: “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.” Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19

Perseverance: “Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11

Godliness: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

Mutual affection and love: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34-35

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

If all else fails … “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13

Blessings and prayers for America, Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,
Over the past week Bonnie and I have mourned for our country as we tried to make some sense of the tragedy in Dallas. What follows is a letter from Pastor Dan Carroll of Water of Life Community Church in Fontana, CA that has helped us as we struggle to deal with this tragedy.

Pastor Dan’s letter of July 9^th:
As Gale and I travel in Australia and watch on the news the unfolding of this great tragedy in America, we like many of you find our hearts are deeply troubled, saddened and grieved. Psalm 73:26 describes how we, as well as many of you, are feeling today…

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Injustice however it is perpetrated is heart wrenching and demands a response. Often the first and most correct response is, as a Christian, to bow low in repentance. If only we were not so unloving and harsh with one another. If only we prayed for our leaders and others in our communities as I Timothy 2:1-2 instructs us to do, Paul said; “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”

I think Paul understood the difficulty we would face as people who struggle to stop and pray, but what if we decided today that arguing a position is not going to heal our land? Loving Jesus and serving others is certainly a starting place. But it takes far more to battle the work of hell. Do Black lives matter? Of course they do. Are police crucial to our safety and the wellbeing of our communities? Of course they are. Is Jesus overwhelmed by this great divide threatening our land? Of course He is not.

When John the Baptist was unceremoniously beheaded by King Herod, Matthew 14:3 tells us Jesus did something we should all do at times like this. He withdrew to a secluded place. Withdrawing, stopping, grieving, feeling is so important to all of us. When things are wrong and painful, stop and feel the pain, ask the questions we all should be asking daily. What would Jesus want you to do? Argue a position? No, love people, all people, pray for leaders, all leaders however capable or incapable they may seem.

Pray! And keep praying for Holy Spirit driven insight into the times our world is experiencing. Pray for people you feel angry and discouraged with, pray for your heart not to fade into depression and fear. Pray. Pray for those in authority so we can live in peace, with our lives marked out by God. Pray for the families of all those killed, Black, White, police and citizens. Pray for a spirit that only Jesus can give to love those you may disagree with. Pray against the temptation to strike out even with your words. Ask Jesus to put a guard over your mouth and your heart. Do not participate with evil deeds of darkness even in your thought life. Yield to God and remember Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation, take courage I have overcome the world.”

This is a painful and sad time in our land, it seems a month doesn’t go by without innocent people being killed. It is not fair, but the world never is, that is why Jesus came to offer humans healing, help, and wholeness in a time of need. Run to Him; cry out to Him, He and He alone has what you need now. Read Psalm 63 and remember David wrote this at a time he lived under a ruler who was completely unjust, but he lived in a God who was his rescue. Let Him lift your head and your heart He can do it. I am praying for all of you.

With Deep Affection and Love,
Pastor Dan

As we were getting ready to post this edition of our blog, we heard the news of the horrific terrorist attack in Nice France. Pastor Dan’s words, “Do not participate with evil deeds of darkness even in your thought life” came to mind. Lord, help us to avoid becoming what we hate. Amen.

Your Friends in Christ 

Psalm 63 (NLT)

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

¹ O God, you are my God;  I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. ² I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. ³ Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! ⁴ I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. ⁵ You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. ⁶ I lie awake thinking of you,  meditating on you through the night. ⁷ Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.⁹ But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.  They will go down into the depths of the earth. ¹⁰ They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. ¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him, while liars will be silenced.