He's All Around You!

The last few days have been spectacular if you have taken time to look at the clouds. For a guy like me, I'm a cloud man...it has been amazing.  Today the beautiful blue sky was contrasted by white clouds exploding in endless forms.  These are gifts from God.  He is amazing. He is the grandest of all artists.

Learn to rejoice in all He has given us.

Colossians 1:16

¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Revelation 4:11

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

Psalm 24:1-2

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

Psalm 33:6-9

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

Psalm 89:11

¹¹ The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
    you founded the world and all that is in it.

Next service July 7th  Glick Park...planning on 6:00am!  Weather permitting.  Step outside the box!   Lets worship.  More to come as we approach the date.

God has a plan for us!   He does!  He really really Does!   Believe it...just don't preconceive it!   Love, Pastor Kent

The Jesus Experiment Week 4

This weeks Jesus experiment verse gives us something to ponder about how we are living our lives.  How much of our life is based on "having things?"  If you are like me, it seems that having things seems to be really big in most of our lives.  Meditate on this weeks scripture and think about your life in this world.  The teaching to me reiterates how short our lives are here compared to eternity. We must be careful not to waste our time on accumulating things that 100,000 years from now are not going to matter!

1 John 2:15-17

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Love, Pastor Kent

Lord, If You will just tell me what you want me to do!

How many times have you asked God that question?  I know I have many many times.  God if you will just tell me exactly what you want me to do, I will serve You to the best of my ability.

If God were to put you in that kind of assignment, could He trust you to handle it?  Are you really ready to go to the next level of faith with God?  Do you remember this story?

On the night before Jesus' crucifixion, Peter said to the Lord, "I'm ready to go with you both to prison and to death!"  In response, Jesus warned him, "The rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know Me." (Luke 22:33-34).

God also knows the limits of your faith. He knows what you can handle.  We can often have a higher estimate of our faithfulness and trust in God than we should. God is never fooled. He always matches His assignments with our character and faith in Him.  So trust Him. Don't insist that God put you in a position you think you should have. Don't strive to gain a position you think you deserve or can handle. That could lead to your ruin.  Rather, trust Him and obey wholeheartedly where He has put you, and watch to see where He leads next.

The above is just a sample from the book, "Experiencing God" that I hope to use as a bible study. If you are interested in how to get to know God better this is a fantastic book.   Let me know if you would be interested in meeting to discuss this book as a bible/book study.

In the mean time, just know that God loves you and is in control of all things.  But also realize that His will will always be done. The question is, "Will it be done with you and thru you or without you?

See you soon.  Love, Pastor Kent

Correction

In the last blog I sent out I stated that I was planning a Sunrise service June 7th.  That should be July 7th!

Are You Living By Faith or by Circumstances?

• Understanding God's plan for the world around you is far more important than telling God what you are planning on doing for Him.
• He wants to use your life and the church for His purposes!
• We are called to live by faith not sight or circumstances

The above quotes are from a book and bible study that I will be starting soon. The book we will be studying is "Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King.  I would like to start this Bible Study on Wednesday nights. If you are interested in joining this group please let me know so I can begin ordering the books.  The book will cost about $12.00 - $15.00. I will see if we can get a discount  by ordering in bulk.   Even if you cannot commit to the bible study this would be a great book to read. It has helped thousands of people develop a much closer relationship with God.

Mission Project:  We will be joining Esic Baptist Members in an effort to collect items for the Ronald Mcdonald houses of St. Louis. Please see the following message.

The 3 St. Louis Ronald McDonald Houses are in need of the following individually wrapped lunch items and snacks:  Ramen noodles, easy mac, pop top ravioli, soup, single serve bags of chips, candy bars, granola bars, pop-tarts, snack cakes, cheese or peanut butter crackers, etc.   There will be  a donation box in the hallway through the end of July. See Darlene Azar for more information.

 I have a special surprise service planned for Sunday June 7th.  We will be meeting at Glick Park for a Sunrise service weather permitting. This is the park where I do my daily prayer walks.  More info to follow soon.

Just have faith.  Believe and know that God wants to be the Lord of our life but we must yield all to Him.

Love, Pastor Kent
If you are interested in the Book/ Bible study please let me know by email. bon-kens@hotmail.com

Do You Have The Peace of God?

There are many research reports coming out stating that stress may be the cause of up to 85% of all chronic illnesses being reported today.  

Oh if we could only believe what God says in His word how our lives would be changed.  That is our problem. Lack of belief.  If we truly believed in the God of the Universe and His son Jesus and all that He taught how we all would be radically transformed. 

Becoming a true believer, a follower and disciple of Jesus is a powerful and radical life changing experience. However it usually does not happen at the snap of the fingers. It is a process just like becoming an excellent musician, doctor, or business person it takes time, study, practice and consistency. 

We "would be" Christians have been boondoggled into believing that by showing up at church on Sunday once in a while that we have met our spiritual obligation.  And that the surreal God of the universe will honor our once-in-a-while prayer. And, if God has time, He will drop us a crumb of blessing now and then. But if we really want to have a good life and make something of ourselves we are on our own and it is up to us to find our happiness and completeness. Well that is exactly what Adam and Eve believed. They believed that they knew better than God how to be happy and how to get things done. They thought they knew how to find peace and contentment by eating from the tree of knowledge.

Ah yes we have knowledge.  We are smart. We can figure things out on our own. We don't need some ancient figure in some ancient book to tell us what to do.  Because we know things. Well how has that worked out for you so far?  Is your life full of peace? Happiness? Joy? Contentment?

I pray that each of you reading this will come to know the living God of the universe where true peace and wisdom flow.

Isaiah 26:3-4

³ You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

Stay tuned...much more to come.

Love, Pastor Kent

Tonights Service

Tonight Sunday, June 23rd.....What Is God Trying To Reveal In Your Life?

I am going to show you how God is pursuing all of us because He needs each of us for a specific Job to expand His Kingdom.

Come join us at 6:30.  Come be part of something special.

Sincerely, Pastor Kent