I Want To Be Where God Is!
In John 11 when Jesus says it’s time to go visit Lazarus in a town where they were just given death threats, we read…”Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too-and die with Jesus.”
How about this one? In Luke 9:57 we read, “As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Really? Do we really want to go where Jesus is going? Do we really want to be where God is at work? YES!!
We discover in the Old Testament that when you want to be where God is, get ready for a rollercoaster ride! Buckle up for an up and down journey, the thrills and spills of following God.
Exodus 15 a song of celebration; then complaining about water; then it’s all good
Exodus 16 manna and quail, yay God! But then there is disobedience
Exodus 17 no water, but then a water miracle
Exodus 17 battle with mankind; victory together
You can read a summary of some of these events in Psalm 106. The story of Moses and the many challenges and celebrations on his journey is astounding! But the incredible thing to see is that they were not alone on this journey. They didn’t have to have all the answers to move forward. They didn’t have to see the light at the end of the tunnel to keep moving. They didn’t have to question, “I wonder if.” All they had to do was just trust and obey. Right?
Our leadership took time to reflect back on 2014 and ask, “How did we see God show up in 2014 at True North?” In a short time, we came up with over a dozen specific moments! That was just in a short time, with a small number of people.
Truth is, we have had our ups and downs – but GOD is with us! I have seen His hand at work in our church and in our people! GOD is alive in us and with us!
“I will go where you go”…begins with having an attitude and a spirit of wanting to be where God is! God is a faithful God who will not abandon or leave us. This may be a rollercoaster ride in our life, but we don’t ride alone. Praise God!
As we move forward as a church, I strongly encourage you to do following:
1. Focus on the truth that God is with us! Write down 1-2 things in which you know that God was directly involved in last year. Take time to remember what is true about God – He with us.
2. Take your eyes off the negative, don’t allow it to scare you. See your obstacles as opportunities to see God at work! Pray for peace and strength, when you see a tough time coming.
I believe God is at work at True North! Want proof? Call me and I’ll give you a dozen reasons!
God bless you as you faithfully follow Him.
Pastor Rex
P.S. By the way, if God is at work in our church…you better believe that the opposition will try to derail us! Pray for daily for our church! Pray for one another!
My Help Comes From…
Where does your help come from?
When you are confused or in the midst of chaos, who do you go to for answers? Who is your source of comfort?
Where does your help come from?
I recently read something that seemed so good, and yet a little humorous concerning help. In 1865 William Tecumseh Sherman sent a letter to U.S. Grant: “I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come…if alive.” Think about it. An expression of trust and friendship, and yet he is saying, “My help comes from you U.S. Grant, unless you are dead!” There’s the humor…
Our help doesn’t come from our own willpower to be courageous, strong, or independent. Our help doesn’t come from our spouse, family, or best buddies. We can find support and help at times from those people. But ultimately, they may let us down.
Our help comes from…God.
Jesus knew his disciples would face difficulty after his death. Saturday must have been a miserable day of darkness, loneliness, and confusion. Where would their help come from now?
When confusion sets in, you need to know that God has a plan, and you are still a part of it. We need to remember that our help comes from God – not ourselves or our friends.
I stood by my father’s bedside, just hours before he passed away. Collin sent me a text that simply said…
My help comes from You. You’re right here, pulling me through. You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders
What did that text mean? It came from a song by King and Country called Shoulders…it goes like this:
When confusion’s my companion – And despair holds me for ransom
I will feel no fear – I know that You are near
When I’m caught deep in the valley – With chaos for my company
I’ll find my comfort here – ‘Cause I know that You are near
CHORUS
My help comes from You – You’re right here, pulling me through
You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders, Your shoulders
My help comes from You – You are my rest, my rescue
I don’t have to see to believe that You’re lifting me up on Your shoulders, Your shoulders.
To watch a video of this song – click here.
In that moment, that part of our journey, when confusion and pain hits, I needed to remember God’s promises. I need to remember that God keeps his promises. He will help me.
I’m so grateful and thankful to God for the incredible celebration of Easter! One of those things for which I celebrate at Easter is the reminder that my help comes from God.
God bless you as you faithfully follow Him.
Pastor Rex
The Road to the Cross…
The road to the cross is humbling, setting aside our personal rights, and obediently following God’s instructions.
The road to the cross was a time of forgiveness. Jesus forgave His disciples for running away in the garden when He was arrested. Jesus forgave Peter for denying Him three times. Jesus forgave Judas for betraying Him. Jesus forgave the religious leaders, Roman soldiers, and those who cursed and beat Him as He proclaimed on the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”
Jesus lived out forgiveness, just as He taught us to forgive.
The road we journey on is never easy, but learn a lesson from our Savior to forgive those who make our journey unbearable. Never easy. But always right. That is forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:32, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
“We are most like beasts, when we kill. We are most like men when we judge. We are most like God when we forgive.” William Ward
“Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you for hurting me.” Archibald Hart
Today as we journey, let’s remember that the road to the cross included forgiveness.
God bless you as you faithfully follow Him.
Pastor Rex
Tonight (Wednesday, April 1) families are invited to come anytime starting at 6:30pm and ending at 8:00pm to participate in the ‘Road to the Cross’. The Ministry Center is being transformed so that families can reflect on the events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Starting at 6:30 pm stations will be set up for families to travel through as they arrive. There will be clips shown from the movie the Passion in the Tupos room, and there will be activities available for children too young to participate as well. We hope to see you all tonight!
What is True Love?
I love coffee. I love baseball. I love my family. I love my wife. I love seeing people engaged in worship, falling to their knees, lifting their hands, crying as they sing, knowing that they are connecting with the Spirit of God in worship…I love it. I could most likely continue this list for quite some time!
But really, what is true love?
Maybe it’s hard to describe true love, because even in ancient history there were different words used to describe love. Two of the most commonly used words were “Agape” and “Phileo.” The word “Phileo” described a love for mankind towards mankind, a brotherly love. The word “Agape” described a sacrificial love, especially as it relates for God towards mankind.
In I John 4:8 we read that “God is love” using the Greek word, “Agape.” True sacrificial love is defined as God.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
God showed…proved…and established his great love. The Almighty God of this universe, Creator and Sustainer of Life, Giver of all things, Most Powerful and Eternal has shown and proved his love. An “agape” love, which is a sacrificial love.
True Love is God, demonstrating an incredible sacrificial action towards mankind, in spite of how much we have messed up. That is love!
Jesus said (John 13:35), “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” By the way, that word love used is “agape.” When we sacrificially give up something of ourselves for someone else regardless of whether they deserve it or not, regardless of whether we get something in return or not, that is agape love. That is proof to the world that we are like Jesus and belong to God’s family.
You are truly loved by the God of this universe. There is proof! True Love is the nail-scared hands of our Savior Jesus Christ. The scars are proof that He loves us.
The next time you say, “I love…” stop and ask if you could really prove it. Do your actions prove and show the love?
The next time you look at a cross, a nail, a whip, or a set of thorns…humbly bow your head to God and say, “Thank you for showing me your great and true love!”
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex
SPRING FORWARD!
SPRING FORWARD!!! This weekend? Really?
I love the idea of Spring. I love the idea of warmer weather! I love the fact that Easter is on its way…but jump forward an hour?
You know what that means? 50% of church goers will miss church because they forgot to move their clocks forward. Hard to believe isn’t it? True. Funny that we can be very disciplined in working out, getting to ball games on time, making it to work early…but a slight change in the weekend and church is…out.
NOT for us…NOT this weekend! Right brothers and sisters!
We will not be like the norm. We will not be like the rest of America that oversleeps, forgets, and whoops…I missed church.
This Sunday True North is going to be on top of things, ready to worship God, ready to welcome in the children, ready to place our tithes in the blessings box, ready to lift our voices in unison in song, ready to join in prayer together…ready to WORSHIP!
I’ll quickly share a story from last weeks sermon – just a reminder to make sure that you do not handicap yourself in living for Jesus!
I always believed that if I were not in the ministry, I would be serving as the Handicap Police Force. I’d be that the guy hanging out in the parking lot, waiting for that person who is not handicapped, but pulls into that blue parking spot. I would be on them like flies on sugar. But God didn’t have that job for me.
There was a time when I was sitting in the van, waiting for Jenny to return from the grocery store. There were empty parking spots all around me. In front of me, handicap parking places. I was undercover. Anyway, a lady pulled into a handicap spot. She must have spotted me. How do I know, well because she searched everywhere for that blue hanging ticket. She finally found it, hung that blue handicap ticket on the rear view mirror and stepped away from the car. I didn’t want to judge her, but she wasn’t limping or anything. She walked into the store and grabbed a shopping cart and took off to shop. No hoping on the amigo and going for a spin. She walked with that cart like it was no big deal. I looked at her car in front of my van, looked at all the non-handicap parking spots around me and wondered what another 10 feet of walking would have done for her.
Now, you are all thinking I’m being unfair and judging this woman. (I apologize if my thoughts have disappointed you…just being real.) She may have special needs and had to park there. Okay. But after careful thought, here is my verdict. I felt sorry for her. Why? This poor lady has placed a limit on her life. She has a frame of mind that now says you can only do so much. “Don’t try to do more, your handicapped.” I felt bad for her. She may be handicapped in some way or fashion, but she has allowed this to keep her from doing more. It hit me, that sometimes I’m the same way.
Sometimes we place this spiritual handicap sticker on our lives and we limit what we are truly able to accomplish. We don’t say it aloud, but we might as well.
“I can’t do that for you God.”
“I’m not able to share this treasure with my family or others, what will they think?”
“I can’t speak power into the lives of others; I don’t have the right words!”
“I don’t have time to soak in the presence of God, I’m short on time.”
You’re right. When we decide to hang that sign on our hearts and say, “I can’t” – you won’t. I encourage you to not limit what God wants to do in your life today!
I look forward to worshiping together with all of you this Sunday!!!!
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex
Not Ashamed
This month has really seemed….odd. We have dealt with weather issues, causing us to cancel 2 of the 4 Sundays; as well as the fact that I have been gone during my father’s last few days and funeral. Simply put…I feel out of it in regards to Sunday worship at True North!
Do you?
I’m so excited to be back this Sunday! I’m so excited to join you all in worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
I’m excited to see the worship team leading us in song! I can’t wait to sing!
I’m excited to see the little children as they run into church, eager to see their friends and hear the Bible stories shared in Children’s Church!
I’m excited to see the set up team, who faithfully show up every Sunday to make sure the chairs and rooms are ready!
I’m excited to share God’s Word with each of you!
Are you excited for any of these things? You should be!
When you consider that Christians have been executed this past week in the Middle East, just because they believe…we should be excited to gather.
When you consider the millions who are suffering from loneliness because they have no church family…we should be excited to gather.
When you consider that we GET TO worship, we GET TO gather to sing, we GET TO discover more about God and give him the deserved glory…when you consider all this, we should be excited to gather and worship this Sunday!
I remember growing up saying, “I have to go to church.” I didn’t understand then, what I know now. I thought it was a chore, even a bore to sit in church. Now I realize that I GET TO engage in doing something that our Lord instituted over 2,000 years ago. Gathering with others who share a similar belief, worshipping one God, in unison. That is church!
Begin today, begin now to pray for a heart of worship! Pray for our set up teams, nursery and children’s volunteers. Pray for the worship team. Pray for our pastors! Pray for your own heart to ache for God! Pray that you are thirsty and hungry to grow spiritually!
Then keep praying!
I look forward to worshipping together with all of you this Sunday!!!!
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex
Amazing Love
I love _______ – fill in the blank! Consider all the answers you could give! We use that phrase, “I love ____” all the time! Whether it’s a food, sport, or relationship, we always toss out the word “love.” This may sound crazy, but love is the glue that binds us together! Love compels you toward joyful celebration and holds you up in bitter pain. Love compels us to sacrifice for one another, and give our best effort when we have nothing left to give. Without love…you have no family, no church, nothing…
Remember the story about Armando? Let me share it again…
A few years ago, there was a severe earthquake in Turkey. Many buildings and homes were leveled. Among the thousands of casualties, a 6-year-old boy named Armand was missing. His father, knowing his son was at school the time the earthquake hit, raced to the collapsed structure. Climbing to the top of the pile, Armand’s father began to pull off the shattered mud bricks. The sharp corners of the bricks sliced up his hands as he carried them down the pile and tossed them aside. He continued to offload the bricks. Every time people would try to stop him and tell him it’s useless, he’d reply: “Join me or leave me alone!” I love that statement – JOIN ME OR LEAVE ME ALONE! Well after forty-seven hours of consecutive digging he heard a voice: “Daddy, is that you?” Armand’s father exploded with joy as he found his son along with his classmates huddled together under collapsed walls. Armando kept telling his school companions: “I told you my daddy would come! I told you my daddy would come!” And indeed he came – a father’s relentless love.
If you were in Turkey, and you were in this story – which person is you?
Are you the child? You feel trapped, waiting to be rescued? You are in a dark place in life, wondering if anyone loves you. If you’re like the child, know this, you are loved! Don’t believe me? Go to www.morethanwinning.org
Are you on of the bystanders? You are not willing to help, questioning “why try?” You are more worried about yourself than others. If you are like the bystander – time to wake up! Get your eyes off you, your stats, and yourself…and start caring about others.
Are you like the father? You have relentless love! You’ve invested in relationships and you’ll do whatever it takes to help those you care about! If you’re like the father, keep it up! Sacrifice, work hard, and keep showing love to others! Have the attitude “join me or leave me alone” when it comes to showing love towards others.
You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. Anonymous
Imagine a church, a family, or a team that tried to out-love one another…you now have a COMMUNITY that will look out for each other, take care of each other, and refuse to let another be alone or make bad choices.
I encourage you this week to keep on loving one another! WE are part of a special church family. A community. We want you to feel like you BELONG to this church family, and a great way to BELONG is to love others.
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex
By the way I remembered the quote from Disney’s movie “Lilo & Stitch” (Doug I needed your help!)
“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten.” Stitch
True North News 2-6-15
It seems like FOREVER since we have all gathered to worship! This winter weather finally arrived and sort of messed a few things up. NOT THIS SUNDAY! (as if I have any power of the weather… :0 )
I’m looking forward to this Sunday as we look into God’s Word and study what it means to be part of the family of God, especially as a church family. What does our church value? What does it mean to really be a “church?”
We (staff and leadership) want you to BELONG to God’s family and also to BELONG to the True North Church family. What does that look like? Well, I can tell you what it looks like to NOT have you in the family!
Check out this story…
A farmer, while sitting on his porch, noticed a highway department truck pulling over to the shoulder of the road. A man got out, dug a sizable hole in the ditch, and got back into the vehicle. A few minutes later, the other occupant of the truck got out, filled up the hole, tamped the dirt, and returned to the truck.
Then the men drove forward on the shoulder about 50 yards and repeated the process – digging, waiting, refilling. After a half-dozen repetitions, the farmer moseyed over to them. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“We’re on a highway beautification project,” the driver said. “And the guy who plants the trees is home sick today.” The two guys didn’t have a team perspective; they only saw their jobs. Even though their work accomplished nothing in the absence of their teammate, they went on doing it anyway!
You need to know that your presence at True North, your service to this church body matters to God and to the whole body. Regardless of how small or big you believe your role is, it matters. Be careful to guard against a mindless routine, and the possibility of not putting your heart into what you do. Be careful to guard against the thought that your presence doesn’t matter!
Acts 2:42-47 says, “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
You are valued by the God of this universe! You have been given purpose! Let’s commit to learning more about how we BELONG to the family of God, and how we fit into the True North church family.
Looking forward to worshiping with you all this coming Sunday as we enter a new series!
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex
True North News 2-1-15
Due to weather conditions, church service has been canceled for today. Spend time this morning in God’s Word!
Read ahead for next week
Acts 2:42
Hebrews 10:23-25
1 Corinthians 1:9
2 Corinthians 6:14
1 John 1:3-7
See if you can share the message before I do!
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex
True North News 1-30-15
I ran across something earlier this week and I thought I would pass it on…enjoy!
Quite amazingly there is one person in the Bible who not only laughs, but whose very name means “to laugh”. Who is this person?
Well before I tell you, just imagine this: what would your reaction be if the Queen of England (now aged 88) announced that she was having a baby – without any disrespect for Her Majesty the Queen, it would be sensational news and perhaps the story of the year.
What about, Barbara Bush (aged 89), or Betty White (aged 93). Again without any disrespect to these wonderful women, what would your reaction be if you heard they were pregnant?
Firstly, most people wouldn’t believe it. Secondly, the gossip magazines and newspapers would go into overdrive; perhaps it would even ‘break the Internet’. Thirdly, and perhaps sadly these days, many doctors and scientists would probably point out the danger of a near 90 year old having a baby, and then recommend an abortion.
Well one nonagenarian (a 90 year old) from the Bible did actually become pregnant and gave birth to a happy healthy son. And it was not after having had any other children. It was her first. That’s right, she had her first child, a son, at 90 years old. And her response as recorded in the Bible:
“God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
She couldn’t believe that along with her 100 year old husband she had a baby boy, but as a result, decided to name the child ‘laughter’ (literally ‘he laughs’).
Who is this person? You have probably worked out already, that this is Abraham and Sarah, and the child is Isaac, (or another valid English translation of this name, and one I prefer greatly, is ‘Chuckles’).
Can you imagine the situation? Turning up for school for your first day of school with your 95 year old mother, or celebrating your 21st birthday without your 121 year old father. How would Sarah go about calling Chuckles to the dinner table, or telling Chuckles to get out of bed or teaching Chuckles’ to ride a bike (or the ancient Hebrew equivalent).
But apart from the intriguing list of questions you may or may not have about this situation, perhaps you’re wondering what actually happened to Chuckles, the person whose name means laughter?
Well during his boyhood, his father tied him up and tried to sacrifice him. He managed to survive, grew up and got married. However, his own wife Rebekah was unable to have children for many years, before she had two sons, one of whom, with her help, deceived him in later life. He then died with exactly the same name he was born with, Chuckles (and interestingly the only Patriarch of the Israelites whose name was not changed).
His life doesn’t really sound that funny, does it? So why was Chuckles born? Because God had promised it. While it may have taken 25 years for God’s promise to come true, the Lord did for Sarah and Abraham what He had promised – just as He always does.
Was it because Abraham and Sarah were perfect in their obedience to God? Not at all. Does God keep his promises on a condition that we keep ours? Not at all. God kept his promise because he was faithful to His Word. He was then and is now.
God keeps his promises and no matter who you are, whether your name means laughter or something worse, or your life up to this point has been a joke or something worse, God will keep His promises to you. Just like for Abraham and Sarah and just like for Chuckles, my new favourite Bible character.
I hope and pray that you didn’t just enjoy this message…but that you were challenged and encouraged by God’s promises.
Looking forward to worshipping with you all this coming Sunday as we enter a new series!
God bless you all,
Pastor Rex