February 11th, 2010 by Shane Reichart
Hey Pastors!
I love the idea of giving to others as a church body, but always thought it should be done anonymously. When is it okay to give in-person versus doing it anonymously?
Sincerely,
Gavin A. Way
Dear Gavin,
There is a misunderstanding about what Jesus meant when he says in Matthew 6:3,4: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.” Some think this passage means no one should know about your giving. Let’s look at the context in chapter 6.
In verse 1, Jesus says not to do acts of righteousness…to be seen by men, then in verse 2, not to announce it to be honored by men. In the following paragraph about prayer, he says not to have Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Anonymity, Benevolence, Giving, Reward in Heaven
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January 15th, 2010 by Donald Drake
Love. Love is a word that seems to be a central theme to our Christian faith. We say the word frequently; we see it in scripture; it is indeed a very important part and should be the central theme to our Christian living. But what does it REALLY mean?
The Hebrew word for “love” is taken from “e hav” which means “I will give.” A good example of its use comes from John 3:16 - ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…” Paul also talks about love when he says, ” Brethren, love one another even as Christ loved the church and gave himself to her.” So love is a giving of ourselves. It is the giving of our time, resources, even our very lives. “No greater love that a man has that he lay down his life…”
I see “giving” as the central theme to pastor Scott’s message this last weekend. Everyone received $20 to bless someone who does not know Christ in a meaningful way. However, I believe that the most central theme in this sermon is not the giving of money Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Giving, Love, Sacrifice, Time
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December 26th, 2009 by Shanan
God has called us to adopt a little one in need of a forever family. We started down the path He set into motion for us. We have fallen in love with this unborn child and have been praying for baby and mom daily. We have looked forward to giving this little one a home that is filled with love and the joy and stability of a Christian family that understands this little life is precious and so full of potential.
Then two days before Christmas we learn the birth mom has changed her mind and chosen to keep the baby. We were heartbroken and devastated to learn our precious child will not be coming home to live with us after all. Today the thought hit me Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: adoption, Disappointment, Emotions, faith, hope, loss, Love, Patience, Perspective, Struggles
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December 23rd, 2009 by Sherry Stokes
Every year at Christmas my daughter, who is nine this year, gives each member of our family a present. She either makes us a home-made craft, or just scrounges through the house to find that perfect gift! This past Saturday was “shopping” day. That evening Katy called me up to her room once the wrapping was finished. With obvious delight, she opened her closet door, and there on the shelf was a whole row of small wrapped packages, complete with bows! Katy picked one small gift off the shelf and told me, “This one’s for Cory. It’s my compass, so he can find directions. Cory needs to come home, mommy.”
I stood there speechless. Cory is my son, my prodigal son. Running from God, running from us, running from himself. After a long silence, I was finally able to say Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Direction, Gift, Heart, Lost, Prodigal, Salvation
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December 15th, 2009 by Sherry Stokes
God disciplines those He loves, right? We all know that, and, no doubt we have all been the recipients of that discipline. I wanted to share something God taught me through this, with the hope that it might help and encourage some of you.
Have you ever experienced rough times that never seem to go away? You know, those, when-will-it-ever-end-God situations. Those why-does-it-keep-getting-worse-God circumstances. Well, I have, too. In fact, not too long ago there was kind of an eruption in all this, and I had just had enough. Ever been there? I decided to quit fighting. It was all too much, I decided, and I was weary. I allowed myself to stop running the race. For just a few days, I stopped reaching for answers in God’s Word, and certainly wasn’t interested in Godly counsel!
Tags: Obstacles, Perseverance, Suffering
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November 29th, 2009 by Shane Reichart
“He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.” – Romans 14:6
Around this time every year I hear about how celebrating some of our national holidays as Christians is wrong or at least questionable because they fall on the same dates as pagan holidays.
Yes, Jesus’ birth was more likely to be in September according to the biblical accounts of the weeks after passover and the hint that shepherds were still in the fields at night. Yes, December 25th was a holiday celebrated throughout old Europe by pagans long before Jesus was born.
As with nearly anything, Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: christmas, pagan holidays, redemption
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October 29th, 2009 by Shanan
As I was dealing with the chaos of the weekend God gave me this beautiful object lesson.
If you look very closely at a knot of embroidery thread on a piece of fabric it looks like just a jumbled up tangle of threads. Not at all pretty in itself. Life can look like that at times too. We see struggles as a tangled up mess that we need to fix rather than wait on God to show us what to do with it. Sometimes that messy tangle can be a tiny little knot that God put there. Something strong and binding that was put there on purpose for a special reason.
Through God’s eyes we can see that knot for what it truly is. It’s the Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chaos, Patience, Struggles
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October 21st, 2009 by Shane Reichart
Hey Pastors!
How do we balance faith and pride?
Sincerely,
Dunn Goode
Dear Dunn,
It is okay to have a degree of pride in certain areas. For example, being proud to be a father or taking pride in Jesus are both healthy – even biblical accounts of pride. However, pride becomes a sin when you regard something more highly or lowly than God does. Humility, then, is seeing yourself the way God sees you.
We have been saved by grace through faith. Nothing we have done makes us worthy to have our names written in the book of life. Therefore, regarding sinful pride, faith should always increase and pride should always decrease. There is no balance!
If you’re struggling with sinful pride, figuratively bring it into the light and seek the forgiveness of God and the council of others. Find a Christian brother you can trust, and confess this as sin for which you seek help. This very act will begin the process of humility. Besides, when we take pains to make ourselves look better, most can see through the facade to our insecurity, so it ultimately backfires anyway.
Shane
Ask your own Hey Pastors! question.
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October 13th, 2009 by Shane Reichart
Hey Pastors!
My parents made out their will recently. While I know the implications are likely to be a long ways off, it I started thinking through how things would be different without them. I really got worked up and it has even affected my work. I am often accused of being “emotional”. Am I crazy to think this way?
Sincerely,
R. U. Diane
Dear R. U. Diane,
You’re not crazy. But remember, although a will is a reminder that they will die, it doesn’t make their death any sooner.
It’s not crazy to be saddened to think about your parents dying. Maybe you are just prone to think through emotions much further than others would. Some people won’t even Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Death, Emotions
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October 3rd, 2009 by Shane Reichart
Hey Pastors!
I’ve been single for several years and don’t want to be. I hope that God brings someone in to my life, but what if he doesn’t? I thought this would get easier as time goes on, but it hasn’t so far. How does one find contentment in singleness?
Sincerely,
Anita Mann
Dear Anita,
A longing to be “with” is neither a sin, nor a problem. Read 1 Corinthians 7.
Take your desire before God. Pray that He will show you how to appropriately control the desire until (or if) He calls you to pursue marriage. You can experience a portion of the companionship Read the rest of this entry »
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