The beauty of emerging life everywhere speaks to us in perfect language that SPRINGTIME has arrived! The daffodils that we watched die last year now burst forth in joyful celebration of the GIVER OF LIFE. Springtime is God’s reward for enduring the severe realities of winter. It was worth it after all!

God is full of wonderful surprises isn’t He! Each new spring refreshes my spirit more than the one before. I want nothing more than just to sit on the grass with my wife by my side and drink in the warmth and beauty. God, I thank you for these gifts of fulfilled hope.

People need hope today. My grandmother needs hope. She has it, but she probably doesn’t remember it. I don’t even have to say it . . . you guessed it already . . . Alzheimer’s. My grandma has joined the ranks of over 5 million Americans who suffer from this disease. That number is up 10% in the last five years. My parents are taking care of her . . . for now. It is haunting to see someone you love being slowly robbed of their memories and ability to care for themselves. I remember when my Grandmother took care of me when I had chicken pox. She gave me my first pocket knife to make me feel better. It worked! It seemed a small matter that I had the pox; I had a pocket knife!

I wish I could give her a token of my love for her that would make everything okay. But I can’t. I pray that she can hear God as He whispers love to her through Easter flowers.

I find comfort in remembering my grandmother’s faith. Following Jesus since she was 12 . . . she has walked with God through many hard times. She knows about perseverance. Grandma’s winter is almost over. She will survive this winter, even if she dies! Soon, God will wipe every tear from her eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever. Soon, she will spring forth in full glory before God. How can we be so sure of the resurrection? Springtime whispers it in a million subtle voices. And God has shouted His Word once and for all in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He is risen! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Happy Easter!

Pastor Ken

Too much MONTH left at the END OF THE MONEY?

Most people don't realize how much of a problem managing money is for the average family. The statistics paint the picture. 37 % of marital problems derive from financial situations. 70 % of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, meaning they run out of money before the end of the month. It is a problem that affects everyone, inside and outside of the church. In fact George Barna says that the fastest growing churches are teaching about marriage, child rearing, finances, and careers. Money is a serious subject, and God is serious about money, which is why we should study closely what he has to tell us.

Did you know money is mentioned in the Bible over 800 times? God must be pretty serious about this subject to talk about it that much. The Bible says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s' children” (Prov. 13:22). But, nearly half of all Americans (46%) have less than $10,000 saved for their retirement and they can’t imagine leaving anything for their grandchildren! Proverbs 21:20 says, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” God wants us to save for a rainy day, to set something back for safekeeping. However, the average family would have to use a credit card to pay a $1,500 unexpected expense (ex: home or car repair). Proverbs 22:7 states that "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." The Bible discourages debt and encourages saving up to make our purchases. Holding a wrong view of money can be wreck your life in many ways, even spiritually! Matt. 6:24 puts it on the table, "You cannot serve both God and money".

I am very excited that our church is offering a course to clear up all the confusion! The best program available anywhere for learning how to get out of debt and build wealth is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. It is a 13 week program that will teach you how to save money (money that you probably don’t even know you are losing right now), buy real bargains, plan and control your spending, dump debt, understand investments, insurance, mortgages, retirement, college planning, collection agencies, credit bureaus, and much more. Curious? Come to one of our preview sessions. Also check out www.daveramsey.com for more info. The average family that goes through the 13 week course eliminates $5300 in debt and saves over $2700 in just 91 days! Sign up and buy your materials – It will be the smartest money you ever spent!"

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Ken

Let us be INDEPENDENT TOGETHER!

Desiring to get at what is behind the hot dogs and fireworks, I blew the dust off my history book and started drinking in our common heritage. I was surprised to learn how quickly the revolutionary spirit descended upon our forefathers.

There was a struggle for Pennsylvania’s Ohio River valley. George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity (English) on July 4, 1754. This French victory started the Seven Years’ War (which really lasted 9 years). This war is also known as the French & Indian War. For several years it seemed certain that France would win North America. But when William Pitt was put in charge and better strategies were put in place, the French were soundly defeated by the English and American troops. In 1762, the colonists celebrated the English victory in the streets with dancing and singing! In signing the Treaty of Paris, in February 1763, the French gave to England all land east of the Mississippi. Americans were proud to be British and they thought the end of the war would bring lower taxes, peace, and the pleasures of freedom. They felt as though Mother England loved them and had saved them from their enemies. Americans were eager to work with the British in governing the new land. Who could have believed a revolutionary war would come so soon?

Somehow the communications broke down. The British came to see the Americans as self important slackers who had not pulled their weight in battle, and were trying to get out of paying taxes. They thought the colonists had no concern for the welfare of the empire. Britain began fearing an American revolution before it ever entered the minds of Americans. In 1763, Americans had no national identity except that they considered themselves patriotic British citizens. Other than that, there was much division between and within the colonies. The British hope was that the colonists would be too splintered to muster a uniformed revolt.

The British did not value the colonists as equals, but as debtors. English troops stayed in America. Taxes went up. Americans did not get a voice in government. Britain disdained relationships with the colonists. The only value they saw in North America was monetary. As the hand of British rule grew heavier, Americans felt betrayed, insulted, disrespected, and abused. In this they found a common voice. Together they forged a nation where people should never again feel so dehumanized.

So now it is up to you and me. This Independence Day, let us remember that to free people, nothing is more valuable than respect. Will you pray with me that you and I and our candidates and our fellow citizens and our family members will have respect for one another even when we disagree? I pray that we will find ways to honor one another and love our neighbors. Americans want now what we have always wanted. That is to be free to do what is right and to be well thought of consequently.

May God Bless America!

Pastor Ken

Have you considered the Beauty of Baptism, and church membership? Baptism is an enacted parable rich with theological meaning. As the person is put under water and raised up, a three-fold message is declared:

You know as well as I do that sometimes life can be pretty tough. There are many wonderful and beautiful things to be thankful for, but there are also plenty of tears. When we follow Christ, we embark on a journey. We turn our lives toward God and we travel with God to that great time and place where God will indeed wipe away every tear from our eyes! Come and lets make this journey together!

"For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead." Colossians 2:12 (NLT)

Jesus often left people scratching their heads. He would say things like, “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” (John 12:25 NLT)

I remember our first family trip to Kings Island. Moriah and I decided we wanted to ride the Tomb Raider. We waited in the line. We moved along gradually and as we made our way inside the structure, the lighting grew dim . . . the atmosphere grew grim. Somewhere a secret door opened and shut. We thought we heard the horrified screams of a distant crowd but dismissed it with a chuckle. I tried to remember if my daughter had actually been as tall as the mark . . . or had I just said, “Oh come on, how bad can it be?” No, she was tall enough I remembered . . . but, had she been standing on her tip toes?

We were strapped into enough harness for 10 NASCAR drivers. And a minute later it hardly seemed to be enough! We were shaken like a rat in a terrier’s mouth. Turned upside down, right side up, upside down and spun around. Monsters from every direction were trying to kill us as we were slowly lowered upside down toward red hot lava that belched up anxiously at us. I was so restrained that I could not reach my daughter to comfort her with a fatherly touch. I could however see her beautiful long blonde hair pointing straight down reaching for the lava. And I could hear the panic in her tortured voice as she gave out an unending scream of horror. I became aware of my own shouts repeating to her at the top of my lungs, “It’s just a ride! It’s going to be okay! YOU ARE OKAY! Do you hear me?” Screams. I was angry that this thing was happening to my daughter. I was mad at myself for leading her into it. I was mad at the engineers for planning it. But at the same time, I knew the engineers had made the thing “safe.” The fear was actually unfounded. We had seen smiling people exit the ride. That is what I wanted to do.

Life is a thrill ride. Except that it is no illusion. Because of human sin . . . human suffering, injustice, poverty, ignorance, and death are all too real. But we take comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father is ultimately in control and that He is good. This present life is temporary. The life to come is eternal. He wants us to live with Him in a place that is threat free . . . a place that will fulfill all our healthy desires and needs beyond anything we can imagine in our present context.

So, when life has you bound in on every side and flips you upside down to lower you kicking and screaming into the lava . . . just stop screaming and think about the one who died and rose again and who has gone to prepare a place for us. Take a higher perspective and place your life in the hands of the Great Engineer. Some days are really bad . . . "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.” Romans 8:18-19 (NLT)

Moriah can’t wait to get back on the thing.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Ken

Our nation is still grieving the Virginia Tech massacre. I have gone through a range of emotions and I know you have too. The trauma of this tragedy is stacked on top of so many school shootings that we can’t even remember them all. Evil is attacking us where we used to feel safe.

Cho was a very sick person. Also, like other school shooters he was a loner; gathering a crowd around him only in death. Being disconnected from people is an unnatural and unhealthy condition. God created us as relational creatures. We need to be in healthy relationships.

If we can learn anything from this horror at Virginia Tech, maybe it is simply that we really need friends. In a sense, we are connected to the whole world through the internet, cell phones, email, TV, radio, etc. However, being connected to everybody feels much the same as being connected to nobody. We enjoy virtual realities at the expense of reality itself! We have so much information coming at us that we fail to make time for people. In so doing, we deny ourselves something basic to humanity. We are becoming a fragmented nation of fragmented people. Everybody is remote! It is a sign of the times that identity theft is a leading crime. This demonstrates how easily virtual identity is mistaken for true identity. It is telling that the Virginia Tech murderer was “known” as “the question mark kid.”

Healthy people have a positive understanding of their own identity. This can only be developed through healthy relationships with self, God, and others. There is no virtual substitute. People all across our country need to build one another up; we must be proactive about creating healthy community. I can’t launch a nation wide campaign and I think that would actually miss the point. The place to start is in my own back yard!

Tell you what . . . let’s invite our neighbors to a cookout! Let’s start putting front porches back on our houses! Let’s spend TIME with people. Let’s get close to the people we are close to. Let’s reach out to each other. Houses are not a community; people can be. While we are at it, why don’t we get to know God and enter a relationship with Him as well? We were created for this. One more thing, let’s take a moment to realize the genius of the Church. In the Church, people have communion with one another and with God. The power that brings this community to life is found in the life saving blood of Jesus Christ. His will is to seek and to save and to bring life.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Ken