Pastor Roger's Blog

November 6, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
I have to admit - it was a sweet moment.  Ellen and I reached the top of the bluff and stood within thirty yards of a band of wild horses.  Ellen quickly began to take pictures with our camera.  Within seconds they galloped over the hill and out of sight.  It was a thrill.  Getting that close and watching them run was stirring.  They were wild and free.  There was a time when I thought that was the way I wanted to live life – wild and free.  But over the years I learned that the world has little use for a wild and unbroken soul.  I learned that it is hard for those with a wild and unbroken soul to give and receive love.  I watched friends who prided themselves in having a wild and unbroken soul.  They often finished life all alone and were quickly forgotten.  Wild and free wasn’t as romantic as I thought it would be.  It left me empty and alone.  I wanted more.  I wanted to discover who I could be in Jesus.  I wanted to be all that I could be in Jesus.

This Sunday, November 8th, we conclude our series on brokenness.  We will consider God's invitation and the responses we can offer.  I am ready to set aside wild and free that I might discover what it means to truly be more like Jesus.  I hope you can join us.
 
A friend,
Roger

October 30, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
Milk and cookies.  Story time.  Highlights of kindergarten.  Good memories, but at this point in my life I need more to live for than story time with a milk and cookies snack.  We live pursuing the adventure of living like Jesus.  We feast on the solid food of God's Word.  This Sunday, November 1st, we continue our series on brokenness as we look at Hebrews 5:11-14.  We will be studying the Word of God to discover the life changing results of brokenness.  Our study will include five ways that pride pollutes life as we consider the story of the man with the shriveled and withered hand.  We will identify three positive results of brokenness that can change life for anyone.  This week's message will also include an interview with a very courageous young woman.
 
Go ahead and enjoy some milk and cookies.  But remember, it's only the snack.  Each of us needs to be feasting on solid food, the meat of God's Word.  Bon appétit!
 
A friend,
Roger

October 23, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
Sometimes I think that Jesus just loves to play with my mind.  He offers these absurd and seemingly impossible contradictions.  Like the one in Matthew 11:28-30.  Jesus says, "Hey, are you tired?  Come to Me.  I will give you rest."  But when I get to Jesus I find that He is asking me to step into a yoke designed for pulling heavy loads.  I was expecting a hammock or even a lazy-boy recliner.  Now it seems that I am trading one burden for another. 

I hope you can join us this Sunday, October 25, as we unpack how we can become more like Jesus by choosing brokenness.
 
A friend,
Roger

October 16, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
I guess this is what they call Indian summer.  All I know is that I got the Harley back out to enjoy a few more days of warm sunny riding before I have to cover it up for the winter.
 
This Sunday, October 18th, we continue our series on brokenness by studying Matthew 18:1-5.  The world keeps telling us to "grow up" while Jesus invites us to be like a little child.  As a matter of fact Jesus said that unless we humble ourselves like a little child we won't even enter the Kingdom of heaven.  I have also been studying the warning signs that come when we are broken in the wrong places.  I can mask or even self-medicate my woundedness but sooner or later I begin acting out the unresolved hurt.  That's usually not one of my finer moments. 
 
I invite you to join us as we continue our discovery of how brokenness brings healing.
 
A friend,
Roger

October 9, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
I'm not sure I know what to do with these verses.  They're in Psalm 51:16-17.  God delights in a broken and contrite spirit?!  Why does God want us to have a broken spirit?  And does that mean that being a Christian isn't about having only good things happen in our lives?  And why does Jesus say that the path to our potential must pass through brokenness?  So exactly what is this brokenness that God desires?
 
This Sunday, October 11th, we begin a series called "Broken in the Right Places".  We will be studying God's Word as we discover how God can bring healing, strength and wholeness when the world leaves us broken and crushed. 
 
A friend,
Roger 

October 2, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
This Sunday, October 4th, we conclude our series on "Is It Real?" as we look at prayer.  We will introduce Joseph Scriven, identify the very first name given to God's people, ask what it means to cry out to God, and for our finale - watch Roger play basketball and never miss a shot.
 
By the way, 132 men from Deer Flat have purchased tickets for the Men at the Cross event.  The purpose of this event is to "love a man to Jesus until he is ready to love another man to Jesus".  Imagine what God can do in the hearts of our homes with 132 men on fire for Jesus.
 
Have an awesome weekend.
 
A friend,
Roger

September 25, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
This Sunday, September 27th, we continue our series on "Is It Real?" as we look at serving one another and our neighbor.  It still amazes me.  Jesus said love God - totally and completely.  But He didn't stop there.  Jesus went on to say that we are to love our neighbor as a primary expression of our love for God.  The implications here are astounding.  I cannot love God unless I am willing to love my neighbor.  And it is in loving my neighbor that I demonstrate my love for God.  And I am left looking in the mirror asking the Spirit of God to speak into my heart and life and show me what it really means to love and serve my neighbor.  Is it real in my life?  I'm not sure.  I hope so.  I want it to be.  I am working at it, with the help of friends.  Let's figure this out together as we learn what it means to be real - to be like Jesus.
 
A friend,
Roger

September 18, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
Why is it so hard to find places and friends that make us feel safe?  Why is it so hard to find places and friends that we can trust?  But once we have found these safe and trusting places and friends, we begin to realize how valuable they are.  It is an extraordinary feeling to know that we can be real - in our families, our closest friendships, and even at church.  This Sunday, September 20th, we will again ask the question "Is It Real" as we focus on community?"  I hope you can join us as we study the Word of God looking for the demonstrations of love that create safe and trusting places where we are free to be real with one another.  As a part of our worship experience we will also offer the bread and cup of communion from The Lord's Table. 
 
A friend,
Roger

September 11, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
Today is 9/11.  Our flag is at half-staff.  I e-mailed a soldier friend this morning serving in Baghdad to say thank you.  A free nation - under God.  Liberty is precious.  We remember.
 
This Sunday, September 13th, is our Friend's Day and Tailgate Party.  I trust you have been praying with me asking God to identify the friends that you will invite to join us as we launch the fall season at Deer Flat.  We begin a new series called "Is It Real?" 
 
Is it okay to be real in church?  It better be, because that is where we are headed.  How else can we really be like Jesus and help others be like Jesus.  I'm in.  Are you in?
 
A friend,
Roger

P.S. Guess who's back?!

September 4, 2009

Hi Friends,
 
Labor Day - ready or not, here it is!  This Sunday morning our Worship Pastor, Samuel Thomas, will be bringing the message.  I am eager to hear from Pastor Samuel's heart as he opens the Word of God for us.  May the Lord gives us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit of God has for us this weekend.
 
A friend,
Roger