Pastor Roger's Blog

May 29, 2009

Hi Friends,

 

                This Sunday, May 31^st, we continue our series on Heroes as we look at Rahab as an example of obedient faith.  Rahab’s story is in Joshua 2.  Rahab had the faith to be obedient in the face of fear, personal risk and unanswered prayer.  May the Lord give us the strength of obedient faith.

 

                I know it is not football season yet but this Sunday we are also going to test how well our Deer Flat football fans know #12.  A real hero!

 

                Have a great weekend.

 

A friend,

Roger

May 22, 2009

Hi Friends,

                Are you one of the 40 million people that watched the finale of American Idol this week?  Did you smile or groan as the underdog clean-cut married college student and former missionary from Conway, AR Kris Allen upset the heavily favored spiky-haired glam rocker Adam Lambert to become the eighth American Idol?  Lambert has been described as “a performer who looked like he was born to strut across the stage in front of a cheering throng”.  Lambert clearly had a more commanding vocal range and stage presence and often seemed to be the favorite of the judges.  But in a clear contrast, Allen, the winner, was described as “an acoustic maestro at home with just a chair and a guitar”.  And America has a new hero.  Or do we?  Where do real heroes come from?  In classic literature, a hero came to refer to a person that in the face of danger or adversity displayed courage and self sacrifice.  In times of adversity we seem to need to find new heroes.  But sometimes real heroes are birthed out of disaster and hardship. 

                This Sunday, May 24^th, we begin a new series called “Heroes” as we look at Nehemiah and his persistent faith.  Nehemiah’s story has relevance to the stuff going on all around us today.  In what part of your life are you in need of more persistent faith?  God wants to give us a persistent faith to overcome whatever circumstances, fears or opposition we may experience.

A friend,

Roger

The Love Dare - Sex and Marriage

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May 15, 2009

Hi Friends,

                This Sunday, May 17^th, we conclude our Love Dare series with a message on “Sex and Marriage” as we look into Ephesians 5:25-33.  Within these verses we will find God’s secrets to living out the marriage of our dreams.  Actually, these are not secrets at all.  I invite you to join us on this treasure hunt for the biblical lessons that will help us fireproof not only our marriages but all of our most important relationships.  What would it be like to have the marriage of our dreams?  What would it be like to be loved by someone the way Jesus loves the Church?  Join us as we look into God’s Word for our answers.

                And this Sunday we begin our first Biker Ride and Lunch.  We will meet in the Deer Flat parking lot at 1:00pm.  We have a 45 minute ride planned with a restaurant picked out for lunch.  Before we leave the Deer Flat parking lot we will have a Blessing of the Bikes prayer time.

                Have a great weekend.  See you Sunday.

A friend,

Roger

The Love Dare - Words of Affirmation

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May 8, 2009

Hi Friends,

 

                Mother’s Day!  Men – are you ready?  Do it right!

 

                This Sunday, May 10^th, we continue our Love Dare series as we celebrate Mother’s Day.  The message is taken from Proverbs 18:20-21 on “Words of Affirmation”.  In the message we will look at six warning signs that we may be dying on the inside because of hurtful words spoken unkindly.  One of the childhood sayings many of us heard is “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”.  That’s just dead wrong.  Our words have the power of life and death.  I am praying that as we celebrate Mother’s Day we will consider anew the power of life giving words of affirmation. 

 

                Take the “Love Dare”.  Look for opportunities to share life giving words of affirmation.  Especially to our families and those we love the most.  Especially to those who are hurting and wounded.  One day those life giving words of affirmation will come back to us – just when we need them the most.

 

A friend,

Roger

The Love Dare - Sex and Single

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May 1, 2009

Hi Friends,

 

                This Sunday, May 3^rd, we continue our Love Dare series as we consider “Sex and Single”.  This series is focused on how to fireproof our marriages and the relationships most important to us.  I recently read that 40% of the adults attending church today are single – never married, or divorced, or widowed.  To discuss the Love Dare and how to fireproof relationships without including this significant part of our Deer Flat family would be disrespectful and denying the reality of the world we live in.  We will look at God’s Word and ask how it applies to sexuality in the lives of those us who are single.

 

                One of my desires for this message is for our Deer Flat family to have an increasing awareness of what it is like to be single, divorced or widowed in a world designed for couples and saturated with sexual images.  So much of our society is designed with couples in mind.  It isn’t always deliberate.  Often it is an unconscious thing.  It happens in many ways and in many places.  Consider seating in a restaurant.  Chairs at most tables are placed in even numbers, and most often with either two or four chairs.  If you enter as a single, you can be left with an awkwardness as you try to sort out where you even fit at the table after seating is left for all of the couples.  This Sunday we are considering sex and the single, divorced and widowed. 

 

                Let’s be real.  None of us live at Disneyland.  Let’s continue to make it safe to be honest and real as we discover what it is like to be more like Jesus – even with our sexuality.

 

A friend,

Roger