It’s been a while since I posted anything on this blog/website. I feel like Tom Cruise in Top Gun Maverick when he is sitting in the F-14 Tomcat and says, “It’s been a minute.” I’m not sure why I stopped posting six years ago, but I did. Since then, I have retired from pastoring, moved to South Carolina, served as a transition pastor for nine months, and written three books. Oh yeah, and sold and bought another airplane.
Friendship
It was great being with the guys at our men’s breakfast today. It was interesting listening to them explain what God is doing in their lives. As a pastor, I am so proud to see growth in the people of my church. I listened as guys explained about their compassion for others or the way God has helped them through a trial. Thanks the Lord for His continual help in our lives. See you soon. PB
41 years of marriage
Today, I am enjoying a special time with my wife of 41 years. We ventured to DC to hang out together. I am truly blessed to have shared this time with my wife. She has encouraged me all these years. She has stood with me as I drug here around the country and took her to strange places (The east coast). She has followed me as I changed careers several times and followed me when she didn’t want to go.
My girls are serving the Lord largely because they had a mother that made them mind and taught them to live for God, even in a wicked world. Both of my daughters are still living for God and for that I am thankful.
Dana, encourages me today as I pastor and as I battle cancer. She holds me up and sometimes tells me off if I get too negative. Thanks, Dana for the first 41 years. I look forward to our lives together. I love you. Happy Anniversary. Bob
Dear Fellow Christian
Dear Fellow Christian,
I am writing this letter because I feel that there is a deception that has developed among Christians. Often I hear Christians say, “I don’t believe that I have to go to church to be a Christian.” Sometimes people will say, “I can get better sermons on TV.” Maybe so, but there is still a biblical reason why each of us needs to be engaged in the local church. Let me explain why.
The body of Christ, the building of Christ, the bride of Christ
First, the Bible refers to Christians as the body of Christ, the building of Christ, and the bride of Christ. These examples, demonstrate the togetherness of believers. The Apostle Paul writes,
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph. 4:11-13
The body of Christ meets together in an organized fashion, whether a regular Sunday service, small groups, Bible studies, etc., to build us up so that we come together in unity. We need to come together to grow up in the Lord. Our enemy, the devil, has a strategy that includes separating people from the body of Christ. If he can’t keep you from become a Christian, then he will do all that he can to make your life as ineffective as possible for Christ. It starts by cutting you out of the herd, much like a lion cuts a deer out of the herd, so that they can wear it down and kill it.
The devil knows that you draw strength from other believers. Every time I come to church, I draw strength from the other believers. They pray for me and encourage me. I’m glad to see them. If you fail to attend church regularly, then you miss out on the strength that you can draw from other believers.
Oh, I know, the church is full of hypocrites. We are a spiritual hospital. We all have issues and are all imperfect. What you have to realize is that you want grace for yourself and therefore, need to give grace to others. We are all trying to grow in the Lord.
You have a ministry
Second, you also miss out on the ministry that God has ordained for you if you are not involved in the local body of believers. The purpose of the leadership of the church is “to equip his people for works of service.” Regardless of your age, there is a place for you in the body of Christ. If you don’t do what you should be doing, guess what? It doesn’t get done.
We rub each other the wrong way.
Third, we rub each other the wrong way. The Epistles in the New Testament are largely written to deal with problems in the church. We only have half the conversation and have to figure out what was going on requiring the letter to be written. Today is no different. There are constantly problems in the church. That is how we grow in the church. We deal with each other. We are like sand paper on each other sanding away our rough areas. That is why the fruit of the Spirit is so important.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23
Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness.
Fourth, Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matt. 6:33
Often I see that people have let “other things” push the Lord out of the way. It is easy to do. We live in a world that does not value Christianity and in fact stands against much of what we believe. I encourage you to make sure that you keep God first in your life, including fellowshipping with other believers.
I could say much more, but I encourage you to evaluate where you are in the Lord and re-commit to living all out for God.
Pastor Bob
7 Reason to Love Trouble
Sometimes people misunderstand trouble in their lives. Sometimes trouble is interpreted as meaning that you have done something wrong in your life. It is true that many times we bring trouble on ourselves by the way we act or what we do in our lives. However, sometimes trouble happens and we have done nothing to “deserve” it. How do you handle that situation?
I am reminded of the story of a caterpillar. A little child saw the caterpillar struggling to get out of the cocoon. In an effort to help the caterpillar, the child helped make the hole bigger in the cocoon for the caterpillar so it didn’t have to struggle so much. Unfortunately, because it was so easy for the caterpillar to get out of the cocoon, it’s wings never developed the strength they needed to fly. The caterpillar never became the beautiful flying butterfly because the struggle was reduced in its life.
Struggle has a purpose in a caterpillar’s life and in our lives as well.
1. Trouble gives believers a chance to work on their attitude.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, James 1:2
For now, however, each of us need to learn to settle it in our minds that we are going to have a good attitude of joy when trouble comes. Having an attitude of joy will help in the outcome of the trouble you are going through. I am not saying this as a guy that always has joy when difficulty comes. I don’t. By examining this passage of Scripture, however, I am comparing my life against it to see where I need work.
The attitude that we have will determine to a great extent how the trouble ends up.
2. Trouble gives believers a chance to test their faith.
James is not the only one that deals with trials as a Christian. The Apostle Peter writes,
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Pet. 1:6-7
The Testing of your faith.
The purpose of the trial is the testing of your faith. Think of it like a football game. Suppose you are on a high school football team. It is late August and you have been practicing for a month before the first game. You quarterback is pretty good. You receivers are pretty good. You have a running back that plows through the defense like they are butter. Man is he good. Every position seems to be ready for the first game. You can’t wait.
Game day arrives and everyone is excited. You are ready. No one is injured. Everyone is healthy. The coaches are ready. The players are ready. But from the first play you realize that you over estimated your readiness. The opposing team has a pair of linebackers that take turns traumatizing your quarterback, resulting in sacks, interceptions and incomplete passes. The running back that sliced butter before finds a wall that limits him to negative yards. Your defense can’t stop the opposing team who seems to be able to score at will. You 35 to 7 loss wakes you up to the reality of the skill level of your team.
Before the game, you thought you were the best thing since sliced bread. The game or trial taught you what you’re really like. You needed a lot of work. So what do you do? You go to work and start working on those areas that need improvement. The same thing happens in Christianity. When trouble or a trial or temptation comes, that is your playing time on the field. When everything is going well, you are in practice. The game hasn’t started. When stuff goes wrong, that is the game and that is when you find out how you are really doing.
The same is true of our Christian lives. You don’t know how strong your faith is until you get stress tested. Your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is important.
3. Trouble gives believers a chance to grow their faith.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-5
Without the testing of your faith, you will never build the perseverance that you need to live for God. Your growth will be stunted. You will remain a baby Christian. Perseverance is needed for maturity.
4. Trouble gives believers the ability to help others.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Cor. 1:3-11
As you go through trouble, you have a different perspective on things. You understand the difficulties and the pain of the particular trial. Because of that you are able to help others through their pain. You may not have a special answer for them, but you are able to comfort them through the pain of the trial.
5. Trouble gives believers a chance to depend of God.
“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor. 12:7-10
When a trial or temptation comes, we need to depend on the Lord. We do what we can, but we need help from the Lord.
6. Trouble gives believers a chance to ask God for wisdom.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5
This passage of Scripture is very important for us to understand. We are talking about trouble in your life. How do you handle trouble? God wants to help us with trouble or challenges in our lives. He wants to help you make the right decisions. We all have to make decisions. Sometimes you have time to decide while other issues require more immediate decisions. At some point, decisions have to be made. You don’t want to be second guessing yourself. You want to feel confident that you chose the right college, took the right job, bought the right house, or married the right person. We need God’s help in all our decisions.
This passage tells us a couple of key points about God’s involvement in your life.
- If you need help (wisdom) making a decision, you should ask God for help.
- God wants to give you wisdom.
- He isn’t going to condemn you for asking for help.
- He will give you wisdom.
You have a choice and a chance to ask for God’s help. It is up to you.
7. Trouble gives believers a chance to deal with doubt in their lives.
When a trial or temptation comes, we need to depend on the Lord. We do what we can, but we need help from the Lord.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:6-8
The problem with doubt.
- Doubt makes you unstable.
- Doubt keeps you from receiving from the Lord.
- Doubt occurs because:
- You question God’s ability to deliver.
- You question God’s will in the situation.
- You question God’s obligation to answer your prayer (Confidence towards God)
- Heb. 4: 14-16- Approaching God with confidence.
- 1 John 3:20-22- Confidence towards God.
How do you overcome doubt in your life?
You build your relationship with the Lord and learn what His Word says about a particular situation if there is something written about it.
- Trouble gives believers a chance to work on their attitude.
- Trouble gives believers a chance to test their faith.
- Trouble gives believers a chance to grow their faith.
- Trouble gives believers the ability to help others.
- Trouble gives believers a chance to depend of God.
- Trouble gives believers a chance to ask God for wisdom.
- Trouble gives believers a chance to deal with doubt in their lives.
Things to Remember:
- Trials and temptations will come.
- Your attitude matters. “Consider it pure joy”
- The Testing of your faith produces character change.
- Testing builds perseverance.
- God wants to give you wisdom.
- God wants us to believe and not doubt.
Creation
What a beautiful time of year when the flowers are blooming and trees are budding. Our planet is so amazing and it shows that an intelligent being created our world. The Apostle Paul says that creation tells us that there is a God. It doesn’t tell us that Jesus is the Christ, but to the person honest with themselves, the evidence it indisputable that God has to exist. The idea that chance brought about our world is not reasonable.
To come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Christ, you can get amazing input from Scripture. Even if you don’t believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the prophecies about Jesus in the Bible are amazing and undeniable. They take the chance out of Jesus being the Christ. No person could fulfill all the prophecies unless He was truly the Christ.
Keep that in mind as you go through the struggles of the day. Pastor Bob
Here I am.
I love the story of Moses found in Exodus 3:1. Moses lived on the back side of the desert for 40 years as a shepherd. No ambition or big plans any more, just take care of sheep…until God called him.
When God called Moses, he answered, “Here I am.” What a powerful statement. He didn’t run, which is what I would have done. Put yourself in his shoes. The bush was burning without burning up and now it talked. In fact it knows his name. Nothing good coming out of that experience. “I’m outta here”…at least that is what I would have done.
But Moses stayed and said, “Here I am.” That is the best you can do when God calls you is say, “Here I am.” There are no facades. God knows the good, the bad, and the ugly. You come to Him as you are. If you want to hear more go to http://fgfnj.org/index.php/extensions/listen-to-sermons and listen to “Here I am.” God Bless. Pastor Bob
Depth of Desire: How bad do you want it?
My life has been full of different passions. My first passion was baseball. We didn’t have organized leagues at first, we played in sandlots.I lived, slept, drank, and ate baseball. There was no T-ball back then. You had to learn to hit the ball and then the gloves were smaller so catching was more difficult. With thick-lenses glasses bouncing on my face I chased down fly balls in the outfield or anywhere else I could play. I played every position.
That lasted for 7 years until playing trumpet came along. I played up to 6 hours a day, every chance I got and even got a college degree in it. In the midst of the trumpet passion, God got ahold of my life and directed me into the ministry where I began my passion for Him.
Balancing passions has always been a challenge. We may have a passion for God, a passion for our family and maybe something else. Sometimes it seems that one passion pushes another passion out of the way. That may or may not be good.
Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God”(Matt. 6:33) and all that other stuff will be okay. My passion today is still living for God. But what do you do when it seems that God is so far but your desire is so strong for God? It seems that He is playing “Hide and seek” with you. In a sense He is. This is God’s way of drawing you deeper into Him. “How bad do you want it?” Often we think that we can draw closer to God by reading a chapter in the Bible everyday and praying ten minutes.
A ten minute devotional everyday is a good start and as a new Christian years ago, God blessed my new found relationship with Him. There comes a time when He prompts you to go deeper. No more quick answers because He wants to commune with you. “How bad do you want it?” We should understand this principle of passion. When you first start playing a sport, improvement comes rapidly, but there comes a time when it takes more practice to improve. It is the same way in building a relationship with God. It takes time and commitment. Ten minutes a day only works for so long.
Ruth Hayley Barton has written a number of books describing ways to go deeper in God. In “Sacred Rhythms” she writes about the disciple of “Solitude” saying, “The longing for solitude is the longing for God. It is the longing to experience union with God unmediated by the way we typically try to relate to God.By ‘unmediated’ I mean a direct experience of God with nothing in between…”Intimacy with God. That is my goal for this year. The “Depth of my desire”is deep. “How bad do you want it?” Pastor Bob
Six Minutes of Listening
During my devotional time, I spend time listening to the Lord without speaking. I keep a pen and paper close by so that I can write down things that I feel the Lord say to me. This morning here is what I got in just six minutes:
- Rest:
- Trust God, He is big enough to handle your problems.
- Transfer problems to God.
- Look:
- At creation to see the works of God.
- At opportunities to share your faith.
- At God working in your life.
- Attitude:
- Keep an attitude of thankfulness.
- Keep an attitude of joy.
- Think: About God moment by moment.
- Listen: As the Holy Spirit speaks to you.
- Anticipate: The Holy Spirit speaking to you.
- Love: Take the time to love those close to you.
- Engage God: Try to live every moment with God at the center.
Hope this helps. Give God the opportunity to speak to you. Learn to listen. Pastor Bob
Happily Married
Hi guys,
I just went on a date with my wife. We saw “The Martian.” Great movie with my beautiful wife of almost 40 years. My little country girl always amazes me with the stuff she does. Even with two new knees she still does so much around the house. You can’t stop this girl. I let her know that I have good judgment because I picked her. Pastor Bob
Pastor Bob 