My grace is sufficient.

Posted on November 7, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

Today my blood counts dropped as expected. With that drop my energy dropped as expected. I have just laid around today and slept. But God is good and I am reminded of the response that God gave to Paul when he asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness?”(2 Cor. 12:9)

It is in this weakness that you find God’s power. In is in this weakness that you discover more about the Creator of the universe. It is in this weakness that He ministers to you and lets us know that He is still there in the midst of the trial. So I am pressing on, day by day, with God’s help and energy. God bless you. Pastor Bob

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Waiting on your calling

Posted on November 6, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

We Americans hate to wait. We want fast food at home cooked in the microwaves and spend fortunes on fast food joints rather than taking the time to enjoy a meal. That’s the way it is in America. However, as much as we want to, we can’t rush God. Continuing with the story of David, we see in 1 Samuel 24, that David had the chance to take matters in his own hands and kill King Saul. Look what he says to Saul after he spares Saul’s life ,

“May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.  As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you. “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? May the LORD be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”

Dave was given multiple chances to take Saul’s life but he didn’t strike back. Wow. Notice in his statement that he left things in the Lord’s hands. That is hard to do when things don’t happen as fast as we want them to happen. We get impatient and try to force things to happen. But God has a calling on all of us for something. He designed us to be good at certain things and the struggles is getting to the place that we think we should be.

Look at David’s life. The prophet Samuel anointed him king. But David went back to taking care of sheep. What happens next is kind of funny in David’s life. King Saul needed someone to calm his nerves so through a series of events ended up with David playing his harp for him. All those cold nights under the stars playing his harp to calm the sheep paid off. He got a new job working for the king.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a full-time job and David went back to taking care of stinking sheep. Then the whole Goliath thing happen and David now has his picture on the front of People Magazine. There he is holding Goliath’s sword and his head. (yuk) David is on top of the world. He now leads his own troops, ends up marrying the king daughter, is winning battles for the king. Life is good.

Unfortunately, King Saul is jealous and you know the story David runs for his life. For years he runs for his life. It was a difficult time for him. “What about the anointing by Samuel? God said I would be king and I am living in a cave leading a bunch of misfits.” (my words-I have a vivid imagination) But David learned the many lessons that God had for him during the waiting. He learned obedience, courage, faithfulness, loyalty, etc. He learned not to hold to things and valued people more.

What is the lesson for us? Do what you know to do but learn in the waiting for God’s direction. Don’t try to force things. God bless you. Pastor Bob

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Now we wait.

Posted on November 6, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

Today I had my stem cell translate and things went well. I got 5 million brand new bouncing baby stem cells. It will take a couple of weeks for them to do their job. So we wait. I am told that my immune system will disappear in a few days and then the fun starts. God is in control. Thanks for your prayers. Pastor Bob

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Day two-The calm before the storm.

Posted on November 5, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

Yesterday was the Pic line and chemo and in general getting set up in the hospital. Today is kind of a rest day. Nothing major happens today. Tomorrow I get the stem cells and then I will begin to feel the effects of the chemo. They tell me that once my platelets and red blood cells go below a certain level, I get a blood transfusion. According to my PA, no one has made it through without a transfusion. So pray. It is in God’s hands. Love you all. Pastor Bob

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David leaves for the unknown

Posted on November 5, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

God is so good showing me Scriptures that help me. I know that He will do the same for you. In this part of the story of David, Saul is determined to destroy David. Saul’s son who is David’s best friend Jonathan bids farewell to David as he advises him to run for his life. (1 Sam. 20:41)

As they are saying their good byes, David weeps. He is leaving his wife, his family, his friends, his army, and everything that he knows. He is escaping to the enemy. No wonder his is weeping. But when you get to the place that there is no where else to turn, that is when and where God does His best work, because He gets the glory. That is where I am. I know that others have blazed the trail for me and I don’t want to make my journey anymore difficult than it is, but when it is new to you, it seems like trailblazing. God will see me through, even though there may be a little weeping along the way. Love you, Pastor Bob

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The Giant Killer

Posted on November 5, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

As I was doing my devotion yesterday, I didn’t realize how appropriate it was for me…and maybe you. My normal pattern of reading ended up on the story of David and Goliath (1Sam. 17)(God worked out the timing). I love the story of David and Goliath. It is the story of good versus evil, underdog versus favorite, small versus big (I like that part), etc.

But today the Lord gave me insights into the message for me today. David went up against Goliath and certainly was inexperienced in wearing battle gear. But listen to what he say in 1 Samuel 17:34–37 (NIV)
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

Wow, this wasn’t David’s first battle. He had fought the lion and the bear. The courage and faith that it took to fight those battles were the same ingredients that were required to fight the giant. The battles that I have fought before use the same ingredients that I need now to fight, faith in the true and living God and courage to follow Him with everything.  God will help you to do the same. God bless. Pastor Bob

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Today is D-Day

Posted on November 4, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

Today is the beginning of the stem cell transplant process. It started with me getting a PIC line in my arm. That is similar to a big IV line that stays in your arm. Next we went to my room in the hospital and spent several hours going over what it going to happen over the next three weeks. Finally I will get the high-dose chemo in a few hours. God has everything under control. Thanks for all your prayers. Bob

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Fear of the unknown

Posted on October 25, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

All of us are faced with situations that we can’t predict what the outcome will be. From a high school student attending a new school and worrying about making friends to person facing a difficult financial, marital, or health situation, all those situation are scary. So what do you do. Pray.

Prayer is more than just telling God what you need. Prayer is more than asking God to help someone or heal someone, it is a relationship. Paul helps us here with his words in Phil. 4:6 when he says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understand, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This is about relationship. Trusting God in the midst of difficulty.

Imagine the difficulty of the New Testament Christians as they face the lions in the Colosseum in Rome. How can anyone be prepared for such a terrible situation? The are however, numerous examples throughout history where believers have faced terrible situation of physical trials with supernatural grace from God.

Last week a friend of mine Joyce Silver died after a battle with cancer for 15 years. She was amazing. She was given 18 months to live and she just kept saying she wasn’t going until God said that she was to go. She encouraged me so much. She demonstrated this grace of God under trial. Wow. She is a modern-day hero of the faith that could be placed in Heb. 11.

When trials come, pray and trust God with your life. What what God does in you. See ya. Pastor Bob

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Joshua’s final words

Posted on October 18, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

I have one more sermon on Nov. 2 before I go into the hospital. So my blog page is going to be the way that I communicate with the world. So here’s one sermonette.

In Judges 2, Joshua is reminding the children of Israel about the temptation to compromise with the world. He reminds them of the Lord’s words to them to make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. No only that but He told them to tear down their altars. If they don’t, He reminds them that they will be a snare to them. There are two applications to this. The outward one where each of us need to be careful whether we are compromising with the world. Are you compromising with the world in your actions? Take a close look at yourself.

The second application involves looking inside. Any covenants you still have with the old life and altars from the old life that you are hanging on to are only going to be snares to you. Take a look. Jesus is coming soon. Pastor Bob

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Today was a good day.

Posted on October 11, 2014 by PastorBobLifeGate

In my last meeting with my doctor, he said that I could take steroids until I go into the hospital. That only means one day a week. Friday I took my five little pills and started feeling better by the afternoon. Today I felt great and was able to go up and down stairs without too much problem. A far cry from the way I have been feeling the last month. Praise God for giving man the ability to create drugs.

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