A Christmas Gift Never Given

I  have found myself thinking much about my late Mother in these December days.  Some of that I am certain is because my mind always thinks of family members who are deceased this time of year and the fact that her birthday is December 12.   20 years ago this month, my Mother had surgery at Duke Hospital that was the beginning of the course of events that led to her death about 9 months later.   When Christmas came around in 2000,  Mom was literally in the hospital at Alamance Regional Medical Center.   I rose early that Christmas morning and made my way to Burlington to visit her before returning home to spend Christmas Day with family.   With Mom being in the hospital that year,  we made the decision in our family to not exchange gifts until Mom was home.   I had bought a nightgown for Mom for that Christmas since she was spending most of her time in gowns those days.   I even wrapped it myself though my wrapping certainly did not measure up to the superb wrapping job that Ann and the girl always did.  When we made the decision to not exchange gifts till Mom  was home from the hospital,  I placed her gift on a shelf in one of our closets.   As the days and months passed and Mom transitioned to the hospital to a nursing home and to a rehab center, that gift stayed on that closet shelf.  Unfortunately, it was a gift that was never given and never received.

In some ways, Christmas 2020 is like that Christmas 20 years ago.   20 years ago, it was a different kind of Christmas for my family.  Christmas 2020 has been different for many families in all sorts of ways:   no Christmas parades… no children sitting on Santa’s knee… families staying away from each other  for health and safety reason instead of getting together… families struggling to pay the rent, mortgage, or pay the bills.    In these December days, Christians remember and ponder the wonder of the precious  gift that God gave to the world:   Emmanuel, God with us in the flesh in the form of the Christ child.   This is a precious gift given to one and given to all.   Yet,  a gift is not really a gift unless the gift is both given and received.    God has made the gift of  himself in Christ Jesus.  It is a gift that was wrapped not in ribbons and pretty paper, but in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.    I invite you to receive anew or for the first time the gift of Christ.  It is a gift that is sorely needed by all of us and by all the world.   Have a joy-filled week !-  Pastor Randy Wall

 PRAYER

            O God,  you are as close to us as our heartbeat and breath.   We thank you for the gift to pray and to be prayed for.   We pray for the people we know and do not know.  Remind us daily that we need you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.    

What To Give??

            I don’t know about you, but Christmas is coming fast.  It is almost here!    There are still many people to see and things to do.  I find myself thinking about giving in these pre-Christmas days.    I enjoy buying Christmas gifts for friends and family.  While my wife, Ann, always seems to “second guess” herself on the choice of gifts for others, I usually settle on a gift in my price range fairly quickly.    

            In Matthew 2, we hear the story of the visit of the wise men to the Christ child.  With help from a bright star in the heavens and the instruction of members of King Herod’s court, they arrive to offer the Christ child their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   Those wise men were wise not only because they searched and sought out the Christ child, but they also knew exactly what to give Him. I find myself pondering what I will give God in these days.  What do I need to give up to make room for Christ to be  more fully present in my life?   What do I need to yield to Him?     I invite you to join me in asking those questions of yourself.  The answer, I believe, can be found in what money cannot buy.   Have a joy-filled Christmas  week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER

            O God,  thank you for the gift of Christ Jesus, God with us.  Through the power of your Spirit, grant that I may receive Him anew in these days and allow Him  to rule my heart;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Waiting For A Baby

 

In this month of December and this season of Advent, Ann and I  find ourselves in a place where we have been before:  waiting for a baby.   Decades ago, I found myself waiting for the birth of a child.   This season like many other times, my wife Ann and I find ourselves waiting for the birth of a new grandchild in a few months.  Ann and I are mightily blessed with having 7 precious grandchildren as old as 14 years old and as young as a few months old.  They are all precious and a joy, and this season we wait for our 8^th grandchild. 

I find myself wondering  things serious and things inconsequential about this child:

·         What will he or she look like?

·         What kind of world are Ann and I leaving  for all our grandchildren?

·         Will this child be a Duke fan like me or will the child be a Carolina fan like their Mom?

·         What hopes and aspirations will  this precious child have as they grow to adulthood?

In these Advent days of December, I find myself reading again and again the stories about the birth of  Jesus.   In Luke 2, we read:

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”  ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”  ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[b] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”  ³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her

There are times I feel troubled like Mary as we wait for this coming grandchild,  and there are times I feel blessed and highly favored also like Mary.    But time after time, I come back to the fact of not only do we have so much to give this coming  grandchild but that this coming  grandchild has so  much to give us just as did the Christ child who came as our Saviour long ago and still comes!  Have a joy-filled week.- Pastor Randy Wall

 

PRAYER

Mighty and merciful God, we thank you for the gift of life.  We thank you for the gift of children.  Especially in this season, we joyously yearn for the Christ that has come and is coming.  Come, Lord, Jesus, and save us from our sins;  through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christmas Really Shows

“Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go; Take a look in the five and then, glistening once again with candy canes and silver lanes aglow.”    When I hear the words of that song, I always think of my mother because that was one of her favorite Christmas songs.  With the Chrismon tree we see in our church sanctuary… the Christmas tree in our homes… and the lights reflecting from homes and along streets, it is looking like Christmas.   There is a message in the sights of Christmas, and that message is Christmas shows.    As a pregnant Mary made her way to Bethlehem, Christmas was showing through the child held in her womb.   

The gospel of John, like the gospel of Mark, does not give us any details about the birth of Jesus.  The closest that John comes to telling us about the birth of Jesus is in John 1:14 when he tells us,   “14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,^[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”     In his own way, John was saying that Christmas shows in the fact that God came to us in the flesh. My hope and prayer for all of us that follow Jesus is that we will let Christmas show not just through the decorations we have in our homes on in the clothes we wear, but that we will let Christmas show by letting his love be seen in and through us.   Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

 

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PRAYER

Holy Lord,  thank you for the gift of Christ Jesus, the Word made flesh.  Help me to let Christ so fully live in my heart that he might be seen in all that I say and do;   through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

If You Are Happy, Notify Your Face

 

          It was one of those “okay” kind of days.  You know those kind of days, don’t you?  You have had those days that are somewhere between very great and very bad.  As I made my way down the hall in the nursing home, I saw her coming down the hall offering me a smile as wide as the state of Texas.  I do not know her name or address.  Though I do not know whether she was a Christian or not, there was something about that smile that touched and blessed me.  As I went on my way, my steps were a little brisker and I held my head a little higher.  An “okay” sort of day became a great day thanks to a lady whose name I do not know.

          I recall a song that I heard at a youth rally more than 30 years ago whose words say, “If you’re happy, notify your face.  Wipe off that frown, and put a smile back in its place.  Lets share Jesus with the whole human race.  If you’re happy, notify your face.”     There are times in the lives of all of us when we do not feel joy in our heart, but if we really think about it most of us have an abundance of days when we are blessed by God in great and wondrous ways.  Perhaps the greatest gift and witness for Christ you can give this day is the gift of a smile to a person you don’t even know.  You will be glad that you did, and so will they even if they do not know your name.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

 PRAYER

          O God,  thank you for the blessings of this day and this life.     As I have been blessed,  help me to be a blessing to others even through a smile;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

No Walls In Heaven

 

We are surrounded by fences in the neighborhood where we live.    The neighbors across the street have a fence in their back yard.   When new neighbors moved in next door, they soon installed a fence in their back yard.  A couple of months ago, our neighbors on the other side of our house also installed a fence along with “No trespassing” signs on the fence.    Perhaps you have heard the saying “Good fences make good neighbors”.      Perhaps our neighbors see their fences as a  good way for us to become good neighbors.       I see merit in fences when you have a young child or when you have a dog.  Fences can be a good safety tool for young children, pets, and for neighbors.

Walls are similar to fences.   Like fences, walls keep people or creatures in and keep others out.   As I write this, they continue to build a wall along our U.S. border with Mexico in hopes of keeping persons from illegally entering into the United States.   About 10 years ago, Ann and I travelled to the U.S. border in Arizona and saw the wall there with Mexico on the other side.    Some of you reading this are old enough to remember that November day in 1989 when the Berlin Wall (that separated the city into East Berlin and West Berlin) was torn down.        Back in my seminary days, one of my seminary friends told me one day:    “Randy Wall,  I have some bad news for you.  I saw it on a church sign.   The sign said ‘No Walls in Heaven.’”        No walls in heaven is a troublesome thought when your last name is Wall like myself.  

We read something similar in the book of Ephesians.   In Ephesians 2: 13-15 we read: 

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,

While neighbors build their walls or fences to keep people out or to keep children or pets in and while a wall  is built along our U.S. border,   Christ Jesus comes to do something different:  to tear down walls or fences between people and between persons and God.   Christ Jesus wants there to not only be no walls in heaven, but nowhere else!     Have a joy-filled week. Happy Thanksgiving to each of you.--   Pastor Randy Wall    

 

PRAYER

            Mighty and merciful God, your mercies are new everyday.   We thank you for your grace-filled love that breaks down the walls that humans build between one another for our sinfulness that creates a wall with you.   Forgive us, and bring us closer to you.  Amen.   

"Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone"

 

Joni Mitchell is a singer and songwriter from another era.  Born in Canada, she came on the music scene in the late 60’s and early 70’s here in the United States with a number of songs.  She left her fingerprint on the music scene with some great music.    I have been thinking about a line in one of her songs recently that goes something like this:   “Don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what we have got until it is gone.” 

One of the things that all of us have faced in 2020 is the loss or limitation of freedoms and privileges that  we known as human beings and as citizens of the United States of America because of this pandemic.   Here are a few freedoms and joys that immediately come to my mind that have been impacted by COVID 19:    church involvement… spending time with friends and family… going out to dinner with family.   In 2020, all those freedoms and joys have been either eliminated for a period of time or severely limited.  “Don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what we have got until it is gone.” 

In Luke 17, we hear the story of an encounter that Jesus had with a colony of lepers.  Leprosy was a skin disease in Jesus’ day that greatly impacted people’s lives.  If a person was diagnosed with leprosy, they were quarantined away from family, friends, and their entire community.   They were considered spiritually unclean and could not worship with their family of faith.   Luke 17 tells us that Jesus healed 10 persons from leprosy, but only one of the 10 persons took the time to offer their thanks to Jesus for the healing.    

“Don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what we have got until it is gone.” I suspect that all of us are guilty of taking for granted the blessing of people and freedoms we know in our lives.    A pandemic called COVID 19 has certainly reminded me that I have.   I encourage you to join me in following the example of that Samaritan man in Luke 17 and give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those precious gifts in your life in this season.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

  

PRAYER

            Thank you, God.   Thanks seem too small a word to declare our gratitude for the gifts that are ours in this life.  Forgive us for the many, many times we have taken you and your blessings for granted.   Help the thanksgiving we offer with our lips be revealed in our actions;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

An Attitude of Gratitude

 

One of the things you may or may not know about me is that my father was an alcoholic.  I say that not to seek your pity or your sympathy, but to help you understand who I am.    My Dad was a good man and had many wonderful attributes, but he  also faced an addiction to alcohol that left scars on his life and the life of his family.    For many years, I shunned or avoided facing how his alcoholism affected my life but began to come to terms with it about 30 years ago.   For several years, I attended regularly a support group for adult children of alcoholics.    The group meant a lot to me in those years, and I grew a lot through my attendance.  One day, one of the other group members talked about making a gratitude list.    I discovered that a gratitude list was simply a list of those things that you are grateful for in your life.   Though I have not attended an adult children of alcoholic group in decades, I still remember the gratitude list and find meaning in doing that.       I find myself feeling led to do the same this time of year  as Thanksgiving Day approaches and we get closer to the end of the year.     

 

Perhaps there are some in anger or sadness wondering  what there is to be thankful and grateful for in 2020.   Many have faced the loss of jobs or income… sickness… school stoppage.   I thought about that when I read the book of Philippians recently.    Paul certainly faced his challenges.   While many see him as the great missionary and an apostle, that does not mean that life was easy.    He writes the Book of Philippians while he is in prison for his faith in Christ Jesus.   We also know that he was facing a “thorn in the flesh” though no one knows exactly what that was.   Despite all of that, read  these words that we find in Philippians 4:  4-7: 

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In those words, we find the words of Paul ooze with words like “rejoice”, “thanksgiving”, and “peace” despite the imprisonment and “thorn in the flesh” that he faces.    Paul sees gratitude despite it all.    Despite the challenges of 2020 for all of us, my heart feels gratitude.  Here are a few things on my gratitude list in these days:

·         I am grateful for my family (my wife, children, grandchildren, and others) as I remember those who have lost loved ones this year to COVID-19 and other illnesses

·         I am thankful for the priviledge to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and share the love of Christ Jesus as I remember those who have lost jobs or do a job they do not love

·         I am thankful for my health knowing so many who face health challenges

·         I am grateful that the social distancing and staying at home has allowed me to spend more time in God’s word and prayer this year

These are some things on my gratitude list in November, 2020.   I encourage you to write your own.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

  

PRAYER

            Lord God,  you are the giver of all good things.   You are the one from whom all blessings flow.     Thank you for all the blessings in my life.   Give me a heart to see all the goodness that is so freely given;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

A Different Lost Colony

 

North Carolina is a beautiful state, and one of its beautiful places are the Outer Banks.  When Ann and I travelled there some time ago, one of the things we did was watch the outdoor drama, “The Lost Colony”.   The “Lost Colony” outdoor drama is over 50 years old, but the story it tells is much older than that.  The story goes that in the late 1500’s Queen Elizabeth I gave permission to Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony in the New World we know call the United States.  A small band of  men, women, and children set sail and settled at what is now known as Manteo, North Carolina.  When rations became low, Ralph White and a few others set sail for England to get provisions.  When they returned many months later, they discovered a “lost colony”.  What happened to the colonists remains a source of mystery and speculation  even to this day.

            It occurs to me that in the church of Jesus Christ we have our own “Lost Colony”, and it is that group of people that get lost from our pews, our programs, and involvement in the life of our church.  They are the people that joined our church and were involved in the life of the body of Christ.  Though we might see them in the grocery store or in the community,  we never see them in the life  and ministry of the church.  As Ralph White and company searched for the colonists lost from Roanoke Island, so it is our responsibility as the church to be concerned about their welfare.  Perhaps they are not involved in the church because of something that has happened in their life where the body of Christ, the church, might be a source of support and strength.  Perhaps they are not involved in the life of the church anymore because of an unfortunate encounter in their relationship with someone in the church.  In Luke 15, Jesus tells us not about a lost colony, but about a lost sheep who is sought out by the shepherd.  As God’s instruments in the world today, it seems imperative on we who are the church to search for those lost colonists who once were a part of our church.  It might be that not only their soul depends on it, but our soul depends on it also.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall 

PRAYER

            Lord God,  we pray today for those who have vanished from the life and program of our church.   Remembering how your love searched and sought us, help us to reach out to them;  in the name of Jesus Christ we pray and we serve.  Amen.

Enjoy Halloween, But...

 

Halloween is only a few days away.  Though some pastor types look at Halloween with scorn, I see it as a fun time.   It was fun when I was a child to try figure out what homemade costume we could come up with around our house that would fit my parent’s tight budget and to go house to house to gather candies from the neighbors.   When I was a parent with young children, the girls would get all excited trying to figure out what story book character or movie character they would become for a few hours on October 31.  With 7 grandchildren now from a young teenager to an infant, I am excited to see what disguise they will don on the day.  

The essence of what Halloween is about is for a few hours  children (or adults) becoming something or someone they are not with the help of costumes, makeup, and the like.      While in the spirit of Halloween and fun, I believe that it is okay for children to dress up in costume at Halloween I also struggle with people who falsely claim they are something or someone they are not.     When my children were young, they would like to play “pretend”.  For example, there were many times they had teas with their dolls.    They were just pretending and using their imagination.   While I think that creativity is a wonderful attribute, I believe that it repulsive to God when a person pretends they are pious when their heart is far from that.     Don’t take my word for it.   Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 6:

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

I believe that God is real, and he wants us to be real in who we are and in WHOSE we are.  I don’t know about you, but I believe that I have more in common with the tax collector we read about in Luke 18 who prays “God, be merciful to me a sinner” than I do with the self righteous Pharisees.   Come on, folks.   Enjoy the fun of Halloween, but never forget that there is no pretending to be someone we are not with God.    Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

 

  

PRAYER

            Lord God,  You see us as we really are and love us anyway.  Cleanse us of all our uncleanness, and make us more completely into the image of Christ; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Telling the Story Again

 

A  few months ago, my wife Ann and I travelled  a few days away from our home  to visit the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.   Our eyes soaked up the beautiful vistas along the Blue Ridge Parkway… our bodies enjoyed the tranquil thrill of  biking along the Virginia Creeper Trail… and we enjoyed eating on roadside tables and uncrowded restaurants.   One day, we stopped at a restaurant we had visited on several occasions in the past.   Though it was lunch time, the restaurant was quite uncrowded.   A nice server took our order and brought it to us promptly and with a smile.   As is often the case, I struck up a conversation with our server who asked where we were from and a little about ourselves.   When I told the server I was a pastor, her eyes lit up and a big smile came across her face.   Shen then proceeded to share with Ann and I  how she had had a terrible auto accident many years ago and how God had saved her from the clutches of death.    She ended her story with telling us that her restaurant manager had given her blessing for her to share her  testimony and that her pastor encouraged her to do the same.

I left the restaurant that day with my belly filled with a great meal and my heart full of her testimony.   I kept turning over in my mind this question:   When was the last time that you shared your testimony with anyone?     50 years ago this month in the city of Burlington at a lay witness mission at a local church, I gave my life to Jesus Christ and asked him to be the Lord and Savior of my life.   That October weekend began a journey that led to ordained ministry and to the privilege to serve as a pastor to numerous churches across North Carolina.  

In the book of Acts, we read the story of the Damascus Road experience of the apostle Paul.  In Acts 9, we read about how Paul, a persecutor of Christian, met the Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road and was transformed into one who was zealous for sharing the good news of the grace that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ.     Though we hear the Damascus Road experience in Acts 9, Paul shares his testimony again Acts 22 and Acts 26.   When was the last time you told someone the story of what God has done and is doing in your life?     The story of how Christ Jesus could love a wretch like me is one that is worth telling over and over again?   Thanks be to God.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

 

 

PRAYER

O God,  I give you thanks for your saving grace that transformed my life long ago and is still at work in me.   Help me to tell that story through word and deed again and again; through Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

The Mystery of the Destination

 

            Every year, Ann and I take a few days of vacation that are cloaked in mystery.  We go on a trip, and Ann does not know  until we leave where we are going.  Ann tries to pry information about our destination out of friends or family , but they do not tell her (because they often do not know the destination either).           

            There are times and experiences in life  that we know we are going somewhere , but we don’t where to.  There have been a few times my son in law has gone on missions with the U.S. Army that he did not know his destination.  There have been times as a Methodist pastor that I knew that I was going to be serving a church, but I did not know the name of the church or its location. 

            Life in general and the Christian life in particular is sometimes cloaked in mystery.    Though we have our plans for the day and goals for our life, we never know for certain what each day holds for us or what will unfold in our life.  In Hebrews 11:8, we read these words about Abraham,  “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”   None of us knows for sure who will cross our path today, what will happen this evening,  or what tomorrow will bring.  So, we live by faith trusting in the God we know amid the many, many things we do not know.  Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall    

PRAYER

O God,  we are grateful that even though we do not know the twists and turns of our future, we know you.  Give us faith and trust in you as we face days ahead.    Amen. 

I Am Voting For...

 

As I  would suspect most of you know, we have an election in a few weeks here in North Carolina and the USA.    It is hard to miss that fact if you read the newspaper… go on a social media site… ride in your car down a major highway… or open your mail.     Candidates at the local, county, state, and national level are selling themselves and their plans in hopes of  getting our vote. 

From a biblical perspective, we find little help in choosing who to vote for.   When we open the Old Testament, we see that God chose the  leadership for Israel (e.g. Samuel, Saul).   In the New Testament, we see that Jesus chose the disciples after deep prayer and that the “replacement disciple” for Judas was chosen by the casting of lots.   We do find  in I Timothy 3: 1-7  this guidance for the choosing of overseers (or bishops):

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full^[a] respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

There have been times through the years when people have sought my counsel as a pastor about who to vote for.   Though I have my opinions and do vote and will note,  I always choose not to come down on the side of any particular party.     I  remind you that while much attention may focus on candidates for national office or state office, choose carefully those who you elect on the local level.   They serve in important positions also.  For example, it is the county commissioners in NC that determine your property tax each year.  I will encourage you to do what I do as you prepare to vote by doing the following:

PRAY-    In the gospel of Luke, we see that Jesus spent the night in prayer before he chose his disciples.   Spend time in prayer asking God to  guide you as you vote.  

STUDY-  Study the stances of the candidates on the issues that are close to your heart.   Be careful about just voting for a candidate because of their stance on one issue.   Try to discover their stances and plans beyond what you might see on a 60 second television ad or on social media.    Try to discover not just what the candidates are against, but also what they are.   Be an informed voter. 

ASK YOURSELF-  Ask yourself some questions after you study such as the following:   Does this candidate have a servants  heart?    Are they eager to serve all the people or more interested in what their election might mean for themselves  and their donors?   Does this candidate have a character that your children or grandchildren can look up to?

PRAY SOME MORE-  Once the election is over, pray some more.   Pray for those who are elected as they face the tasks before them.   It is huge task being an elected official these days and they will need God’s help to do it well.   Pray also  for yourself and for  our country that we might be united as citizens behind these newly elected or re-elected officials. 

Have a joy-filled week and best wishes to all the candidates.-  Pastor Randy Wall 

 

PRAYER

Lord, I offer prayers for our community, state, and nation during this election season.    Give us eyes and a heart to see who the candidates really are and to vote accordingly.   God bless us in these days;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.   

A Fall to Remember

 

            I feel so blessed to live in my home state of North Carolina.  Though I have had the privilege to travel to some beautiful places, there is no place any more beautiful than the Tar Heel state.  Part of the beauty we have here in North Carolina is that we truly experience all the seasons.  I love all the seasons, but the season of Fall is my favorite.

            When Fall brings a chill in the air and  the color of the leaves start to change, it calls me to remember.    I especially remember when the month of October turns the calendar.  Two big things happened in my life in October:  I gave my heart to Jesus Christ and I began to give my heart to my wife, Ann, as I fell in love with her.    When the leaves change in October, I remember that Jesus changed my heart.  When the Fall chill in the air comes, I remember how my heart was warmed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

            I encourage you to remember what Christ has done in your life. Remember your conversion and give thanks to God.  One of the ways we remember our conversion is through telling others what Christ has done in our life.    In the Book of Acts, we hear about Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road in Acts 9.  In Acts 22, we hear the apostle Paul tell of his conversion to the people at Jerusalem.   Telling others about what Christ has done in our life is something that is fitting whatever the season.   -   Pastor Randy Wall     

PRAYER

            Lord, I offer prayers of thanksgiving for saving me from my sins and for the people that told me about you.   Help me to remember to tell others about what you have done in my life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

The Man Asleep ON My Car

 

Having lived several decades and lived and served as a pastor in many places, there are many memorable Sunday mornings.   I recall one Sunday morning when I came out of the parsonage to head to the church as I readied for the church activities of the day when I saw something I had never seen before  and something that I have never seen since:   a man asleep on the hood of my car parked in the driveway.   Please understand that the man was not asleep IN my car, but the man was asleep ON my car

I did not  know what to do.  Was the man dead or was he just asleep?   Should I call the police or simply try to arouse him from his slumber?     I chose the latter, and the good news is that he gradually woke up.   As I got closer to the nocturnal visitor, I discovered that he had a strong  smell of alcoholic beverages on him.   As he woke, he looked at me with embarrassment as he realized that I was the pastor.  Slowly, he stumbled to his feet and slowly walked to the mobile home nearby that he called home.   This man and I continued to see each other in our comings and goings.   We would throw up a hand  at each other and we both went to and fro, but we never talked about the event on that Sunday morning.   The best that I could figure is that he was so drunk the night before that he mistakenly thought when he arrived at the parsonage that he was home. 

Sometimes, people find themselves in the wrong place just as that drunken man at the parsonage many years ago.   In Luke 15, we hear about a man that wakes up one day and realizes he was in the wrong place.   This prodigal son had gone away from home with hopes that life was better there.    Though he left with his pockets full of his Dad’s money, one day he woke up to find his friends far away and so was his money.   He had not only wasted his money, but found himself wasting his life and heading in the wrong direction.  He decided he would return to his father.  

Have you ever found yourself in the wrong place in your life?   Have you ever woke up perhaps not in a drunken stupor, but to realize that you are on a dead end street?  Like that man who woke from the hood of my car long ago, you can always head home to the Father who you will find anxiously waiting to tell you “welcome home”.     Have a joy-filled week!-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER :     O God,  we give you thanks for your love that receives your wayward children and loves them that we know in your son Jesus Christ.   Help us to turn to you;  through Christ our Lord.   Amen.