Rev. Bob's WebLog

In Exodus 32, we find the Isrealites asking for and buiilding a statue (a Golden Calf) as their new God.  They gave their gold and jewelry to build this new Golden Idol.

Think about it.  (They had a God who delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea, spoke through Moses, and led them as a pillar of fire by night and smoke by day.)  However, they wanted something they could see, approach, touch, and control.

The real God created them.  They ended up worshipping something that they had created.  The real God was (sometimes) overwhelming and consuming.  They wanted something that they could handle and control.  The real God held their destiny in His Hands.  They wanted a god that left their destiny in their hands.  The real God directed their paths.  They wanted something that they could turn to which would ultimately tell them what they wanted to hear.

They created something that they were in charge of (which meant that they were ultimately worshipping themselves.)

Do we really want to worship something that we are in charge of?  Do we really want the destiny of the world to be in our hands?

We can choose to worship the real God or something that we create.  One gives us true abundant and eternal life and real answers for a complex world.  One gives us a false sense of being in control, a limited view, and impotency in dealing with all of life's issues.

What cheap imitations do you put in the place of God?  How would your life be different if you turned to the one true God and worshipped only Him?

Hi Folks,

It's been a while since my last blog becasue I could not get the right combination of user name and password so that I could gain access to blog.  I tried revbob, PastorBob, RevBob, pastorbob, Revbob and Pastorbob with yyyyyy, Yyyyyy, YyYyYy, XyXyXy, XYXYXY, xyxyxy.  Nothing.  Access Denied!

Sometimes I got to the website.  One time I actually got to the blogging page, but when I tried to type, the message came up "Your password does not allow you to perform that function!"  "

'Oh Man!', I said, calmly and sweetly. " ... I sure wish with all my heart that this fine computer would allow me to do what I so desire to do." (Or words to that effect)

No matter what I wanted or how hard I tried, I could not gain access because I did not have the right combination of username and password.

In John 14:6, Jesus says "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except by me." No matter how much we want or how hard we try, unless we come through Jesus, we cannot access the Father.  Other people may try to find the Dao through Buddhism or the Truth through Meditation, or the Life through Past Life Regression (and all those tools may provide some relief or a new vantage point along the journey), but none of them will ultimately gain access to the Father.  Jesus not only knew the way, He IS the Way.  Jesus not only spoke the truth, He IS the Truth.  Jesus not only lived full and abundant life, He IS the Life.

You may take many paths to find the way, the truth, and/or the life, but all those paths will lead you close to the idea but not into the Personhood of God.  Jesus IS the Way, the Truth, AND the Life and only in accepting Him and walking with Him will you find access to the Father.

If you are still seeking to find your way, to discover truth, to experience life as it is meant to be lived, then open your heart, your mind, and your spiritual eyes to Christ and find access to the Father.  Reading the Gospel of John will go a long way to helping you uncover the proper user name and password so that your access will be enabled!

Thank you, Jesus.

God spoke to me this morning, the way God usually does - not with some powerful booming voice or angel visitant or prophet's rant, but with the everyday events that happen.  Today, it was a combination of three things: my back hurt when I woke up, it was a beautiful day full of promise, and the KLOVE scripture of the day was in my inbox.

I am not sure which came first, either I saw that it was a beautiful day but soon realized getting out of bed to enjoy it was not going to be easy or I had a hard time getting out of bed but noticed in my struggles that it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  Either way, the thought that "the beautiful day was God's invitation to me to participate in the joy that He had planned and not to let the pain I was experiencing stop me from entering into that joy" flashed across my mind and into my heart.   That is the "little voice" that I have come to know as the VOICE OF GOD.     "Bend and stretch - not just to begin the day  - but all the way through it - Bend and stretch and you will find the joy!"

So I thanked God for the beautiful day, bent and stretched anytime my back wanted to keep my from the joy of participating in this beautiful day, set out to get a chore done that needed doing now, and experienced the most incredible post sunrise that I had in quite some time as I just was enveloped in the world waking around me - all bending and stretching toward and with God.  When I got home to check my email, there was the KLOVE scripture waiting for me.

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians1:6, NLT)

God had indeed begun a good work in and around me this morning.  My back was trying to keep me from experiencing that goodness, but if I would just bend and stretch I would see the glory of God in the living of this day!  So I did - AND I DID!  Thank you, God!

What is trying to keep you from continuing in the Good Work that God has started in you?  Whatever it is, don't let it stop you.  If there is something in your way bend around it.  If something is trying to hold you back, bend to stretch it out.  If something is beyond your reach, bend down to it or stretch out to reach it.

God is committed to see that good work that He has begun in you.   The joy is yours when you commit to participate with Him rather than fighting against Him.

Bend and Stretch - Experience the Joy!

It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4)

The chapel is having a breakfast this week (May Breakfast in September) and a Ham and Bean Supper next week.  We sure hope that you can join us.

While the food is always great, the sausage, eggs, beans, ham, brownbread or desserts are not the main ingredient of the meal.  The inspirational scripture left on the table and the work and fellowship of the people who come to help or enjoy as together we live out the Body of Christ is what matters most.

So come on out and enjoy some great counrty cookin'.  You will not be disappointed.  But let your spirit be replenished and refreshed as the Word of God is served Well Done!

Blessings!

Every morning (and any time that she can catch me with a free hand) I play fetch with our dog, Daisy.  She has this green and blue flying thing that we play with.  (It's called a squirrel, but I didn't want you to think we were flinging squirrels around our yard for our dog to chase.)  Daisy loves to chase that squirrel.  She runs and jumps up to catch it (with all four legs off the ground, just like the professional frisbee dogs), then she so proudly and so quickly returns to me on the porch, drops it off, and gets off the porch to start all over.  If dogs have emotions, she is as happy as she can be during this activity!

Then all of a sudden, she brings the squirrel back but does not drop it.  She just stands there with it hanging out of her mouth, looking at me.

"Drop it", I say.

She looks.

"I can't play with you until you drop it, Daisy"

She looks.

"Daisy, Drop it!"

She looks.

I ignore her and look out into the field.

She looks.

"Daisy, if you don't drop it, we can't play. ... You have to drop it."

She looks.

At this point, I am stuck.  I can't pull it or it will ruin the squirrel by pulling off the edges that help it fly (besides the fact that I then become her sibling in a battle for dominance rather than her master that she is supposed to obey. )  I can't go in, because then Daisy will go and chew the squirrel and wreck it.  So I wait ... and wait ... and wait ... until she figures out that she and I can't have anymore fun until she drops it.  And she can be very patient (stubborn ... dense!)

How often do we treat God the same way?

Psalm 21:2 says "God has given him his heart's desire." And God wants to do so for us.  God wants to give us what our heart needs and wants most.  Sometimes we enjoy that.  Sometimes we sit there with longing eyes wanting God to participate in our life while holding on to the one thing that keeps God from giving us what we want!

What are we thinking?  Is there something that we hold on to that we think is better than what God wants to give us?  Do we want to hold on to what we just got from God thinking that nothing could be better?  Do we just space out and forget how good it was to receive from God?  D0 we just want to savor what we have and devour it (and loose it in the process?)  Do we just want to do our thing and rebell against always doing it God's way (eventhough we love it when we do it God's way?)  What are we thinking?

I try to use my time with Diasy as a devotional now.  While we are enjoying our pitch and catch, I think about all the things in life that God has given me and the wonderful things I get to share in His presence.  When Daisy tries to exert her will over me (or simply blanks out) I think of the times that I choose not to do God's will (or simply get dense) and how much better life is if I let go of my desires and let God give me what my heart needs and wants the most!

If you ever get stuck like me, my advice is simple.  "Drop it! ... and let God be the Master who wants to give you what you need the most!"

Then enjoy life with head held high and tail wagging!