His Favor

His Favor

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to men on whom His favor rests."
Luke 2:14

The gospel of Luke provides us with the most detail about the Christmas story and the events that surrounded the birth of Jesus. It was Luke who recorded that "there was no room for them in the inn" and that the baby would be found "wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger". His gospel also adds the appearance of an angel to the shepherds and the shepherds visit to Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the manger.

But the aspect of the Christmas story that stood out to me was the message of the company of angels who also appeared to the shepherds praising God and giving Him glory, declaring "peace to men on whom His favor rests". We have so many ways that we describe the birth of Christ and the gift of Christ to the world bringing salvation to all men but in calling it an act of God's favor the angels proverbially hit the nail on the head.

When we think of finding favor with God, or receiving God's favor, most of us talk about jobs, finances, relationships, and blessings of one form or another. God sending an answer to prayer quickly-that is God's favor. God giving us something much better than we deserve-another act of God's favor. Someone blessing us in a time of need we attribute to the favor of God. But think of what the angels looked at as favor.

The ultimate favor of God was the gift of His Son, the offer of hope in a hopeless world and the bringing of light into the deep darkness of a sinful world. Jesus doesn't represent a choice we all get to make, someone we can believe in or follow is we so desire, His coming into the world in the form of a man two thousand years ago was nothing less than the favor of God to a people who were living in slavery and in oppression.

And He is that to us today. Our problems may have changed, cloaked in different forms and names but our need for a Savior remains the same. And as the birth of Christ was certainly the turning point of history, so receiving God's favor in the form of His Son is the turning point of every life that receives Him.

No matter what your circumstances might be, His favor rests upon you for the simple fact that God sent His son into your world to bring you salvation, hope, peace and rest.

Merry Christmas & God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A Door of Hope

A Door of Hope

"Therefore I will speak tenderly to her....and will
make the valley of Achor a door of hope."
Hosea 2:14-15

So many of the Christmas cards we receive each year carry the message of hope with them. One card I received today said "May God bless your holidays with hope and peace". Another quoted the prayer of Paul in Romans 15:13:

"May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hope, that positive expectation of good things in the future, that feeling that things will turn out for the best, that looking forward with confidence and trust, is essential to our facing the difficulties and troubles of life. Some put their hope in medicines that they take, others in people who might help to change their situation, but our sure and confident hope is in the Lord our God and in His love and mercy. David wrote in Psalm 39:4

"But now O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope."

Hosea wrote about God opening a door of hope in the valley of Achor, or valley of trouble. And that is exactly what God does. In those times of trouble in our lives, he comes in and offers hope for the future, opening a door of hope in our lives as we look forward to what lies ahead. Solomon taught that "there is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be disappointed". Jeremiah added that God has "plans to prosper you....plans to give you hope and a future", or as another version says "a future filled with hope".

The Christmas cards and their messages of hope are more than a coincidence or the creativity of card makers. The birth of Christ represented the dawning of a new hope for mankind, hope birthed in a manger in Bethlehem to a people living in darkness and oppression, with an indefinite future before them. He came to give us victory over oppression, to reveal His plan of salvation and to unveil the future for His people. The blessings we live in and enjoy are the fruit of the hope born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.

The most important prayer I could pray for you this Christmas season is that God would fill you with an overflowing hope, an expectation of good things ahead in your life as you allow the Savior, the one whose birth changed the course of history, to come into your life in a new and fresh way.


God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

"Not in My House"

"Not in My House"

"And as He taught them, he said, "Is it not written: My
house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."
Mark 11:17

Right after the story in Mark 11 where Jesus cursed the fig tree which had no fruit, we see Him entering the temple and getting really, really angry, overthrowing tables and benches, and then driving people out who were buying and selling and turning God's house into something He never intended. Jesus was so passionate, so consumed about what was going on in God's house, that it makes you wonder if there's anything going on in the church today that would equally upset Him.

If we look at what was mattered most to Jesus, it might give us some clues:

* First of all, Jesus did not take kindly to hypocrites. A whole chapter of "woes" is devoted to those religious people who said one thing, claimed a certain spiritual state, but did another. If you are in the church but the example of your life would turn others away from Christ, you would have been on His hit list. Our lives are to radiate love, thankfulness, joy and mercy; anything less will have a negative effect on those we are hoping to see drawn to the Lord.

* Jesus cared about the poor, the lonely, the sick and the hurting. It is incredible to me that just before Jesus headed off to the last supper and the final hours of His life, He gave the teaching on "I was in prison and you visited me, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, and I was hungry and you fed me". At a time when most of us would be focused on ourselves, He gave a powerful teaching on caring for others. If people are coming to church with needs, lonely, hurting and going without, and leaving with those same needs, we
can be sure that Jesus would have been upset.

* Jesus believed in second chances. The woman caught in the act of adultery was told to "go and sin no more", after Jesus had fended off the would-be stone throwers. Peter went from being someone who denied the Lord repeatedly to the leader of the early church and their spokesman on the day of Pentecost. Another was Zacchaeus, the tax collector, taken from a life of cheating and greed, to one who gave half his possessions to the poor. Now that is a turnaround! I wouldn't
want to be the one who wrote any of these off - I don't think it would have sat too well with the Lord. He majors on restoration (remember the prodigal son) and He expects us to too.

It is safe to say that Jesus cares intensely about what goes on in His church, the values that are taught, the Christ-likeness that is practiced, and especially the way people are treated. We, as Christians, as literally little-Christs, are to model forgiveness and love, mercy and acceptance, faith and faithfulness. Let it be said that each of our churches are places that the Lord would be pleased to send the needy to, like spiritual hospitals, to be ministered to and cared for in the love of Christ.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A Fresh Perspective

A Fresh Perspective

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ."
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

When I received the news Wednesday that my transmission was shot and needed rebuilding, with the accompanying price tag attached, I was still operating with a fresh perspective on life gained at my 40th reunion last week back home in New York. Each of our lives contains some measure of disappointment, difficulty and trouble that we must face and deal with as best we can. How we do that is often greatly affected by our ability to keep life in perspective. The time spent with my fellow classmates revealed some stories that, in my sharing, might help each of
us to not look at life through too narrow of a lens:

* Richard Yaeger, probably my best friend in high school and the years that followed, has MS, Multiple Sclerosis, and is confined to a wheelchair. Despite having lost most of his muscle control, Richard smiled, laughed and reminisced with friends throughout the night and was one of the last to leave. He didn't have the strength to shake hands very well but his spirit was inspiring to all.

* Jeanette Sleight, a good friend's wife, was also in a wheel chair with MS but, rather than talking about that, she wanted to show off pics of her grandkids and talk about all that is going on in their lives. (rather proudly I might add!!)

* George Keegan, the fastest runner on our track team who went on to compete in college, is battling Alzheimers and the related symptoms but was able to joke about his memory problems and needing a ride to the reunion while we enjoyed the many stories from our high school days.

* Barb Knope was another who was suffering from MS but seemed so thankful for the medicines that, in her case, are keeping the disease in remission. Her own perspective was no doubt affected by being around other MS sufferers who are confined to wheelchairs.

* Jim Zimmerman is battling Parkinson's Disease but he was there with his wife Barb and you could only admire his positive attitude in light of the uncertainties that the future might hold for him.

In the difficulties, challenges and troubles we find ourselves in from time to time, there comes the opportunity to react with faith in a positive manner from a thankful heart, or to respond with complaining and a bad attitude because things aren't working out exactly the way we want them to.

Choose today to respond with a thankful heart and with thankful words for all the good in your life, for the family and friends you have been blessed with, and for a God who is faithful to His people, sometimes in ways they, unfortunately, cannot comprehend. I pray that today you will have a fresh perspective to carry with you wherever you go.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Year Round

Year Round

"A fire shall always be burning on the altar, it shall never go out."
Leviticus 6:13

Driving down Route 14 on our annual visit to Seneca Lake, an incredibly picturesque lake in Upstate New York, we would see quite an assortment of homes and cottages along the way. They ranged from small summer cottages occupied from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year by vacationers, to year round homes where residents of nearby Geneva could enjoy the benefits of lakefront living while working in the city or at nearby Hobart and William Smith College.

I was reminded of those well-kept, year round homes as I thought about this year's Thanksgiving holiday where time spent with family giving thanks for God's many blessings on our lives is all too quickly being forgotten as people transition to the hype of Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the entire year. The stark contrast of the two days reminded me of the importance of not just celebrating Thanksgiving Day, but of living a life of thanksgiving throughout the year.

The degree of our thankfulness is seen in so many ways. Matthew 12:34 says "for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". Beneath the surface of our words is the attitude of heart generating them. We can start by making sure that we are speaking thankfully with our words expressing our gratitude for the many, untold blessings in each of our lives.

We can also serve thankfully, give thankfully, and worship thankfully, all expressions of our true perspective on what we have in our lives and on the source of those blessings. A thankful person looks for opportunities to give back, instead of always wanting more and more to satisfy their desires. A thankful person serves others out of a sincere appreciation for the undeserved grace God has bestowed on them. And worship out of a thankful heart is passionate, sincere and intimate, focused on the Lord from whom all blessings flow. It is a heart that realizes that all we have we have received from the Lord.

Some of the year round homes on Seneca Lake are so beautiful; from the well manicured lawns to the porches and decks providing breathtaking views of the lake, they are homes we would all be happy to live in. And the same is true of a life lived thankfully; it's a life that is noteworthy, it's a life to be envied, it's a life worth living year round!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Fastest Route

The Fastest Route

"There you saw how the Lord your God carried you,
as a father carries his son, all the way you went..."
Deuteronomy 1:31

With another trip to New York on the calendar for next week, the day after Thanksgiving for my 40th high school reunion, taking the most direct, fastest route will, as always, be a high priority. There are a couple options of course: one is going through Ohio, around Lake Erie and into Rochester. That route is longer but you can go over 400 miles without a single stoplight and without the inconvenience of border crossings and delays. The scenic route goes along Lake Ontario with awesome scenes of apple orchards, vineyards and beautiful shoreline, but it's not as direct and takes longer. The fastest route is going through Canada, hassling with the delays at the border, exchange rates at Tim Horton's, paying tolls on the New York State Thruway, and avoiding the many speed traps set up along the way.

One point about the story of the children of Israel going through the wilderness, journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land, has always enamored me. It's found in Deuteronomy 1:2 where it says simply:

"It takes 11 days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir Road"

We know from the scriptures that they didn't take the fastest, most direct route because they hadn't learned war; they hadn't learned how to fight the battles they would face to get into the inheritance God had promised them. The fastest route wasn't an option for people who couldn't deal with enemies and battles and warfare. They came to the border of the promised land two years after leaving Egypt but they responded in unbelief to the negative reports of ten of the spies, they refused to trust the God who delivered them from the bondage of Egypt, and weren't able to enter at that time either.

38 years later they came to the border of the land God had promised them. Led by Joshua they entered into a land "flowing with mild and honey", symbolic of a life flowing with the favor and blessing of God. It is incredible to think that a journey that could have been made in 11 days ended up taking 40 years but it provides us with lessons for the journey we are on:

*If you aren't prepared in your heart to fight some battles along the way, your personal journey into the life God intended for you will take longer than planned. The Christian life includes fighting the enemy of our souls but doing it with the knowledge that "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us".

*If you are someone who doubts God and who struggles with unbelief when things don't work out as you want or hope, you will find the way blocked into the greater things of God. Trusting God and living by faith in God are essentials to entering into the incredible promises found in His Word.

*If you struggle with inconvenience and delay, with God's timing being different than ours, and with the cost of serving Him, sacrifice, denial and obedience, your journey may be a little longer than you were hoping for.

The spiritual journey we're on can either be a quick one or a long one, depending upon how we respond to the challenges we face, and the attitude and passion we seek the Lord with. Think of it: 11 days or 40 years! The choice is ours.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and
are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."
I Peter 1:8

Coming across the western end of Lake Ontario last night, on my way to visit my mom, I was reminded of a scene that I had witnessed many times over the years. Looking out from one of the beaches or roads along the lake, you could see water stretching out as far as the eye could see until it disappeared into the horizon.

Growing up as a kid, there was a rumor that straight across the lake from our hometown of Rochester, New York, was a city called Toronto, with millions of people from all over the world. You could see it on a map, read about it in books, but even though it was only 50 miles or so away, you just couldn't see it. It was, as they say so often, just over the horizon.

Driving alone last night, I started to think about how that picture of Lake Ontario is a lot like the walk of faith we have been called to. We have so many promises from the Lord and there is much that lies ahead for each of us but they are not things that we can see, they are in the future and ove the horizon of our lives. I can laugh now when I think about the "rumors" of a city called Toronto, having visited it many times and enjoyed spending time there. And when I look out at Lake Ontario these days, I have a total confidence that Toronto exists even though I can't see it. And the reason is because I've stayed in beautful hotels there, enjoyed walking downtown with Nancy at night, and eaten sweet rolls from my favorite bakery in Chinatown.

There are 393 cubic miles of water separating me from Toronto where I sit in mom's den typing this out, with waves churning and cold winds blowing. In our lives, there are trials to be faced and difficulties to be overcome but the promises of God are sure and to be trusted in. You can rest in the fact that over the horizon of your life, after you've walked through some valleys and made it over some mountains, untold blessings are waiting for you. I can say that with confidence because, as I Peter 2:3 says, I "have tasted that the Lord is good".

That hope and confidence in God has to become a reality in each of our lives. David wrote in Psalm 27:13 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in this life." He was able to see beyond the horizon of difficulties to the shoreline of rest and victory on the other side of his Lake Ontario.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Stop And Smell The Roses

Stop And Smell The Roses

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing
has come the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

We talk about everyone and everything having a purpose in life. And while the extracts from many plants and flowers have been found to have medicinal purposes, what if God just created the flowers for us to look at, enjoy their beauty, and in so doing, take our eyes off ourselves and our hectic lives for a few brief moments.

The lyrics to Mac Davis's song are something we might want to keep in mind:

"You got to stop and smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings every day
You're going to find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't stop and smell the roses along the way."

It might be a catchy song that has brought some notoriety to Mac Davis but it's also wise advice for each of us caught up in an increasingly materialistic world with demands on our time never seen before. We can be in such a hurry that we lose sight of reality and lose sight of God's many blessings in our lives.

Many of us have used the phrase "you need to stop and smell the roses" in speaking to someone who has lost their thankfulness for God's many blessings in their life. The loses in life are there for each of us. I've never forgotten the young Philippino man, in his early twenties, thanking the Lord for a job selling newspapers on the street earning 40 cents a day (that is not a typo in case you're wondering) for 5 hours work. He looked at that opportunity as a rose in his life. Your child, or children, is a rose that you should make sure to hug everyday. Your family, your home, your job, your health - all roses to be counted as blessings everyday. The words of the song are very true that life gets more and more difficult when we lose sight of those "roses".

The next time you go to Krogers, Meijer, or even Sam's Club, take a detour to the flower section of the store and smell the roses. Then take a moment to count the blessings in your life and thank the Lord for the roses He has sent your way.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly
and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
II Corinthians 9:6

The interesting thing about the story of the man who drank 6 energy drinks in a relatively short timeframe and ended up in the hospital with chest pains, some paralysis and a few other sympoms was that he immediately realized the cause of his problem as the drinks he had taken. Most of us can remember not getting up from a really good meal soon enough and experiencing the resulting discomfort in our stomachs that comes from overeating. No one had to tell us that we ate too much; we were fully aware of the cause of the problem.

Unfortunately, the realization of cause and effect in our lives is often very lacking. As we face difficulties and challenges, we have to be able to look back and weed out those situations where we have to take some responsibility for causing what has resulted. Paul talked in our opening scripture about reaping and sowing, a principle firmly established in not only the Word of God, but in most people's practical life experiences. Malachi talked about the fruit of the blessings that come to those who are faithful in tithes and offerings and Isaiah 3:10 says this:

"Say to the righteous it shall be well with them
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."

We eat the fruit of what we plant and what we sow in so many ways, some that are rewarding and fulfilling, and others that are sad and discouraging. That fruit is seen in our relationships, in our finances, and in the degree of blessing that is upon our lives. But the key is not really in what we have been reaping. What has already been sown has been sown and we can only hope in God's mercy as we reap the fruit of our actions.

The key is in being honest with ourselves and not complaining about the effects while ignoring that we may be the cause of our own problems, or has been said too often, "our own worst enemy. In realizing the cause of where we might find ourselves, we will also find the key to sowing a new crop, sowing seeds of righteousness and of faithfulness in our relationship with the Lord and sowing seeds of love, kindness and mercy in our relationships with others.

It's then that we will see the cause and effect principle from the other side, as we reap the good fruit of the good seeds we have sown.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

"Out With The Old..."

"Out With The Old..."

"Get rid of the old yeast! Then you will be like fresh
bread made without yeast, and that is what you are."
I Corinthians 5:7 CEV

The preparations for the cold of winter, for a Siberian Husky like Diefenbaker, are in full swing with shedding taking place at a rate that only the owner of a Husky could fully appreciate. It's not individual hairs here and there; Dief is losing clumps of hair found in the garage, in the backyard, throughout the house and along the route of his daily walks as shedding season, much like fall colors, is at its' peak.

For a dog that loves lying in the snow on a below zero day, this process of shedding and a strong new coat coming in is essential to the breed's survival. The loss of the old makes way for the new, or as the more coming saying puts it, "out with the old and in with the new". It's a lesson on making room for the new that is important for anyone looking for the Lord to do something new in their life. It's a lesson that will be oft repeated in the lives of those who are not satisfied with the status quo and who have fixed their eyes on nothing less than, as Paul says "the high calling of God in Christ Jesus".

Diefenbaker's new winter coat will not come in until last year's thick coat is gone, helped along by occasional raking (the word "brushing" just doesn't do the process justice). And it is a principle that will apply in our lives as well. Whenever God is about to do something new and fresh, there will first be a prompting by the Holy Spirit for us to, as Paul told the Corinthians, "get rid of the old". "The old" can be anything from entrenched attitudes that have no place in a believers' life to long established habits and routines that rob us of our time and focus. And the key is that they stand in the way of what God wants to do; occupying a place in our lives that should be free for God to pour into.

Out with the old and in with the new; it is in the resisting of this process that we often rob ourselves of the blessings and breakthroughs intended by God for our lives. If you need a visual, stop over and see Diefenbaker. If not, you're on your way to something new, fresh, and incredibly rewarding in your life.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Launch

The Launch

"His divine power has given us everything that
we need for life and godliness through our
knowledge of Him." II Peter 1:3

From the first orbit of the earth to the moon landing by Neil Armstrong and crew, the space program and the sense of adventure associated with it has long captivated the American public. What were once national events watched by everyone have now become commonplace but the launch of a space capsule or a shuttle is a display of power that is rarely seen and always exhilarating.

My thoughts wandered recently to the scene of the space shuttle sitting on the pad at the Kennedy Space Center waiting for clearance to launch, waiting for all the factors necessary for a successful launch to line up. The winds have to be the right speed and the weather has to be within certain limits and even the rotation of the earth has to be within certain "launch points". The potential sitting on that launch pad is incredible, enough power to thrust a rocket and its' cargo through the atmosphere and into orbit around the earth. But it is only potential until the ignition switch is turned on; in an instant it goes from harnessed potential to released power.

We can see that type of potential in so many of God's people: those who lived many years ago and those we sit next to in church every Sunday. God had a plan for Moses' life but it had to wait 40 years before it could be launched, 40 years that Moses spent in the wilderness developing character and learning to wait upon God for direction until the day that God spoke from the burning bush and Moses was sent forth. Joseph had a rocket's worth of potential; Potiphar saw it, the prison warden saw it, and God saw it (not in that order) but that potential sat unrealized until the very day that Pharaoh called Joseph forth, received the interpretation of his dreams, and made Joseph second in command in all of Egypt.

God has given us, as Peter said, "everything that we need for life and godliness". And so much of what He has given us is sitting in unrealized potential, like a rocket on the launch pad, waiting for the right conditions and timing. What God is doing in each life is different. The work He did in Moses was very different from what He was working out in Joseph but the potential was the same, the waiting was the same and the end result of a person accomplishing God's will was the same.

NASA has a launch window for all of it's flights, a window of time when a mission can be launched into a successful flight and orbit. I want to encourage you that God has a launch window for your life and the purposes He has for you. There is a work going on right now, invisible to most, unseen in part but with a definite purpose that is essential for the potential God has placed in you to be realized in its' fullness. You can rest assured, the day will come when God will give the command and there will be a launch a lift-off to great things in your life.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Names

Names

"Therefore God has given Him a name which is above every
name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
those in heaven, and of those on earth and under the earth."
Philippians 2:9-10

If you went to a Detroit Tigers game this past year, you would have seen lots of people with a Tigers jersey with the name of their favorite Tiger on it. And now that it's the fall, sweatshirts with university names are everywhere with people proudly displaying the team they root for and support the most. And here in Michigan, it won't be long until the red and white Red Wing hockey jerseys of the most popular Wings are being worn everywhere supporting the local team.

In Bible times, names carried significance and a name revealed a person's character, heart, and purpose in life. The ultimate name is Jesus which means "He shall save His people from their sins" but there is also Isaiah meaning "God is salvation", Nehemiah which means "God is comfort", a ministry seen in Nehemiah's life as he returned to Jerusalem to lead the people in rebuilding the walls of the city and a host of others whose names carried weight and destiny.

Other names spoke of character as seen in Jacob's life. He was named Jacob which means "deceiver", had his name changed to Israel meaning "prince with God" and later was named Jeshurun, or "straight one", each name reflecting what God was doing in his life and carrying a message of encouragement and hope to those who are still looking for God to change and refine them.

I probably should mention a little idiosyncrasy I have. With one exception, I don't wear anything with a sports figures' name on it, whether that be a hat, sweatshirt or jersey. Years ago, I went to buy a hat and I could have sworn that the Lord said "no, that person's life isn't right, you shouldn't be wearing their name". It made sense to me and I've kept to that for almost 20 years now. It's not something I recommend to others but it's a reminder that names have significance.
But back to our main thought today.

As Christians, we carry the name of Jesus with us and so much of what we do is "in the name of Jesus", whether it be praying for healing, or baptizing a new believer. The early church, in Acts 5:41 "rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name" and Paul exhorted Timothy to live a life that brought honor to the name of the Lord. For anyone who knows that you are a believer, you are carrying the name of Jesus wherever you go and in whatever you do. That name should radically affect the way you live, your attitudes, your words and choices, and the love you show others.

Let's all make sure that our lives live up to the name that we were baptized into and are living for. Let's make sure that we can proudly wear the sweatshirt with the name Jesus boldly embroidered for all to see!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Erosion

Erosion

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to the
things we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
Hebrews 2:1

Already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is referred to by some as "The Eroding Nation". Haiti's well documented poverty is rooted in many areas but one of particular note is the erosion of the soil that has resulted in the land being unable to produce even close to the amount of food needed to sustain the Haitian people. That erosion did not happen overnight and the story behind it provides valuable lessons for each of us.

To meet the needs of the charcoal industry, trees were cut down in Haiti at such a rate that the forests in the mountains disappeared. The result of the almost total deforestation that occurred was that rains coming down from the mountains swept away the topsoil of the land, destroying the land's ability to produce food. The topsoil washed into the sea, in turn polluting the ocean off Haiti, decimating the fishing industry, and reducing one more source of food crucial to the survival of the Haitian people.

None of this happened overnight; it was a process that occurred over hundreds of years until the effects became obvious, clear to all, but unfortunately, irreversible. The same is too often true spiritually; believers don't run away from the Lord all at once but they slip away a little at a time until they find themselves far from God not knowing where to turn for help and how to get themselves out of the pit they've fallen in. Paul was addressing this problem with his warning in Hebrews 2:1 to "pay more careful attention" to what we have been taught so that we don't let the truths of Christian living that meant so much to us at one time "slip away".

Erosion, the process of wearing something away, is as real in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural and the results are equally devastating. It might start with our not having enough time to ever read our Bible until we find ourselves too distracted to pray.

Eventually, we end up having lost our desire for the things of God, not being interested in attending church or, at the very least, using any excuse to not go. Haiti is a barren land of poverty and there is a corresponding spiritual barrenness that God wants to warn us about and keep us from ending up in. One key is found in Ephesians 5:15 which says "Be very careful how you live". Get control of your life today!

Make sure nothing is slipping away without you realizing its' importance. Make sure that you are guarding the things that result in fruitfulness and growth, spending time with the Lord, and making your relationship with Him your number one priority.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Inventory Control

Inventory Control

"So then each of us shall give
account of himself to God."
Romans 14:12

Fresh out of college, my first job at Kodak was as an inventory control analyst, with responsibility for making sure that what we said we had in the warehouse, millions of rolls of film, was actually there and ready to be shipped to customers. From x-ray film used in doctor's offices and labs around the world to good old Kodachrome film, used in cameras since way back in 1935 and sung about by Paul Simon in his 1973 song by the same name, Kodachrome, we had to check the inventory. And we didn't just check it once or twice a year, we did it constantly with daily alerts, weekly print-outs, monthly summaries and on and on and on.

In addition to making sure we had the product available to ship to customers, we also had to certify the financial records of the company, verifying their accuracy for the sake of shareholders, investors and auditors. In thinking back to those days, the process we went through helps me to understand better the need for each of us to take a constant inventory of the state of our hearts.

The Word of God makes it very clear that we will all stand before God and give an account for how we have lived our lives, how we have used the time and talents, the gifts and abilities that He has blessed us with. That is the reason for the encouragements to "redeem the time" and "make the most of every opportunity". That is why the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 has such a significant message for Christians in every generation. We have each been entrusted with 'talents" to use for God's glory and to build up His Kingdom. And we will all give an account of our faithfulness, or lack thereof, in using those talents as God intended.

On a regular basis, we should take inventory of our lives, looking at its' direction and our fruitfulness. We should take inventory of our faith level, of our joy and whether it is driven by circumstances or by faith, and certainly of the love we show to others when someone has hurt or disappointed us. We should take inventory of the way we use our time, of our investment in reading the Word of God, of our prayer life, and of our commitments to the Lord, to people, and to sharing the gospel to others, no matter how hard that might be. The end result will be a life lived purposefully.

Kodak devoted a department of 12 people to inventory control, out of a company that, at that time, employed over 62,000 people. Surely each of us can devote a little of our time to make sure that we are on track for our lives, living life as God intended.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Keys of the Kingdom

The Keys of the Kingdom

"I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of
David; what he opens no one can shut and what he
shuts no one can open." Isaiah 22:22

In the years when I had more time for personal reading, one of the books that I read many times over was entitled The Keys of the Kingdom, written by A.J.Cronin. That was the late 70's when this story of Francis Chisholm, a Catholic missionary to China captured my imagination, in the days before I was a part of God's kingdom. The phrase "the keys of the kingdom" now has a whole new meaning to me, much more than the title to a favorite novel.

We all know the importance of keys having misplaced them, locked them in the car at the wrong time, or just plain old lost them. That happened to me this summer when I lost the master key to our school locks, the only copy of the key that opened all the book lockers. It was a real problem to say the least. And I'm a card-carrying member of AAA for the same reason, I seem to lock my keys in the car on a regular basis. This devotional really started on Sunday morning when John said to me "Dad, did you know there's a key taped to the inside of the pulpit?" It was the long-lost key to my office at church but it got me started thinking that the Lord has keys for our lives, that there are missing keys for each of our lives that will unlock doors to not only God's
blessing and favor, but also to His plans and purposes for our lives.

The key for one person might be a relationship. My summer jobs after high school and throughout college, from delivering mail for the Post Office to building sidewalks for the City of Rochester, were all the result of knowing the right person. For another person the key might be an attitude that the Lord has been working on. Paul and Silas sang praises in prison and at midnight, the darkest hour, and that was the key to the Lord opening prison doors for them. Elijah's determination to not leave Elisha was the key to him receiving a double portion of the Spirit and a ministry of miracles that still speaks to us today, 3,000 years later. And it is said about Jesus that the key to His life was his early morning prayer and devotional life, time spent with the Father.

God has a key for your life that He wants to reveal to you at this time. You job is to seek the Lord by faith and with a heart of expectation. God has the key, the right key, the perfect key for your life and He can't wait to take it off His key ring and pass it on to you. He holds the true "Keys of the Kingdom".

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Conclusion

The Conclusion

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of
the matter: fear God and keep His commandments"
Ecclesiastes 12:13

We make conclusions every day, about people, about problems we face, about what will happen in the future and many other things. Sometimes our conclusions are right and sometimes they are wrong. Sometimes our conclusions are rash, or premature, made before we have all the facts and then there are the conclusions we make where we leave God out of the equation (big mistake!).

The reason for saying this is that I have come to a conclusion:

God's purposes are not dependent on our environment.

It doesn't matter if we are from a small town in the country or a big city, it doesn't matter if we grew up an only child on a farm or were from a large family in the suburbs, God is the key to our future. The story of Joseph illustrates this. He found himself in prison, wrongly accused by Potiphar's wife, in a foreign country, not exactly the environment for success that anyone would recommend. But God is greater than our environment!!

Joseph found favor with God and man because of the attitude he approached his situation with and he went from being a prisoner to being a ruler in just one day. God's promises in Joseph's life were not dependent on his environment.

It doesn't matter if we are rich or poor. Gideon was from the poorest family in his area, and to make matters worse, he was "the runt of the litter" as The Message Bible words it. But God not only chose him for great things, God strengthened him, anointed him for the purpose He had for his life, and used him to bring deliverance to an entire nation. We have to conclude that God is greater than the family we are from or the size of our church, greater than how we look or the shape of our body. Like Joseph, God's promises in Gideon's life were not dependent on his environment.

We could give examples forever. President Jimmy Carter went from being a peanut farmer in Georgia to the White House. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was permanently paralyzed from the waist down by polio but he didn't let that prevent him from becoming the longest serving president in the history of the United States. You could have looked at his life after the polio struck and made some very wrong conclusions that he would never accomplish much with his life.

My prayer is that, no matter what the circumstances of your life are, you will realize that God is greater than your environment. Your finding fulfillment in life and your accomplishing God's plans, purposes and promises for your life are not dependent on your environment. They are only dependent on the faith you live by and the size of your God!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

No Hiding

No Hiding

"The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
on those whose hope is in His unfailing love."
Psalm 32:18

Hiding from someone we don't want to face or something we are afraid to do is an age-old problem that started way back in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They had disobeyed God and when they heard His voice, the Bible says that they "hid from the Lord God among the trees of the field". That was about 6,000 years ago, give or take a few, and people have been hiding from God, in a variety of ways, ever since.

Saul was another person in scripture who tried to hide. The account in I Samuel 10 tells the story of Samuel choosing a king for the nation of Israel. Saul had been chosen but "when they looked for him, he was not to be found". Luckily, God was around at the time and told them "he has hidden himself among the baggage". The picture I get is of the baggage car of a train and someone hiding among the luggage like in the movies. In Saul's case, he was hiding from responsibility, hiding from what God had called him to do.

Hiding from God and what He has called us to do just doesn't work. Even David had to come to that realization, writing in Psalm 139:

"Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, your are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn
If I settle on the far side of the sea
Even there your hand will guide me"

At times, we don't read our Bible because we are trying to hide from what the Lord is speaking to us. At other times, we don't go to church because something isn't right in our lives and we don't want to face it in the presence of the Lord. And it can be pretty hard to pray, when as soon as our knees hit the ground, our mind goes to one thing that the Lord wants to talk about.

We can get away with hiding from people we don't want to face, and we can hide from situations that make us uncomfortable, but there is no hiding from God. We can hide from responsibility like Saul (and miss some great opportunities in life) because of a fear of failure and our own insecurities, but we can never hide from God. The God we serve is all-seeing, all-knowing, and omnipresent. We may as well come out from behind the trees, stand up from among all the luggage, stand face to face with God, and deal with what is going on in our lives. We'll be better off for it!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Glasses

Glasses

"And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes so he may
see'. Then the Lord opened his eyes and he saw...."

It was fifth grade, 1961 for those wondering, when the blackboard became increasingly blurry and I got my first pair of glasses. It was before the days of tempered lenses and other more modern breakthroughs and before I knew it, I was wearing what we referred to as Coke Bottle glasses. But it was ok because I could see clearly.

Fast forward 48 years and the prescription has changed countless times, bifocals are now a part of every new pair of glasses but I never complain because being able to see clearly is a blessing that I am very thankful for. I haven't forgotten the days of always carrying a copy of my prescription in my wallet when I traveled because I was so dependent on my glasses to see.

That was never more apparent than last summer when, while swimming in the ocean, a wave knocked off my glasses and they were gone, in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean off of the Atlantic City beach. To say that I panicked, while lamenting my stupidity, would be quite an understatement. Over 700 miles from home, without the ability to find our car let alone drive at all, I was envisioning an end of the vacation that was not too promising. And when my wife said "Wait, I stepped on something" and fished my glasses from under the ocean water, I was one appreciative and thankful husband who would be able to see for the rest of vacation.

Maybe in some ways we all need glasses. Most of us lose our sight in some spiritual ways that can be very costly. We lose sight of all God has done for us and needlessly worry when God has proven Himself faithful time and time again. We lose sight of all God has promises and are burdened about the future when God has it all in control and has spoken that "He will never leave us or forsake us". We lose sight of His awesome power and love and think our problems are too big for God or, even worse, that He doesn't care.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just a slip on a pair of glasses each time that happens and, in a moment, have our spiritual sight restored. That is really what Paul was praying for when he said "I pray that the eyes of your understanding may be opened so that you will see the hope to which He has called you".

At the risk of offending, can I say this morning, just as I heard my eye doctor say many years ago 'you need glasses!' The good part is they won't cost you anything. In fact, it will cost you if you don't get them. But you just might need to keep them handy and every time you are tempted to not trust God or to worry about the future, put them on so you can regain your sight and see clearly, see clearly how good and how faithful the Lord our God is, seeing clearly that His hand is upon our lives and we will order the steps of our lives.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Proof's in the Pudding

The Proof's in the Pudding


"Therefore show to them...the proof of your love."
II Corinthians 8:24

Proof of insurance, proof of ownership, proof of residency and proof of citizenship; what seems like a never ending need to show proof of something to someone, to establish beyond the shadow of a doubt the validity of something. Luke talked about it in Acts1:3 when he said that Jesus "gave many convincing proofs that He was alive". And Paul had to give proof that the Lord was speaking through him to the believers he was writing to in the city of Corinth.

The title, "the proof's in the pudding" is a saying that's been around a while and is still in use today when you're talking about believing a report you've been given. What it means quite simply is that the proof of how good something is comes when you taste it. It is often used when talking about a person changing or displaying some character trait; the proof's in the pudding. It goes right alongside "actions speak louder than words" and "I'll believe it when I see it" and has a sense of doubt associated with it.

In reality, we should not be surprised or offended by people wanting to see proof of our genuineness and sincerity. Our actions should confirm the work of the Lord being done in our hearts. Others should be able to taste of our lives and, in so doing, prove our love and the faith we live by. John wrote in I John 3:18 "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth". And Paul was talking about giving when he said "show these men the proof of your love". Our actions will either prove or disprove the love we have for others; our willingness to sacrifice and give of our time, talents, and resources will be the proof of our love.

One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 34:8 where David declared confidently "taste and see that the Lord is good". God's love and faithfulness for each of us can be both experienced and proven. I pray that your words and actions will provide to the watching world evidence and proof of a changed life, one that is becoming more and more Christ-like with each passing day.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Two Wings Needed

Two Wings Needed

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles."
Isaiah 40:31

From model airplanes glued together in the basement of a home to the latest jetliner manufactured by Boeing, from the smallest insect to the most majestic eagle, the truth remains the same; it takes two wings to fly. If you've ever seen a crippled bird, you know that there is no flight until the wounded wing is healed and both wings can be used to achieve flight.

A. W. Tozer, one of the great Christian leaders of the 20th century, said it this way:

"Truth is like a bird; it cannot fly on one wing.
Yet we are forever trying to take off with one
wing flapping furiously and the other tucked
neatly out of sight. Let's use both wings. We'll
get further that way"

The message he was trying to convey was one of balance in our Christian walks and in our lives. The most committed and faithful believer will eventually crash and burn if they do not get the rest and sleep they need. The most knowledgeable Bible scholar will struggle and make mistakes, some serious, in both words and actions, if they are under stress for too long a period of time.

The same truth can be seen in the spiritual realm. A person can be faithful in church attendance, serving and giving but if they allow sin and selfishness in their life, like a bird with one wing, they are going to have a hard time getting off the ground and making much progress in their spiritual life. We can't major on the minors in our walk with the Lord and we can't ignore the majors if we hope to "soar on wings like eagles" as Isaiah says. We are called to live a balanced Christian life.

The simple truth of needing two wings to fly may help you to discover what has kept you from taking off as a Christian, going deeper in the flow of the Holy Spirit, from being able to hear the voice of God and your coming to that place where you can trust Him without worry and stress constantly attacking you. Faithfulness in one area does not negate the need for balance and obedience in all areas of our walk. Like birds, we need two wings to rise above some of the situations we find ourselves in. Let's all try to find the balance we need to do that starting today!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Turtles

Turtles

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if
any comfort from his love......if any tenderness and compassion,
make my joy complete by having the same love."
Philippians 2:1-2

With the awesome cabin we stayed in, the swimming pool with a slide and the hot tub, the lake for boating, great food, and a very nice game room, the highlight of this week's Kids Camp was none other than the turtles which populated the lake we were staying at. Those hard-shelled creatures were alternately described as cute, loveable, adorable, and friendly, as in "my turtle is so friendly". And because of that, five families now have a new pet or two to take care of.

We can learn much from nature and God's creation, and turtles are no exception. They have the ability to withdraw into their dome-shaped shells which serve to protect them from any predators that would try and sink their teeth into the little fellows. They hide behind their shell; a good system that keeps them inside and their enemies outside, protecting them from everything except the determined kids who come to camp with a big net and a soft heart.

I couldn't help but think, as I was observing the turtles, of the shells that we often form when we are hurt by others. They are invisible to the human eye, and often unknown by even the person who has them, but they serve as a protection to keep us from being hurt again by the words and actions of others. But our unconscious attempts at self- preservation come with a cost, keeping out not only people who might hurt us again but also those who love and genuinely care about us. And the ultimate problem with those turtle-like hard exteriors is that they can also keep God out when He is trying to come into our hearts and bless our lives.

We've been called to be tender, a word whose definition includes such things as soft and yielding, highly susceptible to emotions and impressions and having a sensitive character or disposition. God's mercy toward us, in fact, is often called "his tender mercies because it includes those qualities in his dealing with each of us. He is soft and yielding knowing our weaknesses and sensitive to the needs in our lives.

The loveable turtles can't do it but we can break up the shells that surround us, giving God and others free access to our hearts, asking God to make us tender and yielding, and in the process opening ourselves up to a greater freedom than we have known.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Expecting

Expecting

"The creation waits in eager expectation
for the sons of God to be revealed."
Romans 8:19

The announcement "I'm expecting", or the male version of "we're expecting", is always met with excitement and enthusiasm, with handshakes and hugs, with congratulations, happiness and, occasionally, applause. It is such a commonly used phrase that Websters includes in its' definition of the word expecting "to be pregnant, to await the birth on one's child". But it's the other definitions that have been on my heart all week as I've had the opportunity to spend time in prayer.

Webster's also defines expecting as "to anticipate, to look forward to the coming or occurrence of something, to considerable probable implying a high degree of certainty" and it includes the idea of preparing and envisioning. And it's in that usage that we see the thought of expecting and expectation scattered throughout the Bible.

One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 5:3 where David writes:

"In the morning I lay my requests before
you and wait in expectation."

As David prayed, an expectation arose in his heart of what the Lord would shortly do, a certain looking forward to the answer to his requests that he had laid before the Lord in prayer. He no doubt began to envision the fulfillment, seeing with his spiritual eyes the outcome of his petitions before the Lord. He easily could have made the announcement "I'm expecting", declaring "I'm expecting God to move in your life and in your situation" or "I'm expecting God to perform a miracle for you".

That same expectation is to fill our hearts as we wait to see what the Lord will do in our lives. Peter wrote boldly in I Peter 1:3 "we live with great expectation" and John talked in I John 3:3 of living with "an eager expectation" of what was in the future. For those who aren't experiencing that in their lives right now, the key is found in the very nature and heart of God. He is a God who loves his people, you and I. He is a God who is faithful to His promises-each and every one. He is a God who delights in answering prayers that are offered in faith by those who trust in Him. Like David, we can confidently lay our requests before Him, and wait in expectation for all that the Lord will do in our lives, able to say with a certainty "I'm expecting God to ............"!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Hilton Head '09

Hilton Head '09

"But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press toward the
goal to win the prize for which God has called me."

With only one day left on our family vacation in Hilton Head South Carolina, the scene of some great senior trips over the years, the choices for writing a devotion seem almost endless. There are the incredibly scenic beaches with the ever-changing tides to enjoy or the quality time spent with family laughing together, sharing memories and creating new ones. The challenging design and splendor of the golf courses we played is one other option but someone might ask my scores so I ruled that out. From the power of the ocean's waves to lessons on getting sunburned, this vacation has provided so many lessons including one learned from playing solitaire.

Solitaire, as the name indicates, is the card game you can play by yourself, seven piles of cards, turn over three at a time, and try to move the cards up top by their suits-a game we all know. Nancy was playing solitaire the other night as we were sitting around the condo and asked if I wanted to try a hand. From accepting her offer till now, I am 0 for 19, having lost every game so far. But the nice thing is it isn't at all discouraging because as soon as I'm done with this I can start a new game with as good a chance to win as ever.

The same is true in each of our lives in a much broader sense. Each day is a new day in the Lord; we can forget yesterday's disappointments and failures and start the morning with expectancy and hope. Paul, realizing this, wrote to the Philippian believers about his exercised habit of forgetting what was in the past, all his yesterdays including both successes and failures, and reaching toward the future opportunities offered by the Lord to each of us.

Francis Chan wrote "the scriptures demonstrate clearly that there is room for failure in our pursuit of the Lord". David wrote about God's mercy being new every morning, not from teachings he had learned but from the experiences of his life. Despite failure in his personal life, he walked in the forgiveness God offers and in the hope represented by each new day in the Lord.

Like the next game of solitaire I'm about to deal myself, your tomorrow is a fresh opportunity to accomplish God's will with your life, a truly new day to get it right in the choices and decisions you make, in the attitudes you carry, and in the impact you have in the lives of others. Let's take advantage of God's new day!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Undiluted

Undiluted

"For I didn't shrink from declaring to you
all that God wants you to know."
Acts 20:27

On one of our many trips to Vermont when we lived on the East Coast, I still remember trying out "Genuine Vermont Maple Syrup". Expecting it to be similar to my Log Cabin Maple Syrup back home, I poured it on as usual only to be shocked at the first helping of blueberry pancakes. This was the real thing, undiluted, super sweet, unlike anything I had tasted.

We get so used to the products we enjoy being diluted, that the real thing becomes too much to take. And maple syrup isn't the only example. Orange, apple and other juices have only a small percentage of the real thing. And drinking whole milk tastes so thick after getting used to half percent that I can't drink it anymore let alone put it on a bowl of Frosted Flakes in the morning. And when the extra ice in my Diet Coke melts, the pop gets so diluted that you can't always tell what it was to start with.

Paul, in his parting words to the elders of the Ephesian church, was speaking of his ministry among them when he said "I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God". He was establishing his faithfulness to them as a minister of the gospel in that he didn't hold anything back, didn't water down the Word, and certainly didn't dilute the message the Lord had called him to deliver. It may taste a little strong at first and even be a little offensive, but we need the whole truth of God's Word if we are to stand strong during the days we are living in. We need to hear about holiness and purity and the need to be separated from the world and unto God, without it being diluted with excuses the Lord won't accept.

Faithfulness in devotions, giving and church attendance - "Pastor, please don't dilute it and don't hold back, speak the truth to us!!" Patience, persistence, passion, and prayer - we need Pauls who won't shrink back, won't be afraid to say the unpopular but necessary things we need to hear.

Jesus said "you will know the truth and the truth will set you free". To steal a phrase "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" is desperately needed in our generation.

Let's not settle for diluted when it comes to the things of God!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Fishing Stories

Fishing Stories

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than
all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at
work within us, to him be glory in the church."
Ephesians 3:20

Now let's be honest, we've all exaggerated once or twice in our lifetimes, if not much more. Maybe it was the story that sounded a little better after spicing up the details for your friends? Or the famous fishing story and your hands just happened to go a little farther apart as you told how big the fish you struggled with for hours before finally landing was? Or the church story that would have a much greater effect on people, and sound a whole lot more powerful with only a little exaggeration of the details of what happened?

My thinking about this subject started with a statement by Francis Chan in his book Crazy Love that said "Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?" Now before we move on, let's make sure he's right by trying some God-sized exaggerations to see if they work:

1. Nothing is too difficult for my God! Nope, that doesn't work because it's true, our God is able to do anything and everything. He parted the Red Sea, made the sun stand still in the heavens, raised the dead, and so much more. There is no problem in our life that God can't handle, no difficulty His grace can't bring us through and certainly no battle we can't win with God by our side. We're going to have to try a whole lot harder if we're to have any hope to exaggerate our God!
   
   
2. My God can listen to a billion people pray at once, hear each of their prayers and answer them according to His will. Sorry, that didn't work either. There is no call- waiting with God, no busy signals, no "all circuits are busy, please try your call again later". He is always there for each of us, from the remotest villages to the largest cities, hearing our every cry for mercy, help and strength. The Bible says He doesn't slumber or sleep, doesn't take sabbaticals or go away on vacation, and is never out sick. In fact it says that He will never leave us or forsake us, not you, not me, not any of us. No exaggeration there either, let's try one more time.
   
   
3. When I fail Him or walk away from Him, My God forgives me, remembering my sins no more, "casting them into the depths of the sea". Wait a minute, doesn't everyone hold a little grudge, dredge up the past when it's needed, or keep a record of wrongs? Not our God. Psalm 103:3 says He "forgives all our sins" and then verse 12 adds that He removes them "as far as the east is from the west". Our God forgives and forgets! Little stuff and big stuff, He washes our sins away in the blood of the Lamb.
   

His forgiveness and mercy cannot be exaggerated, by even the best teller of tall tales out there. Not only do we have to admit that God cannot be exaggerated but we have to admit that it is comforting to know that. His power is unlimited, His knowledge is immeasurable and His love is unfathomable. And all are available to those who will seek the Lord and put their trust in Him.

We serve a God whose power, whose love, whose understanding is greater than we have words to describe. He simply cannot be exaggerated.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Eating Machines

Eating Machines

"Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk so
that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
I Peter 2:2

When you look at the characteristics of some of the animals, birds, and insects in creation, it's easy to see how Solomon used them to teach God's ways. From the courage of a lion "who retreats before nothing" as Proverbs 30:30 tells us, to the flight of an eagle who can rise above the greatest of storms, nature teaches us invaluable lessons on life. The title "Eating Machines" is one of the names given to caterpillars and for a very good reason. At birth they are so small they can barely be seen but they eat constantly and voraciously until in less than two weeks they are two inches long.

We have been told so much about the importance of reading the Word of God, that we often lose sight of it's importance. Peter uses the word "crave" in relation to our taking in the Word of God as part of our spiritual lives. Dictionary.com describes "crave" as to want greatly, to long for and to desire greatly. And to make sure we understand, it uses the phrase "to crave sweets" to hammer home the point. Now that most of us can definitely relate to! Reading the Word of God is not another dull routine to be endured, it is a part of our growth and of our sustenance, our source of guidance and hope, and a blessing that we so often lose sight of.

The caterpillar provides us with another insight into the thought of growth by the way it sheds its' skin. A monarch caterpillar sheds its' skin five times during the larvae stage. And here's the key. A new larger skin is always waiting under the one that is shed. Think of that - stages of growth, going from one level to another. Romans 1:17 talks about our going "from faith to faith" or from one level of faith to another. Other scriptures talk about growing in the gifts of the Spirit and in our understanding of God's ways, while others address our growing in grace and love, in patience and trust, all attributes of godly men and women of faith.

I can't help but think as I write this that there are new larger skins, like the caterpillar, waiting for many, if not all, of us in our Christian walks. And as soon as the old is shed, the new is revealed. So often the Word of God is the link to our realizing that we have some "old skin" to get rid of, and some new skin to begin walking in. That new skin will be larger, it may stretch you along the way and challenge you in your attitudes and in the way you live your life. But one thing is for sure, you'll come out a better and more satisfied person, able to see the growth and change in your own life.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Most Wanted List

The Most Wanted List

".....that you may live in a right way
in undivided devotion to the Lord."
I Corinthians 7:35

One of the highlights of teaching government class was always the trip to the US District Court on West Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Detroit. The outing included sitting in on some very interesting court cases, visiting the "million dollar courtroom" of the chief justice, and a tour of the US Marshalls facilities in the building. (Not to mention a People Mover ride to Greektown and a visit to Pizzapopolis for some incredible deep dish pizza.....).

Every year, without fail, the students would get the most excited when they saw the FBI's Most Wanted Posters on the wall outside the US Marshall's office. If you can picture a group of students crowded around trying to get as many details as possible of the deeds that got these men and women on the famous "most wanted list".

When I was reminded of this recently, the question crossed my mind "does heaven have a most wanted list"? Something like this:

Fred Higgins-
Wanted for setting a bad example for unbelievers, one that hardened 12 lives at work.


Sally Monroe-
Wanted for 9 counts of hypocrisy and 6 counts of lying to others to make herself look good.

James Johnson-
Wanted forholding grudges against those who cheated him even though he cheated too.

Maria Balfour-
Wanted for aggravated gossip and criticism of others, causing 8 people to stop going to church.

It's possible to get so caught up in being positive and encouraging, that we lose sight of the fact that there are things the Lord hates, sins that will separate us from God and his presence in our lives. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things "that are detestable to Him" and follows that up with warnings about adultery and immorality. We have been called to lives of holiness and purity.

Those on the FBI's list are on the run from authorities, hiding out rather than face long prison terms and, for some, even the death penalty. Let's make sure we aren't on the run from the Holy Spirit as He tries to bring conviction in our lives and lead us to repentance for areas of sin, disobedience, and unrighteousness (things that just aren't right). Is God looking for you? Is God trying "to bring you in" like the US Marshalls do with those on the "most wanted list"? Surrender to the Lord afresh today and allow Him to lead you, as the scripture says, "in a right way".

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

An Attitude of Gratitude

An Attitude of Gratitude

"Thank God in everything (no matter what the circumstances
may be, be thankful and give thanks), for this is the will of
God for you in Christ Jesus...." I Thessalonians 5:18 AMPL

The article in the Indiana newspaper was eye-catching, a husband and wife had given a large sum of money, $15 million, to help with the renovation of a building on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. It was a building I had walked by more times than I could count in my four years at Notre Dame, an inconspicuous stone structure on the quad where my dorm room was. But that plain building held one of the oldest and top rated law schools in the nation.

The write-up of Robert and Frances Biolchini's donation of $15 million was characterized by one word - gratitude. Gratitude by the Biolchini's for the education five of their children received at Notre Dame and gratitude by the university that someone would be so generous in helping to meet a need at the school.

Gratitude, the simple quality of being thankful for the many blessings in your life, is a trait that is far more important than we realize. Gratitude unlocks or releases other things in our lives. Edwin McManus wrote, for example, that "gratitude fuels optimism and hope" and that is so easy to see, a thankful person is always more hopeful and confident about their future than someone who is unthankful.

And as we see in the story of the Biolchini's, gratitude produces generosity. A thankful heart looks for ways to express that thankfulness by blessing other lives, being generous not just with finances but with love and concern and attention and forgiveness. A grateful person acknowledges God's generosity in their life, in the areas mentioned, from love to forgiveness and in so many more ways, and their attitude of gratitude becomes a defining force in their lives.

It's easy to see why the Lord admonished us to be thankful in every situation we find ourselves in. Gratitude and unforgiveness cannot co-exist, neither can gratitude and bitterness or gratitude and pessimism - they just don't go hand in hand. Being purposeful in making sure we are thankful and grateful people will change our perspective on life and allow us to fully enjoy the life we have been blessed with.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

PS - And for those wondering, yes, my parents were equally thankful for the awesome
education I received at Notre Dame!!

Love People

Love People

"And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself"

Can I be the first to admit that there are some things in the Bible I still don't understand, the four horsemen of revelation, the first creation, someone having more than one wife let alone seven hundred, the list would be pretty extensive. And so I'm thankful for those truths that are very simple such as the second commandment which tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, or to put in an easier form, love people.

Love people
-when they don't deserve it
-when they've hurt you
-when they don't want you to
-when they're different than you
-when they've disappointed you
-when they won't say they're sorry
-when no one else will
-when you're really too busy
-when it will cost you something
-when they are hurting and lonely
-when they can't say thank you
-when they need you the most

Love people
-even if you think they'll never change
-even if everyone else tells you not to
-even if you know they'll hurt you again
-even when you have to battle memories

Love people
-despite their faults
-despite their weaknesses
-despite their rudeness
-despite everything

Love people
-as the Lord has loved you
-as the Lord would love them
-as you want others to love you
-as an offering to the Lord who has saved us and blessed our lives abundantly!

Jesus narrowed all the commandments down to two, loving the Lord and loving people. May we receive the grace to show forth the love of Christ, allowing His love to fill our hearts and overflow to a lost and hurting world, to quite simply "love people".

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Cornerstone

The Cornerstone

"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
I Peter 2:6

We are used to gound breaking ceremonies signaling the construction of anything from a new corporate headquarters to a new highway linking important areas of the country. Dignitaries are gathered, photographers and newspapaer reporters are assembled and someone, usually an important leader or key figure, is given the honor of digging the first shovel-full of dirt for the new project.

The equivalent of these events in ancient times was the laying of the cornerstone in a new building. The cornerstone was the first stone laid in the building process and was the stone which all other stones were aligned with, its' placement being crucial to the success of the project being undertaken. Job made reference to it, both David and Isaiah prophesied about God sending "a precious cornerstone" that could be trusted in and relied upon, and Jesus quoted their words in addressing the religious leaders who were rejecting him.

The truth that Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith is both simple and profound. It is simple in the fact that we know that Christianity is (or should be) centered around, and based on, the person and work of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. All that we believe in and all that we live for are found in Christ. The profound side of looking to Jesus as our cornerstone is that we can take every measurement for our lives from him, aligning with him in literally everything.

Thinking of just a few examples, we can align ourselves with the heart Jesus had for the lost and hurting, with his attitude toward sinners who were outside the kingdom and living contrary to God's ways, and with the desire he had to please the Father.

He can be our cornerstone in a devotional life where we set time aside for prayer and seeking God's will, as an example of a life that hit the mark and refused to be either distracted or deflected, and in laying down our lives for others as he did.

Allowing Jesus to be your "precious cornerstone, a sure foundation" (Isaiah 28:16) in your life, will assure you of a Christian life that grows straight, that can endure the winds and storms, and that, above all else, will glorify the Father in heaven.


God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The 166

The 166

"Look carefully how you walk! Live purposefully and
worthily and accurately....making the very most of
the time (buying up each opportunity).
Ephesians 5:15-16 (Amplified)

My favorite radio station, K-Love, is unfortunately in another state. Their signal comes in for the first forty-five minutes of the ride home, fading out halfway between Buffalo and Rochester. Coming home from New York this week was no different. But just before the signal was lost, the host commented "my pastor has been preaching on the 166". As his voice was being lost in the crackle of the radio, I caught just enough to be challenged by the thought.

Most Christians spend an average of two hours a week in church leaving 166 hours spent outside of the church. The two hours of church, while a very small amount of time, are important for equipping us to serve, for stirring up our faith, as a time to experience the manifest presence of the Lord and to fellowship with others of like faith. But the majority of our time, "the 166", is spent outside the church and it is how we spend those hours that will determine our success in life and the measure of fruitfulness we achieve.

When Paul wrote in Ephesians about "making the very most of the time" we have been given, he was no doubt referring to those hours lived outside the church. It was a given that the believers would be in the house of the Lord whenever possible-soaking in as much of God as they could, strengthening their relationship with the Lord and gleaning from God's Word and God's people direction and inspiration.

But our challenge today is to take control of "the 166", choosing to "live purposefully" as the Amplified Bible words it. We have to make sure we are alloting time for the things that are most important to us, whether that be time spent with family and friends, time set aside for devotions and Bible study, or hours spent in a special area of interest that we enjoy. The hours we have been blessed with are a gift from the Lord and an opportunity that we have to be careful how we live. Using our 166 in a way that is productive, purposeful, and fruitful will require planning, discipline, self-control and more. But the end result will be a life that we can look back on with satisfaction and thankfulness.

This week's 166 may be almost gone but next week's opportunity to use our time for the glory of the Lord will be upon us before we know it. Let's determine to live our lives "purposefully, worthily and accurately".

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

In God's Hands

In God's Hands

"The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my
eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and
washed and then I could see." John 9:11

On the days when we feel very ordinary and unqualified for the tasks set before us, this story of Jesus healing a blind man is one of many that encourages us about what the Lord can do in each of our lives.

In performing this miracle of healing, Jesus took something that has no evident value or purpose, common mud, dirt mixed with water, and placed it on the man's eyes as a point of contact in his healing. It teaches us a lesson we need to learn and remember- that in God's hands, the ordinary is changed into the extraordinary, nothing becomes something, and nobodies become somebodies,

We have another example in Moses' life. God told him to take up the staff in his hand, a branch of a tree that had been dried out and carved into a walking stick. That staff, which Exodus 4:20 calls "the staff of God", became a symbol of God's power when it was thrown down and became a snake and, again later, when it was used to strike the waters of the Nile and turn them into blood. Outside of God's hand, it was powerless but in the hands of God, it was transformed into a tool to be used for His glory. And that really is the case for each of us. Outside and separated from God, we are powerless to bring about the changes and breakthroughs we long to see in those around us. But that is not the end of the matter.

When it comes to people, the disciples who were used to heal the sick, raise the dead, and perform many miraculous signs and wonders are referred to, in Acts 4:31 as unschooled, ordinary men." I find that verse to be one of the most encouraging verses in the entire Bible. It shows that our confidence need not be in ourselves, that we don't have to be insecure in our own lack of ability, talent, wisdom or strength. Our lives just need to be placed in the hands of God.
So many struggle trying to be "enough", good enough, strong enough, smart enough, and cool enough to be accepted by others. And the unfortunate result is increasing insecurity in lives that can never measure up. But maybe we don't need to measure up, maybe we don't need to be enough. We just need to realize that our sufficiency is from the Lord and then turn our lives over afresh to the Lord, allowing Him to make us the men and women He created us to be. We may not be as capable as we wish, but God is able! And that's where our hope lies.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Battery Power

Battery Power

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised but stay in
the city until you have been clothed with power from on high"
Luke 24:49

Batteries for clocks and watches, cell phones, I-pods and laptops, the remotes and the flashlights and let's not forget the smoke alarm that beeps at 3:00 am when the battery dies at a suspiciously ridiculous hour. We are battery dependent and battery power, no matter how good of an "energizer' we purchase, is always temporary.

In the last two weeks, I've been reminded of that several times. In Washington, D.C., I was at the top of the Washington Monument when the low battery indicator on my camera began to flash red, giving me a few more pictures before the camera shut down. And the "off-brand" replacements available at the souvenir stand lasted until we stood in front of the White House for our group photo and, you guessed it, ran out.

Then, last week, on the trip to Camp Michindoh with 43 7th graders whose parents were given my cell phone number to ease their fears, I forgot my charger. One last call from a dad who was worried about his son being away from home for the first time and my cell died at about 12:30 in the morning. It's at those moments that the importance of power, temporary or not, can be seen and appreciated.

Our strength in the natural is very similar to batteries in that, no matter how far we stretch it, it will eventually run out. And we were created by the Lord that way, needing sleep and rest to recharge our internal batteries, both being essential to our bodies functioning the way our Creator designed them to. Studies have shown the effects of sleep deficiency to be far greater than we realize, ranging from weakening the sharpness of our thinking to hindering our ability to handle stress and everyday problems.

Spiritual strength is no different. The strength to cope with the pressures and challenges of life needs to be renewed or we will face similar difficulties, finding ourselves making mistakes we never intended. It might be a word misspoken or a decision unadvised that is the result of our not keeping our spiritual batteries fully charged. Isaiah 40:30 tells us that "even youths grow tired and weary" but offers the promise in :31 that "they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength".

Just like Dave Auten tests our 9-volts every Sunday morning (with his tongue), we need to check our batteries on a regular basis, make sure we're staying recharged, and living with the strength and power, the wisdom and understanding that the Lord intended. The time invested in both rest and in the presence of the Lord will be well rewarded!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Souvenir Row

Souvenir Row

"The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life."
Romans 6:23

The one-block area where we got off the tour bus contains Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was assassinated, the Peterson House where he was brought immediately after, and a host of shops packed with every possible souvenir to commemorate a visit to Washington, D.C.

For me it was off to the nearest McDonalds a block away for a soft drink. When I stepped up to the counter, my response to the customary "What can I get for you?" was a "can I have a large pop please?". The look on the waitresses face was a combination of "what is this guy talking about" and "I wonder how long he's been in the country". I quickly changed it to "can I have a large soda", a language she understood, damage done, communication accomplished and I received my plastic cup.

We have the phrase "to call a spade a spade" meaning to speak honestly and clearly about a subject or situation, to describe something as it really is. The English have a more blunt and forceful version saying "to call a spade a bloody shovel". But the point is the same, we need to call things as they are and not sugar coat them for the benefit of how we might appear to others or even to ourselves.

Billy Sunday, the baseball player turned evangelist in the early 20th century in America, termed it this way, "one reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake". I was in a conversation recently and was trying to graciously refer to something the person had done when they corrected me, saying "pastor that was nothing more than sin". Like the waitress in DC, I was taken back by their honesty and by their choice of words heard less and less lately. But it is only in being honest with ourselves and in calling things as they really are that we have any hope of change.

Our choice of words is not always as trivial as soda or pop. And while speaking positively certainly applies in many situations as our words declare our faith in God, calling things as they really are, calling sin sin, has tremendous advantages too. It brings us face to face with what separates us from the Lord and from His favor on our lives. That honesty with ourselves clears the way for change, for cleansing and for restoration to His presence.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors

"The kingdom of God does not come with careful observation
... because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21

Visiting the United States Capitol in Washington and getting to sit in the gallery of the House of Representatives is always an interesting experience because very few of the 435 representatives are usually there. Over the many years of visiting the Capitol, we've seen as few as two or three representatives listening to speeches on issues ranging from gun control to foreign aid and never more than a few dozen of the hundreds elected to represent their constituents back home.

As we headed to the capitol this morning for our visit to Congress, I was thinking that the sparse attendance we usually encounter was not a refection of the amount of work being done but rather an indication that the real work of Congress goes on behind closed doors.

The work of forging public policy, of solving critical issues being confronted by the nation, of addressing matters that affect the lives of millions of people is done out of the sight of us Washington tourists and even out of the sight of the hordes of media surrounding our political leaders.

The scripture above teaches us that the same principle is true in Christianity, the real work of becoming Christ like takes place outside the view and observation of others, as we seek, in the privacy of our hearts, to forge a relationship with the Lord.

When a bill comes up on the floor of the House of Representatives, untold hours of work have gone into that bill being ready for debate and an eventual vote. The quality of what is proposed is a reflection of all that took place behind closed doors.

A similar situation occurs in our church services in that what occurs on a Sunday morning is a reflection of all that took place behind closed doors during the week. The quality of the ministry, the contributions of the congregation (a very important part of every service) and the level of entering into the Lord's presence are the end result of the "behind closed doors" effort of everyone who is a part.

In that place where no one can see you, behind the closed doors of your heart, the quality of your contribution is being forged. And while no-one observes that process, the end result cannot be hidden. Make it your goal this week to get "the real work" done with excellence and with determination - and you will have a part in something great coming forth in the Kingdom of God.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Neighbor's House

The Neighbor's House

"I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen
you with power through his Spirit in your inner being."
Ephesians 3:16

If ever there was a lesson on the danger of judging by appearances, the story of Adele Gaboury certainly provides it. When reports that Adele had gone into a nursing home first surfaced, her neighbors began to fill in the gaps. When one neighbor noticed her mail piling up, he promptly notified the post office and the deliveries were stopped. And when her lawn became unsightly, another neighbor paid her son to mow Adele's lawn twice a month. The water was shut off after another neighbor noticed water spilling out of the house from frozen pipes but, all in all, the house appeared to everyone to be a well-kept suburban home.

When the police finally investigated the house as a health hazard, they were shocked to discover Adele's body inside. Four years of the neighbors maintaining her home on the outside had hidden the reality of what was on the inside. The Washington Post reported on October 27th, 1993, that it was believed Adele Gaboury had died of natural causes four years earlier.

Like Adele's house, outward appearances can be very deceiving, not always giving a true picture of what is happening on the inside. Think of what Jesus told the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1 (The Message Bible):

"I know all the things you do, and that you have
a reputation for being alive-but you are dead."

The Lord is concerned with our inner health, not our outward appearance. The challenge is for each of us to guard against becoming satisfied with an approval from others that is based on appearances and reputation, and not on our true spiritual state. The praise of men, as Paul worded it, can be both dangerous and deceptive - keeping us from a true assessment of how we are doing on the inside.

Take a walk through your house, check the level of joy and contentment, see what the temperature on the inside is at, hot, cold, or lukewarm, and make sure there is a hunger or the things of God. And make sure the door is open for the Lord to come in and do any house cleaning He sees fit.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church