Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

Years ago, newly married, Keith and I spent many weekends at his parents place in rural Arkansas. With a shop full of tools and a garden full of food, it was great to lay our heads upon pillows, enjoy the restful sleep of children and put aside the worries of adulting, though there were some adjustments for me. I grew up in town where every street corner had a lamp and porch lights stayed on when twilight descended. With an address miles off the pavement, the Rooney’s had a night light, but its switch was in the breaker box and when it was time to turn in, doors were closed, lights went off and total blackout occurred. 

I questioned this state and was told I and my belongings were safer in darkness. An intruder did not know the way without light, but we each had an internal navigating system that would steer us through.  Car keys were always dropped in the floorboard, vehicle doors left unlocked. They were insured and not worth dying for if someone came looking to steal.  However, everything else was locked up.  It must have been a good plan because the biggest crime spree was cold sodas gone missing from the springhouse on hot summer days.

Until……

Very late one night Keith sat up in bed and told me to stay still as he quietly crept out into the blackness of the front yard.  Moments later he returned, threw on his clothes and told me to dial the county sheriff. The neighbor had been robbed, and he went flying down the road to see if he could find where the criminals had gone.

The neighbor’s farmhouse was empty most of the time because its resident lived in a nearby city and only checked on things when needed.  The sound of a motor idling at an unusually late hour awoke and alerted Keith to danger. In the yard he had walked his whole life he hid and watched as a metal chain was cut and a trailer with equipment was quickly hitched and pulled away.  He gave chase as the law headed our way.

Keith described the make, model and year of the thief’s truck. It had unmatched tires with questionable thread. He named the brand and size, because years earlier he had learned such things at his father’s knee.  A puddle of fluid told of a leaking transmission that wouldn’t travel much further. And….the local teenagers, that gathered in the evenings at the Texaco station, knew their community’s night noises and recounted the twists and turns of the robbers’ flight, pointing directly to where they heard the motor stop. As if written for a Hollywood film script, the crippled truck, loaded with other’s belongings, was found beside the road and soon the mystery of a multi-county theft ring was solved.

Earth’s darkness, was not Keith’s. His knowledge was a lamp for his feet. Shadows were not stumbling blocks, but the picture he needed to understand and find his way. He was aware of the threats and the havens to be found with or with out sunshine.

God’s light does not come and go. There is no switch, only a choice. Walk in the Sonshine, store it in your heart and mind and darkness will never be a threat.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 119:105

Blessings,

Gretchen

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah saw two things that forever changed him, God in His Holiness, and man’s sin in its ugliness. From the beginning Isaiah understood that his message would fall on deaf ears.  The people of Jerusalem made every excuse except to turn from their idolatrous ways. He spent his entire life living in Jerusalem with he Assyrian army ready to destroy the walled fortress, take the population as slaves and obliterate God’s Covenant nation from the face of the earth. God said to Isaiah, remind them of my steadfast patience and longing to forgive. That message did not, nor ever will change.

Isaiah spoke in present time to the people he shared life with, foretold of Jesus’ birth as vividly as Matthew, Mark or Luke and gave first hand witness to the assurance that awaits all believers. His message to ancient Israel, each one of us and all of those who will struggle with sin, fear and an uncertain future is hope.

While spoken in a land of ancient people, this is our promise too.  Those who hope will continuously renew and restore their souls so they may bless all people.

Love,

Gretchen

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke begin with Jesus’ birth.  Mark’s story begins with Jesus’ ministry, but the disciple whom Jesus loved, His very closest friend, starts at the beginning of time, when Jesus, One with the Father, brought things into order. John brings the Good News,  Jesus is God with us. He has come that we might have LIFE and have it more abundantly.

Man’s eye defines space by shadows. It is the contrast of light and dark that reveals depth, contour and shape. But John’s hallmark description of His Savior is Light and Life, a light that casts away all darkness, a light so radiant, illumination cannot be compromised.

Our visual adaptation of using shades of light and dark for recognition, memorization and navigation permeates our concept of the power of Jesus’ sacrifice.  We live as though it’s normal to hide secrets in unlit corners of our heart where no one dares to go, believing that a light will allow everyone to see, or remember, or enhance! John testifies that light dispels the darkness. Jesus did not live, die and rise again to shine a spotlight to stage our shame. Emmanuel came to eliminate it! He is the Light of the World, but more specifically, your heart.

Love,

Gretchen

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens. Psalm 148:13

Psalm 148 is a role call of all that brings glory to God.  It is creation. He alone spoke and it came into order and function. Nothing and no one else should stand beside our LORD and be acknowledged for the wisdom and power that is displayed in all that He alone designed.

Is this to say that no man should offer another recognition or gratitude? Am I implying gracious appreciation toward each other is a form of idolatry? No, it is an attribute of love and humility from one man to another. Therefore, it glorifies the One that brought us together.

Praise is the food of faith. If you wish to be spiritually healthy, then you must feast your soul on it. 

Love,

Gretchen

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.  Psalm 20:7

For today’s devotional we are going to link two ideas together for spiritual renewal and encouragement: Faith and common sense.

This worship Psalm was used as David was preparing for battle. Jerusalem gathered to pray and praise before the nation’s military met their approaching foe. As he and his forces prepared appropriately to engage in battle, they also asked for God’s blessing and protection.  God answered and Israel was the victor.

David was a warrior king.  He amassed and led a trained, outfitted and formidable army.  This is common sense from the man a nation relied on for security and continued prosperity. However, David knew he could have all the world’s resources if he sought them, but they were irrelevant without the will of the LORD our God.  How do you access God’s power and will? Faith.

Common sense says, prepare. There are things you must do, things you will need. Act accordingly. But, when life gets real and all the preparation in the world isn’t enough, add faith. It is time to step aside and let God be God. He is not upstaging you, selfishly controlling your outcomes or invalidating your efforts to be ready.  He is doing what you cannot……He’s being God!

Love,

Gretchen

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven. Hebrews 1:3 

Many Jews who came to believe Jesus was the Messiah felt that soon, Jerusalem would become capitol of the world.  Rome would crumble and Jesus would reign.  Where they had been oppressed, they would rule. It didn’t turn out that way!  It is believed that Paul wrote this letter from Rome, but did not attach his name to it, because he had become very unpopular. His message of perseverance and servitude was not well received by believers, and to those who would not repent!? Well, he had a lot to say about their present and future state.  No matter who did the writing, Hebrews is a letter to Jews, connecting Levitical Law to prophecy and prophecy to Jesus, the Son of God. It is the foundational footing for Christianity, therefore, it defines some very important facts that Christian’s then and today must anchor their faith to.

Jesus became the spotless Lamb who’s blood was spilled for a final sacrifice/atonement.  Prior to the crucifixion, priests made animal sacrifices for repentance of their sin. The process was specific, elaborate and important to covenant keeping, until Jesus died and rose again.  At that moment, death no longer had any hold on this world and the need for temple rituals became unnecessary.  But, God’s covenant people got hung up between traditions of the Old Law and the freedoms of the New. Which did God mean? Both, first one and then the other, but not together. 

Surviving life can feel impossible, certainly defeating. The Christians of Jerusalem came to know horrible persecution from all sides and eventually, their city of hope was completely destroyed. There could be no temple rituals because the temple was a pile of rubble. But, there was no need.  Access to God’s Throne is as near as the speaking of His name in reverent welcome. It was His breath that brought life to Adam, and it is His breath, the power of His Word, that brings eternal life once again, because Jesus, God’s Son, is alive and He is preparing your place in Heaven.

Hallelujah!

Gretchen

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28

I would have the one problem in the world that the LORD can’t figure out and fix……..I am the singular person on the planet that God has truly forgotten………I did it! I exhausted every patience and grace from He who promised to be infinite in all things……….

Do you ever share similar thoughts? The exiled people of Isaiah’s time, who were guilty of violating God’s covenant law because they were entitle and rebellious, have lost every thing at the hands of the Assyrian empire and they were thinking some hopeless thinks. They have been uprooted from their homeland and taken into slavery or relocated to strange lands. Disheartened and shattered they are aware it was their own sin that created their trouble, BUT God has sent word, He still loves. Not only does He hold the power to keep His promises, He begins to speak of an eternal Hope that will change the world permanently.

Our sins cost much this side of Heaven, but they are not a death sentence if we humble ourselves to God’s authority and forgiveness. Sin separates us from God, shame hobbles salvation’s joy. Fear halts progress, a stubborn heart does all satan’s work for Him.  And in the blink of an eye, or the pulse of a heartbeat, God brings life where all was thought to be dead. He has not forgotten, He is not confused and He has not quit loving. He is being God and that’s all you need.

Praying for your strength this Monday,

Gretchen

In the fall of my freshman year of college I had a summary over assigned reading due every Monday at 5:00 p.m. Each week I began writing at 4:00 p.m., then rushed across campus to turn in my haphazardly completed paper. But one autumn afternoon everything didn’t go as planned so it was 5 minutes after 5 when I arrived in the religion department just as Dr. Hahn was locking his door. I smiled, handed him my work and said, “Glad I caught you.”  Without saying a word he looked at his watch, tore my paper in two, handed the halves back to me, said, “Five o’clock means five o’clock,” and walked away. It stung badly, but I never turned anything in late again! I regret that I had to be taught to the point of offensiveness.

Years later, Keith and I bought a gorgeous red Camaro. The payment was high, the insurance steep, but it was a beauty.  We were way too hip for a minivan even though we had an infant. It turned out, the car’s cost went way beyond dollars. Its two doors were heavy objects that would sag overtime if I used them to hoist me or a child’s carrier in and out of the back seat. I endured rainy days with water dripping down my back as I buckled my baby in behind the cool low riding bucket seats. Each time I walked through gravel or mud I worried about the wear and tear on the vehicle’s interior, and we won’t even discuss the crisis of an upside down bottle as I went scrambling to catch it before milk or formula soaked into the upholstery. I made sixty payments and resented most of them. When we sold it, I was thrilled to see it go. To this day I won’t buy boxed macaroni because I associate it with this season of life. I regret the moments of true goodness I missed at the expense of lookin’ good going down the road.

We have a friend that has excelled tremendously as a dirt track racer, but long before we knew him, he had aspirations of racing on asphalt and knows that with his ability and connections he would have made the big league. It didn’t happen because, as a young man he began drinking and when he should have been heading toward his potential, an addiction had other ideas. He has often commented, “I would have been there if I hadn’t begun to drink.”  He has regrets and he wants you to know, he was wrong.

I have heard people say, “I refuse to look back in sorrow.”  I am not one of them. I made devastating, life-altering mistakes that cost me far more than my resources could accommodate.  That’s where Grace and Mercy became my miracle. But as I turn both directions and reflect, I see the hope I had, and know I have hope for tomorrow too.

Returning or recovering from profound disappointment in one’s self or another has a simple start. Say no and mean it. For some, “No,” is the starting point of consideration or negotiation. It is not. It is the end. When you say it, expect people to heed and when it is said to you, cease and desist. Think how different your life would be if this simple rule had been the norm. “No, I won’t, it’s not right and it won’t get me where I want to go.” It’s a the most important choice you will ever make and the most important lesson you will ever teach.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled upright and Godly lives in this present age.   

Titus 2:11-12

Happy Summer Time,

Gretchen

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as sliver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors. I Peter 1:18

How has silver and gold perished in my presence? Let me count the ways.  I have spent these precious metals on needs and wants, I have lost them in couch cushions, bartering has been an optional use and yes, the most valuable things on this earth have gone to rot through my personal neglect. At the end of the day, there is nothing except things with a beating heart, that are really worth my time and energy. It wasn’t silver, gold or any other inanimate element that was used to pay the price for eternal peace. It was a pulsing, breathing life, Jesus the Lamb of God.

The missionary Paul planted the early churches, but they were the result of much work and nurturing.  Peter, a disciple and very close friend of Jesus, also worked to guide and strengthen the new converts after Pentecost. They suffered much persecution, but the best and the very worst things of this world are irrelevant in the face of God’s everlasting love. 

Both Paul and Peter had face to face encounters with the One True God.  They were also martyred.  They had to chose, eternal life over eternal death when one or the other was seconds away.  Their lives tell their story, they didn’t perish, but the things of this world will, so don’t perish with them.

Love,

Gretchen

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

Transgression is defined as the violation of a law or command….. sin. Sin separates us from God because God will not cohabitant with evil and wrong doing.  There is an antidote to this death sentence. Mercy: The forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy or other person in one’s power, with compassion, pity or benevolence. Grace is unmerited favor or goodwill.

Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus is focused on character. Man is sinful and rebellious, but God is love. There is only one reason man has a hope of life over death, light instead of darkness and that is because God is love. All we have originates from this simple foundation.

The early church in Ephesus was distracted by cultural and ethnic diversity among their numbers.  They sometimes acted inappropriately and lost their vision, but God didn’t pack up and leave, He stayed with Light shining on Truth. His supply of mercy was and is infinite.

We have a staying, seeing things through, kind of God.  We have full access to all His resources of love, perseverance, endurance and forgiveness toward ourselves and others.

Love,

Gretchen