Author Marshall Shelley, who suffered the deaths of two of his children, says: "Even as I child, I loved to read, and I quickly learned that I would most likely be confused during the opening chapters of a novel. New characters were introduced. … seemingly random events took place. … But I learned to keep reading. Why? Because you know that the author… will weave them all together by the end of the book. Eventually, each element will be meaningful. At times, such faith has to be a conscious choice. Even when I can't explain why a chromosomal abnormality develops in my son, which prevents him from living on earth more than two minutes ... even when I can't fathom why our daughter has to endure two years of severe and profound retardation and continual seizures ... I choose to trust that before the book closes, the author will make things clear."
Your life is a story. God is the author. You don’t know how the story will unfold. You don’t know the end of the story.
Author Marshall Shelley, who suffered the deaths of two of his children, says: "Even as I child, I loved to read, and I quickly learned that I would most likely be confused during the opening chapters of a novel. New characters were introduced. … seemingly random events took place. … But I learned to keep reading. Why? Because you know that the author… will weave them all together by the end of the book. Eventually, each element will be meaningful. At times, such faith has to be a conscious choice. Even when I can't explain why a chromosomal abnormality develops in my son, which prevents him from living on earth more than two minutes ... even when I can't fathom why our daughter has to endure two years of severe and profound retardation and continual seizures ... I choose to trust that before the book closes, the author will make things clear."
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I love the thought: “I do not have a soul. I am a soul. I have a body.” The essence of me is more than this earthly vessel. I am a spiritual creature. every person has an innate sense an innate sense that we are more than our earthly bodies, a spirit awareness which transcends the bonds of this earth.
What is your nature? your primary identity? As a pastor I try hard to think of all people as people first who need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I make it a priority to care less about this church and more about the kingdom… I like seeing good things happen, yet I have to distinguish between my human competitive nature and that which is most important to Christ. Jesus did not come to fill up the pews of SACC, he came to gather his kingdom. I like this little story told by Chuck Colson as a reminder of a healthy perspective of what’s important, how we think of ourselves…. Running with the wind, you no longer have to live with the same attitudes, the same questions. To be a Christian, to live by the Spirit, is to be changed. Listen to this testimony of a person that is negatively impacted by self-perception:
“While I had been a committed Christian for many years, my primary identity was defined not by God’s love for me but by what others thought of me. This negatively impacted every area of my life – marriage, parenting, friendships, leadership, even my hopes and dreams. But now I had lost the fear of what others might think or say. There was no longer anything else left to lose. I had given so much of myself away that I no longer recognized myself. Gone was the creative, outgoing, fun, assertive Geri. Now I was sullen, depressed, tired, and angry.” Geri Solquist Don’t settle for less than the full calling of what God has for your life. Living in Christ is a life of joy, / satisfaction, to open up the throttle and to go full out, like running with the wind, no hindrance holding you back. … if you knew you could not fail at whatever you set out to do, what would you do? Would you buy a lottery ticket? Would you apply for that new job? Would you ask the girl on a date? Go back to school for more training… I don’t really know about all those other things, but I know this: when you seek to serve God in the fullness of his calling upon your life, you cannot fail. You cannot fail. What’s holding you back? Run without hindrance. Run with the wind! Like the child that stands up to sing in front of the church, little children are successful by the mere fact that they stand up. The person who rises above mediocrity and serves God in unabashed freedom cannot fail. |
Carl Crouse, Pastor
At SACC we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Every Sunday the worship service includes a message from the Bible. My words are an attempt to understand and apply the Bible to our daily living. I post weekly sermons and other biblical messages on this page. May you find meaning and hope as you read through each message and seek to hear God's voice. Leave a comment to ask questions or inspire others with your insights. Categories
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