The Pastor's Perspective

 Like I am sure many of you who are reading this can remember that childhood game "Simon Says" The rules were simple: only follow the instructions if "Simon says" them. Yet, dispite the simple instructions we quickly learned how difficult it was to follow them. How many times did we jump the gun, doing something without hearing those magic words, and end up out of the game?       It really does prove a vital point I have found to be true time and time again.  That truth is following instructions, especially when they challenge our assumptions, isn't always easy. This is profoundly true when it comes to following God's leading. Doing what God has called you to do sounds simple but to implement it is anything but easy. What happens when God "says" something that goes against everything we've ever known, everything we've been taught, or even everything we feel comfortable with?       This is exactly what Peter discovered one pivotal d...

            I have always been artsy, and I love to draw and watch programs about drawing and art. Growing up, one show always captivated me: "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross. With his gentle voice and signature afro, Bob would transform a blank canvas into breathtaking landscapes, complete with "happy little trees" and "friendly little clouds." What truly mesmerized me was his ability to take what looked like a blob of paint, or what seemed like an accidental smudge, and turn it into a majestic mountain or a shimmering lake. When he started off you might have thought "well he done ruined it" then by the end you were left mesmerized. He'd often say, with a reassuring smile, "There are no mistakes, just happy little accidents."      Don't we often feel like we've made a mess of things in our own lives? In 45 years of living here on this earth I will be the first one to say that I have had my fair share of  mistakes. There ...

       We've all witnessed it. The campaign speeches filled with bold pronouncements, the unwavering commitments made with conviction. Yet, as the dust settles and the realities of governance take hold, those promises often seem to evaporate like morning mist, don't they. It sometimes leaves you wondering "Hey have you forgot about what you said just a few months ago?"        We hear explanations, justifications about "evolving circumstances," and needing to reach across the isle. Sometimes we hear things about how they don't have enough votes anyway. Or a thousand other reasons why they can't do the very things that they promised they would do. It can leave us all feeling a bit used, and frustrated.        Machiavelli, once said "the promise given was a necessity of the past; the word broken is the necessity of the present," that sadly seems to echo in the halls of capital hill today. We've become accustomed to a cer...