Word of Encouragement

Sometimes we get this notion in our head that we have to be perfect because we are Christians. Whether its because God has brought us so far in a short time or because we have served God for years, we feel that we are “beyond” certain problems. Then when these things pop up in our lives we feel unworthy and even afraid to talk to anyone about our problems. After all, “everyone else is past this,” “they will think less of me” and “no one else needs to be bothered with my problems.” I chuckled as I wrote that because not only have I heard that from other people, but I've said those sentences a few times myself when headed into some of the loneliest battles of my life.

When we allow ourselves to think in this manner it slowly separates us from our brothers and sisters in Christ and can plant the seeds that will later become roots of bitterness. One of the devil's tricks is to make us feel cut off from God first and then our church family. He tries to get us to rely on our feelings and when we can't 'feel God' or think he has turned His back on us, we begin to think that the end has come. But no matter how far away God seems at this moment, or how dark the situation appears, you will be delivered from this mess of a test and God will grant you the message of a testimony.

In Jeremiah, God tells His people who were in a dark place in life that he has plans for them to prosper and for hope. I learned early on in my Christian walk that the key to turning my problems around is to make sure I connect with my church family, and worship God. It isn't an instant fix to all problems, but it will help us see our problems with better focus. Instead of thinking less of ourselves we will think of ourselves less and be able to see His greatness. Good times and bad, we need to do as Psalm 136:1 says “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” We can know that why no, we are not perfect, we ARE forgiven!

Big Weekend

     So, I had an extremely eventful weekend.  So eventful, in fact, that I needed to write about it. 


     I had the distinct honor to be the speaker for the Kentucky District UPCI Section U Youth Rally for September.  Several other churches were in attendance.  Sis Liz, her husband and several from New Life along with Sis Tiffhanie made sure we had an awesome worship service. Then came time to preach.

     Honestly, even though I have preached many times before-including a few times outside of my local church, this was probably the one time I was the most nervous.  It was my first time preaching an event on a sectional level, meaning multiple churches would be there. I was honored to have several friends be there from other churches.   If you have ever been in a service that I preached in my earlier years, you would have known that I once was quite fond of object lessons, something I'm actually starting to get back to. I decided to try that method again and brought one of my swords in as an object lesson on grabbing a hold of the Word, Holiness and the Cross. Good bad or indifferent, I preached my guts out, lost my voice a bit, and many young people came to the altar. 

     I was in doubt of myself the entire time, until that is a parent came up to me and told me that what I had said was exactly what their child needed to hear and that it was perfect timing.  At first I was thinking 'that sounds good,' as I humbly thanked them and continued to make my way to speak to someone. Then another parent said a similar thing to me.  When I finally made it to the person I wanted to speak with, they greeted me with a smiling nod and a "well done," prior to walking away.  It finally sank in to my thick head that it didn't go bad like I thought it did...as I almost always think it does. (I admit it, I "sometimes" have some confidence issues, no matter how I try to play it off, or how my ego is perceived.)  I was truly honored to have been part of that service and it is an experience that I will never forget, and hopefully get to repeat again (but only do better ;-D ), in the future. 

     While this is definitely one of the highlights of my ministry, and specifically during my time working with young people, I'm glad the weekend didn't end with Friday night.   We had great youth class Sunday morning, followed by an amazing evening service.  Then after the evening service someone pulled my lovely wife and I to the side and gave us this momento to make the occasion.

     After receiving this keepsake, those that pulled us to the side spoke some things into our hearts.  While I wont share anything that was said specifically or who it was I can say that it gave us much encouragement about the future and really finished off a big weekend with a very humbling moment.

So sparing you a lot of the details (you are welcome) that was the big weekend in a nut shell.

Serving Our Community

Let's face it, sometimes life simply hurts and it feels like there is no hope. To cope, we get caught up in habits that are hard to break. Various addictions, eating disorders, drinking, cutting, illicit relationships and even abuse become part of the way we try to deal with the pain on our own. We don't have to endure these habits or the pain on our own, in fact we were never meant to. We are social creatures that exist in families and communities for this reason, to help each other.

Lighthouse Ministries exists here in Bellevue to be a natural and supportive part of this community, because when the storms of life tear your world apart, God can put the pieces back together.

We invite you to visit with us. The Lighthouse offers encouragement, friendships and sense of belonging. We consist of families of all ages, with a wide variety of backgrounds who share in a commitment to help others heal from their hurts and habits because we strive not only for a stronger church but for a stronger community.

We are not asking you to change churches or become a member to receive help, but to visit with us and see if we can help you, or if you can help us in our efforts help the community in Bellevue. You can find more about us at www.aplighthouse.org and www.facebook.com/MyLighouseMinistries.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2012 edition of The Bellevue Community Paper (name?).