Someone recently told me that "Jeep" means "Just Empty Every Pocket." Thinking of all the projects I've done on my jeep, I began to think it was true until they told me that the jeep is the most accessorized vehicle on the planet. A few weeks ago I replaced the front leaf springs on my jeep. I had never replaced springs before, so I took out the repair manual and followed the 5 easy steps. The first side went great. The old parts came off easily and the new went on quickly. The manual said to do one side at a time, so I tightened the new side and started work on the other. That's where the difficulty started. I had to grind off the old parts and finally was able to install the new. But I had a problem. In the middle of the spring is an alignment pin that protrudes both top and bottom of the spring. I could not get the top aligned with the bottom, no matter what I tried. I asked my friends what they thought. Rick said I should buy a new car. David works in a body shop and I thought he would know what to do. He said, "I know your problem. Did you tighten up the other side?" "Yes" I replied. "Loosen it and you will be able to move the axle and get everything aligned." After loosening 4 bolts everything snapped into place. I realized the Lord was teaching me an important lesson. How many times do we struggle with things of life when we need to loosen something else in order for it to click into place? By now you have heard that I'm on a sabbatical. The sabbatical is like loosening the 4 bolts so that the other areas of my life might begin to click into place. There are many commands in the Bible which we know we ought to do, yet struggle with doing it because we are too busy. Jesus said to "love your neighbor" and "to make disciples." We hold up such commands as mandates, yet how often do we strike up conversations with our neighbors or take the time to share our faith? We might claim we are too busy so the command gets set aside for another day, perhaps forever. What could we loosen up in our lives that we might give us more opportunities to do what we believe? Could you go through your day allowing God to set your agenda as you go about doing your errands? What conversations might start and friendships develop or someone hurting gets an encouraging verse to help them along their way? What if we went through our day not in a hurry but actually welcomed the interruptions? What are we missing out because schedules are so tight that these other things simply don't click? I'd love to hear from you what you loosened up on and what happened as a result. Blessings, Pastor Pete

God Is With Us

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This is the very cornerstone that our faith rests upon. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith crumbles. But if the Scriptures are true, then the resurrection of Jesus proves that nothing is impossible with God. Zephaniah 3.17 says "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. he will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Did you notice the first phrase of this verse? "Your God is with you." The God who raised Jesus from the dead is with you. How awesome is that? Since God is with us and raised Jesus from the dead, He is more than able to save us from whatever mire we find ourselves in. God also takes delight in us. We may delight in many things, but God delights in us- for who we are now, not who we will become. We are His child. As He holds us He delights in us and quiets us with His love. Imagine a mom or dad holding a fussy baby and whispering nice things to calm their baby down. That is what God does with us. But He doesn't stop there. God expresses His delight and love in a soothing song that calms our fears. I used to sing the "Cares Chorus" to my children. "I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. And anytime I don't know what to do. I will cast all my cares upon You." What a privilege it is for us know that God cares for us, and loves us, takes delight in us and sings over us. Not sure what song it is that God sings, but I am sure that it is exactly what we need for the present moment. Rejoice! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Have a wonderful Easter. Pastor Pete

The view of our Christian faith is enriched by figures of speech. The Apostle Paul mastered metaphor and similes. In Colossians 2.6-7 he wrote, "...just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him..." and again in Ephesians 3.17 when Paul prayed for believers (including us) that we would be "rooted and established in love." Being rooted and established in our faith is a beautiful picture, for a tree, when rooted and established, is strong, healthy and able to withstand the storm driven winds. A tree with deep roots is near nutrients and water. The Christian whose roots of faith are deep has found the secret of growing strong, healthy and able to withstand the storms of life. Each of us have the option where to sink our roots. But Psalm 1 reminds us that God wants us to sink our roots near the stream of God. The more we mediate on His Word and put it into practice, the deeper our roots will grow and the more stable we'll be as we encounter difficult times. The time to grow roots is before the storms come. If we're shallow in our faith, we'll get blown over when the storms come. But if we have taken time to daily nurture our relationship with God, then even when the storms come, we will remain strong, for our roots run deep and near dependence upon God is sure. Are you firmly rooted and established in the faith? Are you near the streams of God? If so, you will remain strong in the Lord and able to stand even when storms come. Isaiah 7.9 says, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." May you grow deep roots of faith, trusting in God's promises and standing in His grace. Blessings, Pastor Pete

I watched with fascination the two climbers making their way up Half Dome. What was unique to their climb is that they did not use any tools to enable them to climb. They did it freestyle, placing fingers and toes on ledges no wider than a dime. They wisely used a safety rope which was tested multiple times as they fell. If not for the rope, they would have fallen to a certain death. God has a way of directing each of us in our life stories. Most of us will never attempt to climb Half Dome, but sometimes God leads us over mountains. When God does, He also promises to help us over it. 2 Samuel 22.34 says, “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.” Sometimes God leads us to go around the mountain, and at other times, God removes the mountain altogether. In each instance, we are to go where He leads and listen for His tender voice, knowing that He will keep us safe regardless of the route. Our tendency will be to fear. But God says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41.10) When we face any challenge of life, whatever the degree or height, God is our safety rope. He only needs one hand to uphold us. The way we know that God will uphold us is when we fall. We may fall a little and even get shaken up. But when we are dangling in the arms of Jesus rather than laying on the rocks below, then we know without a doubt that Jesus is our safety rope and He will keep us safe. Notice the number of times that God uses the word “I” in Isaiah 41.10. “I am with you…I am your God…I will strengthen you and help you…I will uphold you…” Whatever you may be facing today, no matter how impossible it may seem to you, God invites us to put our trust in Him and allow Him to hold us up. God does this for us as we make our way up and over the circumstance of life. We climb by faith, believing that God has us in His sight with steady hands ready to keep us safe. Lord, thank you for being our safety rope, for taking care of us by upholding us, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Since we know that You can hold us up, we entrust our very lives to You, knowing that You will do whatever it takes to accomplish Your perfect will in each of us. Amen.

Light is a wonderful thing. Without it we would stumble and fall. Recently I went back into a darkened room to retrieve something I had forgotten. I didn't bother to turn on the light. I knew where the object was. I realized I had forgotten about something that lay on the floor as I began to trip and scramble to stay on my feet. Light is useful, but only if we use it. We need light. Have you ever driven down a dark road and turned off the car headlights? Fun and dangerous come to mind. Fun quickly fades if we drive into a tree or off the road. Without light we would be in peril. Light enables us to go about our lives in darkness. If you have ever gone on a night hike with a flashlight, you know it is best to walk within the light. If you shine the light in a different direction than you are walking, you might stumble. How good it is to have the light guiding you along the path, making you aware of the obstacles and curves. As Christians, we are given a marvelous light. Psalm 119.105 states, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." God has given us His Word to light our path, to guide and protect us along the path of life. As long as we stay within the light, we are good. For it is God's will that we walk in his light. I have found that the paths of life take us to many different destinations. I've lived in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Hayward, Castro Valley, San Jose, La Mirada, Tustin, San Bernardino, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. I've also had a variety of jobs: Jack in the Box as a high school kid, Mervyn's warehouse, UPS, Gene's Office Supply, Mt. Gilead, Security Guard, Evangelical Free Church of Orange, Harris and Frank Men's Apparel, Calvary Baptist Church, Occidental Community Church and Buchanan Food Service. I'm realizing that I have quite a resume of experiences. In addition to these, there are more important things, such as where I met my wife and when we were married and our children. Each of our stories continue as does our journey. I have found that the one constant throughout my life is the Lord Jesus who is the Living Word and Emmanuel. As long as I stay in the Word I am staying in the light. When I disobey the Lord and go my own way, I step out of the light and I find myself in danger. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8.12 Where have your feet taken you? Where are your feet taking you now? Are you walking within the light of God's Word or have you veered down a rabbit trail? The challenge is to follow Jesus and keep within His light. In 2015 we'll explore the challenge of staying in the light while the world around us is in darkness. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the true light and for guiding me along my way. Shine your light for my feet and for my path, that I may walk confidently with you. Take my hand Lord, stay with me and help me to stay within your light. Blessings, Pastor Pete