In the face of the obstacles to building, in the face of
the opposition to building, the people remained united. They stayed diligent, watchful, unified, and
committed. They knew it was a big job. That was undeniable. They could see the incredible task before
them every day when they woke up. Just
the same, it is a huge work that we strive to do to build the walls we should
all along the way. But do not be
discouraged. When you need help or
strength or encouragement, sound the call, and we should come a running! Keep
those communication lines open. Don’t
let the enemy sow seeds of conflict and mistrust and isolation! In fact, it sounds like Nehemiah walked the
wall with a man carrying a trumpet and when the attacks came, he would sound
the call and the people would come-a-running to stand together in the face of
the opposition. Day and night they did
not falter or fail or quit or divide.
And the work went onward.
Showing posts with label faithful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faithful. Show all posts
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Nehemiah Series - Answering the Call; Building the Wall - Sermon 3
Nehemiah was guiding the
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem to restore it, to keep it secure, and to
reestablish its identity – what it represented – GOD and His people. We also are called to represent God and be
identified as His people. We are called
to be characterized by the love, 3]integrity, and courage of Christ as
individuals, as couples, as families, as a church, & in our communities
& culture.
Are you Prepared to Serve?
Are you Prepared to
Rebuild?
Will you answer the call
to build the Wall?
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Who Wins
Listen as Rev. Sams shares a wonderfully deep sermon with us from 1 Timothy Chapter 3. This one is worth hearing a few times to digest the truth. Our thanks to Rev. Sams for his ministry!
Sunday, January 8, 2017
3 W's
"...living as disciples of Christ, today I want to consider three W’s of discipleship in our homes:
Constant Ways
Gentle Words
Available Wisdom."
Listen as Pastor Rick discusses further methods of discipleship for our homes and families.
Friday, October 14, 2016
No Matter What!
"Dave Roever is a Vietnam War Veteran who was terribly injured during and assault on an enemy position in the Mekong River Delta. A sniper’s bullet went through the back of his hand and detonated a white phosphorous hand grenade he was about to throw. The injuries he sustained were horrific. It is a miracle he even survived. After years of surgeries he is still difficult to look at. But when he was returned to Brook Army Medical Center in Texas, he was placed in a hospital unit with 12 other men. All of the other men died except him. There was a man in the bed next to him who was horribly burned. That man’s wife walked in, took off her wedding ring, placed it between his burned toes and said, “You’re embarrassing I couldn’t walk down the street with you,” and walked out of the room. Dave said after that he just wanted to die because he couldn’t imagine how his 19 year-old high school sweetheart could still love him either. He said she walked into the room, read the name on his chart, read the name on his wrist band to be sure they matched and then leaned down and kissed his face which was the worst burned part of his body and she said, “I just want you to know that I really love ya, welcome home Davy!”
You see she had chosen to love no matter what. God loves us the same way and wants us to love Him in return? Are we willing to love Him and serve Him no matter what?"
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
"Whether it is David rejoicing over countless times God had rescued him or Jeremiah sobbing in the ruins of his city; whether it is the torment of suffering Job or the often suffering Apostle Paul; whether it is the life of debilitation led by Thomas Chisholm or the suffering of grief, anguish, or pain in my own life; I have come to the realization that in the midst of our suffering we truly find Him faithful. I invite you this morning to embrace this idea and surrender every moment of your life – good and bad/past or present – into the hands of Him Who is faithful! There you will find the peace of trusting in Him and Him alone to preserve everything you have committed unto His care!"
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Friends - A Fond Farewell
The sermon for this Sunday was not recorded because we held service in the Newport News Park July 10th to say a fond farewell to our friends the Boardmans. The text of that sermon is included here. The Boardmans are greatly missed!
This is one of those occasions where a Pastor is hard pressed to use the right words. Even as I began to write I did not know all the appropriate words to say. This is partly because I have known Phil and Lisa long enough to have known them long before I was ever their Pastor. In so many ways, we have shared so much of our journey that I have literally forgotten many of the times we have shared. But even those forgotten memories have been part of the forging of a friendship that I am sure will last the rest of our lives.
And friendship is what I want to talk about today. The Bible is a wonderful book. It speaks to so many nuances of our lives even sometimes when it is just a phrase. And when I began to think about what to share this Sunday, the verse that came most readily to mind was Proverbs 18:24 – “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Now many would say that Scripture is a “no brainer:” of course you must show yourself friendly to your friends! But when you study the verse, you learn that its implication is a little bit different. You might read it this way to make its meaning clearer: “A man with many insincere friends must keep them entertained to retain their friendship. But there are real friends who stick with you even more than family – closer than even a brother.”
Phil has been one of those friends in my life. Your circle of intimate friends in life is usually very small. Phil has been in my circle and in some ways has been closer during my adult life than both my brothers. Now I have to tell you a few stories just because that is what friends do. Of course I have to tell you my favorite early stories of Phil and Lisa.
The first one is that when Jen and I moved here in 2003 with no children (and for me over 60 pounds lighter), Phil was about to transition then just as he is now. Phil was a young lawyer not long out of Law School with a struggling practice and the opportunity presented itself for him to go to Florida to work for the Law Firm he is actually now going to work for. As a result, it seemed just perfect timing that Jen and I would move here and be in the position to buy his house. It all made sense so Phil and Lisa started packing and we signed the contract and Jen and I were ready to move into their house when they moved away. We were happy with these arrangements and really glad things were working out so well for our transition into career military life.
Then things unraveled. Phil’s planned move came to a halt and the next thing I know Phil is having a difficult conversation trying to nicely ask to void our contract to buy his house. Now, here I am a young military guy with no children already in transition. Do you think for a second that I was going to hold Phil to his contract when it was his only settled home where he, his wife, and two small boys had already made so many memories? So of course I told Phil that we could void the contract and Jen and I would find another place to live. I have never regretted that decision though I have tried hard to give Phil a rough time about it ever since!
Phil felt so badly about the sudden disruption of our plans that after he would get off work after long days in the office and I would get off work at Langley, we would drive around in the winter darkness sometimes as late as midnight looking for houses to buy. Back then during the housing boom they were hard to find in the price range and timetable needed by a lowly E2.
But to give you a glimpse of Phil’s position back then, I have to tell you another little story. We were looking for houses and I believe it was in some neighborhood off of King Street. As we drove through one of the little neighborhoods near midnight, we saw some furniture out in the street next to the curb ready for trash pickup. As the lights of the car hit it, Phil decided to get out and take a look. The next thing you know he is putting a coffee table in his trunk saying something like, “This will look good in my office.” The incongruity of a successful lawyer furnishing his office with curbside furniture struck us as quite amusing. It became a running joke after that about all kinds of things, that “They might look good in Phil’s office.”
Thus began a fast friendship that has endured across the past nearly 13 years. But my story is not the only story to be told here today. All of us have stories about Phil & Lisa and the boys. All of us can look back and remember where we first met them. When I first met Ethan & Logan, they were really little – look at the nearly grown young men they have become! But what is so striking to me is how that Phil and Lisa in their own way really have brought all of us together. Had we not met Phil, I would never have known the Stence Family. Had we not attended church in Richmond with the Boardmans we might never have developed a friendship with the Smith family or even met the Luck family through whom we then met Belinda and Jesse & Sophia. Had Phil not met the Gardners at family camp they might never have moved here. Had I not known Phil I would never have met Mike, or Jeff, or Jack, or Chuck. The fact is that if it were not for Phil and Lisa, our little church would not exist. They were the spark that set it ablaze. They have in so many ways been the matchmakers to bring us together and all for the sake of following Christ together. You can see how integral Phil and Lisa have been to our friendships and our lives.
Time fails me to share so many more years of memories: Of watching Phil and Lisa endure the heartbreaking loss of a child with grace and faithfulness to God amid it all; of sharing the celebration of the gift of Addison that helped to heal the wound; of laboring together to build three different churches; of seeing Phil behind closed boardroom doors or working together late at night when no one else would see; of road trips and family fun; of cheesecake & WoT & shooting guns; of watching their lives of consistent integrity and character across the years; and I know we all could add much more.
Thus it is with great sadness and sense of loss that we bid them farewell. But I do not want to minimize even that sense of loss. For, as I have explained to my children, that too is a part of valuing someone highly. If you feel no sadness or loss at their departure, then it is likely you did not value them highly. If however, you are deeply moved, it shows how much they have meant to you. So I embrace even those emotions today, for Phil and Lisa and Ethan and Logan and Addison, you have been the dearest of friends. You will forever be treasured in our hearts.
But…here is where I must continue the sermon…For not only am I a friend, I am also now a Pastor. And from the friendship that you have glimpsed in my memories, I hope that you begin to understand what genuine friendship looks like. A friendship is built through time by shared experience both good and bad. It is built in the intimate moments together where conversations and thoughts are shared, where memories are made, and even where forgiveness is given.
Do you understand then the significance of James 2:23? “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” And in the Greek, the word is philos or “dear friend.” Did you know today that God wants to be your dearest friend? But the only way such a friendship can be had is if you commit to walk with Him and share with him the intimate journey of friendship. He is willing to share your good times and bad. He wants to be near you in the conversations of your life and the thoughts of your heart. He wants to be a part of your memories and He extends all the forgiveness you will ever need. He loves us and wants to walk with us. He demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us that we might be reconciled to Him to walk with Him. Since He first walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden in the cool of the day, it has always been his design. Walking with Him in this way will bring you the greatest peace and joy even in the darkest of times – even more joy than it is to walk with Phil and Lisa! ;-)
Today, if you are not walking with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit in close communion, I urge you to answer His knock upon the door of your heart and let Him keep His promise of friendship: “Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Phil and Lisa, our journey together has been a joy. I pray for your future endeavors that God will bless you and your family – that you will ever stay close to God and walk with Him in friendship and sweet communion. I pray that the friendships you have facilitated here will grow deeper and stronger. I commend you into the hands of our Father, Lord, and Friend for His safekeeping and care and bid you Godspeed.
Let’s gather round and pray together for them together one more time.
Today is all about the Boardmans so you are welcome to join us in celebration now. Stay to eat, take pictures, and fellowship as long as you like.
This is one of those occasions where a Pastor is hard pressed to use the right words. Even as I began to write I did not know all the appropriate words to say. This is partly because I have known Phil and Lisa long enough to have known them long before I was ever their Pastor. In so many ways, we have shared so much of our journey that I have literally forgotten many of the times we have shared. But even those forgotten memories have been part of the forging of a friendship that I am sure will last the rest of our lives.
And friendship is what I want to talk about today. The Bible is a wonderful book. It speaks to so many nuances of our lives even sometimes when it is just a phrase. And when I began to think about what to share this Sunday, the verse that came most readily to mind was Proverbs 18:24 – “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Now many would say that Scripture is a “no brainer:” of course you must show yourself friendly to your friends! But when you study the verse, you learn that its implication is a little bit different. You might read it this way to make its meaning clearer: “A man with many insincere friends must keep them entertained to retain their friendship. But there are real friends who stick with you even more than family – closer than even a brother.”
Phil has been one of those friends in my life. Your circle of intimate friends in life is usually very small. Phil has been in my circle and in some ways has been closer during my adult life than both my brothers. Now I have to tell you a few stories just because that is what friends do. Of course I have to tell you my favorite early stories of Phil and Lisa.
The first one is that when Jen and I moved here in 2003 with no children (and for me over 60 pounds lighter), Phil was about to transition then just as he is now. Phil was a young lawyer not long out of Law School with a struggling practice and the opportunity presented itself for him to go to Florida to work for the Law Firm he is actually now going to work for. As a result, it seemed just perfect timing that Jen and I would move here and be in the position to buy his house. It all made sense so Phil and Lisa started packing and we signed the contract and Jen and I were ready to move into their house when they moved away. We were happy with these arrangements and really glad things were working out so well for our transition into career military life.
Then things unraveled. Phil’s planned move came to a halt and the next thing I know Phil is having a difficult conversation trying to nicely ask to void our contract to buy his house. Now, here I am a young military guy with no children already in transition. Do you think for a second that I was going to hold Phil to his contract when it was his only settled home where he, his wife, and two small boys had already made so many memories? So of course I told Phil that we could void the contract and Jen and I would find another place to live. I have never regretted that decision though I have tried hard to give Phil a rough time about it ever since!
Phil felt so badly about the sudden disruption of our plans that after he would get off work after long days in the office and I would get off work at Langley, we would drive around in the winter darkness sometimes as late as midnight looking for houses to buy. Back then during the housing boom they were hard to find in the price range and timetable needed by a lowly E2.
But to give you a glimpse of Phil’s position back then, I have to tell you another little story. We were looking for houses and I believe it was in some neighborhood off of King Street. As we drove through one of the little neighborhoods near midnight, we saw some furniture out in the street next to the curb ready for trash pickup. As the lights of the car hit it, Phil decided to get out and take a look. The next thing you know he is putting a coffee table in his trunk saying something like, “This will look good in my office.” The incongruity of a successful lawyer furnishing his office with curbside furniture struck us as quite amusing. It became a running joke after that about all kinds of things, that “They might look good in Phil’s office.”
Thus began a fast friendship that has endured across the past nearly 13 years. But my story is not the only story to be told here today. All of us have stories about Phil & Lisa and the boys. All of us can look back and remember where we first met them. When I first met Ethan & Logan, they were really little – look at the nearly grown young men they have become! But what is so striking to me is how that Phil and Lisa in their own way really have brought all of us together. Had we not met Phil, I would never have known the Stence Family. Had we not attended church in Richmond with the Boardmans we might never have developed a friendship with the Smith family or even met the Luck family through whom we then met Belinda and Jesse & Sophia. Had Phil not met the Gardners at family camp they might never have moved here. Had I not known Phil I would never have met Mike, or Jeff, or Jack, or Chuck. The fact is that if it were not for Phil and Lisa, our little church would not exist. They were the spark that set it ablaze. They have in so many ways been the matchmakers to bring us together and all for the sake of following Christ together. You can see how integral Phil and Lisa have been to our friendships and our lives.
Time fails me to share so many more years of memories: Of watching Phil and Lisa endure the heartbreaking loss of a child with grace and faithfulness to God amid it all; of sharing the celebration of the gift of Addison that helped to heal the wound; of laboring together to build three different churches; of seeing Phil behind closed boardroom doors or working together late at night when no one else would see; of road trips and family fun; of cheesecake & WoT & shooting guns; of watching their lives of consistent integrity and character across the years; and I know we all could add much more.
Thus it is with great sadness and sense of loss that we bid them farewell. But I do not want to minimize even that sense of loss. For, as I have explained to my children, that too is a part of valuing someone highly. If you feel no sadness or loss at their departure, then it is likely you did not value them highly. If however, you are deeply moved, it shows how much they have meant to you. So I embrace even those emotions today, for Phil and Lisa and Ethan and Logan and Addison, you have been the dearest of friends. You will forever be treasured in our hearts.
But…here is where I must continue the sermon…For not only am I a friend, I am also now a Pastor. And from the friendship that you have glimpsed in my memories, I hope that you begin to understand what genuine friendship looks like. A friendship is built through time by shared experience both good and bad. It is built in the intimate moments together where conversations and thoughts are shared, where memories are made, and even where forgiveness is given.
Do you understand then the significance of James 2:23? “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” And in the Greek, the word is philos or “dear friend.” Did you know today that God wants to be your dearest friend? But the only way such a friendship can be had is if you commit to walk with Him and share with him the intimate journey of friendship. He is willing to share your good times and bad. He wants to be near you in the conversations of your life and the thoughts of your heart. He wants to be a part of your memories and He extends all the forgiveness you will ever need. He loves us and wants to walk with us. He demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us that we might be reconciled to Him to walk with Him. Since He first walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden in the cool of the day, it has always been his design. Walking with Him in this way will bring you the greatest peace and joy even in the darkest of times – even more joy than it is to walk with Phil and Lisa! ;-)
Today, if you are not walking with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit in close communion, I urge you to answer His knock upon the door of your heart and let Him keep His promise of friendship: “Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Phil and Lisa, our journey together has been a joy. I pray for your future endeavors that God will bless you and your family – that you will ever stay close to God and walk with Him in friendship and sweet communion. I pray that the friendships you have facilitated here will grow deeper and stronger. I commend you into the hands of our Father, Lord, and Friend for His safekeeping and care and bid you Godspeed.
Let’s gather round and pray together for them together one more time.
Today is all about the Boardmans so you are welcome to join us in celebration now. Stay to eat, take pictures, and fellowship as long as you like.
Friday, September 30, 2016
GLORY!
In this sermon, Pastor Rick reminds us what it is to glorify God teaching, "Ultimately, we are to view the glory of God on display all around us and be called to repent and return unto Him that His glory might be restored in us and that Christ may dwell in us and that His present glory dwelling in us might reside as the hope of glory to come!"
Pastor Rick concluded with a personal Exclamation of praise:
"I want to conclude by worshiping for a moment. I cannot conjure some magical feeling of soulfulness that will convince you arbitrarily that God’s glory is present for you or that some emotional experience is His presence as is done so often in modern worship. But I want simply to conclude with my words of worship to God....
Let me tell you about God. God has been faithful to me all my life. He was faithful to me as a child raising me up in an environment where God was preeminent. He was faithful to me as a teenager when I nearly drowned, calling me from the precipice of sin back to Himself. He was faithful to me as a young adult patient every moment with my questions and doubts. He has been faithful to me as an adult amid my struggles and fears. All my life He has been longsuffering and faithful in spite of my greatest sins; In spite of my unfaithfulness; in spite of my weaknesses; in spite of my failures; in spite of my pride; in spite of my unbelief; in spite of every darkness of my heart, he has been faithful to me. The Apostle John wrote that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I want you to know this morning that God gave His only Son for me: for me, a sinner who like Israel had forsaken and forgotten and abandoned the glory of God! He did not forsake me. He did not forget me. He did not abandon me. He did not leave me alone in the darkness. Instead He loved me and shone the light of His love around me and gave himself for me and prayed that I would let Him back into my heart to rediscover His glory!
And so this morning, I give Him praise! I glorify Him and magnify Him! I worship Him! I lift Him up! I am unworthy, but He is worthy! I cannot magnify Him or glorify Him enough but I worship Him and praise Him anyway! I welcome Him and His presence and His glory to fill my heart and life! I pray the same for you and ultimately that He will fill our church with His genuine presence always."
Sunday, February 9, 2014
DON'T SLIP
Listen as Pastor Rick shares a sermon full of object lessons. Is Christ the life in you? Are you letting anything slip in your spiritual life?
Saturday, December 7, 2013
The Promise of Godliness
Godliness means to exercise ourselves to be God-like. Are you living God-like? Do you reflect His image? To do so is to live under the blessings and promises accompanying godliness. Listen as Pastor Rick explores these ideas with us.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Careful Living
Listen as Shane Gardner, a faithful layman in our church, fills in for Pastor Rick who was away. His words on careful living are a wonderful admonishment to us all!
Monday, April 29, 2013
The Post Resurrection Series - ANCHORED IN HOPE
Listen as Pastor Rick shares a message of faith and hope based upon the resurrection. It is a hope certain and sure! This is the first message in the Post-Resurrection Series. Listen and be encouraged!
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