Pastor Dave's Blog

Pastor Dave's Blog is a place for you to keep updated on Pastor Dave's current thoughts.

Word-By-Mail November Newsletter

Thu, 11/13/2008 - 09:20
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Word-By-Mail is basically 5 years old, and the loyalty of our "Family-By-Mail" has really struck me this month. There are some of you who have been faithfully listening and supporting this ministry for many of our 5 years. When I get the chance to look through the donation envelopes I see so many of the same names each month, and it really encourages me.
 
Thank you so much for your persistent faithfulness in giving. Because of your support we will mail over 34,000 Bible teaching CD's this year, and give away over 6,000 CD's at various events. More than 40,000 messages from God's Word on CD will be put into people's hands just this year, with no required cost. Much of it financed by the same people who have been financing this work for many years.
 
And then, Pam has also been pointing out our new supporters. People who give for the first time always encourage us, because it's a sign they have really 'joined' the ministry. In fact, we even have a number of people in the local body here in Nuevo who have financially joined Word-By-Mail, even though they don’t receive the CD's. Because they want to make sure those 40,000 messages get out again next year. One member of our local church family just paid for a new $1500 duplicator & case, to go with the one the 'by-mail' family purchased last year.
 
So to all the 'old' family, and to all the 'new' family, we say a HUGE THANK YOU !
 
Word-By-Mail is working. It is producing substantial, measurable fruit for God's Kingdom. The regular study of God's Word transforms lives. And when people receive a new CD in the mail each week, it promotes the regular study of God's Word.
 
People often ask me "WHY?" Why go through all the time, effort, and cost, to mail just one CD each week? When that question comes, I try to compare it to the transformation that occurs in a person's life when they regularly attend a good Bible teaching church.
 
Sometimes, a single message can bring salvation to a person. But life transformation always comes over time. Rom 12:2 says "be transformed by the renewal of your mind." This is actually The Secret Formula to living the new, abundant life. And it's a formula that so many Christians miss.
 
Our salvation in Christ is instant, but the renewal of our mind requires the consistent, regular, 'putting off' of the old nature, and 'putting on' of the new nature (Eph 4, Col 3).
 
We do that by the consistent, regular input of God's Word, coupled with intimate prayer and honest worship of Jesus as our LORD.
 
So, back to the question of why we send out just one CD every week; We do it to encourage and promote a consistent, regular, weekly input of God's Word. And for those in the Word-By-Mail family who have embraced this concept, the impact on their lives has been dramatic.
 
We pray each of you would develop a weekly routine of pouring God's Word into your life, along with prayer and worship. This is how your mind is renewed, and your life is radically transformed.

Fix Your Gaze

Tue, 11/04/2008 - 16:18
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Rom 8:18 is one of the key verses on suffering in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul gives us the secret to strength in difficult times. He encourages us to "Fix Our Gaze" NOT on the suffering we may be in now, but instead, on the Glory that is going to be revealed to us, and in us.
 
It's like trying to compare a thimble, and the ocean. They both hold water, that's true. But can we really compare the amount of water a thimble holds to the amount of water the ocean holds. They really can't be compared. And in the same way, we really can't compare the suffering that would fill a thimble of this present life, to the glory that would fill an ocean that will be revealed to us, and in us.
 
I am in no way minimizing the suffering that anyone may be experiencing. I'm saying the confidence we have from God's Word is that the glory that is coming will be so far greater, that the suffering will not be even worth a 'mention.'
 
& if we will fix our gaze on our true home, our true citizenship, and on our glory to come in Christ, we will gain confidence & strength to victoriously face any circumstance we may be required to face in this life. 2Cor 4:16-18 (scroll over) encourages us not to lose heart, because "this light & momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Verse 18 goes on to say that we must not fix our gaze on the circumstances that are seen, but on the truths that are unseen. Because the circumstances we can see are temporary, but the truths that are unseen are eternal.
 
To reiterate, let's read the NLT version of 2Cor 4:18 NLT, it says "So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
 
So guys, when times get tough, let's fix our gaze on the promises of God, not the uncertainty of our circumstances.
 
Feel free to add a comment here for me. Let me know how God has carried you through your circumstances, and taught you to fix your gaze on the glory that will be revealed to you, and in you.
 
- - Pastor Dave
 
 

A New Grandbaby

Fri, 10/31/2008 - 13:17
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YEE-HAH !! Our first grandbaby was born Wed 10/29/08 at 4:54 pm. Her name is Adalia Anne Palan. She was born to Hank & Breezy Palan in Burbank CA. She was 19.5 inches long, and she weighed 7 lbs 7.7 oz's . . . 7-7-7 Hmmm, that's the number of perfection! Praise the Lord.
Pam & I got to be there, along with our daughter Danielle (who is also going to have her first baby in just 2 weeks!). Our son David (at Naval training center, IL) was kept updated by picture text.
 
It was a long labor for Breezy, and a difficult delivery, but God made His presence known the entire time, and it was God who worked all things together for good. In fact, it was only in looking back, that I realized just how actively involved God had been.
 
Birth is such an incredible miracle in itself, and as I look back on all that occurred leading up to little Adalia's birth, I realize how actively involved God was in working every detail, every decision, and every person, together for the good of Mom & Baby.
 
Sometimes it's scary for us to have to trust humans with events as critical as this. But we know God is inolved, and at work, right in the midst of it all, for our good.
 
After feeding the 5,000, Jesus made His disciples get into a boat & cross the Sea of galilee without Him, and he went up on a mountain to pray. But then the storm came up, and Mk 6:48 says Jesus SAW that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And at the 4th watch of the night (at the last minute) he came to them, walking on the "storm" that they were in.
 
That's how our Lord works. He's watching us. He knows we're making headway painfully. And in the 4th watch He'll come to our aid, walking on the storm that we're battling so hard. And when we receive Him in the midst of that storm, the winds will cease right away, and we will be astounded, just like the disciples were. Praise the Lord!
 
That truth comes form our Storms of Life message, and if you are in a "storm" right now, please contact us & ask us to send you that message.
 
Praise the Lord for our new little Grandbaby Adalia. & Praise Him because He is always watching, and always ready to come to our aide.
 
Pastor Dave.

Getting 'Plugged In'

Mon, 10/20/2008 - 12:18
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Our Missions ministry leader had a medical event involving his heart this morning. Please pray for him, his name is Matt Collins and he is undergoing tests on his heart right now. But what has really struck me is his wife saying to me, in the midst of this; "We have such an incredible church body." She was referring to the fact that so many people we so quickly concerned & personally involved in Matt's condition . . .
 
I am so grateful for our incredible church body, and for our Word-By-Mail family, because there are so many who are so connected to one another. I also talked to a person this morning who was moving. And I really encouraged her to not only find a good verse-by-verse Bible teaching church, but tried to explain how critical it is to get "plugged in" as quickly as possible.
 
The ultimate reason to attend church is to Worship Jesus, and to grow in your personal relationship with Him. However, one of the primary tools God uses to help us do that, is the strong relationships we build with one another in the church. But those relationships don't happen automatically. We have to commit ourselves to building them. We have to put a priority on building Godly relationships in the church, and we have to focus those relationships on the things of God. If we will, God will use those relationships to strengthen, encourage, and challenge us to grow in our relationship with Him, especially in times of emergency or crisis.
 
How do you feel about that? What are your thoughts? Please take a minute & let me know.
 
Thanks for being here. I pray God blesses you with strong Godly relationships in the church.
 
Pastor Dave

Being Transformed

Fri, 10/03/2008 - 16:08
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I've really been thinking about the concept of "Being Transformed."
So many Christians are living an existence that looks pretty much like the world, only they get to go to heaven someday. But being transformed is different. It means your life here takes on a radical change. It means you gain victory over the sins that are so easily keeping you down. It means you actually walk in victory over your flesh, this world, and the enemy.
 
Rom 12:2 this radical transformation comes by 'Renewing your mind.' This word "Renewing" means literally - "Get a new one." It's a full extreme make-over of your mind. It means you begin to think different. You take every thought captive. You set your mind on things above, not on things of this earth. Your life is transformed by you allowing the Holy Spirit to "Renew your mind."
 
But it's not just 'allowing' the Holy Spirit to do His part. This renewing of your mind requires a daily (moment by moment) active role on your part. It's what I call - the "Our-Part" Part.