Don Cain – God Is Always At Work – May 29th, 2011
Check out the May 22, 2011 article done in the Everett Herald about some heroes on Casino Road. Todd McNeal is spot lighted. Joseph Fehlen & Tyrone McMorris also make a cameo appearance as the unnamed pastors. Good read about a great community.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110522/NEWS01/705229935
Joseph Fehlen – Last of Acts by Joseph – May 22nd, 2011
Acts chapter 27 has to rank as one of my favorites. At this point in the book many are compelled to plow through and just get to the end. Anyways the good stuff has already happened, right?. Paul completes three consecutive reflections in front of three different rulers about his conversation to Christ. People are hearing the gospel and the real spiritual stuff already occurred.
Then we get the weather report, Nautilus training, and a geography lesson of the northern Mediterranean Sea. Seemingly a throw away chapter in the Bible as Luke describes the maritime travels and perils of Paul on his way to his greatest ministry opportunity, Rome.
I however stop and take in every moment of this chapter because I see the adventures of my own life and my fellow travelers as the words flow off the page. This chapter is the reality of life.
Who doesn’t miss a port or two?
Many of us feel like life goes black for more than two weeks.
I have thought on a number of occasions I would take just one ship and had to get on another.
We have all known days on the open sea with the wind on our back and a drink in our hand.
Followed by the next day, we are inches away from crashing into a rock embankment and starving.
Who hasn’t thought ‘Fair Havens’ was a good spot to rest and found out it was not as billed?
This chapter is not a throw away because it is about the journey of our lives. I am all about the journey more than the destination. It is in the journey that we find if our faith really functions in times of crisis. We see if we have the guts to drop the anchor or even cut the ropes. Do we have the intestinal fortitude to release the man-made life boats? Can we deal with endless opinions of the professionals of what seems the logical steps or just trust the last word we heard of the Lord?
That is journey stuff, the stuff of life.
Traveling the seas of life is hard. Jesus does not say this will be a nice walk on sandy beaches. But he does say- “Take courage because I will be with you”. I will lean on that as the boat I am on is headed for the harbor…or is that a rock?
Thanks for sailing with us.
Steve Flude – Africa – May 15th, 2011
