Time With God
A devotional trip through the Bible with a caring community to support, love and care for each other... while spending Time With God. If you would like our daily email version of this podcast send me a note to info@pinegrovecommunitychurch.com
March 31, 2008
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March 31, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 24:1-31; Ezekiel 26; Revelation 5
Today is March 31, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
It is Monday and Susan and I are in Lynwood Washington for a Pastor’s conference. The drive up was pleasant enough, in between hail storms, slush, now, sunshine and rain… we got it all. The only real excitement was when two state patrol cars pulled a U-Turn on I-5 and came charging up behind us, we pulled over and they passed. 5 or 10 miles up the freeway was a traffic accident. We came to a dead stop. Then a fire truck attempted to pass. We pulled over, and then got behind him and followed him all the way to the accident. There were at least a dozen police cars surrounding the accident! It must have been a serious matter. Once we got here, we ate at the Spaghetti factory. You can see a pic of us at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Yesterday was the Lord’s day, and we had a good time with God’s people. In the morning service I spoke on “sloth and the nobility of work.” I hope to post that within the week. In our Discovery Class we talked about the Holy Spirit and his amazing work of making us into a child of God and living in us! We are truly blessed.
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:28-30 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
How is everything working out for you? Good? Not so good? Bad? Right now, with prices rising on everything… most of us are a little concerned. Inflation means tough times are here for a while. Maybe the plans you had are turning sour. Maybe your master plan has hit a roadblock. How does your attitude hold up when bad things happen to you and your loved ones? Does your outlook need some improvement? How’s this for a starter, “ALL THINGS work together for good.” Let me state the obvious; that doesn’t mean all things are good, it just means that God has a master plan that is painted with some darker colors of difficulty and some brighter colors of joy… but both are required to complete the picture, and both are for our good. God even uses evil men and horrible circumstances that appear to be counter to His grand scheme, and in the background, he has, all along, been directing them to accomplish the best for us. God is amazing like that. It’s part of his plan. He’s in complete control. Nothing surprises Him. So when you get hurt or sick… when you have a financial setback, or experience a complete loss… we never need completely loose hope. Because we KNOW all things work together for good. How do we KNOW that? God said so. Right here, and dozens of dozens of places in the Bible. We know it in our head. Now we just need to trust! It wouldn’t hurt to repeat the truth a few times. I know all things in my life work together for good! Believe it. Treasure it. Trust Him! And then, have a good day, knowing that the master is working out His master plan in your daily life. Thanks God.
Dear Father. I know that You are working every detail of my life out for your grand purposes and my best. Sometimes, with the way that I am, and the way that the world is, sometimes, I doubt. Help me in my unbelief. I do believe. Even now, I am putting my trust in you again, because I know you are trustworthy. I know you are the God who was faithful to Abraham, Moses, David, and you are the God who came down in the flesh to live and die for me. Now I want to live with the optimism of a true believer. I trust you.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:08 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008March 29, 2008
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March 29, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 23; Ezekiel 25; Revelation 4
Today is March 29, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you so be strong
It was a hard working day trying to complete my message on work and sloth. Sunday we will be reviewing 6 principles about the nobility of work and the sin of sloth. While I was working Mike stopped in to take measurements for our Kitchen Cafeteria Enclosure. I’ve got a picture of him on top of the ladder to prove it at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. We did music practice in the morning. Carl and Sonja popped in to work on finances. Bruce dropped of 10 yards of gravel for our work day. Dave stopped in to pick up the helium tank. And overhead door stopped back by to rebalance our Cafeteria door. Looking back, I didn’t realize I had so many visitors. It was busier than I was aware of. After work I ran to Fast Stop to pick up some Ice Cream. Then I waited at Dutch Brothers for Pastor Dave from Calvary Chapel to drop Dakota off. We had a long talk. Then I brought Dakota home. He spent the night with us.
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Oh to know the will of God! Oh to be able to understand exactly what you should do at any given time. I guess we are back full circle to the place where we began in Romans 8, with our weakness. We don’t always know. But the one who translates our prayers knows. Even if our prayers miss the mark, by the time the Holy Spirit translates them for us, they are perfect. They hit the mark. Only perfect prayers make it to God’s suggestion box. And God always takes those suggestions and always answers them. Rest assured, once God is done running your prayers through the Divine grid, they come out just so. But what about us imperfect folk? How do we get the message back from God about what He is praying for us? I’m glad you asked. First, know this, God has already told us everything we need to know about life, godliness and His will; it’s called the Bible. It will take some diligence on your part, but if you want to know God’s will, read and study God’s word. It’s all there. 95% of everything you need to know is revealed in the Bible. The rest is pretty much details. But there is a Second. When we don’t know, and can’t find the answer in the Book, We have the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit translates our prayers to God, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. He translates God’s will back to us. We have to develop a sensitivity to the Spirits leading and guiding. We need to learn to discern when He is speaking to us. The Spirit usually speaks with a still small voice that can only be heard when we are quietly listening, and can only be heard by those who regularly take the time to train the heart to be still and enter into God’s presence. The Word is infallible as is the Holy Spirit. We can pray with complete confidence that God is going to get everything right and that he will communicate it back exactly as it should be. But we are fallible, so sometimes we get our wires crosses. So we must be careful not to be rash or overconfident in our ability to understand it all. In fact God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. He’s got it down, and I’m working on it. How about you?
Dear Father. You know everything and I’m working at knowing Your will for my life. I ask you for wisdom for I am imperfect. I need Your guidance. I am listening. I want to come into Your presence and have you speak clearly to me. Teach me to be able to hear your voice and know it so that I can follow your will. I want to know you and hear your voice and follow your leading.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:48 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Mar 28, 2008March 28, 2008
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March 28, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 21: 22-32; Ezekiel 23: 28-49; Revelation 2
Today is March 28, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events, it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
Yesterday could be characterized as phone Dennis day. For a while I was on two phones and three lines with one visitor in my office! That was busy. I get a little crazy trying to juggle so many people calling at the same time. But it finally settled down. In the morning a great group of ladies dropped by for Bible Study. They even shared a few cookies with me. Susan brought me lunch. That was a treat. Especially since I don’t usually get it! MMMMMmmmmmmm. Ken came in to ask if I could upload some programs on his PDA. He dropped by a new Bluetooth keyboard and mouse for our home computer. It looks nice. I got the bulletin ready and began working on Sunday’s message, “sloth and the nobility of work.” One of our Seven Deadly Sins messages. Overhead door came in to install the pulley system for our Kitchen Cafeteria door. It works great! Later in the day, after dinner tried to install Outlook 2007 on my laptop so my PDA will interface with my calendar, but there is some kind of problem with the configuration of windows and it just wouldn’t do it. I’ll try it on my church computer. Today I’m posting a picture of Wayne and Jeannie laughing at a joke in Bible Study. I was so busy taking the picture I must have missed the joke, but as you can see from the pic, it must have been funny! timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Dan wrote to say that on the emails I send that everywhere there is supposed to be a quote there is a question mark. My email program is messing up. I wasn’t aware it was affecting the quote marks. I’ll try to correct it. Let me know if I am successful.
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Unlike us, God is able to search the heart. We have to take everything at face value. We don’t really know what another person is thinking or feeling deep inside unless they tell us. However, we can read facial expressions and body language. These tools are supposed to be able to cast light on whether or not a person believes what he is saying, if he is sincere, or if he is telling the truth. It’s not an infallible “science.” Then there are lie detectors. Lie detectors are used quite a bit by law enforcement, yet the test is so fallible that it is not considered evidence in a court of law. There are people who can lie and not be detected, and then there are people who are so fearful that every thing they say registers as a lie. In some ways, I’m glad that God did not make us mind or heart readers. We have enough trouble being conversation readers. Words themselves cause us no end of problems. If we knew what the other person was really feeling at the moment, there might be some serious problems between us. But God can read the mind and heart. He knows what we are thinking and he knows what we are feeling. He is able to search out even the deepest, most hidden secrets of the mind. God knows you and he knows me. You cannot hide from God. Oh you can fool me, and I can fool you, but you cannot pull the wool over God’s eyes. The thin veneer that I throw up to keep people from taking too deep a look into the life of Dennis Kreiss may protect me from your judging stare, but don’t bother trying to make God think you are someone other than who you are. It’s a complete waste of time. You might as well come clean with yourself, because God already knows. And he’s praying for you anyway! He knows everything about you and he loves you just the same! Oh he doesn’t want to leave you the way you are, that’s why he prays for you according to the will of God. But believe me, He loves you with an everlasting, and all knowing and even a bit of a sympathetic love. Whew! That’s a relief, especially if you knew me like God knows me!
Almighty, loving God. You know me. I know that I can not hide from you. There is just no sense in trying. You know my faults. You know my failures. You know my personality quirks. There is nothing hidden from you. So here I am, exposed before you. If you are going to love me despite my foolish sins, then I am going to love you despite the fact that I am a foolish sinner. Forgive me. Change me. Make me just like you.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:17 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Mar 27, 2008March 27, 2008
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March 27, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 21: 22-32; Ezekiel 23: 28-49; Revelation 2
Today is March 27, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
There’s snow on the hills, can you believe it? One day it’s sunny and feeling like spring, and the next day it’s 35 degrees and snowing! I put a picture of the view from Bill & Helen’s deck overlooking the North Umpqua River and a few snow dusted hills in the background at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. Yesterday I edited and published a radio podcast to the internet called “Pigs will be Pigs.” You can find it at http://pgteaching.mypodcast.com/. I also worked on Bible Study for our Wednesday Night Study. We are in Exodus 33 looking at the Glory of God. This is the story of Moses who went into God’s presence and when he returned, he was “glowing.” He put a veil on to hide the glow, and to hide the fact that it was fading. The amazing thing is that 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we have a more glorious relationship with God, and we are to reflect his Glory more and more every day. How are you doing at that? Got the glow? Well, it’s back to the drawing board, or should I say, back into God’s presence so that I can reflect his beauty.
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
I groan a lot. Especially when I’m sick. Susan can testify to that! “OOOHHH! Help me! Honey, I need more soup (love, blankets, water…)!” Susan is quite sympathetic, “Get it YOURSELF!” She smiles . The other day I visited a friend in the hospital. Both of them are not doing well. There was a tear in my eye, and I let out a sigh. I groaned from somewhere deep within. We groan when we are struggling with pain. We may not have the words to express how we feel, but everyone understands the universal nature of a groan. Romans 8:22 says that “all creation groans together,” because it has been subjected to the degrading pain of sin. Even the universe seems to be waiting anxiously for the day when Christ will liberate us from corruption. Romans 8:23 adds that “we ourselves groan” waiting for the liberation of our body. The older we get, the more we anticipate redemption. A groan is a universal form of communication. It crosses all cultural, racial and language barriers. Any normal human being will react with sympathy to a cry of pain. We will stop what we are doing, no matter how urgent it was a moment ago, to help anyone who is hurt. When the Spirit intercedes for our needs, He groans. God is deeply touched by our plight. He feels our pain. He is moved with compassion. His sighs and groans are so deep, that there aren’t words enough in any language to express how intensely he hurts over our human condition. And just like our response to an injured stranger, God the Father reacts in sympathy and love and answers those prayers. When you hurt, God hurts. When The Holy Spirit prays, the Father acts! Jesus loves me this I know! He is groaning for me.
My Dear Father. Sometimes I am deeply moved inside. Sometimes the needs are so great. You even understand the underlying needs I have. And they move you even more than they move me. Thank you for caring. Thank you for feeling the pain I feel. And thank you for loving me so much that you are already moving in answer to the Spirits prayers. I am overwhelmed with just how much you care about me. I love you too!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:55 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008March 26, 2008
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March 26, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 21:1-21; Ezekiel 23:1-27; Revelation 1
Today is March 26, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
My mind is a little muddled this morning. (when isn’t it!) Last night after our Men’s meeting, Dave stopped into my office to talk about sound system needs for our upcoming pastors conference in June, and we began to talk about… I can’t remember what we talked about… but it was 10:30 before Dave took a breath! (You know it can’t be my fault) So I got home a wee bit late. Yesterday I spent the morning rebuilding my lost email data base. Fortunately I have 3 or 4 address books in different places like hotmail, my laptop computer, another email service… so I got my lost emails back, I hope! Cary and Carl stopped in, and we talked about children and jobs. It’s tough raising kids! It is difficult to know which battle to fight, and when we should just back off and go with the flow. Cary was relating his relationship with Andrew. And we had a good time telling him how expert we were at it (NOT!). But now that we’ve got grand kids, we are qualified to tell other people our “secrets.” Most of it is just walking through life, shoulder to shoulder with one another. What value there is in great support groups! After that I spent the rest of my day editing our new radio broadcast called “pigs will be pigs.” A parable of the kingdom. I should have it on the web page today sometime. Then last night, after a few minutes of play with the grand kids, I ran off to our men’s meeting. We had a great time. And by the way, check out the Easter picture posted at. timewithgod.mypodcast.com
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
One of the Holy Spirit’s ministries is prayer. God, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. There are some religious groups that don’t believe that the HS is a person, but a force, like electricity or gravity. Try this on for size, “Now your electricity prays for you!” “The earth’s gravity itself makes intersession for us.” Mother Nature is inanimate. It has no personality, it can not pray. But the Spirit is a person. Only living, thinking, individuals can communicate and pray. So the living, thinking, Divine Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. To intercede is to be a go between or an advocate. An advocate is someone who stands in for us and speaks on our behalf. The word “intercede” comes from two Greek words, when taken separately come out to be translated, “On The Mark.” An intercessor is someone who shows up in our place and “hits the mark” with his translation of our prayers. The Holy Spirit is praying for me! It seems an oddity that God would need to pray for me after he hears my prayers. Why would He do that? I guess some of them are so off the mark that they just have to be corrected! And get this: rather than chastise us for our foolish requests or ignorant errors of omission, He translates them and “re-prays” our prayers for us, so that they come to Him prayed right! He could just slap us down for our stupid mistakes. He could slam the door and shut us out in the cold because we sometimes don’t have a clue. But because He loves us, He says, “I know that if you knew what I know, you would mean to pray what I pray! So, I am going to re-pray your prayer it so that “in Christ” all of them are just so! Just as they should be!” Hey! Since I’m a perfect prayer (at least after translation by God) I’m not going to worry so much! I’m going to go to God with boldness and I know my prayers will “hit the mark!”
Dear Holy Spirit. Thank you for praying for me. I know that I don’t always pray the way I should, but I thank you, Lord for interceding for me! I come to You, Father with boldness, knowing that everything’s all right once the Holy Spirit gets through with my prayers. I am thankful that you accept me. I am thankful that You love me so much that you make sure that my prayers are in your will. Help me to pray more and more in line with you every day! In Jesus name, Amen.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 2:20 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008March 25, 2008
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March 25, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 20; Ezekiel 22: 17-31; Hebrews 13
Today is March 25, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
Another Monday is past. I moved a little slower than usual yesterday. I did everything in a leisurely unhurried way. (That is all going to change again today!) I sat around until 9:30 or so after publishing TWG. Then I ran to church to do bills. While I was there I got a call from a renter telling me that his Garage Door was stuck. I had to call the repair man for that. I stopped by several doctors offices picking up bills I could not find, activated my old phone for Shaphen, and before you know it, it was time to work out and go home for dinner. When I got home, who should drive up but Evie and the Grand Kids! What a grand time we had. We played games for an hour or so, and then watched a kids movie. We sure do have the greatest time with our Grand kids! Isaiah is talking more than ever. It used to be tough to get a world out of him, but now It is getting difficult to get him to be quiet. Today’s picture is one of our Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday. Check it out at timewithgod.mypodcast.com
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Have you ever had difficulty making a decision? Or even had a tough time deciding what to do with your day, not to mention what to do next? Come on, be honest. I’m sure I’m not the only one! Most of us struggle with things like “What am I going to do with my life, my job, my situation… etc.” Why do we struggle with these important (and trivial) issues? How come we don’t have all of it mapped out? Because we really don’t know what we want? Because we are not always sure what we are going to like or dislike? Because we may not know what is best for us? Because we don’t know what the future will hold? Because of all of the above! Therefore… we do not know what we should pray for. One of the reasons we do pray is because we don’t know what to pray for! That’s when we dig deep down and say, “Lord, please give me wisdom, insight and direction! I need it!” On of the curses of our human weakness is that sin has corrupted our decision making processes, our feelings and our spiritual discernment, So we see things through tinted glasses; glasses distorted by faulty human perceptions. This happens to me far more than I’d like to admit. Sometimes we pray for things we shouldn’t have. Other times we fail to pray for things we should have. But the Holy Spirit always prays for exactly what we need. That’s why we need to pray for Wisdom. Lord help me to follow the guidance of Your Holy Spirit!
Lord help me to follow the guidance of Your Holy Spirit! I need guidance. You are all wise, and I don’t always know what is best for me. That is exactly why I need you. Please open my heart and mind to receive your wisdom and to accept it. I pray for your perfect will in my life. Help me to be willing to admit when I am wrong and to be able to correct myself to a course that is pleasing to you and best for me.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Mar 24, 2008March 24, 2008
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March 24, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 19; Ezekiel 22; Hebrews 12
Today is March 24, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
Resurrection Sunday is past. The greatest day in the history of the world. If Christ is not risen our faith is vain. But now, since Christ is Risen from the Dead, we too will rise with Him. Sunday we had a great day together. Sunrise Service was perfect weather. Breakfast hit the spot. We had a lot of happy kids chasing easter eggs. And our balloon release, as always was a blast. Our time of worship seemed to top it off… and then we watched “The Passion Revisited” an audio/visual presentation. That was a great reminder of what Christ has done for us! After service, Susan and I stayed at Ken and Evie’s for lunch. Larry and Doug joined us. And then Ken took off for work. A few minutes later he called to say his car died and I took off to tow him. While on the way, someone must have been praying because the car started back up! It wasn’t too long and Evie dropped the Grand Kids off at our place for a few hours while she went to work. We played a few games and watched a movie. Saturday was Dakota’s Birthday party. I put a picture of him in his Groucho Marx nose up at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com
This week’s theme verse is Romans 8:26-27: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. That’s a comfort. We are weak like all of creation is weak. We have been subjected to the principle of sin and decay. We are all susceptible to disease, accidents, emotional distress and decay. There is an ancient rhyme the old theologians used to teach this truth: “In Adam’s fall, we sinned all.” When God created the universe, it was not subject to decay or sin. It did not run down and it did not grow old. We don’t know how long our grandparents, Adam and Eve lived in this perfect world, but they did so without the problems and cares we have today. Once they sinned by disobeying God, it set off a chain of events which affected the entire universe. Since that singular moment in time, everything began to run down. The Sun is growing older and weaker. The gene pool is becoming polluted. As we get older, we wear out. The mind doesn’t work like it used to… but then it never did. We are weak. The Spirit helps us in our weakness. The word for “help” in the original language of the New Testament is a very complex combination of words which means “to come along side of in order to help or carry instead of.” It is used of slaves carrying burdens for their masters… instead of or in the place of their masters. The Spirit comes along side us and carries our burdens in our place. He knows we can’t bear all of our burdens. He knows that we have weaknesses, and God the Holy Spirit compensates for us! It reminds me of the poem footprints where, in the darkest times of our life God says, “It was then I carried you!”
Dear Jesus. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to live within. Thank you that you understand my weaknesses and you compensate for them. I could use your help, a lot. Please come along side me and bear my burdens. I’m willing to give them up if you are willing to take them up. Thanks for helping me even when I am not aware of it. Help me to be more grateful for your grace!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:11 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Mar 22, 2008March 22, 2008
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March 22, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 18; Ezekiel 21
Today is March 22, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you so be strong
And another work week in the bag. And I’m telling you, everything came down to the wire. I believe I have our Easter Special finished. But I did fall behind on several other fronts. The Easter push kept my nose to the grindstone. I do hope the “Passion Revisited” will be well received. Pray for a good response to the message behind the video and audio presentation. In the morning I did music practice. We are working hard on our music for Resurrection Sunday. Thanks Marcia & Sonja. While I was hard at it. Bill stopped in to work on the grounds. I sure appreciate all the effort that guy puts in. Wow! Ken and Carl also popped in to say that they are going to finish sheet rocking the upper classroom. It should be done by Sunday. Esther and Isaiah popped their cute little heads into my office. I sure love that. After work I drove out to work out with Kyle & Marcia… and showed them my new camera. I posted a picture of kyle goofing off at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com. After that, I walked next door to the hospital and visited Doris at Mercy. She is recovering, but slowly. Her breathing is labored and they have not zapped the infection yet. She looked very tired. And she is concerned about Don who just had a doctor’s checkup himself. He has a “hole” in this throat. They are concerned that he might have cancer. Pray for them both!
This week’s theme verse. Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I need strength. Christ has all power available. I need emotional strength to deal with discord, doubt, despair and defeat. There are many problems, lurking in the shadows like a gang of thugs that lie in wait to overpower me; what about the economy? And what about the presidential election? And what about the mess in this world? And what about my job, my friends, my family, my health? I need strength, spiritual strength. Christ has all power available. In my prayers, I say, “God change the economy. Please find us a presidential candidate we can vote for. And Lord, about the mess the world is in, how about bringing some peace and stability to planet earth. And maybe as you are reading this, you are thinking, “Yes, Lord, I could use some answers on my job or family or health. Change them!” And God can. And God will. We may not always like the way God chooses to do things, but he always answers… just in His way. But what he really wants to give us, is personal – spiritual – unconquerable – strength! Strength like steel that will bend, but yet not break. Strength that is able to bear up the loads the world has to pile on it, and yet stand strong and proud. Strength that is not our own. It is a dependent strength. It is God’s power. “Lord, you take the burden. I can’t bear it. I lay it all on you… that’s better! Now you have it!” We were never made to bear these burdens on our own. They will break us. But when we trust in Jesus and let him take them, His strength becomes our strength.
Dear Father and Creator. I know you are all powerful. I know that you are working all things together for your plan and my best. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like it. Seemingly powerful forces conspire to shake me to the core. Yet, I will trust in you and never be afraid. I need your strength, so I cast all my cares and burdens on you. I will let you bear them all. You can deal with it! I trust you. Thanks for your love and power. Amen.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:45 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Mar 21, 2008March 21, 2008
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March 21, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 17; Ezekiel 20:27-49; Hebrews 11:20-40
Today is March 21, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events, it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
All my days are busy days. I am thankful for that. And yesterday was not exception. I feel like I finally made some progress on the Easter Passion Play Revisited – and audio and visual presentation. We’ll be using pictures and perhaps some video (If I get the time to edit it) of Passion Plays past for our Easter Presentation. If you have been in one of our Passion Plays, chances are, your mug will be on the screen. It will be a good time of nostalgia and a great time of worship. Yesterday a great group of ladies came for Bible Study. Phil Teel also stopped in to drop off a spring for the Kitchen Cafeteria door. I’ll put his mug up on our blog page at… www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Susan spent the afternoon working on Church secretary stuff. Evie was there practicing her Easter Song. It looks like Evie, Susan, Marcia, myself and the worship team will be doing specials. And perhaps Ryan will as well. Ken also stopped in to do power point. After work, I ran home, and then to Myrtle Creek to teach an Evangelism Explosion Class. We went to the Laundromat where the team was able to witness to two of the folks there. We had a great learning experience.
This week’s theme verse. Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I can do ALL THINGS, THROUGH CHRIST. Last night I spoke to a self made man in a Laundromat. He was raised dirt poor and has pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. He believes in God, but he believes in himself more than he believes in God. His philosophy is that I don’t need God to help me; I can do it myself… I did it myself! Wow. Jesus once said, “Without me, you can do nothing!” What does that mean? Universally, it means that God not only has created all that there is, but he sustains the creation and holds it together right now. Colossians 1:16-17 says, “by him all things consist.” If Christ were to withdraw his sustaining hand, the universe would implode and we would cease to exist. We like to think we are independent, but honestly we are not autonomous. To be completely autonomous we would need to exist independent of all else. But we need food, air, water, warmth, health and a vast number of other things outside ourselves just to stay alive. Our “inner man,” the spiritual us, is also completely dependent on God. We may think we are spiritual, but can a man really be spiritual without God? That’s an oxymoron. It isn’t possible. We need God to grant us strength to the inner man. Our spiritual inner man is responsible for the vitality and health of our emotions, our attitudes, our determination, and even our health. That is why, when Christ gives us strength, we can do whatever we put out our hand to do. I suggest that we should call out to Jesus and seek him with all our heart. God makes it possible. Depend on him. Pray to him. Seek Him, and you to can do anything – through HIM who gives you strength.
Dear Savior… I need you. I can do nothing spiritual without you. I realize that my spirituality is essential to my life, and I want that abundant, vital power of your Holy Spirit to empower me. I believe that with you I can do anything! I’m trusting you now. I believe it and I believe you. Even when I am weak, I will trust your strength. For even one small man, plus the infinite, all powerful God makes us unconquerable. If it’s OK with You, Lord, I’ll just tag along in your shadow!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:31 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Mar 20, 2008March 20, 2008
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March 20, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 16; Ezekiel 20:1-26; Hebrews 11:1-19
Today is March 20, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day.
Yesterday I kept myself busy working on Easter again. It’s just not happening as fast as I’d like. It is a slow process working on such a huge power point project, but it is looking good. Bill stopped in to rake pine needles. He made a nice path of them down to the fire pit for Sunrise Service. I put a picture of him at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Don & Jayn stopped in to talk about Sunrise Service. Jayn is doing such a great job preparing the fire pit area for our service. They want everyone to make sure that they are dressed warmly for the service. And they brought me food! Now those are some great people! If you have food, please stop in to visit me! I spoke to Vicki about balloons for the balloon release and stopped over to visit with Evie. John stopped it to talk about EE. He asked me to teach it tonight, so that’s where I’ll head this evening. He has to fly. After work I ran home to eat dinner and then it was off to Bill & Helen’s for Bible Study. I called Doris at the Hospital and she is off the respirator and breathing on her own, but still is fighting off her infection.
This week’s theme verse. Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Yesterday we talked about contentment. The mystery of contentment solved is, “I can do it through Christ, who gives me strength.” Paul says, “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives me strength!” There are some situations that we struggle with, to such a degree that we despair of making it. “I don’t think I can take it anymore!” some people say. There is too much pain, too much pressure, too much ____________. Let me out! So, sometimes we quit a job, give up on a marriage, dump a “friend,” or do whatever is necessary to alleviate the pressure because we can’t handle it. We are filled with discontentment, anxiety, frustration and a hundred other feelings. We don’t like the situation we are in and we want God to change it for us. God will eventually change our situation, but what he really wants to change is US! We are the key to contentment. There are millions of difficult situations that will confront us in life, and the question we need to ask is, do I want to the strength to face the mountain, or do I want to live in fear that the mountain will crush me. That is our choice. We can carry the burden and grow stronger, or we can allow it to grind us to dust. No matter how difficult the task, or how painful the situation, or how tired we are, or how frustrating people can become, we need to cling to the promise “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ.” You can be content whether well fed or hungry. But to get their, it must be “through Christ.” Rely on Him, rest in Him, rejoice in Him! That’s the secret! More on that tomorrow.
Dear Father. Sometimes I face situations and people that destroy my contentment. I’m off my game and need your help. All too often I just want to run away and hide so that I don’t have to face the anxiety and pain. I know that difficulty makes me stronger, but the process leaves me aching and hurting. Help me. When I think I’m going under, I will trust in you and rely on your strength. I choose to face the mountain, rather than run. Meet me here, I pray.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:05 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008March 19, 2008
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March 19, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 15; Ezekiel 19; Hebrews 10:15-39
Today is March 19, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
Every day is new and different. Yesterday was like that. It was a day that had lots of folks traipsing in and out of my office. First there was Ed Farr – he came to make certain that our pins were set right for our boundary line adjustment. I went out to help and got soaked in the downpour of rain. Then it was Carl and Cary. We talked about parenting and jobs. Later it was Bill and Helen. They stopped in to make copies for Good News Club. Dave also stopped in with the propane, er I mean helium for Easter Balloons. Dave was thinking about lighting up our balloon release. I have a picture of Dave and bill at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Later in the day, after dinner, I ran to our men’s meeting. Dave had us falling on the floor with laughter at his escapade with a shock collar and one of his dogs. He once had a retriever he was training, and he put the controller in his pocket. He went to the table to get something to eat, and as he leaned over the table, he pressed the controller against it, shocking the dog over and over! At one point the dog even did a back flip. Dave, kind of look over and thought, “Hmm, that’s interesting!” I’m Glad God’s not like Dave!
This week’s theme verse. Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation… thanks for sharing, Paul! Now what did you say the secret is??? Let’s try to find out. Contentment is good. Contentment is a state of mind which is characterized by the mind at ease. It is a mind that is strong enough to ward off the invisible attacks of disheartening thoughts and situations that would drag it down into anxiety, frustration or despair. It is a mind at peace. Sounds good. So how do we get this peaceful contentment. With all the worries of life that attack me like invisible arrows to the heart, how can we get this chunk of heaven for ourselves? Paul uses two words to explain how he got this ability. The first word is “learned.” It must be learned. That is good news. That means that even if I don’t have it now, I can get it. The idea of this word is that contentment comes with practice and experience. Sometimes experience is the best teacher. If I stress too much and get myself sick, if I am wise, I will remember not to stress next time, because, like touching a hot stove, I don’t want to get burned again. Experience is important. The second word is “secret.” This word in the Greek language almost translates “mystery.” A mystery is something only the initiated knew. In Christ, “we are the initiated!” We have been given the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. The mystery of contentment solved is this, “I can do it through Christ, who gives me strength.” Rely on Him, rest in Him, rejoice in Him! That’s the secret!
Dear Jesus, my savior, I cast all my cares on you. I want this secret of contentment. I want my mind to be at ease. Though all the world may be going crazy around me, I want the peace that passes all understanding. I am ready to learn. I realized that in the past I have worried my way through life… that experience has taught me that I need you and your strength. Thanks for the promise. I’m ready to receive it!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:55 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008March 18, 2008
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March 18, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 14; Ezekiel 18; Hebrews 10:1-14
Today is March 18, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
I don’t know about you, but I’m back at it again! Yesterday I stopped in to our engineer’s office to check on progress to the boundary line adjustment. We are making very slow and painful progress. He is supposed to be back out to church this morning to check a few more things out. After I left there, I ran to church to get an Easter mailing ready and do some other misc things like get worked over by my medical bills, er I mean work over my medical bills. That’s coming along. Carl & Sonja were there. They were having a few computer issues, so I put in my two cents and then left them to the joys of computing. After that I picked up Susan and we ran a few errands. At Wal-Mart we ran into Christina – it didn’t hurt much, but we had a good conversation. I snapped a picture of Susan in her cart as proof she’s using the motorized wheel chair carts, you can see that at. www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com and then I ran to the hospital to see Doris in ICU. She was “out” and had all kinds of breathing apparatus on. Pray for her. She has a lung infection and bronchial problems. They are going to reevaluate today.
This week’s theme verse. Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I know what it is to have plenty… I think I know that as well. Most of us have plenty. We may not be “wealthy” by today’s standards, but we have as much food as we need, most of us can pay our bills, and we have lots of “stuff” that we have bought or collected. In fact, some of us have so much stuff that we can hardly keep track of it. I remember when it was really something to have a computer. Now (being that I am at church) I oversee four computers at church, one at home and a laptop plus a few PDA’s. Good grief! How much is enough. The problem is that soon our stuff runs us. We have to take time to maintain it and fix it when it breaks. Some times I wonder if I really know how to handle the plenty God gave me. That’s where I need wisdom, how about you? I think we all yearn for a simpler life, but really don’t want that to mean a poorer life, nor do we really want to give up all our stuff. We talk like it, but have a hard time really doing it. It’s a matter of balance and the Wisdom of Solomon, isn’t it. God Grant that he would give us the wisdom we need to know how much we need, and how we should care for all the stuff He gave us… Oh, and did I mention that it’s really all His anyway? We are just stewards. We are supposed to care for His stuff. Now that puts a different spin on it. Lord how do you want me to care for your things?
Dear Lord. Thank you for providing all the blessings of liberty and prosperity. We have so much. I pray that all my things don’t take up so much of my time and focus that I can’t see past them to you. Help me to keep things in the right perspective, and realize that a caring, loving, personal relationship with you and my loved ones is way more important than all the world. Thanks for your great blessings. I am truly grateful.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:31 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Mar 17, 2008March 17, 2008
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March 17, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 13; Ezekiel 17; Hebrews 9
Today is March 17, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
The weekend is gone, a new week is in swing. Saturday kept me busy, I felt like a delivery truck. Run to Lydia’s with wood. Run to Shaphen’s to deliver couch. Run to rental to pick up piano. Run to Stephanie’s to deliver treadmill. What a day. After that I pressure washed our front porch and stairway. And spent the rest of the day in music practice. Sunday was the Lord’s day. We talked about another of the 7 deadly sins – excess “A biblical view of the use of alcohol.” Our discovery class talked about Jesus – the amazing Son of God. Sunday evening it was back to our creation videos. There is amazing evidence for creationism. I am still under the weather today, my throat and my head is still rebelling, but for some wonderful reason it refuses to explode into a full blown cold. Maybe it won’t. I have an extremely busy week, with Easter coming up. By the way, Lydia is looking for someone to split wood for her. That would be a great ministry. But she is willing to pay. I put up a picture of some in our youth group having fun at. www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Jayn writes Sorry to hear you are losing your voice. I was unable to find the picture of the men's fellowship. Blessings, jayn.
I knew this would happen sooner or later. I send out the email before I get the podcast published to the web, or the blog up. Sometimes it can be several hours before it’s up. But it’s there now.
This week’s theme verse. Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I know what it is to be in need… how many of us can relate to that! I can remember a time when Susan and I didn’t have two red pennies to rub together. We was poor. I’m not bragging. I’m certain that there are billions of people around the world poorer than I have ever been! At least we have always had a roof over our head, food on the table and a car to drive. But all the same, I’ve been a poor boy before. I think everybody should have that experience at some point in their life. Hardship is a good teacher. It reminds us why we work. It makes us appreciate what we now have. I’m not recommending it as a way of life, mind you, just as a passing life experience that we grow out of, that provides memories to keep us aimed in the right direction. Another thing about penury, it drives us to dependence on God. When you don’t know where your next meal will come from, or how you are going to pay the stack of bills on your kitchen table, you realize that the only way things are going to turn out all right is if God steps in to save the day. How many times has he done that for me! I pray a lot when I have needs like that. Don’t we all. I’m thinking that being in need has some value. And I thank God for all he taught me in the tough times… and I hope I learned the lessons well.
Dear Father in Heaven… Give us our daily bread. Thank you for the tough times. Help us to remember how you have provided in the past, and how we know you are going to provide in the future. Even though some of us have a lot of stuff now, help us to realize that you are really the one who gives us every good and perfect gift. We could use some more trust, and a bit more gratefulness. Thank you Jesus.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:13 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Mar 15, 2008March 15, 2008
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March 15, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 11; Ezekiel 16:1-29; Hebrews 8
Today is March 15, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you so be strong
Today is Saturday. I do have a list of “honey do’s” for my day… but I’m coming down with something. My throat has been slowly getting worse every day this week, and this morning it doesn’t feel well. It never fails that when I have a song to sing at Easter, that my throat rebels. I could use your prayers. Yesterday I worked almost all day on Sunday’s sermon on the 7 deadly sins. Surprisingly there was only one intermission in my day… John and Dana called to ask us if we’d do lunch. So we ran down to Karens where among other things we talked about their desire to buy a house. Pray that the Lord’s will would be done. While we were there I saw Dolly and we had a good chat. I threw a picture of one of our men’s meetings up on the web. Every Tuesday a group of us meet for fellowship. Check it out at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com
This week’s theme verse. Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The over-riding purpose of all that we do is for the praise and glory of God. Whatever we do in word or action, we should do for God’s kingdom and glory. That is what life is ultimately all about. It is about HIM and not about me. But reorienting my priorities to reflect this great purpose is difficult on many levels. Let’s start with our priorities… are they about HIM or about me? Is Work about my financial needs (and wants) or HIS KINGDOM? God wants to use our job as a vehicle to further His kingdom. Next… is my Family and home about my time and my place or HIS KINGDOM? God wants to be the Lord of my house. He wants it to be a place where we put Him first and use it for His purposes. And how about my “spare time” (do you have any?) – time used for recreation, evenings etc. God wants us to reorient that so it is used for HIS GLORY as well. Our pleasure and His glory can intersect! And God may want some of that time to be spent doing for others to help them out for His glory. And how about “The Lord’s Day?” Have we reoriented our life to reflect His ownership of us so that we not only go to church on His day, but spend the day, focused on enjoying and worshiping Jesus? Then of course there are my conversations, words and thoughts. That is one of the tough ones. I regularly need to remind myself that whatever I say or think needs to please my Savior. That’s the point of the last phrase of this verse… “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” It is a whole life of good deeds, not just occasional random acts of kindness. Who knows what part of your life they may see and who knows when your life will intersect their lives. We have a lot of reorienting to do… and we just scratched the surface! Lord, help us to make YOU our focus.
Dear Sovereign Lord. Help me to make you’re the Lord of my life, and everything in my life, my home, my work, my spare time, my words, my thoughts and everything else. It is a huge task to reorient my life to your priorities but I want to be filled with the purpose I was made for. I know that when I live for you that I live best. Convince me of that, and help me to throw myself into a love relationship with you, Jesus. In your name and for your glory, amen.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 12:09 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Mar 14, 2008March 14, 2008
Download this episode (22 min)
March 14, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 11; Ezekiel 16:1-29; Hebrews 8
Today is March 14, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. T WG is a complete turn of events, it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
Well, here it is: Friday again. Yesterday I kept busy working on various church related projects. I got the bulletin ready, began preparing for Sunday’s sermon. That took up quite a bit of time. The ladies came in for Bible Study and gave me a really big piece of Pineapple upside down cake. Thanks Rochelle & Holly! The Grandkids came over several times looking for sweets! And they are sweet. Both Ken and Evie stopped in at various times. Evie was doing research for her license and bond for janitorial work so I took some time to help her out. After work I ran home for dinner and who should show up, but Evie and the Grandkids! Susan and I babysat for a few hours last night. We played a few kids games with them and had a great time. Then it was time for them to go, and soon the night was over. Since I forgot to get a picture of the Grandkids while they were here, I took a picture of our dog Tillie sleeping with a few of her favorite stuffed animals for your viewing pleasure at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com
This week’s theme verse. Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Our purpose in life is to let our light shine. What does that mean? Let’s begin with what we know. Light helps people to see. Among other things, A Christian especially is commissioned and commanded to pass on the gospel so that people will see how to get to God and have eternal life. In the Old Testament the prophesy of Jesus is that he would be a light for the Gentiles so they could find their way to God (Isaiah 42:6). So we have established the purpose of light – help people see the way to Jesus. How do we do that? In this context, “light shines.” Jesus explained how we do that by saying “let your light shine so that they may see your good deeds.” Your conduct and actions are “light.” When you do good deeds for others it lights up the room. Your purpose in life is to be a blessing to others... but not for the purpose of blessing them alone. Your good deeds are the light that is to open people’s eyes so they say, “thank you!” and then you can respond… “I do it all for Jesus. He is the one that makes me want to help you, can I tell you about him.” And they respond by saying how good God is, and we hope they come to trust him. But here is an interesting concept. We are supposed to do these good deeds in the public eye, so that everyone can see! We want people to notice the light! Don’t hide your good deeds. This may be a troubling concept to some because we have been taught not to do good deeds in private so that we don’t get the praise. But our motivation for doing good is so that when people around us say, “wow! That was great, you should be the man or woman of the year!” We explain to them, “Everything I do, I do for Jesus. He is the one motivating me. He deserves your praise. Can I tell you about Him!”
Dear Father. I want to be light to the world and not darkness. I want to fulfill my purpose and shine my light so that all the world can see. I want to do good to all men, not so that I can receive the praise and congratulations, but so that the light will help them to see Jesus. I want my good works to provide a springboard into the good news so that I can share with them how they can find you. Help me to reorient the way I live and the way I think so that I will begin to do good deeds in the public eye, on purpose for the very reason of pointing others to you.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:17 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Mar 13, 2008March 13, 2008
Download this episode (18 min)
March 13, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 10; Ezekiel 15; Hebrews 7
Today is March 13, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
Another day is done. Time flies by. Yesterday Roger brought his bobcat to church and dug 8 postholes for the amphitheater fence. I posted a picture of him at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com. We had a long talk about the way technology has changed us. Now old men are playing Wii, and the military is looking for kids who know how to play video games. Carl stopped by to mow the church lawn. Thanks Carl. I worked on getting the Growing Together Radio Broadcast ready. It will be uploaded this morning. I also worked on Easter a bit more. Easter is coming. I’m also thinking about this weeks sermon on one of the 7 deadly sins – drugs and drunkenness, or something like that. After work I picked up Susan and we ran to eat chineese food with a good group of folks from our growth group, and then we headed to Jacoby auditorium to watch the USAF Jazz band. Quite a talented group of folks. We had a great time.
This week’s theme verse. Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine… hide it under a bushel “NO!” I’m going to let it shine. Most people I know use electricity. Light is good. But have you ever considered how dependent on electricity we are! Every time the power grid goes down, I’m out of work! My computers are down, the heat turns off, the phones don’t work (at least the cordless ones) and if it’s in the evening, we scramble to find a flashlight or some candles. Of course Susan loves candles, so we’ve got lots of them! And when you light a few of those candles, it’s kind of cool… the romantic shadows flicker all across the walls, and presto, we can see again. Lamps are made to give off light. A city on a hill, lit up at night can not be missed for miles around. I like light. Now, I do go around to rooms that are unused turning off the lights Susan left on, but I like lots of light where I’m working. Light is meant to be used. Christians were meant to be light to the world. I hope you don’t have a power outage in your life. Let it shine. The purpose of being a city of light, sitting on a hill is so that those who are traveling in the world of darkness below can look up, see your light and make a beeline for Jesus the light of the World. We were meant to guide people to the Christ that lights up your life! So, let it shine!
Dear Light of the World. I come to you to sit in your presence and glory. I want to be a reflection of your character and grace so that the world can see the way to you through the light that I hold high. Help me to shine my light to the darkness of the world so that they will see just how much hope and joy there is in Jesus and they will want what you have given me. Bless you Lord for how you have blessed me!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:10 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008March 12, 2008
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March 12, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 9; Ezekiel 14; Hebrews 6
Today is March 12, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
It was a busy and fun day yesterday down at the ranch. I kept busy working on Easter ”The Passion Play Reloaded” an audio and visual presentation of passion plays past. I began working on a flyer to go out. I also spent a bit of time organizing my life. Cary and Carl stopped in to visit. Jayn was at church working on the fire pit. I have a picture of her at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com. She was saying just how much Ladies Bible Study revolutionized her priorities. The family has always been her last priority, but now she is putting Don first (after God) and what a difference it is making in their lives. After work, I returned to church for a men’s meeting. That was a great time of camaraderie. What a blast to meet regularly with these great guys and discover how God is working in their lives. I also posted a little of the discussions I’ve been having with folks on gambling since the message on it at http://pinegrovecommunitychurch.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1205328937 check it out. I got an email from one of our TWG subscribers – Susie who writes:
I am in San Francisco as I write this....and in an hour will head for Atlanta.? Please pray that I will find ground transportation easily when I get there...to take me to my conference.? At least God gave me a great day to fly. The weather clear across the country is supposed to be nice. Have a great day....Thank you for posting those blogs I love hearing what’s going on in Roseburg - susan
This week’s theme verse. Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
You are the light of the world. Light is a good thing. Darkness is comforting if you want to sleep, but most things that I do require light. Light and darkness have unique characteristics. Light requires some kind of source like the sun. It has energy and heat that brings life, growth and activity to the earth. Light travels at 2586 feet per second (correct me if I’m wrong). Darkness on the other hand has no source. It is simply is the absence of light. And darkness does not travel, it retreats from the light. And perpetual darkness is most often accompanied by intense temperature drop and death of all things. You are the light of the world. Christians, by their presence are a source of light, energy and warmth (really a reflection of the “sun” of God – the real source of light). We bring life, hope, growth and springtime to the world. Christians, by our character and presence drive away the darkness and despair of the world. How hard is that? Just turn on the light and darkness will flee. It will dash for the shadows and corners of the room. Darkness can not advance. It only follows the retreat of the light. So come on, shine your light so people can see it. Don’t be shy. Let your love for Jesus be evident in all you say and do.
Dear Son of God, you are the light of life. I want to reflect your glory and praise. I want to bask in your joy. I want to let my character be such that it dispels the darkness around me. I know the world lives in the dismal caverns of darkness. I don’t just want to bring hope and happiness to my own little home, I want everyone around me to benefit from the blessings of the light of the world. I want to let my light shine.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:01 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008March 11, 2008
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March 11, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 8; Ezekiel 13; Hebrews 5
Today is March 11, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
Yesterday I spent my day off trying to recover from the effects of Daylight Savings time. It didn’t happen. I was a bit tired and when I did finances, I got a little bit crabby. Susan worked outside in the yard for a while, then in the early afternoon we took off to pick up her new phone. We both got good deals on phones with the renewal of contract thing. Then it was off to the mechanic to pick up our repaired SUV. By did that cost a pretty penney. If you want to donate to the “fix Susan’s SUV” fund it won’t hurt my feelings! Send lots of money. Last night, we went over to Dr. John and Dana Gardin’s for dinner. We had a great time and listened to some wild adventures they have had. I posted a pic of them on the podcast page. Check it out at www.timewithgod.mypodcast.com
This week’s theme verse. Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Have you ever had salt that isn’t salty? I thought that if it was salt, it meant that it was salty. Whoever heard of unsalty salt! Sounds paradoxical, oxymoronic, antithetical and several other big words I don’t know the meaning to! Apparently salt can loose its saltyness. By the Dead Sea (a very salty lake) there are masses of salt on land that have become tasteless. When the salt from the Dead Sea comes in contact with the ground, or is exposed to rain it becomes flavorless. From what I understand, in the first century, it was common to see salt scattered on the ground because it had lost its flavor. They would throw it out onto places like paths, much like weed killer, because once the salt gets into the ground it destroys all fertility wherever it touches. Things don’t grow in salt. On the other hand, good salt was once almost as valuable as money. Some times people would actually take their pay in salt instead of money. We’ve known for years that a certain amount of salt is good for you… today we’re worried about too much which is bad for you, but back then they needed salt. It was a valuable commodity. So here’s the point. Christians who live what they believe are really a very valuable commodity. The world may not always appreciate it, but they recognize that, yes there is value in a high moral standard. It keep society from rotting in self destruction. On the other hand, the world has no use for hypocrites! People who say they are Christians but live like everyone else. We hate double standards! So, to keep from being “thrown out and trampled by men,” we need to maintain our saltiness! Don’t let the rain of circumstances or the dirt of the world soak in to your life and degrade your Christian values and godly lifestyle.
Dear Jesus, I love you. I want to live like salt. I don’t want the values of the rest of the world to rub off on my and drag me down. Help me to live a distinctly Christian life that is characterized by a vital relationship with you. Help me to realize when I am beginning to think like the world or live like them. Instead let me set my mind on things above and focus on practicing your presence that your character is seen in me.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:12 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Mar 10, 2008March 10, 2008
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March 10 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Genesis 7; Ezeki