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Guest Blogby Dave GriffithsWe will never be able to grasp God in His entirety. But He wants us to know Him, and we can certainly learn about Him through His actions.The bible suggests that we love God for what He does as well as who He is (Psm 116) In fact, what He does expresses who He is. God’s two major actions in all of history are Creation and Redemption. God is the Creator who made all things by His will ex nihilo, out of nothing. (Heb.11:3) (Rev. 4:11). He is also the lamb of God slain to provide the individual Redemption of men and women. (Heb. 5:9-10)In addition to these basic truths, God’s actions in history extend in more directions. He is actively preserving and sustaining the world. He takes care of people, plants, and nature through the cycles of life.God also created two special institutions; The nation of Israel and the church. Through Israel He brought Messiah, Jesus into the world. He created the church on the day of Pentecost through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2) The church has no national boundaries. Jews and Gentiles are brought together in this one institution for the chief purpose of spreading throughout the world the good news of eternal life through faith in Christ. Christ, who is God, is actively involved in history as Head of the church, which also will enjoy God’s coming Kingdom.Two more of God’s special acts are, 1) His giving of the inspired, inerrant Scriptures, (not one jot or tittle is to be changed) (Matt. 5:18) and 2) His incarnation.The incarnation is one of God’s greatest acts when God, robed in flesh, stepped into time through the person of His Son and became the permanent God-Man Jesus. He died on a cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sins, and rose from the dead so that we could be declared righteous and saved. This great salvation is available to all who put their faith in Christ alone for deliverance.Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but though Him.Dave.

Guest Postby John DoyleEphesians 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" I had the opportunity when reading Gods Word to explore what it means to Live Compassionately. In the World that we live in today and see all that's going on around us, this has become an important way of living. We know from experience and studying the Life of Jesus that when we Live Compassionately it will transform the people around us and expose them to the Beautiful Life of Jesus that He had here on Earth. Having experienced his Great Compassion in our own lives it should motivate and encourage us to live a more compassionate life and make it available to those in need at this difficult time of Lockdown and Covid-19 Pandemic. One of the most impactful ways we can share God’s heart with others is by Living Compassionately. To show compassion is to step outside of ourselves and love another in times of trial and hardship. To live compassionately is to set your heart continually toward the Love, Grace and Mercy of God that He bestowed on us and that we are to bestow upon the lives of others. When we consider the Life of Jesus on this earth it should stir our hearts to be more compassionate. God sees our imperfection but still chooses to Love us rather than cast us aside, that's Godly Compassion and we are to emulate that here on earth. Not easy at times but its the right and Godly thing to do. The Lord is calling us to a life lived humbly and sacrificially. Philippians 2:4 says “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” The World today is in desperate need of Compassion. People need Mercy and Grace when they fail, or are experiencing hard times. God’s heart through the Life of Jesus showed continual Mercy and Grace which is a reflection of His unconditional Love for us. He’s calling us to be Light in the darkness so that the World might see in us the Compassionate heart of our Heavenly Father. It’s for this reason Paul writes in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” You can forgive because you’ve been forgiven. You can be kind because your Father has been nothing but kind to you. You can be tenderhearted because God was so tender in Heart toward you. He was so compassionate that he gave His son so that you may have life eternal, to free you, empower you, strengthen you, and ground you in His Grace and Love. Let me encourage you today to respond to God’s Love for you by showing Compassion to others that they might know the Tenderness and Mercy of your Heavenly Father. 1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous." In the Love…

Guest Postby Dave GriffithsSome people insist that the Word is not God. They agree he is a god, which puts us in a dilemma.The bible clearly tells us that the Word is Jesus. The bible also tells us that in the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God. (not a god), and, if the Word was with God then the Word cannot be God, hence there is more to this than meets the eye. The solution is to search and re-search the Scriptures. The Old Testament confirms the existence  of a single triune God. One God, three entities.The prayer of the Shema has always been a fundamental declaration of faith. It is a verse that calls the people of Israel to serve and worship one God ; “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one."The Hebrew words Adonai (Lord) and Eloheinu (Our God) use plural forms of the word God. Why does the Lord present Himself as plural? And why, after repeating the word God three times, does Deut. 6:4 end with the word one?The Hebrew word one is Ehad. An example is found in Gen. 2:24. “A man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife and they become one (Ehad) The man and women are two people whose joining together creates one flesh.Further plural words for God are found in Gen. 1:26. “Let us make man in our image according to our likeness... He was not speaking to human beings because they were not yet created. Neither did He consult the angels because angels were not active partners in creation.  The Old Testament states clearly that God alone created the world. ( Neh. 9:6 ).  The New Testament confirms that God alone is the creator. (Col. 1:16-17).Therefore, in Ge. 1:26 the Lord was speaking to an entity or entities equal to Himself in image and in power to create. The word Creator appears in Hebrew in the plural form, indicating a plurality of creators. Since the Creator is God, there must be a plurality of entities in the one true God.Plural forms of words referring to God also appear in Isa. 54:5. The word Maker is plural.  In conclusion the word Ehad describes a wholeness that consists of several entities, and we must worship this wholeness. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Ehad, one God.Dave

Guest Postby John DoyleJeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"Learning how to take things One Day at Time when anxiety hits, as it has with many in these days of Lockdown, is important and God's Word gives us great insight into His plan during these difficult days. I was reading a story about a song written by Christa Wells called “One Day” while I was preparing one of my devotionals. I was keen to get the correct Biblical perspective on the subject not knowing exactly how the Lord will lead me in my studies.Then I listened to this song on line. My heart kept being drawn back to believing that its important in these days to take things One Day at a Time"You’re doing one day, one breath, one prayerOne thing at a time, One word, one step, one hopeIn a coming light, Don’t try to swallow the oceanKeep doing one day, ‘Til one day you’re free"My wife Barbara and I are not really “one day at a time” people. We tend to be future oriented. Can't wait to see our Granddaughter Kristen get married in August and be with our son Keith on his 50th birthday. Its just consuming our minds at this time as we just don't know if we will be able to travel there due to Lockdown.We are praying everyday that it will be possible but our end request is "Lord Thy Will be done". We would love to know what exactly is going to happen, how it will happen, how long will it take to happen so we just decided to keep praying and taking One Day at a Time.It is exhausting at times going through these days of Lockdown and does cause anxiety to many people. But when you think about the life of Jesus on earth knowing what He was going to go through He always knew the Bigger picture and knew the outcome, and He just took One Day at a Time and impacted so many lives with His actions and Words. The greatest example for us all.God is so gracious to us and ever so patient. When we work ourselves up with the what if’s and maybes, He reminds us of our text verse above "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11God knows what our future holds so we can rest in Him. We know this to be true through our many years of ministry. We decided just to BE AT PEACE.This is exactly where God wants us all to be. He wants us to lean on Him. He wants us to run to Him in time of need and not to try and figure everything out on our own and travel down roads…