SEARCHLIGHT

  JUNE 1, 2023 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. When you consider situations that you and I may find ourselves in that we simply feel we cannot handle, today’s passage gives great insight.  First it tells us that God comforts us in all our troubles. Now that is good news, isn’t it. Then the passage goes further to say that there is an awesome outcome from our troubled places. It is this that from our receiving God’s comfort, we can then comfort others who are going through the same kind, or similar troubles. “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” What is your deepest hurt, trouble, or obstacle

  MAY 31, 2023 Psalm 18:29   With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. Have you ever faced what seemed to be an impassable barrier in your life? One where there seemed to be no way over, under, around or through? One of the supreme rewards of following our God, who is the Supreme Ruler over all,  is that there is nothing that our God can not do. Nothing.  Absolutely Nothing. Perhaps you recall the worship song that goes Ah, Lord God, Thou has made the heavens And the earth by thy great power Ah, Lord God, Thou has made the heavens And the earth by Thine out - stretched arm   Nothing is too difficult for Thee Nothing is too difficult for Thee Great and mighty God Great in counsel and mighty in deed Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing Nothing is too difficult for Thee   Believe that Today and give thanks.   If you’re feeling a bit defeated these days in one way or another, perhaps it’s time to stop doing it alone and ad

  MAY 30, 2023 Psalm 18:1-6, 16-19  I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. I do not know how you feel after reading those words above, but for me they describe my

  MAY 29, 2023  2 Corinthians 1:3-11   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely

  MAY 26, 2023 Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.   Galatians 6:7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.     O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.   Luke, a follower of Jesus writes, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” There are moments in our life, see if you agree, when your agenda is interrupted by a family member or friend who is having a difficult time. Perhaps you are not having the easiest of time either, you are tired, your energy i

  MAY 25, 2023 Matthew 5:14  You are the light of the world.   Matthew 5:16  ... let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.   1 Corinthians 13:13  Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.   Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy.   Nick Vujcic was born without any limbs. That’s right, no arms or legs. When you see him today, he is a powerful and influential communicator. Nick, travels the world speaking and inspiring people of all ages.  However, it wasn’t all perfect for Nick. As a kid, as you can well imagine, he was blatantly bullied to the point of complete depression. It was a lonely existence for a child with no limbs, being different made it hard to make friends.  The harsh bullying resulted in Nick at the age of 10, attempting death by suicide. Nick felt he could not take anymore of the abuse of the bullies. He no longer wanted

  MAY 24, 2023 Luke 6:38  Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Matthew 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. where there is injury, pardon (forgive); where there is doubt, faith; Some of Jesus’ final hours were spent in the garden praying. You will recall that while he was praying, a Roman regiment of soldiers arrived, along with some Pharisees and his disciple, Judas Iscariot. This was to be the moment Jesus was betrayed. After Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, Peter takes out his sword to fight. My take on this is that Peter was wanting to inflict some heavy damage on someone, perhaps kill someone in the regiment. But he misses and t

  MAY 23, 2023 Isaiah 26:3 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” The life of St. Francis of Assisi is an outstanding story. It’s a story of a life lived marked by love and sacrifice. His was a life led by the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on Francis’ life will lead you to a deeper love for God’s Spirit and for God’s creation. I invite you to open your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to create a sacred space for God to speak his word and peace into your spirit today. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace Musician and recording artist Eric Clapton is known as one of the greatest guitar players ever. It was said Eric not only learned the guitar on his own but logged between 3-8 hours a day of practice. He became one of the greats with his instrument through consistency and dedication to it. With Eric Clapton in your mind, let’s turn to the scriptures and see what they have to say about becoming an instrument of peace.

 May 19, 2023 Psalm 147:8-9, 15-18 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry... He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. Well, the May long weekend is upon us. Generally, on this weekend we begin our season of getting out into God’s creation by camping, hiking, hanging out with family, and friends. We drag the BBQ out, fire it up with burgers or sausages or chicken, steaks maybe even some grilled veggie sides. Encountering God’s creation is good for us, good for our spirits, good for our relationships. Song writer Brian Doerksen in his song Creation Calls sings the following lines: How could I say there is no God When all arou

  May 18, 2023 Read these words below and consider what must have been occurring in the life situation, and mind of the author. I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light ... He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. ... I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.” I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Let me ask, have you ever felt like this? In what ways can you relate to the words above. I venture to say most of us have had such moments in our lives that these words describe quite accurately

  MAY 17, 2023 GENESIS 2:4-9   4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.   JOHN 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while

  May 16, 2023 John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. These are great words above, aren’t they? Imagine living and walking a life path of the untroubled heart and without fear. Count me in on that kind of journey!! Jesus’ words here are filled with promise. Promise of His peace, emphasis on the HIS part. When we think about these words of promise, we must acknowledge that what is promised is the extreme opposite of a troubled heart, weighed down by fear and anxiety. Truth is, we spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to live with anxiety, to combat anxiety, to medicate anxiety, to alleviate it. There are many helpful practices and medications that have been life saving for many people. Breathing exercises, grounding exercises, just exercise, Yoga, to talk therapy, group therapy, all these are tremendously helpful. In my own journey it occurred to me that I nee

  May 15, 2023 Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. Solomon, who was known for his great wisdom, concludes that so much of the toil and anxious striving that we put ourselves through is meaningless. The striving that keeps us awake at night. The striving which often brings us grief and pain. So why do we do it? Why do we suffer so through the pressures of this life? Jesus offers us an alternative. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG) Isn’t that beautiful? Jesus invit

  MAY 12, 2023 2 Chronicles 20:1-12 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They h

  MAY 11, 2023 Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Anxiety is a joy robber. It extracts every ounce of delight and pleasure from our lives. It can come suddenly out of nowhere and initiate what would have been a happy day or experience to be “dashed against the rocks.” Take notice what today’s passage says. God’s consolation can bring us joy. When we allow the God of the universe to console and comfort us, we can return to joy. I know, I know, that at times, this may seem impossible when we are in the place where fear and anxiety take over. Please, let me remind you what Jesus said, and the Bible teaches that with God, all things are possible. ALL THINGS!! Here is the problem we encounter, the Bible talks about one “who is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”, that is the enemy (Satan). You see our soul’s enemy wants to use anxiety (fear) in our life to pull us away from others and from God. Just like any predatory animal

  May 10, 2023 Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.    And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Jesus followers in the first-century church had a great deal to be anxious about. While it was true that following Jesus was joyful and brought great freedom  spiritually . There was also persecution and threats, even death for some followers of “the way.” It was a very tense period to be a Christian. It is in such hostile circumstances that the apostle Paul encourages his fellow believers in Philippi with a promise from God that when you submit your anxiety to Him, He brings peace. Paul, perhaps more than anyone, knew this peace. The peace that rose above every hardship, every difficulty. He would write later to the church in Corinth: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, bu

  MAY 9, 2023 Job 11:17–19 “And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security. “   One of the strategies for coping with Anxiety is to develop grounding techniques. Grounding techniques are strategies that can help a person manage their moments of intense anxiety that are triggered by memories or strong emotional experiences. Examples include breathing exercises and focusing on the five senses . For Example:  ·          Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you.  ·          Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around        you.  ·          Acknowledge THREE things you hear.  ·          Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ·          Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.   As someone who knows anxiety episodes, I have found these breathing and focus exercises very helpful. Yet, the one practice that I found grounded me and helped me st