Growing up in the balmy Autumn weather of central Florida, there were many things we never got to experience. Not once did our schools close down for snow or ice. Hooded parkas and mittens were things we barely knew about. And If we ever actually wore a sweater or light jacket to the bus stop it was hanging on a coat hook before noon.  But even in the South things can change. One year, my older sister and I had helped Dad bring in a supply of wood for the Daisy pot-belly stove that was our sole source of heat. The fact that we had to get wood must have meant it was cold. But in the drafty old farm house we called home, anything below 70 degrees meant extra blankets on the bed and a fire in that old stove.

I don’t remember who added the extra wood. Likely it was one of us children who got carried away with the pine knots we had loaded into my little red wagon and stacked carefully in the wood box. Daddy knew better. 

Soon, the sides of the chubby little stove were cherry red as the pitch in the wood made it burn fiercely.  Daddy dutifully dampered it down and used our carelessness as a teaching moment.  As he remonstrated with us, no one noticed our toddler niece getting close to the stove until she tripped and fell onto the blistering hot stove. Her tiny arm bore the brunt of the impact and came away with the word, “Daisy” branded into the tender flesh of her forearm.

I wouldn’t characterize us as remarkably religious people. We were just a family who loved each other and knew that if it mattered to us…God cared. Instinctively, Mother and others prayed even as old home remedies were hastily applied. It has been so long.  I do not remember what those remedies might have been. I just recall vividly the relief when a few months later someone noticed how quickly the “Daisy” faded from her arm as the terrible pain vanished from her mind.

As we approach Thanksgiving let us remember things like this from our own past when God’s amazing Grace was applied in some marvelous way in our lives.

Lovingly,

Richard Orrell, Pastor

IF MY PEOPLE

2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

God’s people prayed.   If we believe Scripture, He answered our prayers, the elections are over.  Praise the Lord we had a peaceful    election cycle.   NOW, let’s trust the last of His promise, that He will now RESTORE OUR LAND.

Democrats, Independents, Republicans:  Now let’s all unite and pray for our newly elected leadership and pray that God will direct our nation’s path.   As we’ve said many times, GOD IS IN CONTROL,   HE has our future in His hands.

“God is good, all the time, He’s good ALL the time.”    Thank you Jesus for your care.

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Reading the book of Ruth in the Bible is a refreshing experience. It is short enough to be easily read in one sitting and the content is heartwarming. Many applications for our modern day lives can be made of the timeless truth found in these few short pages. One of my favorites is simply the loyalty between Naomi and Ruth. There were others who made the choice to go with what seemed more logical. But even when her own sister turned back, Ruth plodded relentlessly after her mother in law.  Bereft of her husband and childless in a society that looked down on the married woman with no offspring, Ruth allowed her love and loyalty for Naomi to propel her into an uncertain future that unbeknownst to her would include her in the ancestry of Messiah.

How amazing that God reached into the life of a refugee Gentile, Jewish by choice and by loyalty, to find someone to cooperate with His plan to bless the entire world with a Savior! Did she have any comprehension of all God had planned? Not in a million years. All she had was her ironclad declaration of intent: "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

May the Lord bring us to a similar place in our commitments. May friendship and loyalty once again draw us away from the fickleness promoted by the self centered entertainment industry.

May we be courageous enough to stand by those we love even though we may disapprove of their behavior. May we faithfully exert the influence God has given us to change them (and us!) for the better. Remember; God placed you in their lives for a reason.

His purpose may not be readily seen nor easily grasped. But given time and proximity His will is made clear. If we remove ourselves from someone's life the influence God intended for us to exert becomes difficult if not impossible.

Lovingly,

Richard Orrell, Lead Pastor

Have NO Fear:  God has this!

Isaiah 26:3  (NLT)

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Later this month I’m scheduled to have some major surgery.  

On November 8th we have what I believe is the most important election in USA history.

Human nature would say I should be fearful and worried about both  of these.

However, the Scriptures are true:  God has NOT given us a spirit of fear.

HE is keeping me in PERFECT PEACE,  because I am trusting in Him.

God has my future and the future of the USA under control, part of His Divine plan.

Join me in trusting Him today.

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

The lyrics to Thomas A. Dorsey's old gospel song say, "Precious Lord take my hand. Lead me on help me stand". Written at a crisis point in his own life, Mr. Dorsey's thinking has helped shape the feelings of many who are troubled by events out of their control.

Each time I hear that dear old song I'm reminded of the security I felt as a child crossing the busy downtown street of our home town with my hand in daddy's calloused hand. To use his colorful turn of phrase, the boulevard was often "running bank-full". In those days US 17 highway was routed right through the middle of our small town and carried much of the North/South traffic as the cold sensitive populace ebbed and flowed across the Mason-Dixon Line with the change of seasons.

There were only two kinds of pedestrians; the quick and the dead. But the dangers of crossing the street were of little concern to me. The capabilities of my stubby little legs were superseded by the length of Daddy's adult strides. My hand in his guaranteed he would lift me above my own inadequacies. And should I fall, he would pick me up and carry me to safety. 

So it is for us as believers. There is so much of life that eludes our control; so many challenges able to crush the life out of our dreams. But we have placed our hand in God's great hand. His compassionate heart senses our every concern. His capabilities tower over all our fears. His power fills in the blanks for our inadequacies. His strength shores us up at our weak points.

Tommy Dorsey's great lyrics become our daily prayer: "Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, help me stand. I am tired. I am weak. I am worn. Through the storm, through the night. Lead me on to the Light. Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home."

Let God pick you up, then try again!

Lovingly,

Pastor Richard Orrell

God's Self Defense Plan

John 14:27  (NLT)

²“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

As we approach November 8th elections, many in our country are stressed and face uncertainty.   Today’s scripture tells us that God has left us a GIFT— His PEACE.

Our responsibility is to PRAY and VOTE.  The results are up to the Lord.    The WORD says that He raises up and lets down those in   power.   All power and authority comes from God. 

Men may strive, but God ultimately is in    control of our country and our futures.

Let’s all be sure to vote, but not worry and fret, for our Father is in control.  Do your part:  PRAY and VOTE. Then relax in the knowledge that God does all things well.

Love ya,   Pastor Phil      

If My People

2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

“Then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

Friends: We have just 38 days until possibly the most important election in our Nation’s history.

According to this Scripture, if we call on His name and turn from our wicked ways He will restore our land.

However, as Christians, we have a God-given right and a command from Him to vote and be active in the decisions that affect our land.

If we don’t vote we are making the wrong choice.     Due to my not being able to vote on election day, we cast our absentee ballot last Tuesday for whom we pray is our next President.  I  encourage each of you to PRAY and VOTE!

Love ya,   Pastor Phil      

I had agreed to drive my aging aunt and uncle home to Florida which not only helped them but gave me a ride as well. We loaded their nearly new Plymouth and started the long trek from the Ozarks to the flatlands of the South.

In a small town in the middle of Alabama we encountered a roadblock. We never found out why the police were checking driver's licenses and insurance coverage. But that was no problem because we knew we were completely legal. Or so we thought. I confidently produced my license and my uncle produced the other documents that were needed.  When we finally edged our way to the checkpoint we were pleasantly surprised to be waved through without so much as a glance at the papers we had produced.

It was only later as we thought back on the encounter that we realized the kind policeman had noticed our front license plate which said something about Florida.  He correctly assumed that was our destination and that we were not local. The conversation then turned to license renewal times. I hadn't yet put mine away so I glanced at it thinking I had another year to go before renewal. My heart came up in my throat as I realized I was driving such a long trip on a license that had expired weeks earlier. And of course it was a holiday weekend so there would be no opportunity to renew the license while I was in Florida.

In order to get back for college classes and job responsibilities I would have to leave very early Monday morning driving once again on that expired license. And once again, I was stopped by an Alabama State Trooper and had to produce that out of date license. And yep...I was scared out of my mind. Imagine my surprise and relief when the trooper never even looked at my license but handed me a coke and thanked me for my safe driving habits as he had been following me for several miles.

Folks, there is a God in Heaven who watches out for those who mean well and are doing their best but aren't quite up to par.  In both of these encounters I certainly deserved law but received grace instead. How about you? Aren't you glad we do not get what we deserve but are recipients of God's great grace...instead?

Lovingly,

Pastor Richard Orrell

Here is my article with minor revisions in paragraph three:

Now and then it is my misfortune to cross paths with someone so independent their actions seem to indicate they really don't need God. Young and strong, they consider it beneath them to ask for His help with day to day life. Full of optimism for the future, they're fine with leaving tomorrow to itself.

But then my rounds sometimes bring me to the bedside of another for whom life has become a daily challenge. Young or old, their constant prayer is for strength for today and wisdom for tomorrow. Some unpronounceable disease or simply the passing of years has stolen their swagger. Without embarrassment they wipe tears as the 23rd Psalm is read or quoted. Trembling lips move silently in perfect sync with the cadence of the reader. Their desperate need for the Shepherd and their utter dependence on Him are evident as a holy moment in the Presence of God is shared with the Pastor.

Gently I point out that our Heavenly Father delights to participate in our years of smooth sailing as well as when we go through the deep waters of terminal distress. We do well when we make time for Him in the bloom of youth and health. The relationship with the Lord that will be our strength and wisdom when we have none is better cultivated in good times than in bad. Utilize these good days while they are here. Challenging times will come soon enough in which we will draw on the Word we have salted away in memory in the whirlwind days of youth.

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Excellent advice from the writer of Ecclesiastes!

Growing in God's grace,

Pastor Rich Orrell

John 14:27  (NLT)

²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Scripture tells us that in this world we will have troubles, things that concern us.  But, we should not let them bother our spirits.

Today’s Scripture tells us of the gift from the Lord, peace of mind and heart. 

With this promise we should not be afraid or concerned about the future, God has each one of our futures in His hands.   He also has the future of our country in focus, He has a plan for America.

So let the Scripture encourage you today, God has everything under control and He cares for you, my friend.  He is concerned about the things that concern you.

We serve a wonderful Lord!  He is good, and has a great future planned for us.

Love ya, Pastor Phil