The disciples of Jesus had seen enough in their years on the sea to know they were in serious trouble. Galilee had often cast up bits of wreckage and swollen victims after storms just like this one. 

The monster raged sending towering waves smashing into their small boat as it shook it's valiant head and plunged on into the darkness. 

We're not certain who it was who thought of it first;  "If He fed the crowds with a kid's sack lunch, couldn't He do something about this storm??"

And so they woke Him up from a well earned, fatigue induced sleep. 

"Master! Don't you even care that we are about to drown?!"

The brashness of it sounds rather like Peter. But truth be told, we don't know which of the beleaguered sailors was so direct with the Lord. 

Quickly Jesus spoke to the wind and waves, bringing order to the chaos of the storm. 

As the disciples struggled to comprehend the power they had just witnessed, Jesus asked the strangest questions: "Why are you so fearful?" And, "How is it that YOU have no faith?" (Mark 4:40, emphasis mine)

His response prompts one to suppose that had they realized it, the disciples could have spoken to the storm and let Him rest. After all, He had taught them that mustard seed faith is sufficient for mountain moving and tree uprooting. 

What a powerful visual for the disciples that must have been! And such wisdom for Him to connect faith with problem solving in everyday life!

Hopefully we will each catch the lesson as well. And hopefully we will learn to address the storms of life we encounter with the same confidence in our Father who hears us when we pray. 

Be aware, the Master of the storm rides with you. 

Lovingly,

Richard Orrell, pastor

We’re glad you’re here!

Hebrews 10:25 NLT

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. “

Whether this is your very first Sunday at  Battlefield Assembly or whether you’ve been attending for years, “Welcome Home!”

We love our church and know you’ll feel right at home in God’s House with His people.

Please feel at home in His House this Sunday.

The Holy Spirit has promised us that He will be our invited Guest in the service.  Come and meet him this Sunday!

Wanted to take this opportunity to say each of you are loved and appreciated. Thanks for honoring us by choosing to worship at  Battlefield Assembly today.

I Love you and

His Church,  Pastor Phil

Long before daylight the man and his son had parked close to the road and had quietly locked the car. Rifles were loaded and flimsy hunter-orange vests were donned over the heavier coats blocking the cold winds of autumn in the Ozarks. Ball caps were swapped for hunter-orange hats designed to make them more easily visible to other hunters they might encounter in their morning quest for venison.

Ever so quietly they ghosted down familiar trails to the place they were certain the deer would be crossing that first day of the season.

Knowing it was the better spot, the man left his son sitting by the tree overlooking a well-used game trail while he went a little farther and took up his own vigil at the foot of another forest giant.

The darkness was so impenetrable he couldn't even see his hand as he passed it in front of his eyes. But he knew where he was and felt secure in the Presence of the Lord, even in the woods, even in the darkness as he and the boy patiently waited for the soft light of morning.

As the day dawned and night's heavy gloom dissipated the man slowly swiveled his head from side to side looking for the deer that was certain to come down such an obviously well-traveled trail.

To his horror, he counted six other patches of hunter-orange dotted around the area. That meant there were six other rifles besides his and his son's loaded and ready to blaze away at any deer foolish enough to travel that trail on deer season's opening day.

Cautiously, he slowly rose to his feet and eased back up the trail to where his son was sitting. He motioned for the boy to follow as he made his way back to the car, somewhat relieved the deer had not come down that trail on that particular day. What a dangerous situation he had accidentally gotten himself and his son into! Who could have known that so many other hunters would have chosen the same spot for opening day? And who could have predicted that each would choose a different path to that same patch of woods so that none knew the others were there?

One must wonder how many similar situations we encounter during our lives and we never know it. We thoughtlessly go our way day after day putting ourselves at great risk without ever realizing God was watching over us.

How marvelous that He dispatches His angels to watch over us even in times when we feel we don't need assistance.

"For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone!" Psalm 91:11&12

Lovingly,

Richard Orrell, pastor

When I call on Jesus

Revelation 3:8 NLT

⁸ “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed My Word and did not  deny me.”

Whether it is a flood from nature, opposition from a ‘”friend”, sickness in your body, stress in the family or a financial hurdle to climb, Jesus is your answer today my friend.

No matter what He has called you to do or be He is faithful to complete the work He has  assigned to you.

When you don’t know what to do there is just one  number to call,   J E S U S. 

He is faithful and He is right on time.

Love ya, 

Pastor Phil      

The old gentleman had been home barely a week from his latest heart episode. And although he had been quietly trying to comply with the doctor's instructions, he just couldn't wait another day to get in on the spring crappie fishing. His wife protested that she could not go along and there was no one else to accompany him in his small fishing boat on such a large lake. But against her wishes he drove around the corner and down the hill to the fishing dock to scratch his fishing itch.

Faithfully, his wife of many years prayed as she watched for his distinctive little aluminum boat to come chugging around the point of land that would lead him into the open water of the Lake of the Ozarks.

Amazed, she noted someone else sitting in the front seat as he plowed through the chop forging his way to his secret crappie beds.

"Oh, thank goodness he found someone to fish with him today of all days!"  She thought as she dismissed her concerns of him aged and alone on the bosom of such a massive inland sea.

Hours later she idly looked up as he rounded the point heading back to the dock. Gratitude filled her heart as she noted the faithful presence of his friend seated in the bow of the little boat. 

"I'll have to ask him who it was when he gets home", she mused.

Shortly, with the customary rattle of the chain-driven garage door, his arrival home was announced.

After her usual question about his fishing luck she brightly asked, "So who was that with you today?"

"Nobody", he said.  "There wasn't a soul around so I just went by myself."

Well, you can imagine the energetic discussion that ensued as she pointed out that she knew his boat, and that no one else was on the water but he and his friend, and there was no way she could be mistaken...

It was only later that they put two and two together, remembering Jesus had promised He would never leave us nor forsake us. The unknown Stranger in the bow of the boat that day was One who was very familiar with small boats, high winds and crashing waves.

As you go through your latest storm remember you are not alone either, no more than the old gentleman was that day. 

Rest in the assurance of the Presence of the Lord.

Lovingly,

Pastor Richard Orrell

God is Faithful

Philippians 1:6   NLT

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

We were entering ministry and had a home to sell prior to moving.   Prime rate was 19%, nothing was selling.

Our God brought us a ‘cash sale’ for the amount we’d asked for and it happened, yes, right at the last minute, but right on time.

Then the next dilema, I was to arrive at our new church severeal weeks prior to shool letting out, so needed my family to stay put till the boys were out of school.   We thought we'd have to rent a place for them to stay for that few weeks.  

Alas, God was concerned about that as well, and He had everything under control.    The folks who purchased our home weren't wanting to move in for several weeks, so we rented our own house - what a blessing.

God arranged for our family continue to live in that house for a few weeks till we were ready to actually move the family. 

God knows how much I hate to move, especially twice. 😊

God is so good and His timing is perfect.

God took care of our family and he’ll take care of you my friends.  He’s always right on time!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil  😊   

The startlingly blue '67 VW Beetle was humming like a sewing machine. Autumn embraced the Ozarks with mild temperatures and low humidity. Cascades of gold, yellow and red billowed into the streets from every tree that day as he headed out on his usual Saturday morning sales trip. Appointments with prospective buyers conjured nearly believable dreams of a school bill stamped, "paid in full".  Responsibility for his wife and unborn child weighed heavily upon his young shoulders as he rehearsed the sales presentation for the cookware "no household could do without". 

The young man idly noted the eighteen wheeler loaded with creosote-treated fence posts coming to meet him. 

"What's that hanging off the side of the trailer?" He wondered as the truck barreled toward him. 

With horrified fascination he realized he was looking at the broken end of the chain that was supposed to be holding the load of fence posts on the trailer!

In the split second he had left, it dawned on him there was no place to go; no way to dodge the cascade of posts falling directly into his path. 

"Jesus!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, instinctively diving to the seat beside him and covering his head. 

Long moments passed as he awaited the inevitable impact of the many posts bouncing like jack straws in his lane. 

When nothing happened he raised his head and saw his car was still slowly moving in his own lane without a mark on it! He had somehow driven right through the storm of posts coming at him! Not one had touched the little VW!

But isn't that often the way God brings us through yet another of life's perfect storms? Certain destruction looms ahead. There is no way over it, under it, nor around it...so we just go through it! Somehow, God pulls off another feeding of the 5,000 or a stroll on the water, or something or somebody that was dead comes back to life at His touch! 

Don't give up on what God has spoken into your spirit. Against all odds you may yet prevail. Trust the Lord. He has a plan to get you through. 

A fellow traveler,

Richard Orrell

The trip had been pretty much uneventful for the pastor. The time volunteering to drive the disaster relief truck had represented a welcome break from the rigors of leading a small church. His 53 foot trailer was loaded top to bottom, side to side and front to back with a cargo of shoes on their way to the hard-hit Indonesian coast ravaged by the tsunami of 2004. 

Hunger had driven him into the truck stop. But little did he know God had arranged an appointment for him.

The hurried meal was over. His thick bug collection on the windshield and headlights had been carefully removed. A brief pre-trip inspection proved what he already knew; the truck and all its equipment was in tip-top shape. Just a few more moments to make an entry in his logbook and he would melt back into the endless train of loaded trucks headed for who knows where from the factories and warehouses of Chicago. 

The driver became aware there was someone moving purposefully from truck to truck down the long line of idle vehicles. In seconds, the man climbed up onto the steps of his tractor and grabbed hold of the mirror bracket on one side and the grab bar on the other. His uniform and professional smile disarmed the driver, prompting him to lower the window and ask what the man wanted. Turns out he was a recruiter for a major trucking company trying to hire drivers away from their current job. 

It didn't take long for the pastor to run his flag up and let the recruiter know his plate was already full. Of course, that led to questions about the disaster relief organization. Which led to a discussion of God and His push to help the helpless. 

Within minutes the busy driver had scrapped his carefully laid trip plans and had invited the recruiter into his truck. Shortly, the man was pouring his heart out, weeping over personal problems that were overwhelming his coping mechanisms. Not the least of his concerns was the fact that his wife had just been diagnosed with cancer. 

His shoulders shook with grief. Tears flowed as he related the seriousness of her prognosis. 

The driver's small travel Bible fell open to familiar verses underlined and crinkled with tears from previous encounters with the impossibilities of life. Soon, prayer filled the front office of the Convoy of Hope tractor trailer that just "happened" to be at that truck stop at that time for that broken heart nearly swamped by the tragedies engulfing his life. If any tiny detail had been different, the paths of the pastor and the recruiter might never have converged. 

Only God could arrange two busy schedules so that the need encountered compassion in a timely fashion. 

Hmmm...is it possible that's what Psalm 37:23 is driving at?

Schedules can be rearranged.  Especially when lives hang in the balance. 

Be led of the Lord dear ones!

A servant,

Richard Orrell

Take time to be refreshed

Proverbs 11:25  NLT

" The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

They’re here again, the hot days of summer.   Some days we just can’t get motivated and we long for the cool days coming in the fall.

Scripture tells us to refresh others and we’ll be refreshed.    A smile across the room, a kind word, a gentle hug, a genuine question, “how are you doing?”

People are “thirsty” for refreshing, be honest, we all need to know someone cares.

Purpose with me this week to be that cool breeze that refreshes someone.   When we do that we ourselves will also be refreshed, God promised that.    Normally when we smile at someone, we get a smile back. Yeah, there are the perpetual grumps, but hey, give it a try,  Smile, they may like it and return it 😊

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Out of town guests had arrived the night before requesting that we make a run down to Key West the next day. The coolers were packed with picnic makings and ice. Everyone loaded into the van and soon the road began its monotonous hop from one tiny island to the next as we made our way into the famous Florida Keys.

A particularly lovely island with a nice park right beside the road attracted the notice of the teens in the visiting family. We were nowhere near Key West but they just had to try the beautiful clear blue waters stretching toward the Atlantic horizon. They were enjoying an invigorating romp in the warm shallows when a sudden shout of alarm rang out. And no, it wasn’t a shark or some other toothy threat from the deep. One of the teens had picked up a living sponge from the bottom and had wrung the water from it thinking to take it home with her as a souvenir. What she didn’t realize, the seemingly innocent sponge was equipped with a powerful defense mechanism. As she had squeezed it, the sponge had exuded a powerful toxin designed to ward off potential predators. 

The pain was excruciating. Her hands swelled alarmingly. Attempts were made to wash the toxin from her skin. But only time blunted the effects of the clever defense mounted by the innocent looking sponge. 

Life has any number of similar traps waiting for the unwary willing to pick up some apparently innocuous and attractive vice. In the case of the teen and the attack-sponge, a few hours of pain and swelling plus a lot of Benadryl and Tylenol were the only apparent consequences to her naïve actions. But some of life’s traps are much less forgiving. There are things out there that if you pick them up, you simply cannot put them down. They look great but they bite.

Be careful what you pick up this summer. 

Love ya!

Richard Orrell, Pastor