Palm Sunday stands out in my mind as a signpost pointing to the following week’s celebration of the heart of the Gospel; the resurrection. But it also holds its own place of great excitement and deepest reverence for us as it reminds us of the settled fact of Christ’s return.

How the crowds must have thrilled that day as He sat astride the little donkey fulfilling scripture coming into Jerusalem being hailed with cries of “Hosanna!”

Although they were a couple of thousand years early the cries were well placed recognizing Him as the only hope for our little sin-cursed planet. They couldn’t know the horrors that awaited the Lord of Glory submitting to the beating that paid for our healing. Nor could they grasp the savage death He would die for our sins. They just recognized the majesty and divinity of God’s Messiah cloaked in the trappings of the common man.

The Church stands on spiritual tip toe looking and longing for the return of the loving and gentle Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, son of David, son of Abraham, Son of God.

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout!”

Look up! For your redemption draweth nigh!

In anticipation of Christ’s return,

Pastor Richard Orrell

Jeremiah 7: 7-8 NLT

⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.  ⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat."

Scripture says that we WILL have troubles in this world, but we're not to be bothered by them.  We are to put our faith in Him.

Just as a tree with roots sunk deeply into the riverbank, if we have our faith roots sunk deeply in the Lord, He has promised he will take care of our every need.  

Human nature is to fret and worry, but He says we should NOT worry, but only trust in Him.   Jesus is my Savior I shall NOT be moved.

Be at peace with God as your Source today!

Love ya, 

Pastor Phil      

The warnings on labels these days often border on the ludicrous.  Reading them might well lead to the conclusion that if the purchaser needs such warnings he or she shouldn’t be out in public unattended.

However, there are things in our world one might well avoid like the plague: potassium cyanide, sulphuric acid, electric shock, king cobras and brown recluse spiders, just to name a few. There are valid reasons any information about these will certainly contain words like, caution, deadly, corrosive, or aggressive. Some things are programed to be destructive. If they are allowed into proximity to anyone, they remorselessly function to the extreme detriment of their unfortunate victim.

One must wonder if there shouldn’t be warning labels on certain personalities: “Caution! Anything shared will show up on social media!”

Another might be: “Danger! This personality is highly critical and can be very corrosive to one’s sense of self-worth!”

Or: “Prolonged exposure to the culture of sin contained in this character can result in a severe infection of unrighteousness!”

Isolation has been tried to no avail by well-meaning ascetics from time immemorial. Not only is it non-productive for believers to stay aloof from the ordinary world around us. It is also a violation of the spirit of Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17. It seems rather clear that He sees us as His emissaries to the world; certainly not a part of it but Heaven’s representatives to it.

Thankfully we are left with the choice of whom we let into our inner circle. It is imperative that we screen those closest to us and make choices not to allow the patently corrosive nor the clearly contaminant to infect us with their nature.

Choose the inner circle well. It is the base from which compassionate inroads may be made into the community of the hurting.

Serving the God of the Bible as revealed by His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ,

Richard Orrell, Pastor 

Feeling at Home

In the words of the Gaither's song, Feeling at Home, we hear the words, "Warming my feet by the fires of The Spirit, camping right close to the Throne, feeling at home, feeling at home," we hear the cry of my heart today.

I’m tired of this old world, tired of winter, homesick for Heaven and Jesus.

I awoke this morning with this wonderful song on my heart and later this morning that changed to "I've a longing in my heart for  Jesus, I've a longing in my heart to see his face, I am weary, oh so weary, of traveling here below, I've a longing in my heart for Him."

Winter won't last that much longer, just a  little while and it will be better, The ache in the heart of each Christian is to see our Savior and to be HOME at last.

Hang in their my friends, "Soon and very soon", we're going to see the King!

Please join us this Sunday at His house.    Let your voice join with ours in worshiping the King.   Enjoy anointed ministry in song and the Word.    Services are at 10:30 AM and again at 6 PM.

We'll say "Welcome Home", the words we anticipate hearing from our Saviour soon.  See ya Sunday!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

The inside of a car engine can shed some light on what keeps the believer going when the emotional high of the revival service is over and the realities of everyday life kick in.

There are times when none of the cylinders in the motor are actually firing and producing power. Some fired recently. Some will fire shortly.  But at this instant in time, NO power is being produced by any of the eight cylinders. What keeps the motor from suddenly stopping?

There is a simple device deep inside the motor that has absorbed the energies produced when the cylinders actually did fire. It is called the flywheel. It is just a disc of heavy steel whirling at the speed of the motor. When an instant occurs when no cylinder is firing, the flywheel with its weight and inertia keeps the motor turning so that the moment of opportunity will come around for each cylinder to fire and do its part. 

For us as believers, commitment to a local church, involvement with its programs, the expectations of those depending on our attendance and performance…these all serve the same purpose as the flywheel in the depths of the motor. We really need to have the inertia of involvement to get us through the flat spots when there is neither excitement nor enthusiasm. We are there because we are expected to be there. That pressure pushes things around to our own firing point. The kitchen as a cook, the foyer as a greeter, the lectern as a teacher, the pulpit as a preacher, the office as a secretary…well…you get the picture.  :-)

How about you?  Are you still going from today’s emotional high to tomorrow’s hoped-for apex of religious fervor? Or have you learned to let the deep commitments of your involvement with a local church take you through your valleys of today to the thrill of accomplishment as a servant of Christ the next time it’s your turn to function??

See you Sunday!

Lovingly,

Pastor Richard Orrell

Isaiah 40: 28-31-NLT
^28 "Have you never heard?  Have you never understood?  The Lord is the everlasting God,  the Creator of all the earth.  He never grows weak or weary.   No one can measure the  depths of his understanding. 

²⁹ He gives power to the weak  and strength to the powerless.

³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 

³¹ But those who trust in the  Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."  Not much we can add to His Word.  He is all we'll ever need!

This Valentine's weekend let's thank the Lord for His  blessing in providing soul-mates for those of us who are married.

 To those who are not married or whose spouse has passed, God has promised to be a husband or companion to them.

Let Him fill that role for you.  He's a friend that is closer than anyone!

As the old song says, "Our God is an Awesome God".  

Not only do we have our Valentines and great friends to be thankful for, but God Himself, the best friend we could ever have!     

He is our peace, our provider and ever-present companion!  Let's love Christ with our Worship this weekend!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

Isn't it odd how a decision that seemed to be just another whim on the part of a junior high kid could turn out to be such a part of the fabric of life for the adult that kid was to become?

Under the careful tutelage of the band director, reading music from the bass clef had become second nature.

Alas, rules are rules. If he was to play football the kid would have to switch to the high school Glee Club and learn to read vocal music.

What was a bit frustrating to the youth turned out to be mysterious direction for his life task.

The strong background in music from the bass clef served him well as he sang bass in quartets and choruses in various venues over the ensuing decades of time. The tedium of hearing parts punched for sopranos, altos and tenors taught him to harmonize as needed. As time went by, the upper end of his vocal range was revealed when out of necessity he had to lead worship.

The guitar fit him like a glove and became yet another element of mysterious direction for a life under construction. The basis for many of the chords struck in leading worship heartened back to his foundation on the sousaphone in the junior high band.

When life seems to have dealt you a random hand. When nothing seems to makes sense. Trust God. He has a plan and will bring it to fruition if given time and opportunity. 

A satisfied heart,

Pastor Richard Orrell

Matthew 24:44 NLT

"You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least  expected."

This warning from God's Word is so true.     He is even at the door.

As children of God, we are awaiting His soon return.   The admonishment to  "BE READY" rings  so loud and clear to us today.

We often get weighted down with the cares of this world, but I encourage you today to rise above the mediocrity of everyday life.

Set your sights on our Eternal Home.  He is, I believe, standing at Heaven's portal asking the Father,  "Abba Father, is it time yet?  

Can I go and receive my children home?"   

Let us all be ready today, this may be the day.

Even so Lord Jesus Come.

Love ya,  Pastor Phil      

I was a young pastor serving my first larger congregation. Vacation time finally arrived about the same time as the allergies. As usual, I started the trip in the driver's seat with Linda on my right and the children asleep in the back seat as we headed east. Since some of the interstate system was not yet complete we dropped down to a two lane blacktop after getting through the maze of St Louis. I thought I knew which road we needed to be on. I thought we were on it. But I discovered about two hours later that no matter how sincere one's intentions it is possible to be sincerely wrong. My first clue was when I saw the welcoming sign announcing we were entering a town we were not supposed to be anywhere near. In fact, my hours of poring over the atlas in the weeks prior to our departure let me know immediately...I am lost!

In my stubborn naïveté I might have continued forging ahead into the night getting farther and farther away from the correct pathway. But I was suddenly in possession of crucial information; I was headed the wrong way. And no matter how sincere and earnest my efforts, a change of direction was the only thing that would affect my destination. So...after admitting to a man's worst nightmare...being lost...I did the only smart thing, I turned the wheel over to Linda! Remember the allergies? Probably not my wisest choice, tanking up on allergy meds and trying to drive all night. Hey, nobody ever said pastors don't do unwise things sometimes! Well, I did stay awake long enough to help get Linda on the right road. And to this day, I have no clue how I wound up on the wrong road. After many more hours driving the right direction on the right road, we got to the right place where loved ones and friends were waiting. What a vacation!!

Life is a lot like that less-than-clever start to a badly needed family get away.  One may not realize he is headed the wrong way and he may never understand HOW he got on the wrong road. But God begins to reveal the sad truth, it is not Heaven that awaits at the end of this particular road.  The signs are as unmistakeable as the sign welcoming us to that city in Illinois that night. The traveler will get somewhere on the wrong road. But he absolutely cannot get to the right destination by traveling the wrong road! "There is no other name under Heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Ask Jesus now to save you. If you ask, He will forgive all the wrong you have done and get you onto the road that DOES lead to everlasting life.

I'll meet you at the altar of prayer...

Pastor Richard Orrell

Hope for you today!

Psalm 18: 1-3 NLT

^1 "I love you, Lord; you are my strength.  ² The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;  my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.   ³ I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies."

Sometimes the cares of this world seem to overwhelm us, yes even Pastors feel the enemy's attacks.   Every child of God will face tribulations, but the scriptures tell us to "Be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world." 

As we face this New Year we have many changes facing our world.    ISIS, Affordable Care Act, changes in tax codes and many other dilemma's.

It would be easy for us to despair in times like these, but the constant thread that runs through Scripture is that we are NOT to fear.  We are to put our trust in Him, for HE will never fail us.

Last week Andre` Crouch went to be with the Lord.  He wrote Through It All, a powerful song that says "I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God."     Let that song become an earworm to us in these coming days.  Sing it over and over again.

Don't let the enemy sneak up on us with doubt and fear.  Jesus said, "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world."   

Yes that means OUR world  today! God is our source, and our ever present help in trouble.

God's got your future my friend!  He is bigger than any problem that might come our way!

Love ya,  Pastor Phil