Pastor Steve's blog

The Convoy of Hope is Saturday, September 18th at Olympic Stadium. What an incredible opportunity to serve our community.  35 churches of Grays Harbor will unite together to serve people in our community who are in need. Hair cuts, food, health care, shoes, prayer and ministry and much more will be offered to all who are in attendance. They will be our guests as we, the Body of Christ, partner with our LORD JESUS in expressing HIS love to all.

This is Isaiah 58 in action. As we serve others we are building old waste places; raising up the foundations of many generations; repairing the breach and restoring streets to dwell in – v.12.

I want to encourage everyone to give themselves to this event – it is a GOD thing and HE is going to do great and awesome things through us – give yourself, give your time, give your abilities to JESUS for this is worship our only reasonably way of serving HIM.

You can sign up at church or give a call to the office and let us know where you want to serve.

PS

Sunshine – Sunshine – Sunshine!!!

Hope you all are enjoying this weather as much as I am. BBQs are cranked up, everyone is sitting on their decks or in the water somewhere while others are sitting in front of fans or air conditioners but everyone seems to be enjoying the sunshine! So much so that I do hope everyone remembers tomorrow is Sunday. Yes, church service is tomorrow morning and I hope you’ll join us as we bask in the light and the glory of the SON!

See you tomorrow,

PS

We’ve been moving over the past few weeks and just now beginning to feel settled again. It is amazing how accustomed we get to living in the same place after a while. One gets so accustomed to the lay out of their home that they can navigate through it in the dark. Not so easy in a new place, it took me several tries to find the bathroom door in the dark the other night as I ended up in the hallway closet once.

The other thing about moving is I cannot believe the amount of ’stuff’ we accumulated in less than three years. The surprising thing was finding things that I forgot about. Many of these items we have been hauling around with us for over forty years – High School year books, Letterman’s jackets and other such mementos of times long gone! Yes we took it all with us once again, although I am beginning to wonder why?

All of this refelection made me thankful that we who believe in JESUS will one day be in one location with HIM, forever! No excess baggage or memento’s to keep or store. No, we will all pass through judgment as our LORD seeks to reward us for living in obedience to HIM (I Corinthians 3:12-15). Part of the judgment states that we will be tried as by fire and all that has been pleasing to the LORD will pass the test while that which is not pleasing to HIM will be completely consumed by fire. No more baggage living in the basement (or garage or storage unit) of our memory, we will purged of all the things of shame, disappointment and hurt!

Doesn’t that sound wonderful – finally settled in to our permanent, eternal home with no baggage from the past! Even so LORD JESUS come quickly!

Blessings,

PS

GHFC Family Picnic-
This Saturday, 12-4 pm @ the Bishop Athletic Complex on the Southside of Aberdeen. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided. What we are asking you to bring: If your last name begins with an A-L bring a salad, M-Z bring a dessert. Please sign up by calling the church and letting us know how many people in your family will be attending as this will help us in planning for the food. There will be a few picnic tables at the Complex, you may want to bring extra lawn chairs for your family. There will also be a talent show!

Need directions? You can call and ask at the church. If it’s sunny don’t forget your sunscreen!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Hey all you Washingtonians have you noticed, summer has arrived! Raining this week in So Cal while it is hot and sunny here – must be global warming

Have you noticed how much the weather seems to be part of our conversations with others. I get a giggle out of the weather reports from the TV newscasts. If it’s cold, they assure us it will warm up soon. If it’s hot they begin to look into the future explaining how many days the heat will last until it finally cools down. When it is raining we are assured sunshine is on its way – sometime sooner or later. It seems that the weather reporter is well aware that we are never quite satisfied with the present weather conditions. Perhaps that is because we are never quite satisfied with imperfection. That is, the world we are living in presently is not the same as it was created to be. Romans 8:19-22 states that the whole earth is groaning and laboring under the burden of being subjected to decomposition, futility and corruption. We too, are waiting for the fullness of our redemption when we will be transformed from mortality to immortality, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What a wonderfully glorious day that will be when suddenly every one who is in CHRIST JESUS will be brought together forever, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, to live in the new heaven and the new earth, 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-8.

While we are awaiting that ‘day’ let’s remember we will never be fully satisfied here. We are, after all, just sojourners, citizens of heaven looking forward to our permanent home. So let’s live with hope for our future as we continue to live by faith in our Redeemer and Lord JESUS CHRIST while daily giving thanks to our FATHER GOD,1 Thessalonians 5:18, no matter what the weather maybe!

GOD Bless and enjoy the summer

PS

Happy Fourth of July celebration everyone! We certainly do not live in a perfect nation, nonetheless it is great nation to be living in. Thank GOD for our founding fathers, who with GOD’S guidance, abounding courage and fearless loyalty gave birth to our wonderful homeland.

While we are thanking the LORD for the nation HE has allowed to sojourn in let’s also praise HIM for the freedom HE has given us.

Then JESUS said to those Jews who believed HIM, “If you abide in MY Word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the SON makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:32, 34-36

Enjoy our national freedom while we celebrate our eternal freedom in the only SON of GOD – JESUS CHRIST our Savior, Lord and soon coming King!

Happy celebrating,

PS

In this day and time we are living in it is becoming ever more critical to hear the LORD and to follow HIM!

There are voices speaking from every corner of the earth each one beckoning to come follow ‘me’. Radio talk show hosts, TV commentators, YouTube pundits, politicians, international leaders and next door neighbors all with their opinions and each with an idea of how to solve the world’s problems. We are living in a media driven society – Twitter, YouTube, Smart Phones, Plaxo, Face-book, Google, Amazon and the list goes on and on. It seems that everyone is connecting to one social media stream or another. Each one daily posting thoughts, ideas or just listing the activities of their day. Phone ‘Apps’ bring us the weather report, how to find the nearest Starbucks, updating news reports, where to find whatever we are looking for and the best deals in town, the best restaurants or movie, not to mention the countless games – it is never ending. I am grateful for all these advances in technology and find many helpful tools in all of this stuff.

My question is are we hearing the LORD? We are experinencing huge amounts of input and we are making virtual connections with a huge number of people – but are we hearing from HIM, are we connecting to JESUS?

JESUS said, “without ME you can do nothing!”; “MY sheep hear MY voice and follow ME!”; “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you!”; “But the HELPER, the HOLY SPIRIT, whom the FATHER will send in MY Name, HE will teach you all things…!”

The promises are clear. As we can do nothing of lasting value apart from HIM, HE promised to speak direction, guidance and understanding to all who believe and desire to live for HIM and with HIM. All who hear and follow are promised a meaningful and fulfilling life that leaves a lasting legacy. HE promised to be with us, never to leave us, fail us or forsake us. We are promised that we can both hear HIM and experience HIS presence with us, an intimate friendship with GOD!

So as we walk through this very interesting time in the world’s history let’s make sure we are hearing JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S own SON, the LORD of all and following HIM! HIS people having been living this way for generations – hear and obey, “for theirs no other way to be happy in JESUS but to trust and obey.”

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race GOD has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on JESUS, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2a

PS

Just back from our annual Foursquare Church International Convention and as always it was greatly encouraging. One of the main features of this gathering of the Foursquare Church Family is to reconnect with friends who are pastors, ministers, evangelists and missionaries serving the Lord all over the world. We spent time with good friends who are now living and ministering in Indonesia and Chile while also reconnecting with many of our friends from around our own country. It was so encouraging to hear of all the LORD is doing in each of them and through each of them.

One main theme that coursed through much of our conversations was the ways the LORD spoke to each of us to send us to where we are presently serving. From the simple “Trust ME” that I heard to this dramatic word from Ruth 2:11 “…how you have left your mother and your father and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.” The latter was reported by our good friends from California who heard this verse from the LORD while pastors of a thriving church they had planted six years earlier. The day before the LORD spoke this to them they were asked to consider a move to another pastorate, this verse said – go! They are now in Cambridge, Massachusetts pastors of a church acrossthe street from Harvard University.

I was encouraged – GOD is on the move getting everyone in place for what HE is doing. I was also encouraged to rehearse how the LORD spoke to Joan and I placing us here at GHFC. We couldn’t be happier or more expectant of FATHER GOD doing awesome things in HIS Church and through HIS Church.

It’s great to back in home in Washington and great to be pastors of GHFC – thank YOU LORD!

PS

Mother’s are wonderful agents of GOD’S Love

Full of mercy their hearts gentle as a dove

From conception thru adulthood their commitment is complete

Their trust, hope and confidence in each child is replete

Mothers are incredible examples of GOD’S Love

Their sacrifices resembling HIS Own from above

For the sake of her child willing to endure the greatest pain

The highest cost of Mothering is their willing fain

Mothers are thankful gifts of GOD’S Love

HIS Gift for birthing redemption’s love

Each one yields the fruit of her womb to the plan of HIS Grace

Praying each child will benefit the human race

Mothers be secured in the treasure of GOD’S Love

HIS Hand rests upon your labor of love

The future is secure in the power of HIS Dove

So let all your hopes, desires and prayers rest with your SAVIOR above!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

I am really looking forward to tomorrow and introducing my long time friend and one of my ‘fathers in the faith’ to you, Dr. Elias Malki. Dr. Malki has been walking with JESUS for more than 60 years, married for 57 years and ministering to the people of the middle east for 52 years, 20 in Lebanon. He has been preaching the gospel through satellite TV for the past 14 years where his Good News Program, broadcast in Arabic, reaches 180 nations daily and also holding crusades in Israel, Europe and the United States. He is a wonderful man of GOD who always delivers a clear, direct and very specific ‘Word of the LORD’ wherever he goes. Dr. Malki will be a great blessing to us and I know we will be to him as well.

I have had the privilege of traveling with Dr. Elias many times through such nations as Egypt, Israel, Jordon and Cyprus. The latter nation holds a special place in my heart as it here that Dr. Elias has a Ministry Training Center where christian church leaders from every country in the Middle East gather for refreshing, training and ministry.

His life is a living testimony of JESUS’ Good News and power to save, heal, deliver and set free.

I urge you to come tomorrow prepared to hear and to receive all the LORD has for you. May it be to you according to your faith!

Dr. Elias Malki will be with us for our regular 10am service and then once again for a special healing service beginning at 5pm – tomorrow, April 25!

See you there,

PS