Posts by Pastor Wes

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth! Psalm 96 bursts forth with a command, a delightful privilege, to sing something brand-new. This new song is an opportunity to delight in, and magnify the Lordship of God. Interesting to me that we should hear this from one of the oldest song books in the world. More than any other complaint about the church over the course of my life, new music has faced…

Psalm 119: 147-149 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, That I may meditate on your promise. Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, according to your justice give me life. As a young man I heard over and over again the value and benefit of spending time with God. I was the oldest of seven children; Our house was busy…

Luke 1:46-55 (ESV) My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the…

One plus one equals…wait! ONE   Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.   Math in the Bible sometimes doesn’t work the way we expect it to work. Some of the most important elements about God don’t stack up like a box of Legos does, because…

Psalm 5:1,2 Give ear to my words, O Lord; Consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, My King and my God, For to you I pray.   What should I do when I’m sad? Reading the Psalms is teaching me to pray differently. When I’m sad I should at least acknowledge to God that I am. So often I want to hide from myself the condition of my own heart. I’ve learned over time that I’m…

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.   “Just a minute!” a dad replies, scrolling through his YouTube feed while one of his kids pleads for some attention. How often does that sixty second request turn into more, leaving a child confused as to the actual span of a minute. It’s so easy…

It didn’t start out as a Ministry. Actually, in a way it is a “side” ministry. It started as a caring note as a text on my phone. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving when one of our friends had a medical emergency. We were leaving on Wednesday to be with friends, that we managed to do every year for many years. I talked to the wife and said I feel terrible leaving you at a time like this, but…

Isaiah 53:4-64  Surely he has borne our griefsand carried our sorrows;yet we esteemed him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted.5  But he was pierced for our transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,and with his wounds we are healed.6  All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned—every one—to his own way;and the Lord has laid on himthe iniquity of us all. The Lenten season has grown to become a time of high importance to me…

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  –Romans 5:3-5 Comfort, it has so often been my goal. I can safely say that I have never looked to be uncomfortable on purpose. Why would I? That seems such a…