Sunday Wrap Up

Great job tonight, youth! Everyone of them did a super job. Especially the human video...powerful! Jeremy and Teen Challenge did a great job. We will have Jeremy's message along with two of the guys testimonies on the web site by Tuesday sometime. Great service!

We ask everyone tonight to bring a pack or more of gum with them to church next Sunday. My mother who is going to Haiti in early April ask if we would collect packs of gum so that she could take it with her to the children there.

Sunday morning's service was awesome. The presence of God was strong in the service. I know the Lord ministered to a lot of people. Thank you Father for yor presence and your Word.

Everyone have a great week!

-Pastor

Table Fellowship

Great time at the chili dinner last night. Great job as always guys last night to make it happen: Ken, Mike, Jeff, Tim, Frank, and Gerry. Thanks to all the others who helped out. We couldn't do it without ya!

Wow, the chili was great. Being a judge was tough, because it was all good! I liked eating a little of each. I think I will do that next year whether I'm a judge or not. Jeff Brumfield's chili won the contest for the best tasting. Brian's chili of course was the hottest. Speaking for the judges, we should have tasted Brian's last. Because after tasting his, we could hardly taste the next few samples...our taste buds needed about five minutes and lots of Sprite to recover. I think my mouth is still burning!

The service was wonderful too. Rob Mason did a great job of preaching God's Word. We had a wonderful time of prayer and ministry.

Just a comment on "table fellowship" which goes all the way back to the first church in Acts. The bible says the Christians in the first church went house to house breaking bread. Something happens during table fellowship that doesn't take place in a corporate worship service or even a small group meeting. People share openly...they are more comfortable...people put up less walls or no walls...while doing something most of us enjoy - eating. God really uses times of table fellowship to do a work in the lives of believers as we partake of our daily Bread. I just want to encourage you today to remember to practice "table fellowship." Our Savior did often with his disciples. Why shouldn't we?

Have a great day!

-Pastor

We Begin Monthly Youth Services this Sunday!

This Sunday evening will be an exciting service for KP. Jeremy Long was saved in our youth group at the beginning of the decade. Jeremy was a sincere, sweet teenager with a tender and obedient spirit. I remember when Jeremy came to me about what do with his life after high school. He felt the call to preach and we talked and prayed together in what should happen next. Jeremy told me about a bible college in Colorado directed by David Wilkerson's son, Rich. Jeremy ended up going there where he was equipped for the work of the ministry. Afterwards, Jeremy came back home where he works at Teen Challenge in Milford and also serves as a youth pastor in a church in Goshen.

Jeremy will be preaching Sunday night in a special monthly youth service at KP. Our monthly youth services will be the last or fourth Sunday evening of the month and we will be letting the youth lead the service with a special guest youth speaker each month. Everyone, adults and youth, are strongly encouraged to attend.

-Pastor

Sunday Wrap Up

As I am writing this, I am sitting here half awake. I didn't get my power nap today and its caught up with me.

It was a great day. Good service this morning. Good service tonight. I just sat back tonight and received for the most part. It felt good. T.O. did a wonderful job preaching while A.J. ran the service.

Wow, I better go! I keep nodding off. Have a great week!

-Pastor

What Tiger Woods Really Needs

Today Tiger Woods apologized various times for his infidelity at a called new conference. He acted very sincere and humble. He said that he had veered off course from what his Buddhist faith had taught him growing up. But he never said anything about receiving forgiveness or redemption from his Buddhist god or teachers of that religion.

So is Tiger Woods still carrying the guilt of his wrongdoing? Has he received redemption and forgiveness?

As I already stated, he did apologize and we presume that he ask his wife for her forgiveness. But does that take away the sin? No doubt it makes the consequences of the sin or sins easier, but the sin and the guilt is still there.

In the Old Testament, under the law, when a person sinned he would bring a sacrifice to the brazen altar to atone for his sin. The word atonement means "to cover." The sin and the guilt still exists after the offering, but the blood of bulls and goats could only cover...not take it away.

In Psalm 51, David understood the power of God's forgiveness provided for in the sacrificial death of God's son, Jesus Christ.

"Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin." [Psalm 51:1,2,NKJV]

This is what Tiger so badly needs...true, liberating, cleansing forgiveness from the one that he sinned against. Buddhism, his wife, his kids, the media, his mother; no human or institution can provide that. This is why Jesus came into the world...to seek and save those who are lost...to provide for the forgiveness of sins.

Matt 26:28 "for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." NASU

-Pastor

Some Thoughts on Logs and Specks

Matt 7:1-5 "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. NKJV

` The Greek word for judge is "krínete," it means to distinguish, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish:

~ I think this is a natural law, related to the sowing and reaping principle. There's no doubt, when we judge others it will come back to us. It's easy to judge someone else, its not so easy when their judgement of us comes back on us.

~ Isn't crazy that we can spot the speck or specks when we examine others, but we can't see our own log or logs.

~ Truthfully, how can we see the speck in others when we have a log of our own? We really can't...its impossible!

~ I think its interesting that first Jesus says you must remove your own log before you can see clearly enough to help someone else with their speck. But can I suggest that is very painful removing a log out of your eye. I've cried just trying to get a small speck out out of my own eye. I can't imagine what I would do if I had to get a log out of my own eye. The truth is...I have...and not only was it painful, but aggravating and embarrassing. It left me with a great deal of compassion for others with specks or logs of their own.

~ Come to think of it, I think after removing our own log that's how we can help others with their speck. Not only does it leave us with the ability to see clearly but it also provides for us the compassion and patience that's needed to truly help others.

~ After we have removed our own and helped others remove theirs, we probably won't be looking for specks in others for ahile. You think?

Have a wonderful day!

-Pastor

Does God Have Anything to Do with all this Snow?

Wow, whats with all this snow? My son told me today that he has never seen snow like this in his lifetime and no doubt he hasn't. When I was his age in 1978, winters like this were the norm. It seemed like every year we had a major blizzard that was labeled as the "Blizzard of '78' or whatever year the blizzard hit. But in the last twenty-five years the winters have been mild for some reason.

Some have suggested that God may be trying to send a message to the global warming crowd with all the snow and cold we've been having, especially in Washington D.C. Recently, in the President's State of the Union message, our President and many of those in attendance scoffed at the notion that there were still some people in America that did not believe in global warming. Does God really have a say in the global warming debate? Would God actually try to make a point or bring about his will through extreme weather?

Well, the answer is absolutely. You only have to look at the Old and New Testament for evidence. See Noah's flood; see God sending an east wind of locusts in Exodus 10; see Job's disaster; see the Lord raining down hailstones in Joshua 10; see Jesus' rebuking the winds; God sending famine in Ezekiel and Jeremiah; see God sending snow, frost, and cold in Psalm 78:47, and Job 37:6. Believe me, I could go on and on. The bible is full of examples of God sending all kinds of weather for his own purposes.

But even more pointed than that, God absolutely has a problem with the wicked and the foolish who think that they are smarter than His word. I am speaking of those who ignore his counsel and who become proud in their own knowledge. Read below about how God reacts to such people.

Prov 1:22-27
22 'How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil." NKJV

Does God have anything to do with all this snow? Personally, I really don't know. But its obvious according to his word he controls the weather and he can use it if he wants to make those who think their wise look and sound foolish...and the global warming crowd seems to be sounding rather foolish these days.

-Pastor

-Pastor

Sunday Wrap Up

Awesome, awesome services today! I don't know, maybe, forty or more couples this morning renewed their vows in the Salt Covenant service. It was beautiful. Thanks to Tim and Teresa for putting it all together. They did a great job.

Tonight was just as powerful as our youth signed purity covenants in a purity ceremony. I appreciate all of the parents who came back to pray with their teens. Again, great job Hillary and Alan, Corina, Ken, and Jon.

Well, I guess the snow storm is on its way. Then, there is saying another one is coming Friday and Saturday. This is crazy! But, PTL, we haven't had to cancel any Sunday services yet!

Have a great week!

-Pastor

Is Israel Getting Prepared to Strike?

From time to time, I like to run some up-to-date prophesy news articles in the blog. I thought the following article from Perry Stone was interesting. Remember, we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem daily.

-Pastor


For the past three years, there have been numerous rumors that eventually the Israeli Air Force would strike five main nuclear facilities and several underground bunkers in the nation of Iran. Twice in the past, Israel dealt a blow to nuclear facilities in neighboring countries, including a sudden attack on a nuclear plant in Iraq in the 1980s, and more recently a facility being constructed in Syria. In fact, the Israeli strike in Syrian was so sudden that the air force was in and out before anyone in Syria realized what had occurred.

Some suggest that Iran has every right to develop nuclear power. However, this is not the real issue. The religious fanatics in Iran have stated numerous times that they desire nuclear power to create nuclear weapons to create nuclear warheads and thus become a threat to the entire Middle East and Israel. When the election was recently held in Iran, I watched and actually hoped that the opposing candidate would win. However, it appears that the fanatic Ahmadinejad was re-elected and has continued on his road to enriching uranium, including 5,000 centrifuges. Sources believe that in about 12 to 18 months, Iran will possess one to five nuclear warheads, capable of reaching Iraq, Israel, as well as parts of southern Europe.

I was informed that under the Bush administration, Israel requested to fly over Iraq but the former president was not ready to have a third front open in another Islamic nation. More recently, in the month of February, a source indicated that Israel had contacted the Obama administration requesting codes for certain weapons they had purchased but were not given the vital information. As a result of recent events in America and information released inside Israel, a recent Israeli poll indicated that only 6% of Israelis believe that President Obama would be supportive of the Jewish state in the event of a war with Iran. This is the lowest confidence number in Israel's modern history, indicating that the vast majority of Jews in Israel believe Obama is pro-Muslim and not pro-Israel, and he would not agree to any conflict in a Muslim nation (read Obama's statements made in Turkey and Indonesia to understand their concern). Thus Israel has begun to look at other sources and world leaders for permission to fly over their air space for a sudden strike against Iran.

Recently, it has been reported that Israel has moved a major submarine and two war ships through the Suez Canal, and into the Persian Gulf. This seems to be an early indication of preparation for a quick "surgical strike" against Iran. There would have been a time in which any strike by a Jewish nation would create a terrible uprising in the entire Islam world. However, the Iranians are Shiite Muslims and the majority of Muslims throughout the world are Sunni. These two branches of Islam have fought one another for 1,200 years! Second, the Persians are not Arabs and the Arabs consider the Persians as a separate ethnic race. Third, the Muslims in the other Persian Gulf States have never liked the Iranians and would not mind seeing the fanatical regime defeated, as Iranian fanatics could eventually take over the oil in the other Gulf States. Also, a conflict with Israel and Iran would raise the price of Saudi oil, perhaps to $200 to $300 a barrel and pour money into the coffers of the Royal Family. These combined reasons may be why Saudi Arabia is said to have secretly agreed to allow the Israeli pilots to fly over their air space if needed, to strike Iran.

We have recently seen hundreds of thousands of protesters, demanding death to the dictator Ahmadinejad in Iran. These are pro-democracy students and young people who are hoping for a political breakthrough and a defeat of the fanatical religious regime that holds a choke hold over the nation. I could be incorrect on my assumption, but I would not be surprised if Israel struck and the fanatical Iranian leaders were killed in the process, many Iranians would consider the Israelis as liberators, instead of invaders. Perhaps this is why the attack on Iran has been put on hold for a season and no war has transpired. It just hasn't been the right time.

Any strike will be sudden and direct. Nations such as China, Russia, the United States and the EU will not allow a war to stretch for a long time, especially since Iran provides 40% of the oil to Russia and China. However, the sudden strike will cause markets to rattle around the world.

Some suggest that Obama has asked Israel to wait until the end of the year to give time for secret negotiations and democracy protesters to create a more open atmosphere for talks to ensue. It seems that only time will tell, but we may see fireworks over the Gulf in the near future.

Perry Stone

An Upclose Look at Life in Present Haiti

Please continue to remember the people of Haiti in your prayers and our missionary friends, Willem and Beth Charles. Recently Beth wrote my wife, Annette, a long e-mail. Much of it was very personal regarding what is happening in Haiti right now and in their own family. I am sure Beth would not mind me sharing the stark reality of the nightmare that is Haiti at the present. Beth mentioned that the nation is now experiencing the second wave of death and burial with those that were injured during the earthquake. The third wave is still to come which is death by disease & lack of sanitation. Beth mentioned that in her children's school only fifty-eight of the 285 students are survivors of the earthquake. Her son, David, is one of two from his class of 17 while Stephen is one of four out of 27 remaining from his class. They are the only missionary kids attending.

Willem and Beth's Mountaintop Ministries campus has become a huge command center for the army (h.s. & m.s. building, office buildings & soccer field) as well as a first response team, Crisis International that is also a command center & housing medical teams from all around the world (all of the elementary building, tents pitched wherever there is a place). National workers who lost their homes are also staying on the campus in the art & music rooms. The elementary library has become the school offices & our kids have the chapel area for classes.

Beth mentions that money here is still in short supply. Grocery stores are open with limited hours and with limited supplies. Gas for cars and cooking is finally available again. She says, "We have had electricity for four days straight! In all of my years of living in Haiti, I am not sure I have ever seen nonstop electricity like this! We were set not to have electricity for months. Praise God!"

Beth goes on to add that Culligan water is being delivered again & vegetables & fruit are in abundance.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

-Pastor

Sunday Wrap Up

Great services today! This morning, we had three young people receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Praise the Lord!

Tonight's P&W service was really good! It seems like the time flies by when we do these services. I couldn't believe the service lasted a little over an hour. Really, it seemed like thirty minutes. People really entered in and worshipped. Not a bad crowd either, especially for a super bowl night.

I only have two words regarding the Super Bowl..."who dat!"

Everyone have a great week! Let Christ shine through at work, school, wherever!

-Pastor

Countdown to Sunday

Good AM everyone! Please continue to remember the family of Rex Wilson in your prayers. Rex passed away early Wednesday evening. Rex was a great guy, a very humble man who was a servant. Rex was our assistant head usher for a few years at KP and also served on the Church and Pastor's Council for awhile. Rex's father is or was a pastor in Berea, Kentucky, where the services are being held this weekend.

The snow, sleet, ice, and rain is coming, I guess. Three to five inches they say. We plan to have services as normal Sunday but if we have to cancel or change the times we will send out e-mails, put it on the website and church answering machine, and ask you to please call those people who do not have the internet. But hopefully we will have time to get the parking lot and sidewalks cleaned off and the roads will be in good shape.

It may be Super Bowl Sunday and my Colts might be the favorites, but I'm anxious to worship Sunday. Why?

The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,
exalted above all the nations.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Your name is holy! -Psalms 99:1-3

Have a great weekend! Oh by the way, Colts 31, Saints 17

-Pastor

Get the Rocks Out!

Matthew 13:3-6 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed...Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root."

Rapid, quick spiritual growth is not always a great thing. Here we see that seed combined with just a little soil causes quick but limited growth. The problem comes when the seed is not allowed to grow deep roots. The end result is the destruction of the seed due to the scorching of the sun.

I believe the rocks are bondages and strongholds in people's lives. These people gladly receive the Word of God when it is taught or preached on Sunday mornings. They feel good about hearing the word but aren't successful in obeying God's Word because of the strongholds. Of course, the solution is deliverance...they must be set free so God's Word can be rooted in the believer's life. Real deliverance comes as we daily die to the flesh and walk in the Spirit. Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." [John 8:31,32]

I want to encourage you today to get rid of the rocks. Let "the Rock" crush the rocky places in your life and set you free so that God can put His Word deep into your spirit.

-Pastor

Would you Give a Year's Salary to God?

Our cell lessons on tithing and giving this month have been great. I have heard many testimonies from KP family members on how these lessons have been very helpful, informative, and inspiring. We had a great fifth Sunday giving day this past weekend after my message on God's Sufficient Grace. I'm blessed to pastor such wonderful people who respond to the word of God.

Its important that OUR MOTIVE in our giving is right...that we are kingdom- and people-minded. Many, many people pray for financial increase, but the question to ask yourself is, why do I want more? It is good to examine your motives sometimes. Do you want more material possessions to adorn your life, or do you have specific ways you want to promote God’s kingdom and bless people?

Pastor Rick Warren tells the story of how God spoke to him and his wife right before their church began their third building program. God told him to give his year's salary toward the new building. He discussed it with his wife and they obeyed God. Weeks later he received a call from a book publisher asking him to write a book. The book was called "The Purpose-Driven Life" which went on to become one of the best-selling books of all time. From that time on, Pastor Warren has never taken a salary from his church and until this day has a set salary he receives from the proceeds of his book.

Would God speak to me and tell me to give a year's salary to His work? Why not? The widow in the bible gave all she had which was proportionally more than what Rick Warren gave. God wants to grow our faith and if we will hear his voice He will ask us to give to Him something that will cost us greatly. And one more thought here...we don't necessarily have to wait to hear God's voice before we give. There are times the compassion of Jesus in us compels us to give. Have you ever been there? I have and its in those times I don't need to wait for God to speak to me, He already has through the love of Christ He has put in me.

Have a great Wednesday!

-Pastor