Note From The Pastor:
MARCH 2024
Note from the Pastor, March 2024
“Look to the cross!” Hello, friends. This is the refrain that should be heard
from the heart of every believer. In March, specifically, we are called to
repent and spiritually prepare for the celebration of Easter and Christ's
resurrection.
Unfortunately, the human mind is easily distracted, and we often lose our
focus on the cross. Many times, we “Look to the leprechauns!” or “Look to
the Easter eggs!” While there is nothing inherently wrong with them---I
enjoy a good egg hunt as much as anyone---the price that was paid at
Calvary and the power of the resurrection should not take second place to
anything this world has to offer.
Although 15 years or so have passed, I will never forget my son’s first time
at our Community Easter Egg Hunt. It was a beautiful event held by several
churches in the area. The children were gathered together as far as you
could see. There was a pleasant welcome and a promise of the Easter
eggs to come in just a few, short minutes. But first, the story of the cross
and the price that was paid for the sins of all mankind…
“Oh, my goodness. Can’t we just get to the candy??” These were the words
spoken out loud by a parent seated directly behind me.
As followers of Jesus, how do we respond to a world that has turned its
back on what we hold most dear? We speak. We speak boldly and
unashamedly, but with mercy and grace. We speak the words, “Look to the
cross!”. For we can testify that the forgiveness and salvation offered at the
cross is far sweeter than any candy ever made!
In Christian Love,
Pastor Todd
Note from the Pastor, November 2023
Hello friends! I realize list-making is going to begin soon for Christmas—and I don’t blame you. Some of my fondest memories as a child include many hours flipping through the pages of the Sears or JC Penney Christmas catalog—red marker in hand, page after page dog-eared.
But Thanksgiving is coming, and we certainly have much to be thankful for. God has blessed us in so many ways and, as enjoyable as those Christmas lists are, I think for today we should focus on a list giving thanks to our great and wonderful God.
Thank you, God, for:
- People- 1 Thessalonians 3:9
- Provision- Philippians 4:19-20
- Possibility- Matthew 19:26
- Prayer- Matthew 6:6
- Pardon- 1 John 1:9
- Patience- Colossians 1:9
- Peace- Isaiah 26:3
- Perseverance- Romans 5:3-4
- Your plan- Psalm 40:5
- Your power- Jeremiah 32:17
- Your presence- Romans 5:5
- Your promises- Deuteronomy 7:9
What a great, wonderful, and glorious God we serve! Give Him thanks and praise!!!
God bless,
Pastor Todd
Note from the Pastor, October 2023
Hello friends! The changing leaves and the cooler nights are reminding us that it is officially October. So, does the word October have any significance in the life of a Christian? In Hebrew, it is the word cheshvan with the root being chash, meaning “quiet”.
One of my favorite lines from the famous adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle occurs when Sherlock, lost in thought about his latest mystery, suddenly looks across the room at Dr. Watson and gratefully proclaims, “Watson, you have the grand gift of silence.”
Silence. Quiet. To elementary teachers coming home from the first day of school, it can be a much-appreciated gift. To “empty nesters” it can be an overwhelming reminder of a new stage in life.
For Christ followers, the words of Matthew 6:6 beautifully describe the grand gift of quiet time with our Lord:
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Some questions to ponder this month: Are you spending quality quiet time with God? Do you have a dedicated time each day just for Him? Or is it a random 30 seconds in the car as you rush from one daily activity to the next? Have you carved out a quiet time just for Him…to love Him, to praise Him, to thank Him, to pour your heart out to Him, to offer yourself in service to Him?
Find Him in the quiet. Then listen. Let Him speak to you. It’s in the quiet moments that you’ll hear Him.
Blessings—Pastor Todd
Pastor Todd's Newsletter for September 2023
Hello friends! As a pastor, it is sometimes surprising how and where
God supplies inspiration and encouragement. But I came across some
articles last week that both piqued my interest and lifted my spirits. So, I
thought for the month of September I would share the unlikely story of the
geese of Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana.
First established as a mining camp in 1864, the discovery of copper
in the area in the early 1900s transformed Butte from a sleepy backwater
area into a bustling boomtown almost overnight. At the height of its
production throughout the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, Butte was responsible for
1/3 of the copper used in the United States.
After the end of World War II, however, demand for copper dropped
precipitously and the mining company in Butte began losing money.
Company executives got together – they had to come up with a better,
faster, cheaper, more efficient way of getting the copper out of the hill at the
edge of town that they’d been mining for years. Their plan? Blow the top off
the hill and mine directly from an open pit. This plan worked and kept the
doors open until filing for bankruptcy in 1982. As they closed, they shut off
the pumps used to keep water from collecting at the bottom of the pit.
Years passed by and the water moved in…until 40 billion gallons later
Berkeley Pit became one of the largest lakes in the United States!
Unfortunately, the ground surrounding Butte is full of pyrite (“fool’s gold”)
which, when mixed with air and water, becomes sulfuric acid. This lake
soon became a toxic brew of acid and heavy metals.
One night in 1995, a great storm swept over the Butte, Montana
region. As fate would have it, a flock of snow geese were passing over the
Berkeley Pit just as the storm was at its worst. Not knowing any better, they
took refuge in its waters. When the residents of Butte woke up the next
morning, they found the carcasses of 342 geese floating on the surface of
Berkeley Pit.
The Berkley Pit’s reputation had become well known to area
residents. That is why, several years after the 1995 geese incident, when
someone walked into the biology department of the nearby University of
Montana brandishing a slimy, algae-covered stick, biologists there were
surprised to learn it had been pulled from the Pit. Somehow, someway, life
had found a way.
After a year of searching, they found a black blob floating around in
the water. It turned out to be a kind of yeast that had the most remarkable
property-- it was absorbing the heavy metals from the water around it. It
was acting like a sponge, soaking them up at a rate of up to
95%...transforming it into drinkable water!
Obviously, the scientists were excited about this – it was an amazing
find. They worked up a profile for it and ran it through their databases to
see where else this yeast occurs in the natural world. Surely, they weren’t
the first people to come across it. And so, when they ran it through their
databases, it returned just one hit. A single hit. In all of the natural world,
this yeast occurs in only one place--the digestive tracts of geese.
Could there a more perfect illustration of how God’s love works in our
lives? God’s love can take what is the very worst in us--violence,
brokenness, hatred, and division, and then purify it, transform it, and
reorient it into new life! That’s what Jesus’ death and resurrection is all
about. God’s love can take what is the very worst in us and turn it to good.
Have a blessed day and allow the love of Jesus to transform you!
Pastor Todd Griest
Greetings friends!
It is here—summer is upon us! There are so many things that we associate with summertime. For many, it is the smell of hot dogs cooking on the grill or the sugary goodness of a funnel cake at the fair. For others, it is the crack of the bat under the lights during those long, sweltering summer evenings. There is one other connection that I hope you have to summers past, however—Vacation Bible School!!! The songs, the games, the crafts, and the joy we feel worshipping the God who created the whole universe!
Why is Vacation Bible School so important? As I have said in my messages many times before, “If we don’t teach our children what to believe about God, somebody else will…and it probably won’t be the truth of the Gospel.”
I am reminded of "Teach Your Children," a song written by Graham Nash in 1968 when he was a member of the Hollies. It was then recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and released in 1970. The song’s lyrics are meant to encourage parents to teach their children well and pass on their values and knowledge to the next generation. While I may not agree with all of it, the message of the song remains important—we must teach our children. They must understand there is a God who loves them so much that He sent His Son to die on a cross for their sins. Jesus is the hope for every generation!
Blessings,
Pastor Todd
Greetings: As we begin the month of May and celebrate the “birthday of the church”—Pentecost!! This year, Pentecost Sunday is May 28th, so I thought we should take a moment and give a little background of this important day.
The word Pentecost comes from a Greek word meaning fiftieth. The Jewish Festival of Pentecost (called Shavuot, meaning "weeks" in Hebrew) falls on the fiftieth day after the original Passover. On that day, God gave the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Christian festival of Pentecost falls on the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus.
On Pentecost Sunday, we remember the day the disciples received the Holy Spirit. The account in Acts 2 describes a powerful wind and tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit was poured out on people from all over the world who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast. At the first Pentecost, over 3000 people were baptized, creating the first church. This is why Pentecost is known as the birthday of the Christian church.
So, join us this month as we celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit and the lives that have been forever changed through the work of the church.
The church is Christ's body, the completion of him who himself completes all things everywhere.
Ephesians 1:23 (GNT)
Blessings,
Pastor Todd