Pastor Steve's Blog
Thoughts, additional sermon material, and interesting facts from the desk of Pastor Steve Sohns.
Does prayer work?
Posted: April 30, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 1 Comment
TAGS: prayer
Do you pray? Many more people claim to pray than claim to be a part of a church family in the United States. Yet, prayer causes people to ask the hard questions about themselves and about God? Does God answer prayer? Why does He answer the way He does? Why someone else and not me? are just some of the questions that come to mind as people engage in prayer.
John 14:13 says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” This verse immediately causes us to question prayer and God….because all of us have prayed and not received what we desired. Here Jesus says He will do whatever we ask. So, at first glance, we have a promise that we may have felt that Jesus didn’t keep. Others of us may say that we have experienced this as absolutely true and perhaps we’ve used prayer in Jesus as our personal vending machine for our wants and desires.
Here’s the thing about this verse. If I’m listening to the whole verse…I can’t miss what Jesus says when He says, “In My Name!” That very verse begins to challenge our understanding of prayer. It begins to shift our thinking from ourself to Jesus. In His Name brings about the presence of God, the power of God, and kingdom of God into our midst. To do anything in Jesus Name means to go where He is…not bring Him where I am. This drives us back to where Jesus is present…in His Word. The more we are in the Word, the more we are in Jesus. It brings us into the presence of Jesus and into His kingdom. Very important to note that this does not become a secret way to get what we want…but rather, it brings us into a different way of thinking and it changes us. To be in Jesus Name now brings us into “His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Therefore, to be in His name changes our way of thinking and praying. As we are aligned with Jesus will, we begin to pray in a different way and of course He does what we ask, because we ask in light of what He is doing in His reign and rule. Therefore, it drives us to be in the Word more…and to pray more….and to seek His will more. In that, the Father is glorified….prayer is no longer our means to change God…but another way that we see God moving us by His Word. More could be said…but a place to start as we think about prayer.
Blessing and bane of cell phones
Posted: April 21, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: cell phones, connectivity, hurried lifestyle
Cell phones have changed our lives drastically. There was a day that you went off to work, ran an errand, or went to a ball game and no one could reach you during the time you were driving, shopping, or enjoying a game. We thought nothing of being out for two to three hours and no one could reach us. The pagers came along and they would buzz and beep on our belts. Of course, you had to be able to get to a phone to call someone back. If you didn’t call back for an hour or two, it was because you were unable to call right back. More expectations, but not the idea of immediate contact.
I remember a few years ago when I showed up at a meeting with a cell phone. The pastors scoffed at the idea that I had one of these devices and wondered what I was up to my interest in a “cell phone.” The next time we met, they all asked if they could use it to call their wives during the 5 days we were together and at some point….they all began to carry their own phones. I can’t find them anymore without calling their cell phone. Now we have cell phones. Not just a few of us either. Most everyone carries a cell phone 24/7.
With the blessing of having the ability to stay in touch with our work, family, and friends, comes the bane of being available for our work, family and friends. People are never away from work. Go to the airport and everyone is discussing business before they get on the plane. You walk through the mall and the person who appears to be talking to you are really discussing some office problem on their blue-tooth microphone. Look around at a ballgame sometime and notice how many people are talking on the phone (or texting if they are under the age of 24) while watching the game.
The phone becomes a problem with the opportunity for contact becomes an expectation for immediate conversation. I find that I can’t take a shower, work out for a few minutes, or simply forget to turn the phone off of vibrate mode without finding several “missed calls” and many voice mails asking “where are you?” and “call me quick.” We’re on call all the time. You can’t ignore a phone call, even if it’s an unknown number….it might be a loved one calling from a strangers cell phone because they locked their phone and keys in the car. (that’s a blessing)
I do have to say though…I’m glad that God is on call all the time. He not only answers, but He desires to be called upon. He knows what we need, but He’s anxious for us to call Him anyway. If it was me…I’d be tired of the whole thing. I’d wonder why some don’t call more often…or why they only call in trouble. But, He never tires of the calls and never changes His mind about saying “Call on me.” Also, no busy signals…and never a situation of being “out of a signal area.” When we go through Bane and Blessings…He is ready and He listens.
I have no answer for the right use of phones…but God’s call to prayer never ceases…in fact He says to call(pray) without ceasing.
Nifty, Nifty, look who’s fifty
Posted: March 20, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
I normally ignore all birthdays. It’s not that I’m afraid of growing older, I’ve just never had a big need to celebrate the anniversary of those obvious reminders. In coming up on fifty, I had given it some thought and realized that time does really pass by quickly. I still feel like I should be 25 years old and that life, family, ministry are all at the beginning stages. But then, I look and realize that my boys are pushing into the 20’s, my hair has a little gray(what little I have, and it’s more than a little gray) and there is a recognition of the passing of time.
It’s mostly a good feeling. We have been truly blessed. We have been blessed to know so many wonderful people in our lives. God has put so many opportunities before us and we’ve been privileged to participate in God’s marvelous work. We have not always enjoyed every moment. Ministry isn’t always fun, kids can bring stress, and we’ve questioned the decisions we’ve made. I have seen my own spiritual walk wax and wane, but God’s faithfulness has been so steady throughout this time.
On top of this, I still have to face the fact of my birthday. My office is vandalized(kindly) and a surprise birthday party. The party is fun and the people are precious. My wife plans it in spite of me and a good time is had by all. I am reminded…it is all a gift of God. I’d like to think that I have 50 more years to enjoy serving the Lord and loving people and enjoying my family. Not likely, but I am thankful that I can look ahead and know that God is control of today and tomorrow. What a joy! In that, I rejoice in the words of Ephesians 2:8-10, “By Grace you are saved, through faith. Not of yourself, it is a gift of God.It is not the result of anything you’ve done, in order that no one can boast. You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to live a life filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.”
Ben Stein’s “Expelled”
Posted: March 15, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 3 Comments
TAGS: "Expelled", Ben Stein, intelligent design
A very interesting movie coming out soon…. I would encourage you to check out the trailer here: http://www.expelledthemovie.com
What is your definition of perfect?
Posted: February 2, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: perfect, Super Bowl
It is Super Bowl weekend. Everyone is gearing up for the big game and everything goes with it. I heard that the average spending by Americans is $58.91/person for food, beverages and other items for the game. I don’t know if that is based on viewers or taking the total spending and dividing it by the number of people in the country. It is the one day of the year that people care about the commercials. Statistics say that 92.4% of people will stay to watch the commercials. There are newspaper articles, internet sites, blogs, and magazines devoted to what will take place with these commercial spots. After the game, there will be sites that a person can play back the commercials, vote on the their favorites, and comment on what they have seen.
All of this surrounds the play of two teams who want to be Super Bowl Champion. New England is trying for a perfect season. That phrase is intriguing. The perfect season means that they will have gone 19-0 as a team. But, in the midst of that perfect season will be games with interceptions, fumbles, mental mistakes, and physical mistakes. So, is it really perfect? I think about this because it has some spiritual implications as well.
When we are trying to live life according to works…we can easily pick and choose what we want to measure. Our lives look pretty good when we are able to choose our own measurements. We choose our wins and ignore the other “mistakes.” This is dangerous because we can become self-righteous and self-serving.
There is a very good way to look at this as well. We are justified through faith by Grace. God’s activity through Jesus to make us righteous through the suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He declares us perfect. In a way it’s like a perfect season (19-0). God declares us righteous for Jesus sake, and the individual interceptions, fumbles and mistakes of our life become of no effect. (Perhaps I carry this too far) But, it does help to signify how important Grace is and that the statement of God’s grace is much bigger than what we see in one another…just a thought for Super Bowl Weekend.
I’m not getting better….I’m getting older
Posted: January 6, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: cattle, knee-cap
Ok,
So, I start out my trip to my parents with a speeding ticket. The fun part starts when we get to work cattle the next morning. Now, working my dad’s herd usually works pretty well. He has smaller numbers and they are very gentle. You start working herds that run on the range and belong to someone else, that gets a little dicey. We wanted to vaccinate my dad’s cows and my uncle had a small herd he needed to move and vaccinate. We get up early and go to get this group loaded. One cow we keep separate because she had a calf the night before and we thought we’d leave her until the end. The only problem was that she was getting more agitated as the rest were taken away. By the time we got back to load four calves and this mother and her calf, she was beside herself. She was shaking her head at me, pawing the dirt, and charging at the gate and fence. I’m standing on the other side thinking, “I’m not getting in there with her.”
Long story made short, we finally get her to the point where we’re trying to draw her into the trailer by having her charge down the lane and chute after us. But, she’d stop short of getting close enough for us to shut the proper gates and she would wander off. Finally, she wandered from her calf far enough that I snatched the calf and took it to the trailer. Unfortunately, the mother couldn’t figure out where her calf was crying and she just walked around lost. So, I started to walk back out of the trailer carrying the calf.
Now, mind you, that I was watching the cow (who wanted to hurt me) and trying to control this calf. Since I wasn’t looking at the ground I stepped on some fresh manure covering a rock. Nothing slicker than “stuff” on a rock. My right foot slid out and I could feel my toes hyper-extending. I let go of the calf and came down on my left knee on top of another rock. At that moment I thought I broke my knee-cap. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t grab the calf and I felt helpless. Fortunately, the cow didn’t come charging down the lane and I limped out.
The worst part at that moment wasn’t the pain…it was the fact that I lost the advantage we had by controlling the calf. By the grace of God the cow finally went into the trailer. We shut her in and I carried the calf into the back and set her in.
What did I learn? A couple of men can be stupid to keep trying things with a cow that is out of control. I learned that pain can debilitate you to the point you can’t deal with the more important things around you. Third, I realized I was more concerned about letting my dad down then any of the above items. The thing is, he wasn’t worried about that stuff…he was concerned for me.
Aren’t we that way with God? We get tied up with the pain of the moment and lose sight of God’s care for us. He’s not only there…but He has the solutions and He has the power for our lives to deal with it. But we’re so debilitated by the pain and the disappointment…we don’t notice. It is so good to know that God doesn’t lose interest in us, or become discouraged. The God who sends His Son becomes even more involved. He picks us up. He carries us. He comforts us. He’s bigger than our pain and our problems.
Meanwhile…I’m not getting better…just older.
Living in Denial
Posted: January 2, 2008
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: Christmas, denial, new year
So, I’m headed up to my parents home. A little tired after all of the Christmas season rush and anxious for some days of relaxation and spending time with family. I take a left turn on to Highway 36, leading out of Temple, for the last portion of the trip. I think I see a sign for 60(at least assume), and that the sign turns to 70 a ways up the road (again assumption). This is a beautiful four lane road compared to the two lane roads that I was on before. It felt nice to kick on the cruise control with the wider open space and I was looking forward to pulling into their ranch in just a few minutes. Just then, an officer of the law does a u-turn from the other direction and comes up behind me! I’m a little shocked that he stays there and doesn’t go around me to find some law-breaker. I pull over and he stays right there with me. He walks up and asks the question, “Do you know why I stopped you?” I respond, “not really” and he lets me know that I was going over 70 miles an hour in a 60 mile an hour zone.
Now the denial kicks in. “That can’t be,” “I’ve driven this many times,” “When did they change the signs?” I’m feeling argumentative about the speed he told me..but it doesn’t matter. I was going to fast. Busted. Life is like that. Whether we know it or not…we are going out of the zone in life and someone tells us that we’ve moved beyond the boundaries. It doesn’t just happen with speed zones. It’s life zones. How do we react? If you’re like me. It’s denial. It wasn’t me, it isn’t my problem, they have a problem, it’s a mistake. But denial doesn’t help. We often become defensive and push people off and don’t really consider what is happening in our own life.
As we begin a New Year, it is good for us to consider our life, our attitudes and our actions. Not only on what we’re doing today, but also on how we will deal with the issues that come up in our life? Will we be so arrogant that we will act as though we never do anything wrong? Will we try to live in Denial rather than approach the truth of who and what we are? It’s a good time to think about what we confess in worship. We often confess that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed. As we say that, it’s good for us for us to consider our very motives. Our we open to our own failings and short-sightedness? Or are we going to live in denial? Reading 1 John 1:7,8 and consider the question…can we live in denial and how has God been faithful to me?
Our God Our Help in Ages Past
Posted: December 31, 2007
Category: Pastor Steve's Blog
Comments: 0 Comments
TAGS: new year
Have you ever heard that hymn? Our God Our Help in Ages Past. That means a lot as we go from 2007 to 2008. This one line from the hymn says a lot about what I can expect in the coming year. Just saying “Our God” says a lot. It says something about being together. It says that we belong to the same God. It means that the God of heaven and earth has called us together that we can say “our.” Jesus taught His disciples to pray that way…”Our Father.” It means belonging to one another and to the Lord. To say, “Our Help” indicates that we anticipate need. We had need in the past and we will need help in the future. It is His Help that has been faithful. It is His help that we can speak of because it came at the right place and time.
To look ahead to another year is to know where our strength has come from in the past. It takes away fear and adds confidence. “If God is for us…who can be against us?” The question Paul asks is answered here. He is for us…and He continues to be for us.
Ages Past says something too. It’s just not our past. It’s the past that includes 2000 years ago. It’s His work 2000 years ago that seals the first part of this phrase. It was His sending of Jesus that makes it truly “Our God, Our Help.” Psalm 46 says, God is our fortress and strength. That is our God of the manger and our God of the cross and empty tomb. He is the God of the past and 2008. You may not know the song to sing…but you know the words to live it.
