The Rock Church

Prayerful

Are you a prayerful person? Most of us would say we have room to grow in prayer. One of the most encouraging aspects of believers’ lives is pouring out our hearts to God and watching as He responds. There is absolutely no better way for us to communicate our thankfulness, adoration, desires, or grievances with God than through prayer. Yet, for so many of us, it becomes an afterthought. We can also be robotic or neglect to pray altogether.

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Fuses and Friends

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” — 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Last July, several of us went to Faithcamp in Alamosa, Colorado. It was a fantastic four-day conference, and we definitely had an encouraging time. Very tired, we started the nine-hour car trip back to Utah early on Sunday morning.

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Grief-Stained Joy

Every day, I read from Milton Vincent’s book, “A Gospel Primer.” It has a 31-part section that fits nicely into my daily devotional routine. This phrase always catches me each time I read it (on the 14th of the month). He refers to a “grief-stained joy.” That idea resonates with me deeply when contemplating life. Especially today, as I write this, about ten steps away from my wife Jeanne’s hospital bed — it’s  awkwardly positioned in our bedroom. This verse specifically comes to mind as I search for solace.

“If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.” — Psalm 119:92

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Stay Awake! 

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” — Matthew 24:42

You may have read a sad story in the news last week. A man shot at a woman, and the police then killed him (as of this writing, the details are still under investigation). But this happened a few miles from my house. Where this terrible story intersects my life (and your inbox) is that soon after the shooting, a police helicopter started circling the area and woke me up. 

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God’s Will and Faithcamp

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” — James 4:13-15

A few weeks ago, many people from our church attended the Faithcamp/DTC Conference in Alamosa, Colorado. It was five days of teachings, worship, fellowship, meals, games, and heat. It was so encouraging. Also, tiring. Thank you for praying for the conference; the Lord indeed blessed it!   

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Jesus Holds Me

Without a doubt, I am convinced that Jesus holds me. This truth permeates the Bible (from Genesis to Revelation). Here’s a snippet of verses:

• “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10

• “Though they stumble, they never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” — Psalm 37:24

• “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” — Colossians 1:17

I love, love, love these verses!

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Listen to Him

“But all who listen to me will live in peace untroubled by fear of harm.” — Proverbs 1:33

There is a way to live that leads to harm, fear and restlessness, isn’t there? Most of the time, it’s the result of us listening to ourselves, to lies, or to negative influences. We need to ask ourselves, “Who am I listening to?” when we get a pit in our stomachs and a tinge of fear rattling our emotions.

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One Year (and then some…)

I am absolutely blown away by the responses from the first blog I sent out a few weeks ago. I have received so many encouraging emails, texts and phone calls from friends and loved ones about how helpful my thoughts were. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I’ve also received many inquiries about the other thoughts (I’d mentioned I’d written down). Since I gave you part one, I thought I’d give you part two. (Hey, who knows, maybe I’ll write a book one day?)

Here are some more of my thoughts on grief.

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Assistance During the COVID-19 Crisis

Posted in News, Statements, The Rock Cares by The Rock Church