The Rock Church

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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Divine Appointments

“And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” — Acts 8:29-31

Last year, I took my family to a popular ice cream shop in Logan. The store was particularly busy, and the line snaked out of the shop. I grabbed a bench outside, and Krista and the kids got in line. As I sat, I noticed another dad claim a nearby seat as his family also got in line.

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Strength to Weather the Storm + What’s Happening

I have a thought for you from the book of Ruth. Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, experienced tragedy after tragedy. But, Naomi insightfully understood that everything that happened in her life was from the hand of the Lord. This gave her strength in the midst of tragedy. 

As Christians, we need to understand that God is in control of both the good things and the troubles that are in our lives. That should give us the strength we need to weather the trials and storms that come. 

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Difficulties are Food for Faith to Feed on

In the middle of trials, are you seeing the opportunity for your faith to grow? As George Mueller put it, “difficulties are food for faith to feed on.” 

Hebrews 11:1 says that, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith takes future realities and brings them into our present realities. It is a rock-solid confidence in God’s Word — even in the midst of difficulties. 

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Freedom From the Fear of Death + What’s Happening

It’s easy to see all that is happening in our world and be fearful. But, our hope is in God. Our Lord has given us freedom. 

Christian, we don’t have to fear. Jesus has the power to set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We have the opportunity to live out that freedom, right now.

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Jesus Was Fully Man

Christmas — what an amazing time of the year!

Not only do we celebrate the fact that the God of the Universe chose to enter His creation (Immanuel means “God with us!”), but the New Testament presents an equally mind blowing fact. Jesus was fully man. Can you imagine that?

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Recidivism

Recidivism is the rate at which a criminal offender returns to prison. One study found that within five years of release, 77% of released prisoners were rearrested. I recently had a conversation with a corrections officer who told me a similar statistic. He estimated the recidivism rate at the place he worked was 90%! The annual cost of incarcerating a prisoner in Utah is nearly $30,000. So, this is a big deal. This corrections officer said that the sad joke as the released prisoners left, was that they would see them again!

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Number of Stars

The Bible is not a science textbook. But, when it speaks about science, it is 100% accurate. Evidence for this claim can be found in the stars.

Did you know that before telescopes were invented, people counted the stars with just their eyes? They didn’t have TV, so they watched the stars and counted them. On a clear night, a person could see easily see a couple of thousand (with the naked eye).

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May Cause Death

Last week, a number of our pastors traveled to the great state of Iowa for our annual Pastor’s Conference. One of the conference speakers spoke on the unbelievable danger that pornography presents to our society. It impacts everyone: men, women, spouses, parents, and children.

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Hospitality

“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:1

The New Testament is full of commands to “practice hospitality” so Krista and I have been striving to meet and show hospitality to our neighbors. God has given us opportunities to have four of our eight surrounding neighbors over for a meal in the past year. At Christmas time, one of our neighbors (who we had over for dinner a year ago), gave us a gift and card. In the card they wrote, “Merry Christmas to our best neighbors ever!” I was simultaneously encouraged and saddened by that. I was encouraged that they appreciated our hospitality so much. But, then I thought, “We just had you over for dinner once!”. We’ve talked to our neighbors when we have seen them outside, but “best neighbor ever”?! The hospitality bar is indeed low, but God can use us, Church.

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