The Rock Church

Jesus in the Middle

As a pastor, I am for sure not immune to feeling overwhelmed by difficulties. Also, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional, life can sometimes make me feel like I’m drowning.

Perhaps the disciples felt this way. In fact, in the gospels of John, Mark, and Matthew, we are told how these fishers of men were overwhelmed with fear at the sight of their teacher walking on water through a storm. As a result, it says they were “terrified” because they thought they saw a ghost!

Isn’t it good to know we are not the only ones who experience fear and anxiety?

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The Best Ending

(In previous posts I have shared my journey through grief and the many ways the Lord has walked with me. This is my latest entry in that collection. These posts have been helpful for me to write and look back on. When intense waves of sadness come, I read them. In the same way, I hope that in your times of sorrow, they can help you as well.)

Over the last year, I’ve read a book series I’ve fallen in love with. But recently, I’ve had to take a break from it. You see, as much as I love the story, I am equally dreading what will happen next. Without giving away any spoilers, I will just say this….the story is not ending how I want it to.

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The Cup of Blessing

^“Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” — Psalm 16:5-6

Have you ever wondered where your life might be apart from knowing Jesus as your Savior? If not, spend a moment pondering what that might have looked like.

It certainly doesn’t take long to realize how richly blessed we are to be His children. It always goes far beyond the material blessing of His provision. We no doubt find that in our homes or aligning with our interests. Looking deeper, however, we also see a life filled with grace, forgiveness, purpose, hope, and beauty.

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His Mercies Are New Every Morning (and Every Year)

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:21-23

It’s almost hard to believe that another year has come and gone. Every year, I seem more surprised by how quickly the calendar year moves. The new year always feels like a mixed bag of emotions. While January 1 can seem to give the appearance of a clean slate for goals, resolutions, and moving forward, it’s really no different from December 31.  

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton

Home

With a heavy and thankful heart, I took a final, sweeping glance around the place my family and I had called home for the last eleven years. Then I locked the door and drove away. 

As I did, memories flooded through me. I thought of bringing my two youngest daughters home from the hospital as newborns. And then, there were all the Christmas, birthday, and Thanksgiving dinners with friends and family. Another was the treasure map I made to look old and “hid” in the attic where my son could find it. Along with that came the cloth bag of quarters he dug up in the backyard. So. Many. Memories. 

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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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Grief is an Oversized T-Shirt

Yesterday (October 23) marked three years since my father passed away. In previous posts, I have shared some of the things the Lord has guided me through so far on this path of grief. With that in mind, today will be the latest entry into that diary.

But first, a story. As children, my brother and I would oftentimes get our dad a t-shirt for his birthday. We’d get ones with his favorite rock bands on them. I always wanted to wear them to school, but they were obviously too big for me. However, as I got older, I began to grow into the shirts that once drowned me as a child. Today, I still have most of my dad’s shirts. You’ve probably seen me wear many of them often. 

These memories have me reflecting on this thought:

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East Troublesome Fire

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9

Some of my family and I hiked to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. It was a beautiful hike, and we had a fantastic time. I had been curious to hike to Fern Lake, given that a terrible fire had destroyed it three years ago. It was appropriately named the East Troublesome Fire. Additionally, the fire burned 193,000 acres (making it the second-largest fire in Colorado history). 

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Grafted

In his last published book, “The Excellency of a Broken Heart,” the great puritan author John Bunyan wrote:

“Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think . . . . It is wounding work, of course, this breaking of the hearts, but without wounding there is no saving. . . . Where there is grafting there is a cutting. The scion must be let in with a wound; to stick it on to the outside or to tie it on with a string would be of no use. The heart must be set to heart and back to back, or there will be no sap from root to branch, and this, I say, must be done by a wound.”

Many blessings come with God’s gift of salvation. However, there are also many troubles and pains. There is the breaking down of our earthly bodies, the desires and temptations of our sinful flesh, and satan (the prowling lion) wishing to destroy us and ruin the joy and goodness in our lives. Additionally, hate and venom are directed toward us from a world the unregenerate part of us so longs to please. 

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Trust in Him at All Times

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” — Psalm 62:5-8

I’m not exactly sure what each of you is going through. But I know that, most likely, we are staring something in the face that brings us to a place of needing to trust Jesus. Perhaps in the past weeks (or in the coming weeks), you are wrestling with trusting Jesus. 

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Caleb Yetton