A Brown Paper Parcel

Harry Winston, a famous diamond broker, was excited. And so was the crowd that had gathered around him. He had just purchased one of the most famous diamonds in the world. And he expected it to be delivered at any moment!

In the crowd were friends and news reporters and curious onlookers, all anxious for the first glimpse of the famous stone. While they waited, Mr. Winston entertained them with stories from the diamonds past history. The crowd buzzed with excitement. The people kept watching for the armored car and police escort that would make the delivery. Security was sure to be tight.

At the edge of the crowd a man in a postman’s uniform tried to make his way through, but he was shoved back. The people wanted nothing to distract attention from the arrival of the fabled gem.

The crowd grew. Self-appointed sentinels kept their eyes on the roadway, ready to shout the arrival of the armed escort. Again, the postman tried to push through the crowd. In his hand he clutched a brown paper parcel tied with string. He said he had to deliver it to Mr. Winston. Imagine! Who was he? Some crackpot trying to get his name in the paper?

Finally, with more irritation than courtesy, they let the stubborn postman through. Mr. Winston took the parcel, glanced at the return address, and gave a short cry. With trembling hands, he tore the paper away from a small box. Then he opened it and tenderly lifted the precious diamond for all to see. He held it up to the sun and let the gems reflections play over the amazed crowd.

For a few moments they stood in stunned silence. How could such fabled beauty arrive in such a common wrapping and in such an ordinary way? And then they burst into a loud, spontaneous cheer! But no one in that crowd ever forgot how they had almost rejected one of the world’s most precious diamonds!

How like what happened nearly two thousand years ago when Jesus came to earth. The people were expecting their Messiah. They were waiting for him, longing for His arrival, but they didn’t think He would come in a brown paper parcel!

"And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." (Luke2:16)

Pastor Ed

WAKE UP!

As I have been studying and praying these past few days, I have been asking God to reveal anything in my Life that needs course correction. If you ask God for this kind of information - be prepared - because He loves us enough to give it! Along with prayer for personal direction, I have been asking for clear direction for our church as well. I have been impressed that we are on the right track and we are doing the things that churches are supposed to be doing. That IS great news! Then came the part that I don’t like. “You are on the right track... BUT”! This is probably the second most hated three letter word in any language (the first is “No”!). As I have been seeking what this means, I haven’t been able to escape from these verses in Revelation 3: ". . . I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” Rev. 3.1b-3 I don’t know about you, but that is pretty scary. At least it isn’t like to some of the other Churches in Revelation that are REALLY in trouble... but it is still quite a shock. I wouldn’t consider our church dead... would you? I mean, we love God and we feel the Spirit’s presence when we worship. Good stuff is going on... isn’t it? But the message is clear, “something isn’t right”. We are commanded to “Wake up and do the things that we know to do”! Because in some way, “our deeds are not complete in the sight of God”! I challenge each of you to read this passage every day this next week and consciously ask God to reveal to you what we (that’s all of us) aren’t doing like we should be doing. Then take it a step farther and ask what you personally need to change to “Wake up” the way God wants you to.

Wake Up, Obey, Repent! Three commands from Jesus to us. The real question, of course, is, “Will we do it”?

Yours to Count On,

Pastor Ed Eby

Run to the Battle!

You have probably figured out that God is up to something at Moscow Naz. It has become increasing evident that there is a spiritual battle going on. I know that you already know it but it has come home to me in a more realistic way. God has been revealing to me that a lot of what we consider a part of “normal life” is really Satan’s attack on God’s Church. I don’t know about you but it seems that the struggles (on every level) have been greater than usual. They manifest themselves as physical ailments or injuries, financial shortfalls, conflict at work, school and in our homes, increased irritability and lack of patience, difficulty in relationships, etc., etc. Satan has really been turning up the heat and the Bible is clear that he is out to destroy God’s people and God’s Church.

I know that it has been said to “rejoice when we face trials” but that seems to be asking too much. I am learning that God doesn’t expect me to be happy about the struggle but I can be “joyful” in the midst of it. Understanding the cause can really help to keep the “Joy of the Lord” which is our... that’s right, our Strength! Satan may be attacking but God is still in control. The ONLY way he can truly get to us if there are holes in our armor. Ask God to show you where you may be vulnerable and then allow Him to fix the holes, so that you will be protected from all those flaming arrows.

There is a song that Steve Camp released back in 1995 entitled, “Run to the Battle,” that talks about this battle and the key to winning it! I know I have quoted some of the lyrics to you in a couple sermons but as a reminder, below are part of the lyrics... If it ministers to you, look it up online and listen to the whole song (I still have an original cassette tape from ‘95!).

Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, But I want to run a mission a yard from the gates of hell.

And with everyone you meet I'll take them the gospel and share it well, And look around you as you hesitate for another soul just fell, let's run to the battle. Run to the battle

Do you have your armor on? We're in the middle of a raging war, We've been training for so long, have we learned to use His sword?

We may not be ready but we serve a mighty Lord, And He's made us more than conquerors So what are you waiting for? Let's run to the, battle...

He has trampled down the enemy and has given us the victory

When we pray we learn to see that His army we are marching on our knees!

Let’s Run (not walk) To The Battle!

Yours to Count On,

Pastor Ed Eby

When You Pray

Prayer is one of the mystical things that no one can really tell you how it works. I mean, how can talking to an unseen God REALLY make a difference? Men & women have been doing it for centuries. Granted, many have prayed to gods of stone and wood and metal. Today many pray to gods of plastic, paper, electronics and account numbers.

And yet... we pray. All of us, with rare exception will utter a prayer from time to time. For those who don’t believe, it is often a “just in case” or as a “last resort”. But how often for those of us who “do know” is it the same?

I have talked about prayer many, many times. We have a special time set aside to pray together - Saturday nights. For those who wonder about reason and time, I believe that God has called us to do it... called me to do it and had me invite those who would like, to join me. There are times when it is an incredible hour or so of closeness to God and to each other and there are others when it is just plain hard work. You see, prayer is not really about us, it is about God... AND us. As one author said, “the goal of prayer is not to get something FROM God but it is to GET God.”

At the bottom line, prayer is simply communication (hopefully 2-way) between us and the only hope for this crazy world we live in. And yes, prayer makes a difference. There are some of us who are alive today because of prayer. No child would survive through adolescence without prayer. Prayers for their protection, protection from the evil in this world AND from the wrath of their parents... from time to time, if you know what I mean?

Many have speculated about how to pray and what to say, looking for that magic formula that will get God to answer according to their wishes. I submit to you that the most important thing is simply to pray. Prayer is like many other things in life, you will get better at it the more that you do it.

Sometimes it is helpful to be practical. Below are some practical steps to making prayer an intimate and normal part of Every Day:

1. It’s MORE than what you Say. No formulas. Just talk to God & let Him talk to you.

2. Make it every Day. Consistency, consistency, consistency!

3. Be ready to Stay. Don’t talk and dash. Make time to spend in His presence.

4. You can Play as you Pray. God often speaks in the most surprising ways. Always be listening for that still small voice.

5. Make sure that God is in the Way. Look at EVERY situation through the lense of the cross.

Most important of all is... Pray! They say that practice makes perfect... The truth is, what you practice you make permanent.

Yours to Count On,

Pastor Ed Eby

Counter - Cultural Freedom?

What does it mean when we say, “counter culture”? The dictionary defines it as, “a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.” As I think about it, in today’s society if we are going to truly be Christ-like we WILL be counter-cultural. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor 1:18 (NIV) The truth is that Jesus was about as counter-cultural as it gets.

     As Ghandi once said: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Ouch! But how often is that true? We marvel at the growth of the early church, the explosion of faith in Christ in such numbers and speed that in only a blink of history, the Roman Empire had officially turned from paganism to Christianity. How did it happen?

     We look for formulas and programs, services and processes. The simple truth is just that they were very much like Jesus, so much so that the name “Christian” (meaning “little Christ”) came into existence (Acts 11).

     One author noted, “they shared the gospel like it was gossip over the backyard fence.” It was/He was just a normal part of their everyday life. They didn’t plan or train or have special services. They just lived and breathed Jesus. What did people see? Tertullian noted, the awed pagan reaction to the Christian communal life was, “See how they love one another.”

     I recently read a line that caught my attention. One person said of another, “God looks good on you.” The context made it clear that it wasn’t meant to say that God looked on them in a favorable way, as in God’s attitude or spirit toward them, but that when people looked on their life, it made God look good. God should look good on us to others.

     God looked good on Jesus. I’ve always been amazed at how Jesus could proclaim absolute truth without compromise to those far from God, and then have those very same people invite Him to their parties.

     Unfortunately, in the minds of many, modern day Christianity no longer seems very Christ-like. And much of that image has been earned. We’ve acted in ways, talked in ways, lived in ways, that have stolen from God’s reputation. Yet, the church remains the hope of the world. The problem is that many in the Church are not really free, so we can’t reflect that “Counter-Cultural Freedom” that Christ gives.

     If we choose, WHEN we CHOOSE to do so... to embrace the “Foolishness” of the Cross and the true Freedom that it represents... then God will begin to look good on us again.

     I challenge you to be counter-cultural... in all the right ways and for all the right reasons. We ARE Free! We are!! Let’s live it together... for God’s glory!

What If?

We have been on a journey together to discover our “true” identity for quite a while. Hopefully, you are discovering how much God REALLY loves you! Also, that we will learn to recognize the voice of God when He speaks. God does speak, in fact He is speaking to us all the time. The question is whether we are spending the time necessary to recognize His voice clearly?

     For several years now I believe that God has been calling us to pray “together”. For me this is NOT one of those, “if you want to or feel like it” or “pray when it’s convenient” kind of calls. It is a, “Do it or Else!” kind of call. That’s why I have continued to come and pray every week even when very few join me. I believe it is THAT important!

     Hopefully you know that we pray together every Saturday night from 6-7pm. It’s hard to believe but it has been more than 10 years since we started and it is getting better and better. I can’t tell you the number of times the move of God’s Spirit in our Sunday worship is more intense and more real because of our prayer. In fact I am convinced that our very survival as a church is dependent on us Praying Together!

     Therefore, we are going to kick off the “Year is ½ Over” with 7 days of Prayer (beginning on July 8th) every night at 6:00 pm.

     You might say, “Here he goes again. We have been hearing about this prayer thing for waaaay to long now!” Just for arguments sake, let’s say that is true? What do we lose by praying together? What do we really give up, except a little time and convenience? What does it REALLY cost us to come together and pray, regularly?   

     However, what if - just for arguments sake - What if this really IS a mandate from God? And we choose NOT to obey? What is the cost? What are we missing? What are we “losing” by our disobedience? 

     I need you to hear me clearly. This is NOT intended to bring guilt or condemnation. I know in my heart that this is a call from God to me, for us. Why else would I continue to do it when only Laurel and I and our staff show up to pray on some nights? When I hear excuse after excuse of why it just doesn’t “fit the schedule”?

     I heard this quote somewhere and it is what keeps me going, “When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works!” I long desperately for God to work. He has incredible things in store for me, for us. His word promises it. So, when God says pray... I pray!

 Yours to Count On,

Pastor Ed Eby

Who is Calling?

Have you ever had one of those times when you felt strongly impressed to do something but it didn’t make a lot of sense? I mean you couldn’t verify it except to say, “I just felt like I needed to do or not do it?” So, you drive home a different way or stop at a certain place or... and nothing incredible happened?

     How do you process that? I mean, is that the Lord speaking to you? Is it a hunch? Your imagination? The result of too much pizza... too late at night? 

     For me it comes down to the story of the Jade. Do you remember? A young man wanted to become a carver of jade. So, he went to the master and asked if he would apprentice him. The master agreed, with one stipulation: he must agree to do everything the master told him to do, without question. The young man agreed.

     The next day he began his “training”. The master gave him a piece of jade and told him to keep it with him at all times, yes even when he was sleeping. He then assigned him several menial tasks to perform. The young man did this without question for a whole month.

     Finally, he had enough of weeding the garden, preparing the meals, washing the dishes, wax on wax off...and went storming up to the master and threw the jade at his feet. He yelled, “I want to be a master jade carver not a house boy!” The master calmly picked up the stone and tossed it back to him. As soon as it touched his hand he exclaimed, “This is not jade!”

     The master took the rock from him and returned the “real” jade and said, “Now we can begin.”

     You get the point, right? If you spend enough time with something you get to know it well. You can recognize it immediately, as soon as it touches your hand. Anything that is “counterfeit” is instantly detected.

     It is the same in our relationship with God. The more time we spend with Him, the better we get to know Him. Then, when we feel “impressed” to do, say, responded, act, give, go... we will KNOW if it’s counterfeit or if it is from Him.

     There are lots of voices out there but spending time with Him will let us know “Who is Calling!”

The Price of a Miracle

Eight-year-old Tess overheard her parents talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick, they were completely out of money and had no insurance. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Dad didn’t have the money for both the medical bills and house payment. Evidently only a costly surgery could save her brother now. She heard her father say, “Only a miracle can save him.”

     Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. She counted it three times. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.

    Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and walked to a drug store about six blocks away.

    Tess waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too intently talking to another man to be bothered by an eight-year-old. She twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.

    Nothing. She cleared her throat with the loudest sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! 

    “And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages.

    “Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick, and I want to buy a miracle”.

    “I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.

    “His name is Andrew, and he has something bad growing inside his head, and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So, how much does a miracle cost?”

    “We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.

    “Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs?”

    The pharmacist’s brother stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

    “I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation, but my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”

    “How much do you have?” asked the pharmacist’s brother.

    “One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered barely audible. “And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.”

    “Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents... the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” Then he said “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

    The pharmacist’s brother was a surgeon from Chicago who specialized in neurosurgery. He performed the operation without charge. Before long Andrew was home again and doing well.

    Later, mom and dad were talking about the chain of events that had led to this. “That surgery was a real miracle,” the mother commented. “I wonder how much it would have cost?”

    Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents! 

February 2024 "The Pinewood Derby"

            A young boy named Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give it all to "dad". That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do, you see, there WAS no dad at home. So, mom stepped in to see if she could figure it all out. The project began. Having no carpentry skills, they decided it would be best to simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. She read aloud the measurements, the rules of what to. Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. A little lopsided, but looking great (at least through the eyes of mom). Gilbert had not seen any of the other kids' cars and was feeling pretty proud of his "Blue Lightning", the pride that comes with knowing you did something on your own.        

            Then the big night came. With his blue pinewood derby in his hand and pride in his heart they headed to the big race. Once there the little one's pride turned to humility. Gilbert's car was obviously the only car made entirely on his own. All the other cars were a father-son partnership, with cool paint jobs and sleek body styles made for speed. A few of the boys giggled as they looked at Gilbert's lopsided, wobbly, unattractive vehicle. To add to the humility, Gilbert was the only boy without a man at his side. A couple of the boys who were from single parent homes at least had an uncle or grandfather by their side, Gilbert had "mom".  As the race began it was done in elimination fashion. You kept racing as long as you were the winner. One by one the cars raced down the finely sanded ramp. Finally, unbelievably, it was between Gilbert and the sleekest, fastest looking car there.

            As the last race was about to begin, the wide eyed, shy eight year old asked if they could stop the race for a minute, because he wanted to pray. The race stopped. Gilbert went to his knees clutching his funny looking block of wood between his hands. With a wrinkled brow he had a talk with his Father. He prayed in earnest for a very long minute and a half. Then he stood, smile on his face and announced, 'Okay, I am ready."  As the crowd cheered, a boy named Tommy stood with his father as their car sped down the ramp. Gilbert stood with his Father within his heart and watched his block of wood wobble down the ramp with surprisingly great speed and rushed over the finish line a fraction of a second before Tommy's car. Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud "Thank You" as the crowd roared in approval.

            The Scout Master came up to Gilbert with microphone in hand and asked the obvious question, "So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?" To which he answered, "Oh, no sir. That wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else. I just asked Him to make it so I wouldn't cry when I lost." Children seem to have a wisdom far beyond us. Gilbert didn't ask God to win the race, he didn't ask God to fix the outcome. Gilbert asked God to give him strength in the outcome.  When Gilbert first saw the other cars he didn't cry out to God, "No fair, they had a father's help!"  No, he went to his Father for strength. Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to rig the race, to make us number one, or too much time asking God to remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God's strength to get through the struggle. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 

            Gilbert's simple prayer spoke volumes to those present that night. He never doubted that God would indeed answer his request. He didn't pray to win, thus hurt someone else, he prayed that God supply the grace to lose with dignity. Gilbert, by his stopping the race to speak to his Father also showed the crowd that he wasn't there without a "dad", but His Father was most definitely there with him. Yes, Gilbert walked away a winner that night, with his Father at his side. May we all learn to pray this way.

January 2023 "I Can Only Imagine"

   As we begin this New Year, I believe that God has Amazing things in store for us. “You always say that, Pastor... so what’s different about this year?” Well, nothing and Everything... here’s what I mean: How often are we self-fulfilling prophets? We speak gloom and despair and sure enough, it happens?

    What if, just for arguments sake, we decided, on purpose to speak, “Amazing”? It’s like the old proverb which says, “The one who shoots for the moon certainly hits higher than the one who shoots for the side of the barn”. If we never shoot for the moon... then we have absolutely no chance of ever hitting the moon.

    So, as I challenged you in November to take your Thanksgiving with you to Christmas, I challenge you to start aiming higher! (And yes, take your Thanksgiving with you as well!). Can you imagine what will happen when we ALL... ALL OF US TOGETHER... start aiming higher? That’s where we get into the “immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine” becomes possible. Right?

     This is our theme as we begin 2024 together, “I Can Only Imagine”. This will be our emphasis during our 7 Days of Prayer. He promises that “Immeasurably more” is available. Not just a “little” more or “more than enough” more... but “more than we can measure” more!

     I hear the “yeah but”... stay with me for a minute... what if, God REALLY means it? Immeasurably More. What can that, what will that look like? AND if that is truly possible, how will it change your life?

     Here’s the conclusion of what Paul prayed, “20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  Eph. 3.20-21

     How much can You imagine? How big do you dare to ask? According to Paul, , no matter how big or how ambitious it might be... God CAN do More!