Clearing Fallen Trees

If a pastor falls in the woods, does anyone see it?

What a beautiful sunny day it was on Thursday (3/26/20). We were clearing an old trail through the woods and came upon a fallen tree. It was about eighteen inches in diameter and had taken several other trees with it, most of them pretty small, but one was almost the same size. I am always amazed at how strong some trees are. In my own back yard there are five very large oak trees, I’ve named them Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. They all branch off from the main trunk rather close to the ground. Each of the four or five main branches then angles off, away from the centerline. The amount of weight carried in each of those branches is enormous, but they don’t break.

The tree I had to remove Thursday was smaller then any of the five main branches in any of the oaks in my back yard, but I can tell you it was a brute. Cutting it up was no problem but I was equally amazed by the smaller trees taken down by the big one. Some of them did break but others were simply folded over in an arch like a rainbow, again without breaking. God’s design of these things is remarkable.

Nathaniel had gone to get something so I was working alone, clearing some of the smaller pieces and brush. There was quite a mess of intertwined and overlapping branches and thorn bushes I was working through, tring to throw other pieces down over the hill when my foot got caught. You know that feeling of having a long time to think about your fall in the few seconds it takes to hit the ground? Well, I seemed to have a long conversation with myself as I plummeted to into the web of thorns and brush. First it was the disbelief that I was going down. Then came the planning stage as I tried to locate the best spot for my hands and knees to hit. Next was the conclusion that this was going to be painful. As the impact began with my knee, I determined it was so-far-so-good, but my hands were next and all I could see was thorns rushing toward my arms and face. Then came the thud of my body crashing against brush and dirt. Trying to be cool about it, it popped back up pretty quickly, looking around to see I anyone had witnessed my clumsiness. Then the final stage of the fall, the assessment of injuries and damage. To my amazement, no pain struck anywhere. There were no cuts, no blood, not even a scratch! I couldn’t believe it; still can’t for that matter especially given the damage I did to some small branches and brush which were smashed like a bulldozer came through. I stood in utter disbelief.

So, what did I learn from all of this? I learned much.

First, I thought about that big tree as I cut it apart into smaller pieces. This once tall, healthy tree had rotted at the base and with the help of some heavy rain, soaked earth and a strong wind it fell.

Second, as I cut up some of the smaller trees, they had been growing, healthy trees but they were severely damaged or totally broken when the big tree fell.

Third, the collapse of all those trees created quite a mess that had be cleared away, requiring time care and effort that could have gone to some other project.

Forth, clearing the mess was itself hazardous due to the underling brush and thorns.

Fifth, as the one clearing that mess, I soon found myself lying on the ground, having fallen in the effort of cleaning the mess already made.

All of that is pretty straight forward, no earth shattering news there, but here is what I started to piece together as I sat on the tailgate of Nathaniel’s truck:

Sixth, when someone in the church or in your family fall, especially a leader, he falls when God’s way of escape is repeatedly not taken when temptation comes because he is not clinging to Christ. Then, sin takes its toll and rot or disease sets in; when the storms of life come it’s too much and he is broken. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read, “No temptation has overtake you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Seventh, his fall creates collateral damage, injuring or breaking others in any number of ways including spiritual, physical, financial, relational and emotional. Matthew 18:6 tells us, “Whoever causes one of these little ones (young or immature in the faith) to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Eighth, the mess that is created by the fall and collateral damage takes great time, care and effort to sort through and clear out. Great care must be taken because we’re not talking about trees being hacked up with a chainsaw anymore, we’re talking about people. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26 we find, “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Ninth, clearing that mess is a landmine of trouble with spiritual danger to those cleaning up who must be careful lest they also fall. Galatians 6:1-2 says, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Tenth, you and I must always be vigilant. No one heads into any situation planning to stumble or fall, but it happens. One minute we’re busy about our business and the next thing we know we’re face down in a thorn bush with our leg caught in a web of underbrush. We jump up, looking around to see if anyone caught it. in 1 Timothy 4:13 it is written, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

The lessons God had for me out in the woods on that beautiful day were very real. I was just out enjoying some sunshine and a little manual labor, but He had something else in mind. The big tree and the other trees blocking the path were a hazard that I needed to clear, in the process I found myself unexpectedly lying on the ground. While I came out unscathed physically, I was touched by His spiritual lessons. Guard yourself by clinging to Christ so you’re not the one falling and causing collateral damage, care for your bothers and sisters in Christ too, and take great care when clearing some spiritual mess lest you also fall.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

I Love a Rainy Night

I sat this afternoon, Friday, March 20^th, working on this blog and watching the rain pour down from the gloomy gray sky. The wind howled as a river began to flow down my street. I am a storm watcher; they fascinate me. Many times I have sat in wonder, particularly at night, mesmerized by the pounding rain, flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder. I really enjoy the thunder, long rolling thunder and knock-you-off-your-feet thunder. No thunder today, but what a show! That storm came and went quickly, they usually do. It will not be remembered as anything significant, if it is remembered at all. Right now it’s the other storm everyone is talking about, you know the one.

Over the past months, we’ve used our Friday and Sunday Bible studies to search the Scriptures and discuss theological questions including the existence, character and activities of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As always, any such endeavor must be firmly rooted in the text of the Bible and completely guided by the Spirit. God reveals much about Himself in His Word, though He is far greater than human words could ever express. His Word is truth and all that we think we know about God must be continually compared to what He reveals about Himself on the precious pages of the Bible.

During this time of uncertainty in the coronavirus storm, I believe it would be helpful for us to step back to those basic truths about God once more as we try to navigate below the dark, threatening clouds. What the Holy Spirit makes clear in the New Testament, is that the Body of Christ needs to gather together; right now we are very much limited in that. Fortunately, in this day and age we have options for staying in touch that were not available ten or twenty years ago. Now, modern technology is obviously no substitute for being together. Neither is reading or watching a pastor on TV or the internet a substitute when what we need is conversation and prayer with each other. We all know the verse in Matthew 18 that says, “where two or three are gathered together in His name, Jesus is there in the midst of them.” We also know that Jesus told His disciples in John 16:7, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you, but if I depart I will send Him to you.” God tells us throughout the New Testament to be together, one big reason for that is the unity of His presence within us, and among us. In those times of gathering, He particularly calms, strengthens and encourages us in the storms of life.

There are times in Scripture when God’s people were isolated from each other for various reasons. There were times that Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Daniel, John and Paul found themselves separated from people they cared about and in some cases they were totally abandoned by people. In those times, more than ever, they found their strength and comfort in the Sovereign God. Thus, there are times when we cannot gather to the same location; I’m talking about times when we don’t gather because we are not able to do so, not when we decided we had something else to do instead. In those times, like now, when we are hindered, I believe God gives special grace, like He did to Joseph, Moses, Paul and the others. Take for instance Paul, who was in prison just before his death, not when he was under house arrest at the end of Acts, but later, when in prison and the Spirit used him to write 2 Timothy. That was a storm in Paul’s life. Paul was isolated in a dark prison cell with very limited ability to talk to anyone, let alone a brother or sister in Christ. From that cell came the words of encouragement to Pastor Timothy who was himself being persecuted in other ways; consider 2 Timothy 1:7, “God had not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Powerful words from a dark, lonely, miserable prison.

As believers in Jesus Christ, God the Son, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit’s constant presence. It is the Spirit who unites us together in Christ and strengthens our spirit; He is the Comforter (Acts 9:31). It is the Holy Spirit who gives us “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23) and produces those things in us so we may minister those same things to others as we do our part within the Body of Christ.

Let us then be diligent in our love for the Lord and each other. Let us not fall prey to idleness and separation. There remains much we can do, even on lock-down. On another occasion of Paul being imprisoned, he and Silas sang praises and prayed while on lock-down (Acts 16). Today I encourage you to read Acts 16 and 2 Corinthians 6:1 – 7:1. Do the work God calls you to do, not only when the sun shines and things are easy, but also when temptation, isolation, grief, and discouragement pour down like heavy rain on a dark night. We can do this on our knees in prayer as Paul did. We can encourage one another as the Spirit did through Paul in sending letters to each other. We can use the telephone and internet video calls to stay in touch. We can “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

The good thing about dark, rainy nights is that in the midst of it, your faith is tested and you must grapple with the question in your mind, is God with me in this? He is. As a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and you remain part of the Body of Christ (the Church). Cling to Him and continue to do your part in the Body as He leads you. Then you will learn to love a rainy night.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Fear in 2020

The decision to suspend meeting times for our Prayer Gatherings and Bible Studies has been difficult but one necessitated by the world-wide coronavirus crisis with growing concerns right here in Beaver County. These are unprecedented times for so many of us. There have been international and national health crisis in our lifetimes, but this one has grabbed everyone’s attention more than any others I can remember. We know our government leaders and medical experts tell us we must isolate as much as possible, and as good citizens who care about one another we should honor those instructions. On the other hand, we know that isolation, combined with stressful situations is a breeding ground for discouragement, depression and greater susceptibility to temptation.

Here is a breakdown of what blogs will be used and which lessons you can find on them:

firstbaptistchurchnb – Sunday messages and church announcements

crnewbrighton – Celebrate Recovery lessons

Goddoestherightthing – Wednesday and REAL discussions

Links to these blogs are located on the right-side panel of each blog.

For tonight, we continue our study of overcoming fear. When we started this some weeks ago, there was no indication the situation would unfold as it has. How then, do we handle the fear of coronavirus including the health and financial issues pressing upon us?

Following the advice and instructions of government and medical personnel is a necessary starting point, but that may not eliminate or even reduce your fear. The only real way to deal with these very real fears is to cast your cares upon the Lord, for He loves you (1 Peter 5:7).

The issues surrounding our current situation are complex, but I suggest that the answer to our fear is a simple one…faith. The answer to fear is knowing who God is and trusting that He always does what is right. We know Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). Is our trust in Him and His Word dependent upon how difficult our situation is, or do we believe it is true always? Consider Job, Jeremiah or Daniel who suffered great affliction and experienced devastating circumstances engulfing them, yet they trusted God, trusted His sovereignty.

I suggest that starting tonight and throughout the coming days or weeks, we become serious students of 1 Peter. Sit down with your Bible, pray before you begin for the Spirit to guide you, and then pour over the truth of this short New Testament Book. Take notes, write things down; you can even post some comments.

I look forward to on-going discussion with you about 1 Peter in the coming days.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark