If you will allow me, I would like to address three concerns that I have

as the appointed shepherd of this church family. The first has to do with marriages. I don’t have to tell you that Satan is having a “hay day” in marriages and families today. It is disheartening to see the number of marriages that are breaking up, and the resulting collateral damage that takes place. It seems that whenever we address this

critical issue, as we did just before the holidays, Satan unleashes his fury upon families and marriages and homes, and there is a resulting flurry of relationships that break up and separate. Knowing that, there are two ways we can approach this subject. We can avoid it, hoping against hope that Satan will keep his grubby hands off marriages and families (which he never does!), or we can continue to address this issue by proclaiming what God has said about marriage, and His declaration of help that He desires to give to every home and marriage.

We have chosen the latter approach. We are determined to keep “speaking the truth in love” concerning the biblical view of marriage and divorce. When the divorce rate among evangelical Christians is as high, or higher than the “Average Joe” in the world who professes no faith, something is desperately wrong. We continually declare that Jesus is the answer, that He can help us address

whatever problems and challenges we face. And yet, when it comes to our marriages, we somehow think that issue is the one exception to what we have declared about Christ. For whatever reason, we think that our marriage is beyond hope, that God cannot heal whatever is wrong, that change can never happen. But if we are honest, we have to admit that there is some flawed reasoning in that mindset. Either Jesus is not who we have declared Him to be, or we are intent on doing whatever it is that we want to do, regardless of the consequences.

Please understand that I am not minimizing

the challenges that marriage brings, or somehow denying that real problems are present in some marriages. I have lived long enough to know that is true. What frustrates me, as a pastor, is that we so often refuse to even seek out help for our hurting relationship. Frankly, I don’t understand that reasoning. When all of us know that hurt and pain and rejection and dysfunction all happen as a result of divorce, why do we still pursue that painful road, rather than seeking help, and applying ourselves to our present relationship, and working at it until the healing comes?

The tendency is to think that your situation is different, that divorce really is the only answer. I will say flat out that this is not true, and virtually every reputable study out there confirms this. Divorce is hardly ever a good answer (physical abuse and severe mental illness perhaps being two exceptions). There are better answers, and as a

Senior Pastor’s Column

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concerned pastor, I am pleading with all of us to take good care of our marriages, and if you are encountering difficulties, please, please seek out some help. See a good Christian counselor, talk to a pastor, do whatever you need to do to preserve your marriage and your home. It will be well worth whatever effort you put into it.

Let me move on to another concern and that has to do with our present financial status, both as individual family units and as a church family. I know that we have about 20 people that are looking for jobs at the moment, and that obviously should concern all of us. We need to be praying diligently and consistently for these individuals to find a job that will meet their needs. We also need to be praying fervently for the businesses of our area to prosper, so that jobs can be created. The good news is that we have several hundred in our church family who do have jobs, and are bringing home a regular paycheck. And when we pray, we need to thank God often for all of us who do have work.

This past year we felt, as a church family, and really for the first time, the economic impact of our area. Our income for 2009 fell about $68,000 below our projections. Obviously that necessitated considerable budget alterations and belt-tightening. The interesting part of this is that our shortfall occurred from June on through the end of the year. Up through May we were right on target with our budget. I haven’t really been able to put my finger on what caused the change, since our attendance figures stayed consistent and job losses were not a significant factor these past 7 months.

I’m not going to take a lot of time trying to analyze all this. Rather, I want to ask you, as a church family, to pray with me about our finances, just as you pray about your own personal finances. God is our provider, and we will continue to look to Him. In addition to that, can I encourage all of you who have a job to be faithful in your giving. One of the ways we

express our thanks to God for His faithful provision in our lives is to give faithfully back to Him the first part of what we earn, the best part, the tithe. If all of us are faithful in the tithe, there will be more than enough to meet all the needs of CLF, and the ministry of this great church family will go on without a hitch.

We will have an annual report for 2009 available to all of you the weekend of February 20,21. You will see that God is not limited by the economic surroundings. He does great things because of His amazing grace. We are anxious for you to see what has been accomplished through your efforts and God’s blessing. Let me add one more short thought. Whether we talk about marriage, or money, or whatever other topic is hot on our mind, we must always bathe these subjects in prayer. Prayer is one of the greatest opportunities that God has given to us as mortal human beings. Imagine being able to communicate with the God of the universe! That is the privilege given to us through the avenue of prayer.

I so much want for us to be a church family that prays. I want us to understand the power of prayer, and the miracles that God can do when we pray. Can I ask everyone of you to join with me in this great opportunity of prayer? If you are part of a small group, take time to pray together. In your quiet times alone, take time to pray. Join with us whenever you can for regularly scheduled times of prayer. Let’s believe God together for a powerful outpouring of His Spirit in this community. There are thousands of men and women in our community who desperately need God in their lives, and prayer will help open doors to minister to these precious people.

I must close. But let me say one more time how much I appreciate this wonderful church family. The words of this article are not words of reprimand, but rather words of love from a shepherd who loves you and cares about you and wants God’s very best for your lives.

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  REMEMBER GRANDMA'S APRON?        Few people remember what an apron is. 

     The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. 

     It was wonderful for drying children's tears and noses. 

     When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. 

     From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and some times half‐hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. 

     When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. 

     And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. 

     Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. 

     Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. 

     From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. 

     In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. 

     When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto 

the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time  to come in from the fields to dinner. 

     It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old‐ time  apron' that served so many purposes. 

          Some would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. 

    But does anybody remember ever catching anything from an apron?  

The 7UPS! 1. WAKE UP!- Decide today to have a good day.

“This is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24

2. DRESS UP!-The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1Samuel 16:7

3. SHUT UP!-Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. “He who guards his lips guards his soul.” Proverbs 13:3

4. STAND UP!...for what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. “Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good…” Galatians 6:9-10

5. LOOK UP!...to the Lord. “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

6. REACH UP!...for something higher. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6

7. LIFT UP!...your prayers “Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING.” Philippians 4:6

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Exciting Opportunity! We’re pleased to announce that several women’s ministries in our area will join together to sponsor the Beth Moore simulcast for our area on Saturday, April 24th, and we are going to fill our church sanctuary to over‐flowing with women from all over town! 

If you are interested in being part of the huge team needed to “Make it happen” – promotion, registra‐tion, greeting, serving at lunch time, or praying – 

please join us 

Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:30PM Right here at CLF 

We will be watching a video of Beth, who is gathering together everyone around the world who will help on the day of the simulcast for an important message straight from her heart. If you have never heard Beth speak and are curious, or if you are a fan and love her teaching, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear her share her heart! And if you have a friend from another church you’d like to invite for the eve‐ning, please do! Simulcast starts promptly at 6:30, so plan to come a few minutes early. 

Join us in making a difference in the lives of women in our community. Teamwork 

makes the dream work!  

Questions? See Bonnie Lemke, or Diane O’Connor, or call Pam at 887 3565. 

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Couples Getaway ............ Feb 12-14

Girls’ Night Out............ February 19

Kidz Blazt................ February 26-28

Pinewood Derby ................March 6

Winter Blitz.................March 12-14

Royal Ranger District Leaders

Conference .................March 19-20

Community Care Day .......March 20

Beth Moore Simulcast ......... April 24

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