Keswick Chapel Announces the Message for May 17, 2020
I am the Lead Pastor for the Keswick Chapel ministry of Charlottesville First Church of the Nazarene (CFCN) in Keswick, VA. This is the announcement for the third message in a series called “5 Characteristics of a Christian,” preached by Rev. Norman Shaw for our ministry in the month of May.
His message this week is “Humility.” Rev. Shaw considers this message the cornerstone of the series. You will not want to miss this message! All of his messages for the Keswick Chapel are available on the Facebook page for CFCN at: https://www.facebook.com/cvillenaz/ or on our YouTube channel by searching for Keswick Chapel. Select “Keswick Chapel a Ministry of CFCN”
We release these messages every Saturday morning at 9 am.
no turning back — I Sing Because I’m Free
I have always loved hymns, and in particular, learning the stories behind how they were written. The story behind I Have Decided to Follow Jesus is one that I found particularly moving… “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is a Christian hymn originating from India. The lyrics are based on the last words of a man […]
when things get in the way
“As they talked together, I thought about all the times our “dates” have gotten interrupted, or when the trees have gotten in the way, or when our plans have changed. Most times it would leave me being frustrated- because my focus was always on ME- wanting to make MYSELF happy.” ~Julie Harris
Source: when things get in the way
How often are we guilty of missing a blessing by God? We all get busy focused on our desires, goals, and plans. How very often we find ourselves in a situation not so different, it might not be a stroll with our husband or wife, it might be at work or the store or anyone of a number of moments. The same and yet different, different yes and yet the same in that we are interrupted for our intended course.
As Julie has pointed out, “…those things are really blessings in disguise – if only we know what to look for.”
We plan and yet God calls us to live in the moment. To look to Him for what we need now. Not only what we need, we are to see how He wants us to meet the needs of others. Blessings come in so many different ways, are we looking?
Blessings and Peace, ~Robert
walking with me
“I am so thankful for the many “trees” that have stood with me and supported me throughout the years. And I am grateful to be walking this journey of life-
with my husband
my family
and my family in Christ…
and you!” ~Julie Harris
stepping in time we walk in stride thankful you are by my side… with no one else I’d rather be- all is right when you’re walking with me I came home the other day to BOTH tv…
Source: walking with me
Who are the “trees” in your life and mine, the ones we need to reach out to and simply say thank you for being a part of my life? Great or small, each has gifted us with a portion of themselves and contributed to who we are and will become.
For those of us in Christ Jesus, God uses everything in our life to work His out the transformation in us into the likeness of Jesus! Paul told us to be “transformed by the renewal of your mind,…” Romans 12:2. As God uses His word to work this renewal, He also uses brothers and sisters in Christ in this process. In Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Blessing and Peace Always,
~Robert
I didn’t know what I was missing
“When I finally changed my focus and made walking about spending time with Him– the whole world around me began to look different.” ~Julie Harris
Source: I didn’t know what I was missing
The first gleam of dawn…
“So, stop being so hard on yourself…surrender those thoughts to HIM! It’s a new day to love the Lord and to recognize how much He loves YOU!” ~Julie Harris
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what t…
Source: The first gleam of dawn…
Heart Thoughts – Wineskins
Chris Tiegreen writes, “Do we take the time to ponder which of our own wineskins have attempted to accommodate Jesus and failed?….On what points are we rigid? Where do our expectations lie? Do we insist that Jesus bring about our own vision for the future? Do we try to constrain Him to our church structures? Do we rely on methodology in our ministry? (They)….may be good, but Jesus will not fit. He defies constraint. The Lion of Judah cannot be tamed.”
Jesus said in John 3:8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases.” We cannot control the wind. Why do we seek to control He who is the Source of the wind? Joubert’s quote is powerful. The less we seek to define Almighty God, the more we may know Him. And the desire of His heart, His greatest desire, is that we know Him. He is a mystery. He says so Himself. But He invites us to enter into His mystery, and behold Him to reveal Himself in its midst. To do that, we have to let go of all of our presumptions about Him. I had a very great friend who has since gone home to Him. One of the favorite things he used to say was that he had an “Oops theology.” As in, “Oops, I guess I was wrong.” Old wineskins can never live in such a theology. Only new ones can. He will never violate the truth and authority of His Word, but we must know that our limited minds cannot begin to understand how deep, high, and wide His truth really is.
I continue to grow older, and my natural skin is losing the soft, flexible feel it once had. Yet it is my fervent hope that the “skin” of my heart remain as tender and pliable as that of a child. How about you? In the spiritual realm, we’re all wineskins. Are we old ones…..or new?
Blessings,
Pastor O
Living for NOW
“live for Now… not yesterday, not tomorrow… NOW!” ~JH
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Matthew 6:34
Source: Living for NOW
the struggle is real
“Lots and lots of cotton-balled clouds that are shielding the sun from my eyes… so why it is that they don’t “get in the way” of my view? In fact, they give the light something to reflect off of, making it even more lovely. The clouds don’t detract from the light, they diffract it :)” ~ Julie Harris
Source: the struggle is real
Heart Thoughts – A Reputation
The “angel” the Spirit of Christ speaks to is the pastor of the body of believers found in Sardis. What pierces my heart here is the use of the word “reputation.” For most of us, our reputations mean everything. How we are viewed by those around us carries tremendous weight. What the Lord is saying to the fellowship at Sardis is that in the eyes of the culture around them and even in the sight of other believers, they have the reputation of being centers of His Life. It would also seem to be the opinion of those in that church as well. What should shake us to our very foundation is that it was not the view of Christ. He saw a tremendous amount of activity for Him, but He did not see a body of believers rooted and grounded in Him. Think on that for a moment.
What do we generally see as being a church filled with life? Top of the line worship with high quality skills in musicianship and voice. Skilled communicators in the pulpit. Many and varied ministries that care for children, youth, singles, as well as home and care groups geared towards those with special needs. A ministry pointed toward reaching out to the community and drawing them into the fellowship. An atmosphere where there is a sense of excitement, of something “happening.” I think that these are just a few of the things we’d define as a church with a reputation for life. I think that much if not all of these were found in the congregation at Sardis. All of them are good things. Very good. Yet none of them seemed to enter into Christ’s assessment of them as to their being a true Life giving fellowship. How could this be? What could be missing?
It’s human to desire that all that is listed above be found in a church. They should be. But I think what Jesus saw in the midst of it was that they were doing all of it with hearts that had drifted far from Him. The church was a well oiled machine, but machines are not alive. They move and are active, but they have no soul. Without realizing it, a living body can become the same. Sardis had crowds. Sardis had ministries. Sardis had a name. Sardis did not have life. His Life.
The question we have to ask ourselves, whether we are the “angel” of our fellowship, a leader in it, or a member of it, is, are we, in the midst of all we do, really producing Spirit filled followers of Jesus Christ? Are we overcoming the world both within and without by the power of His resurrected life? Is real transformation taking place in the lives of the people, and are those lives marked by maturity, victory, and wholeness? Are we trying to take flesh, and by our efforts, make it better flesh, or are fallen, lost lives being laid hold of by the power of His Life and made new? Completely new. Have we drifted from the “first things” into just doing church things? Have we become so enamored with our reputation among men that we no longer really know, or care what our reputation with Him really is? Can He even speak to us about it? It starts with the “angel” but the speaking goes on throughout the entire body. He’s speaking. Are we hearing?
Blessings,
Pastor O
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