The Pastor's Corner - 08.11.2019

Luke 1:80 “...and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.”

John the Baptist came to his parents when they were not expecting him because of their great age. His birth caused no small stir. Luke 1:66 expresses this. “...what manner of child shall this be?” But after his birth, he falls into obscurity. All we read is “...he was in the deserts till the day of his showing...” In the deserts was a very vague and very dry existence. Many believe he spent his youth in the company of the Essenes in their enclave on the Dead Sea. This is where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in the late 1950’s. It was a strict sect which felt it was their duty to copy and preserve the sacred writings of scripture. In those days, one could lose himself in the deserts of Israel. It seems to us odd that one so important as the forerunner of Christ should be lost in the deserts.

At times, we too feel that we are lost in the deserts of life—dry and mundane. John would emerge from the desert with a following seeking baptism. We also may find a ministry in our desert of life. Others are there also.

- Rollin Mitchell

The Pastor's Corner - 08.04.2019

Psalm 46:10a “Be still and know that I am God...”

Be still. How hard that becomes in the roar of daily life. From the moment we awaken, the rush of things to do, job requirements, heavy traffic, the home, the children, the lawn, care of parents, on and on goes the list of the pressing daily cares of life in general. How hard it is to find a good time each day to “be still.“

When we are still, then we “know” that God is there. He makes Himself known in nature if we are still. He makes Himself known in our hearts when He is not crowded out by our fast-paced life. The time we spend in His presence is so vital and valuable, and when lost, cannot be made up later. That moment we could have felt His nearness is gone; however, another is coming.

We need to be still every day, and make time to interact with the God of the universe. God can be with us “on the go,” but the best time is when we are still.

- Rollin Mitchell

The Pastor's Corner - 07.28.2019

Psalm 119:2 “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”

This verse, and many others like it declare a big reason why so many seem to be stagnant and dwarfed in their Christian experience. Anything that we do half heartedly will not be special at all. You can tell yourself when your heart isn’t in something; your mind and thoughts are elsewhere, the quality of your work drops drastically, when perhaps just hours before you were doing beautiful work. God knows when he is getting your leftover time, energies, and love. What we love most draws us.

Let us strive to maintain a wholehearted life for God.

- Rollin Mitchell

The Pastor's Corner - 07.21.2019

Proverbs 18:24a “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly...”

A child at kid’s camp was found crying. “Nobody wants to play with me; everybody hates me.” It was a heartbreaking moment for me when I heard it. To be without a friend must be a horrible existence. Imagine yourself without your circle of friends; and you begin to imagine the loneliness that is attached to that. If you have one good friend, you are blessed. If you have two, then you are double blessed. If you have more than two, you have something many people will never have.

Friendship is very important. The songwriter said it best- “A friend of Jesus, O what bliss; that one so vile as I could ever have a friend like this, to lead me to the sky.”

- Rollin Mitchell

The Pastor's Corner - 07.14.2019

Psalm 70:1 “Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me , O Lord.”

In this verse, the Psalmist is desirous of the immediate help of God. I think all of us have been at a place where we feel that we need God to come to our rescue quickly. When in distress, we need Him so much. Many distressing things arise that put us in the place of the Psalmist; and we cry out for God to please hurry to help. The good news is: He will!

Many times I have cried out to Him. Even when my problem is of my own making, His great heart responds to my call. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

- Rollin Mitchell

The Pastor's Corner - 07.07.2019

Isaiah 56:12b “...when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.”

These are the words of the Lord to the rebellious Jews. The charge is simple, yet very serious—ignoring God’s call, doing evil in the sight of God, and choosing the things God doesn’t love. These three charges will send Israel into bondage for a generation.

In our day, many are making the same choices on a different level, but the result is the same. Wrong choices will set the pattern for a generation of hurt and disappointment. We must determine to “choose the holy joys that always last, and reject sins pleasures that will soon be past.”

- Rollin Mitchell

The Pastor's Corner - 06.30.2019

Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

AAs we approach our Nation’s birthday on July 4, this scripture stands to remind us that America has many righteous people that have kept the Nation from great destruction because of their prayers. We firmly believe that the last election was decided by prayer. The radical left has no idea how powerful the prayers of the saints actually are. While the left claims collusion with Russia cost them the presidency, we know that collusion with heaven did.

We also believe sin is a reproach to any people. We must live careful lives so that we do not add ourselves to the reproach list by careless living and sin.

America has a great history with trusting God. We must pray that it continues.

- Rollin Mitchell