4000 emails...seriously?

I subscribe to a lot of different blogs, websites, and of course Facebook.  Therefore, I accumulate alot of emails which consists of special offers or general announcements.  But there are alot of people that I go back and forth on my email account.  Needless to say, I have accumulated over 4000 emails.  That is too many for the average person to have.  Do I really need emails from 2 years ago?What I realized today, is that I have alot of junk in my email.  Unnecessary emails that I have held on to without removing them and therefore keeping a cluttered email box.

Isn't that how life is?  We keep our hurts, pains, disappointment inside of us.  We hold on to hate, unforgiveness, and worries?  We keep them bottled up inside of us.  There is no legitimate reason to do so!   What good is it for you to be angry at someone from your high school days?  What good is it to not love a person you know you should love?  All these can be summed up in one word...SELFISH!

So today, begin with a new attitude.  Get rid of the selfish part and get going with Jesus.  Let go of those things that have bogged you down for weeks, months or maybe even years.  Let go of guilt, anger, and disappointment today.   Let go of those things that are keeping you away from a relationship with Jesus. I like the way The Message speaks about Matthew 11:28:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life.

 We are told to come to Jesus.  Give him your emails in your life and he will give you a recovered life!

Until next time!

Pastor Waldo

The Church that hurts

It is amazing when churches lose perspective. When I say "church", I really mean the people. After all, church would not exist without people. It has been said that, "Church would be perfect if it did not have people in it."

God has created a community of believers to exist in a local setting to carryout his mission, purpose and plan. But one of the first things we need to be reminded of is "love". Not just any kind of love, but the love that comes from someone who is far greater than anyone on this earth. A love that extends beyond human reasoning, beyond any love we can see today demonstrated. Even when people don't deserve it, God's love extends to them as the sun's rays extend to our faces.

The church that hurts is the one that has lost it's love. John talks about the church of Ephesus. In it he writes (from the words of Jesus) from Rev. 2:3-4:

and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.

This sounds like a great church. A church that has undergone great trials and works so hard in the name of Christ. It is not tired, but strong. It sounds like a church you and I should be a part of. It sounds like a church that would welcome visitors, people who do not know Christ, but are searching for him. But watch this next verse. Verse 4.

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Vers 5 tells us what we (the church aka people) should do:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.

This morning, I repent. I have lost my first love. I have lost HIS LOVE. I must labor now, I must lead now, I must go now. Church...will you join me?