A Pastor in The Northwest

This past weekend, many of the local churches in Dallas, Oregon joined together in a unified worship gathering at the local high school football stadium. It was a powerful honor to be able to lead the worship music for this ONE event with a musical team from different churches. As I looked at a crowd of well over a thousand souls, it reminded me that God moves in and through us Christ-followers when we gather. It was a moment of victory, of witness to the cross and a unified church joining hands, hearts, and voices. There were certainly more than two or three gathered together praying! It made me remember this from Matthew 18:19-20 (NET): "Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.” I can't wait for next year!  Photo by James Barr on Unsplash

At the end of Matthew 16, we see an emboldened Simon Peter answer correctly about Jesus' Messiah identity. The other disciples mention various prophets like Jeremiah. Jesus then plays off of his name Peter (Greek 'petros') and rock (Greek 'petra' meaning rock) and tells him and the other disciples that the rock of truth about His Messianic identity will build His church that no powers of the evil one can overpower. All good right? Hold on... Then, just a few sentences later, we have Jesus telling the disciples of His pending suffering and death at the hands of the Jewish leadership and Peter again speaks up and in a sense rebukes Jesus for this horrible statement. Jesus, who must have been looking at other disciples turns to Peter and calls him out for this rebuke and calls him a stumbling block and, like Satan, trying to be an obstacle to Jesus' identity & mission - sound familiar? So, Simon Peter goes from pretty much solid rock faith to become a stumbling

This phrase keeps going through my mind these days as we get midway into 2023. In leadership and in life, this is a helpful phrase to confront what we see and pivot if needed. In business, if a product or service isn't adding value, it might be time to drop it from the mix. In life, if a hangup, behavior or relationship isn't healthy, it might be time to drop it from one's life. You see how this works - with starting or improving its the same process. Of course, this is all easier said than done. That's where prayer, accountability and the support of people you love and trust comes in. Lord, grant us courage today to face the sometimes brutal reality of what is going on in our lives and in our work and empower us to start, stop or improve what honors You most! Photo by VARADI MEDIA on Unsplash

Reflecting on the narrative in Matthew 15 of a desperate mother, it is amazing how strong, bold, and courageous she is! May we be that persistent in our seeking help from Jesus. She exemplified asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7:7-8) and likely taught Jesus' 12 disciples a powerful lesson. When we do our part, God does His part and that PARTnership can do immeasurably more than any of us could ask or imagine - even, dare I say, the impossible! Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

There is a sign in our kitchen at home that says "Gather" right above our oven cabinets. Since we love to eat with friends and family often, it is a fitting reminder of some of the things that bring us life. Do you have a sign somewhere at home? Maybe your sign is a decal on your car or a poster on the wall. I'm sure if you have one, it has special significance to you. Signs can guide us and provide meaning and direction. Signs can warn us of danger and lead us home. In Matthew 16 (echoing chapter 12), Jesus is asked by the Jewish religious leaders for a sign. He declines to do so likely because He knew no sign would convince them He was the Messiah. He tells them to ponder the sign of Jonah and then walks away. Many of those religious leaders had already seen and or heard of His powerful miracles yet they still missed the reality that those signs revealed the Kingdom of God. I hope we don't miss any of the signs God may still send us in our lives of faith. May we be