Hiatus

We'll be taking a break from regular blogging for the next few months to focus on encouraging each other in our small groups.
If you're not in a small group already, it's never too late!

(Stop by the ministry table on Sunday morning for a list of the groups going on now...there's one almost every day of the week.)

In the meantime, if you stop by here, feel free to leave a comment and share what God has been teaching you lately.

You never know who might be encouraged by your testimony!

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Desiring Less"

Good morning WVBC,

I do hope your week is going well.

With only nine days until we get to celebrate our Lord's birthday, I thought I would remind you not to get sucked in at the last minute "buy" the way the world celebrates.

G.K. Chesterson once said, "There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less." How true this is!

The Bible reminds us of this very fact...

John the Baptist said it like this:

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
(John 3:30)

David said it like this:

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
(Psalm 27:4)

And Paul, like this:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."
(1 Timothy 6:6-7)

So with Christmas almost here, where's your heart focused--on accumulating more or on desiring less?

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Keeping the Savior in Focus"

Good morning Church,

Listen to what God's messenger said to the shepherds two thousand years ago...

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people...a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2: 10-11 (NIV)

Whose birthday we will all be celebrating in 16 days? Sometimes during this time of year, we tend to lose focus. With all the shopping for gifts we can easily forget the greatest gift, given to us 2,000 years ago.

How can we stay focused on the reason for the season? Try these 3 simple steps in the next 16 days:

1. Each morning, make time to read your Christmas Daily Bread devotional.
2. Each evening, discuss and pray with your family about what each of you learned from the devotional.
3. During your family prayer time, pray for the families from whom you received Christmas cards that day.

In the next 16 days, I want to focus on the Savior who was born so long ago. He was and is "Christ the Lord."

Let's stay focused & joyful!! Amen!

Pastor Bob

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "CHRISTmas"

Good morning WVBC,

I hope your week is going well.

I had a chance to talk this week to a little girl, and I asked her if she knows why we celebrate Christmas. Her response was "no." How sad...to be four years old and think Christmas is just a reason to get presents. To not even know who Christ is!

How many of us don't see Christ in Christmas? Have we gotten that far from the truth?

We put up all of our pretty lights, but have we forgotten the real "LIGHT OF THE WORLD"?

We give gifts to nearly everyone we know, but have we missed the biggest gift of all?

I hope not!

There's only one way to keep Christ in Christmas, and that is to be like the angels who appeared to some shepherds that night long ago:

"...praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Hope to see you Saturday, reminding people why we celebrate Christmas.

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Giving Thanks"

Good morning Church,

"This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Tomorrow we will celebrate Thanksgiving, and if you're like me, today could be a very stressful day. How we live today will probably affect how we will enjoy tomorrow. Will tomorrow be a day filled with giving thanks or a day filled with stress?

Are you ready for a challenge?

Try out these three steps and let me know how they work for your family.

Step 1: Begin today by reading and meditating on Psalm 118: 1-29

Step 2: Throughout the day, have each family member make a check list of blessings and trials you are thankful for. (James 1:2-3)

Step 3: End the day by having a family prayer time encouraging each family member to be ready to share their thanks on Thanksgiving Day.

I'm ready for the challenge. How about it? I'll share with you how it worked in my family, and I hope to hear from you too! Remember, "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

"In everything give thanks,"
Pastor Bob

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Seeing His Glory"

Good morning once again, WVBC. I hopy your week is being blessed.

In my devotions this week, I was reminded NOT just of who God is, but also what my heart longs for. Let me explain...

In 2 Chronicles 5, Solomon is finally done with the temple, so he sets up a day to dedicate to the Lord.

"The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. All the Levites who were musicians--Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives--stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:

'He is good; His love endures forever.'

Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God."

Simple Church, my prayer this week is that on Sunday morning, we too would see His glory and like the priests of that day be unable to move. But this only comes when we come together in unison, with one voice testifying to who He is in our lives. I look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do on Sunday!

Pastor Bob's Devotional: "Sing for Joy or Sing the Blues?"

Good morning church,

It just occurred to me that we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving in 3 weeks, and in 7 weeks we'll be celebrating Christmas. The holidays are quickly approaching. Are you ready to sing for joy or sing the blues?

Every year we strive to keep those two wonderful holidays holy, but the world and our guilty consciences influence us to over eat and over spend. I suggest that this year we give thanks and give gifts that reflect the joy of our Lord.

Jesus said,

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

John 15: 10-11

Over eating and over spending are easily remedied when we "abide in His love." When we are controlled by His spirit, we will be more like Jesus whose joy was not dependent upon temporal things like food and gifts, but upon eternal things like keeping His Father's commandments.

We'll be singing for joy if we follow the model of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for me and I will pray for you as we sing in the new year with His joy!

For a little extra inspiration about rediscovering what Christmas is really about, check out this video.

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: Friendship

Good morning WVBC,

I hope your week is going well and your heart is being encouraged in the Lord.

Today I was blessed in reading 1 Chronicles 27. It wasn’t so much the chapter itself that stood out, because it was just an account of who was helping David rule. There was Jonathan Son of Uzziah, who was over the storehouses, and Ezri, who was over the agriculture. The list goes on from there, but then in verse 33, there is something the writer saw as important in David’s life.

In verse 33 the name Hushai comes up. Now Hushai was not over some great army, or in charge of David’s vineyards, or even in charge of the temple. He is simply known as a friend to the King.

So often we can find ourselves trying to pursue this or be in charge of that. We become focused on the “position” we have or want to have. But we can forget the most important job we can have is just being a friend.

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Proverb 18:24 says “ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”.

My question today is, who has been that friend to you? Take a few minutes and call them today to let them know how blessed you are to have them in your life.

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "The Test"

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

James 1: 2-3

Good morning Family!

Thanks for praying for us while we were away last week at our annual "Elder's Advance." We were clearly blessed as we prayed for you and as we heard our Lord ask us, "Do you wish to get well?"

This question comes from John 5:6, where Jesus asked it of a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years. I'm sure you know the rest of the story...Jesus healed him and told him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." He passed the test!

As we applied the question "Do you want to be healed?" to WVBC, we received guidance and direction for the new year ahead of us. In the coming months, you'll be hearing about these changes that need to happen if we as a church are to grow in faith. In the meantime, we need to be ready because with faith there always comes a time of testing.

In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham with his son Isaac. And in John 6, Jesus tested Philip when a huge, hungry crowd arrived and Jesus asked him, "Where are we to buy bread so that we may eat?" Philip's response was typical: "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

As you know, Jesus used two fish and five loaves of bread to feed the crowd of more than 5,000 people. What might happen to us, His church, if we are able to pass the test of faith during these tough times we are experiencing? What miracle might we see? These are exciting times because our Lord is still willing to test our faith so that we will grow stronger and gain endurance.

How can we be ready for these times of testing? Look again at John 6...when Philip was tested, he had a "care group" to support him. Andrew didn't necessarily have the answers, but he did find a boy with a few fish and some loaves of bread, and he brought them to Jesus. That's what care groups do. Those twelve disciples learned to grow in faith together as their Master cared for them through their various tests and trials. What an example Jesus has given us!

I hope that you also have a care group like Philip had. If you need a group to be a part of, please let me know.

In His Mighty Grip,
Pastor Bob

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Pray for Us"

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

Hebrews 13: 17-18

Good morning WVBC!

At first glance, this might seem like a weird way to start a devotion, but let me explain.

This weekend the elders will be spending a few days away for what we call "Elders Advance." During this time away, the elders ask the Lord for His instructions on how we are to advance His church. It is something I personally look forward to every year, for it is a great time dedicated to fasting, praying, and seeking the Lord on your behalf.

Knowing that some day we "must give an account" for how we are leading WVBC is haunting at times, and this is why we need your support in prayer. We want so much for this body to be open and ready for whatever the Lord would bring our way, so like the writer of Hebrews, I ask you to "pray for us."

Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom with finances, understanding in how we are to grow West Valley Bible Church, and direction for the future.

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "The Power of Prayer"

"'Why are you sleeping?' he asked them. 'Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.'"

Luke 22:46

These words were spoken by Jesus minutes before He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. The inner crowd of disciples (Peter, James & John) had been asked by Jesus to support Him in prayer as He found a quiet place in the garden to be with His Father one-on-one. Three times our Lord came to check in with the three disciples, and three times He found them sleeping (Mark 14:41).

I don't know about you, but I can relate with these three disciples. We all say "Amen" when we hear about the "power of prayer," but oftentimes we fail to pray and then wonder why we fall into temptation.

Do you think there's a correlation between prayer and victory over temptation?

Yesterday morning I asked the Lord to give me a "divine appointment" with someone. During the afternoon, I forgot all about my prayer request and was tempted to be self-absorbed as I walked through Costco. But I was awakened from my complacency when a young man with one arm and one leg and a nurse by his side stopped me and asked, "Are you rich?"

As a result of prayer in the morning, I was able to share with these two strangers that I was very rich because I am a child of God and my Lord Jesus is building me a mansion in heaven. (John 14:2).

Now do you think I would've been ready for that question if I hadn't prayed that morning for a divine appointment? No! I would have fallen just like Peter, James and John did when they were with Jesus in the garden.

Oh, the power of prayer! Let's just do it!!

Let me know how I can pray for you.

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Believing is Seeing"

Good morning once again!

Today I had the privilege of reading John 9 with my girls. You might recall the scene....

Jesus came across a blind beggar and proceeded to spit on the ground, make some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.

You should've seen my girls' faces when they heard this! (I have a feeling they might be practicing this one on Dayenu one day this week).

Verse 7 of the passage tells us what Jesus did next:

"'Go,' he told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam' (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing."

What was it that healed this man?

Was it the spit? The mud? Washing in the nasty pool?

Or was it just his faith, shown by his obedience to do what Jesus asked of Him?

For this man, seeing wasn't believing. It was the other way around...by believing, he was given sight.

Verse 3 of this passage tells us that Jesus said the reason the man was blind in the first place was "so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." When Jesus healed Him, he opened the man's eyes physically and spiritually--he got to see the work of God in his life.

How many of us miss a chance to see the power of God in our lives because we don't follow His directions? I know that oftentimes I'd be able to see a lot more clearly if I would just obey the first time.

Here's a little vision test for you; feel free to share your results in the comments:

How's your eyesight?

A. 20/20 (I obey the first time and get to see God working in my life.)

B. Near-sighted (I only obey when I'm forced and I don't get to see the what God has for me until it's right in front of me.)

C. A Few Blind Spots (I obey when it works for me and I'm missing out on seeing some good things.)

D. Legally Blind (I rarely or never obey and I'm not seeing God's power working in my life at all.)

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Miracles"

Good morning Church!

How are "the called out ones" doing?

After spending some time in Luke 8 this morning, I came away with the reminder that we serve a great and mighty God! Check it out:

Jesus calms the storm for His fearful disciples.

Jesus casts demons out of the man from Gerasenes.

Jesus heals the hemorrhaging woman.

Jesus raises Jairus' daughter from the dead.

Jesus did all this in one day! Oh what a mighty God we serve!

These miracles occurred a long time ago, but I was again reminded that God's Word says in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Which leads me to ask:

What storms are you facing today?

What demons are bugging you today?

What kind of healing do you need today?

What family members of yours need the truth of Jesus today?

Take a few minutes now and thank God that He has not changed and that He is able to do miracles just like He did in Luke 8. Then ask Him to perform a miracle according to His will for your life today.

Let me know how you are doing and how I can pray for you.

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: Lessons from Kids

Good morning WVBC! I hope your week is going well.

The last few weeks, we've been talking about the question "What is the church?"

Today my daughter showed me a great answer to that question.

It started as I was about to leave for the office, and Jubilee came and sat on my lap. She noticed that I have a fever blister, and she asked me if she could pray for my "owie." I told her she could, and she prayed the sweetest little prayer.

Her prayer made me think, why don't I ask people more often how I can pray for them? Am I in such a hurry that I don't even notice other peoples "owies"?

Matthew 18: 2-4 says,

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"

The great thing about kids is that they see everything, and they're not afraid to ask about it. Jubilee, in her innocent way, showed me that she cared about my owie and she knew that Jesus cares too.

As the church, we should be doing the same thing for each other.

So today I'm asking you, what is your owie?

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "The Blessing"

Have you received "The Blessing"?

When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Mark records that a voice came out of the heavens:

"You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."

Mark 1:11

God the Father let God the Son know that He had His blessing.

Last Sunday we did not hear a voice from heaven, but we did witness 7 believers being baptized in "God's pool."

Oceanside is a lot different from the Jordan River, but you can bet that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit up above were smiling and saying to each other, "We love those 7 children, and we are well-pleased with them."

If you have received & proclaimed Christ as your Savior, you are one of God's children, and He has given The Blessing to you too. The Heavenly Father loves you and is well-pleased with you!

Have you shared "The Blessing"?

Just as God the Father spoke His approval for His Son from heaven, fathers & mothers need to verbalize their approval to their kids.

They need to hear from us that we love them and we are well-pleased with them.

My challenge to you is to follow the example of how our Heavenly Father blessed His Son...pass "The Blessing" on to your kids.

Let me know how enjoying "The Blessing" changes your week and how sharing it with your children changes theirs.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

2 Corinthians 5:21

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: Step Back

Good morning WVBC,

As many of you know, I just came back from a sweet time with my kids on our Dads Backpacking Trip. And once again, it was a special time just hanging out with my girls. (Yes, I did take Jub's this year--it's amazing what those little green eyes can make me say yes to!)

The passage we looked at during our "church in the woods" was Joshua chapter 3. (Read it here if you get a chance; it's only 15 verses or so).

This passage is filled with so many great truths--God is the God of the living, and He wants us to show us amazing things, to name a few. But one of the things that really spoke to me was how God wanted the people to get back and watch.

"When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

Joshua 3:3-4

It wasn't that God didn't want His people close. It's that He wanted them to see who He was. To see His power. To be reminded of His grace.

So often my life is filled with places I have never been and situations I never saw coming, and more often than not, I find myself running amiss. I forget to stop and listen to what He has to say or to be still long enough to watch Him move.

If that's you this week, STOP and take a STEP BACK. See what the Lord is really doing. Listen to the word He wants to give you to direct or comfort you.

If you do, you just mind find that you'll be able to see Him a little more clearly.

Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

Mark 1:17

I don't know about you, but I was raised as a kid to be a leader and not a follower. It was drilled into my head that followers are "losers" and leaders are "winners." So to be the teacher's "pet" and line leader in school, you had to sit up straight, not talk in class, and always be the first to raise your hand. Needless to say, that wasn't me.

In the sixties, during my teen years, I learned to be a non-conformist. Long hair. Long beard. Raggedy clothes. Being a leader in the hippie generation meant doing your own thing.

Then in 1969, Jesus chose me to follow Him.

Forty years later, I'm still learning what it means to follow Jesus. After walking with Jesus for all this years, the truth rings out loud and clear that following Jesus requires that I allow Him to make me a "fisher of men" and not of trout!

His promise to make us become His witnesses calls for total surrender to be His hands, His feet, and His mouth to those people in our lives that need Jesus.

Will you make a commitment to follow Him today?

Expect a divine appointment with someone who needs you to lead them to the One who is the way, and the truth and the life.

P.S. Let me know how God used you today with your divine appointment. I'll be praying for you...

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Encourage One Another"

"But let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Hebrews 10:25

Everyone needs a little encouragement, and I hope this blog has been an encouragement to you the last few months.

Today, you have a chance to encourage each other!

Post a comment in the comments section and share what God is doing in your life. You never know who might need to hear the encouragement He's been giving you.

"Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me."

Psalm 66:16

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Be Still"

"Be still and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10

Last week, I used a week of vacation time, and wouldn't you know that I spent most of the week being sick!

This vacation was going to be a "working vacation," which means a busy vacation, and I had a mile-long list of "to do's" around the house. Could it be that busyness was the cause of my sickness?

This morning I was reading in Matthew 20 about Jesus, who after 3 years of demanding ministry, was on His way to Calvary. As Jesus was leaving the city of Jericho with a large crowd following Him, two blind men on the side of the road heard that Jesus was passing by. They cried out, "Lord have mercy on us, Son of David!"

The crowd told the men to be quiet, thinking that Jesus was way too busy to stop and care for two blind beggars.

Do we ever feel our Lord is too busy to help us? Or are we too busy to take the time to be still and know that He is God?

You know what Jesus did.

He stopped and asked the two beggars, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Today, Jesus is asking that same question to you. Will you be still long enough to let our Lord Jesus tend to your needs?

You may not be blind, but you need His touch to cure your busyness!

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Godly Jealousy"

The the word of the Lord of hosts came,saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'"

Zechariah 8:1-2

After more than twenty-six years of marriage, I still get jealous if any other man shows any kind of interest in my wife. You see, I am a jealous husband because I love my wife!

Some might say, "That's not right...1Corinthians 13:4 says, 'Love is not jealous.' Is God contradicting Himself?"

Webster defines jealousy as "intolerance of rivalry or unfaithfulness." When God says He is exceedingly jealous for Zion, He is stating that He is intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness. He will not allow anyone or anything to get in the way of His relationship with His people.

In the same way, husbands, we must be intolerant of any form of rivalry when it comes to our relationships with our wives. And wives, you must be intolerant of any form of unfaithfulness when it comes to your relationship with your husbands.

Zechariah's words remind us that God is an exceedingly jealous God when it comes to His love for His people.

Oh that we would follow His example and love each other with a healthy, jealous love!