Pastor Chris

April 29, 2020

A cherished mentor of mine impressed this saying on me during my formative college years.

“Life change happens in the context of intentionally loving relationships.”

This short saying became a motto for my life and ministry and I’m so thankful it has. It is evident God has wired us for relationships and for community, which is also the means for our transformation and development.

How do we grow? The easy answer is through the influence of others. It’s hard to recall 5 specific sermons, class lectures or videos that most impacted our life. But it’s easier to recall 5 specific people who made a positive impact on you.

How did they shape you? And why did you allow them that opportunity over the hundreds or thousands of other possible people buying for your time? I’m convinced we don’t care about how much someone knows until we know how much they care. It is their “intention” that harnesses our “interest.” The most interesting people in the world, in my opinion, are the ones who are most interested in you. I would rather spend time with someone that cared about me than with someone who was incredibly interesting but only cared about themselves. Imagine a teenage guy meeting their favorite basketball star after a big game and the basketball star asked questions about the young player’s basketball training, shooting and dribbling skills. That would mean more to the teenage guy than if the basketball star gloated of his own accomplishments.

What vision for ourselves, for our life and our world has another person created for you? An even greater question and relationship we can align ourselves with is this… What vision for ourselves, our life and our world has God invited you into? Your greatest opportunity for positive life change is within your relationship with God, who intentionally reaches out to you and cares for you.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

My final challenge to our youth and our church is this… Be interesting and loving. What will make you interesting and loving is your intentional interest in others and in God. Watch out world! We have some interesting people here cooking up something special.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Chris

April 15, 2020

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16

Solitude, the practice of purposefully abstaining from interaction with other human beings and denying ourselves companionship, was an important practice for Jesus. Today, we call this social distancing.

We might go to the desert, the wilderness, anywhere away from the urban crowds. Within our own homes, we retreat to our own private quarters, walk around the block, lounge alone in the backyard, unplugged and away from distractions. Nature alone can contribute to our spiritual well-being. However, it is solitude that frees us. We become free from the “normal” day-to-day human interactions and patterns of our world that are set against God. Solitude creates space for the integration of our thoughts, feelings and actions into God’s proper order.

Solitude is an opportunity to disconnect in order to connect with God.

May you discover a valuable connection you have available during this time of social distancing.

Pastor Chris Tansey

April 8, 2020

A little over a week ago, Pastor Jeff referred to our current situation as a “social exile.” An exile is where people are removed from the comforts of their home and taken to a faraway land. We certainly are not forcibly removed from our homes, but we are restricted from each other and the comforts of our daily routines of work, school and social recreation.

The Bible Project produced an incredible animated video that makes the biblical understanding of exile easy to understand.

Centuries of investing, building and developing Israel’s kingdom came crashing down during one event, the Babylonian exile. This was God’s nation. Nothing was “supposed” to come against it, although Israel’s prophets offered countless warnings that continued disobedience and unfaithfulness would raise God’s defense system.

It needs to be said, the Covid-19 outbreak is not directly related to any particular sin for any particular people group, but rather is allowed to occur in our world separated from God where other terrible things occur. As poetically stated in Genesis 1, humanity was exiled from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience. Jesus now graciously paves the way for us back into relationship with God and is working towards ALL creation to be restored to its intended order.

No matter what kind of exile we find ourselves in, there is always hope, which God made clear through his prophets. What God asked of Israel then and asks of us now can be found within their words…

Jeremiah 29:10-14
¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

However long this “social exile” may be, let us call upon the LORD and seek God with all of our hearts. And let us thank God for his mercy and graciousness to us all.

Pastor Chris Tansey