One evening after a long day of landscaping, my brother, several of my employees, and I gathered down in the basement to see who could push the most iron. Lots of “talking smack,” ridiculous ego, and testosterone swirled around the room. After watching a couple guys bench-press some serious pounds, I took my turn on the bench. As “the boss” of the landscape company, I heard some tongue-in-cheek chants from the boys:
“Come on, Mike! You da man, push that iron… fast as you can!”
Oh boy. 150 Ib. felt pretty good. 175 Ib. went up without too much trouble (I was in a lot better shape back then). Suddenly someone (I will not name who) decided to slam it up to 220 Ib. I lifted the bar off the rack and within a split-second the crushing weight tore against my elbows and triceps, driving the weight rapidly down on top of my chest.
“HELP!” I gasped as my two cocky spotters reluctantly eased the bar off my rib cage…quietly enjoying the fact that I was struggling under less weight than what they had previously conquered.
What weights are pressing down on your heart this week? Do you have specific concerns that frequently cycle through your mind? Two diagnostic questions I often ask myself and those I counsel are: What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning and what’s the last thing on your mind just before you go to sleep? For many people, the answer to those two questions produces the same answer, namely, a singular concern, fear, or need that bears down as a perpetual stressor.
The feelings of angst and anxiety can super-glue onto our craniums. Scraping them off seems more difficult than pulling a stubborn molar. As a result, we often shuffle through life with our shoulders slumped over by the poundage of bondage to our fears, worries, and myriad anxieties.
I’ve often found myself under the anvil of seemingly insurmountable needs and concerns. You, too? I thought so. But there is a way forward and out from under the crushing kilos of relentless anxieties and fears.
King David learned the hard way…many times over. Yet God, in His patient grace, continued to draw David back to contrition and dependance on Him. Remember when he purposely faked insanity before Abimelech? David was certainly at the end of his rope at that life-juncture. The Philistine King Abimelech later routed David out of the region. But with all those fears and pressures weighing down on his life, David penned a profound poem of trust and hope in God:
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. . . . O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:4-5, 8)
Yes, David wrote these very words shortly after he departed from the land of King Abimelech. I encourage you to take a moment to read the entirety of Psalm 34 this weekend.
No matter what anxieties have stuck onto our souls, these three things we can know: (1) The Lord hears our cry (2) The Lord is always near, and (3) The Lord is good. Because these promises are true, God’s people can take refuge in Him.
So today, God’s Word through David’s song invites you and me to bring all our requests to Him. Take every sour note of your worry-filled song and play it before the Lord. He will listen to the end. After you’re finished, look to Him…gaze upon His face. You’ll find that God’s love for you hasn’t diminished by a single ounce. His heart will still be overflowing with kindness and mercy toward you.
From that place of grace, step into the experience of the Lord’s abundant goodness. Taste of His safety, peace, and presence. O brothers and sisters, you’ll find that He is forever good.
Take refuge in Him.
In Christ Alone,
______________________
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
This past week, Stephanie and I participated in a forum for pastors and wives hosted by Ethnos 360 (formerly New Tribes Mission). These men and women are like the Green Beret unit or Navy SEAL team of gospel missions. We enjoyed great conversation on what we can and should do as sending and supporting churches, and also what we can expect from Ethnos360 and our missionaries. We’re thankful for the fellowship, encouragement, and opportunity to join with about 12 other pastoral couples and their executive leadership team. Mayfair currently supports 8 missionary families associated with Ethnos360.
Stephanie and I also had the joy of meeting Dean Hess, one of Mayfair’s missionaries with Ethnos360. Dean is a key member of their finance team at the US home office and has been with Ethnos360 since 1998. Please pray for Dean, Trudy, and their four children.
Pray for their support level to increase; for wisdom as he leads Ethnos360 in transitioning to new finance programs and protocol; pray for them to have numerous opportunities for gospel witness in their community. Dean also shared with us that he was diagnosed with autism while serving in Senegal. He discovered God specifically gifted him for bookkeeping and does fantastic work for the Lord. It’s so encouraging to see how God is using Dean with his unique gifts to serve the global Church!
Flushing Christian Outreach Center (FCOC) is now OPEN! This afternoon, Jeremy Jentzen and I took a quick tour of FCOC’s new location in Mayfair’s THRIVE Center building. They moved all the belongings from their old location last weekend and officially opened just two days ago. Take a look!
FCOC is a non-profit food pantry, clothing dispensary, and community services organization that is led by a collaborative of nine local churches. If you’re interested in volunteering at FCOC, simply click on this link to their website and give them a call –> https://www.
Plans are also underway for a joint Grand Opening of the THRIVE Center with FCOC on Saturday, May 18th. We’ve begun design work for the front suite of the THRIVE Center (see below). If you’d like to be on the work team for initial flooring, painting, and decor work, simple contact Matt Pearson (elder), Pastor Michael, or call the church office at: (810) 733-7130.
Here’s a 3D rendering of a possible design for the multi-purpose front suite of the THRIVE Center, in which we’d like to incorporate these 4 components:
- Laundry Corner: small-scale laundromat services via coupons earned through FCOC and member churches for those who volunteer hours or complete parenting classes, marriage courses, financial coaching, or job counseling, etc.)
- Learning Corner: comfortable seating, screens, and sound for classes such as Financial Peace University (or similar), Celebrate Recovery, marriage or parenting seminars, TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language), job coaching, and more!
- Community Corner: coffee shop style counters and seating for gospel conversations, light food service, and fellowship. FCOC will also use this area for food packaging once per week.
- Kids Corner: A fun, colorful space for kids to read, watch a Christian kids show, or play learning games while their parents wait for laundry to finish, complete job coaching, etc.
Spring Business Meeting and Luncheon
We will be sharing more details about these and other exciting ministry projects at this coming Sunday’s spring business meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend the potluck luncheon in the gym immediately following the 10:45 morning service and the business meeting. We’ll present a couple announcements during the luncheon and then transition to the auditorium for a few brief but important business meeting agenda items. We hope you can make it!
Be sure to scroll down to see other important announcements about our first-ever Easter Egg Drop (next Saturday, April 20th) and more!
See You Sunday!
I’ll look forward to worshiping Christ with you this Sunday morning as we continue our REBORN series with “Nicodemus: Religion to Relationship” (John 3:1-21) and another profound video transformation story from someone in the Mayfair family.
