The Pen of Pastor

The Gospel according to Matthew records the word of Jesus in chapter six. Beginning in verse five, though, we find a rather familiar passage of scripture to believers and unbelievers alike. Jesus begins teaching, as a part of His renowned message; The Sermon on the Mount.  He says, "when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."    Though He was alluding to the passage known as the Lord's Prayer. He was instructing and is instructing His disciples how to pray. One writer said,  “We must pray in secret before we pray in public;”   pointing out  that if in public is the only place we pray, it becomes hypocritical. We could ...

After more than a year and a half, I have chosen to commit myself to writing a weekly blog again. However, this time with the accountability of the great LaFayette Church of God. I would be greatly honored if you would subscribe to this blog. So that, weekly (Tuesday's)  you will receive an updated blog posting.  This will encourage me to continue penning thoughts, convictions, and mandates from scripture .  Please feel free to contact me or our church at: Joshua Edwards Lead Pastor  LaFayette Church of God  (706) 450-0872: Main 1002 S. Main St.  LaFayette, GA 30728 josh@lafayettecog.org info@lafayettecog.org www.lafayettecog.org 

The Psalmist David penned "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, enter His court with praise. Be thankful and bless His name. For the Lood is good and His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 100:4-5) Today we embark on a new journey. We have 365 days staring us in the face expexting us to respond appropriately. For some of us, we are thankful 2015 is over and 2016 is here. For others, 2015 was really good and we almost hate to see it go. 2016 almost seems a little nerve wrecking. Fear of the unknown perhaps seems overwhelming.  Though each of us have different agendas and desires for this new year perhaps we can glean from the words of the prophet Isaiah, " Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.” ( Isaiah 43:19) You and I must "be aware of it," the new thing God wants to do in and through us. However as we begin this new year and as we invite the Holy Sp...

Today, I had the privilege of spending a little time with a precious lady who entrusted our funeral home with the care of her daughter. She shared with me stories of how innocent her daughter was through life. See, her daughter fought against all odds to defy a mental handicap. However, through the struggles she faced she consistently sought to please the Lord by allowing Him to use her to bless others.  This lady received her ultimate healing Dec. 4, 2015. Her mom, Ms. Peggy Henderson, shared her dependency on Christ, how when a spirit of grief strikes her, the precious Holy Spirit has been faithful to visit her and bring joy unspeakable and full of glory. Though He has been faithful, she shared with me today that since her daughter passed, she feels that the Spirit of God has convicted her heart. In prayer and meditation today she asked God to reveal the "sin she had committed." She says that God revealed to her it is not what she "comitted" rather what she has ...

Often, at this time of year, we as Protestants recoginze our Saviors birth and typically celebrate what we have come to percieve as His arrival or His first coming. However, in recent sermon preparation I was confronted with a passage of scripture that challenged my idea of Jesus COMING to me and provoked the idea that perhaps I am in a season where He has chosen to LEAVE me. Often, as Christians, we think of Jesus leaving to concern His ascension back to heaven; after crucifixion, burial and resurrection. However, there are recordings in scripture where clearly Jesus left His disciples, His followers. One can only observe the scripture and glean from it what he can, why Jesus would choose to leave His children; but nevertheless He does.  Matthew 14:22,  “Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.”  Matthew 26:36,  “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His di...

Yesterday, Friday, October 16, 2015. Kaye and I went with her grandpa, who has been in the hospital to a new in patient rehab that will be responsible for helping him get back on his feet. However, I have a friend who is in the same building for rehab. He is 85 year wise and has served God faithfully, literally around the world. Though his body is feeble and his mind is not quite as sharp as it once was, I had the true honor and privilege to sit and listen to him tell me how good God is. Though he would tell me he needs the help of God, he would also tell me how thankful he is for salvation and "victory in Jesus." He took me by my hand and without prompt begin to pray for Kaye and I. He asked God to bless our family and our home. He pleaded the blood of Jesus over our lives and asked that God would give souls to our ministry. Needless to say, Kaye and I both were so overwhelmed that we quickly found tears rolling down our cheeks as yet again, this friend, man of valor, and ...

Wow, nearly eight months since my last post here on the site. It is amazing how it seems life takes us by a whirlwind and within what seems like no time at all, eight months have slipped through our grip. Over the past several days especially, Kaye and I have talked about how it seems we have so much on our mind that it is even hard to think. With the holiday season quickly approaching, maybe that we just sold our home and have yet to find the right place for us, ministry responsibilities, opportunities and aggravations at work or even school issues and concerns, it seems that the thoughts continue to pile on one another. Today, I am sitting at our North Ocoee Office, and here it is a little easier for you to take a moment in silence and reflect or perhaps take the early morning hours to read a passage of scripture or pray. So, I took full liberty to do that and indulged myself for the first time in eight months to open my copy of "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. The first l...