Volume 2024: Edition 32
Food for thought: Thank you, Lord
Hello everyone. We thank you for your love and support for our Church and our family. Please continue to pray for our church, our pastor and his leadership, and our church leaders as we move forward into a new year. It's been a hard year with the loss of Pastor Steve Salazar Sr. who led our congregation for over 34 years. Pray that we continue to move forward and continue the work that was laid before us. We are so blessed and grateful for the growth in our church, the ability to share our messages and newsletters with our viewers, and the strengthening of our church family and viewers as a congregation and as individuals. We strive to bring encouragement and connection through this newsletter that we will continue to post every 1st of the month, so we hope you will continue to learn and grow in God's word with us.
Gratitude /grăt′ĭ-too͞d″, -tyoo͞d″/
noun
The state of being grateful; thankfulness.
The state of being grateful; warm and friendly feeling toward a benefactor; kindness awakened by a favor received; thankfulness. Similar: thankfulness
The state of being grateful.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
(Psalm 91:1-2)
This has been one of the most difficult years of my life—not just for me but also for our family, our church, and the friends we surround ourselves with. I could have never imagined that one person’s actions—the way lived their life—could change such a large number of individuals.
It is hard to comprehend that my earthly father touched the lives of so many individuals and that how he impacted their lives still resonates to this day.
My dad, pastor Steve (Esteban) Salazar Sr. was a great man. I wanted to be like him. Like the many great role models we all grew up to see, my dad was mine.
This year has not only been difficult because of the passing of my father but also because of all the adjustments of losing such a larger-than-life figure in our entire family circle.
You can feel and see that my father’s presence, leadership, counsel, friendship, and just the man he was sent a shock wave throughout our daily lives. I had to take a step back and remember that my role model and my hero was also a role model and hero to many others—and that the pain and heartbreak I carry was being carried by so many others.
Over the past year, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions, a heartache that can’t be mended by any words or by the comfort of one person’s presence. A void, or hole, that just could not be filled.
But in all the sadness and all the pain, I remember what my dad had taught me, what he always reminded me to do, and that was to always turn to God first. Not only when it was tough but also when it was good. And to remember that in God I will find peace. That He will provide me with comfort and mend my heart that is broken.
I won’t lie. I still, to this day, struggle with those words of wisdom he left me. I fight the daily pain and failures, but then in those many moments of weakness, it’s like God sends a little reminder to me. I don’t know how to explain it.
Sometimes it comes in a podcast I listen to, a conversation I have with someone, a memory that runs through my head, a TikTok video I watch, a verse I skim across, or just a moment sitting in silence.
But it is a reminder that we all will lose the people we love. We will go through trials; we will have heartache and pain. We all live in a cruel but also beautiful world that we all share in this moment in time, and what we do with this time; does matter.
And when I am reminded of this— that we all share together, I remember what my dad told me.
He told me to be strong, have faith, believe in the one who made me, and stop worrying (that brings a smile to my face) because what he would say next is, read this:
“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”
(Psalm 139:1-24)
Amen.
I cannot thank God enough for all He has done for me. My God, My LORD, His Holy Spirit dwells in all of us and is just waiting for us to reach out to Him. Thank you, LORD! You haven’t forgotten me. When I am low and weak, you still fight for me when I can’t fight anymore.
It is amazing that we have a God who sent His Son to die so we can all be saved because we are so wicked and live such sinful lives. He is amazing and so loving that He gives us time with every breath we take to always come back to Him.
I am so grateful that my creator not only gave me an earthly father that I could learn from and grow from but that my God gave me a Godly man to be there when all my doubts and fears needed a human touch because of my doubtful nature.
I am so lucky to have shared my dad with so many others. To be surrounded by people who have been impacted by such an amazing Godly man. Who now, try to do their part in helping one another. Who try to carry on what one man’s life of serving our God did and to continue that service until we finish our race.
We all need to remind ourselves to not waste our time. Serve the one who made us. Who saved us. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
(Luke 10:27)
So, with the end of our Thanksgiving celebrations, as we turn the corner and celebrate Christmas and bring in the new year, thank the people in your life. Forgive and love them.
We all carry pain and heartbreak. We all have lost someone who can never be replaced, but remember that we have a great God. A mighty God. And if we believe in Him, we will all be free from this pain and heartache once and for all.
Until that day:
Pray for one another, be there for one another, and when you are going through the darkness, remember our God is there. And when we have clear sailing, thank and praise Him even more because He is always good.
“In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the LORD.I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life. But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
(Psalm 31:1-14)
As this newsletter continues to grow and expand, please don’t be afraid to let us know if you are in need of prayer or support. And feel free to share your stories, your testimony, or just a quick question in the comments section below any of our links. We truly want to hear from you and do what we can to help because we are meant to be here to love, encourage, and support one another.
We are grateful to have you with us as readers, church members, and interested guests and we are always open to any suggestions and volunteers for our website, newsletter, and future activities. We hope to see you at our Sunday service and stay tuned for our coming newsletters and updates at church, at bible study, on Facebook, on our YouTube Channel, on the Wix App, and the website.
Upcoming Events:
Special Prayers:
Pray for the Salazar family and the congregation
Pray for Rachel Salazar during this difficult time that the Lord provides her with comfort, Love, and peace
Pray for Janet for healing from her surgery and that the Lord watches over her
Pray for Lucy that the Lord continues to watch over and Protect Her, and that her family is able to have a relationship with the Lord.
Pray for our Newsletter that we can continue to write through the Holy Spirit
Pray for our Pastor and our church that we may be blessed to continue to grow and share the word of God.
Weekly Devotional: The Fathers Will
"Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book."
(Hebrews 10:7)
When parents and grandparents coo over a newborn member of their family, they often share hopes and plans for what this little girl will accomplish or who this little boy might become. It would be quite remarkable, however, if young children were to declare their own intentions and purposes in life. Yet this is one more way in which Christ is unique: He did enter the world declaring: " I have come to do your will, O God".
When Jesus was twelve, His parents found Him conversing in the temple with the religious leaders and teachers. Mary and Joseph had been looking for Him for three days without thinking to look there, and were baffled; but He replied, "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49). He understood His express purpose from His earliest days.
What was the will of the Father that Christ came to accomplish? The Bible tells us that in sending Jesus, God gave His people the one who would satisfy all the law's demands through full submission and who would then suffer the penalty of sin to set men and women free from their bondage. The coming of the Savior had been planned from all of eternity and promised through all of the Old Testament, the "scroll of the book." Jesus - who entered the world as a baby in a manger - is the very fulfillment of our salvation.
Every moment of His life, whether He was being tempted by Satan or experiencing agony in the Graden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew and remembered His purpose. He understood that He was there according to the Father's will. Though He pleaded for His cup of suffering to pass, He submitted to the Father in perfect obedience. As any human would have been, He was tempted to shrink from the Father's will, yet still He prayed, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 29:39-46).
Jesus was not vague concerning the reason for His arrival - and because He lived according to the Father's will, we will join Him in eternity, rejoicing in all He accomplished on our behalf.
Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Today, you and I can live to do God's will, not in fear of punishment if we do not obey but with faith that we are already blessed in Christ. Because He always obeyed, we are forgiven for our failures to do likewise and freed joyfully to pursue our Father's will - not because we must but because we desire to.
Romans 5:12-21
Begg, Alistair. Truth for Life - Volume 1. The Good Book Company, 2021.
Verse of the Week:
"When Jesus spoke to them again, he said, 'I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'"
(John 8:12)
Announcements:
The Berthoud Christmas Parade is right around the corner! If you would like to volunteer to help us with the parade float or help to hand out cookies and hot chocolate on December 7th, please let Pastor Stevie know. We would love any help and ideas!
Up until the week of Christmas, the church will have a Toy Donation box in our entryway. We ask for those who are generous enough to donate, that they bring newly bought toys and items still in their box to donate to children K-12. You may come in to drop off your donation on Sundays when we are open for service, or Tuesdays through Thursdays during our office hours. You may also email or call us to set up a time to drop off your new toys for donation outside of our normal hours.
We still need volunteers for our Christmas Eve Service to speak on the topic: The Meaning of Christmas during the service. We would also love to include any special song performances, readings, or Christmas-themed speeches for service if someone has that in their hearts. The official Christmas program will be up on Facebook and under the service date on our events page by December 20th. If you would like to volunteer for the service, please contact Pastor Stevie or email us at berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com.
We would love to send out the newsletter personally to every member as well as pray for and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries together as a church family. We are asking for all of our members to send their birth date, anniversary date, and email to 303-916-3950 or to the church email. You could also write it down on our paper before or after services.
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (720)466-0951
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