Volume 2024: Edition 28
Food for thought: There is a time for everything
Hello everyone. We would like to thank you for your love and support during this difficult time in our Church and in our family. It has been very hard, but it is also a time of growth in our church and the strengthening of our faith. We strive to bring encouragement and connection through this newsletter that we will be continuing to post every 1st of the month, so we hope you will continue to learn and grow in God's word with us.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
I thought this month’s newsletter was going to be about peace and how to find it, I thought it was going to be a simple subject. But sitting here, I didn’t realize that what I was really feeling and wanting to write about; was about the constant change in our daily lives.
“There’s a season for everything” hit me like a good slap in the face. Every day brings new challenges and at this moment in time, I’ve realized that these ups and downs that we go through in life, these trials and tribulations, are types of seasons of our life as described in the passage.
I never really looked at the passage in Ecclesiastes as a direct reflection of our modern-day life. Especially since I thought that a large part of the passage didn’t pertain to me because I personally thought that I hadn’t experienced those things before. However, the Blessings and the sorrows, the ups and downs, in that passage are a part of everyday life. I didn’t think it was that simple or that obvious but looking back at all our past newsletters since February, we as individuals and as a church have been going through many of these kinds of seasons together.
The start of this new year was especially hard for me, for my family, and our church, because after 30+ years, and for me, 47 years, our pastor and my dad went home to our Lord and creator. The Loss of pastor Steve Sr. was a shock to all who knew him, and it affected his family and church family deeply. The love for our pastor Steve (my dad) was noticeable in so many of the newsletters to date and from so many inside and outside of our church. It’s truly extraordinary that so many people were affected by what one great man and one great pastor did.
This season and moment in time brought many new challenges and so much change. And we all had to go through times of change weekly and monthly in our family and our church. I didn’t really understand at the time how we would get through this loss and learn to continue to grow despite it. I didn’t comprehend that we were all going through this as individuals and families, and as a church family. That it was a season that we all must face, a new chapter, and the beginning of a new story being written. I never really looked at it that way because I was always focused on looking at it through my own selfish lens.
The pain I was feeling and that my family and church family were feeling, is the same pain that everyone who loses someone must sadly go through. My pain and their pain were no different. I could see the pain of the people around me on a daily basis from this loss, and yet I never really looked at the bigger picture of everything happening around me. I stayed consumed in my own mourning and grief and paid no attention to the fact that we were experiencing the same kind of season. But the more I wrote and reread every newsletter we’ve published this year, and the further I got away from the initial pain of losing my dad and pastor; the more I saw how I was neglecting the fact that so many people around me were in their own pain and struggles in this season of life.
I realized more and more that it was a season for my dad, for me, for my family, for my church, and the people that knew him and loved him. That it was our season to cry and mourn together.
It was time for my dad to go home.
No matter how bad we didn’t want him to leave, how heartbreaking it was, and what a shock it was to lose him, it was his time. His time to rejoice and start his new season with our Lord. And it was our time to mourn, to change, and to move on without him and start our new journey in life. It was also a time for us to find comfort and peace. Though everything felt so hard to bear and like someone had snuffed out the only light in a dark room; God’s word and presence gave me comfort and peace, and He brought back the light to my heart.
Once the sorrow and pain turned to an understanding of God’s love and comfort, I finally understood what was really happening in my life and in the lives of those around me. That what I was going through in my mourning was also happening to everyone that was touched by my dad. I had forgotten about the fact they too may have been experiencing this pain and had been selfish in thinking that I was the only one experiencing this season. I had forgotten that this world is filled with people who are also dealing with loss, sorrow, disease, hardship, and heartbreak on a daily basis and that they deserve a listening ear, comforting words, and a compassionate heart just as much as I do.
I now realize there’s a season where I must move forward, a season where life goes on. That doesn’t mean we have to forget the people we lost, or that we’re going to stop loving and caring about those who have come and gone in our lives. It simply means that God has a season for everything and everyone and that this current season of mourning is not meant to last forever.
I think it’s funny that the subject this month was going to be about peace, not knowing that not only did I find some peace, but that I also discovered the meaning behind the different seasons of life. We see winter turn into spring, and spring to summer, and summer to fall, and fall goes back into winter. It’s the same story for our lives. Our lives are meant to have constant change, and thus different seasons in different stages of life.
How do we handle those seasons in our life? Those seasons are going to come, like it or not. But are we going to put our trust in ourselves and see how we make it through on our own? Or do we finally use the wisdom that our past failures and experiences have taught us, and allow God to lead our way?
My dad, our pastor, used to always say: “you have to put the full armor of God on at all times”, but I never knew how true that statement and verse truly was until this day.
There’s no guarantee for tomorrow, and that is true. With that being true, we can’t wait for what season is to come and sweep us away. We need to always be prepared for the coming seasons of life, which only comes through the guidance of God’s word and his holy spirit being at the center of our lives. We need to remember that we were made to go through these things together. That we’re here to help each other. That we need to be open to one another, and realize, as I had failed to do up until now, that each of us always carry some kind of burden or pain, and that we are all going through the same kinds of seasons in this life. That despite our past and present sins, bad decisions, and failures, that we have to be there for one another and stop focusing on just ourselves. That we need to give over our hurts, our trials, our sin, our everything to God in prayer not just individually but for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. As followers of Christ, we are called to love. Not to be selfish, but to be selfless. So let our Lord lead the way and lay down the sorrow, pain, trials, and failures of yourself and others at his feet in this season of your life. Let God carry our weight and our burdens.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
(John 3:17)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
(John13:34-35)
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light”
(Matthew 11:28-30)
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
(Ephesians 6:10-13)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”
(Psalm 139:23-24)
I know God has forgiven me for everything I’ve done in my life, but I also know I have to carry the scars of what I have done; and grow from those life experiences. My seasons will always change as long as God gives me life, so in that time I know I have to help others find their way.
I’m glad that God gave me this newsletter to pour out my feelings and my thoughts, that He gives me the courage to share my story and testimony, and that He gives me the topics and words to share to all of you. Hopefully through these newsletters, testimonies, tiny messages, and thoughts I am able to help somebody. Just knowing that these newsletters are out there for anyone who is just like me: sitting here every day having to fight and struggle through a moment, a season in time, who are carrying pain, depression or some kind of anxiety, fear, or whatever hardship and season you may be going through, is a testament of the growth God has done in me.
I pray the more I read, the more I try, the more time I give to Him, that my relationship with God will continue to strengthen me and give me the words to help you as a reader. That I am able to give some kind of encouragement and support and give you hope that you are not alone. I know all God wants us to do is to turn to him and let him work in our lives for the good of us as individuals and for the good of others around us.
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 during this difficult transition.
Pray for Susan, Nicole, Isaac, April, Victor, Hailey, Devin, Jessie, Brandy, Dillon, Taylor, Jalen, Megan, Marqus, and Ivy who will be flying to and from Hawaii on a family Vacation this month for safe travels and a blessed time together.
Pray for the Little Free Library that is under construction that the Lord blesses it and blesses those building it and that the Lord uses it for His good and glory.
Pray for the Bibles we are still trying to send to Kenyan Children and Youth that the lord provides a way for them to be sent.
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: God of Hope
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
(Romans 15:13)
We find ourselves at a period in history when it is easy to question hope in the midst of worldly peril. While even a brief study of centuries past would remind us that our age is not the worst, darkest, most evil age that has ever been experienced, with our limited perspectives we are apt to grow concerned, distracted, and anxious. We would do well to read the apostle Paul's words as an indirect prayer for our daily lives: that the God of endurance might grant us encouragement in times of fear and uncertainty by filling us with all joy and peace.
The book of Romans, Paul's greatest theological treatise, was written to a diverse congregation in Rome made up of Jews and Gentiles, men and women, and rich and poor, all of varying levels of spiritual maturity. As he reached the end of his glorious letter, Paul wanted to call them to live confidently as people marked by a distinct and abounding hope.
We find such hope simply by knowing our God. He is our God of hope for two reasons.
First, it is God who generates hope in us. His word "was written for our instruction" (Romans 15:4) so that we might think about and learn from His unchanging trustworthiness. Hope, endurance, encouragement, and peace are not commodities outside of ourselves; rather, in giving us Himself, dwelling in our hearts by His Spirit, God gives us all these things, which well up from inside.
Second, He is also the object of our hope. The prophet Jeremiah said in the midst of his own dreadful circumstances, "The Lord is my portion... therefore I will hope in him" (Lamentations 3:24). The psalmist agreed when he wrote in response to the disheartening circumstances that surrounded him: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26). In other words, it doesn't matter how long difficulty lingers in our lives; if we have God, He is ours for eternity, and He is enough for eternity.
The God whom we meet in Scripture is therefore the God of hope-a hope that is neither superficial nor fleeting. Our enduring Savior stands the test of time.
When you face a crisis, you quickly discover where your hope is placed. If your faith rests on the promises of God, then your hope will be grounded in those promises, and it will not be disappointed. It will abound through all the trials of life. It doesn't matter what fear parades before your eyes; you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your God, who brought the world into being and brought you from death to life, preserves it and sustains you by His power.
It is in God alone that true hope can be found. And it is in looking to Him that we find ourselves filled with all joy and peace-today and every day, on into eternity.
"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the [c]tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just [e]at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah"
(Psalm 46)
Begg, Alistair. Truth for Life - Volume 2. The Good Book Company, 1 Oct. 2022.
Verse of the Week:
" For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
(Ephesians 3:14-21)
Announcements:
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.
We are at the last stretch of building the little free library to put in the churchyard to encourage community and engagement. If anyone would like to donate children's books, young adult books, or any adult novels we would love the assistance in filling up the little library. If anyone would like to participate in the construction and decoration of the little library, please contact Taylor Lambrecht.
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (720)466-0951
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