Pastor’s Ponderings January 2025
Regrets or Rejoicing
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1).
Has God blessed you? If so, would you like last year to be repeated? Yes / No? Did you choose ‘yes’ because you accomplished a few things and met some of your goals? Did you say ‘no’ because you experienced more pain than pleasure?
I’m sure there was some regrets last year and some rejoicing. What were the means used to measure a failure or success. Maybe you graduated from college but weren’t hired for that dream job (regret/rejoice). 
Maybe your daughter was married last year, but you chose to divorce (regret/rejoice). Maybe you bought a new car in March, but in May you had an accident (regret/rejoice). Maybe your fields yielded the best ever, but it cost more per acre to harvest the crop (regret/rejoice).
This is the time of year when many resolve to make some changes in their lives. Many resolve to exercise more or lose some weight, to drink less coffee or soda or pay off a debt, to complement more and complain less, or to renew their relationship with the Lord.
As you review your relationship with God and recall all that God has done, are there regrets? Is there rejoicing? There are no regrets from God’s perspective. He has no regrets for sending His Son to the cross, to forgive us, to bless us in the good or bad times.
Would you like last year to be repeated? ‘No’ to the sickness or emergency room visits, no to the anger or arguments, no to the financial worries or funeral planning, but ‘Yes’ to the healing and reconciling and forgiving and sanctification.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, … 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. … Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
God grant you a blessed 2025, and my you have no regrets only rejoicing for God is refining your faith – in Jesus, God’s Word, and in the serving we are called to do. God’s blessings, in the New Year!! 
Pastor’s Ponderings December
‘Has Christmas Changed?’
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)
Tis the season to replace skeletons, witches and pumpkins with Santa, wreaths and packages? Tis the season to hang lights, to hide presents, and to harbor good will? Have you noticed how Christmas has changed?
As Christmas is considered this month, what do people remember, what do people expect? It seems like Christmas is more about what someone gives and less about what God has given. It seems that Christmas is more about ‘one-up-man-ship’ and less about looking up to heaven. Have you noticed how Christmas has changed?
It might seem like Christmas has changed, but scripture proclaims: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:6, 7a)
As we search the Scriptures, Christmas hasn’t changed, we have. As we look at the world and its selfish way the true meaning of Christmas has been changed, changed from celebrating the birth of our Savior and the gifts He gave (forgiveness and eternal salvation) to writing our lists (checking them twice), as we long for black Friday sales, and later returning unwanted gifts before a new year begins.
So Christmas hasn’t changed, people have, and this change has even affected how we worship. People have changed, turning Christmas into family time rather than giving God time. Instead of ‘Praising God for our newborn King’, we stay in our pajamas. Have you noticed how we have changed? How can our ‘Zeal for the Lord of hosts’ be restored?
O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! (Psalm 97:10- 12)
Pastor’s Ponderings November 2024
‘If You Live Your Faith, Works Will Follow’
14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? … 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. … 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2)
Two people sat down to pray, one man thanked the Lord for his house, his job, his family, his church and then he said, “Lord, You have indeed blessed me. I have everything that I need and more. O Lord, may I never be in want or lose the things I have.”
What does the first man’s prayer emphasize? If we examine the above paragraph, we can say that the man praying had a relationship with the Lord, because he is praying. We can also say that he has a family. He has things. He is working. And he has a place to worship. We can also say that the man praying is crediting God to be the giver of all that he calls his own. Yet, something is missing. Do you know what’s missing? I know, but then I’m writing this article and trying to teach a lesson.
Two people sat down to pray, the second man, also praying, thanked the Lord for all that he has and then he said, “Lord, I see so many people, families, employers, employees, children, teenagers, friends, the elderly who are struggling and unhappy. And I am struggling with whether I can or how I should help my neighbor. O Lord, give me wisdom and discernment to be a blessing to others?”
What does the second man’s prayer emphasize? Reread the above Bible passage from James 2 and reexamine both paragraphs about the men praying. What’s different in how or what the men are asking God to do for them? What does the second man praying have that the first man praying doesn’t? I know, but then I’m writing this article and trying to teach a lesson.
We sometimes forget what we as Christians are here to do. God has given us faith in Him, and with that God given faith we cling to the cross and to Christ and to the love that gave us a new life to live. God has given us a living faith, to do good works that glorify Him and serve others. God bless you this month as you Give God Thanks! With a Grateful Heart!
Pastor’s Ponderings September 2024
“Stirred to Serve and Share”
Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and
earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the LORD. And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or goatskins brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the LORD’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD. (Exodus 35:20-29)
In the stewardship workshop I attended last month, the presenter spoke about ‘Giving’ personally, with a plan, and proportionately. In the presentation, he didn’t talk about ‘tithing’, he wanted us to think how people can give personally, with a plan, and proportionately in their current life circumstance.
In the Scripture passage from Exodus 35, Moses reported to the people what God had commanded and what was needed in order to build the tent of meeting, a place to worship God. As you reread the above passage, what are the people stirred to do? Everyone who had something to give personally, with a plan, and proportionately brought it to the Lord. And the people were stirred to share jewelry, spices, oils, fabric, animal skins, wood, and precious metals as they were able. And the people were stirred to use that time and talents to build a place to worship, where they would worship the Lord.
Rev. Dwayne J Schroeder
Pastor’s Ponderings Aug 2024
Richness toward God
Nine for you, and one for me; nine for you, and one for me; nine for you, and one for me. Would anyone dare divide his money and goods with another like that? And you might say, “Only a rich man, only a man who lacks nothing could divide his possessions with another like that, but I’m not a rich man.”
Then again, we live in a time when so many people in America have never before in human history had so many things. And yet we often want more, and we will strive to get all that we want.
One day, Jesus warned a great crowd of people following Him about the self-satisfying behavior of greed. He told them a parable about a rich man (found in Luke 12, vs 13-21) whose fields produced an excellent crop. Upon seeing the bounty, the man thought “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” So the man who was already rich tore down his old barns and built new ones. And then he said, “I have plenty of good things laid up for many years. I’ll take life easy. I’ll eat, drink, and be merry,” but God had other plans for that man.
When the rich man asked, “What shall I do?” I think he also thought, “What shall I do with MY crop, MY life, with all MY blessings that I produced?” His take on things side stepped the true owner. He stepped around the Creator and patted himself on the back for a job well done. The rich man was foolish. He had fallen into the trap of self-importance and self-indulgence. He thought that the amazing bountiful crops were his because he put in a lot of time and money to get them. He thought that his future was his in hands, but God had other plans.
The most profound truths in this parable centers on one question:
How can I be rich toward God?
Richness toward God comes through seeing everything as a gift from His hand. Whatever is received in money or material goods or opportunities or in the moment of each day is purely and simply a gift from God. It’s an expression of His love. It is evidence of His grace.
Richness toward God comes through seeking His direction before settling on decisions. In Matthew 6:33, we are told “Seek first His (God’s) kingdom and His (God’s) righteousness, and all these things (what you have and hold) will be given to you as well.” Richness toward God, desires to do God’s will. And whenever we receive an excellent crop or a raise or an inheritance or a job, the first order of business is to ask, “How can God be glorified with His gift to me?”
Richness toward God comes through caring more about giving than getting.
The rich man in Luke 12 was consumed with greed and cared nothing about giving. And before we condemn him, we must realize and confess that we too have the same capacity to sin and be selfish. But, the self-control God gives us enables us to think about others before we think only of ourselves.
Nine for you, one for Me. Nine for you, one for Me. Nine for you, one for Me. God is our example of a gracious and generous Giver. He not only gives us material things, He gave us His only Son, sacrificing Him instead of requiring our life. We have been forgiven and declared holy in His sight. WE ARE RICH! And in this richness, we can be content while sharing the contents of God’s storehouse because of the treasure contained in God’s holy Word. Praise God from Whom ALL
blessings flow! Amen! 
Pastor’s Ponderings June 2024
Go forth Planting Gospel Seeds …
while Serving Human Needs …
with God in the Lead
Watching the news while weather men and women track a tornado and then showing it touching down and tearing apart building and tossing vehicles is quite amazing and so sobering to see a tornado’s destructive power.
Many, if not all of you reading this article, have watched hours upon hours of television that was broadcasting images of destruction and interviews of victims that would go down in infamy. We know that there will be months and years of recovery. There will be daily reminders of what was lost for months, and there will be yearly anniversaries that will bring us back to those days (December 7th, April 19th, May 9th, September 11th, etc) when lives were changed forever.
And what will have come from all that destruction and debris and death? What will have come from hours upon days upon months of rebuilding? What will have come after billions of dollars have been spent and billions of man hours have been expended? Will we recall the Oklahoma Standard of how strong we are, how unshakeable we are, how resilient we are, how caring and giving we are, or how proud we are to be an American?
There’s a greater force than an EF5 tornado and that power is GOD. Believing in God, knowing and trusting Him, should comfort you as you watch TV or listen to the radio (as you remember what happened to you on an infamous day), as you see what God has done and is doing today. God was there with people as buildings were destroyed. God was there when death came and grabbed people from their family and home. God was there when He sheltered and saved so many people. God was there when the tornado stopped roaring. God was there when responders rescued. God is there as people serve people and as needs are being met. And why do we care, why do we give, why do we take time to answer, ‘Where was God when all this happened?’, because God is the Lord of our lives, and He motivates us; He moves us; He does mighty things through us, and we believe it’s very important to put Him first and to tell others:
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones (Proverbs 3).
The storm is over, but the cleanup continues and will last for months. The storm is over, and human needs are being met and will continue to be met. The storm is over, and the rebuilding has begun. God bless us as we go forth planting gospel seeds … while meeting human needs.
