Month: December 2022

New Years Eve

/ James Penner / 1 Comment

“if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17

It’s New Years Eve and another year has come to a close. How was the journey for you? A cake walk? A struggle? Perhaps an odd mixture of both depending on the minute or the hour or the day. Regardless of which end of the emotional or physical or financial spectrum you found the year I have good news for you. Yesterday is history! You don’t have to go back and live it over again. Of course, tomorrow may in fact be a mystery for we do not know what tomorrow holds. But we have today, the present, and that is

A Gift We Should Cherish.

Some may not be looking forward to the New Year for you fear the old year will simply carry forward into the new. It does not have to be that way. God makes a promise in scripture that if you are in Christ you are new, that old things pass away and all things become new. I didn’t write this promise so I am not an expert on how God will fulfill this promise in your life. But I have a lifetime of experience with Faith to know that He will do exactly that! Try resolving that this New Year will be year of trust for you. Trust that God will have the last word in your life, a word that is filled with promise, and with hope. Today, I pray for all of you a very Happy New Year!

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” John 11:25

Many decades ago, A Baptist Pastor, S. M. Lockridge of San Diego stood and gave a sermon that many will never forget. Very quietly he began, “It’s Friday, Jesus is praying, Peter’s asleep, Judas has betrayed Him, but Sunday’s coming. It’s Friday, Pilot is struggling, the council is conspiring, the crowd is vilified, they don’t even know that Sunday’s coming. It’s Friday, the disciple’s are running like sheep, Mary’s crying, but they don’t know that Sunday’s coming. It’s Friday, the romans beat Jesus, they crown him with thorns, they hang Him on a cross, they roll a rock in front of his grave, but they don’t’ know

Sunday’s Coming!

Christs resurrection on Sunday changes everything! Because of that Sunday your sins can be forgiven. Because of that Sunday, you have a future filled with hope. Because of that Sunday eternal life can be yours! Because of that Sunday, everyday is new for you! Yes you may have lost hope over a lifetime of Friday’s, but I’m here to tell you that Sunday has come!

Shoes Off

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“Then the Lord said, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 & Acts 7:35

I remember being completely alone in a church when I began to pray. At that particular moment I was going through a difficult time at work so my heart was heavy and looking for answers. I distinctly remember being broken enough that my heart was completely open to whatever God’s solution was for me. Then I heard His voice in the back of my mind say, “remove your shoes and come to the alter”. At first I felt a bit foolish in this public albeit empty place, but I did what I heard God say. My shoes came off and I walked forward and knelt at the alter. Thirty minutes later I left that church with more hope than I had felt in months.

Positioning Is Everything In Life

and even more important in your prayer life. How you approach God is many times even more important than what you say. For when you position your heart completely open to Him, miracles do happen. 1 Samuel 16:7 says it all, “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Royal Heritage

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“You are a chosen generation!  A royal priesthood! A holy nation! God’s own special people!” 1 Peter 2:9

I love those words, you are a Royal Priesthood. When you say yes to Jesus, you become royalty! Now, for some of you when you hear that you are royalty you embrace those words. They are as inviting to your spirit as pouring warm honey on freshly baked bread. For others, you are ready for an argument. When you hear that you are royalty, some are saying, “If I’m royalty than I am most certainly a prince or princess without a kingdom. I’ve lost my job. I’ve lost my marriage, I’ve lost my health, I’ve lost my dignity, I’ve lost my self worth, and none of those things sound like royal qualities to me.” If this sounds like you then perhaps you have lost vision of what royalty looks. In a royal household it’s all about the King, not about us. Yet the great news I have for you today is that

We Belong To An Awesome King!

A King who loves us beyond measure. That’s why God says in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call on me and I will show you great and marvelous things that you do not know.” So if you find yourself feeling less than royal today, make a personal appointment with the King of kings in prayer. It’s a direct line, you know. No operators, no voice mail system. Just you and your voice dialing direct to God Almighty, the creator of Heaven and earth. He will meet you today, right now, right where you are! 

The New Math

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“Jesus said, they do not need to go away, you give them something to eat.” Matthew 14:15-16

A large crowd had gathered to hear Jesus speak. Official estimates put the crowd size at 5,000, but in that day and age, they only counted men so with woman and children you likely have a group that would just fit into a modern NBA arena. As the day wore on, Jesus friends advised Him to send the crowd away to so they could get some food as they had no concession stands available. Jesus was about to open the first one.

When We See Problems, Jesus Sees An Opportunity.

Jesus took five loaves and two fish and divided them in such a way as to fill enough baskets to feed this massive crowd of more than ten thousand people, with twelve baskets left over. You see, that’s God’s version of math where five plus two equals ten thousand. What do you lack in your life? Let God’s math go to work for you. Hand your issues to Jesus. All He will see are opportunities to provide you with a miracle.

Three Wise Men

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Harrod the king, behold three wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, “where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1

I’ve thought often about the three wise men because we know so little about them. They were certainly men of stature for they easily found an audience with Harrod the King. What country did they come from? There is great speculation by scholars that these wise men came from Babylon (in modern day Iraq), or at the very least that region where a form of astrology was heavily practiced. Yet their stature, or wealth, or religious background are even less of a curiosity to me than how God got the message to them about the Christ child having been born. These wise men were men of influence, and most likely wealthy given the gifts they brought, thus not easily swayed by whims and cultural shifts of the day. To make such a journey from their land to Bethlehem in that time was a little more complicated than packing up the SUV and heading down the interstate. Travel was no simple task, and yet they journeyed, certain that they were going to meet a King in the form of a new born child. Why were they so certain of whom they were going to meet? Did God come to them in a dream, or was it through the simple leading of the human mind guiding these men as they pieced the puzzle together from prophecy until no other explanation seemed plausible.

The Birth Of A King Was The Only Logical Explanation.  

With Christmas just past and a New Year approaching, how will you journey to find Christ this coming year? Is your trained and rational mind searching for the answers God has already placed in front of you? Are you ready to fully soak in to your mind, body and spirit that Christ came for one reason, and one reason only? That reason is YOU. “I have come,” Jesus is saying to you in John 10:10 “That you may have life, and have it abundantly”.  

Wonderful Counselor

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“…and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born in a manger, there was a prophet named Isaiah who wrote stories of a Savior that would come into this world, and indeed save and redeem mankind. I find that God has an immense capacity for patience. After all, timing is everything. Not that instant gratification is lacking with God, not by any stretch of the imagination for stories of instant miracles abound in the Bible. Yet there is also something incredibly faith building about waiting on the Lord.

There truly is One that knows

what, when, who, and how to pull it all together in our lives. Isaiah taught us that those who learn to wait upon this Wonderful Counselor learn the meaning of the word contentment for their strength shall be renewed. Once this lesson is learned, time becomes our friend because our trust in Jesus defines everything. Think about it, our lifetime may be short in years, but our eternity is forever. What will you be doing seven hundred years from now? I’ll be with Jesus along a beautiful shore doing something wonderful. Care to join us?

Christmas Faith

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“No word from God will ever fail!” Luke 1:37

This powerful statement in Luke contains seven life changing words. I’ve often thought of the faith of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Some have described her faith as awesome or awe inspiring, and others as profound. Yet when I think of the faith of Mary only one word comes to mind, simple. Read further from this passage in Luke 1:28-37: “The angel went to her and said, Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you! Mary was greatly troubled at his word and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.”Modern translation – Are you talking to me? “But the Angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high.” Mary responds with only one question, “how will this be? The angel answered, the holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you….for no word from God will ever fail.” I love Mary’s next response. “I am the lords servant.

May It Be To Me According To Your Word.” 

Mary accepts by simple faith that God has decided upon her as His chosen vessel. How foreign is a response like this in our every day lives? In a world where we question everything. Where every word we read, every statement told to us, every visual image we lay our eyes on is questioned a thousand times over. We say, is this really happening? That picture was doctored up in Photoshop; it’s not real, it’s a special effect; they don’t really mean what they are saying, what’s the real motive here! When God calls us for His purpose what’s your response? Am I imagining this? Do you answer back with doubt by saying, Why would God chose me? I’m not worthy, God surely made a mistake by calling me on this one. There are so many others with a stronger faith than mine. Or will you respond like Mary, “I am the lords servant. May it be to me according to your word!”

A Christmas Story

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

Jesus prayed for us saying, “Father, let them be one, as You and I are one.” John 17:21

Ask anyone in my family and they will tell you that far and away my favorite Christmas movie is “A Christmas Story”. My family also knows that Christmas Eve is not complete with out watching little Ralphie pine away for his beloved Red Rider BB gun. Through the years I’ve received as presents my very own Red Rider along with a miniature leg lamp for our Christmas tree (you have to see the film to understand that gift). If you are one of the few on the planet who have missed this little film give it a try. At one point the films narrator, who tells us what young Ralph is thinking, is describing his father, saying, “some fathers are Baptists, others Catholic, but my father was an Oldsmobile man”. In thinking about this line, and the labels we put on ourselves, I once had a congregation all shout simultaneously their ‘religious affiliation’, either what it was now or sometime in their past. The response was a lot of noise as all the various “denominations” burst forth. Then I said, now all together just say the name of Jesus. As they did, saying

The Name Of Jesus Changed The Atmosphere.

Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever your background, it all melts away when you place your hand in the hand of Jesus. This Christmas life can truly begin a new for you. Simply say the name of Jesus, then add to that, “I’m all yours.”

A Heavenly Nudge

/ James Penner / Leave a comment

“Behold an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “arise, take the young child (Jesus) and his mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I bring you word….” Matthew 2:13

God knew well the heart of Harrod the King. God knew that His Son would not be safe in the land that Harrod ruled. God had a plan. A divine plan. A journey to a foreign land where the Christ child would be safe. A heavenly nudge into the unknown for Joseph and Mary. A journey for which they did not know what would await them.

A Journey Of Faith!

Are you willing to accept the Heavenly nudge that God sends your way? Are you willing to make that journey into an unknown land and trust God with your future? Perhaps you’ve lost your job. Maybe that will require retraining in a new field. It might mean a new city, or a new state, or a new country to call home. The true miracle begins when you place your hand in THE Hand of the Almighty. Then watch as the King of kings and Lord of lords hand crafts a fantastic future just for you!