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Written by Vicki Wenkle
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Sunday, 11 April 2010 00:00 |
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I took time recently to check on my "majestic" Scotch pine tree that was pruned in February of this year. A skilled arborist had pruned the tree after 20 years of natural growth. I walked around its firm golden trunk making note of its wounds. Some of the cuts were completely covered in clear thick sap, while others had only a few droplets of sap on them. It was apparent to me that some of the tree's wounds were healing more quickly than others.
On one side of the pine's main trunk, about one-third of the way up, I found something new to me. It was new to me, but "old" to the tree. I discovered where long ago two branches had rubbed together. They must have created deep scraping areas adjacent to each other. What was so unique about this discovery was the fact that the scrapes had healed together. The two branches had become united as one where their wounds had pressed against each other. Even the tree's bark had grown over the area completely shielding the once wounded and vulnerable union. I looked at my discovery and wondered, "How could such a thing occur?" And yet there it was, right in front of me! Rather than the friction and pressure of rubbing each other's branches to the point of disease or destruction, the branches had healed together near the trunk and continued to grow in health and union.
I am reminded of the verse in the Bible where our Lord says, "I am the vine (trunk) and you are the branches (limbs)...abide in Me." My Scotch pine tree reflected this truth in so many ways. The removed "branches" in my life were pruned by my Lord to make me stronger and more capable of healthy growth and endurance. The merged branches near the trunk were made whole and restored to new health by their union in order to preserve each other. Oh how like my Jesus to do such marvelous work!
Some of my wounds have healed faster than others. Some of my wounds have needed to join with another wounded area in order to preserve me as a whole. These unions have been near the trunk (Jesus) and as such are healed by the Hands of my Great Physician. I am made a new creation. I am restored and preserved by the miracle of my Lord to heal my sin. I am in awe of the fact that He can work with such a flawed creature as me. So fellow Christians, take hope and rejoice in the gentle Hands of your Arborist. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. I can see this truth in my pruned and healing pine tree!
His and yours,
Vicki Wenkle |
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A Note From Gary Plavidal |
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Written by Gary Plavidal
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Sunday, 04 April 2010 00:00 |
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Dear friends,
The historical creeds have served the church by providing a vivid portrayal of biblical truth to impart the word of God and life to our hearts for many years. In worship we fellowship not only with each other as local members, but with the entire body of Christ. In memory of our forefathers I offer this new version of the ageless expression to celebrate this day our Lord's Resurrection.
--Gary Plavidal
A Renton Christian Center Creed
God is God, and I am not. He is invisible, infinite and eternal--beyond all imagination. God is revealed as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: three distinct persons with no beginning and no end, who commune in holy love for all eternity. Each person of the Trinity is fully God, but He is one God--not three; and there is no other. He transcends human logic, but is wholly consistent in His being.
God is Holy, and I am a sinner saved by His grace. God, the Son left his heavenly throne to live among us as the man, Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life. He walked as fully God and fully man, and worked many miracles to prove His authority while ministering His compassion, God's love, even for sinners--for me in particular, led Jesus to lay down His life for us. He was mocked, whipped and crucified to death on the cross, where He bore the sins of the world--my sins in particular. On the third day He rose again from the dead to bring victory over death for all who believe in Him. He appeared bodily to the women, the apostles, and to over 500 witnesses before ascending again to Heaven and the right hand of the Father.
As promised, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and indwelling Presence. He empowers us as ambassadors to our community and to all the nations through serving, miracles, wisdom, inspiration, and more--manifested at Pentecost continued in the ministry of the apostles and still today until our Lord returns. God calls for my participation and bestows gifts upon me according to His sovereign will.
We yearn for the blessed hope--the return of our Lord Jesus to establish His kingdom. He will raise His elect from the dead and transform those alive in Him from mortal to immortal—we, corruptible, will be made incorruptible. He will right every wrong, remove all sorrow, and wipe away every tear. We will rejoice with Him, immerse in His love, and sing His praise forever and ever--Alleluia amen! |
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Last Updated on Sunday, 04 April 2010 20:46 |
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Written by Chris Wenkle
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Sunday, 28 March 2010 00:00 |
"Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him; up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.' Matthew 18:21-22
I've been thinking about forgiveness a lot lately, and how it applies to my life. The idea of forgiving others is even more on my mind these last several days because I'm facing the imminent death of my mother. She's 94 years old, had a full life, and has done many things for the community where I grew up. But those accolades were given by people and organizations who never knew what took place inside the walls of our house.
Without going into a lot of detail, I could describe my childhood as dysfunctional and painful. You hear the word dysfunctional bandied about a lot, but in the case of our family--the accepted description is accurate. Alcoholism; drug abuse; mental--emotional--physical--sexual abuse: we had it all. I've wrestled with forgiving the various members of my family and settled with all of them. Except mom--that one is a toughie.
Now it looks like she won't be with us much longer. Her health is deteriorating rapidly, and her loss of appetite has exacerbated the issue. I find myself grieving, being scared, and angry--all at the same time. And yet I know that the things she did to me I need to forgive. And forgiveness is not only a choice, it is a directive.
My mom parented us kids the way she was parented in her own family. She taught us to never show our feelings or acknowledge the truth. In our house it was all about the appearance of love and family, not the substance of it. I still recall how scared and confused I used to feel in our house, and today I am grateful to be able to acknowledge those feelings. I'm also grateful to be able to deal with hose feelings in a way that helps me to grasp the depth of what it means to forgive someone else. Jesus directed us to have a heart that is always ready to forgive, because HE is always ready to forgive me.
So I sit here, typing this out on the computer--choking back the tears--with an attitude of gratitude for the forgiveness that Jesus gave ME when I asked Him into my heart. I'm also thanking Him for the ability just to feel--even the painful things of life.
Knowing His love and compassion personally helps me to say from the very bottom of my heart: "I forgive you Mom."
Still pulling at the oars
Chris Wenkle |
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Written by LK Henley
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Sunday, 14 March 2010 08:02 |
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"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
Dear Friends,
Jesus said "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."
Man! If an obedient heart is an indicator of my love for God, I am convinced that I am in need of a brand new heart! It used to seem to me that I could just make a decision to do something (or stop doing something) and I would enjoy a certain level of success. But lately, I just don't seem to do certain things that I know I should do -- I keep having self-defeating habits that I can't seem to break - no matter how hard I try.
Paul described my dilemma in Romas 7. (The last little part, verse 25, is quite encouraging.) "For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched (wo)man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Now, here comes the good part... wait for it...) "Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
The way I have it figured, it's just a matter of time before my prayers for a new heart are answered. In the meantime, I am going to keep asking and seeking and knocking. Because I am really looking forward to that brand new heart!
Lot's of love in Him,
LK Henley |
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Written by Gary McNinch
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Sunday, 28 February 2010 16:53 |
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"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16
Hello RCC Friends:
Life throws challenges at us every day. In the past year, my life has changed tremendously with the death of my wife, after a courageous seven-year battle with cancer. My thought, though, has been one of so many blessings: Lack of pain for Jessie, her ability to stay alert and remain conversant even with 10 brain tumors, wonderful family and friends who got to visit and reminisce and say goodbye, great business partners who helped my real estate clients and amazing support from our pastors and friends in our church. And, wow, what a memorial service too!
These are all huge blessings in my life and for my family. Too often, we don't recognize the fact that these come directly from God's grace. It says so in John 1:16. I know that every good thing we are given is a direct blessing from God. When I meet a person that I can help with their grief, when a great new Christian client comes my way, when an opportunity to share Jessie's story or my faith, when something great happens with my grandkids... these are all direct blessings from God.
It is a simple message, which plays out many times daily. And all too often I don't focus on it. But I should, and so should you!
Be blessed,
Gary McNinch |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 18:12 |
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Written by Lisa Underwood
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Sunday, 07 February 2010 00:00 |
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The other day I was reading in the Book of Jonah. Usually I've focused on the main theme - Jonah disobediently running from God's call, getting swallowed up in a big fat fish, and then ending up in Nineveh doing what God wanted him to do from the beginning.
Funny thing is, I never really took the time to study Chapter 2 - the part where Jonah is praying in the belly of the fish. He's in the middle of what I would call "FishLand". He's sleeping in a bed of fish guts for three days and the only thing he can do is pray. But his prayer is amazing and somehow, I've overlooked that chapter for years!
He's not complaining about the stink (nothing worse than the inside of a fish!) but he's praising God. He's not begging to get out, he's simply remembering God's faithfulness to him in the past. He's in a state of repentance and gratitude. He has no idea if his life will end in the middle of FishLand, but he's actually okay with that. His eyes are turned upward, beyond the roof of the fish mouth, and he's saying "Thank you God!" Wow!
What a challenge for me! How often I find myself in the middle of my own personal FishLand and I'm complaining. I'm banging against the walls asking to be let out or simply holding on until I get out of the fish. God doesn't always reveal to me how long that season will go, so I'm learning that it's my job (actually my privilege) to look beyond the walls. To turn my eyes to my faithful and loving Father. To be repentant of my stubborn ways (man, can I be stubborn!) and instead, thank God that He is the Rescue and the Deliverance of my soul.
"Thank you Father, for being the merciful and loving Father that You always are, even in the middle of 'FishLand'." |
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