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July 2010
As I write this, I am in West Virginia, here for a couple of days to renew and reflect. The time is 9:30 p.m. Looking out into the dark from the porch window, I see once again the lights on the horizon of the Federal Prison at Hazelton. My mind imagines the men and women incarcerated there. Lives, homes broken by sin and behavior. Each with a story, unique, sad, one that goes far beyond their crime against society. I can't help but think, wonder if we agents of hope and healing could have made a difference in them for Christ?
Obviously because of time and space we can't minister to them, but what about those we live next door to or who we work with at the shop or office? Perhaps they don't know Christ, never heard of a personal relationship with Him. Many, more than we know, are locked in prisons not made of steel and stone, but of memories of the past, rejection, ridicule and the list goes on.
God calls us to be His voice, His hands and feet, His heart. We, in a real way hold the key to their release, their spiritual freedom. Help them be free. Go and tell the story and set the captives free, before it's too late.
Serving with you,
Rev. Russ
June 2010
The month of June is noted for graduations from high school, colleges and weddings. A vivid reminder of new beginnings, but also of how time flies. This morning as I walked into what we here at the parsonage call the "toy room," I was reminded of how life has changed for us. It started out as our crib room where the girls as babies slept. As they grew, it became Melissa's room, then Noelle's, then Allison's. Now our grandchildren play there. As I looked around that room that morning, I saw toys, once favories, now sitting on shelves forgotten, outgrown. Oh, they still play there, but not as often. The computer, basketballs, baseballs and cell phones now vie for their attention on Sunday afternoons here. Change, we fight it, try to cope with it, yet it is inevitable and ..... good.
As we celebrate these special days, accomplishments and new beginnings, allow me to remind all of us what the Lord tells us through Psalm 90. Read it when you get a moment and pay special attention to Verse 12. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (KJV) Enjoy each day and those God has blessed us with.
In Him,
Rev. Russ, enjoying you!
May 2010
Someone has said, “It’s all right to hold a conversation as long as you let go once in a while.” There is a lot of truth in that statement.
It reminds me of a story told of a man who joined a monastery to become a monk. Each year, the young monk was permitted to speak only two words. The first year he said, “Food cold.” After another year of silence he said, “Bed hard.” After year three there he said, “I quit.” Looking at him, his superior said, “I’m not surprised, all you’ve done since you’ve been here is complain.”
Words, our words, have power. Six words in three years would be difficult for most Americans. Scientists tell us that we spend one-fifth of our lives talking. That we engage in 30 conversations each day. We speak 20,000 to 30,000 words each day. If these statistics are true, how many of those words are offered in prayer and praise to our God? How many do we speak in telling others about Jesus Christ? As people of faith, we have much to tell. Use your words wisely, they have power. Power to heal, give hope, and to show God’s love. Listening is powerful too. Use both wisely.
In Him,
Rev. Russ
April
Spring. After the long and snowy winter, many of us wondered if it would ever come. The warming day and the songs of the birds affirm that it is here. Spring is a sign of renewal -- a new season, new growth, a resurgence of life. Jesus said, "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). Although His words applied to another place in time, I believe that He can make "things new" in and for us. All that is required of us is the want to. Will we allow Him to touch us and give us a new heart, a new outlook, a new attitude?
Someone has said "that the same sun that melts the ice is the same sun that hardens the clay." The difference is found in the material. Some yield to it, others will not. The promise of Easter and Christ's resurrection is forgiveness of sins and the offer of new life in Him. I tell you to take it, embrace it, make this offer yours and see where this new life, new start, will take you. Remember Christ died and rose again for it, for you and me. That's how important it is. Spring is here, live it.
Blessed by Him and you,
Rev. Russ
March 2010
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4. (Excluding Sundays).
The season of Lent, those 40 days before Easter, gives us an opportunity to journey with Christ to the cross and the empty tomb. For some this faith journey is enhanced by the giving up of something that we like such as meat or chocolate. For others it is a time of reading the scriptures that record Jesus' moving toward the cross. Prayer, fasting and doing kind deeds (alms) for others adds meaning to our walk.
You see, Lent is about choices. Someone has said that the greatest power a person possesses is the power to choose. Choose to make these days, days of intimacy with God. Plan special times of scripture reading and personal reflection and prayer. Delight in the presence of our God who first chose to love and redeem us. Who wants to spend time with us. He really does you know. Choose Him and wonderful things happen. He gives us the desires of our hearts ... and Himself besides. Do it and you will know what I mean.
February 2010
For those of you who are new to our church, allow me to tell you a little about how February became "Family Month" here at Berlin Center Church. With the "let down" after Christmas and the cold and snow of January, it became obvious to me and others that we needed "a special something" to help lift our spirits and move us in a positive direction.
Wanting to be a family-friendly church, we set about making plans that not only give us an opportunity to celebrate being part of God's family, but to also get to know each other in fun and relaxed ways. Corporate worship is great, but it seldom gives us chances to really get to bond and become friends and "family".
Diane Libb, our Family Life Coordinator, seeks to plan events with the whole family in mind. February is a busy month here at church, but what a wonderful way to worship, enjoy, have fun and get to know your church family here. So mark your calendars now and plan to get involved. Remember, you need no invitation to attend any of these services or events... because you're family!
January 2010
"Happy New Year" the man said as I walked out of the shop. I knew what he meant even if he didn't know me. He wished that I would be happy in this new year. I like the idea of being happy, however you define it. It's the "new" that often troubles me.
Like many of my kind, I like the old, the familiar, the tried and true. I like my old boot, my old but comfortable pillow and yet there is nothing like an "old friend." Perhaps that's why I like West Virginia so much. The mountains there are a constant. People come and go but the mountains remain watching as spectators.
December 2009
As a young boy, it was about this time of year that I began to make my Christmas wish list. I would search the pages of the Sears catalog for all the latest toys and complete a list of the things that I wanted most (or at least I thought I wanted). And then I would present the list to mom who, I believed in those tender years, had an "in" with Santa. Then I grew up.
In fact, the older I have become, the shorter my list has become. Time and experience has taught me that my most wanted are not "things" at all. But two that I do want, is to be more like Christ, and more like you. I want and need you both. I believe that along with Christ, some of my most prized gifts have come in the form of people. People like my family and you who read these pages. You are God's gifts to me.
That first Christmas, our God gave to us the most wonderful gift that could ever be given. He gave us His Son: Emmanuel, "God with us" and He is. Accept Him, journey through life with Him. Enjoy His presence, His companionship. Put Him at the top of your "wish list".
Thankful for Him and you,
Merry Christmas, from the Libbs
August 2009
I never met Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas personally, but I did get to know him as I read his book "Longing to Pray". In fact, I was so impressed with his writing that I used it in our Adult Sunday School class last quarter.
Dr. Kalas just retired from Asbury Theological Seminary as the 7th president. I recently received an Asbury publication honoring Dr. Kalas and his outstanding work at the seminary. As I read the articles that honored him, I thought "what a wonderful way to be remembered." He deserved every one. His life, his work, his memory are the result of a man who loved God, His word and dedicated his life to making a difference for God in others.
He gives us this advice. "Begin and end your days with God. There is no better way to set a day on course than by meeting God in the morning. Do so intentionally, or other things will crowd God out. And end the day in the strength of God's caring, the way you did when you used to pray, "Now I lay me down to sleep." This is still the best mood in which to get a good night's rest." Good advice Dr. Kalas.
In Him,
Rev. Russ
But "new" is good too. Tomorrow is a "new day", a second chance so to speak, to get it right this time. To love God and others more today than we did yesterday. To experience life in a "new" way, to perhaps see things in a different light. New is a good thing.
The challenge of the new year is that it is filled with uncertainties, the unknown, the unfamiliar, yet there is, for we who believe, a constant. His name is Jesus Christ. His presence is assured, His love all encompassing and His grace all sufficient. 2010 will be filled with "new things", yet we enter it not alone. We have Christ and each other. And both will see us through.
Have a blessed "new" year,
Rev. Russ
April
Blessed by Him and you,
Rev. Russ
Spring. After the long and snowy winter, many of us wondered if it would ever come. The warming day and the songs of the birds affirm that it is here. Spring is a sign of renewal -- a new season, new growth, a resurgence of life. Jesus said, "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). Although His words applied to another place in time, I believe that He can make "things new" in and for us. All that is required of us is the want to. Will we allow Him to touch us and give us a new heart, a new outlook, a new attitude?
Someone has said "that the same sun that melts the ice is the same sun that hardens the clay." The difference is found in the material. Some yield to it, others will not. The promise of Easter and Christ's resurrection is forgiveness of sins and the offer of new life in Him. I tell you to take it, embrace it, make this offer yours and see where this new life, new start, will take you. Remember Christ died and rose again for it, for you and me. That's how important it is. Spring is here, live it.
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