Merry Christmas,

   Greetings from the Wegeners and Pastor Pike’s Guide Service.

   Today as I was cleaning my muzzleloader I was thinking about Christmas.  Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the One who said, “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.”  And, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…”   

   You see, Jesus came not only to bring us salvation, but also peace and rest.  Yet for ministers, Christmas through Easter can seem like some of the least restful and least peaceful times.  We get busy with decorating the church, Christmas Eve services, Christmas programs, New Years Eve services, Lent services, Sunrise services, and Easter programs while making sure we juggle our family time and trips to see loved ones.

    So, I encourage you during this busy season to not forget that the Lord whose birth we celebrate at Christmas and who’s death, burial, and resurrection we celebrate at Easter is the same Lord who came to  bring us PEACE and REST.  Our prayer for you during this season is that in the midst of all your ministry and family commitments that you would truly experience peace and rest.

It's a good lake when the fish are biting.

Recently on the way home from visiting her daughter, a friend of mine stopped at a nearby state park that she had never visited. While enjoying the beauty of the park she noticed an old fisherman on shore. The old man fit perfectly into the whole picture. My friend approached the old gentleman and inquired what he was fishing for. The fisherman replied panfish. Being totally taken in by the surroundings my friend commented on the beauty of the lake, noticing that fishing was slow. The old fisherman replied, "It's a good lake when the fish are biting."

Too often we as Christians feel the same way, "He's a good God when things are going my way." We all too often want our walk with the Lord to be easy and without work. We want to say we live by faith but complain when we really do. James 1:2-4,12 says My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Bur let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing...Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been apporved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." The Greek word "Peirasmoi" translated here as temptations means trials, persecutions, and afflictions.

James tells us that tests and trials strengthen us and that our faith needs to be tried in order for it to grow. If our walk was always easy, and we had no difficulties our faith wouldn't be tried, and we'd have no reason to work on strengthening our faith.1 Peter 1:6,7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need by, you have been grieved by VARIOUS TRIALS that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Here Peter is telling us that remaining faithful to Christ in the midst of our trials will purify our faith and will result in praise, honor, and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ when he comes. The Lord considers this kind of purifying of our faith precious and invaluable, because this kind of faith won't perish. Through all the hardships we go through, God is getting us to the place where our faith is strong enough, so that when he calls us to do something, no matter how impossible it looks, that we will do it without thinking it impossible because our faith has been tested and purified. Just because the fish aren't biting doesn't mean the lake isn't a good lake and just because things aren't going the way you want them to doesn't mean that God isn't a good God.