Pathways Press.com

Written by Vickie Stone, from the Village Church.

Columbine High School, Colorado. Reading that can conjure up a horrific day, 25 years ago this April when tragically 13 lives were lost violently by two high school shooters. Rachel Scott was the first person to be shot that day. 3 weeks prior, she had witnessed personally of her faith, to the two shooters. They had been bullied and their hate kept them blinded. Rachel’s backpack from that day was returned to her parents and her diary inside revealed a sketch she had made of 13 tears coming from her eyes, down onto a single rose and turning to blood.  On the Columbine campus, a rose plant is now there, with a Bible verse underneath it that says, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay his life down for his friends.” Many of her classmates would come forward to her parents and tell them of Rachel’s kindness toward them… Although her diary also contained how she had been bullied for her faith. Rachel’s life is a powerful testimony to the ways that God uses those who love Him. Her life was brief, but Rachel’s legacy touched millions. “I want you to use me to reach the unreached,” Rachel wrote to God in her diary. I sometimes wonder if I would have the faith, courage, and conviction Rachel had?  When asked “do you still believe in your God?” and she replied, “you know that I do”, she lost her life for it. John 11:25-26 – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die…” This Lenten season, may we all be grateful for The Promise of life eternal with our Savior.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. [1 Peter 3:15].

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Written by Tracy Kulwicki, a contemporary author, blogger, and podcaster.

Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to be our example of love. Thank you that He chose to surrender His rights and give up His life that I might be saved. Thank you for loving me that much. Lord, I pray that you would place within me a heart that loves others as much as you love me. Give me the strength to lay down my wants, my plans, and my very life to love the people around me. Grant me the wisdom to see your beloved people the way you do and to treat them with a sincere and compassionate heart. Teach me what real love is and what it looks like in my daily life. Help me to show your love in everything I do.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So, we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.  [1 John 3:16]

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Written by Arlene Stamper, from the Village Church.

As a teenager living in Garden Grove California, I had a close friend Terry.  We were on our high school Rancheros Drill Team together, wearing “cowgirl” outfits that had leather fringed vests, cowboy boots and hats. We would practice our routines at her house after school and many times her mother would invite me to stay for dinner with their family. Terry had two siblings so it was a large family dinner, well, at least it was large for me as I had no siblings my age.  Also, I was missing family meals and family at my own home as my mother had died in my freshman year of high school.

Terry’s grandma owned a cabin in Big Bear mountains and they invited me to spend weekends up there. I had never been there.  It was springtime and as we spent time outdoors, I loved the tall pine trees and the woodland smell, the sun filtering through the trees and the blue jays chattering. I was so comforted by Gods beauty and majesty.  And also loved by the surrogate family that God had provided to comfort me.  Years later, those trips to the mountains were so impactful that I chose Big Bear Community Church as the place to be married at.  Jerry and I will celebrate our 57th anniversary this March!

For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.  [Psalm 26:3)

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Written by Lisa Bevere, a contemporary minister, author, and speaker.

God, who is Truth, cannot lie. He is wild about you! As daughters and sons of our Lord, we are under His rule, and His rule is love. One way we can honor His lordship is by choosing to accept how He feels about us. His love for us is not subject to how we feel about ourselves, no matter what we’ve done or how tempted we are to dwell on the past. His love is selfless. He is love. His love is independent of how we look, feel or act. We might as well surrender to this love that is beyond our comprehension. This revelation — that God, who is love, loves us — is exciting. If we are bored with the idea that God loves us, it could be because we’ve heard it but never experienced it. This realization that He constantly thinks of us is thrilling and should awaken a fresh enthusiasm in every aspect of our walk with the Father. He means what He has said about us. His heart is set on us, and nothing we do or say can remove His seal of love from us. In Christ, His love is forever settled. It is now time for us to settle it for ourselves.

He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sinsinto the depths of the sea. [Micah 7:19]

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Written by Peggy Stackle from the Village Church.

A few of us are gathering together to learn how to follow Jesus for life. If you’ve been Christian for a while you probably have some knowledge and experience in this area and may not feel that this is a necessary, course to dive into right now. I think you would be surprised. I have been. Many of you have heard the part of my story that my Dad was the Superintendent of the Sunday School at the Presbyterian Church in Washington DC in the 1930’s. My Mother was the new Sunday School teacher and my Dad thought she was kind of cute so he invited her to lunch. That makes me Presbyterian since before I was the sparkle in my Dad’s eye. I’m also a seminarian and hold a Master of Divinity degree. But I’ve learned a couple of things already from participating in the “How To” experience. We have our Youth group participating and their parents, and a few others, some long-time members, some more recent, and some inquirers. Hold on to your hats. While we hold firmly to our traditional theology and doctrines, there are some new ideas. New, fresh ways of looking at those traditions that make you sit up, take notice and ask Jack. It’s positively refreshing. Then there is my favorite part, the fellowship.  We’re meeting new friends, sharing a meal and engaging in good, old-fashioned conversation. Of course Jack teaches a little as well. There’s still time. Join us.

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. [Mark 2:14]

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Written by In Touch Ministries, an organization founded by Dr. Charles Stanley to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Christians often hear that God loves them. This truth is repeated in church, and believers often recite Bible verses on the topic. Yet do we really grasp what it means to be cared for in this way by the Creator of the universe? Let’s explore two aspects of His love. First, God’s love isn’t influenced by anything within or around us, because it is one of God’s unchanging attributes. We know that even while we were still living in sin, Christ died for us. We didn’t do anything to earn His love, and we can’t do anything to hinder it.  Second, divine love is eternal. Believers will never be separated from it. God chose us before the foundation of the world. We know, therefore, that His care for us has always been a fact—and always will be.  We can trust the One who loves us completely. Jesus proved His love by dying in our place to rescue us from sin and its consequences. He promises to stay with us always and redirects us when we stray. Whether or not we feel His presence, His love surrounds and protects us forever. 

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins  [1 John 4:10]

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This paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer was written by Eugene Peterson (1932-2018) in The Message Bible.

Our Father in heaven, reveal who you are.

Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the devil.

You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” [Matthew 6:9]

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Written by Jacob Boehme (1575-1624), a German philosopher and theologian.

Give me, dear Lord, a pure heart and a wise mind,

that I may carry out my work according to your will.

Save me from all false desires,

from pride, greed, envy and anger,

and let me accept joyfully every task you set before me.

Let me seek to serve the poor

the sad and those unable to work.

Help me to discern honestly my own gifts

that I may do the things of which I am capable,

and happily and humbly leave the rest to others.

Above all, remind me constantly that I have nothing except what you give me, and can do nothing except what you enable me to do.  Amen.

The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! [Psalm 68:35]

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Mere Christianity.”

Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what it is really like. It is like a small child going to its father and saying, “Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present.”

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened—burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.  Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll.  I desire to do your will, my God;  your law is within my heart.” [Psalm 40:6-8]

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Written by John Baillie (1886-1960) was a Scottish theologian and  a Church of Scotland minister.

Today, O Lord —

let me put right before interest;

let me put others before self;

let me put the things of the spirit before the things of the body;

let me put the attainment of noble ends above the enjoyment of present pleasures;

let me put principle above reputation;

let me put Thee before all else. Amen.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. [Romans 12:3].

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