Carlos was a Spanish monk who lived most of his life outside of his native country working for the church. While traveling the countryside, he noticed a strange silence and he recognized something that was not right. He became aware of something moving back and forth that he came to recognize as a snake ready to strike at a bird. The bird was unable to move as he was captured in the gaze of the snake. Carlos wanted to save the bird, but if he move too close, the snake might strike him. He decided to act as if he were preaching and began wave his arms and shout. The snake broke his stare with the bird, and the bird was able to escape. Our world is filled with people who are locked in by the gaze of the serpent. So the importance of the preacher waving his hands and shouting is just as important to the world trapped in the serpent’s gaze as it was for the little bird. Satan uses many different ways to capture and hypnotize people. The world we in which we are living, has its sights set on each of us. It is the Pastor’s responsibility to shout loudly enough and long enough to break the gaze of the enemy. Our text outlines ways giving to break the stare and the trance of the enemy.

First is an alter. We have to have an alter. We are in a temporary building, but we need alters even so. The bible has many stores of men who built an altar to God in response to a great deliverance, blessing or revelation. God tells us to build an alter because it is from an alter where all things begin. Without an alter, we have no church. The lack of importance of an alter is a curse to many churches.

Second is the flesh hook. The altar had the purpose of holding the offering and providing a surface for the fire and the equipment. The bible tells us that the flesh hooks were to be made of pure gold. They were used to move the burning offering back onto the fire. Other items used at the altar were a mix of other metals, but the flesh hooks were to be made of pure gold. In our times, the preacher fills the role of the flesh hook. It is his job to pull us back from the edge and back to the fire where God can work on us.

THe bible is clear that each of us must have a pastor in our lives. We muche each have someone to whom we are accountable. There are numerous examples of the roll that the pastor is to play in our lives. On this occasion of Bro. and Sis. Hughes’ 25th Pastoral anniversary, Bro. Stanton draws two very important roles to demonstrate the Importance of a Pastor.

Carlos was a Spanish monk who lived most of his life outside of his native country working for the church. While traveling the countryside, he noticed a strange silence and he recognized something that was not right. He became aware of something moving back and forth that he came to recognize as a snake ready to strike at a bird. The bird was unable to move as he was captured in the gaze of the snake. Carlos wanted to save the bird, but if he move too close, the snake might strike him. He decided to act as if he were preaching and began wave his arms and shout. The snake broke his stare with the bird, and the bird was able to escape. Our world is filled with people who are locked in by the gaze of the serpent. So the importance of the preacher waving his hands and shouting is just as important to the world trapped in the serpent’s gaze as it was for the little bird. Satan uses many different ways to capture and hypnotize people. The world we in which we are living, has its sights set on each of us. It is the Pastor’s responsibility to shout loudly enough and long enough to break the gaze of the enemy. Our text outlines ways giving to break the stare and the trance of the enemy.

First is an alter. We have to have an alter. We are in a temporary building, but we need alters even so. The bible has many stores of men who built an altar to God in response to a great deliverance, blessing or revelation. God tells us to build an alter because it is from an alter where all things begin. Without an alter, we have no church. The lack of importance of an alter is a curse to many churches.

Second is the flesh hook. The altar had the purpose of holding the offering and providing a surface for the fire and the equipment. The bible tells us that the flesh hooks were to be made of pure gold. They were used to move the burning offering back onto the fire. Other items used at the altar were a mix of other metals, but the flesh hooks were to be made of pure gold. In our times, the preacher fills the role of the flesh hook. It is his job to pull us back from the edge and back to the fire where God can work on us.

THe bible is clear that each of us must have a pastor in our lives. We muche each have someone to whom we are accountable. There are numerous examples of the roll that the pastor is to play in our lives. On this occasion of Bro. and Sis. Hughes’ 25th Pastoral anniversary, Bro. Stanton draws two very important roles to demonstrate the Importance of a Pastor.

There are times in life when the tide is in. All in life is going well and all looks bright and fair. Other times, the tide is out. Life looks bleak and impossible. How often we work so hard to fix a problem to no avail. There are forces that we cannot overcome in our selves. There are times in life that the harder we try, the more pain we inflict on ourselves. There is nothing we can do in those situations other than to wait for the tide to turn. In our text, Paul deals with revenge. Who among us has not wanted to extract some revenge? Not a one us! From the youngest child, to the most senior among us want to get back at people who have done us wrong. Paul lays out a better response. He says to leave room for God so that He can work out and resolve the situation. What would happen to our worries, fears, stress and doubt, if we can step back and allow God to step in. When the situation is triggering a response of fear, anger, stress and anxiety, leave room for God. Let God show how strong He is. The story of Elijah and the widow woman illustrates this. THe woman was in a desperate situation. She was prepared to die, but by being obedient to the man of God, she saved herself, her son and Elijah. By being obedient to God, we leave room for Him to be God. We have a choice in our attitude toward life. We can be fearful or faithful. We can worry or we can worship. Will we continue to struggle against our problems, or will we leave room for God?

There are times in life when the tide is in. All in life is going well and all looks bright and fair. Other times, the tide is out. Life looks bleak and impossible. How often we work so hard to fix a problem to no avail. There are forces that we cannot overcome in our selves. There are times in life that the harder we try, the more pain we inflict on ourselves. There is nothing we can do in those situations other than to wait for the tide to turn. In our text, Paul deals with revenge. Who among us has not wanted to extract some revenge? Not a one us! From the youngest child, to the most senior among us want to get back at people who have done us wrong. Paul lays out a better response. He says to leave room for God so that He can work out and resolve the situation. What would happen to our worries, fears, stress and doubt, if we can step back and allow God to step in. When the situation is triggering a response of fear, anger, stress and anxiety, leave room for God. Let God show how strong He is. The story of Elijah and the widow woman illustrates this. THe woman was in a desperate situation. She was prepared to die, but by being obedient to the man of God, she saved herself, her son and Elijah. By being obedient to God, we leave room for Him to be God. We have a choice in our attitude toward life. We can be fearful or faithful. We can worry or we can worship. Will we continue to struggle against our problems, or will we leave room for God?

Our text is a Psalm that was written as an instruction. As with many of the great Psalms, it begins with a conclusion: Truly, God is good to Israel. The writer then goes on to describe how he came to that conclusion. He describes how the circumstances in life had affected his mind and how that led him to doubt what he had been taught. He looked at his own life and found a contradiction that wicked men were prospering, while righteous men suffered. He was on the verge of affecting others with his attitude and feelings. Wisely, he chose to keep his feelings to himself. It is clear that he was in a bad place spiritually and it was beginning to affect is life and relationships. Finally he begins to rebuke himself for his thinking and attitude. Then something changed: He went to the house of God. There he began to see things differently. Something happened during worship that he recovered something in his own life. He felt the nearness and love of God. Sitting in the sanctuary, something was revealed to him that saved him from that slippery place. He talks about God being with him, guiding him and giving him strength. What a victory there was that day because he went to church. It was more than sitting in a building. It is one thing to come into a building, but it is another to come into the presence of God. The amazing thing that happened to the Psalmist is that he won a victory over his own shame and regret. He was angry with God, but God was not angry with him. There was cleansing and healing that day as God forgave him his doubt and anger. In the sanctuary, he found a healing for his own failings and sin. God allowed the psalmist to see far enough ahead to discover that those that he thought were prospering, would find their ultimate demise. We have lost sight of the end. There will be a judgement day; a day of reckoning. We are so consumed with the immediate, but the end of this thing is what is going to matter. Where we stand in that moment of judgment will determine our eternity. In the sanctuary, we can discover what really matters. That revelation of what matters in the end is the secret to surviving slippery places.

Our text is a Psalm that was written as an instruction. As with many of the great Psalms, it begins with a conclusion: Truly, God is good to Israel. The writer then goes on to describe how he came to that conclusion. He describes how the circumstances in life had affected his mind and how that led him to doubt what he had been taught. He looked at his own life and found a contradiction that wicked men were prospering, while righteous men suffered. He was on the verge of affecting others with his attitude and feelings. Wisely, he chose to keep his feelings to himself. It is clear that he was in a bad place spiritually and it was beginning to affect is life and relationships. Finally he begins to rebuke himself for his thinking and attitude. Then something changed: He went to the house of God. There he began to see things differently. Something happened during worship that he recovered something in his own life. He felt the nearness and love of God. Sitting in the sanctuary, something was revealed to him that saved him from that slippery place. He talks about God being with him, guiding him and giving him strength. What a victory there was that day because he went to church. It was more than sitting in a building. It is one thing to come into a building, but it is another to come into the presence of God. The amazing thing that happened to the Psalmist is that he won a victory over his own shame and regret. He was angry with God, but God was not angry with him. There was cleansing and healing that day as God forgave him his doubt and anger. In the sanctuary, he found a healing for his own failings and sin. God allowed the psalmist to see far enough ahead to discover that those that he thought were prospering, would find their ultimate demise. We have lost sight of the end. There will be a judgement day; a day of reckoning. We are so consumed with the immediate, but the end of this thing is what is going to matter. Where we stand in that moment of judgment will determine our eternity. In the sanctuary, we can discover what really matters. That revelation of what matters in the end is the secret to surviving slippery places.

The story of Jacob is one of the most fascinating and interesting of all the characters in the bible. Jacob was the younger of two brothers. He tricked his brother into selling his birthright. Then later he and his mother tricked his father into passing the blessing to him in place of his brother. WHen all this was found out, Jacob had to flee for his life. It is at this point that our scripture takes place. Jacob meets Rachel the well and he was smote with her. Rachel, was beautiful, and Jacob worked for Laban for seven years to earn Rachel’s hand in marriage. Jacob fulfils his end of the bargain, but Laban tricks him and sends his older daughter Leah to be married. Leah was not pretty. Given Jacob’s history of cheating and trickery, we might say that he got what he deserved. Rachel represented everything Jacob wanted. He saw in her all the desires of his heart fulfilled. Leah represents the undesired things in life. We all plan for Rachel, but there are times that we wake up with Leah. No matter who we are, we will all wake up to a Leah at times. Often in life we get what we did not choose. What do we do when we wake up and find Leah? We can get mad.. We can fight it. We can run from it. We can ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. Or we can allow Leah to do what Leah is supposed to do. Leah produced more things in Jacob’s life than Rachel ever did. We generally do not look for God in the Leah times. Seldom do we look at Leah and thank God for her. What do we learn from Jacob? Jacob asks Laban why have you deceived me? The word used in the Hebrew is the same one used to described what He and his mother had done to Isaac. Most bible scholars believe that this was a revelation to Jacob. In addition to the revelation, through Leah came the most fruitful blessings to God’s people. The truth is that we most often find God not in our pleasure, but in our pain. The lineage of Jesus is traced back to Leah. Rachel only gave Jacob two children. Neither of them amounted to any more in the history of time. By the end of his life, he did not request to be buried with Rachel, he ordered that he be buried with Leah because he had come to understand the blessing that she was in his life. It is through the Leahs in life that God brings about the blessings and growth in our life.

The story of Jacob is one of the most fascinating and interesting of all the characters in the bible. Jacob was the younger of two brothers. He tricked his brother into selling his birthright. Then later he and his mother tricked his father into passing the blessing to him in place of his brother. WHen all this was found out, Jacob had to flee for his life. It is at this point that our scripture takes place. Jacob meets Rachel the well and he was smote with her. Rachel, was beautiful, and Jacob worked for Laban for seven years to earn Rachel’s hand in marriage. Jacob fulfils his end of the bargain, but Laban tricks him and sends his older daughter Leah to be married. Leah was not pretty. Given Jacob’s history of cheating and trickery, we might say that he got what he deserved. Rachel represented everything Jacob wanted. He saw in her all the desires of his heart fulfilled. Leah represents the undesired things in life. We all plan for Rachel, but there are times that we wake up with Leah. No matter who we are, we will all wake up to a Leah at times. Often in life we get what we did not choose. What do we do when we wake up and find Leah? We can get mad.. We can fight it. We can run from it. We can ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. Or we can allow Leah to do what Leah is supposed to do. Leah produced more things in Jacob’s life than Rachel ever did. We generally do not look for God in the Leah times. Seldom do we look at Leah and thank God for her. What do we learn from Jacob? Jacob asks Laban why have you deceived me? The word used in the Hebrew is the same one used to described what He and his mother had done to Isaac. Most bible scholars believe that this was a revelation to Jacob. In addition to the revelation, through Leah came the most fruitful blessings to God’s people. The truth is that we most often find God not in our pleasure, but in our pain. The lineage of Jesus is traced back to Leah. Rachel only gave Jacob two children. Neither of them amounted to any more in the history of time. By the end of his life, he did not request to be buried with Rachel, he ordered that he be buried with Leah because he had come to understand the blessing that she was in his life. It is through the Leahs in life that God brings about the blessings and growth in our life.

A recipe is a set of instructions for preparing food. Part of the recipe is a list of ingredients. It is important to follow the recipe if we intend to wind up with a dish that resembles the one in the picture. We buy books or search the internet for collections of recipes to try new things. Some recipes are more special. These family recipes are shared from generation to generation. These traditions are handed down because young people help mom or grandma in the kitchen and they see first hand the results of the work. If they do not see it firsthand, they do not learn a reverence and desire to keep those traditions. We have spiritual recipes too. If young people do not see mom and dad and grandparents praying and worshiping, they do not learn the importance of those things in the family recipe. Some ingredients can be left out of some recipes without greatly affecting the meal, but some ingredients are required. God is the main ingredient in our family recipe.

A recipe is a set of instructions for preparing food. Part of the recipe is a list of ingredients. It is important to follow the recipe if we intend to wind up with a dish that resembles the one in the picture. We buy books or search the internet for collections of recipes to try new things. Some recipes are more special. These family recipes are shared from generation to generation. These traditions are handed down because young people help mom or grandma in the kitchen and they see first hand the results of the work. If they do not see it firsthand, they do not learn a reverence and desire to keep those traditions. We have spiritual recipes too. If young people do not see mom and dad and grandparents praying and worshiping, they do not learn the importance of those things in the family recipe. Some ingredients can be left out of some recipes without greatly affecting the meal, but some ingredients are required. God is the main ingredient in our family recipe.