pastoroncall.net

Equally Yoked

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 20:21:52 +0000

I believe it is vitally important to declare Jesus Christ as my Crucified Lord, not just as my Lord, but as my Crucified Lord. Jesus died for us on Good Friday; He was Crucified, dead and buried. He then Resurrected on Easter Sunday as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is therefore my Crucified Lord. Without the Resurrection, Jesus would have been just another common criminal punished by the Romans through the act of crucifixion. But, because Jesus came back to life on the Third Day, what He sought to accomplish through His Crucifixion was fully empowered and validated. Proclaiming Jesus Christ as my Crucified Lord keeps what He accomplished both through His Crucifixion and Resurrection in a state of “proper creative tension” in which the act of Good Friday is equally yoked along with the act of Easter; in which the Cross is equally validated in conjunction with the Empty Tomb!

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For Valentine’s Day

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:44:46 +0000

What is Love?

What is Love,

but the beauty

of the soul

made real in

the faces of

those who

believe that

Love is more

than flesh and

blood.

What is Love,

but the presence

of the Divine in

the hands and

feet who profess

a Faith that goes

way beyond

what this world

has to offer.

What is Love,

but the willingness

to say Yes when

everyone says no,

to say I Will when

nobody wants

to do what needs

to be done.

What is Love,

but the inner

desire to express

Affection and

Understanding

in ways that

never fail.

What is Love,

but the passion

of what burns

from deep within

that Seeks outward

manifestation.

What is Love,

but the fullness

of what only God

has to offer each

and everyone of us.

What is Love,

but the joy

of Knowing

you are Loved.

What is Love,

but the Word

made flesh.

What is Love,

but the Peace of God.

What is Love?

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A Daily Walk With Jesus

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:43:24 +0000

A daily walk with Jesus

is all I need, to set me

free from all diseases,

including those that attack

the mind, the heart, the soul.

A daily walk with Jesus

Is all I need, to set me

back on track towards

all that pleases

my Lord and Savior.

A daily walk with Jesus

is all I need, to set me

on a different path than

the one that squeezes

His life blood out of me.

A daily walk with Jesus

is all I need, to set me

thinking and believing

with no excuses for

un-Godly behavior.

A daily walk with Jesus

is the greatest cure

for all in this world

that troubles us;

try it, you’ll like it.

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What’s Worship?

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:42:22 +0000

I was teaching a 5th Grade class the other day, and we were talking about words that start with the letter “w”, and I wrote (among other words) the word “worship” on the board. I didn’t think much about it, until a girl in the class come up to me and asked what does the word “worship” mean. I couldn’t believe my ears. “What! You are eleven years old and you don’t know what the word worship means.”, I said to myself. Of course, this was what I was thinking. I was careful not to show my surprise. I simply said to her, “Worship, is when you lift up something or someone higher than anything else, including yourself, and then you gather with other people who feel the same way you do to praise and honor the thing or person you are lifting up.” “Oh”, she said, “like worshipping a god.” “Yes”, I said, “people worship gods.” “Do you worship a god?” she asked. Yes,” I said, “I worship the God of Jesus.” “Okay”, she said, “thanks for answering my question.” “No problem,” I said, “thanks for asking; that’s how you learn.” She went back to her desk, and I thought to myself, “A little witnessing can’t hurt!”

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Lost and Found

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:41:12 +0000

Hey, what’s going on here!

Did you lose something?

Maybe you lost your pride?

Maybe you lost your cool?

Maybe you lost your paycheck?

Maybe you lost your job?

Maybe you lost your license?

Maybe you lost your phone?

Who knows what you’ve lost over the years?

But, as long as you haven’t lost your Faith,

Then you can still be Found

By a Loving and Gracious God.

The gift of God-given Faith is

The beacon, the streetlight, the candle,

That burns brightly

Amidst the darkness

Of a lost world.

So, God can communicate with you

No matter where you are,

Or what your situation may be.

You may lose, a loved one,

Your health, your dignity.

But, with Faith, God’s loving

And gracious presence

Can be Found and utilized

To help make you strong

At the broken (lost) places (spaces)

Of your life.

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And, by God, He Did!

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:37:32 +0000

It’s been a while since I wrote a Weekly Devotional, that’s because I’ve been involved in the long tedious process of mortgages, loans, sales, and purchases which are all part of the current housing market. Yes, my wife Cheryl, my mother in law Carol, and I now live under one roof in our home in Itasca. In order to get here we had to sell four properties (one which was “under water”, one which was sold at no profit to my daughter Diana, and one which was sold at probate) as well as get approved for the purchase of the house in Itasca. Folks, it was a logistical nightmare, especially since the underwriters of today are extremely cautious and very picky. It was one of those situations where you do your best and leave the rest to the Almighty. It was once of those situations where you lifted it all to God in prayer. It was one of those situations where you don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the egotistical games people play, instead you allow the ways of the Lord to lead your decisions. It was amazing watching God at work through this whole tedious complicated, worldly process. Yes, God knows the mortgage business, the housing market, the legal ramifications, better than anyone else, because He is God. All I had to do is not let my ego get the better of me, and in so doing step out of the way, and let God do his thing! And, by God, He did!

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Deliverance

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:36:30 +0000

We live in a crazy world. Some would say it’s “pure insanity” or “it’s a nightmare out there”. I’m sure we’ve all heard those descriptions before. If I was God I would have stayed away from this crazy world amidst the safety and comfort of the “heavenly realms”. Why enter into the insanity of humanity when you can casually recline in the midst of the Divine. Why risk the darkness when you can live in the
eternal Sonshine. Why experience the burdens of imperfection when your perfection knows no burden. The uniqueness of the Christian faith is that we believe in a God who “put it all on the line” so that we can experience some of the Divine. “My ways are not your ways” says the Lord, and thank God they’re not. The God of the New Covenant entered fully into our humanity with the intent to deliver us from our “insanity”. I thank God everyday that I can choose to follow His ways and in so doing help reduce the impact of this crazy world we live in!

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Cubs Win!

Fri, 09 Jan 2015 20:44:17 +0000

Had a person come up to me the other day and ask, “If I thought 2015 is the year for the Second Coming!” And, before I could answer they started talking about all the bad stuff going on in this world, “storms, floods, tsunamis, raging fires, melting glaciers, planes dropping out of the sky, tensions rising in the Middle East, mass shootings, the Ebola epidemic, prophecies being fulfilled, and on and on and on,” you name it, they talked about it! Then they asked me, “So, do you think the end times are near?” I said, “I don’t know, nobody does, except God the Father.” “But,” they continued, “Don’t you think these are exceptionally bad times?” I responded, “Not any worse than any other time in human history. Every generation thinks the end times are near. Ever since Jesus ascended, people have said, He’s coming back soon!” And, then they asked the all important question, “Pastor Dawson, when do you think Jesus is coming back?’ I thought for a minute, looked them straight in the eye, and said, “When the Cubs win the World Series!” “What,” they said, “you can’t really believe that.” I responded, “It’s as good as some of the other theories I’ve heard over the years, especially when you consider Harry Carey died a few years ago to prepare the way, and they are redoing Wrigley Field, so it’s going to look real nice when He returns.” “Can you imagine.” I continued “What it’s going be like…the 7th game of the World Series, 9th Inning, Cubs need four to win, bases loaded, full count, and the batter hits a grand slam, and all of a sudden you hear Harry Carey yelling from the Heaven’s, Cubs Win! Cubs Win! and after the batter crosses Home Plate, Jesus appears in all His Divine Glory!” Needless to say, this person just looked at me kind of strange, shook their head, and walked away. What can I say?

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The New Year Brings

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:38:41 +0000

New Years Day

Is here to Stay and

Oh by the Way

Did you Say

The Baby Jesus

Came to Free Us

From those Things

The New Year Brings

That Cause us Harm.

So, let’s Ring

That Darn Bell

We know so Well.

The Bell of

Divine Deliverance

That Makes a Difference

In my Life and Yours.

Thank you Lord

For Clearing the Path

With your Eternal Love

Past, Present, and Future.

You are the Alpha

And the Omega

The One we Trust

No Matter

Where we Go

Or What we Do.

As the old Saying Goes

We Know Not

What the Future Holds

But we Know

Who Holds the Future.

Happy New Year to All

And to All a Godly

Happy New Year Brings.

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The Babe

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 18:40:32 +0000

The Babe

Come

Celebrate

The Birth

Of the Babe

For Now is the

Time of Redemption

For all Humanity

The Babe

Born in a Stable

To Dwell, so Well

Amongst Us

Eating, Breathing,

Walking, Talking,

Living, Loving,

The Babe

Born in a Manger

To Answer the Call

And Give it All

So we May Live

As God Forgives

Fully and Completely

The Babe

Born in Bethlehem

To Bring Peace

Put your Sword Away

He Did Say

For My Kingdom is

Not of This World

The Babe

Born in a Bundle

To Bring Joy

To a World

Hungry, Thirsty

For What God

Alone can Give

The Babe

Born of a Virgin

Love Made Flesh

To Bind up

The Brokenhearted

And Give Sight

To the Blind

The Babe

Born Under a Star

A Light Amidst

The Darkness

To Guide, Lead

And Show the

Way to Eternity

The Babe

Born a King

To Rule

With Kindness

And Humility

Gently He Speaks

With Loving Authority

The Babe

Born to Bring Hope

To a Violent World

Father Forgive Them

He Said

For They Know

Not What They Do

Let Not

The Babe

Slip Away

Through Your Fingertips

Wrap Him Instead

In the Swaddling Clothes

Of Your Life

The Babe

by Pastor D.

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