Greetings, friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ and all who have taken a moment to visit our site and to check us out.
I’m Pastor Armour and it is my privilege to serve as such in our local church family. Our web site is new, and we are still tweaking things so please keep that in mind.
Our intent is to join in with the many others who are beacons of light sharing the timeless message of Jesus Christ. We do not consider ourselves superior in any way to the many voices crying out in the wilderness. We just feel compelled to lift our voice as well.
Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful, and the laborers are few.”
We are rolling up our sleeves. Surely, we must be about our Father’s business.
It is my hope that through this blog to be able to offer up words of comfort, encouragement, truth, and inspiration, and to do so always with love. Our world seems to be bursting at the seams with discord, dissention, and hostility. The anger we see and hear is boiling over and far too many in the political area are incapable or unwilling to be a voice of reason and reassurance. And far too many are on edge as a result. Perhaps our focus is in the wrong place. Perhaps we’re expecting people who are caught in their own agenda and their’ particular ideology to think about others and not themselves.
The stakes are high. As such emotions are running high. We are living in a time where unless you are with me fully, then you must be fully against me. I could go on and on about the obvious and we can all commiserate and bemoan the sadness of the state of our nation and world, but I propose a different perspective. I prefer to look at our cup as running over, rather than half full. And I prefer to see this as perhaps the greatest opportunity for the church than at any time in modern history, rather than join in with the haters who see these as the worst of times.
What the world needs now is love sweet love. That is the only thing that there is just too little of. The words of the song from the 60s shows another very turbulent time in our history. It was true then and it is true now.
But when I say love, I do not mean sentimentality and outward gestures, that sometimes conceal what is really in the heart. I mean God. God is love. He is all love. And we, the Church of God, have the Spirit of the living God within. This is the time and here is the place. In our homes, on our jobs, in our community and all points in between. Love that is real. Love that bears fruit and is action driven. Love that is kind, thoughtful and consider of others, even those who disagree with everything we stand for. Jesus Christ is our example, our leader and our teacher. Not the White House or Congress, or the media.
Jesus said, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matt. 5: 43 – 44 (KJV)
I am persuaded Jesus never spoke a word that he did not truly mean, and I believe he meant for his disciples to follow these words. To some my solution to the complexities of a divided nation may fall far short of what is needed. Acknowledged. But this is where we start. This is what should shape our words, our actions our thoughts and our interaction with others, regardless to who they are or how loudly they shout.
This is our time. Now is the day of salvation. For such a time as this God placed us here to serve his purpose and to bless our fellow man. Yes, you can expect scriptures throughout the pages of this blog. I believe in the power and the effectiveness of the written word and I feel they are as relevant and needed now as anytime in history. It is my prayer than all of God’s children, black and white, young or old, rich or poor, will allow the words of God to hold us and to shape us, to guide us and to speak to our heart and our mind as we face a poignant time in the history of this nation. We can and should be the steady voice and the light of hope that brings calmness and togetherness to a world ripping itself apart.
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