PastorBlastor

Who's without sin? - John 8:1-11 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 26, 2015 Self-righteousness can express itself in many different forms. We often think of it as the overtly bigoted religious persona depicted by the media, movies, or television. However it can take the form of someone who thinks they are spiritually okay when in fact they know next to nothing about God, his Son, or the Bible. They self-righteously equate their good intentions, actions, or attitudes as more that good enough for God. And in fact, their intent becomes God's for them. They do not see themselves as a sinner in need of a Savior. This is the millennial mindset of much of America today. It is not new. We discover that even the hyper-religious bureaucrats of Jesus' day fell into this self-inflicted trap, thinking they were far better off spiritually than the common man or in this case woman. Here in John we find an interesting account of Jesus rescuing a sinful woman from her wrongful accusers. In doing so...

The Living Water! - John 7:37-53 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 19, 2015 I was reading an old western the other day by Louis L'Amour. In it the hero was trekking across the Southwestern desert without water when he comes to a small watering hole. He figures out that the water is no good; it is poisoned and would kill him if he drank it, and since there is no other water for miles he has to do something about it before he can drink it. This little piece of the short story I was reading made me begin to wonder how in the world do folks in our day and age know, when they are dying of thirst, if the water they are drinking is poisoned or not? Folks can be poisoned by a lot of things: What they read, what they are taught, by the example given them from their peers or parents, or what they watch in movie or TV. Everything from our spirituality to our worldview can be slowly poisoned and we never realize it until we have to pay the ultimate price. The common folks of Jesus' day were slowin...

Are you listening? By Pastor Lee Hemen April 12, 2015 I like listening in on conversations. Yes, I suppose you could call me an eavesdropper, but really this carries with it so many nasty connotations. I prefer to be known as an observer of people and listening to them is part of the character of someone like me. Why just the other day I was listening to my grandson and wife talking together. He had climbed onto her lap and was enjoying a book with her. She exclaimed, "I like it when you climb into my lap and snuggle with me." Then I heard him giggle in response and reply, "I like snuggling with you too grandma." Now, how in the world could anyone not want to overhear that! I am a fulltime pastor and a part time "recess teacher" during the week at a local elementary school. I have learned by listening in on conversations how many of the children there are neglected, loved, pampered, or encouraged. I have discovered that in fact many of these children who s...

Of Potlucks, Power Rangers and People by Pastor Lee Hemen April 12, 2015 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47 NIV) These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead. (Jude 1:12 NIV) The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ… But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? ... The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the fee...

The Victory! - Mark 16:1-14 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 5, 2015 Victory can come in many forms in our lives. It could be getting good grades, making a promotion at work, or retiring in comfort and contentment. Parents see victories in their children all the time. Perhaps one of the greatest victories that were totally unexpected happened during the 1980 Winter Olympics when the USA hockey team beat Russia at Lake Placid, New York. It was called "The Miracle on Ice" for a reason because no one expected it to happen since Team USA had been badly beaten by the Russians earlier in the year. Today's verses in Mark show us a different kind of victory. It is one that does not give out gold medals, good grades, or future monetary compensation. It is the victory that gives anyone who believes in it the power over death and the newness of a whole new relationship with Almighty God. It was a victory that few expected that morning after experiencing and seeing what they already had. Th...