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Rambling from Retirement – Join the Flock By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen April 28, 2021 Today as I came home from our Men’s Prayer the birds in my front yard trees were singing so loudly you could hardly hear anything else. They seemed to be just full of the joy of being alive, free, and just being birds. Even though they were not all in sync or in harmony it was wonderful to hear and it got me to thinking about the Psalm we had just read and prayed about as a group of men. The Psalmist writes his listeners to “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. (Psalms 95:1-3 NIV)” He invited others to join him in a cacophony of singing praises to God simply because He is God. The birds in my trees reminded me of the Psalmist’s words for us to join him in song. Like those birds who sing simply because they are birds ...

Vows, revenge, and enemies! – Matthew 5:33-48 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 24, 2019 Foul language, disrespect, arrogance and revengeful attitudes have become a societal norm. So much so you have those who actually think that you can dictate through laws how to make people act respectful toward one another. The Washington State Legislature is considering a law that would enforce rules against bullying in schools. Believe me it will not stop the perceived problem they are trying to solve. Laws are a Band-Aid approach to a deeper problem. Remember Jesus was trying to get his audience to realize that it isn’t what comes out of a person that matters as much as what is inside a person. Jesus taught that “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45 NIV)” That which is “stored up” inside of us is what truly shows the world what w...

Anger! – Matthew 5:21-26 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 10, 2019 Angry words can never be taken back. Society’s standard of foul and angry words has declined in recent years, but we don’t have to decline with it, we should think about how to honor God with our speech. We please the Lord with our tongue when we show discernment. Proverbs 10:19 reminds us that “He who restrains his lips is wise”. When we do speak, we are to filter the words that escape our lips: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23 NIV). Paul’s warns us to “let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV). How can we keep our anger contained? How do we remain calm in a world that seems to be filled with hatred, evil, and ungodly behavior? Jesus in the Beatitudes sets an almost impossible situation where we are to speak right and think right all the time. Jesus did this to startle his listeners and to shock them into listening to what he was teaching about himsel...

Father’s Day – Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:7-12 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 17, 2018 Did you have a good father? I had a pretty good dad. He took us fishing, camping, and spent as much time with us as he could. He taught us to be moral, believe in God, and what marital devotion was all about. I still can remember him showing us boys how to cast a salmon egg just right in order to catch the bigger trout in the river. I also remember he was firm on his word and discipline. Sometimes children can think their parents are unfair or that they do not understand but what I have learned is that parents, especially fathers, do understand and that is why they often have to take the firm stand they do. Too many fathers in our day are AOL (absent without leave) either physically or emotionally or both. Proverbs reminds us that “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the ...

The Righteous Life! -- James 1:16-20 By Pastor Lee Hemen May 11, 2014 AM We live in a day and age where the theologically unaware think that being nice is the same as being good and that goodness is the same as being right with God -- nothing could be further from the truth! Just because someone can be nice once in a while does not mean they are good and just because some folks can muster up enough goodness to do a decent thing does not mean they know God. It shocks the politically correct crowd to learn that there will be a lot of good and nice folks spending eternity separated from God where the “worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:48) The truth is a lot of folks who think they are good enough or nice enough just aren’t blameless before God and “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46) What is a righteous life? We know it was not being moral or pleasant because if it were Jesus did not have to die on the cross...

Being Wise About Relationships – Proverbs February 3, 2008 AM By Pastor Lee Hemen Friction is a consistent element in human relationships. Husbands and wives sometimes disagree over financial, parenting, or household decisions. Church members conflict over issues such as worship styles, budget, or ministries. Coworkers disagree over how to accomplish a project, bosses, or work ethic. All of us have many relationships. We interact with friends, coworkers, and family members almost daily. We may see church members several times a week. We get together with extended family at reunions and holidays. Someone once quipped, “You can pick your friends but you are stuck with your family forever.” How then are we to relate to others? The Book of Proverbs addresses many of these relationships by giving us basic moral and spiritual principles. Today we will deal with three basic areas that are important in building and maintaining healthy relationships. First, we need to be careful how we spe...