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Ramblings from Retirement – Reconnect! By Lee Hemen, Retired Pastor March 18, 2021 There was a popular folk song out when I was in High School by Joni Mitchell called The Big Yellow Taxi. It was supposed to be a statement concerning how the world was paving over everything and destroying it with insecticides. It was kind of a silly song but one line states “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” This is true whether it concerns green spaces or relationships but it can be true of things we begin to depend on in life without ever thinking about them. Here’s something for you to try for a week: Go without your Wi-Fi or cell phone. Few could make it a day let alone a week, but what if these things were taken away from you for good? What would you do and how would you cope? We lost our Wi-Fi for about 20 hours the other day and I realized just how much we as a family had come to rely on something we often took for granted. We can do the same thing in...

Hold on to the truth! – 1 Timothy 1:12-20 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 8, 2017 Like a lot of things in our society today, the truth has become subjective; truth depends upon how one feels, whether or not one thinks they are justified in whatever perverted proclivity they desire for the moment, or the deliberate movement of society’s moral boundaries. In a world where truth can be a slippery slope of a mixed bag of tricks one many wonder where in the world does the truth lie? What truth do we hold on to in our day and age? Paul was a convert to the Christian faith and it wasn’t an easy thing for him to do. He knew where he had come from and in the Book of Acts he related “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagog...

Betrayal! - John 13:18-30 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 6, 2013 Treason used to be such a dirty word, but in our day and age some folks who betray their countries are seen as heroes and adulated by the mainstream media. I suppose it depends upon what your government is doing, but how do you feel when you are personally betrayed by someone you trust? What an awful feeling to have someone who is nice to you publically, but stabbing you in the back privately. As a pastor I have incredulously watched as folks tell me to my face that I could count on them no matter what and immediately do the opposite. And sadly actually think they are doing the will of God in their betrayal. This is nothing new, even Jesus faced betrayal by one of his disciples, one of the men he had chosen to follow him. Can you imagine being a friend, being seen as a confidant, doing the work of God, and then betraying the one God has sent into your life? This is exactly what occurs in the verses John shares with us next...

The Blind! -- John 9:1-41 By Pastor Lee Hemen June 14, 2015 The old proverbial saying, "There's none so blind as those who will not see" according to the Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, has been traced back to 1546 (John Heywood), and resembles the Biblical verse: "Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear! (Jeremiah 5:21 NIV)" People can be physically born blind; they can be emotionally blind, intellectually blind, and worse -- spiritually blind. The Jewish leadership was spiritually blinded. They had become so used to the way things were and so used to following their set of codified laws that they could not see the working of God right in front of their eyes. Jesus came on the scene and began to shake things up for the blind. Let's discover what happened… READ: John 9:1-41 Here in John's gospel we find… I. Those spiritually ignorant remain blind! (Vv. 1-12) As he w...

The Truth Will Set You Free! - John 8:30-36 By Pastor Lee Hemen May 17, 2015 Shel Silverstein once quipped, "Tell me I'm clever, Tell me I'm kind, Tell me I'm talented, Tell me I'm cute, Tell me I'm sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I'm perfect - But tell me the truth." Contrary to what some would like you to believe, there can only be one truth. However, for some the truth is completely relative, meaning it is only relevant when it benefits them or agrees with their own preconceptions. In our day and age where many think that lying is just part of life, we would do well to remember what Mark Twain wrote, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." Jesus was the embodiment of the truth. He never lied nor did anything for his own benefit; his life was one of complete honesty, humility, and sacrifice. God knew that if he was going to relate the gospel message of salvation by faith through Jesus, Jesus would have to be ...