PastorBlastor

The bread of life! -- John 6:34-59 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 8, 2026 They say that a person's sense of smell is one of the most powerful memory trigger inducers. You can smell a certain scent and it will immediately remind you of a person, place, or time of your life. I know this is true because when I smell Aqua Velva, an aftershave lotion, it immediately reminds me of my father. the same is true for fresh baked bread. The smell instantly reminds me of my mother's kitchen when I was growing up and the smell of her wonderful bread. She made the best bread in the world. We could hardly wait to get a thick warm slice with melted butter or peanut butter. As I expressed before, bread was an important part of everyday life, especially during Jesus' day. It was how people survived and was the meal for even the poorest of folks. However, it was not like the bread we enjoy today. It was flat, chewy, small, round, thick, and kind of tasteless, but it sustained people for the day. It...

One great man of God! - Matthew 11:1-19 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 24, 2019 Longfellow, the Poet, wrote that “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.” We who do not consider ourselves neither great nor that inspiring might ask ourselves, “What makes a great man?” Great men do not necessarily need to be remembered by the marketplace but rather can have such an impact on those around them that they are left better in life by knowing them. Greatness should not be measured in risks taken, accumulated wealth, or educational degrees; rather greatness is how a life impacts another to the extent it changes future generations. John the Baptist was such a man. Here in Matthew’s gospel we find John the Baptist, the last great prophet of God, while imprisoned more concerned about the spiritual health of his nation than his own personal comfort. John was chosen by God before he was even born to be the...

Have no fear! - Matthew 10:26-33 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 10, 2019 Some information is so important that it should never be hidden or kept secret. In a free society we believe this to be a foundational truth. There are those who want to stifle free speech and try to keep certain things from the public by using things like secretive personal internet servers or throw away cell phones. Usually these folks do these things because they know that if their secrets came out they might likely go to jail. However, the message of the Gospel is not to be kept secret. There are no special or secret messages within it or in the life of Jesus. He is exactly who he said he was: “I and the Father are one. (John 10:30 NIV)” Jesus desired that his followers would continue to share the good news until he returned again to take home his church. In doing so his disciples did not need to be afraid because what they believed and shared was not to be kept from anyone. They were to have no fear! Let’s see ...

Old vs. new! -- Matthew 9:14-17 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 8, 2019 Some long for the “good old days” but not me. I like indoor plumbing, electricity, microwaves, computers, smart phones, and hot and cold running water at the turn of a tap. I remember when few families had TV or even a phone in their homes. The small town I grew up in had three TV stations and they all went off the air after the late news and that was when the news was truly news instead of personal commentary. It’s the age old competition of the old verses the new. When Jesus came and began his ministry he came face-to-face with the Jewish traditions that had been enforced for centuries with his teaching that the kingdom of God was at hand. Everything was about to change and it had to in order for people to come to God through Jesus. The kingdom was now open for everyone and not just a chosen few and because of this the confrontation was going to occur even in what we might consider the small arena of life. The spir...

Jesus the baptized – Matthew 3:13-17 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 27, 2019 Just because you feel empathy for someone doesn’t mean you have actually done anything for them and yet there are those today who actually think that feeling something for someone is just as valid as actually doing something. Nothing could be further from the truth. James would remind us by asking, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:15-16 NIV)” He would say that such faith is “dead” if it is not accompanied by some kind of action. James was not arguing about good deeds saving someone but rather what demonstrated faith in a person’s life. Baptism did not “save” Jesus but demonstrated his faith to the world. Here in these verses we find the Messiah coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John his cousin. There have been all kinds of speculat...

John the baptizer – Matthew 3:1-12 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 20, 2019 Everyone is known for something. Notice I did not say that everyone is famous, well-known, or publicly recognizable. But each of usually is known for something. When I was in elementary school I was known for organizing all of the younger grades into a force to be reckoned with on the playground. You pick on one of us, we all attacked you. It stopped bullying in its tracks. I was surprised years later when this guy at Portland State University asked me if I was the same Lee Hemen who organized that group because he was one of the younger kids we “rescued”! Here we discover John, and no, he was not the first Baptist, rather he is known for his baptisms. He should be known correctly as John the Baptizer. We will discover that not everyone follows the normal dictates of social decorum or dress and John was one of these folks. He was not homeless as I have heard some liberal preachers try to emphasize; he was a man wit...

Love one another! – 1 John 4:7-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 25, 2018 After the horrific shooting in Florida a lot of folks are asking what went wrong. Some blame guns, law enforcement, the public school system, or society itself. At its core I believe it reflects how we view ourselves and God. Interestingly in the midst of all this discussion Pastor Billy Graham died. Perhaps God decided to take one of his children home to heaven this past week in order for us to refocus on what I mean. As believers we are to love one another. In our society many have elevated their children to a status of child worship while others totally ignore their kids and want others like schools to raise them. We allow children to be exposed to any and everything and no longer protect childhood innocence. We have reduced God to a myth and humanity to animals and wonder why life is not considered sacred. John knew that believers could lose sight of what love of God meant. Let’s learn what John wrote… READ: 1 ...

Resurrection! - John 20:1-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 16, 2017 We are at a spiritual crossroads in history. We live in a day and age whereby folks do not use critical thinking but rely on their instinct or passion. This is dangerous because we are then motivated to think that what we feel is more important than facts. Or worse, that we can distinguish what is right or wrong in life simply by how it feels to us. From personal relationships, what we believe in, or to whom we vote for is a matter of feelings and not what we truly know. We end up hurt and confused when our emotions have steered us in the wrong direction. The resurrection is not a matter of emotion or personal feelings. It is a historical physical fact. This is why later when Mary is crying by the empty tomb and the angel rebukes her by reminding her of the facts, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son ...

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...