PastorBlastor

Ramblings from Retirement: Give Thanks! By Lee Hemen (Retired Pastor) November 21, 2020 Thanksgiving is coming and it is one of my favorite holidays. The reasons for me are many because I not only love the food and family time but I enjoy what Thanksgiving represents. It is truly an American holiday where we are encouraged to pause and give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us. We discover that the early Pilgrims encouraged this with not just a one day celebration but with their entire lives as well. And far from being the black and white dressed grim faced people many think they were the Pilgrims were actually very joyous and colorful people. They came to these shores not to inflict slavery, as some would erroneously have you swallow, but they came here for religious and personal freedom. We discover that within a very short period of time that their communal form of governance caused huge problems with their colony and they decided to give each person the freedom to produc...

God leads us! - Psalm 18:1-6, 16-21, 32-36 May 21, 2017 By Pastor Lee Hemen When life smacks you in the head what do you do, to whom do you go to for advice, or for comfort? For some of us it is family, others it is a good friend, and yet as believers we are to first and foremost go to the Lord who is our help in times of trouble. It is during these times that God leads us. David was not favored by God because he served him but David served him because God had appointed David in his sovereign mercy. After David praises and tells of his confidence in God for the future, David gives a beautiful description of God’s deliverance, which he described as an illustration of God’s justice to the innocent. God’s own might and success are celebrated as the results of divine aid and the confidence it will continue. Let’s learn how through our lives God leads us! READ: Psalm 18:1-6, 16-21, 32-36 David knew about trouble in life. He had been given the kingdom of Israel while the still sitting king S...

Do You Take Your Burdens to the Lord? - Isaiah 37:10-12, 14-20, 33-37 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 2, 2014 AM What do you do when you are faced with difficult situations? Do you run and hide, do you get angry, or do you depend upon the Lord and His guidance? You can tell a lot about an individual’s faith not just during the mundane ordinary times, but how they conduct themselves during bleak situations. She was young and not prepared to be a single mom but her life choices had brought her to this point. With a baby on the way, no support from the baby’s father, she had some tough decisions to make. She first began to work on her relationship with God, worked herself through college, got a better job after graduating, and raised her child. At a church gathering, she met a godly man who loves her and her child. Whom do you take your burdens to when faced with tough decisions? Sennacherib had left Lachish and was at Libnah, about five miles north of Lachish. Word had come that Tirhakah was c...

Do You Live According to God's Truth? - Isaiah 28:14-18; 30:12-18 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 16, 2014 AM Many folks in our day and age think they are okay with God. So much so in fact, that they would deny they need Him at all! Ray Comfort has a great way of confronting folks who think this way. He asks them a series of questions. “Would you consider yourself a good person?” Most answer, “Yes.” Then he asks, “Have you ever told a lie?” Most answer, “Yes.” “What does that make you?” “A liar”, is the usual response. “Have you ever stolen something?” he continues. “Yes.” “What does that make you?” “A thief”, they respond. “Have you ever looked at someone else with lust?” And, of course most answer in the affirmative. He then blandly remarks, “Well, by your own admission, you’re a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart and not a good person at all!” Some who claim Christ do not fair much better. We like to think that if we say we love Jesus, this is enough, but let me ask you, “Do you l...

When common sense isn’t! - James 1:2-18 By Pastor Lee Hemen September 22, 2013 AM Jack was one of the smartest people I have known. However, while Jack was “book smart” he was pound-foolish. He did not use his knowledge to make himself wise. Ken, on the other hand, while not highly educated, used his godly wisdom to meet life’s challenges and to serve his Lord faithfully. Among God’s good gifts, He provides wisdom to help believers endure trials, resist temptations, and put material things in proper perspective. It is more than common sense it is Godly wisdom. When people face trials, they may wonder, “How can I handle this situation?” People without wealth may wonder why they have so little. Individuals with great wealth may congratulate themselves on how much they have and concentrate on getting even more. When people face temptations, they may succumb and blame everyone including God. All these thoughts, however, reflect earthly wisdom rather than wisdom from God. People who think l...

Hebrews 10:32-39 – Keep On Keeping On! By Pastor Lee Hemen December 2, 2012 AM Do you remember when you first came to Christ, how you felt, and how others viewed your conversion? Were you excited, were they excited for you, and what about your friends? When I came to faith in Christ, my family was not that thrilled and my friends did not understand. In fact, from both groups I received a certain amount of grief. In fact, my boss bluntly told me that he could not stand Christians and would make my life miserable. How did your salvation change your life and what in your faith makes you want to keep on keeping on in life? These very important questions challenge us to make some thoughtful answers. The author of Hebrews knew his listeners were confused and wanted the easy way out by going back to what they felt was spiritually comfortable for them. Sin often works that way. Sin usually occurs in our lives not because some dramatically evil thing entices us, but rather because ...

The Trial of Jesus - Mark 14:53-65 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 20, 2011 AM If we are lucky in life we will have the opportunity to meet someone who exemplifies what true heroism means. In a day and age where heroism is often defined by what one suffers through rather than the sacrifice of one’s life for another, we need to take a fresh look. The English word for hero was first used in 1387 and comes from the Greek meaning “protector” or “defender.” Originally, Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite at Sestos a town on Hellespont. She loved a young man named Leander, who lived at Abydos, a town on the Asian side of the channel. They could not marry because Hero was bound by a vow of chastity, and so every night Leander swam from Asia to Europe, guided by a lamp in Hero's tower. One stormy night a wind extinguished the light, and Leander drown. His body was washed ashore beneath Hero's tower; in her grief, she threw herself into the sea. Not exactly what we think of as a her...

The Trials of a Disciple - Mark 13:11-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 09, 2011 AM Americans are often accused of living sheltered lives. From the cradle to the grave we are encouraged not to personally think about the long-term effect of our actions, to immediately blame our lives on society, or to be completely dependent upon others to bail us out. We live in fractured relationships thinking that by getting rid of old-fashioned social stigmas we will experience true love. We do not plan for the future believing that the government should take care of us and death is something to be avoided at all cost and not talked about. This is true to a certain extent where Christians are concerned as well. We have swallowed the lie that there should not be any consequences for our ungodly actions. That our faith practice is dependent upon how we feel, that as long as we think good thoughts about Jesus, God will love and honor our superficial compliance and one-day, by-and-by, welcome us...

The Perseverance of God’s People -- James 1:2-12 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 1, 2009 AM Why is it we like to hear bad news? Now you may say, “Pastor, I like to hear good news,” but if this were really the case then why does the news media focus on the bad news so much? Study after study has shown that folks like to hear about bad news. You know, the “gloom, despair, and agony on me” kind of news! In fact this is why people will slow down and gawk at accidents. And how many times have you shared that you were going into the hospital for something minor and folks always have to share with you how so-and-so “went in with the same thing and got their leg cut off instead!” Ladies, who are pregnant for the first time have to suffer through the horror stories of other women’s lengthy labor pains and discomfort. Why? We like to hear and share bad news. I think this is why we also like to grouse about our own aches, pains, and sufferings so much in life to the Lord as well. We are fallen creat...