Pastor Steve Recommends
Mama Tried
“Broken dreams are woven deeply into the fabric of human existence—so deeply that it’s easy for us to assume God’s plans fail, just like ours. In fact, that’s precisely what some theologians have claimed over the past few decades. According to one best-selling book from a Jewish rabbi, God wishes he could make everything right in the world, but he simply doesn’t possess the power to make it happen. “Even God,” the author claims, “has a hard time keeping chaos in check.” Such a “God” is less like the sovereign Lord of history and more like the well- meaning mother in Merle Haggard’s song “Mama Tried.” “No one could steer me right but Mama tried,” Haggard lamented. “Mama tried to raise me better but her pleading I denied. That leaves only me to blame ’cause Mama tried.”” You can read the rest HERE.

Pray for Your Enemies
“When Jesus gave the command to love and pray for our enemies he knew it would one day require praying for Islamic extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda who murder his Bride. Jesus was saying that when we think of those people, we no longer even see them as enemies. As John MacArthur explains, “we are not to be enemies of those who may be enemies to us. From their perspective, we are their enemies; but from our perspective, they should be our neighbors.” But how do we do that? How should we pray for these neighbors who want to murder members of our family? Such a task is difficult, but there are three specific ways we can pray for those who are engaged in persecution against Christians…” You can read the rest HERE.