Mount of Olives Church

We have come to the end of our daily devotionals at this time. Our prayer is that they have helped you during the challenges we have faced in dealing with COVID-19. With life starting to return to some of the old normal, I thought it might be good, in this last devotional, to spend a little time examining what this period can mean for our lives. What are some of the lessons learned? We have learned many lessons. We have learned that too often in the past, we have taken many things for granted. We have seen the value of Christian Community. We have found ways to be together which was vital. We were able to spend more time with our families, especially our children, which was a blessing. And as we did, we were able to teach them more about the need to be patient and what “delayed gratification” looks like. We were reminded, if we needed to be reminded, that life can be very difficult sometimes. But we also found greater strength through more prayer and Bible reading. We learned the treme...

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” This verse has brought me comfort over the years as I face trials – trials of unanswered prayer or prayer answered but not the way I wanted or thought best. I consider these as the “secret things” that belong to God. While I may want or feel the need to understand, I am reminded that these belong to God and He does not need to share all His ways with me. Indeed, sometimes it is for my good or the good of others that they are not revealed and go unanswered. I can, however, count on “the things revealed” as belonging to myself and my children and future generations forever – statements of truth I can claim! John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the w...

“Basically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.” – John Ortberg Okay, so I can be impatient at times. We wait in lines, we wait on hold, and my personal pet peeve – waiting for slow players on the golf course! While these are very minor things overall, there was a time in my life when I found waiting to be very difficult. While my wife and I were trying desperately to conceive, we were faced with a number of different issues; an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage, as well as some issues on my part. I dare say I even got impatient with God! Well, God had other plans. His timing was not ours. What He saw was that we were not as emotionally prepared as we should have been at that point in time, so He decided to wait on us. In effect, He wanted to bring out the best in us first before executing His plan. In time, His plan unfolded in an amazing way. You see, we did not conceive; rather, H...

Exodus 14:6-7 “So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.” Pressured by the results of the plagues, Pharaoh finally agreed to give the Israelites their freedom. Then, he changed his mind. He was so serious that he pursued them with a mighty army, including hundreds of “select chariots.” The size and firepower of that force filled the Israelites with fear. They must have felt overwhelmed! Trapped, they had no other choice but to depend on God, who parted the Red Sea to provide a safe escape. We all know what it is like to feel overwhelmed, especially with a pandemic that has threatened the world, creating chaos in many of our lives. Like the Israelites, we may feel vulnerable, inadequate, and hopeless. It is easy to be discouraged or filled with despair. But these are moments to turn to God, cry out for His wisdom, stand on His Word, believe His promises, and trust Him ...

“It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You! It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You!” Written by: Elyssa Smith Surrounded (Fight my Battles) We often sing this song during our praise worship service at Mount of Olives. This song became my mantra during a scary time in my life. I would like to share it with you. One night I woke up feeling dizzy and struggling to breathe. I immediately dismissed it as being anxiety which tends to worsen at night. Later that day, I noticed that my left foot was turning a purplish color. I notified my primary doctor who advised me to go to the ER immediately. My sister took me to the ER to be evaluated. By this time, the pain was radiating down my leg, and I could hardly breathe. I was diagnosed with a blood clot that originated in my leg and travelled to my lungs. I was admitted to the hospital for further treatment of the DVT and Pulmonary Embolism. The ER doctor on staff said if I had waited any longer, this could’ve...

When Ken retired, I planned a trip around the U.S. which would take us through 30 states in a two month period. One of the things we were determined to do was to find a worship service each Sunday. We were interested in finding fellowship with other believers in different parts of the country. We weren’t interested in sticking to one denomination, and so we witnessed a variety of worship experiences. We found churches where Christ was exalted, and the people were warm and welcoming. We also found churches which felt more like a social gathering, and we were “crashing the party”. A church in Sandusky, Ohio, exalted its auspicious history and architecture as only a handful of congregants gathered in this great cathedral. Our most memorable experience came in a small Texas town where the Gospel was preached, and the people embraced us as part of their family. During the pandemic of 2020, it has been difficult to be in isolation on Sundays. While we are grateful for the streaming worship ...

Full transparency here – after the loss of my husband, Mark, and seven years in the desert (so to speak), I was invited to Mount of Olives Church by one of my neighbors. It was 18 years ago when I first walked through the doors of Mount of Olives. It felt like the sermon that Sunday was directed right at me. Everything I was feeling was said during that sermon. God knew I would be there that day, and He knew I needed to hear the words He had given Pastor Steward that very Sunday. At first I wondered how can someone like me could be loved so deeply by God when I have done so many wrong things in my life, made so many bad decisions and even yelled and cursed at Him because of Mark’s death? I truly believed the Lord had taken Mark as punishment for my sinful life. Boy, was I wrong! When I heard Pastor talk about having a “Relationship with God”, I was shocked. I had no idea – I, a sinful and lost human, could have a relationship with the risen Lord of all. That very fact changed everythi...

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner with my grown sons and before long, the conversation became playfully competitive as to who was better at what. As I began to interject my motherly encouragement to both of them, I was taken back in time to when they were little boys. It seemed that I was constantly saying things like, “Yes James, I see how high you can climb.” “Wow Kody, I see how far you can jump!” One day when they were about 6 and 8 years old, I found a wonderful book by Barbara Joosse called “I Love You the Purplest”. The mother in this story explains to her sons when they both strived to be number one in her heart, that she loved them differently, but not more or less than the other. She loved one the “bluest” and one the “reddest”. She loved her boys the “purplest”! Do you find yourself trying to prove your worth to your Heavenly Father, asking, “Do you see me God?” In Matthew 20:20, we read the story of the disciples James’ and John’s mother asking Jesus to favor her sons...

I have always been afraid of the dark. As a child, I asked my mom to leave the bedroom door open while I slept. I did not know Jesus was always in the room with me. Now everything has changed as the Light of God has brightened my life. Entering a dark room without even a flashlight is frightening, and living in darkness is even more so. It is when the light suddenly comes on and everyone yells “surprise!” that the party begins. I spent the first part of my life in that dark room, full of fear and despair. When the light came on, the angels said “Surprise, welcome to the Kingdom of God.” It began with the words of a wise pastor who said, “You have a Father in heaven who has never left you and never will.” The light went on. Jesus took my hand and led me to His world; one of love, compassion, and forgiveness. I now seek Him daily, and rejoice in the light, knowing through Him, the darkness is gone and will never return. That empty space within me that I so often filled with the wrong thi...

Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. This year on Pentecost, Pastor John Steward spoke about the impact the Holy Spirit has upon all Christian believers, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We can absolutely believe the Holy Spirit is alive within each of us and can go a step further asking Him to speak to us, to guide us and help us to reach others for Christ. A challenge was put out to ask the Spirit to tell us what it is we can do. What is our gift to share? Personally, my struggle isn’t so much what to do but the stamina and motivation to get going. Perhaps this is due to the past year of Covid restrictions. In a time of i...

I’m part of a small group I lovingly call “The Kingdom Sisters”. At our last meeting, we were posed the question – what does abiding in Christ mean to you? Because we are human, we all had different ideas of what abiding in Christ might look like. Some talked about serving the Lord, others talked about going to church consistently. To me, when I think of the word “abiding”, I think of my Cursillo weekend where I learned the word “piety”. Piety is having the Lord at the center of your heart, devoting yourself in word, action and deed to the Lord. Abiding to me is having a heart devoted to Christ, He is the center of my being. After my Cursillo weekend and realizing the depth of what God (through His Son Jesus Christ) did for me and for all of us – being crucified on the cross, taking on our sins so that we might have a relationship with Him, changed everything. It’s like I went through a transformation. He gave me a new heart and put His spirit in me. The heart He gave me was and is gr...

Julia Child was a beloved American icon who pioneered an entire genre of cooking shows and taught a generation of food lovers that cooking can be easy, enjoyable and abundant. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public, including her famed cookbook The French Chef. She was joyful, practical and fun in her approach to it all. So when I read these words on the front of a restaurant, I instantly wanted to go inside; no hesitation. I actually heard her famously high-pitched voice saying, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” Both butter and cream are rich and delicious and bring to the table a dish that is not only pleasing, delectable and inviting, but leaves you wanting more. I wanted to taste what was so good and enjoy the comfort and warmth and deliciousness. This is what our lives in Jesus should look like – so filled with the good and pleasing riches of His abundant blessings that we just can’t keep from enjoying, smiling, and wanting more. Our lives shou...

When Ken and I visited the Holy Land, we were continually aware of the Gospel stories of Jesus during His earthly ministry. As we entered the Garden of Gethsemane, our guide told us the olive trees we were seeing were over 2,000 years old. Some of them were here during the time of Christ, he pointed out. My mind went back to the time before His crucifixion when Jesus and His disciples went into that garden to pray. Scripture tells us He sweat “great drops of blood” as He anticipated what was about to happen to Him. Jesus knew one of His own would betray Him, and the very crowds that had hailed Him as Lord would turn on Him. He knew the suffering He was to endure through the terrible death by crucifixion, and His anguish was poured out in those great drops of blood. And yet, Jesus willingly went through such pain and degradation because of His great love for humankind. As I stood in the garden that day, surrounded by those centuries old olive trees, I was overwhelmed by such love. My te...

Numbers 4:32 "You shall assign to each man by name the items he must carry." I love reading the wonderful stories in the Old Testament. Their relevance lies in God’s message to us then, through Jesus, and now. In the wilderness, each Israelite was given an assignment. No one was left out. Every task was important. The future of the entire community depended upon each person doing the assigned job. As they traveled, some had specific responsibilities for tearing down or setting up the tent. Some were assigned to carry specific items. All the while, together, they watched out for danger. Together, following God’s commandments, they found the food and water they needed. The body of Christ operates in the same way. Each person is unique in God’s sight. Each of us is assigned individual tasks, called to fulfill specific functions, and given unique gifts and talents to accomplish these tasks. We should be humbled and grateful! This helps us understand God’s plans and purposes. Each...

Question, am I the only one who God talks to through scripture? In the last several weeks, I’ve been reading a lot of scripture concerning thankfulness, gratitude and attitude. So of course it made me stop and think – am I thankful? Do I have an attitude of gratitude or do I just go through life expecting God to make everything right? Many years ago when I was working at the church office, Jim Trunick came in for a staff inspirational talk. I’ll never forget when he said, “Change your mindset. Change your attitude.” Instead of using the words “I HAVE to,” change it to “I GET to”. As in... I get to go to work, I get to do laundry, I get to go to the grocery store, I get to pick up my kids from school. Do you understand where I’m going with this? God has given us such an opportunity to thank Him for everything we GET to do. When you change that one phrase from “I have to” to “I get to”, it changes everything! You and I have many opportunities to complain on a regular basis. Complaining ...

I feel closest to God when in nature. I am often in awe of our sunsets, but recently I was just as impressed with a snowstorm in Utah. The Lord has given us the most magnificent of material gifts….Earth. This gift has something for everyone; beaches, deserts, mountains, canyons, wildlife and flowers. As humans, we have tried to recreate and understand the intricacies of this world. Authors lack the words, artists lack the colors and scientists lack the explanations. Creation has always been proof to me of a greater power, God. He must be amazing to have created such a complicated system, and He is generous to have just handed it over to us. Romans 1:20 NIV “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Imagine God giving this gift of the Universe to His people. We have all had the experience of giving the perfect gift to someone we ca...

There are people in this world who keep a running dialogue with God about what’s going on in their lives. “Prayer is just conversation with God,” they say confidently enough. We pray for our friends, for our church, for our families and even for our country. It’s what Christians do. We pray the Lord’s Prayer. We pray before meals. Then we carry on with our day. But I discovered another kind of prayer: The Foxhole Prayer. This is the “last resort” prayer when all seems lost and there is no place to turn. It was a foxhole moment when Gary dragged me to the hospital at 1 AM, Sunday, November 5, 2017. I was in so much pain that I lost the will to live. Yes, that happens, even to Theology students. Later that night in a dark hospital room after surgery, I awoke frightened. I tearfully prayed to my Heavenly Father for help and comfort. I was alone with only God to sustain me. Suddenly, a young nurse came into my room with a small candle, one of those with a battery so it was safe. She smile...

Being a migraine sufferer, I have had a few MRI tests done in the last few years. The most recent was just a few weeks ago. The machine is loud, and they play loud classical music to try to distract you from the weird tones and knocking of the machine. I choose to close my eyes even before I go in and don’t open them again until the technician tells me I am “all clear”. As I practiced my coping skills of slow steady focused breathing and keeping my eyes closed, half way through, I decided to also call to mind Bible verses I had committed to memory over the years. To my dismay, I realized this only took about 4 minutes out of the 20 minute test! “I know, I thought to myself, I’ll think of poems I have learned!” “The thunder roared, the lightning flashed, the very earth was shaken! A little pig curled up his tail, and ran to save his bacon!” I chuckled to myself as I realized this was the only poem I have ever memorized! It gave me great comfort when I was a little girl. My Grandma wo...

Planting Seeds Whenever we travel, Ken and I always pray that we will be good witnesses of our faith to all we encounter. Usually, it is not too difficult; our trip to the Holy Land was ripe with opportunities, and visits to cities of the apostle Paul found many opportunities to share the Word. However, this time we were going to Communist China, and we were warned in advance not to speak of politics or religion. We were on a two week land tour, and then we would board a riverboat for a five day cruise. The second morning in China, we were at breakfast with our tour group. One of the couples expressed disappointment they’d planned to renew their wedding vows on their 50th anniversary, but the riverboat captain had no authority to officiate. Ken was at the breakfast buffet, but I volunteered his services as a pastor. Knowing one of the other tour members was a music teacher, I asked if he’d be willing to sing the Lord’s Prayer. He was. By the time Ken returned from the buffet, we had p...

“Life is a tapestry: We are the warp; angels the weft; God the weaver. Only the weaver sees the whole design.” – Eileen Elias Freeman Actual angels here on earth? I believe I’ve had two such experiences. First, I was traveling in Venezuela to watch my son play baseball for team USA in the 16 and under world tournament. While that was thrilling in itself, traveling there at that time was considered to be very dangerous, especially in Caracas. When it came time to return home, I had to fly from Barquisimeto to Caracas, and then catch a cab at night to the hotel to lay over until morning. I knew catching the wrong cab could be disastrous. It turns out that a businessman at the Barquisimeto airport sensed my distress, took me under his wing, sat with me on the plane, and actually insisted on staying with me after the flight to personally arrange a reliable safe passage for me to the hotel – an angel, indeed! A second incident was when I was meeting with my one on one accountability brothe...