Mount of Olives Church

“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...

“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 I was a teacher, I often thought it was my job is to tell people things they did not know. However, that was not always the case. I often discovered as I taught new concepts and ideas, I learned from the interaction with my students. They were teaching the teacher. When students wrestled with an idea, it sparked new insights for the entire class, including me. Those were the times when real learning was taking place. In our reading from Isaiah, the prophet speaks in verse 4 of God’s servants as ones who “listen as those who are taught.” In other words, these words underline that we don’t have all the answers — sometimes we simply need to be good listeners in order to be taught. This is good advice for hearing the Word of God in the Bible. And it also applies to our relationships and the importance of real listening, rather than constantly doling out our opinions and supposed good advice. Isaiah 50:4 The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain ...

Okay, once again full disclosure – our Lord gives me teaching moments, which I like to call “aha moments.” Christ has taught me to look up the entire verse, not just a portion. And today’s verse has never spoken so clearly to me. This came from “Hope for Each Day”, a devotional book by Billy Graham. The scripture used was only the last half of the entire verse from Isaiah 38:17 : "You have cast all my sins behind your back." But let’s read the entire Bible verse which is so powerful: “Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption. For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.” For myself, I have found it's important (no matter who the author of our devotion is) we look up the entire scripture. God will speak the truth into your heart the way He needs it to be spoken, not the way an author interpreted the scripture; even a scholar like Billy Graham. We need to interpret the Word of God ea...

Good Friday An old Christian drama depicts a little boy working in his parent’s carpentry shop in first century Jerusalem. He protests his chore, which is to assist in building a cross. The parents insist that he help because Rome has given them a contract for the construction of crosses. In another scene, the boy is weeping. "What is wrong?" his parents ask. He responds, "I went to the market place and I saw Jesus of Nazareth, the Man we love to hear preach, and He was carrying my cross! They took Him to Golgotha and nailed Him to MY cross." The parents insist, "Oh no, son, that wasn’t your cross. Other people in Jerusalem build crosses. That wasn’t your cross." "Oh yes, it was! When you weren’t looking, I carved my name on the cross I was making. When Jesus was carrying His cross, He stumbled right beside me, I looked, and my name was on His cross!" This little boy felt responsible for the death of the Lord Jesus. The truth is we are all respon...

A Sunday school teacher asked her group of children if any of them could quote the entire twenty-third Psalm. A little 4 year-old girl raised her hand. A bit skeptical, the teacher asked if she could really quote the entire Psalm. The little girl smiled and said she could. "The Lord is my shepherd, that’s all I want." Sometimes we adults make everything so complicated. We even make God difficult to understand. Too many times, we get stuck in religion and think unless we go by a certain rite or ritual, we are not living out a relationship with God properly. And yet, what we really need is a simple relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We often forget that with all of the things around us, all we really need is a relationship with Jesus. This is something even a child can understand. Isaiah 11:6b RSV … and a little child shall lead them. Pray with me: Lord Jesus, You have always valued children in Your kingdom. You have said they are the greatest in the kingdo...

Many years ago, Torild and I were vacationing and stayed in Las Vegas. We stayed at the Luxor Hotel, and I will always remember having dinner in one of the restaurants. The reason I still remember is because I ordered their coconut shrimp, which was out of this world. It was a dinner I will never forget. So a couple of years later, we were again in Las Vegas with some friends, and I suggested we go over to the Luxor Hotel for their coconut shrimp. We drove over and went to the same restaurant, and when I looked at the menu, I saw they no longer offered the coconut shrimp. So I asked the waiter what had happened to the shrimp, and he said they had a new chef and took it off the menu. I asked what happened to the chef who cooked the coconut shrimp, and he told me the chef had moved over to another hotel and gave us the name. I looked at everyone and suggested we leave and go over to the other hotel to find the coconut shrimp chef. And we did. We walked in, sat down and I asked about the...

Mary Lou Retton is a retired American gymnast. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals. Her performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. But I think one of the things I remember the most about her was her incredible smile and outgoing personality. Here is her philosophy in her own words: “Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.” – Mary Lou Retton She is absolutely correct. If you want to improve the relationships in your life, become more positive in your outlook. Instead finding fault with everything around you, look for what is good and uplifting. Focus your attention on the things that are going well. People want to be around someone who is more upbeat. It doesn’t mean we should never be sad or feel down. However, we need to work at trying to look for what is inspiring. T...

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! And it means a great deal more. It means we are not abandoned or forgotten. It means there is a source greater than ourselves. It means there is hope for the future. This is because the words of the Prophet, given to him long before the angel spoke to Mary, have become reality. Isaiah 7:14 ESV Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, we have celebrated Christmas many times. As a result, we could easily take Christmas for granted. However, Christmas is a significant reminder of what You have done and continue to do. It helps to point us to what is essential – the redemption we have in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. Yours because of Him...

A little girl was pushing the limits and on her mother’s very last nerve. Mom was nearing the end of a hectic season of cooking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping and church stuff. She was also nearing the breaking point with her little preschooler.Finally, the little girl was bathed and ready for bed. As she knelt to say her prayers, Mom listened as her sweet three-year-old theologian "customized" her evening prayer, “...And forgive us our Christmases, as we forgive those who Christmas against us!” While this might bring a smile to our face, it is a good reminder that during this Advent and Christmas season, we need to be sure to make “the main thing the main thing”. It is wonderful to have all of the trappings of Christmas, but we must not allow those special activities to distract us from the central message. This is the good news that God became a man in Jesus, died on a cross and was raised from the dead so we might be forgiven and receive eternal life. Isaiah 9:6 ESV For to ...

Advent is a unique time in the life of the church. It can sometimes be a little difficult to understand. If you were strict about it, you would sing only Advent hymns during this season, and Christmas hymns only on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the weeks to follow. So, what is this all about? John Piper gives this wonderful example: “Here’s an Advent illustration for kids — and those of us who used to be kids and remember what it was like. Suppose you and your mom get separated in the grocery store, and you start to get scared and panic and don’t know which way to go, and you run to the end of an aisle, and just before you start to cry, you see a shadow on the floor at the end of the aisle that looks just like your mom. It makes you really happy and you feel hope. But which is better? The happiness of seeing the shadow, or having your mom step around the corner and it’s really her? That’s the way it is when Jesus comes to be our High Priest. That’s what Christmas is. Christmas is th...

As human beings, we are very limited in our interactions with others. If someone is speaking to us about something and we respond in the middle of what they are saying, they might say, “Don’t interrupt me.” And of course, this is because if we don’t let them finish, we might not understand everything they are saying. We cannot read their mind. However, this is not the case with our Heavenly Father.  Isaiah 65:24 NRSV “Before they call, I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.” Isn’t it wonderful to know that in His great love for you, He answers before we call on Him, and hears us even while we are still speaking? This is the goodness and kindness of the God who created heaven and earth. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, what good news it is to know You hear us before we even speak. No one else can do this, but You can. It tells us of Your great love for us. Remind us of this love as we face this new day. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Yours because of Him, Pastor John R. Stew...

Cyrus the Great was the king of Persia and was the monarch under whom the Babylonian captivity ended. He is mentioned 23 times in the Old Testament. He lived around 587BC and is considered one of the liberators of the Jewish people. He restored them and helped to make them a nation again. However, he didn’t do it alone. He was used by God for this purpose. In Isaiah 45:2, God makes some promises to him.  Isaiah 45:2-3 ESV “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.” God promises him that He will go before and remove all the impediments which are in his way. He promises He will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut them down. This is a reference to the walls of Babylon (modern day Iraq), which are filled with brass gates. God promises...

I like to think of faith like a cup holding an extremely expensive pearl or diamond. Faith is a container of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Grace is a free gift purchased at the cross of Jesus. And not only is grace a free gift, but so is faith. Many people think faith is their contribution to salvation. They think faith is their “decision”. However, if that were true, then faith would be a subtle way to earn salvation. We call this “works righteousness” – the effort to be righteous before God by our good works. So, if faith is our contribution to grace, then faith is a subtle form of works righteousness. Here is the thing. You are not born with faith in Jesus as your Savior. It is supernatural. It has to be spoken into you. This is what is says in the epistle to the Romans. Romans 10:17 NRS So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. Someone had to proclaim the Word of God into you so that faith could be created within you. Here is how ...

Another wonderful aspect of grace is it is freely given to us. It cost God the cross, but it is free to us. We are to regard it as “costly grace” and never “cheap grace” as Dietrich Bonhoeffer would say. The Prophet Isaiah has a wonderful description of just how free this grace really is. Isaiah 55:1-3 RSV “Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Too often, we think the grace of God can somehow be earned. Many think all of the good things they do will earn them a reward. But the Prophet Isaiah reminds us we cannot earn it. It is a free gift purchas...

  From the book: Stories for the Heart by Catherine Marshall (p. 246) There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird in...

Sometimes when life is difficult, we think we are all alone. We begin to wonder if we might have been forgotten. The truth is, there are many who care about you. Perhaps, they are not aware you are hurting and feeling the way you do. Reach out and let them know. Here at Mount of Olives Church in Mission Viejo, California, you can reach out to us as well. We really do care about you. And when you do, also know a greater truth – God has not forgotten you.  Isaiah 49:14-16 NRSV But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Because of Jesus Christ, your name is written on the palms of His hands. And since you look at your hands many times a day, let it remind you, God sees your name on His palms and always remembers you. He sees e...

I have read that the Bible says “Fear Not” 365 times. I am not totally certain of it, and I haven’t counted all of those verses. Also, I am sure they include all of the times when the Bible says something similar like “do not be afraid”. However, if this is true, it means we are being told this for every single day – 365 days a year, we are being told to “fear not”. God spoke those words to Moses as he was leading the children of Israel to the Promise Land. The angel said it to Mary about the birth of Jesus. Jesus said it to His disciples when He appeared to them after His resurrection. And now, God is saying it to you. Whatever you are facing right now, God says, “Fear Not.” Isaiah 43:5 ESV Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, as we face this new day, some of us are filled with fear and anxiety. We are worried about many things. However, today and every day, You are speaking a word t...

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Throughout the years of my ministry, I have come to realize that churches do not like to change. We like our rituals and routines. We enjoy the culture which has been created. We like it so much that we will keep doing certain things, even if they get to the place where they are no longer effective in the mission. Sometimes we confuse the practices with the mission, and think they are the same thing. We end up, as I like to say, keepers of the museum.  There is an old joke about us Lutherans. It could apply to many denominations: How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?    Three – one to hold the ladder, one to change the bulb and one to talk about how great the old bulb was.   There is a great deal of truth in that joke. It has b...

Often, we hear people talking about why things are happening the way they happen. Sometimes, people even apply their own insights to God and His actions in our lives and the world. Then at other times, we realize we don’t understand anything. However, it is vital to know that our loving Heavenly Father always has a plan to manage the terrible ramifications of our broken world. He looks at thing from a different perspective; through the lens of the everlasting and His almighty power.   Isaiah 55:8-9 NRSV For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Pray with me: Heavenly Father, sometimes things do not make a great deal of sense. You don’t react the way we would. Help us to know, this day, that even when we don’t understand, You have a plan to see us through and bring healing to our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Yours b...