Mount of Olives Church

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...

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...

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...

The year of the pandemic has been hard for a lot of people. It has been especially hard for our family. The day before the lockdown in March of 2020, my doctor found a mass in my abdomen. Because hospitals had closed to all but essential services, further testing for me was postponed until mid-May. By then, the tumor was described as “basketball-sized”, and I was referred to an oncologist. In June I had major surgery and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage 3.  Following was five months of chemotherapy with its accompanying side effects…all this along with the isolation of the pandemic. We were unable to see our children and grandchildren. No close friends were allowed to gather and church was on a TV screen once a week. Our loneliness was real and palpable. However, cards and notes began to come: words of scripture, whispers of prayer, and messages of love. Phone calls bringing offers of help and encouragement became a part of our day. God was ministering to us through all of t...

For over a year we have experienced challenges and difficulties due to the COVID pandemic. The attitude of many people is if the pandemic ended, life would be good once again. But the reality is as long as we live in this imperfect world, we will experience trials and problems. The good news is Jesus Christ is with us, caring for us, guiding us, loving us, healing us, helping us, and the list goes on and on. No matter what the circumstances, Jesus never leaves us. Jesus taught His disciples and encouraged them. Through Scripture, He is teaching us. We are encouraged by what we learn and prayer draws us near to Him. He hears our concerns and difficulties. He understands how we feel, what we fear, and what we need. He has conquered anything we might face. Notes in a study Bible read, “Whatever we face, we can depend upon our relationship with Jesus to produce peace and comfort because we are in sync with Him.” There our hope lies – in our relationship with Jesus. John 16:33 “These things...

How many times have we read a Bible scripture and thought – oh, I understand what God is telling me. But then you read the same Bible scripture days, weeks, months or even years later, and once again you say – oh, I understand what God is telling me.This is one of the many things I love about God and reading my Bible; His Word for our daily lives. God will meet you exactly where you are. He will use the same Bible scripture and it will take on a completely different meaning. Why? Because you are now in a different place on your journey with God. Today I read these two Bible scriptures: John 16:22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The key words here are Peace and Joy. These are part of God’s promises for those of us who believe i...

Here at Robert H. Lange Preschool, we often find ourselves reflecting and studying the importance of Social Emotional Development. Throughout the entire year, our team implements the small and large details of developing as a whole during the important years of growth. Weber State University states that “Emotional Wellness is the ability to identify, manage and appropriately express a wide range of feelings.” An emotionally well person pays attention to their thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and can react to them in a positive and constructive manner. They possess a sense of humor, a positive self-image and, in general, have a positive attitude towards life. An emotionally well person copes well with stress and negative emotions and is able to grow and learn from life’s challenges, seeking help from others, when needed. Though there are eight dimensions of wellness, which include physical, social, spiritual, environmental, financial, intellectual and professional, Jesus is yearning fo...

It has been my joy to write these daily devotionals for you for a little over a year. When I began, I thought it would be for only 2-3 months. Who could have ever dreamed we would have to deal with the pandemic for this long? It has been a long and difficult year. My prayer is that these devotionals have been helpful to you. I have been striving for them to be words of encouragement and hope along with some instruction from God’s Word along the way. I have appreciated so very much the many emails and cards I’ve received with comments concerning the devotionals. Your encouraging comments have kept me going. With that said, I will be taking a break from writing the daily devotionals. As we begin to have more people coming to live worship and life starting to return a semblance of normalcy, it seems like the right time to bring my writing of the daily devotionals to a close. The good news is we have arranged for the devotionals to continue to come to you daily for a while longer. I have a...

Have you ever seen a straight river? Canals are straight, but all rivers seem to be crooked. We call it “meandering.” Why are rivers crooked? Because the natural tendency of a river is to take the easiest way around any obstacle. So, rivers are always crooked, and they always run downhill. Some people are like rivers. They go with the flow. Many live their lives by doing whatever the world says we should do or can do. We do this even though the Lord might ask us to do otherwise. However, when we experience the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ and know just how costly grace is, we will want to respond with thankfulness. One of the ways to do this is through the way we live. This is what Jesus meant in John 14:15: John 14:15 NRSV “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Pray with me: Lord Jesus, help us to live according to Your will, which we can discover in Your Word: the Bible. Since all of the Bible is Your Word, train us through the entire counsel of Your Word. Emp...

Holy Saturday So, what was going on the day after the Crucifixion of Jesus? The governmental and religious leaders were debating how to secure the tomb of Jesus (Matthew 27:62-66). The disciples were in hiding for fear they would be crucified next. In addition, I am sure they were trying to make sense out of all that had happened. They thought they understood what Jesus was teaching. They were hopeful Jesus was the Messiah and would usher in the Kingdom of God as He always talked about. They were wondering what they didn’t get right and what they had missed. But Jesus predicted to them what would happen on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. John 16:20-22 NRSV Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the ...

Maundy Thursday Just before Jesus was arrested, He prayed for His disciples and you. Read how Jesus prayed for you just hours before the Cross: John 17 NRSV After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know...

Dr. Billy Graham wrote: “An Eskimo fisherman came to town every Saturday afternoon.He always brought his two dogs with him. One was white and the other was black. He had taught them to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square, the people would gather and these two dogs would fight and the fisherman would take bets. On one Saturday, the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win—but the fisherman always won! His friend began to ask him how he did it. He said, ‘I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he is stronger.’ This story about the two dogs is apt because it tells us something about the inner warfare that comes into the life of a person who is born again. We have two natures within us, both struggling for mastery. Which one will dominate us? It depends on which one we feed.”(Billy Graham. The Holy Spirit. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1988, pp. 92-93). We do have a war going on inside of us (Romans 7). This is why it i...

Opportunities Missed There was a very cautious man Who never laughed or played. He never risked, he never tried He never sang or prayed. And when one day, he passed away His insurance was denied For since he never really lived They claimed he never died. Too many people live very shallow lives. Scores of people live for a great deal of petty things. Others live for materialism and other temporal matters. It has been said that some people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Countless people, if they live for anything, live for themselves. Lent is a good time to ask, “For what am I living?” I would proclaim that living for Jesus Christ brings a depth and a richness nothing else can provide. This is what Jesus Himself offered in John 10: John 10:10 NRSV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. The word used here for “life” in the New Testament is the Greek word “Zoe”. The word “Bio” could have been used...

Everybody longs for freedom. But for many people, its pursuit leads to bondage. The greatly loved Bible teacher, Henrietta Mears, knew the secret of true freedom, and she wanted her students to know it, too. With young people in mind, she said: "A bird is free in the air. Place a bird in the water and he has lost his liberty. A fish is free in the water, but leave him on the sand and he perishes. He is out of his realm. So, young people, the Christian is free when he does the will of God and is obedient to God’s command. This is as natural a realm for God’s child as the water is for the fish, or the air for the bird." One of the great spiritual battles we face on a consistent basis is the desire to be the god of our lives. Because of our sinful condition, we want to be the ones in charge. However, with our limited ability to understand everything around us, we think we know better than the God who created us as to what is best for us. As a result, we often do things which, ov...

“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” — Samuel Smiles We really do have a choice. We can travel toward hope or away from it. We travel toward it when we are looking for the good in our situations. We travel toward it when our outlook is to believe things can always get better. We move away from hope when all we can see and talk about is how terrible things are. When we expect things to fail and not work out, we are migrating away from hope. Which journey will you take? I promise – you do have a choice in which direction you go. And I firmly believe, if you travel toward hope, things are bound to become better. They almost have to. Simply because, at least you are on the road to hope, and this, in and of itself, is better. Samuel Smiles says when we journey toward hope, it casts a “shadow of our burden behind us.” This could also be said of our Lord Jesus Christ. Moving toward Him will result in greater hope and will create a s...

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” – Saint Augustine With billions and billions of people in the world, it is difficult to understand this kind of thought. And then, when you include the billions who have lived before us and the ones coming after us, it seems even more dubious. Yet, it is true. This is because God is not limited like we are. He is not limited in His capacity to love so many in such a personal way. He is not limited like us, who so often love others based on conditions. There is an old saying which states, “Actions speak louder than words.” The actions of this most wonderful God are that He came in Jesus, died and was raised for you and me so we could be rescued from sin and death. So, if you have a difficult time with this quote from St. Augustine, then stay focused on the actions of the Lord Jesus. John 15:13 ESV Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, You don’t just speak ...

SHALOM. Shalom is a word used even today in Israel as a greeting. However, it means more than our English word “hello”. Generally, to most people, it is a word meaning “peace”, but there is so much more. Shalom is a word used in the scriptures meaning “that which is for your highest good” or your total well-being. It also means wholeness, harmony and completeness, and more. So, if buried in your heart is anger, bitterness and vindictiveness, it is difficult to experience Shalom. If you are living in ways not pleasing to God, it is difficult to experience Shalom. If you are filled with self-sufficiency, it is difficult to experience Shalom. Shalom comes when we are in alignment with God. Without this cohesion with God, Shalom will only be a word or a greeting. But in Jesus, we can have this oneness with God. He makes it possible through His death and resurrection. Here is Jesus’ promise: John 14:27 ESV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to y...

One of the most difficult things for people to understand is the Incarnation of Christ. This is the doctrine which teaches us Jesus is God in human flesh. The Christian Church has always taught Jesus is fully God and fully man – 100% God and 100% man. Winston Churchill, in his day, described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". This is a good definition of the Incarnation. It is that difficult to understand. In John 10:30 , Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” When He said this, He was declaring Himself to be God in human flesh. Some might argue that He and the Father are one in purpose. But the word used for “one” here in the original Koine Greek means one in substance. To truly make the point when you read the rest of the chapter, you learn the religious leaders of the day who were listening, understood what He was saying very well because it says they picked up stones to kill Him. They considered what He had just said to be blasphemy (tremendous disres...

If you were ever adrift at sea, one of your greatest needs for survival would be water. As you wait to be rescued, you would be surrounded by water, but unfortunately, it is salt water which is undrinkable. If you were to give into the temptation, you would make your situation even worse. Salt water would make you thirstier and dehydrated. You would not be able to survive on salt water.  In the world, we are often surrounded by a different type of salt water. Just like salt water in the ocean, if we drink it, it will only give us temporary relief. However, over time, it will only make matters worse. We live in a “salt water world” with temporary joy and peace – temporary satisfaction. As we dedicate ourselves to the pursuits of materialism, power and recognition, we are just drinking salt water. But Jesus offers something different. Look at what Jesus said to the woman at the well who had been drinking salt water: John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water...

Perhaps right now you are having trouble finding any hope in our current situation. You only see problems and setbacks. You find yourself focused on the negative and the deleterious. As a result, you find yourself growing bitter and resentful. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then the Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996; in both roles being the first black African to hold the positions. He had an active role in opposition to South Africa's apartheid system of legalized racial segregation and white-minority rule. From 1978 to 1985, he was general-secretary of the South African Council of Churches . He is a man who greatly understands tremendous suffering, having fought against and experienced apartheid (legalized oppression and racism) in South Africa. His words have great credibility. “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu As a man of God, Desmond Tutu found this hope in Jesus...