House of Restoration Blog

Isaiah 1:10, 11 “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Just as we begin to recover from a severe Winter storm, recording a record snowfall for the month of February, the forecast is calling for yet more snow! I can hear the question on everyone’s mind, “how much more of this can we take?” Our snow shovels are worn out, salt is becoming scarce, the schools have used all their snow days, people have missed as much work as they dare, and the list goes on. As much as we complain about this harsh Winter, we don’t always think of the coming benefits. When Spring arrives the grass will be green, crops will grow tall, the trees will bud, and the bodies of water will be full. All of this is made possible by the precipitation of the winter and early spring. My, how wonderfully orchestrated did our God create the Earth!

This principle is true in our spiritual lives as well. The scripture says in Proverbs that the North winds bring rain. Prophetically, the North wind represents times of adversity, disappointment and trial in our lives. They are times that are unwelcome and difficult to endure. But, just as the natural Winter is necessary for the success of a life-giving Spring, those spiritual North winds are necessary to bring forth much fruit in our lives in times of blessing. The North winds will eventually give way to the change of seasons!

Hang on just a little while longer. Soon the snow will stop falling and the season will change! Soon your adversity and testing will give way to a season of fruit bearing and blessings in your life. The Winter will prove to make you stronger!

Yesterday we were all preparing for a snow storm that the weather people couldn’t agree upon. The report was an expected 3-4 inches, then an expected 7-8 inches. Turns out the initial predictions were more accurate!

In case you were wondering, we will observe our normal schedule for all activities this Sunday. Our snow plow people are working today to make sure the parking lot is clean, and the road crews are out making sure the roads are safe.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday morning!

Yesterday we held our first Pastor’s Breakfast, an opportunity for newcomers to the House of Restoration to meet and get acquainted with the Pastoral Staff and Elders. Five new families gathered and enjoyed food and casual conversation.

Next Sunday new families are invited back for the second breakfast, where they will have the opportunity to learn more about the mission, vision and ministries of the church.

Thank you to Elder Dan and Darlene Nichols for providing breakfast.

Consider the following passages with me. They may seem to be completely unrelated, but bear with me.

Genesis 6:30 “And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?”

2 Samuel 6:9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

John3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

Did you see it? In all of these scriptures someone is asking the question, “how?” That seems to be the question we get hung up on every time God gives us an assignment or even a promise. We are preoccupied with the need to know how. The good news is, He is the God of how! He specializes in the “how” of your situation.

Moses had just been told to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of God’s people. What did he ask? “How?” King  David tried to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to him. He mishandled the Ark and it cost someone his life. When David set the Ark aside, what did he ask? “How?” Mary was promised by the angel that she would give birth to the Savior. She asked the question, too! Nicodemus wanted to know “how” someone could be born again.

In all of these instances, the “how” was brought about by divine intervention. God’s hand took care of the “how.” Often, when the Lord places something before me, whether a task, a vision, a promise, I feel the need to understand how. I must remember that it doesn’t matter if i know or understand how God will accomplish His Word. If He has spoken it, His hand will perform it! He is the God of “how.”

Its an honor to host Dr. Bruce Philippi, Senior Pastor of Journey Life Center in Mansfield, Ohio, as our guest speaker for the upcoming Growing Leaders Weekend.

An invitation is extended to all House of Restoration leaders and workers to attend this event which will begin on Friday night, February 5, 2010 at 7PM with a kick-off revival service with Dr. Philippi. The event will continue with training sessions on Saturday, February 6th, and will be full of rich and relevant information that will excite and inspire you in your kingdom work.

Dr. Philippi has been the Senior Pastor of Journey Life Center for over 25 years. He serves as guest instructor at the Church of God Theological Seminary, member of the Church of God National Pastor’s Advisory Board and Northern Ohio State Council. He has served in various roles and numerous boards and committees in the Church of God. It’s an honor to call this man of God my Pastor, and I’m excited to bring him to the House of Restoration.

There is a story in Luke chapter 2 that sometimes gets lost in the Christmas narrative. The man’s name is Simeon, and he’s been holding on to a promise for an untold amount of time. God promised him through the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Savior of Israel with his own eyes. Wow! What an incredible gift!

Simeon was in the temple when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to present him to the Lord. When he sees the baby, he knows that God has kept His promise. After taking a few moments to hold and admire the baby, Simeon blessed God and asked Him to let him depart in peace. Simeon basically told the Lord he was ready to die because he had seen the Savior. That was perhaps Simeon’s first and last Christmas. Simeon left this world with the only real peace a human can obtain, the peace of knowing the Savior.

My heart is heavy for the multitudes of people that will, unknowingly, celebrate their last Christmas this year, and leave this world without knowing the Savior, without having real peace. At the risk of sounding cliche, may I remind you that the best gift you can give someone this Christmas is to pray for their salvation.

The gifts you purchase and exchange this year with your unsaved friends and family members will eventually be gone and forgotten. A fervent prayer for their salvation may never be heard in their ears, but it will resound in the halls of Heaven and move the heart of God to send His spirit to their side, drawing them to Him. That is the perfect gift at Christmas. God forbid this be their last Christmas, and they leave the world without the peace that Simeon knew.

Today most of us will be enamored with preparations for the biggest feast of the year, partaking of the sacred meal, and searching ads for the best deals at 4:00 tomorrow morning. Hopefully we will all take a few minutes to ponder the blessings of the Lord and offer “thanksgiving.”

What are you thankful for? In our society it’s easy to take for granted the simple pleasures and common conveniences of life. Today I am reminded that many blessings that I enjoy, and often take for granted, are unknown to many. I think of all the families that aren’t able to go buy a turkey and the trimmings without so much as a second thought. I think of those who don’t have a reliable automobile or can’t afford the gasoline to travel to visit family on this holiday. What about people who will spend this day in a hospital with a critically ill loved one? This list is unexhaustable. Thank you, Lord, for your many blessings to me.

What are you thankful for? Make your list. It should be a long one! Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

We will be closing the office this week to spend time with family and friends. We will not be having service Wednesday night, but will be back to our normal schedule for this Sunday, November 29. We just ask that you have a great and safe Thanksgiving and keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours. Thanks you.