God's Got This - Another look at Psalm 23

 

Read Psalm 23

Psalm 23

John 16:33

 

Jesus told his disciples that they would have trouble in the world. There were no ifs, ands, or buts; you will trouble.

There are no buts, but there is a constructive “but God” statement that follows this promise of trouble.

But I have overcome the world.

Jesus has overcome the world.

God has overcome all that troubles us.

Do you remember what Jesus told the disciples before he told them they would have trouble?

He said that what he was about to tell them was so that in whatever their circumstance, they could have peace.

Some of you who were awake when the scripture was read aloud might have noted that it was Psalm 23, and I have been talking about Jesus’s words in John’s gospel. It’s good to notice things like that, but I am not off track.

We will look momentarily at Psalm 23 through the lens of the promise of trouble in the world. Keep the Psalm itself intact as a go-to psalm when you need assurance. Rest in these verses when you need to, but for now, let’s look at this short piece of poetic scripture focusing on trouble, adversity, conflict, and even enemies.

Still, keep the psalm intact as a go-to psalm of assurance.

The Lord is my shepherd. That should be the beginning of most of our affirmations. The Lord is God. The Lord is good. The Lord is love. The Lord is sovereign. The Lord is my Savior. The Lord is my friend.

But most of all, he is my shepherd and in this light, he cares for my every need. The shepherd does not survey the sheep to see how they feel about a stroll through the pasture, or some time to rest, or even when it’s time for a haircut.

The shepherd knows what is best for the sheep, and he acts accordingly. The sheep, given the opportunity, might have voted for another course of action.

But the shepherd knows what the sheep need. Our Shepherd knows what we need, and he provides.

Is it provision? Is it safety? Is it rest? Is it something else?

Green pastures and still waters are provision given in peace. Most of us long for this sort of peace. We sometimes think we can get there on our own, but this sort of peace can only come from one who has the power and authority to protect us.

Green pastures and still waters are peace and provision. The lion lies down with the lamb sort of stuff.

God’s peace will even penetrate your soul. He restores at the core level.

The Lord will reset you to factory settings. He will give you a taste of Eden even in this world gone crazy.

But it’s not all about our peace. That would just be selfish, narcissistic, and all about me. It’s also about righteousness. Peace without righteousness is the world’s selling point. Satisfy yourself.

The world’s sales pitch is that it can gratify all of your wants, which it disguises as needs.

The psalmist notes that this righteousness is the path that the Lord has set for us.  A couple of psalms later, we come to some familiar words.

Show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths.

 He leads me in the path of righteousness! God is showing me and teaching me his way. Do you remember God’s way and everything else?

Many of the psalms that we know ask for protection and provision. That’s human nature. The psalmist knows to cry out to the Lord if you need these things.

Many of the psalms are about being rescued from our enemies. We know the world is more than we can handle alone. We cry out to the Lord.

Many of the psalms recount the mighty acts of God. Sometimes, our human spirit, our soul, our very being needs assurance. We see what the Lord has done and trust that he will continue to reign sovereign for eternity.

Some of the psalms ask for what we need to stay in step with God. He leads me in the path of righteousness because that’s who he is.  The Lord is righteous, and all things considered, we should go his way.

Too often, we are rocking out with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks singing Go Your Own Way, when we should be keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and going his way. Or for you old timers, you are singing I did it my way with Frank Sinatra.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

The translations that I checked did not capitalize the valley of the shadow of death, so I’m comfortable with taking this one as metaphorical and not necessarily geographical. It could be any really, really tough set of circumstances in our lives, not just a place on a map.

We know figurative language—even Jesus used it. We have mountaintop experiences—highs. We have down in the valley experiences—lows.  We know what it means to be in the valley.

Read your commentaries, and you will find some interesting twists, but I am confident that the shadow of death applies to all of us, not just a select few living in the vicinity of David’s Israel.

Back in the day, I might have misquoted this verse to read because I am the biggest, badest… You know the spiel. And while there are still bad guys in the world, it’s one that you hope your enemies take note of, but not the assurance promised in the psalm. Now we just say, and find out… That’s the only par that makes it into Sunday’s message.

The psalmist notes that we are without fear not because of who we are or what we can do alone, but because of God.  We don’t fear because God’s got this.

God’s got this!

Specifically, today we do not fear because God’s grace is enough for me. I have already won the ultimate victory. All the world can take from me is my life in this body.

Whether we live or we die today, the Lord is with us. We will not be afraid. His rod and his staff comfort me.

Here is the really cool part. God prepares a table for us right in front of our enemy.

Yes, we are provisioned when we rest beside the still waters. We are comforted in the places we expect comfort—green pastures.

We are also provisioned and comforted when we are face-to-face with the enemy. God says ‘Watch this.” I am going to prepare a really good meal for you, and your enemies will just have to watch.

Do you remember God telling Gideon to keep sending warriors home? The victory would surely be in the hands of the Lord and not superior numbers.

God’s got this!

The psalmist tells us to let God show his stuff in our lives from time to time. Let him prepare a table for us right in front of our enemies.

Once we do that, we might just have eyes to see that the Lord is provisioning us generously all the time, even when we think we don’t have much, or enough, or can’t survive the day.

We will begin to see God at work more and more in every situation. He’s been there all along, but now we might just get to see him at work.

Thou anointest my head with oil.

Right in front of your enemies, God says, “I choose him.” He says, “My favor is upon her.”

God tells everyone, “This one’s with me.”

My cup runneth over.

Really? I’m praying daily that I make it through the day and the psalmist has the audacity to think I have enough.  I get by each day, but this image of whatever is in the cup overflowing is a bit much.

We need to go back to those eyes to see. Can we see beyond our immediate struggles—the trouble that we were promised—to what is in store?

Can we say with sincerity, “Your grace is enough?”

If we look at what is promised and compare it to what is in store for us, we will see as Paul did centuries later, that this present suffering is nothing compared to what is to come.

We have already won. Jesus won the victory. Our cups are more than filled, even if they seem a little dry at the moment.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is more than favor in front of our enemies. It is more than a place to rest. It is more than provision. This is an identity.

We are people who now keep company with goodness and mercy. It’s not that we just receive these things from the Lord; we now become these things. We are people known as followers of Jesus by our love.

We are all about putting a smile on God’s face. We do that when we do things God’s Way and forsake the everything else.

We do that when we show mercy to our brothers and sisters. And we have a home with the Lord, and that’s forever.

Jesus told his followers that he left them to go and prepare a place for them. We will be with the Lord forever.

You can now say with certainty, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

You will have trouble in the world. You will know peace in heaven.

But in between the times of hardship and the eternal bliss that we anticipate, we have Psalm 23 to affirm to us that God’s got this.

Recite the psalm as you walk or drive or do the dishes.

Say it before you take on the troubles of the day. Be strengthened and affirmed that you are secure in God’s way, regardless of what the world throws at you.

So how do we wrap up this most familiar of the psalms?

Start your day with:

·       Thank you, Lord. Add whatever specifics are on your hearts and minds.

·       Say out loud: Your grace is enough for me.

·       Begin reciting Psalm 23 and go for as long as you can. You might even pick it up later in the day. It’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Now go have a good day. Bring glory to God. Produce good fruit for God, his kingdom, and the body of Christ.

Go into the world with certainty that God’s got this. Be encouraged and affirmed that even in the midst of trouble—even when the enemy is at the gates—God’s got this.

Know that the Lord is your shepherd and do your best to know his voice. The answers you seek come in the worlds of your Shepherd, who also happens to be your Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Priest, Elohim, Jehovah, El Shaddai, God Almighty, and your Friend.

The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.

God’s got this.

Amen.

Countdown Moment – Your grace is enough

 

Some of you might think that I am over doing this God’s grace is enough.

Some may want just a Joel Osteen message with everything going your way.

God does want to bless us.

God does want us to live abundantly.

God does want to give us good things.

God wants the world to see that he blesses us.

God loves us more than we can image.

But we will have trouble in the world. That’s from Jesus. We will have trouble in the world.

What I hope you keep with you is that, regardless of the circumstance, you have won the ultimate victory. You will be in right standing with God for eternity.

God wants you to live abundantly, so how does trouble fit into abundance?

God will take whatever comes at you and use it for good. Realize that sometimes that good is a lesson for us. Sometimes it is a lesson for all.

If we want to live abundantly, we must be ready to grow. Our discomfort in growing will go away the more that we grow.

It feels uncomfortable at first because we don’t do it enough. Growth is a part of abundance.

Sometimes, trouble precipitates that growth.  No worries, we have already won the big victory.

God’s grace is enough. We struggle and we grow without risk of losing our salvation. If we die, we will still be with the Lord. If we live to be 120, we will still be with the Lord for eternity.

Remember, everything we go through here is temporary. We get joy and sorrow, but eternal joy is promised.

We have health and suffering, but we will live forever in our new bodies.

We have high times and low, but our greatest victory was given to us by Jesus. God’s grace that we know is Jesus is enough.

Let’s say it together:  Lord, your grace is enough.

 

Countdown Moment – Unchanged Lives?

 

One thing that I hope you carry into the future, whether you are here or on the other side of the world, is this provocation that I finally refined this year.

The plank-in-the-eye obstacle to modern Christianity is to acknowledge God, acknowledge Jesus died for our sins, and acknowledge that God’s own Spirit lives within us, and then live unchanged lives because we hold our own understanding in such high esteem.

Do you remember this one? With God, all things are possible.

I’m going to give you something that with God should be impossible.

What’s that?

·     To live a secular life and consider grace an insurance policy. Grace opens the gateway to abundant living. It’s not a backup plan.

·     To live conformed to the world instead of to the image of the invisible, but very much living God.

·     Here’s the kicker. To live a life unchanged by everything that sovereign, holy, loving God has done for us.  This should be impossible for us.

·     We don’t live ordinary lives! We must be changed by the mercy and grace of God. We must be.

Moderator Report November 2025

 

Moderator Report

November 2025

 

 I have kept this report lean and linked earlier reports for more context. We do have some action items to accomplish at this meeting, but the list is shrinking.

Seek Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Missions. For the next two weeks, I will be working on Thanksgiving baskets. We have given out a lot of food over the past few weeks. I expect that trend to continue until the federal shutdown is over. I have asked the congregation and community to resume food offerings. We have not gotten an answer on school food drives this year.

Worship. Now is the time for people to offer a Thanksgiving or Christmas special music. We have a short evening Thanksgiving and Christmas service scheduled on 16 November (4 pm) and 16 December (6 pm) respectively, followed by a fellowship meal/finger food.

Education. Give any suggestions for the Sunday School Superintendent’s report to Rodney. The adult Sunday School class is considering the Purpose Driven Life for its next round of lessons. The Wednesday evening adult group is considering something new for the New Year.

Building and Grounds. Round II of AC repairs resulted in a no-action visit. The unit(s) were loud but functioning, and, according to the AC repairman, did not endanger the entire unit. We should have several months before the AC is put to the test again. There seems to be some problems with the heaters staying on. I reported this to Derrick and Ethan at the beginning of the month. So far, the weather has not been cold enough to put the sprinkler system at risk of freezing.

Fellowship. Teams are redesignated A & B, vice 1-4. We have a Thanksgiving meal after our Wednesday evening service on 16 November 2025. We also have Finger Food Fellowship following the Christmas Service on 14 December 2025.

Financial. I did not put CD/Insurance as agenda items. You received my thoughts last month. If it is of interest to anyone other than me, bring it up under other new business.

Other

Pastor Turnover. Kathy has taken over the janitorial contract management. On 1 December, Rodney will prepare and produce the bulletin (40-50 copies is the norm per Sunday). He has been given completed templates for the first three Sundays in December. There will surely be some changes, if only in the announcements. Garrett will also take over management of the manse on 1 December 2025. Renters are behind but peddling as fast as they can. Don’t forget the minutes (2 printed copies and 1 digital copy) go to the clerk (Wes) when you submit them next January. My library migration and consolidation have begun, as evidenced by the books and training materials to give away. PO Box is paid until next November.

The Search Committee is formed and is working. A report line has been added to future agendas until it is no longer needed. Once you get a new pastor, please remove the line item from the agenda (it might be a little awkward to leave it in after that).

Tom Personal. I have begun putting my books/materials out for anyone who wants them. They will be out through November. My walking days are limited until the end of the year.

 

 

Links to information not included in the report.

Dates for Planning Purposes.

F4 Schedule

Worship Meeting Report

Projects in Search of a Champion.  

Unfinished Business.

Previous Moderator Reports

Unfunded Deficiencies

Online Giving Link

2024 Annual Report

Smart Pack

Turnover Background Documents

Budgeting References

ICA – Pastor Template

ICA – Janitor Template

Recurring Tasks

Prayer List

Insurance and Savings

Possible Savings on Supplies

Red River Presbytery Facebook page

 

Countdown Moment – Love is the Strongest Force in the Universe

 

The word is love. It is both a noun and a verb, but we know it best as a verb.

It is a noun, though. Love is a force. It is the strongest force in the universe.

Love is the strongest force in the universe.

I wrote those words over 15 years ago in an online article that landed me on my first mission trip to Africa.

I asked the person who invited me, “How did you find me in the middle of nowhere—one traffic light Burns Flat, America?” As it turned out, I went to preach and teach in a one-traffic-light town in western Kenya. It had six million people, but traffic lights were rare.

Back to the question, how did he find me?

He said that it was the article: Love is the Most Powerful force in the Universe.

So in our countdown moment for this week, I will add, “Never forget the power of love.”

Do we want to seek God in what we do going forward?

Do we want to have orderly worship going forward?

Do we want to budget wisely going forward?

Do we want to make sure the coffee pot is plugged in on Sunday mornings going forward?

Sure, we do, but above all else, we want to be known as followers of Jesus by our love.

We must never forget or underestimate the power of love.

Going forward, make sure love is front and center in every decision you make.

Countdown - Inertia

 

Countdown – Go

Today’s countdown moment is physics, inertia, to be precise.

A body at rest tends to remain at rest. A body in motion continues to remain in motion.

Why is this important?

The first word in our commission is GO.

Jesus tied the commission to the authority he had been given—all authority.  That’s a bunch of authority.

He said, therefore, GO.

We are told to go. We have been sent. We take good news to the world.

My very first sermon to this body was on the Great Commission, delivered in 1999 in the old church building.

We had not been in town very long, but Jim was headed out for Sunday, and he asked me to preach. When Sunday came, Jim was still there. His plans had changed or that was his story.

I think that Jim was worried to turn a crusty old Leatherneck loose in the pulpit.

In the course of preparing that message, I looked up the definition of the word “GO.”  Yes, it was the 90s, and I used a dictionary. There were 81 words and phrases used to describe this very short word.

Then at the end, there was a single antonym:  to remain.

To remain, sit still, do nothing, not be moved, you can continue the list.

We are either moving—going into the world—or the next pastor needs to be a hospice chaplain. There is no fence-sitting in this inertia business.

Let’s make the word GO trend among Christians as we take the good news into the world.

Countdown – We are the Church

 

You hear this from me a lot, but it is not a Tom thing. It’s just a thing, and you were getting this from me before I was your pastor. What’s that?

We don’t go to church. We are the church

We are the church. We are called out of the world by God, set apart for God’s purposes, and sent back into the world to be his love and share his good news.

We go to worship in a building most people call a church, but realize this association didn’t happen until people started building places of worship outside of the homes where the early church met.

It’s great to have a building to gather in, but the people who follow Jesus, not the building, are the church.

You are the church.

We are the church.

There is only one church with Jesus as the head. We write different names on the building, have some varied traditions, and may baptize or serve the Lord’s Supper a little differently, but we—that’s everyone who professes Jesus is Lord—are the church.

Does this really make any difference?

Try this: Go coach a bunch of kids and repeatedly tell them that they are all losers and don’t stand a chance. See how they perform.

Next, coach a different team and tell them over and over that they are champions. See how they perform.

OK, if you actually would try the first one, don’t coach, teach, or try a leadership role. The whole concept of the beatings will continue until morale improves doesn’t ever work.

You will see the same results in older kids and even in the professional ranks. You, as the coach or teacher,  set expectations.

We, as the body of Christ, have expectations too. Consider the difference between:

I go to church and I am the church.

We are the body of Christ. That’s our identity. We are his church.

We are the church.

When we say, "I am the church," we put God’s name on who we are. Who do we belong to? We belong to the great I Am.

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church.

Be the church!

Insurance and Savings

 Most of what was shared about insurance premiums at the last presbytery was also shared by Doug Weims when we switched to Brotherhood Mutual, but we decided not to act on any cost-saving choices at that time.

One thing worth considering is building funds to a level of self-insurance to minimize our cost. I don’t think we can ever go insurance-free because of liability issues and some presbytery requirements. But we could start moving that way.

If we take out a second CD, we should add to it with whatever we save by increasing our deductible. So, if we save $500 each premium, we don’t put that in the general operating fund; we obligate it for the CD and add it to the CD upon renewal.

I suggested something like this when we paid off the loan we took out for the building. We would continue to budget the $2000 each month for our savings/CD/capital program (whatever name we had at the time), with the intent of having some self-insurance fund. We opted not to do that at that time.

To the current situation, savings on insurance and investment in a CD will seem like small savings in comparison to the very large amount needed to adequately insure the buildings that we have, but it’s that inertia thing again. Nothing happens until something is put in motion. A body at rest remains at rest—you know the spiel.

It’s the "he buried his talent in the ground" thing. The risk of putting the money in a CD is minimal. If we needed it before it matured, the most we could lose is the interest. The principal is not at risk. We get about 10-16 times the interest on the CD than we do on the savings account, where a fair amount of money now resides.

It’s also that discipline thing. Disciples should have discipline. In the case of insurance savings and what to do with it, that means if we do this, we do this with each premium. This is not a when we feel like it deal. It is a call for discipline. Our children or grandchildren might be the ones who realize a level of savings where we can significantly reduce our premiums and add to the savings.

What is the risk? If we had to cash it in early, the actual loss to us would be the quarter percent interest that leaving it in savings would earn. Yes, we could potentially lose ten times that amount, but only if we put the funds in a CD. If we leave them where they are, we have no chance at potential gains.

It’s the you miss 100% of the shots you never take thing. It won’t lose anything if we do nothing differently, but we gain very little.

I did not put this on the agenda as you will surely need time to assess it and weigh it against your risk tolerance, but I wanted you to think about it. I know it historically goes against our tendencies as a session.

If you subscribe to Covey’s four quadrants, this is a quadrant II decision. Maybe it will prompt us to action at some point.

If we don’t do this, it should be a deliberate decision and not a passive oversight.

Please think and pray about this.

Moderator Report - October 2025

Moderator Report

October 2025

  I have kept this report lean and linked earlier reports for more context. We do have some action items to accomplish at this meeting, but the list is shrinking.

Seek Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Missions. I think the coat drive may be OBE, but it is listed under Old Business as an agenda item.

Worship. Now is the time for people to offer a Thanksgiving or Christmas special music.

Education. Rodney is working on cancelling the curriculum for Chrissy’s class. No other changes were noted.

Building and Grounds. Hosting the Presbytery helped shrink the “to-do” list.

Fellowship. We will have two fellowship gatherings with food before the end of the year. The Thanksgiving gathering will be a full meal, and the Christmas gathering will be finger food. Both will follow a short worship service. I put fellowship meals on the Dates for Planning Purposes list for the first two 5^th Sundays in 2026.

Financial. Windstream botched our current bill. How do we want to proceed? This is an agenda item. We may want to consider putting everything in savings except $10,000 into a 6-month CD before the rates go down. Also, we need a check ($200) for our MA offering before 23 November 2025.

Other

Red River Presbytery was surely a “Well Done!” across the board.  Not to get bruised by patting ourselves on the back, but this event mobilized many within our congregation. That’s some God’s love in action.

Elder Nominations. Both Ethan and Kathy said yes to their nomination. The congregational meeting to elect is scheduled for 14 December 25.

Pastor Turnover. Kathy has taken over the janitorial contract management. If you have not already selected one, an elder on next year’s session should be assigned as a representative to the ministerial alliance. The first meeting of the new year is tentatively scheduled for 6 February. I recommend that you have a confirmation meeting on 28 December 2025 to include the elders joining the session as well as those rotating off. You will need to elect a moderator pro tempore before or at that meeting from the five who will be serving in 2026.

The Search Committee is formed. They were blessed on 5 October during the 11 am service. The session needs to decide whether to meet with them or leave the direction to the session members serving on the committee. I suggest the full session meet with the search committee so discussions are not stove-piped and the committee and the session have a meeting of the minds. A handout of what the session captured in its discussions over the past several months, presented as guidance to the committee, would be a helpful reference.

Building Access. Dwight Shephard once again has a key to our building. Living Waters has stopped maintaining much food on hand at their location and comes here. I gave Heather’s key to Dwight. He had one before, but he has not had one since we changed doors. We had fewer keys for these doors, and I waited until I could recover one. Gayla Hite has one as well. I have asked for it a couple of times, but didn’t want to be pushy over a key that likely poses no risk to our security.

Tom Personal. In October/November, I will put some of my books out in front of my office for people to take if they want them. I may have to adjust the location depending on how long we keep up the Fall Photo area.

 

 

Links to information not included in the report.

Dates for Planning Purposes.

F4 Schedule

Worship Meeting Report

Projects in Search of a Champion.  

Unfinished Business.

Previous Moderator Reports

Unfunded Deficiencies

Online Giving Link

2024 Annual Report

Smart Pack

Turnover Background Documents

Budgeting References

ICA – Pastor Template

ICA – Janitor Template

Recurring Tasks

Prayer List

Insurance and Savings

Red River Presbytery Facebook page

 

 

 

Box of Chocolates Meeting

 

Anyone in the Burns Flat area interested in making or enjoying good, wholesome music, including Christian music, is invited to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burns Flat, Oklahoma, for a meeting on 23 October 2025 at 6 p.m.

This meeting is to assess interest. Would you like to play your instrument as part of a group? Would you like to sing in a cantata or a community choir? Or do you just want a jam session every now and then? Do you have an artistic gift that you want to put to use somewhere?

This is to say that we don’t know where this will lead, but we want to find out. For starters, who is interested? Let’s see who in the community has been looking for such an outlet, ministry, or just the fellowship of others who are musically or artistically inclined.

Let’s call this the Forrest Gump Box of Chocolates Meeting. You never know what you’re going to get, but let’s find out.

Meet with Mike Kiser at 6 pm on 23 October 2025 at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Pray for the Search Committee

 

The Search Committee is established and ready to work. We blessed them Sunday morning and ask that you keep them in your prayers in the months ahead. This item is Refrigerator Worthy.

 

Lori Schneberger

Ethan Delp

Desarae Simmons

Garrett Stegall

Kristy Denbo

Faith Schneberger

Kylie Denbo

Dylan Walker

Kenzie Delp

Heavenly Father,

Bless these men and women who have accepted this charge to search for a new pastor. Grant them wisdom, patience, and joy in the work they are doing for this body of believers. Grant them eyes to see and ears to hear your leading during this time. Grant them your strength when they feel weak. Lead all of us to encourage them. Help them grow through the experience so you can trust them with more in the future.

Lord, Bless our Search Committee.

Amen

Countdown – Connect the Disconnected

 

Countdown – Connect the Disconnected

Some years ago, I adopted a phrase that I pair with our sharing of the gospel. Those words were "connect the disconnected."

There are many who have professed their belief in Jesus and not taken a single step forward in their discipleship. They may have thought that when they professed Jesus is Lord that was the end of the race.

It’s likely that they still pray, especially when the rent is past due.

It’s likely that they believe in everything they professed.

It’s likely they asked you to put their mother or son on our prayer list.

It’s likely that they, in many ways, do want to please God.

But they are stuck in their preexisting patterns, disconnected from the body of Christ and from abundant life.

So, remember, part of what we do is reach out to these people as well and invite them to come home, even if they have never been here before.

There is a family of faith for everyone.

Moderator Report - September 2025

 

Moderator Report

September 2025

 

 I have kept this report lean and linked earlier reports for more context. We do have some action items to accomplish at this meeting.

Seek Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Missions. We helped 69 children with school supplies.

Worship. Changes discussed in the Worship Meeting are implemented.

Education. NTR

Building and Grounds. Improvements have been continuous over the past few weeks.

Fellowship. New (combined) teams are posted.

Financial. I asked Phil to reduce his thoughts to writing on the Division of Treasurer Duties so it could be examined by the session before the meeting. (Pending). Mandy has not received any of the funds we agreed to support this class.

Other

Red River Presbytery will be in the books by the time of our meeting. We need to share the information from the meeting as well as capturing costs and lessons while the event is still fresh in our minds. I expect Kathy to have considerable thoughts on the experience, but we should all take a moment to share a lesson or two for future endeavors.

Elders, please continue your prayer and meditation regarding your nominations for our next elders to serve on the session or reducing the size of the session. Here are the responses so far concerning willingness to serve. The nomination process begins at this meeting.

Ethan Delp       Yes

Danny Rush      Not at this time

Rick Reeves      If needed.   

Kathy Stegall     If needed 

Larry Walker      No response

Rodney Chilton As a last resort 

Carolyn Murray  No response   

 

Pastor Turnover. Kathy will take over the janitorial contract management on 1 October. Garrett will take over supervising the rental of the manse on 1 December. Rodney will take over bulletin preparation beginning 1 December. Tom will cease financial transactions on behalf of the church on/about 1 December.  I expect 21 December 2025 to be my last Sunday in the pulpit as your pastor.

The Search Committee is to be confirmed at this meeting. Bless the search committee has been moved to 5 October 2025.

Tom Personal.

I also expect 2025 to be the last year that Sharman does Angel Gifts or F4. She might be back for F4, but we have significant travel in the first part of 2026, so she would not be present for half of the Wednesdays in the spring. She might continue with the backpack ministry intake if that ministry continues.

I have stopped my “I’m not going to be here Sunday” texts. I think I placated the emotions that prompted the request; they were not efficacious, and subsidized complacency on the part of the session. If the 6-12 months of notices I have provided don’t do the trick, a last-minute text isn’t going to help.

Links to information not included in the report.

Dates for Planning Purposes.

F4 Schedule

Worship Meeting Report

Projects in Search of a Champion.  

Unfinished Business.

Previous Moderator Reports

Unfunded Deficiencies

Online Giving Link

2024 Annual Report

Smart Pack

Turnover Background Documents

Budgeting References

ICA – Pastor Template

ICA – Janitor Template

Recurring Tasks

Prayer List

Red River Presbytery Facebook page

 

 

Countdown: Quick, Slow, Slow

 

I hope that everyone knows James 1:19-20. It is a memory verse that most of you have mastered. Let’s master the guts of this verse in application. It’s quick, slow, slow.

Quick to listen is the first to listen. The person who will commit to listening to the other person or persons before expressing their own thoughts. Being understood is a basic human need. Stepping out to say, “I’m going to listen until I understand you—might not agree with you—but I will commit to understanding you.

Slow to speak means you can’t talk and listen at the same time. It validates that I have committed to listening first. I still want to have my say and want you to understand me, but you go first. I will keep quiet, except to ask something for clarification, and I will listen.

Slow to anger does not mean never getting angry, but anger is never our first resort, and we should have a very slow fuze. God will judge the wicked, and he wants us to reduce his work in that area not by being angry for him but by bringing the wicked to repentance and right standing in the blood of Jesus. Anger sometimes feels justified, even righteous, because we know that this would really anger God. But God said that vengeance and anger belong to him.

Our anger cannot produce a righteous life. It’s not effective. It is a waste of our efforts and detracts from our mission of sharing God’s love with the world.

Quick, slow, slow, remember those three and save both regret and the valuable allocation of your time to something with no good return.

Remembering the whole verse helps too.

Countdown – TURN

 The countdown continues...

I had the lead-off sermon at my second year of PAS. I knew that I would preach on the Parable of the Talents. I also knew it wouldn’t be the only time that I would do that, and I have preached this parable over 100 times here, and probably 200 more over the years in various places.

This parable is a gold mine of wisdom and insight!

I came up with an acronym that I think covers some essential lessons. There is a whole bunch more to this parable, but this is what comes up repeatedly. Here it is.

TURN

T is for trusted. All of the servants were trusted with money in accordance with their ability. They had a preexisting relationship with their master before this parable began. They were trusted servants. Even the third servant was trusted with a substantial investment in his ability.

U stands for urgency. The first two servants put their talents to work at once. They were ready to be trusted more, and because of that, they could put their master’s money to work immediately.

R is for Return on Investment (ROI). The master expected a return on the trust he placed in his servants.

N is for No Fear. Every servant had to contend with fear, but only the third one was debilitated by fear. We all deal with fear, but we should not be afraid. Our desire to produce a return for our master should be enough to overcome whatever fear is taunting us. If you must be afraid, be afraid of not pleasing your master, but fear does not govern the trusted servants thinking or actions.

This acronym brings us to the question, what did we do with what our Master (the Lord) gave us. We must realize that we are his trusted servants, are to act with urgency, are to produce a return on our Master’s trust, and that fear does not govern in our lives.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge… The key word there is beginning.

Perfect love casts out fear.

I hope you continue to read the Parable of the Talents and find some value in the acronym.

We are God’s Trusted Servants!

Countdown

 

I have about 100 days left to shepherd this body. It’s a common thing to look at the first 100 days of a presidency. I think that started with JFK.

My experience as a commissioned officer was that you had 30 days to know your job, and then 30 days to start making a difference.

But how we finish is just as important, if not more important as how we begin. The session is on a course to make the transition as smooth as possible. That may be seamless, or it might take a while. It is a process of discovery and discernment by both the church body and the candidates. It’s not just getting a person in the pulpit.

Next Sunday, we will bless the Search Committee at this service.  I don’t know that we have ever done that here. I’m not sure if many other church bodies have either, but it seemed appropriate to the task before them.

From what was discussed at the elder retreat, I think the session plans to fill the pulpit with messages from some of your elders. I remember the days when James Hendrix and I did that until Duawn got here.

It was enriching for us.  I have offered some transition planning and counsel to the session, but hope this one is received. Don’t just fill the time. Bring the message that God placed on your heart.

That applies to anyone who might take a turn, not just the elders. It is not public speaking, though it shares many qualities and aspects. It is the exhortation of the word.

That’s looking to the beginning of 2026.

Concurrently, in these last 100 days, I plan to offer for consideration and contemplation some things that I hope will survive my time here. These are things that have come up again and again over the past 18 years that I hope have some lasting impact and are worth further consideration.

Where to begin?

God loves you. Love one another. After giving out wristbands to the school kids that we shared the good news with in 2012, I thought I needed something to take to Africa with me.  GOD LOVES YOU – LOVE ONE ANOTHER was the ticket.

If it was on target there, how much more here?

GOD LOVES YOU – LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Is that the whole story? No, but it’s a segue to it.  There is story on both sides of those two phrases and a whole bunch in between.

We know that God is love and that he loves us. We know that love in Christ Jesus. We know that one of the best responses to receiving his mercy, love, and grace—all are truly love—is to love one another as much as Christ loved us.

The wristbands that we used to have—that seems to be something that will retire with me, but you will find something else, and I will continue to order them in my personal ministry—are not bling; they are beginnings to greater conversations.

So, I begin this countdown with God loves you. Love one another.

I plan to finish strong and to do the things that facilitate the future operations of this body.

I plan to finish strong and expect you to hit the deck running in 2027.

So, let’s begin these 100 days with GOD LOVES YOU. LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

The countdown continues...

TURN

Quick, Slow, Slow

Connect the Disconnected

Be the Church

Inertia

Love - the Strongest Force in the Universe

Unchanged Lives

Your Grace is Enough

Obituary for Heather Andrea Spence

 

Heather Spence

18 February 1978 – 19 August 2025

 

Heather Andrea Spence was born on 18 February 1978 in Beaufort, South Carolina.  

As a child, she lived in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Iowa, and California. She attended schools across the country and graduated from University High School, Orlando, Florida in 1996.

She graduated from Orlando Technical Center in the School of Culinary Arts in 1998. After culinary school, she worked several years with prominent chefs at Universal Studios in Orlando.

She later moved to Burns Flat, Oklahoma, and worked many years at the Great Plains Regional Medical Center in Elk City, Oklahoma, even after losing her gallbladder and one kidney. She was a shining star with a caring and welcoming smile in the Emergency Room.

She was twice awarded Employee of the Year during her career there.

After losing most of one leg and most of one hand, she could no longer work, but she was determined to recover, walk again, and return to the job that she loved most.

She had a unique mixture of determination and kindness, and seldom did you see one without the other.

She had no children and is survived by her parents, Tom and Sharman Spence of Burns Flat, Oklahoma, her brother, Christopher Spence and wife Courtney, aunts, uncles, and cousins.   

She was loved by family and friends in many places.

She went to be with the Lord on 19 August 2025.