Time of Change

One thing I have learned in ministry is that the only thing constant is change. And, you know - change brings anxiety, stress, questions and much doubt; in fact, most of us are opposed to change, for one reason or another. At our new church, Rock Harbor Christian Fellowship in Morro Bay, all of these emotions are prevalent and escalating at a rapid pace. When I sit back and assess the situation, I can fully understand and have expected these feelings to arrive. Think about it: within the last year, RH’s much respected Pastor heeded a call of God to plant a church in Santa Maria; within the last month, an amazing tenured Secretary retires, a most talented Worship Director steps down and a much loved Youth Pastor resigns. Not to mention the drama & challenges of the many months of searching for a new Shepherd; and, once that Shepherd had been identified and reported for duty, the personality, style and way of doing ministry takes an additional extended time of adjustment.

Well Rock Harbor - this is where we are. The question we must ask ourselves is simple: what will we do with this Time of Change? We can be like most - grumble, complain, cast aspersions, be negative; or, we can be like Jesus - pray, fast, speak blessing and trust the Lord. Why all these changes came at once is a quandary to me; contrary to popular opinion, I didn’t orchestrate these changes and fully believe they are part of God’s plan for Rock Harbor, as well as the previous staff members (yes, God has an amazing future for our dear friends; a future that wouldn’t have materialized if they stayed and a future, because of their obedience in faith, Hebrews 11:6, will be rewarded greatly!).

So, my encouragement is simple: let’s choose the later and allow the Spirit of God to make us like Jesus so that we can be positioned to be a Proverbs 3:5-6 type of people fully knowing that unless the Lord builds this house called Rock Harbor, we will labor in vain! May the Lord bless you as we together trust Him during this time of great transition!

Praying for the flock,

Pastor Randy

The Man in the Mirror - Exodus 20

Let’s keep this simple. I went to work a few weeks ago. Having slept well, I woke up late, powered throught the shower-shave-shirt-shoe cycle, out the door, and flew to work, warp factor 9. My boss was to be there, and I don’t see her that often, so when she IS there, I want to make the most of the opportunity.

AS I AM WALKING THROUGH THE DOOR, I glanced down and saw a coffee stain on my shirt rivaling San Bernadino County in size. No sweater, no time to go back for a new one, I busily try to damp clean the really bad parts, (I think it was the spot that looked like Colton, CA) only to have a shirt that that was not only filthy, but wet.

Well, the meeting went well, anyway, L— is a gracious person, and actually thought it was pretty funny. I groaned inwardly and swore off coffee, (ya right!) and vowed to check the mirror as my dear wife and older daughter do before leaving the house.

What does that have to do with Charlton Heston coming off the mountain with those two big stone dudes? Had I bothered to check the mirror, the Map-of-San-Berdoo-stain would have revealed to me the need to deep six the shirt, put on a new one, and wake up more than 15 minutes before work. But noooo!

Well the Ten Commandments are the same way. They tell me when I need to clean things up in my life. When I look into the “mirror” of the ten Big Ones, they tell me I need to wash up, like Jesus told Peter to do in John 13:10. I can’t claim Heaven by keeping them, but I sure can see where I need to make some changes in my life.

So no, I don’t take the mirror to work, and I don’t wear 2 heavy burdensome tablets to earn Heaven; I just check the mirror, for crying out loud, and change that shirt!