That was before morning Bible time. In today’s Psalms portion of the Through-the-Bible-In-a-Year on the home page (Psalm 73:21-24), Asaph reminds us that allowing the injustice we face clouds our thinking, our hearts, and God-relationship. He says:

When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You -Psalm 73:21-22

Wow! Those are pretty powerful descriptions: embittered, pierced, senseless, ignorant, and a beast. In context, the psalmist is describing his reaction to injustice; wicked deeds done by wicked men, with no perceived penalty, but rather apparent nonchalance by both God and men.

But read on!

The wicked will get their comeuppance, but more importantly, the heart of the psalmist is restored by drawing closer to his God:
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory (v 22-23)

Like a loving Father holding His child’s hand, He walks with us across a busy street and back Home.

The Question

“Since when is it ok to have your brother sleep with your wife because you could not produce.Or for a husband to have more than one wife. Also, Treat others as you would be treated, but not gays or lesbians or “others” But be kind to the different and less fortunate, do not judge people but only the ones who are less fortunate or have problems….I realize this is a bit thrown together, but the bible really does not fully make sense to me …is that bad?”

An Answer

Great question! It does seem to have a jumbled up, consistency to it, like the Law of Retribution (”eye for an eye” in Exodus 21:24, for example) so let’s look at your specific questions:

The first, about a brother sleeping with his wife is sometimes called a Levirate marriage. Since the Jews then and now have a very close tie with the land, that farming economy depended on family ownership of property that was designed by God to pass from father to son, or sometimes to daughter. In cases where there was no male heir to pass title to, the nearest kinsman (transliterated goel) was encouraged to raise up a child to thus pass on title to the family. A wonderful example of this is the tiny book of Ruth in the Old Testament.
Jesus also alludes the custom in Mark’s gospel chapter 12 around verse 19 or so.

As to having more than one wife, this was an allowed custom, and never meant as the defacto standard. Refer to Genesis chapter 2 verses 14 to 24 to see the God-standard. Jesus later expounds this in the case of divorce this standard and comments on the more-than-one-wife-thing in Matthews Gospel in chapter 19.

Treat others as you would like to be treated is of course repeated by Jesus, the Golden Rule.

God loves gays, lesbians, porn stars, rich people, poor people; all people. He loves us so much He let His Soon take the hit for our sins so that we could engage Him, know Him, hang out and be with Him. If some Christians condemn gay people or rich people, or Republicans or Democrats or Taliban, then we are not loving our neighbors as commanded. But loving the person does not mean acceptance of a lifestyle God knows to be destructive, be it sexual, chemical, or anything else. In short, God wants to keep us from the harm that comes from not living the way He would desire for us.

I hope this helps. I offer it in sincerity and the hope that you would continue to pursue your study of the Bible, it is a love letter to you.

I was hanging out with a buddy named Patrick at Top Dog’s Coffee Shop in Morro Bay.  For some reading this, I do apologize, sort of, for the snow and cold winds you’re experiencing (…a friend of ours sent out a Facebook status update that it was 1 degree in North Dakota with a wind chill factor that was crazy…).  Our weather has been pristine, practically perfect - which was a prologue to our discussion at one of our caffeine depositories here on the coast.  Patrick brought up a recent message I delivered to our fellowship on fear and trembling; namely, we are to work out our salvation with great awe and reverence before Almighty God.  He shared about an experience he had the other day when he finished surfing.  Let me paraphrase his insight, “…Randy, I came off the surf, holding my board and I noticed a Black Lab trembling before her master.  She was so excited, so focused, so intense her body was literally shaking.  The owner hurled a tennis ball into the water and the lab took off, navigating the surf, jumping through the water, collecting the ball to return to her master…to do it all again.  This went on and on and on.  Randy, I think it’s like this - that dog was trembling…not in a mode of fear and fright, rather in anticipatory expectation that her master was going to perform for her and create an experience that was suited just for her; namely, to retrieve…”  As Patrick and I reflected on that fun scene, we began to, metaphorically and figuratively, look at God this way.  He has created a future good for us, it’s all over Scripture.  Our role, not to compare us to dogs - stay with me - I think it works, is to show up for duty, with anticipation and expectation, that our Master has great things in store for us and He, God, desires to guide, direct and send us into our sphere of influence to not only bring us fulfillment & satisfaction, but to also bring Him glory.  The trembling piece, according to Patrick’s brilliant insight, is our heart overflowing with the knowledge that this life offers nothing of eternal value and our sole purpose/meaning is wrapped up in serving the True & Holy Master! 

Cool stuff folks…today - go retrieve, with His strength, all that He has for you…thanks Patrick for the coffee date, it made my day!  And thanks to you for reading, have a great day: Jeremiah 33:3 and Ephesians 2:10!

As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday here in America, I am personally grateful to live in a great country that still allows me to worship my Lord without conflict, I’m blessed to place a sign in my front yard that encourages all to see to pray - without challenge, and I’m so fortunate to live in a land that allows me to broadcast my Savior’s love without being thrust in jail.  Yes, we have so much to be thankful for!  Thank you Jesus…

Last, Tami and I are especially blessed to have our three sons and daughter-in-law (and their black lab) with us this Thanksgiving.  Thank you Lord for family time, we’re blessed to be together in home again!  Thank you Jesus…

May you have a great Thanksgiving and may we all live in 1st Thessalonians 5:18 today, tomorrow and forever!

I was recently in the Philippines on a short term mission trip with some good friends from Rock Harbor Christian Fellowship; we served for 8 days alongside Calvary Chapel Bacolod, Pastor Joe & wife Billy, Terry and a host of amazing Filipino leaders.  Our main ministry was to bring Jesus to the 160+ children at the orphanage: VBS, skits, Bible studies, games, etc. were all planned.  Little did we know what we were in for, seriously!  You see, we as believers take Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 to heart; namely, we desire to make the Name of Jesus famous to the ends of the earth - on this trip: take our love for Jesus to the Philippines.  Something radical happened on this trip…check it out: we were so blessed and humbled with the love, the joy, the presence of Jesus in these lovely people that we were served in a much greater way than we could serve our precious new friends.  You know, I’ve always heard that when you go on these trips, the Lord is going to use you in great ways…but beware – He is going to do something great in you…too!  Well, this experience in the Philippines was no exception…in fact, I can honestly say this past week and half was one of the greatest highlights of my Christian experience…such that, I’m struggling being back in the states and the normalcy that my life affords me on this end of the globe!

Time simply won’t allow me to share every amazing thing that happened (more blogs too follow…), but let me share one story that is well…great.  I challenged the kids, known as the “little r’s”, to a water fight.  Needless to say, we were destroyed…that is the four missionaries from Morro Bay who had to fend off 160+ fun loving kids, not to mention Pastor Joe’s tactics.  What was so amazing about the water fight was not so much the water and the laughter and the fun and the silliness — it was the joy on the face of these children.  From the three year old thrusting an 8 ounce glass of water on my foot to fourteen year old Noah nailing me in the face with a stream of water traveling at a high speed.  It was just great and yes, we lost!  But you know, most of these kids have never been blessed to have a water fight!  Some of the children had to survive on the street, others existed in evil homes enduring unspeakable evil — the idea of a water fight, for most, at one time was simply out of the question.  Yet, as a blessing of God’s grace, these children have been literally rescued from intense situations to a home that replicates the love of Jesus like none other.  A place where healing, where restoration, where love, where acceptance, where Jesus is taught, lived and yes caught by His Amazing Grace.  Hum, all to say - wow, what a blessing our new friends are and these lessons became real and life changing while being pulverized with water!

Thank you Jesus and Calvary Chapel Bacolod — we love you!

Randy Ponder

Randy Ponder is the Senior Pastor of Rock Harbor Christian Fellowship. Randy was raised in Huntington Beach and received Christ as his Savior when he was 10 years old. Randy moved up to the Central Coast for college and graduated from Cal Poly in 1983. That summer, Randy moved to Morro Bay and met his lovely wife Tami; they have been married for over 25 years and have three wonderful sons and a precious daughter in law.

Randy was a Youth Pastor for 11 years in Temecula; and Randy & wife Tami both served at a church they planted in Temecula for 7 years before moving back to Morro Bay in January of 2008 to become part of this church family. Randy loves to travel to spread the Saving Message of Jesus. Randy’s travels have taken him to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Israel, Fiji and the Philippines. Randy’s passion is People, the Word of God, Missions, Athletics and is an avid Dodger, Lakers, Kings and Rams fan!

Deacon Board

Steve Beightler

Born in a small town in Illinois, my family moved to Southern California when I was a teenager. It was there though the youth ministry at a local church that I came to know the Lord. Since that day in 1971, I have known the joy of walking daily with the Lord living a life that has been rewarding and full. I met my wife, Joan, in that youth group and we have been married for 32 years. We are blessed with two daughters, both married (so now we have two sons) and one beautiful granddaughter. After 35 years with Cal Fire, I will some day soon be giving that up to open a new chapter in my life where God can use me.

Kathleen “KB” Brown

Since asking Jesus into her heart at the age of 7, Kathleen has always been active in her local church in many ways, from singing and playing in the worship band, to church administration, finance and computer systems, leading youth and adult Bible Studies, and anything that needs to be done. A native Californian, KB and her husband Rick, mother Marian and daughter Danielle relocated from Oxnard and all live together in the 3-generation house that Rick built in Morro Bay.

A consultant with a health-care services company, Kathleen works from home and travels across the country for her job. She also works with families in helping them fix their financial lives. KB loves to work in her avocado orchard, read, play games with friends and family, and enjoys living in one of God’s favorite places – Morro Bay! Life is certainly hectic these days, but KB says “I am blessed by God and trust Him to show me how to best serve Him.”

Terry Brown

Drawn to the Central Coast with wife Yvonne, and daughters Victoria and Holly, I turned my life over to Jesus while still living in Southern California. After turning over my life to Jesus, I began to drink in the Bible, sermons, cassette tapes, and Christian radio. It’s amazing, the thirst for God He gave me. A computer analyst with UPS for the last ten years, I enjoy assisting Rock Harbor with its computer, website, and other technical needs. It is a true joy to be called to service where ones passion lies. (Psalm 37:4)  I learned to serve from my parents, both active in their church for over fifty years, and I look forward to continue serving Jesus at Rock Harbor.

Mike Phillips

Mike was born in Fresno and raised in Visalia, where he gave his life to Christ at the age of 7. He began working for a contemporary Christian music radio station while in high school – a ministry that has continued for over 30 years, leading to his current role as the morning DJ at K-Life 89.3 FM. He met his wife, Karen, at the wedding of a mutual friend, and the two had their own wedding in 1984. Daughter Lindsay was born in 1991, son Matt followed in 1994, and daughter Madeline was adopted in China in 2007. Mike and Karen have been active in youth ministry, and currently lead our high school Bible study. Mike also oversees the church’s video ministry and plays with the worship team. He is excited about all God is doing at Rock Harbor Christian Fellowship, and is enjoying the adventure of serving Him!

Staff

Tami Ponder – Administrative Assistant

Tami Ponder is the Administrative Assistant of Rock Harbor Christian Fellowship. Tami spent most of her life on the Central Coast with a few years in Alaska and Northern California. Tami received Jesus as her Savior in her Junior Year in High School. Tami met her husband of 25 years in Morro Bay in 1983. Tami is the proud mother of three amazing sons and boasts of her daughter in law (no grand children yet – please pray she gets one soon…). Tami’s passions include Jesus, People, the Beach, Kayaking, Gardening, Building Projects and Crafts.

Brandie & Antone Bledsaw – Children and Youth Ministry

Antone & Brandie decided that they had to be together for the rest of their lives in 1995, and by God’s grace they still believe that to be true. God then blessed them with three beautiful and equally rotten children, Natalie, Eli, & Wendy to accompany them on the journey. They dedicate their life of service to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to God, through whom all blessings flow. Their ministry with children started in an Hispanic church. Neither Antone nor Brandie speak Spanish, but praise God; He knew what He was doing!They began attending RH in 2004 and are excited to be in the children’s ministry and seeing precious little hearts learn about Jesus and accept Him into their lives. What a wonderful God!

Danielle Noland – Finance

Danielle Noland is the bookkeeper and treasurer for The Journey Church Community. She moved to the Central Coast December of 2007 from the Los Angeles area. Danielle was born and raised in Oxnard, CA and became a believer when she was 7 years old. Danielle is a Business Manager for a Financial Services company in Burbank, and a consultant for other financial services companies as well. She has much experience running small companies including being retail store manager for many years. She was a Regional Operations Manager and trainer in the retail world. She traveled across the Western region of the country opening new stores and was sent to troubled stores to turn their operations around.Danielle is passionate about her love for God and using her talents to give back to her community. One of her dreams is to open a community center for art and music therapy for children and elderly, and hopes that God opens the opportunity for such a ministry on the Central Coast. She loves living and serving here and is excited about what God is up to and what His plans are!

Gary Lyons – Worship Director

I was born in Oldham, England (just outside Manchester) and moved to the U.S. when I was 12. I met my wife Trish in 1979; we’ll be married 30 years in July, 2010. I have two boys, Brandon, age 26, and Nathan, age 21. We moved to Morro Bay in 2002 when Brandon started at Cal Poly.

I captained my H.S. soccer team for all 3 years I went there, and was asked to try out for the L.A. Aztecs (pro soccer team). I also coached Soccer at all levels, including 4 years as Morro Bay H.S. Boys Varsity soccer coach.

I accepted Jesus as Savior in1978, at the original Vineyard, and was baptized by Rick Warren, December 6, 1992. My hobbies and passions include Music, Sports (playing Soccer, watching anything), working out, and people.

Krieger goes into the background of the Franciscans, and there modeling of Francis’ simple, Gospel orientation in all circumstances, but especially when meeting Saladin, one of the Muslim leaders targeted in the Crusades.

Francis was able to do what no other Westerner / Christian could do; that by the simple application of preaching the Gospel, he found a favorable audience in an otherwise hostile climate.

He simply gave them Jesus.