The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

“…Be not afraid” (Joshua 1:9).

That is the snapshot that I want you take with you today. “Be not afraid.” That’s the quick look.
Here is the portrait I want you to gaze upon in its fulness. Stop. Linger. Think about the entire statement that the Lord gave Joshua, His servant.

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

Be not afraid. Think of it. How would this be possible? The answer is found in “The LORD thy God is with you.”

How would you like to be the one to follow Moses after his death as the leader of the children of Israel? Apparently, Joshua was scared to death. Repeatedly the Lord told him not to be afraid. The battles ahead would be significant; the children of Israel would be difficult to lead, and the dangers surrounded them. Yet the Lord assured Joshua that He would be with him. On that basis, God tells him not to be afraid.

For today: What causes you to be afraid today? Think of the snapshot, “Be not afraid.” Then gaze fully at the portrait and hear the Lord speak “I am with you!” It surely helped Joshua, and it surely will help us as well.

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:1-5).

In a very brief Psalm, the Lord speaks to His people about their adoration (100:1); attitude (100:2); assurance (100:3); appreciation (100:4) and their allegiance (100:5).

“Grandpa must never have had any problems, Mom,” she said. Thirteen-year-old Kathy was being sincere when she continued, “Grandpa says thank you to the Lord whenever we pray. Today when we went to McDonalds for lunch, he talked to the lady behind the counter about Jesus and then he even thanked her for coming to work today. As we ate, he thanked the man who was sweeping and told him what a great job he was doing. On the ride home he told me that he thanked the Lord every day for his family, friends, and for the Lord’s blessing. How can he be so happy?” she asked. After a moment of quietness, Kathy’s mom responded, “Your grandpa has been through much heartbreak and sorrow in his life. He lives with pain every day. But he’s learned to have an attitude of gratitude that is such an example to us all. He doesn’t live in denial of his problems. But my sweet Kathy, he does live in thankfulness to the Lord.”

For today: I’m challenged by Kathy’s grandfather. How about you? Are you thanking the Lord today as well as others around you?

Bushels of Blessings  The Annual Press Fund Prayer Letter of   Michael and Karen Peck Serving with Baptist Church Planters Dear Supporters and Prayer Partners, Karen and I thank the Lord for you. You may never fully understand how special you are to us. We are overwhelmed with your thoughtfulness, generosity, and kindness.  After all these […]

May 30th, 2015
Saturday Evening Update

We have so many dear friends that earnestly pray for me as I give Karen the injection of Neulasta. My doctorate is not in medicine. I was going to jest by saying that of all the classes I have taken, giving my wife an injection was apparently covered on the day I was absent. I surely don’t recall learning that! Our son Jeremy said to me today, “It’s surprising what you can do when you have to and when the Lord is helping you, isn’t it?” He’s absolutely right.

The shot was given at 3:00. She has been on Zophran throughout the day so hopefully the terrible nausea will be kept away. Typically Karen’s nausea lasts several days. The pain from the bone marrow being stimulated usually lasts a little longer. So I do ask that you will join us on this part of the journey and keep her in your prayers.

This morning I had the opportunity of sharing with our neighbor. I explained to him about Karen’s assurance of knowing the Lord Jesus as her personal Savior. What a great chance to share Karen’s testimony with him. This evening as I am writing this update we’re listening to the words of “Come Thou Fount.” What wonderful encouragement are the words. This hymn of faith is a wonderful blessing in the good times as well as in some of the most difficult days of our lifetime.

You are special to the Lord and special to us as well. We will be out of church tomorrow but will be joining the dear congregation of First Baptist Church of Elyria on their live stream. I hope that you will be well enough to join the Lord’s people in your local church tomorrow.

Update and Important Prayer Request

Tuesday Evening March 31, 2015

Karen and I want to say “thank you” so much for your prayers. Many have written to Karen to let her know that they are praying. Your encouragement continues to be such a blessing. How can we ever begin to tell you how much it means to us that you choose to walk along on this journey?

We do have a prayer request tonight. I was speaking with our clinical nurse about a medication question and she mentioned to me that right now typically Karen would be in era where she is least able to fight off a cold or an infection of some kind. With round two of her chemotherapy coming up a week from Friday, we really want her to stay healthy. While she doesn’t have to be in seclusion, we do have to be wise and careful. Thanks for praying with us about this.

You have been praying for us. If you have something on your heart that you would like us to be praying about, we would be delighted. Please send it to us at PastorMJP@aol.com.