Pastor Bruce’s blog

Psalm 116 says, “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.  Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

When we pray we’re sometimes tempted to just throw our thoughts out to the room we’re in, with little connection to the fact that God hears us.  God is attentive to everything in our lives!  In a sobering way, God says that He will judge every idle word of our mouths-ouch! But on the positive side, God also listens and acts upon what we say to Him.  He hears us.  So what’s on my heart I bring to God’s attention and He acts upon our conversation by causing the very best of His will to come to pass in my life.  He hears me.  And when I’m scared, seemingly underresouced and out of answers, or directly in the path of difficulty, all I need to do is speak to Him.  I can do it with all the emotion in my heart, with depth of despair and need and guess what?  He doesn’t condemn me, He “inclines His ear” to me.  And answers like a Father.  I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and supplications-He hears me.  Blessings, PB

I was speaking with our Chinese friends on Tuesday and they were the ones who told me about the tragic earthquake that day in China.  As I’m sure you know, it was a nasty one; 7.9 on the Richter Scale and in a somewhat mountainous, yet populous, interior section of China.  I have grieved over photos of people trapped in rubble, mothers weeping over dead children and whole families living in makeshift shelters to keep them from the rain and cold.  There are many brethren there, thousands in fact.  Let’s pray for the dear Chinese people that are caught in this tremendous tragedy and believe the Lord for a way to help them… PB

There are two very important women in my life and I’m so grateful to God for both of them.  One is my own Mom.  She did all the things that a mom should do and did it for me and my brother, she fed us when we were hungry, comforted us when we were sick and taught us so much of what is needed to know for this life.  Mom also did for me what I will always be grateful for: at age 17 I became a Christian because Mom witnessed to me and told me that Jesus was the answer for everything.  She was right, of course. 

The other woman is my wife Robin.  She is an amazing mom also, doing for our 6 kids what moms do, caring for them in every way.  I’m forever grateful that she has and is “there” for our boys and girls, ordering our house, teaching them what they need to know in life and pointing them to Jesus. 

I’m doubly blessed to have two wonderful women who have been such great human influences on my life and the lives of my children.  Mom, Robin, happy Mother’s Day.  Thank you Lord, you gave me just the right ones… PB

We often wonder what the world is coming to.  You know, global warming, pollution in the air and nearly every waterway, the whole thing. You would think that man was in charge of his own destiny and can change the way the world works.  In some microcosms I believe that’s true.  But overall?  We’re not in charge here.  Read over Psalm 104 and tell me who’s in charge.  It’s not man.  Sure, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of what we can steward.  But according to Psalm 104 verse 5, it was “You who laid the foundations ofthe Earth, so that it should not be moved forever.”  Good stewards we may hope to be, but the Lord is the One in charge of His Earth.  Bow to His sovereignty and trust Him.  And thank Him.  Blessings, PB