June 25, 2021

Dear Pine Glen Church Family,

I trust you are well. You are never far from my heart. As your pastor, my desire is not that you would be rich, successful, comfortable, secure, or anything like that. My desire is that you would be happy in Christ and truly possess “the joy of the Lord.” This is a joy that is not rooted in circumstances or attainments, but in the finished work of Christ and the hope of heaven that awaits us (Romans 15:13). The apostle Paul puts it best in saying “we work with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24).

Life is a constant pursuit of joy, but only the Christian knows where to find true and lasting joy. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” We must spend the rest of our lives forsaking all the “pseudo joys” that the world offers and run to Jesus. As the Psalmist proclaims, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11).

I want to take this time to thank all our VBS volunteers! Your willingness to give of your time is greatly appreciated. Last week (16^th-18^th) we welcomed around 25 kids each night, most of whom are not from our church. We had a lot of fun (yes, even us adults!), but it did require a herculean effort to pull it off. Thank you! And please continue to pray for the children and families that were represented here last week. Pray that all the seeds that were planted would take root and grow and flourish.

I also want to thank you for all your birthday greetings last week! All the cards and words of affirmation mean so much to me. Our family is very grateful to be here at Pine Glen and living in Mifflin County. Thank you for being such a blessing to us.

This week I wrote a blog post on “The Glory of Man vs. the Glory of God.” The burden of the article is for Christians to consider what they are living for – God’s glory or the praises of man? You can access it here: https://pastoral-theology.com/2021/06/23/the-glory-of-man-vs-the-glory-of-god/

This summer, let me encourage you to get out and about as much as you can. Spend time enjoying God’s beautiful creation, but also spend time with other people, especially brothers and sisters in Christ. If Covid and all the lockdowns taught us anything, it is good to be together! Continue to reach out to one another in love (Galatians 5:13), and find ways to meet the needs of those around you.

This morning as we were driving, our family listened to the book of Colossians on our Bible app. Here is one passage from chapter 3 that is particularly rich:     ¹² Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17)

That about says it all! May we strive to “put on love” and apply this to our own lives and our church family.

Pine Glen Church Family, never stop being amazed by the grace of God in Jesus! The cross of Christ (among other things) is proof of that great love (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). God’s stunning grace now allows us to “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13).

Until next time, may God richly bless you, and may His joy be fulfilled in you (John 17:13).

Pastor Dan