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The Lord Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life”. (John 14:6) The apostle John wrote “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood (or overcome) it.” (John 1:4)

So, to choose life is to chose Jesus. He is the way – the only way (Acts 4:12). He is the truth, the spirit of truth, who will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). And He is the life (1 John 5:11-12) – “…and this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
The enemy, the devil, a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth (John 8:44) is the “thief, who comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). He is busy, knowing his time is short (Revelation 12:10-12), convincing many that “self” is of prime importance and will bring most pleasure and human acclaim. He has confused tolerance with love, acceptance of everything with true kindness and mercy.

The enemy, who comes as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), offers many alternative paths to those on their way to the celestial city (Pilgrim’s Progress). He tries to get us alone, distracted, and totally self-focused. He has used cell phones, pandemics, family breakdown, entertainment, self-help gurus, whatever appeals to your flesh, to lead us away from hope,
from community, from abundant life.

So, this is a call to Christian parents to do the Deuteronomy 6 thing! Talk to your children as you sit around the table, drive to their soccer game, hike the trails. Talk about God’s faithfulness, all He has done in creation, salvation, redemption. Remind them of His faithfulness seen in your life and theirs. Build that “altar of remembrance”. And talk about the issues they will need to be
prepared to face in our culture today – truth, deception, hopelessness, feelings of “not belonging”, abortion, transgenderism, social media influence, etc. (age appropriately).

Pray together for your family and friends, community and country. “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God. He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9) “Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.” (Deuteronomy 6:13-14) Talk about these gods of the “peoples around you” who need hope. Pray that they will find life in Jesus. Pray for revival in our land, because our hearts have become proud and we have forgotten the LORD our God. (Deuteronomy 8:14)

Teach your children to be strong and courageous, not to be afraid of the enemies around us, for the LORD our God goes with us, He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8) Pray for tender and caring hearts, who see the brokenness in those so affected by abortion, broken marriages, materialism, financial worries, political strife, physical and emotional health
issues, etc. And pray for opportunity to serve the broken, knowing that God has set before us life and death, blessings and curses.

Now, choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love your God, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life. (Deuteronomy 30:9-20)

“Hold fast to Him”, because you are in for an adventure as you walk life’s journey with Jesus, the God of the universe. “For the LORD your God is God of gods, Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy
10:17, 18)

In Isaiah 40, our LORD is talking to those who hope in the LORD (vs 30-31).

Get ready to fly!

It's graduation time for so many. High School or College graduates- you are facing so many changes and so many uncertainties.  So much will happen in your life over the next decade and the unknowns can be downright scary.  It won't be free from hardships and trials, but what can we know as truth? As the thing that never changes? Watch below for a quick interview with Pastor Tim Keller.  He has recently gone on before us to be with the Lord, but his words of comfort and wisdom are full of everlasting truth.  Remember, everything is going to be alright........

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was instituted to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the purpose of the day was expanded to include all men and women who died in U.S. military service. Today, Memorial Day is often thought of as the unofficial start of summer–a long weekend with a car race, playoff basketball, and brats and burgers on the grill.

It is always tricky to know how the Christians should or shouldn’t celebrate patriotic holidays. Certainly, some churches blend church and state in such a way that the kingdom of God morphs into a doctrinally-thin, spiritually nebulous civil religion. But even with this dangers, there are a number of good reasons why Christians should give thanks for Memorial Day.

1. Being a soldier is not a sub-Christian activity. In Luke 3, John the Baptist warns the people to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. The crowds respond favorably to his message and ask him, “What then shall we do?” John tells the rich man to share his tunics, the tax collectors to collect only what belongs to them, and the soldiers to stop their extortion. If ever there was a time to tell the soldiers that true repentance meant resigning from the army, surely this was the time. And yet, John does not tell them that they must give up soldier-work to bear fruit, only that they need to be honest soldiers. The Centurion is even held up by Jesus as the best example of faith he’s seen in Israel (Luke 7:9). Military service, when executed with integrity and in the Spirit of God, is a suitable vocation for the people of God.

2. The life of a soldier can demonstrate the highest Christian virtues. While it’s true that our movies sometimes go too far in glamorizing war, this is only the case because there have been many heroics acts in the history of war suitable for our admiration. Soldiers in battle are called on to show courage, daring, service, shrewdness, endurance, hard work, faith, and obedience. These virtues fall into the “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just” category that deserve our praise (Philippians 4:8).

3. Military service is one of the most common metaphors in the New Testament to describe the Christian life. We are to fight the good fight, put on the armor of God, and serve as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. When we remember the sacrifice, single-minded dedication, and discipline involved in the life of a soldier, we are calling to mind what we are supposed to be like as Christians in service to Christ.

4. Love of country can be a good thing. As Christians we have dual citizenship. Our first and ultimate allegiance must always be to Christ whose heavenly dwelling is our eternal home. But we are also citizens of an earthly country. We will stand before God not as individuals wiped clean of all earthly nationality, but as people with distinct languages, cultural affinities, and homelands. It is not wrong to love our distinct language, culture, or nationality. Whenever I’m at a ball game I still get choked up during the singing of the National Anthem. I think this is good. Love for God does not mean we love nothing else on earth, but rather that we learn to love the things on earth in the right way and with the right proportions and priorities. Love of country is a good thing, and it is right to honor those who defend the principles that make our country good.

5. I believe the facts of history will demonstrate that on the whole, the United States military has been a force for good in the world. Obviously, as a military power, we have blundered at times, both individually and corporately. But on the whole, the men and women of our armed services have fought and are fighting for causes that promote freedom, defend the rights of human beings, and reject tyranny. War is still hell and a tragic result of the fall. Praise God for his promise to one day end all human conflict. But in a world where people are evil by nature and leaders are not always reasonable and countries do not always have good intentions, war is sometimes the way to peace-at least the best peace we can hope for between peoples and nations this side of heaven.

So thank God for a day to remember God’s common grace to America and his special grace in enlisting us, poor weak soldiers that we are, in service to Christ our Captain and conquering King.

DeYoung, Kevin. "Why Christians Should Give Thanks for Memorial Day" The Gospel Coalition. May 27, 2019. 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/christians-give-thanks-memorial-day/

Our Youth Ministry Coordinator is stepping down as he pursues new things that God has in store for him. Canyon - we are grateful for the years that you have invested into the youth of Mountain Christian and are praying for your future endeavors!

Here are a few messages from the Youth-

"Thank you for your teachings and encouragment in the Word. I will be forever thankful."

"Thanks for being a great youth leader - it means a lot!"

"Thank you for being a solid youth minister. Good luck in your journey and trust in God. I will be praying for you."

"Thank you so much for leading the youth group and teaching all of us the Word of God. I pray that God blesses you in your next step in life."

"Thank you so much for everything you have done in my life and all the amazing hunting trips we have been on. I hope you know how much this time with you means to everyone."

"I've only been here a short while, but you've been such an a amazing youth leader. You've left such a good impression and I hope everything goes well for you."

"Thanks for the inspiring lessons."

"The Lord used you in my life to draw me closer to Him through your teaching and example. Stand firm in your faith."

"We really appreciate the time and effort you put into each of us."

"I will miss your personality and jokes!"

"I truly admire your relationship with Christ and I hope to be bold like you, for Jesus."

You can click here to read a blog post from Canyon on his heart for youth ministry. It's not good-bye, it's see you later!

Mother’s Day. Few holidays can rival it for emotional highs and lows. As a child, I loved it. My dad would “cook” breakfast with us (or run to McDonald’s to buy pancakes), and we would “surprise” my mother with breakfast in bed. One year, my brother and I gave Mom a Folgers coffee can full of worms . . . on the same tray as her breakfast . . . in bed. She was genuinely ecstatic—she wanted more worms to put in her garden. Mother’s Day was full of love and happy memories.

When I became a mom, I delivered our firstborn the day before Mother’s Day. The entire staff of doctors and nurses rejoiced, and my food tray came with a rose on it. It felt like the whole world was celebrating with me.

When Mother’s Day Hurts

But Mother’s Day isn’t a celebration for all. It’s excruciating for many: my friend who lost a child this year, another friend who’s celebrating her last Mother’s Day with her dying mom, my friends who would love to be mothers but aren’t, my friends who’ve had abusive moms, my friends whose adult children are estranged. These situations are extremely difficult, and Mother’s Day can serve to only intensify the pain.

How, then, should we treat Mother’s Day? Churches, pastors, friends, and families struggle with this question every year. Do we ignore those hurting and go on celebrating? Do we suppress the celebration in hopes of lessening the pain around us? It might help to ask a deeper question: Should we be surprised that such intense joy and sorrow are wrapped up in motherhood?

It wouldn’t surprise us if we knew our story.

Motherhood in the Metanarrative

God’s first recorded words to Adam and Eve implied motherhood: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). Motherhood was part of Eden, and it should have been an experience of pure joy. 

But after the couple sinned, God pronounced the consequences of their rebellion. To Eve he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children” (Gen. 3:16). This pain goes beyond the physical pain of childbirth—it includes everything painful about childbearing and motherhood: miscarriage, infertility, SIDS, abortion, rebellious children . . . the list could go on and on.

But we don’t stop reading at Genesis 3:16—the story continues. Four verse later we read, “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20). In spite of the curse, life would come, and redemption would come through life. The first thing that happens after Adam and Eve are expelled from Eden is a birth—God’s mercy in the midst of his curse.

Eventually, Christ himself would come, “born of woman,” to bring salvation to his people and break the curse (Gal. 4:4; cf. Gen. 3:15). Until the final redemption of all things, however, the effects of the curse are still with us. Motherhood continues to be a mixture of great joy and tremendous pain. We live in a time that requires us to mourn over all that is broken and, at the same time, rejoice over what is good and right.

On this Mother’s Day, weep for yourself and for those you love who mourn over infertility, miscarriages, abortions, wayward children, and other consequences of the curse. At the same time, rejoice for everything good and right in motherhood that shines as a testimony to God’s goodness, mercy, and redemption. Celebrate life, extol the praiseworthy deeds of the moms around you, and praise God that he will one day, finally and fully, set everything to rights and wipe every tear from our eyes.

Doctor, Courtney. "Let Joy and Sadness Mingle This Mother's Day" The Gospel Coalition May 13, 2017  https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/let-joy-and-sadness-mingle-this-mothers-day/