Jon Stolpe
Jon Stolpe
God With Us
My dad pointed this passage out to me yesterday. It reminds me of a song I used to sing either from Grove City College days or Grace Community Church days. It’s also a great reminder that God is with us on the mountain peak experiences of life and in the dark valleys of life.
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Where Does My Help Come From?
Words of encouragement for me this morning.
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Finding Rest in God Alone
God’s word to me as I head to bed (from Psalm 62)…
1 My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault a man?
Would all of you throw him down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 They fully intend to topple him
from his lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
Selah
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Go There With You
The words to this Steven Curtis Chapman song speak pretty strongly to me right now.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKQBLAUW_k8]Psalm 33:18-22
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 71
Just where I’m at (or where I need to be) right now…
Psalm 71
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of evil and cruel men.
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
12 Be not far from me, O God;
come quickly, O my God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.
19 Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?
20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.
22 I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I, whom you have redeemed.
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.
Lemons Into Lemonade
I just had to share the thoughts from Isaac’s devotion for yesterday:
Have you ever heard someone say, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade?”
As goofy as it sounds, this saying holds a lot of truth. First, it says that life will hand you lemons. It doesn’t say if, and it doesn’t say life might hand you lemons. It says when.
Lemons are the bad things that happen in life. Maybe a pet dies. Maybe your best friend decides not to be your friend anymore. Perhaps you’re not treated fairly by a teacher. Whatever it is, you’ll have to face your share of lemons in life.
The second part of that saying is the hardest to follow – “make lemonade.” In other words, take the bad things that happen and make the best of them. Look for the positives. Find the good part.
Sometimes finding the good part is really difficult. When a friend turns her back on you, it hurts. Sure, you can make other friends. But it hurts right now. Making lemonade is probably the last thing you want to do. That’s why it may be a good idea to add another sentence to that saying: “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And God is the ultimate lemonade maker.”
God can take the worst situations in your life and make something good from them. At first, you may find it hard to see the good, but over time you’ll look back and see how God turned bad things to positive experiences in your life. And here’s the best part: while you’re waiting for God to make things better, you can hide in him. Use that time to get to know him better. Take comfort that God love you, cares for you, and can use bad things to make you stronger and more like him. When things get tough, look to God and take comfort in his strength.
Psalm 141:8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge….
Introducing A New Service Group
Yesterday, CCV introduced the leaders for the upcoming season of groups at our church. I must say that it was very impressive to see all the leaders up on stage and to hear about the variety of group opportunities being offered for this fall. I had the privilege of being on stage to represent an upcoming group that I’m excited to share here. Leanne and I are co-leading a group along with our friend Sandy Edling this fall. Here’s a description as advertised in the groups catalog:
Service Group
Leaders: Jon and Leanne Stolpe, Sandy Edling
The Service Group is designed to provide an opportunity to build
relationships and be intentional about serving others in our
community. It’s a great opportunity to serve alongside your children
(elementary school aged and older) and together experience the joy
that comes from helping others. The first Tuesday of the month, the
group will get together for a potluck dinner with a short Bible study
to prepare for the service opportunity on the third Tuesday of the
month. The service opportunities for the fall include helping at a
community house, nursing home, and food pantry.
Day
Tuesday
Time
6:30‐8:00 PM
Location
First Tuesday‐
Schwenksville
Third Tuesday‐
Service project
Frequency
First and third Tuesday
of the month
Childcare
No
MIXED
Celebrating the Everyday Stuff
I took the day off from work today to spend some time with my family. My parents are visiting from Dallas, TX, and my kids were off from school today. This morning, I took a walk with my wife before cooking up a batch of pancakes (made with our “farm” fresh eggs). I “dragged” my dad along on some errands to pick up some groceries and stuff for the chickens. After lunch, we fed the fish (I mean went fishing) in the neighbors’ pond. And now my parents are taking our son to his weekly piano lesson.
Besides the fact that I’m not at work on a Thursday, it’s been a pretty usual, uneventful day. But I love it!
Having parents here is a blessing, and we don’t get to see them very often thanks to the miles between here and Dallas. But I don’t think they mind just going with the flow of what normally happens around here. I’m so thankful for the everyday stuff. And I’m thankful to share that with my folks.
Back to work tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to a fun weekend with my family.
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
Proud Dad Moment from Last Night
The Apostle Paul talks about what happens to us when we decide to follow Christ, “If you are in Christ, you are a new creation; the old is gone, the new is here.” (II Corinthians 5:17).
This summer both are kids made this decision. Late in July, Leanne and I had the privilege of baptizing our kids and welcoming them into the family of God. There is no greater joy than witnessing your kids make this decision.
As they have continued their journey towards becoming fully devoted followers of Christ, they have both been using age appropriate devotional guides to help them learn more about what God’s word says for their lives. Along with this nightly routine, they have both been more engaged when it comes to church and church related groups/activities.
On Sunday, our son came home excited to memorize the books of the Old Testament. He remembered many of them thanks to a song that Leanne had taught him when he was much younger. By last night, he had them all memorized. As he and I were going through his devotional for last night, he was asked to checkout a verse from the book of Proverbs. He thought for a moment and realized that Proverbs comes right after Psalms. Within a few seconds, he was at the right chapter and verse in Proverbs.
For me, this was a great moment to be a dad. It is so incredible to see your children excited about God’s word and excited about growing in Christ.