Christian Ponder Guy By Pastor Joe

Christian Ponder Guy By Pastor Joe

It is hard to image we are now way more than half way through 2022! We are only 164 days away from celebrating Christmas. Ok, let’s not focus on something more than 5 months from now. Even though this year there will be a new Children’s Christmas special, let’s stay focused on the “now”. One of the main purposes of these weekly articles is for me to share my observations and thinking on issues related to this local church and the greater body of Christ. One sub-goal is to keep the articles seasonal. No jottings about snowmobiling in July, nor outdoor water baptismal service at Assembly Park Camp in January. (FYI Russian believers have been known to cut open the ice and celebrate a water baptism.) Thanks to everyone who came out to the Sunday service last week. My hope was for 60 from our local fellowship and about 55 attended, including guests! Next year our fellowship goal should be 75. Part of my training from pastors who taught lessons in church growth, was to never settle for the status quo! First, clearly understand nothing takes the place of prayer, fasting and witnessing (sharing your personal testimony). All of the greatest ideas for real church growth will be short lived, if we neglect the obvious spiritual disciplines just mentioned. Tommy Barnett has always said the method of outreach is not sacred, it is the message which is sacred! The title of this article "Christian ponder guy" is a play on words. Christian Ponder was the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings from 2011 thru 2104. He had a difficult journey while playing for the Purple, many blamed him for the team’s poor performance. He was responsible for some of the results, yet since then a few quarterbacks did not fair well with the same offensive line. Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater, Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford, were often found running for their lives. You can be the greatest QB or the best pastor, but if you don't have a team surrounding you, your success will be limited. Christian Ponder is also a follower of Jesus, and he has been very open in public about his faith. One day while listening to a local sports/talk radio broadcast, the announcer was discussing listener's monikers. A moniker is a name given to callers rather than using their real names. Everyone’s moniker ends with "guy". One of the regular caller’s moniker is "Packer guy", obviously we know what he is all about. So, I chose Christian Ponder guy, which is to support one of my favorite QB's, but more importantly a public witness of my faith. Often you will find me "pondering" world view issues in light of what the scriptures say. Hopefully my pondering on the Word will help reveal truth to those who listen to me. Consider Solomon and his writings in the book of Ecclesiastes, where we find him pondering a number of subjects. Often exasperated, by his observations of subjects such as: life, people, prosperity and possessions. In the final outcome Solomon says something very profound which we should consider, it is found in Ecclesiastes 12: 9-13 "Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. Pastor Joe's conclusion: the final test will be Pass or Fail!