Don Pucik

"Learn the true way of coming to peace -- by looking to Jesus. Some of you think you will come to peace by looking into your own heart. Your eyes are riveted there. You watch every change there. If you could only see the glimpse of light there, oh, what joy it would give you! If you could only see a melting of your stony heart. If you could only see your heart turning to God. If you could only see a glimpse of the image of Jesus in your heart, you would be at peace. But you cannot. All is dark within. Dear soul, it is not there that you will find peace. You must avert the eye from your heart altogether. You must look to a declared Christ. Spread out the record of God concerning His Son. The Gospels are the narrative of the heart of Jesus, of the work of Jesus, of the grace of Jesus. Spread them out before the eye of your mind until they fill your eye. Cry for the Spirit to breathe over the page -- to make a manifested Christ stand out plainly before you. The moment you are willing to believe all that is spoken there concerning Jesus, that moment you will wipe away your tears, exchange your sighs for a new song of praise." ~ Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-1843) "...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~ Hebrews 12:2

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." ~ George S. Patton (1885-1945) "I exhort first of all that... giving of thanks be made for all men..." ~ Paul the Apostle in 1 Timothy 2:2

"Preach to broken hearts, and you'll never lack for a congregation. There's one in every pew." ~ Joseph Parker 1830-1902 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted..." ~ Luke 4:18

"Have in your mind's eye two glasses: one is empty, and the other is full of water. I then take the one that is full of water and I pour all that is in it into the one that previously was empty. As we pour out our hearts before God like water, we completely transfer our cares, our anxieties and our needs to Him - and that is what He wants. We are to empty our hearts before Him of everything that concerns and troubles us. We are to have no 'hang-ups' about telling God everything." ~ Derek Prime (1931-2020) "Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah." ~ Psalm 62:8 "...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." ~ 1 Peter 5:7

[a reflection, best read by pausing at the end of each line] for the heavy-hearted, fearful, and grieving ones: we are living in a world where every story seems to come to an end every happiness is limited every life runs out every relationship ends in separation but for those dear ones who have been rescued by Jesus the Christ there is an impending unveiling of a very different story that has been forming inside us from the first moment we abandoned ourselves and relinquished our lives into His hands listen the Day is coming when descriptive words will fail as we step into the Presence of our Father... no limits, no barriers, and no ending to His love, His power, or His story and we are inextricably and eternally caught up in Him slipping away from this boot camp existence and into the place we have always belonged Lord, give us eyes to glimpse this unseen and certain destiny... our hope. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." ~ Romans 8:18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." ~ John 3:16

"But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean." ~ Acts 10:38 “I should not call any man" means that there is a limit to what I can say (or think or do) involving another person: (1) no one is "common" (profane = worthless to God) or beyond God's desire to love him (2) no one is "unclean" or beyond God's power to clean/purify him God revealed this to Peter and this new way of seeing others transformed his entire approach to every encounter with every man he met

What makes the work of believers so different whether it's in an office or a school or a hospital or a region ravished by a natural disaster is not found in the gifts and talents and resources and numbers we bring to the work. The difference is found in the animating and motivating power behind the work... found deep inside the believer's heart. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

"...I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and GIVING OF THANKS be made for ALL men..." ~ 1 Timothy 2:1 "There are occasions when we may find ourselves predisposed to criticism rather than commendation, finding it easier to pick holes than to be constructive. Intercession can then, if we are not careful, become a kind of critical lecture to God about our fellow believers. That is a frightening possibility. The effort to thank God for every good thing we see in those for whom we pray provides a healthy corrective against this peril. It will cause us to rejoice before God because of His grace and power seen in the lives of so many. Interceding correctly for others means praying positively for them. Negative praying is not really intercession at all." ~ Derek Prime (1931-2020)

"Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.'" ~ Acts 8:29 In this moment, Philip is being led by God. No one was present except Philip and the Holy Spirit. Philip comprehended that the Spirit was speaking and He obeyed the sovereign authority of the Spirit. When most of us try and describe God's leading in our life, we use the language of hearing and obeying God. We will say things like "God told me to ____" or "He led me to _____." Is it controversial or strange to talk like that? By using that language we are being biblical. If we are not led by an indwelling Holy Spirit, we are not His (cf Romans 8:9, 14). But if I am His, then He owns me now - I am not my own - and no decision is mine to make. I am called to follow Him in all things. How He leads and makes Himself understood occurs in many ways, but the fact of the Spirit's leadership in the believer's life is undeniable. By using that language we are expressing our yielding to His authority and rule in our lives. He is Lord, and those who follow Him are serving a King. He has promised Himself to His people in this way (John 14:18). By using that language, we are not suggesting that His guidance to us individually is somehow equal to or adding to Scripture. We believe in the inspiration, inerrancy, authority, clarity, sufficiency, and the absolute necessity of the Bible... which teaches us to love and walk by faith in a living, ever-present King. By using that language, we are not introducing new forms of revelation that supersede Scripture. We are simply yielding ourselves to Him in a thoroughly biblical manner. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." ~ John 10:27

As He searches through every human soul today, don't you want Him to look into your heart and exclaim "I found one!"? "...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." ~ John 4:23

"You are not going to live by faith in the Son of God until you cease to live by faith in yourself." ~ Joseph S. Carroll (1919-2008) “…Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” ~ Galatians 2:20 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” ~ Proverbs 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves… our sufficiency is from God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:5 "…without Me you can do nothing.” ~ John 15:5

44 years ago today… the hot blonde and I followed Jesus into the swift currents of a new life together, far deeper than we expected (way over our heads), but more wonder-filled than we could ever have imagined. Thank you sweet Gail for saying “yes” and entrusting all the God-given dreams and hopes of a precious young girl into this wonderful journey of faith… with me. I love you. #May15 #WeddingDay #PromisesMadeByFaithInHim #PromisesFueledByHisGrace #ThankYouGail #HappyAnniversary

"God has never had a people who were at the mercy of circumstances. His wisdom always anticipates hell's worst and provides for heaven's best." ~ Jack Hayford (1934-2023) "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~ Jeremiah 29:11 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." ~ Genesis 50:20 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." ~ Romans 8:35, 37

"So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus." ~ Matthew 14:29 "Yonder is the boat, the old life that Peter had been leading; he had been familiar with the sea from his boyhood, and that boat was a very sacred place; Christ had sat beside him there; Christ had preached from that boat; from that boat of Peter's, Christ had given the wonderful draught of fishes; it was a very sacred boat; but Peter left it to come to a place more sacred still,-walking with Jesus on the water,-a new and a divine experience... When Peter was in the boat, what had he between him and the bottom of the sea? A couple of planks. But when he stepped out upon the water, what had he between him and the sea? Not a plank, but the word of the Almighty Jesus." ~ Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

5 decisions you can make today no matter where you are and no matter what you are facing... "I will PRAISE You Lord with my whole heart I will TELL of all Your marvelous works I will BE GLAD and [I will] REJOICE in You I will SING praise to Your name O Most High." ~ Psalm 9:1-2

"Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways, and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." ~ Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." ~ John 15:5

"If we are wounded, we should be careful not to put our focus on people as the source of healing in our lives. People cannot give what only God can give. If you want people to heal you, you will be easily disappointed. Get your attention on the heavenly Father - He is the only one capable of totally healing you. He will often do that through people, but He is the Source and people are the channel." ~ Floyd McClung (1945-2021) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon ME, because He has anointed ME to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent ME to heal the brokenhearted..." ~ Jesus speaking in Luke 4:18 [emphasis mine]

Today, we honor the moms and grandmothers across our region - the Northshore - and beyond. Your daily sacrifices and active faith are shaping generations, and serve as experiential pathways into God's love. Whether you're a biological mom, an adoptive mother, or a spiritual mentor, your impact is on a heart level. "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." ~ Proverbs 31:25-26 We also remember those grieving the loss of mothers, children, or unfulfilled hopes of motherhood. Whether rejoicing or remembering, may God's comfort surround you, His peace sustain you, and His presence remind you that you are deeply loved and appreciated. "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you..." ~ Isaiah 66:13

When the Holy Spirit dwells within a human soul, He communicates God's pleasure (or displeasure) with every decision, word, or action. This convicting work of the Spirit is a gift from God, an essential part of growth into His likeness, and an experiential mark of salvation. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth...” ~ John 16:13 “…if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” ~ Romans 8:13-14 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth… and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” ~ Ephesians 4:29-30

Peter tells us that the end of all things is near... what will he tell us to do to be ready? How do you prepare? You might expect him to say, "study the end times" or "prepare for a series of disasters" or "buy gold" (just kidding)... watch what comes after the word "therefore" => "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore * be serious and watchful in your prayers... * have fervent love for one another... * Be hospitable to one another without grumbling... * As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another... * If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God... * If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies... * that in all things God may be glorified..." ~ 1 Peter 4:7-11