Knock, knock, knocking at your door..

Recently my son took me fishing. He asked me where I would like to go. I replied, “I

would rather go catching than fishing, so take me there.” He knew just the place. We did

some serious catching. I have pictures. At this point I have to be honest, I wasn’t looking

forward to fishing. I hadn’t been in years and I had memories of the hot sun and little

catching. My last boating adventure included nauseous feeding of the fishes. In fact, many of my past fishing adventures ended that way.

But I trusted my son. He knew where to go and how to catch fish. I had HOPE in him

because his fishing past and his promise that we would catch fish. If I had relied on my

past, I’d have passed on the trip and missed the joy of that day and the promise of more

catching in the future.

The past can be a beggar knocking incessantly and demanding that we give more and more, each time he arrives. And while in our naivety, we’re willing to give, he’s really there to rob us of present joy and any HOPE for tomorrow. He’s there knock, knock, knocking.

Don’t let him in.

HOPE eternal is also knocking. In the midst of the reality of Job’s suffering he received

this promise, “You will be secure because there is HOPE; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

You will lie down; with no one to make you afraid…Job 11:18-19 NIV. Even though Job had experienced great suffering, He found HOPE in the promises of his relationship with his most hope inspiring God. In the season of Advent we are reminded of the promises of God manifested in the coming of the Savior. The promised one. The Prince of Peace.

He’s knock, knock, knocking at your door.

Open the door.

Let Him in.

Pastor Brian Shore

Building Bridges from the porch...

But… “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they

shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary,

and they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31KJV

Waiting is difficult. Instant coffee? Waiting for fresh roasted, fresh

ground and fresh brewed, hand-picked bean, coffee? I suspect that

you coffee lovers would appreciate a cup of the latter. Instant coffee

might be a big cup of nope!

Waiting is difficult. Microwaves? Fast food? Driving in the fast lane? I

spoke to a friend recently about her trip to St. Andrews, Canada. She

extolled the virtues of small towns. I asked her how long it would take

to drive there. She said that if I took 95 it would take 4or 4 ½ hours

but that she preferred the 5 ½ hour route because she could

experience more of the small towns of Maine. Sometimes slowing

down has benefits as more and more people are discovering.

God’s call upon us to wait and then be renewed is the promise, based

on this “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the

everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow

tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives

strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

” Isaiah 40: 28-29 NIV

In other words, He is God. He’s worth waiting for!

• Pastor Brian

Building Bridges

Eventually the Beacon will become the Bridge, as was decided in a recent meeting of the

congregation. We will begin to describe ourselves as Ogunquit Baptist Church- Building

Bridges.

I think that this is a good idea. It expresses to folks in town and about that we want to have

a relationship with them. People can tell, you know, if we want to be around them or

not….and as you know folks can at times have strange ideas about you and me and whether

or not we like them. It usually has something to do with how they were raised and their

development of self-esteem. Whatever the case, Paul encourages us, as much as it is

possible, on our part, to be at peace with all. He reminds us in 2nd Corinthians 5 that as

new creations we are to be Ambassadors for Christ. To be an ambassador it helps to know

the people that we’re connecting with on behalf of the KING.

Jesus calls us to go the extra mile, even with our enemies, and to love our neighbors as we

love ourselves. It’s hard to love someone when we view them as the enemy. Arguing with

someone is not loving them especially if it’s about truth. One earns the right, through

relationship building, to talk about truth. Some would describe this as building relational

capital.

I’d like to tell you a story, from the porch. I served on a Christian camp’s board for 15

years. During that time, it was my privilege to serve with 4 different camp directors. Danny

and Teddy were very active in the community. Danny served as a volunteer fireman and

EMT. Teddy invited the surrounding community to use the camps & beaches etc. In other

words, when it came to the community the camps response was a big, fat, YES!

This was not the case with the 3rd director. We began the process of expanding the camps

capacity during the terms of the previous 2 directors. Things were going well until director

3 came around. In the camps newsletter he began to describe the neighbors as the enemy

and called for everyone to pray against the enemy. The result? Years of legal battles and

$300,000 dollars in legal fees.

Director 4 is still there. He started saying YES again. He rebuilt bridges. The camp is being

revitalized and the community is once again on the beach. Building bridges is always about

perspective. Let’s build together!

-Pastor Brian