We’re off and running!  Well, we’re walking at least.  A number of months ago I had a couple of young ladies come to me and ask about how to witness to their friends.  God used my conversation with them to help me to realize the need to intentionally train young people like these to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.   God has given us the command to, “Go and make disciples,” and that’s what YL is all about.  My wife Pam and I opened our home to welcome those wanting to learn more about God and grow in their understanding of and commitment to Him.  We hope to encourage and teach them how to develop the habits necessary to become faithful followers of Christ.  Pray for us (Pam and I) and for the young people willing to commit to the process as we step out in faith to make and become true disciples of Christ.

This Sunday is Orphan Sunday and I’m excited about what we’re planning.  It is our hope to encourage those who have opened their lives and homes to become forever families for children who otherwise would go without.  Most of us have been blessed by God to have family and it’s difficult for us to understand what it must be like to grow up without this all-important support system.  God says that He sets the lonely in families (Ps. 68:6Ps. 68:6
English: World English Bible - WEB
6 God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, But the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

) and many here at Peaceful Valley Church have answered His call.  Worldwide there are over 15 million orphans that have lost both their father and mother and tens of thousands who have lost their dads.  In America there are roughly 500,000 children in our foster systems.  Each one needs a forever family.  Pray with me that these precious children would be placed in Christian homes with Christian families.  And thank those who have heard and responded to God’s call for them to be a forever family for the children who need them most.  I especially want to thank the many here at Peaceful Valley Church who are working to help solve this enormous problem of children growing up without families.  How are they doing it?  One child at a time.  Maybe God is calling you to be a forever family to a child in need- if so give us a call, come visit us and we’ll get you connected with others here who have already answered the call.

Thanks and God bless you,

Pastor Jim

Last week I was honored to speak at a local 4-Day-long youth camp.  A couple of months earlier, when I received the call from my friend asking me to speak I had plenty of reasons to turn him down, but after prayerful consideration I agreed to go.  The week went exceptionally well. God blessed us with kids coming to Christ for the first time and others rededicating their lives to serve Him.  It was a powerful week.  As I drove home on Thursday night and spent time the next day thinking about all that happened, I couldn’t help but praise God for all He did.  I am so glad that I was able to be a part of such a precious time in the lives of so many.  Opportunity doesn’t always knock at the most convenient times but if you’ll make the most of each opportunity, as much as you’re able, God might just use you to do something extra-ordinary for His glory.  My hope in going was to bless those who would be there at the camp- the truth is that I was blessed more than any.  Thank you Lord for blessing me!!!

Peaceful Valley Church is serving our community at Elk Days this year by providing a children’s fun center.  If you’re interested in volunteering on June 17th or 18th please give us a call at (509) 292-8584.  It is our purpose to share the love of God by serving others. We are not looking for anything beyond simply serving.  Pray that the children who attend will have a  good experience, that our community would receive our gift of service and that God will be glorified by our words, actions and thoughts as we serve Him by serving others.

I was at an elder’s meeting on Monday night and my phone rang.  When I’m in a meeting I don’t typically answer the phone, unless it’s my wife or one of my kids.   So I let the call go to voice mail then the church phone rang just a moment later.  My friend Glenn answered the call and it was for me.  He too knows that I don’t typically take calls during our meetings so this one had to be important.

It was Larry, he was excited and he wanted  someone there with him to speak to me.  Her name was Mandy and she too sounded excited about something, but I didn’t know who she was or what really was going on.  It’s hard for me to express the joy I felt when she shared with me that she had prayed to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.  Mandy told me that she would be coming to church soon and I can’t wait to welcome her and express again how happy I am that she is now a child of God.

Taking phone calls during scheduled meetings is rude- but there are some calls that warrant interruption.  Thanks Larry for your persistence- I was blessed to hear the good news about Mandy and I look forward to meeting our new sister soon.

Love in Christ, Jim

Peaceful Valley Church is a Bible believing church and those of us who belong see ourselves as family.  We are a light on the hill and it’s our goal to expose people to God’s great love for us and God’s Word the Bible.

The Bible is a manual filled with life instruction from a heavenly Father who created us and loves us and knows what is best for us.

Why do we have AWANA at Peaceful Valley Church?  We run the program because it helps us to accomplish our purpose of showing children God’s love and teaching them God’s truth.

We live in a world where our children are exposed to a lot of unhealthy influences, ideas, values  and beliefs.  AWANA is a program built on biblical principles with a biblical world-view that helps our children to discern the difference between what is true and what is a lie.

The truth is that God created us to have a relationship with him.  But that relationship with Him was severed by sin.  And the consequence of sin is separation from God.  The problem is that while we were created by God to be with God we rebelled and sinned which built a wall between us that could only be torn down by a perfect sacrifice.  God provided a solution to this problem by sending His Son Jesus.

Jesus came to earth to die as that perfect sacrifice.  The Bible says, For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:181 Peter 3:18
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18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

(NIV)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:241 Peter 2:24
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24 who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

(NIV)

The following five verses will help to clarify our condition before Christ, the solution to the problem of separation from God and how you can respond if you want to start a relationship with God:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23Romans 3:23
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23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

(NIV)

1.  we are all sinners- none of us is perfect.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23Romans 6:23
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23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(NIV)

2.  We deserve death- eternal separation from God- but…

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
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8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

(NIV)

3.  Even though we rebelled against God he sent his Son to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  The sin of mankind has been paid for but we each must accept God’s free gift of salvation.

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10Romans 10:9-10
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9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

(NIV)

4.  As it says in the verse above- if you want to begin a relationship with God believe the claims of the Bible and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them including you and me.  He loves you and me and has made a relationship with him possible by the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.  The Bible says that everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus is saved and that’s where life begins.

AWANA is important because our kids are important.  God has given parents the privilege of children and the responsibility of raising them to know about God and how God expects us to live.  We are a light on the hill exposing people to God’s love and His truth- AWANA is a tool that we use to do just that.

The theme verse for AWANA is 2 Timothy 2:152 Timothy 2:15
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15 Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

which says…

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:152 Timothy 2:15
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15 Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

(NIV)

AWANA is a great children’s ministry teaching biblical principles that when applied help our kids to live the kind of lives that God intends.

Thank you for allowing us to spend time with the kids and thank God for the many leaders that make this ministry possible here at Peaceful Valley Church.

Sunday was a great day!  Our Sunday services were full of wonderful people.  Pam and I had an open house and many came to celebrate all that God has provided and done.  The house will always be a testimony of the love and generosity of God’s people.  He has blessed us greatly through many of you and we are truly grateful.  Sunday was a great day, but that’s not all.

At about 8 PM I received a phone call.  From the caller ID it appeared to be Jeff, a dear friend and brother in the Lord.  I answered, “Hello, this is Jim.”  But the voice on the other end wasn’t Jeff’s.  The voice was much younger and replied, “Hello Pastor Jim, this is Mathew.”  Mathew is seven years old.  “Hello Mathew,” I said, “How are you?”  He said that he called because he had some news.  He explained that he had prayed to ask Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and that he wanted to be baptized.  Sunday was a great day and the good news of Mathew’s salvation made it one of the best ever!  There is no better news than that someone has come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Praise God!

There are many lessons we can glean from this short phone call:  How God uses loving families to lead children to Christ; the importance of affirming our children’s salvation by sharing the good news; The joy that accompanies the testimony of a new believer; one of the greatest blessings realized in the life of a pastor; the start of something big for the Kingdom of God and the list goes on.

I am thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed on me- but phone calls and testimonies like these rank among the highest.  We are building the Kingdom of God together- to Him be all glory forever and ever, amen.

Pray for young Mathew- and praise God for his salvation,

Love in Christ,

Pastor Jim

We received this letter from a young man named Ty who recently enlisted into the military.  He addressed it to everyone and this seems like the best way for us to share it.  Ty is a dear friend and brother in the Lord and we pray God’s best for him.  Here’s his letter:

Dear Everyone,

Scratch that, hello brothers and sisters!!  First things first, I’m fine; things are going pretty good for me.  Just stressed because I have… kinda like 3 to 4 jobs.  I was hoping to come here and leave here unnoticed but I should have known that Ty doesn’t go unnoticed.  My rack mate is S. R. Frank, an awesome guy from Texas, he’s married and 23.  Oh, and loves God.  Pray for him he is missing his wife bad and is having a rough time about it.  Life here isn’t hard.  So far it’s been pretty easy, but then again, we just finished our processing days and we are missing our 1st recruit division commander, she is on emergency leave.  I think when she gets here the hammer is going to fall hard and fast.  I had someone come up to me this week and ask to go to church with me- so I’m excited about that.  Emma Lou and Cole Babe, I gave that prayer book to Frank to try and help him.  He was happy to get it.  I love you and miss everyone.  I think about you often and you are in my prayers.

I’m only allowed to send out letters on Sunday.  There are a lot of stupid rules, like how to sit and stand, how to eat and how to shower, how to fold and where to put it, but it’s all fine and dandy cause I’m good at following rules.  Wow, I write letters like I talk, scattered.

Love Everyone, Ty

If you know Ty, I’m sure you can appreciate this letter.  The truth is that we miss him and he misses us. Keep praying for Ty and write him a letter as you have opportunity.  You can contact the church office if you need his address. 

Thanks Ty, we love and miss you too,

Pastor Jim

It never ceases to amaze me how many people living outside of God’s Word want to give counsel. Maybe it’s a natural tendency we have to want to give advice but a lot of counsel given has no scriptural foundation.  We had an elder’s summit this last weekend and a friend of mine, Steve Altmeyer, suggested that we start implementing something he called “S.W.S.”

Oftentimes, as church leaders, we make decisions that affect our church family.  God’s Word teaches us that, “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.” Proverbs 15:22Proverbs 15:22
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22 Where there is no counsel, plans fail; But in a multitude of counselors they are established.

(KJV)  We need to seek and consider good counsel when we are faced with decisions that will affect Christ’s body.  But we also need to ensure that the counsel we receive is from the Word of God and not the wisdom of men.  Steve’s challenge is for us to say, “S.W.S.” when we are given information to consider when making decisions.  What does S.W.S. stand for?  S.- Support, W.-with, S.-Scripture.  Our first core value is that God’s Word is our final authority and when we’re making decisions it’s important that we S.W.S. the decisions we make.

How about you?  Are the decisions you make Scripture based or are you relying on the wisdom of man?  My hope is that you too will start ‘supporting with Scripture’ the things you are saying and challenge others to S.W.S. the things they’re saying to you.

God Bless you,

Pastor Jim

In the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 9 verses 4 and 16, we find the same words from two very different women, “‘Let all who are simple come in here!’ she says to those who lack judgment.”  Both wisdom and folly are personified by the writer as females.  One offers instruction that leads to life, wisdom and understanding; the other offers temporary pleasures that lead to death.  It amazes me how many people choose the latter.   We are invited by both to participate in what they have to offer and the choice seems simple but many get it wrong.

It’s your choice, you don’t have to choose folly and get it wrong.  Instead you can choose wisdom, leave your simple ways and walk in the way of understanding, accept rebuke and instruction from others, fear the Lord, learn more about Him and enjoy many days and the rewards that come from wisdom.  God’s Word is truth and brings life.  He is our Creator and His instruction is for our benefit.

Thanks for reading and God bless you,

Pastor Jim