Covenant Church

My brother Ken, a creative architectural mind, designed a home for us. He designed the bedroom for our son, Josh, to look like a boat harbor. Josh's bed would be a boat.

We were 150 miles from home when we saw a rowboat for sale---priced reasonably. How to get it home was the challenge. We rented an open-bed U-haul trailer and had a temporary hitch put on our car. Danny, our elder son, and I man-handled that 10-foot wooden rowboat onto the trailer.

Longer than the trailer, the front of the rowboat rested on top of the trailer. Danny said: "Dad, shouldn't we tie the boat down?"

"Son, it took both of us to muscle it onto the trailer. It is too heavy to fall off." I said. We jumped in the car and drove away.

Some five minutes later we crossed a viaduct at about 45 mph. Danny exclaimed: "Dad, THE BOAT!" I looked into my rearview mirror. The wind had caught the boat and lifted it beautifully into the air. It went up and slowly the front went higher and backward until the boat was upside down and heading in the opposite direction. It landed on a four-lane road and slid on brass knobs to rest in the middle of the highway.

Frantic, I stopped the car. Danny and I ran back to the boat. By God's grace no car had been coming when the boat landed. As traffic passed we struggled to get the boat to the edge of the road. In the safe zone and out of breath, we paused.

A police car pulled up. I just knew that my day in court was certain. A series of traffic violations came to my mind. I did not like the thought of any of them.

The police car slowed. The officer rolled down his window and said: "Little dry to be putting out here, isn't it?" He chuckled and drove on.

May I gently suggest to you that some folks have been putting their boats out in dry places. May I suggest that the evidence is growing that feeling good and wanting a comfortable religion has left many folks stranded on sandbars.

When we forget to tie down the important things in life a little wind can carry away what we thought was safe. We drive on carelessly assuming that all will be well. We think because we have struggled and laid up treasures that all is safe. We assume that our efforts are security. We take confidence in our possessions, only to find that a microscopic flu virus can take all the joy out of luxury.

The pharaohs of Egypt were buried with great treasures. Live servants were entombed with them to accompany the pharaohs to paradise. We open the tombs thousands of years later and find the treasures and bones of pharaohs and their servants.

We do not take it with us when we leave.

Why do we let stuff have so much power over us?

Why can't we learn to tie down our faith?

Why can't we learn to put first things first?

Why can't we learn that simple faith in Jesus is the basis of joy and happiness?

When will we learn that serving others is Christian character? When will we learn that Sundays are STILL sacred? When will we learn that bearing our cross and following Jesus makes us an enemy of the world?

Let us inventory and determine what is important. Let us tie down firmly what heaven judges to be first. We do not want to end up in a dry spot with God shaking his head at our foolishness. Grace is so much sweeter than mercy.

"Come, Lord Jesus. Come and teach us how to pray. Come and teach us how to humble ourselves to follow you. Come and teach us how to anchor in our faith and hold fast to Truths that are eternal."

Pastor Bare

...For I know whom I have believed and persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.