Pastor's Pen

  Pastor’s Pen… Probably every one of us could name the giant David thought and dispatched in the Valley of Elah.  In fact we often use the name Goliath is an adjective for something or someone very large. But there was another John David had to contend with. And after he had dispatched the Philistine giant, little did he know this other job that would pose a far greater problem.  That other giant was King Saul, who as you may recall stood head and shoulders above all the people of Israel. (1 Samuel 9:2) But although he was a physical giant, Saul was a small man when it comes to relationships, particularly with David. The reason is a problem many of us have been faced with in our day. I'm talking about the problem of jealousy. What made this even more difficult was that Saul was supposed to be David's supporter, as David had become with the King, serving as his bodyguard.   Jealousy can wreak havoc with friendships, bring disaster in families, and create chao...

      Pastor’s Pen… It may be the most familiar Bible study in the Old Testament. The cast of characters included a huge, seasoned and armed warrior, trained to kill, facing a young shepherd boy with no military experience and only a slingshot. “David and Goliath” have become a metaphor for athletic and political upsets by underdogs over the years.   But this account is not simply an inspiring story of an underdog gaining a victory. There are principles to be applied to our lives to enable us to experience victory over the “giants” we face in our own experience.   As always, thanks to all who help sanitize our facilities for services each Saturday morning in preparation for Sunday worship. Also, to those who make it possible for us to ‘live-stream’  on Facebook at 10:45 each Sunday morning, and to post each message on our website ( www.fccwylie.org ) each Sunday afternoon.  If you haven't come out to worship with us recently, we sure love to have ...

  Pastor’s Pen… If you were looking for a man to fill the size 13 EEE sandals of Saul to become king of Israel, David would have been the last man you would likely have considered. The text we are considering this weekend bears this out. Undoubtedly Samuel, not to mention Jesse and David's older brothers, were all shot at what happened in this passage. But it was all part of God's plan to fulfill what he had said in first Samuel 13:14.   Saul’s “Watergate experience” as ultimately disqualified him from continuing as God's ruler. But as Asap wrote in Psalm 75:6, 7, “God puts down one and sets up another.” 1 Samuel 16 gives us insight into the selection of proper leaders today, and into the kind of character God looks for and builds on, as we examine the portrait we are beginning to paint of King David, a man after God's own heart.   As always, thanks to all who help sanitize our facilities for services each Saturday morning in preparation for Sunday worship. Also, to tho...

  Pastor’s Pen… Of all the figures who crossed the stage of Old Testament history, it is the many sided David we see most clearly in triumph and tragedy, and faith and failure. Of the initial time we meet him when Samuel visited his home in Bethlehem, throughout the course of 50 years, high drama was never absent from his life. David's name is mentioned over 1000 times, more than that of any other biblical character-- more than Abraham, more than Moses-- even more references to David then to Jesus. He is frequently mentioned in the New Testament, and an in-depth study of his life will provide us with valuable lessons in terms of what it takes to please God today.    If you haven’t already done so, let me encourage you to read from 1 Samuel 13 through the rest of that book, through 2 Samuel and the first two chapters of 1 Kings. By doing so you will have gained an overview of the entire life of David, and will be well prepared for our series.    As always, thanks...