Follow Me.

Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Some years ago I was driving late at night returning from Cornell on my way back to Syracuse. My wife and her friend were asleep in the car and the fog was so thick on Interstate 81 in the rolling hills and valleys of Upstate New York that visibility was near zero. Even with my fog lights on, I literally could not see more than two feet in front of me. I gripped the steering wheel like it was a rope and I was hanging over a cliff trying to keep from falling. As I drove slowly through the quiet of the night I kept my eyes on the white lines right in front of the car to the left, knowing that as long as I followed the lines I would still be on the road heading in the right direction. As Christians, we only have one way to make sure we are on the proper path, moving in the right direction and that is Jesus.

The fourth chapter of Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He rebukes temptation saying “you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” He begins to speak to crowds telling them that they must repent and once reaching Galilee, he begins to recruit his Disciples by asking them to follow Him. In this life, like a heavy fog, we will never be able to peer more than a half a second into the future. We must have some way to navigate. Jesus is the way the truth and the light. He is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. He is the only hope of our salvation.

My prayer for us today is that God orders our steps and that we follow Him.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Flash Point.

At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20


Flash point is a term used in chemistry to describe the minimum temperature at which ignition can occur. The term is also used to describe the point at which significant action occurs. That is, the point at which something begins to happen. As Christians we must always remember nothing happens until we do something.

Peter, Andrew, James and John were at work when Jesus called them to follow him. Peter and Andrew were casting their nets into the sea while James and John were working with their father, Zebedee, mending nets. I believe it is significant that Jesus chose men who were at work. Jesus chose men who were largely responsible for the rapid spread of the Gospel. He chose them and things began to happen. We live in communities in need of workers. We are in desperate need of men and women willing to reach the flash point and begin to live for God.

My prayer for you today is that you realize the harvest is plentiful but the laborers few and make yourself available to work for the kingdom.


Deacon Larry Woodard

Stretch Out.

But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Exodus 14:16

The Institutional Radio Choir had a popular song when I was a kid. The first line of the song is “When trouble comes, storm begins to rise, hold on and learn to stretch out” The song goes on to encourage the listener to keep on fasting, keep on praying because the race isn’t given to the swift or the strong but to those who endure until the end. As a child I loved the song because the music was so fast it was almost frenetic and it seemed that the choir could barely keep up and the tune was catchy . After I would hear it, it would play in my head for most of the day. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I began to understand the concept of “stretching out”. As Christians, the ability to stretch out through faith is a fundamental component of our relationship with God.

God told Moses to stretch his hand out over the sea and divide it in two. He told Moses that the people would walk, with the sea on either side of them, on dry land. This obviously seriously defied logic. They were being pursued by the King of Egypt and his army…even if the sea parted, the sea bed would not have enough time to dry! Stretching out, however, requires commitment. Even the act of reaching out over the sea, required an action that implied trust. When problems confront us we need to operate with the same type of commitment. After we have fervently prayed and read the word of the Lord and meditated on the scriptures listening for Guidance from the Holy Spirit; we need to stretch out in faith and continue confident that God will act on our behalf.

My prayer for you today is that you would lean into your problems as you have faith that God will take you through them, on dry ground, to the other side.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Look Up.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

There is a joke about a Sunday School teacher filling in for the regular teacher. She was struggling to open a combination lock that held the craft supplies needed for the morning’s lesson. She had been told the combination but had forgotten. Finally, she went to the pastor’s study to ask for help. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused for a moment and looked serenely heavenward while his lips moved silently. Suddenly, he looked down, turned to the last number and opened the lock. The teacher was amazed at the pastor’s faith and told him so. “It’s really nothing,” replied the pastor. “The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling.” Our answers are not on the ceiling, as Christians, we know our help comes from the Lord.

In Psalm 40, David describes his situation as in extreme peril. He was in a “desolate pit”, a “miry bog”. The implication is that the situation was so bad every time he tried to get out he slipped or was pulled back in. Many of us know this situation well. In the midst of our trouble we see no way out. And many times, in addition to our trouble, we have an active audience of those who seemingly take pleasure in our trouble. David waits patiently. God hears his cry and sets his feet upon a rock, making his steps secure. David understands that God’s mercy is unmerited and is thankful and quick to tell all those who will listen about the goodness of the Lord. In your time of trouble, look up. When God delivers you, be truly thankful.

My prayer for you today is that God hears your cry, sees you waiting patiently and comes quickly to deliver you.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Remember Me.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Luke 23:42

Many times disaster strikes in an instant. One moment everything is okay and the next, you are caught up in a whirlwind of chaos. Christians need to always be prepared to have a spiritual response to adversity.

Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One chose to mock him, the other asked to be remembered when Jesus went to his kingdom. That thief was given the gift of salvation. Lord, remember me! It is a simple, but effective prayer. It acknowledges the sovereignty of God. It exhibits faith. It is a plea for salvation. Christians would do well to remember this prayer now and in your time of great need.

My prayer for you today is that you practice your spiritual first aid drill from time to time so it will be there for you when you need it most.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Close Call.

and he threw the spear, thinking, "I will nail David to the wall." But David jumped out of his way twice. 1 Samuel 18:11

On November 16th, 2007 an eastbound Midwest Airlines plane and a westbound United Express plane, flying 25,000 feet over Indiana came within seconds of a midair collision. The planes were flying at a combined speed of more than 700 m.p.h. (about 12 miles every minute). On the ground, the air traffic controller, a 26-year veteran, in a rush to get home during a shift change had mistakenly removed the electronic identification tag of one of the planes from his screen. A cockpit safety device alerted one of the pilots who was able to avoid the collision at the last minute saving the lives of the hundreds on board. As Christians, we need to always be aware of the grace of God that grants us unmerited favor and preserves us to do His will.

Reading the life of David backwards is a fascinating exercise. Here is this King, who found God’s favor and accomplished so much during his lifetime and left so much to inspire comfort and direct us. As we continue the story however, we see that David escapes extinction many times before he even gets started. As a boy, he battles a lion and a bear in the defense of his family’s sheep (1 Sam 17:34-36). He fights and kills the giant Goliath (1 Sam 17:49). When we get near the beginning of the story, we see the prophet Samuel recognizing David as the successor to King Saul and anointing him with oil. It is then we understand that the hand of God protected David for His purpose throughout his life. As Christians, when we live committed to God’s purpose for our lives, God keeps us. As David wrote in Psalm 121:6, “The sun shall not smite the by day, nor the moon by night” and in the final verse of the same Psalm: “The Lord will watch over your coming and going, forever and ever”

My prayer for you today is that you recognize that the safest place in the world is within God’s will for you. Seek to serve Him.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Rock Solid.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24

In my business I get a chance to speak to a lot of young people who are just starting their careers. The majority of them are very bright, eager and almost always impatient. They want to be promoted and make lots of money and to be able to afford expensive things. They want it all now! From my vantage point, I can usually tell a lot about what their value systems are and what kind of foundation was laid during their formative years. I always tell them to invest the time to really learn the business. I explain to them that if they lay a solid foundation it will serve them throughout their entire careers. So it is with Christians, we must build lives fashioned out of the teachings of the Bible in order to have the direction and faith to go through lives that will have not just good times but trials as well.

In Matthew, Jesus uses the analogy of the wise and foolish builders in order to make a specific point about listening, hearing and doing. He emphasizes that the wise builder is like the man who hears the Word and puts it into practice. How often do you hear sound advice from someone who fails to practice what they are preaching? How often do we know what we should be doing but lack the ability to actually do it? The Bible is full of wisdom. Wisdom that is as accurate and instructive today as it was when it was written.

Find some quiet time and spend it with God’s Word this weekend. Pray that God give you the strength, courage and wisdom to use the Bible to build a rock solid foundation for your actions.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Smooth Stones.

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40

My brother is three years older than I am. This is significant when you are in grade school. I was nine and he was eleven but after school we did almost everything together. We were the foosball champs at the local youth center on the military base we lived on in Germany. We played all types of sports but among our favorites was football. We practiced a single play over and over again we called the ‘Reggie Mantle” for reasons I’ve long forgotten. He would be the quarterback and I would be the tight end. I would run straight out at full speed and at the last minutes break left sharply and meet the ball at a spot he always threw it to. It was a play that was hard to defend. There was no indication of where I was going or where the ball would be. I was a little kid playing with larger boys. I was the one it wasn’t necessary to guard with a skilled player. More often than not, this play would result in a touchdown. It was the result of perfect trust and the understanding between us that if I got to the spot where the ball would be, it would be there. He knew it and I knew it. The story of David and Goliath offers great reassurance for the Christian. Complete trust in God yields powerful results.

The biblical account of David and Goliath is powerful and detailed. The Bible paints David, the young shepherd boy as almost arrogant. Sent to the battlefront to deliver food to his brothers, he becomes indignant that this giant is ridiculing the army of God. As he persists in asking questions he begins to raise the ire of the soldiers. Ultimately he is taken to King Saul. He recounts facing lions and bears defending his sheep. It is important to note that he didn’t simply ward the wild animals off – he pursued them and snatched the sheep out of the jaws of these beasts to restore them back to the fold. When he finally persuades Saul to let him face the giant, he is unable to wear the armor or wield the standard weapons of war so he falls back on his weapon of choice, a slingshot. He selects five smooth stones from the river and vanquishes the giant Goliath. As Christians, we must trust that our abilities, finances, health, personalities, stature or even age might, to the world, look like insurmountable obstacles; but adding unwavering trust in God will give us success beyond belief.

By faith today, let your faith in God take you victoriously through every situation you encounter.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Empty Pedestal.

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. Psalm 119.23

The famous nineteenth century poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a poem entitled Ozymandius. In the poem a traveler encounters two huge legs of stone in the desert. The torso has been broken off and is missing. Near the legs, half buried in the sand is a proud, broken stone head and not too far from the head a pedestal. On the pedestal these words are inscribed: “My name is Ozymandius, king of kings: look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The poem goes on to read that nothing of the great empire that once stood remains only the broken statue and lone and level sands that stretch far away. As Christians, we must always remember that only the things we do for God will last.

The psalmist asks God to turn his eyes away from looking at worthless things. We too need to guard against pursuing things we think are important today but in the grand scheme of things have no value. Relationships are more important than things. Health is more important than accomplishments. Human contact is more important than an email. In these action-packed days in our 24/7 world we have to make significant time to focus on the things of God.

My prayer for you today is that you balance the meaningless with the meaningful.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Checkmate.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1

Chess is a game of strategy. The best players can map out in their heads the best moves to make based on the potential moves their opponents can make. It is a game in which one must consider not only his own moves but the moves and options of the person on the other side of the table. It is a game where defense and offense are played at the same time. When I was learning the game, I made the mistake of focusing on offense. I was just a few moves away from cornering my opponent’s king when I heard the fateful word “check” and in the next move “Checkmate”. Sometimes, as Christians we get so wrapped up in our lives that we are surprised when God needs to move to get our attention.

Our scripture today begins the account of the encounter the Prophet Isaiah has with God. It is a startling picture of the wide distance between what we accept for ourselves as adequate and the holiness of God. When faced with true holiness, the prophet shouts out in terror “Woe is me!” and then “I am ruined!” (Isaiah 5: 1 partial). God was calling Isaiah to a task. We live in a time similar to that of Isaiah. King Uzziah started out okay but then became a wicked ruler. We started as a Nation under God, but now chase the almighty dollar. Isaiah recognized that he dwelt among people with unclean lips and that he had unclean lips himself. But when the seraph touched his lips with a burning coal from the alter and took away his guilt Isaiah was able to respond to the voice of the Lord and proclaim: “Here am I, send me!” Jesus has died for our sins. He has directed us to go out into the world. Christians need to be careful that we take care to be Christians every day. Our words, actions, thoughts and deeds need to be centered on faith in God, obedience to his commandments and unwavering hope in the promises of Jesus Christ.

I pray today that you are able to realize the significance of your salvation.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Stiff Headwind.

And when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch (Acts 14:20)

One of my favorite sayings is: “Everyone has a plan until he gets punched in the face” What I like about the saying is the stark reality that none of us deal well with obstacles or opposition. We want to be liked and we want the way to be smooth. Obstacles and opposition cause us to reconsider our path and our commitment. It should not come as a surprise to us however, that the Bible teaches us to move forward in spite of clear opposition. The path that the Bible teaches will be straight if we lean not unto our own understanding and in all ways acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:5,6), in fact, might lead directly through trouble. But it is trouble that we can make it through if we keep our focus on doing God’s will.

Paul and Barnabas were preaching the Gospel in Iconium and Lystra. Iconium proved to be dangerous; so after they spoke they fled to Lystra and continued preaching. While there opposition caught up with them, stoned Paul, dragged him out of the city and left him for dead. His followers collected him and he and Barnabas went to Derbe. But the text shows that they returned to both Iconium and Lystra. That is where the harvest was. That is where the work was. That was where God could give them the sure victory. As Christians, we have to be careful about shying away from battles. There is a battle raging between good and evil. A battle which cannot be won if it is never fought.

Reflect today about opportunities you may have to speak up and confront people and circumstances that clearly are not right. Pray for the courage to face the obstacles and opposition to God’s work in his creation.


Deacon Larry Woodard

Bumblebee Faith.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

It took scientists and engineers a long time to figure out how bumblebees fly. Generally the flight of objects heavier than air can be described by a combination of lift and thrust. Using the lift + thrust model, engineers can calculate the size and shape of the wing needed to get lift and the amount of power required to generate sufficient thrust. Unfortunately, the bumblebee has neither. Heavy and round with tiny wings, it just seems impossible for the chubby little black and yellow insect to get off the ground. Yet it clearly does fly. We now know that the bumblebee’s wings and the muscle system they are attached to work differently than most other flying things. The wings move in a figure eight pattern, about 130 times per second, creating lift in both the forward and backward strokes. The muscles work like a rubber band not needing to contract. Important to the Christian is the fact that for the thousands of years that scientists had no explanation for the flight of the bumblebee –it flew anyway. Christians live in assurance of their salvation through Jesus Christ.

Faith is critically important in the life of a Christian. When people have no hope they behave differently. Desperation sets in and behavior that would have been unthinkable when hope is present becomes acceptable in the absence of hope. Without hope our actions begin to lead us down a pathway to destruction. In the book of Job, when Job’s situation seemed irreversible, his wife told him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). You might find yourself today in a tough situation. You may have decided that there is no way out. Looking at your situation, from all of the angles available to you, it might seem as if there is no chance you will come out of your situation unscathed. Remember that God has two perspectives that you don’t: From above and from the future. Trust in the Lord. Hold on to the faith you have. Pray for additional faith.

My prayer for you today is that you hold on until God meets you with mercy.

Deacon Larry Woodard

The Zone.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Athletes talk about being in “The Zone”. That place where everything works together. Your body flawlessly responds to a mental picture of everything working perfectly and what occurs afterwards is just as you pictured it. Competitors are unable to block your progress and you achieve a level of performance that you believed was possible but until that moment had not achieved. When I was 17 years old, I was playing a game of pick-up basketball with my brother and some friends. I had a breakaway to the basket and everyone was shouting “dunk it”. Problem was, I couldn’t dunk! Somehow on my way down the court everything began to fall into place. I knew my stride was right. I stared at the basket. I leapt off the correct foot, at the correct angle at precisely the right time. There was no doubt in my mind and I jammed the ball home. It felt wonderful. Never again have I been able to create that moment on the basketball court. The Christian can and needs to be able to find the place where God can keep our hearts and minds in perfect peace.

The 4th Chapter of Philippians has tremendous value to Christians. Our world is full of circumstances that rob us of our equilibrium. Everyone admits that stress is always just below the surface and often reveals itself sometimes with frightening regularity. In our troubled world, how can we avoid being caught up in the pressures we face every day? Philippians talks about the God of peace but also talks about the peace of God. The writer implores us to think (meditate) on things that are right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (4:8) the directive to focus on positive things and to put aside negative things is the key. This sounds simplistic but it is neither simple nor easy. Having a positive attitude and knowing God can place you in “The Zone” where your stressful circumstances no longer are able to reach you and you are able to easily overcome is possible through Christ Jesus.

My prayer for you today is that in the midst of stress you find God’s peace to keep your heart and mind.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Silly Putty.

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:4

Silly Putty is plastic clay sold in toy stores in a plastic egg. It bounces, but breaks when given a sharp blow. It can also flow like a liquid and will form a puddle given enough time. Kids love it because you can create almost any shape out of it that you can imagine. What Silly Putty becomes is a function of who has it in their hands. Similarly, Christians are the product of the hands of God.

We are in a constant state of becoming. Paul says in Philippians the third chapter that he has not attained the prize but he presses forward, straining to reach his goal. Our key scripture Jeremiah 18:4 paints the picture of a potter who is making a pot that becomes misshapen. He takes the same clay and begins to shape a new pot, presumably one devoid of blemishes. As Christians, we are forced to rely on the grace, mercy and love of God. He forgives us and begins the process over and over again of throwing us back onto the potter’s wheel, centering us and forming a better vessel. In the skillful hands of God, we can become beautiful instruments that can be used to serve peace, love, joy and harmony.

I pray today that you are open to the constructive criticism and instruction and molding it takes to create a finished product.

Deacon Larry Woodard