A Bold Proclamation

Posted on February 2, 2025 by pastorpstephens

I saw a haircut place a few years back that had a sign that instead of advertising bald fades had a sign that said “Bad Fades – $8.” I wanted to stop and go in and ask them how much a good fade costs. But my better discretion and a busy time schedule kept me from doing so.

I saw another sign one time that said “Bold Fades.” Bold fades…hmmm. I was not sure if that verbiage was a mistake or if a fellow could indeed expect to have lightning bolts or unicorns etched onto the side of his head when the barber was done. That would be bold. Both of those signs promoting “bad fades” and “bold fades” made me think about truth in advertising. Sometimes people, products, and services make grand promises but when all is said and done, they do not live up to their advertising claims. It is not that way with the Lord.

He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. He is the Living water you need when your soul thirsts for relief. He is the Bread of Life who sustains and strengthens all who partake of His goodness. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the One who delivers on the promise, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

You may have been let down in the past by people, products and services that fell short of what you expected and certainly did not deliver what you needed. You do not have to have that fear with the Lord. You can place your trust in Him. He will make good on His word. He is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.

I hope that you have a good week and that you are able to draw near to the Lord and let Him minister to you, empower you and equip you for the good work He has for you to do.

Until next time, stay strong in the faith.

Posted in busy schedule, Christianity, Draw close to God, faith, God's Word, John 15:5, Let Your Light Shine, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 188:1, trust in the Lord | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Draw Near

Posted on January 25, 2025 by pastorpstephens


I was thinking the other day about a time when my mother took me to college with her. I must have been four or five years old because I had not started school yet. She was enrolled in Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas which was about 50 miles away from our house. The university had one very tall building as I recall and it happened to be next to the parking lot where my mother parked. The land is pretty flat up there so this building was very noticeable from the little highway that led into town. As we got closer to the university, my mom told me to keep my eye on that building.

She told me that building was going to get bigger and bigger and bigger the closer we got. She was probably trying to give me something to do so that I would quit asking, “Are we there yet?” It worked. I kept my eyes on that building. I watched and watched and sure enough, the closer we got to the university, the bigger that building grew. It was amazing how big that building was by the time we parked right next to it. As I look back on that time, it reminds me of what the Bible says in Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The author of Hebrews talks about “drawing near to God” on at least three occasions (Heb 4:16; 7:25; and 10:22). Each exhortation to draw near is linked to having a personal relationship with Christ, our Great High Priest, who offers us forgiveness and who intercedes for us on a daily basis. Because of Christ, we have direct access to God’s throne of grace. Because of Christ we are able to draw near to God. And the closer we get, the better we understand the scope, the power, and the grandeur of our Lord. He is bigger than all of our problems. He is greater than all of our worries. And when we draw near to Him, we are always able to receive mercy and find grace and strength in our times of need.

I hope that you have a good week and that you are able to draw near to the Lord and let Him minister to you, empower you and equip you for the work He has for you to do.

Until next time, stay strong in the faith,

Pastor Phillip Stephens

Posted in busy schedule, Christianity, faith, Faith during hard times, God Answers Prayer, God's Mercy, God's Strength, John 15:5, Let Your Light Shine, Psalm 188:1 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Every Sparrow

Posted on November 28, 2024 by pastorpstephens


I really do enjoy the fall season. The temperatures are much more pleasant and I love to see the leaves of the trees start to change color. Just being out in nature always seems to be relaxing and energizing at the same time. Here is a little poem I wrote on my walk the other day.

Every Sparrow

I hear the birds singing
As they are resting in the trees
Each note gently ringing
As it is carried by the breeze.

Lord, their sweet song lifts my spirit
With a message that is tried and true
Because every time I hear it
I am reminded to trust in You.

As every sparrow has their needs met,
And their songs carried on the breeze
Lord, I have not faced a season yet
Where You have failed to carry me.

Posted in busy schedule, Christianity, Don't give up, Encouragement, following Christ, God will help you, Let Your Light Shine, Matthew 6:26, Poem, poetry, Psalm 188:1 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Personal Best

Posted on November 23, 2024 by pastorpstephens

I saw a news story the other day about a high school cross country meet. The story focused on a girl named Kaylee who was running the last race of her high school career.  She told her dad she was determined to do her personal best that day. She wanted to run faster than she had ever run before. And Kaylee was doing just that.  She wasn’t in first place, but she was doing well, and she was on pace to do her personal best.

As Kaylee came down the final stretch toward the finish line, she noticed that a runner in front of her was struggling. This runner from another school was stumbling along, and in a state of exhaustion, eventually fell to her knees.  Kaylee, who started the race determined to do her best in the last race of her career, stopped running.  She helped the other runner get up, supported her, and together, they made their way to the finish line. Because Kaylee stopped to help, she didn’t finish the race with a time that was her personal best.  But because she stopped to help, Kaylee finished the race in a way that was her personal best.

I was inspired and encouraged by Kaylee’s story.  It reminded me of what Paul says to the church in Philippians 2:3-4

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Paul then goes on to say that we are to have the same attitude and demonstration of sacrificial love for others that Christ has for us.  It is good to have things we want to accomplish, goals we want to achieve, and to push ourselves to do our personal best.  But it is even better to remember that we are truly at our personal best when we demonstrate the same sacrificial love to others that Christ has demonstrated for us.

I pray that this week you will have a very good week.  I pray that you will both experience  and demonstrate the grace and love of God in a multitude of ways.

Until next time, stay strong in the faith,

Pastor Phillip Stephens

Posted in busy schedule, Christianity, doing the right thing, faith, good choices, John 15:5, Let Your Light Shine, Philippians 2:3 - 4, Psalm 188:1 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Half of Seven Feet Tall

Posted on October 19, 2024 by pastorpstephens

We got to visit with our four-year-old grandson Theo again the other day. Theo just started preschool and he and his little sister Lilly who is 11 months old came over to eat lunch and play with their older cousins, our granddaughters Avery, who is 15, and Haley who is 13. Those kids love to play together, and it does my heart good to see the four of them enjoying each other’s company and building bonds and friendships that will last forever.

One of the first things Theo did was to tell me about a recent doctor visit he had. Theo proudly reported that he is healthy, and he is now three foot six inches tall. After he shared that same news with his aunt and uncle, he ran off to play with his cousins. My son Eric told me that Theo has been telling every grown up about his doctor visit. Theo is really excited about being three foot six inches tall. My son, who lifts weights in his garage, went on to say that he recently bought a small plastic Playskool dumbbell for Theo. It’s not heavy, it’s made for kids, and best of all it gives Theo an opportunity to “lift weights with Dad.”

Eric said that the other day when they were “working out together,” Theo walked up to his little Playskool dumbbell, took some deep breaths, and said, “I can do this. I can lift this. I am half of 7 feet tall!” Theo then squatted down, grabbed the dumbbell, made a grunting noise, and lifted it over his head and started doing some shoulder presses. Oh, I love that boy. I especially love his positive attitude.

I love the fact that Theo does not see being 3 feet six inches tall as a limitation. It might be a description, but it is not a limitation. Too many times in life, we see some physical characteristic or some other attribute as being something that limits us and holds us back. We don’t rightly esteem and properly value who we are and the potential that lies within us. Every person is fearfully and wonderfully made and created in the image of God. With that in mind, we ought to extend kindness and compassion to everyone. But although sometimes we are good at extending kindness and compassion to others, at the same time, we fail to extend kindness and compassion to ourselves. And when we fail to do that, we fail to tap into the power, the potential, and the promise that God has placed within us.

I said all that to say this, “Do you see yourself as being ONLY three foot six or do you see yourself as being HALF OF SEVEN FOOT TALL?” Do you know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? How we see ourselves is important. If you don’t see yourself in the right way, you are limiting yourself. And you will be surprised by all that you can do and accomplish, if you simply change your perspective.

Posted in Christianity, Encouraging words, faith, God loves you, God's Grace, grandchildren, Poem | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lord Who Knows

Posted on September 27, 2024 by pastorpstephens

This week, I attended a chaplains’ conference at a camp near Kerrville. It was a great time of fellowship, worship, and discipleship. One morning we focused on Psalm 139:19-24 with an emphasis on the “search me” verses. I like that emphasis because too many times in life, we can be quick to “search others” and end up shaking our heads in frustration and then casually lift up an obligatory prayer of “straighten them out Lord, straighten them out!” While that is a valid prayer and while that should be a prayer lifted up in loving humility and concern, that’s not how David closes out Psalm 139. David closes by asking God to “search ME and try ME… see if there be any corrupt way in ME and lead ME in the everlasting way…Your way.” Our speaker gave us an assignment to write the last few verses of Psalm 139 in our own words, expressing what it means to us, and to read it from time to time. Here is my version of those closing verses of Psalm 139.

The Lord Who Knows

The Lord who knows us completely,
Invites us to reflect and know ourselves,
To bring to light all those hidden things,
We’ve placed at the back of our shelves.

There are things we’ve all purposely positioned,
So that they never see the light of day,
Cloaked in darkness and deception,
Because of fear of what others might think or say.

And yet, our Holy Creator who sees all things,
And who knows all that we have done,
Longs to meet us in those dark, secret places,
And offer healing through His Son.

So let us not fail to engage in self-reflection,
Addressing those things we do not want others to see,
For only through confession and honest introspection,
Can we be who our Creator has called us to be.

I love the message of Psalm 139. Every time I read those closing verses, I am reminded of how easy it can be to listen to a sermon or a Bible study with a shovel in our hands instead of a rake. That is to say, we can be so quick to shovel God’s word onto somebody else that we never pick up a rake and pull toward us the wisdom, the will, and the counsel and correction of God’s word, asking Him to search us and try us and lead us in the everlasting way.

Posted in Draw close to God, following Christ, godly living, good choices, Poem, Psalm 139:23, Psalm 139:24 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prayer Can Bring You Peace

Posted on September 7, 2024 by pastorpstephens

I heard someone bemoaning certain issues the other day and after a while they concluded “All we can do is pray.” Over the years I have heard that phrase a lot and I think that there is a general misunderstanding about prayer. We too often think of prayer as casually tossing something to God or maybe even passionately and urgently laying something at His feet, beseeching Him to change a situation. Having pled our case, we stand up, wipe our hands, and walk away. Now, please hear me. I believe in prayer. I have seen some wonderful answers to prayer. (There are always answers to prayer, we usually only consider those answers to be wonderful if the answer is what we want! But that is for another post.) As I was saying, I believe in prayer. Prayer changes things, we should pray. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7

Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer is a good thing, an effectual thing. It can bring us peace about the burdens and concerns on our hearts. I think though that too often we drop off our list and walk away and there is no real peace because we have the wrong idea about prayer. Prayer is not meant to align God’s will up with ours but rather to line ours up with God’s. Praying is like throwing a lasso around a mountain. We can pull and pull as hard as we want but we will never pull the mountain closer to us. We can however pull ourselves closer to the mountain. Through prayer, we pull ourselves closer to God and to His will.

I know we get told “let go and let God” and I understand the sentiment behind that expression. But there are some things that we are burdened with that we should not just give to God in prayer and then simply wipe off our hands and walk away. If we do, we will not have the peace that Paul talks about because God placed that burden on our heart so that we might be His instrument affecting the change. God drove us to Him in prayer not so that we could just drop off our burden, wipe our hands, and walk away but so that we might be equipped, encouraged, and inspired to deal with that burden and allow Him to affect the change through us!

It is true. God condescends to use us in this world to reveal His mercy, His comfort, His truth, His love, His goodness, His righteousness, His justice, His grace, and any number of His other marvelous attributes. The Almighty receives great glory by using weak, flawed, mistake prone people like you and me…. people who need and have a Savior.

Burdened about starving children? Yes, pray for them, but how can you directly help them through giving or serving in some worthwhile organization?

Have a heart for single moms? Is there a ministry at your church or in your community where you can help? Is there such an individual in your sphere of influence that you can reach out to?

Worried about a relationship that is on the skids? Have you prayed and asked the Lord to help you have the necessary conversation with that other person? Do you need to seek or offer forgiveness?

Worried about the decline of attendance in your church? Do you call people you haven’t seen in a while, do you embrace, engage and welcome visitors, do you consider yourself to be on mission in your community?

Whatever problems, burdens or worries you have, you should let them drive you to God in prayer. Prayer is how we communicate with our heavenly Father, share our burdens, cast our cares upon Him and line ourselves up with His will. It is also how we receive peace and answers.

Yes, prayer changes things. God still works miracles and yes, sometimes He moves mountains. But perhaps the biggest miracle is that when I pray, He often moves me.

Posted in Christianity, Draw close to God, inspirational, Intercessory Prayer, Philippians 4:6, Philippians 4:6-7, prayer, Praying for Others | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Created with Power and for Purpose

Posted on August 31, 2024 by pastorpstephens

Marta and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise. We took a four-hour flight to Seattle, Washington and then got on a big boat for seven days. All of the other cruises we have been on before have been to some tropical destination. This was definitely a change of scenery and what beautiful scenery it was! I loved spending time just watching the sun rise and set over the ocean. It was amazing to traverse an inlet sea with snowcapped mountains on both sides of the ship. I did not see any whales, moose, or bald eagles. But I did not feel cheated in the least because I did see some of the beauty of God’s creation which I have never been blessed to see before. And it was a blessing. As I considered the power and the purpose that went into all that God has created, I was reminded of the exhortation found in Psalm 95.

Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation… 4 In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. 5 The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker…

The beauty of God’s creation is truly a wonderful thing. He has created all things through His power and for His purpose. That includes us, for we have been created in His image. And that great truth should move us to sing and shout with joy to the Rock of our salvation, and bow down in worship before the Lord, our Maker.

Posted in Christianity, Created in His Image, Draw close to God, faith | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Winning at Life

Posted on August 10, 2024 by pastorpstephens

I have been watching various sports in the summer Olympics in Paris the last couple of weeks. The moments I have enjoyed most are the displays of sportsmanship by some of those who are competing – some of whom won their event and some who fell short of their goal. I was reminded one of my favorite memories of coaching little league baseball. One year, our team of 11 – 12 year olds had a game with a team across town. We were ahead by a couple of runs with two innings left, when one of the opposing players stepped up to the plate. He was not only an opposing player, but he was an imposing player too. He was about a foot taller than any of our kids, he was strong, and he looked like he had already been shaving for a couple of years. At his previous at bat, he took a high fastball and sent it over the fence for a home run.

As he stepped up to the plate again, one of the coaches from another team came up to let me know that since the game was close we should just “walk” this player and put him on first base. I suppose if we were playing in the Little League World series, we might have done just that. I called a time out and went to the mound to talk to the pitcher who came in to close the game. I said, “Our last pitcher gave this guy a high fastball that some kids are still looking for so they can get a snow cone.” He laughed and said, “Yeah, he hit it pretty good.” I nodded my head and said, “We could play it safe and walk him or we can pitch to him. What do you want to do?” Our pitcher said, “I want to pitch to him. I’ll just keep it low and we’ll see what happens.”

Our pitcher kept it low and got the count to two balls and two strikes. The next pitch was low too, but it did not matter. The batter reached down and got it and put it over two fences – the one on our field and one on the field behind us! As the opposing player began his trot around the bases, our pitcher, who was my son Eric, met the other player as he rounded second base and gave him a high five. My son was a very good baseball player and he made several great plays and great hits over the years. But of all the good hits and good plays, that moment stands out as one of my favorites.

I caught a little flak from that coach who told me to “walk” the other player as it could have kept us from winning the game. And in a scoring sense, the other coach was right. But I think that sometimes we put so much focus on the final score and “winning the game” that we forget that coaching kids is about so much more. Learning to challenge ourselves, facing adversity, and handling a less than desired outcome with grace and integrity, that is the most important thing. And that, sounds like winning to me.

Posted in 1 Timothy 4:8, Do Your Best, Encouragement, Give it your best, sportsmanship | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Making Plans

Posted on August 4, 2024 by pastorpstephens


I have started studying the book of Romans during my devotional time. I have preached on various passages from the book of Romans over the years, but I have never done a complete sermon series on this particularly book. As with the other books of the New Testament attributed to the Apostle Paul, this took the form of a letter that Paul wrote to the church. In this case, it was a letter written to Christians in Rome. Paul desired to go to Rome personally to teach and to preach, but because of active threats to his personal safety, Paul knew that the trip he desired to make, may not come to pass. With that in mind, God led Paul to write this letter to the Christians in Rome. As with Paul’s letters to other churches, Paul’s desire was to glorify God and to instruct, inform, and encourage the readers of this letter. This week as I reflected on Paul’s reason for writing this letter, I was reminded of what the Bible says in Proverbs 16:9:

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Sometimes there are things that we desire to do, things that we want to say, and people that we want to see. And although we may make plans to do and say those things at a later time, we cannot be sure when or if those things will come to pass. As James said, “You never know what life will be like tomorrow. This life is like a vapor, it appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.” We never know what tomorrow may bring. If the Lord has placed someone or something on your heart, prayerfully seek God’s direction on the steps He would have you take today in order to begin to fulfill those things which He has placed on your heart.

Posted in Christianity, doing the right thing, God has a plan for you, God will lead you | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment