September 30, 2026

3 days ago

2 min read

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PASTOR'S PEN

From the desk of Pastor Paul

As we are nearing the realization of our dream of relocating to a new building, I find myself grateful.

✓ Grateful for those who paid the price to keep the doors of Grace open from 1938 and beyond. Clearly, we are standing on the shoulders of their sacrifice.

✓ Grateful for the prayers and all of the gifts, large and small. No matter how small, the gifts were steps of faith that helped get us to where we are today.

I am reminded of the widow who gave and of Jesus’ observation of that moment. His observation comes in Mark 12:43–44: the wealthy gave out of their abundance, but the widow, out of her poverty, “put in everything—all she had to live on.” We should not miss the point that Jesus is making. The gift is never measured by the amount given, but by what the gift represented to the giver. The others gave from their surplus; she gave herself into the offering.

I believe that gifts given to God through Grace have been sacrificial, and for that we are grateful. I want to call to mind one gift that was a huge sacrifice, a gift that reminds me of the widow’s mite. In this case, a dear lady (her name doesn’t matter; God knows) gave a car—a 1950 Chevy two-door Deluxe. While the car is no longer in deluxe condition, she had owned it for over 60 years. Through the tears of parting with an old, rusty friend, she gave it to God as her sacrifice for the building. It was one of those gifts that makes you want to say, “No, no, don’t give that!” But she obeyed God.

Someone in Buffalo had a 1950 four-door and was looking for a two-door that could be parted together with it. So now her sacrifice became a miracle that blessed a young man and provided quite a number of squares for the building.

It is never the amount; it is the heart! God is so good and what memories and testimonies He has given us to build our faith for the next chapter.

See you at Equip!

Prophetic Word:

Several have asked about the prophetic word that was given on the weekend. Here it is:

"There is renewal coming faster than we think, it is a shaking that will cause melt down and the Lord will refine! He was to cut off the old and bring in the new as pruning to the that has run out of nutrients. The word to the church and me, is: 'Don’t miss the moment, when the Lord gives you the moment.'”