“The LORD Who Made You”

“Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you, do not fear…” Isaiah 44:2

I am writing this article on Tuesday, November 15 and the memories of this day 12 years ago are as fresh as if they happened yesterday.  So please allow me to indulge myself in sharing this story.

I had been at a Church Conference in Phoenix AZ for 5 days prior to November 15, 2004.  I had flown back in on Saturday the 13th and planned to attend Terry’s (my wife) appointment with her doctor before going to work on Monday the 15th.  She was 34 weeks pregnant at that time and there had been some concern of our child’s size in development during her pregnancy.  Terry had had two miscarriages prior to this pregnancy and we knew that there was a risk of problems with this pregnancy also.  Early on in the pregnancy, as she had in past the months that the prior miscarriages occurred, our doctor suggested that we have a Amnio test done to make sure the baby was OK, so we could have the option to abort if needed.  We both looked at him and said about the same time NO!  There is no need to do that.  We would not abort regardless of what the test would show.  We were not going to be a part of the 3,000 + abortions that take place daily in the USA.  God had formed her.  She was alive!

A few weeks prior to November 15, 2004 during one of Terry’s appointments, our doctor said, “I would like to give you a hormone shot that will help to develop the lungs of the baby.  I am just not sure you will carry her to your due date, which by the way was our oldest sons birthday, December 31st.  They felt Terry may be able to go as far as 38 of the 40 weeks.  So we agreed.  Man, did that turn out the be the right call!!!

Back to our appointment on Monday, November 15th.  We arrived and were waiting, talking about the things we needed to do that day and the rest of the week.  Thanksgiving was coming and plans for Christmas, knowing the baby would be arriving around that time.  We were called back to the examination room where there was an Ultrasound machine for the doctor to take a look at the development of the baby since our last visit.  The doctor came in and started the exam, the minute she put the wand on Terry’s abdomen, she said, “We need to get you to the hospital immediately.  The baby is in stress.”  Tears welled up in both of our eyes.  The doctor said she would call ahead and let them know we were coming and for us to go straight up to the OB floor.  I don’t even remember driving over.  We both were in shock.  Once we were checked in and were waiting for the “on call” doctor to come in, I remember we prayed.  “Father, you have brought us this far, this baby is in your hands.  Please Father, let her live.”  

Things began to move very quickly by then and not long after that Terry was in the OR prepping for a C-Section.  I was dressed in OR clothes so I could be with her.  And at 2 PM, Monday, November 15th Emma Grace Duffell was born at 34 weeks.  She weighed 2.7 lbs. and within hours dropped to 2.5 lbs.  We were immediately cautioned of all the possibilities.  The Nic Unit doctor made that very clear.  But here is the thing, Emma Grace never had to have any intervention.  No breathing tubes, nothing.!  They told us that their requirement was for a premature baby to be 4.5 to 5 lbs before going home.  Emma Grace was doing so well they let her come home at 3.5 lbs.  The NICU doctor told us as we were leaving that he would see us back in the unit over the winter months.  To that Terry said, “No you will not.  God’s got this little one.”  And He did!  Every time the doctors have told us she will develop slower, be behind all her peers, they have been wrong.  She is, in our eyes, a miracle baby.  

Isaiah tells Israel, “… the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb…” reminds me that every child is a gift of God.  Yes, I know our story is not everyones story as far as the outcome.  I understand that.  But each of these babies are His creation and we don’t understand why some live and some die.  We don’t understand why some are lost to miscarriages.  And as far as Terry and I, we do not understand how anyone can abort these precious babies.  What we do know is that each child is knitted in their mothers womb by a gracious and loving God and all are in His hands.  God is creator, not only of the universe, but of all of us.  So do not fear, as the prophet says, for we know that God is Emmanuel - God with us!   Folks, that is with the “born” and the “un-born.”  Terry and I experienced His presence that day in a special way and are so ever grateful to Him!

I am thankful that God has allowed us to enjoy His daughter, our daughter, Emma Grace.  Happy 12th birthday sweetheart.  We love you!

Blessings,                                                                                                 

Pastor Marty

Worship, Grow, & Serve                      

'Fatherhood"

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

I remember sometime after I was married I heard the verse I’ve quoted above.  Yes, I grew up in the church.  I was in Sunday School just about every Sunday from as early as I can remember until I graduated from High School.  The verse may have been quoted or preached on, but to be honest with you, it really had very little meaning to me, thus I don’t remember hearing it.

BUT let me tell you, when I began to contemplate the idea of being a father, wow, everything from secular and Biblical writings on being a father began to infiltrate my life.  I thought, “If I’m going to be a father, I have to be the best father I can be.  So, I need to learn all I can to do just that.”  A great plan, but plans are just plans unless they are executed.  All of you in the business world know that.  You may think you have the best business plan in the world for your business to succeed, but unless it is executed, it is just a plan on a piece of paper.

What happen to my plan?  LIFE!  EVERYTHING!  My intentions were good, but I allowed everything else going on in my life to get in the way of allowing God to help me be the father HE wanted me to be.  I allowed work, my desire for play, etc, to fill my life.  My preparation time to be a father really never happened.  Some of you can relate.

Then the call came, “We have an infant baby boy for you to adopt.  You can pick him up and sign the paperwork on Tuesday.”  The call, ironically came on Good Friday.  I’m going to be a father I shouted inside of the store I managed.  I thought, here is comes, ready or not.

That Tuesday, as I was introduce to my son, Christopher Martin Duffell, Chris (as we lovingly call him) decided to introduce himself to me.  His diaper was full, so I told the Social Worker I would change it.  As I folded back the cloth diaper, Chris decided it was time to christen me as his dad.  Yes, a nice upward flow wet me all over.  I smiled, laughed knowing it was just beginning and I was going to love being a dad!!!

Marrying Terry, who had 7 children and one of those in diapers, then 2 years later having our daughter Emma Grace, fatherhood has been challenging and hard at times. I have dealt with things I thought I would never have to deal with, but it has been fantastic all at the same time.  I would not change it for a moment.  I love ALL my children dearly and love to hear the word “DAD” spoken everyday.

Over the years this verse in Proverbs 22 has been ever present on my mind.  How am I living into this call of God as a father?  How am I training my sons and daughters to be godly children of our heavenly Father?  Am I setting a godly example for them?  When I fail, do I ask for their forgiveness?  Yes, theirs!  It is a tough job being a parent.  But it is also a blessing.  

This Sunday is Father’s Day 2016.  Some of us, like me, will remember our fathers who have gone on from this world and probably remember the good times and bad.  Many of you will call or visit your dad this Sunday.  I pray it will be with love and happiness.  But for some this will be a sad day.  They will remember only the bad times and the poor job their father did in raising them.  

Here is my prayer for us all.  We have the absolute best Father there was, is, or ever will be.  That father is our Heaven Father.  He loves us beyond measure.  Enough to allow His Son to died for us!  How awesome it that.  I love being a father, even with all its ups and downs.  I love it!!!  But the bottom line for me is my Heavenly Father has trained me so that, I know where I will spend eternity, because of the Father He has been to me.  Celebrate your earthly father this Sunday, but don’t forget to thank the heavenly one!!!

Blessings my friends, 

Pastor Marty

Worship, Grow, Serve                      

His Tools for His Glory

1 John 3:1
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Pastor Marty is constantly reminding us of our responsibility to God to share the Gospel with others.  I have shared with you on other occasions that fear gets in the way of sharing.  It's not only fear, but also not fully understanding what God's call is on our lives and how we are to live into that call.  I am truly discovering all of this myself.  I wanted to share some thoughts with you to get you thinking about your own call.  We each have our own call and need to seek that out with God individually.  One of the things I have learned is that the presence of God in my life is key to discerning my call.  I have the head knowledge that I have asked Jesus to live in my heart.  I know that God is everywhere; that the Holy Spirit lives in me.  So if God's presence is at my disposal, why am I still not sharing the gospel with others?

We must first know who God is and be in acceptance of that belief entirely.  There has to be little to no doubt in our minds that the Creator God loves us without limits and that he has expectations on our lives as his followers.  God's plans are perfect.  His promises are always kept.  Trusting in God completely is necessary to being used by Him to increase His kingdom.

Satan rejoices when God's children trust in their own power more than the power to the Holy Spirit.  One of satan's strategies is to get the Christ follower to ignore the Holy Spirit.  The very power of God that is in us is what brought about Satan's demise.  If he can get us to ignore the power of Jesus in us, then we will always feel helpless, lost, powerless and distant from God.  Jesus left the world physically so his spirit could live in our bodies.  If we ignore this power, this Holy presence, we are ignoring the Jesus we say we love, the Jesus we celebrate at Christmas and Easter; the Jesus we take communion to remember; the Jesus we turn to in prayer.  How can we be totally surrendered to Jesus and yet ignore the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do what he has called us to do?  People say, "I'm too scared to witness to others about Jesus."  We are minimizing the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us!  We are the tool and He does the work!  Surrender and trust in Him!

To be a tool of the Lord's choosing, think of yourself as a hammer.  A hammer in and of itself cannot accomplish a task without someone to pick it up and apply it to the nails.  We are God's tool - his hammer.  The only difference is that we have to give God our hearts and minds so that he can pick us and do His work.

Our confidence to serve God as His witnesses is severely compromised when we forget the power of the Holy Spirit.  The same power that can raise the dead; the same power that can heal the sick; the same power that gave us salvation in His name are the keys to becoming a well used tool.  My personal motivation to pursue a relationship with the Lord to become a well used hammer is to hear my God say to me on my day of judgement, "Well done my good and faithful servant."  Focusing on this treasure of heaven makes what the world has to offer unappealing.  Pleasing God has helped me to see people, both known to me and unknown to me, in a different light.  Pray for God to show you who He is in your life so that in that relationship you will have all confidence in Him to use you often to make His kingdom bigger!

Acts 4:13 (NIV)
13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

As believers, we are with Jesus everyday!  We are ordinary people chosen by God to be His children, His tools for His Glory!  

Living in His presence,

Sandra Pierce - Ruling Elder, HOPE Church Raleigh

                Worship, Grow, Serve
 

Half Way There!

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weighs the motives. Commit our works to the LORD and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:1-3

When I was in High School I ran track. I ran the 880 Relay and the 2 mile run. Of course, you had to practice and prepare before each meet so that you had endurance to make it the entire distance. Often you would shed some pounds to lighten your load (literally), but practice prepared you for the race. I can remember when we were in the middle of a 2 mile run finishing lap 4 (A 2 Mile run was 8 laps around a 1/4 mile track) I could hear my coach yelling at me, “Marty, you are half way there. You’ve got this. Don’t slow down!” What encouragement!

I want to encourage you today! “Folks! You are half way there. You’ve got this. Don’t slow down!” Oh, what am I talking about, you might ask. LENT!

Back on the 10th of February, Ash Wednesday, I challenged you to examine yourself during this Lenten Season. Examine your heart, examine your motives, examine your ways, path, journey with God. I challenged you to read and study and mediate on God’s Word more than ever during these weeks of Lent. I gave many of you a Cross and asked that you place it somewhere where you would see it daily. I am here today telling you that you are HALF WAY THERE! The Lenten Season, believe it or not is about half over. We are now heading very quickly towards Good Friday and then Easter Sunday.

Some may be saying, “Oh, but wait Marty, I forgot. I haven’t been very faithful in my reading, my study, my worship, my mediating on God’s Word. I’ve not examined myself in the ways I should, because frankly, I like many of those ways I’m living too much to give them up.”

Take heart folks, the race is not over. At many track meets my coach would tell me half way through the race, “Marty, you’ve got to pick it up. You are lagging behind where you need to be. You can do this!”

It’s Ok, the race is not over. You can still do what Solomon challenges us to do in the proverb above. We can plan in our heart our motives, our paths of righteous, committing our works to the LORD. We can still examine ourselves and put aside those things the HOLY SPIRIT is telling us is slowing us down, weighing us down, causing us to live worldly instead of righteously. There is still time. You can do it. We are half way there.

And when you establish your plans under the will of God you will begin to hear the Father say in your ear, “Child, you’ve got this!”

I remember one track meet I had, the only one my dad was able to attend (he surprised me), I ran the best time I had ever run in the 2 mile run. In fact, that time qualified me to attend the State Meet that year. But here is the thing I remember. I remember each lap I ran hearing my father yelling, “GO MARTY! YOU CAN DO THIS!” What encouragement for me to push forward and honor my father in his presence.

Folks, in this journey of life, not just this Lenten Season, but in all of life, your heavenly Father is calling out to you, His son or daughter, and is saying, “GO!!! You can do this. Your journey is not over. Commit your going to Me and I will establish your plans. GO!!!”

How wonderful it is to know your heavenly Father is pulling for you. The Hebrews writer pens: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith...” Hebrews 12:1-2a

So let me encourage you as you finish out this Lenten Season 2016 to finish strong. If you have been lax or “slow out of the gate,” it’s not too late. If you need to re-group, do so, and forge ahead. Every effort you place in your workout for God will benefit you in this run for the prize. PRIZE? Oh, yes, prize! When we finally do finish this race called life, our Father has the perfect prize for us, His children. One that will never end!!!

So folks, you are HALF WAY THERE! GO! DON’T GIVE UP! YOU CAN DO THIS!

Blessings my friends,
Pastor Marty.

Worship, Grow, Serve.

Adopted and Heirs

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children go God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:14 - 17

In a week I will be celebrating a birthday. They seem to come faster these days, but glad to be able to celebrate. With my birthday this year I had to renew my NC Drivers License. So, I went into the DMV License Office in Aberdeen, took my ticket number like a good citizen would do and sat down with everyone else waiting my turn. My number was C-407. Finally I heard this automated voice state: “Now serving ticket number C-407 at station number 1. Great, my turn!

I walked over to the DMV License Examiner and told him I needed to renew my license. Handing him my old license he said, “Can you state you full name?” I thought, “Why, yes, yes I can. My name is Marty Egene Duffell.” What does this have to do with the passage above? Glad you asked! Every time I am asked to state my full name, in my mind, I go back to who I am as a person. Or in other words, I remember my father and mother because my name will always connect me to them.

Here is the thing (as some of you know), I was adopted. I was just a couple of days old with I was adopted by Jack and Irene Duffell. This couple had been told after they had a “still born” little girl (Dora Lynn Duffell), that because of the risk of another pregnancy, they should not try to have any more children. So in 1950 they adopted my sister, Vicki Lynn and in January of 1958 adopted me. With this adoption I became Marty Egene Duffell. I belonged to them. They were my mom and dad. I became not only their son, but a heir.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Rome reminds us that by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, we have a new Father. We have been adopted as sons and daughters of God Almighty. We belong to Him in every sense of that word. He is a Father who cares about us every second of every day. He loves us, even in spite of our rebellion. He loves us and really wants the best for His children. That is why He has given us His Words to live by. If we live by the guidelines, morals, the standards that He has laid out for us, life is good!

This does not mean, no trials, no hardships, no suffering, or even death, but it means we are His. And this Good Good Father that has adopted us and claimed us as His, has also prepared an inheritance for us. Heaven and eternity has been promised for all those who love and serve the LORD by believing in faith in the SON, and His life, death, and resurrection for their sins. Jesus further said we are to believe His Word.

Fantastic, Right, that God Almighty, creator of all things, our heavenly Father, would love us so much that He would send His only Son to die for our sins and bring Him back to life to conquer death on our behalf so that we could be adopted and an heir of Christ Jesus, forever? How awesome is that?
Every time I have to state my full name, I am reminded that I was adopted by Jack and Irene Duffell, their son and heir. Every time I pray to my Father in heaven I’m reminded I am His and one day will be home with my family forever!!! Thanks be to God, my Father,

Pastor Marty.
Worship, Grow, Serve.

Vacancy or No Vacancy?

There are less than 10 days left until Christmas, so please make sure you don’t miss it this year!

I am convinced that most people “miss” Christmas every year. At Christmas, people are busy shopping, attending parties and school plays, decorating, and doing all the other things that compete for attention.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in the waiting room during Caroline’s surgery talking with my mother. She caught me off guard when she said that she dreads Christmas Day. What she was really saying was that she dreads the stress of Christmas Day when the whole family gets together.

As I began to write this article, I thought back to the Christmas traditions of my childhood. We had Christmas Eve dinner with my dad’s parents, followed by gift opening. It seemed as if Santa’s sleigh mysteriously missed the rest of our entire neighborhood and dropped everything off at our house. Christmas morning was a mad rush to say goodbye to my dad’s parents and hurry down the street to spend the rest of the day with my mom’s family. Thinking back over the years, I can’t tell you how many times I felt a sense of emptiness when Christmas Day came to an end.

The problem is that I was making the same kind of mistake that the innkeeper did that night in Bethlehem. Luke 2:7 sets the scene: “And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Christmas was at the innkeeper’s doorstep; however, in the hustle and bustle of the census, the innkeeper was so preoccupied in the pursuit of his career that he missed Christmas. In fact, he apparently did not take time to call anyone to help the young mother about to give birth. There was no indication that the innkeeper was hostile or unsympathetic but rather he was just too busy.

Similar to the innkeeper, my life was too consumed with the clutter of activity around Christmas that I missed the Son of God. I was showing Jesus to the stable compartment in my life and not making room for Him in the inn of my heart.

Today the world is filled with people like the innkeeper. People are so consumed with the pursuit of their careers, material possessions, pleasures, and comforts that they are giving no time to the Christ of Christmas. Don’t be like the innkeeper who missed Christmas! Let the Christ of Christmas find vacancy in your heart and invite Him in as Savior and Lord.

“Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!” Neal A. Maxwell
I pray that you are overwhelmed with great joy this Christmas. God provided us with the greatest gift of all that night in Bethlehem. Rejoice!

Blessings my friends,

Ryan Hutchins
RE HOPE Church - Raleigh

Lessons From Children

As I watch my little girl grow and play with Emma, Benjamin, Mary, Nathan, Dhuart, Christian, Charlotte, Caroline, Josiah, and Ezekiel – ‘the Entourage’ - I can’t help but pause and picture how Jesus would interact with each of them. There’s always a picture in my mind – many of you may have one similar to it in your minds. It’s a picture of Jesus surrounded by little children. He is smiling. The children are speaking to Him, sometimes even showing Him their most valuable possessions. I see heartfelt laughter and pure motives to just play – no hidden agenda, no inhibitions to seek an ideology – just to play until utter exhaustion. There is no indication of awkwardness between Himself and the children; there is no harshness of discipline. There is only innocence, peace, joy, and a fond loving relationship. You don’t get the sense that the children have a desire to be anywhere else, but to be right with Jesus.

How does Jesus do it? How does He hold such love for them? How does he never turn away one child? How does He have time for each one of them? How does He take the time for each one individually? I don’t get the sense that anything they say is insignificant to Jesus. He hears all they say. How does He deal so patiently with them? And we can’t forget this - how would He discipline them in such a way that His only goal is love, repentance, and growth? These questions run through my head. They motivate me to be a better parent, but they are also a constant reminder of how I fail him daily because they serve to let me know where I am and where He is as our Father who loves us more than our earthly parents ever could.

There are a number of verses that give us a clear idea of how Jesus views little children:

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” (Mark 10: 13-16 NLT)

“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18:10 NLT)

In each of the verses above, Jesus clearly tells us that heaven is made up of ones like these. Why? The answer starts with the character of Jesus. He is love, patience, and tenderness exemplified. These are only a few adjectives that will be used to describe Jesus in this article. One could use a thousand more to describe Him; there are not enough words or paper to contain all that He is.

Little children desire a parent who loves them unconditionally. The next couple of verses articulate it perfectly and no further explanation is needed:

 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety- nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12-14 NLT).

THAT IS POWERFUL. A child needs to know that his/her parent would be willing to do whatever it takes for the child to be safe and secure. Patience and tenderness go hand in hand. They have to. Children will get into trouble, and Jesus is aware of that fact. Jesus patiently endures these “mishaps”. Jesus is the master teacher; He seeks to teach and train the children on the proper way to live. He makes it no mystery. His aim is for us to have a right relationship with Him. Again, my words cease to have meaning compared to His.

“I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace.” (Isaiah 54:13 NLT)

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” (Deut 6:5-7 NLT)

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 3: 14-15 NLT)

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. (Hebrews 12:7-11 NLT)

Do you see the goal of His patience, His training, and His discipline? The greatest Father of all desires nothing but for His children to grow in His likeness. He wants to spend all of eternity with His children. Do you remember that image of Him in a garden surrounded by His children. He desires nothing more than to bring that image to life. The work has already been done. It is up to us – His children - to make the decision to follow our Father in obedience.

In His Name,
Sherif Mikhael, Elder, HOPE Church - Raleigh