Ken Pierpont's Blog, page 157

O Beautiful Star Video and Christmas Message

Before the message Hope sang "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" and Holly and I sang back-up. Here is a little amateur video of it.

This is the final message in my Christmas Series for 2011. This message was preached at Evangel Baptist Church in Taylor, Michigan on Christmas Morning 2011. During the message I tell a little story about James Taylor's Christmas album. Hope you are helped by the message.

Planning Ahead

A Classic re-post from 2001

We went on our annual Christmas tree excursion Saturday. If you don't have beautiful fluffy white snow blanketing the brown earth, bright sunshine on a cold winter day is the next best weather for getting the tree. We stopped for donuts and cappuccino. On the way we sang a few carols.

At the farm all ten of us spilled out and hiked back a lane and over a little hill to where the trees grew. Most of them were huge but there were still dozens small enough to fit into our living room. We searched up and down long rows of trees and among stumps of last year's choices. Eventually we complied a short list of finalists. We all offer our opinion but the final decision is always left to mom.

Finally we settled on a beautiful Douglas Fir. I knelt to cut its umbilical cord and make it ours. It has been growing there just for us since about 1993. It's a year older than Wes and a couple years younger than Dan.

Through the long warm days of seven summers it has stood on that pleasant hillside. On the fresh rain of seven springs it thrived. Seven winters flocked its branches with snow. And the geese of seven gold and auburn autumns passed over it by moonlight.

Somewhere this spring someone will plant the tree we will gather around Christmas of 2010. By then our family should have grown. Somewhere a the tiny tree is taking shape around which our oldest son will celebrate Christ' s birth with his new wife five years from now. We're not sure who she is yet but she is out there somewhere waiting for him, just like their tree.

Our tree grew up gracefully within sight of the farmhouse a few hundred feet back of the barn surround by its kin. It sheltered fowl and shaded rabbits and ground hogs and squirrels and deer. Incredibly we adopted this beautiful creation of God into our family for the paltry sum of only ten dollars.

Kyle and I carried it back to the van and put it on top. On the way back to the car with our tree it occurred to me that at a place where you can cut your own tree for only ten dollars you should not expect many extras. It is unlikely that they are going to shake it, trim it, bind it, tie it on top of your car and offer you a train ride and hot chocolate for a family of ten. We had noting to secure it to the top but a set of jumper cables.

I asked Wes who is now a strapping six-year-old if he would mind riding back on top of the car holding the tree on. It was only about fifteen miles. He said he would but he forgot his gloves and he thought his hands might get cold. They don't make kids as tough as they did when my grandpa was a kid. So we used the jumper cables.

We were able to get to a little store and buy a bungee cord to secure our treasure. (The bungee cord has got to be one of the greatest innovations of civilized humanity since the invention of the wheel).

I love Christmas. The birth of Jesus was predicted all the way back in the book of Genesis. The prophet Isaiah announced the virgin birth of Jesus seven hundred years before it happened. For years we will remember our Christmas celebration because God has had it on his mind for all time. I'm glad he plans ahead better than I do.

The Baby Creator

Look on the sweet baby Jesus in the tiny infant form he took upon himself the night of his incarnation. Now step out into the cold Judean night. There no city lights obscure the grandeur of the heavens. The winter night is clear and cold and quiet. You can hear noises echoing through the mountains. You can see the uninhibited brilliance of the stars and the suns in the night sky. Stand silently for a while. Remember the Shepherd Psalmist who said, "when I consider the heavens the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him…"

Then think-the tiny tender mouth that nurses at the breast of the Jewish peasant girl in the manger spoke into existence everything you can see tonight to the farthest corner of the cosmos beyond the scope of human investigation.

The dimpled hands of the infant boy formed all the great mountain ranges of the world like a child playing at the beach.

The chubby feet of baby Jesus walked the waves of all the thundering oceans of time.

The dark eyes of the little Jewish infant beheld the unfolding of time from before there was time.

His body was new to the world, but his spirit never had a beginning.

The voice that cried out in the Palestinian nighttime commands the loyalty of the entire world

He is maker of the universe

He is the master of the universe

He is the maintainer of the universe

Now go back and fall on your knees and worship the Baby creator!

Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation

Oh my soul praise him, for he is thy health and salvation.

All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near.

Join me in glad adoration

If you read the first chapter of John, the first chapter of Colossians and the first chapter of Hebrews you will see that the little baby Jesus was active in creating everything that you see and millions of things beyond your sight.

He is the Creator of the Cosmos in a Cradle.

He is big enough to make everything out of nothing. He is big enough to make anything out of you. He is the God of creation and he is not done creating. "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things are passing away and all things are becoming new." He can create in you a clean heart, he can renew a right spirit within you.

Christmas in the Country

A Classic Christmas re-post for you to enjoy from 2004

One Saturday afternoon years ago I was working in the parsonage yard. It was cold and blustery. The first snow of the season took me by surprise. I welcomed it. Christmas was approaching. I noticed an unusual amount of traffic on our county road. All of it was southbound. I stepped into the house to warm up and wrapped my hands around a hot cup of coffee.



"Lois, a lot of traffic is going south today, have you noticed that?"

"It must be Christmas in the Country," she said.

"What's that?"

"A lady turns her whole house into a Christmas open house for the weekend. Every room in the house and the whole barn are filled with handcrafted items. It is beautiful. She serves wassail and cookies and plays Christmas music. I hear it's quite an event."

"Why don't you take me," she asked.

"Sure."

We all got in the car to check it out. The Christmas in the Country open house was on a country road back a bit of a lane. When we crested the last knoll before her place we saw a pasture field converted into a parking lot. It was full of cars. We had to wait in line to get in. Everyone was in a festive mood, laughing and joking and enjoying themselves. They were all bundled up and wearing Christmas things. It was delightful. We went back year after year and always looked forward to it.

The next year Lois sold her own crafts in the show and did very well for a number of years in a row there. It was mostly women who attended, but I always loved it. It was early in the Christmas season and a good way to get in a Christmas mood.

People will travel a long way for good things. If you can brighten their life they will usually find you wherever you are. If you have a good word for people they want to hear it. If you create an atmosphere of celebration or hope people will want to be around you even if you are well off the beaten path.

If you will help people in the hard struggle of life you will not be alone. If you can show them something good, if you can say something kind, if you bring beauty into their lives, if you can offer fellowship, if you can create a pleasant place for them, if you can give them hope, they will be willing to come to an out of the way place over and over again.

That was true in the beautiful countryside of Knox County Ohio and I believe it is true in downtown Flint, Michigan and wherever you live, too.

Ken Pierpont

Riverfront Character Inn

Flint, Michigan

December 13, 2004

Tim Tebow Family

Check out the Tebow Family Website

This has been my most popular blog post ever Our family has great admiration for the Tebow family and how they have devoted their lives to the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We used the same home-education program to train our families so we have followed Tim Tebow and his family with great interest. Since you surfed in I hope you will take a few minutes to check out some of my writing while you are here. There are over 1000 original stories on the site, all free for you to enjoy.

God Bless You…. and GO TIM TEBOW.

Christmas Tree Adventure 2011

We ventured out yesterday to our tree farm. I have the ultimate Christmas-tree-getting vehicle—a Jeep Cherokee, fire-engine red. On days like this it seems like a bright, festive sleigh. We bundled up, plugged in some Christmas music and we were on our way. Hazard made the trip with us for the second year in a row. He was on his best behavior, except that in his excitement he threw up on the floor. On the farm are a couple large, athletic hounds. He wanted out be we feared for their safety.

The tree farm we like is in a pretty spot. The land rolls some there and the trees grow on a gentle slope nestled among ponds and woods. The ground had a dusting of snow and the trees were pretty with flocking of snow on them, too.

Wesley did the cutting, noting that our tree was about seven years old. We were living in Flint when it was planted. It's a beautiful Frasier Fir.

It was special this year. Hannah had her Dale and there are few things as beautiful as a romance at Christmas time. We lunched at the Grand Traverse Pie Company for the second year in a row. We may have a tradition growing here. It was a delightful day.

In the afternoon I left the house to come to the church to prepare a message for the Mid-Week Service. Chuk and Wes were setting up the tree in the corner of the family room. The fire was crackling and the room was filled with the fragrance of the tree. I looked forward to enjoying it late in the evening when I would get home from my meetings.

This morning I rose early. The tree was glowing beautifully in the corner. Wes and Chuk were camping out to be near it.

I don't mind going to great Christmas efforts. I believe it will contribute to my children having a great love for the things of

Christ.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

December 9, 2011

Remembering the Pine Street Parsonage

This was the sign we made for the Pine Street Parsonage in Fremont, Michigan. I believe the graphic was made by my brother, Kevin, for our original web-site. Larry Barber created the sign for us. I still have it in my study where it reminds me to pray for the good folk at First Baptist Church in Fremont and remember the kindness of the people, the good had of God and the memories of Fremont we will always treasure. Hope America was born in Fremont at the Gerber Hospital.

While I was pastoring in Fremont I wrote the people a little column one November. It is interesting now to read. Thought I would share it with you.

In this little column we hope to keep you informed about what's happening around the Pine Street Parsonage. We also always want to include some encouraging words here, too. Next month in our Christmas letter we'll let you know what the family is up to.

Things are quiet around the parsonage these days. We're enjoying the mellow transition from autumn to winter. We snatch an occasional evening with a fire on the hearth, soup on the stove, quiet music on the radio, and good conversation or reading, with Anne (the parsonage kitty) dozing at our feet.

It's Thanksgiving time, a good time to realize how little it takes to be truly happy. It's a time to foster simplicity and contentment. I like this definition of contentment: "Realizing God has already given us everything we need for our present happiness." You don't have to acquire more to have everything you want, you can simply choose to want less. Ben Franklin said: "Contentment makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor."

Most of us have more than we realize. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to get through the house or garage without tripping over material blessings. Our most pressing need is for storage. In many parts of the world parents worry about where to get food for their children. We try out new diet plans. Christmas time is coming. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find gifts for people who already have everything they need?

In a few days we will gather around the big table and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. We'll turn our table into a place of worship. Our hearts will be filled with gratitude. We'll join hands and bow our heads in deep humility and thankfulness. As we have so many times before, we will shed tears of joyful gratitude. We have seven precious children and another due in April. We have our needs met and many wants. We have a warm beautiful home in which to live and we are blessed with good health. We have fulfilling work that occupies our lives and we have many dear friends. Above all we have experienced the bountiful grace and daily mercy of God in our lives. Because of that we know that no matter what is taken from us, the foundational source of our gratitude is something we can never loose.

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NKJV)

A blessed Thanksgiving to each of you from the Pine Street Parsonage.

Pastor Kenneth L. Pierpont and Family.

Never Doubt It (Christmas)

When I was a boy my mother played three Christmas albums over and over again. I loved them. I can still close my eyes and open my heart and hear them somewhere deep in my soul. I would cherish digital versions of them for my iPod.

When I was in high school in the late seventies platform shoes, aviator glasses, polyester-double-knit leisure suits and eight-track tapes were in fashion. Mercifully, the season passed. Eight track tapes were replaced by cassette tapes.

In about 1983 Smiley Brownfield sold me a nice, used Ford Fairmont. It was very clean. He made me a good deal on the car. I was a little doubtful about my purchase and when he called to tell me to pick up the car I tried backed out. He asked me what I wanted that the car didn't have. I said; "I really wanted a cassette deck."

He said; "Come and pick it up this afternoon and it will have a cassette player in it. I will include it in the purchase price." That afternoon I picked up my car and listened to music on the way home. I have warm memories of cold days in our snug car listening to Christmas music on the way to our families to celebrate or looking at Christmas lights with the children.

When Lois and I began to grow a family of our own I wanted our home to be filled with beautiful Christmas music. My tradition was to start the Christmas music on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day. In November of 1994 we were driving along Route 3 toward Mt. Vernon, Ohio and the little village of Bangs. We were listening to a cassette tape of Christmas music and I said; "From now on we will start listening to Christmas music every year on Thanksgiving Day in the afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny, especially beautiful Thanksgiving and the memory lodged in my mind. The children agreed.

For years I longed to own quality stereo receiver and a cassette tape deck so I could listen to my collection of music, especially at Christmastime. One year I was able to purchase the receiver. The next year I had saved the money to add the tape deck. Not just any deck would do. I needed a dual deck so I could make copies of my tapes. I purchased a deck that matched my receiver and went to work for hours making cassette tapes of my Christmas music that would play all day.

Back then it was a lot of work, but it was worth it. For twenty years, we didn't have a television. In those years we had many hours of uninterrupted mayhem and occasions of blissful joy. I planned my ministry in a way that when the children were small I was home a lot to be with them and raise them. It was a conscious decision and I've never regretted it. Since we taught them at home we spent a lot of time together. We were especially close.

The nights leading up to Christmas we were home often. I wrote or read or read aloud to the children. The girls baked cookies. The boys made trouble and all the while the Christmas music played on my dual cassette deck. At night sometimes I would lie in the hallway and play carols on my harmonica until the children settled into sleep.

We went to a lot of trouble to see to it that the children would never doubt our love for them, our love for Christmas, and our deep, abiding love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now they are marrying and moving away. I long for them to have the joy we had when they were small. I still pray for them that the music of Christ and of Christmas will never fade from their hearts no matter how dark or difficult things may get for them.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

December 5, 2011

Beating the Cancer of Discontent

On Thanksgiving Sunday at Evangel I used Jeremiah 29 to help the people see God's way of beating the cancer of discontent. The message was very well-received and seemed to help many. I hope it is a blessing to you, too. It would be a great way to prepare your heart for Thanksgiving.

In the message I also outline the vision God has put in my heart for the future of Evangel.

Title: Beating the Cancer of Discontent

Text: Jeremiah 29:1-11; Psalm 137

Place: Evangel Baptist Church–Taylor, Michigan

Date: November 20, 2011 AM

Speaker: Ken Pierpont

Hard Times

A couple years ago I wrote some Thanksgiving thoughts. I've reposted them here to help start your Thanksgiving Week.

One thing I have observed in thirty years of ministry to people, some of whom have lived through the Great Depression or forded other deep, fast waters in life is this: Hard times can be good times if we stick together.

Another Thanksgiving is here. It's a sweet, simple, unadorned holiday. The purpose is to gather with those you love and give thanks to our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Lover of our Souls for His continual bounty and care for us. I love the simplicity of it. I love it more every year. This year I got to thinking about a way celebrate Thanksgiving. It would work on Christmas or New Year's Day—really on any day. Here it is. Listen to someone you love. Let me repeat it in case you missed it. Listen to someone you love.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1979 Lois and I had only been married a few months. We were living in an upstairs apartment is an old farmhouse in Pleasant Hill, Ohio. Mom and Dad lived a mile down the road. We would spend Christmas with Lois' family in Michigan but on Thanksgiving Day we gathered with the Pierpont's. It was one of the few years that all four of my grandparents were at the same place at the same time. It would be the last. The next October my grandpa Pierpont would be with the Lord and we would drive to Newark for Thanksgiving. Grandma was there without Grandpa. The great heart of our family, our story-teller was no longer with us. Now, twenty-nine Thanksgivings later Grandma Pierpont, Grandma Shipley, and finally Grandpa Shipley have all passed over to be with the Lord.

A few months ago I called my grandfather's brother Art on the phone. He is way up in years and lives in Beaver Falls, New York. He was full of fascinating memories of my grandfather and their childhood and youth. It was delightful to ask him questions and listen to him. I hungrily wrote down everything he said. I will tell you all those stories in coming months. It was a fascinating conversation.

When our conversation was over I felt a pang that I had not had more conversations with my grandparents while they were still living. What I would give to have a couple hours with each of them, just listening—asking questions and then listening, but I will never be able to do that in this side.

So here is my idea this year. This may have been a very difficult year for you. You may not have what you have had in the past. You may wonder what the future holds. But there is one thing you can do as long as your loved ones are alive. Listen to them. Ask questions and listen. Don't be bothered if they repeat themselves. This is God's plan to get you to remember important things. If they repeat something it must be important. Write it down. Ask follow-up questions. Lock it away in your heart.

May God bless you with enough—perhaps even with plenty, and may He allow you some time with people who have stories to tell, and may he give you the wisdom to listen while you can. Be the keeper of the stories. Just ask questions and listen—listen with your eyes and with your heart. Some day you will be glad you did.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

Thanksgiving Day

November 26, 2009