Ken Pierpont's Blog, page 64

The Prayer of Moses (A Message for Summer) Audio

A Prayer of Moses; A Message for Summer

Psalm 90

Bethel Church–Jackson, Michigan

May 20, 2018 AM

Pastor Ken Pierpont

http://kenpierpont.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Psalm-90-The-Prayer-of-Moses.mp3

The Prayer of Moses (A Message for Summer) Video

Sermon Title: The Prayer of Moses; A Message for Summer

Psalm 90

Bethel Church–Jackson, Michigan

May 10, 2018 AM

Pastor Ken Pierpont

Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 7) When Your World Spins Out of Control

“–One porch is a blessing–two are an abundance.”

Photos from Bittersweet Farm

I mowed on Wednesday evening and trimmed the whole place on Thursday evening. While I was trimming and starting the weed trimmer over and over (which is my springtime ritual) I kept hearing a beautiful clear birdsong that was new to me. It was as if the little singer was intentionally flying around the place calling whenever I would start back to work.

Eventually I caught sight of him and was delighted to see my first Oriole couple out on Bittersweet Farm. They are regular residents now. The male is a bright orange with jet black wings—a pretty bird.

When I was done on Thursday I was wonderfully exhausted but Bittersweet Farm looked like a park. I planned to enjoy it on Friday and maybe most of Saturday and the Memorial Day weekend from the perspective of one of the porches with iced tea and a good book in hand. We have a back side porch facing east–I call it the Morning Porch. We have another porch facing the south. I call the The Evening Porch. One porch is a blessing. Two are an abundance.

Trouble in Paradise

Things took a different turn, though. On Friday I ended up taking Hope to meet Dale so she could go with them to Kentucky for the weekend. I enjoyed some time hearing Chuk talk through his message for Sunday morning. (An associate pastor often preaches on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend) He grilled me some delicious brats and we had a good talk. I left to get home before dark and took the back way to see some new things.

Lois and I caught up on the day and went to bed. Saturday morning I woke up with my head spinning at four am. I was planning to pray with the Elders at 7 a.m. but every time I stood up for the next 16 hours I emptied the contents of my stomach. About seven on Saturday night I went to the ER and they used some wonderful drugs to get the spinning and hurling under control. I missed preaching on Sunday for the first time in 39 years in the pulpit. I was sad but the men stepped in and did well and God is in control.

Neil Veydt, Chair of the Elders preached in my place and did a wonderful job challenging the folk at Bethel with our Evangelistic Strategy. At the end of his message another of the Elders, John Rockey shared a testimony of an opportunity he had to lead a woman to Christ last week. I watched from home and my heart was glad to see the gem of a church the Lord has allowed me to shepherd.

Here is a video of Neil’s message:

A Humbling Lesson

I serve and I preach at His disposal. This is good to remember. Your whole world can go spinning on it’s head on account of a few crystals out of place in your ear. It’s good for a man to remember these things and walk humbly with God. It’s good to remember that the greatest privilege on earth is to be used of God out of a heart of intimacy with God.

Rich Nibbe and Drew De Vries

Last week I met Rich Nibbe who works with Ada Bible Church and toured with Fernando Ortega in the past writing California Town and I Will Praise Him Still, two songs recorded by Fernando. It was good to meet him. He work with out oldest son on the church staff at Ada.

I was in Grand Rapids to record a podcast for Drew De Vries–The Adventure Deficit Podcast. It was delightful to visit Drew in his beautiful West Michigan home and hear something of his story. When I arrived he immediately told be how much our son Kyle had helped him spiritually. One evening on the White River Kyle baptized Drew. When the podcast drops I will post a link so you can listen to it.

Longing for Our Father

We are on the west coast visiting our daughter and her husband Jesse. I love to visit this part of the country. It is so beautiful, lush and green. To reach their home you fly into Portland then drive through the Coast Range out to the ocean. Holly and Jesse live on highway 101 that runs right up the west coast.

The coffee is good out here and every day I try to get out and hike along the ocean. This morning I didn’t get out early. Our grandson Aiden Redemption is just starting to talk. He wakes up and you can hear his little voice…

“Dad…? Dad…?”

I steal in to get him out of his crib.

I slowly open the door and greet him. He smiles and then his little face turns into a frown and he looks over my shoulder to find his dad.

He doesn’t know that Dad flew to Dubai through Amsterdam last night and he is a world away right now.

Yesterday when he left Aiden went running down the drive after him with his little short staccato steps. Dad stopped the car and came back to kneel down and give him a last lingering hug and kiss. Aiden didn’t know he would be gone for a week.

This morning I got him from his crib and put him down. He scampered out of his room with little short, quick steps to explore the house and find his dad calling “Dad? Dad?.”

After discovering his Dad is not home, only then is he willing the socialize with the rest of us.

And there again that little voice that teaches me of God says to a deep place in my soul, “Do you long for me like that first thing every morning?”

Ken Pierpont

Gearhart, Oregon

May 5, 2018

Women of Relentless Fatih (Audio)

I’d love to share my Mother’s Day message with you. It’s not even 30 minutes long, but it has the power to inspire you for years. The story that is the text of this message puzzled me for years, since I first read it as a boy… In the story Jesus seems to repeatedly insult a desperate woman… why? Watch and see.

Women of Relentless Faith

Matthew 15:21ff

Bethel Church Jackson, Michigan

May 11, 2018 AM

Pastor Ken Pierpont

http://kenpierpont.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Women-of-Relentless-Faith.mp3

Women of Relentless Faith (Video)

I’d love to share my Mother’s Day message with you. It’s not even 30 minutes long, but it has the power to inspire you for years. The story that is the text of this message puzzled me for years, since I first read it as a boy… In the story Jesus seems to repeatedly insult a desperate woman… why? Watch and see.

Women of Relentless Faith

Matthew 15:21ff

Bethel Church Jackson, Michigan

May 11, 2018 AM

Pastor Ken Pierpont

All I Have Needed

I once was asked to speak at a conference to tell stories and give testimony of God’s provision in our lives. I spoke for an hour telling of God’s great faithfulness.

A few weeks later I spoke for the same organization on the subject again in another state telling another hour of different examples and testimonies of His faithfulness to provide for us.

This was a few years ago. I could easily talk today for hours giving testimony of God’s provision in the last year alone as we suffered a great injustice as a family and again experienced the provision of God at a level never before seen.

Today our daughter Hope graduates from Bible School in Oregon. During a time of hardship and great injustice God has provided all she needed.

We will be telling the stories of God’s faithfulness soon and repeating them all our lives.

Ken Pierpont

Gearheart, Oregon

May 4, 2018

When The Church You Love Hurts the Women You Love

A Painful Tension

Lately there has been a stirring in the media about pastors who encourage abused women to stay in an abusive relationship. This is an issue that is very important to me. I am a pastor. I love pastors and I love the church. My grandfather was a pastor. My father is a pastor. Two of my my brothers are pastors. My sister is married to a pastor. Two of my sons are pastors. I deeply love pastors and I deeply love the church and I am devoted to it.

I also am a husband, a son, a brother, an uncle, a grandfather and a father to four daughters. I cherish the women in my life and I am devoted to them. I want to live with them in an honorable way and listen to their hearts and protect them.

When the church I love hurts the women I love, this creates a powerful tension. When the women Jesus loves are hurt by the church Jesus loves–Like Jesus’ brother said; “These things ought not so to be…”:

I have not said much about it, but this morning as I was thinking on this sad tension I decided to speak up. Please pray for me that God will give me wisdom as I write about this issue and as I advocate for those who have been abused in their home and in their churches.

Pray that what I write will be good for women and for the men who abuse them. My God protect the women and set the men free to live honorable and gentle lives.

Pray that what I write will be good for the church.

Pastors and church leaders: Wake up!

If you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them, you are guilty of participating in their abuse.

If you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them, where will your daughters turn for biblical wisdom and godly support if they are ever in need?

If you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them, how will you justify that to Jesus, who honored women?

Followers of Jesus honor women, listen to women, believe women, and protect women.

Are you really following Jesus if you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them?

Are you really a faithful under-shepherd (pastor) if you don’t protect your sheep from abuse?

Are you really faithfully helping men if you cover their sin and fail to show them a way to freedom and gentleness?

When The Church You Love the Hurts the Women You Love

A Painful Tension

Lately there has been a stirring in the media about pastors who encourage abused women to stay in an abusive relationship. This is an issue that is very important to me. I am a pastor. I love pastors and I love the church. My grandfather was a pastor. My father is a pastor. Two of my my brothers are pastors. My sister is married to a pastor. Two of my sons are pastors. I deeply love pastors and I deeply love the church and I am devoted to it.

I also am a husband, a son, a brother, an uncle, a grandfather and a father to four daughters. I cherish the women in my life and I am devoted to them. I want to live with them in an honorable way and listen to their hearts and protect them.

When the church I love hurts the women I love, this creates a powerful tension. When the women Jesus loves are hurt by the church Jesus loves–Like Jesus’ brother said; “These things ought not so to be…”:

I have not said much about it, but this morning as I was thinking on this sad tension I decided to speak up. Please pray for me that God will give me wisdom as I write about this issue and as I advocate for those who have been abused in their home and in their churches.

Pray that what I write will be good for women and for the men who abuse them. My God protect the women and set the men free to live honorable and gentle lives.

Pray that what I write will be good for the church.

Pastors and church leaders: Wake up!

If you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them, you are guilty of participating in their abuse.

If you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them, where will your daughters turn for biblical wisdom and godly support if they are ever in need?

If you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them, how will you justify that to Jesus, who honored women?

Followers of Jesus honor women, listen to women, believe women, and protect women.

Are you really following Jesus if you refuse to listen to abused women and believe them?

Are you really a faithful under-shepherd (pastor) if you don’t protect your sheep from abuse?

Are you really faithfully helping men if you cover their sin and fail to show them a way to freedom and gentleness?

Warm Spring Morning on Bittersweet Farm

a warm spring morning on Bittersweet Farm. We put a couple bird feeders on the side porch to see if the birds would be willing to visit us there. They did. I have counted almost a dozen different kinds of birds in just the last few days. They will visit the feeder while you are sitting on the porch. I have longed all winter for days like this.

There are birdsongs out in the trees and in the woods south of the house in the tree-line west of the house I have never heard before. It’s going to be a wonderful spring on Bittersweet Farm.

This calls my soul naturally to praise and to thanksgiving for God’s good guidance and provision over the last challenging year. Once again, as I sit out on the porch, in the yellow sun shining out of the blue sky and hear the symphony of bird song, my soul is bursting with spontaneous praise and thanksgiving to God.

When morning guilds the skies

My heart awakening cries

May Jesus Christ be praised.

Fair are the meadows

Fairer still the woodlands

Robed in the blooming garb of spring

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer

Who makes the woeful heart to sing!