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From The Pastor

From The Pastor:
Thirty years ago, we said that if only we could have more information, more facts, and more choices, then our lives would be so much better. Today, we are drowning in a barrage of information with multiple digital options and the right to choose anything we want, -- and yet, we still don’t know what to do. What we are discovering more than ever is, it’s not enough to have information or even knowledge. We need wisdom! And wisdom isn’t just knowing a lot of stuff. Wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know. 
Unfortunately, today’s conventional wisdom says, “Anything you want. It’s all up to you. Whatever meaning or goodness or purpose or wisdom there may be in life, you just make up, you try to find it down inside yourself.” I read that the President of Yale gave a speech to the incoming class of freshman awhile back in which he said, “We cannot supply you with a philosophy of education any more than we can supply you with a philosophy of life. This has got to come from you, from your own active learning, your own choices, and your own decisions. Think for yourself. Now when it comes to history, if you say Columbus discovered America in 1805, we’ll impose our beliefs on you, because we believe there’s knowledge about that. When it comes to physics, if you say E=MC3, we will impose our beliefs on you, because we believe there is knowledge there. When it comes to values, wisdom, goodness, and what is right – good luck. Think for yourself.” In other words, we have no clue what we’re doing with you here at this university. Wisdom? What’s that? 
 
My friends, you can be wise! You can be wise in the Lord! When you hear the phrase “wise man,” what do you think? Graying temples, weathered face, decades of experience? But guess what? You don’t have to wait to be wise. Even though wisdom grows over the years, wisdom can work for you right now. And yes, even if up until now you have been dumb as dirt and made a mess of your life and you just shook your head asking, “What was I thinking?” you can still be on the path to wisdom. 
 
Why do I say that? This Sunday, we are going to learn that God gives wisdom generously to all without finding fault. God never says, “What have you got for brains? How many times do I have to tell you this?” God is one of those fathers who loves imparting wisdom. Think of all those dads who become Scoutmasters, Little League or soccer coaches. Well, God is the kind of father who would become a Scoutmaster. The prophet Isaiah calls him a “wonderful counselor.” He’s a special breed of dad who loves to teach life skills to his children. We all love it, don’t we, dads, when our child comes and says, “Daddy, would you help me solve this math problem?” “Daddy, can you show me how to throw a spiral?” “Daddy, should I really be dating that boy?” (In your dreams she will ask you that, by the way!) We Dads love to give advice and the older we get, the more we call it “wisdom.” And friends, you please your Heavenly Father when you approach him the same way, – as your wise all-knowing Father. And may God grant you His wisdom for all you do and say.  
Pastor John
Quote of the Week
“Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty. acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.” J.I. Packer
James Innell Packer, usually cited as J. I. Packer, is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.