Dazzled!

Have you ever been dazzled? I am not sure too many people on this earth have ever been dazzled the way the Peter, James and John were one day. Matthew 17 and Mark 9 tell us that it started out as an ordinary mountain hike. A journey to find some time alone...away from the busy pace of life...away from the demands of people! Have you ever been there? Has Jesus ever taken you to a place like this? Maybe you went reluctantly. Maybe you turned Him down. Maybe you gave up as you climbed the rugged mountain terrain.

As the four men reached a secluded place to pray, Jesus' appearance changed right before their eyes! His countenance became that of the Almighty God...what did that look like? Who has seen God? Who has even comprehended what He is like? Even His appearance is more than we could ever fathom! God's divine nature...a glimpse of His glory...it was Jesus...and it was God Himself! Even the clothes that Jesus was wearing became whiter than any bleach could ever make them...maybe they glistened like a newly fallen layer of fresh snow...maybe they radiated with a blinding light...but they became DAZZLING white! (Mark 9:3) Think of the last time you were dazzled...most likely it involved an element of light.

Long ago it was foretold by prophets of God that even those who walk in darkness WILL see a great light! (Isaiah 9:2) That light is Jesus! He came to be the light of the world. He is the light to shine on dark paths and lead us to life everlasting! When Jesus spoke to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
Do you want the light of life? Do you want to be dazzled? Do you want to find the pathway to the only true God?

Scripture tells us what Peter did...he babbled...he fumbled...he wanted to do something to remember this moment. Yet, even as Peter spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed the place where they stood and the voice of God resounded from above them. "Just listen to Jesus." (Matt 17:5) What do you do when you are overcome by the presence of God? Do you try to gain control of yourself or the situation? Do you attempt to create something to show others that you just experienced God? Do you try to say or do something? Or do you fall on your face in the presence of God...and just listen to the voice of Jesus?

For a brief time, Moses and Elijah were present with Jesus...but when the starstruck men got up from their faces, those two men were long gone! Peter, James, and John SAW ONLY JESUS! (Mark 9:8) Jesus dazzled them with His holy whiteness! The prophet Job's response to his encounter with God was the same..."I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes." (Job 42:5)

Until we get to the place where we see only Jesus...the place where we see Him with our own eyes...we will never know anything more than darkness. We will live in the valley of the shadow of death...we will be bound by the chains of evil and darkness...we will be blinded by the prince of darkness! But when Jesus takes you to a place to be alone with Him, He will dazzle you with His glory! The illumination of His presence will light your path. He will lift the veil of darkness as He radiates His light. He will break the powers of darkness that once surrounded you.

Is it Any Wonder?

The wonder of Christmas! The eyes of an innocent child as he looks with wonder at the lights on the tree. The voice of the Grandfather who reads the story of Christ's birth to a captive audience who has heard it year after year, yet with wonder each time! The laughter of children catching snowflakes on their tongues and with such wonder as they capture a glimpse of each unique design right before it melts away. The wonder of Mary as she pondered God's word in heart that she would bring forth the Savior of the world!

Is it any wonder? God revealed Himself to us since the beginning of time. He appeared to men of old in the form of fire, in a gentle whisper, as an angel. The Bible is so supernaturally woven together that how could we ever wonder if it is real? God predicted every detail of His great rescue plan in His Word and fulfills each one as His plan continues to unfold.

Any wonder becomes real as one day man experienced the presence of God in the flesh. Can you imagine the wonder that filled the shepherds' hearts as they beheld their King lying in a manger? Oh, the wonder of God's love that He would send His only Son to earth as a baby. That His plan was for His beloved Son to live among humanity with the intent to one day sacrifice Him for the sins of all mankind!

Our wonder turns to reality as we believe in His presence today. He is real! He is here! He is with us! His Holy Spirit indwells those who believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and that He rose again! That is the Gospel of Christ, and it becomes power to everyone who believes! (Romans 1:16)

Is it any wonder that our Sovereign God chose such a marvelous rescue plan?
Is it any wonder that the very God who created us loves us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us?
Is it any wonder that we cannot comprehend God's ways?
Is it any wonder that God wants to have a relationship with His children?
Is it any wonder that God left us a comforter whe He left the earth?
Is it any wonder that He requires such simple faith to believe and be saved?
Is it any wonder that we God is preparing a place for us?
Is it any wonder that He will reign forever as our eternal King?

May the wonder of this Christmas turn to belief as you ponder God's great love for you! May you be blessed anew with His wonder!

Revival is the Hinge on our Heart's Door!

Have you ever tried to open a passageway that doesn't have a door on it? Maybe it's a large boulder rolled in front of a cavelike opening in a mountain. You struggle...you heave...you work to make it happen! It could be a sliding door that just gets jammed up with frequent use...maybe off track a bit...maybe grime and dirt is keeping it from opening freely. It could be a trap door that is hidden in a bookcase...containing valuable things...locked with a secret code.

Our human hearts can have boulders rolled acros their entrances. They can have the dirt of the world keeping them from opening to God's holy touch. They can be jammed up, off track, or even locked with a code that we are unwilling to share with others. We hide things away that we want to protect...our valuables...our silly little idols that we cherish so!

When Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" (Revelation 3:20) I believe that He stands at a door that has a hinge on it. A door that swings freely to usher His presence into your life. A door that is easy to open from the inside. A door that welcomes the person and love of Jesus, our Savior and Lord!

Revival is the hinge on the door of our hearts! It swings wide to usher the Word of the living God into our hearts, to transform us from the inside out! His Word is fresh and new each day...let the hinge swing freely...let the truth release you from your chains and reignite a passion for Christ that you have never known before.

Let Revival begin in my heart, O God. Let revival begin in Des Moines at Valley Church this month. May the presence of your Holy Spirit rock your Sanctuary!

Sanctuary...A Time to be Released & Reignited!

Sanctuary Revival was like heart surgery. Our Great Physician and Healer began to do repair work by skillfully revealing our diseased hearts. Then He gently took His blade of truth and began to cut away the damaged...the affected areas that were destroying our lives. For some, He took out a heart of stone, and replaced it with a new heart...a heart of flesh that began pumping life back into a dead body...a complete heart transplant!

Praise God for revival and renewal! Praise Him for His gentle mercy and His unending grace! Praise Him for His unfailing love! Praise Him that He brought revival to your heart to make you strong and whole again...so that you could accomplish His purposes and be used to bring Him glory!

"When you came to Christ, you were 'circumcised,' but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision - the cutting away of your sinful nature." Colossians 2:11 NLT

Do you have a thirst to grower deeper in your intimacy with our Savior? His presence will fill you in His Sanctuary as you meet with Him in His Word, through worship and reflection. He will give you the enablement to be released from your chains, and to be reignited for the cause of Christ!

Join us for a short six week summer Bible Study beginning June 15th. We will have a morning and evening group for women of all ages on Tuesdays, as well as a special group for college age women on Wednesday evenings at the home of Cindy and Ashley Quick.

Just $5 for the weekly study guide - please email brendapeitzman@gmail.com to register, or to recieve more information!

Trash the Veil!

A beautiful May afternoon in May...white roses, candles, family and friends gathered together, ready to capture the moment the bride enters the sanctuary to meet her groom. Ushered in with praise and worship...in awe of God's amazing grace! The bride...adorned in sparkling sequins and fully clothed in white...a glistening diamond on her left hand as a token and pledge of her beloved...her head covered by a veil only to be lifted by her groom!

Cleaning up after the glorious celebration, we found the veil wadded in a sack of garbage along with the clutter of the reception and trappings of the day. What a picture of the veil that lies over our hearts, covering our hardened minds, blinding us so that we cannot understand truth! But then...we turn to our groom and He lifts the veil...it is taken away...we can see Him face to face! Only He can lift the veil of sin and guilt...of darkness and evil...of fear and insecurity.

NOW we can see Him and reflect His glory and perfect image! NOW there is freedom and liberty! NOW we are transformed into His likeness, beholding as in a mirror the glorious image of the Lord, with ever increasing glory! NOW, with unveiled faces, we are being changed into His image, the image of the only true and Holy One! We, the bride, the church of Christ, reflecting His glorious image!

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." II Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV

NOW we can live unveiled...in freedom...transformed into His image...no longer covered by the veil of sin and guilt. The veil is lifted...it's gone...trash the veil!

Summit Sanctuary...He Came!

God told us that He would come, and He did! Chains were broken, lives were healed, eyes were opened, and Christ was revealed! His presence filled His Sanctuary through the meditation, worship, and praise of the only true God...the maker of the heavens...the Almighty One! Mighty prayer warriors went before us and God was victorious! We were blessed by each woman who shared their story of God's redeeming love and mighty power of restoration! We were blessed as so many teams of women used their God given gifts to serve as the body of Christ to bring glory to Him!

"I have said what I will do and I will do it!" Isaiah 46:11
Why do we ever doubt or question what He says He will do?

"The Lord's voice will roar from Zion (His Sanctuary) and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel. Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain." Joel 3:16-17a

He shook the foundation of His Sanctuary at Summit...He came down and touched hearts...He did what He said He would do! May this be just the beginning of revival in the hearts of His women!

Have you seen Him?

Reading from the gospels this morning about the resurrection of our Lord captivated me once again about the stunning revelation that Jesus had conquered death's dark tomb. He was alive! Oh, to have been Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they went to visit the tomb that morning. To approach the tomb in the stillness of the early morning as the morning sun began to dawn, grieving and sad...not understanding why their Savior had left them in this gruesome, agonizing way...weeping, clinging to one onther, and so shattered by their loss.

Then suddenly there was a great earthquake! The fear that must have gripped their whole being! Just three days earlier, the earth shook and rocks split apart as the Savior breathed His last breath. And now again? What could be happening? But then the Lord came down from heaven and appeared to them. His face shone like lightning and His robe was as a brilliant white. The guards who saw Him fainted!

But, Jesus spoke to her...He said "Mary!" Immediately she knew His voice as he called out her name. It was the voice that had offered forgiveness to her soul, the voice that she grew to love, the voice that she would recognize above any other. She didn't faint at His presence, or run away in fear because she knew Him. She fell at His feet...the same feet that were annointed with her oil and washed with her own hair. It seemed like just yesterday...how could this be? She clung to Him and she worshipped Him.

Jesus must have comforted Mary with His reassuring words, "Don't be afraid, dear Mary...go tell others that I am alive!" The women were frightened as they left the tomb, yet as they ran, they kept remembering the words of their Savior, "Do not fear". As Mary's fear was overcome with great joy, she exclaimed to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" Yes, she had just seen Jesus!

Soon Jesus appeared to His disciples in Galilee, just as He said He would do. When they saw Him, they too, worshipped Him. Did they fall at His feet in humble adoration? Did they stand in awe and amazement and disbelief that what He had promised had just come true? Did they exalt His name as they praised their risen Savior? Maybe all of these, yet the account recorded for us says, "but some of them doubted!"

Have you seen Jesus...heard Him call out your name...recognized His voice...seen His radiant glory...grasped His feet in worship? Maybe you are still running in fear...maybe you are one of those who is still doubting...maybe you are struggling in disbelief of His presence.

I pray that you have the heart of Mary Magdalene who had met her Savior...who had been forgiven so much, therefore loved Him so much. Mary didn't understand what was happening in her grief and in the fright of the moment, but she knew Him...she loved Him...she trusted Him! She remembered what He had told her would happen...and she had just seen her Jesus again! What joy replaced her fear!

Have you seen Jesus? He is alive and you can trust His promises in your grief, in your doubting moments, in the confusion of your world. Run to Him...worship Him...go tell others of His marvelous grace and His unfailing love!