Pastor’s Column 2/1/2026

PASTOR’S COLUMN​

³⁵ “As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”³⁶ So they took Jesus to the boat an started out , leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). ³⁷  But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. ³⁸ Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

 Mark 4:35-38, NLT

                                                                                           ​       “1st Sunday – Seeking Safety in a Storm!”

The clarity of what we need always comes in the urgency presented by a dilemma. We become most knowledgeable and verbal when we are under siege by some unanticipated event. Such events hardly ever come with a warning – yet in their aftermath, we gain much more wisdom than we would have, without the incident. This is not to suggest we only gain wisdom through difficult moments; but in every ordeal there is some knowledge that helps us along our paths. The bitter days of Job severely tested his resolve; yet he emerged from his ordeal saying, “Now I know…”  What Job knew was, no disaster could separate him from a God who, inevitably, would take him to the other side of his calamity.  It was in that new and pleasant place, Job acquired twice as much as he possessed before. The Lord oftenallows us to be in a place where our faith is tested. This brings out the best in us. It seems somewhat humorous that Jesus invited the disciples to enter a boat with Him for what He knew would be a wild and harrowing experience. As the winds howled and the waves crashed along the starboard side of the boat, the disciples panicked and screamed. Jesus found a comfortable place in the hull of the ship, and placing a nice cushion under His head the Lord slept peacefully. The disciples forgot it was at night; a time when storms frequently came up. But this was the time and place, Jesus taught them, He alone brought calm to any storm!