Canelo Cowboy Church

Words from the Pastor
As the dust settles from the last of the family leaving for home after the memorial service and getting done with VBS, and life gets back to “normal” (Normal is just a setting on the dryer my cousin once said!), my mind wanders back to the past few days and recounts all of the events of the week gone by. I then have to ask myself, “Did everything I did in the past days please the Lord? Do I need to repent because I sinned with my mouth and said something that I shouldn’t have said? Did my actions bring people closer to God or push them away from Him? Will there be a reward in Heaven for my actions or not?” I suppose that this really should be one of my main concerns every day, but for sure I am concerned right now because of all of the interaction with so much of the family and people in the community. Naomi’s father and mother have 153 descendants so you know that there was interaction and some of those people are hard to get along with! They’re in-laws for crying out loud so of course there will be some that will rub you the wrong way! And Paul does tell us in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I am glad that Paul says “If it is possible…” because you and I both know that sometimes it just is not possible! Some people just don’t WANT to live in peace! But he also writes, “as far as it depends on you…” I believe what Paul is saying here is that we need to make sure that we do everything in our power to keep the peace.
David tells us in Psalms 39:23-24 this, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” I believe that David was asking God to look inside him and reveal to him anything that would keep him from living at peace with everyone. I want to ask God the same thing, to look inside me and reveal anything that would hinder my walk with God and my fellow man. I learned a long, long time ago that I cannot change anyone else. I cannot make anyone else do what I want them to do or act the way that I want them to act. The only one that I can make change is me. I am responsible for my own actions and no one else’s. No matter what people say or do, how I react is up to me and no one else. So, Paul says, “as far as depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
What we need to do is allow God to look inside of us and show us where it is we need to change. Ask Him, as David did, to search us and to know our hearts. It is true that we may not always like what He reveals to us. We may not like it at the moment He reveals an offensive way in us, but we will like it as He leads us in the way everlasting, and Heaven is everlasting. All we need to do is get out of the way and allow Him to show us where to change.
Please let me know if you need anything. You pray for me and I’ll pray for you. Naomi and I love you all. -Pastor Steve

Words from the Pastor
This morning as I sat and wrote Naomi’s mother’s eulogy, I was reminded once again of how fragile life is. As the poem by C.T. Studd states, “Only one life, will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Although Naomi’s mother was 91 years old, a long life by anyone’s estimation, it is just a small blip on the screen when you compare that to eternity. Sarah, Naomi’s mother, served the Lord as faithfully as she could in the knowledge that she had.
There has been 4 of Naomi’s family called home in the last 2 years. One of the things that these deaths have shown me is that life is so short. We never know when God will call us home do we? It can happen anytime. But one thing I do know is that we better be ready.
One stanza in the same poem is: “Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done; Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” One thing that I have to constantly remind myself of is that serving God is the most important thing we can do. Even if we are doing church work or serving the poor, fighting the fight against abortion etc. etc., we may not be putting Christ first. We may be doing everything that is right on the outside. But what does our inside look like? The inside that no one else can see except God. Jesus told the religious leaders in His day this: “”Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:26).” Jesus is saying that everything looks good on the outside but inside, where no one can see, we are only interested in our selves. In verse 27 Jesus goes on to say, “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Isn’t that interesting? So, it doesn’t matter what the outside looks like, if our inside is dirty, we’re dirty all over! Take care of your heart first and everything else will follow! But aren’t we so much more interested in the outside? Making sure we look good instead of making sure our inside is clean and we can stand before God and hear these words, “Well done good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).” And when we do hear those words, I promise you that they will make it all worth it! No matter what we have to endure here on earth, it will be nothing compared with the glory that will be revealed in us in Heaven! I promise you that. So, continue to serve the Lord with all of your heart and please, don’t weary in doing well! Jesus loves you, and even though it may not seem like it right now under your circumstances, He is going to make all things work together for His good. He is that kind of Savior. All you have to do is trust and obey Him. He loves you.
Please let me know if you need anything. You pray for me and I’ll pray for you. Naomi and I love you all. -Pastor Steve