In Bromsgrove England, employees in a shoemaker’s shop were always complaining they were cold. The door to the shop needed o stay open to let solvent fumes escape, so temperatures could get as low as 8 degrees. The owner, Martin Connellan bought his employees heavy parkas, but they still weren’t warm enough. So he hired hypnotist James Kerwin, who proved you can retrain people’s thinking. Within five minutes, Kerwin convinced the employees to think the place was toasty warm. The temperature remained the same, but the people were deceived. In fact, they complained it was too hot – and it is often that way regarding our relationship with God. Paul, in the New Testament, warned people, who had refused to come to God through faith in Christ. He told them, that “… their minds the god of this world (Satan) has blinded….” And later he cautioned, “Do not be deceived…whatever one sows, that he will also reap”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

The Forever 21 Ring has a prominent X on its face and closely resembles the famous X-ring worn graduates of St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish. Because the X-ring is representative of academic achievement some graduates raised concerns about the similarity of the rings; so the retailer of the Forever 21 ring quickly agreed to pull the ring from its stores and website. The Forever 21 ring was, perhaps unintentionally, causing some non-graduates to appear to be graduates of the university, without having ever studied there. In like manner, some who have never come into a relationship with God through faith in His Son may appear to be Christians because of certain things they may say or do, such as going to church, being baptized, or professing to be Christians. But if we have not acknowledged our spiritual need and put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are really not Christians. That’s because Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

In the last 20 years, from July 12, 1993 to June 13, 2013 there have no less than 35 tsunamis world-wide. The word Tsunami is a frightening word . Hundreds of thousands have lost their lives. In 2004, a devastating tsunami took place in Asia , the Indonesian Island of Simuelue (see-meh-loo ) the closest inhabited land to the epicenter of the earthquake. But amazingly, of the 75,000 inhabitants only 7 died in the thirty foot waves. For decades, the people of see-meh-loo heard stories told by their grandparents of giant waves that killed thousands on this same island in 1907. So when the ground shook and the sea retreated, the people recalled the warnings and fled to higher ground.. They wisely heeded the warnings. Perhaps you have had warnings from friends or relatives. Maybe you have been urged to prepare for death -the next life.. Isaiah of old gave a wonderful invitation “Come now, and let us reason together, Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be white as wool.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Major Charles Loeffle, who policed the White House door from 1869 to 1909, gathered the signatures of such people as Ulysses S. Grant, Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt and P.T. Barnum. His album of signatures is now up for auction and valued at between $10,000 and $15,000.These celebrities are, gone, but their signatures remain. And we too will all leave signatures behind when we are gone, by the way we have lived. With this in mind, Steve Green, wrote the song Find Us Faithful,. We’re pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road. And those who’ve gone before us line the way. Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary, …. After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone, and our children sift through all we’ve left behind, may the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover become the light that leads them to the road we each must find. Jesus told us how to find that road when He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play major league baseball. Throughout his decade- long career with the Brooklyn Dodgers., he helped the team win the World Series, in 1955. He retired in 1957, with a career batting average of .311. At one time during his youth, Robinson began to run with a neighborhood gang. In later years he recalled that while he wished for a better life as a boy, he had no idea that a gang was not the way to achieve it. An older friend helped him to realize how he was hurting his mother and himself. Jackie said, “ He told me it didn’t take guts to run with the crowd but it took courage to be willing to be different.” Jackie listened, left the gang, and the rest is history. He traded his wishbone for a backbone. Perhaps you are saying, “ I wish I could lead a different life, I wish I could be a Christian, but its just easier to run with the crowd.” Why not trade your wishbone for a backbone. Like Jackie Robinson did. And why not heed Isaiah’s invitation, to “ seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

I recently heard of A a small boy who was asked if he understood the difference between the words “conscience” and “conscious.” He replied, “Sure, “conscious is when you are aware of something, and conscience is when you wish you weren’t.” Solomon describes the conscience writing, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching the inner depths of his heart.” Dr. Timothy Lin, Ph D wrote, “Before we act, conscience either encourages us to continue or warns us to stop. … When the act is completed, conscience …either crowns us with satisfaction, happiness and courage for what we have done or summons us to the bar of justice where she thunders judgment, which gives us a bad or guilty conscience. “ When our conscience is guided by the Word of God inviting us to receive Christ into our lives, it is important to listen and act appropriately. But remember please, our conscience is not our guide unless we have truth for our creed.

Pastor Alex Rockwell

I heard a gentle thump on the patio window. Looking up, I saw that a robin had flown into the glass. It wandered around in a daze for a while, but eventually it recovered and flew away. Windows that reflect a bird’s natural habitat, such as trees, can cause them to make the mistake of flying into hard surfaces, resulting in injury or death. This is especially true in cities with large high rise buildings and lots of glass. Things are not always what they appear to be. We too can be fooled by appearances and lured into bad habits, finding out too late that we are trapped into destructive habits because we are not seeing what is really there.. Although often humorously laughed at as mythical character with horns and a long tail, Satan is real and no joke. Paul wrote of his work on unsuspecting victims, “…whose minds the god of this age (Satan) has blinded, who do not believe lest the light of the gospel….should shine on them.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

“I am grateful for their apology and look forward to a safe walk in the garden in the future.” Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of York. was responding to an apology from the London Metropolitan police. He had been confronted in the Royal residence’s garden, by police and ordered to identify himself. Two days earlier, an intruder had been discovered prowling, so the protection unit was jittery. But Prince Andrew had every right to be in the garden, since he is the son of the Queen and a member of the royal family. And all of us who have been born again into God’s Royal family receive all the rights an privileges. John, in his gospel put it this way, “….as many as received Him (Jesus) to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name. “ Prince Andrew did not earn the rights of Royalty, he was born into the Royal family. And we do not earn the right to God’s Royal family, it is “ by grace, not of works lest anyone should boast.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

Someone told me recently about three elderly sisters, 96, 94 and 92. Living together. One day the 96 year old stepped into the bathtub, and stopped, wondering if she was getting in or out. Meanwhile, the 94 year old was halfway up the stairs and stopped, trying to remember if she was going up or down. So she called down to her 92 year old sister in the kitchen. The younger sister, pleased that she wasn’t forgetful like her sisters laughed and pounded on the table and answered, “Just a minute, somebody’s knocking at the door.” I also read that U.S. researchers may have found a protein, RbAp48, that plays a major role in normal, age related memory loss- and the condition could one day be treated with drugs. Whatever our age, I’m, sure we could all use some help. But did you know that God forgets too? When we sincerely acknowledge our wrong-doing He forgives, and forgets. His forgetting is described in the book of Isaiah with the words,” I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell

If you have ever wondered whether our much loved Bible is trustworthy, or merely a book of fiction, please listen to this. Time magazine has written “Over the past 200 years, the Bible has been subjected to the most rigorous examination of any book in history. It has been looked at archaeologically, historically, and text critically. Not only has the Bible withstood the test, but it has actually emerged better for all the fracas” In another issue, Time wrote, "Archaeological digging continues to turn up new evidence that the Bible is often surprisingly accurate in historical particulars, more so than earlier generations of scholars ever suspected..” And Nelson Gueck an American , academic and archaeologist. once wrote, "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference" Yes, the Bible can be trusted. And it transforms people who heed Jesus’ promise, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell