Dr. Jay Forrest

 “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10 NKJV). Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. It tells the story of a righteous man who loses everything in life. First, he loses his family, then his wealth, then his health, and finally his reputation. His wife advises him to curse God and die, while his best friends are sure Job has a secret sin.  But the book of Job lets us know what is going on behind the scenes. God’s bragging on Job, and pointing out to Satan how righteous Job is. Satan accuses Job of only serving God for the blessings. So God tells Satan that he has permission to take away all his blessings. Which Satan does. That is when Job says, “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Job’s response to losing all the blessings in life is to worship God. Which reminds me of Hebrews 13:15, “let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confes

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Imagine with me for a moment.  You're in a grocery store, and there's a bunch of rude people all around you. The store is busy, it's hectic, and you just want to get out of there. All of a sudden, someone pushes you from behind. You're angry, you're frustrated. You are going to turn aground and confront that jerk. But when you turn around, all you see is a blind man who accidentally bumped into you. Instantly, your anger and frustration go away, and you feel sympathy. What changed? The event is the same. You were pushed. But your interpretation of the event has changed. And that changed of judgment is what has changed your emotional state. You think differently, so now you feel differently. It was Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, who said, “It's not things that upset us, but our judgments about things.” It is not people who upset us, but our judgments about them. The event of being pushed d

O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly ask You to behold, visit, and relieve Your sick servant N. for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon them with the eyes of Your mercy; comfort them with a sense of Your goodness; preserve them from the temptations of the enemy; and give them patience under their affliction.  In Your good time, restore them to health, and enable them to lead the rest of their life in Your reverence, and to Your glory; and grant that finally they may dwell with You in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

N., I lay my hands upon you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, beseeching our Lord Jesus Christ to sustain you with his presence, to drive away all sickness of body and spirit, and to give you that victory of life and peace which will enable you to serve him both now and evermore. Amen.

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  A. W. Tozer once wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I believe that this is true. I think that most Christian’s God is too small. What do we mean when we use the word “God”? Many people envision God as a being like other beings, he just happens to be the supreme being. This makes God just one more thing among others, he just happens to be the biggest, strongest, and smartest. But I don’t think God is the same order of reality as us. God is wholly other, completely different from us. In fact, so completely different that we speak most accurately about him when we say what he is not. God is not a being, but the ground of being. For the Bible says,“In him we live and move and have our being.” David Bentley Hart gives the best definition of God. God “is the infinite fullness of being, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, from whom all things come

Celebrant: Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ? People: I do. Celebrant: Do you believe in God the Father? People: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Celebrant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? People: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.      He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.      He descended to the dead.      On the third day he rose again.      He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.      He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Celebrant: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? People: I believe in the Holy Spirit,      the holy catholic Church,      the communion of saints,      the forgiveness of sins,      the resurrection of the body,      and the life everlasting. Celebrant: Will you continue in t