Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news..."
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Passionate Hunters

11/28/2018

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Well, congratulations to the successful hunters, and to those of us who are still looking for our deer/bear, good luck and stay safe!

You know, as I sat in the rain and cold on Monday morning (I did find a very nice and comfortable rock ledge to “hide” under for a while), I pondered the passion in which I, and other hunters, display in their quest of their game.  And before some of you click your tongues at hunters, some of you have just as great a passion for shopping (3AM Black Friday mornings, etc), shoes, cooking, family, fishing, sports, music, etc.  We are all different in that respect, our passions point us in different directions.  Those differences make us special and who we are.  However, we were all created with a passion for Jesus!

I was recounting my early hunting experiences the other day.  At the age of 12, I was not into hunting at all.  I only did it because it was what my family did.  We hunted.  So, I hunted, well, sort of.  I would get out of hunting to back cookies with Grandmother, or sit in front of the fire in our basement and watch cartoons.  That all changed when I was 13 and harvested my first buck.  It was one of the larger bucks I have EVER tagged, and that year marked the start of my love affair with the sport. 

Where am I going?  We are all created with a passion for Jesus, but we don’t exercise it.  If I had not been in the woods, my love for hunting would never have materialized and I wouldn’t be finding every excuse imaginable to get in the woods at every chance.  Hmmm.  Are we putting ourselves in position to exercise our passion for God?  Are we “pushing” ourselves to read a little more, pray a little more, worship a little more, give a little more?  Are we growing our passion for Christ, or are we letting it shrivel and dry up?

As we enter the Advent season, let us prepare, let us anticipate, let us grow our passion for Christ!  For unto us is born … not just Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, but unto US is born a Savior!  And that news is more exciting than any deer, any animal, any pair of shoes, any football win … A SAVIOR is not just born, but is LIVING in us and with us!  God with us!  Emmanuel!

By the way, a huge thank-you ladies for an amazing job at Bake Day last Monday! Approximately 70 dozen Christmas items were prepared that will be used throughout the Christmas season!  They look FABULOUS … and some of us enjoyed the “rejects” that weren’t “good enough” for others!  As awesome as the rejects were … wow!  And the Christmas Trees, Snowmen, and Santas are sooo very cute!  Great job one and all.  I know it was a lot of work, but you efforts will bless many!

​By: Pastor Art Speck 


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A message on thanksgiving eve

11/21/2018

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Good day from the office on Thanksgiving Eve!​

You have heard me say many times how much I love Thanksgiving … not because family, food, friends, but because of the attitude the act of giving thanks brings!  When our outlook changes to giving thanks instead of grumbling, WE CHANGE!  We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for, yet too often we choose to focus on the negative, the bad, the gloomy.  We complain about politics instead of being grateful that we live in this great Republic!  We complain about our health instead of being grateful for our breath and life.  We complain about family and friends, our job, other drivers, etc., instead of seeing the positive in each and every situation.  Tomorrow, as we gather around our tables, remember to give thanks, even if you have to look for things for which to be thankful!

Psa 100:1-5 ERV  A song of thanks. Earth, sing to the LORD!  (2)  Be happy as you serve the LORD! Come before him with happy songs!  (3)  Know that the LORD is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.  (4)  Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him. Enter his courtyards with songs of praise. Honor him and bless his name.  (5)  The LORD is good! There is no end to his faithful love. We can trust him forever and ever!

Psa 100:1-5 MSG  A thanksgiving psalm. On your feet now—applaud GOD!  (2)  Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.  (3)  Know this: GOD is God, and God, GOD. He made us; we didn't make him. We're his people, his well-tended sheep.  (4)  Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.  (5)  For GOD is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.

Psa 100:1-5 NIV  A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.  (2)  Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  (3)  Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  (4)  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  (5)  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

You can view this video for a brief history of Thanksgiving and how it became a national holiday.

By: Pastor Art Speck 

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United States Of America

11/7/2018

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Just a reminder that now that the election is behind us, please, let us work at also putting the divisiveness behind us.  Remember that we are the UNITED States of America, not the DIVIDED States of America.  Remember that it is okay to disagree and still love and show care, concern, and empathy.  Remember that we are called to love and serve God, not a political party.  As I watched the alphabet news agencies this morning to view the results I was disheartened at all the differences that were being pointed out … women, men, race, religion, sexual orientation … everyone was defined by something other than being American.  I long for the time when we value people not by their differences, but by their heart.  Let us continue to pray for our nation and our leaders, national, state, and local.  Also pray for our church leaders.  Our nation needs to come together as ONE NATION, UNDER GOD…

​By: Pastor Art Speck

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Keep Pressing forward

11/3/2018

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I praise God that He is so good!  All the time!  On Sunday morning we compared Nehemiah 13 and the “reformation” that Nehemiah was promoting for Jerusalem and Israel to the reformation that needs to take place in our lives continuously.  Nehemiah starts out with a need to be separate from the world, to be different for God, an need to not let mixture into the church or the life of the believer.  A “Mixed Multitude” is when a Christian lets sin enter his life and does not treat it as his enemy. A “Mixed Multitude” is when the church does not teach the cost of discipleship and is then full of people claiming to be Christians who have never given their lives to Jesus Christ.​

2Pe 1:10 NIV  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,

Nehemiah then talks about the enemy that has come in and the need to remove the intruder, to purify the house, to not neglect the house of God.  All important steps in our lives.  When the enemy slips in, time with God goes out the window and we neglect times of worship, times of reading, times of communication with God, we neglect time with God’s people.  And then we wonder how it happened.   We need to recommit to purity in our lives.

We need to be careful not to neglect God and His calling in our lives.  Our enemy is no politics, it is not the removal of prayer in school, it is not the “big” things we think about, but the real enemy to the Christian today is subtle sins like pride, envy, jealousy, selfishness, lust and greed, that infiltrate the Christian’s life and the church like a virus and produce ineffective, apathetic, complacent and lazy Christians who have no idea what it means to die to self and live for God.

The Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September 1985 a celebration of a New Orleans municipal pool. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season.

Don’t be like the apathetic lifeguards, keep pressing forward in our walk with God.  Don’t let the enemy sneak in and push God out!

By: Pastor Art Speck

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Phone: 814-627-3819
Email: oasisinhuntingdon@gmail.com

Oasis of  Love Church
10991 Station Road 
Huntingdon, PA 16652