There Will Be a Day

Jeremy Camp has a song called “There Will Be a Day” which talks about the hope that we have in the resurrection and a new life with God in Heaven. One section stands out to me in this time, “I know the journey seems so long, You feel you’re walking on your own, But there has never been a step, Where you’ve walked out all alone.” Many of us might be wrestling with the long separation that has been caused by the virus we are trying to deal with as a country. We are not alone in these times, we have the Comforter, Counselor, and Helper present with us in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We might feel distant to other humans but the God who created us all is present with us. He longs for close connection and relationship with us and is calling out for us to come near and be held by Him in this and all our times of struggle or sorrow. Jeremy’s song reminds us that God will be faithful to us and all these things will pass away, leaving us with joy and peace in the presence of the Lord.


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Use the Wind You Have

Now, I know you are wondering why a guy from Kansas is going to talk about nautical technique and wind, and you would be right to think, “what does this guy know about sailing?” Well, let me tell you that I have had a fascination with Tall Ships since I was a child. I have listened to dozens of audio books about the subject and spent way too many hours watching nautical films or documentaries! I tell you all that to let you know that I have some (secondhand) knowledge about this subject. Anyway, there is a process in sailing known as tacking, this is used when the wind is blowing from the direction you want to go. You can’t sail directly into the wind so you have to “tack”, which means you put your sail at an angle to the wind allowing you to move in the desired direction, then when needed you turn back the other direction and sail in a kind of zig zag which allows you to continue towards your destination even when the wind is against you.

I explain all that because now is the time for us to tack. The “wind” of the world is not allowing us an easy sail right now. We are dealing with a lot of things that try to impede our progress. We feel separated and singled out, we need community but are told it could put those we want to be with in danger, we want to continue to grow in the Lord but don’t feel like we have the support we need, and many more! However, just because these things are pushing against us doesn’t mean that we can’t continue towards the goal! We just have to tack, to change our angle and keep moving forward using the wind we have. God is still calling us onward and we can continue to follow that call, it just might look different than it has before.


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Camping Out

This weekend Emily and I are going camping! We are going to spend some time with Rick and Karen enjoying some creation and it will be Grayson’s first camping trip (we will take pictures!) As we were packing up today we had a list of things that we would need to go with us. Thinking about this process of preparing and packing makes me wonder how often we do that on our journey with Jesus. Do we make sure we have what we need for the trip that we are on? Are we prepared for the ups and downs or the twists and turns that might come our way? Do we have enough and more than enough just in case something unexpected happens and the journey doesn’t go exactly as planned? Or are we showing up with just the clothes on our back and expecting Jesus to have everything we need? While Jesus does fill the gaps in our life there is also work that needs to be done on our end to prepare for what He has in store for us. At the same time, we need to make sure there is room enough for what He wants to give us!

What does your preparation look like for the Christian life?


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New Life

Guys! We have a son! The last two weeks have been amazing. We have totally fallen in love with this little guy. He is so special to us already. Grayson is a gift for us in this time of isolation and social distance. He reminds us of how new life works. We need someone to take care of us when we first come to Christ. Someone to guide us and help us get brought those first years of learning how to be. That is one of the blessings of the church. That we have older believers to show us the way and help us walk in it. We are blessed by God’s wisdom in calling us to childlike faith in the way we need others to help us on the journey. It teaches us humility and reliance on others. It also helps us learn the natural way of discipleship. I hope that you are still reaching out to your spiritual children in this time, connecting with them and helping them learn to walk in the way that they should!


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In a Changing World – Trust God

The past week has been a changing world full of
unknowns in a time in my life where unknowns
abound, waiting for our bundle of joy to join us in the
next month. I jokingly told Jesse I just needed to
rearrange the bedroom furniture today so I could be
“in control” of something in my life. But really, I am
thankful for a Lord and Savior who is in charge and
has total control in the midst of what seems to us as
chaos. I don’t need to have control or function from
the need to restore order. Even more so my norms
are turned on their head. For the homebody in me, I
have been gently reminded to cherish moments
outside the home. For the introvert, I am made
increasingly aware of the need for fellowship and
communion with others. I am grateful for technology
and how even though we can be so isolated at times,
we are able to connect even on a virtual level – to my
mom across town, to many of you, and even abroad
to Mexico and Honduras where ones I love are living!
I am taken out of the rut I get myself into of everyday
living and am awoken in a new way – seeing life
through different eyes. Jesse looked at Elijah last
week and how his encounter with God proves He can
overcome any obstacle. As we look to Ezekiel this
weekend and the amazing unexplainable life brought
into dry dead bones, I am reminded of my own
encounters with a restorative, transformative and
overcoming faithful Father. I am encouraged to step
out and trust the God who has complete control and
to just to rest in His presence.


Our prayer for you this week is the same. Open eyes to
a glorious, powerful, present Father whose greatest
desire is to meet you this week and to pour out His love,
peace and goodness on you as you trust in Him to being
order to the disorder. Know you are loved and prayed
for.


We love each of you,
Emily and Jesse


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Sermon Video

Please follow the link for our Youtube Channel. We will be posting Sermons here and hopefully live streaming them starting soon!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1lwRolYmMdWg-ISGlCYb0w


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COVID-19 response

Medford Friends Church will not be having Sunday Worship March 15th, 22nd, or 29th due to new measures recommended by the Center for Disease Control. (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html)

We are hoping to hold Service as regular on April 5th but will continue to function under the recommendations of the CDC.

Pastor Jesse will still be in the office and can speak with you over the phone or in person if you come by or wish to schedule a visit.

Please be in prayer for our city, state, and national leaders as they work to combat and contain this disease.


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Give it up for Jesus

As we head into the Lent season and look forward to Easter I want to share about the gift of Jesus’ death. Lent is a season where we acknowledge what Christ has given up for us by giving up something for Him. Typically, it is something costly. Many people change their diets for lent, or give up fast food, or some activity that is precious to them.  Christ gave up the security of heaven for us. He came to live as a Human and suffer all the things that we do because of the curse of sin. He came to conquer sin by living a perfect life and dying a perfect death for us so that we can now be under His covering and have restored relationship with God. Lent is a reflection on this gift from Jesus. Those things that people give up are symbols and reminders of the selfless giving that Christ offer to us. He gave up everything for US: People broken by sin, opposed to His ways, and distant from Him in every way. He made a way for restored relationship by building a bridge to God through the Cross and the Empty Tomb. What a powerful gift.

As we head into this season, what might God be calling you to give up for this season? What powerful gift can you give to God? Is it devotion? Is it prayer? Is it worship? Is it a relationship that needs to be submitted to His will? Ask God what would be a good thing to give up and I am sure that He will answer you.


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Forward Progress

There is a concept in American football called forward progress. When a ball carrier is stopped and forced back by their opponent the ball is marked at the furthest forward point. This is to make sure that people do not simply pick up and carry the ball carrier backwards. It is a nice idea that keeps the game from devolving into a mad sort of brawl with both teams trying to carry their opponents around the field. As I think about the way our world works and the rules we come up with to help keep it from devolving I find that there is no rule of forward progress. Your bank account does not maintain the highest balance it has ever had. Your cars gas tank does not obey this rule either. Nor does the human stomach stay full. In the game of football, it is easy to see how this rule is useful but in our daily lives there is no comparable rule. We have to keep adding money to the bank, gas to the car, and food to the stomach.

Here is something that may seem controversial but, following Jesus does not have a rule of forward progress either. God’s grace is a wonderful thing don’t get me wrong. That being said we can choose to walk away from Him and He does not have to honor our onetime relationship with Him. The Christian life is one of continuing relationship with Jesus. We get to keep going with Him every day. Forward progress for us is continuing that connection with Him day by day. Being close to Jesus is our goal line.


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From the desk of Jesse Davis

Emily and I have been in Kansas for a few days now and it has been great! We have enjoyed spending time with family and celebrating Christ’s birth. During our time here we have been staying with my brother Jon and his family. They invited us to stay with them and we gladly accepted. It has been wonderful to reconnect with my nieces and nephews out here and explore their world a bit.

As I reflect on this invitation to stay I am reminded of Christ’s gracious invitation for us to stay with Him for eternity. Christ came to restore relationship between us and God. His invitation to new life is a precious one and just like being with my nieces and nephews I am grateful to experience the world through His eyes when I accept this invitation. This year my hope for you is that you will gladly accept Christ’s invitation and continue to engage with it often.


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