A Compelling Message

I recently pulled one of my many bibles down from one of the shelves in my office and came across something I had written in the back. I do not remember when I put this in there but it stirred me once again as I read the words of this famous quote from Sir Francis Drake written in 1577:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Enough Said!!

DS

Anticipation!!

It is Sunday morning! I always wake up early anticipating what is going to happen today. I know God doesn't just work on Sunday's, but for a pastor Sunday is a day of expectation. I know God works everyday of the week but I really look forward to when the doors of the church start swinging open and people from all walks of life start pouring in. The needs, the desire, the hearts yearning for a change, make my faith reach up to heaven believing that there is a God that is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Since I was kid Sunday has always been a special day.

I hope you wake up today with more than sleep in your eyes. I hope you wake up today with a faith filled anticipation - THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!! Let's see what can happen.

May all your days be SUNDAYS!
DS

So thankful

I woke up earlier than I wanted to this morning. It was the first night in my own bed this week due to the fires around us. The first thought on my brain was how thankful I am for God's hand of protection upon our family and the Escondido church family. We are so blessed. One of our newest members of the church lives in Rancho Bernardo where a lot of the damage has been caused by the fires. I spoke with him yesterday, knowing he had to evacuate and asked how things were. He told me that the house behind him and the house beside him was destroyed but his place remains standing. Our prayers continue to go out to the many that are hurting during this time. If you read this I would ask you to pray for us that we will have God's direction in reaching out to our community during this time.

Thankful that I know HIM!

DS

First day of fire

I have posted some pictures of the fire in our area. I will post as many as I can for you to look at. God is good.

We are back in our home

What a wild week. God kept his hand on the Sargent family and the NPWC church family. We are thankful that our home was not destroyed and that no one in our church experienced any loss of property. Below is the footage taken on Monday, the day we had to evacuate, and the days following. We are now back in our home and are thankful for that. No one in our neighborhood experienced any damage that we know of even though the fire came right up to our subdivision. Please continue to pray for many that have experienced the tragedy that this fire has caused.

Where Did the Summer Go?

Can you believe it? My last post to this blog talked about the first day of Summer and all that Summer brings to us and now here I am sitting in my kitchen on the 3rd day of October wondering how in the world I missed most of this great season. I vaguely remember kids being out of school wanting to dive in the pool the minute they woke up (at 6 am). I kind of remember the vacation we went on and the fun we had. It all happened so fast I feel like I missed it.

At this stage of my life, long gone are those days where it seemed would never end. Life happens and if we are not careful it will be here and be gone before we know it. I guess what I really am trying to say is - Dont let life pass you by without enjoying the things that have been placed in your life - take time to enjoy a sunset - take time to laugh with your kids - take time to remember why you were placed on this earth. Stop long enough to breath in and be reminded of the goodness that God gives to each of us.

I dont want to be 99 years old and wonder what I have done with my life. I want to seize every moment like it was my very last and live to the fullest of the potential that God has placed within me - I want to have an impact on my generation, my friends, my neighbors, my family and my church.

I refuse to let life pass me by and look back one day and say where did it go? I read a book one time that challenged me, it was called CARPE MANANA - seize tomorrow - Makes sense to me! Lets do it - lets live for today with tomorrow in our grasp.

For more summers (and falls, winters, and springs) filled with fun and ice cream,

DS

Those Summer Days and Nights

Well the first day of summer has arrived - it is official! Summer is here. Summer always brings those nostaligic feelings of days gone by. As kids we use to get up early, run outside and stay there till it seemed the sun would drop out of the sky. What memories!

For a lot of people living in yesterday is a way of life. All they do is think of what has happened and they live in the past and still react to life based on those experiences. You must remember "there is no future in the past." I am thankful for all those experiences - they brought me to where I am today but I cant live my life thinking about all that. The Apostle Paul said that he had to forget those things that were behind him and he had to move forward so to speak. Pretty good stuff.

I have to face TODAY. I have to live in the NOW. I cant spend my time worrying about what could of been or "if only...." Life is full of things to work on right now. Jesus said HE promised to bring ABUNDANT LIFE! I think that is something I can have for today. So enjoy your summer but be ready for your TOMORROW - It is going to be good!

Have a great summer


Pastor Sargent

God, Help me to make a difference!

I want to make an impact. I will just be honest and tell you - I want my life to count! I heard it said one time that if you want to make an impact you have to be committed to the collision. I want to make a difference in the life of my children. I want to make a difference in the people I meet on an ordinary day around town. I want to make a difference in the life of the people that God has blessed me to pastor.

It is so easy to live life and never understand that you were created for so much more than just existing. I want to show others that there is a better way to fulfill the purpose of life God has given to each one of us. So I awoke this morning with all this running through my brain (as small as it is) and I just wonder if I am living my life in such a way that others are impacted.

I definitely do not want to get to the other end of my life and realize then that I just lived never really "Living." Jesus said that He came to give ABUNDANT LIFE! That sounds pretty good but I fear sometimes we get used to "life" and do not really go after the abundance Jesus spoke of. I want to stand out in a crowd! I want to speak in a way that brings people closer to the things of God and God himself. I dont want to just float through life because that is what others are doing. I want my kids to see I believe in God and I believe in His word and that it is what we do for Christ that will last. I dont know, maybe I am not making sense but I have tasted of the good things to come and I cant settle for normalcy, lets just get by, why rock the boat mentality. I want to LIVE and I want God to LIVE in me and I want to make a difference. Thanks for reading if you get this far.
DS

When Tragedy Strikes

I sit here in the early morning hours of this Sunday contemplating a week of tragedy that has shaken our nation. I prayed for the families of those that were effected by the Virginia massacre and couldnt help but feel helpless as I sit here miles away from the event.

Once again our nation is asking the questions of why. Why did this happen? Why would God allow this to go on? Questions that could be asked for days but are difficult to answer. I think the question of "why does evil exist" should be left for another time and our focus needs to be on the fact that during these times there is a God that is there for the hurting. Evil is everywhere we turn but there is a God that does work in miraculous ways in the aftermath of destruction.

I once read a book entitled "God works the night shift" and how true that is. When it seems that everything that could go wrong does - God is able to turn it for good. We often look at what is and have a difficult time seeing anything good come out of it but God has proven time and time again that joy can come in the morning.

If you are reading this and in your heart there are questions and you are hurting - I want to reassure you that God is close. He is not some religious icon - He is alive and He is real! All you have to do is call out to Him and He will be there.

May God bless you!

Pastor D. Sargent

IS SILENCE GOLDEN?

Does this color look good on me? Do I look pudgy in this outfit? Ok lets be honest guys, when your wife throws you these questions there really is no good answer. You really dont come out of the conversation with any brownie points if you try to answer. Silence is golden at these moments.

Can you imagine if God were like some of us? Can you imagine if God was silent when you had a question that wasn't the most eloquent? What if God never responded when you said things like - Why do I fail so often? I am such a loser aren't I? I could go on and on but when it comes to God at these times of our lives silence is not golden! We need to be reminded what He says about us in His word - You are more than a conqueror! Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! You are a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people...etc.

I trust that you can hear what God is saying about you instead of what the enemy has been telling you. I trust that today you can be encouraged with what His Word has already declared you to be when your situation is looking hopeless and the sky is cloudy.

He promised He would never leave us nor forsake us. He said I am with you always. God is not silent about how He feels about you and I. We just need to listen closely and be encouraged in the fact that He loves us so much.

May God break through in your life today!

D. Sargent

How Do You Soar?

Just a simple thought that came across my brain the last few days. Life is full of surprises - some good some not so good. The not so good ones many times are called trials or storms that come and test us. It is hard to understand this but those times really do make us better people. There is something about a trial, a storm that has the ability to strengthen our resolve to continue through the moment believing that something better is around the next bend.

I live in a lovely place surrounded by an Avocado orchard. When it is stormy outside I enjoy stepping out onto my back patio and watching the hawks and how they relate to the storm. You never find them hiding or staying close to the ground during a storm. You know where you find them? You find them riding, soaring on the currents of the storm. They are taking what many would consider something bad and using it to soar high above.

I think, which is hard to do sometimes, that we could learn a lesson from some fowl. It is time we "mount up with wings as eagles." Learn to soar. Learn to fly. Learn to rise above the problems that are keeping you down.

In the words of a famous song - "I believe I can fly"

Soaring

Pastor Sargent

It has begun

We are officially into the New Year. Resolutions made are probably close to being forgotten and life will carry on as usual for most. I like the New Year, I always have. I quit making resolutions years ago but I do like the opportunity to forget last year and start with a clean slate in the New.

There is something kinda cool about the chance to learn from last years mistakes and try again. Making this year better than the last is always challenging and exciting. With God it is even better because He is the creator of the NEW. His mercies are NEW each and every morning, He promises to give us a NEW heart, He even went so far to put in His Word that old things are passed away and all things become NEW. I like that. I am a NEW creature in Christ.

I am not sure about you but that is great stuff when you think about it.
Till next time -

Pastor Darin S.