God: The Great Inverter, Reverser, Equalizer

Psalm 30
“You have turned my mourning into dancing;”

I marvel at how many times in the Scriptures God is up-ending the human order of things.  From Esau and Jacob, the elder will serve the younger; to Jesus in the Beatitudes, the meek will inherit the earth.  Paul sums it up in I Corinthians 1: 25 “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

This week’s text is a testimony of the Psalmist’s deliverance brought by God in response to his prayers.  His testimony is that God’s deliverance is not just removing the danger or disease, but it is the great reversal of the ways of life.  His mourning was turned to dancing, and his sackcloth was turned to joy!  God is not stingy with his blessings.  God is generous in his answering our prayers and working in our lives.

Praise and thanksgiving are the responses to God being our helper.  I think we often do not see how is able to change things.  He is gracious, even over abundant with his grace, that we are not just aided, we are transformed by calling out to God and trusting him in all our troubles.

Pastor Greg

Do You Get Tired in Worship?

Psalm 150

The question is not, “do you get tired OF worship?” but “in” worship?  We I read Psalm 150, I feel exhausted.  All the praising, the music, the sounds, the exuberance leaves me out of breath.  This worship is not contrived, or a manipulation, it is the out flow of the praise of God from his people.

This praise is an out flow of who the Lord is, his exalted place, his wonders of creation, his mighty acts of deliverance, and just because he is fantastic.  In the Gospel reading this week, the woman at the well wants to overcomplicate worship.  Jesus simply responds that God is Spirit, and those that want to worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. 

This Psalm also invites all things with breath to praise the Lord.  This shows the inclusiveness of praise and worship.  The Psalmist enjoins all the living to praise God, and does not exclude any one. 

Pastor Greg

Green Pastures and Dark Valleys

Psalm 23

Yes, this is the best-known passage of Scripture.  When I conduct a funeral for a family not familiar with the Bible, they always ask for “The Lord is my shepherd.”  Those of us who are so familiar with this Psalm we can recite it from the King James Version, sometimes need to look at this Psalm with different perspective.  Too often we assume that this Psalm is about going to heaven when I die.

Yes, we love the green pastures, the still waters, and dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.  Here David is not in a pie-in-the-sky by-and-by mindset, but he is recounting the security he feels as he is protected by God.  The dark valley, the desert journey, and being face to face with his enemies are times where David boldly claims the protection of God.  And by example, invites us all into that protection and comfort of my shepherd.

This is a Psalm of comfort.  It is not just for the time of death.  It is an assurance of the Lord’s comforting rod and staff, and the Lord’s lifting us above our enemies.  The comfort from this Psalm keeps us on the paths of righteousness that leads us to the House of the Lord.

Pastor Greg

The Prayer of Struggling Faith

Psalm 13

Some Christians in their hyper-piety are scandalized at the thought of questioning God.  But the God of the Bible invites us into conversations where we do ask questions, and we are not upbraided because of them.  This is one of those places.  The questions are very blunt, the emotions are very raw, and the danger is very real to David as he is fleeing for his life from King Saul.

I have met many Christians throughout the years that actually turn away in anger and condemnation when I express my questions about God and the walk of faith.  I am so glad that the Psalmist does no hold back in his questions and his lamentations.  “How long O, Lord?  How long will you forget me?  How long will you remain absent?”  I suspect that the reason that some believers cannot hear these questions is because they have buried such questions in their own souls.

In these brief 6 verses of Psalm 13, we are carried though life-shattering questions, terrifying enemies, and then the dedication of David as he realizes the nature and character of his God.  That is what we rely on, God’s steadfast love.  We see the world through his love, and not his love through our immediate situation.

Often our emotions are shaped by our perspectives.  Looking at a problem situation and seeing only our limits and lack, then we are prone to panic.  Looking at a problem through the perspective of God’s unfailing love, promises, and faithfulness, we gain a strength to face the situation head-on, not denying the problems, but realizing that we are truly not alone as we deal with even the most difficult parts of life.

Pastor Greg

We Need your help!!

On Saturday, July 26, 2025 at 8:30 AM we will be tackling deep cleaning
Fellowship Hall and Hallway.

Please bring your cleaning buckets, gloves and any other equipment
that could be used for this project.

We will also be renting carpet cleaners to do all the downstairs carpeting.

If you are a High School aged student and need Community Service Hours, please email the church at office@fcctwinsburg.org and let us know that you will be coming. (Bring your forms with you)

Faith and Fellowship kickoff!!

If you were not able to be at this event on June 1st,
here is the questionnaire that we asked people to fill out.
We need your input to know what direction our congregation wants to go when searching for a new Minister when Greg retires in the Summer of 2026.

Click on the form above to download

Fill out your answers and suggestions and get it back to Search Committee via:

Snail mail to the office

Bring it to church and drop it off at the office or in the offering plate

You can also send your reply directly to us via our Google Form
Click Here to do that.

email to the email below

fcctwinsearch9050@gmail.com