LET THE RIVER FLOW by Pastor Wayne Vaughan

Let the River Flow!!!

Here where I live there is a nearby lake. Elephant Butte lake is fed by the Rio Grande River, which is bolstered by snowmelt from Wolf-Creek pass in southern Colorado. When the lake is up it is a destination lake in the southwest United States. There is 194 miles of shoreline. It’s great for picnics, camping, beach volleyball, shore fishing, boating, water skiing, water boarding, inner tubing, jet skiing, bird watching, and just about any other water

God's Heartbreaking Question - Karla Martin

God’s heartbreaking question

Where are you?

Genesis 3

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Hope Springs Eternal Misery!?

Where are you placing your hope? Right now, many are placing their hope in the start of a new year. We are at the place of new beginnings. It must be true. We saw the ball drop.

Okay, okay, let's get our heads on straight. Remember where many people put their hope at the beginning of last year (2020)? OH! That's right! They put their hope in the new year!!! How did that turn out?

Might I suggest a better place to put our hope. The prophet tells us, in Jeremiah 14:22, our ho

A Sabbath Week

The week between Christmas and New Years has always been like a Sabbath rest for me, even before I really knew Christ. Since we are now in a relationship, He has made this time even more meaningful.

This is not a biblical/theological Sabbath week. It is simply an agreed upon vacation with my Lord. Together we reflect on the year just past, our relationship, our struggles, our blessings, how we grew, and many other aspects of our life together. By "our life together" I mean

Christmas Eve Service Online

This is Pastor Wayne. I have already created the online event for our Christmas Eve Service. It will be via Facebook Live at 6:30 PM MST on Thursday.  You can join us on Facebook Live even if you are not a member of Facebook. I have included the direct link to the Live service HERE. If you are a Facebook member and would like a Live reminder, go to the event page from our Facebook page, and register your interest/intent. We really want everyone to fully participate, so pl...

He's Coming!!!

Are You Ready?

Turning Off the River

We are in south central New Mexico in the United States. The Rio Grande (Big River) flows right through the middle of town. Wildlife, especially waterfowl, depends upon the river. Farmers and ranchers depend upon the river, especially the chile farmers in Hatch, New Mexico. Even the tourist industry depends on the Rio Grande for visitors to be able to float the river in their tubes. The river continues to flow south to El Paso, Texas, and then on to Mexico and down to the

God Questions #3 by our Families Pastor - Karla Martin

When I started this series of God teaching us with questions, I

was focusing on questions God asked people, He is the original

Socratic teacher, the Original Teacher. But last time I cheated

and used an implied question--what would Adam call the

animals brought to him. This time I seem even more off-topic.

Instead of a question God asks someone, this is a question

someone asked about God.

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the

garden,’?”

Just like God uses que

God Questions #2 by our Families Pastor - Karla Martin

The first question recorded of God is in Genesis 3, way back in the Garden of Eden, when He asks Adam where he’s hiding. But we notice a subtle, indirect teaching question before that even! 

In Genesis chapter 2, after God had created the world, and man, and put man in the Garden, and after He had given the first “Thou shalt not,” we find God teaching man to think. But notice,  “Thou shalt not,” that rule, is put in the midst of you may . . . “You may freely eat the fruit

God Questions #1 by our Families Pastor - Karla Martin

When God Questions:

Socrates did not invent the Socratic method, the method of

teaching someone to think by asking questions. God did. Do not

be surprised. He created the brain, thinking, mankind, and He is

not just a good teacher, but the Good Teacher. Knowing all

things and being outside of time--well, except in the

incarnation, when the Word became flesh, when the Creator was

born a baby entering time and invading history; maybe

transcending time rather than outside of time is

So Far Behind!

Wow! It is amazing how far one can get in the proverbial work hole while away on a short vacation. My wife and I took a needed break the week before last. We didn't go far, didn't even leave the state. We weren't gone long, a total of eleven days. However, I have been back home for a little over a week and still feel like I am two weeks behind! How does that even work?

In my morning devotions, I was reading about the children of Israel, God's ancient people, passing up an

DS Devotional Day 5

Day 5: Crafting a New Identity

In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul tells a bit of personal history that is not revealed in any of the other stories about him.  He says that after his conversion experience, he went “into Arabia”(vs 17) before consulting with the Apostles or anyone else about his new-found faith.

I’m not sure that anyone has exactly interpreted what Paul was talking about with this reference to Arabia, but it seems to me that he was saying that he needed

DS Devotional Day 4

Day 4: Purposeful Wilderness

Matthew tells us that Jesus was actually led by the Spirit into the wilderness (4:1).  It was immediately after his baptism.  It must have been quite a moment for Jesus.  John the Baptist recognized him as the coming one, the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove, and God, Himself, spoke from heaven to confirmed, “This is my Son, whom I love.”  What an incredible personal moment for Jesus!  His heart must have been bursting with joy as t

DS Devotional Day 3

Day 3, Life-changing InsightThroughout these days of social isolation and exile from our churches, camp ground, and families, the wilderness experience of the prophet Ezekiel has captured my imagination. Ezekiel was experiencing exile in Babylon. He says he was out alone by the Kebar river when God appeared to him in a new way.

You are probably familiar with the image of four living creatures with four faces and wings, each with their “chariot”—a wheel within a wheel with 

DS Devotional Day 2

Day 2: I Hear You Calling

I suppose the most famous wilderness wanderer in scripture is Moses.  With the exception of his first 40 years of life, Moses’ entire life was spent in the wilderness.  In the wilderness, Moses had countless encounters with God—life changing encounters.  The one that started it all, though, happened when eighty-year-old-shepherd-Moses stopped to see a bush that was on fire, yet not consumed.

What happened next would consume Moses for the rest of hi