The First UPC- Encouragement and Help
Proclaiming the Name of Jesus!
Free Pastoral counciling available from people who care.
Please contact the Rev. Ora Hatheway or Rev. Janice Hatheway at 410-543-0759.
They would be glad to help you find what you need in Jesus.

[Are You Afraid?] [Are You Hurting?] [Are You Lonely?] [On Giving Up] [Do you feel dirty]
[Don't know who to talk to?] [Can't find someone to help?] [Is it too hard?]
[Do you think nobody cares?]
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Fear
1 John 4:18-19
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. (KJV)
There is security in love. Rest assured of one thing, even if you doubt every other, Jesus loves you. Only somebody who loved you very much would die to save you. And when Jesus came back from the dead there was still but one message on His mind. That same message of LOVE was more powerfull then death itself. It bridged the gap between hell and heaven. It opened the passage to God, that sin long had blocked.

If Jesus didn't think you where worth it, he wouldn't have died for you. You only pay what something is worth. You are worth every ounce of the blood of Jesus, because that is what He paid for you. No present circumstance can take away anything from what Jesus has already done for you. Nor can any present trial reduce for even a second the love God feels for you.

Listen for a second and you might hear His voice, saying "FEAR NOT". Pause for a second, close your eyes, and you could very well began to feel His arms embracing you. Secure, safe, and loved.

All the monumental problems of the world have not been solved. The hurricanes, tornados, fires, and floods of life may continue unabated. But even the worst of problems must have a starting place for a solution. And for you to know that you are loved is where it must begin.

Revelation 1:5
And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (KJV)



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hurting
Hebrews 2:14-17
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (KJV)
When Jesus came he could have come with a body that could feel no pain. After all, how far do you think God should go? God knew that the only payment for our sins was the death of a righteous man. So He came Himself to do the job that nobody else could do. But why actually suffer? The scriptures give the answer: because he knew we had, did, and would.

Blame for suffering does not belong with God. Let it be laid at the feet of this ugly thing called sin. Consider whether it was God who destroyed paradise or man. Man chose to sin and eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But men have never had the ability to pick the consequences of their sin. Sin produces suffering, and ultimately, as Romans say's, "The wages of sin is death."

Unfortunately, many a man has suffered at the hands of somebody elses sin. Heaven alone knows the number of times somebody has cried out to God, "but it wasn't my fault!". Truly perhaps it wasn't. Nobody else may understand, but God does understand. You cannot truly say that God does not understand.

Jesus was rejected by those he came to save. He chose a man, and chose to love him, only to be betrayed by this same man. The betrayal wasn't a matter of name calling, it was a matter of life or death. This man, Judas, literaly betrayed Jesus into the hands of unimaginable suffering.

And if betrayal wasn't enough, a lack of justice soon followed. Jesus was put on what was called a trial. But the results had already been predetermined, and every card was stacked against him. Those who accused him, also judged him meaning that there were no fair or impartial judges in this trial. This wasn't supposed to be what happened to a man who really did what was right. After all, Jesus healed the sick, told everybody to love their nieghbour, and promised eternal life to anyone who chose to follow Him. Maybe some thought he was a fraud- but for this no man deserves to die. Again Jesus was hurting. This time at the hands of injustice.

There are no words that can describe the agony of the cross. Either you've been nailed to a cross, or you haven't. The hands of Jesus where not tied to that cross, but rather nails were driven through them. It was not a movie when a spear was driven into His side, and blood and water gushed out. This is a picture of a dying man. The Roman government used crucifixion because it was the most brutal, torturous way they knew to kill a man.

When you're hurting remember one thing- Jesus knows what pain feels like. Even more important then the picture of a dying man on a cross, was the dramatic resurrection three days later. Because He still lives, He knows your current pain. He knows what you're going through. If you pause and listen for a second, God may be talking. He wants to help you, like only he can.


1 Peter 4:19
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to him] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (KJV)



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Guilt
Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (KJV)
Wounded Pride. Hidden Guilt. Obvious Hurt. This is an hour when many say that answers come from the heart. But so does the darkness. The eyes never blind the heart. It's always the heart that blinds the eyes. Like a window pane, when it is dirty the heart causes everything to look dim. All of sudden the way home is distorted and smudged.

We fool ourselves into thinking that everyone else thinks we're happy. But the pain on the inside always weighs more then the decepetion on the outside. And when your done fooling everybody, nobody is really fooled.

The greatest exchange in the universe took place at Calvery. Your guilt for His forgiveness. Your deception for His truth. The crucifixition of your heart upon that cross, so that you might bear His instead.

The sales counter is open, and the goods are being given away for free. Jesus stands at that counter ready and willing to accept your guilt, and to let you go free. No one stands in front of you. And you don't have to wait.

God really has more power then Satan. Satan can bind, but only God can set free. Satan can kill, but only God can give life. Why serve a loser who is gaurenteed not to win?

Jesus will forgive your every sin. And in place of guilt give you peace and victory within!





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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lonely
John 14:18
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (KJV)
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (NIV)

To be alone can be a frighting thought. Sometimes loneliness has definite cause like the death of a loved one, a painful divorce, or even a friend that moves far away. At other times we can simply feel intensely alone without really knowing why. Crowds often don't seem to be of much help. Loneliness can pursue somebody from the bed at night, to their job in the morning, and into the crowded shoping malls of the major cities after dinner.

Jesus well knew the conditions that the human heart is subject to. One reason for the Pentecost of Acts chapter 2 in the Bible was the salvation of souls. Another was because though Jesus had ascended into heaven He knew that we would need someone who could stay very close to us. Sometimes lost in the explosion of tongues is this simple truth: through the experience of Pentecost Jesus was no longer on the outside, but had come to dwell on the inside.

Unfortunately, just having someone physically beside you does not gaurentee an end of loneliness. Loneliness does not occur on the outside of a man or women, but on the inside. And the only place where it can be taken care of is where the problem is occurring.

If you have never received your own Pentecost, when Jesus comes to dwell on the inside of you, you can. Acts 2:38-39 in the KJV says, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call." To put it simply, God is calling you, and wants to dwell in you.

Focus on Jesus, instead of the source of your loneliness. Let down your walls for just a second, and let Jesus in. Its true you have to believe, but believing is not really all that hard. Deep down everybody wants a friend, and you can rest assured that Jesus wants to be that friend.


Matthew 28:20
...and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * On Giving Up
Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV)
Why continue on? You've gotta have a reason. YES- it'll probably look better in the morning. Yet sometimes 8 hours, though it provides sleep, cannot erase the deep weariness of a soul without reason. The deep emptyness that wants to scream but has niether voice, nor energy. But this is the key, the only key, remember this and you'll go on. The morning always comes, it just doesn't always come in 8 hours.

Imagine Peter, strong, brave, water-walking, Peter. Warming his hands before a fire, while all the hope he ever knew was being tried and unjustly condemened. No fire beneath his hands could warm the chill that was settling over his heart. "Brave Peter," His thoughts probably mocked him. His words spoken so roughly, "I never knew him." But Peter, someone has prayed for you. Someone who prayed your faith would not fail. Someone whose prayers do not fail. This is what no one understands. Even as faith beats silently in your chest. You cannot give up, because you still believe. Once glance from the Masters face, and all the fake exterior crumbles.

Count the seconds, the minutes, the hours, the years. Let them fly fast, like arrows let them fly straight. Let them grind down upon the flesh, upon what you hoped would be. Even as faith beats silently in your chest. You cannot give up, because you still believe. Abraham you might look old, and withered, but the promises of God do not mock you, they beckon on. A call to wander, but not a call to wander lost. A pilgrimage born in the heart of God, that can end only at the New Jerusalem.

Love lives on in Jesus. Faith lives on in Jesus. Hope lives on in Jesus. In him are buried all the treasures of heaven. There is no reason to quit.


James 5:11
Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. (KJV)



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dirty
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
(KJV)
We live in a day when everybody justifies what they do attempting to explain away the dirty feeling on the inside. But for many, no matter what the mouth says, the heart is pursued by its sin. In private moments when no one sees, there is guilt. Perhaps because no other alternative seems possible, men and women will put intense effort into explaining away the sin in their life. However, all this effort is made only to comfort themselves and like putting a bandaid on a mortal wound, it does little good.

Legend has it that after Pilate gave Jesus over into the hands of those who sought to crucify Him, he vainly tried to wash the guilt from his hands. There is something about water that makes us think it can wash what is wrong away. But all this effort is in vain. An attempt to deal with sin and wrong, without really dealing with it. A vain wish that it would simply disappear of its own accord.

Yet in Christ there is hope. "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God". There were some people here that knew what is meant to be cleansed by God. The keys seem simple enough: washed, sanctified, and justified by the name of the Lord Jesus, and the Spirit. A simple reminder that to be baptized means in the Greek, to be immersed in water. It is also used of being immersed in the Spirit. In John 3:5 Jesus said it this way, "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." While that connects the water and the Spirit, what about the "name of the Lord Jesus"? There is one scripture that ties it all together. Acts 2:38-39 in the KJV says, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost..." Every place in Acts where baptism is performed it is always done "in the name of Jesus Christ".

This isn't theology, this is salvation. This is not an attack upon your personal beliefs, or life style. It's an olive branch of hope extended. Don't try to wash your hands like Pilate, let them instead be washed in baptism in Jesus name. Don't try to cleanse your heart by convincing yourself that sin is all right, let the baptism of the Spirit wash the sin away. Why cry every night in the anguish of your own heart, when you can simply bow your knees before a forgiving God, and begin to pray, "Father forgive me..."

Acts 4:10-12
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.




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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Somebody to Talk To
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
(KJV)

There is somebody you can talk to. Somebody named Jesus. Forget the formality. Forget having to be in church. Forget having to formulate special words or special phrases. God will understand when you speak in modern English. He'll understand the heart behind those words.

The throne of grace is where unmerited favor rules. That is where Jesus waits to met you. Waits to hear what you so desperatly want to tell somebody. This is a guarantee: God is not listening as a condemning judge. This is a guarantee: God is not listening as a disinterested party. God is listening in all of His compassion. Even if its ugly, some secrets are just too ugly to keep locked up on the inside. Two shoulders are better then one. What you cannot bear, he can.

Is it all that hard to believe in what you cannot see? Though the wind can only be felt, its presence is undeniable. Though on a rainy day you cannot see the sun, no ones worries about whether the sun really exists. Oxygen is invisible and can normally neither be felt, seen, nor heard. Yet no one worries about their next breath. And that is a matter of life and death. God, like the wind, can be felt though not seen. Like the sun on a rainy day, though you cannot see Him today, tommorrow you will. And finally God is like the oxygen. Your very life depends on Him, whether you can see, feel, or hear Him or not.

All of us know what it's like to describe a problem to someone who doesn't see any problem. Someone who says you shouldn't be depressed, and walks away leaving you exactly like you are. Someone who says you shouldn't be hurting, and walks away leaving you exactly like you are. The mercy you need from God will not be denied because God does understand your troubles. In Jesus Christ, through the flesh that He too bore, Jesus felt everything you feel. Indeed, that is why He waits on a throne of grace for you.

Prayer isn't hard, just begin. The rest follows as surely as the rainbow follows the storm.


Psalm 142:1-3
1 ...I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.
2 I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path...
(KJV)



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Who can really help?
Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith...
(KJV)

There are time when we desperatly want someone to come up with a solution. Someone who can really help. Perhaps an almost magical wish that they will simply say or do something to make it right. Except of course nobody ever does. That is the problem.

The people around you face the same burdens as you. Although they may not have faced exactly the same circumstances, they too have had to deal with a world that sometimes is cruel, uncaring, and unfair. And their are some things no man can do. No matter how well meaning. They cannot magically fix that which is broken. They cannot magically translate what you want into reality.

Nobody except God can be God. There is no one that you can take and place in God's position and expect them to perform- even marginally. The truth is that's a burden too big for anyone's shoulders. Of course the answer is simple. Let God be God.

It is true that God places people into your life to help you. But they will only effectivly help you if you see God working through them and begin looking to Him instead of them. At times God will even force your faith in them to fail, to achieve this goal- YOU MUST HAVE FAITH IN GOD.

Faith begins by looking at Jesus more then circumstances, more then friends, and more then anything else. It is a setup for failure to try to trust in God, while looking to people. It isn't hard. It's just a matter of focus. When the moment comes and when the real need is met, it will be only because of Jesus. Why not look to Him today?




Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Is it really to hard?
I Kings 12:28
28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
(KJV)

This is a king who deceived the people whom he ruled. He lied to them. The focus of his message was to appeal to the flesh. The ploy of an "easier" way. Today the cliche that comes to mind is: "it's always greener on the other side of the septic tank." What you're doing, or what you need to do may seem hard. But that doesn't mean that you should abandon it for some other way.

There is something horribly wrong in what this king said. He made those two calves and THEY DID NOT and COULD NOT do anything. They where not alive, and could neither speak, feel, or hear. He took something that was right- worshipping God and substituted something wrong- worshipping idols. Now God might answer your prayers. God might deliver you from trouble. But the only thing those idols could ever do is waste mens time, money, and effort.

The trade was simple: the God that seemed far away for a very near idol. However, every trade is not worth it. It might be easier to have fake Monopoly money then to have to balance a checkbook. But the money in the checking account can do what the fake Monopoly money cannot. Easier does not always mean worth more.

Behind every uttered word of "it's too hard" is one thing and one thing alone. In I Kings verse 27 this king thought that if his subjects worshipped God in someone elses kingdom that they would soon kill him and serve the wrong king. He was AFRAID. Behind every uttered word of "it's too hard" is the FEAR OF FAILURE. This king had just become king, and he was afraid of failing.

But what if this king had cared more for what was right, and less for what he feared? What if the thing that looks to be hard, really isn't? This king became famous for leading an entire nation into sin. That was his legacy. What he did became a snare for his subjects that eventually resulted in thier being rejected by God.

Fear does not have to be your motivation. The key is to confront it. Fear grows in the shadows, while it hides, but often withers in the light when confronted with the truth. Solutions born of fear are not solutions born of God.



Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways ackowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.



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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Do you think nobody cares?
1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
(KJV)

In the scriptures their is the absolute image of somebody who doesn't care. Beneath the cross a few soldiers take the belongings of the condemned man above, and gambled them away. Above them was a condemned criminal that had done no wrong. Hands and feet nailed brutally into the wood of the cross. His back laid open with the stripes of our healing. At this moment, who cared for this man? Even He would cry "My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?" From the uncaring gamblers at His feet, to the one whom He served, every avenue of love seemed closed.

Where does the feeling come from? In the midst of every severe trial, we feel alone. Alone, and if we allow self-pity in, like nobody cares. Others go about their normal activities oblivous to the pain we feel. Laughing, eating, drinking, making and losing money without any regard to anybody else. The miracle of life that has passed us by.

Yet this is where God is so beautiful. While men gambled for gain, he suffered horrible physical, mental, and spiritual anguish on the cross. The perfect picture of "nobody cares." But his words, are not the words of someone who is wallowing in self-pity. In Luke 23:34, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." The thief beside Him who really had done wrong, Jesus openly forgave. He knows what it feels like. When the scriptures say "Casting all your cares upon Him, for he careth for you" (I Peter 5:7) they are the words of somebody who knows what it means to care.

Jesus understood, "they know not what they do." There are people in the world today who care. The man who oftentimes seems unconcerned, is really just not aware. Maybe they need you to let them know where you stand. Maybe God just wants to hear you let Him know what's wrong. It is true that many people simply do not care. But this also is true: there are people who do care. The real living church of Jesus cares. And moreso then this, Jesus cares. Do not let your own pain and anguish blind your heart to the voice of others. There is a God, who is still saying: "I love you."


Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light. (KJV)



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