Pastor Deron revisits his memories from last Memorial Day.

This past Memorial Day weekend [5/30/11], I had the opportunity to travel to upstate New York where I grew up. I always enjoy going back there for a visit. This place is in the heart of the Adirondack National Park. The town, Schroon Lake is a small community with a population of 1,735, according to City- Data.com. It transforms itself into a thriving metropolis the day after Memorial Day.

We used to say, “They roll out the sidewalks on Memorial Day and roll them back up on Labor Day.” A short drive through Schroon Lake belies the sparse population as you see small houses, cottages really, scattered along the shores of the lake. The reason for the inconsistent population, however, is the summer residents. They begin to invade Schroon Lake not long after Memorial Day, as tradition dictates, and return home around Labor Day, leaving behind a little ghost town … our little ghost town.

I try to make it a habit to spend 4th of July in Schroon Lake … parade, patriotic concert on the beach and the most amazing fireworks you could ever imagine. I went there last July with my kids, believing there is no way it would live up to my memories. I was wrong. It’s not that it’s the biggest parade, it’s actually quite small. The concert is not the best, just local artists singing their best in honor of God and country, and the fireworks are not the biggest, but quite impressive for a small mountain town of only 1,800. What makes this place so spectacular? Tradition. You’ve heard the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Well, that’s Schroon Lake.

I talked with an 89-year-old man a couple of weeks ago that used to vacation in Schroon Lake. He showed me a picture of the town from 1985. When I arrived on May 27 and drove down main street. That picture from 1985 could’ve been taken today and it would look exactly the same. Stewarts is still one of only two gas stations and the only one that serves Ice

Cream. “Make your own sundaes” are their specialty. Then there’s Decesear’s Pizza – the only pizza place you pay $20 for a pizza you would pay $10 for anywhere else and you still feel like you got a bargain. Why, it’s the only pizza place in town. Then there’s my personal favorite, Pitkins, the local diner where the owner, Marie, still waits tables with a smile as she sits down at your table and talks about the good old days. She’ll remember your name and even ask you how your family is doing. It’s a place where every stranger feels at home. It’s a place where it’s still like it used to be in the “good ole days.”

Do you have a Schroon Lake? Do you have a place that always feels like home, which never seems to change, that

you can count on year after year?

At our church, we celebrate Jesus Christ. You know what it says about Christ in Hebrews 13? It says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Isn’t that amazing? Finally, something you can count on, someone who cares, someone who loves you enough to die on the cross for you, someone who says, “There is no one left to judge you, and neither do I.” Someone who will receive you with open arms and someone who you can depend on day after day. While trying to keep up with our fast-moving, ever-changing world, there is Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Deron Peterson is a pastor at First Baptist church.

The Scarlet Letter begins in 17th Century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. A man in the crowd tells an elderly onlooker that Hester is being punished for adultery. Hester’s husband, a scholar much older than she is, sent her ahead to America, but he never arrived in Boston. The consensus is that he has been lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has apparently had an affair, as she has given birth to a child. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. On this day, Hester is led to the town scaffold and harangued by the town fathers, but she again refuses to identify her child’s father.

Hester supports herself by working as a seamstress. Shunned by the community, she lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of Boston. Community officials attempt to take Pearl, her daughter, away from Hester, but, with the help of Arthur Dimmesdale, a young and eloquent minister, the mother and daughter manage to stay together. Dimmesdale, however, appears to be wasting away and suffers from mysterious heart trouble, seemingly caused by psychological distress.

Hester and Dimmesdale arrange to flee Boston together. The day before their departure, the townspeople gather for a holiday and Dimmesdale preaches his most eloquent sermon ever. Dimmesdale, leaving the church after his sermon, sees Hester and Pearl standing before the town scaffold. He impulsively mounts the scaffold with his lover and his daughter, and confesses publicly, exposing a scarlet letter seared into the flesh of his chest. He falls dead, as Pearl kisses him.

Hester and Pearl leave Boston, and no one knows what has happened to them. Many years later, Hester returns alone, still wearing the scarlet letter. When Hester dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale. The two share a single tombstone, which bears a scarlet “A.”

Hollywood released their version of the story years ago. I had enjoyed the book as a child and, therefore, I was eager to see the movie. I was disappointed. I believe that the people who wrote the movie really missed out on what the Scarlet Letter was really about. I believe the story is about Redemption. Hester has this Scarlet letter on her chest that she must where at all times. Instead of feeling sorry for herself and cowering away, she does all she can to help others. After several years, she becomes more famous for her charitable work than she is for her Scarlett letter.

The “A” no longer represents her sin, but instead, it represents the person she has become. That is why I believe that, even after she was given permission to remove the letter, she continued to wear it – until her death.

I believe this is one of the biggest misconceptions concerning Jesus Christ. Christ does not want you to carry a Scarlet letter around. He wants to take the scarlet letter from you. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” That word “confess” simply means, “to agree.” In other words, “Agree with God concerning your sin and He will make you clean.” What’s holding you back?
What prevents you from having the relationship with God that you were created to have?
Deron Peterson is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

We had this young man, Toto, who lived about a block from our house in Corrientes, Argentina, whose parents were very violent. They would take turns beating him and then throw him out of the house.

I first met Toto in our backyard. Samuel had invited a group of boys from the neighborhood into the house.

While the boys were playing in the back, a neighbor woman came and told me I needed to be careful with Toto. Apparently, he was a thief. We soon got to know him as he spent more time in our house. I remember one day, Toto found a Tonka Truck collection I had saved since I was a child. He took the trucks, the Hot Wheels and other cars and sat down on the dining room floor and played all morning, afternoon and into the night. I asked him why he enjoyed those toys (because they were not for boys of his age; he was 14 at the time). He replied, “I’ve never had toys like this before, never even one toy car.”

Soon Toto was spending significant time in our house and, on occasion, he would spend the night when things were difficult at home. He never stayed too long because even though his parents beat him, he still loved them; they were his parents. He told us once of a story where he ran away from home and spent three months riding by truck all over the country. When he arrived home, his parents didn’t know he was gone. He was known to spend weeks at a time sleeping on the street because he was afraid to go home. What he noticed was that no one cared enough to look for him.

One day, Toto was acting very strange. He quickly said he had something to do and walked out of the house and didn’t return. It was then we realized that he had stolen Samuel’s birthday money. Fearing what had become of him, Beth and the boys set out to look for him. For weeks, we went to all the places he was known to sleep or hang out and never saw any trace of him.

Rolo, who has had several experiences with children like Toto told us it was hopeless.  “Once they steal from you,” Rolo said, “It’s over. You can never have him back in your house.”

I looked at Rolo and said, “If we never find him, how can we show him forgiveness?”  Through his tears, Rolo said, “We’ll find him.”

That night we got a phone call from Toto. He told us he was okay and was traveling again by truck. He didn’t realize we had caller ID and identified the place he called us from. We went to find him. When we got there, he was gone. We headed home defeated. About an hour after we got home, the doorbell rang. It was Toto! With huge tears in his eyes he said, “No one ever looked for me before.”

Have you ever felt like no one was looking for you? Do you ever feel like if you disappeared, no one would even notice? That’s how Toto felt. God’s word says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

God is looking for you. He loves you, and he wants you to give Him your burdens.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

Last Week, Beth and I were in Ecuador visiting a close friend of ours and setting up a mission trip for June. Our church is going to go to Quito, Ecuador in June for a Medical/Construction trip.

My friend there also works with youth who have problems with drugs. This friend, Rolo, wanted us to see a city where he was working. He said it would only take about two hours to get there.

Our plans were to go to a museum located at the equator but, since it was only two hours, we figured we’ll go visit this city and then go to the museum. Rolo’s friend, Walter, was driving and we headed off on our little adventure.

After a little more than two hours in the car, I asked if we had much further to go. Rolo, said “no.” Walter, the driver, said “yes,” about three hours more. I was shocked. Instead of two hours, it was going to be five. We asked them to turn around and head back. We didn’t want to spend 10 hours in the car our only day in Quito. We wanted to see the city. Rolo was upset. He felt he had ruined everyone’s plans, including his own. We turned around. Shortly afterward, the traffic came to a complete stop. There was a major accident. We would have to wait until they cleared the road. After another hour or so, we were back on the road.

After finally returning to Quito, we stopped at the house of Walter’s mother where his three children were. Walter, we learned, had just lost his wife a little over a month earlier to Cancer. The whole family was still dealing with this loss. After visiting for a little while, Beth, Rolo and I decided to walk to the center of town, about 10 blocks away. While walking around the city, where we had a wonderful time, we received an invitation from Walter’s mom to stay for dinner. We had a great evening with Walter and his family, an experience we will not forget.

The following day, we finally did get to go to the equator and had a wonderful time. Later in the day, Rolo and I were talking. He was still frustrated by what had happened the previous day. I asked if he remembered the only thing Beth and I had asked to do.

I said, “We wanted to go to the ‘Center of the Earth’ and see the equator. The one thing we asked to do, we didn’t get to because of the misunderstanding about the length of the trip.”

But I then asked him if he knew my favorite part of the whole trip.

He said, “No.”

I said, “Walking around the city with you and having dinner with Walter and his family. And, it wasn’t planned. It was a total accident.”

Just like John Piper says, “God has no afterthoughts. Every plan is Plan A. If he reverses a trajectory, that was the plan.”

What a wonderful truth. We can trust fully in God’s plan for our lives. 1Corinthians 2:9 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

This is an incredible promise. We have never seen, never heard and cannot even conceive of what God has planned for our lives. Bottom line, we can trust God! He has eye-popping, ear-blasting, mind-blowing plans for us, usually where and when we least expect them to be.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

In today’s culture, we struggle so much with letting go. The “Self-Help” industry is booming, and yet no one seems to act like their lives are getting any better.

It’s like we bounce from one self-help fad to another, always blaming the last theory or maybe our approach to that theory. It seems to me, however, that what’s really missing is the power to change. I believe that all of us have something about our lives that we would like to change.  But how do we accomplish this change?

There are others who want no part in change, but believe their life would be infinitely better if everyone else would change. We all know people like that, they drift from one crisis to the next, always giving responsibility for their problems to everyone else in their lives, never once realizing that the only thing their problems have in common is them.

But what’s the solution? How does one really change? How does one really “take control of their lives,” as many would say, and make change. Change, of course is the topic of the day. It’s January!

Consider this analogy. Suppose you live in a village where electricity is supplied by a generator on a nearby hill. Each evening, the owner of the generator regulates which houses receive the power. He gives two conditions for receiving power for the lamps in your house.

First, he says, “If you plug the cord in the socket firmly, you will tap into the power of the electricity for your light.”

Secondly, “If I see light in the house, I will keep the power flowing to your house, but if I do not see any light for a while, I will assume you are not home and turn off the power to your house.”

Okay, cute story, but how does this apply to my life? Plugging into the power is the condition of believing in the promises of God. It connects you to the power of God. That’s the primary condition of surrendering to God. If you do not plug in the lamps and there is no light, the power source is cut off. The same is true of our relationship with God. If we are not “plugged in,” by the reading of His Word and prayer, then we have no hope of having the necessary power to bring about real change.

This light in the house is the secondary condition of our attitude towards others. You don’t have light first in order to get power. Your light proves that the lamp is plugged in. And your attitude proves that your faith is genuine – that you are really connected to God as one who is satisfied with all that He is for you in Jesus. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is what we’re missing. We’re not plugged into the power source.

There is a great God of grace, who magnifies his own infinite self-sufficiency by fulfilling promises to helpless people who trust him. And there is a power that comes from prizing this God, which leaves no nook and cranny of life untouched. It empowers us to love in the most practical ways.

Want real change for 2012? Then, get plugged in.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

I remember the feelings I had when I first found out I was going to be a father.

Most fathers have nine months to prepare. You get the news, you look at the calendar, you figure out the day of the birth and you begin to prepare. These days, you can even find out what the gender is, so you can even prepare by having everything set up whether you are having a boy or a girl.

In our case, all of our children are adopted so we really didn’t have that kind of preparation time. In fact, the amount of time we had to prepare was actually in reverse order of their birth.

With Ana, we had no notice. Someone literally knocked on the door, put her in Beth’s arms and said, “I’ll bring her things tomorrow.” She has been with us ever since. Because of that visit, our lives will never be the same. She completely changed the dynamics of our family forever. For one thing, after two boys, I was not prepared for a little girl.

Isaiah was a little longer. We were notified about five days before he was born and Beth actually was able to be there and see him a couple of hours after he was born. For me, it was a little bit longer because we had to finalize all the legal documents for Isaiah to leave Pennsylvania and travel to Texas. What an exciting time! Samuel and I arrived at the airport a bit early, waiting for Beth to walk through the door with this little boy who would change our lives forever.

The longest we had to wait was for Samuel. In April of 1997, we were notified that we might have the opportunity and then, about four months later, he arrived.

I have been studying for some weeks now Luke 1 and 2 getting ready for Christmas messages. The thing that has impacted me is Joseph. He had made all the right choices and was obviously a Godly man who could be trusted.  Why else would God choose this man to raise His only begotten Son? He was doing all the right things. He had learned a trade. We know he was a carpenter. He was successful enough that he was in a position to get married and provide for a family. He had all the hopes and dreams that a man getting ready to begin his life would have. Then, his wife-to-be shows up pregnant, proclaiming that the baby was God’s son. Now, that’s a major change. How does he respond? Matthew says he took her into his house to live as his wife. Joseph was really an amazing man. So little is known or written about Joseph, but, at the same time, we learn so much from him about what it means to be a Godly father and Husband.

First of all, he put aside all of his pride and rights as a man to follow God’s plan for his life, even though it was a plan that really made no sense to him. Secondly, he cared for a woman that was carrying someone else’s child.

Thirdly, he raised the child as his own, the whole time knowing that this child was the Son of God.

We know that Joseph did teach Him the Word of God because, at the end of chapter two, we hear the story of Jesus at the temple. The passage says that, after three days in the temple courts, the religious leaders of the day marveled at his knowledge of the scripture because he was 100 percent man, as well as 100 percent God. He had to learn the truths of God’s Word. It was Joseph who taught him.

We also know Joseph taught his other children, because the New Testament book of James was written by James, the brother of Jesus.

When we think of Christmas, we think of the baby Jesus, Mary his mother, the wise men, the shepherds and the angels’ announcement. Let’s take some time this Christmas to learn from one of the greatest fathers in history, Joseph.

Deron Peterson is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach

As I mentioned in a previous “Clergy Corner,” I grew up in a small town in the northern part of New York, very close to the border with Canada.  The town was in the middle of the Adirondack Park, on a lake, and surrounded by mountains. Not mountains like Colorado, but mountains just the same.

November was always one of my favorite months.  It’s well into the school year so you’re already over the shock of going back to school after a long summer break.  All the trees have turned and the mountains are filled with beautiful colors of brown, orange and red, and, soon, if not already, the leaves start to fall.

The first snowfall of the year is something very special.  You know it’s coming and you can’t wait until that first morning when you wake up to find everything covered in white.  It is such a beautiful sight.  Everything looks so clean and pure. It’s almost like a fresh start.

November also has Thanksgiving.  I love thanksgiving.  What does thanksgiving mean to you? Family, food, football or a short vacation from work and school?  Thanksgiving means a lot of things to a lot of people.  For me, it’s the combination of several different things. The change in the leaves, signifying change in life; snow, telling me that we can change and that there is forgiveness; family, because we will be getting together; and, of course, Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on all God has done for us.

Ephesians 5:20 says, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Giving thanks, especially in the midst of some of the difficult times many are going through, is difficult. Maybe it’s because of our perspective. The Bible teaches that without a proper relationship with God, we cannot have a proper perspective.  Gratitude and Grace come from the same root word.  If I’m thankful for what I’ve been given and for what God has done for me, then that will be reflected in my living a gracious life and giving grace to others.

Think and Thank are also from the same root word.  If we sit for a moment and think about all that God has done for us, sending His Son to die on the cross to provide a way of salvation, preparing a place in Heaven for all of those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and daily providing for our needs.  I think we sometimes forget that God never promised to provide for our wants, but only for our needs.

Let’s take time to THINK about all God had done for us, then THANK Him for His provision.  This will provide us with a heart of GRATITUDE, which will produce a GRACIOUS attitude.

Editor’s Note: As we savor our recent Thanksgiving time with family and friends, let us remember to give thanks all year long.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

My wife and I spent about 10 years living in Argentina.  During that time we learned a great deal about the language and culture of Argentina.  Some things we did not like, and some we did.

One of the things we absolutely love about the Argentine culture is the Argentine Asado. Some would translate that as “barbecue” but it is so much more. An Asado is an event that brings people together. It’s so much more that just preparing a meal and sitting down to eat together. We used to have Asados almost every Sunday at our house.  Our neighbors, who now are more like family, would come over at about 10 in the morning.  First myself and my friend Juan would start the fire, and while we were starting the fire, Beth and Juan’s wife, Silvia, would prepare the salad and drinks.  While the coals were getting hot, we would prepare the meat, and nothing compares to Argentine beef.  To prepare properly an Argentine Asado, it takes about 3 hours.  During that time Juan, his son Nahuel, and my son Samuel, would talk, and, through these Asados, our relationship grew from one of neighborly friendship to family. I actually refer to the Gonzales family as our Argentine family. When the meat was almost done, we would prepare the table and sit down to a feast. The conversation would continue as we ate, and then long after we were done eating, as we sat around the table, satisfied by the wonderful meal we had all prepared and enjoyed. These little events happen all over Argentina on a daily basis.  Everyone looks for any excuse to have an Asado.  My soccer team would meet twice a month for an Asado. We would say it was important to get together to talk strategy, but in the four hours we spent together, we rarely talked strategy.

Last week, my son Isaiah prayed to receive Christ.  My wife described to him that Heaven is like a big Asado, where all your friends and family sit around the table, enjoying each other’s company.  In Matthew 7:21-23 it says this, ”Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father, who is in heaven, will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

What I believe these verses mean is that not everyone is going to be at the big Asado.  God has given us an invitation. Matt. 11:28  says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The invitation is to cast your burdens on Him, and one day, sit down at a big table filled with friends and enjoy the best Asado ever.  Have you accepted the invitation?

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

According to the United States Department of Labor, “the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union, which held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later on Sept. 5, 1883.

In 1884, the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and, in 1885, Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Through the years, the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them, developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York Legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on Feb. 21, 1887. During the year, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and, on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Labor Day … a great time to sit, relax, enjoy family and friends, and rest. In John 11:38-42, we have the story of Mary and Martha, who are often contrasted, as though each believer must make a choice: be a worker like Martha or a worshiper like Mary. We all have special gifts and talents and should use those talents to glorify God. It would seem from this story that, while labor is important, we need to have balance between work and time for worshiping God.

Consider Martha’s situation. She received Jesus into her home and then neglected Him as she prepared an elaborate meal that He did not need! It’s hard to believe that a seasoned hostess like Martha did not have everything in order in preparation for the Lord’s visit. What Martha did not realize is it is far more important what we do with Christ than it is what we do for Christ. Mary seemed to understand this balance and put this into practice when, after finishing her work, she had gone to sit at the feet of Jesus to learn from Him. Martha, feeling neglected, complains to the Lord, expecting Him to scold Mary for neglecting her work, as though she could care less about her responsibilities.

There are few things in the Christian life that are as damaging as trying to work for Christ without taking the time to commune with Christ. “For without Me, ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Mary chose the better part, the part that could not be taken from her. She knew that she could not live “by bread alone” (Matt. 4:4).

Instead of criticizing others and feeling self-pity for ourselves, maybe we should take time to examine our lives and see if, in all our busy schedules, we have neglected the Lord. The problem was not that Martha had too much work to do, but that all her work distracted her from what was really important in her life.

The key is to have the right priorities. Unless we spend time each day with Christ, we will soon end up like Martha, too busy and not blessed. If you are struggling, then let me ask you a question, how is your devotional life? The usual response is, “I can’t remember the last time I had a good quiet time or prayed.” And then, we wonder why we have problems! Don’t forget that just a few short verses earlier Christ said this, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you,” He said, “for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:28-29).

Have a wonderful Labor Day!

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

My family and I love summer … going to the beach, playing golf, riding bikes and hanging out at the pool. Growing up in the North has made living in South Florida feel like summer all year round. Somebody said to me the other day that even South Florida has seasons. I won’t debate here if that’s true or not, but I will tell you that in New York, where I grew up, summer didn’t last too long. That’s what makes living in South Florida so much fun for our family. We love summer.

Among all the wonderful activities we enjoy during the summer, one in particular is not outdoors. We enjoy getting some snacks and sitting down to watch America’s Got Talent. We love that show. We have watched as a family every year it has been on. We really enjoy the beginning of the show when people from all over come to audition – people who have absolutely no talent, yet believe they do, people who are very talented, but have no idea how gifted they really are.

The part of the show that we love the most is the variety. You never, and I mean never, know what you’re going to get. I mean where else can you watch a magician, a singer, a family riding motorcycles in a giant ball, gymnastics, Latin dancing, three 6-year-olds rapping and a guy diving 40ft. into 12 inches of water, on the same show, on the same night? Only on America’s Got Talent. We find our favorite acts, and then we cheer them on as they move toward the finals.   We look forward to the acts that surprise you, like the little girl last year, Jackie Evancho. She walks onstage and looks like the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen, then she sings opera like a seasoned veteran of the stage. Or, this year, the guy walks on stage, an African American, with dreadlocks past his shoulders, who looks like he just walked in off the street, and then he sings, “My Kind of Town” and you swear you’re hearing Frank Sinatra. We love that show.

Life is like that. I get surprised every day. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” That tells me that God’s criteria is not the same as ours. God looks at what He can do through people, not what people can do on their own. God looks for people that will be willing to give their lives to Him so He can mold them into something useful and be able to fulfill God’s purpose for their life. That’s what makes church so interesting. Just like America’s Got Talent, you never know what you’re going to get. And people will always surprise you.

At our church, we are studying through the book of  Ephesians. Ephesians 2:21-22 says this, “In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you, too, are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” What Paul is saying is that God, not you or I, chooses who He wants to use. He says, “You, too, are being built together.” There is a place for you! He needs all kinds of stones for his dwelling.  Looking for a place to fit in, a place to feel loved and welcome? That word “built” actually means “fitted.” That’s what God wants to do with you. He wants to fit you, into His dwelling. That’s why I love our church, like Americas Got Talent, you find the variety that makes God’s family so wonderful.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.