George Washington in his first speech as president said, “It is the invisible hand that guides the affairs of men.” He was referring to God’s hand of providence. Statesman Otto von Bismarck was behind the unification of Germany in 1871. He said it was important for statesmen to “listen for the footsteps of God. When you hear them you grab His coat tails and hang on.” These preordained footsteps every pastor and every follower of Christ should be listening for. We see many of them in Scripture.
There are “providential points” in life where certain events or people come together being orchestrated by God from behind the scenes. I have seen many providential points in my life. I see more as time passes and my spiritual sight improves while physical eyesight dims as J.C. Penny said. As I write this series of blogs about our church history I will point out a few of those providential points and trust you will be blessed to see how God’s unseen hand has been on Discovery these last 40 years.
Demoing the cross window wall in prep for extending it farther into the forest by about 47% See link farther below for other new pictures.
I was fortunate to be born in the United States. Having traveled I see how clearly God has blessed America. I don’t deserve to be here, but I am. My German grandparents came from Czarist Russia in 1902 before Stalin’s forced famine killed over six million Ukrainians. My grandparents escaped and homesteaded in the wild west of what would be Warden, Washington. My dad, brother, and myself grew up on that ranch. The Bible and who Christ was we never doubted. You could say I was a “cultural Christian” since that was what was around me. But when my mother had a brain tumor she drew closer to God. With her I visited churches other than our German community church. Eventually I heard the gospel more clearly and realized I was religious but a lost sinner trying to merit salvation by my works. Soon I came to repentance and faith in Christ alone as my Savior at about age seventeen. Immediately my life changed. At the time I headed a small rock band but soon left that due to wanting to pursue God more. In short, I believe God used my mother’s tumor to bring me and others to salvation alone in Christ.
The oldest barn in the Warden area. My grandfather built it, dad and I repaired it and housed horses, cows and hay in it.
With that in mind I’ve entitled my blogs this month as Reflections of A Light Keeper. Pastors are like light keepers who keep the lamp burning to guide ships away from dangerous shoals or rocks and to safe harbor. Likewise, we have a divine responsibility to keep the light of Christ burning that brings people out of darkness and guides the church to reach a lost world with the Gospel for God’s glory (Mat. 5:16).
Around the time I was saved I asked God for a Christian girlfriend. Soon Nancy showed up. Her family had moved to the area to farm across the valley from our ranch. I first saw her face on the first day of my junior year of High School which was her sixteenth birthday. Soon we got to know each other and began dating the following spring. Her faith and mine were similar. We both saw that as God’s providential match-making as a result of our similar prayers. Later we went to college locally and eventually were married in 1969 after I had joined the Coast Guard.
My first assignment was on a floating light station. I had never heard of lightships before because their stations were remote being seldom seen from land; it was isolated duty. For nearly two years I helped keep the light burning, fog horn bellowing, and radio beacon working through all kinds of weather foul or fair. My next assignment was a lighthouse on Vashon Island. Following isolated duty they try to give you more family friendly duty. Nancy and I were recently married so this location was like an extended honeymoon. Here we attended church and I would have extra time to study on night watches. Here our first child, Joshua, was born.
The Lighship UMATILLA Lightship on station sending the light at dusk off Pacific Coast south of Tatoosh Island.
The Coast Guard fit me well so eventually I applied for Officer Candidate School, was accepted and was commissioned. This was a whole new life and a good career since I loved ships and the sea. My first officer duty station was on a famous 230 foot cutter named the Storis out of Kodiak, Alaska. She was the first U.S. flagged ship to ever circumnavigate North America in 1950’s and clear the way for U.S. subs to go under the pole. The Storis was exciting duty as we patrolled the Bering Sea protecting U.S. interests, doing rescues, and keeping an eye on the huge Soviet trawler fleet that did not like our presence during those Cold War years. It was also “cold” in the winter, so much that salt water spray could freeze on the superstructure causing ships, ours too, to be in danger of capsizing. I felt relatively safe knowing I was on a “Coast Guard” ship. But I knew they could sink too since we aided one that was in danger of sinking. I also lost a shipmate to one that did sink.
That made me think about my life. Did God want me to be a career Coastie or did He have other plans? I didn’t want to waste my life doing something that I liked that was outside of His plan. Reading the book of Acts and Paul’s shipwreck story, while we were in stormy seas, caused me to think hard about this.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter STORIS battling heavy and freezing seas in the Bering Sea.
Our patrols were weeks long but we came back home to Kodiak where we lived and were involved in a good church, Berean Baptist. Here the pastor Richard Marsh had a lasting impact on me. He allowed me to serve in church when home and also took me hunting where we talked theology over the camp fire. Eventually I sensed God was calling me to ministry. Therefore, in 1975 I left active duty to go back to college in Salem, Oregon. I felt I needed seminary but money was tight. Amazingly the government that year extended the G.I. Bill so I could attend Northwest Baptist Seminary in Tacoma. It was one of those providential points.
I would remain on call as a reserve Coast Guardsman for another seven years. My plan was to finish seminary and return to Alaska to church plant. But towards the end of that time I was asked to consider church planting in Gig Harbor where we lived then and still do. I was approved by our mission and gathered a launch team and the church was started on September the 7th, 1980. Providence was at work again.
The years In the military as an enlisted man I learned the importance of obeying orders, respect for country and those in authority as well as humility and respect for others. I learned how to deal with difficult people and the importance of sticking with it. Later as an officer I learned what it means to be responsible for the lives those under you, to lead and give orders properly. The military was also a huge financial help to me. As a new husband and later a father I learned the importance of home and how to deal with periods of separation. In those days before cell phones and the internet it was three weeks between mail boats while on isolated duty. If you missed getting a letter you only had to wait three weeks until the next boat. Later we just waited until we docked somewhere and hoped there was a phone booth there in the Alaskan wilderness.
“Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. “ Psalm. 107:23-28
During those years we also experienced Presbyterian, Evangelical Free, Baptist, and military chapel churches. I volunteered to do ministry in church or chapel ashore or bible study aboard ship. I once taught Sunday School where Frank Peretti was one of my young students. He later became the author of This Present Darkness.
All of this was the dawn of that period of life where God led me eventually into ministry. More on the start of our church next time.
Pastor Mark
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PRAY FOR BUILDING PROJECT THIS WEEK: We have now finished our 5th week of building.
Here is what to pray for…
Pouring of concrete begins next week.
Approval of test hole dug for septic backup drain field.
Dismantling auditorium forward storage rooms so cross window wall can be moved to enlarge auditorium by 47%.
For builder as they appeal to county to accept a standard asphalt parking lot vs. the more expensive previous one. For safety of their equipment now gated in.
Praise an artisan from DBC working on our tile compass rose logo previously at the entrance and eventually be placed in garden setting with missionary foot prints.
Praise that our offerings in July were an amazing $10,000 above what was budgeted for the General Fund and the Building Fund giving was $6,695 all of this while we are still in a CV-19 world and meeting on Sunday afternoons elsewhere at Harborview Fellowship.
Pray for the Christensens preparing moving to Oregon on or before 8/18 to be near family. Both have been key servants in our office and building project. Pray for their replacement.
Pray for our board as we deal with plans and expenses. See Aug. 9 Very Important Construction Project Informational Meeting at www.Community.discoverybaptist.org or contact a board memeber or pastor.
Interested a small hot water tank (10-20 gal.) not needed or large double pane window we had in the Cry Room? If so contact me ASAP before they are discarded.
Pastor Mark