Pinehurst Alliance Church

Today we worshiped at Pinehurst Alliance Church, 113 Edgewood Road, Sewickley, PA 15143, 724.385.0069, Pastor Dale Roberts.

Scripture – Isaiah 54:1-10

"“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.

“To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you."

Our shared thoughts:

We were unable to blog while waiting for Jan’s computer to be repaired so we mostly visited churches we were familiar with and had blogged about in the past.

Something I (Bob) noticed was that the more familiar we were with a church, the less I noticed the lack of signage…much the same as most members, we believe.

Today we planned to worship at a different church, but when we arrived we found no one home. The signboard appeared to be up-to-date, and everything looked well kept, but we found no indication why no one was there.

I (Bob) noticed this church while on a trip for parts. It is a small church but we were welcomed by all. We noticed a Marine sticker on a car in the lot and learned the pastor and his wife have three sons who are Marines. It is always bittersweet to talk with parents of Marines. Then one of the worship songs was “I Can Only Imagine,” a song we sung at our son’s memorial service. The reminders are unavoidable.

The pastor’s message developed from Isaiah 54. He talked about preparing the church before they try to minister to the surrounding community, asking God to stretch their faith that they may go far beyond their abilities.

We both appreciated the striking cross framed in stone.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray You prepare this church. May they open their hearts to Your guidance. Amen.