Totally, Like... Whatever!

The poem with which i opened the sermon y'day has been requested by a couple of you....
The words are here and
Taylor Mali recited the poem here

also... you can give Taylor some love at itunes as well....

They Passed!!!!

It is with great joy that I announce that Mike Marshall & Charlie Staples were overwhelmingly approved for the office of elder by the North Florida Presbytery.

So, mark October 21 on your calendar for a great day that will include:
1.) The official forming of CCC as a self-governing church
2.) The ordination of Mike Marshall & Charlie Staples to the office of elder
3.) The installation of Mike, Charlie, Larry Eubanks, Rob Pendley and Frank Matthews as the session of Christ Community Church

Great things are happening in our midst. The room continues to be full each week with more visitors than perhaps ever before. Last Sunday we had 53 children in attendance, our highest number ever, I think. Momentum with Journey of Faith and the hopes for our own facility soon... more and more....

Jesus picked up the "Fishers of Men" theme from the Old Testament

Whenever someone becomes a Christian they also become a fisher of human
beings. This was not merely a cute metaphor which fit the setting. If you look at
Jeremiah 16:16: Ezekiel 29:4f; 38:4; Amos ·4:2; Habakkuk 1:14-17, you will see
there is a wealth of Old Testament material which serves as the background for
Jesus' use of the phrase "fishers of men".
In the Old Testament God was the fisherman and the image stressed divine
judgment (i.e. if you don't repent you are likely to get a hook in your mouth). By taking up this metaphor Jesus stressed his message of the nearness of the Kingdom and the necessity of responding in radical repentance. The cost of following Jesus involves the willingness to take that message of judgment upon our lips. --from the Mark Study Guide produced by Redeemer Church NYC

Gospel Humiliation, by Tim Keller

[The following is from Tim Keller's chapter in a forthcoming book, “The Gospel and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World.”]

I know this heading [“Gospel Humiliation”] sounds pretty strong, but I want to get your attention. In Jonah 3:1–2 we read, “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’” In Sinclair Ferguson’s little book on Jonah [Man Overboard] he comments on the broken, humbled prophet who hears the second call to Nineveh and answers it. He says:
God intends to bring life out of death. We may well think of this as the principle behind all evangelism. Indeed we may even call it the Jonah principle, as Jesus seems to have done. . . . [I]t is out of Christ’s weakness that the sufficiency of his saving power will be born. . . . [So] fruitful evangelism is a result of this death-producing principle. It is when we come to share spiritually—and on occasions physically—in Christ’s death (cf. Phil. 3:10) that his power is demonstrated in our weakness and others are drawn to him. This is exactly what was happening to Jonah.
What does this mean? A man recently shared with me how he was trying to talk about his faith with his neighbors, to little avail. But then some major difficulties came into his life, and he began to let his neighbors know how Christ was helping him face them. They were quite interested and moved by this. It was the Jonah principle! As we experience weakness, as we are brought low, Christ’s power is more evident in us.
Lloyd-Jones once gave a sermon on Jacob’s wrestling with God. In the talk he told a story of a time when he was living in Wales. He was in a gathering of older ministers who were discussing a young minister with remarkable preaching gifts. This man was being acclaimed, and there was real hope that God could use him to renew and revive his church. The ministers were hopeful. But then one of them said to the others: “Well, all well and good, but you know, I don’t think he’s been humbled yet.” And the other ministers looked very grave. And it hit Lloyd-Jones hard (and it hit me hard) that unless something comes into your life that breaks you of your self-righteousness and pride, you may say you believe the gospel of grace but, as we said above, the penny hasn’t dropped. You aren’t a sign of the gospel yourself. You don’t have the Jonah principle working in you. You aren’t a strength-out-of-weakness person. God will have to bring you low if he is going to use you in evangelism.

What a Story

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds;
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and He shall come again, with glory,
to judge the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord and Giver of Life;
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified;
who spake by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic* and apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

*catholic, meaning universal... not a reference to the Roman Catholic Church ("...not that there's anything wrong with it..")
cath·o·lic /ˈkæθəlɪk, ˈkæθlɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kath-uh-lik, kath-lik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective

1.	broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal.

2.	universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.

3.	pertaining to the whole Christian body or church.

Loving the ACTUAL people we are in church with

“He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions my be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, p. 27.

Heroics

Not long ago there was a great disaster at sea. A tourist boat, loaded with cars and holidaymakers, had failed to shut its doors properly; the water began to pour in; the boat began to sink, and panic set in. People were screaming as the happy, relaxed atmosphere of the ship turned in minutes into something worse than a horror movie.
All at once one man- not a member of the crew- took charge. In a clear voice he gave orders, telling people what to do. Relief mixed with the panic as people realized someone at least was in charge, and many managed to reach lifeboats they would otherwise have missed in the dark and the rush. The man himself made his way down to the people trapped in the hold. There he formed a human bridge: holding on with one hand to a ladder and with the other to part of the ship that was nearly submerged, he enabled still more to cross to safety. When the nightmare was over, the man himself was found to have drowned. He had literally given his life in using the authority he had assumed- the authority by which many had been saved.

....(by telling stories of Jesus' healings of folk) Mark begins to tell us both about how Jesus became so popular so quickly and of how the course of His public career pointed inexorably to its dramatic conclusion. There is no doubt that Jesus quickly attracted huge crowds, and that His authoritative healings were the main reason. That in itself would have been threatening to the authorities; but, as we shall discover soon, there was more. Jesus had joined in a struggle against the forces of evil and destruction, forces that, like the dark, cruel sea pouring in on top of frightened and helpless travelers, seemed sometimes to be carrying all before them. Jesus came to be the human bridge across which people could climb to safety. And if, in the process, He Himself paid with His own life the price of this saving authority, a human bridge with outstretched arms carrying people from death to life, that was simply part of the integrity of His action. The demons had their final shriek at Him as He hung on the cross, challenging and mocking for the last time the validity of His authority. On the cross He completed the healing work He began that day in the synagogue.
--Tom Wright on Mark 1 in his little book, Mark for Everyone

A FIGHT in Church? and Who is Jesus?

Our text this week has something you don't see everyday... A FIGHT IN CHURCH! The scene at synagogue in Capurnaum is definitely combat & conflict between Jesus & Kingdom of God and a demon and kingdom of satan. The demon calls Jesus both : "Jesus of Nazareth" and "The Holy One of God".... displaying that the demon knew more about our Lord's true identity than anyone else present. This brings up interesting fact about how Jesus is identified by various groups in Mark's gospel.

In the Gospel According to Mark.... sick and suffering folk identify Jesus using honorific titles showing Jesus great respect. They call Jesus
“Lord” (7:8), “Teacher” (9:17), “Son of David” (10:47-48) or “Master” (10:51).

But those who are demon-possessed identify Jesus using divine titles; “the most holy one of God” (1:24), “the Son of God’ (3:11) or even as “the son of the Most High God” (5:7).

Those who are suffering seek Jesus’ help because he is a miracle-worker and perhaps the Messiah. But the demons clearly know who Jesus is and they identify him accordingly. --good stuff from Kim Riddlebarger, who nicked it from William Lane

We are racing through Mark.... partially because that is an honest--i think--way to get the feel for the urgency that dominates this text..... but that means we have to "blow" by alot of stuff that you might want (and need!) to hear more on .... examples so far

--Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit

This week.... what are demons?

I'll try to point you to resources in case there is something you want/need to pursue more info on....

--Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks.... you can probalby get a paperback for $5 or read it online here
--Demons, brief article by Packer here

Jesus is 'da man!

Reading and preparing for Mark 1:14-45 this week i am reminded of the wise words of Dorothy Sayers
"To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies."

Why Jesus Told People To Shut Up

.... well, he told them to keep quiet...

A suggestion:
"Jesus knew how easily His miracles would be misunderstood; they would gather a crowd of followers who were interested in Him exclusively because he could do signs & wonders. Jesus wanted people to see that His miracles were signs of the kingdom of God, and that it was submitting to the reign of God, not being a spectator of wonders, which really mattered." --Sinclair Ferguson

The Potential of One View of Christ's glory

By his cross, divine holiness and justice were exalted, and
through his triumph, grace and mercy are poured out to the full.

In glorious thoughts of this let my soul live, and in believing it let my soul die. And let the present wonder of this glory make way for the eternal enjoyment of it in it’s beauty and fullness…

One view of Christ’s glory by faith will scatter all the fears, answer all the objections and disperse all the depressions of the poor, tempted, doubting souls. To all believers it is an anchor which they may cast within the veil, to hold them firm and steadfast in all trials, storms and temptations, both in life and in death.” - John Owen, The Glory of Christ (p 80-81)

a 4th "C" ? Christ Community Connectional Church

Christ Community is connected to:
-- North FLorida Presbytery
-- Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
-- The Willow Creek Association
-- The Gospel Coalition
-- every church that proclaims Christ

What a privilege

Just met w/ a bunch of guys from Christ Community.
Their desire to know Christ, to love their wives, to impact the world for God's glory.... is so strengthening and compelling to me. What a privilege to be around them.

Yes, see your sin... Then YES YES seek to SEE Christ!

For every one look at yourself and your sin.... take 10 looks at Christ and His cross!

--paraphrased from Robert Murray M‘Cheyne (1813 - 1843)
Because only looking at Christ & His cross and the gracious benefits that are OURS because of Him will lead to repentance and a life that pursues true holiness & beauty. Beware a desire, upon seeing the idols of your heart (i.e. your sin) to earn your way back to God or earn your way into a position of being worthy of His blessing.

"Even after you become a Christian by believing the gospel, your heart is still addicted to salvation by works. In your heart you still want to make the duties of the law come before the comforts of the gospel. Even if you have become assured that your salvation does not depend upon your own works, you will still tend to make all of the comforts and blessings of the gospel depend upon your own works. You will find it hard to believe that you should get any blessing before you work for it. You will think this is as unreasonable as an employee getting a paycheck before he works, or a farmer getting crops before he plants and reaps!” (Marshall, p. 117)

Law & Gospel

“But what should the believer do, when the law comes to charge him, and command him to obey upon pain of death, or to curse him for his disobedience? Why, he may even say in the words of Luther, who, upon the point of justification, was as sound as any since his day;
‘O law, Christ is my righteousness, my treasure, and my work; I confess, O law, that I am neither godly nor righteous, but yet this I am sure of, that he is godly and righteous for me.’ His obedience answered both the godliness required in the first table of the law, and the righteousness in the second table.

The believer may say to the law, O law, I am dead to thee, and married to another Husband, even Jesus Christ; and therefore, cannot bring forth any children, any fruit, any acts of obedience to thy threatening commands: but, behold, I run to my sweet husband, who hath suggard and sweetened the law, with a gospel-dress and form; which, giving strength to obey, and shewing the believer’s freedom from the wrath of God, ‘encourages the believer, as our Confession of Faith speaks, being free from the curse of the moral law, and delivered from everlasting damnation, to yield obedience to God;’ not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love, and a willing mind.”

--Ralph Erskine, “Law-Death, Gospel-Life,” in The Works of Ralph Erskine, p. 62, vol. 2

A Chair with Your Name on IT

Men's Group Tuesday 6:30am at Pub D'town
Women's Group Tuesday at 9:30am off parker rd

Eyes to see

As I've been praying for Christ Community in preparation to our time in Mark's Gospel... one thing again and again emerges... that we need to see Christ in His glory & grace... and that that mysteriously changes us. Pray for those who preach to be given power towards this lofty dream. Here Paul Tripp provides helpful meditations on seeing the glory & beauty of the Lord.

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his holy temple." (Psalm 27:4)

I have a vision problem;
my eyes are okay,
but my heart
doesn't see very well.
I live in a world
where your beauty
is everywhere visible.
It is there
in the lily.
It is there
in the cascading wave.
It is there
in the multi-hued sunset.
It is there
in the stars of the night....
....
I do not see your beauty.
I must confess
I am so blind.
I see
my busy schedule.
I see
things to be fixed.
I see
obstacles to my plan.
I see
bills to be paid.
I see
things to be done.
I see,
but I fail to see your beauty.
Yet there is more...

So, Lord
correct my vision....

(Read Paul Tripp's entire post here)

When God Shines His Light in our Hearts

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

“Faith implies the enlightening of the understanding to discover the suitableness of Jesus Christ as a Saviour, and the excellency of the way of salvation through him. While the sinner lies undone and helpless in himself, and looking about in vain for some relief, it pleases a gracious God to shine into his heart, and enables him to see his glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Now this once neglected Saviour appears not only absolutely necessary, but also all-glorious and lovely, and the sinner’s heart is wrapt away, and for ever captivated with his beauty: now the neglected gospel appears in a new light, as different from all his former apprehensions as if it were quite another thing.”

Samuel Davies, Sermons of the Rev. Samuel Davies, vol. 1 (Pittsburg, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1993), 125.

dates for next big thing student ministries

MS Mid-Winter
February 8-10, 2008
Word of Life Camp

HS Elevate
July 5-10, 2008
Covenant College

MS Conference
July 14-18, 2008
Camp Kulaqua

SUNDAY

9:00 classes for all ages, 2 options for adults
GOD ALONE, a study of the work of God in Christ to redeem his people (Led by Rob Pendley, Chipper Flanigan, and RC Sproul)

PARENTING 101, 'nuff said (Led by Frank & Suzanne Matthews AND Richard & April Horner)

9:50 iced coffee, sweet muffins, and each other

10:15 worship
our highest privilege, to praise our God and be renewed by the power of His Spirit as we gaze upon His Son

A Prayer as we start into Mark's Account of Jesus' Life

Almighty and merciful God, we exult in the reflection
of your might and mercy in your Son, our Lord, Jesus
Christ. We rejoice in the strength of his lion-like power
and in the tenderness of his lamb-like meekness. We
take heart from his incomparable combination of
excellencies. It reassures us that there is none like him,
and that he is not a mere man like others. O grant us,
in our brash indifference, to tremble before the Lion of
Judah and to humble ourselves under his fierce holiness.
And grant us, in our brokenness and fear, to
gather courage from the lion-like Lamb. Oh, how we
need the whole Christ! Open our eyes to see the fullness
of his excellence. Remove the lopsided and distorted
images of your Son that weaken our worship
and lame our obedience. May the power of the Lion
and the love of the Lamb make our faith in Christ
unshakable. So deliver us from small dreams and timid
ventures and halting plans. Embolden us. Strengthen
us. Make us love with fierce and humble love. Let us
share the confidence of the Lion of Judah that gave him
the will to die like a Lamb and rise in everlasting joy.
And in it all, grant that all might see the glory of Christ
and that you might be honored through him. In Jesus’
name we pray, amen.

Study Guide for Gospel of Mark

I'm gonna miss having little kids....

My last one, age 6... just listened to me say something that i was excited about and he said, "Oh, yeh? Listen to this!!" and he proceeded to do an armpit "fart" that he's just learned.

I looked at him and said, "I'm so proud of you."

Life Is Hard

Periodically I rec'd these kinds of resources... tuck them away for you or a friend. Quite frankly, following Christ honestly either has you experiencing suffering personally or vicariously (as you love others)--ALL THE TIME!

Shortly after 9/11/01 the folks at Redeemer Manhattan put this stuff together and the same principles that helped New Yorkers years ago helps those suffering NOW with marriage/children/job/health/etc suffering now.

Coping with suffering & tragedy

What does a teacher make?

Taylor Mali is a teacher and Slam Poet who makes me cry. Especially his essay/poem called, "What Teacher's Make".....
I don't know if it hits me so deeply b/c:
-- I was raised by a teacher
-- I have 3 children who have, like, 10-12 teachers in school
-- I feel the vision for a renewed kingdom of God when Taylor Mali speaks... what if Christians valued children the way this guy does? what if I did?

Excerpt: You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

you can read it here or
Watch the 3 minute video here

Respond by doing one of these:
--writing one of your children's teachers (at school, church, or your spouse!)
--pray for the 15 or so folks at CCC who mission every weekday in the elementary & middle schools (do we have any high school teachers?)
-- going after your kids in a way you haven't in a while... praying zealously that God would give them grace to see Christ, His Kingdom and His World in all its beauty & brokenness and be caught up in the wonder of it all


Oh, by the way, there's about 3.5 curse words in his 1000 or so word essay.... i warned you

Prayers for the People of our Church

Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven
and earth, hear our prayers for this church family.
Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the
repentant. Grant us all things necessary for our common
life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within
your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. --from The Falls Church in Virginia

women's event tonite 7pm

CCC "Recipe Exchange Party"
7:00-9:00pm
@ the home of Jenn Phegley (Click here to find directions...)
All women, college age and up, are welcome to come for fun, food, and friendship!
If able, bring a sampling (just make one dish- it doesn't need to feed everyone) of your favorite recipe and then bring the recipe to share (~10 copies)!
The recipe can be ANYTHING (punch, chicken, dessert, side, etc.)!
You do not need to bring anything to come!
Call Jenn Phegley with any questions: 333.3306

Ramadan begins this Thursday (Sept. 13).

Ramadan begins this Thursday (Sept. 13).
What is "Ramadan"? According to Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb's book, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross, "Followers of Muhammad commemorate his receiving of the Qur'an by fasting in the ninth lunar month of Ramadan. They are expected to refrain from eating food during the daylight hours for this entire month. However, they are allowed to eat from sunset to sunrise during this time." For more info, see the Wikipedia article on Ramadan.

Here is a very helpful post on Ramadan.....

Usually Christians superficially respond to this time of fasting by saying, "Thank you, Jesus that you purchased my redemption and I don't have to follow any weird traditions hoping to merit your favor." That is A PORTION of the healthy response to the start of ramadan, i think. I also should respond by asking myself:
How is my security in Jesus compelling me to make sacrifices that dwarf the insecure sacrifices that the followers of Muhammad are making now?
--Am I taking the passing on of the gospel to my children as seriously as the followers of Muhammad are with theirs?
Do I dismiss every inconvenient thought and chalk it up to my freedom in the gospel?

What a great day

1. at 3am Addcox baby born healthy
2. at 6:30am Tuesday men's group starts with 20 and a good meeting
3. at 9:30am women's group has nearly 30 in a strong 1st week meeting
4. now this tops it off.... my beloved Raiders signing JaMarcus!

mix in the hope of dinner with the whole family tonite... and excitement re: 6:15am group tomorrow with men i love and need

Su-weet!

Women's Group Gets a Strong Start

Almost 30 women and the same number of children gathered for a wonderfully effective first meeting today.

Ladies, if you couldn't be there today...feel free to join in next Tuesday.

Lily Claire Addcox

After 18 hours of labor, Anna & Stephen welcomed Lily at 3:19am today.

5 pounds and 11 ounces
18.25 inches

They are all doing very well and are very tired, and happy.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From Whom those comforts flowed.

Men Kicked it Off Strong...

About 20 fellas met together at 6:30am in the Mkt St. Pub
Now, at 9:30 about 30+ women are expected at the Matthews' home for women's group

mañana, another opp for men who didn't hit the pub today.... 6:15am at church house

While feeble & fickle.....cling

Cling to the Lord Jesus in your feebleness, in your fickleness, in your nothingness;
and abidingly take him to be everything to you. --from Spurgeon's sermon, "Preparation for the Coming of the Lord." #2105. 1 John 2:28.

Jesus Sometimes Withdraws His Presence

Our glorious husband, the Lord Jesus, sometimes withdraws Himself from our spiritual experience, so that we have no refreshing sense of His love, no fresh communications of His consoling grace. Those who never feel His absence likely have never enjoyed His presence.

page 41 of Through the Looking Glass by Kris Lundgaard

A Prayer

“The dearest idol I have known, whate'er that idol be;

help me to tear it from thy throne and worship only thee.” --Wm. Cowper

The Gospel of Mark

Sunday September 16th I'll begin preaching through Mark's Gospel. The Gospel of Mark is one of the 3 "synoptic" gospels. Here's a pretty good and very brief explanation of what this means, from wikipedia:
In the Christian Bible, in the part known as the New Testament, the first four books are known as the gospels, while the first three of these, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are so similar that they are sometimes referred to as the synoptic gospels (from Greek, συν, syn, together, and όπσις, opsis, seeing). These gospels often recount the same stories about Jesus, generally follow the same sequence and, often use the same or similar wording. The synoptic gospels are also often contrasted with the Gospel according to John.

Hand it over...

“The Christian way is different: harder and easier. Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent, as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours.” --C S Lewis, Mere Christianity

Speech from Henry V

Here's the video on youtube
and the text at American Rhetoric

Ol' Willie Shakespeare nailed it when he wrote:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Legalistic Christianity loves "how-to" lists. It offers five ways to form edifying friendships, six pointers for handling conflict, seven steps toward exercising loving leadership, and eight techniques for more effective parenting. --Dan Doriani, The God-Made Man

Bible Studies Launch This Week

Tuesday
Men's Study at Mkt Street Pub 6:30am (Led by Billy Crow & Larry Eubanks)
&

Women's Study Tuesday Mornings @ 9:30-11:00am
@ The home of Suzanne Matthews (MAP)
Study on the book, "Breaking The Idols of Your Heart" by Dan Allender
Led by: Lizette Crosson, Paige French, Tara Gallagher, & Sharon Stankunas


Wednesday
Men's Study at the church house.... 6:15am til 7:30 (led by Rob Pendley, Steve Omli, Kevin Phegley)

Women's Event Thursday Night

• September 13th: Thursday
  "Recipe Exchange Party"
  7:00-9:00pm
  @ the home of Jenn Phegley (Click here to find directions...)
  
• All women, college age and up, are welcome to come for fun, food, and fellowship!
  Bring a sampling (just make one dish- it doesn't need to feed everyone) of your favorite recipe and then bring the recipe to share (~10 copies)!
  The recipe can be ANYTHING (punch, chicken, dessert, side, etc.)!
  You do not need to bring anything to participate, though, if you would just like to come and fellowship with us!
  Call Jenn Phegley with any questions: 333.3306

Lunch after Church

Tomorrow (9/9/2007) looks like this:

9am Adult Sunday School Class (in Media Center) & Children's Kickoff Gathering (in Student Center)

9:50 Live Together (iced coffee served)

10:15 Worship Service in theater, includes Ministry Fair (information and opportunities to serve this Fall at CCC)

11:30 Lunch for all!

6pm Youth Group at Church House

Club 45 on September 16

Club 45... a great time for 4th & 5th graders to:

-- play games
-- hear teaching from the Bible
-- eat Cheese-its returns Sept 16th (the day after the Tenn. game) from 4:30 to 6pm

WHERE? Church House (Map)

• September 16

• October 21

• December 9

Jackie Ausband

Jackie Ausband, Bob's wife, passed from this world to the next today.... there will be a memorial service celebrating her life on Saturday Sept 22....

Usually when someone dies a song about death and life enters my mind.... and it is never the same song. With Jackie it was this old Wes King song... primarily for the chorus which says: "She's gone to be with Jesus." The song is about a woman being freed by death from a painful last few months... and fits what we're all feeling about Jackie today.

God knows she hurt
When she was with us
But now she hurts no more
Her pain has passed
----the whole song is here

“The excellency of Christ, and the love of Christ, more appear in his yielding himself to be crucified for us, than in any other of his acts, so that these things, considered together, above all things tend to draw forth on our part the exercises of humble love.”

- Jonathan Edwards, The Excellency of Christ

"Those are for future guests"

Sunday during our worship service I saw something that i have no memory of seeing before....

the bulk of the back row was empty and it dawned on me that this was the case b/c many of you stepped up and moved toward the front in order to free up space for future guests---- "Those seats are for our future guests!"

THANK YOU!

We had 195 people Sunday... and it was Labor Day weekend.... Let's continue to see the crowded theater as a positive thing and keep ever before us the vast difference it makes when you sit towards the front.

Starts Next Week

Women's Bible Study: Tuesday Mornings
&
Men's Bible Study:
2 opportunities at 2 venues:
Tuesday morning at Mkt St Pub D'town
Wed.Mornings at CHouse on prkr road

Hey mate, don't you have any co-ed stuff? For me and me spouse?
Yep! Hmmm.... worship services and bible classes each sunday morning; community groups during the week... come to think of it.... just about e'thing else we do as a church family is co-ed, isn't it?

Yesterday's Newton Quote

several asked about the John Newton letter i quoted y'day.... here is some of it and a link to all of it:

I think my last letter turned upon the apostle's thought, Galatians 5:I7. "Ye cannot do the things that ye would." In the parallel place, Romans 5:19, there is another clause subjoined, "The evil which I would not, that I do." This, added to the former, would complete the dark side of my experience.

Permit me to tell your Lordship a little part (for some things must not, cannot be told), not of what I have read, but of what I have felt, in illustration of this passage. I would not be the sport and prey of wild, vain, foolish, and worse imaginations; but this evil is present with me: my heart is like a highway, like a city without walls or gates. Nothing so false, so frivolous, so absurd, so impossible, or so horrid, but it can obtain access, and that at any time, or in any place: neither the study, the pulpit, or even the Lord's table, exempt me from their intrusion.

.......I see the baseness and absurdity of such a conduct as clearly as I see the light of the day. I do not affect to be thought ten feet high, and I know that a desire of being thought wise or good, is equally contrary to reason and truth. ....

The pride of others often offends me, and makes me studious to hide my own; because their good opinion of me depends much upon their not perceiving it. But the Lord knows how this dead fly taints and spoils my best services, and makes them no better than specious sins.

I embrace it as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; and it is the main pleasure and business of my life to set forth the necessity and all-sufficiency of the Mediator between God and man, and to make mention of his righteousness even of his only. But here, as in everything else, I find a vast difference between my judgment and my experience (i.e. "what i say i believe and what i actually live out"). I am invited to take the water of life freely, yet often discouraged, because I have nothing wherewith to pay for it.....though my disease is grievous, it is not desperate; I have a gracious and infallible Physician. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

You can read the entire letter here

Communion Sunday

1st Sunday of each month we share the Lord's Supper together.

2 by Doriani

These are the messages given away on CD at manland...

Doriani's sermon A Man After God's Heart on mp3

Doriani's Sermon Images of Manhood on mp3

I'm trying to think of how this practice would bring harm.....

..... to any other members of the household. Why? Because who wants to do it? Seems like it might result in death to self, huh?

"I realized that my commute home in the evening was functioning as little more than a review of my day. As far as I was concerned, by the time I got in that car, my responsibilities were pretty much over until the next morning. I saw my home as a refuge, a place where the emphasis, for me, was on being served rather than on leading and serving with Christlike love.

In God's mercy, he showed me the selfish motivation I was bringing home each evening. I saw that my commute could be best utilized as a time of transition, so that I might be prepared to finish the day by loving and serving my family well.

So I made a practice of pulling the car over a few blocks from home so I could take a couple of minutes to make an effective transition in my soul. There on the side of the road, I meditated on Ephesians 5 as well as on some other passages. I confessed to God my sinful tendency to be selfish and sought to prepare my heart to serve my wife and children when I arrived home. In this way I learned to see my home as the context where I have my greatest privilege and opportunity to serve. This practice had a transforming effect, allowing me to walk through the front door with the mind and heart of a loving servant-leader. By God's grace, I found it an excellent help in building a loving marriage, enjoying my family, and minimizing regret." --CJ Mahaney

What is ManLand?

No frills... just a place and space for guys to hang out, renew existing friendships and make new ones. There's activity going on (ping pong, frisbee golf, etc) but there's also plenty of "down" time.

Starts at 6pm with hot dogs on the grill. Please bring your own chips and drinks. We got the ice.
Here's a MAP!! And here's the link to Mississippi State's roster, in case you want to start praying for them by name.

One Thing I'm "Fasting" from...

Being critical of my children... amazing how hard it is to go 3 days without pointing out anything they do wrong! Makes me realize how constant my critical words are...
Grateful for Jesus... and asking for His Kingdom to come, where Fathers don't exasperate their children.

a few Praises from the Vision Night 3x5 cards...

• “Through the leadership and members of CCC (especially through our community group),
I’ve witnessed and began to practice Christian leadership at the workplace.”
• “Lots of needs being met by the congregation.”
• “Improved mixing and relationship building between college students and locals.”
• “Dramatically improved quality of Sunday morning music/worship due to dedication of
leadership.”
• “The generosity of this community. Our transition to Gainesville has been extra
smooth.”
• “Love for and development of our children.”
• “The high participation rate in the Journey of Faith helped boost my trust & confidence in
the unity and purpose and commitment of our church family.”
• “Growth in CCC- improvements in service and music!”
• “Growing relationships with people that truly care about others.”
• “Opportunities, fellowship, community groups, Children’s ministries (our kids loved kid’s
camp-it was well done!), generosity.”
----get 'em all here in this pdf

Steve Lammers is talking about sex...

...starting tonight at RUF... RUF's large group meetings are every Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the HPNP auditorium. Directions to the HPNP building are available by using the "Directions" link on the left.

What our friend, the Holy Spirit, does...

.... the (Holy Spirit’s) work has three aspects. In the first place he makes and keeps us conscious—sometimes vividly conscious, always conscious to some extent, even when the perverse part of us prompts us to deny this consciousness—that we are God’s children by free grace through Jesus Christ. This is his work of giving faith, assurance and joy. In the second place, he moves us to look to God as to a father, showing toward him the respectful boldness and unlimited trust that is natural to children secure in an adored father’s love. This is his work of making us cry ‘Abba Father’…In the third place, he impels us to act up to our position as royal children by manifesting the family likeness (conforming to Christ), furthering the family welfare (loving the brethren), and maintaining the family honor (seeking Gods glory). This is his work of sanctification.”
-- J I Packer, Knowing God

And, before we grieve him in his 3rd work... we have always grieved him in the first two works... i.e. we only don't want to behave like God's child when we aren't convinced of His love --RP

Christian Study Center Kicks It Off

Here is a little blurb from our dear friends at the Christian Study Center & Pascal's Coffeehouse about the start of the semester. The writer is CCC-ite Richard Horner. CCC-ite Todd Best serves as Program Director:

1. Monday, August 27th, we will launch our Monday evening class with an introduction to the semester. Please pray for this class over the semester as we study Blaise Pascal and then create a discussion of the challenges raised by the attempt to study religion in the university setting. We will also be offering a reading group in the writings of Dorothy Sayers and a graduate roundtable on the Restoration of Reason just for graduate students.

2. On Wednesday, September 5th, I will launch a new class called "The Culture and the Cross." It is designed specifically for undergraduate students and will attempt to engage both the voices of the culture and the voices of the cross. Each class will begin with a very brief one-page reading that either captures important ideas in our culture or contains some key passage from Scripture. This class will give me a good opportunity to spend time with students, and I am very much looking forward to it.

---read all about it at their site

Prayer

The simple idea of today and the next two is for us to pray--- Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done-- with renewed concentration. And may God give us grace to pray for large advances of His Kingdom...

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,
       Jesus loves to answer prayer;
       He Himself has bid thee pray,
       Therefore will not say thee nay.

       Thou art coming to a King,
       Large petitions with thee bring;
       For His grace and pow'r are such
       None can ever ask too much.            --John Newton

Sunday Prayer Meeting 9am

After Friday night together being envisioned on the hoped-for future of CCC....
there is a Kingdom-Prayer Meeting IN THE MORNING at 9am in the Media Center/Library of Oak Hall.

We will use the prayer Jesus gave us as our model. If you fear that it will include:
--you being pressured to offer a long & loud spontaneous prayer
--someone droning on and on

by the grace of God.... it won't. We will pray in large & small groups... for God to come in power to renew & revive us, Gainesville, and UF with His grace.

Suweet!

Tomorrow (8.25.2007) starts our three-pronged attempt to grow together in the grace & knowledge of Christ.

To "do" church at Christ Community looks like this:
9am classes for all ages... This is Learning and we do it Together
9:50 hang-time & friendship development & greeting... this is Living and we do it together
did i mention there will be muffins from the Mill for the adults and bagels on the kids' table
10:15 worship service.... this is Loving God and we do it together

Mill muffins.... suweet!

Amazing Grace

"A church is a community of God's people who live into the imagination that they are,
by their very nature, God's missionary people living as a demonstration of what God plans to do in and for all of creation in Jesus Christ." --Alan Roxbourough

Y o u (the Church) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that y o u may proclaim the excellencies of him who called y o u out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once y o u were not a people, but now y o u are God's people; once y o u had not received mercy, but now y o u have received mercy.
--from 1 Peter 2 (wherever you see y o u... think plural... Y'ALL!)

Futbol Fans

did y'all know brasil is playing USA in chicago on sept 9?...

great quotes found while researching for Friday Vision

“Walking with God is essentially a positive thing. The Bible does not point us toward constant introspection. Instead, it helps us to focus on the privileges of being in Christ and enjoying fellowship with God.” --Richard Lovelace

"The Gospel is the root of all true obedience to God (cf., Rom. 1:5; 16:26) and thus the reason why the Gospel must always be the central focus of the believer’s daily life." --Walter Marshall

Free & Boundless Love of God Elevates

The free, boundless love of God, pouring itself into us, expands and elevates our whole being; and we serve Him, not in order to win His favour, but because we have already won it in simply believing His record concerning His Son. --Horatious Bonar

Psalm 139

-----it just doesn't get much better than Psalm 139..........

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it. ---read the whole psalm

3 phases

We just ran through the Vision Night presentation to the elders today. I am very excited FOR YOU. God is at work in our midst in small and grand ways and it will be my privilege to play a part in helping tell you that story on Friday night.

Men's Groups--- Plan on 'em!

exact same material covered at both meetings........

Tuesday Mornings at Mkt Street Pub (Downtown) from 6:30-7:45am, starting Tuesday September 11th....
OR
Wednesday Mornings at Church House from 6:15-7:25, starting Wed.Sept 12th...
exact same material covered at both meetings
MORE INFO: Weekly Schedule and
ALSO, i want to throw the challenge out there... I've heard several mid 20's to early 30's guys say that they would be very interested in a 8pm-ish study at the church house. If you want to provide some l'ship... i would love to meet with you twice-monthly to coach you up on leading said group.

Youth & Parents Party Sunday Night

Sunday night, August 26th at 4:30pm there is a Kickoff Party for Youth. The parents will be pulled inside for a 25 minute presentation from the volunteer YOUTH TEAM. (whole family is welcomed)

The event might look like this:
4:30pm arrive, kids swim, etc
4:30 til 5:15 Parents mtg w/ Youth Leaders; kids enjoy pool
5:30 Dinner
after dinner hang as long as you like, til 7:30... youth leaders available to answer questions
(more to follow on this)
questions? see youth page on church site

We have a dream of a church which is… Biblical, Worshipping, Serving, Expecting... more on Friday

What's Up With 3 days of Prayer & Fasting

"Dad, I can't not eat for 3 days!!"

That was the response i got from one of my children when i asked, "What are you thinking of fasting from?"

So i offer these q and a:
Does 3 days of Prayer & Fasting mean I'm not supposed to eat anything for three days? Probably not

What does it mean?
Hopefully that you will temporarily abstain from

What are some reasons to fast?
I have heard fasting described as a "splash of water in the face"
Is there a sin that just isn't grievous to you?

Give me examples of what you expect some to do?
Someone who hits Starbucks daily will skip it FOR THIS PURPOSE on one or all 3 of the days.
Someone who eats cereal every night before bed will skip it FOR THIS PURPOSE on one or all 3 of the days.
Someone who watches TV every night will skip it FOR THIS PURPOSE on one or all 3 of the days.
Someone who jogs with their Ipod will run in silence FOR THIS PURPOSE on one or all 3 of the days.
You get the picture, I hope. Basically you are looking for ways to remind yourself... I don't want life as normal. I want to "shake myself" a little in order to ask God to thoroughly shake me for His glory.

God often uses fasting to awaken godly desires that have been dormant. God often uses fasting to bring an awareness of the heinousness of our sin. God often uses fasting to teach us more the depth of His love for us.

So..... that is one of the reasons we are looking at next week including 3 days of prayer & fasting.

Service Day Saturday

from 8 til noon Saturday there is a great opportunity to:
-- make a difference
-- meet new folks
-- work with friends

Contact Christian Smith (352.514.8197) or Rob Hamersma (352-214-8655) for more info on how to serve Saturday....
christianrms AT hotmail DOT com

Hey Dwight, I'm Rob

When dropping off my precious Olivia and mighty John Reid at Chiles Elementary this morning I had the opportunity to help someone.

Kim and I noticed that a little boy seemed to be wandering in an empty hallway and just starting to worry that he wasn't going to find his classroom. I asked him if he needed help and he said yes... then it was this:

me: "What is your name."
boy: Dwight Harris.
Me: "Dwight, I'm Rob and I'm going to help you find your class."

The sense of the relief on his face was priceless. I wonder what he felt.... "Someone cares." "I'm not gonna be lost much longer."

I walked away thinking & praying, "God, bless Dwight Harris. Secure that boy in your love. And give me grace to know that you are forever leaning down to me saying--Rob, I'm God and I'm going to help you."

Hospitality Reminder

Friends, remember that every Sunday we have guests who have never been with us before. Think about the last time you went somewhere for the 1st time. Does that make sense? Example: I have visited Shands Hospital more than I can count. Once when we took our son to the ER there, Kim was wandering around lost and I looked at her as if to say, "Come on, the front door is right this way." It struck me how different her experience was than mine because I feel comfortable at Shands.

Do you know your way around Oak Hall? Gotten used to the way things are? Then use that freedom to welcome new folks and to have an eye out for those who seem a bit lost.

Prayer Request

Anna Addcox asks that you pray for Jude Gilliam, age 2... and his family.
Jude is in desperate need of brain swelling to diminish. Jude, his parents and 3 siblings are in Charlottesville, Virginia.

God Has Written You a Letter

The breathtaking truth is that Holy Scripture in its entirety is the Word of God directed personally to everyone whom it reaches in order to set up, deepen and enrich a personal love relationship between the divine sender and the human recipient. --JI Packer

Joy is the spin-off of Bible exploring*

...the Christian tastes God in all his pleasures, and this increases them, whereas for other men pleasure brings with it a sense of hollowness which reduces it. Also, I maintain that every encounter between the sincere Christian and God’s Word, the law of thy mouth (Psalm 119:72), however harrowing or humbling its import, brings joy as its spin-off... --JI Packer

*the word explore takes us further into the way we should relate to Scripture than the familiar words read and study do. Exploring is not, of course, less than reading and studying, but it is more. You can read books mechanically, without interest, and study facts mechanically, without focus, but exploring territory is a process of search, thought and correlation that demands both interest and focus. Exploring Scripture is more than a routine for gathering data. It has to do with memorization, meditation and interrogation. In exploring you poke and dig and ask questions and make and test guesses and try to see how everything ties in with everything else. Exploration is exciting! --JI Packer

(FYI: This little book by Packer--TRUTH & POWER-- that has sat on my shelf for years has turned out to be absolutely golden in providing excellent thoughts on the role of Scripture in the life of a Christ-follower)

Youth Getaway is Gone

Pray for these as they head to a "Get the School Year started right" Overnight Getaway in Daytona...
Students: Maggie, Marty, Ella, Robbie, Dean, Andrew, Ben, Zachary, Trace, Dionna, PLUS ONE (11)
Leadership: Sid, Greg, Nathan, Erin (4)

Christ and the B.I.B.L.E.

The link between Christ and the Bible, is direct, organic and multiple. So it is only true to say that life and health and peace come from either if at once you add that they come from the one through the other — from Christ, that is, through the Scriptures or from the Scriptures through Christ.

For the Christian there is no Christ but the Christ of the Bible (specifically, of the New Testament teachers) and no understanding of the Bible but that which matches the expressed mind of Christ and his apostles (specifically, as they interpret the Old Testament and relate themselves to it).

As regards authority, it is impossible to give too much weight to the fact that Jesus, who was himself God speaking, would have consistently viewed the words of his Bible as God speaking and should have lived his life and fulfilled his vocation of teaching and suffering in direct and conscious obedience to what was written. Now, in effect, from his throne he tells all who would be his disciples that they must learn from him and follow his example at this point and submit to becoming disciples of the canonical Scriptures. His authority and the authority of the Scriptures upon us are one. What then should we do? We should look to the Holy Spirit, who inspired the biblical text and who authenticates it to regenerate hearts as God-given by sensitizing us to the impact of its divinity, to make clear to us not only what God said in and through the text to its original readers but also what he says to us via the same text here and now. We should ask for the Spirit's illumination, especially for our attempts at applicatory thinking. --JI Packer

Love Picks You Up

The Apostle Paul sees love not so much as a set of guidelines that you pick up and do. Real love is a living active power that comes and picks you up and changes you.

We will never become loving only by trying hard. Paul implies that we’ll only become loving through meeting and encountering. Becoming a person of love is not a mechanical process. Something profound must happen to us. We must meet Love. We must have an ongoing encounter with the person of Jesus.
--(excerpted from the Redeemer curriculum on 1 Corinthians 13)

“Through the gospel, you have both the wind and the tide pushing you forward in your attempt to live a holy life,” (p. 112) Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

Meditating on Scripture

This first portion of Dr. Powlison’s Personal Reflection is an introduction, and includes some general comments on biblical change in the areas of anxiety, anger, and escapism. As with all of Dr. Powlison's writings, these words are infused with grace and the hope for change that comes from the gospel.

At the conclusion, Dr. Powlison encourages an unusual and yet extremely helpful reading (and singing along with!) several well-known hymns. You can click on the link to view the hymns and then follow Dr. Powlison’s suggestions. These hymns provide a wonderful picture, a model of a heart transformed by God's truth. If your experience is anything like mine, you'll never read hymns or psalms the same way again!

Personal Reflection
by Dr. David Powlison

Anxiety, anger, and escapism are common life problems, in both senses of ‘common’: everyday, every person. They are sins endemic to the human condition and to our struggle. And they are doorways through which the grace and mercies of Jesus Christ daily invade lives.

This life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth in righteousness,
not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise.
We are not yet what we shall be but we are growing toward it.
The process is not yet finished but it is going on.
This is not the end but it is the road.
All does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.
--Martin Luther

In each case, we see three things:

1. It feels like we have good reasons to react with sinful anxiety, hostility, and escapism. The pressures, heat, difficulties, threats, frustrations, wrongs, beguilements of life come at us--and reveal what rules our hearts.

2. God gives better reasons, truer reasons, deeper reasons, imperishable reasons--Himself, reclaiming our hearts--that we learn to respond with faith working through love.

3. The inworking and outworking of faith and love produces the holy anxiety of caring concern (wrapped within deep trust). Faith works through love to produce just anger (wedded to generous mercies). Faith works out into a right longing to escape trouble and to help others in their troubles (alongside hearty enjoyment of innocent pleasures).

We’ve laid out a model, a picture, a map of the terrain of battle. A map is useful for orienting you, but it does not get you there. Our goal is to relate to our God honestly, intelligently, believingly, in ways that change us in real time, real place, real problem.

1. Take one of these three common sins to face and tackle this day. Your Father is the vinedresser, putting his pruning shears into your life:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any hurtful way in me; and lead me in the everlasting way” (Ps. 139:23f).

2. Whichever of the common deviancies you’re choosing, first read and ponder these hymns (and, if you’re so moved, sing with heart and voice!). Notice how we’ve parsed the hymns,

--The pressures of life are described in italics, those things (‘good reasons’) that provoke us to anxiety, anger, escapism. These are the circumstances within which our battle plays out.

--The Lord’s promises and self-disclosures come in bold, these invitations (‘better reasons’) to live differently. These are ways the Redeemer enters human life. Notice how these things that God says compete with the voices and pressures that woo and provoke us towards anger/grumbling, fear/anxiety, escapism/addiction.

--Our responses of faith are underlined. This is the heart of change.

Read all the italics. Then read all the bolds. Then read all the underlinings. Then worship.

New Baby!

Kristina and Josh Fischer are celebrating the arrival of their son,

Ian Mark Fischer

Born August 9, 2007 ~4am

7lbs. 1oz.

The Bible

The teaching of the written scriptures is the Word which God spoke and speaks to his church, and is finally authoritative for faith and life. To learn the mind of God, one must consult his written Word. What scripture says, God says. The Bible is inspired in the sense of being word-for-word God-given. It is an explanation of divine revelation which is both complete (sufficient) and comprehensible (perspicuous); that is to say, it contains all that the church needs to know in this world for its guidance in the way of salvation and service, and it contains the principles for its own interpretation within itself. ---JI Packer (Fundamentalism and the Word of God, p. 47).

The Flow

There are always many things happening this time of year... I want to take a minute to help you see how some flow together...

3 biggies:
Vision Night, Friday August 24 (held at eventfuls in Jonesville)
Kingdom-Focused Prayer Gathering, Sunday August 26 (held in media center of Oak Hall)
3 days of Prayer & Fasting, August 27-29 (held wherever you are, no public meetings)

Now, the idea is this...
1.) at Vision Night God graciously calls us to partner with Him in expecting and attempting great things... which sends us to
2.) Sunday morning prayer gathering... the coming of the Kingdom is to big for us... apart from Him we can do nothing... He gives us hope in our corporate prayer
3.) We are together spiritually in denying ourselves from some good part of creation FOR THE PURPOSE of asking God to deepen our desire for Him and His kingdom...

This could be a tremendously refreshing time of renewal for us as individuals and families and as a church family. We'll need a big Jesus as we head into the Fall. Prayer is God's most often used means to get His people there.

The Bible is the Gospel of Jesus Christ

"The Bible's purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible's purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome... religion is 'if you obey, then you will be accepted'. But the Gospel is, 'if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey'. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference." --Tim Keller

"Laden with guilt and full of fears, I fly to Thee, my Lord,
And not a glimpse of hope appears but in Thy written Word;
The volumes of my Father's grace doth all my griefs assuage,
Here I behold my Savior's face on every page." --Isaac Watts

Psalm 119 continues...

What Scripture says, God says; for, in a manner comparable only to the deeper mystery of the Incarnation, the Bible is both fully human and fully divine. So all its manifold contents—histories, prophecies, poems, songs, wisdom writings, sermons, statistics, letters, and whatever else—should be received as from God, and all that Bible writers teach should be revered as God’s authoritative instruction. Christians should be grateful to God for the gift of his written Word, and conscientious in basing their faith and life entirely and exclusively upon it. Otherwise, we cannot ever honor or please him as he calls us to do. --JI Packer.... whole article

Vision Night

Next week we will gather for an annual event in our church life... Vision Night. So far we have more than 70 folks committed to making this a night dedicated to:
<> being together
<> imagining God's future for us
<> hearing the 3 initiatives that we'll give ourselves to this year ('07-'08)

What happens on Vision Night?
You'll be surprised to see the progress God made... we will look back, ever so briefly, on what we announced last year at Vision Night... and how God surpassed our hopes----- then I (rob) will lead a program where you hear from me and other leaders on the direction we're headed this year.

Where? Eventfuls is located 4 ½ miles West of I-75 on SR 26 (Newberry Road), in the Willow Walk business park just east of Steeplechase Publix. Turn onto 138th Terrace, and we are located in the first yellow building to your right.

Friday August 24 7:30pm Eventfuls in Jonesville

Youth Getaway

The Christ Community Youth Group will head to Daytona on Saturday for an overnight retreat. The focus will be developing community life in the group and envisioning the students for their usefulness in Christ's kingdom. They will return on Sunday at 3pm.
Call for more info..... 352.871.7247 Nathan Taylor; Denise Hamilton 352.528-5415

Corporate Prayer

On Sunday morning, August 26th we will have a prayer meeting that runs from 9am til 9:40.
Why on 26th? Kicking off the Fall seeking God's power
What will happen? You will be led through the Lord's Prayer and the Vision Night plans of Christ Community Church...
(It will not be you listening to someone else pray for 5 minutes uninterrupted!)

You will not be:
-- forced to pray aloud
-- disappointed that you came

Club 45

I had the privilege of meeting with the leaders of this ministry to 4th and 5th graders yesterday. They are excited about plans for this Fall.

The Club 45 dates are:
--September 16
--October 21
--December 9

There is also a plan for Club 45 to serve as a team during the Church Work Day on December 1st.

Room for good to run wild

The more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild.
--GK Chesterton

Psalm 119

Augustine's idea that the Psalms are essentially prayers of Jesus Christ is surely in place here. What this psalm shows us is the perfection of the perfect heart in its unwavering openness to all that God teaches in the Scriptures, and the Gospels show that our Master was mastered completely by what came to him from his Bible.

Fasting

if you picked up a calendar y'day at our weekly gathering... and looked at it... you'll notice 3 days in august dedicated to prayer & fasting...... don't zone out on that .... i would venture to say that there is some way for every person to fast in a manner that awakens new areas for you.... to get you thinking of at least one non-food fast possibility....justintaylor writes:

One of the best parts of my vacation was being without a computer. Good for the soul!

I thought back to something that Doug Groothuis (philosophy professor at Denver Seminary) requires of his students:

I routinely require my students to engage in some kind of "media fast," in which they abstain from an electronic medium for at least one week. During this time they are required to reflection several portions of Scripture--the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, the fruit of the Spirit, etc.--in light of their experiences. In the six or so years I have been assigning this fast, the results have been nothing less than profound for the vast majority of the students. Having withdrawn from the world of TV, radio, computers, they find more silence, time for reflection and prayer, and more opportunities to engage family and friends thoughtfully. They become more peaceful and contemplative-and begin to notice how media-saturated most of our culture has become. So, we need some asceticism. Any area of culture that decreases godliness and enhances worldliness must come under the loving discipline of Jesus Christ--for his glory, for our good, and for the good of those we serve. Christians need to withdraw from aspects of our technological culture (which Postman calls a "Technopoly"-a culture dominated by technology) in order to gain perspective on ourselves, God, and our culture.

Psalm 114, The Hebrews Exodus, and Your Life

Tomorrow we will celebrate Holy Communion in the context of looking at Psalm 114... which celebrates the Hebrew exodus from Egypt.


The celebration of the Exodus in the annual Passover feast (Exodus 12) is intended not to simply evoke pious and thankful memories of the past, but to bring each generation under the living power of this unique eschatological event (vv. 26f; 13:8). Thus, in displacing the ritual of the remembrance of the Exodus by a new ritual centered on His death and resurrection, Jesus indicated that these events would uniquely affect the destiny of all generations of mankind. He deliberately instituted for His Church a means by which the power and reality of His death and resurrection could be brought to bear upon the life of each generation within the Church" [Wallace, "The Lord's Supper," 165]. --kim riddlebarger

Communion with each other

"We should not . . . think of our fellowship with other Christians as a spiritual luxury... We should recognize rather that such fellowship is a spiritual necessity; for God has made us in such a way that our fellowship with himself is fed by our fellowship with fellow-Christians, and requires to be so fed constantly for its own deepening and enrichment." --J.I. Packer

Bridge Collapse

John Piper pastors a church within sight of the bridge that collapsed... he writes in Putting My Daughter to Bed 2 Hours After the Bridge Collapsed
"When I sat on her bed and tucked her in and blessed her and sang over her a few minutes ago...
...Talitha is sleeping now. But one day she will die. I teach her this. I will not always be there to bless her. But Jesus is alive and is the same yesterday today and forever. He will be with her because she trusts him. And she will make it through the river."

Sunday's Worship Service

It is our pattern as a church family to celebrate Holy Communion on the 1st Sunday of each month. I wanted to write to you about the way we'll do that Sunday. There is a minor change.

The service will flow like this:
Opening Hymn, followed by a scripture reading and the Doxology... per usual

Children's Church dismissal and The sermon will come next, a meditation upon Psalm 114 which shows us a connection between the Passover & Exodus miracles of God at work in His people AND THE miracle of God at the cross.

Then we'll share communion with God and each other... followed by the return of Children's Church and a more extended time (than our usual) of celebrating the redemption we have in Christ.

I'll post a link to the worship folder later....

ManLand

Thursday August 30th... start your stretching now...

Psalm 108

With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.

Ps108 is made up of portions of 2 earlier psalms (60 & 57)... but it is much more than a mindless cut&paste. The psalmist takes earlier prayers and suits them for his current situation.

Psalm 108 is here