Just get me to Jesus

In two different conversations this morning, one with my wife and one with Steve Lammers ..... a theme emerged..... I/We need Jesus!!... and so this quote found traction in my heart. Maybe you'll benefit as well:

Faith may seem a slight thing to some; and they may wonder how salvation can flow from believing. Hence they try to magnify it, to adorn it, to add to it, in order that it may appear some great thing, something worthy of having salvation as its reward. In so doing, they are actually transforming faith into a work, and introducing salvation by works, under the name of faith. They show that they understand neither the nature nor the office of faith. It saves, simply by handing us over to the Saviour. It saves, not on account of the good works which flow from it, not on account of the love which it kindles, not on account of the repentance which it produces, but solely because it connects us with the Saving One. Its saving efficacy does not lie in its connection with righteousness and holiness, but entirely in its connection with the Righteous and Holy One … --Horatius Bonar, 1800's

a wedding & marriage prayer

O God, to those who here profess their vows of lifelong love, Grant joy and peace; their marriage bless with gladness from above.

Christ, grant that neither grief nor place nor life nor death may part

Those who, enjoying your sweet grace, in You are one in heart.

Spirit of God, whom we adore: preserve, protect, defend,

Increase, rekindle, and restore their love till life shall end.

Charles price and charles Wesley, music Caithness

I heard the voice of, Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light
Look unto me thy morn’ shall rise,
And all thy days be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found, In Him my star, my sun
And in that light of, life I’ll walk,
Till pilgrim days are done --Bonar.... hymn here

o by the way.... spurgeon this morning is incredible....

"Lord, here is my heart, my poor heart. Take it just as it is, and make it all that You would have it to be; cast it into Your mold, and let it receive and reflect Your image, Son of God, inexpressibly precious Jesus, Savior of sinners, Redeemer of my never dying soul!"

Jesus is the Fountain, yes, the Ocean, of living waters. We draw supplies from His infinite, inexhaustible fulness. "Lord, impart to me more of Yourself. Fill this heart with Your love, engrave Your image there, and let me not lose sight of You for one small moment."

Jesus is all in all to me. --Mary Winslow

Start Christmas BEFORE thanksgiving

Tomorrow night, Thursday November 15, you can help a child experience a wonderful Christmas present. There is a wrapping party to prepare the shoeboxes that will be assembled (i.e. stuffed) on Sunday morning.
details here

The Renewing Grace of Jesus

When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And, when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.

--When All Thy Mercies, O My God

The rule has been disproved
The stone it has been moved
The grave is now a groove
All debts are removed
Oh can’t you see what love has done? --U2, Window in the Skies

“Once you have accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines should be deliberately held before you mind every day. That is why daily praying, and Scripture reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed…if you examined one hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?” C S Lewis, Mere Christianity

Hard-boiled Sinners

Martin Luther was concerned about a friend of his who felt like he had to get his life put together before he could come to church. Luther's response in 1544 screams loud and clear even today:
"My faithful request and admonition is that you join our company and associate with us who are real, great and hard-boiled sinners. You must by no means make Christ to seem paltry and trifling to us as though He could be our helper only when we want to be rid from imaginary, nominal and childish sins. No, no! That would not be good for us. He must rather be a savior and redeemer from real, great, grievous, and damnable transgressions and iniquities…"

"let the good times roll in case God doesn't show"

.... the following is either an advertisement for engaging popular culture with your children OR
an advertisement against same

This morning i heard my 6 yr old singing this line
let the good times roll In case God doesn't show

turns out w/ a little help from google that the song is by Fall out boy and called Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
Anywho... it struck me that this line is akin to saying

Stuff your face if the caterers don't show
Dance around if the band doesn't show
Throw me a pass if the football can't be found
Turn on the TV since the electricity is out.

It felt oxymoronic. And this is the way I spoke with my son.... there is no deeper conviction i have (see Hebrews 11 and acct of Moses' life) than that it if God "doesn't show (up)" then it is impossible to have a good time.
But in further reflection, perhaps this line is more like what Paul said
If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” What do you think?

Men's Road-trip, to Biloxi for Katrina relief

Here's all the info... some of it repeated... put together in the most spastic way I can....We leave Wed 7th at5pm and return Sunday the 11th around 1pm. The Gators have conveniently scheduled there game against Spurrier for Sat nite so that we can--after a hard days work--enjoy the game together over dinner.
We only need to bring towels, sheets and pillows. They provide a place to sleep and shower, food including water and power aide on the job.

We will be guided by 7 Rivers Pres of Crystal River. They've worked this area monthly for 2 years.

We will be leaving from the church house on Wednesday at 5:00 pm (try to be there at 4:45 pm)
We will head back Sunday morning and hope to be home around 1:00 pm
Please bring twin sheets, pillow, towel and blanket
Bring $90.00 for food and we will be sharing gas expense
Bring work clothes and basic hand tools if you have them
Bring clothes to go out to watch the game in

Basic schedule:
Wednesday: drive
Thursday & Friday: work all day & do some friendship-building, worship & bible study in evening
Saturday: work all day & watch Gator game while out at dinner
Sunday: worship together & hit the road pretty early

Who's going?

Rob Pendley,John Gallagher, Mike Marshall, Frank Stankunas, Frank Matthews, Ken French

"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty."

When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it. As well chain the eagle's wing to make it mount, as doubt in order to increase our grace. It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love allure him to Jesus' bosom. Are you this morning thirsting for the living God, and unhappy because you cannot find him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of faith, and is this your prayer, "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation"? Are you conscious also that you are barren, like the dry ground; that you are not bringing forth the fruit unto God which He has a right to expect of you; that you are not so useful in the Church, or in the world, as your heart desires to be? Then here is exactly the promise which you need, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." You shall receive the grace you so much require, and you shall have it to the utmost reach of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty: you shall be refreshed; your desires shall be gratified. Water quickens sleeping vegetable life: your life shall be quickened by fresh grace. Water swells the buds and makes the fruits ripen; you shall have fructifying grace: you shall be made fruitful in the ways of God. Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be--the thirsty land shall be springs of water. --Spurgeon, Morning & Evening Devotionals, morning for today, November 6

"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." — Isaiah 44:3

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain.
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain. --William Cowper

“Sin is the sickness of the soul. It is deforming, weakening, disquieting, wasting, killing, but blessed be God, not incurable. Jesus Christ is the great Physician of souls. Wise and good men should be as physicians to all about them; Christ was so. Sin-sick souls have need of this Physician, for their disease is dangerous; nature will not help itself; no man can help us; such need have we of Christ that we are undone, eternally undone, without him. There are multitudes who fancy themselves to be sound and whole, who think they have no need of Christ, but that they can do for themselves well enough without him…Christ came not with an expectation of succeeding among the ‘righteous’, those who conceit themselves so, and therefore will sooner be sick of their Savior than sick of their sins, but among the convinced humble sinners; to them Christ will come, for to them he will be welcome.” Matthew Henry, Commentary on Matthew 9

Sex, Intimacy, and the Gospel

From time to time i like to post solid resources. Here are some good ones, particularly for the fellas... but also for ladies trying to support a man or raise a son.

• A Song of Joy: Sexual Intimacy in Marriage
  C.J. Mahaney (mp3)
• Sex, Romance and the Glory of God (Part 1)
  C.J. Mahaney (mp3)
• Sex, Romance and the Glory of God (Part 2)
  C.J. Mahaney (mp3)
• A Clean Heart, A Clean Mind: Restoring Sexual Purity in the Church
  H. Schaumburg (mp3)
• Men's Bible Study: Wise Sex (Part 1)
  Jay Sklar
• Men's Bible Study: Wise Sex (Part 2)
  Jay Sklar
• Sexual Purity and the Circumcision of the Heart
  Hans Bayer (mp3)
• Sexual Character - Treating Younger Women as Sisters With Absolute Purity
  Mark Dalbey (mp3) - 1 Timothy 5:1-2
• A Clean Heart, A Clean Mind: Restoring Sexual Purity in the Life of the Church
  Harry Schaumburg (mp3) - 1 Corinthians 5:1-8
• The Gospel and Sexual Sanity
  Scotty Smith (mp3) - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
• Sex and the Resurrection
  Richard Winter (mp3) - 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
• Be Still, O Wandering Eye - Keeping From Sexual Sin
  Dan Doriani (mp3) - Matthew 5:27-32

Owen quotes

Several asked about the John Owen quote. Here's one of them:

"God’s love is like Himself- it is equal and constant. And even the things which appear to show that God has changed His mind about us proceed from His love for us. We are so different- our love changes, yet God’s love is always the same.

Some may say.... ‘This comes nigh to that blasphemy, that God loves his people in their sinning as will as in their strictest obedience; and, if so, who will care to serve Him more, or to walk with Him unto well-pleasing?’ ‘But will not this encourage sin?’

He never tasted of the love of God that can seriously make this objection.” -John Owen.... more complete quote here

in the past year 2 guys (Kelly Kapic & Justin Taylor) have done amazing new re-edits of someof John Owen's work....

Communion with the Triune God & Overcoming Sin & Temptation .... at $15 they make excellent Christmas gifts

The compassion of Jesus

Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. --The Gospel of St. Matthew

Give Me Christ, or Else I Die

Gracious Lord, incline they ear; My requests vouchsafe to hear;
Hear my never-ceasing cry; Give me Christ, or else I die.

Wealth and honor I disdain, earthly comforts, Lord are vain;
These can never satisfy: Give me Christ, or else I die.

All unholy and unclean, I am nothing but sin;
On thy mercy I rely; Give me Christ, or else I die.

Thou dost freely save the lost; In they grace alone I trust.
With my earnest suit comply; Give me Christ, or else I die.

Thou dost promise to forgive, all who in they Son believe;
Lord, I know thou cannot lie; Give me Christ or else I die.

Words - William Hammond, 1719-1783

"Oh, that's easy. It's grace."

It is to the prodigals … that the memory of their Father's house comes back. If the son had lived economically he would never have thought of returning.
—Simone Weil

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world were discussing whether any one belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. In his forthright manner Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." --from Phil Yancey

Praise Follows Answered Prayer

Have you seen God help you recently? Was there a concern lifted or a fear avoided? It is our tendency to run to Him when we need help and forget to return for praise and thanksgiving after He has "been there" for us. Monday I read this in Morning & Evening:
Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth’s gratitude rises when the sun of heaven’s love warms the ground. Hath the Lord been gracious to thee, and inclined his ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then praise him as long as thou livest. Let the ripe fruit drop upon the fertile soil from which it drew its life. Deny not a song to him who hath answered thy prayer and given thee the desire of thy heart. --Charles Spurgeon

oh by the way.... move your clocks saturday nite

Thinking about 9am service?

On January 13 Christ Community Church will begin hold 2 identical worship services. In an effort to prepare well we are asking each member and regular attender to prayerfully consider making a commitment (short-term, 15 weeks) to one of the morning worship services. In fact, on Sunday December 2, we'll be making that a part of our morning offering; i.e. we'll encourage people to be offering themselves to God for His use in helping reach more people through adding the 2nd service. You'd really be surprised how helpful it will be in planning for this to know that we have 80 people committed to each service for 15 weeks. (We are calling it "80 for 15")

To that end, because the 9am service is the added one and we have more planning to do for it... we are encouraging any who are interested to come for a brief meeting where Frank Matthews and I will lay out what is involved... and answer any questions you may have.

The meeting will be held Sunday November 4... in the theater... shortly after the worship service ends.

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

“The vilest sinners are properly qualified and prepared for the Gospel’s design, which is to show forth the exceeding riches of grace when God pardons their sins and saves them freely (Ephesians 2:5-7).” --Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

''A justification that needs to be completed by the recipient is no resting place.'' --Sinclair B. Ferguson

A Gate of Heaven...

“I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, ‘the justice of God,’ [Rom. 1:17] because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him.

Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that ‘the just shall live by his faith’ [Rom. 1:17]. Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas the ‘justice of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressively sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate of heaven….” - Martin Luther

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to launch a discussion that morphed into a reformation

Youth Group News

from the "Ute" team
Schedule UPDATE: Bowling is canceled. Will NOT happen
Sunday's meeting will be held at the MATTHEWS house... Also, youth group on Sunday is at the Matthews's home at 5PM. We will be playing some EXCESSIVELY fun, but kind of messy games.
Please bring a change of clothes and a towel. Don't forget to invite your friends! This is going to be a super fun time!

Spring retreat Dates:
Middle School....February 8-10, 2008

Oh blessed Holy Spirit, my friend!

John Owen has some tremendous stuff in a book on Sin & Temptation...
How does the Holy Spirit mortify sin?
1.) By causing our hearts to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the flesh...
2.) By a real physical efficiency on the root & habit of sin, for the weakening, destroying, and taking it away. He is the fire which burns up the very root of lust.
3.) He brings the cross of Christ into the heart of a sinner by faith, and gives us communion with Christ in His death and fellowship in his sufferings.

What a great thing to pray for our friend, the Holy Spirit, to do in us as commune with Christ and each other this coming Sunday morning!

How Parenting Grows Us Up

"I believe to the deepest recesses of my being that we must suffer if we are to mature; and that is one way that being parents grows us up." --Dan Allender

True.

Men's Roadtrip, one week from tomorrow

There is still room for 2 more fellas. Contact John Gallagher for more information.
We leave Wed 7th around 5pm and return Sunday the 11th around 1pm. The Gators have conveniently scheduled there game against Spurrier for Sat nite so that we can--after a hard days work--enjoy the game together over dinner.
We only need to bring towels, sheets and pillows. They provide a place to sleep and shower, food including water and power aide on the job.

Do you?

Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?

That is membership vow #1 at Christ Community.

To say "I do." to this is to recognize that all of life is grace. It is to sign on to the profession that God's kindness & mercy is the foundation of your existence.

New Chik Fil-A Ad?

Three of our girls were pose with the famous cow from the chik fil-a ads. It was a tremendous honor to have this celebrity in our petting farm at the Fall Festival!

The Blackest Place on Earth

In Mark 3 Jesus states that He is stronger than Satan. Elsewhere in the Bible Jesus' coming is described as being for the purpose of 'destroying the work of the devil'. So, with that backdrop, this quote is especially invigorating:

“It is in His death that He destroys the wolf, so that the blackest place on earth, where the Son of God is crucified, becomes the place where the blackest of evil is subdued by the love of God and made to minister to the redemption of the world. By the Cross all our evil is taken under the command of the sacrifice of Christ and made to work together for good to those who love Him, and who hear and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, not only because by His death our sin and guilt are removed, but because He who died lives again, and is able to make the very grave of mankind to become the cradle of new and abundant life.” - T.F. Torrance

"Whoever is not satisfied with Christ alone,
strives after something beyond absolute perfection." --John Calvin

Fall Festival Reflections

About 250 people.... many new... having fun... children laughing... money raised for Haiti.... memories for all ages. A tremendous event led by Bonnie Marshall, Sharon Stankunas, and Jessica Zeidler.... more pics to follow, right now i only have this cowboy

When you are caught off guard....

“…Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light. Apparently the rats of resentment and vindictiveness are always there in the cellar of my soul. Now that cellar is out of reach of my conscious will. I can, to some extent control my acts: I have no direct control over my temperament (emotions). And if what we are matters even more than what we do—then it follows that the change which I most need to undergo is a change that my own direct, voluntary efforts cannot bring about. And that applies to my good actions too…I cannot, by direct moral effort, give myself new motives. After the first few steps of the Christian life we realize that everything which needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God…and in reality, it is God who does everything. We, at most, allow it to be done to us.” C S Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Jesus' Identity

Mark 3 gives us 3 opinions of Jesus:
--He's mad! from his family
--He's bad! from the religious leaders
-- He's the Son of God! from the unclean spirits Jesus has chased out of people

and so i'm reminded of 2 quotes from last century:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, The MacMillan Company, 1960, pp. 40-41.)

"The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore—on the contrary, they thought him 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 very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him 'meek and mild,' and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies." --Dorothy Sayers

.....an interviewer of Bono of U2 marvels : "That's a great idea (slvtn thru the cross), no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has His rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?"

Bono of U2 comes back, "Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.' . . . So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. . . . The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched."

CALIFORNIA FIRES: MNA DISASTER RESPONSE PROVIDING ASSISTANCE
The wildfires in Southern California continue to drive ever greater numbers of people from their homes. The churches of South Coast and Pacific Presbyteries are currently assessing damage among their members and their communities. No damage is reported thus far to PCA church buildings. Many PCA families have evacuated and it is uncertain when they will be able to return home. A number of PCA family homes have been reported destroyed; the condition of many other PCA family homes is unknown at this time. MNA Disaster Response is working with PCA leaders in the area to formulate a response plan. Check back often for updated information. We are also keeping in touch with the other NAPARC churches. For a report from the churches, go here: http://www.pca-mna.org/disaster/07fires/fireupdate.php

For now, you can:
• Pray that God will provide PCA members with strengthened faith and opportunities to serve fellow believers; pray also for God’s people as they serve others in their communities, demonstrating the Gospel through acts of mercy.
• Prayerfully consider a financial contribution. Gifts will be used to meet the needs of any PCA families who are affected, and to provide resources for PCA people to serve others in the community. To give a gift, go here: https://processor.pcanet.org/mna/donationsII/donation.cfm?MinistryTypeID=33

We do not know at this time how much volunteer assistance from outside the area will be permitted by local authorities; if you would like to volunteer, please register your team, go here: http://processor.pcanet.org/mna/events/signin.cfm?eventid=2

Sunday Fall Festival Weather Forecast Looks Promising

High temp on Sunday is 76 !
chance of rain 30%

Being with Jesus

Mark 3:14 "Jesus appointed twelve to be with him..."

Only through intimate contact would his followers really get to know Jesus and be able to fulfill the task of bearing witness to Him. Only in this way would they be fully exposed to the powerful influence of his life and ministry..... years later, the secret of their power was that they "had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Through Scripture and by Christ's Spirit, it is still possible to be with Jesus. We should therefore take careful note of the effects of such communion and long for them in our own lives. --Sinclair Ferguson

a prayer: Oh, Jesus... may you so visit Christ Community that we would say with confidence, "We've been with Jesus." Would you empower us to help each other--and those you are bringing to us--to commune with you. In our own hearts... let us be with you. In our family life... let us be with you. In our corporate life as a church family... let us be with you!

The Unpardonable Sin, what is it?

Sweet lovable Jesus says in Mark 3, "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."

Helpful stuff:
1. Blasphemy against the HS (ie the eternal sin) is the ongoing and continual rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ as Saviour and God. That is the eternal sin. It is constant resistance to the grace and mercy of God. --Geoff Thomas
2. here, by RIchard Philipps
3. Interesting post here, about some atheists who challenge folk to upload videos to youtube that supposedly (and wrongly!) condemn them to hell.
4. John Piper sermon on the unpardonable sin

"The best proof that Christ will never cease to love us lies in that he never began" ~ Geerhardus Vos

Jeremiah. 31:3 "Yea I have loved you with an everlasting love"

Ephesians 1... before the foundations of the world...

It is a little sad...

I'm hearing of groups of people getting together this weekend to make chili for Sunday's chili cook-off & Fall festival.

Part of me wants to say, "NO!! It is not worth it." Why not? Because my "Hollerrr Chili" will so easily walk away with the trophy. Bring it on! 4pm Sunday

You can't change without grace....

“No one can truly change who does not know and rely on gifts from the hand of the Lord. Since Christ is both Giver and Gift, attempts to change without grace are barren of the very purpose, power, and Person that change is about. Self-manufactured change does not dislodge almighty me from the center of my tiny self-manufactured universe.

Still in the futility of my mind and the hardness of my heart, I only act a bit different. Successful living without grace describes mere self-reformation: get your act together, save your marriage, get off your duff and get a job. Failure in living describes failed self-efforts: when you can’t get a grip, you despair. Christless, grace-less attempts at change conclude either with the praise of your own glory or with your shame.”

- David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes (Phillipsburg, PA: P & R Publishing, 2003), 48.

A New Israel

Israel (as the people of God) was not reconstituted in 1948.... Jesus did it in Mark 3!

"When Jesus called the twelve, he began to create a new Israel and begin to lead his people in a new Exodus. Through the proclamation of the gospel that Jesus taught these twelve men and which they’ve proclaimed to us through God’s word, God has called each one of us by name. We come from different races, we have different backgrounds, and we occupy many stations of life. But make no mistake about it. God has called each one of us by name to place our trust in Jesus Christ. Like the twelve, we leave everything behind and we follow our new master as he leads us through the wilderness of this present evil age as we make our way to the heavenly city. --Kim Riddlebarger

The Twelve

Mark 3:13-19 lists the calling of "The Twelve"... as the disciples are called in the gospels. It is difficult to overestimate what God is going to do through these 12 ordinary men. Because of time we know how their lives & influence turn out... but they didn't on the day they stood on that mtn with Jesus.

It reminds me of a line in "National Treasure" when Nicholas Cage reflects on how radical the writers of the Dec. of Independence were in their actions & lives.
"A toast, to high treason. That's what these men were committing when they signed the Declaration. Had we lost the war, they would've been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered, and oh my personal favorite, had their entrails cut out and burned! So, here's to the men who did what was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right."

(i hesitate to illustrate biblical truth with American stuff for fear that someone thinks that USA is parallel with God's Kingdom.... don't do that)

Parenting Teenagers

Hear ye! Hear ye! Richard & April Horner are taking the baton from Frank & Suzanne Matthews. The Matthews have, I'm told, done a wonderful job of laying out the Bible's teaching on parenting, particularly of younger children. (I've seen the teaching outlines and they look great!)

Now, the Horners... parents of a high schooler and 2 univ. students will take over. 9am in the media center, starting Sunday October 28.

The Gospel According to Mark

Sunday we are continuing our series on Mark’s gospel. We will enter a new section of Mark’s gospel–Mark 3:7-6:13. by way of review... here is helpful summary of where we've been, Mark 1:1 thru 3:6
As Jesus came preaching that the critical moment in redemptive history had finally come. The kingdom of God had drawn near in his very person. As proof that this was the case, Jesus cast out demons,healed the sick, and called disciples to follow him. He even forgave sins. Soon huge crowds followed Jesus everywhere he went. But even as Jesus was preaching the good news about the kingdom of God, the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees were offended by almost everything Jesus did. Jesus ate
with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus and his disciples did not observe the fast as did the Pharisees. And
Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Although Jesus outraged the scribes and Pharisees, his actions were
indicative of the fact that he was Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God. Sadly, even though Jesus came to
bring salvation to his people, the scribes and Pharisees were now conspiring with their political
enemies–the Herodians–to find some excuse to put Jesus to death. Jesus came to bring salvation to
God’s people. But it was becoming clear that Jesus’ mission would be opposed by those very people he
came to save. --Kim Riddlebarger

Seeking Holiness by Grace

“For my own part, I desire constantly to stand at the foot of the cross, with no other testimony concerning myself than this —

I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me.

Personal holiness is to be sought for with all our hearts, and it can only be obtained by faith in Jesus Christ — by simple faith in Him. He gives us power to overcome sin through his precious blood. Christ is made of God unto you “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption;” in Him be all your glorying, and in Him alone, for if not so, the rubbish will cover up the foundation. “I know whom I have believed.” None but Jesus, none but Jesus.

“Personal holiness is to be sought for with all our hearts, and it can only be obtained by faith in Jesus Christ…”

There rests our souls’ only hope, upon His precious blood and righteousness; every other hope we heartily abhor. Well, the foundation is laid. Blessed be God for that! When a man is brought to rest alone in Jesus, then there is laid for him in Zion a sure foundation-stone, and to that he is cemented by sovereign grace.”

C.H. Spurgeon

Reformed Means Zealous for God's Glory

Sunday is "Reformation Sunday" celebrating

in a strange way.... i think the way you honor your fathers in the faith is to seek to do in your generation what they did in theirs... NOT seek to bring their style of ministry & life into OUR generation.... so the way you show you are reformed is by not talking about being reformed but by being zealous for the same things they were... and one of those is the glory of God.

(October 31 is typically known as Reformation Day)

helpful stuff:
--Woltersdorff quote (that dude has THE HARDEST name to spell!)
--JI Packer's preface to John Owen's DEATH OF DEATH in the death of Christ
-- the God Alone class CCC is offering 'rat now' on Sundays at 9am

On Being Reformed

i am forever returning to this quote to broaden my understanding of what it means for a Christian or a church to be "reformed".....
“It’s a style of life that gives prominence to the conviction that God is creator; hence it is that
we give thanks to God for the goodness that surrounds us. Secondly, it incorporates a deep and powerful sense of the fallenness of all things, understood in such a way that there is a strong impulse to resist all attempts to draw lines in the sand, with the explanation that human fallenness occurs on this side of the line and not on that side of the line. Fallenness runs throughout our entire existence—indeed, through the cosmos.
Corresponding to this comprehensive view of sin is then an equally comprehensive view of faith and salvation... In short, I think that at the heart of the Reformed tradition is a passion for totality, for wholeness, for integrity, for not allowing life to fall into bits and pieces but to constantly ask, ‘What does my faith—what does the gospel of Jesus Christ—have do with this and what does it have to do with that?’ And then never being content with the answer, ‘Nothing!’” --Nick W.
--more much more to post

Not a single shred !

“Retain a single shred or fragment of legality with the gospel, and you raise a topic of distrust between man and God. You take away from the power of the gospel to melt and to conciliate. For this purpose the freer it is the better it is.”
- Thomas Chalmers, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”

"To believe a thing is to see the cool crystal water sparkling in the cup. But to meditate on it is to drink of it. Reading gathers the clusters; contemplation squeezes forth their generous juice."
Charles H. Spurgeon

Mondays at 1:00 we pray...

... the staff of Christ Community, that is. If you would like to request prayer, email
lizette AT christcommunitychurch DOT com

An explanation of today's worship service

Today Christ Community Church is being recognized by the North Florida Presbytery as a member congregation. This means that we have elders and pastors installed to serve and lead. The presiding minister, Rev. Rod Whited, and others from the presbytery are here to enact this event. From this time on Christ Community Church has the authority to ordain our own officers.

Why are we governed and served by elders? We find in the Scriptures instruction on how Christ desires his Church to be led. This includes elders who have exhibited lives that are joyfully dependant upon Christ and living in the power of His grace. They have been tried and approved to have the character and wisdom to serve and lead the church family with humility, boldness, and love. The qualifications for elders are found in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3.

What difference will this make in the life of Christ Community Church? The changes should be subtle and strengthening. The core values and vision of Christ Community Church remain the same.

How should I be encouraged by God today? Primarily that Christ cares for His people. Are you a long-time member of Christ Community Church? Be encouraged that God has answered our prayers and used our meager efforts to establish something that He plans to use for years. Are you newer to Christ Community Church? This is an opportunity to rejoice that God has been at work to do us good a long time before we actually experience His grace and love. This is a pattern of our great God.

What’s up with all the vows? What you are participating in today is both witnessing and making vows. If you are a member of Christ Community Church you are entering into a relationship with elders through vows. Everyone is promising to look to Christ for strength to carry out their God-given roles. And God is delighted to resource His children!

I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in y o u will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

–The Apostle Paul, to the church at Philippi

The Church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation,
by water and the word:
from heaven he came

and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

--Samuel Stone, 1800’s

What a scene!

Then he stood still a while, to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. Zech. 12:10. Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold, three Shining Ones came to him, and saluted him with, "Peace be to thee." So the first said to him, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," Mark 2:5; the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with change of raiment, Zech. 3:4; the third also set a mark on his forehead, Eph. 1:13, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bid him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the celestial gate: so they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing,

"Thus far did I come laden with my sin,
Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in,
Till I came hither. What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss?

Must here the burden fall from off my back?
Must here the strings that bound it to me crack?
Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!" --bunyan "Pilgrim's Progress"

The Church of God

CCC will have her 1st ever elders ordained on Sunday. In Acts 20 the apostle Paul gives some amazing words of instruction to the Ephesian elders... pray these things for Mike Marshall, Charlie Staples, Larry Eubanks, Frank Matthews, and the chief sinner--Rob Pendley.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock,
in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,
to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Keller book sounds good

and it sounds great... read about it here-- you can also pre-order it:

Our Sure Footing

“If I am a new creature in Christ, then I stand before God, not in myself—but in Christ. He sees no longer me—but only him in whom I am—him who represents me, Christ Jesus, my substitute and surety. In believing, I have become so identified with the Son of his love, that the favor with which he regards him passes over to me, and rests, like the sunshine of the new heavens, upon me.

In Christ, and through Christ, I have acquired a new standing before the Father. I am ‘accepted in the beloved.’

My old standing, that is, that of distance, and disfavor, and condemnation, is wholly removed, and I am brought into one of nearness, and acceptance, and pardon—I am made to occupy a new footing, just as if my old one had never been. Old guilt, heavy as the mountain, vanishes; old dread, gloomy as midnight, passes off; old fear, dark as hell, gives place to the joyful confidence arising from forgiveness and reconciliation, and the complete blotting out of sin.

All things are made new. I have changed my standing before God; and that simply in consequence of that oneness between me and Christ, which has been established, through my believing the record given concerning him. I come to him on a new footing, for I am “in Christ,” and in me there has been a new creation.” - Horatius Bonar, “Christ and the New Creation”

Easier than we think

I just invited a family to our October 28 Fall Festival. They are new friends from school and were absolutely delighted to be asked. So why am I still so slow to ask?

October 28 at 4:00 Fall Festival & Chili Cookoff... Oh by the way, I'm making my soon-to-be-famous "Pendley's Hollerrr Chili"

A Town Hall Meeting about adding the 2nd service

On Sunday October 28... immediately after the worship service there will be an opportunity to meet with Rob Pendley, Frank Matthews and another elder about the plan to launch a 2nd service in January 2008. While this decision was reached after much prayer, discussion, and counsel we know that some may need more information or simply to be heard. We hope to create a space for you to:
--ask questions
--express concerns
--etc

The meeting will be held in the Student Center.

Moving to a 2nd service in January 2008, why?

1. Opportunity

A. To reach new people... our mission statement is
Christ Community exists to experience & extend the grace of Jesus Christ
B. To develop new leaders
C. To stretch Christ Community

2. Need
A. Christ Community needs "eyes lifted" to see the harvest
B. Theater has "full" sense on at least 2 of 4 sundays

Additionally, when the elders were discussing this in early September a major point was this:
When CCC moves into the building on Parker Road we will have 344 seats. This means that we would be going to a 2nd service during our first month in our new facility! The elders felt that the growing pains associated with adding a 2nd service would better be experienced in the familiar environment of Oak Hall. This would free Christ Community to fully enter into the joy of having a place to call home without simultaneously feeling the growing pains we are all feeling now.

vows members take sunday

in an effort to help you more meaningfully enter into the vows of members on sunday... i put them here:

Do you, in reliance on God for strength, solemnly

promise and covenant that you will walk together as an

organized church, on the principles of the faith and order of

the Presbyterian Church in America, and that you will be

zealous and faithful in maintaining the purity and peace of the

whole body?

Questions to Congregation2

Book of church order, section 21-6. The candidate having answered these questions in the affirmative,

the presiding minister shall propose to the church the following questions:

1. Do you, the people of this congregation, continue to profess

your readiness to receive _________________, whom you

have called to be your pastor?

2. Do you promise to receive the word of truth from his mouth

with meekness and love, and to submit to him in the due

exercise of discipline?

3. Do you promise to encourage him in his labors, and to assist

his endeavors for your instruction and spiritual edification?

4. Do you engage to continue to him while he is your pastor that

competent worldly maintenance which you have promised, and

to furnish him with whatever you may see needful for the honor

of religion and for his comfort among you?

Sunday 4:30pm CLUB 45

from 4:30 til 6 at the church house.... club 45
October 21

God is God-centered!

The foundation of our justification — our acquittal, our forgiveness — is not a flimsy sentimentality in God, nor is it a shallow claim of human worth. It is the massive rock of God’s unswerving commitment to uphold the worth of his own glory, to promote the praise of his holy name and to vindicate his righteousness.

The God-centeredness of God is the foundation of his grace to the ungodly. If God were not committed first to vindicate the worth of his own glory, there would be no gospel and no hope, for their would be no glorious God.”

- John Piper, The Pleasures of God (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), 166.

Vows of Ruling (aka "Lay") Elders

On Sunday.... Mike, Larry & Charlie will be making vows using the following questions:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as

originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only

infallible rule of faith and practice?

2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and

the Catechisms of this Church, as containing the system of

doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures; and do you further

promise that if at any time you find yourself out of accord with

any of the fundamentals of this system of doctrine, you will, on

your own initiative, make known to your Session the change

which has taken place in your views since the assumption of this

ordination vow?

3. Do you approve of the form of government and discipline of the

Presbyterian Church in America, in conformity with the general

principles of biblical polity?

4. Do you accept the office of ruling elder in this church, and promise faithfully to perform all the

duties thereof, and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the

profession of the Gospel in your life, and to set a worthy example

before the Church of which God has made you an officer?

5. Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord?

6. Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church?

“We are to detach ourselves from the compulsive organism of sin rooted in the unregenerate human nature and to put ourselves in gear with the living power of Christ’s resurrection which will then express his character in our lives. But choice and will enter in along with faith and understanding, and neither is spiritually alive without the other. The process of sanctification is broader and more subtle than our conscious efforts to mortify know patterns of sin in our lives. Much of our growth in grace is quietly effected by events and conditions God brings into our lives to perfect his work in us. We are faced by sacrificial choices…and our positive response to such choices deepens our purity of our intention to follow Christ.” Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life

Evangelism is born of love. --John Stott

Join with Rusty & Trish Homan in Rejoicing

Wesley Eugene Homan and Taylor Ellsworth Homan were born Thursday at 10:30am.
Wesley weighed 6lbs 11oz and Taylor weighted 6lbs 10oz. They were just over 37 weeks old and born via a scheduled C-section. Mom and babies are doing great!

Youth Group Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt TONITE

6pm meet at church house
parent pick up 8pm at church house

Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.

Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen! --Isaac Watts

Spurgeon on loving our friends & neighbors...

Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them
leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms
about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves.

If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one
go there unwarned and unprayed for. --Charlie Spurgeon (349.11)

I believe

The Latin credo means literally “I give my heart.” In addition, believe comes to us from the Old English belove, making clear that this too is meant to be heart language. To say, “I believe in Jesus Christ” is a confession of commitment, of love. Faith….is not about propositions, but about commitment. It does not mean that I intellectually subscribe to the following statements, but that I give my heart to this reality. --quote by Diana Eck, by way of Lauren Winner's GIRL MEETS GOD book

Fall Festival & Chili Cook-off

Make sure you block out this time
4-7pm on Sunday October 28
Christ Community's Fall Festival
(Hayride, Chili-Cookoff competition, pumpkin painting, and much more!)
held at the Stankunas' house... more info coming

God, You have been my helper... (Psalm 29)

God is the ultimate Helper. He alone has the grace to rescue you from you. What does this mean? He gives you power to deal with all the sins of thought and desire that get in the way of you doing what God has called you to do. Not only does he help you with internal weaknesses, he alone is able to remove external obstacles. Because he's our helper, we don't have to place the completion or success of the task on our shoulders. It's not our job to complete the task, it's our job to obey God's call; he will complete the task. I don't have the power to get people to respond. I don't have the power to make situations change. I can't make my husband or wife love me. I can't get my children to believe. I can't force two people to reconcile. I can't make my neighbor be committed to peace. It's not my job to make these things happen. It's my job to respond to the call of God in each of these areas; the hearts of people and the control of situations are in his hands. --Paul Tripp

Be Nice?

“Niceness—wholesome, integrated personality—is an excellent thing. We must try by every medical, educational, economic, and political means in our power to produce a world where as many people grow up ‘nice’; just as we must try to produce a world where all have plenty to eat. But we must not suppose that even it we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content with their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might even be more difficult to save. For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.” --C S Lewis, Mere Christianity

What is "reformed" ?

i am forever returning to this quote to broaden my understanding of what it means for a Christian or a church to be "reformed".....
“It’s a style of life that gives prominence to
the conviction that God is creator; hence it is that
we give thanks to God for the goodness that surrounds us. Secondly, it incorporates a deep and powerful sense of the fallenness of all things, understood in such a way that there is a strong impulse to resist all attempts to draw lines in the
sand, with the explanation that human fallenness occurs on this side of the line and not on that side of the line. Fallenness runs throughout our
entire existence—indeed, through the cosmos.
Corresponding to this comprehensive view of sin is then an equally comprehensive view of faith and salvation... In short, I think that at the heart
of the Reformed tradition is a passion for totality, for wholeness, for integrity, for not allowing life to fall into bits and pieces but to constantly ask,
‘What does my faith—what does the gospel of Jesus Christ—have do with this and what does it have to do with that?’ And then never being content with the answer, ‘Nothing!’”

a prayer about The Joy of Jesus Christ

mark 2 section on fasting basically says... when Jesus shows up there is joy... b/c Jesus is full of joy....
Father, it is a great comfort to us that you and your Son
are never glib and never gloomy. We delight in the truth
that you can be infinitely happy without being callous
to our pain. We stand in wonder that the light of Jesus’
joy makes a rainbow in the tears on his face. We long
to be like this. We want to be strong and unshakable
in the joy of our faith. But we don’t want to be oblivious
to the grievousness of our own sin or the pain of
other people’s distress. O God, fulfill in us the purpose
of your Son in promising that his joy would be in us
and that our joy would be full. Make the fruit of the
Spirit—joy—flourish in our lives. Satisfy us in the
morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice....... (john piper)

Communion Sunday

The Lord’s Supper is an act of worship taking the form of a ceremonial meal, in which Christ’s servants share bread and wine in memory of their crucified Lord and in celebration of the new covenant relationship with God through Christ’s death. --JI Packer
Brief article here

Next Step Class

friday night (7-9pm) and saturday morning (9toNoon)
for those interested in learning more about Christ Community Church... ALL WELCOME!
held at the church house on parker road... more info? 379-4949

The Poison of Self-Pity

“Feeling sorry for yourself is one of the strongest, most addictive narcotics known to man. It feels so good to feel so bad. Self-pity arises so easily, seems so plausible, and proves so hard to shake off.”

- David Powlison in the newest Journal of Biblical Counseling (Summer 2007, Vol. 25, No. 3) p. 7.

1st Sundays are great

Mark 2 showed us that friends bring friends to Jesus... I'm grateful for the monthly opportunity we have right now to join in a prayer meeting that is about bringing people to Jesus... and other aspects of God's Kingdom Coming to earth... and His will being done on the earth...

a recurring appointment... 1st sunday of each month...
8:30--8:55am Kingdom Prayer Meeting (childcare provided)

10:15am Lord's Supper/Eucharist/Communion Celebration

Jesus' Beautiful Anger.... and yours?

As I've mentioned before... because we are trying to go through Mark's gospel at the pace & rythym that it feels like he designed and wrote it to be read.... we're having to skip over or barely mention some really good and sometimes confusing stuff.... such is the case in the first part of Mark 3 where the text says Jesus is "ANGRY". Well, in an effort to give opportunity for those of you who want "more"... here is a link to 2 sermons I did on Jesus' Beautiful Anger in Mark 3 in 2005.
Beautifully Angry Part 1
Beautifully Angry Part 2

Extending God's Kingdom by Stewarding His Creation

Nicole Mytyk... a former CCC'er is in the news

Next Step this weekend

Friday night and saturday morning at the church house
Next Step (the class formerly known as Intro to CCC)... if you have questions, or plan to come please call 379-4949 .... if you need help w/ childcare, please ask!

Big Shout Out of Thanks

Many of you have been sitting towards the front in an obvious effort to help create space. This is so helpful and necessary. God is bringing many new people and, quite frankly, CCC would be a much less hospitable gathering to walk into if it weren't for the effort you are making. IT MATTERS!!! Thank you, a 1000 times thank you!

God loves you AS YOU SIN

God’s love is like Himself- it is equal and constant. And even the things which appear to show that God has changed His mind about us proceed from His love for us. We are so different- our love changes, yet God’s love is always the same.

“Objection. But you will say, ‘This comes nigh to that blasphemy, that God loves his people in their sinning as well as in their strictest obedience; and, if so, who will care to serve Him more, or to walk with Him unto well-pleasing?’

Answer. There are few truths of Christ, which, from some or other, have not received like entertainment with this. Terms and appellations are at the will of every imposer; things are not at all varied by them. The love of God in itself is the eternal purpose and act of His will. This is no more changeable than God Himself: if it were, no flesh could be saved; but it changeth not, and we are not consumed. What then? Loves He His people in their sinning? Yes; His people-not their sinning. Alters He not His love towards them? Not the purpose of His will, but the dispensations of His grace. He rebukes them, He chastens them, He hides His face from them, He smites them, He fills them with a sense of His indignation; but woe, woe would it be to us, should He change in His love, or take away His kindness from us! Those very things which seem to be demonstrations of the change of His affections towards His, do as clearly proceed from love as those which seem to be the most genuine issues thereof. ‘But will not this encourage sin?’ He never tasted of the love of God that can seriously make this objection.” -- John Owen (Not sure if regular font is Owen... but i saw the italicized stuff at google books, straight from John Owen's COMMUNION WITH GOD.... get the forthcoming reprint edited by Kelly Capic & Justin Taylor)

Sin & Sickness AND Forgiveness & Healing

Because we are not intimately familiar with the Old Testament and don’t immediately make the
connection that Jews steeped in the Torah and the prophets would have made, we might miss something very important about our Lord words and actions. Throughout the Old Testament, sin and sickness are frequently connected, as is forgiveness and healing.
much more on this connection here--Kim Riddlebarger wrote this one and the 2 below as well

Not Everybody Likes Jesus

As we move into Mark chapter 2, it has become clear that Jesus’ messianic ministry is not
only attracting the poor and suffering throughout the whole region, but Jesus is becoming the subject of intense controversy and conflict with the Pharisees and scribes in the area, who had come to see Jesus not as Israel’s Messiah, sent by God, but as a threat to their own power and prestige. In fact, the next five incidents recorded by Mark (which takes us from Mark 2:1-3:6) indicate that Jesus and his disciples were being constantly challenged directly or indirectly by the Jewish religious authorities.

a good summary of Mark 1... as we head into Mark 2....Israel’s long awaited Messiah has appeared in the most unexpected of places and in the most unexpected of ways. The Messiah’s forerunner, John the Baptist, had completed his work of preparation and was now in jail at the hands of Herod. Jesus had followed John out into the desert, was baptized by him, and received the Father’s benediction– “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus then spent forty days in the wilderness, resisting the temptation of the devil, as he began
to fulfill all righteousness. Having triumphed over Satan, Jesus then appeared in Capernaum, a small backwater fishing village on the Sea of Galilee. It was here, of all places, that Jesus began preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, casting out demons, calling disciples and healing the sick, including a man with leprosy, the most feared and horrible disease of that age. While Jesus instructed this man to be quiet about his healing and to report to the priest so that he could be declared ceremonially clean and regain his life, instead this very excited man went out and began to spread the news everywhere about what Jesus had done. The buzz about Jesus was spreading throughout the whole area and as we learn at the end of Mark 1, “Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

Hymns can help you pray

example:

Almighty to rescue Thou art;
Thy grace is my shield and my tower:
Come, succor* and gladden my heart;
Let this be the day of Thy power!

--from a hymn by Augustus Toplady *means "help" or "relieve"

Consider This

.... writing in your little daytimer, or putting in outlook or Gmail calendar or whatever...

a recurring appointment... 1st sunday of each month
8:30--8:55am Kingdom Prayer Meeting
10:15am Lord's Supper/Eucharist/Communion Service of Worship

good quote

"Blessings at times come to us through our labors and at times without our labors, but never because of our labors.. For God always gives them because of His undeserved mercy." --Martin Luther

Next Step Class

October 5 and 6
Next Step Class (formerly known as Intro to Christ Community)

While coming to the class doesn't obligate you to membership... the class is a pre-req for membership. Make sense?

Which "Respectable" Sins Do you Tolerate?

Jerry Bridges, a faithful "father" in the faith who is zealous for Christ's people to seek holiness in the power of the gospel, has a new book about "respectable sins". The list is quite convicting, i think.
anxieties and frustrations;
discontentment;
unthankfulness;
pridefulness and pride revealed specifically in self-righteousness,
even in a pursuit of theological accuracy,
in seeking pride in achievements and in independence;
selfishness with our interests, time, money and inconsiderableness;
lack of self-control in eating, drinking and temperament, finances, entertainment and shopping;
impatience and irritability;
anger, even anger towards God, and the underlying roots of anger in resentment, bitterness, enmity, hostility and holding grudges;
judgmentalism and critical spirit over differing convictions and doctrinal disagreements;
envy, jealousy, competitiveness and being controlling;
the sins of the tongue like gossip, slander, lying, harsh words, sarcasm, insults and ridicule; worldliness shown financially and in idols and in “vicarious immorality,” that is,
the enjoyment of watching or reading the sinfulness of others.
Here is extended review of the book... and i deeply appreciated the reviewer's comment:
"Only one who has proven himself faithful to the Cross like Bridges is suited to lead us deep into the caves and caverns where sin lives in our hearts."