Our guest this morning

Prayer:

Still need some support

Need sell house

Hearts of People for God to raise up church

 

There's Reed (almost 6), Meredith (4 1/2) Anna Kate (nearly 2). 

 

Chad and Erin Grindstaff

Serve 5 years at Faith Presbyterian

 

Going to Cincinnati church planting

 

Our vision is to see a church

that is a Gospel centered movement that forms

a community around deep love for God, deep love for

each other and deep love and care for the surrounding

community. In our first year in Cincinnati I will be

working at North Cincy Community Church

(www.northcincy.org) as a church planting intern

developing my strengths and weaknesses and forming

a core group for the new church. There are countless

communities in the greater Cincinnati area that would

be well-served with a Gospel-centered church. Erin

and I plan to spend much time praying and exploring

the area seeking to discern where the Lord would

have us start this new work. In that process we pray

that a core from North Cincy will join with us in our

vision to reach more with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

One aspect of this move that is very exciting is the

opportunity to be a part of a group of men who are

currently starting churches in the Cincinnati area as

well. Walter Wood, the pastor of NCCC, has great

experience in church planting and will serve as coach

for the group.

Advent Poems on a PDF!

http://plaza.ufl.edu/stevexoc/class_poems.pdf

This class meets at 10 am Sunday December 12. 

Worship services are at 8:30 and 11:15

8:30 and 11:15 tomorrow

A special baby

It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it did ... for millions of people who have lived since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it. It is a truth that, for twenty centuries, there have been untold numbers of men and women who, in untold numbers of ways, have been so grasped by the child who was born, so caught up in the message he taught and the life he lived, that they have found themselves profoundly changed by their relationship with him.

    Author: Frederick Buechner
    Source: Listening to Your Life

Hope hope hope!

The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.    J.I. Packer

Sunday December 12, 8:30am & 11:15am

Worship Folder & CIA flyer


Sunday we have 2 (two) worship services,
at 8:30am
and
11:15am

Esther Sofia Adelaide Smith

Born at 9:29 PM EST on 12/09/2010
7lbs 11oz
20.5"
Esther Sofia Adelaide Smith

2 Sunday services

8:30 & 11:15

Politics

From tim Keller

We recently had an election season in the U.S. Every year, it seems, the amount of attention paid to the mechanics and outcomes of partisan politics grows. Thirty years ago there was nothing like this amount of attention given to politics. Many point out rightly that the 24-hour news cycle and the internet creates an appetite for political analysis. But I think there is more going on. It's not just that the political is given more air time, but that it's now seen as far more important to human life. The politically fragmented media, with outlets ranging from very liberal to very conservative, only seem to agree on one thing, namely, that nothing matters more than which American political party wins the most seats.

R.R. Reno recently wrote a blog post at the First Things: On the Square website that "Culture Matters More than Politics". He points out that, in Marxist theory, economics and political power are the fundamentals, while culture is "epiphenomenal." Literature, poetry, music and the arts are merely the supportive apparatus for power interests. Therefore, politics – who controls state power – is the factor that most sets the course of human life. On the contrary, Reno states, the deeper sources of public life are what we believe about human nature, human destiny, and the meaning of life. These beliefs are carried out into life by religion and philosophy, by high culture and popular cultural domains, by a huge variety of human institutions, the vast majority of which are not part of the government. These shared beliefs shape a people's vision of a good human community and a good life, and politics largely follows on from that.

James D. Hunter has been making the same point for years, though he invokes Nietzsche, rather than Marx. In On the Geneology of Morals, Nietzsche argued that Christian moral claims – of the primacy of love, generosity, and altruism – were really just ways for the early Christians to grab power from the people who had it. Christian morality developed out of the "ressentiment" by the weak of the strong and as an effort to wrest their position from them. This view will also lead to the conclusion that politics is what life is really about.

Hunter argues that ressentiment – "a narrative of injury" – has now come to define American political discourse. Both conservatives and liberals make their sense of injury central to their identity, and therefore in each election cycle it is only the group out of power, who therefore feels the most injured and angry, who can get enough voters out to win the election. Politics is no longer about issues but about power, injury, and anger. How Nietzschean! Hunter goes farther and argues that the Christian Right, the Christian Left, and even the neo-Anabaptist (think Dobson, Wallis, Hauerwas) are "functional Nietzscheans" in the public square, either because they see politics as too all-important, or (as in the case of the neo-Anabaptists) they think wielding political power is inherently non-Christian. In each case, Hunter says, Christians are being too shaped by Nietzsche's view that politics and power is fundamental.

We should not conclude that, really, politics is unimportant to culture. Hunter makes the case that culture is formed and passed on more by institutions than by individuals, and he calls Christians to maintain "faithful presence within" the cultural institutions of our society, counseling them to be neither triumphalistic nor withdrawn.

Reno and Hunter warn that culture matters more than politics, and I agree with them. We must reject the growing belief that power politics is what really matters. Nevertheless, Christians must not over-react. The government is one of the key institutions among others that reflect and shape the underlying beliefs that are the deepest source of public life. I recently wrote an introduction to a book, The City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era by Michael Gerson and Pete Wehner. The authors plead with Christian readers to not under-value the role of politics in culture-making, even as they acknowledge the danger of over-valuing it. It's an important plea. James Hunter makes the intriguing case that those Christians who counsel withdrawal from politics may have as nihilistic a view of power as Nietzsche.

Christians should be as involved in politics and government as they are in all other realms of life.

Login to leave comm

15th century carol

Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God's love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!

Bring it on Sunday

 WE WILL BE COLLECTING FOOD FOR GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY MINISTRIES ON  12/12, 12/19 AND TAKING UP AN OFFERING ON 12/24. ALL CANNED FOODS AND NON PERISHABLES ARE WELCOME, BUT SOME EXACT ITEMS THEY ARE IN NEED OF FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ARE:

CANS OF MEAT, CANNED VEGETABLES, CANNED FRUIT, SOUP, MACARONI AND CHEESE, DRY OR CANNED BEANS, CEREAL, POWDERED MILK, PEANUT BUTTER, RICE, PUMPKIN PIE FILLING, JELLO, FLOUR, SUGAR, AND STUFFING

GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY MINISTRIES IS SUPPORTED BY CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FOOD, AND OTHER ITEMS.  THEY WORK HARD TO PROVIDE A HAND UP, NOT JUST A HAND OUT TO THE GROWING NEEDS OF FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. 

Modern Martyrs

Chip Stam's account of two Reformed modern missionary martyrs. http://bit.ly/g8YXgS Well worth your time and reflection.

Glory Be

It was the longest night, the world was waiting
Eager for the light, the world was waiting
O come, come Messiah
Sing for joy, all the earth, Messiah's come to set you free!
Join the angels in their song
Glory Be Glory Be
It was the longest night, my heart was waiting
Hallelujah, the Lord of life has come
To reconcile the nations to their God
Hallelujah, he's coming back again
To finish was began at Bethlehem
O Come, Come Messiah
Hallelujah

---from sojourn advent songs

Women's Event TONITE: dinner, bonfire & carols

Tonite at Stankunas home

 

Fun Fun and Cold!

Today's Advent Reading: Jesus is "the one forsaken by God"

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises [1] of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet [2]—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued [3] me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted [4] shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

Footnotes

[1] 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises
[2] 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet
[3] 22:21 Hebrew answered
[4] 22:26 Or The meek

Matthews to Mexico Announced

Yesterday in both services we made the following announcement:


God is at work, and it is bittersweet for CCC.

 

The Matthews family is accepting a call to serve in Mexico on a
leadership team that works with the Mission to the World (MTW)
missionaries and National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.  This is a
support-raising position so the Matthews will enter into a
support-raising process that can take 1-3 years.  The session of Christ Community is
looking at ways to support the Matthews during this process, as well
as once they move away. We will let you know what this will look like
in the Spring. 

 

 

2nd poem of Dec 5

 A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times when we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly.  Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wineskins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.  All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. 

Rob Pendley

Addcox class

Henry Vaughan 

---

The Shepherds

Sweet, harmless lives! (on whose holy leisure
     Waits innocence and pleasure),
Whose leaders to those pastures, and clear springs,
     Were patriarchs, saints, and kings,
How happened it that in the dead of night
     You only saw true light,
While Palestine was fast asleep, and lay
     Without one thought of day?
Was it because those first and blessed swains
     Were pilgrims on those plains
When they received the promise, for which now
     'Twas there first shown to you?
'Tis true, He loves that dust whereon they go
     That serve Him here below,
And therefore might for memory of those
     His love there first disclose;
But wretched Salem, once His love, must now
     No voice, nor vision know,
Her stately piles with all their height and pride
     Now languished and died,
And Bethlem's humble cotes above them stepped
     While all her seers slept;
Her cedar, fir, hewed stones and gold were all
     Polluted through their fall,
And those once sacred mansions were now
     Mere emptiness and show;
This made the angel call at reeds and thatch,
     Yet where the shepherds watch,
And God's own lodging (though He could not lack)
     To be a common rack;
No costly pride, no soft-clothed luxury
     In those thin cells could lie,
Each stirring wind and storm blew through their cots
     Which never harbored plots,
Only content, and love, and humble joys
     Lived there without all noise,
Perhaps some harmless cares for the next day
     Did in their bosoms play,
As where to lead their sheep, what silent nook,
     What springs or shades to look,
But that was all; and now with gladsome care
     They for the town prepare,
They leave their flock, and in a busy talk
     All towards Bethlem walk
To see their souls' Great Shepherd, Who was come
     To bring all stragglers home,
Where now they find Him out, and taught before
     That Lamb of God adore,
That Lamb whose days great kings and prophets wished
     And longed to see, but missed.
The first light they beheld was bright and gay
     And turned their night to day,
But to this later light they saw in Him,
     Their day was dark, and dim.

---

The True Christmas

So stick up ivy and the bays,
And then restore the heathen ways.
Green will remind you of the spring,
Though this great day denies the thing.
And mortifies the earth and all
But your wild revels, and loose hall.
Could you wear flowers, and roses strow
Blushing upon your breasts' warm snow,
That very dress your lightness will
Rebuke, and wither at the ill.
The brightness of this day we owe
Not unto music, masque, nor show:
Nor gallant furniture, nor plate;
But to the manger's mean estate.
His life while here, as well as birth,
Was but a check to pomp and mirth;
And all man's greatness you may see
Condemned by His humility.
     Then leave your open house and noise,
To welcome Him with holy joys,
And the poor shepherd's watchfulness:
Whom light and hymns from heaven did bless.
What you abound with, cast abroad
To those that want, and ease your load.
Who empties thus, will bring more in;
But riot is both loss and sin.
Dress finely what comes not in sight,
And then you keep your Christmas right.

---

The Nativity

Peace? and to all the world? sure, One
And He the Prince of Peace, hath none.
He travels to be born, and then
Is born to travel more again.
Poor Galilee! thou canst not be
The place for His nativity.
His restless mother's called away,
And not delivered till she pay.
     A tax? 'tis so still! we can see
The church thrive in her misery;
And like her Head at Bethlem, rise
When she, oppressed with troubles, lies.
Rise? should all fall, we cannot be
In more extremities than He.
Great Type of passions! come what will,
Thy grief exceeds all copies still.
Thou cam'st from heaven to earth, that we
Might go from earth to heaven with Thee.
And though Thou foundest no welcome here,
Thou didst provide us mansions there.
A stable was Thy court, and when
Men turned to beasts, beasts would be men.
They were Thy courtiers, others none;
And their poor manger was Thy throne.
No swaddling silks Thy limbs did fold,
Though Thou couldst turn Thy rays to gold.
No rockers waited on Thy birth,
No cradles stirred, nor songs of mirth;
But her chaste lap and sacred breast
Which lodged Thee first did give Thee rest.
     But stay: what light is that doth stream,
And drop here in a gilded beam?
It is Thy star runs page, and brings
Thy tributary Eastern kings.
Lord! grant some light to us, that we
May with them find the way to Thee.
Behold what mists eclipse the day:
How dark it is! shed down one ray
To guide us out of this sad night,
And say once more, "Let there be light."

---

To Christmas Poems Table of Contents

Rob Pendley

Praying to register 50 fellas @ $50 on Sunday

Sunday you can sign up for our Spring Men's Conference on Sunday. Look for the guys in the green shirts.

Schedule for December

December 5

8:30 Worship Service, with Communion

10:00 Poetry of Advent Class in Sanctuary

11:15 Worship Service, with Communion

December 12

8:30 Worship Service, with children singing

10:00 Poetry of Advent Class in Sanctuary

11:15 Worship Service, with children singing

 

December 19
10:00 Worship Service

 

Friday December 24

6:30pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

 

December 26
10:00 Worship Service

 

January 2

10:00 Worship Service

 

Men's b'fast gathering--6:30 tomorrow

Perkins on Newberry Road, east of I-75.

This is a once a month place for guys to hang out before starting
their workday. Happens the 1st Thursday of each month.

Advent readings, part 1

Today's advent reading, Gen 22

Genesis 22:14

"So Abraham called the name of that place, The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."

Oh wow, God, you DID provide!

Amen! God help us keep this festival for Your Glory

Let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church, with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Savior's love never be forgotten!

But may we sing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall last here, and through an endless eternity in the world above! May we chant forth the wonders of redeeming love, and the riches of free grace, amidst angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, without intermission, for ever and ever!

And as, my brethren, the time for keeping this festival is approaching, let us consider our duty in the true observation thereof, of the right way for the glory of God, and the good of immortal souls, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.

--George Whitefield, in a sermon entitled The Observation of the Birth of Christ, the Duty of all Christians; or the True Way of Keeping Christmas

Advent Poetry, 10am Sunday!

The Poetry of Advent Description: For three weeks we will be taking a look at encounters with Christ as told in the story of the nativity. Over the centuries writers, painters, performers, and musicians have dramatized these encounters in compelling ways. Our focus will particularly emphasize the rich poetic heritage of advent by examining a few of the Christ encounters as they have been imaginatively represented in verse. As companion pieces to the poems, we will read passages from the Christmas story to help us understand the messages and meanings from both the literature of the Bible itself and the literature it has inspired. Our hope is that these writings will urge us to more fully reflect on the profoundimpact that the coming of God's son into the world has hadon both our cultural heritage and our eternal condition. 


Session 1: November 28, 2010 Topic: Mary Poems: Yeats, "The Mother of God"; Shaw, "Mary's Song";Donne, "Nativity" Biblical Text: Luke 1: 39-56 (Read Mary's song inAuthorized Version) 


Session 2: December 5, 2010 Topic: The Magi & the Shepherds Poems: Crashaw, "A Hymn of the Nativity, sung by the Shepherds"; Madeleine L'Engle, "The Wise Men" Biblical Text: Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:8-20 


Session 3: December 12, 2010 Topic: Ourselves Poems: Southwell, "The Burning Babe" and "The Nativity of Christ"; Milton, "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity"; MacDonald, "That Holy Thing" Biblical Text: Luke 2:21-39

VerkDay

Work-em-day

Workday

Thanksgiving Prayer

 103rd psalm, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives ... heals ... redeems ... crowns ... satisfies ... works righteousness...." and more!

And may your prayers reflect the sentiments of such as we find in The Valley of Vision, when the puritans prayed,

"O my God,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou has created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express
for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.
Amen.

Tomorrow, mañana

Inside outside, they've got work to suit your fancy.

7 b'fast
8:00 work

What do we do with these plagues?

The key to applying the plagues is found in struggling with the
theology of the plagues and how the significance of that theology is
given fuller expression in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

--Peter Enns

Crazy thing like Nile turning to blood is so practical!

When the great gods of the Nile failed, the Egyptians were left to their

own resources. This is what always happens [when we] worship false

gods. Sooner or later their gods fail, and the people are left scrambling to

make life work on their own.

--Phil Ryken

Here's a video on idolatry--under 2 minutes--by Tim Keller.  Watch it:
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hEtdMKjohR8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hEtdMKjohR8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

What is our "Nile"?

2010 Americans-- what would have similar impact on us?

To understand how distressing this was for the Egyptians, one has to

appreciate how dependent they were on the Nile. The river was their

lifeblood, the basis for their entire civilization. The Egyptians used the Nile

for almost everything, and without it, their land would have become a desert.

The river provided the transportation system that helped them move goods

from place to place. It formed the irrigation system that enabled them to grow

their crops. It was their water supply, and also their food supply, because

fish was one of the staples of the Egyptian diet. The river's annual floods

set their calendar and gave them fertile topsoil. In short, the land of Egypt

was the gift of the Nile. The Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484-c. 425 B.C.)

claimed that "even though a man has not before been told, he can at once see,

if he have sense, that that Egypt to which Greeks sail is land acquired by

the Egyptians, given them by the river."

--Phil Ryken

Saturday workday!

Work inside or out!

Give what time you can!

7am big breakfast
8:00 get to work!

Why the plagues?

God--in the plagues--turned things believed to be the specialty of
"the gods of Egypt" against the Egyptians, and showed Himself in
control of all events and powers they would have attributed to the
objects of their faith.

Exodus 12:12 states the summational purpose of the plagues:

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will
strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and
on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.

--Douglas Stuart

Plagues

In order to understand these plagues we need to understand that they were

directed against the gods and goddesses of Egypt and were intended to

show the superiority of the God of Israel to the Egyptian gods. There were

about eighty major deities in Egypt, all clustered about the three great

natural forces of Egyptian life: the Nile river, the land, and the sky. It does

not surprise us, therefore, that the plagues God sent against Egypt in this

historic battle follow this three-force pattern. The first two plagues were

against the gods of the Nile. The next four were against the land gods.

The final four plagues were against the gods of the sky, culminating in the

death of the firstborn.

-James Boice

Prayer of Thanksgiving

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies,

we your unworthy servants give you most humble and hearty thanks

for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all people;
{particularly to those who desire now to offer up their praises & thanksgivings for your recent mercies given to them}

 

We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life;

but above all for your inestimable love

in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ,

for the means of grace,

and for the hope of glory.

And we ask of you, give us that due sense of all your mercies,

that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful,

and that we show forth your praise,

not only with our lips, but in our lives;

by giving up ourselves to your service,

and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

to whom with you and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory,

world without end.  Amen.

6pm communion tonight

Scripture, prayer, and Eucharist

Workday Saturday

7am breakfast
8am work-time

Come when you can, leave when you must.

That Long-Expected Day

Isaiah 33:17

Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar. 

The more you know about Christ, the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of Him; and the more deeply you study His transactions in the eternal covenant, His engagements on your behalf as the eternal Security, and the fullness of His grace that shines in all His offices, the more truly will you see the King in His beauty. Learn to look at Him this way. Long increasingly to see Jesus.

Ch spurgeon

His ways are not our ways

If it were possible for me to alter any part of his plan, I could only spoil it. ---John Newton

Rob Pendley

Lord, have mercy

Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan. http://ow.ly/38rhy

Rob Pendley

Bread & Wine

"Y'all are mine," saith the LORD.

6pm tomorrow, a half-hour communion service. No childcare, they join
us and we love it.

This looks great!

The Poetry of Advent

Description: For three weeks we will be taking a look at encounters with Christ as told in the story of the nativity. Over the centuries writers, painters, performers, and musicians have dramatized these encounters in compelling ways. Our focus will particularly emphasize the rich poetic heritage of advent by examining a few of the Christ encounters as they have been imaginatively represented in verse. As companion pieces to the poems, we will read passages from the Christmas story to help us understand the messages and meanings from both the literature of the Bible itself and the literature it has inspired. Our hope is that these writings will urge us to more fully reflect on the profoundimpact that the coming of God's son into the world has hadon both our cultural heritage and our eternal condition.

Session 1: November 28, 2010

Topic: Mary

Poems: Yeats, "The Mother of God"; Shaw, "Mary's Song";Donne, "Nativity"

Biblical Text: Luke 1: 39-56 (Read Mary's song inAuthorized Version)

Session 2: December 5, 2010

Topic: The Magi & the Shepherds

Poems: Crashaw, "A Hymn of the Nativity, sung by the Shepherds"; Madeleine L'Engle, "The Wise Men"

Biblical Text: Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:8-20

Session 3: December 12, 2010

Topic: Ourselves

Poems: Southwell, "The Burning Babe" and "The Nativity of Christ"; Milton, "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity"; MacDonald, "That Holy Thing"

Biblical Text: Luke 2:21-39

American/Egyptian; tomaytoe/taMAHTo

The average
American is not very different from an ancient Egyptian. We still worship
the same gods — only the names have changed. What we count on, what
we work for, what we play at, what we dream about — these are the gods that
we worship. And what matters most to most of us is personal prosperity.
We depend on our economy every bit as much as the Egyptians depended
on theirs. They worshiped the Nile; we follow the NASDAQ — they are
just two different names for the same god. Rather than trusting in God
alone, we depend on economic growth, rapid transportation, and prepackaged
foods. We even have our own creation myth. Believing in Darwinism
is really just another way to worship Hapi. In much the same way that the
Egyptians praised the river as their creator, many Americans believe that
we have come from a random stream of genetic material.

Phil Ryken

Where it is felt most keenly

Why do the plagues begin with the river? Why does God begin with the Nile? Well, we know from a lot of sources from this period of time in Egyptian life, that the ancient Egyptians looked upon the Nile as the primary source of their existence. We have quotes from Greek historians and others who will say things like this. "All know that Egypt is the Nile, and the Nile is Egypt." The Egyptians saw the Nile as the source of all their prosperity; and of all the richness of their soil and their growing capacities and, in fact, they even thought the Nile to be divine. And so the plagues begin with the Nile, and as they do so, we see the Lord striking at the very heart of Egypt's existence. It's that place that Egypt would feel it most keenly.

Ligon Duncan

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3

The International Day of Prayer for the   Persecuted Church.

The following groups are actively serving the persecuted Church. We urge you to use the links below to get more information about these groups and to visit their Web sites. They are your key to active involvement with the persecuted Church. 

Christian Freedom International
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Christians in Crisis
Compassion Radio
Fishhook International
Gospel for Asia
Greater Calling
International Christian Concern
Iranian Christians International

 

Jubilee Campaign
Mission India
Open Doors
Persecution Project Foundation
The Voice of the Martyrs
World Bible Translation Center
World Evangelical Alliance
The Last Harvest

  


Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3 

How Shall I Get Faith?

But How Shall I Get Faith? by Walter Marshall

Question. But how shall I get faith?

Answer. Faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8), and by the gospel (Romans 1:15-17). Faith comes by hearing the gospel preached (Romans 10:17), and that comes in working faith, not in word only, but in power (1 Thessalonians 1:5), beyond what can be done by natural or human attainment (John 6:63). Therefore, if you have no beginning of it in you, your only way is to attend to the gospel and to meditate on your sin and misery and Christ's excellency, that so you may be inclined in your heart to believe (Song of Solomon 1:3; Galatians 2:16; Psalm 9:10), for this is the way God uses to beget faith (Isaiah 55:3). But if you have a desire and inclination to fly from yourself to Christ, in the bent of your heart, so that you prefer Christ above all, then the Spirit has begun and will carry on the work, so that now you may pray confidently for faith (Song of Solomon 1:4; Luke 11:13; Mark 9:24).

From his sermon: The Doctrine of Justification Opened and Applied found in the Appendix of:
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: Growing in Holiness by Living in Union with Christ by Walter Marshall

Isaiah 64:8

When we see tomorrow that--our God is in the heavens, He does as He
pleases it can be tempting to see His absolute control of all things
to be a "distant" truth. Let it not be so! Remember, that great
Potter is OUR Father.

As isaiah says:
But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our
potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Chart of bible contradictions?

A (misinformed) Chart of Bible contradictions is hitting media soon. Here is some help to where the chart has blind spots.

http://theresurgence.com/2010/11/12/why-fast-company-sam-harris-need-to-do-their-homework

http://theresurgence.com/2010/11/12/why-fast-company-sam-harris-need-to-do-their-homework

Rob Pendley

Remember this

Remember this: If any other condition had been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.

---Spurgeon, evening nov 11

Hard truth about hard hearts

10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because
they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may
believe what is false,
12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Jesus, come show CCC the liberating truth of:
---what you paid because our hearts were hard
--- how great your heart transformation of us truly is

A mystery to be adored

"The paradox of divine sovereignty and human responsibility is not a
puzzle to be solved but a mystery to be adored."

---phil ryken

Pharaoh hard heart

Grace Moves

Paul David Tripp The move of grace is not to deliver you from hardship, but to use hardship to deliver you from sin.

Tears

"The Bible was written in tears, and to tears it yields its best treasures." A.W. Tozer

God makes a way

Psalm 77:19

"Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen."

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://read.ly/Ps77.19.ESV

30 children sponsored y'day; props to CCC

Compassion Intl (@compassion) Does your sponsored child have expectations of you? http://ow.ly/2XVs5 #fb

Rob Pendley

"As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord." Colossians 2:6

The life of faith is represented as receiving- an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night accepts light from the stars, so we, giving nothing, partake freely of the grace of God.

The saints are not, by nature, wells, or streams, they are but cisterns into which the living water flows; they are empty vessels into which God pours His salvation. The idea of receiving implies a sense of realization, making the matter a reality. One cannot very well receive a shadow; we receive that which is substantial: so is it in the life of faith, Christ becomes real to us. While we are without faith, Jesus is a mere name to us-a person who lived a long while ago, so long ago that His life is only a history to us now!

By an act of faith Jesus becomes a real person in the consciousness of our heart. But receiving also means grasping or getting possession of. The thing which I receive becomes my own: I appropriate to myself that which is given. When I receive Jesus, He becomes my Saviour, so mine that neither life nor death shall be able to rob me of Him. All this is to receive Christ-to take Him as God's free gift; to realize Him in my heart, and to appropriate Him as mine.

Salvation may be described as the blind receiving sight, the deaf receiving hearing, the dead receiving life; but we have not only received these blessings, we have received CHRIST JESUS Himself. It is true that He gave us life from the dead. He gave us pardon of sin; He gave us imputed righteousness. These are all precious things, but we are not content with them; we have received Christ Himself. The Son of God has been poured into us, and we have received Him, and appropriated Him. What a heartful Jesus must be, for heaven itself cannot contain Him!

CHS

Exodus 7:7-13

"This battle pitted Jehovah, the true God, who moved Moses and Israel,
against all the false gods of the Egyptian pantheon, backed by a host
of fallen angels who turned from God as a part of Lucifer's original
rebellion."

--James Boice

God's truth always gobbles up the Haters

William Blake

Mock on, Mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau

Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau: Mock on, mock on: 'tis all in vain! You throw the sand against the wind, And the wind blows it back again.  And every sand becomes a Gem, Reflected in the beam divine; Blown back they blind the mocking Eye, But still in Israel's paths they shine.  The Atoms of Democritus And the Newton's Particles of Light Are sands upon the Red Sea shore, Where Israel's tents do shine so bright.    

Donut on a string

Sunday @ CCC

Compassion Intl  Help awaken others to the children around us http://ow.ly/2Z6eY #1min

Fall Festival, Saturday 3-6pm

We ordered some cold weather for the occasion.

At the church property on Parker Road.

God goes for the jugular

The fact that God would choose to overpower Pharaoh's snake is no small thing.  He is going for the jugular.

“the serpent-crested diadem of Pharaoh symbolized all the power, sovereignty, and magic with which the
gods endued the king"   --John Currid


By finding his security in the serpent-god, Pharaoh was actually making
an alliance with Satan. The ancient manuscripts are explicit about this.
When Pharaoh first ascended the throne of Egypt, he would take the royal
crown and say,
O Great One, O Magician, O Fiery Snake!
Let there be terror of me like the terror of thee.
Let there be fear of me like the fear of thee.
Let there be awe of me like the awe of thee.
Let me rule, a leader of the living.
Let me be powerful, a leader of spirits.

With these words, Pharaoh offered his soul to the devil.

Here is King Tut's death mask:

Pray for our brothers & sisters

Massacre shatters Christians in Iraq. http://ow.ly/33lBl

Rob Pendley

Book Rec'd

Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God: Here's a book that families should ... http://bit.ly/aoz2EW

Rob Pendley

Guys, Perkins' @ 6:30 tomorrow

All welcome

Fall festival

Saturday 3-6pm

Get in there.

Timely Tim Keller

On Election Day, some thoughts from Tim Keller on Christians & Politics: http://ht.ly/33goE

Rob Pendley

He is our anchor

It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows. All things else have changed-all things are changing. The sun itself grows dim with age; the world is waxing old; the folding up of the worn-out vesture has commenced; the heavens and earth must soon pass away; they shall perish, they shall wax old as doth a garment; but there is One who only hath immortality, of whose years there is no end, and in whose person there is no change.

He is unchanged in His love. He has loved His people with 'an everlasting love'; He loves them now as much as ever He did, and when all earthly things shall have melted in the last conflagration, His love will still wear the dew of its youth. Precious is the assurance that He changes not! The wheel of providence revolves, but its axle is eternal love.

---spurgeon

Far far

  "As far as the heavens are above the earth, so far is God's mercy above our sins. "

Thomas Watson

Blessed Defeat

C. S. Lewis Let us always long to hear the stories of grace in others' lives. Every conversion is the story of a blessed defeat.