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When His Hand is Heavy Upon Us

June 6, 2020

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”
Psalm 32

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Keep Your Teakettle Whistling its Tune

June 3, 2020

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25

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Catacomb Christianity

June 1, 2020

‘It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.’ Ecclesiastes 7:2-10

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One Sword for Another

May 30, 2020

And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Zechariah 4:1-7

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Resuming Gathering- What to Expect

May 29, 2020

We’re looking forward to resuming our Sunday worship services this Sunday, May 31st! We’ll be holding an 8am and a 10am service in the Family Life Center. We’ve worked hard to reconfigure the sanctuary seating to accommodate the government’s guidelines for gathering and we’ve done a number of other things to ensure the safety and well-being of our family. I’ll explain these changes below, but please watch this brief video that will help you visualize some of the steps we’ve taken:

Here are some items of interest to consider as you plan to join us this Sunday:

-The services will be shorter than normal – no more than an hour.  There will be worship, prayer, communion, and a message from God’s Word. 
 -The communion meal will come in a pre-packaged container that you will be able to pick up as you enter the sanctuary.
-When you come in, please sit wherever you’d like.  We’re asking that you please ensure that there are three empty chairs between you and anyone not in your home or family. 
-The rows of chairs are all six feet apart.
-There will be no fellowship hour following either service.  Please feel free to bring coffee and a snack with you – we definitely want that 8am service to be caffeinated!
-No one is required to wear a mask, but masks will be available to anyone that would like one.
-If you would like to give an offering, there is a marked collection box at the rear of the sanctuary where you may deposit it. 
-Our nursery and jr. worship ministry will not be provided for the time being, but the parent room will be open and available for use.

We’re confident that we’ll be able to comfortably host our church family over the two services. That said, if you’re an early riser and wouldn’t mind getting out early for the 8am service, we encourage you to do that. The more that make it out to the early service, the easier it will be to accommodate everyone at 10am. 
Finally, I want to stress that attendance at these services is not a test of anyone’s faith. We feel led of the Lord to resume corporate worship again as a part of our body life; but we don’t expect everyone to feel comfortable joining in just yet. We expect you to exercise your own judgement in discerning what is best and wisest for you and your family. We will fully support and encourage you no matter what you decide. If you do decide to wait a while longer, please reach out and let me know. We want to be sure to work hard to see that you’re being ministered to and cared for right along. There are a number of online and small group gatherings that we’d love to plug you into. I’m also very happy to sit outside with you at your home and share in prayer and communion. We love you and remain here for you!

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