THE BLESSINGS OF TURNING 60

Posted by Pastor George

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

There are many blessings I have turning 60... but three particular ones I got to enjoy over the weekend in celebrating the age milestone:

Blessing 1:  A noble wife more precious than jewels

Blessing 2:  Our next generation of family that makes my joy complete by walking with the Lord

Blessing 3:  The opportunity to tell the generation yet to come of the glorious deeds of the Lord, of His might, and the wonders that He has done through Jesus Christ

Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

Friday, June 24, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question: How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effective for salvation?
Answer: That the Word may become effective for salvation we must attend to it with diligence, preparation, and prayer, receive it in faith and love, lay it up in our hearts and practice it in our lives.
Scripture: Prov 8:34; 1 Pet 2:1, 2; 1 Tim 4:13; Heb 2:1, 3; 4:2; 2 Thess 2:10; Ps 119:11; James 1:21, 25.


SUMMER SCHOOL FOR MEN
As we begin summer, Deb thought it would be good for me to take some classes. She informed me that I was already enrolled in a school that would be all men and the classes would be quite intensive for me. Here is the schedule I was given:

Class 1  How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.

Class 2  The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself?

Class 3  Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.

Class 4  Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?

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CrossTalk Done For Now - Back in October

Posted by Pastor George

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

CrossTalk, the Thursday evening class, will shut-down for now until October where the topic will be “Covering Disgrace by Grace.” The focus here will be how the gospel addresses issues where there has been assault or abuse.

Statistically one in four women and one in six men have experienced some form of sexual assault and these are only estimates that relate to reported incidents. That means there are many sitting in the chairs of our church every Sunday who have had to deal with such an event.

Even though it is a few months away, if you would want to learn more about how to minister with the gospel in this area, I would recommend first in your Bible reading an understanding of suffering and the gospel, and then an excellent book titled "Rid of My Disgrace" by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb.

Thanks to those who attended the sessions on depression and for the feedback I did receive from some of you who listened to the recordings.  There are two excellent resources here I would recommend if you want to learn more about applying the Word and the gospel for those struggling with depression. They are "Spiritual Depression" by Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and "Depression: A Stubborn Darkness" by Ed Welch.

Watch for dates and times when the fall schedule comes out.

CROSSWALK THIS FRIDAY

Posted by Pastor George

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Even if you have not attended any of the CrossWalk sessions, you are still welcome to join us at The Loft this Friday night from 7:00-8:30. This week I will be talking about emotional intimacy in marriage particularly what does it mean to show love for one another and how do we handle our "differences." When we are done, there is plenty to do downtown so you can make it a date.

If you arrive a little late and the door is locked, take the back fire-escape stairs to the third floor and you can enter there. You can take them even if it is not locked if you want to!

Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

Friday, June 17, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question: How is the Word made effective for salvation?
Answer: The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.
Scripture: Ps 19:7; 119:11, 18; 1 Thess 1:6; 1 Pet 2:1, 2; Rom 1:16


A FATHER’S LESSON
(Maybe This Really Happened)

Here is a lesson I learned about trying to trick my son long ago. After tucking three-year-old Travis in for bed one night, I heard sobbing coming from his room. Rushing back in, I found him crying hysterically. He managed to tell me that he had swallowed a penny and he was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking was helping. In an attempt to calm him down, I palmed a penny from my pocket and pretended to pull it from Travis’ ear. Travis was delighted. In a flash, he snatched it from my hand, swallowed, and then cheerfully demanded, “Do it again, Dad!”


FATHERS WHO GIVE HOPE
By John Piper

Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged."

Our text is straightforward and simple this morning: "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." It divides naturally into three parts:

1. First, there is the address, "Fathers."
2. Second, there is the command, "Do not provoke your children."
3. Third, there is the purpose of the command, "Lest they become discouraged."

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Shameless Advertisement: CROSSTALK THIS THURSDAY EVENING

Posted by Pastor George

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

This Thursday's session will be the last one on the topic of depression. Not that he is .. but Pastor Troy will share about how he has handled the news of his cancer and the fight for joy in the midst of such a trial. I will follow that by talking about the sovereignty of God and times of suffering.  We begin 7:00 P.M. at the church or you can listen to a recording of the class at the church's website.

Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

Thursday, June 9, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question: What is repentance unto life?
Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving grace, out of a true sense of his sin and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it to God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience.
Scripture: Acts 2:37; Joel 2:13; Jer 31:18, 19; 2 Cor 7:10,11; Rom 6:18


THAT’S LIFE
(Maybe I Really Said This)

My grandson, Thaddeus, asked me to explain the meaning of life to him as I understood it at my age. Here was my reply:

On the first day, God created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?" And God agreed.

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HAVE YOU PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO YOURSELF TODAY?

Posted by Pastor George

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

If not, take 3 minutes and have the gospel preached to you ... everyday you need to remind yourself of God's grace, mercy, and truth done for you so you can preach it to others.

CROSSWALK POSTPONED THIS WEEK!

Posted by Pastor George

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

There will not be a meeting this Friday of CrossWalk due to a commitment I made to Kidz Kamp which begins Friday. We will pick up again with the topic of emotional intimacy in marriage on Friday, June 24. In the meantime, take 5 minutes to listen to 3 of my favorite "living" authors/pastors/theologians (John Piper, Tim Keller, and D.A. Carson) speak of the commitment to a covenant in marriage in a casual roundtable conversation.


Piper, Carson, and Keller on Sustaining the Covenant of Marital Love from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

Friday, June 3, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question: What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Answer: Faith in Jesus Christ is saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, trusting him to forgive our sins and guide us to eternal joy on the basis of his divine power and atoning death.
Scripture: Heb 10:39; John 1:12, 6:35; Phil 3:9; Gal 2:15-16, 20; Matt 14:31


MY SON-IN-LAW, The Literalist
(Maybe this really happened)

One day, shortly after the birth of one of their sons, my daughter, Brit, had to go out to do some errands. Bill, the proud father, stayed home to watch his wonderful new son. Soon after Brit left, the baby started to cry. Bill did everything he could think of, but the baby just wouldn't stop crying.

Finally, he got so worried he decided to call my wife Deb. She ran over to their house and after listening to all that Bill had done to get the baby to stop crying, she began to examine the baby's ears, chest and then down to the diaper area. When she opened the diaper, it was very, very full.

"Here's the problem," Deb said. "He just needs to be changed."

Bill looked very perplexed, "But," he told Deb, "the diaper package specifically stated that it is good for up to 10 lbs!"


MODESTY: SOMEONE NEEDS TO SAY SOMETHING
This continues the subject of modesty. It is in Parents and Kids of Faith because the principle of modesty needs to be taught to our children and practiced by parents, especially as we are moving to the time of year when it seems to emerge. The trends in fashion are not making this any easier for parents. Though most of the issues fall to the side of the women, dads and young men need to pay attention. Dads need to be faithful fathers to their daughters and protectors of their wife and young men need to learn how to think biblically when they find their gaze moving their heart to lustful thoughts.

Modesty: The Right Adornment
by C.J. Mahaney

Notice in 1 Timothy 2 that Paul goes beyond addressing a woman’s apparel. He says he desires “that women should adorn themselves … with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works” (2:9–10).

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