The older I get the more forgetful I've become. And it's frustrating. I never used to have to write down anything. Now I try to write all the important stuff down. Than I can't remember where I put that important paper!
Is God forgetful? The answer might surprise you. Join us this Sunday at Life in Christ and learn more. Sunday worship takes place at 8 and 10:45 am with Christian LIFE Hour (Learning Is For Everyone) at 9:20 am. Or, if you have Sunday plans, check out our Saturday 5 pm service. Pastor Dave Darling will be doing the preaching.
Hope you have a blessed Labor Day weekend. See you at Life in Christ!
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Why pray?
Indeed, the certainty of my sinfulness makes more clear my need of prayer and its cry for mercy. It is a counter-intuitive approach to praying. The more I feel my sin, the more clearly I need to approach my Father in heaven...we are encouraged in this by the promises of God to hear my prayer...He must listen because of my need and His unalterable promise to sinners to hear them.
Rev. Scott Murray
Memorial Moment
3/8/2013
Rev. Scott Murray
Memorial Moment
3/8/2013
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Hope in God's Word
All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
That's how Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles', put it. He was accompanying Paul on his trip to Rome for Paul's hearing with Caesar. In chapter 27, he tells how the ship they were sailing on ran into a violent storm and not one action the crew took seemed to lead to safety. As Luke recounts, they all had given up hope of being saved.
But Paul comes with good news. An angel, a messenger from God, came to Paul and assured the apostle that he would stand before Caesar and plead his case. Not only that, Paul learned that not only he would be saved but all on the ship would live to see many more days.
Does Paul put his faith in his safety because an angel appeared to him? No, Paul's faith is rooted in something much greater than an angelic being. His faith is securely placed in God's Word.
So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. (Acts 27:25)
Paul teaches us something very important. We have times in our lives when events or circumstances can make life feel hopeless. And it's impossible to live without hope.
Where does the Christian turn when a loved one is fighting for life...when financial disaster is impending...when a grandchild is making one bad choice after another...when the love of your life says, "I don't love you anymore."
Hopeless situations call on us to flee to the God of hope.
But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:7)
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints... (Ephesians 1:18)
Through (Christ) you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)
What to do when life seems hopeless? Stand on the promises of God's Word. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our mighty fortress to whom we can turn. He never slumbers nor sleeps but is always watching over us. He cares for those who belong to Him. (See Deut. 31:6 - Psalm 46:1 - Psalm 121:4,8 - Psalm 23)
Life is never hopeless when you are standing on God's Word and promises. Trust in the Lord. Your hope is in Him!
That's how Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles', put it. He was accompanying Paul on his trip to Rome for Paul's hearing with Caesar. In chapter 27, he tells how the ship they were sailing on ran into a violent storm and not one action the crew took seemed to lead to safety. As Luke recounts, they all had given up hope of being saved.
But Paul comes with good news. An angel, a messenger from God, came to Paul and assured the apostle that he would stand before Caesar and plead his case. Not only that, Paul learned that not only he would be saved but all on the ship would live to see many more days.
Does Paul put his faith in his safety because an angel appeared to him? No, Paul's faith is rooted in something much greater than an angelic being. His faith is securely placed in God's Word.
So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. (Acts 27:25)
Paul teaches us something very important. We have times in our lives when events or circumstances can make life feel hopeless. And it's impossible to live without hope.
Where does the Christian turn when a loved one is fighting for life...when financial disaster is impending...when a grandchild is making one bad choice after another...when the love of your life says, "I don't love you anymore."
Hopeless situations call on us to flee to the God of hope.
But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:7)
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints... (Ephesians 1:18)
Through (Christ) you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)
What to do when life seems hopeless? Stand on the promises of God's Word. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our mighty fortress to whom we can turn. He never slumbers nor sleeps but is always watching over us. He cares for those who belong to Him. (See Deut. 31:6 - Psalm 46:1 - Psalm 121:4,8 - Psalm 23)
Life is never hopeless when you are standing on God's Word and promises. Trust in the Lord. Your hope is in Him!
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
You gotta talk about Jesus
Years ago I went to a half day seminar called "Friendship Evangelism." The emphasis was on the importance of cultivating a good relationship with an unchurched person before talking to them about faith and knowing about Jesus.
One speaker said, "I've been building a friendship with this guy for over two years. We've been out fishing, have worked on cars and have gone to some football games. I think I'm real close to bringing up the subject of Jesus."
Two years? That just struck me as a awfully long time. Was there absolutely no talk about church or faith in those two years? No opportunity to say, "I'd love to go fishing with you on Saturday but Sunday is the day for our family to go to church and Sunday school?"
It seems to me that in building a friendship with another person you reveal who you are to that person. If you're a person of faith, then that's something you share and even talk about. You don't have to hit your budding friend over the head with a lot of Jesus talk. But you don't need to hide the fact that being a follow of Jesus is an important part of your life.
In fact, I've found that new friends don't run screaming out the door when church or faith are mentioned. It's my experience that most folks are interested in that part of my life and often have questions about God or Jesus or the church.
Professor David Vallesky, in his book, "We Believe - Therefor We Speak," offers some wonderful advice: Getting close to a person is not evangelism. Telling a person about Jesus is evangelism.
You'd be surprised at the number of people who would be interested in how Jesus entered the story of your life. Often, the people to whom you're afraid to speak about Jesus are the very people who want what you have but haven't an idea about connecting with Jesus. What a blessing it is to be an Andrew and invite a friend to come and learn about Jesus - His love, forgiveness and salvation.
Don't get me wrong. Building a relationship with people who are not of the family of faith is important. We want them to have what we have - a connection to Jesus and the hope of eternal life. Don't be afraid to show and share your faith in Jesus. You never know when someone might say, "Tell me more."
One speaker said, "I've been building a friendship with this guy for over two years. We've been out fishing, have worked on cars and have gone to some football games. I think I'm real close to bringing up the subject of Jesus."
Two years? That just struck me as a awfully long time. Was there absolutely no talk about church or faith in those two years? No opportunity to say, "I'd love to go fishing with you on Saturday but Sunday is the day for our family to go to church and Sunday school?"
It seems to me that in building a friendship with another person you reveal who you are to that person. If you're a person of faith, then that's something you share and even talk about. You don't have to hit your budding friend over the head with a lot of Jesus talk. But you don't need to hide the fact that being a follow of Jesus is an important part of your life.
In fact, I've found that new friends don't run screaming out the door when church or faith are mentioned. It's my experience that most folks are interested in that part of my life and often have questions about God or Jesus or the church.
Professor David Vallesky, in his book, "We Believe - Therefor We Speak," offers some wonderful advice: Getting close to a person is not evangelism. Telling a person about Jesus is evangelism.
You'd be surprised at the number of people who would be interested in how Jesus entered the story of your life. Often, the people to whom you're afraid to speak about Jesus are the very people who want what you have but haven't an idea about connecting with Jesus. What a blessing it is to be an Andrew and invite a friend to come and learn about Jesus - His love, forgiveness and salvation.
Don't get me wrong. Building a relationship with people who are not of the family of faith is important. We want them to have what we have - a connection to Jesus and the hope of eternal life. Don't be afraid to show and share your faith in Jesus. You never know when someone might say, "Tell me more."
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
I'm dreaming of Gelato!
We were not disappointed. Gelato is the Italian word for "ice cream." Unlike most American versions, Gelato is soft and rich. Good Gelato is never frozen. From this night forward, every evening we would make sure we had Gelato - actually Sherri insisted that we get a cone or a cup, no matter how much we had eaten at dinner. I was very happy to go along with the plan.
On this particular night you can see from the photo above that we stopped at a place that had more than 31 flavors. Sherri and our traveling friends, Dan and Janelle, got very creative in mixing flavors. I loved trying all the different flavors of chocolate. Mmmmm!
Because of our nightly Gelato run I am back on Weight Watchers. Do I regret all the Gelato I ate? Is President Obama a Republican? Now you get me.
Monday, August 25, 2014
The Lord is with you
A number of years ago I flew from South Carolina to the Valley of the Sun to visit my kids. My oldest daughter, Stephanie, picked me up at the airport and had a big evening planned for me. But first, she explained, she had a trial in court to attend to and I would be able to accompany her.
I must say, I really enjoyed seeing my daughter, at that time a Maricopa Country Prosecutor, in action. She looked and sounded so professional. I was thrilled to be in court.
However, the young man Stephanie was prosecuting was less than thrilled to be there. "Fear" was written all over his face. By standing before the judge, I think the young man finally realized just how much trouble he had created for himself. By the end of the court session, I felt a little sorry for the fellow. He was so afraid.
In our weekly Treasuring God's Word reading of the Book of Acts we're moving through the apostle Paul's trial before Festus. Here Paul was an innocent man. Witness after witness testified against him but none could prove Paul guilty of anything.
Even more important was this - Paul stood before Festus in the knowledge that the Lord was with him. Even as Paul appealed to Caesar for a hearing, the Lord's will was being done. The Lord had assured the apostle that Paul would preach the Gospel as he traveled to Rome. And that is exactly what Paul did.
We can trust God to keep His promises to us. Paul later wrote to the Romans: He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Yes, but of course, we can trust that God will give us freedom from guilt; answer our prayers; give guidance for daily living; assure us of eternal life in heaven and so much more. God was with His servant, Paul. You can trust that the Lord will be with you as well.
I must say, I really enjoyed seeing my daughter, at that time a Maricopa Country Prosecutor, in action. She looked and sounded so professional. I was thrilled to be in court.
However, the young man Stephanie was prosecuting was less than thrilled to be there. "Fear" was written all over his face. By standing before the judge, I think the young man finally realized just how much trouble he had created for himself. By the end of the court session, I felt a little sorry for the fellow. He was so afraid.
In our weekly Treasuring God's Word reading of the Book of Acts we're moving through the apostle Paul's trial before Festus. Here Paul was an innocent man. Witness after witness testified against him but none could prove Paul guilty of anything.
Even more important was this - Paul stood before Festus in the knowledge that the Lord was with him. Even as Paul appealed to Caesar for a hearing, the Lord's will was being done. The Lord had assured the apostle that Paul would preach the Gospel as he traveled to Rome. And that is exactly what Paul did.
We can trust God to keep His promises to us. Paul later wrote to the Romans: He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Yes, but of course, we can trust that God will give us freedom from guilt; answer our prayers; give guidance for daily living; assure us of eternal life in heaven and so much more. God was with His servant, Paul. You can trust that the Lord will be with you as well.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
How does the church grow?
That's the theme we'll explore this weekend at Life in Christ. The key to church growth is found in chapter 1 in John's Gospel. Want to know more? Come and worship with us. The Saturday service begins at 5 pm and Sunday services are held at 8 and 10:45 am. Christian LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) Hour takes place at 9:20 am and there are classes for every age group. Join us this weekend at LICL!
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