beautiful scandalous night

At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful, scandalous night

rest of lyric

8pm Friday at Study Center... Melissa & Sydney Concert

husbands, here's help

C.J. Mahaney
Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God:
What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know
Listen | Watch |

Christ Preaching from the cross!

I think Augustine said somewhere that the cross was a pulpit in which Christ preached his love to the world. I can't remember (or just don't know) where he said this. That expression is a succinct way of drawing our attention to the holiness of God (a sacrifice was needed), His love (he provided the sacrifice), our sinfulness (we've been separated from God by our sin), His provision in Christ (his life and death) and our response (we need to hear this word preached and respond to it in repentance and faith). So there it is--the gospel is about our holy and loving God, creator and judge, His creation of us in His image, our sin against Him, His amazing provision of us in Christ, whose life, death and resurrection was for us. He then calls all who hear this message to turn away from their sins and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, restoration of a relationship with God, and even adoption as His children, now and forever! by mark dever

any group looking for way to serve?

oak hall has given us permission to put out sandwich boards announcing our 2 easter services

Thursday and friday from 4-7pm

if your group, or you individually, or your family... would like to pick up the boards at the church house on wednesday, then put them up and take them down thurs and friday... let debbie know at 379-4949 ext 12 or debbie AT christcommunitychurch dot com

Desire

O LORD,your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts. isaiah 26

Friends, I am in prayer for His name and renown to be spread through our Easter weekend activities at Oak Hall:

Saturday Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday services (9:00am and 10:30am)

Receiving information about who you are inviting would greatly be appreciated and enflame the prayer that is being kindled. Would you please take a minute in the next couple of days and email your hot list to info AT christcommunitychurch DOT com

thanks

Legitimized

Grace takes the agency of salvation out of human hands, whereas the heart’s desire of every child of Adam and Eve is to keep it there—to strive endlessly to find something we can do to make ourselves legitimate. But grace makes all our efforts to legitimize ourselves irrelevant because it proclaims us already legitimized by the work of Someone Else, without a single effort on our part.

— Robert Farrar Capon
The Astonished Heart

Acts 20:28 this sunday

while we normally take chunks of scripture at a time... this week we'll look at one verse... actually a portion of one verse
the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

the outline will run:
I. You were costly to obtain

II. You are God's treasured possession

there is an amazing connection between Ephesians 1:14 and 1 Peter 2

this is a chance, as easter approaches, to have an extended meditatation on the death of Christ

The scars of God

This sunday i'll be preaching on one verse. Acts 20:28 (...the church of God, obtained with His own blood.) will lead us to the broken body and shed blood of Christ at His table. Pray that he will meet us there, in his majesty & meekness.


"The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone."
--Edward Shillito in the poem "Jesus of the Scars"

suicide

Mississippi is a small place. You know the six steps to Kevin Bacon thing? Well in mississippi we are all 6 steps to everyone.

Last week a friend of a friend ended his life. An early 20's Christian. What brings a person to this point. I have known this temptation before and many others have as well. I'm posting a link to a helpful article by Anthony Bradley of Covenant Seminary.

I did it to please a baseball player fraternity brother

When I pledged a fraternity during my freshman year at Mississippi State I was thrilled with the whole thing, even the work. The fraternity members were pretty much allowed & encouraged to make the joining process difficult. One portion of our pledging was to sit and visit with each member, a one-on-one of sorts. This was the only time I conversed one to one with many of the older guys. Will McRaney was a 2 sport athlete at Miss. State. Before going to visit him i was nervous... that he would be jealous of my physique. And, I knew that God, Jesus, Bible would come up. He was kind to me and before we ended said, "We're starting some bible studies at the fraternity house, would you be interested?"
Umm, sure.
And that invitation started me down a road.

Abdul Rahman freed

Star-Telegram.com | 03/26/2006 | Afghan court dismisses case against Christian convert, officials say

Sleeping in Church... Sunday at Christ Community

9am classes
10am worship
sermon will be from text in acts where young boy fell asleep as preacher went on and on...

fyi for my artist friends, and those who know art's power!

you can now download the International Arts Movement's "Artist as Reconcilers" lecture by Dana Gioia for FREE via iTunes.


--Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Keynote speech at International Arts Movement's "Artist as Reconcilers" conference, February 23, 2006, Cooper Union University, New York City.

Catch the inspiration! Go to iTunes (download from http://www.appl e.com/itunes ) under "music store." Search for "IAM" and click on subscription for "International Arts Movement." Dana Gioia's speech and two other lectures will download on your computer for free.

playing division III league christianity

as march madness unfolds and the whole world watches division I college basketball (as they should)... i think i know how a division III player might feel as he watches the D.I guys play.... "They are playing a different game than I am! That is how big is the gap between them and me."

That's how I (et toi?) feel when reading about this brother who may be killed in afghanistan. why? he's following Jesus. like i am... in a Division III sort of way.

lewis & keller on pride & humility

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call 'humble' nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. CS Lewis

It was this statement that led Tim Keller (i think) to say:
"Humility isn't thinking less of yourself;
it is thinking of yourself less."

lewis

The more pride one has, the more one dislikes pride in others. In fact, if you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, 'How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronise me, or show off?' The point is that each person's pride is in competition with every one else's pride. It is because I wanted to be the big noise at the party that I am so annoyed at someone else being the big noise.

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us, we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."
(C.S. Lewis)

Easter Sunday Announcement

We will be having 2 services on the campus of Oak Hall school
9:00am
and
10:30am

we are making room for the people you will invite

April 16 is easter

resources for thinking and living

loads of good resources here

which type are you?

a.) As a non-Christian I was invited to a Christian gathering and later became a follower of Jesus

b.) i was raised in a christian home by Jesus followers ... who had begun following him because someone reached out to them

c.) I'm not there yet

if this is totally confusing... think of this way... how did Jesus come to you?
2 examples:
I was on a college campus and my fraternity brothers invited me to a bible study... and that was the beginning.

Jesus has been like air and water to me. I've never known a day i didn't need him and trust him. Of course, I've grown in my appreciation & commitment, but i don't have a "starting point"... why? because my dad was invited to a fraternity bible study.

I am seeking these kinds of stories from all our members... start thinking!

Weezer

what a great name! anyway, a friend just sent me lyrics to one of their songs... and they make you think about friends of ours who literally will be found by the love of God.... through us

Tell me there's a logic out there.

Leading me to better prepare

For the day that something really special might come.

Tell me there's some hope for me.

I don't wanna be lonely

For the rest of my days on the earth.


Easter is coming and it is a great time for telling.

Sports and Kids

My passion for my son as he plays sports is that he would please and glorify God. I want him to grow in godliness, not simply athletic ability. You see, Chad will never play professional sports. His participation in sports is temporary and meant to be preparatory. Like his father, he will inevitably grow old and only be able to walk for recreation or play golf poorly. But, by the grace of God, sports can help him grow in godly character and prepare him for manhood. His participation in sports can equip him to fulfill his calling as a man to humbly and courageously serve and lead in the home, church and culture. But for that to happen, a father must teach his son to discern and adopt biblical priorities and practices while playing sports.

here is all

My passion for my son as he plays sports is that he would please and glorify God. I want him to grow in godliness, not simply athletic ability. You see, Chad will never play professional sports. His participation in sports is temporary and meant to be preparatory. Like his father, he will inevitably grow old and only be able to walk for recreation or play golf poorly. But, by the grace of God, sports can help him grow in godly character and prepare him for manhood. His participation in sports can equip him to fulfill his calling as a man to humbly and courageously serve and lead in the home, church and culture. But for that to happen, a father must teach his son to discern and adopt biblical priorities and practices while playing sports.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

read this, couple times, pray it for Christ Community

"He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their…service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final break through to fellowship does not occur, because though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among them. So we remain alone with our sin, living lies and hypocrisy. The fact is we are sinners. But it is the grace of the Gospel, which is so hard for the pious to understand, that it confronts us with the truth and says: You are a sinner, a great desperate sinner; now come as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you…He does not want anything from you, a sacrifice, a work; He wants you alone. God has come to save the sinner."
---Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

thoughts on prayer, and prayers

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. –Book o’ Common Pryr

Philip. 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Believers don’t pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, we pray in order that we may arouse ourselves to seek Him, that we may exercise faith in meditating on His promises, that we may relieve ourselves from anxieties by pouring them into His bosom; in a word, that we may declare that from Him alone we hope and expect, both for ourselves and for others, all good things.
--John Calvin

Thou art coming
to a King;
Large petitions
with thee bring.
--John Newton, i think

Club 45 Sunday 4:30pm--at Church House

the acts 19 discussion of loyalties...

here is the chorus that popped in my head y'day while preaching that Christians should lead the way in repentance, confessing and walking away from lesser agendas:

my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom
--Derek Webb

new class at Study Center

MONDAY March 20th, 8:00pm
"JESUS AND THE PSALMS" Jesus and the Apostles who wrote the New Testament saw the Psalms as pointing to Jesus and as fulfilled in him. In this class we will look at the way that Jesus and the Apostles developed this understanding, and we will look at the several specific psalms and the New Testament passages that relate them to Jesus.
----taught by Richard Horner

your friends

Good questions i came across... regarding our relationships with those who aren't participants in the Kingdom of God.... yet.

Who are you praying for?
When is your next scheduled time to spend time with them?
What do you enjoy about them?
What about them can you enthusiastically commend to your children?
Do you know (or only think you know?) what their current explanation for the world is? What story are they living in?
Who is God to them?

made me think...

pushing a movie i haven't seen

you netflix folks, lemme know when you cue itBetween Two Worlds: Sophie Scholl

Sunday

9am classes
10am worship, (children's church dismissed prior to sermon message)

worship folder available as pdf at church website

"That was the first time I skipped communion."

This is what a visitor once said to me when they came to Christ Community. "That was the first time I skipped communion. I don't know or trust Jesus the way you said communion represents."

Lately I've been thinking on the question and wondered how you might answer:
"Have you ever had what you'd call an encounter with God--like my friend had--when you were preparing for or taking communion???"
let me know, really

robp AT christcommunitychurch DOT com

Philosophy on a Coffee Cup

my starbucks y'day had a new "Way I see it" quote:
"It's difficult for people to get rid of things and let them define who they are. If there's one thing I've learned in this business, it's that you are what you can't let go of." --Brian Scudamore, founder/ceo of 1-800-got-junk?
then i learned npr had a segment on the quote.... hmmmmNPR : Philosophy on a Coffee Cup
...then i remembered some folks at church are asking for your junk to benefit missions...

interesting

Single--the new normal

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that married couples with children constitute a decreasing percentage of American households. This trend has been in place for several decades. The big surprise, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers, is that married couples with children are no longer the most common type of household--they're number two now (22%), followed by married couples without children (21%).

The most common type of American household today is a single adult living alone: no roommates, no relatives, no kids. More than 26% of all American households meet this description. That number is projected to increase to 30% by 2010. The U.S.'s 86 million single adults could soon define the new majority. Already, unmarrieds make up 42% of the workforce, 40% of home buyers, 35% of voters and one of the most potent consumer groups on record.

According to the Institute for American Values, people are hardwired to connect with others. Meeting the basic needs for connection is essential to health and human flourishing. So how does this singleness trend affect our culture and our churches? Singles still need a way to fill their need to connect. The church is an ideal environment for singles to connect with others. As the reality of unmarried America sinks in, churches need to become increasingly friendly to singles.

Sources: BusinessWeek Online

Ephesus - getting to know the city

"Beginning in the Roman Republic, Ephesus was the capital of proconsular Asia, which covered the western part of Asia Minor. The city bore the title of 'the first and greatest metropolis of Asia.' It was distinguished for the Temple of Artemis (Diana), who had her chief shrine there, for its library, and for its theatre, which would have been capable of holding 25,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres, open to the sky; it was used initially for drama, but during later Roman times gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage. The population of Ephesus has been estimated to be in the range of 400,000 to 500,000 inhabitants in the year 100 AD, making it one of the largest cities of the day. "Ephesus - Wikipedia:

women's gathering

wednesday nite
a chance to drop by and/or hang out with other women of Christ Community and gainesville

see the church website link to the right---> to get all the details

lent fasting and sunday celebrating

many people have asked me what's the deal with fasting during lent

do you have to fast during lent? no
do you have to fast as a Christian? seems pretty standard to Jesus in sermon on mount
what is fasting? i've seen it as the voluntary abstaining from some good thing... or dramatically reducing your intake of some good thing (examples are endless: i've known people to give up chocolate, ice cream, meat, tv, etc OR to reduce portion sizes or internet time, et al)
WHY? This is the biggie. Fasting that is done to manipulate God or make you feel religious is worthless, literally. Fasting that is a physical expression of the heart cry: "God, I want more of you! I'm so quick to pacify myself and numb my longings and i want to stop. Let every desire (for these good things i'm fasting from)point me to you as the giver of that good thing and make me long for you and the coming of your Kingdom the way that i long for this thing I'm saying no to temporarily.

Now, Sundays are different. My understanding from an Anglican friend is... you are not allowed to abstain or be moderate on Sunday. Sunday is our taste of heaven and there we shall feast on every good thing. The resurrection is re-celebrated each Lord's Day and you just can't not (double negative purposeful) party.

All of this is based on church tradition and some are against it just because of that. Whatever YOU do... do it all to the glory of God.

tomorrow i'll put up some resources on fasting

Acts 19 has this powerful summary statement

The word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

What does that look like? What do you think of?

tonite and sunday

tonite: ken meyers at Christian study center 8pm

sunday:
9am classes
10am worship, Lord's Supper Celebration

Please pray that God will come powerfully to our meeting Sunday and exalt Christ in our midst... drawing everyone to faith in Him.

'tis Ash Wednesday, the day we are reminded that we are dust returning to dust

speaking recently with a newer Christian and he invited me to re-enter the wonder that comes from realizing we (little us!) have been made by the infinite-eternal God... and He cares for us... enough to take on flesh and live & die in our stead.

as you wrestle with the obvious sin God will show many of you during Lent... wrestle believing the gospel... that the sin exposed is forgiven, the wrath due has been received... by Jesus, for you.

wrestle well