Loving the Mormon Missionaries Update

Thanks for praying. We had a good half hour meeting. I think they sensed that i cared for them as people and that led to us talking about the gospel and how we are made right with God. I asked them what they'd have me consider (i'll write more on that later.) and through that the conversation naturally progressed to talking about the Protestant Reformation and guys like Calvin and Luther. During that discussion the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ was a topic. I might go running with the leader next week. Nice boys.

Tomorrow 9am classes for all
The connection between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and water baptism... in adult class.

10am worship

Loving the Mormon Missionaries

Two guys just a few years older than my son just came by. They seemed tired and i felt for them. Visiting people at 5:15 on friday afternoon. I'm heading out with the kids so i told them to drop by tomorrow morning to chat. Pray that they'll feel loved by me.

Sunday at Christ Community:
9am classes for all ages
week 2 of 3 in my series on Baptism, specifically--children of believers

10am
Worship Service

Tsunami Relief

You may have heard that this morning WJLF 91.7 is participating in a state-wide effort to send money to a friend of mine from seminary that many men met recently at prayer meeting, Paul Billy Arnold. Paul leads Bangalore Presbyterian Church in Southern India and they are spearheading an effort to build stable homes for the homeless Tsunami victims. I will get that money to India for you if you'd like to give through CCC.

Christian Study Center Open House Thursday 5:30 to 8:30

Drop by...Christian Study Center of Gainesville - Home

Because God Is Bringing the World to Our Doorstep

If any of you had an interest in pursuing starting this program (teaching English) in Christ Community/Gainesville, we would love to make a way for you to be trained in March.
ESL Conference

March 17-19, 2005
Briarwood Presbyterian Church
Birmingham, AL


MNA - Working Together To Transform North America

Pray for Steve Lammers and RUF

They start up this week
http://www.rufgators.com/

Lord's Day January 9th

9am new classes start
children's (various ages and topics)
adults (baptism, what is it, why, where'd we get it, etc)

10am WORSHIP
Lord's Supper Celebration

6pm Congregational meeting at Hope church

Women's Bible Study Begins

on the 18th of January.... offered morning and evening on Tuesdays.

Prayer Meetings Today

Noon at new office... 6:15pm at Hope Church... both are half hour

Satan trembles when he sees, the weakest saint upon his knees.
~William Cowper

Prayer Meetings and New Offices

Prayer Meetings Wednesday, January 5^th.

12 noon – 12:30pm at the new church office located at 2830 NW 41^st Street, Suite J.

6:15-6:45 pm at Hope Church located on the corner of Tower Road and 24^th Street.

New Church Office

The new church offices are located in Thornebrook III office complex off 43^rd Street behind the Thornebrook Shopping Center at 2830 NW 41^st Street, Suite J.

The church office is in transition of moving and you may be unable to reach us by phone. All messages will be returned as soon as possible.

Bible Reading in 2005?

Here are a bunch o' options for ways to read bible in 2005. Choose all of it, Old Testament only, NT only... BiblePlan

Tomorrow

Sunday at 10am in the theater:
~~~take an offering for Tsunami Relief
~~~study Psalm 63
~~~more below

We'll receive offering to help Asia

On Sunday we will take a special offering to bring relief to those in Asia impacted by the disaster.

Tsunami Relief

2004 Reflections, 2005 Budget

The 2005 budget was sent out to you USPS today. The text that accompanied it is here:
http://morestill.blogspot.com/2004/12/2004-reflections.html

Psalm 63 Sunday January 2

Sunday I'll preach on Psalm 63. We may only cover verse 1:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;my soul thirsts for you;my flesh faints for you,as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I should have a king's life, if I had no other thing to do than for evermore to behold and eye my fair Lord Jesus. --Samuel Rutherford, 17th Century


God is worshipped, honored and savored both when we faint for him and when we feast on him. Fainting is the form of worship when God is distant, and feasting is the form of worship when he is near. The heart that savors God above all things will experience yearning and longing and thirsting and panting and fainting when the vision of God is distant and dim. And that same heart will experience feasting and satisfaction when the vision draws near and becomes clear. --John Piper, 20th Century

Remember, there are NO 9am classes this Sunday

We'll meet at 10:00 in the theater for worship.

Jesus Can't Stop Smiling

from one of our people:

I went to a wedding yesterday. it was so beautiful and they looked so incredibly happy. the joy on his face when the doors opened and she began walking the aisle toward him. he could hardly contain it. he wiped his eyes and just smiled endlessly.
and you know what else was cool? it was because of how well i know him that i was so moved by his reaction to his bride. i know his mannerisms, his mild temperament, his laugh, the lines on his face when he smiles...and i've never seen him so excited, so overwhelmed with his love for someone. ... it was incredible.

my first thought was - wow, to be so desired! to walk into a room and know that someone is adoring and treasuring every particle of your presence!
that was the first time i think i've ever really experienced something so close to (a shadow of) the joy and delight Christ must have for us. it was breathtaking.

Ali Karis Lammers is born!

This afternoon Ali was was welcomed into the world by Steve and Jenna, as well as older sister Zoe. She was 7 pounds and 3 ounces. Length? I can't remember but will get it.

Ashley Means is coordinating meals. You can reach her at ashley_alyn AT yahoo DOT COM

Reflecting on Yesterday

About 40 of us gathered yesterday for a time of worship. Seated at round tables we sang accapella, heared testimonies, and looked at Luke 2. It was wonderful.

I don't think I will ever forget what 10 year old Trace Stankunas shared during the open mike time we had. "This Christmas God reminded me that Christmas is not about the presents I receive, it is about Jesus coming as a baby and dying for our sins. We're filthy sinners and he loved us and came to forgive us."

There was not a dry eye in the place. I had the unique perspective of seeing Trace's grandparents in my peripheral vision... the promises of God were in neon lights in my mind.
"I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you."
--Genesis 17:7

From Mary's Magnificat: "He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation." Luke 1:49-50

It was a moment of glory. My only mistake was not taking up the offering immediately... we could've gotten enough for a piece of land AND a building.


Oh yeh,
Saw this steal and wanted to pass it on... 2 CS Lewis classics for under $10
Christianbook.com - Product Detail Page

10am tomorrow morning

We'll meet at 10:00am in the Library/Media Center at Oak Hall for an abbreviated informal service.

This is a family service, so all are welcome!

Merry Christmas...

8pm Christmas Eve at Hope Church

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Born to set Thy People Free

Half hour service of candles, carols, and Scripture. Children welcomed in the service! No childcare provided.

8pm at Hope (corner of Tower & SW 24th Ave)

Jesus, Lord at Thy Birth

Christmas Eve, 8pm at Hope Church

Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart. --Charles Wesley

I love the way that this echoes the words of Luke 2:25....describing Simeon as an old man who was waiting for "consolation of Israel". When Simeon held baby Jesus He said, "My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
So it is, the consolation of Israel is a light to the Gentiles. Wesley nailed it when he wrote this progression: Israel, all the earth, every nation!

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus: "Israel�s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart."

A Danger at Christmas

By far the most important and significant event in the whole course of human history will be celebrated, with or without understanding, at the end of this season, Advent. The towering miracle of God’s visit to this planet on which we live will be glossed over, brushed aside or rendered impotent by over-familiarity. Even by the believer the full weight of the event is not always appreciated. JB Phillips

more

Preparing for Christmas Eve Worship

i'll be posting some of the great lyric we'll sing together...

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Joy to the World: "He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love."

Advent, Day 24

The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel;he will bless the house of Aaron; he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.

This morning's advent readings...
Ps. 112, 115
Rev. 20:1-10
John 5:30-47

Follow-up from Yesterday

The Christmas needs that were expressed yesterday during our Community in Action time:
St. Francis House: Children's cough syrup and other meds, coats, blankets... contact info: 413 S. Main; 378-9079

Meals on Wheels: a meal prepared and/or delivered Friday ... contact info Nancy Spikes at jwsdold AT aol DOT com

Baby Kaleb and mom Karen at Shands... contact info Kelly MacGregor at 359-6604


For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Needs at St. Francis

St. Francis house, a downtown homeless shelter, could use toys for children. Contact Courtney Maiback to contribute. She's on the staff there.

Sunday December 19

9am classes for children and Incarnation class for adults (in media center)
10am worship, loads of carols and I'll preach on "The Forgotten Parts of Christmas"

also, start thinking/praying about friends that might be interested in Christmas Eve service, this is a time when most people want to be "in church"...

new office space

thanks for praying, we'll probably soon be moving our office operations to the Millhopper area, off NW 43rd and NW 28th Street.

Advent Day 19

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come...
--John Donne

Advent Day 17

"Of our flesh and of our bone, Jesus is our brother now, and God is all our own."
--Charles Wesley

Please pray for us here at the office. We need to find new office space soon and the search hasn't yielded fruit yet. Thanks.

Day 16 of Advent

That faithful Spirit who begins the good work, effectually carries it on, and completes it. Presently He leads him to the cross of Jesus—unveils to his eye of glimmering faith a suffering, wounded, bleeding, dying Savior—and yet a Savior with outstretched arms! That Savior speaks—oh, did ever music sound so melodious?—“All this I do for you—this cross for you—these sufferings for you—this blood for you—these stretched-out arms for you. Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest—Him that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out—Look unto me, and be you saved—only believe. Are you lost? I can save you. Are you guilty? I can cleanse you. Are you poor? I can enrich you. Are you low sunk? I can raise you. Are you naked? I can clothe you. Have you nothing to bring with you—no price, no money, no goodness, no merit? I can and will take you to me, just as you are, poor, naked, penniless, worthless; for such I came to seek, such I came to call, for such I came to die.” “Lord, I believe,” exclaims the poor convinced soul, “Help You mine unbelief.” You are just the Savior that I want. --Octavious Winslow

Advent Day ?

Because Advent is a time of longing for redemption, we should use the Advent season as a period to identify the matters from which we need to be redeemed. --Robert Webber

9am classes for all ages
the mystery of the incarnation for adults, meet in media center


10am worship
children have a big part in our worship! with their Christmas presentation, "JOY"

Christmas Eve Service 8pm

We'll be having a half-hour service on the 24th at Hope Community Church (Tower & 24th)

Advent Day 12... enjoy, rest, hope! long, and wait

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:1-7

Very excited about young marrieds group studying this in 2005

Amazon.com: Books: When God Comes to Church: A Biblical Model for Revival Today

One advent quote and a link to others...

...During my young years... there was a mental wall between religion and God. I could walk around inside religion and never, on any sort of emotional level, understand that God was a person, an actual Being with thoughts and feelings and that sort of thing. To me, God was more of an idea. It was something like a slot machine, a set of spinning images that
dolled out rewards based on behavior and, perhaps, chance. --from a book called Blue Like Jazz, interesting thought in this season when we celebrate that God came down.
Reflections: Advent - Christianity Today Magazine

Children's Music Rehearsal

a reminder about the children's music rehearsal ... Tomorrow night in Oak Hall Auditorium a pizza dinner will be served from 5:30-6, and rehearsal is 6-7. All who can read need to bring their revised scripts.

Addictions... here is interview w/ great Biblical counselors

On the Radio: FamilyLife This Week - FamilyLife - Strengthening families, marriages and relationships

Levens baby born!

Mason was welcomed by Heather and Eric on Sunday!

Advent reading for Monday morning... Psalm 25

_________________________ Advent & Christmas Readings: "Ps. 25
Isa. 5:8-23"

Was Simon Mangus a Christian?

Was his profession of faith in Christ legit? What do we take from this? What is the warning here? Click below:
http://morestill.blogspot.com/2004/12/was-simon-mangus-christian.html

Advent Day 8

Why didn't the Holy Spirit come onto the Samaritans at their conversion?
Why did God give the Holy Spirit through the apostles John and Peter from Jerusalem?

http://robyadayada.blogspot.com/2004/12/delayed-reception-of-holy-spirit-in.html

Advent Gold!

Advent Day 6

Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

9am Classes for All Ages (Incarnation Class for adults)
10am Communion Service

Advent, Day 5 Thursday

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.

What a prayer! Set us free! Loosen grip that our fears have on us... help us rest. Amen.

Advent, Day 4

There are two opportunities to meet with others and pray today....
12:00-12:30 at Christian Study Center
and
6:15-6:45 at Hope Community Church

"Waiting for God is an active, alert -- yes, joyful -- waiting. As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes."
Henri Nouwen,
In Joyful Hope: Meditations for Advent

Advent, Day 4

There are two opportunities to meet with others and pray today....
12:00-12:30 at Christian Study Center
and
6:15-6:45 at Hope Community Church

"Waiting for God is an active, alert -- yes, joyful -- waiting. As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes."
Henri Nouwen,
In Joyful Hope: Meditations for Advent

advent day 3

Advent is about waiting and longing. Fasting is about longing. Longing for the presence of Christ, the extension of His Kingdom, longing to see the renewal of all things. Praying helps with that too.
Tomorrow at Noon-12:30 at Christian study center and/or 6:15-6:45PM at Hope Church.

Advent Day 2

I hope to post daily during advent... today--random things that have helped me treasure Christ in the past:
~John Piper's advent poems at http://www.desiringgod.org
~Dorothy Sayers, The Man Born to be King, a play originally done for the BBC
~Isaiah, the prophet http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=Isaiah&search=&version=ESV&language=english&optional.x=12&optional.y=10
~Handel's Messiah, so good

This year i'm going to seek, privately and at home, to make use of an advent calendar... here's one online
http://www.gracecathedral.org/advent/

Yes, an online calendar feels a bit weird, but hey--whatever it takes to prepare the way.

Sunday Worship at Christ Community

We will:
baptize Sally SchackowBaptism, by Francis Schaeffer

Receive several people into membership

Enjoy one another

Look together at the 2nd half of Stephen's speech in Acts 7.

Remember, there is no 9am Sunday School this week. Only 10am worship and only a nursery for the youngest children.

bring $10 and stuff a box after service

Samaritan's Purse | Operation Christmas Child

many of you asked....

about my quoting jim carrey in email this week: here's more for our thinking

I don't know if you guys saw Jim Carrey's comments to 60 Minutes. Excerpt:"This is where I hang out with Buddha, Krishna...all those guys," says Carrey about a lean-to adorned with candles and a bed built high on his hillside property in Brentwood, Calif. "I'm a Buddhist, I'm a Muslim, I'm a Christian. I'm whatever you want me to be...it all comes down to the same thing," he tells Kroft. Carrey says he believes they are all the same God and it is this conviction and spirituality that make him happy.Religious exclusivism, from a Christian perspective, is the belief that the only god is the triune god of Christianity - Yahweh - and that you can't approach him as Buddha and while you might be able to use the word 'Allah' the content you'd pour into that word would be trinitarian, nicene Christianity. Though a lot of readers here believe this, as do I, religious exclusivism can be a real drag these days (even as it was in the first century, when Christians were called 'atheists' by adherents to the Roman pantheon because Christians denied all the Greek and Roman gods and household gods). So, here's your challenge. If you were Jim Carrey's friend and had coffee, er, he doesn't drink it, a *smoothie* every week with him to catch up on life (notice that I'm presupposing that you a. already know him, and b. appreciate him as a friend and love him as a person) and he were to float the idea that all the major "religions" are the same, how would you participate in the conversation? How can you present a vision for an exclusivistic spirituality that would not be a drag for him - that would be encouraging. Is a winsome exclusivism possible? (author Jon Barlow)

Parent idea...

1. Use the hymns the children's ministry sent to help prepare for December 12th musical as fodder for dinner discussion.
2. Listen to the CD early and often so that the great truths* of Christmas are in your hearts and minds as Advent approaches.

*God and sinners reconciled.
*Mild He lays His glory by; born that man no more may die.

Parent idea...

1. Use the hymns the children's ministry sent to help prepare for December 12th musical as fodder for dinner discussion.
2. Listen to the CD early and often so that the great truths* of Christmas are in your hearts and minds as Advent approaches.

*God and sinners reconciled.
*Mild He lays His glory by; born that man no more may die.

He Came Down

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man... (Nicene Creed excerpt)
Sundays at 9am in December .... I will lead an interactive class on the incarnation of Jesus Christ; i.e. Christmas!

Need feedback on Samaritan's purse

If you know that you plan to take advantage of Sunday's Dollar-Store at Christ Community, and pay the $10 to pack a Christmas box for a child, would you please email the number of boxes you'll purchace? send to office AT christcommunitychurch DOT com

Samaritan's Purse | Operation Christmas Child

Women and Football...

Women: Jenna's baby shower last night was a huge success. Women's Christmas Gathering is Sunday evening December 5, mark calendars.

Football: University Students vs Old Guys... will be held in January on "Super Bowl Sunday" mark calendars

Yes, yes... I knew it was a movie

To End All Wars - Argyll Film Partners present a motion picture based on a true story by Ernest Gordon

phones wacked at church office

so i'll answer most often asked question on Saturday... worship service begins at 10:00am... there you go

Pray for Persecuted Church

http://www.idop.org/idop_map.pdf

Famous Poem Remembering Sacrifice

In Flanders Fields
written in 1915 by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved, and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.

Flanders, in north-west Belgium, was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the World War I. One of the few things said to have survived the bloodshed was the poppy. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrea, a Canadian doctor serving on the battlefield, wrote this poem after treating the battle wounded and burying the dead.

I will arise and go to Jesus

He will embrace me in His arms

In the arms of my dear Sawior

O, there are ten thousand charms

~Joseph Hart,

1712-1768

"How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!....You drove them from me, You who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, You who are sweeter than all pleasure....O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation. ~Augustine

"The promises of Scripture tell you that your Savior-God will guard you, guide you, keep you, feed you, care for you, uphold you, forgive your daily shortcomings, free you from Satan's snares and bondages, and shepherd you through this world to the next, where you will see and enjoy Him forever." ~ J. I. Packer

"The notion that we are children of God, His own sons and daughters.....is the mainspring of Christian living....Our sonship to God, is the apex of Creation and the goal of redemption."
Sinclair Ferguson

Their Blood Cries Out...

Sunday is the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.... start todayTheir Blook Cries Out

We've been asked to pray...

for Cecille Welch, mother of K. Fullerton, a former CCCite now living in Atlanta.

Worthy to suffer...

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. Acts 5:41

Thanksgiving at Eubanks..

Anyone who desires is invited... more later

sunday

9am classes for all
10am worship

Sunday, we partake...

What the Lord’s Supper is not: It is not a way of regaining saving grace or salvation.
It is not a re-sacrificing of Christ. His death two thousand years ago is sufficient to save us.
According to one view, baptism washes away original sin and, to use one illustration, fills the
bathtub with grace. Every time a believer commits a sin, grace leaks out of the bathtub. If it
leaks out entirely, salvation would be lost. The Lord’s Supper is used to “refill” the bathtub with
saving grace. This is a faulty view. It makes communion into another work and strips the cross of its saving power.
What the Lord’s Supper is: First, it is a sign. Historically, Protestants believe that the grace received in communion is not a grace that saves (for we are already saved) but a grace that restores the believer’s confidence in the Word’s declaration that we are “Not Guilty” before
God. In this case, it acts as a sign that continually reminds us that we are secure in Christ, that
the price has been paid, and that we stand before a Holy God forgiven and free. Moreover, we
are part of God’s Covenant Family.
Along with being a sign, communion is also a seal—proving to us that the outward
and visible sign of God’s promise of forgiveness also takes place inwardly and invisibly.
Communion seals through the Holy Spirit our union with Christ. With this union comes all of
Christ’s benefits. Communion, then, is like a refueling station—not in the sense that we need
“brownie points” with God, but in the sense that we need to recover lost steam, motivation, and
ability. We are weak and our hearts become cold. Communion enables us to feed on Christ and
His benefits the same way our bodies feed on bread and drink for a long journey. In a real sense,
then, the Lord’s Supper literally nourishes and protects our souls for the long pilgrimage of faith.
The Lord’s Supper, then, is much more than a mere memorial. It not only symbolizes
something great, it is something great. As one author says so well,
It is the actual nourishment of Christ Himself who offers His body and blood for
spiritual food. To those wearied by a tough week at the home or office, or to those
whose conscience never lets them forget a sin they have committed during the week,
the sacrament of holy communion is there to communicate Christ and His
forgiveness. There is no conscience that cannot be instructed and overcome by this
powerful sacrament.
Finally, the Lord’s Supper is to remind the Church of its destiny as a pilgrim people,
dependent on His sustaining grace, and longing for the day when we will be hungry no more.
The Lord’s Supper is a down payment, the firstfruits of what is promised for us in eternity.

prayer tonite 6:15-6:45 at Hope

we had a good gathering at study center, you still can make evening one.... which is child-friendly

Prayer & Fasting Tomorrow

Kingdom-Advancing Prayer, tomorrow, two opportunities:
Noon-12:30 at Christian Study Center http://www.christianstudycenter.org/
6:15pm-6:45 pm at Hope Community Church, corner Tower & SW 20th Ave

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy

A Prayer

Almighty God,
You have ordained the authorities that are;
You have clothed them in a majesty
that is higher and stronger
than the given facts of their history,
a majesty that awakens fear in us
and claims honor from us.
O God, remember in Your mercy
the men who bear the burden of this majesty,
men like us easily bent
by the pressure of temptation,
by the impact of expediency.
Remember them and strengthen them
when they are moved
to shade the truth to their own ends,
to withhold what should be told,
to distort what must be told,
to disclose what does not serve
our common weal.
Keep intact their honor and their
credibility.
Purge us, O God,
of cynical distrust,
of party passion,
of the deafness
of our rebellious bent. ...
Your Son, our Lord,
would not speak ill of Caesar
even when Caesar’s power
nailed Him to the cross.
Give us the Spirit of Your Son.

More on City of God, City of Man...

Let us be clear: We are not implying that our faith doesn't have a great deal to say about all of our this-worldly affairs, politics included. Of course it does -- which is why we consult the Scriptures and the fathers in the faith on these matters. But what do we find in these sources? Often that we have previously failed to note the distinct means and ends of the various spheres that God has instituted. Indeed, both the Church and the state are God's. But they have different purposes (salvation of sinners versus the restraint of the harm caused by sin), different constituencies (all the redeemed across time and space versus all the created within certain geographic borders), different authorities (special revelation versus reason/natural revelation), and different means (the supernatural tools of preaching and the Sacraments versus the natural means of the sword and the purse-strings).
Both Church and state are God's wonderful gifts, and they are spheres in which Christians can faithfully labor to the glory of God and for the good of our neighbors. But we dare not identify the two, limiting the Church to natural tools, or suggesting that political activity can produce genuine righteousness. For we are "dual citizens" and will remain so until Jesus comes to put an end to our pilgrimage, and to identify all our loves as one. --ben sasse

Union with Christ by Michael Horton

Union with Christ by Michael Horton, Ph.D.

Reformation Day started with this...

Crosswalk.com

Roots of Sorrow

CCC people on Stage around Gainesville...

Kelly MacGregor (and her pet dog!) are in the cast of "Anything Goes". This family-friendly show runs Friday through November 7th. There are no Saturday or Monday shows. FYI, our own Tamara Johnston (coordinator of upcoming children's Christmas music) has a younger brother playing the lead in the show. University Box Office or 359-6603 for tickets and info.

also...
Maggie Martin is in an upcoming production at Oak Hall, details to follow

One of our students,Erik Folgate, is promoting this event Sunday Night

Caedmons Call

One way to amaze an unbelieving world...

Michael Wolfe, in New York Magazine said the United States are fundamentally two nations.
“There is the quicker-growing, economically vibrant, morally relativist, urban-oriented, culturally adventurous, sexually polymorphist and ethnically diverse nation. Then there is also the smaller-town, suburban, nuclear-family, religiously oriented, traditional values, white-centric other America with its diminished political and economic force.”

The Apostle Paul, in a letter to the Churches in Galatia...
For Christ Jesus himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

Is there an election upcoming?

Seems like alot on news lately... Seriously, Sunday i'll be addressing trusting Christ in polorized political situation in which we find ourselves.

Mkt Street Pub a success

7 guys at b'fast downtown today. Next week they'll start meeting on Tuesday mornings at 6:30.

Mystery Dinner

If you haven't signed up for a mystery dinner... why not?
Contact 359-6604 if you want to participate. They are being held in couple o' weeks.

Men's Breakfast Here Wednesday 6:30am

The Market Street Pub

Task Force Meets Tonite

Pray for the work of a Hospitality Task Force which is meeting tonite, seeking to develop a plan to present to elders.

Update on Mission's Trip to Guatemala

Our team is doing well here in Guatemala. Today we were up visiting a couple of different mountain villages about 20 miles from El Salvador. The children here have loved receiving the gifts that you sent with us.
Tomorrow we will go by Cessna Planes to get an aerial view of the area and go into the jungle. There we will meet different ministries and hear about what’s going on in their villages.
Friday we will visit the Mayan Ruins.

We continue to appreciate your prayer support.

Pray for our Team in Guatemala

Visita Guatemala

Sunday at Christ Community

9am Classes
10am worship
Looking at Acts 5 and the spread of the gospel...

See you there...

Also, this is last day to bring things for Guatemala trip... the last of our team is leaving Monday!
Pray for the part of the team that leaves tomorrow.

Desperate Situation, please pray

Between Thursday night and Sunday night my calendar shows 7 speaking engagements to open the Word of God to people.
Unless God comes by His Spirit, that is 7 exhalings of hot air. If He comes and blesses, lives will be changed, the lost reached, hearts will be healed, relationships will grow, repentance will be rampant, zeal for His glory will be increased. And, mysteriously, your prayers (and mine) have a place in which happens. This Piper quote works for every Lord's Day when i speak, but 7 times makes me especially aware of the glorious possibilities. Please pray:

“Now we can say and again, safely and stunningly, what the awesome
place of prayer is in the purpose of God to fill the earth with his glory.
Not only has God made the accomplishment of his purposes hang on the
preaching of the word; he has also made the success of that preaching
hang on prayer. God’s goal to be glorified will not succeed without the
powerful proclamation of the gospel. And that gospel will not be
proclaimed in power to all the nations without the prevailing, earnest,
faith-filled prayers of God’s people. This is the awesome place of prayer
in the purpose of God for the world. That purpose won’t happen
without prayer.” John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad!, p. 66.

I'm off to pray...

Wednesdays at 1:30 i joyfully gather with Marion Clark, pastor of Faith presbyterian... and Ty Keys, pastor of Grace Community... and we pray.
For God to fill our hearts
For our congregations to experience His grace and power.
For hurting people in our churches....

You are being prayed for today.

Upcoming Youth Event

Volleyball and Cookout at Park
on 23rd Ave. on 24 October from 3-6PM

Stott on Signs/Wonders in Acts

http://robyadayada.blogspot.com/2004/10/john-stott-on-signs-wonders-in-acts.html

Sunday October 10

Oak Hall
9am classes for all ages
10am worship

Young Marrieds & Soon 2 be marrieds are having Lunch together... ask for Brandon/Krista Wilson after the worship service

5-8pm Intro to CCC seminar (pizza provided)
6-7:30 Children's Craft Night, parents encouraged to join them

Also, if you would like to bring something for the Guatemala team to carry and give away for you... candy, clothes & shoes (children's), cash, fine women's toiletries, deflated sports balls... there will be a box to receive them

Pray for my speaking at Campus Crusade tonight...

I'll be speaking to Campus Crusade on UF campus tonight. Please pray for God to bring Himself glory by bringing students to repentance from their idols and rest in His Son. Thanks.

Also, Sunday evening at Oak Hall is a great craft night for children. Details here later, or contact Rebecca Schackow.

Prayer meetings y'day went great. We averaged 10 and 1/2 people at the meetings. Goal was 10.

The Land is a No Go

We removed our contract offer. More later. Prayer meeting 6:15-6:45 at Hope Church.

Prayer Today, 2 Opportunities

Wednesday Prayer & Fasting
Wednesday Oct 6th Noon-12:30 at Anne Osborn's home
Wednesday Oct 6th 6:15-6:45 at Hope Community Church (Tower & 24th)
Rob Pendley will lead both of these prayer meetings. There is much to pray for as we seek together to Experience & Extend the grace of Jesus Christ in Gainesville.
Remember that prayer has several Key Result Areas (KRA) for us this Fall
1.) to have every member participate in one of our many prayer meetings
this Fall
2.) to average 10 people in prayer at each meeting this Fall
I've been rehearsing my memory of a great book, Pray with your Eyes Open, by Richard Pratt. It has some of the best scriptural patterns for prayer.
I'll design this week's prayer meeting on one of the models Pratt suggests.
Also, I'm going to make sure that those who have never prayed out loud have the opportunity to take some baby steps (one word prayers) when we're together.
The meeting at Hope is the "child-friendly" prayer meeting.
There are some fasting quotes at bottom.

Directions to Anne's Wednesday 12:00-12:30 Prayer Meeting
Coming from University, go south on 13th St. Take a left at the Museum Rd./8th light (you will drive between sorority row and Norman field). After parking garage, take your first left onto 12th (runs behind college of education). Go two blocks and turn right onto 6th Ave. 1111 SW 6th Ave. is the second house on the right. I will try to have as much parking as possible.
Anne's House
1111 SW 6th Ave.
692-3871 or cell 283-1996

Fasting Quotes I've collected in years passed.
There is an ache inside every Christian
that Jesus is not here as fully and intimately and as powerfully
and as gloriously as we want him to be. We hunger for so much
more. That is why we fast.

Fasting is not a no to the goodness of food or the generosity
of God in providing it. Rather, it is a way of saying, from time
to time, that having more of the Giver surpasses having the gift.

Fasting gives glory to God when it is experienced
as a gift from God aimed at knowing and enjoying more of God.

I grew up on the mission field in Korea. There is one experience
emblazoned on my mind to show the sacrificial dedication
to prayer and fasting in Korea. My father worked
with a leper colony, and they had prayer meetings that met
at four o'clock in the morning. I was a little boy, but my
father took me with him, getting me up at about 3:30 A.M.
to get there on time. He sat me down in the back where I
could see out the door. And I'll never forget one man who
had no legs, no crutches, and was using his hands and crabbing
along the ground, dragging his body to pray at 4 A.M.
I'll never forget that.
Rising early is a kind of fast. And coming to pray when it
is hard to get there is another kind of fast. When we make such
choices, we make war on the deceitfulness of our desires and
declare the preciousness of prayer and the all-surpassing worth
of God.
The weakness of hunger which leads to death brings
forth the goodness and power of God who wills life.
Here there is no extortion, no magic attempt to force
God's will. We merely look with confidence upon our
heavenly Father and through our fasting say gently in
our hearts: "Father, without you I will die; come to my
assistance, make haste to help me."
-JO S E P H WIMMER
"Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have
been high days indeed; never has Heaven's gate stood wider;
never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory." CH Spurgeon
If you really want to read more, and this is the book that turned my heart (from discipline/drudgery to delight) on fasting, read ANY chapter at this
link:
http://desiringgod.org/media/pdf/books_hfg/hfg_ch2-4.pdf

Tomorrow at Christ Community

9am Great Classes...
... and not just because i'm teaching one!
all ages can receive biblical teaching in our educational wing
~a whole slew of classes for younger children
~youth experiencing Deuteronomy, led by David Bagwell
~adults (including college students) War & Peace
"You must enter war with a plan to win the peace." Man, do we live in a soundbite culture. Those candidates kept repeating the same lines. I digress.
Class: THE PEACEMAKER, How the Gospel creates & diffuses conflict... come 8:55 for coffee.

10:00
~~childcare for ages 4 and below
~~worship in the theatre: reminder: "The first 15 minutes of our service may be the most important of your week."

6:00 at Hope Church (corner of Tower & SW 24th)
Congregational meeting
Childcare provided
We'll dismiss by 7:15, hang around as long as you like.
Youth meeting at 7:22 at Hope Church.