Missions Memories

Some of my fondest memories from a short trim mission trip come from the several trips to Jamacia. One in particular occured about ten years ago. John, myself and several others, both adult and youth went to Jamaica Christain Mission in Downtown Kingston to assist with a summertime VBS program.

This was a true blessing to experience the open hunger for God's Word that the children displayed. The way they conducted themselves and the respect they had for not only thier elders but for each other was stunning.

There were about 50 or so children of varying ages. They would compete for who had the neatest room, memory verse, and assisting each other. But the most memorable thing of this whole experence would happen every evening right after supper. Everyone was assigned a table, after all had finished, each table would construct a verse from the Bible using any and all items on the table. The imagination and excitment generated within these young kids.....well, was at times overwhelming.

Yes, we strong, all knowing Americains were going to this second world country to teach them about Jesus because they needed to know something. OOPS!

Thank you Lord for teacing me that you are Greater! Amen. 

Dale Hammond

Great References for Bible Study:

Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary: Completely Revised and Updated Edition (Hardcover)

by Ronald F. Youngblood (Editor)

IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Hardcover)

IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Hardcover)

New American Commentary Set

Published by Broadman & Holman

                                                           

NIV Application Commentary Set

Published by Zondervan

                                                                                   

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Paperback)

by Fee & Stuart

Websites:

http://www.mystudybible.com/

http://www.blueletterbible.org/

http://www.biblegateway.com/

http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
1. Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

So I am a contemporary worship kind of girl. I like modern praise and worship, but you can't deny the power of the words of some hymns. Whoever wrote Great is Thy Faithfulness or Holy, Holy, Holy or Victory in Jesus...man, those guys knew how to praise! So, yesterday driving to church when I heard a beautiful version of Come Thou Fount I was mesmerized.

The line that I couldn't get out of my head was "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love" Wow. Isn't that how we feel so much of the time? What is interesting is the deeper you get with God the more you feel the tendency to wander. When we first meet Christ and begin the process of becoming more like him everyday, it is easy to make a list of the things that we need to stop doing (maybe not so easy to actually stop). When we rid ourselves of obvious sin, He doesn't stop expecting us to change. That is when He gets into our business and asks us to really commit to being completely Christ-like. Even nominal Christians will stop drinking or using foul language or whatever. It is hard to transform or renew our minds...our thoughts and feelings... The 'prone to wander' feelings become as much sin as the act. Jesus says that adultery is committed when we lust and murder when we hate. What sin my thoughts have gotten me into! UGH!
But this hymn is so obviously about victory. When I heard the song on the radio (SpiritFM), I was so struck but the one line that I didn't get that at first. I had decided to share my thoughts on that one line so I looked up the lyrics to the rest of the song. They are profound. What an amazing prayer. "Tune my heart to sing Your grace." Can you imagine a heart filled with the grace of God? "Streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise." When you truly examine the mercy freely given without end...if you aren't praising, you don't get it (the big picture, not the mercy. He freely offers that to all of us - just one reason to praise). "Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood." The greatest display of our sweet Savior's love. "Let that grace now like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee." Grace is what allows us to be loved by a holy God. Isn't it amazing...truly awesome that He knows us intimately and still wants anything to do with us. He knows that we are prone to wander even though we love Him. What a God we serve!

My heart longs to be more faithful. My head knows I won't be. I love Him so much for loving me anyway.


Kelly

A Prayer for Grace

Devotions of Bishop Lancelot Andrews

(1555-1626)

PRAYER FOR GRACE

O Lord, remit all my failings, shortcomings, falls, offences, trespasses, scandals, transgressions, debts, sins, faults, ignorances, iniquities, impieties, unrighteousnesses, pollutions.

The guilt of them,

Be gracious, pardon, remit, forgive, be propitious unto, spare, impute not, charge not, remember not

The stain,

          Pass by, pass over, disregard, overlook, hide, wash away, blot out, cleanse

The hurt,

Remit, heal, remedy, take off, remove, away with, abolish, annul, disperse, annihilate, that they be not found, that they exist not.

Supply,

          To faith, virtue

          To virtue, knowledge

          To knowledge, continence

          To continence, patience

          To patience, Godliness

          To Godliness, brotherly love

          And to brotherly love, charity.

That I forget not my cleansing from my former sins, but give diligence to make my calling and election sure through good works.

GOSPEL OF LUKE IN 2012

Since we “Journeyed Through the Bible” in 2011, via our Sunday evening studies, it seems logical that we now get more fully involved in particular portions of the Bible.  So we have designated 2012 the year that Troy and I will preach through the Gospel of Luke.  Luke gives us tremendous insight to the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We will follow Him as He chooses His closest followers, performs His greatest miracles, confronts the hypocrisy surrounding Him, makes the difficult decisions, obeys His Father, and shows His love and compassion to His creation.  In just one year, we will get a great overview of Jesus’ leadership, and our expected ‘followship’ of Him.  Bring your Bibles each week, as we unfold Luke’s ‘scrapbook’, filled with photos and information about Jesus Christ!

John Meisenbach

Senior Minister

The PERFECT Card

I love the perfect card. Cards that feel like you actually could have been the maker/author because they perfectly say what you would or describe your relationship with someone. I love finding one for someone on their special day, and I love to receive a card that says just the right thing. Last year, I received 2 perfect cards. The sentimental make-you-cry card from my parents and the laugh-til-you-cry-cause-it-is-so-true card from ~ Troy, of course.
Sharing the "you're so great" card from my parents seems a little nauseating. BUT, I have to share Troy's card. It says this:


To My WIFE On Your BIRTHDAY

For putting up with all my moods...
And making me eat healthy foods
For trusting me with saws and drills (Despite your doubts about my skills...)
For tolerating all my quirks.
As well as friends who can be jerks
For rarely minding when I nap
Or take a thirty-minute...um...you know...
For letting me undo my shorts
As I drink beer while watching sports...
For getting deep inside my heart
And never fainting when I fart...
For bringing LOVE into my life...
I'm so glad that you're my wife!

LOVE YOU...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


Romantic? Not really. True? Almost every word. He doesn't have any friends who are jerks or drink beer while watching sports (it is coke and Sci-fi) but those are the only things that made it obvious that he hadn't commissioned the card to be written for us...I seriously might have thought so otherwise. As I was reading, I would look up at him in disbelief because it is all dead on, and he just had that knowing grin.
The perfect card. I love it!!


Kelly

Books worth checking out…

 

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Francis Chan

David C. Cook / 2008 / Trade Paperback

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

David Platt

Multnomah Publishers, Inc. / 2010 / Trade Paperback

God's Story, Your Story: When His Becomes Yours

Max Lucado

Zondervan / 2011 / Hardcover

The Transforming Power of the Gospel

Jerry Bridges

NavPress / 2012 / Hardcover

 

The Commands of Christ: What It Really Means to Follow Jesus

Tom Blackaby

B&H Books / 2012 / Trade Paperback

Muu Muu

What in the world is a ‘muu muu’ you ask? First of all, you have to decide how to spell the words before the definition even comes into play. Options for the spelling:

Muu Muu

Muumuu

Mu’umu’u

Muu-muu

I will go with the separated American spelling of ‘muu muu’ in my thoughts. A muu muu is a loose fitting dress or gown of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder. Usually they have bright colors and have elaborate patterns. How do I give you a picture of such a garment? I have no idea. Picture the most hideous large piece of clothing you can think of… and then there is the muu muu.

How in the world does a ‘muu muu’ relate to Biblical things? A verse popped into my head that certainly highlights the muu muu. 1 Peter 3:3-5 says,“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.” There is no way possible that a woman wearing a muu muu could be accused of focusing on her ‘outward adornment.’ She had better be a cross between the Virigin Mary and Mother Teresa because there is no beauty that can shine through a muu muu. A woman wearing one takes these verses to heart and is not trying to tempt any man in any way. Her beauty is all on the inside because the muu muu’s hideous nature covers over all other aspects of her.

So ladies, if you want to apply Saint Peter’s words and you want to cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit, just put on a muu muu. Going on a date and want to help your brother not to stumble… wear a muu muu. You won’t get a second date, but you will have been elevated to a new spiritual level. Muu muus forever for the virtuous woman! 

Troy

Christian Education Minister