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I am very grateful to Country Bible for giving me a sabbatical. Thank you! I do pray that God uses it in my life and the life of our church in ways that are lasting.
Last week, Micah and Luke were at Lake Lundgren Bible camp while the rest of us were in Breitung, Michigan. We were able to stay at Gary and Tammy Dunseath’s house (they’re in Florida). It was a great start to the sabbatical and I was able to get a good amount of sabbatical work done. The family had a wonderful time relaxing and playing. We were able to worship with our brothers and sisters at Immanuel Baptist Church in Kingsford on Sunday. It was good to sit with my family and enjoy being fed God’s Word. I earnestly prayed for CBC on Sunday as you all gathered to worship. I trust you were blessed to be together and sing, pray, and listen to God’s Word. This week has been a flurry of busyness with family activities and sabbatical work. This week I am focusing hard on organization. I hope to finish the office in the basement of the parsonage and get it all set up. I have chosen the book of Romans as the Scripture I will work through over the summer – what a glorious book! My hope for all of us this summer is that Christ would be our passion and pursuit. I love you all and am praying for you.
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 To begin with, I must express appreciation to Kristi Raboin for getting our website going. She spent a good amount of time getting it set up.
I believe that a website for a church is a very helpful tool. It serves the people of the church in many ways, and it allows people outside the church to check us out before they really visit. Over the past two weeks I have invested a good amount of time on our website. I believe that it is a worthy investment and trust that God might use it to advance His kingdom. Yet I do firmly believe that God does not intend to build His church through a website. That job God has given to real life people. Churches may build websites, make signs, send out mailings, and do other such “marketing”. But the best commercial for a church is its people. A church website might be snazzy and user friendly, but if the church doesn’t treasure Christ and live out of His life, the website may be false advertising. I pray that our website is a useful tool to our church and community. But a far deeper burden in my heart is that all of us at Country Bible Church are being changed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Then, if people visit us because of the website, they will see a group of believers that are imperfect, yet are running to a God who is running to us in love, grace, and mercy (Luke 15:11-32), and is forming us into a people who radiate “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6).  I'm in the process of moving our blog over here.
Right now, I haven't figured out how to move the comments or date of the blog posts over. So, if you're curious of the date or if there were any comments, go visit our old blog here: http://countrybible.wordpress.com/ New blog posts will only be posted on this website. Jesus is precious. He has done eternally sweet things in us. He will continue to powerfully work in and through us. This illustrates these truths well: Jonathan Edwards:
I have loved the doctrines of the gospel; they have been to my soul like green pastures. The gospel has seemed to me the richest treasure; the treasure that I have most desired, and longed that it might dwell richly in me. The way of salvation by Christ has appeared, in a general way, glorious and excellent, most pleasant and most beautiful. It has often seemed to me, that it would in a great measure spoil heaven, to receive it in any other way. That text has often been affecting and delightful to me, Isa. 32:2, A man shall be an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, etc. This man knew the joys of meditating on Scripture with a regenerate heart. Today is Monday in Passion Week. Here’s what Jesus did when He knew he would die on Friday:
- Speak honestly about what angers you (Matthew 23:1-36). - Provide perspective to those around you (Matthew 24). - Reflect on what really matters (Matthew 25). - Have dinner with friends (Matthew 26:26-30). - Let those around know how much you love them (John 13:1-20). - Comfort your friends with hope (John 14). - Pray (Matthew 26:36-46). HT: Michael Kelley This video stirred me deeply. It humbled me. It made me grateful. It’s a ten minute investment of your time that is well worth it! From Tony Reinke: The following 4-minute video captures the moving testimony of one family faithfully enduring pain and suffering. Says the father John Knight: “I have a little boy who is blind and has Autism and growth hormone deficiency. He doesn’t eat well or sleep well. My wife lives with stage four cancer in her body. I have a hope and I have a future. I have a Rock. I cling to my Jesus.” Simply amazing. Watch their story here: Question: What is our ONLY comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. This comes from the Heidelberg Catechism. This catechism is a way to teach our children (and ourselves!) rich and wonderful theology. |
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