“Snowed In” Family Worship
8 CommentsWell, I’m bummed that we can’t gather together tomorrow to worship as a church. I worked on my sermon all day today and was looking forward to wrapping up our Bookends Series. But God had other plans! This snowstorm is a great reminder that God is sovereign over weather patterns, and his plans are better than ours.
Though we can’t gather together as a church, I want to encourage you to set aside time as a single, singles household or family to worship and read God’s word. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Take a moment to pray together for our nation, our local community and for our church. A morning like this that we can’t gather is a good reminder of what a blessing it is to be a church family. Pray for others you know in the church that God brings to mind.
2. If someone in your house is musical sing a song or two of worship. If not, consider singing along to a worship CD.
3. Download and listen to a recent sermon (especially one that you missed.)
4. Listen to one of our past sermons on the incarnation from our sermon archive.
5. In place of a sermon, read the account of Christ’s birth in Luke 1 & 2 (if you have young children, a selection from a children’s Bible works great, too.)
Remember, none of this has to be fancy. And it’s okay if you’re still in your pajamas. But it will be well worth your time to focus your attention on our great God and give thanks to him in song and prayer.
The Harris family will be thanking God for you and praying for you tomorrow as we worship in our home. Stay safe and warm, and have a wonderful Lord’s day.
P.S. One more thought: This snowstorm presents a unique opportunity to reach out to and serve your neighbors. Ask the Lord how you can express care and develop relationships by offering help with snow removal. Children, teens, singles: this is a great way to honor the Savior by spending yourselves on behalf of others. Families: Maybe you can put the whole crew into action!
August 28 2009 at 12:33 pm
Proverbs 3:7-12 : Turn Away From Evil
0 CommentsFrom my message last Sunday, here’s a clip of me being eaten by a beanbag:
August 18 2009 at 4:22 pm
Living Off Balance
0 CommentsProverbs 3:5-6 instructs us, “do not lean on your own understanding.” In my message on August 9, I looked at why God gives us this command, what it means, and why obeying it is so crucial. Here’s an excerpt:
June 14 2009 at 11:28 pm
Youth Sunday: Application
1 CommentsDave Brewer gave a topical message on the 10:31 Youth Ministry yesterday, explaining that its mission is “to build teens into the gospel, the Bible and their parents.” His text was 2 Timothy 3:14-17.
Listen online, or download the mp3 of Dave’s message here.
Below are questions by Brian Chesemore to help you apply what Dave taught:
1. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul tells Timothy that the Scriptures will make him wise for salvation, and that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. What place do the Scriptures hold in your family life? How are they informing your conversations and decisions? Is there any way in which God’s word functions on the periphery of your thoughts and times together as a family?
2. How are you specifically building the gospel into your teens or younger children? How would they answer this question: What must I do to be saved from my sins? Do they understand that their hope for salvation from sin and acceptance before God is found entirely outside of themselves?
3. Dave shared how there are, “two institutions that God set in place to disciple a young person: 1) the family and 2) the church. We don’t highlight one at the cost of the other. As a local church we are about both.” How have you experienced grace as you’ve prioritized each of these two? How do your children view these two God-ordained means of grace and gospel-instruction? How can you build yourself and your children more deeply into family and your church?
4. What teens and parents of teens has God placed in your life? Take time today and in the days ahead to pray for these teens’ salvation, their confidence in the gospel, and their ongoing growth in Christ-likeness. Take time to pray for the youth of our church—that they would present a compelling witness to our community and godly influence in our church family. Pray that God would continue to have mercy on the children and youth of our church and that we would faithfully pass the gospel onto the next generation (Psalm 78:4-7).
May 21 2009 at 1:24 pm
‘More Church, Mama?’
1 Comments
Mike Bradshaw passed on this encouraging e-mail to me, sent by a pastor’s wife from Ohio:
Last weekend [May 3] my husband and two daughters (ages 2 ½ and 8 months) and I traveled to the D.C. area for a mini-vacation.
One of the things we were excited about was the opportunity to visit Covenant Life for the first time. Due to a very rainy day, we weren’t able to get any pictures on Sunday. So, we decided to return on Tuesday morning on our way out of town.
Our two year old, Karis, had a marvelous time on Sunday at Covenant Life‘s “Discovery Land.” In fact, she got all excited when we pulled in to the church on Tuesday. ”More church!” was her immediate response. After being told that, no, it wasn’t church day, and we weren’t going to church, her eyes spilled over with very sad tears. Through her tears she kept asking, “Please, more church, Mama?”
Just wanted you to know that a little two-year-old girl had a very wonderful time at Covenant Life Church … so much so that she cried when she had to leave.
—Hannah Tyrpak
Madison, Ohio
Pictured: Karis and Tori, on the morning the family visited Covenant Life.
April 29 2009 at 10:37 am
‘Making a Very Loud Statement…’
0 CommentsThis clip from Sunday shows Kristin Hoover sharing her salvation story. She’s one of seven teens who were baptized on Sunday (see yesterday’s post).