Monday Memo

Hi Five Oakers,

 

I have a few things I want share with you today:

// FOR [  ] Campaign commitments are still coming in. We’ll soon announce and celebrate. Thank you all for joining in with God’s mission for Five Oaks.

// Great turnout for the congregational meeting. Very good discussion over some by-law changes. Elections and budget approval. Good time of worship beforehand, and some great snacks. Yeah, a congregational meeting isn’t the most exciting thing to do a Sunday afternoon, but it’s important. Thanks for making it a priority!

// Here’s a comment we received from the card we send first-time guests:

• Greater in-depth messages than a few years ago.  Much appreciated!  Despite note in bulletin, music is louder than heavy construction equipment at times.  No problem with choice of music.

// Here’s a selection from your comments, observations and questions from the weekend Communication Cards.

• Perfect timing for the rest message – I’m looking forward to practicing what I’ve learned next week while on vacation!

• How Great Thou Art, thank you!

• Love Libby’s voice and all the back-up vocals. Very interesting drums and acoustics – well done folks! I so appreciate your worship sets. Libby, loved How Great Thou Art. [Amen! Libby and her team did a great job of leading us in worship!]

• Awesome sermon! God bless!

• Loved new perspective on Sabbath! Sound was a little off in last set in back right.

• Great message, Henry! So valuable to spend time on all three of the areas of eat, lust, and rest. How do we, as Christians, frame our rest? I know we are free of the laws that govern Jews, but what are our parameters? P.s. it’s freezing in here. I know, I say this a lot. Yes I wear layers. Folks around me have their coats on, zoiks! [Pretty complex question. Here’s a sermon by Rick Warren that you might find helpful: “God’s Word to Workahaolics.”

• Where are the outlines? Haven’t they been a part of the bulletin lately? Thanks for the reminder that God wants us to rest in Him, no matter what! And God is bigger than any coach. Would love you to give that message to Woodbury girls’ basketball! [Outlines are on the tables partially blocking the aisles inside the worship center.]

Thanks for all your comments.

Blessings,

Pastor Henry

Eat, Lust, Rest

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend’s coming and there are a few things I don’t want you to miss:

THE WEEKEND

Eat, Lust, Rest. This weekend’s sermon in Exodus.

HELPFUL LINKS 

// Have you read The Hunger Games? Going to the movie? Check out “The Theology of the Hunger Games.”

// And catch Christianity Today's review of the movie here.

// Have you seen the "Noah" trailer? Russell Crowe as Noah. Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah. Bad Guy: "I have men at my back and  you stand alone and defy me!" Noah: "I'm not alone." Chills.

ONE MORE THING

I don’t do well in the dark. If I’m up before Lois, it’s about six steps from the bathroom door to the bedroom door and most of the time I miss the mark. I regularly run into things in the dark. I’m always off course. Quickly.

Most of us struggle with the spiritual disciplines of daily Bible reflection and prayer. There are lots of reasons. I went to the young adult group that meets on Thursday evenings at the Robbins’ home last night. People shared why they struggle with it.

I shared a variation on an insight Bill Wilson recently shared with me. We struggle to read the Bible because we don’t recognize how dark our world is and how much we need God’s light to help us stay on his path. I often talk about God’s Word as a meal. We need daily nourishment. But it’s also a light. It lights our path. We are often so discipled by our culture and steeped in its assumptions about life (i.e., its worldview) that we can’t even see when we’re straying from God's path for our lives.

I discover in six steps or less that I’ve strayed from the path to the door. I hit a dresser in one step. I  trip over some the decorative pillows in two. I hit a wall in six. Unfortunately it often takes longer to hit something in real life when we’re stumbling in darkness. And collision is often far worse in its ramifications.

Read, Reflect, Pray. Daily.

See you on the weekend.

Blessings, Pastor Henry