One More Thing

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

The Weekend

Pick up your 8x10 Mother's Day pictures this weekend.

If you feel no one gets you, God does. If you feel like a square peg in a round hole world, God has shaped you to fit in perfectly with his family. If you feel like no one wants you, especially God, he wants you more than anyone. He has redeemed you, no matter what you've done. Those are only some of the implications of what Paul says in Galatians 3:15-25, our passage for this weekend. I'm looking forward to see you.

FYI

Sam Allberry on "Same-Sex Attraction in the Church"

Pastors as well as church members need to know that homosexuality is not just a political issue but a personal one, and that there will likely be some within their own church family for whom it is a painful struggle. When the issue comes up in the life of the church, it needs to be recognised that this is an issue Christians wrestle with too, and that the church needs to be ready and equipped to walk alongside such brothers and sisters.

N.D. Wilson on "Lighten Up, Christians: God Loves a Good Time"

Challenging ourselves to embrace the sense of fun infused in this world.

 One More Thing

Here’s a prayer I’ve been planted on for a couple of weeks. It’s from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Here’s an abridged version of it. You might consider praying it each morning for the next week.

"Morning"
Compassionate LORD,
Thy mercies have brought me 
    to the dawn of another day,
Vain will be its gift unless 
    I grow in grace,
  increase in knowledge,
  ripen for spiritual harvest.
Let me this day know thee
    as thou art,
  love thee supremely,
  serve thee wholly,
  admire thee fully.
Through grace let my will 
    respond to thee,
Knowing that power to obey 
    is not in me, but
  that thy free love alone 
    enables me to serve thee.
Here then is my empty heart…
Here is my blind understanding…
O ever watchful Shepherd,
  lead, guide, tend me this day…

Blessings to you all, Pastor Henry

10 Tweets

Here's last weekend's sermon in 10 Tweets: "Praying for Your Kids" (Ephesians 3:14-19) 1// Bottom line for Christian parents: Pray for what you most want for your kids. The trick is remembering what you really most want.

2// Paul prays for them to be grasped, wowed and captivated by Christ’s love for them.

3// Aim high, go deep

4// Eternal life, true joy, true fulfillment, a moral life are all produced by living in a faith-based relationship with God.

5// God produces those things for us and in us through an on-going relationship with us.

6// If you want your kids to be good, pray for them to be grasped, wowed and captivated the One who loves them so much that they can trust him with their entire lives.

7// If you want your kids to be good, pray for them to be captivated the One who loves them so much they can trust him with their entire lives.

8// God’s answer to this prayer can sabotage some of our other, day-to-day prayers for safety, financial security and great careers.

9// Your deepest desire is that they be safe in Christ’s arms for eternity. Make that your ultimate aim. Safety now would only be a bonus.

10// What if we asked kids “What do you sense God wants you be when you grow up?” instead of the usual “What do U want to be when you grow up?”