God is Sovereign

Gang,

Please pray for Josh and Lisa Barrett.  Lisa is scheduled to be induced on Monday, June 4th at 8 am at Southeast Health.  At this time they are requesting no visitors as this will be a difficult time that they wish to spend with each other and with family.  As you likley know, baby Jonathan will be born with serious health issues and is not expected to live long.  They have a grave-side service already planned for family and will likely have a memorial service at church sometime and that is when we can honor baby Jonathan, and shower the Barrett’s with encouragement and love.  Christy Brey will also likley be coordinating meals for them and we can be a blessing to them through meals as well.

Here is the latest update on Lisa’s caringbridge page:  (It was written Tuesday afternoon.)

I just got home from what was most likely my last check-up with my doctor. I have had a couple of days of contractions and she confirmed that I am beginning to dilate. That is good because I had hoped I wouldn’t have to make the choice to try and start labor early without any signs of cooperation from baby/body. It appears that things will likely go pretty smoothly now. Baby Jonathan’s heart tones continue to perform well during the NST’s and he is very wiggly all the time, so we are still feeling positively about not having to have a c-section. (yeah!)

My doctor suggested that we look at induction some time this week, but the neonatologist is not available until late Friday evening and I didn’t really want to induce over the weekend, so we agreed that we will go ahead with induction on Monday morning (June 4) unless I go into labor on my own before that. Monday I would officially be 37 weeks, which is considered full term, and 37 weeks has been my hoped for goal all along. But if it comes before that naturally then that is what is meant to be and we are ready for the most part.

I am experiencing a little more anxiety as I expected I would, just because there are so many unknowns. But we have made good plans and have a lot of support from the hospital, doctor’s office, and our family and friends. Thanks again for your continued prayers and thoughtful loving support. We love you all and will keep everyone informed as to how things go…

Lisa

While the Barretts are facing a trial, the Bandermann’s are on the other end of the spectrum—expecting to bring a healthly life into this world on Friday.  So please pray for them as well.  We can be a blessing to them by praying for them and by ministering to them with meals starting next week.  Go to http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=d739d4ea-27a5-4c63-be38-37a436f2b6b4 to sign up for a meal for the Bandermann’s.

It may seem hard to understand how one family can be facing anxiety and grief, while another is facing excitement.

Please remember that God is sovereign.  Psalm 115:3 “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”, Psalm 135:6 “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps”, Ephesians 1:11 “…he works all things according to the counsel of his will”.  We may not understand this, but we can be encouraged that God is sovereign.  We also know that God is good.  Psalm 86:5 “For you , O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

Please pray the Barrett’s will rest in knowing that God is sovereign, and that He is good.  Trials are guaranteed, and the Barrett’s are facing a big one.  Just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands in Exodus 17 and Israel was able to defeat Amalek, let’s lift up the Barrett’s so that their faith remains strong and so they will experience victory in this trial they are facing.

mg

Baby Stephens

Welcome Mercy Grace to the world!  She was born today at 3:08, weighing 6 lbs 13 oz and measured 19.5 in.

Jason said that Jessica and the baby were doing well, and should go home Wednesday.

As you all likely know, Jessica works faithfully in the preschool at church—and so people from the preschool ministry, as well as our lifegroup will want to serve them meals.

Ashley Lancaster has put together dates from a website called Food Tidings.  There are a lot of dates listed, so please do not feel that we have to have all the dates covered.  In the past we have traditionally served meals for about 2 weeks, every other day.  The dates are all there for flexibility and for preschool workers to be able to minister to the Stephens as well.

It would be nice to start Wednesday.

Here is the site:  http://www.foodtidings.com/SignUp.aspx?ScheduleGuid=01be85d4-d137-4609-977e-61bd78556b2d

This is a great way and a great time to serve the Stephens, so check out the link above.  Thanks for serving!

mg

What’s Playing?

Gang,

Let’s find out a little bit about each other.  There is some great Christian music out there, so….

Share with us what you are listening to…I will kick it off:  White Flag Passion CD—10,000 Reasons with Matt Redman and You Revive Me with Christy Nockels are my favs right now, Bethel Live–Be Lifted High, anything Christy Nockels, anything w/ Travis Cottrel, Gungor—Beautiful Things CD, and Rick and Bubba (radio and Stay In It CD).

Now it is your turn—what’s playing?

mg

Coming Up….

Gang

Class Social this Saturday at Cape County Park South.  Thanks to Jennifer Dennis for leading this.  I think it starts at 3 pm.  Jennifer, can you post a comment clarifying the time and which shelter.

Bring games and fun stuff.  We can pull a little Duck Dynasty if someone wants to bring golf clubs, golf balls, and guns!  Just kidding Troy Martin.

Here are the food sign ups:

Barbs—dessert

Templetons—dessert

Martins—side dish

Bowmans—side dish

Ethridges—dessert

Burgards—side dish

Crismans—race track slaw (do we have to eat this fast???)

Old Bandermanns—corn

Ewasko—fruit salad

Young Bandermanns—dessert

Witvoets—biscuits/honey

Greenes—tater salad

If you are not listed and will be there, please post a comment so we know how much chicken to buy, as well as what you will bring.  Remember that you may need to bring a cooler or something to keep your dessert/side dish “fresh”.  Also remember to bring drinks for your family.

Also, Sarah Bandermann “Sprinkle” is 5/17 at Saffron—6:30 pm.  Ladies—put it on your calendars.

See you Saturday.

mg

Sunday Rewind

Gang,

Yesterday we looked at 1 John 3:1-3.  Great discussion.

In verse 1 we looked at the love of God.  Romans 5:10 says that once we were enemies of God….but John tells us that can now be called children of God.  He is talking with excitement, amazement, and awe.  Do not be numb to that.  I know that we have heard that many times.  But really stop to think about it.  You didn’t become a child of God b/c you were good enough, you became a child of God b/c of His love in His grace and mercy.  We  went from being a child of the devil…an enemy of God and destined for hell…….to now being a child of God and having eternal life.  We looked at how God adopts us—2 great passages being Romans 8:15-17 and Galatians 4:4-7.  Nick made a great point in that God adopts us knowing our evil past, whereas people today adopt not knowing their child’s past.  This shows us how great being adopted is.  Also, when God adopts us, He puts His seed in us (1 John 3:9), the Holy Spirit, and so we are transformed.  Another way that being adopted by God is awesome.

In verse 2, we saw how John looked forward to the second coming of Christ.  Think about all that we look forward to….the birth of a child, sporting events, shooting stuff, etc.  How much do you look forward to the coming of Christ.  Remember that this world is not our home, and the devil can decieve us in becoming satisfied with this world.  But Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that our citizenship is in heaven and Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2 that we are exiles—that this world is not our home.  I hope you are looking forward to the return of Christ more that anything else.

In verse 3 we looked at the call to be pure. David Platt says that being born again is more than just a ticket to get out of a line going to hell, and receiving a ticket to go to heaven. Being born again means that we have been given new life (2 Cor 5:17).  So we desire what He desires, and we want what He wants.  We think like He thinks and we live like He lives.  We strive to be pure by not comparing ourselves to others, but by comparing to ourselves to God…just as Isaiah did.

To listen to the sermon:  http://www.lynwoodbc.org/media

Looking forward to 1 John 3:4-10!

mg

Let’s Memorize the Word!!!!!!

Gang,

Hebrews 10:24-25:  “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Let’s stir one another up to intentionally put God’s word in our hearts and minds….let’s encourage one another to do this!

If you have an iPhone, spend the $2.99 for the Figher Verse App from Children Desiring God.  It is great.  Do you need a program like this to memorize the Word?  Of course not, but it sure does help to have a systematic way to do it.  If you don’t have an Android or iPhone, here is the link, and you can do the same thing.  http://fighterverses.com/set-2-core-esv/week-18/ Put it in your favorites and use it as a family.  You will be blessed.  And you will have the Sword available to use with skill and precision when the enemy is working.

Paul tells us in Romans that we are to be transformed….how you ask?  By the renewing of the mind!  A big part of renewing the mind is put God’s Word there!

mg

Sunday Rewind

Gang,

Here is a recap of Sunday’s lesson…

John says this in 1 John 2:24-29—-let what you have heard from the beginning abide in you (v24); if what you have heard from the beginning abides (v24); you will abide in the Son and the Father (v24); abide in him (v27); and now…abide in him (v28)

You get the picture, right?  John is saying that we need to abide, to remain, to continue in him, and let what we have heard (the gospel message) abide in us.  And that is fueled by the power of the anointing (the Holy Spirit) abiding in us.

So remember that our salvation is secure.  See Ephesians 1:13, John 10:28, 1 Peter 1:3-5, Jude 24-25.  God secures our salvation, and John knew the true sheep could not lose their salvation….but we are also called her to labor, to work, to abide, to continue, to remain.  It means activity on our part.  We are saved 100% by God’s grace.  But we are also called to persevere in truth, to abide.

Paul tells Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith.”

Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”

Paul talks to the Corinthians about running a race, and he tells the Philippians that he presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Do you see the fighting, striving, running, and pressing on in your life…..I think those are all examples of abiding.

We are to have certain disciplines in our lives that help us to abide.  Disciplines such as intentional bible study, memorizing scripture, meditating on scripture, prayer, worship, fasting, fellowship, witnessing, etc—–that all helps us to abide.

And in the context of this passage from 1 John 2, we are to abide so that we are not deceived.

Think on that…..

Here is a link to the sermon.  http://www.lynwoodbc.org/videomedia1

Have a great week.

mg