Pastor's Page
Pastor
Scott, Crystal, Hope, and Levi
Wow! God has given us a wonderful start to the New Year! Our Bible for
Life Conference was a tremendous blessing. God used our guest speakers to
stir my heart to a deeper passion for His Word. I hope and pray that you have
been filled with an unquenchable desire to be in the Word of God. Our Wednesday
nights have been awesome as we have been cultivating the discipline of hearing
(and doing) the Word by reading through the Gospel of John. The discussions
after each reading have been extremely edifying.
This month, we will begin the
Read the Bible for Life
study. I wholeheartedly believe that this study will transform the way we
approach and read the Bible. The purpose of the study is clear – “Listen.
Understand. Respond.” The goal is not just to become better readers of the
Bible, but to also become faithful doers of the Word. I’m so thankful that we
have at least 60 people signed-up for this study. I want to encourage those who
have yet to sign-up to do so. It’s not too late!
I realize that for many in our church family, the
Read the Bible for Life
study will be the first of this kind in which you will participate. Here are a
few suggestions that will help you as you take part in this study:
1. Be Disciplined.
There are daily exercises that must be completed in the workbooks. Each daily
exercise should take around 30 minutes to complete. Carve out time each day to
complete these exercises. Answer all of the questions and look up all of the
Scripture references. Some questions will require complete honesty and
thoughtful responses. Much of what you do during the week will aid in
your small group discussion. In my experience, I have found that it is easier
for women to complete daily exercises in studies like this than it is for
men. Most men, including me, don’t like to write things down. I want to
especially encourage the men of the church to be disciplined to complete their
daily exercises.
Don’t wait until the last minute to try and complete the exercises.
If you wait until the last minute, it won’t be nearly as meaningful. Our desire
should be for the Holy Spirit to teach us through the duration of this study and
we should take time to allow Him to do so.
2. Be Ready.
Readiness is essential for a study like this. Each week you should come
ready to discuss what God has taught you in the previous week of study. The
role of the small group leaders will not be to teach material but to facilitate
discussion. So, be ready to participate in your small group. The best way to
be ready to participate is to complete the weekly exercises (see #1). You must
also be ready to be stretched. The weekly exercises, small group
discussions, and video teachings are meant to stretch us spiritually and they
will certainly accomplish this objective. Let us be ready to hear from God and
allow Him to stretch us.
3. Be Open.
First and foremost, we must open ourselves to the teaching ministry of the Holy
Spirit. He will definitely move in our lives if we are open to His leadership.
We must also be open to one another. Listen to what one another has to say and
encourage each other to be a part of the conversation. Last of all, be open to
the format. Our Sunday night schedule will be a little different than normal
for several weeks, but I believe that it will be beneficial for us all.
North Carolina Marriage Protection Amendment
Tuesday, May 8 is the day North Carolina will hold its primary elections. Very
few people deem this day as important because by the time our primary rolls
around, the presidential candidates have usually been chosen. However, this
primary is very critical. It is the day that North Carolinians will have the
opportunity to vote for the Marriage Protection Amendment. If passed, this
amendment will rightly define marriage as the union between one man and one
woman.
In the coming months you will hear more about this amendment. In this
newsletter you will find a “talking points” sheet from the North Carolina Family
Policy Council that tells you what you need to know about the Marriage
Protection Amendment. To find out more information about this amendment, you
can visit the following websites:
North Carolina Family Policy Council – ncfamily.org
Christian Action League – Christianactionleague.org
VoteForMarriageNC.com
Let us mark May 8 on our calendars and be prepared to exercise our civic duty by
voting and our Christian duty to be the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) by
preserving the biblical foundations upon which our society was built.
To God Be The Glory!
Pastor Scott