tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722510802788623782024-02-15T01:45:32.952-05:00Bob and Jan's Church BlogAfter resisting it for more than a year, we gave in and obeyed God's call to this ministry of visitation. We are privileged to worship God where He sends us each Sunday and this is where we try to provide a snapshot from a visitor's perspective.
Please leave a comment if you wish. If you'd like to contact us, Bob is at MarineForJesus@gmail.com and Jan is at Jlynnchess@gmail.com. Thank you!Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.comBlogger601125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-55765328868111574412022-05-29T17:29:00.007-04:002022-05-29T17:29:44.927-04:00Ellport Community Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Ellport Community Church, 1141 Church Street, Ellwood City, PA
16117, 724.944.7130, lead by Tom and Barb Milnes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– 2 Peter 1:1-13 NLT –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was
given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and
Savior.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">May
God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God
and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need
for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him,
the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and
excellence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And
because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious
promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and
escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement
your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence
with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient
endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly
affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way
are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their
old sins.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So,
dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those
God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then
God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Therefore,
I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them
and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right
that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I had
saved some items to donate to the Yellow Ribbon Girls who have been sending
care packages to our troops for a long time. I read where they are hoping to
turn this ministry over to some young blood. This church has a box to accept
these donations, so it was a win for them and us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were warmly welcomed and a number of women introduced themselves. After
climbing the stairs to the sanctuary, I didn’t have enough left in me to stand
and sing. Even with the lights out up front I couldn’t read the words to sing
anyhow. I’m not sure if anybody besides the praise team was singing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They
could use some signage downstairs for visitors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There
was a great pattern on the curtains where the sun shown through.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were blessed to have a moment to lay hands on the pastor to pray for Christ’s
healing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
church has a drop box for the Yellow Ribbon Girls, who collect supplies to send
to troops who are deployed, so today we opted to drop off some things and
worship here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
area is beautifully rural, so we enjoyed a lovely drive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
encountered friendly greetings at every turn, including some who stopped by our
pew to introduce themselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
music was beautiful and the back wall behind the platform was simple and
stunning. It’s amazing what can be done with some twinkle lights.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor asked those present who had served in the military to raise their hands to
be recognized and everyone present was invited to receive an American flag as a
gift following worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was untitled as far as I could tell, but I found it encouraging. It was
a reminder that each believer is given a measure of faith and we all suffer setbacks.
The pastor had broken his shoulder not long ago and his arm was in a sling, so
his very presence was a visual reminder that things can happen to anyone at any
time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">However,
he urged everyone not to quit and instead use the struggles in life to hold on
tighter to God’s promises.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
said when we ask God for something, He answers in one of four ways. I was intrigued,
as I’ve only ever heard about three: yes, no, and wait. The pastor added one
more though: none of your business. I was surprised at first, but after thinking
about it, it made perfect sense. Some things happen to us for which we can find
no reason, and we may never know the reason, but those are the times it’s God’s
business, not ours.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Further
reminders included that we can trust Him to do justice and trust Him in our ‘whys’.
Accept and lean on God’s mercy. Avoid rewinding a situation in your mind over
and over and just forgive and let it go. Then you are free.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
admit I’m still working on this, but I’m not giving up. I’m grateful God led us
here today…I needed these reminders.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Heavenly
Father, we pray You continue to bless Your church and Pastor Tom. Help them to
grow in You. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-14934731445092634382022-05-22T16:56:00.004-04:002022-05-22T16:56:42.442-04:00LifePointe Alliance Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at LifePointe Alliance Church, 997 PA Route 228, Mars, PA 16046,
724.776.9400, </span><a href="http://www.lifepointealliance.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.lifepointealliance.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Rev. Joseph Toomey, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Ephesians 1:3-13 NIV –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the
heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him
before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance
with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us
the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring
unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him
who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order
that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise
of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message
of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in
him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
has been a little more than three years since we last worshiped here so
everything was new to me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We found
handicapped parking in front of the doors that everyone seemed to be using and
located the restrooms without directional signage. The sanctuary was a little
more difficult: there was a large sign with an arrow pointing up stairs which
were out of the question for me. But there was an elevator which brought us to
a familiar social area and there was someone to direct us to the sanctuary.
Signage is helpful for visitors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Once
we were seated for worship, there was a lot of noise from the social area and I
couldn’t hear the speakers till the doors finally closed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
screens were visible even while seated, a big plus. I’m still getting used to not
standing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
the first time in a few years, the songs were familiar. It has been a long time
since I could add my terrible voice to worship and it felt good.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Someone
from the congregation delivered a message on names for God/Christ. There was a
lot of Scripture quoted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
glad to hear the church still supports a lot of mission, to which we are happy
to donate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some
people said hello or waved/nodded.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
grounds and facilities here are well cared for and beautifully decorated. I
especially liked the metal butterflies adorning the garden near the entrance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
got a cup of coffee and found seats in the back, expecting loud music. However
we were pleasantly surprised with moderate volume and lovely harmonies on songs
we knew and enjoyed singing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Before
the service started, several men made announcements that were addressed to those
present and pointedly included those watching online.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor was away so a gentleman preached who I believe was a member and a businessman.
He spoke of some of the “I AM” verses and listed many Names of God. He pointed
out that God chose His children before the beginning of time, and He adopted and
accepted them. I loved the statement, “God signed the adoption papers with the
blood of Jesus Christ.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we lift this church to You and pray their hearts are open to Your word as it is
preached. We ask that You continue to bless and encourage the pastor as well as
their numerous mission efforts. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-14150782864512616832022-05-18T10:24:00.003-04:002022-05-18T10:24:17.615-04:00Discovery Christian Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This past Sunday
we worshiped at Discovery Christian Church, 170 Scharberry Lane, Mars, PA
16046, </span><a href="http://www.discoverypgh.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.discoverypgh.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Matt Mehaffey, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Psalms
110:1-7 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
LORD says to my lord:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Sit
at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of
your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in
holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s
womb.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the
order of Melchizedek.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He
will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the
whole earth. He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his
head high.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Genesis
14:17-20 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After
Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the
king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s
Valley).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most
High, and he blessed Abram, saying,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Blessed
be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God
Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Abram gave him a tenth of everything.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Matthew
22:41-46 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">While
the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think
about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“The
son of David,” they replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him
‘Lord’? For he says, “ ‘The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I
put your enemies under your feet.” ’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If
then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in
reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Romans
8:18 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Luke
12:8 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">“I
tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will
also acknowledge before the angels of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On
many drives through this area we had noticed a mysterious-looking building and
were tempted to check it out. Today we were surprised to learn it was the new
home of Discovery Church. Seems to be perfect in many ways for their use; I
believe in divine guidance. From our visit today it is a “new” church in a
blessed home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We sat
in our usual location in the back, and the first song was a drum solo to me (I should
have muted my hearing aids). After the one song the pastor, Matt, made some announcements
then segued into the message and we settled into the comfortable seats. One of
the missions they are involved in, “6K Run for Water”, sounded so much like the
situation in Malawi, we were happy to support their efforts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message started with Psalm 110:1, which I would guess most Christians
understand, but maybe not as many by verse 4. I thought this was the most
understandable preaching of these verses that I have ever heard; maybe God was pointedly
putting this on my heart. The recognition by the congregation was apparent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If
our faith is secure in Christ, we cannot continue to sweat the small stuff. Many
are on paths of self-destruction, but we must keep in mind that Christ is still
in charge. Our fears fade when we pull back and see the big picture.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were grateful for our time with the pastor and welcome group after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">February
2016 was the last time we visited this church. Since then they have moved and
have a new pastor, so it was a new church to us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
building is spacious with areas designated for all kinds of events and uses. There
is an indoor playground, a mini golf course, and the pastor mentioned during
the service that when they bought this building it included a commercial
kitchen. Arrangements can be made to rent the facilities through the church
website.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
announcements included the World Vision Global 6K for Water. This event will
take place Saturday, May 21, 2022, and will help provide clean water to
children in communities worldwide.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
church is using the book </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Core 52</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> by Mark E. Moore to increase understanding
of the Bible. This is something many churches might consider. They graciously
gifted us each with a copy of the book.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor’s message was based on chapter 12 of this book and focused on The
Messiah, the meaning of the word and the concept as anointed one, chosen one,
savior.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
gave a clear explanation of the reference to the Order of Melchizedek, which
was something I’ve never been quite clear about. In the course of this he also
made it clear that we do not ‘give’ God 10% of our income; we return it to Him,
since all we have belongs to God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
pointed out that it is usually the smaller questions that consume our thoughts
but we need to remember that the big picture is taken care of so we shouldn’t
sweat the small stuff. We need to give context to our struggles and remember
that God sees it all and will deal justly with the world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
urged us to also keep in mind that Jesus Christ is both King (Ruler) and Priest
(intermediary, go-between with God the Father), and we need Jesus in both of
those roles.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
church celebrates Communion weekly, and I was very pleased to partake as it has
been some time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
appreciated the time given by the pastor and the ladies at the welcome desk for
conversation following worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we lift this church to You and pray their hearts are open to Your word as it is
preached. We ask that You continue to bless and encourage the pastors, staff,
and congregation in their mission efforts. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-23265864914935570512022-05-09T11:05:00.005-04:002022-05-09T11:05:33.835-04:00True North Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yesterday we
worshiped at True North Church, 206 Siebert Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, 412.256.8059,
</span><a href="http://www.truenorthpgh.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.truenorthpgh.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Justin Dosch, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Matthew
12:34-36 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">You
brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth
speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good
stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up
in him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Proverbs
18:21 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The
tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its
fruit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ephesians
4:29 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">James
1:19 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">My
dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to
listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sometimes
we know where we would like to worship, but my favorite day is when we leave it
up to God where we end up. Then, like today, we get to try to figure out why we
end up where we do. I think we were to lay hands and pray for the pastor, but
the thought didn’t come till after we left. We will, of course, pray for the
pastor and that someone from the congregation will pray over the pastor.
Sometimes God sends us back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
only negative about the current location is there is no simple way to be
handicapped accessible. The handrails worked for me, but I wish I had an answer
for the issue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
loved seeing the crosses behind the platform. Too many churches seem to be
afraid of offending someone with a cross. We enjoyed a cup of coffee, even my
decaf. I liked that there was a countdown clock till the service started, like
the old drive-ins.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor took time to explain the giving plan for the church. I would like to
hear more of the mission plan.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I don’t
have an answer for the projection screens. We were all the way back and doubt
that we could see even if we could have stood as the low headroom doesn’t allow
much. Maybe turning worship 90 degrees and use a wider seat set-up? Even when
everyone was seated, I couldn’t read the Scriptures.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor told his story of when the devil got his goat, reminding how easily we
lose our temper. I suspect that was probably the main reason God had us here,
something we both needed reminding of.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were also reminded of God taking extreme ownership of our sins, and how we need
to own up to our sins.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I had
a few words with two women coming in on the stairs and a couple of young moms
after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
pray that God leads us back. I think there is tremendous potential here and I
would love to see how God grows His church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
guess God is still in the business of placing us where we need to be on any
given Sunday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
church is quite young, having been founded in February 2019, and they meet on
the second floor of a business off McKnight Road. We appreciated the friendly hospitality
as well as the coffee in the back of the worship area.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor offered announcements and spoke about the church’s philosophy of giving.
He assured that this church is focused on Jesus Christ and His Word. He said giving
should be proportionate, sacrificial, and voluntary, and he wishes to “build it
into the church’s DNA.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
music was contemporary and well done, but the songs were unfamiliar to me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message, </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Why We Need to Shut Our Yapper!</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> was part of the series called </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Aftertaste</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.
The pastor opened with a vulnerable story about his mishandling of an encounter
with a goat which perfectly displayed the truth of his statement that our
mouths get us into more trouble than anything else.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
taught that Jesus-followers are called to look, act, and speak differently, and
since we humans are incapable of taming our tongues without help, we absolutely
must ask the Holy Spirit to help us. Since the words that escape our mouths
originate in our heart, we must recognize the bitterness, ingratitude, and
pride that lives there and ask God to help us not to share it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
must also recognize that our words have power, for good or for ill. Our words
can build up or they can tear down, and we choose the fruit in the choice of
our words.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
message hit me between the eyes, as I had been waiting to speak with someone I
love and to whom I owed an apology for speaking without thinking or asking for
God’s help to speak the truth in love. I’m so grateful God led us here today to
hear this message, to reorient my heart, and to be reminded there is grace for
even me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were grateful for the conversation with the pastor and with his brother, a
Marine, following the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Father, as this congregation works to discern and obey Your lead, we pray You continue to provide spiritual and numerical growth. We ask that You open their eyes to missional needs You wish them to embrace and that You continue to bless this pastor as he leads Your flock. Amen.</span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-33660992768245511152022-05-02T15:10:00.000-04:002022-05-02T15:10:56.310-04:00Grace Community Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yesterday we
worshiped at Grace Community Church, 9160 Marshall Road, Cranberry Twp., PA
16066, 724.779.7997, </span><a href="http://www.mygcc.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.mygcc.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Matt Kaltenberger, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1
Peter 4:10 –</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Each
of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Romans
15:7 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Accept
one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to
God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">James
2:13 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">…because
judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy
triumphs over judgment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1
Thessalonians 5:11 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Therefore
encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Galatians
6:3 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">If
anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were blessed to worship at Grace, our first trip back since their recent
remodel. I was amazed at how open and inviting the area is now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It is
always a special joy to talk to Pastor Bob. He told us how the remodel of the
sanctuary allowed for 400 more seats, giving them room for 1,200 in worship. We
discussed how a church can stay warm and focused on the individual with that
many in worship and I reflected on this during the service. Something as simple
as the lights being left on took care of the isolation of worshiping in the
dark not knowing who is nearby. Sometimes a glance or nod to another worshiper
conveys volumes. We were in the top tier and could witness a lot of interaction.
I found particular joy watching a woman minister to her young child…we would do
well to emulate with our neighbors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor’s message on interacting with coworkers was of pointed interest for me.
Long retired, I don’t have those coworkers to relate to, but God blesses me
every day with merchants, medical professionals, and others to witness to and
to pray for and with. It has been a joyous ministry.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My best
example of the personal ministry of the church was a conversation with the man
who ushered us to our seats. I commented that the last time we visited Grace
was in the midst of construction and how impressed we were with the results. He
commented about where we usually sat when we visited. Want to be a caring church?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
church seems to have completed a huge expansion project, which involved adding
400 seats to the existing 800, a new children’s area, and an amazing
coffee/fellowship space. What remains the same is the warmth and genuine
hospitality we have consistently encountered here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">With
Bob’s issues with walking and my newly-replaced knee, we truly appreciated the
elevator to the second floor and friendly escort to convenient seating right
inside the door.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
message was part 2 of the series </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">God At Work </i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and one of his points was to
pray for a coworker with whom you experience conflict. God answers our prayers,
often in unexpected ways, and in asking God to bless the person, we are at the
very least being obedient to God’s direction and at most we are helping bring
about change in them, in ourselves, and in the situation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Although
I have been retired for a few years, this advice brought back a memory of a
time when I experienced conflict with a coworker. I would have preferred avoidance
but it was not an option, and since I had no other ideas to resolve the
situation, obedience to God’s guidance (i.e., prayer for this person) seemed
the best path. In God’s good time, He healed all parties involved and the
conflict simply dissolved.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Through
His Holy Spirit and prayer, God can work on our hearts even when we seem to have
little sway over the direction they wish to take. God’s way was truly best for
everyone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
are grateful for our conversation with Pastor Bob Zonts following the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Heavenly
Father, we pray You will continue to bless this church in every way. Give them
people to disciple, teach, and to pray with and pray for. May they constantly
surrender their will to You. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-63026956149747252202021-12-05T16:40:00.008-05:002021-12-05T16:40:52.407-05:00Keystone Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Keystone Church, RLA Learning and Conference Center, 850 Cranberry
Woods Drive, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066, 724.201.1035, </span><a href="http://www.keystonechurchpa.com/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">www.keystonechurchpa.com</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Lorin
Foster, Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Genesis 22:1-14 NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some
time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Here
I am,” he replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the
region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will
show you.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Early
the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of
his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt
offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day
Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants,
“Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship
and then we will come back to you.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Abraham
took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he
himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Yes,
my son?” Abraham replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“The
fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt
offering?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Abraham
answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
And the two of them went on together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and
arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on
top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his
son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham!
Abraham!”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Here
I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything
to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me
your son, your only son.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Abraham
looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over
and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So
Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said,
“On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It was
nice to see a few familiar faces from our last visit and meet a few new
brothers and sisters in Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We could
have used a few more signs to help us old folks find the church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If we’re
arriving late I must remember to bring a flashlight so we can get settled in our
seats in the dark. When someone came or went, it was a ray of sunshine,
literally. I wouldn’t have known that my coffee cup had gotten tipped otherwise.
We sat at the back and couldn’t see the low screen and couldn’t stand.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
point from the message that I never considered was that Abraham had to not only
bring the wood for the sacrifice but also bring the fire for a couple days’
travel. I’m sure with the pressure of believing he would be using his child for
the sacrifice it would be hard to think of bringing along fire.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">From
sermon points: help me obey, surrender my will, and God will always provide.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">With
my hand cramping, I was happy to come away with these notes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
arrived a little late due to some confusion on my part navigating the maze in
this area. We quickly got coffee and found seats in the back after exchanging
greetings with a few people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
was surprised at how much louder the music was than last time, but we did stay
put.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor announced that the offerings for this week and next week would be donated
in their entirety to support three different areas of mission this church
supports financially.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
current message series is about the names of God, and today’s title was </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hope
Has a Name</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. The name he focused on today was Jehovah Jirah which means The
Lord Will Provide.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
pointed out that our part requires faith-filled obedience </span><b style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">before</b><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
provision is made. We can forfeit God’s provision if we give up, decide not to
believe God, or accept a counterfeit, and that partial obedience is total
disobedience. Faith surrenders to God expecting His provision, and when we surrender,
God will make a way. God ALWAYS provides for His children.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
suggested we each do a year-end review and ask God in what area we are
forgetting that He is our provider.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Father,
we pray Your continued blessings as Your church surrenders their will to You.
Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-86027037986594688462021-11-15T10:51:00.005-05:002021-11-15T10:51:49.541-05:00The Berean Bible Chapel<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yesterday we
worshiped at The Berean Bible Chapel, 177 North Road, Butler, PA 16001,
724.332.9255, </span><a href="http://www.bereanofbutler.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.bereanofbutler.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Andrew Pepe, Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">John
15:13 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Greater
love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mark
10:45 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were warmly welcomed when we walked in and assured we were okay being a few
minutes after start time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
met the pastor at one of our many trips to the Butler VA and had been looking
forward to visiting his church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
service was oriented around a salute to veterans. Vets from each branch were
asked to stand and be honored as their song was played.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
stayed for a church luncheon after the service and were blessed to share a table
with the pastor and his wife and their granddaughter. They shared some of their
plans for the church going forward.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
much as I enjoyed the service, I admit there was a part of me that wanted to
sit on the floor with the little ones in the back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It’s
a joy to return to in-person worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
met Pastor Andy at the Butler VA one day several months ago, and in the course
of our conversation he kindly invited us to visit the church he pastors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
location was rural, the atmosphere casual, and the people were warm and
welcoming.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
arrived with just enough time to use the restrooms and find a seat, and the
pastor’s wife caught us on our way into the sanctuary and invited us to stay
for the luncheon following worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Worship
began with some songs and a few words from the pastor who admonished people to
listen and act when we sense the Holy Spirit urging us to help someone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
number of children came forward to hear the story of Daniel and the lions’ den
during the children’s message.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
recognition of Veteran’s Day several days ago, a medley was played comprised of
each service’s song: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Anyone
present who had served in that branch stood to be recognized during their song.
Clearly this pastor’s heart is with veterans, as he is a vet himself in
addition to working at the VA.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
the message, the pastor pointed out the similarity between Christ’s willingness
to give His life for others and the willingness of those in service to our
country to do the same thing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
stayed for some lunch following the service and greatly appreciated the
conversation with the pastor and his wife.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Heavenly
Father, we pray You bless Your church with continued growth as You guide them
to do Your will. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-56431201384807398862021-10-27T14:24:00.003-04:002021-10-27T14:24:23.929-04:00Keystone Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This past Sunday,
we worshiped at Keystone Church, RLA Learning and Conference Center, 850
Cranberry Woods Drive, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066, 724.201.1035, </span><a href="http://www.keystonechurchpa.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.keystonechurchpa.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Lorin Foster, Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– James 5:12-20 (NIV)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Above
all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by
anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you
will be condemned.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Is
anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing
songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the
church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And
the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise
them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your
sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elijah
was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed,
and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My
brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone
should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the
error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of
sins.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
has been a while since we have had such an uplifting worship experience. There
was no question that God led us to worship here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
surprised how quickly He put down preconceived notions I wasn’t even aware of. I
expected loud and somewhat rowdy music, I guess because that is what we
experienced the last time we were at this venue. I was sure God was sending us
here to pray over someone; I barely got to do so but instead we were lifted in
prayer ourselves by church members.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were thankful for a great cup of coffee before the service and to be greeted by
a brother in Christ from Zambia. He shared knowledge of Malawi and it was
wonderful to again hear some phrases in Chichewa. I was overjoyed to spend some
time with this incredible missionary bringing Jesus Christ to Pennsylvania.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sometimes
I feel like I did great at prayer and at times more like “Father Jesus”, as
mentioned by the pastor in the message. At times I was upset when the answer to
prayer for healing didn’t go the way I thought it should, but I came to realize
the outcome isn’t up to me and to keep praying. I have been party to some
awesome healing prayers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
have some bullet holes and scars and Agent Orange has eaten some parts, but I
am alive and able and overwhelmingly blessed. When prayer doesn’t bring the
result I hoped for, I leave it in God’s capable hands and keep praying.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were pleased to have a few minutes to talk with the pastor after the service
and pray over him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
saw signs for this church by the road in Cranberry Twp. and opted to worship
here on Sunday. I didn’t realize God was orchestrating something special for
us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
gentleman saw us approaching the doors and pressed the switch to open them for
us. As we entered, we noticed a large prayer circle, so we stepped aside and
had some coffee and conversation with a member. We then found a couch to rest
for a moment where two more members stopped to chat.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">By
then it seemed like time to find a seat for the service, and as we entered the
worship area we were greeted by a gentleman at the door. The instant he spoke,
I recognized his accent so I asked him where he was from and he responded that he
was from Zambia. We proceeded to enjoy a heartfelt conversation about Africa in
general and about Zambia and Malawi, and even exchanged a few words of
Chichewa. Such a joy!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
sat in the back, expecting the music to be much louder than it was, which was
fine. However we both stayed seated due to some discomfort, which meant we were
unable to see the words on the screens.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor announced that following the message there would be dedicated prayer
time for members to pray with and for others if they wished.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was called “The Power of Prayer” and was part of a series on the book
of James. The pastor was open about his personal challenges with prayer, which
I found encouraging. I appreciated his statement that prayer “requires time and
an unhurried soul”. I tend to pray more bullet prayers than perhaps I should,
so I heard this as a reminder to be still sometimes when I pray.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor said our prayers identify our dependence on God and we should also pray
when we are happy. He said prayer activates our faith, which I took to mean it
reminds us of who God is and that He is worthy of our trust. He also stated
that confession of our sins is vital to our relationship with God and that
unconfessed sin can take a physical toll on us. When we’re weak we must not let
the Enemy convince us of anything contrary to what God has told us. We must
hang on to our faith in God and wait to see His purpose unfold if and when He
wishes to allow that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
the dedicated prayer time began, we were prepared to sit quietly and pray
without disturbing those around us, but when I felt a hand on my shoulder,
those intentions fell by the wayside. A kind woman behind us asked, almost as
if she knew the answer, if she could pray for us. She offered a beautiful
prayer for Bob and me, after which our friend from Zambia joined us and prayed
as well. As the prayer time ended we all praised God for each other and for
this time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
was so grateful for the time of prayer as well as conversation following
worship with the pastor, his wife, and our new friends.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we are so pleased that Your church is a praying church. We pray Your Spirit
will encourage them to hold tight to their faith in You. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-38306435188481165602021-10-18T10:41:00.000-04:002021-10-18T10:41:03.966-04:00CrossWay Community Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yesterday we
worshiped at Crossway Community Church, 109 Davis Road, Valencia, PA 16059,
724.898.4600, </span><a href="http://www.crosswaycommunity.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.crosswaycommunity.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Mike Santistevan, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Galatians 2:11-16 (ESV)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood
condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the
Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the
circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with
him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw
that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to
Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like
a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person
is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we
also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ
and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be
justified.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were welcomed by a member and engaged in conversation along with an update on
the church. These are things we haven’t been able to enjoy for quite a while.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
appreciated the opening Scripture/prayer. I do wish the side screens were above
the emergency lights. I was not able to stand and most times my vision was
blocked from all three screens.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It was
good to hear one praise song that I was familiar with from youth worship years
ago, albeit modified, leaving off the powerful part “My God is an awesome God.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Really
enjoyed the prayer by the pastor; it was well done. The pastor showed a passion
to preach. I liked the anecdote about the man going through the windshield in
an accident. When I went through a windshield, I only got a headache; there
were no seat belts then. But I think God was getting my attention.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message included context which is frequently left out. We are distracted easily
as believers and are led to believe the slight temptations won’t hurt. I thought
the sermon’s action points were good ones, especially touch and support each
other.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
only thing I would add would be to strive to find the opportunity to pray for
others. No one has ever turned down my offer of prayer and it does wonders to
strengthen my faith.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I remember
visiting this church some years ago for a Father’s Day program. I ended up in
the nursery with some of my grandchildren. A special moment for me was when the
women wanted to see part of the program and stood at the window, trusting me
with all the children. An honor and a joy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We appreciated
the time with the pastor after the service and the members outside.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
last visit here was in 2016, when the world was a different place. Life in
general has changed dramatically but God is the same, and it was a blessing to
worship in community.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
appreciated the signs of welcome such as the gentlemen waiting to open the
doors when we arrived, people milling around talking in the foyer, coffee
available, and members who stopped to introduce themselves and extend a warm
welcome. That’s one of the things I’ve missed most about the last year and a
half is general friendliness. There has been so much fear and distance. I hoped
churches would be where some sense of normalcy might again be found, and so far,
that’s been the case.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were welcomed warmly, and several folks stopped to introduce themselves. These
greetings and conversations felt like a treat, along with the delicious coffee.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
chose seats in the back, as usual, expecting the music to be on the loud side,
but the lovely arrangements were soft and pleasant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
sermon series was focused on Galatians and the sermon title was “Jesus +
Nothing = Everything.” The pastor spoke of how we can be out of step with the
truth of the gospel and what we believe and what we can do about it when we
find ourselves in that situation. He pointed out that social pressure and fear
of others’ reactions/responses can cause us, like the Apostle Peter, to forget what we believe and
having someone who cares remind us of the truth can help us get our bearings
again and remember who we are.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p>I</o:p></span><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> know at times I have been the one who needed help regaining my bearings and
other times I was the one who did (or should have) reminded someone else of
what they believe. I was grateful for this reminder that the Good News is for
unbelievers </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and Christians </i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and that Christ’s blood covers my sins before
I became a believer </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> the sin I committed today. This is true for
every believer. Praise God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Heavenly
Father, we pray for Your continued blessings on this Your church and its leaders.
Help them truly be a beacon on the hill. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-18588478157031208232021-10-11T09:19:00.003-04:002021-10-11T09:19:24.995-04:00Grace Community Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yesterday we
worshiped at Grace Community Church, 9160 Marshall Road, Cranberry Twp., PA
16066, 724.779.7997, </span><a href="http://www.mygcc.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.mygcc.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Matt Kaltenberger, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture – 1 Kings 18:17-39 NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is
that you, you troubler of Israel?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I have not made trouble for Israel,”
Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the
Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all
over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s
table.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel
and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and
said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow
him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But the people said nothing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then Elijah said to them, “I am the
only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty
prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves,
and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.
I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.
Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.
The god who answers by fire—he is God.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then all the people said, “What you say
is good.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elijah said to the prophets of Baal,
“Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you.
Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” So they took the bull
given them and prepared it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then they called on the name of Baal
from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no
response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At noon Elijah began to taunt them.
“Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or
busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted
louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom,
until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic
prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no
response, no one answered, no one paid attention.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then Elijah said to all the people,
“Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord,
which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes
descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name
shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord,
and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He
arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he
said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and
on the wood.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Do it again,” he said, and they did it
again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The
water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At the time of sacrifice, the prophet
Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and
have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so
these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their
hearts back again.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then the fire of the Lord fell and
burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up
the water in the trench.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When all the people saw this, they fell
prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It was
special to be back in a corporate worship service today. So many things about
church have changed, so many things are gone and won’t be back. But I believe
God is using the changes to move us in a new direction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
focus had been more of our overall sense of a church; we tried to communicate
what we as first-time visitors experienced. Now from the scare of Covid, the
church, His Church, has changed and will never revert to what it was. It is
time to cease lamenting what has been lost and rejoice in where Christ is
leading His Church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message today was from a favorite Scripture, 1 Kings 18. After a prolonged
severe drought, Elijah met with Ahab and called him to bring 450 prophets of
Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. He let them choose an oxen to
cut up to be sacrificed, placed on the wood they prepared, and call on their
god to bring the fire. After a day of their pleading and Elijah’s taunting,
Elijah called for water to soak the wood and the offering. Three times to
completely soak the sacrifice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Elijah called up the Lord and the fire from God came down consuming wood, ox,
the stones, and water, the people fell to their knees to worship God. Elijah
was strong in his faith. It made me think of the Garth Brooks video, “Standing
Outside the Fire”…time to be the fire for Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Christ called me to faith, it reminded me of my childhood. One of my jobs was
to shovel coal into the coal bin. I was soon the same color as the coal I
shoveled. When Christ claimed me, I became as white as fresh fallen snow,
impossible for the filthy coal bin boy I was.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
fair amount of my time in Vietnam I was sweat covered, stinky, dirty, but then
the monsoon rains came and I was washed clean beyond my control.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
need to regain the fire of a new Christian. People are quick to try to make us
tone down, but we should be as quick to reignite the old flames in them. We
cannot and must not hide our light under a basket.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Think
of the step of faith to call three times to soak the sacrifice with water during
a time of severe drought. We need that faith. Guilty as charged with being less
than He wants me to be, but no longer!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
delighted to spend a few minutes with one of the pastors after the service and
rejoice that he is a new grandpa, a joyous title to achieve.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There
is a lot of construction going on and people are excited to worship in their
new church. I pray they come refreshed and convicted in Christ’s fire, ready to
do His will.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So,
it’s been almost a solid year since we’ve blogged. Although the break has been
welcome, it’s been a bit of a struggle to get back into the groove.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
morning we decided to start back with Grace. It seems appropriate. Our world
has changed so much in the last year and a half that grace is what we all need.
I was grateful for the warm welcome when we entered the building.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
church is in the middle of a huge renovation/expansion project, so there were
announcements about what to expect next Sunday and beyond. Everything was clean
and signs provided clear directions, so it did not feel like an inconvenience
to this visitor, at least.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was the first in a new series called “Forged In Fire” and focused on
one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament: Elijah on Mount Carmel.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
first the pastor asked the question: “Why are we here?” and reminded us that
church is not about checking off a box, but having a relationship with Jesus
Christ. After establishing that he was talking to those present who had yet to
commit to such a relationship, He spoke of the passion believers should have
for their relationship with Christ and made four points about conviction and
belief:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">1 – conviction shapes our conduct;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">2 – conviction ignites confrontation;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">3 – conviction sparks a decision; and<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">4 – conviction fuels transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
ended with the question similar to Elijah’s question to the people of Israel:
“How long will you waver?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
was a genuine treat to encounter a friend and have a chance to catch up some.
What a blessing!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #548dd4; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-themecolor: text2; mso-themetint: 153;">Lord, bless Your church. Open the ears
of worshipers to Your message. Guide them to grow Your church. Help them to be
the church wherever they are and come to You to be refilled and encouraged.
Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-50919391559307014102020-10-25T17:26:00.003-04:002020-10-25T17:26:22.428-04:00East Main Presbyterian Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at East Main Presbyterian Church, 120 East Main Street, Grove City,
PA 16127, 724.458.8270, </span><a href="http://www.eastmainpc.org/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">www.eastmainpc.org</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">,
Rev. Dr. Bill Hoffman, Senior Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Luke
10:25-37 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">On one occasion an expert in the law
stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal
life?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“What is written in the Law?” he
replied. “How do you read it?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“You have answered correctly,” Jesus
replied. “Do this and you will live.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But he wanted to justify himself, so
he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In reply Jesus said: “A man was going
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped
him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest
happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by
on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the
man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged
his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought
him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and
gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I
will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three
do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The expert in the law replied, “The
one who had mercy on him.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: auto;"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Romans
3:20 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Therefore
no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law;
rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1
John 4:19 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
love because he first loved us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today
was cool but bright, so we opted for a church that was a little farther away.
It was a pleasant drive and we arrived early enough to talk with a few people
before the service started.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
had explained to one man how the death of our son led to visiting a different
church each week and blogging about our visits. It was a good conversation and
brought a question we seldom hear: “How do we as a church respond to a member’s
catastrophic loss?” I don’t know if other churches come to the same question,
but it was the first time it was presented to us. With the break forced by our
state government of worship services, I was questioning if God was still using
what we do to His purpose. For now at least, we are not off the hook yet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were warmly greeted, and I heard someone talking about Marines when we came in
the door but couldn’t determine who it was and did not seem to be in regard to
me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
young woman did escort us to the sanctuary and pointed out the lift if I needed
it. We were introduced along the way and I was thanked for my service,
including by the pastor who has twin boys actively serving in the military.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
sanctuary has an impressive cross and every other row is designated by colored
signs for late or early service. It seemed a most efficient means of
separation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was on Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan stopping to render aid to
the injured traveler. The pastor made it relevant to the situation now with the
Covid scare.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
thankful for those we were able to talk to and for our time with the pastor
after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Although
a bit chilly, it was still a beautiful day for a drive, so we headed north.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
last visited East Main in February 2015, long ago enough that I remembered
nothing about it. As it was, we entered by the wrong door (the children’s area),
but everyone was very kind about it. One of the pastors took the time to escort
us to the sanctuary and answer our questions. A couple of the pastors took the
time for conversation prior to worship as well, for which we extend our
gratitude.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
was curious to see how this church handled all their precautions with two
services, and I’ve not seen this system anywhere else. On the end of each row
of pews were alternating green or yellow signs. The green rows were to be
occupied for the 9:15 service and the yellow rows for the 10:45 service. By the
time the service got underway, most rows assigned to that service were occupied,
with some additional seating in the balcony. Some friends who usually attend here
said they watched online. All in all, it seemed to work smoothly. A big plus, I
felt, was that masks were not required once we took seats in the pew. I recognize
that some people may not be comfortable with it, but for me, it made all the
difference.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
contemporary music was led by a small group. Since we were at the very back in
the opposite corner, I was unable to see them, but they sounded delightful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One
long-time member, prior to making announcements, spoke fondly of his time as
part of this church. He stated that in the past people greeted each other with
hugs or handshakes, but now they’ll use a fist bump “if they’re feeling
rebellious.” I appreciated that small touch of humor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
sermon, </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Engaging Our Local Community as Good Neighbors</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, was the last in
the series </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Christians at Our Best</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. The pastor followed up on the idea of
the Good Samaritan showing kindness to someone in need, pointing out that there
is not a lot any of us can do about the stress of life currently, but we can be
Good Samaritans. He noted that the pandemic has led to an epidemic of
loneliness and mental health issues which opens the door for ambassadors of
Christ to help intentionally in any number of ways.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
made it clear that we can only accomplish anything good in the power of the
Holy Spirit. On our own, we can do nothing, but with God’s power, we can
accomplish all the good He has planned for us to carry out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we pray Your church does go forward in Your name as the Good Samaritan, helping
those in need. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-38850975627823930472020-10-18T18:16:00.009-04:002020-10-18T18:16:50.308-04:00Crossroads Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Crossroads Church, 8533 Peters Road, Cranberry Township, PA 16066,
412.494.9999, </span><a href="http://www.xr.church/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">xr.church</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Mike Arnold, Campus
Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jeremiah
29:11 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2
Kings 7:4-9 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If
we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if
we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and
surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At
dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the
edge of the camp, no one was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to
hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to
one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings
to attack us!” So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents
and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their
lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and
ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid
them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and
hid them also. Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right.
This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until
daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the
royal palace.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
entertained today by a young cutie and her brother; the smiles, chatter, and
notes were a highlight, a reminder of how I got the nickname the Baby Whisperer
at our last church. When I was allowed to comfort infants was when I felt
closest to God…kind of a mini picture of how He comforts us. Today was a small
reminder of a good time as we basked in the sun as we worshiped in the parking
lot. It was hard not to feel close to God on such a beautiful fall day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message today dealt with a city under siege and the utter hopelessness as it
dragged on. The lack of freedom down to the basic lack of food drove the
despair with no hope in sight.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Laying
siege to a city could last years, not just the few months that we have been
denied our right of religious freedom.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There
were lepers who were forced to live outside the city, and lacking the means to
survive, decided to throw themselves on the mercy of the attacking army,
thinking death could not be worse than their current plight.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But upon
entering the camp they found their prayers had been answered: God had routed
the attackers from the camp with such haste that the food and spoils of war
were left, they were able to share God’s salvation of the city with their
countrymen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Might
this time of isolation forced by our government be more of a blessing than a
curse if we use this time as God would have us? Share your hope in Christ with
those who are lost. Share your hope with those you know and maybe more
importantly, with those you don’t know yet. Don’t blame God for this time, but
thank Him for the opportunity to witness in His name.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
were greeted by a number of people and I was thanked for my service. We also
met a member of the Young Marines and his father.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today
was a treat: an outdoor worship service and a double-birthday lunch with our
family after church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m
still amazed at God’s providence: the parking area was paved November 1, 2019,
long before anyone had a clue that it would be the only space available for
worship this entire summer. Even the weather cooperated, causing only two
cancellations. God’s blessings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some
events are starting up again in small ways, such as a half-day women’s retreat,
men’s get-togethers, and kids’ happenings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
is the final installment of the current message series, </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A Hope and a Future</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.
The pastor reminded several times that God always wants what is best for us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
Israelites were in exile in Babylon when Jeremiah 29:11 was prophesied to them.
They were in the midst of a hopeless situation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
passage from 2 Kings tells the story of four lepers. Their condition was highly
contagious, they were isolated, they’d lost everything, and were told it was
all because God was angry with them. They were understandably hopeless. But
when they stumbled into a wealth of food, supplies, and treasure, they chose to
share instead of hoarding it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
stressed that hope is designed to be shared with others, and it actually fades if
we hoard it but it grows when shared.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
order to get past our personal frustration and share hope, the pastor referred
to an initiative from their past called BLESS, an acronym for:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">B
= begin with prayer<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">L
= listen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">E
= eat (or another shared experience)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">S
= serve<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">S
= share your story<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
then told a most extraordinary story which began with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the
German pastor and theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was martyred just
before the end of World War II. Bonhoeffer had written a poem for his fiancée Maria
called </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Next Year 1945</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. Unfortunately, Dietrich and Maria never married
as he was hanged in the concentration camp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Years
later, author Joseph Bayly lost three of his sons to death and he fell into
such despair he gave up writing. He was given Bonhoeffer’s poem, </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Next Year
1945</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, which reignited Bayly’s hope, and Bayly went on to write a book
called </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Heaven</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Twelve
years later, in a Massachusetts hospital, there was a woman dying of cancer. She
had no family, and a chaplain gave her a copy of Joseph Bayly’s book </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Heaven</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.
She was enthralled and read the entire book overnight, and died the next day
with hope. The woman was Bonhoeffer’s fiancée, Maria.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor closed with the admonition that we never know what God will do with our
words.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Indeed…we
cannot begin to guess. This story gives me such a deep hope. God is able do so
much more than we can begin to imagine with the little we are able to offer
Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Father,
we thank You for the opportunity to be drawn close to You today. May we serve
You as directed. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-54356003014227846142020-10-11T18:05:00.006-04:002020-10-11T18:05:40.649-04:00Grace Community Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Grace Community Church, 9160 Marshall Road, Cranberry Township, PA
16066, 724.779.7997, </span><a href="http://www.mygcc.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.mygcc.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Matt Kaltenberger, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Genesis
37:3-36</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born
to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers
saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could
not speak a kind word to him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Joseph
had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain
out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your
sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">His
brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule
us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had
another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down
to me.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said,
“What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually
come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him,
but his father kept the matter in mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, and Israel
said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near
Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Very
well,” he replied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the
flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of
Hebron.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and
asked him,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“What
are you looking for?” He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me
where they are grazing their flocks?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“They
have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to
Dothan.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in
the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Here
comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and
throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured
him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his
life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the
wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from
them and take him back to his father.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe
he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern
was empty; there was no water in it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of
Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and
myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Judah
said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up
his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on
him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers
agreed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the
cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took
him to Egypt.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his
clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can
I turn now?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this.
Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has
devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All
his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
“No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So
his father wept for him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meanwhile,
the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials,
the captain of the guard.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Genesis
39-45</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of
Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites
who had taken him there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his
Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the
Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and
became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted
to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his
household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the
Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar
had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in
Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything
except the food he ate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took
notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern
himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my
care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing
from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked
thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he
refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One
day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household
servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with
me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house,
she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has
been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I
screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran
out of the house.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She
kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this
story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as
soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the
house.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave
treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in
prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him
kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden
put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made
responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to
anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him
success in whatever he did.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some
time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their
master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief
cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the
captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain
of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After
they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and
the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the
same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he
asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house,
“Why do you look so sad today?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“We
both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your
dreams.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a
vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded,
it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my
hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup
in his hand.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“This
is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.
Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your
position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do
when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and
show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was
forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done
nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said
to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the
top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating
them out of the basket on my head.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“This
is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three
days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the
birds will eat away your flesh.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his
officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in
the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position,
so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— but he impaled the chief
baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,
when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed
among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of
the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly
and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and
good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain
sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed
up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise
men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for
him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.
Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief
baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same
night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with
us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he
interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And
things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my
position, and the other man was impaled.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he
had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard
it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I
cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer
he desires.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed
among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and
lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly
cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate
them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as
before. Then I woke up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“In
my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the
east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told
this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has
revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven
years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the
same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years,
and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They
are seven years of famine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“It
is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but
seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be
forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will
not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The
reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been
firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“And
now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the
land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth
of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should
collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain
under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food
should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of
famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the
famine.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them,
“Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no
one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all
my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I
be greater than you.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of
Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on
Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain
around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and
people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole
land of Egypt.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift
hand or foot in all Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and
gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And
Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Joseph
was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And
Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During
the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected
all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it
in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so
much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Before
the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is
because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me
fruitful in the land of my suffering.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine
began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in
the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the
famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the
Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses
and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine
was severe everywhere.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you
just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is
grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not
die.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not
send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that
harm might come to him. So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy
grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its
people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their
faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them,
but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come
from?” he asked.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“From
the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Although
Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his
dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where
our land is unprotected.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“No,
my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the
sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“No!”
he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who
lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no
more.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Joseph
said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you
will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place
unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your
brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be
tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as
Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” And he put them all in custody for three days.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On
the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the
rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must
bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that
you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They
said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We
saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would
not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Reuben
replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t
listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” They did not realize
that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them
again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Joseph
gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his
sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for
them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At
the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get
feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver
has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Their
hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this
that God has done to us?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that
had happened to them. They said, “The man who is lord over the land spoke
harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. But we said
to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We were twelve brothers, sons of
one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Then
the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether
you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for
your starving households and go. But bring your youngest brother to me so I
will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother
back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of
silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.
Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph
is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything
is against me!”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not
bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he
is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you
will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain
they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a
little more food.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again
unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother along with us,
we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not
go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless
your brother is with you.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Israel
asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another
brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our
family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another
brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say,
‘Bring your brother down here’?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at
once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will
guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do
not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame
before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and
returned twice.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the
best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a
gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio
nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must
return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it
was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. And may
God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other
brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am
bereaved.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They
hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw
Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my
house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at
noon.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. Now the men were
frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought
here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He
wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our
donkeys.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
“We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to
buy food. But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks
and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we
have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to
buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“It’s
all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has
given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought
Simeon out to them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet
and provided fodder for their donkeys. They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s
arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the
house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they
were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still
living?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They
replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed
down, prostrating themselves before him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked,
“Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God
be gracious to you, my son.” Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph
hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and
wept there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After
he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the
food.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They
served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate
with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that
is detestable to Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the order of
their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other
in astonishment. When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table,
Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and
drank freely with him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s
sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the
mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the
youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph
said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not
gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at
once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good
with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for
divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him,
“Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything
like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we
found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from
your master’s house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die;
and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Very
well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will
become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Each
of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward
proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.
And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. At this, they tore their clothes.
Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Joseph
was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw
themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What is this you
have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by
divination?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“What
can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our
innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s
slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found
to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father
in peace.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a
word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to
Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a
brother?’ And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son
born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his
mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Then
you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’
And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his
father will die.’ But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother
comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ When we went back to your
servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Then
our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot
go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the
man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Your
servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of
them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I
have not seen him since. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to
him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“So
now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if
my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the
boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our
father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to
my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame
before you, my father, all my life!’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Now
then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the
boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father
if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on
my father.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried
out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he
made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians
heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Joseph
said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his
brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his
presence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he
said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not
be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because
it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has
been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing
and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on
earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“So
then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh,
lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my
father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord
of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of
Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and
herds, and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of
famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong
to you will become destitute.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“You
can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who
am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and
about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced
him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his
brothers talked with him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and
all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers,
‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your
father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of
Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“You
are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your
children and your wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your
belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded,
and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new
clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets
of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the
best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and
other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they
were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”
Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything
Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him
back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m
convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It was
a joy to get back to Grace Community for worship at an almost normal service.
We were greeted by a number of people, an impressive thing at a larger church
with several services, and some thanked me for my service. They are in the
midst of a major addition to their space; exciting times for His church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sometimes
their worship is a little loud for me, especially with my new hearing aids, but
today was pleasant. There were some interesting tones in the opening piece. I enjoyed
watching the shadows of the band reflected on the ceiling.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Travis,
the Student Director, delivered his personal testimony and this morning’s message.
He told of a low point in his struggle with addiction and his future wife’s
discovery of his struggles. Like all of us, when he gave control to God was
when he got his life back. This was his segue to the story of the ups and downs
of Joseph’s life and God’s guiding us to how we might best serve Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m
grateful for the opportunity to be part of this congregation today. Worship
felt almost normal, and I left feeling optimistic and encouraged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">After
a couple of songs and a few announcements, Travis Karenbauer was introduced.
This was his first time presenting the message which was the first in the
series </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hidden Agenda: More Than We Think</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. He began by telling his personal
struggle to find Christ, only to find that Christ had been pursuing him. His
fiancée stuck with him throughout his struggles and they are now married with
three children and both serve on staff at the church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">His
story was powerful, and not mine to recount here. If you wish to hear it, go to</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.mygcc.org/messages/">www.mygcc.org/messages/</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
segued into a paraphrased outline of the story of Joseph in Genesis in his witness
to God’s better plan in his and Joseph’s lives, emphasizing Joseph’s faith in
God throughout his many trials.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we pray Your continued blessings on Your church as You grow them once again.
Take them where You want them and show them Your perfect plans as You guide
them. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-4219652715343899502020-10-04T17:09:00.004-04:002020-10-04T17:09:14.387-04:00Sharon Community Presbyterian Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Sharon Community Presbyterian Church, 522 Carnot Road, Moon
Township, PA 15108, 412.264.7400, </span><a href="http://www.sharonpc.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.sharonpc.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Becky Branch-Trevathan, Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Philippians 3:4-14 NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">…though
I myself have reasons for such confidence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If someone
else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal,
persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But
whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is
more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them
garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness
of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in
Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to
know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the
resurrection from the dead.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but
I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is
ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
had looked forward to revisiting this church to see the dynamics with a new pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
remembered the striking wrought iron cross above the covered entrance and the
larger cross inside. There is also a rustic cross at the edge of the upper
parking lot that I assume might be adorned with seasonal wrap.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
was our first occasion to try to worship in a church within Allegheny County
and we were not prepared. Retrospectively I suspect members were to register if
coming to church (based on post-visit research) and had we known, we would not
have tried to visit. We did not expect to be questioned, temperature checked,
and required to sign a waiver absolving the church, let alone assigned seating
by some random formula. Masks were required throughout the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Once
seated in the pew we met the pastor, who explained some of the parameters for
worship there. She also got to say a few words at the beginning and end of the
service. The rest of the service was on video screen. There was a particularly
lovely song from the praise team.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
believe we were both so irritated how the government can come to rule so much
of how church will be done that neither of us felt worthy to partake in
Communion. The government seems to be determined to keep Christ out; my heart
goes out to His Church to be restricted so.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If I
heard the children’s sermon correctly, I must comment on basic Christian theology:
faith in Christ does not have to be a lifelong endeavor. Too many times I have
witnessed deathbed conversions like the criminal crucified with Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A good
thought from the message on the Christian way of compassion: we have what we
believe and need to show compassion to those who believe differently. And a favorite
line, “to be vaccinated in humility.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
compliance with CDC guidelines (and presumably Gov. Wolf’s edicts, though that
was not specifically stated), as we walked into this church we had our
temperatures taken, we each had to sign a waiver, we were told where to sit and
that we were expected to wear our masks throughout the service even though worshipers
were seated with a row of vacant pews between them. In the course of all this,
several folks necessarily and genuinely welcomed us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Music
was led by several folks off to one side of the sanctuary. We requested seats
toward the back as volume is sometimes an issue for us; the usher sat us as far
back as they were permitting seating, which was about the halfway point, which
turned out to be fine. It speaks volumes about the singers’ ability to
enunciate when I could understand them through their masks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
children’s message was pre-recorded, another new thing during “these times.” It
focused on the idea of a trophy for running a race (or a similar competition)
and winning a prize. The presenter closed by reiterating her points, stating
that you don’t get the trophy of going to Heaven if you’re a Christian for only
one day. This surprised me, as I had interpreted Christ’s parable of the
landowner in Matthew 20:1-16 to mean exactly the opposite. Not to mention the criminal
crucified next to Him who believed in Him and Jesus told him he would be with Him
in paradise.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
sermon was presented by Dr. Graham Standish, Executive Director of Samaritan
Counseling. The message was called “Losing it All and Pressing On” and in it he
spoke of historical figures who had failed in some sense and who learned
humility because of their failure. Their humility then allowed them to succeed on
a godly path. He stated it’s possible to be a religious success and a spiritual
failure, and that failure moves us from certainty to humility.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we pray You will carry Your church through this attack. Encourage their
compassion for those who are hurting. Your Church has always been at its best
when oppressed because You carry Your people. May it continue to be so. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-36552023226802864152020-09-27T17:36:00.003-04:002021-01-16T11:38:18.992-05:00First Baptist Church of New Castle<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at First Baptist Church of New Castle, 984 W. Maitland Lane, New
Castle, PA 16105, 724.658.2507, </span><a href="http://www.fbcnc.org/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">www.fbcnc.org</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">,
Mike Willmer, Lead Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Matthew 28:16-20 NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then
the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them
to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came
to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
took most of an hour to find the church we set out to visit and after
discovering a conflicting name and GPS directions, we arrived at a church that
was closed. Later we found it wasn’t the one we were looking for, or at least
it wasn’t any more. Sometimes trusting church websites and GPS can make for
interesting road trips.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">During
our search, we had passed this church and noticed cars in the parking lot. The
service was outside with seating or in your car drive-in style; since we didn’t
bring chairs, we opted to sit in the car. As it was, I got to talk to a
delightful woman in the next car who answered my questions about the church,
not the least of which was the name of the church to put on our check.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
church service was broadcast on FM, but we found we could hear well without it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
outreach pastor gave the announcements, including an OK to use the restrooms in
the main building and asked everyone to wear masks if we did.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I found
some ushers in the parking lot where I could get bulletins and directions where
to put our tithe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
outreach pastor explained that they were completing their involvement in the
Philippines and turning that mission over to City Church. Their new evangelical
effort will be in Scotland; from what I have read a country where faith has all
but disappeared.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message today was from Matthew, Christ telling the disciples and others to go
and make disciples of all mankind. You may not be called to a developing
country to witness, but could be a nearby town, your street, the person sitting
next to you in church. Evangelism is simply telling your story. Pray about it
of course, but no need to rehearse a dialog beforehand. Tell your story…God
will fill in the blanks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I noticed
the people trying to hold on to their Bibles and notebooks in the wind, but
they were still focused on the message.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
glad to be able to spend a few minutes with the pastor after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My
wife recently replaced her car and we are not as familiar with the range of
this one. We ran out of gas somewhere on the turnpike, but with prayer we drove
on to Cranberry to fill the tank with more than it’s supposed to hold. God has
done things like this too many times for me to be surprised, just grateful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">God
still is in the business of redirecting us. Today we headed north for a church
for which we later learned we had an incorrect address. However, we’d noticed
this church in our driving around, and the timing was perfect, so we stayed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
was our first parking lot worship service where we stayed in our car and tuned the
radio to listen and it worked just fine. Many people sat in chairs closer to
the front platform. The sound was excellent and the weather perfect.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob
enjoyed a conversation with the woman in the car next to us who was there with
her granddaughter, and a young man who was also visiting spoke with us briefly
after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Announcements
included changes in plans for outreach, and one focuses on 20 Schemes, a Gospel
church planting initiative taking place in Scotland where only 2.5% of the
population is Christian. It’s an interesting project, and you can learn more by
going to</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.20schemes.com/">20schemes.com</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today’s
message completed a 60-week series on the Book of Matthew and included the
Great Commission. The pastor pointed out that this passage emphasizes three “all’s”:
Jesus said ALL authority was given to Him, the apostles (and we) were commanded
to go to ALL nations, and that He would be with us ALWAYS in going, baptizing,
and teaching.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
addressed a current practice by many churches: events-based evangelism. This is
where a church sponsors an event, invites the community, and provides an
opportunity to talk about Jesus. He stated this method is not sinful, just
misguided, because it lets the members “off the hook” and puts the pressure on
the “professionals” to do all the talking. It counts on people coming to the
church when Jesus’ command was to go to the people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Baptizing
and teaching are vital parts of the equation and to be included as well. He
urged everyone to make disciples, do the necessary follow-up to help new
disciples grow in their faith, and remember that Jesus promised to be with His
people ALWAYS, even when we’re afraid we are.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
we thank You for being faithful even when we are not. We pray strength for Your
church that they may eagerly go forth in the promise of Your Presence. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-41013780177562047422020-09-20T16:34:00.006-04:002020-09-20T16:34:42.116-04:00Park United Presbyterian Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Park United Presbyterian Church, 109 West Grandview Avenue,
Zelienople, PA 16063, 724.452.9570, </span><a href="http://www.parkup.org/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.parkup.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Rev. Jon Nelson, Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Luke 15:11-32 NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jesus
continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his
father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property
between them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Not
long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant
country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent
everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be
in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who
sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the
pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“When
he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have
food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to
my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired
servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed
him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“The
son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no
longer worthy to be called your son.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“But
the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and
kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Meanwhile,
the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and
dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.
‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened
calf because he has him back safe and sound.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“The
older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and
pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been
slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a
young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who
has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened
calf for him!’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“ ‘My
son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and
is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
arrived close to start time, but even if we had been, early the current restrictions
don’t allow much for socializing. We were greeted by the ushers, a woman in the
pew behind us, and another woman and a gentleman after worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
church will be going back to two services in separate spaces to allow for
cleaning and preparation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I don’t
know when we last visited here, but we were looking forward to hearing the new
minister.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m
sure the service was available online, but it was a first for me that the
children’s message was delivered and posted online before the worship service.
The pastor sang and played guitar for a song from their message, a parody of </span><i style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Puff,
the Magic Dragon</i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I loved
the duet from two women of the church; their voices blended perfectly.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
think this is the first time I’ve heard a pastor correctly refer to Christ’s
parable as the Two Lost Sons. Another thought-provoking concept was how this
would be received by different cultures, and maybe a step more, how it is
received now. The sons’ actions, the father’s response, and maybe complicate it
just a little more by our judgmental attitudes. This is how we come to Christ,
deserving nothing, yet we are welcomed with open arms.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
gave me pause to think about growing up with three brothers, and then our five
children, I wonder how much any of us ever understood about each other.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A reference
from the message that appealed to me was a book: </span><i style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What Do They Hear? Bridging
the Gap Between Pulpit and Pew</i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
appreciate the time the pastor spent with us after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Since
it was on the cool side this morning, we located a church with an indoor
service. Even with parishioners sitting at least 6 feet apart, masks were
required throughout the service. Like most others, this church has an online
viewing option and sermons are posted on the website. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
few people welcomed us from a distance and there was no handshaking.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor announced that on October 4 they will return to two services, albeit in
separate portions of the building. It has not been decided when Sunday School
will resume.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor presented the children’s sermon in which he played guitar and sang an
imaginative parody called </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Muff, the Tragic Wagon</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
enjoyed the voices of the two women who sang the anthem.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
current sermon series focuses on Jesus’ parables, and today’s was about the
Prodigal Son. The pastor acknowledged this parable actually told of </span><b style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">two</b><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
prodigal sons, as both sons were lost and in need of forgiveness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
spoke of an interesting book, </span><i style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap Between
Pulpit and Pew</i><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> by Mark Allan Powell. It examines the cultural filters
through which people understand Scripture. When Americans were asked the
meaning of this parable, they said it was a story about right versus wrong.
Because of their familiarity with famines, Russians pointed to that aspect of
the story. Africans viewed it through the lens of community and social obligation.
I find it fascinating that there are so many potential interpretations of this
parable.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor stated that, within families, some kids need more attention, care, and
direction than others, but God loves us all, not just the prodigal. God’s love
can seem unfair, but it can transform us when we understand.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He
closed by asking where we might be lost within our lives and faith and
admonished people not to stay outside and miss the party.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
appreciated the time the pastor took for (masked) conversation following the
service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Lord,
may the brotherhood and sisterhood of Your church uphold and lift each other up
to You. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-89898611778607665462020-09-13T16:47:00.010-04:002020-09-13T16:47:58.485-04:00Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church, 100 W. Main Street, (mailing
address: PO Box 466), Saxonburg, PA 16056, 724.352.2888, </span><a href="http://www.saxonburg.org/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">www.saxonburg.org</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Rev. Douglas M. Dorsey,
Senior Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Acts 2:1-13 NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a
sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole
house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under
heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,
because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they
asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each
of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and
Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both
Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the
wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one
another, “What does this mean?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some,
however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I was
looking forward to seeing the pastor but with all the restrictions on churches,
I wasn’t sure what to expect otherwise. You would think by now I would be
better at recognizing God’s leading; He doesn’t drag me to church, just gently
nudges.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
sanctuary has a giant cross over a round window with flowers and butterflies at
the base, making a perfect focal point.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
got to greet the pastor before the service. They did have three services but
are down to one service with about 50 worshipers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
small praise band sounded terrific leading the congregation; I think maybe the
masks muffled the church’s singing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
children stayed in their seats for their message, which was well done. She
asked in the course of her message what synonym would reflect for your thought
of being redeemed by Christ. My strong sense was rescued from my life of sin.
The message about Fanny Crosby, who had written some 9,000 poems/hymns, a line
from her song: “I sing because I cannot be silent.” With all her
accomplishments while being blind, what mattered to her was that when she got
to heaven, Christ’s face would be the first one she saw.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was divinely directed for the pastor, for the church, and for us. The
first Pentecost was the giving of the Spirit dwelling in us. With all that has
changed in the church, this is the very message we all need right now. Invite
the Holy Spirit in and you won’t recognize this church; this is the perfect
time for the fire to return. Surviving is not enough – God is calling you now!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
searched for a church with an indoor, in-person service and landed at
Saxonburg.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
the 10 years since our last visit, they have secured a new pastor whom we knew
previously, so we were especially glad to be visiting here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
building is lovely, tastefully decorated, and with plenty of space. Social distancing
was observed, which unfortunately made it difficult to talk with people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
music was led by a praise team that sounded wonderful together. And I
appreciated the timing of the words projected on the screens: there was no lag
that left me wondering what came next.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
children’s message was marvelous: Molly spoke about Fanny Crosby, how she wrote
9,000 hymns and eventually used a pen name so people would not think she wrote
the entire hymnal. Remarkably, she was blind from the age of 6 weeks and
accomplished a great deal in her life in addition to writing hymns. She also
gave several synonyms for the word “redeemed” and asked everyone to silently
identify the one that spoke to them. Mine was “rescued” because that’s what He
did for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
the sermon, “The Holy Spirit-Here-Now”, the pastor focused on the first
Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection and how the giving of the Holy Spirit
both proved God’s power and fulfilled His promises. God sent the Holy Spirit to
give His people His power and strength and so we would never be left without His
presence. As believers, He is with us in every single battle we face, and His
strength is at our disposal. The question was: what could God accomplish
through us if we took God at His word, asked for help from the Holy Spirit, and
stepped out in faith, willing to be stretched and live boldly.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
was grateful God led us here…I needed an uplifting, encouraging, challenging
word today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Gracious
God, we pray the Spirit’s fire comes upon Your Church now. Awaken us all to
more than we ever thought we could be and remind us what it means to be Your
Church. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-1468080319495856722020-09-09T17:08:00.000-04:002020-09-09T17:08:04.343-04:00East Taylorsville Baptist Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sunday we
worshiped at East Taylorsville Baptist Church, 644 1<sup>st</sup> Avenue Drive
SE, Taylorsville, NC 28681, 828.632.2564, </span><a href="http://www.easttaylorsville.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.easttaylorsville.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, Jamie Steele, Senior Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– Psalm 142 NASB</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
cry aloud with my voice to the LORD;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
make supplication with my voice to the LORD.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
pour out my complaint before Him;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
declare my trouble before Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When
my spirit was overwhelmed within me,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You
knew my path.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
the way where I walk</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They
have hidden a trap for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Look
to the right and see;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
there is no one who regards me;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There
is no escape for me;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">No
one cares for my soul.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
cried out to You, O LORD;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
said, “You are my refuge,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My
portion in the land of the living.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Give
heed to my cry,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
I am brought very low;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Deliver
me from my persecutors,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
they are too strong for me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bring
my soul out of prison,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
that I may give thanks to Your name;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
righteous will surround me,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
You will deal bountifully with me.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">While
visiting in Taylorsville, NC, we were able to worship at a local Baptist
church. We were able to worship without masks but came to realize with all the
restrictions (to keep us safe?) it is difficult to get a sense of the church’s
friendliness. I had smiles from a few children which meant a lot and spoke with
two people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I did
have an encouraging talk with a member who let me know the church does not
allow open carry. He was helpful and kind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I found
an obscure cross in the wall above the platform. Was looking at something else
or probably would have missed it. I learned later my impression was accurate,
this wasn’t the normal worship space.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
Covid restrictions made it difficult to get a feel for the service also: how
the congregation reacts to the message or praise songs. I was pleased to see
the words on the screen during a solo, and it was one of the few times that I
could understand the words perfectly without it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In
the course of the sermon the pastor mentioned the “immediate prayer” … most who
served in combat know this prayer well. One that comes to mind from time at
home: I was on the ramp to a busy road looking in vain for a break in traffic,
and in my mirror a car was speeding towards me with no way to get out of his
way. I believe my prayer was more of a goodbye. In a microsecond the car veered
right, and the guard rail took off most of the side of the car which never
slowed and continued onto the highway. I don’t know about my life in review,
but the last few seconds were clear. He has saved me too many times to ever
doubt Him now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
hope if we get to visit again, we will hear the senior pastor and I would like
to see more of the church grounds. I saw a budget note with impressive mission
numbers, dear to my heart.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I am
thankful for the time the pastors gave us after the service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As
we were in the area to visit family, it was a special joy to worship with them
as well. They have only attended this church for several weeks, so we all
learned about it together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
church opened up for indoor worship again on Father’s Day but are still
streaming online for anyone who is uncomfortable with in-person worship for any
reason. I noted some masks and in-person worshipers were asked to observe
social distance protocols. I was comfortable, and grateful for the opportunity
to worship with others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
building is spacious and charmingly decorated. Worship was held in the
auditorium to allow more space for separate seating. Several folks recognized
us as visitors and greeted us as warmly as possible.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor who led the time of corporate prayer began with an acknowledgement that
we can’t believe everything we hear. He stated that John Piper has said, “You
cannot know what prayer is for until you know that life is war. To pray is to
fight in that war.” He then led a prayer for discernment and wisdom for all
believers everywhere.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was presented by the Evangelism/Outreach Pastor. It was called “David’s
Cave Experience” and outlined that event based on Psalm 142:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">1 – David’s desperation,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">2 – David’s discouragement,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">3 – David’s depression, and<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">4 – David’s deliverance and praise<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">David’s
writing was a roadmap for anyone experiencing those emotions and a reminder
they can be overcome with God’s help.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
appreciated the time the pastor took for conversation with us following
worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Father,
we pray You will bless Your church in every way as they hopefully will be back
to normal worship soon. In the meantime, may we all praise and glorify You.
Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-54115292932966390822020-08-30T16:55:00.000-04:002020-08-30T16:55:04.031-04:00Crossroads Church<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today we
worshiped at Crossroads Church, 8533 Peters Road, Cranberry Township, PA 16066,
412.494.9999, xr.church, Mike Arnold, Campus Pastor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">John
16:13 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He
will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell
you what is yet to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">John
14:16-17a –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">And
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be
with you forever—the Spirit of truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Galatians
5:25 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Since
we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Galatians
5:22-23 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Acts
6:6-10 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">They
presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,
and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs
among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of
the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the
provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could
not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Romans
8:1 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Galatians
5:1 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">It
is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2
Corinthians 3:17 –</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
have felt the strong desire to get back to worship and pray our readers have
felt the same. God wants to meet with us in worship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
chose to start back at our daughter’s family’s church (and to visit with
grandchildren). The weather has cooperated, and they have been able to set up
on the porch of the church with worshipers in the parking lot and on the tree-covered
hillside. There was an impressive 119 people in worship today…I’m sure God was
also pleased.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
setting is picture perfect. I didn’t see any today, but sometimes cows come
right up to the fence and many deer travel through the property. The parking
lot sits right above the road and there are signs indicating the outdoor church
service. I noticed when a motorcycle traveled by it was quiet as it went by
till it was down the road.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
church member went around and offered bottled water, even to we who were
sitting near the table where the water had been.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Another
member noticed the old aluminum chair I brought to sit on was not too sturdy
and moved a heavy chair beside me in case mine let go.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A car
came after the service started and it amused me: there is no sliding into
church unobserved when you meet in the parking lot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message was on the Holy Spirit, the oft forgotten Third Person of the Trinity. Yet
He is the one at work in us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor mentioned in his message a woman who had been forced into prostitution,
caught, arrested, and sent to jail where, for the first time in a long while,
she felt safe. The Spirit opens our eyes to a perspective we might not realize,
otherwise our worst could be our best.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
servant mindset makes this church a loving place, when you think of the
multitude of details to move your service outdoors and how many tasks are
picked up automatically. This is the Spirit at work in Christ’s church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
encourage you to let the Spirit lead you to a church and show you why you’re
there. Let the Spirit work in you.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">First,
I pray everyone who reads this has been and remains healthy physically,
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
has been 5½ months since we worshiped physically in community with other
believers. I never thought there would ever be a question, but in my opinion,
churches are an essential part of life. Worship can happen anywhere at any time
of the day or night, but the corporate lifting up of praise to God is a guaranteed
right that many have given their lives to defend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
grandkids noted recently that we had not come to visit their church for a
while, so this was a perfect place to start getting back on track. I did wonder
how they managed all the details of a worship service, with worshipers spread
out all over the parking lot, and the answer was – very well. Tents were set
up, most guests brought their own chairs and there were some chairs from inside
set up also. Bottled water was available, and the parking team smoothly handled
directing visitors and pedestrians alike. I was happy to hear they continued to
break their attendance record.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Without
a screen to project the lyrics, words to the songs were displayed on a page of
the church’s app. We sat about halfway back and were able to hear perfectly. Tithes
and offerings were placed in a centrally located box and social distancing was
observed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
message series is called “Holy Ghost Stories: Experiencing the Power of the
Holy Spirit.” Apparently last week’s message spoke to who the Holy Spirit is,
and this week the topic was how He works. We were told:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1
– The Holy Spirit convicts us, or reminds us when we get off track. He does not
convict in anger though; He is gentle and sweet and loving.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2
– The Holy Spirit guides us. He is always speaking to us, so we need to listen for
Him constantly, and not just when we need something.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3
– The Holy Spirit sets us free. He does not condemn us and loves us no matter
what.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor closed with a story about a woman who ran away from home and found
herself trafficked and enslaved in a life of prostitution. After spending 2
years in prison, she reunited and reconciled with her parents and together they
formed an organization called Valiant Hearts (valianthearts.org) which helps
free women trapped in these sorts of situations. This young woman learned about
God’s freedom and is working to teach others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
pastor’s final question was: “What does freedom look like in your life?” This
feels like a question each of us should ask ourselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Father,
we pray for the continued guidance and strength of Your Spirit for this church.
Help them as they lead people to the Cross of Christ where they can know You
more and help us all be open to the leading of Your Spirit. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-6022584892348428512020-03-17T11:41:00.003-04:002020-03-17T11:43:43.315-04:00Trusting Him<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
thought with so many churches closed due to coronavirus, this might be a good
time to write some thoughts without referencing a particular church. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Occasionally
circumstances force us to stay home and listen to sermons online. We miss the
interaction with other worshipers. We might hear more of the sermon but miss
the congregational response.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Where
do you draw the line between worship and just listening in, and is there a line
to be drawn? Is it the singing, fellowship, and prayers that make it worship? It
is no less worship if we fall to our knees in the middle of the forest in awe
of God’s majesty. There is a lot to be said for worshiping with brothers and
sisters in Christ, but there are also benefits of One-on-one time with the
Creator. Both in their own time is even better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
idiocy of the news media causing panic is pure demonic action. Buy as if this
is the apocalypse but hoarding toilet paper won’t help…only Jesus Christ can
truly free us from fear. In faith, offer from your over-abundance to the
elderly, needy, homeless. They may be praying for any of what you have in
excess.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
don’t believe it is ever in our best interest to judge; we worship the One Who
will judge in all righteousness. I remember a pastor who preached of
inclusiveness and a nonjudgment mindset, even including a story about feeling
led to apologize for judging someone too quickly. But at the conclusion of the
service he berated us for not having a home church. We did not set out to be nomads,
but without question God has guided us through this experience.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
have had a feeling for a while that God will bring change again, perhaps in the
form of a book about our experiences. If we are led to join another church, I
wonder what that would be like.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">May
you be blessed to worship when and where you can as you are wrapped in the loving
arms of our all-knowing Savior. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
circumstances of this virus have taken the world by surprise, and many of us in
the US have never experienced social distancing or quarantine, certainly not to
this degree. It’s at times like this, when everything feels uncertain and we
have no idea what will happen, that we must remember several things.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1
– Be kind and think of others…we’ve all been afraid sometime and could use some
grace. Do good and share with those in need (Hebrews 13:16).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2
– Offer others hope and faith…adding to the fear that’s already raining on us
helps only our Enemy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">3
– None of this has taken God by surprise and He is still on His throne. Trust
Him. Tell Him of your fears and needs and hopes. Use this time to move closer
to Jesus and He will move closer to you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">May
you experience His peace as you trust in Him.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
prayer:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Lord,
free us from what we are holding on to instead of You. Amen.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-773403677272051032020-03-09T15:50:00.002-04:002020-03-09T15:52:55.658-04:00Woodlawn American Baptist Church<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Yesterday we worshiped
at Woodlawn American Baptist Church, 2107 McMinn Street, Aliquippa, PA 15001,
724.375.6653, </span><a href="http://www.woodlawnamericanbaptistchurch.com/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">www.woodlawnamericanbaptistchurch.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, Rev. Howard Irwin, Pastor.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Scripture
– John 11:38-44</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jesus,
once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid
across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“But
Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad
odor, for he has been there four days.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Then
Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of
God?”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So
they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you
that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the
benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When
he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead
man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth
around his face.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jesus
said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
were welcomed and invited to stay after the service for a Lenten Luncheon and
coffee. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There
is a great cross over what I assume is the baptismal font and another cross on
the Communion table.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">This
church had a traditional and contemporary service at the same time but have moved
to a blended service. I guess some members seem to resist the contemporary
music. I wish the praise team would be blessed with a strong female lead; I think
it would help pull the congregation together. Most churches are slow to accept
change and it might help.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A
highlight for me was a young man with an active little one a few rows in front
of us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
pastor’s mic may be set wrong, but it was very loud and hard to understand. Even
turning off my hearing aids did not help. It may be loud just because everybody
sits in the back. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
message wound around the ramifications then and now of Christ coming to raise
Lazarus. Too often we live in a spiritual shell, dead to Christ.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
were blessed to have our grandtwins for the afternoon and blessed again that
another daughter stopped for the night with her two girls en route to
Connecticut. It was great to have a house full of laughter and a reunion.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
saw no indication of a parking lot on the other side of the building, so we parked
on the street and guessed (well, as it turned out) about the entrance location.
Since everyone seemed to be in a Sunday School class, we found seats in the
sanctuary.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
appreciated the time taken by one gentleman to sit with us and answer our
questions and tell us about the church and the denomination. He introduced us
to some folks and invited us to join them for the Lenten Lunch following
worship. This church is served by a husband and wife who are both pastors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
elongated sanctuary has lovely watercolor stained-glass windows and two sets of
monitors on each side for those in the center and back. The volume was fine,
but I admit I was greatly relieved when it was turned down after the pastor
began the sermon.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
suppose it’s a sign of the times when hand-washing instructions are given from
the pulpit, and I appreciated the calm, commonsense manner in which the advice
was given. Fear serves no one.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
current sermon series is called “Give It Up for Lent” and this entry was on “Grief.”
We can learn much about grief from the way Jesus responded to the news of the
death of His friend Lazarus: He wept. Even for the Son of God, Who knew He
would raise His friend shortly, grief in the face of such a loss was and is
real. Grieving properly means we must experience the sadness. We must also
remember that life goes on even in the midst of the grief. I would say it’s
that very fact that can help us remember there is hope and that we don’t have
to live the rest of our days spiritually and emotionally dead and without joy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Christ
died so that we could have constant access to His joy, freedom, and peace,
which are just as real as grief. It’s possible to find our way, with God’s help,
back to a place of spiritual and emotional health. We don’t have to remain
stuck in grief and loss when Jesus constantly offers us life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">This
testimony comes from personal experience: Jesus Christ is our one and only hope
for this world and the next. Only through Him can we find true, lasting joy and
peace, whatever the future holds.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Lord,
we all experience grief in our lives. We pray for Your leading that we can find
our way back and live in You again. Amen.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-64181872727463932922020-03-01T18:05:00.000-05:002020-03-08T15:05:27.606-04:00Crossroads Church<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today we worshiped
at Crossroads Church, 8533 Peters Road, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066, 412.494.9999,
<a href="http://www.xr.church/">xr.church</a>, Mike Arnold, Campus Pastor.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1
Thessalonians 4:3a –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It
is God’s will that you should be sanctified:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Romans
6:6-7 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For
we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin
might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone
who has died has been set free from sin.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1
John 1:9 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Galatians
5:16-23 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So
I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are
not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under the law. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">John
16:8 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When
he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and
righteousness and judgment:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
had a couple of our grandchildren with us this weekend, so we took them where
they were familiar and to see more family. Our younger grandson always sat
through the service with us till our daughter helped resolve the issue of the
volume in the children’s room, and now he goes with the other children. It took
a bit to get used to being able to follow the message without distraction.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Before
the service, my youngest granddaughter came and showed me her prize, she had
gotten the last Oreo from the extensive snack assortment. She held it up to
show her treasure like it was a most valuable item. May we hold Christ
likewise.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I loved
the harmony of the female lead singers and I believe this was the first time
they sang an older praise song that I was familiar with.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
pastor related the limited picture we get when we form a concept from something
as simple as a bumper sticker. What if our life in Christ was from such limited
info? It reminded me of a favorite bumper sticker story.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There
was a sticker laying on the dashboard of my truck that said, “Try Jesus, if you
don’t like Him, the devil will gladly take you back.” I was shopping at Giant
Eagle with my soon-to-be son-in-law when we returned to my truck to find a
woman waiting who said she had to talk to me. She said she sent her husband in
to do the shopping so she wouldn’t miss me, implying that he was not pleased
and had no option to refuse. She related problems with her family and I asked
if we could pray over her. She was encouraged and free from her troubles and I
gave her the bumper sticker as a reminder of how much God cared for her.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
story went on to touch dozens of people that I know about and I’ll never know
how many more. I was always grateful my now son-in-law got over the surprise of
praying in a Giant Eagle parking lot and married into the family.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Use
that small window to help someone in their walk with Christ and maybe use a “Just
Because” card.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It’s
always a blessing to worship here with our family. The coffee is delicious, the
snacks are plentiful and yummy, and I get to stand and sing next to my
14-year-old grandson who is taller than I am.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Speak
O Lord” is a new song to me, and the ladies who sang it sounded absolutely
marvelous.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It’s
been a couple of years since this church presented their life-sized Candyland,
so I’m looking forward to seeing that again at the end of the month. This
outreach event is an amazing transformation of the facility and the characters
teach the visiting children important lessons.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today’s
message, <i>Made For This</i>, is the first in the Lenten series <i>A Jesus
Shaped Life</i>. The pastor emphasized Jesus’ saving His people from both the
penalty and the power of sin. A Jesus shaped life is a life of obedience that,
through the power of Christ, is free from the power of sin. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He
reminded us that we are all works in progress, that even the best person we
know was not born like that. Human nature was always in conflict with the Holy
Spirit, but if we ask to be filled with the Spirit, He will gently nudge us
toward repentance and Christlikeness.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Lord,
we thank You for the wake-up calls You give us and pray we don’t miss a single
opportunity. Amen.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-13676770979878335962020-02-23T18:20:00.002-05:002020-02-23T18:23:26.214-05:00The Bible Chapel in Robinson<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today we worshiped
at The Bible Chapel in Robinson, 175 McMichael Road, Carnegie, PA 15106, 724.941.8990,
<a href="http://www.biblechapel.org/">www.biblechapel.org</a>, Tom Rojahn,
Campus Pastor.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ephesians
4:11-12 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So
Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ephesians
4:1-6 – </span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As
a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling
you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with
one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to
one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and
Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hebrews
8:12 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For
I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Romans
14:19 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Let
us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual
edification.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ephesians
2:17-21 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He
came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were
near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s
people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In
him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in
the Lord.</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Something
I’ve noticed in my life lately is that every trip to the Emergency Room results
in a night or two stay in the hospital; I am going to avoid the ER from now on.
The plus side is every time I am there, God leads me to amazing folks to pray
for. It seems to be the best medicine for whatever ails me also. The latest
stay was no exception and today we were able to visit their church to reunite
and catch up on God’s healing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A
personal highlight for me was a note on the entry doors as to which one to use.
This is the first time I’ve seen this anywhere.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
were warmly welcomed, had a reunion with my hospital roommate, and thanked for
my service.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The building
is well planned with an excellent layout and signage. We were offered coffee
and a place to sit before the service. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Worship
was held in a gym/multipurpose room and acoustics were good. I noticed a
healthy mix of children and “sages” and was pleased to get a prayer list for
this church.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There
are two great wooden crosses in the Sanctuary, the praise team sounded terrific
and the volume was satisfactory.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
print on the large center screen was easy to read with good contrast. I had a
chance to thank the sign language interpreter after the service. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
message was via video by an associate pastor on how the church can guard their
unity. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
message, based on Ephesians 4:1-6 and 11-12, though making perfect sense in the
early Christian church, seems almost a contradiction among the myriad of “Christian”
churches now. We strive for unity within “our” church and extend an olive
branch to those who would align with our thinking: “If you can be like us, we
can be friends.” Till Christ returns may we come together to worship in peace.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
pastor stressed church membership so strongly that I can only hope we would be
welcome at the home church, but we were warmly welcomed here.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I was
thankful for our time with the pastor and in prayer.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob
spent an overnight in the hospital a few weeks ago and God used the opportunity
to introduce a new friend. We hit it off with this new friend and his wife and
they invited us to visit their church. I’m glad we did as it was wonderful to
see our friends again. They welcomed us warmly and introduced us to many other
new friends who also greeted us warmly!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
last visit to this church was in 2013 and at the time they were worshiping at
Pittsburgh Technical Institute (now Pittsburgh Technical College). The church
now has their own beautiful and well-thought-out building. The signage is
superb, with a plaque outside each room and directional signage that is
well-placed. There are a couple of tables in the main hallway where
refreshments are set out, along with a simple room arranged for fellowship.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">From
what I could see, the large worship area was nearly full of people of all ages.
The contemporary music was well done at a good volume. I appreciated seeing the
song titles displayed in the lower corner of the final screen as I was
unfamiliar with one of them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
Bible Chapel has six locations, and today they took a break from the message
series for a “big-picture” question related to the series: <i>How Can a Local
Church Guard Their Unity? </i>The message<i> </i>was presented by an associate
pastor, but I’m not sure where he was. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He
began by recounting the Miracle on Ice story of the 1980 Olympics to make his
point about unity within the church. He stated that God and we have roles in
church unity:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">God’s
role: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1
– He is the Source of our unity…we cannot bring about unity by our own power;</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2
– He is the sustainer of our eternal unity.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
role: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1
– Daily humble ourselves before God and one another; </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2
– Be patient and forgiving to one another; </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">3
– In conflict, be honest and selfless peacemakers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He
emphasized that the local church is the Body of Christ and believers are called
to be members and contribute their gifts to the Body. He reminded us of the
importance of humility as taught by Christ.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
were blessed by conversations with the pastor and others after worship. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Lord,
we pray You will continue to bless Your church as they continue to seek their
unity in You as one Body. Amen.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-22710370513919756522020-02-16T16:48:00.000-05:002020-02-18T11:13:55.881-05:00Allison Park Church<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today we worshiped
at Allison Park Church, 2326 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, PA 15101,
412.312.628, <a href="http://www.allisonparkchurch.com/">www.allisonparkchurch.com</a>,
Jeff Leake, Lead Pastor.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Galatians
2:15-21 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“We
who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not
justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too,
have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be
justified. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“But
if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the
sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I
rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“For
through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could
be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Romans
8:11 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And
if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because
of his Spirit who lives in you.</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Romans
8:14-17 –</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For
those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you
received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the
Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,
“ Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s
children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also
share in his glory.</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It
was nice to find an early service that was only a half hour drive.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
were greeted by one of the pastors and one young man who came by as well as the
usher at the door with a handout.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">While
in the coffee area there was an incredibly loud presentation/rally with a great
deal of echo. I think most people would not understand what is said at that volume
and echo.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When
we got to our seats in the large worship area, we were under a blue spotlight
and not able to see much. We found seats under a regular light which was great
till the service started. I’m not sure if I have aged badly or the format has
changed that much but we had to seek a quieter venue without spotlights. Both
of us have ear problems but I’m not sure the lights were not the bigger
concern. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
relocated to the Lounge just inside the front doors where we’d noticed a sign
that we could sit there and watch the service on the monitor at a reduced
volume. We found someone to turn down the volume for us and the others in the
room. I enjoyed the female singer once the volume was down.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Once I
was on the verge of being judgmental about a loud service with smoke and
spotlights when Christ put me in my place, reminding me that we are all
hopeless sinners without Christ and if worship I’m not comfortable with brings
people to God, who am I to complain. I’m not judging, but the Lounge was a
blessing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">While
there God led me to a great witness with a member, so it was time well spent. The
highlight is always Jeff’s message and today’s did not disappoint. The message
dealt with how the Jews believed they must fit the box (i.e., the law) to be
worthy to come to God. The pastor mentioned getting measured and marked on the
kitchen door frame, and I don’t know anyone who didn’t do this. But the concept
of measuring up, it recently came to my attention that I have lost four inches
in height from what I was most of my life. A little more and maybe I’ll miss the
things I’ve always hit my head on.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">An enjoyable
side note: I witnessed a father with a young child run toward the automatic
door to the delight of the child. It reminded me of when I commented to one of
my grands that he must be the magic that made the doors open and he replied, “No,
God did that.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
were blessed to talk to a pastor after the service and be led to pray over her.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
arrived extra early so we could wander around some, having forgotten the size
of this campus. After some meandering, coffee sounded like a good idea.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At
a church this size with three services, we did not expect to be noticed as visitors
nor especially to be greeted, but while we enjoyed our coffee one of the
pastors approached and welcomed us. We saw her again after worship and
appreciated the time she took for extended conversation.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
was glad to be able to join this church in praying for the physical and
spiritual healing of China and its citizens along with all those affected by
the current health crisis.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
sermon series is called <i>Break The Box</i>. It was a reminder of the truth
that every last one of us falls short of God’s perfection and He loves us
anyway. Still, we find ourselves striving for God’s love, which we already have,
but somehow thinking it’s up to us. We must choose to stop the spiritual calisthenics
and give up trying to earn what is already ours. We cannot perform well enough to
earn God’s love, we cannot impress God with our piety, and we may as well let
go of the self-imposed pressure to perform because we cannot produce it no
matter how hard we try.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We
can’t perform our way into or out of heaven. Thank God.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Lord,
we pray You continue to bless Your church as they reach people of all ages with
Your Good News. Amen.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1372251080278862378.post-20434124531481538242020-02-09T17:44:00.002-05:002020-02-09T17:46:26.280-05:00Crossroads Church<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today I worshiped
at Crossroads Church, 8533 Peters Road, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066, 412.494.9999,
<a href="http://www.xr.church/">www.xr.church</a>, Mike Arnold, Campus Pastor.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Scripture
– NIV</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Luke
9:28 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">About
eight days after this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto
a mountain to pray.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Luke
9:34-35 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">While
he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as
they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son,
whom I have chosen; listen to him.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">John
1:12 –</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Yet
to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God—</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Jan’s
thoughts:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Bob
was home sick today, so it was just me, our son, and our grandtwins. As always,
it was a joy to see the rest of the family as well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today’s
message was presented by Crossroads’ Lead Pastor Steve Cordle via the wonders
of technology. It was titled <i>Pray</i> and was the first part of a new
series, <i>Apprenticed to Jesus</i>. Steve’s brief message was followed by an
invitation by the campus pastor for the congregation to form groups of 3-5
people who then prayed together. I was blessed to pray with our son and our
oldest grandson, who is 14. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
appreciated the reminder that all prayer begins with relationship. When Jesus
prayed to His Heavenly Father, He called Him Abba, or Daddy. The fact is, we are
invited to figuratively climb onto our Abba’s lap for comfort, guidance, or
anything else we need. There is no dress code or performance requirement to
present our gratitude and petitions to the King of the Universe. How privileged
can one be?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our
prayer for this church:</span><br />
<span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Abba,
we thank You for this church and their focus on You. We are grateful for all
you have done and will yet do through their many heartfelt prayers. Amen.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Jan and Bob Chesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15211510028843372229noreply@blogger.com0