Snow in Scripture!

This snow fall we've had is unbelievable! I'm quite a fan of the song "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow," but frankly--I've got places to go!

Actually, it's been fun seeing McMinnville covered in a way we may never see it again. I have to laugh at the big lumps of white parked on the streets with only the side view mirrors poking out. And yesterday Kelly and I ventured out to finally buy some chains for the van, so we had to dig out our driveway. But where was our shovel? Oops--the kids had taken it out to play with it the day before and left it somewhere in the front or back yard. We foraged around for a while, but we may not see that thing for days!

Has anyone else thought about snow in the Bible this last week? Psalm 51:7, of course, pops to my mind first, where David pleads for forgiveness: Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. It turns out that even though the Bible was written for the most part in desert regions, "snow" gets mentioned 23 times in Scripture! I won't bother enumerating them here, because my friend, Pastor Scott Reavely, did all the work on his blog. So click here if you'd like a thorough treatment of snow in the Bible and some lessons we can learn from it!

Church Services Canceled Today

Well, it's still chunky and slippery out there, so we've decided to pull the plug on all services and activities today (including tonight's caroling). So stay safe in your ice-encrusted homes, and we hope to see you Wednesday night at our Christmas Eve Service!

Church service???

We're carefully watching the ice out there, and we'll make a decision about church service in the morning. If we cancel our service, we'll be sure to announce it here and on the website's home page. Stay tuned!

Snow!

Let it snow! I took a little drive into town this afternoon and was just amazed at all the white here in McMinnville!

It's been snowing here since I got up this morning and eight hours later it hasn't stopped yet. The forecast insists that it will turn to rain at about midnight tonight, so hopefully everyone will be able to join us for some Christmas worship, but right now it looks like we live in a ski resort town!

Here are some pictures I took at my house and about town...

Here's historic downtown 3rd Street.

From the front door of Safeway, looking toward Big 5.

Here's Hwy 99W approaching Linfield College.

Molly here is making a snow angel on our deck. To her left you can see the snowman I made, now more of a snowlump!

Snow Sculptures

Gee, just when I was feeling good about the snowman I built on our deck...


Amazing Snow Sculptures - The most amazing videos are a click away

Family Christmas Concert!

Well, the weather threatened to doom our Family Christmas Concert on Sunday night, but about 100 folks braved the elements and joined us for an awesome celebration! I think everybody there had a great time, and I was really happy with the way everything turned out!

The program included four tunes by our Christmas Choir, an ad hoc Children's Choir performance, and the youth group playing It Came Upon a Midnight Clear with spoons and waterglasses. Dustin Blumenstein, Anne Muehleck and I all sang some solos; Cassie Carver and Anne sang a duet, with Haley Keller and McKenna Rogness adding sign language; Kim George played a beautiful rendition of O Holy Night on the clarinet; and 8-year-old Molly Janssen brought the house down with her Do You Hear What I Hear solo...It was all just great!

The evening was capped off with some Christmas cookies and presentation of some wonderful gift cards to those of us on the New Hope staff. All in all it was great night, and I'm sorry for those who planned to come but couldn't travel in the snow.

Steve Myers recorded the evening, and some of the tracks turned out really nice! I'll post them soon on our web site's Sermons, Etc. page. And Repko sent me dozens of pictures--here are some of my favorites:

Christmas Concert Sunday Night!

Well, the weather outside is frightful, but our Family Christmas Concert will be delightful!

Okay, that's definitely a lame announcement...but I'm telling you, the program this Sunday evening is going to be fabulous! This casual, fun concert will be about an hour long and will feature many of our talented singers and instrumentalists. On the list:
- Four great songs by our Christmas Choir
- A Waterglass Choir made up of our youth group
- Instrumental music
- An Ad Hoc Children's Choir
- Traditional and contemporary solos
- And more!

The concert starts at 6:00 p.m., and we'll have cookies afterwards. Don't let a little snow on your lawn keep you from this wonderful evening of celebration--you'll be really glad you came!

Our New Sign!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything because I’m waist deep in Christmas planning, but I just had to share this!

I’ve been itching to put up a new sign on our building for months, and came up with some designs last summer. When I saw that the Holiday Craft Fair was going to be in the building across the parking lot, I was anxious to get the project going again. Enter Leela Zeeb and Repko Bruinsma, who took the proverbial ball and ran with it! Their skills and initiative really made it happen, and I appreciate them a ton.

I think it turned out great!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year (as we elegantly dined at Izzy's) our family started a new Thanksgiving tradition where we each take turns saying what we're thankful for and write them down. This year we're up in Redmond, Washington to get together with my mom's side of the family, and this morning at breakfast we made our list. The only thing we could find to write on was the back of a receipt, but it was fun filling it up with things we're grateful for, big (family) and small (salamanders)!

Wherever you are today, I hope you are thankful--God has been good. Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Handle Negative Feelings

As a Christian, is it okay to be afraid? angry? guilty? Everybody has negative feelings, but what is the biblical way to express or handle them?

Through a friend of a friend I came across this excellent article by Ken Williams on How to Handle Negative Feelings. I think there's a lot of wisdom and balance here, and if you have a few minutes I think you'll find it beneficial!

New Recordings

There are some new recordings uploaded to our Sermons, Etc. page on the web site. Dewey’s message about being the Salt of the Earth is a powerful statement about what kind of church we want New Hope to be. You’ll also find two new songs: He Is Lord and Your Name Is Holy. Enjoy!

Retreat Pics, Part 2

Here are a few more pictures from Saturday's One Day Retreat...

Women's One Day Retreat

I've heard great reports about the women's event last Saturday! I'm still waiting on more pictures, but from what I hear there were over 30 women there who enjoyed good food, crafts, skits, devotionals, reflection, singing and fellowship.

I know Joy, Leela, Lori, Tommy and others worked really hard to make it a great day, and it sounds like their work paid off! Praise the Lord!

Awana: Fear and Potatoes

We've had a lot of fun in Awana the last couple of weeks, and we've got the pictures to prove it!

Last week (11-5-08) was Fear Factor Food Night. Leaders and clubbers alike were invited to try a taste of several delicacies. On the menu: fried pig skin, baby food, sea weed, oysters, sauerkraut, some mysterious green sludge and pickled pig's feet. Yum...

This week was Potato Head Night, and the kids had been instructed to decorate a potato to look like one of their Awana leaders. The likenesses were spud-tastic!

Ashley and I got tons of fun pictures from these evenings, and I've posted some here, but you can find more in our web site's photo galleries. Check them out!

Fear Factor Food Night, November 5th:

Potato Head Night, November 12th:

Salute

I found this article a few weeks ago, and it accurately reflects my admiration and appreciation for all of our men and women in uniform. Happy Veterans' Day, and thank you to all who have served our great country!

A Salute to the Defenders of Our Freedom by Hugh Hewitt

A quote for the day

"Our day at home begins with Bible reading and prayer. I know it is old-fashioned, but so are breathing, eating, and sleeping."

- Billy Graham

(It's Billy Graham's 90th birthday today, and for more great quotes from the last several decades click here)

The big election

Well, I think it’s okay to say that “my guy” didn’t win the presidential election yesterday, but I have a couple quick thoughts to share on this historic occasion.

First, it was a privilege for me to vote this week. I know it’s only one vote among millions, but you know, my one vote counted exactly the same as all the other one-votes out there. In this remarkable, wonderful country, my vote is no less powerful than that of Bill Gates, General David Patraeus, Oprah Winfrey, Rush Limbaugh or even Barack Obama.

Second, I believe it is my godly duty to show respect for our new president. I don’t mean to step on anyone’s toes here, but I found it offensive and distasteful to see slogans like “Not My President” referring to George W. Bush. Likewise, back in the 90’s I was surprised by some of the rude jokes and comments about Bill Clinton coming from normally gracious Christian friends. The Bible says in Romans 13:1-7, “There is no authority except that which God has established…the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe…respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (see full passage below). So, however strongly I may disagree with Mr. Obama politically or philosophically, I believe God will be most honored if I refrain from speaking crudely or disrespectfully about him. And honoring God is what my life is all about.

Okay, that’s my two cents worth. And if you are a McCain supporter who is now feeling despondent and despairing, I am happy to tell you that Dewey’s November 2nd sermon about peace is now online and ready to encourage you! If you missed last Sunday, I highly encourage you to listen to this message from Philippians 4:4-9 (and even if you were here, maybe you could benefit from hearing it again)!

Here is God’s Word to us:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. --Romans 13:1-7 (see also 1 Peter 2:13-17)

Christmas Choir!

Our first ever New Hope Christmas Choir begins rehearsals this Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m.! If you can carry a tune, I'd love to have you join us!

We'll be preparing several great songs for our Family Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 14th, and we'll probably sing a couple times on Sunday mornings as well.

You don't need music-reading or choir experience, and I'll be making practice CD's to help you learn notes. We'll have a great time, and the more the merrier--hope to see you Thursday night!

Fall Back

Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour as you go to bed tonight. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep!

Portland Season of Service

Christianity Today recently posted a story about our local metropolis and the Luis Palau Festival they had in August. It was a very encouraging article titled Servant Evangelism (and provocatively sub-titled: How Luis Palau, thousands of volunteers, and a gay mayor are trying to transform Portland).

Awana Harvest Party

Our costumed kids enjoyed crafts, games, puppets and candy at Wednesday's Harvest Party! I've posted some pictures here, but there are lots more in our web site's photo gallery. Just click on the Photos menu button and find the gallery labeled Awana Harvest Party - October 29, 2008.