The Leavers: Young Doubters Exit the Church

Today I read an article from Christianity Today about youth who leave the church after they graduate from high school. This subject is so important to me. I pray that we can be a real encouragement to our younger generations.

The Leavers: Young Doubters Exit the Church

Days of Elijah

Have you ever wondered what the lyrics refer to in the worship song Days of Elijah? I recently found a full explanation written by the song's author, Irish worship leader Robin Mark. Whether you've enjoyed this song or been perplexed by it or both, click here to read the full story behind it!

And to hear Robin Mark's recording of Days of Elijah, check out this video:

Time Change This Weekend

Don't forget, we get that glorious extra-hour-of-sleep set-your-clocks-back-an-hour time change coming up this Saturday night!

(Of course, if you get to church an hour early, you're welcome to enjoy listening to our band rehearse!)

Register to Vote!

I hope all believers exercise their right to vote this fall!

"A government of the people, by the people, and for the people only happens when people vote."

How Porn Damages Women

I just read a very insightful and concise article titled An Equal-Opportunity Destroyer by the editors of Christianity Today. Check out this powerful excerpt:

In a "sexually obese" culture like ours (a phrase from psychiatrist Mary Ann Layden), people who never use porn end up bearing its costs. That includes wives, who are held up to impossible sexual standards and are as robbed of sexual intimacy as their addicted husbands are. That also includes teenage girls, who are being taught by the entertainment industry and boyfriends that being a woman is about being hypersexual for others.

But because porn literally rewires the brain, creating neural pathways that change how users understand the world, we know that porn warps how men and women see each other. Porn is demonic not primarily because it is addictive. It is demonic because it always flattens three-dimensional humans—especially women—to a collection of body parts meant for others' gratification, sullying the full glory that God intended them to reflect. And often it leads addicts to flatten women too, despite their beliefs or intentions.

Love Relationship

Earlier tonight we had a lesson/discussion in youth group about the Greatest Command: to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Deut 6, Matt 22, Mark 12, Luke 10)

It's a big topic and our time was limited, so we talked about our attitude toward God; how (as far as I know) this is unique to our religion; how loving God ultimately translates to obedience, yet adds a "filter" through which we view God's commands and our motivation for obeying.

And while we mentioned how God desires to have a love relationship with us, what we didn't have time to cover last night was how much God loves us (indeed loved us first)! That has me thinking...what if God didn't love us, and yet declared his greatest command to be that we should love Him? How different would that command be!

I watched the musical Annie! last week, and the orphans are compelled to tell their evil mistress, "We love you, Miss Hannigan!" It's of course a phony exchange for the girls to proclaim their love for her, and even Miss Hannigan knows it's a ridiculous formality meant to demonstrate her bitter authority. But our commandment to love the Lord has a whole different flavor, because He has loved us with an everlasting love. (Jer. 31:3)

God, in His infinite wonder, is able to love us when we are unlovable (Rom. 5:8). But we, in our weakness, are not forced to love an indifferent or spiteful God...we're invited to love Him completely, and in so doing complete the circuit of a two-way love relationship.

Avoiding Old Flames on Facebook

Some good thoughts for those of us who are (a) married and (b) on Facebook:

Her.meneutics: Avoiding Old Flames on Facebook

Quote

‎"Christianity, if false, is of no importance; if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

- C.S.Lewis

The Big Game!

This summer our church has two softball teams, and this Sunday, August 1st, they are scheduled to play against each other! It'll be a lot of fun, and if you've thought about coming to watch us play, this is the perfect week for it!

The game is at 6:00 p.m. and should be over by about 7:15. It will be played at Dancer Park, field #10 (the field in the far back corner of the park). The weather forecast looks pleasant, and it would be fun to see you there!

Play ball!

New downloads available

On our web site's Sermons, Etc page you'll find our last two sermons by guest speakers Gerry Clark and Rich Bryson. Gerry preached about Contentment on July 18th, while Rich brought a message about worship the following Sunday.

In addition, we recorded our New Hope band rendition of Revelation Song, which followed Rich's sermon.

Enjoy!

Church Picnic!

We are looking forward to seeing each of you this Sunday (July 11th) and spending a little time with you at our Independence Day picnic/potluck. This is a chance to fellowship and enjoy getting to know each other in a way we cannot on Sundays at church.

We will meet right after church at Joe Dancer Park in the area under the trees immediately to the right as soon as you enter the park (corner of Brooks St. and 3 Mile Lane). We are happy to point out that this year it is even more accessible than before with an enlarged parking area that provides entrance to the our picnic area across an easily-traversed bridge. (Of course, for those of us who can navigate more easily, we will park a little farther away so as to give the seniors and the physically-challenged among us the best parking we can. Making a food and chairs drop-off on the way is a good idea)!

If you cannot think what to bring, the following is a suggestion to follow, but do not feel locked into this if your specialty is in another area: if you have a last name starting with A-L, bring a main dish and salad. If your last name begins with M-Z, bring a main dish and dessert.

One more suggestion: please bring lawn chairs as there is no seating. See you Sunday at church and then at the picnic! Can't wait!

God's Gifts to Us

The last two sermons by Gerry Clark are now available online. Gerry is in the midst of a four-part series of messages on some of God's Gifts to Us. On June 27 he described the gift of "Being Ordinary" and on July 4 about "Service." You can hear these messages and more on our downloads page at our website!

He Will Carry You

On Father's Day, after Dewey's sermon on Matthew 11:28, nine-year-old Molly sang "He Will Carry You" by Scott Wesley Brown...

It's a common mistake

Christian Female Musicians MIA

I listen to Christian music radio somewhat regularly, and I am also heavily involved in music at church, so I found the following article very fascinating! The issue at hand, the theories on why it's an issue, and the comments from women at the end--all very interesting!

Check it out:

Christian Female Musicians, Missing in Action

by Laura Leonard

It may be time to switch to grape juice for communion...

This is just like our church (except, of course, we have chairs instead of pews).

Digital Derby Car Rally

Last night our youth group had a car rally--we had a blast!

It was a scavenger hunt of sorts: the teams had an hour to drive around town and take digital pictures from a list (e.g. team stuffed in a phone booth, being eaten by a bear, trapped in an elevator, etc). When the points were tabulated, the Low Riders edged out the Pink Cadillacs by 18 points for 1st place.

At the end of the evening we saw slide shows of all the teams' pictures. Below are some favorites, along with their category from the list:

Take a picture of your team...

...caroling at a house that has Christmas lights up.

...acting out a Shakespeare scene.

...imitating Benjamin Franklin.

...pretending to throw a team member into a river.

...saluting a flag.

...being run over by a jet.

...in a trash bin.

...all on one playground swing.

...having your arm swallowed by a mail box.

...staging a gun fight with bananas at a grocery store.

Wedding

Our humble New Hope building enjoyed its first ever wedding this weekend! Ashley Holter married Dylan Leach on Saturday, and her best friend Devita took some really nice pics, a few of which I've copied below! Dewey performed the ceremony, and I was privileged to do some music. May God bless this newly married couple!

Happy Mother's Day!

More Downloads Available

Dewey's message from last Sunday is now available online, as well as a couple new music recordings: Glorious Day (from Easter Sunday) and Sparrow (from March 28th). Check them out!

Ministering to the Deaf

I just read a fascinating article about ministry to the deaf entitled Do You Hear What I Hear? by Jeremy Weber. It highlights a video ministry to the deaf (Deaf Video Communications), but it also gives some very interesting information about this virtually unreached group of people. Some quotes include:

Language and cultural barriers have left the deaf a veritable unreached people group right in America's midst. Christian deaf ministries estimate that only 1 percent of American deaf children will attend church as adults. Less than 7 percent will ever have the gospel presented to them in a way they can understand.

"Ninety-five percent of deaf children are born into hearing families, but only 10 percent of parents learn enough ASL to have a conversation beyond 'pass the salt' and 'be quiet,'" said Marshall Lawrence [founder of Silent Blessings Deaf Ministries]. "When parents have limited signing skills, it's daunting for them to teach their children about Jesus or Moses." Lawrence tells of a 6-year-old deaf girl who long refused to participate in dinnertime prayers despite her mother's ASL translation. After the girl saw a deaf boy signing his prayers on a deaf ministry video, she excitedly signed to her mother, "Mommy, Jesus knows sign language!" Now she insists on praying at every meal.

Sermons online

Now that the busy Easter season is over, I've finally uploaded Dewey's sermons from March 21 and 28 to our website's downloads page. These are both great messages, and both got a terrific response from those who heard them live--give them a listen!

Good Friday Service

Please join us Friday night at 7:00 p.m. as we take a moment to remember Christ's death for us. This service is a simple but moving time of singing, communion and reflection. Focusing on His sacrifice on Good Friday just adds significance to the joyful celebration that follows on Resurrection Sunday--we really hope you'll come.

We invite everyone to bring a candle with them to place on the communion table in the center of the room, preferably a jar or votive candle that won't spill any wax. It will be a beautiful evening.

Better Than a Hallelujah

What a beautiful song. Reminds me a little of the story in Luke 18:9-14.

Better Than a Hallelujah
by Sarah Hart and Chapin Hartford
Recorded by Amy Grant

New Hope's Got Talent!

Our third annual Talent Night did not disappoint! We had a blast last Friday night and enjoyed everything from solos to skits to hula dancing to stand-up comedy. Below are a few pictures, and you can see more at our website's Photo Gallery.

Interesting Quote (and Study)

"This in no way should be thought of as a green light for spanking. This is a red light for people who want to legally limit how parents choose to discipline their children."

Marjorie Gunnoe, a Calvin College psychology professor, on her new study that finds that children who remember being spanked do better in school, volunteer more, and are more optimistic than unspanked children.
The Grand Rapids Press

None But Jesus

I just can't get enough of this song...

Strategies against sexual sin

Last Sunday at New Hope we heard a moving testimony about the destruction that can be wreaked in a family because of pornography. Today I was reading a blog post from a pastor friend of mine, and he gave some suggestions for combatting sexual sin. To see these practical ideas, click here.

A quote to ponder...

"When you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free… and then you find that the prisoner was you." - Lewis Smedes

It Is Not Death to Die

Last week I discovered a new/old song that I wanted to share. It's a 19th century hymn called It Is Not Death to Die. Bob Kauflin added some alternate lyrics, and the new version is found on a new CD called Come Weary Saints from Sovereign Grace Ministries. Take a look...

IT IS NOT DEATH TO DIE

Original words by Henri Malan (1787–1864). Translated by George Bethune (1847). Music, chorus, and alternate words by Bob Kauflin
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

It is not death to die
To leave this weary road
And join the saints who dwell on high
Who’ve found their home with God

It is not death to close
The eyes long dimmed by tears
And wake in joy before Your throne
Delivered from our fears

It is not death to fling
Aside this earthly dust
And rise with strong and noble wing
To live among the just

It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore

Chorus:
O Jesus, conquering the grave
Your precious blood has power to save
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die

A little help on Valentine's Day

Talent Night coming soon...

Start preparing that special chain saw juggling act (or other display of talent)...the third annual New Hope Talent Night is coming one month from today on March 12th!

Contact Gerry Clark for details.

Opportunity

On Sunday, Molly Palmer told us about a woman she knows through her daughter's school that has recently moved into a new place after being homeless for a while. Molly wants to help this woman out and extended an invitation to the New Hope family to join her.

If you would like to donate any house warming items (food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc.), you can bring them to church this Sunday, February 14th, and Molly will pass them along. Thanks!

Super Party tomorrow!

Our tech guys have figured out a way to show the Super Bowl on our screens at the church, and everyone's welcome to join us to watch the game! Bring snacks to share, and if you want to bring a couch or something else comfy to sit in, go for it!

The broadcast begins at 3:00, but feel free to come early to hang out before it starts. See you there!

"Faithful" Parenting

Here's some food for thought. I've always marvelled at how many great heroes of the Bible ended up with complete rebels for kids. This article from Christianity Today gives a refreshing perspective of Christian parenting...

The Myth of the Perfect Parent, by Leslie Leyland Fields

More proof for the Bible

Dewey brought my attention to a story from Israelnationalnews.com with an exciting new archaeological discovery:

King David Era Pottery Shard Supports Biblical Narrative - by Avi Yellin