Valentine's Weekend at New Hope

We had a terrific weekend at New Hope! There were two Valentine events and, of course, a great time of Sunday morning worship!

I’ve posted a few photos below from Friday night’s Sweetheart Dessert and Saturday’s Young-at-Heart Valentine Soup Supper. I’ve also added more pics to the galleries on our web site’s Photos page.

Sweetheart Dessert - Friday, February 13.

Young-at-Heart Valentine Soup Supper - Saturday, February 14.

Tithe Rap

Last Sunday Dewey preached from Matthew 6 and talked a little about the "tithe" in biblical times (giving 10% of your income to the Lord). So I thought this video from a church in Lawrenceville, GA might add even more clarity to the subject. (Hmm, maybe our shepherd team needs to start working up some mad hip-hop skills?)

How to install a wireless security system.

1. Go to a second-hand store, buy a pair of men's used work boots ... a really big pair.
2. Put the boots outside your front door on top of a copy of Guns and Ammo magazine.
3. Put a dog dish beside it ... a really big dish.
4. Leave a note on your front door that says something like this: "Bubba, Big Mike and I have gone to get more ammunition - back in 30 minutes. Don't disturb the pit bulls, they've just been wormed."

Donations Reminder

The local "Homeless Connect" event is coming up on Tuesday the 17th, so here is a reminder that this Sunday, February 15th, is the last Sunday to bring donated items for the bin in our entry way. If you'd like to bring donations at a different time, contact me at the church (503-472-1144) or email me (BrianEJanssen-at-aol.com).

For a list of suggested donations, you can see the blog entry from January 23rd below.

Jesus Is Not a Brand

..."Marketing is the process of promoting, selling, and distributing goods or services. It's a business concept, but something very similar happens in the church. As much as we bristle at comparing evangelism to a sales pitch, there are certain similarities."

There are indeed similarities. But evangelism and sales are not the same. And we market the church at our peril if we are blind to the critical and categorical difference between the Truth and a truth you can sell. In a marketing culture, the Truth becomes a product. People will encounter it with the same consumerist worldview with which they encounter every other product in the American marketplace.

Thus our dilemma: The product we are selling isn't like every other product—it isn't even a product at all. But if the gospel is not a product, how can we market it? And if we can't avoid marketing it, how can we keep from turning it into the product it isn't?

Last month I came across an article in Christianity Today titled Jesus Is Not a Brand by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson. It was so thought-provoking that I read it twice. The author makes a strong case that we all look at things through our modern consumer-age filters, and that the local church community is key to genuine Christianity. Take a look!

Back in the saddle

It's been a week since I've posted--a week ago today I turned on my computer and found that my hard drive had crashed. Ugh. Anyway, I'm busy now re-installing software and trying to piece together files from emails I've sent, etc (it's been 8 months since I backed up my files, so I lost a lot--alas)!

Anway, I just caught up on uploading a couple sermons to the web site: Dewey's messages on Being Truthful (1-25-09) and Adultery (2-1-09). I'll try to get yesterday's sermon up soon, too.

I also got a nice recording of the song Draw Me Close, which we sang together on January 25th, and you can hear that online as well. Enjoy!

How Great Thou Art

Today is George Beverly Shea's 100th birthday, and as a frequent singer at Billy Graham's crusades, Shea's signature song was the great hymn How Great Thou Art.

I recently read an article about this tune, and was surprised to hear of its winding history of how it became one of the Church's most popular worship songs. You can read it here.

I looked and looked online to see if I could find a video of Shea singing How Great Thou Art, but to no avail. Here's one of Carrie Underwood at the Grand Ole Opry in case you'd like to hear it...