Reaching Muslims with the Truth

I found this interesting article about Jay Smith, who engages in debate with Muslims in Britain. I was impressed reading about his boldness and diligence in reaching this challenging group. Maybe you, too, will be inspired:

Unapologetic Apologist

After reading the article, I was fascinated to watch a couple videos on YouTube of Smith in action in London's Hyde Park. In the park's "Speakers' Corner" vigorous debate is the norm and it's interesting to see the boisterous interchange!

But Smith's style isn't all about shouting in the public square--you can also see his video dialogues with muslims at PfanderFilms.com where there are (so far) 62 different vlog posts about why he believes Jesus, Christianity and the Bible are superior to Allah, Islam and the Quran. Fascinating!

Sermons Online

We've had some techinical difficulties the last few weeks (crashing computers, unavailable equipment, etc.) so we've been running behind on our sermon uploads. But good news! We've just uploaded Dewey's message from May 25 (Jesus' Birth into Herod's World) and Rich's farewell sermon from last Sunday, June 8 (The Church's Ultimate Priority). We should have the June 1 message up soon.

You can find all our sermons and more by going to our website and clicking on the Sermons, Etc. menu button!

I heard soccer was big in Europe, but I had no idea...

The Trinity in brief

The way it starts, this article seems at first to be about the controversial novel "The Shack," but it turns out to be a succinct, historical description of the doctrine of the Trinity.

If you'd like a Trinity-for-Dummies primer on this complex and fantastic tennet of our faith, I recommend The Trinity: So What? by Collin Hansen.

Congratulations!

My daughter goes to Grandhaven Elementary where Rich Bryson has been working this year, and the school saw fit to put this message up on their sign...Of course, we at New Hope are proud, too, that Rich received his Doctor of Ministry degree last weekend! Don't forget, this is their last Sunday with us--Rich will be preaching, Dee will share a song, and there will be a potluck lunch immediately following the service so bring some food to eat and share!

Chapman Family Tragedy

On May 22nd, the family of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman suffered a terrible tragedy when their 5-year-old adopted daughter, Mary Sue, was killed. In one of those almost-too-sad-to-be-true stories, she was struck in the family's driveway by an SUV driven by her teenage brother.

This story has been heavy on my heart for almost two weeks now, and I've been wondering if I should post anything about it on the blog here, but I've been at a loss for words. This week I was reading my friend's blog, and his post included everything I was thinking and more, so I thought I'd provide a link for you.

I worked with Scott for 11 years in West Linn before I moved here to McMinnville, and he and his wife, Marcia, twice lost babies in the final month of pregnancy. He references their personal experience in his post, and I hope that if you have been touched by tragedy his thoughts will provide some hope and comfort.

Treasure Chest Blog - Thinking of the Chapman Family

Over-Parenting

I read an interesting article today about "over-parenting" our kids. Now I have to tell you, any time I read something that sounds very black-and-white or has an edgy tone, I take it with a grain of salt, and this article falls in that category (you can even see it in the title: Over-Parenting and Social Disaster)!

Still, I think there is a principle here to be considered, and this piece helps us look down the road to some unintended consequences of hovering over or sheltering our kids too much. You can click here to read for yourself.