time, entertainment, and Jonathan Edwards

Here's a challenging post from Motte Brown at Boundless about entertainment and the way we spend our time.

I wince every time I think of Jonathan Edwards's Resolutions, but that probably just means I should pay more attention to them.

Thoughts?

grace like rain

Hey everybody,

Thanks to all who've been praying for the FAITH teams on Monday nights. Tonight our (Nate and Emily's) team visited two families who came to church yesterday, and the dad at the second house prayed to accept Christ!

It was an awesome experience. It seemed like the man was waiting for someone to come and share the message with him; he sat us all down and asked, "do you have something to share with me?" He had been laboring under the burden of thinking that his good works would get him into heaven. Please pray that he would come to know more fully who Christ is and to embrace what the call of Christ means for his life.

Please also continue to pray for all of the FAITH teams, and that the Lord would bring Himself glory through their work.

AND . . . last but not least . . . ask God for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with people in your life. He may have plans for you to be on a FAITH team next semester!

When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:

"For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever."

2 Chronicles 7:3

Prayer Meeting

We have a date for the next prayer meeting. Please feel free to invite anyone (from school, work, family, etc.) who would be willing to join us in a time of prayer and supplication.

Please also begin to pray for the prayer meeting, that we would be obedient to God's leading and willing to follow Him where He tells us to go.

What: an evening of prayer
Where: MCBC sanctuary
When: Friday, October 27, 7:00 p.m. (come when you can)
Who: anyone willing to join us for an evening of prayer
Questions? e-mail Nate

chili, cheese, pumpkins, and birthdays

Coming this Sunday . . .

What: autumn birthday celebration, team friendly pumpkin carving (sorry, no make-a-balloon-pumpkin contest), chili cheese fries
When: Sunday, October 15 after evening worship
Who: college & career & friends
Questions? e-mail Emily

Do you have a holy ambition?

(Now I know how to post video. Yippee . . .)

for your listening edification...

Here's the link to the conference audio for the Desiring God conference Nate went to.

And here's the specific link to the session by Voddie Baucham. This one is especially relevant to college-age people who are constantly running into professors, students, and friends who deny absolute truth and seem to be comfortable entertaining incompatible ideas (for example, that there is a God, but that He isn't in control of our lives).

Baucham says that all people everywhere and in every time have asked four questions:
1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. What's wrong in the world?
4. How can what's wrong be made right?

The answer the world gives, he says, is "you're here to consume and enjoy." Sound familiar?

FAITH Teams

First off, thank you to Nikki for the encouragement about this blog. Ideally, this will be a forum for our group to keep everyone (including our C&C missionaries in Chula Vista and Louisville) posted on what's happening and to have a place to share links or ideas.

Anyone who has suggestions for things to post or ways to improve, feel free to shout them out.

Second, I'm not sure whether everyone's aware of the C&C representatives that are on this semester's FAITH teams at church: Nate, Brendon, and Emily. It would be really encouraging if everyone in the group would pray for our FAITH team members and that the Lord would bring Himself glory through their work.

The goal of the FAITH teams is to go meet the needs of people -- both church members and others in our community. Of course, the first need is for people to know and surrender their lives to Jesus, so there's a strong emphasis on evangelism. But we also make visits to pray with and encourage people and to let them know what's going on and how to get involved in our church.

All that to say that our FAITH teams would appreciate your prayer AND that if you know anyone who would be benefited by a team visit on a Monday night, please let Don know.

resting and wrestling

Here is a link to a great sermon from John Piper on personal relationships in the church. Listen to it if you get a chance this week. Christian relationships, Piper says, should be about "resting and wrestling" for the cause of Christ.

With God's help, our group can be that kind of group.

He is GOOD, and His love endures

The prayer meeting last night was awesome and humbling.

Pray that we don't forget the things God showed us last night.

Last night we learned a new song, "Lord, Let Your Glory Fall." If anyone is interested to know the background for that song, it's the story of the dedication of the temple during Solomon's reign (2 Chronicles 7). It's the context for 2 Chronicles 7:14 ("If My people, who are called by My name . . .").

But there is so much more in that chapter. God brought everyone face-down to the ground with His glory that day. Then just 14 verses into it He's giving directions for what to do when they fall away. He knew.

So, if you haven't read that chapter lately, go read it and see what God did, as the song says, "on that ancient day."

He is good!!!

joy comes in the morning

Here's a nifty post from the Boundless blog about morning quiet times.

Morning worship is, interestingly, something that comes up in Psalms a lot.

Here are some examples:

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
--Psalm 5:1-3

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
--Psalm 55:17

But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.
--Psalm 59:16-17

Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
--Psalm 88:12-13

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
--Psalm 92:1-3

I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help; I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
--Psalm 119:147-148

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
--Psalm 143:8

Makes you think God knows we can't even do so much as start our days without coming to terms with our insufficiency and His all-sufficiency.

prayer meeting Friday

Next Friday night we'll be having a prayer meeting.

Please pray for the prayer meeting, that it would be a time of seeking God's face and hearing His voice. As Don challenged us last night, it would be great if everyone would commit to carve out several prayer times in your daily routine, like David describes in Psalm 55:16-17,

As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.

This is a really exciting time for our group, as we ask the Lord to glorify Himself through our lives.

Here's the important info:

What: prayer meeting
When: Friday night, Sept. 15
Time: 7:00 p.m. - ? (come whenever you can)
Where: church sanctuary
Who: anybody who wants to pray for God's glory to be shown through our lives, our families, and our church (feel free to bring friends!)
Questions? post a comment or email Nate

See you there!

readings on prayer

Since this Thursday night's topic is prayer, I thought I'd post some Boundless articles that have helped me to understand how prayer fits into our daily lives.

An Eye-Opening Rendezvous
John Thomas
The experience of one college student who found himself at a prayer meeting at 6:00 a.m.

Pray Boldly
Candice Z. Watters
Yes, the article is about praying for a husband. But it's a universal principle, applicable even to people not asking for husbands.

BA: Discovering Your Purpose
This is one that seems to come up a lot for us. Where does prayer fit in to discovering your purpose in life?

Please post thoughts or comments on these articles, or links or ideas for things that have shaped your understanding of prayer, or just post a comment to say hello.

Sunday Prayer Walk

This Sunday, September 3, we will be having a prayer walk on the campus of Golden West College.

We will be walking around campus and praying for the activites that take place in the different areas, for the students who study, and for the professors who profess.

We will be asking God to work in their lives and to use the Christians on the campus to bring His truth to those they study with.

If you attend GWC, we'd love for you to participate and pray along with us. We look forward to watching God do wondrous things in our lives and on our campuses this semester.

So, here's the run-down for Sunday . . .

What: GWC Campus Prayer Walk
Who: Anyone willing to pray for the students, faculty, and activities of GWC
When: Sunday, Sept. 3 @ 12:00 noon -- meet at the church for pizza lunch, orientation, and carpooling
Questions? Email Nate

See you there!