I just received a letter informing me that Lifewater International, based right here in SLO, is looking for a Christian College student for a part-time internship position. If you were around for our 05 Missions Conference, you remember that Dan Stevens, the Executive Director of Lifewater, was our keynote speaker.
The position pays $8-10 per hour, depending on experience. If you're interested, you can email me or contact Lifewater directly.
Earlier posts have mentioned our vision to add a third worship service here at Grace Church, SLO. Several comments have asked about the possibility of a Saturday night service. Here are my thoughts. . . .
I do believe that a Saturday night service is the best pragmatic option from a "market" perspective. As far as I am aware, there are no Saturday night services in SLO proper. I believe this could work and and work quite well. Why not?
A Saturday night service is the worst option for me personally. Every pastor I have talked to who preaches both Saturday and Sunday services says its BRUTAL on family life. With a fourth child on the way, my family must be my number one priority. At the present time, I am not comfortable with having another teaching pastor who preaches Saturday night, while I preach Sundays. My understanding is you are basically creating a church within a church, which eventually leads to problems in the future. I am trying to stay open to this possibility somewhere down the road, if absolutely necessary, but for now I am committed to building and protecting our unity.
(OK, I'll admit it I also am kind of a "Lord's Day" guy. I am not real fond of catering to the convenience of our consumeristic culture. Don't tell anybody.)
So the plan is to do a third service on Sunday. Morning or evening? I'll share my thoughts after I hear some of yours.
Many here at Grace, SLO had an opportunity to meet our Adult Ministries Pastor candidate, Steve Leonard, in Growth Groups and/or to hear him teach in the College Ministry this last Sunday. Between now and the Elder's meeting on Thursday, we are inviting you to share your thoughts, comments and feedback about Steve. You are welcome to leave comments here at "life together" or email me directly. I have heard only positive feedback thus far. Steve and Lisa are excited about the possibilities of serving the Lord and His people here at Grace!
After a long and very slow search, we are pleased to present a candidate for our Adult Ministries Pastor Position at Grace Church, SLO. . . . Steve Leonard. Steve and I served together for a short time at the Evangelical Free Church of Laguna Hills a few years back. Since that time, we have kept in touch and developed a stimulating friendship. Steve and his family spent a weekend here with our Elders and staff in March. After thorough conversation with Steve and an extensive check of his references, the Elders believe that Steve will make an excellent addition to our staff.
Steve will be visting a variety of Growth Groups this week and also teaching in the College Group this Sunday, April 17th. At least a couple of other Adult Bible Fellowships will be joining the College Group to hear Steve open God's Word. You are also welcome. We hope many will have an opportunity to meet Steve, his wife Lisa and their two sons this week while they are here.
If you would like a copy of our position profile/job description and Steve's resume, please contact my assistant, Debbie Johnston at debbiej@graceslo.org. Your feedback is welcome and invited as we together seek the Lord in these matters.
Pastor Tim
One of the things I enjoy most about World Magazine is their sharp and insightful editorial staff including Gene Edward Veith, Marvin Olasky and Joel Belz. Here are 3 more recent (and brief) articles that I think are worth reading. . . .
1. Conformity Enforcers: some interesting statistics about university professors and their political views compared to the general public . . . relevant for our own college town environment. . . how would Cal Poly, SLO compare?
2. Strangers & Pilgrims: an intersting interview with a PCA pastor named Glen Parkinson about the power and impact of living the gospel in a hostile world instead of campaigning and waging cultural warfare. . . . our struggle is not against flesh and blood. . . .
3. Exiles and Patriots: this one is obviously a follow up to #2 above and the two should be read together. . . . Olasky argues Christians would do well to compare themselves to exhiled Israel instead of national Israel. . . . this resonates with me. . .. the U.S. is not the Holy Land. . . may we be faithful Daniels in our own generation.
If you only have time to read one, read the third one. I would love to hear (read) your thoughts.
Perhaps you've noticed on the list of "Other Blogs and Sites" on the right, the link to World Magazine Blog.
World Magazine is a weekly news periodical (ala Time, Newsweek) published from the perspective of a Biblical worldview. They also publish a blog. I subscribe and read World Magazine and recommend both the mag and blog to you. I just read this article about the value of classical music in this week's issue and discovered it was available online. Check it out. . .
Timeless Music
What style music do you listen to?
Sadly, I have no formal music training, but have learned to enjoy a wide range of styles, including classical. I have been pleasantly surprised at the availability of live classical music here on the Central Coast.
By the way. . . .Grace Church, SLO is privileged to be hosting a couple of events of this summer's 35th Annual San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. (Unfortunately, these events are a bit pricey!) This is one more way we are trying use our facilities to serve our community. After all, music is God's thing!
I mentioned my Monday "delightful exhaustion" in yesterday's message. I received this from dear Liz Cardenas and it made me laugh. (This is in no way an encouragement to put me on your email joke list!)
TEN things to say when caught sleeping @ your desk!
10. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."
9. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to!"
8. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."
7. "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new business strategy."
6. "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."
5. "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminatory toward people who practice Yoga?"
4. "Darn! Why did you int! errupt me? I had almost figured out how to handle that big accounting problem."
3. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?"
2. "Who put decaf in the wrong pot?!?"
AND THE NUMBER ONE best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk........
1. Raise your head slowly and say,
"...in Jesus name, Amen."
Gorgeous day and a wonderful experience with the Lord's people hearing the Lord's Word and partaking of the Lord's Table yesterday. Message title was "What Will Heaven Be Like?" and centered on Revelation 21:1-22:5. We noticed 5 things about heaven in this text. . . .
1. Heaven will be a place of God's Presence.
2. Heaven will be a place of Joy.
3. Heaven will be a place of Matter.
4. Heaven will be a place of Relationships.
5. Heaven will be a place of Activity.
Sermon Audio should be posted by Tuesday morning at http://www.graceslo.org/grow/mp3/
We tried to use the Lord's Table to look forward to our promised heavenly feast with Jesus ala Matthew 26:29. . .
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.
I hope you enjoyed our time together as much as I did yesterday! What was new or fresh for you in our study? How was your imagination fueled by our study of God's Word? What kinds of thoughts came up in your Growth Group?
The second service was pretty full again yesterday. As I have hinted earlier, we are actively considering the possibility of a third worship service this coming Fall. I would love to know your thoughts about that. Let's get some dialogue going. In the meantime, there is room in the first hour and if you are able to adjust your worship time, we would encourage you to do so.
We also hosted our Spring Welcome Lunch after the second hour yesterday. How encouraging! We had 22 new folks at Grace join us for lunch. It was neat to see them take a step beyond the "porch" (Worship Service) into life at Grace. They felt welcomed, excited about the church and eager to get involved. I met more than 3 families who were invited to Grace by others in our church family. It fired me up that our people are excited about inviting their friends, neighbors and family. Many thanks to David and Dede Leece for their preparation of the tasty lunch and to our Greeting Team for their warm hosting.
There continues to be lots and lots of new faces here at Grace! We can't let up. . . . we've got to keep working hard to warmly welcome folks who darken our doors. . . . in our services and in the courtyard between services. Invite someone new over for dinner or out to lunch after church. Actively look for new faces. Reach out a hand and say hello. Refuse to settle in to your comfortable group of friends. Let's BE the church practicing hosptiality to strangers in obedience to the Lord. . .
Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. --Hebrews 13:1
All in all, a wonderful, encouraging, exhausting Lord's Day!
Today's Tribune had an article in the Personal Tech section entitled "Google adds satellite maps to searches." Pretty neat stuff. Can you find Grace on the satellite photo below?
Google Maps - San Luis Obispo,CA
Hint: Find Mitchell Park with the big "x" in the middle. Grace is across the street in the northwest direction. Peach and gray roofs.
And its another BOY (which makes 2 of each. . . nice symmetry and convenient room sharing). We're giving thanks with joy. Susie is feeling much better and should be coming back around. I sure have missed her. We have appreciated the care and prayers from so many here at Grace Church, SLO.
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:16-18
As we are thinking of heaven together, C.S. Lewis' famous sermon, "The Weight of Glory", is defnintely worth a read. Here's a quote releated to our longing for heaven. . . .
In speaking of this desire for our own faroff country, which we find in ourselves even now, I feel a certain shyness. I am almost committing an indecency. I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each one of you—the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling it names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence; the secret also which pierces with such sweetness that when, in very intimate conversation, the mention of it becomes imminent, we grow awkward and affect to laugh at ourselves; the secret we cannot hide and cannot tell, though we desire to do both. We cannot tell it because it is a desire for something that has never actually appeared in our experience. We cannot hide it because our experience is constantly suggesting it, and we betray ourselves like lovers at the mention of a name. Our commonest expedient is to call it beauty and behave as if that had settled the matter. Wordsworth’s expedient was to identify it with certain moments in his own past. But all this is a cheat. If Wordsworth had gone back to those moments in the past, he would not have found the thing itself, but only the reminder of it; what he remembered would turn out to be itself a remembering. The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things—the beauty, the memory of our own past—are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.
Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but remember your fairy tales. Spells are used for breaking enchantments as well as for inducing them. And you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly a hundred years. Almost our whole education has been directed to silencing this shy, persistent, inner voice; almost all our modem philosophies have been devised to convince us that the good of man is to be found on this earth. And yet it is a remarkable thing that such philosophies of Progress or Creative Evolution themselves bear reluctant witness to the truth that our real goal is elsewhere. When they want to convince you that earth is your home, notice how they set about it. They begin by trying to persuade you that earth can be made into heaven, thus giving a sop to your sense of exile in earth as it is. Next, they tell you that this fortunate event is still a good way off in the future, thus giving a sop to your knowledge that the fatherland is not here and now. . . . Do what they will, then, we remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy.
Here's a link to a PDF version whole essay. . . .enjoy!
The Weight of Glory
As part of our 4 part Heaven series, in cooperation with 40+ other Central Coast Churches, we have been encouraging folks in our congregation to purchase and read the book entitled Heaven by Randy Alcorn. 
If you are reading Heaven, what are your thoughts and reactions?
Randy bases much of his thought and theology about heaven on the principle of "Redemptive Continuity" (pgs. 111-113). . .
Conversion does not mean eliminating the old but transforming it. Despite the radical changes that occur through salvation, death and resurrection, we remain who we are. We have the same history, appearance, memory, interests and skills. This is the principle of redemptive continuity. God will not scrap his original creation and start over. Instead, He will take his fallen, corrupted children and restore, refresh and renew us to our original design.
Not only us, but the creation too. Alcorn goes on to quote Herman Bavinck. . .
"God's honor consists precisely in the fact that He redeems and renews the same humanity, the same world, the same Heaven, the same earth that have been corrupted and polluted by sin. Just as anyone in Christ is a new creation in whom the old has passed away and everything has become new (2 Corinthians 5:17), so this world passes away in its present form as well, in order out of its womb, at God's word of power, to give birth and being to a new world."
Just like us, the New Earth will still be Earth, but a changed Earth. This is new for me, but it makes sense. This idea seems to account for much Biblical language. It puts together several loose end pieces.
What do you think? I have had a few people object to some of the ideas of Randy's book, but I haven't heard specifics. Do you have objections? What are they? Let's get a little heaven dialogue going over the next few weeks.
What other new or fresh ideas have you discovered in your study of heaven?
It's harder for me to take vacation in this third year at Grace, SLO than it was the first two years. This scares me a bit and it scares Susie a lot. Here are some reflections. . . . things I am thinking about on this first Monday back:
Family Time: We had a great time as a family this week. . . going miniature golfing, going to the beach, playing games, watching movies, riding bikes, hanging out. Susie and I had a chance to go on a date (thanks Vallieres). Daily life is demanding. I miss out on so much in the grind. Taking work off the radar allowed me to savor these precious ones.
Unplugged: The Theule Family is very WIRED. It was hard for all of us to turn off that computer and stay away. The internet is such a great tool, but it's very valuable to unplug and disconnect once in a while. I think we need to be more disciplined in this area as a family. I love the dialogue that email and blogging makes possible, but I get pretty tied into it.
Renewed Perspective: None of us is near as important as we think we are. It's true, we are very important to those closest to us, but beyond that none of us is indispensable. Our significance comes from our identity in Christ, not from what we do or how we perform. Grace Church, SLO doesn't need Tim Theule. The Central Coast doesn't know or care who Tim Theule is. God doesn't need me. I need to be reminded of these realities. Stepping away from it all forces me to come to grips with these facts once more in a very real way. It (hopefully) enables me to come back and serve again joyfully, faithfully and sacrificially. . . to do my very small part in my generation to advance the kingdom of God here on the Central Coast.
Rebalance: This first quarter of 05 has been a challenge. Susie has been not been feeling well in the first tri-mester of her 4th pregnancy. Everything has been a little out of wack. The vacation has given us a chance to take a breather and look ahead to what hopefully will be a more balanced Spring. One area I am going to try and work on again is my need for regular exercise. I had a chance to get on my mountain bike again this last week. It felt great. Somehow this has got to be a priority. Ministry is never done, so I need to walk away. I do a pretty good job of taking my days off every week, but I could do a better job integrating exercise during the week.
Refocus: Easter week is intense. It is so good to get away immediately afterward. There is lots happening at Grace these days. I need to rest and rejuvenate just to keep up with it all. Spring is going to be great! I love the long days and the warmer weather. Glancing at the calendar, I see Mexico dinners, baptisms, child dedications and picnics on the horizon. I think I am ready to go again. By God's grace, let's enjoy. . . . .
Life Together.
Christ the Lord is risen today! Three great Easter services at Grace, SLO this morning!
Our family is taking a week vacation which will involve a total media blackout. . . .no phones, no computer and no blogs. So life together will officially be on break until Monday, April 4. Have a great week!
As we come upon Easter weekend, it's a good time to reflect upon and review the historical evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Check out some of these great articles by Willaim Lane Craig. . . .
William Lane Craig Articles: Historical Jesus
Craig is a Prof and Apologist at Talbot School of Theology, where I went to seminary.
If Jesus Christ didn't rise from the dead, then Christianity isn't true and it doesn't work. . . . we are of all men most to be pitied!
I encouraged you to read it before the Good Friday Service. I thought I would make it easy for you. Here it is, NAS version. Here is the basis of our "life together". . .
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest.
Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them.
To You they cried out and were delivered; in You they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people.
All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
“Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;
They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance.
Deliver my soul from the sword, my only life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth; from the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You.
For the kingdom is the LORD’S and He rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
Posterity will serve Him; it will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed it.
Its true. Blogging is a crazy thing. You never know who is reading. I received the following email yesterday from Steven Smith, the webmaster over at Crossway Bibles, publisher of the ESV, in response to my Hymnals & Pew Bibles Series (keep reading below). He, like me, likes the open diaolgue we're having. Thanks for logging in Steven. . . . Oh and yea, I'll take a look at that complementary pew Bible you mentioned. . . .
Tim,
I’m the webmaster for Crossway Bibles, which publishes the ESV. I’ve read your ongoing Hymnals and Pew Bibles saga on your blog, and I want to let you know that if you have any questions about the ESV I’d be happy to answer them for you.
Some of your commenters have hit the nail on the head about why we like the ESV--that it is “word for word” accurate but retains the literary character of the King James. It’s not as tough to understand as a strictly literal translation might be. Obviously, we think it strikes the best balance between accuracy and readability, but we recognize that people prefer other translations--and in fact we think that’s great.
As to the cost issue, one of the commenters mentioned that we sell the ESV pew edition for $6.90 each if you buy them in packs of 24, which you might do if you’re planning to give them away.
Finally, the ESV’s popularity in the marketplace is something we grapple with. All I can say about that is that sales are growing strongly--they were up 114% over the last year. Obviously that growth comes off a small base, but we’re hoping to sustain the growth.
If there’s anything I can do to help you with your decision, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I would be happy to send you a free copy of the pew edition so you can examine it.
Finally, I want you to know that we plan to start an ESV blog in the near future, and this blog entry (#5) is one I’d like to link to. Even if you decide not to pursue the ESV, I think the discussion is valuable for visitors to our site to know about. A lot of churches are going through the decisions you’re facing; you’re just doing it in the open.
Stephen Smith
Webmaster
Good News / Crossway
ssmith@gnpcb.org
The GraceSLO Mission's Blog is starting to work! Check recent posts from the Mocks, Rob Gunn and the boys in Nigeria.
Where are the rest of the those Grace missionaries and how do we get them blogging?
Now we are getting some good dialogue going!
I had a great conversation with Dave McShea last night about Bible translation. Yesterday, I also encountered a great example of how Bible translation can impact the meaning of the text in my preparation for Good Friday. Let me show you. . .
I am working on Psalm 22, which is truly an amazing text. (Take a look before Friday!) The passage can be neatly divided into two sections: 1. A Cry of Agony in 1-21, and 2. A Cry of Victory in 22-31. I'm convinced there is a significant turning point, a shift, a transition at the end of verse 21, but not all English translations show it. Consider the four English versions we've mentioned. . . .
New American Standard (NAS): Psa. 22:21 Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
New King James Version (NKJV): Psa. 22:21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.
New International Version (NIV): Psa. 22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
English Standard Version (ESV): Psa. 22:21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
Do you see the difference? James Montgomery Boice says this in his commentary on the Psalms:
The climax of the first part of Psalm 22 and the turning point between part one and part two comes in verses 19-21, as the suffering Savior finds his communion with God restrored. . . . The verb translated "save me" (in v. 21) literally means "you have heard," and it is held to the end so that the final couplet should actually read
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions,
from the horns of the wild oxen. You have heard me!
This is a cry of triumph, not despair. It marks the moment at which the period of darkness passess and Jesus, having sufferend a true alienation from the Father as a punishment for our sins, becomes aware of God's presence and favor again.
So, the NAS and NKJV both capture this idea, whereas the NIV and ESV both miss it. In the NIV verse 21 looks like a continuing cry for help rather than a recognition that God's presence has come. The ESV is better, but still not as good as the NAS or NKJV. In fact, I think I like the punctuation of the NKJV best.
Now this is not a huge deal, but I show it to you just to illustrate the fact that interpreation is always happening with translation. (Note, this is not a textual variant issue, but a translation issue.) I thought it was interesting that this came up yesterday as we have been discussing these issues. Personally, I buy Boice's argument!
Do you get it?
Earlier posts have established that Grace is committed to purchasing new pew Bibles and to giving them away as needed. We want to be "missional" in this way, posturing ourselves toward the unchurched and helping them enter in.
The outstanding question is, "Which version?"
The New International Version (NIV) is far and away the most popular. It's the version that's in our pews now. It's a good and useful translation. Why not just go with it?
Different versions are based on different theories of translation. The NIV is a "concept for concept" translation, rather than a "word for word" translation. The intent is to make the Bible more readable and English friendly.
I prefer an English translation that is as close to the original Greek as possible. I prefer a "word for word" translation. Why? Do the individual words matter that much?
Jesus said. . . Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. --Matthew 5:17-18 (Listen to the sermon!)
The smallest letter and punctuation mark mattered to Jesus, not just the concepts. They should matter to us, too.
The Apostle Paul said . . . All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; --2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture, not just the concepts or ideas of Scripture. I believe that inspiration (and inerrancy) extends to the very words of Scripture.
Whenever we translate from one language to anotother, there is interpretation that happens, but I believe that interpretation is minimized with a "word for word" translation. I desire as accurate an English version as I can get my hands on, even if its more wooden and less readable. (I am not saying that the NIV and paraphrase translations are worthless. Please don't hear that! I am not bashing the NIV. Rather, I am sharing why I don't prefer the NIV as a choice for our pew Bibles.)
I currently preach from the New American Standard Version, updated edition. I do so because it is an excellent "word for word" translation, but also because I have used it since I was a child. I have memorized a ton of Scripture from the NAS. Its what I know and love. (OK, so this is personal and emotional.) Since I arrived, many folks have followed my lead and gone out and purchased their own NAS Bibles. I haven't asked them to do it, but they've done it on their own. The NAS would be an easy and natural choice for a pew Bible.
I have been intrigued by the introduction of the new English Standard Version (ESV). Along with others, John Piper has switched over and has communicated his commitment to the ESV (Worthwhile read!). The ESV is also a modern "word for word" translation. It's not as familiar to me, but I could live with it. If I thought the ESV was the hot new translation that is on its way to becoming the standard English translation, I would not hesitate to switch over and purchase ESV Pew Bibles. But from what I hear, the ESV is not yet really catching on. Steve Potratz, at the Parable, informs me sales have not been great. I also understand that there is not yet an affordable ESV pew bible available. Not yet.
So because of my personal investment and other's investment in the NAS, it is difficult to justify a move to the ESV for Grace Church, SLO. Once more I find myself swimming against the tide of our culture. (I don't think that's a personality thing, but I could be wrong.) Its a big decision and a significant financial investment. I would love somebody to convince me that the ESV is the way to go. Anybody want to try? At this point, I'm still leaning in the NAS direction. Your comments and convincing are welcome.
NAS or ESV? Any New King James folks out there?
We'll leave the forum open for a week!
We had the privilege of having Jana Alayra and her band with us here at Grace Church, SLO last evening. What a fun evening of ministry to kids and young families! Jana does an excellent job involving the audience and even got moms and dads involved throughout the evening. I appreciate how Jana's music is so grounded in Scripture and Biblical truth. My own children had a blast!
In an attempt to try and determine who is reading life together and also evaluate the value of an event like this in the future, I want to encourage you to leave a feedback comment about the Jana Alayra Concert. Can you take a couple of minutes now?
• Should we have Jana back? How soon?
• Should we do other events like this at Grace Church, SLO?
• Would you invite others to experience Jana if we were to have her back?
• Was the ticket price reasonable and worthwhile?
• What did you like and dislike about the evening?
• Any other suggestions or comments?
Many thanks to Pastor Al, Children's Director Dori Iunker, and Ted and Penny Malley for the their hard work in organizing and hosting this neat event. Thanks also to Evan Chechopoulos, David and Dede Leece, our Usher Team, and our Boy Scout Troup for their help and involvement last evening.
I had a neat time with the High School and Junior High Youth Groups this last Wednesday. The evening was designed as a "Get to Know the Pastor" night. I came away encouraged by their heart-felt, God-centered worship and the many great questions that were asked. I shared pieces of my story, how I ended up in full-time vocational ministry, about my family, what movies I am watching, what books I am reading, and a bunch of other stuff.
I tried to leave them with the simple truth that there are basically two ways to live our lives. . .
We can live BY self FOR self
OR
We can live BY faith in Jesus and the Gospel FOR God.
We are right now, and every moment of our lives, living in one of these two ways. Each morning we wake up and we begin to live in one of these two ways. I think they heard it.
I hope your youth came home and shared even just a little bit about our sweet time together!
The longer I am here, the more I am getting know names and faces. I am so grateful for Pastor Ken and Judi Peet, Intern Steve & Nikki Dauphin, and the many adult staff who are faithfully investing their lives in the next generation. And I am so encouraged by the better integration I see happening between our youth group and the larger church body.
Shout Out to Grace Youth: You are such a valued and important part of Grace Church, SLO. We love you and give thanks for you. I'll see you in church on Sunday! (Will someone tell them they've been BLOGGED?)
I miss playing foosball!
Donny Valliere and Danny Edwards, two dear brothers and Grace, SLO congregants, have just set out for Nigeria for ten days or so. This week the Missions Team and Elder Team both had the privilege of laying hands on these men and praying for them as they step out in faith (ala Acts 13). Danny has posted a preview of their trip and few details on the Grace, SLO Mission's Blog. And they have promised to send some updates from the field. We'll post them when we get them.
We love these men and are excited about their obedience to the Great Commission!
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