CPC Pastor's Blog

Youth and Families Ministries this Fall at CPC - Excited yet?

2010-09-15T20:39:00.011-04:00

Excited about the Fall? I sure am. I love snow in the winter, spring fever and summer vacation, but there is something special about the first night air chill that make a fleece pull-over a necessity, MLB Baseball playoffs (next year, O's!), the start of NFL season (go Ravens!), not to mention my birthday is in the Fall!
There is also excitement about the Fall around CPC especially as it relates to ministry to our youth and their families. Ministries are coming off their summer break and the Potter's House is buzzing again with activity (they have to buzz around the Potter's House because the Ministry Center is a full blown construction site!).
Pioneer Girls and Christian Service Brigade My family just came home from the opening night of Pioneer Girls and Christian Service Brigade (CSB). They were pretty excited. On Wednesdays from now until the Spring guys and girls from elementary age through high school will be gathering hoping to be unhindered in their mission by the currently limited space on our church campus. My 4 girls and 2 boys have had many opportunities over the years to see mature men and women live out their faith while being instructed in activities like orienteering, cooking, firebuilding, rocket craft, sewing, archery, and tomahawk throwing (I'll let you figure out who does what!). I am grateful to those who serve Pioneer Girls and CSB for making Wednesdays special.
Revolution This week also marks the beginning of our high school and middle school group meetings. My two high schoolers are looking forward to Revolution on Thursday nights (each in their own particular way). I am excited for the start of Revolution as well, in part because I supervise Dan Halley and get to see the 'behind the scenes' planning . There are almost twice as many adult workers this year over last who have committed themselves to regularly gather with the high school group - several of them former youth at CPC! I am personally excited about the practical, interactive lessons that Dan is working on based on 1 Corinthians. The God who chose the foolish, weak and not noble things of this world has a lot in store for our young people, I'm sure.
SHINE My middle schooler is excited about SHINE starting on Friday night. Me too. I get to supervise Jeff Corbett in his role as pastoral intern as part of his studies at Reformed Theological Seminay. I know Jeff is excited to be able to serve alonside the SHINE crew that has faithfully served for the past several years as well as with a great set of middle school parents who served in the high school ministry when I first came to CPC. Our middle schoolers are in for a treat as they encounter all of Mrs. D's games and look at selected passages in the gospel of John to discover the wonder of a God who would take on flesh for the likes of us!
Sunday School Sunday wasn't about to be left out of the minstry to our young people. This past Sunday, Rob Craig highlighted the alternative to the Sunday School that starts up on 9/19 at 8:30am on the CPC campus. It is certainly praiseworthy that God has provided the teachers we needed to staff the various classes.
College-aged gathering We have tried off and on to offer something for our "college-aged" people at CPC (don't have to be enrolled to enjoy!). This Fall we're opening the Flora home on Sunday evenings (when we aren't having Lord's Supper services) for a discussion of various DVD series. First up - R.C. Sproul's 'The Holiness of God', probably followed by a worldview series similar to The Truth Project called "TrueU" - we'll have to see how things go.
UPWARD - nuff said...:-)
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the Fall. And many more reasons to be grateful to God that we can share this Fall together as a congregation.

The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakening - a video clip

2010-08-18T20:05:00.003-04:00

Greetings,

Perhaps this past Sunday's message on Nehemiah 1 and the need for us to urgently come before God for revival of His church in America, in Howard County, and in CPC took you a bit off guard on a warm, August morning. I urge you again to come join us for one hour of prayer this Sunday, August 22nd, in the basement of the Potter's House from 5:00 to 6:00p.m.

There is a link on YouTube that I think you will find very worth the 26 minutes it takes to watch it. It is a message given by J. Edwin Orr in 1976 at the Campus Crusade conference on prayer. In it he tells several true stories of what God did through American history in response to His people crying out to Him together in united and concerted prayer - how such gatherings literally changed the course of history. I have shown this video a dozen times to classes at seminaries and the effect is always powerful.

If at all possible, I urge you to watch or listen to it before Sunday 5:00 p.m. in order to motivate you and build your faith in what it is we are seeking to do.

Watch the video clip "The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakening" by clicking here

Thank you,

Pastor Allen

The Unadjusted Gospel: Harris Report on T4G

2010-05-08T16:21:00.002-04:00

The title of the conference that six of us staff went to on Apr 13-15 in Louisville, Ky, was The (Unadjusted) Gospel, referring to the many pressures to alter and adjust the Biblical gospel to fit our times and culture. The eight main speakers spoke of different facets of this.

Mark Dever: The Church Is the Gospel Made Visible
A healthy church displays the gospel in its life, as well as proclaiming it.
It displays the holiness, love, and authority of God. It displays people as redeemed sinners made in His image, who repent and believe the gospel. He spoke of a woman who looked at the Church as a pit of vipers. He said he agreed, but also saw the Church as the people who uniquely see themselves as a pit of vipers, and are being changed by God’s grace. It displays the unity and diversity of God’s people. I was particularly struck by his example of a Muslim nurse who was intrigued by young people visiting an 85 year old woman in her hospital—they evidently truly cared for her in a culture where generations mix less and less.
A healthy church takes risks because it believes the gospel to be true and compelling. He spoke of Jay, who ministers to Muslims in London. Both he and his wife expect him to be killed for his bold witness to them. But they are constrained to make Christ known because they believe the gospel that Jesus is the only way to Life.
I was moved by his point that our culture needs to see the gospel displayed in their world. And the Church living as God’s people makes the gospel visible to them, by its gracious forgiveness to one another, and its living inconvenient love.
I asked myself, How does CPC display the gospel to Howard Co in a way that gives credibility to the gospel we proclaim? Are unbelievers confused about what would cause such a diverse group as we are to live together in community, held together only by the glue of the gospel, and not our similarities of tastes, cultures, or ethnicity?

R.C. Sproul: Lessons in 50 Years of the Defense & Propagation of the Gospel
This was a powerful presentation of Francis Schaeffer’s thesis of a generation ago: the Church in America has lost its sense of antithesis. That refers to the fact that since the 19th century, philosophy and theology take an idea (thesis) and react with a contrasting idea (antithesis). Then someone will seek to accommodate the opposites to see truth in both and create a peacemaking synthesis. Which becomes the next generation’s thesis to react to, and so on.
So in our view of the Bible as God’s Word v simply man’s words. Or in sovereignty and free will, “resolved” in a limited God Who grows and accommodates to circumstances (“open theism”). Or in “Evangelicals and Catholics Together”, which finds a middle ground on many practical disagreements such as marriage, abortion, birth control, sacraments, morality. And imputation v infusion of Christ’s righteousness for salvation. The Roman Church has always taught that we are saved by an inherent righteousness worked in us to save us by grace. The Reformation was all about the fact that we are not saved by any righteousness in ourselves, but only the righteousness of Christ outside of us, which is credited to us, i.e. imputed to us as a legal declaration (which will always produce a hunger for righteousness that will be seen in a changed life).
The Church must not compromise by trying to seek peace with the Roman Church by finding a synthesis between inherent and imputed righteousness!
I will actually be preaching on this in May to help us to be clearer on this point which is often seen as a matter only for theologians to argue about, but of no great practical difference to the lay Christian. I will seek to demonstrate that it actually has very practical implications.

Al Mohler: How Does It Happen? Trajectories toward the Adjusted Gospel
He described 8, but gave the first couple in much more detail and unfortunately had to race through the last few far too quickly. They are
1. Modern trajectory: the gospel must be updated for our scientific, technological age.
2. Postmodern trajectory: preach gospel as if true, tho it is not in any transcendent way, simply because it is meaningful.
3. Moral trajectory: atonement is immoral divine child abuse, so tone it down
4. Aesthetic trajectory: do not preach certain texts because they are crude (eg: the cross)
5. Therapeutic trajectory: preacher as therapist to make you feel good, and recovering
6. Pragmatic trajectory: depend on managerial techniques for church growth
7. Emotional trajectory: preach to felt needs and what makes people feel good
8. Materialist trajectory: health & wealth gospel for immediate gratification
He finished with Romans 1:16: Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. Preaching against the tide is wearisome. It can only be done by deep conviction of the power of the unadjusted gospel.

There were five more messages, plus a testimony, but I don’t think you want them all summarized like I did the first three. Here is a list of the speakers and titles:

Thabiti Anyabwile: “Fine Sounding Arguments: How Wrongly Engaging the Culture Adjusts the Gospel

John McArthur: The Theology of Sleep from Mark 4

John Piper: Did Jesus Preach Paul’s Gospel?

Ligon Duncan: Did the [Patristic] Fathers Know the Gospel?

C.J. Mahanney: To Ordinary Pastors: a Charge from II Tim 4:1-5

(also a testimony to the sufficient grace of God by a pastor, Matt Chandler, who has brain cancer, and though a young man, with small children, could be dead in a year or two)

Let me conclude with simply some personal Harris Highlights:

• I shared how I was challenged to ask how CPC makes the gospel visible to Howard Co.? Do we display God’s character and the grace of the gospel in a way that makes visitors stop and take notice? Or people who have contact with us in other situations? I think some do, which raises another question. Dever said he struggles with what to do for people who visit for years but do not become members of the body, accountable to the elders. What responsibility do we have for such folks? They are seen as part of CPC.

• It was good to be reminded by John McArthur, from the parable of the farmer in Mark 4:26-29, that the power is in the seed, not the farmer. He simply faithfully sows the seed, then sleeps, and “the soil on its own/automatically (v28) bears fruit” in gradual growth of a full harvest. I need to rest more in the inherent power of the gospel, and the work of the Spirit, not my efforts. Diligence without anxiety.

• I found myself envious of some of the gifts of the men who preached so powerfully and with such insight. I was convicted that I wanted to be seen as them, rather than to be as useful to my Lord as He has equipped me to be. The old problem of focusing on status rather than faithfulness. My heart is proud, and I saw that again. It was very humbling.

• C.J. Mahanney, who is an amazing man, spoke directly to this at the last session of the conference: the temptation to compare ourselves with superstars, and be discontent. He spoke on Paul’s charge to Timothy from II Timothy 4:1-5. Points that especially challenged or convicted me: preach the revealed gospel with clarity and total unoriginality—with complete patience (v2). I am not a patient person. And as he said, it is tested every day. How I need to daily remember God’s patience with me! How I try His patience! He is patient with the years it takes me to really see my heart and change. Yet I expect others to change immediately. It caused me to love my God Who is so patient with my dull heart and stubborn will.

There are many other things that could be said, but I do not want to try your patience. Thank you for sending us. We will try to be more faithful to the charge that has been given us to proclaim and live out the unadjusted gospel, which IS the power of God to salvation. Here at CPC and everywhere the Name of Christ is proclaimed. Hallelujah!

Pastor Allen

Intergenerational Prayer - Try It Some Time!

2010-05-07T12:00:00.004-04:00

Just last night we hosted a low-key National Day of Prayer event at CPC. With all that is going on in the nation at this time, I needed refreshment in the Truth that God is in control of His world. As I look back on the time we spent together the more encouraged I am about the outlook for our community, both locally and nationally.
Of the twenty-three people that gathered to pray, there were 16 people over 18 yrs and 7 people under 18 yrs. old. Two of the older people had recently turned 18 so they kind of count with the 'younger group'. :-)

Dan Halley led the event that we ended up calling 'PRAY and play'.

Our prayer time was segmented into six categories. We began with our focus directed to the God who hears the cries of His children - His sovereignty, omnipotence, goodness, faithfulness, etc. In the safety of His presence and with the promises of Christ in view we moved to the second segment titled simply 'personal' where participants (young and older alike) confessed sin and pleaded the mercy of God. Then we interceded for various needs: those of our local church (transition - both staff and facility were in view, but also the need for all our ministries to be saturated with the good news of Christ crucified, buried and raised for sinners), our local community (schools, work, outreach opportunities), our nation (the executive, legislative and judicial branches our of government), and finally we prayed with a global emphasis (praying for the persecuted church and various missionary efforts).

After the time of prayer about 3/4 of us moved upstairs to the gym where some enjoyed informal conversations while others played a very serious volleyball tournament. One team actually one 2 out of the 3 games and they were very happy about that, but wouldn't dream of taking the opportunity like a pastor's blog to gloat over the wins. :-)

I wanted to write and convey some of my encouragement by being a part of this event. My heart was gladdened by participating in the time of prayer with my generation as well as the next generation. Being in the same room with those who will likely see more of the fruit of our prayers in the years to come than I will, I was challenged to pray more fervently for the nation and to plead with God to bring about renewal and revival.
I trust we will do something similar to this again. If we do, I will look for you there. Hopefully, we won't wait until the next annual Day of Prayer!
Pastor Tim

When in Doubt, Ask a Question!

2010-05-06T16:52:00.002-04:00

Two people have come to me about last Sunday's sermon to ask the same question: I seem to get stuck knowing what to say to friends when they express a personal need or heavy spiritual comment. How do I get the conversation to the cross?

I realized I should have been clearer on my second tip in talking about the cross. I said, Do not rush too quickly to talk about the cross. Get the person in touch with their need for a Savior before you tell about His radical offering.

The key: ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS!

Eg: a person has cancer. You want to share Christ. But they have not indicated any interest in the Gospel. Ask a question like, "So how has this cancer affected your spiritual life? Do you ever go to church? How has it affected your relationship with God? Has it raised Qs for you about Him or His involvement in your life?
How has it changed your view of life?"

On and on. Each response elicits another question. Probe their heart so they know you are truly listening and caring. At some point it will seem natural to talk about a God Who suffered death for us because He cared about us that much.

So in any conversation where a person goes to a deeper level that seems to invite a bold and caring initiation into sharing Jesus and the cross, if in doubt about what to say, ask a question! The more you ask questions, the easier it will become. And the more questions you ask, the easier sharing Christ and His cross will become.

So thanks for making me clarify that.
Pastor Allen

Together 4 The Gospel

2010-04-21T11:01:00.004-04:00

As Allen and Tim have already mentioned I too want to thank you for sending the staff to the Together 4 the Gospel conference.

For those of you unfamiliar with the conference this is a conference that meets every other year in Louisville, Kentucky. There are a group of four men (thus the play on 4 in the name) who have put together a program to encourage and bless pastors of local churches. The four men are Mark Dever, Albert Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and CJ Mahaney. They each invite another speaker to present a message, so that we have eight messages from top church leaders. This year the additional speakers were; John MacArthur, John Piper, RC Sproul, and Thabiti Anyabwile. The four who put this conference on do so to: bless local pastors through the messages they give; gathering thousands of pastors and church leaders (this year there were about 7,000 in attendance) for fellowship with each other; and by providing several hundred dollars worth of free, good books to everyone who registers for the conference. On top of those things, just getting away as a staff team for time to build our relationships was very helpful. We were able to talk and plan ministry without the immediate daily pressures of shepherding the congregation. (Huge thanks to the administrative team who stayed behind and the elders who were here to shepherd the flock in our absence.)

This year the theme of the conference was the "Unadjusted Gospel." We were encouraged with the power of the pure gospel (Romans 1:16) and reminded of the calling we have as both believers and as leaders to live in the power of that pure gospel. The speakers addressed issues such as: the church's role in living out and displaying the gospel to the world (Ephesians 3:10); types of pressure to adjust the gospel (modern and postmodern worldviews, aesthetic pressures, therapeutic pressures, pragmatic pressures, etc.); what they had learned in 50 years of ministry; and several other topics.

Being with thousands of local pastors was a tremendous encouragement to me personally. There were thousands of young men who are serving local churches, and committed to keep the gospel clear and to present the truths of Scripture to their congregations week in and week out. I loved the messages and being encouraged to both remember and hold to the gospel by the speakers. Along with that reminder, the interaction with our staff team and with other pastors who were thinking through how to apply what we heard to our situations particularly was powerful. I believe the investment you made as a church will bear great rewards for CPC and for Howard County. Thank you.

Steve

News from Session

2010-03-25T15:33:00.001-04:00

March 25, 2010

Brothers and Sisters,

Session has been discussing for some time now how best to provide the Lord’s Supper for our congregation. We have had a subcommittee that has been looking in to questions regarding scheduling the Lord’s Supper and also how to encourage the most people to participate in this means of grace. We want to make the means of grace (the Word, prayer, the sacraments, and fellowship)as available as we can to all the people who call CPC their church home.

As a result of this desire we have looked at when we can celebrate communion. After much discussion and deliberation Session approved the subcommittee’s recommendation that we celebrate communion in the morning service four times a year, and at a monthly evening service the other eight months of the year. We considered the pros and cons for the various time slots we have for celebrating the Lord’s Supper , and we concluded that the best decision overall is to have the communion service in the mornings when we do not have Middle Hour classes and Sunday School and keeping the service in the evening on those months when we do have classes between the services.

That means that we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the morning services on the first Sundays in January, July, August, and September. We will hold evening services February, March, April, May, June, October, November, and December.

One other thing to note is that this schedule is what we have planned for while we are in our own facility. We are aware that there are restrictions on food in the school buildings. That means we will have to be flexible with our scheduling the Lord’s Supper while we are off site and renting space for worship. We know you will be adaptable to the circumstances in which we find ourselves as we move off site.

Steve, on behalf of the elders

God's sovereignty - man's responsibility

2010-03-19T15:34:00.003-04:00

How can it be possible that God is absolutely sovereign over the affairs of all of His creation and also that we are completely responsible for our every action? Puzzling? Yes. Confusing? Sometimes, sure. Contradiction (and therefore not true)? Not at all.
This past Sunday, Allen laid out the case for both these truths from Scripture. The betrayal of Jesus Christ by one of his twelve disciples, Judas, is one of those historical events that causes us to pause and contemplate God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Matthew records Jesus' sobering words highlighting these two truths: "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him , but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! It would be better for that man if he had not been born." Here we clearly see the death of Christ as predetermined by a sovereign God and also the sobering reality that Judas, the betrayer, is held responsible for his actions leading to Christ's death. Several other passages point this out as well (see Luke 22:22;Acts 2:22-24, 4:27-28).
Maybe you are like several in our fellowship grappling with these doctrines. At the end of both services, I recommended a little booklet written by John Piper entitled History's Most Spectacular Sin . We ran out of the booklets (a good thing, right? except if you wanted one!) on Sunday. By clicking on the booklet title in the above sentence (if I have done the link correctly) you should be re-directed to the Desiring God Ministries website where the .pdf of the booklet is available for you to read in its entirety.
I wanted to get this information to you before Sunday, because Allen is preaching from Matthew 27 a sermon entitled, Judas: II - The Downfall of Judas Iscariot. So the topic is still before us!
As the Lord deepens our understanding of His absolute sovereignty and our responsibility, may the conviction of our sin lead us to find comfort in the completed work of His Son on our behalf.
The discovery of these wonderful truths is best accomplished in fellowship.
Looking forward to our fellowship together in His presence.
Pastor Tim

American Idol - Where the Self-Esteem Movement Meets Simon Cowell | CCEF

2010-03-19T14:11:00.001-04:00

American Idol - Where the Self-Esteem Movement Meets Simon Cowell | CCEF

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Knowing Jesus is Communal

2010-03-17T21:38:00.005-04:00

Knowing Jesus is Communal

The following concept is original to and is largely from Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God. I hope you will find these ideas on community stimulating and inspiring. Enjoy.

We live in a culture in which the interests and desires of the individual take precedence over those of the family, group, or community. As a result, a high percentage of people want to achieve spiritual growth without losing their independence to a church or to any organized institution. This is often the meaning behind many of those who say “I am spiritual, but not religious” and “I like Jesus, but not Christianity.” Many people who are spiritually searching have had bad experiences with churches and because of that they often do not want anything more to do with the church. Sadly, this interest is God stops at the thought level and is not put into actions because of the disinterest in having to be a part of an organization. Churches can be very unpleasant because they are filled with Pharisees and other unpleasant sinners. Yet staying away from churches just because they have self-righteous people in them is just another form of self-righteousness.
You cannot live the Christian life without a group of Christian friends, without a family of believer in which you find a place. C.S. Lewis was part of a well known circle of friends called the Inkings, which included J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the The Lord of the Rings, and also the author Charles Williams, who died unexpectedly after World War II. In his book The Four Loves, Lewis wrote a meditation on his death in an essay entitled “Friendship” found in his book The Four Loves.
Lewis wrote, “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles [Williams] is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald…In this, Friendship, exhibits a glorious “nearness by resemblance” to heaven itself where they very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each of us has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, in why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have”
Lewis is saying that it took a community to know an individual. How much more would this be true of Jesus Christ? Christians commonly say they want a relationship with Jesus and they want to “get to know Jesus better.” As Lewis writes, you will never be able to do that by yourself. You must deeply and genuinely involved in the church, in Christian community, with strong relationships of love and accountability. Only if you are part of a community of believers seeking to resemble, serve, and love Jesus will you ever get to know Him and grow in His likeness (Keller 124-127).

Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves. Ireland: Harvest Books Press, 1960.
Keller, Timothy. The Prodigal God. New York, New York: Dutton, 2008.

Sunday's Sermon

2010-03-10T11:41:00.003-05:00

Just two clarifications:

1. In case you lost the forest for all the trees, if you boil it all down, Matt 24 is saying: Jesus gave a very detailed prophecy of an extremely unlikely event 40 years in the future (like me forecasting the destruction of Washington D.C. in the lifetime of many here, and saying that not one stone of the capitol building will be left on another, and it happens in 2050), and that event was the judgment of Israel for rejecting their Messiah. Then He says His Return will be some unknown time after that, but be ready, alert and hopeful, because just as surely as Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, so He WILL COME AGAIN! If you still are putting Jesus off, that is a warning; if you love Him, that is a promise.

So we DID have the lasanga Sunday evening. He did not come at 2pm. But He WILL come, and it could be any time. So cast aside your small ambitions that are tied to this world, and live for eternity. Live so that at His coming you have no regrets (well at least not major ones!).

2. Concenring the illustration from the movie, "Under Seige". It was brought to my attention after Sunday that there is a sleazy scene in that movie, which I either did not see, or totally forgot. In any case, while the scene I reported makes a vivid point, I cannot recommend the movie for viewing.

SO live this week in the light of His Coming.
Allen

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

2010-03-10T11:06:00.004-05:00

Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death -- to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

-If you grasped these things wth your whole heart, how would it affect the way you handle suffering?

Worship Wise (Whys) - Music Resources at CPC

2010-03-05T20:54:00.010-05:00

"I loved that new song today. Where did you first hear it?"

I have heard that comment several times over the years as a part of my responsibility as Worship and Families Pastor at CPC (I have heard other comments too, but I will have to write about those later!).

I want to take the opportunity to introduce several resources to you and invite you to introduce your favorite worship resources to me too!

Over the next couple of weeks, I want to:

1. Highlight new music
2. Describe some of the why behind songs we employ at CPC.
3. Point you to the place on the internet where you can hear samples and even purchase some of the music if you desire. (clicking on the links below should direct you to the particular album)

One of my favorite music resources is Sovereign Grace Music.

Their home page reads: 'Sound + Doctrine: 20 years of providing songs for the local church'. Over the years CPC worship leaders have discovered and presented songs like I Stand in Awe, How Great is Your Love (you might call it 'How High and How Wide' in your house), How Deep the Father's Love for Us and Before the Throne of God Above.

In recent years, we have introduced a host of new songs from the creative artists at Sovereign Grace.

In 2003, they released an album of updated hymns - Upward: the Bob Kauflin Hymns Project. I enjoy singing and playing Come Now Almighty King (the instrumentation reminds me of the computer game, The Hobbit) and the beautiful rendention of Hallelujah, What a Savior. This album also contains a different (more mellow) version of the classic hymn, A Debtor to Mercy Alone.

Their 2004 album, The Cross-Centered Life was written to exalt with song in the finished work of Jesus on the cross for sinners like you and me. The lyrics give us opportunity to marvel together as a congregation at the gift of God's amazing grace. I love the simple way in which the substitutionary atonement of Christ is presented in The Gospel Song. Just about every one of the songs on this album are 'keepers'.

I would love to have more of their 2006 Christmas album, Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man in CPC's corporate repertoire, but Hope Has Come will have to suffice for now. I think Sleep Jesus Sleep has become one of my favorite Christmas tunes of recent years.

In 2008, SGM released Come Weary Saints and Psalms. When I am in need of a reminder of God's sovereign goodness (which is frequently), I pull out the guitar and worship Him with As Long as You Are Glorified and Bob Kauflin's reworking of Oh the Deep Deep Love. The Psalms set to music help my heart to connect to the One who knows my inner struggles. Out of the Depths, Blessed Is the One and The Lord Is cause my focus to be brought back to Him who loved me and gave Himself for me.

The latest release, Sons and Daughters emphasizes our adoption into the family of God and the inheritance we have in Christ. I have enjoyed hearing more and more of my CPC family rejoicing together singing The Father's Love and Completely Done in corporate worship.

I have been given the privilege to prepare the order of worship for our weekly gatherings. Please continue to pray for me as I seek to construct services that primarily present Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-3).

Pastor Tim

Time in Portland

2010-03-04T12:45:00.002-05:00

I am a week away from another trip to Oregon. Our transition into the next phase of our ministry is becoming more and more real. This is bittersweet for me.

God has been very busy in our time here in Columbia. You are sending away a much better man that you received 21 years ago. God has done His work in me, and in my family, largely through your ministry to us over these years. Thank you for how He has used you in this. It is hard to leave those whom God has used.

Yet, we go to the ministry God is clearly calling us to undertake. We are excited about what He is already doing to lay the foundation for our next ministry. I am going to teach a seminar on Marriage next week in Eugene, Oregon, and a seminar on Relationships the following week in Vancouver, WA. Reports are that the seminars are going to be well attended and that folks are excited to come to hear how the gospel shapes our marriages and relationships. I enjoy helping folks see the gospel in the day to day reality of their lives!

Please pray for my family while I am away. They will be very busy, and if they miss me in their busy-ness it will likely be for what they are covering for me instead of my cheerful personality.
I am so grateful for their willingness to take up the slack.

Once again, if you would like to get more regular updates on our transition, send me an e-mail at Steve@ImpactBiblicalCounseling.com and I will gladly put you on the list for our updates!

gratefully,
Steve

Seeing Christ in daily life: Gospel and the Heart

2010-02-22T12:01:00.002-05:00

Many years ago Allen, John Lyons, and I went up to visit Redeemer PCA in Manhattan to learn more about how they were running their small group ministry. We met with several of their pastors, and heard Tim Keller as he led a meeting with his ministry leaders.

I believe the most significant aspect of that trip for Columbia Presbyterian was learning about the study of Galatians that they had recently prepared for their group leaders. Pastor Keller had preached through the book (an excellent series!!) and had prepared a study on the book for his group leaders. He had also prepared a study for the congregation that he called Gospel and the Heart. We adapted his study and began running a weekend seminar by the same name. We have offered this seminar every year since that time.

We are drawing close to the time for this seminar. Once again we will spend time looking at how we live by the power of the gospel in the reality of our day to day lives. If you are newer to CPC and have never taken this seminar, I strongly encourage you to register. If you took this seminar years ago, I encourage you to register for two reasons: to see how you have grown in your understanding and appreciation of the impact of the gospel on you daily, and more importantly because of how I have grown in my appreciation for the gospel. Quite frankly, this seminar has grown over the years because of how God has grown me, the teacher, in the riches of His gospel.

We are going to spend Friday evening looking at the two topics: what is the gospel? and how does my adoption into God's family transform my life? Saturday morning we will look at how the gospel frees me to live in faith and gospel power, what saps the gospel's power in my life, and lastly, living with hope beyond our circumstances.

Because of my move to Portland, Oregon this summer this will be the last scheduled time for me to teach this seminar. I hope you can join us to benefit from how God has been shaping me through the gospel for the past 21 years, and to grow in our love for God's gracious gift of redemption. If you have any questions about this seminar send me an e-mail at Steve@ColumbiaPres.org or call me at the office (410-730-6004).

Steve

Status Report on our transition to Portland

2010-02-17T10:39:00.004-05:00

I thought I would write a blog to bring you all up to date with how God is leading in our family's transition to our next ministry. Many of you have stopped me and asked what is going on and expressed your support for our family. I am very grateful for your friendship and support.

I realized this week as I was praying that this blog site is a great vehicle to keep you current with what God is doing as we prepare to launch Impact Biblical Counseling in the Portland area. I also want to help you to know how you can be praying for us in this transition.

One of the things I would like to do is provide regular prayer requests for anyone who would like to be part of our prayer team. I would like to provide up to date prayer requests (weekly?) to anyone who would commit to praying for us. If you are interested, simply send me an e-mail at: Steve@ImpactBiblicalCounseling.com and I will send out a weekly e-mail that gives you our current prayer requests.

In the meanwhile I would like to ask you to pray for us in three areas.

The first is that God will keep me focused on the responsibilities I have here at CPC. I am still fully engaged with the ministries here. I would love prayer for my work with the Building Executive Committee. I am pulling together a team of ministry leaders to plan for life when we move off site for Sunday ministries. Ask God to give us time to meet while we are all busy with the ministries we oversee. I would also love prayer for the Gospel and the Heart seminar on March 26-27.
Secondly, pray for us as we develop Impact Biblical Counseling and establish relationships with churches in the Portland area. I will be going to Oregon March 11-22 to present two weekend conferences and to meet with more pastors to present our ministry.
Thirdly, I ask you to pray for the logistics of moving. Ann and I are excited about God's call to this new ministry, but we recognize that this is completely beyond our ability to manage as finite people. Ann has described this as the "coming tsunami." I think I better understand the Hebrews' response to the spies who reported on their trip into Canaan in . Numbers 13 and 14. I agree with Joshua and Caleb's message that the land is filled with good things and will be a wonderful home, and there are giants that God will defeat for us. I want to see more of God who is leading us into this new home, and less of the giants! Please pray that we will be able to sell our home in this unstable market; buy a home (and get a mortgage in a tight credit market); be settled in as the fall starts; and, that God will use our ministry to serve the churches in Portland providing solid care for folks who want to grow in their understanding of how the unchanging grace of God changes us and matures us spiritually .

Thank you for your love and support. As we continue in our ministry here we are grateful for the opportunity you are giving us to move on gently. You are investing in kingdom ministry, the benefits of which you will not personally experience. Ann and I believe that God is going to do good things for His kingdom through the investment you have made and are making.

Steve

Lonely this Valentine's Day?

2010-02-12T15:17:00.003-05:00

Lonely this Valentine's Day? Find the intimacy you desire!

The following link is to a small booklet produced by the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation:
http://ccef.org/single-and-lonely-finding-intimacy-you-desire

A Song for our Month of Missions

2010-02-05T15:54:00.005-05:00

A couple of hours ago we announced that all our activities this weekend at CPC are cancelled because we are expecting a "storm of historic proportions" to blanket our area with a whole lot of snow. That means (for those keeping track out there) that the start of our Month of Missions will have to wait yet another week to begin.

One of the things that I will have to put off until next week is my plan to introduce (or 'revive' depending on your familiarity with the Trinity Hymnal) a song entitled, How Sweet and Aweful is the Place written by Isaac Watts in 1707. I love the beautiful melody in the Trinity Hymnal, but it is the lyrics that I want to bring to your attention in this post.

The hymn takes us on a journey of wonder as the singer (sinner) discovers God's mercy and loving-kindness to sinners, marvels at God's transforming grace, and proclaims the Holy Spirit produced phenomena that causes our hearts to desire to participate with Him in His ministry of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

Verse one describes the assembly of the saints in worship marveling at the glorious Bridegroom:

How sweet and aweful is the place with Christ within the doors,
While everlasting Love displays the choicest of her stores!

Although the updated Trinity Hymnal lyric says 'sweet and awesome', the original phrase was sweet and aweful. The first time I encountered this song several years ago that definitely caused me to pause and consider what I was hearing. The term, awful is commonly used now-a-days for something unpleasant, or of poor quality, but it literally means something that is full of awe or awe inspiring. The place where Christ is lifted up and adored is a sweet and aweful place.

Verses two through four reflect the jaw-dropping realization of the predestinating, unconditionally electing, undeserved favor that believers receive as a free gift of God's amazing grace:

While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, "Lord, why was I a guest?"

"Why was I made to hear thy voice, and enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice, and rather starve than come?"

'Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.

We are reminded of what the 11th hour worker might have experienced in Jesus' parable in Matthew 20:1-16 as he was given according to his need, NOT according to what he deserved. Amazing!

Then the hymn takes an interesting turn to look outside of ourselves to the world around us and Watts gives us voice to intercede on behalf of the nations. Note the ordinary means of God's Word preached that is the vehicle by which the 'strangers will ultimately be brought home.'

Verses five and six are the reason why I wanted us to sing this as a congregation during our month of missions:

Pity the nations, O our God! constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad, and bring the strangers home.

We long to see thy churches full, that all the chosen race,
May with one voice, and heart and soul, sing Thy redeeming grace.

I have to be honest here - is that my 'heart for missions'? Do I long to see His churches full of persevering pilgrims awaiting the glorious return of the King who came to deliver His people from their sins? I want to grow in that.

Over the last week as it became clearer every day that we were in for a major snow event. We were warned to be prepared. If you ventured into a grocery store in recent days you saw many people heeding those warnings (I was in both Food Lion AND Giant twice each - ask me later why). We won't know the extent of this storm until Saturday or Sunday. However, there is coming a Day when all humanity will be judged by the righteous standard of a Holy God. Not only do we have the clear warning of the Scriptures to prepare for that Day, we also have the exceedingly good news of great joy which shall be for all people - both locally and globally.

I look forward to being able to sing How Sweet and Aweful is the Place with the congregation of CPC and, by God's grace, to live out the song together.

Pastor Tim

Clarifying comments on Sun Jan 31

2010-02-04T16:41:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday one of my applications of Matt 20:26-28 was to folks who have come to CPC for a long time and have not gotten involved. I raised the question of whether that might be because these folks want to avoid serving by remaining peripheral. I think that is a valid question to ask if you have been visiting CPC for years and still see yourself a simply a visitor.

However I want to clarify a couple of things:
1. I realize that there may be a number of reasons why you could choose to continue to visit CPC, and not join or get more involved that have nothing to do with your avoiding serving. I was not assuming I knew your motive.

2. I also realize that some of you are not members and yet serve as much or more than some members. The question was not about membership but serving.

3. I am not judging the hearts of people who visit CPC for some time without getting involved. I was simply raising that question among several others as applications of the text for self-examination.

I am convinced that obedience here, as in every one of Jesus's words to us, will increase our joy,not decrease it.

So I offer these words to all who heard me on Sunday with a prayer that we will all hear Jesus and raise difficult questions that draw us closer to Him in our recognition that we need Him to change our self-centered-want-to-be-served hearts. (By the way no one complained to me about what I said! I simply thought a clarifying blog might be in order.)

Enjoy a White Weekend!
Allen Harris

How to Engage Postmodern Cynics with the Gospel

2010-01-27T17:29:00.002-05:00

Blog:
How to Engage Postmodern Cynics with the Gospel

I just finished a book that I took an unusual amount of time to read because it has so much to offer: David Henderson’s Culture Shift: Communicating God’s Truth to Our Changing World. This is probably the most helpful book I have seen in many years for helping Christians to understand our culture and how to communicate the gospel to it.

He not only gives a brief history of philosophy in understandable terms, but also lots of concrete examples from his own experience in leading post modern cynics to faith in Christ. Just following how he talks to people makes the book worth the price and time to read it.

He divides the main part of the book into two broad topics:
I. Who we are, and II. How we think.

Each of these is divided into three subtopics, and each of those has two chapters: the first on understanding our culture and how it got to be that way, the second on how we as Christians address it with the gospel.

I. Who we are: Consumers, Spectators, Self-Absorbed Individuals

II. How we think: Beyond God, Beyond Right & Wrong, Beyond Meaning & Purpose

This is not just an intellectual text, but a punch-to-the-gut-make-you-feel-the-despair of lost people in today’s world. For example his quotes from today’s thinkers such as Woody Allen: “Civilization stands at the crossroads. Down one road is despondency and despair, and down the other road is total annihilation. Let us pray that we choose the right road.”

Or the T-shirt that says, “A man’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another beer.”

While there are a few things I disagree with him on, the approach is very God-centered and faithful to the truth of the gospel. It is a bit like Francis Schaefer for the 21st century. This is not just a book to read, but to do. It encouraged me to engage unbelievers because God is at work in our culture of people unglued from Reality, and dying of spiritual thirst.

I just checked; the book is available from Amazon.com: 24 new from .99 and 40 used from .49.

Allen Harris

Thanks for your support

2009-12-07T14:17:00.002-05:00

You guys are a wonderful church family for me. So many of you are coming up to me and asking where things stand with my transition into full time pastoral counseling that I thought I ought to write a blog and fill you all in at once.

Ann and I will indeed be moving out to the Portland area with a number of our kids to start this new ministry. We will be going out after Daniel graduates from Reservoir High School and after we sell our home. The churches in Portland/Vancouver are very positive about my coming out to work with them. I am excited about going out to work with them. I have a fairly clear sense of the need and of what I have to offer. I see God's hand in this fit.

I will also be going out periodically to do some teaching and build the relationships with churches out there. My next trip will be to go out in early March to teach a seminar in Eugene on Marriage and a seminar in Vancouver, WA on relationships. In the week between these two seminars I am going to be teaching about Biblical counseling in a church in Seaside, Or. I am very excited to be going out and having the time with these churches and the members of their congregations. Please pray for these sessions and ask God to use them to build His kingdom and to pave the way for our transition to the west coast.

There are several key prayer items I would love for any who are interested to pray for us: pray that these teaching times will build the churches in this area; pray that we will be able to sell our house and buy the right house in the right neighborhood in Oregon; pray for our family to live well in the stressful times of transition; and pray for us to follow God wherever and however He leads.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you have, but you will still be seeing a lot of me over the next months. I do not envision leaving before late June.

Thank you for your support, prayers, and affection. I love you all!

Steve

Needing the Gospel

2009-02-09T11:20:00.003-05:00

I am so grateful that Christ has called me to serve among you here at Columbia Presbyterian. Christ has worked among us over the twenty years that my family and I have been with you. One of the most wonderful things He has done is to show us how much we need Him and His work in our lives and in His body.

These past weeks have been hard weeks. We have watched friends as they have cared for loved ones in their last days of life. We have watched this weekend as two friends have lost loved ones unexpectedly. Several of you have also gone through difficult times of illness or injury.

God promises that He will not oppress us more than He strengthens us to endure. Sometimes it seems like He has a different sense of what we can endure than we do. Paul, in a time where he expresses being "perplexed, but not forsaken" also says "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Sometimes I think my scale is messed up. According to my scale these things do not seem light. They don't seem momentary. They don't seem transient. God has a different, more real, perspective. I am measuring the hard times against the scale of my lifetime. God views them against the scale of eternity. He promises to take care of us through these times and to use them in our lives to build a glory that is beyond scale, beyond comparison. I can't wait to see that glory and get a clear sense of its scale.

In times like this I need to know that my loving Father is still my loving Father. I need to focus on the amazing love Jesus has irrefutably demonstrated in His coming, His willingness to die, and His eagerness to redeem. He died willingly. He redeemed us eagerly. Even when I doubt Him, or wrestle with Him because of the painful things He is using to build glory in us, the Gospel tells me that He demonstrates His glory by loving me in the midst of my disputes with Him. He is there with me at the end of the process when I am finally willing again to rest in His care. I can see that throughout the entire process He has been holding me all along. He has been loving us, and accomplishing His good in the midst of our sufferings.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 is utterly true and right. I pray for all of us that we will see more clearly how it is true and right. I pray for all of us in the midst of these trying times that we will see how God is bigger, more patient, and more loving than we have yet seen.

Steve

Thanks for your support

2009-01-26T15:46:00.002-05:00

I was at the Day Center today dropping off the abundance of food, toiletries, and even some money that you have been donating for the folks we serve at the Day Center. I was struck by how the help was both necessary and appreciated. As I heard from the people staffing the pantry that they were so very grateful to see me (or at least the many bags full of food I was carrying ;-)) I realized I haven't passed their gratitude on to you.

Today the shelves in the pantry were a bit sparse prior to my arrival with your generosity. The three staff in the pantry quickly grabbed the bags out of my hands and put the food on the shelves. As I went out to get other bags still in my car, I saw a line forming outside the pantry. When I brought in the second and third loads of food to the pantry a few more folks had gotten in line to get food.

Your gifts to these folks are deeply appreciated. I bring in our special bags (thank you SS) and I am immediately identified. They empty the bags and give them back to me so that we can bring them again with more food.

God has given me a trusted place with our friends, who know we at CPC care for them. He has opened doors for gospel conversations. Even today I had another conversation with one of my friends. We talked about Jesus, and how our love for Him drives us to care for her and for the folks at the Center. We have had good times of prayer together, and I believe God is using our work to honor Him. He will use our labors to build His kingdom and reach His people.

So, thank you. Your sacrifices and prayers are making a difference. I am proud to represent you at the Center and to share with you how God is at work through you.

Steve

Living In Tumultuous Times

2009-01-21T17:34:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about our economy. President Obama and his team met today to work on their plans to stimulate the economy and do whatever is necessary to rebuild our economy and lead us back to prosperity.

The difficulty is that there are many things beyond our ability to “fix.” As I work in Celebrate Recovery I am constantly forced to face the many ways we live in denial. Last week as I taught I dealt with the topic of POWERLESS. One theme recurred over and over again as we looked at this acrostic. That theme was the choice between living in fantasy or in reality.

We are in a very tough time economically for our world. Global Financial markets are declining. Banks are at risk of failing. President Obama has undertaken responsibility to focus our government on the task of rebuilding. I am sure he will do his best to manage country’s massive resources in this endeavor. But all of those resources and all the wisdom of our country’s finest minds won’t be enough to solve this.

So I ponder all this and ask myself “Where is your hope?” We are tempted to live in the fantasy that denies our troubling circumstances. We can also live in the fantasy that says that we have to fix our problems and it is up to us. Or, we can live in the reality that God really does exist and that He really is in control. He is accomplishing His good purposes and the truth is that I don’t control Him. I can’t tell Him what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. In my more sane moments, I don’t want to find hope by living in a fantasy.

As a child I was taught to pray “…give us this day our daily bread....” Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will supply our needs. That truth hasn’t changed as the economy falls apart. It is true for believers, individually and corporately. I am called to trust the sovereign God of the universe who holds the created order in His hands. When I falter in my faith, I am called to recognize that, repent of it, and return to trusting Him. He died to redeem me, to redeem us. He has demonstrated His love for me on the cross, and His power to save in the reality of an empty tomb.

When I think of the needs we have, my mind moves to think about the stewardship we have as well. God has entrusted to us material goods, spiritual gifts, talents, health, experiences, and all sorts of other things. He has entrusted them to us with a purpose. Contrary to what I sometimes think, this trust is all about kingdom. Jesus tells us that He is not only able to meet my needs, and our needs, but the needs of the entire world. He is using us and our limited resources to do that. This economic turmoil doesn’t endanger His kingdom building. We are still called to be part of building His global kingdom. As Allen preached Sunday Jesus calls us to build the kingdom in our Jerusalem (“home”), our Judea (nearby), our Samaria (different and fairly nearby), and to the uttermost parts of the earth. I am thinking a lot about what that means, and I look forward to how God will, through this month of missions, continue to challenge me in how to use the investments He has made in me to build His kingdom.

I hope you will pray as well that God will show you His presence, power, and purposes in this tumultuous time. We have a great and awesome God!

Allen's Reflections on General Assembly

2008-08-28T15:06:00.001-04:00

I am finally back from my summer roamings. I would like to share a few things with you about my time at the Orthodox Presbyterian General Assembly, which met in Tacoma, Washington July 9-16.

I agree with Steve’s blog, but let me add my own personal observations. Steve, Wayne Koch, and I went because: a) we as a session have been convicted that we need to be more active in the life of our Church. Presbyterianism is, after all, about connectionalism.
b) we are very concerned about the new Directory for Public Worship, and how it will turn out. We wanted to help strengthen its wording, but also to preserve Biblical freedom in the exercise of the priesthood of all believers in worship.

While our concerns did not always prevail, there was a very encouraging effort in the assembly to not bind the consciences of others like us who wanted more freedom. For instance, there was a strong move to require every congregation to have exactly the same membership vows, a move which ultimately failed.

The keynote sermon of the first evening, by last year’s moderator, warned the assembly, from Matt 16:18, that we are Christ’s Church, and that we dare not set manmade boundaries around Scripture to ensure orthodoxy and orthopractice. Amen!

I was surprised to learn that nationally the OPC and PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) seem to be drifting apart, with less effort from our denominations at increasing our unity and cooperation. The PCA delegate chided us for this in a warm and humble way. He received an unprecedented standing ovation, which I thought was one of the highlights of the week.

I was also thrilled to learn that our denomination is now working with the Presbyterian Church in Brazil, an 800,000 member Reformed Church that wants our help to strengthen its commitments to Scripture. We are working with them to bring the gospel to Uruguay. Brazil is larger than the USA, the fifth largest country in the world. What a privilege to partner with this group!

Personally I felt warmly welcomed after many years absent from GA. It was great to catch up with old friends at meals, and see what God was doing in their lives. Several urged CPC to continue to be active in the large church and strive together with them for the Gospel.

A couple final personal notes:
I went out two days early and stayed two days after because I had always wanted to explore a bit of the Pacific northwest. I hiked around Whidbey Island the two days before and explored Mt Rainier National Park and Point Deception the two days after. All were extremely enjoyable. Mt Rainier is awesome in its majesty: 14,410 feet high, within sight of the sea at its summit (no, I didn’t attempt to summit!). Point Deception is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen, both natural and cultivated garden beauty.

I apparently contracted food poisoning during GA, which laid me low for three days. So I missed much of the debates at GA. The Lord was kind in restoring my health just in time for the first of two trips up to Mt Rainier.

Having an apartment with Steve and Wayne was a great treat, which enabled us to enjoy a couple of relaxed times of sharing our lives and comparing notes and feelings about the assembly.

I am so glad we went. Thank you for sending us.

Promised Report on General Assembly

2008-08-14T12:42:00.003-04:00

Once again I want to thank all of you folks at CPC for sending Allen, Wayne, and me to the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We belong to this denomination and it has been quite a while since one of us went as a delegate. I don't think we have ever sent three delegates.

I also thank you for your prayer support. God answered the prayers we had asked you to pray, and answered them powerfully. All three of us enjoyed safe travel to the west coast. We were able to share housing and have good times of fellowship and prayer together as we discussed the day's events.

I thought I would share a few of my personal highlights from the week.

I enjoyed being with men I have known for years, but have not seen since the last time I attended GA. The opportunity to share meals, to have conversations, and to learn about each others' ministries was very satisfying. Fellowship at the Assembly is important to the ongoing work of the church.

I also enjoyed seeing Nate Lee's dad. General Douglas Lee is a pastor in the PCA who also has served for many years as a chaplain. He has recently become the head of the Presbyterian and Reformed Joint Chaplains Commission. In that capacity he will lead the board that oversees all of our OPC chaplains, as well as those of several other sister denominations. He spoke to the combined Assembly. I know that he will do a great job in his new post.

We heard some very encouraging reports on the work being done to establish new churches in the US and around the world. The OPC is working as a denomination to establish churches in particular urban settings, including DC. We are continuing work in Haiti, Africa, and Japan, as well as starting a new mission in Uruguay. Jonathan Falk, who spoke at a recent Mission Month at CPC is now going to be leading the work to start churches in Uruguay.

One of the things that the three of us went to address is the Amended Proposed Revised Version of our denomination's Directory for Public Worship. This is a part of our constitutional documents and gives us guidance about how OPC churches structure their worship. The committee who is working on this has a tough job, and has been working on it for many years. We are now at the point where we are discussing and approving the APRV so that it can be approved by the Presbyteries and the finally put in force. We spoke to several issues that this revision raises. We also spoke to some topics where we have differences with the current and the revised Directories. The debates on the floor revealed that pastors in the OPC has some divergent views about how to conduct worship. There were some discussions that brought those differences starkly into focus. We wrestled with how to accommodate each other's views while being Biblically driven in what we do. The discussions will continue at next year's GA and I hope that we will have delegates from CPC in attendance.

I also believe, in line with the class on Stewardship that I taught this past year, that CPC has a stewardship with regard to our denomination. We have learned a lot of lessons in our ministry here. We can share those lessons, both in the fellowship we have with other pastors at GA, but also in the debates on the floor as we decide how to vote on the various motions at GA. We have a voice in our denomination, and I am glad that you sent us to this GA to speak.

If you have any questions about General Assembly, our denomination, worship, or something else related to this blog, feel free to get in contact with me at the church office.

Steve

Welcome to the pastor's blog!

2008-05-07T12:26:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Well here it is, our first blog. We decided to launch this blog as a companion with our new church website. We'll be posting here regularly so stay tuned to see what's new!

-Allen, Steve, Tim, Robbie, Jon