Serve our Youth Fundraiser

Carrie has been an employee of Serve Our Youth Network since 2005 recruiting volunteers at first but now as a part-time grant writer. If you'd like to support this great organization, please consider their run/walk 5k this Spring. For more info see below or check out their website: http://serveouryouth.org/ 1st Annual Spring 5K Run/Walk for Serve Our Youth Network DATE: Saturday, April 21, 2012 TIME: 8:00a (Registration), 9:00a (Start) LOCATION: Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines. MORE: Registration fee is $20/person (kids under 5 free), t-shirt included with registration.  Deadline for t-shirt is April 6th.  Registration forms here.

Join Our Mailing List! Serve Our Youth Network 309 Roosevelt Rd Pella, Iowa 50219

 

Elias is now 6+ months - big boy!

Below you'll find two series of pictures I'll call "Elias and Parents."  Not because I don't have anything better to do with my time, but because I'm procrastinating.  I hope you'll enjoy anyway.  :)

What's Daddy going to do to me????

This seems harmless enough...

Oh, I get it!! :)

Say cheese, Mom!

OK, now look at me.

You just try 'em, Mom, they're pretty tasty.

Pastoral Fame or Is it Shame?

I read a convicting article today entitled:
The Dangerous Pursuit of Pastoral Fame by Bob Hyatt

(http://www.outofur.com/archives/2012/02/the_dangerous_p_3.html)

I find myself guilty of nearly everything he writes about...For instance, Hyatt writes,

Over the last few years, I’ve thought long and hard about “my platform” as a pastor, a writer, an occasional speaker. And as I’ve done so, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a danger to my soul in pursuing more exposure, more name recognition, more money to be made from thinking, writing, and speaking about ministry issues. Especially while I am still in full-time, paid ministry to a local community.

Bob offers a few wise words on some of the signs you too might be in danger:
You look at the speaker roster for a conference and think, Why did he/she get an invite and not me?
You feel jealous of others because of the size or scope of their ministry.
You begin to dream that somehow “hitting it big” (or even hitting it medium) will free you from ministry, or you begin to resent the small, mundane and unnoticed tasks of local church ministry.
You regularly Google yourself (please, no jokes in the comments.)
Your face appears on the front page of your church’s website.
You become a “friend collector” who racks up the Facebook/Twitter followers with the idea that someday, you’ll be able to leverage that when you write that book you’ve been talking about writing forever.
You find yourself thinking more and more about how you can get your name “out there.”

Lessons Learned: Tim Keller

From Servant magazine interview, Issue 88.

"You've been in ministry several decades. Anything you wish you'd learned a little sooner."

Keller's Answer: "Maybe two things. One is that prayer is more important than you think. And the other things is that once you're in leadership, there's always somebody mad at you. Get used to it."

Using your hands to glorify the Lord

God loves good work. That is why at the end of His six creative days, He said, "This is really good."

One member of Cornerstone Church has done some good work. If you would take a few moments and support him in a "This Old House" competition, I'd greatly appreciate it.

http://youroldhouse.thisoldhouse.com/thisoldhouse/submission.jsp?id=122194

Good luck Rick!

A Commentary on Revelation 5

A brief explanation of the fifth chapter of Revelation (recently written up for a family member):

The major dilemma being laid out in the first few verses of chapter 5 is that the scroll of history is sealed. Who is able to unseal this great scroll? Who is worthy to unseal it? In the ancient world, when a scroll was sealed by the mark of a king or a great dignitary, only another great king or dignitary was worthy to unseal it. The revelation John is having depicts a heavenly crowd looking among themselves to find someone worthy to break the seals. Think of it! Who would have thought angels and other glorious beings would be unworthy of anything? Then in verse 5, a heavenly elder says the Lion is worthy, that great King from the line of Judah (see Gen. 49:8-10).

But, then a Lamb appears (v. 6). I thought we were looking for a Lion?? How could a little, stupid lamb be the Worthy One? Ah, this is no ordinary Lamb. He is the seven-fold Lamb (v. 6 - All the 7s refer to His perfection...the number 7 is often used in ancient literature to depict completeness and/or perfection). The Lamb takes the scroll; He is the one worthy to unseal the closing events of history. The Lamb who was slain to purchase men for God (v. 9) is the Lamb who deserves glory from all people and all nations, and even angelical beings (Rev. 5:10-14)

By the close of Revelation 5, we see that the Lord of history is none other than the Lamb of God who was willing to die for the sins of humanity. He is both lion (king/powerful/dangerous) and lamb (kind/sacrificial). The one who unseals the closing judgments of history is the same one who gave his life to save anyone who would believe in his sacrificial death.

We will either worship Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord or we will be under judgment for failing to turn to Him as Savior and Lord.

Great Gospel Centered Resources for Free Download

I don't know how long The Gospel Coalition will make these available, but I highly recommend the pdf downloads located here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/category/books/a#RecentlyAdded

Each pdf is a short (15-20 page) summary of a major Biblical theme (e.g. the Gospel, Creation, Sin and the Fall, etc.).

Check these out today!