Southview Connect

May is approaching fast!

Hi all,

During the month of May, we’re going to be looking at the book of Haggai in worship.  The books we know as the “minor prophets” are hardly that - these were godly, on fire, passionate men of God who stood firm with His message.  I’ve taught through these books in classrooms in the past, and I’m really looking forward to this series. 

In May, we’ve got a lot going on at Southview.  We’ll kick off the month with the National Day of Prayer on May 1.  Our sanctuary will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day for you and members of our community to come and pray for our nation, our elected leaders, our church, and our community. Plan to take advantage of this opportunity to come to the throne of our God and pray.

Our monthly Second Saturday Workday will be May 10 - and this is the big one!  We’re calling for all hands on deck to come and help with the properties and grounds.  We’ve got big projects and small - everyone can do something on our list.  Make it a family event if you can - we want to make the building and grounds look great for Mother’s Day on May 11. 

In May we’ll be focusing on one of our ministry partner organizations, First Choice Pregnancy Health Center (formerly LifeLine).  They are a life-focused organization that helps countless people who are considering abortions to choose life.  We’ll be participating in the baby bottle campaign as we’ve done in years past, and we’ll also be hosting a Family Fun night at church on Sunday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Quad.  We will have food, info on the center with ways for people to volunteer/help, and games.  Plan to come and learn more about how you can support this worthy ministry.

So much going on - there’s no way I can list it all.  Check out the website and the newsletter and see what all is happening - see where you can plug in and be a part.  These are great days at Southview - and the best is yet to come!

Serving Him with you,

--Pastor William

Wrapping Up Psalm 23

What a year of ministry so far - wow.  In meeting with the leaders of many of our ministries over the last week, I've been amazed to hear about what God is doing at Southview in so many areas.  Our Elders are hard at work, and our Leadership Team will be meeting this weekend to finalize the 2008 fall calendar.  Almost everywhere I look I see good things happening - and God's people are being so faithful to serve and to be on mission where He's calling.  Thanks for being a part of our team here - we're working hard, as one favorite teacher of mine has said, to bring "up there down here."  We want to see God's Kingdom come today for so many who are living far from God.

This Sunday we'll be wrapping up our series on Psalm 23.  We'll be looking at verse 6 closely and seeing what God will teach us about doing life in His presence.  It'll be a memorable day, and I'm excited about what I'm teaching this weekend.  I'll hope to see you there!

--William

Walking on Broken Glass

The following story was referenced by James Emery White at the conference I went to last week. It can be found in Leonard Ravenhill's work Why Revival Tarries (quoted here):

"Charlie Peace was a criminal. Laws of God or man curbed him not. Finally the law caught up with him, and he was condemned to death. On the fatal morning in Armley Jail, Leeds, England, he was taken on the death-walk. Before him went the prison chaplain, routinely and sleepily reading some Bible verses. The criminal touched the preacher and asked what he was reading. "The Consolations of Religion," was the replay. Charlie Peace was shocked at the way he professionally read about hell. Could a man be so unmoved under the very shadow of the scaffold as to lead a fellow-human there and yet, dry-eyed, read of a pit that has no bottom into which this fellow must fall? Could this preacher believe the words that there is an eternal fire that never consumes its victims, and yet slide over the phrase with a tremor? Is a man human at all who can say with no tears, "You will be eternally dying and yet never know the relief that death brings"? All this was too much for Charlie Peace. So he preached. Listen to his on-the-eve-of-hell sermon:

"Sir," addressing the preacher, "if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that!"

We are called to do what it takes to reach one more person for Jesus Christ. We want to save one more person from the eternal reality of hell. That's our mission, given to us by Jesus - that's why we exist. May we remember the words of this condemned prisoner named Charlie Peace, and may our lives reflect the reality of this truth.

Preaching Conference

If you're interested, I'm in the process of capturing my notes and thoughts from the preaching conference I went to last week - you can find them on my personal blog here. 

A Sabbath Day's Rest

You'll have to pardon me if this is not as good a "blog" as you would expect, it's my first time.  I've been encouraged as the "eldest Elder" to learn some new technology and ever since I've been made aware of this capability the Lord's been laying it on my heart to write a few words about something He's been convicting me of lately in hopes it might also speak to you....committing to actually getting a Sabbath Day's rest.

I think most active Christians believe that keeping the Sabbath Holy occurs when we attend worship and perhaps Small Group Bible Study, or Sunday School, but I've come to realize there's a lot more to it than that.  Exodus 20:10-11 clearly shows us that "rest" is a key component of the Sabbath.  Rest for ourselves and our families as well for the servants and animals.  In fact we see in scripture that after six days of creation God rested on the seventh, the sabbath.  Worship and rest are tied together.  I must confess this is where I fail, and often times fail miserably, and as I observe the world around me it occurs to me that most are failing at this as well.

I'm now old enough to remember back to the days in Pennsylvania as a child when "Blue Laws" were in effect.  Essentially no business was done on Sundays and stores that attempted to open and serve the public were typically fined and many times closed down.  Today we've gone to the extreme opposite.  Not only are stores open, many are open twenty-four hours a day. 

I've also noticed how technology is rapidly influencing our lives.  With all the connectivity and collaboration tools we have available we can literally be at work or busy doing something with technology twenty-four hours a day.  Add to this the amount of driving we do on a daily basis, the amount of television or other family activities that also occupy our time, and before you know it "rest" is the last thing we get.

I also have to admit that I've lately realized I don't hold Sunday up as I should, seperate and holy to the Lord, but rather I came to see it as a second Saturday of sorts where all of the chores and other activities not accomplished on Saturday simply carry over to the next day.  Further, if Sunday wasn't occupied covering for the lack of progress on Saturday, and I actually had free time, it would quickly be filled with work or other personal chores.  I've come to realize that Sunday for me is not the Sabbath nor the Sabbath rest God intended and in treating it as I have been I do not actually worship Him as I should.

Now don't misuderstand.  I know that many are required to work on Sunday, including Pastors and staff.  Please don't confuse resting on Sunday with the point I'm trying to make.  What God's showing me is we need a true rest from our labors, whatever they may be, once every seven days - Sunday Sabbath, Tuesday Sabbath, Friday Sabbath - whatever that day may be for each individual God created us needing rest after six days of activity, and a true rest clear from the distractions of the day.

I've committed to Him that I am going to become more focused on this aspect of worship.  If our bodies are a temple and we should watch what we eat and how we treat it, then equally so if God tells us we are to rest on the seventh day then we are to rest.  For me this will mean some major changes, like not turning on the blackberry or setting down to the computer - even if its to work on Bible Studies - rest means rest.  I'm even considering fasting as a part of it.  I'm not advocating that for anyone but myself but because I think for me resting means eating less and really taking the time to let my entire mind and body rest, not just a portion of it.

I know we have a lot of demands on us, and families with young children even more.  But the Lord's reminding me how as I was growing up Sunday's were special, spent in worship in the morning then at home with family for the day, even children need to rest.  I've committed to the Lord to do a better job at setting apart a Sabbath's rest, and in doing so in such a way it honors Him as part of a day of worship.  I recommend the same for everyone, let's commit to getting God back into the Sabbath in ways we've not thought of in a long time.  Let's elevate the priority of rest on the Sabbath to the level God intended so that even in our inactivity we honor Him.  May God bless you as you seek His face and seek to His will this coming week.

Wes

Psalm 23 and Grace Wholesalers

We started our series this last Sunday on Psalm 23, called "Cry Out to Jesus" - remember my challenge to read Psalm 23 once a day for the next 4 weeks as we study this much quoted, much loved psalm in depth and unpack what God wants to teach us as a church and as individuals. 

I read a blog post this week that I'd like to share with you - it's from Vince Antonucci's blog that you can find here - excerpt below:

"In “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” Philip Yancey tells the unfortunately true story about a time a woman went to see a counselor in Chicago and she explained that she was a drug addict. In fact, she had prostituted herself and her two year old baby daughter to get money to support her habit. She had hit rock bottom. The counselor didn’t know what to say. Finally, he asked her, “Have you thought of going to a church for help?” He said, “I’ll never forget the look of shock on her face as she said, ‘Church! Why would I ever go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. They’d just make me feel worse!’” — When you read the gospels you find that people like this woman, the very “worst of sinners,” were drawn to Jesus. Why? I think it’s because He didn’t make them feel worse, He made them feel loved. And He knew this secret that somehow the church has lost. It’s that love is what turns a life around. The way to change a life is not through pointing out or judging someone’s sin, but through love. That’s why messed up, sinful people were attracted to Jesus – because of His love. But today people don’t associate Christians and church with love and grace, but instead judgment and condemnation.

And that’s so sad, because the one thing the church should major in is grace and because the world thirsts for grace. People thirst for grace, but grace is unique to our God and to Christianity, and so when churches don’t offer it, it’s just not available. And since it’s unavailable from the church, the world has replaced grace with the cheap substitute of tolerance. Tolerance is a substitute for grace. And it’s ironic, because uptight Christians get all angry and freaked out about how our world is too tolerant, but the reason it’s all into tolerance is because of those uptight Christians who aren’t offering grace. Without grace available, the world had to quench its thirst with something, and tolerance is the closest it can come to grace."

I want Southview to continue to be a place where grace is found and offered.  We know that each of us who have become Christ-followers have received more grace than we could imagine or deserve, and we are called to share that grace with others.  This was a great reminder to me to be a "grace wholesaler" - offering God's grace in bulk to a world that desperately needs to know that they are loved and valued by God and His people. 

Today, let's show the love of our Shepherd - the grace that we have received - to folks who are living far from God.  Let's make it real for them.  Let's not allow them to settle for the world's sad, shallow substitute for grace - let's show them the real thing.