This is one of the last reminders about our special service this weekend! We are having no services on Sunday, January 7th. Our weekend service is Saturday, January 6th, at 6:00p.
If you know someone who needs a reminder – remind them!
The comments in this blog are always the personal opinions of Daniel Goepfrich and are not meant to be taken as official statements of Oak Tree Community Church, its staff, or its members.
Church Update
Well, the new road hasn’t affected us much. The traffic that increased by people using our parking lot for a shortcut has finally decreased (though not completely) – which is much safer for our Hearts & Hands pre-school and daycare kids and families. I personally like the new road. I can’t wait to see it continue.
On that note, no word from the airport yet.
Here is a great Thanksgiving story: On Sunday night (19th) we received a call and an email from a church in Chicago who wanted to come see our pews (which we are trying to sell and replace with chairs). We scheduled it for Wednesday (22th). They came, they saw, they offered (my apologies to Julius Caesar) – and we accepted! They even sent a deposit. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, our pews will not work in their remodeled building without their contractor cutting them down and basically rebuilding them.
However, there are still other people / churches inquiring. The pastor from Chicago said that he believes we might still sell them this year, and for more than they could pay. He wants me to send him the story so they can celebrate with us when it happens!
Isn’t it great when God’s people rejoice with each other!
Personal Update
We had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Saralynn’s parents came over Thursday morning about 11:00. We had a big “snack” at noon – all of the pre-dinner appetizers – then set the little kids to naps and played games for a couple of hours. After a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s physical and spiritual blessings upon us, we feasted about 4:00. We capped off the day with more games and the movie “Cars” (now on DVD at your favorite retailer).
I hope you all experienced a wonderful holiday and remembered to thank God for His blessings.
Scriptural Thought of the Week
A couple of posts ago I introduced the phrase kathos kai and mentioned that Paul used it six times in Ephesians. The basic meaning is one of pattern – “just as also”. Here is another pattern that God left for us to follow:
“And you are to be walking about in love, just as also Christ loved us and gave Himself over on our behalf an offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Ephesians 5:2 (my trans.)
Jesus pattern was that He personally loved us – not just “God so loved the world”, but also “Jesus loved us” – to the extent that He handed Himself over to those who would brutally torture Him without cause. To us it was a model of unsurpassed love and giving. To God it was exactly what He expects from His children.
What would happen in this world if you and I were always to conduct our daily lives in such a way that God considered it pleasing, and say, like that air freshener commercial, “Nice!”
Quote of the Week
I have appreciated this book, and have finally finished it. Imagine this description of us from God’s point of view as He prepared to send His Son, and from Jesus’ point of view as He prepared for what awaited Him here (see comment above):
“[T]here is no special name for a group of porcupines. They travel alone.
Porcupines don’t always want to be alone. In the late autumn, a young porcupine’s thoughts turn to love. But love turns out to be a risky business when you’re a porcupine. Females are open to dinner and a movie only once a year; the window of opportunity closes quickly. And a girl porcupine’s ‘no’ is the most widely respected turndown in all the animal kingdom. Fear and anger make them dangerous little creatures to be around.
This is the Porcupine’s Dilemma: How do you get close without getting hurt?
This is our dilemma, too. Every one of us carries our own little arsenal. Our barbs have names like rejection, condemnation, resentment, arrogance, selfishness, envy, contempt. Some people hide them better than others, but get close enough and you will find out they’re there. They burrow under the skin of our enemies; they can wound and fester and even kill. We, too, learn to survive through a combination of withdrawal and attack. We, too, find ourselves hurting (and being hurt by) those we long to be closest to.”
Quoted from: John Ortberg, Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), p. 22. ISBN: 0310228646
Until next time,
Dan’l
The comments in this blog are always the personal opinions of Daniel Goepfrich and are not meant to be taken as official statements of Oak Tree Community Church, its staff, or its members.
Church Update
Here are some new pics that I’ve been promising. These first two show our new, white, sealed metal roof (plus some autumn leaves). Much better than the previous red-and-white fleck, and it has kept much rain out of the gym!
Here are a couple of the new road, too. You’ll notice the roof edge and light post from our property line in both of them to help you see proximity.
Pew plug again: If you know of a church that is looking to purchase pews and doesn’t want to have to pay for new ones, we are trying to sell ours. Visit http://www.usedpews.org/usedpews.htm#neast and look at set #1971.
Personal Update
Well, I start the next class in my master’s program soon. Just waiting for the CDs and notes to get here!
Saralynn will be gone this weekend, so I’m spending Sat – Mon with just the kids. I wonder what we’ll come up with. Whatever it is, it should be good. : )
BTW – If you are looking for a personal laser printer, I have a couple listed on eBay as “Buy it Now”. Check them out here
Scriptural Thought of the Week
The languages of the Scriptures are very precise – much more so than English. I read a quote today from an old rabbi who said, “Reading the Scriptures in a translation is like kissing your bride through the veil.” I study the languages in order to see behind the veil to what is really there. And then I pass along these gems when I can.
In Ephesians, Paul used the phrase kathos kai six times. The basic meaning is one of pattern – “just as also”. Over the next few postings, I’ll share some of these great patterns God has left for us to follow. Here is a familiar one:
“You all are to be toward one another kind (loving, benevolent), good-hearted (compassionate), graciously forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ graciously forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (my trans.)
The pattern that God gave us was not just one of pardoning sin but rather a generous, gracious, unconditional forgiveness of those who have wronged us. It comes from a heart of benevolence and compassion for those around us – desiring their good ahead of ours. That is God’s attitude toward us, and we are commanded to make it our own toward others.
Quote of the Week
On this topic of unconditional forgiveness, John Ortberg writes,
“We are always to pursue forgiving people who have hurt us, even when the offenders don’t ask or deserve it. God commands us to forgive because it is the best way to live. He commands us to forgive others because he has forgiven us; he is the Great Forgiver. He commands it because the only other way is to remain a prisoner of the hurt for as long as I live. God commands forgiving because to refuse to forgive means I allow the one who hurt me to keep me chained in a prison of bitterness and resentment year after year. No human beings are more miserable than the unforgiving.”
Quoted from: John Ortberg, Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), p. 160. ISBN: 0310228646
Until next time,
Dan’l
Church Update
Still no official news from the Airport, but the work keeps right on going. The road seems to be nearing its completion. I’ll get pictures up here soon. They painted lines on Sunday, so it looks even more finished than before.
We’ve been trying to get our final sealer on the metal roof before it gets too cold, but every time we have scheduled to do it, it rains that day. Maybe it’s a sign! Anyway, we’re planning again for tomorrow (Friday).
Special Update
This past Sunday (October 1st) Crossway Baptist Church held its very first church service in Bakersfield, CA. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Mark and Charity Brock. The result? There were 87 people who attended the first service! There were others who said they would come and did not. Maybe next week. Keep praying!
Scriptural Thought of the Week
Pop-quiz question: Who is that fellow believer that you have a hard time loving? OK, have them in mind? So, how do you handle situations when you have to be together? Let the apostle Paul give you some advice:
“I, the prisoner in the Lord, I urge you to walk about in a manner worthy of the calling by which you were called, with all lowly thinking and meekness, with longsuffering, tolerating one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of the peace” Ephesians 4:1-3 (my trans.)
At his writing, Paul was under house arrest in Rome. This meant he was probably shackled to at least one guard at all times. That must have been pretty difficult, especially since the guards would not have started off being believers, appreciating Paul’s teaching, writing, visitors, etc.
Paul said that there are times when we simply have to “tolerate one another in love” for the purpose of keeping “the unity of the Spirit”. And how is that done? Through the “bond [read: shackle] of the peace.”
Sticking close to each other, spending time with each other, “bonding”, will bring out a lot of things we must tolerate in one another. But when we do so, the peace of God will grow our unity in His Spirit.
Quote of the Week
My intention is to share from many books, but I’m milking this one because I like his style and perspective, so here is another quote from Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis:
I was having breakfast with my dad and my younger son at the Real Food Cafe on Eastern Avenue just south of Alger in Grand Rapids. We were finishing our meal when I noticed that the waitress brought our check and then took it away and then brought it back again. She placed it on the table, smiled, and said, “Somebody in the restaurant paid for your meal. You’re all set.” And then she walked away.
I had the strangest feeling sitting there. The feeling was helplessness. There was nothing I could do. It had been taken care of. To insist on paying would have been pointless. All I could do was trust that what she said was actually true and then live in that. Which meant getting up and leaving the restaurant. My acceptance of what she said gave me a choice: to live like it was true or to create my own reality in which the bill was not paid.
This is our invitation. To trust that we don’t owe anything. To trust that something is already true about us, something has already been done, something has been there all along.
To trust that grace pays the bill.
Quoted from: Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), pp. 151-2. ISBN: 031026345X
Until next time,
Dan’l
Church Update
The new road is coming slowly but surely. It looks like they’ll have to break time records in order to be finished by the end of the month – but I guess anything’s possible. The public hearing on the Airport Expansion Project is still scheduled for next Wednesday, Sept 27 at 5:00p at Dickinson School. We have not yet heard from them.
We began a new series this past Sunday called “Balance”. Spanning five Sundays we’ll look at God’s five purposes for our lives (fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship) and how they need to balance with each other and be balanced in themselves – ultimately bringing balance to our lives. Our new Connection Cafe opens at 10:00a and the Sunday service begins at 10:30a.
Personal Update
This week has been interesting. Our internet connection was down last week Thursday through Saturday, so I didn’t post anything here and couldn’t do some web site work I needed to finish. Then sometime Saturday our water heater died. There was enough hot water in it that we didn’t notice until we were trying to get ready for church Sunday morning and there was no hot water for showers! That was replaced today; yeah!!! Thanks, Ben. The new one is larger and probably doesn’t come pre-limed-up inside. : )
Scriptural Thought of the Week
My Greek professor pointed out something to me that I had noticed before. If you have already seen or heard this, let this be a reminder to you; if not, pay close attention. The very last thing Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians was a great prayer of blessing on them:
“The grace [be] with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying [love].” Ephesians 6:24 (my translation)
What a great prayer – that God’s grace would stay upon them as they continued to love Him! But there was a problem. Sometime after Paul’s letter, probably after his death and maybe even Timothy’s, something happened to cause Jesus to write,
“But I have against you that your love – the first one – you abandoned.” Revelation 2:4 (my translation)
The love that was to be undying, that would allow God’s grace to flow through the church, had turned into legalism – simply doing all of the right stuff without love for the Master.
May God never find the need to admonish us in the same way! May His grace be with you as you maintain your love for your Savior, Jesus Christ!
Quote of the Week
I wish I could quote a whole chapter of this book. I just finished chapter two, and it is fantastic! I can’t wait to get to the rest of it. The reason I like it so much, I think, is because it is both a brain-stretcher and a spirit-stretcher. Rob Bell asks you to bring your whole mind and soul to his discussion of Christianity – hopefully so you can experience the life change God wants you to have. So – reluctantly – here is just a sample of chapter two.
The reason the Bible continues to resonate with so many people isn’t just because it happened. What gives us strength and meaning and direction is something in addition to the historical events: It is the meaning of these events. Some call this the more-than-literal truth of the Bible.
We live in the metaphors. The story of David and Goliath continues to speak to us because we know the David part of the story – we have lived it. The tomb is empty because we have met the risen Christ – we have experienced Jesus in a way that transcends space and time. And this gives us hope. We were in darkness and God brought us out into the light.
The Word is living and active and it happens. Today.
Quoted from: Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), p. 61. ISBN: 0739456652
Until next time,
Dan’l
