Dakar Rally 2012

One of the things I look forward to every New Year is not seeing Dick Clark, again, or making resolutions, but The Dakar Rally.

This sporting event is the most intense experience on the planet, and I so hope to see it in person some day.

443 Vehicles will start the race and less than half of them will finish.  All kinds of vehicles, from amazing technological machines, to cars hauled out of a junkyard and modified.  It has pros and amateurs racing across amazing terrian. For the last several years, South America has hosted the 2 week race.

The best coverage for the event is through a TV Station in Australia. SBS.com.au

Check it out. 

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
7:00 p.m.
10 Robinson Rd., Nashua, NH

Carol Sing, Scripture Readings and Singing Silent Night. 






Christmas Day Sunday Morning Service
10:30 a.m.
10 Robinson, Rd., Nashua, NH
No 9:15 a.m. prayer gathering

Simple Worship Service with a Short Homily.

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 12

What does Deuteronomy 31, Joshua 23, 2 Samuel 7 & Acts 2 have in common?  Answer =>  1 Samuel 12.

Come Sunday, and you will see a common theme emerge in these passages.

We will be looking at why the Christian needs to be stuck in the past.

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 9 & 10

This Sunday we look at Saul for the first time.

Our introduction to Saul is very interesting. 

I admit, I love his introduction to the people of God.


1Sam. 10:20  Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
1Sam. 10:21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
1Sam. 10:22 So they inquired again of the LORD, “Is there a man still to come?” and the LORD said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 8

God's People want a Human King. 

Very interesting chapter and you will not want to miss it.  The theme we will be looking at is Rejection.  God being Rejected.  We will be comparing 1 Samuel 8 to another instance in scripture where God is rejected.



Please Join us this coming Sunday!

Perspectives Course Manchester

I mentioned this in an earlier post.  I plan to attend the Perspectives Course, and hope some church members can join me.

Click on this link for more information on the Manchester, NH Perpective Class.

Hope to see you there!

Guest Preacher this Sunday!

To be honest, Rev. Timothy Andrews is not much of a guest preacher at CPC.  He is one of its former ministers and many of the folks know him quite well!

Tim will be preaching at Christ Presbyterian while I preach at his church in Lancaster, MA.

A short bio on Rev. Tim Andrews can be found here.  Please plan to join us this coming Sunday at 10:30 am!

1 Samuel 3 => Calling of Samuel

Join us this Sunday as we take a look at First Samuel 3, the calling of Samuel as a prophet. 

I think might surpise you to learn what is really going on in the Tabernacle.  Please join us this coming Sunday.

Perspectives Course

When I was a Senior in University, I took a course that changed my life.  It was called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.

It was started in 1974, I took it in 1993.  It is still being offered in 2011.  In fact it will be offered in NH in the Winter of 2012.  If you want more information, let me know.

Everyone should take this course.  If you want to know more about world missions, take this course!

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

1Sam. 2:1  And Hannah prayed and said,
     “My heart exults in the LORD;
     my strength is exalted in the LORD.
        My mouth derides my enemies,
        because I rejoice in your salvation.
1Sam. 2:2     “There is none holy like the LORD;
        there is none besides you;
        there is no rock like our God.
1Sam. 2:3     Talk no more so very proudly,
        let not arrogance come from your mouth;
        for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
        and by him actions are weighed.
1Sam. 2:4     The bows of the mighty are broken,
        but the feeble bind on strength.
1Sam. 2:5     Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
        but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
     The barren has borne seven,
     but she who has many children is forlorn.
1Sam. 2:6     The LORD kills and brings to life;
        he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
1Sam. 2:7     The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
     he brings low and he exalts.
1Sam. 2:8     He raises up the poor from the dust;
        he lifts the needy from the ash heap
     to make them sit with princes
        and inherit a seat of honor.
     For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
        and on them he has set the world.
1Sam. 2:9  “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
        but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
        for not by might shall a man prevail.
1Sam. 2:10     The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces;
     against them he will thunder in heaven.
     The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
        he will give strength to his king
     and exalt the power of his anointed.”

Hannah: A Woman of Faith

We begin our new sermon series with Hannah, Samuel's mother.  I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and I think you will if you look at 1 Samuel 1.  Join us this Sunday as we look at Hannah, a woman of faith.

Gordon Conwell Missions Conference Oct. 4-7

Like I said, there are a lot of good conferences being offered this Fall.  This one is not for everyone, but if you are like me, you like history and missions, you might be tempted.

Gordon-Conwell Mission Conference.

The focus will be on student missions.  Should be good.  Check it out!

Heart for Asia: Hope for the Unreached Sept. 24

This conference is coming up very very soon, so check it out!

OMF every year gathers folks form across New England to hear what is happening in Asia.  I always enjoy the time spent with other folks who have a heart for Asia.

Anyone is welcome, go to their website to register.

White Horse Inn Reformation Conference - Oct. 28-29

There are a lot of special events in New England this Fall, soo many I can barely keep up. 

The White Horse Inn Reformation Conference in October is a rare treat.  Hosted at a Historic Congregational Church in Bradford, MA.  The registration is very inexpensive and the featured speaker is Dr. Michael Horton.

New Sermon Series: Book of Samuel

Starting this Sunday, we will begin a year long study of the Book of Samuel.  In our English Translations, the Book of Samuel is known better as First and Second Samuel.

We will be doing an overview in prepartion of our studies.  This will be a lot like our time 2 years ago in the Book of Genesis.

Join us this Sunday as we being this new sermon series!

1Sam. 3:1 Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
1Sam. 3:2  At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.
1Sam. 3:3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
1Sam. 3:4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”
1Sam. 3:5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
1Sam. 3:6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
1Sam. 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
1Sam. 3:8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the young man.
1Sam. 3:9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

NH Night of Worship - Sept. 30

The New Hampshire Alliance, a group of churches wanting to seek revival in New Hampshire is organizing a Night of Worship, Friday September 30.

It looks like it is going to be well attended, many many many churches are involved.  Check it out!

Sunday Public Worship Cancelled (August 28)

Sadly, we have had to cancel Sunday Morning Worship this coming Lord's Day because of Hurricane Irene. Stay at home and be safe.

CPC Sunday Family Worship

CPC Family Worship
Sunday, August 28, 2011

Invocation: Psalm 84
Prayer (Praise, Adoration)
Scripture: Romans 13:1-5
Meditation: (What does Romans 13:1-5 look like? When is civil disobedience necessary?
Prayer (For local, regional and national authorities, considering the effect of Hurricane Irene)
Scripture: 1 John 3:16-18
Prayer (For Christ Presbyterian, for one another)
Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:14

Sermon Text: Psalm 88

Psa. 88:1 O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Psa. 88:2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
Psa. 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
Psa. 88:4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
Psa. 88:5 like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
Psa. 88:6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
Psa. 88:7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
Psa. 88:8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror* to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
Psa. 88:9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
Psa. 88:10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
Psa. 88:11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Psa. 88:12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
Psa. 88:13 But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Psa. 88:14 O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
Psa. 88:15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.*
Psa. 88:16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
Psa. 88:17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
Psa. 88:18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.*

Sermon Text: Psalm 86

Psa. 86:1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Psa. 86:2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
Psa. 86:3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Psa. 86:4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Psa. 86:5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Psa. 86:6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
Psa. 86:7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
Psa. 86:8 ¶ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
Psa. 86:9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
Psa. 86:10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
Psa. 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
Psa. 86:12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
Psa. 86:13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Psa. 86:14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seek my life,
and they do not set you before them.
Psa. 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psa. 86:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant.
Psa. 86:17 Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Sermon Text: Psalm 85

Psa. 85:1 LORD, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
Psa. 85:2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah
Psa. 85:3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
Psa. 85:4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
Psa. 85:5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Psa. 85:6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Psa. 85:7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
Psa. 85:8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
Psa. 85:9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Psa. 85:10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Psa. 85:11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
Psa. 85:12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Psa. 85:13 Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.

Sermon Text: Psalm 81

Psa. 81:1 Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
Psa. 81:2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
Psa. 81:3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
Psa. 81:4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule of the God of Jacob.
Psa. 81:5 He made it ma decree in Joseph
when he went out over* the land of Egypt.
I hear a language I had not known:
Psa. 81:6 “I relieved your* shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
Psa. 81:7 In distress you called, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
Psa. 81:8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
Psa. 81:9 There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
Psa. 81:10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psa. 81:11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
Psa. 81:12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
Psa. 81:13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
Psa. 81:14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
Psa. 81:15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
Psa. 81:16 But he would feed you* with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Sermon Text: Psalm 77

Psa. 77:1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
Psa. 77:2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
Psa. 77:3 When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
Psa. 77:4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
Psa. 77:5 I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
Psa. 77:6 I said,* “Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
Psa. 77:7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Psa. 77:8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Psa. 77:9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
Psa. 77:10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”*
Psa. 77:11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
Psa. 77:12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Psa. 77:13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
Psa. 77:14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
Psa. 77:15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
Psa. 77:16 When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
Psa. 77:17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
Psa. 77:18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
Psa. 77:19 Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.*
Psa. 77:20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Global Incident Map Website

I am going to mention this on Sunday. Kinda addicting.

Global Incident Map

A Googled powered map that displays earthquakes, amber alerts, hazmat situations, disease, aircraft incidents, etc.....

Makes our world look fairly unstable.

Sermon Text: Psalm 75

Psa. 75:1 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We* recount your wondrous deeds.
Psa. 75:2 “At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
Psa. 75:3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah
Psa. 75:4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
Psa. 75:5 do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’ ”
Psa. 75:6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
Psa. 75:7 but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
Psa. 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
Psa. 75:9 But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
Psa. 75:10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Sermon Text: Psalm 73

Psa. 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
Psa. 73:2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
Psa. 73:3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psa. 73:4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
Psa. 73:5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Psa. 73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
Psa. 73:7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
Psa. 73:8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
Psa. 73:9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
Psa. 73:10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.*
Psa. 73:11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Psa. 73:12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
Psa. 73:13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
Psa. 73:14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
Psa. 73:15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
Psa. 73:16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
Psa. 73:17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their wend.
Psa. 73:18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
Psa. 73:19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
Psa. 73:20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
Psa. 73:21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
Psa. 73:22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Psa. 73:23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
Psa. 73:24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Psa. 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
Psa. 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion forever.
Psa. 73:27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
Psa. 73:28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

Sermon Text: Galatians 6:16-18

Gal. 6:16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
Gal. 6:17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Gal. 6:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Sermon Text: Galatians 6:11-15

Gal. 6:11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.
Gal. 6:12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Gal. 6:13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
Gal. 6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which* the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Gal. 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Sermon Text: Galatians 6:6-10

Gal. 6:6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.
Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Gal. 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Gal. 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Gal. 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Summer Worship Schedule

For the months of June, July & August we move the worship service time to 10:00 am instead of 10:30 am. If you come to church @ 10:30 am this Sunday, you will be late!

See you hopefully at 10:00 am

Sermon Text: Psalm 67

This Sunday is going to be special.

Trust me. I will be using material from a sermon preached on Feb. 6, 1812. That is all I will say about it for now, come Sunday to find out more!

10:00 am, not 10:30 a.m.

This weekend, AFMM Historical Tour

Getting very excited about this weekend, will be taking folks through Western & Eastern Massachusetts on a historical tour. Can't wait!

For more information, go to www.allnationsassociation.org

Sermon Text: Galatians 6:1-5

Gal. 6:1 ¶ Brothers,* if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Gal. 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Gal. 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Gal. 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
Gal. 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.

Final Thoughts on South Africa 2011

I have been meaning to put a few thoughts on my trip to the Southern Hemisphere. Here is my attempt to summarize my experience in South Africa.

First, I want to say that it was a wonderful experience and I hope to return in a year or so, Lord willing. In my years of ministry experience, it was indeed a highlight and I hope in the future my ministry will have more opportunities like this in South Africa.

Assisting and helping ministers in underdeveloped countries and developing countries is a real interest to me. The church is growing quickly in Asia, Africa and South America. The ministers in these regions need help, and using my experience to equip them better seems like a good use of my education.

24 ministers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Congo. A wide variety of ages, and experience, all willing to learn. The testimonies and breakthroughs were inspiring. It was so rewarding to hear many of them making some significant strides in their understanding of the gospel and their ministry. I am hoping they are going home with a new sense of purpose and tools to help them in their ministries.

What was evident during the 2 weeks, was the work of the Holy Spirit. I know I was not that inspiring to listen to, or my 2 colleagues. But I really sensed God was at work, and it was an honor to be apart of it.

There is more I can say, but I will end it here. I am grateful for the opportunity, I am thankful for Life Church Foundation and their effort to put this together, and I have a new found respect and appreciation of the good people in South Africa.

I had a meal, he ate at a banquet

God often speaks to us in the in between moments in life. When we are just living life and going through the motions. That happen to me Tuesday Night.

Tues Night we took the 24 GLI participants, and took them to a local restaurant that has a special on Tuesdays. It is a nice place, offers a 3 course meal, drink included about $6. 35 people were fed for about $200 USD. Good deal, nice place, the food was fine.

As we were driving the some of the pastors from Namibia back to their dorms, I asked them how they liked the meal. An older gentleman, with a heart full of thanksgiving and great emotion said to me “ Pastor, I will never never never forget this night. It was so wonderful, I will write about it, I will always remember this night. I feel so blessed.”

After we dropped them off, I asked John, my friend who was with me, what he thought of the Namibia minister's comment. And John surmised, and I think he is right, this was probably the first time he ever sat down and ate a modern South African restaurant These ministers come from in Namibia, the bush, they don't have place like this to eat.

For me, it was a simple meal at a nice restaurant, something I have done countless times. I take it for granted. It filled my stomach and I was satsified. But for my Namibia brother, it was a banquet. He sat at a table with 20 other ministers and church workers and enjoyed a feast. He also filled his stomach, but instead of just being satisfied, he was grateful and thankful. He was filled with joy, and felt blessed.

It is a moment I don't want to forget, God teaches us sometimes important lessons in these moments. I felt humbled, and somewhat spoiled for taking for granted a meal that was provided for me. May it lead me to be more thankful and grateful for God's provisions in my life.

GLI South Africa 2011 - Day One

Today, the Global Leadership Institute begins in South Africa. A very exciting day.

This is in partnership with Life Christian Foundation. 24 pastors mostly from South Africa and Namibia.

In the picture is Dr. John Thompson, speaking for the first time to the participants. Please pray for this training and ministry. There is a lot of need in Africa for solid biblical training.

Traveling to the Southern Hemisphere

In a few days, I will be departing for the Southern Hemisphere with 2 other men from the States. Our purpose and mission is to help training African minsters from neighboring countries. This is very much a passion and interest of mine, helping to train and provide resources to ministers in underdeveloped and developing countries. This will indeed by time well spent.

The organization we are working with is Life Christian Foundation (LCF). Looking forward to meeting them and working with them for the purposes of the gospel.

I will be trying to keep folks update via twitter, facebook and the blog. Look for future updates!

Guest Speakers - May 8, 15, 22

For the next 3 Sundays, we will be having guest speakers at Christ Presbyterian. Seems weird, but I will be out of the pulpit until Memorial Day weekend.

We have some wonderful men coming to minister at CPC. Starting this Sunday, May 8, with Jeremy Mullen, a RUF Chaplain at Harvard University.

Jeremy has preached before at CPC, the folks are looking forward to his arrival.

May 15 it is Ted Ogley. A native on NH, Ted is working with another church in our Presbytery to start a new PCA church in NH. This will be Ted's first visit to CPC.

Finally, May 22 is Dave Stewart. Dave is a Teaching Elder from Portland, ME and has been to CPC before. He will be administering the Lord's Supper on May 22 as well as preaching.

Thanks men for letting me step out of the pulpit!

Good Friday Service

Good Friday Service
April 22, 2011 @ 7:00 p.m.
Seventh Day Adventist Church, 20 Robinson Rd., Nashua, NH

Not a worship service, but a contemplative service with recorded music and scripture readings. Lord's Supper will be served.

Sermon Text: Galatians 5:4-6

Gal. 5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified* by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
Gal. 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
Gal. 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

The Vermont Project

Finally found this link.

Our Presbytery is planting a church in Burlington, VT. We are very excited about this project and have already seen some amazing things happening to move this project forward.

If you get a chance, check out the website, and consider supporting the work there in Burlington!

This Sunday => Guest Speaker

I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but this coming Sunday is going to be special. The sermon text is First Corinthians 12. Please plan to join us!

Formula One 2011

Anyone who knows me knows I love auto racing. And at the top of the heap, is Formula One Racing.

The first race was this past weekend, this is a picture from the race in Australia.

It means some early mornings, but it is worth it!

Sermon Text: Galatians 5:2-3, 10-12

²Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

¹⁰I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹²I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

Sermon Text: Galatians 4:21-31

Gal. 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?
Gal. 4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.
Gal. 4:23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
Gal. 4:24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.
Gal. 4:25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;* she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
Gal. 4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
Gal. 4:27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
Gal. 4:28 ¶ Now you,* brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
Gal. 4:29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.
Gal. 4:30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.”
Gal. 4:31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

Sermon Text: Genesis 4:12-20

Gal. 4:12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.
Gal. 4:13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,
Gal. 4:14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
Gal. 4:15 What then has become of the blessing you felt? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.
Gal. 4:16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?*
Gal. 4:17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
Gal. 4:18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,
Gal. 4:19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ dis formed in you!
Gal. 4:20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Sermon Text: Galatians 3:19-25

Gal. 3:19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
Gal. 3:20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
Gal. 3:21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
Gal. 3:22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Gal. 3:23 ¶ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
Gal. 3:24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
Gal. 3:25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

Sermon Text: Galatians 3:7-18

Gal. 3:7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

Gal. 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify* the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

Gal. 3:9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Gal. 3:10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Gal. 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”*

Gal. 3:12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Gal. 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Gal. 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Gal. 3:15 ¶ To give a human example, brothers:* even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

Gal. 3:16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

Gal. 3:17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.

Gal. 3:18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Sermon Text: Galatians 2:17-21

I forgot to put up last weeks sermon, Galatians 2:15-16 and almost forgot to mention this one as well. Really enjoying Galatians so far.....

Gal. 2:17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!
Gal. 2:18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
Gal. 2:19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and wgave himself for me.
Gal. 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification* were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Sermon Text: Galatians 2:11-14

Gal. 2:11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
Gal. 2:12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
Gal. 2:13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Gal. 2:14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Guest Preacher : Rev. Jonathan Edwards

It is time once again to do a historical sermon, and for all the historical sermons we have done, we have never heard a sermon from the Great Rev. Jonathan Edwards.

I am particularly excited about this sermon, "God Glorified in Man's Dependence". Based on First Corinthians 1:29-31.

First preached on July 8, 1731 in Boston, MA at a public lecture. It was so well received that several ministers wanted it published. It is considered the sermon that put Rev. Edwards on the map.

Come and join us this Sunday as we meditate on the words of one of the greatest theologians the USA has ever produced.

Sermon Text: Galatians 2:1-10

Gal. 2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.
Gal. 2:2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.
Gal. 2:3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.
Gal. 2:4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out sour freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—
Gal. 2:5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
Gal. 2:6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.
Gal. 2:7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised
Gal. 2:8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),
Gal. 2:9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
Gal. 2:10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.