Sermon Text: Genesis 20

Gen. 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.
Gen. 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Gen. 20:3 But God came to Abimelech uin a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
Gen. 20:4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?
Gen. 20:5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”
Gen. 20:6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
Gen. 20:7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you, and all who are yours.”
Gen. 20:8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.
Gen. 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”
Gen. 20:10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?”
Gen. 20:11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.
Gen. 20:12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
Gen. 20:13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, He is my brother.’ ”
Gen. 20:14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.
Gen. 20:15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”
Gen. 20:16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all* who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”
Gen. 20:17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children.
Gen. 20:18 For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Forget the iPad, consider an ADAM

We have a lot of very intelligent tech folks at our church, and I recently asked one of them what they thought of the iPad. He liked it, but told me about a device coming out of India this summer called the ADAM.

I read an article on the ADAM and its comparison to the iPad.

Very cool stuff.

A New Kind of Christianity: Book Review

I am not a fan of Brian McLaren, but I think he is worth listening too from time to time. He provides insights into the church that I rarely come across in my ministry circles.

He has a new book out entitled: A New Kind of Christianity where he is highly critical of the Western Evangelical church. I like the premise, but he goes way to far.

Here is a good review on CT's website. Check it out and make sure you read the entire article. I think the review is very helpful.

Talk about ambitious!

Talk about ambitious!

The breakaway Anglican Church in North America ACNA has an Archbishop that thinks big. Very big. From an article in Christian Today.....

"In the next five years, I want us to plant 1,000 new churches," Duncan said last summer when he was installed as the first Archbishop of the ACNA. "We can do that."

Duncan is the new archbishop for the ACNA. Wow, I am stunned. Would love to see the blueprint for this plan, which is called, not surprisingly, Anglican 1000.

Time will tell....

The Dickin Medal Cat

I found this amazing, the British Army has a medal, called the Dickin Medal that they award to animals who have served in the military. This year, a black lab has been awarded the medal for his bomb sniffing abilities. That does not surprise me, labs are great. But this snippet in a BBC article really caught me off guard.

"A total of 26 other dogs, 32 World War II messenger pigeons, three horses and one cat have won the award"

Yes, you read correctly, a cat has won this military award. A cat. I found that unbelievable and had to find out why.

Here is the reason....

"1949: Simon – the ship's cat on HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze Incident, noted for surviving injuries from a cannon shell, raising morale and killing off a rat infestation during the incident, by doing this duty despite being wounded. He was raised to the fanciful rank of "Able Seacat" and awarded a campaign medal. "

True Story.

Sermon Text: Genesis 18:9-15, 22-26, 19:23-29

Gen. 18:9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”
Gen. 18:10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.
Gen. 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.
Gen. 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
Gen. 18:13 The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’
Gen. 18:14 Is anything too hard* for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Gen. 18:15 But Sarah denied it,* saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Gen. 18:22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham jstill stood before the LORD.
Gen. 18:23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
Gen. 18:24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
Gen. 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
Gen. 18:26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Gen. 19:23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
Gen. 19:24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.
Gen. 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Gen. 19:26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Gen. 19:27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
Gen. 19:28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.
Gen. 19:29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Trans Siberian Railway via Google

When I was living in Shenyang in Northeast China, every Sunday an extension of the Trans Siberian Railway stopped on it's way to Vladivostok, Russia. I wanted to travel home after my one year teaching assignment via the Trans Siberian Railway. I would travel from Shenyang => Vladivostok => Moscow => Warsaw => London.

The only problem was, I could not find anyone to go with me. And in 1995, it was dangerous to travel alone on the Trans Siberian. So my adventure was never realized.

Well Google has a project that is a decent compromise. They have created a virtual trip on the Trans Siberian for anyone to experience from the comfort of your home. It is not the same, but really really cool experiment.

Check it out for yourself.

Sermon Text: Genesis 17

Gen. 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;* walk before me, and be blameless,
Gen. 17:2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”
Gen. 17:3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,
Gen. 17:4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.
Gen. 17:5 No longer shall your name be called Abram,* but your name shall be Abraham,* for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
Gen. 17:6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
Gen. 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
Gen. 17:8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
Gen. 17:9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.
Gen. 17:10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
Gen. 17:11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
Gen. 17:12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,
Gen. 17:13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.
Gen. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Gen. 17:15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah* shall be her name.
Gen. 17:16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give* you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Gen. 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Gen. 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
Gen. 17:19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.* I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
Gen. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
Gen. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
Gen. 17:22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
Gen. 17:23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him.
Gen. 17:24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen. 17:25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen. 17:26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.
Gen. 17:27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Sermon Text: Genesis 16

Gen. 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.
Gen. 16:2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children* by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
Gen. 16:3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
Gen. 16:4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.*
Gen. 16:5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!”
Gen. 16:6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.
Gen. 16:7 The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.
Gen. 16:8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”
Gen. 16:9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.”
Gen. 16:10 The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”
Gen. 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,*
because the LORD has listened to your affliction.
Gen. 16:12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
Gen. 16:13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,”* for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”*
Gen. 16:14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi;* it lies between Kadesh and Bered.
Gen. 16:15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Gen. 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Pagan Christianity Critique

Yes, George Barna is at it again, co writing a book entitled Pagan Christianity which is suggesting the institutional church is a pagan concept.

George Barna, really annoys me and I find him arrogant and terrible at his exegesis and understanding of Christianity. I have not read the book, but I have no plans to send him or the publishers $$$.

Mark Driscoll has a critique of the book on his blog. It is a good read, I would encourage you to review it. Glad to see someone is on the ball and seeing through Barna's arguments.

Mark Driscoll is far more gracious than me in regards to Barna, and I think he is very fair in his treatment.

The Promises of God

From the Sermon: Covenant with Abram, Genesis 15

Is. 9:6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

wand the government shall be upon* his shoulder,

and his name shall be called*

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Is. 43:1 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

Is. 54:10 For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.*Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Rev. 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Rev. 7:10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Rev. 21:1 Then I saw ya new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Rev. 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev. 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.*

Rev. 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Rev. 21:5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Sermon Text: Genesis 15

Gen. 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
Gen. 15:2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Gen. 15:3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
Gen. 15:4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
Gen. 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Gen. 15:6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Gen. 15:7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Gen. 15:8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
Gen. 15:9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Gen. 15:10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
Gen. 15:11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
Gen. 15:12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Gen. 15:13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
Gen. 15:14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Gen. 15:15 As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
Gen. 15:16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
Gen. 15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
Gen. 15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
Gen. 15:19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
Gen. 15:20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
Gen. 15:21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Sermon Text: Genesis 14:17-24

Gen. 14:17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
Gen. 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
Gen. 14:19 And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor* of heaven and earth;
Gen. 14:20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Gen. 14:21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”
Gen. 14:22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand* to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
Gen. 14:23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
Gen. 14:24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Women in the PCA

So for a third straight year, it looks like the focus will be again on women in the Presbyterian Church in America. Anyone who has been following the denomination, knows this is a hot topic. Women in Leadership, Deaconesses, etc.... In 2008 and 2009 the issue was left unresolved, and so now it reappears in 2010.

This attempt is more surgical in nature. Meaning that it is directed at a specific part of the Book of Church Order and comes with an amendment. In the past, it was often said the overtures and motions were too vague. That could not be said of Overture 3 for this coming GA.

I am wondering if this will be the showdown everyone has been dreading, or if it will be a non issue. I am not sure, but I, along with many in the PCA will be watching closely as this develops.

Stay tuned.

Click Here to read the byFaith Article

It's about time...

Being a married couple that has family on both coasts, flying long distances is common place. And when doing so, trying to get some sleep while flying is almost impossible. The seats are not comfortable and sometimes the arm rests are in the way. Frustrating.

Well Air New Zealand has finally come up with a way to make economy seats more comfortable to sleep.

All I can say, it is about time! I hope other airlines catch on fast.

Click Here to see Photos and Video on the new seats.

Disappearing New England Farms

The Northern New England Presbytery has a minister in Northern VT working with farmers and reaching out to them with the gospel. Wonderful ministry and I think it is very much needed.

What I have learned from his ministry is that farmers in the Northeast are disappearing. They are in real trouble and farms are being foreclosed and auctioned off. In fact, so many farms are in trouble, banks have recently stop the auctions because there are no buyers. A very sad situation.

This deepening problem has gotten the attention of a New England Grocery Chain, Hannafords and they launched this website to educate the public.

Keep Local Farms

I like supporting local merchants, and farmers in this region desperately need it. I would encourage folks to check it out.

Sermon Text: Genesis 13

Gen. 13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
Gen. 13:2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
Gen. 13:3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
Gen. 13:4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.
Gen. 13:5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
Gen. 13:6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,
Gen. 13:7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
Gen. 13:8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.*
Gen. 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
Gen. 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Gen. 13:11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
Gen. 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
Gen. 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
Gen. 13:14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,
Gen. 13:15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.
Gen. 13:16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.
Gen. 13:17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
Gen. 13:18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks* of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Quote of John Newton

I am not what I ought to be — ah, how imperfect and deficient! I am not what I wish to be — I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good! I am not what I hope to be — soon, soon shall I put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was; a slave to sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowledge, "By the grace of God I am what I am." - John Newton

paraphrase...

"I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be, and I am not the man I hope to be, but by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be."'

Living in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean

Call it strange, but I have always been interested in remote locations on the planet. I am not a lover of crowds or dense population, although I love Asia, so go figure. But remote landscapes and communities have an attraction, and I am not sure if it is good or bad.

The Empire where the Sun never set (United Kingdom) has some locations that are in this category, Falkland Islands, Ascension and St. Helena to name a few.

Take St. Helena, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with no airport and a small tiny town. How do they survive? How do they like it? or not? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

This article on the BBC Site does a pretty good job of looking at those questions. So are you interested in a move to a remote location?

Dakar Rally 2010 is History

I have to admit, I am little sad.

Yes, I am enjoying the NFL playoffs, but I have found the Dakar Rally 2010 far more exciting and fun to watch. I so want to go watch this in person, but if I was really honest I want to participate in it.

For Highlights, go to www.sbs.com.au for excellent coverage.

Guest Preacher : Jeremy Mullen

This Sunday we will welcome Rev. Jeremy Mullen to preach God's Word from the Book of Genesis.

Jeremy is a Chaplain at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. We are looking forward to having him with us this coming Lord's Day. Please join us.

Hannafords call to buy Local

I found this very encouraging. Click here to read further.

We have a minister who works with Dairy Farmers, and I have heard the stories first hand what these men and women are going through. Very very sad. I am very glad to hear there is a way to ensure we are supporting local farmers.

Hannafords will label Dairy Products so you know you are supporting local farmers. I personally think this is a great idea. I guess we will be buying milk at Hannafords in the near future.

Dakar Rally 2010

For most of us in North America, we are engrossed in the NFL playoffs this time of year. Just an observation, I certainly enjoy the playoffs. But during the first few weeks of January, a very unusual and amazing race is takes place South of the Equator.

The Dakar Rally is probably the hardest most grueling motor race on the planet. Motor bikes, Cars, Suvs and Massive Trucks race for 2 weeks over the most difficult terrain. Last year, only half of the participants actually finished the race. Traditionally, the Dakar Race takes place in Africa, but the last 2 years it has been in South America winding through Argentina and Chile.

Anyhow, I am fascinated with the "Truck" Division. They are the scariest and baddest trucks you will ever see. They are not pickups, real trucks, massive in size.

Take a look at the "Trucks" in Stage 5 of the Dakar Rally, simply incredible.

Here is also a video from the traditional course in Africa. Scarey

So here is my one complaint, it is an international race and the USA has almost little presence and with that zero success. The Russians have been the King of Dakar with their amazing Kamaz Trucks, probably the toughest trucks on the planet. Don't believe me? => watch them in action.

I want to see a USA Truck Team with USA engineering take on the Dakar. I fear, it may never happen. Personally, it would be a dream to see this Rally, it would be incredible to drive one of those "trucks" out in the open. A thrill of a life time.

So who wants to launch TEAM USA for the Dakar Rally? Let's go!

Fresh Persecution in Asia

I can't say I completely understand why this is so offensive, but it is offensive enough to cause people to want to hurt Christians and their facilities in Malaysia & Indonesia.

If your not familiar with what I am talking about, there has been a recent change to allow Christians to use the Muslim word for God, and it is causing violent protest among Muslims.

Read this article by the BBC to get a quick overview.

In many many many places in the world, the freedom of religion is not regarded. Very sad.

Sermon Text: Genesis 11:27-12:9

Gen. 11:27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.
Gen. 11:28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Gen. 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah.
Gen. 11:30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Gen. 11:31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
Gen. 11:32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Gen. 12:1 Now the LORD said* to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Gen. 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Gen. 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”*
Gen. 12:4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Gen. 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Gen. 12:6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak* of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
Gen. 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Gen. 12:8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.
Gen. 12:9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Guest Speaker Sunday

Happy New Year 2010

This first Sunday, weather permitting, we will be having James Cochell preaching from God's Word. James is from Charlotte, NC and is a recent graduate of Gordon Conwell Seminary. Please plan to join us.

Combined Service this Sunday

With so many folks out of town, we are going to combine efforts with our sister church in Manchester, NH

The service will be in Manchester, here is the website for directions and general information.

10 a.m. Worship Service.

A blog everyone should be following

A blog everyone should be following, and praying along with this family.

A PCA minister in Western PA and his family's struggle with a rare disease that has affected their oldest daughter. Very heart wrenching stuff, but the witness of the gospel is impressive. This family seeks to be transparent and honest in their thoughts and feelings.

Here is the link to their blog. I have been a subscriber, I would encourage more to do so as well.

Modern Cathedral

I first saw this on CNN and did some research.

Instead of building the standard large gymnasium looking building, Calvary Church in Charlotte built this structure.

I think it is an interesting take on the traditional cathedral. What do you think?

Pew Forum Research on Freedom of Religion

The Study has surprised a lot of people, 70% of the World's Population live in Countries that restrict Religious Freedom. India and China make up the bulk of that statistic.

We maybe a Global Society open to free trade, but not freedom of religion.

Click Here to read the CT Article on the Research

Sermon Text: Genesis 11:1-9

Gen. 11:1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
Gen. 11:2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
Gen. 11:3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Gen. 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
Gen. 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
Gen. 11:6 And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
Gen. 11:7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
Gen. 11:8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
Gen. 11:9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused* the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth

One of my favorite spots

Rivendell

Sermon Text: Genesis 8

Gen. 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
Gen. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained,
Gen. 8:3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated,
Gen. 8:4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Gen. 8:5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
Gen. 8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made
Gen. 8:7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.
Gen. 8:8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.
Gen. 8:9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
Gen. 8:10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.
Gen. 8:11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.
Gen. 8:12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
Gen. 8:13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Gen. 8:14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out.
Gen. 8:15 Then God said to Noah,
Gen. 8:16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.
Gen. 8:17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
Gen. 8:18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
Gen. 8:19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
Gen. 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Gen. 8:21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse* the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
Gen. 8:22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

In Memory of Les Mason

Details of Les Mason's Funeral can be found in the obituary in the Nashua Telegraph.

Click Here to read the notice.

Sermon Text: Genesis 6:9-7:24

Gen. 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
Gen. 6:10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Gen. 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
Gen. 6:12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
Gen. 6:13 And God said to Noah, l“I have determined to make an end of all flesh,* for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Gen. 6:14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.* Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
Gen. 6:15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits,* its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.
Gen. 6:16 Make a roof* for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. Gen. 6:17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
Gen. 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
Gen. 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
Gen. 6:20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.
Gen. 6:21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”
Gen. 6:22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
Gen. 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
Gen. 7:2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals,* the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate,
Gen. 7:3 and seven pairs* of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
Gen. 7:4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing* that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.”
Gen. 7:5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
Gen. 7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.
Gen. 7:7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
Gen. 7:8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground,
Gen. 7:9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
Gen. 7:10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
Gen. 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
Gen. 7:12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
Gen. 7:13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,
Gen. 7:14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.
Gen. 7:15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.
Gen. 7:16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in.
Gen. 7:17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
Gen. 7:18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.
Gen. 7:19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
Gen. 7:20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits* deep.
Gen. 7:21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.
Gen. 7:22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.
Gen. 7:23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
Gen. 7:24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

Sermon Text: Genesis 5:28-6:8

Gen. 5:28 ¶ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son
Gen. 5:29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”
Gen. 5:30 Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:31 Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
Gen. 5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Gen. 6:1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,
Gen. 6:2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.
Gen. 6:3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in* man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
Gen. 6:4 The Nephilim* were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
Gen. 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen. 6:6 And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
Gen. 6:7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
Gen. 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Makoto Fujimura

Heard about him at the lecture Friday, which I enjoyed. Japanese Artist in NYC who is a Christian and Reformed. Enjoy!

CT Article on current debate on Justification

This is a recent article in Christianity Today that talks about the growing debate about the doctrine on Justification. The PCA is mentioned given the debate a few years ago at General Assembly in Memphis.

Interesting read, a topic that reveals that some Protestants are returning to Rome.

AP News Article on Ministry in New England

Rev. Doug Warren, a member of my Presbytery is quoted in the article. Good read, gives a pretty good assessment of ministry in New England.

Click Here, to read the article.

Sermon Text: Genesis 3:14-24

Gen. 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
Gen. 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring* and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Gen. 3:16 To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for* your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
Gen. 3:17 And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
Gen. 3:18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Gen. 3:19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
Gen. 3:20 The man called his wife’s name Eve,* because she was the mother of all living.
Gen. 3:21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Gen. 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
Gen. 3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
Gen. 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Thomas Boston

I am referring to him again in the sermon because of his work, The Four fold State of Man. Excellent work, a must read.

Thomas Boston

“The Humanity of John Calvin”

This Friday, a special lecture will be taking place in Manchester, NH.

Thirteenth Annual Reformation Day Conference
on the 500th Anniversary of Calvin’s birth

"The Humanity of John Calvin"

John Calvin (1509 – 1564)

Lecturer: Dr Gregory Edward Reynolds

The lecture will present a portrait of the humanity of Reformer John Calvin
in response to his many detractors past and present.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 AT 7:30 PM
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AMOSKEAG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
95 Brook Street, Manchester
Call 668-3069 or visit www.amoskeagchurch.org

personally, I refer to him as Jean Calvin. Look at the picture, isn't it obvious he is French?

Brainerd to Judson

Just finished reading David Brainerd, his journal and diary. Very good, enjoyed his personal writings more than his public journal for he missionary society from Scotland. Overall, really enjoyed it, and thought it was well worth the time. Some good quotes and thoughts from a man who suffered so much.

Now on to Adoniram Judson, reading To the Golden Shore, a biography on Judson. So far, it has been a great read, I am up to the formation of the Missionary Society. Not sure if I will finish it, I am mostly interested in New England and the majority of the book deals with his time in Burma. Not a complaint, it should spend most of it's time on the mission field. But I have a duel purpose in reading. One for transformation, and secondly for research. I have already found it useful for locating local New England historical spots. Looking forward to visiting these locations in the coming weeks.

Sermon Text: Genesis 3:1-13 (ESV)

Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You* shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Gen. 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
Gen. 3:3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Gen. 3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
Gen. 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Gen. 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,* she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Gen. 3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Gen. 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Gen. 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”*
Gen. 3:10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
Gen. 3:11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
Gen. 3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
Gen. 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Atheists coming to the NYC Subway

This has been spreading across Great Britain, and has finally landed in North America. Not surprisingly, first stop, NYC.

The messages of Atheism in the NYC subway system are popping up prior to the holiday season. My only problem with this is this notion of a "debaptism". Is that really necessary? Or even possible? Not really in my opinion.

What I find annoying is statements like this, from the article...

"John Rafferty, president of the Secular Humanist Society of New York, another member group of the coalition, said the ads are in no way an anti-religious campaign"

Really? Then stop suggesting debaptism.

Click Here to read the Article from CNN

NPR Radio on R Crumb's Genesis

Very interesting. I would listen to the NPR broadcast. Sounds worth picking up. R Crumb, a cartoonist has done all 50 chapters of Genesis. Take a look

Sermon Text: Genesis 2:18-25

Gen. 2:18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for* him.”
Gen. 2:19 So out of the ground the LORD God formed* every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
Gen. 2:20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam* there was not found a helper fit for him.
Gen. 2:21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
Gen. 2:22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made* into a woman and brought her to the man.
Gen. 2:23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”*
Gen. 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Gen. 2:25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Sermon Text: Genesis 2:4-17

Gen. 2:4 These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
Gen. 2:5 When no bush of the field* was yet in the land* and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,
Gen. 2:6 and a mist* was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—
Gen. 2:7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Gen. 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, hand the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Gen. 2:10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
Gen. 2:11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Gen. 2:12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
Gen. 2:13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.
Gen. 2:14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
Gen. 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Gen. 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
Gen. 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat* of it you shall surely die.”

Changing of the Guard in the PCA

Good article by Dr. Bryan Chapell. I hope he is right.

A Changing of the Guard Will Guide Us

Explotation in Atlanta

Read this in our denomination's magazine. Great to hear of a PCA church doing something for the sake of exploited children in our world.

Bringing Hope to Exploited Children

Sermon Text: Genesis 1:26-29, 2:7-8

Gen. 1:26 Then God said, o“Let us make man* in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Gen. 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Gen. 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Gen. 2:7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Gen. 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Sermon Text: Genesis 1:1-2:3

Gen. 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Gen. 1:2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Gen. 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Gen. 1:4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
Gen. 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Gen. 1:6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse* in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
Gen. 1:7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
Gen. 1:8 And God called the expanse Heaven.* And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Gen. 1:9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
Gen. 1:10 God called the dry land Earth,* and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1:11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants* yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.
Gen. 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1:13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
Gen. 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,* and for days and years,
Gen. 1:15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
Gen. 1:16 And God made* the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
Gen. 1:17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
Gen. 1:18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1:19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Gen. 1:20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds* fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
Gen. 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Gen. 1:23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
Gen. 1:24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
Gen. 1:25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man* in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Gen. 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Gen. 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Gen. 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Gen. 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Gen. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and wall the host of them.
Gen. 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
Gen. 2:3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Jonathan Edwards Resolutions

I was reading the Life and Diary of David Brainerd this weekend, and in the introduction, the editor has a short bio on Jonathan Edwards. I know quite a bit about him, so I was skimming over the intro when I came across the section, Jonathan Edward's 70 Resolutions.

It is worth reading through, and something I found very insightful and useful. Not that I am about to write mine own, but I may start using them to guide in my prayer life. Edwards continues to impress me in his Christian Walk.

Anyhow, here is a list of the resolutions on Yale University's Website.

Sermon: Intro to Genesis

This Sunday we start a new sermon series that will take us through 2010.

This will be an overview of the Book of Genesis. Please plan to join us this coming Sunday.

He'll Help You Find Your Flight, And God

Was surfing through the radio station and this caught my ear.......

He'll Help You Find Your Flight, And God (NPR)

An interview of a Chaplain at Atlanta Airport in Georgia. Very interesting to see what he does in a day as a Chaplain at the largest airport in the nation.

Lots of lost people, literally and spiritually.

I think I would like to do something like this someday.

Sermon Text: Psalm 69

Psa. 69:1 Save me, O God,
For the waters have threatened my life.
Psa. 69:2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
Psa. 69:3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Psa. 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
Psa. 69:5 O God, it is You who knows my folly,
And my wrongs are not hidden from You.
Psa. 69:6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
Psa. 69:7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Dishonor has covered my face.
Psa. 69:8 I have become estranged from my brothers
And an alien to my mother’s sons.
Psa. 69:9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Psa. 69:10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,
It became my reproach.
Psa. 69:11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
Psa. 69:12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.
Psa. 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time;
O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with Your saving truth.
Psa. 69:14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.
Psa. 69:15 May the flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.
Psa. 69:16 Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,
Psa. 69:17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in distress; answer me quickly.
Psa. 69:18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
Psa. 69:19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are before You.
Psa. 69:20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
Psa. 69:21 They also gave me gall for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Psa. 69:22 May their table before them become a snare;
And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
Psa. 69:23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their loins shake continually.
Psa. 69:24 Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
Psa. 69:25 May their camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
Psa. 69:26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.
Psa. 69:27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
Psa. 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
And may they not be recorded with the righteous.
Psa. 69:29 But I am afflicted and in pain;
May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
Psa. 69:30 I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
Psa. 69:31 And it will please the LORD better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
Psa. 69:32 The humble have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart revive.
Psa. 69:33 For the LORD hears the needy
And does not despise His who are prisoners.
Psa. 69:34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
Psa. 69:35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
Psa. 69:36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will dwell in it.

Guest Preacher : Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We have done a number of historical sermons, sermons delivered by a preacher from the past. It is read word for word on Sunday and has been very inspirational.

We have read sermons from George Whitefield & Martin Lloyd Jones. This coming Lord's Day it will be Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famous German Preacher from the mid 20th Century.

Come and here his sermon on Psalm 58.

Sermon Text: Psalm 58

Psa. 58:1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods?
Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
Psa. 58:2 No, in heart you work unrighteousness;
On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.
Psa. 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These who speak lies go astray from birth.
Psa. 58:4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
Psa. 58:5 So that it does not hear the voice of charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.
Psa. 58:6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD.
Psa. 58:7 Let them flow away like water that runs off;
When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.
Psa. 58:8 Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along,
Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.
Psa. 58:9 Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.
Psa. 58:10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Psa. 58:11 And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”

Sermon Text: Psalm 51

Psa. 51:0 For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Psa. 51:1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
Psa. 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
Psa. 51:3 For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
Psa. 51:4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
Psa. 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psa. 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Psa. 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa. 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
Psa. 51:9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
Psa. 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psa. 51:11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa. 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psa. 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.
Psa. 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
Psa. 51:15 O Lord, open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
Psa. 51:16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
Psa. 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Psa. 51:18 By Your favor do good to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa. 51:19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Sermon Text: Psalm 47

Psa. 47:1 O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy.
Psa. 47:2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth.
Psa. 47:3 He subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.
Psa. 47:4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
Psa. 47:5 God has ascended with a shout,
The LORD, with the sound of a trumpet.
Psa. 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
Psa. 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
Psa. 47:8 God reigns over the nations,
God sits on His holy throne.
Psa. 47:9 The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham,
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is highly exalted.

Christianity Today Article on George Whitefield

This feels like self promotion, but I guess I will risk it. I was recently interviewed by a free lance journalist who was doing an article on George Whitefield. It appears in the July Issue of Christianity Today. Here is the link to the article.

(For those who don't want to read the article but are looking for what I said, go to page 3 of the online article.)

Filming of the Dawn Treader has begun

Can not wait to see this movie, although I am preparing myself not to be overly disappointed. It is my favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia Series, I hope they can do it right.

They have begun shooting the movie in Australia. Should be fantastic......

Sermon Text: Psalm 46

Psa. 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Psa. 46:2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Psa. 46:3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
Psa. 46:4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
Psa. 46:5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
Psa. 46:6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
Psa. 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Psa. 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
Psa. 46:9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
Psa. 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psa. 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Sermon Text: Psalm 42

Psa. 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
Psa. 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psa. 42:3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Psa. 42:4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Psa. 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.
Psa. 42:6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Psa. 42:7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
Psa. 42:8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.
Psa. 42:9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
Psa. 42:10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Psa. 42:11 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Getting excited about the Historical Tour

To get those who are going on our historical tour this Saturday excited, here is an article on George Whitefield that gives you a preview of where we are going.

I think this will be a wonderful time exploring New England Church History! I am such a nerd.

Guest Preacher - Matt Harmon

For the next 3 Sundays Christ Presbyterian Church will have a guest preacher. Matt Harmon is from the Metro New York Presbytery and is in the process of ordination. He and his family are in NH for the summer.

We are looking forward to having Matt and his family with us in July! Please plan to join us.