Ramblings--20090818

CHBC Ramblings
Tuesday, August 18, 2009

“I’m Back!!”
Playing “catch up” the last couple of weeks after time away, I haven’t done any “Rambling,” but I am back at it today. A couple of you told me you missed it; I assume the rest of you were just glad for the respite.

The Past Couple of Weeks
For me, the last few Sundays have been special. We had the opportunity to baptize a young lady who has been drawing closer to this decision since the spring, when she and her parents began worshiping with us. In fact, her parents, also joined our church the day Michaela was baptized. This past Sunday, our church planters, Bill and Kitti Murray, also officially joined our fellowship.

His Kids, our music program for children, met on Sunday evening for a preview of a Christmas musical they will undertake this year. About eighteen children were there, the highest we have had in the past few years. My daughter Lydia will be leading His Kids this fall and will be working as an unpaid Children’s Ministry Intern for us this year following her recent college graduation until she enrolls in seminary next fall. (More information on that will be given at church conference tomorrow night.)

By the way, we give a huge thank you to Laura B. who has built a great foundation in the past couple of years in His Kids but needed to step down for this year.

This coming Sunday
I have been preaching from some of my favorite Psalms the past two weeks— Psalm 8 and Psalm 73. This Sunday I will draw from the longest Psalm of all (Psalm 119) but will really concentrate on several passages of Scripture that speak of Light as a metaphor for our faith and our lives. I hope you will be there.

Sunday night will feature an annual fun event in our Community of Faith, Hope, and Love—the “Build Your Own Sundae” and “Talent (?) Show.” It all begins at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Let’s come together to enjoy each other’s company, be amazed at some talent, and laugh together.

This Fall
Beginning September 1, our Finance Committee is taking the lead from God’s word in Malachi to challenge us to live on 90% of our income for 90 days if we have not already learned the blessing of tithing:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:10-12 (NIV)

Generally, we are told not to test the Lord. In this passage, He invites us to do so! I hope you will join me in seeing what God will do.

Head, Heart, Hands, and Feet
Also in September, I be seeking to help all us evaluate where we are in our growth in following Jesus. Jesus says that He came to give us life, and we will find the most joy in that life when we are experiencing balanced, consistent growth. Come see how we will speak of this in terms of Head, Heart, Hands, and Feet. This DiscipleLIFE emphasis will begin September 13 and is designed to be a simple but useful tool in measuring your progress in your journey with Jesus, both now and in the future.

More to Come…
There is much more coming. We will announce next week our classes for Sunday evenings beginning on September 13. Also, I will be reminding you about our Church Picnic on the Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. So stay tuned.

Lord willing, I will see you Sunday. Bring someone with you if you can.

God bless,

Fred O. Pitts, Pastor