Archive for 'Weekly Newsletter'

Juno18

Chase

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Agape Newsletter - Special Captain Kirk Edition.

Hello everybody, and welcome in to another sun-soaked, game tied with Slovenia, Agape newsletter.

This Sunday should be interesting. We are going to gather and worship the One-True-God, and also have a message entitled, “RISK”, or alternatively, “Boldly Going Where No Man Has Gone Before”. Tired of plain-Jane Christianity? Tired of the drudgery? Well, I am - I believe the Father desires to lead us into places where we will only survive (and thrive) by faith. How does it look when a person lives by faith? How does it look when a church group, a community of Christ, purposes to fully follow God in faith? These are the questions that we will explore (through God’s Word) this Sunday. These are the issues that we will be living out this Summer and this Fall. Come and join us for a peak at the future, and the God who calls His people to come out onto the waters and walk with Him.

Also - NEXT Sunday (the 27th) we are having a church-wide picnic and swimming gathering after Sunday morning worship (from 2-6). We will need to bring enough food and such to share with each other. and also our modest swimsuits and tennis rackets, etc. The picnic will be at the Woodhaven community center in Pinson (off of highway 75), and we will have a map and directions next week. Because of the picnic starting at 2, you should be able to go home and prepare food to bring to the picnic, or at least grab something from the grocery store. There will be more details this Sunday and next week. There is a nice pool (with slide and diving board) at Woodhaven, as well as a children’s pool, two tennis courts, a grill for cooking, and a large playground for the kids. Make plans now to come join us!

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for the Cusimano family, and for Greg and his dad, who is in a nursing home recovering from a stroke.

Please continue to pray for Linda Roberts, and her mom, who has had a stroke this week.

Please continue to pray for Steve Seller’s mom Evelyn.

Please continue to pray for Ruth Marshall, Joy and Joshua Jacobs, and Lori and Ginger McNamee.

Please pray for Lisa Muncher, a friend of the Jenkins family.

See you Sunday!

Chase

P.S. - Want an excellent, free audiobook? You can get Francis Chan’s The Forgotten God - Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit at this link (highly recommended): http://christianaudio.com/free

Juno10

jdavidmcconnell

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This Sunday @Agape - EPIC youth retreat information, and more. Keyword=Delight.

Hello all,

I am preparing to depart Friday and go meet with our EPIC youth group as they retreat in the mountains and woods of Pisgah, Alabama. In planning this retreat, David has packed their time with a focus on seeking God, maturing in God, and becoming intimate with Him and His word. Though I am sure the retreat will be fun, David has emphasized to me and the youth several times that the point of this time away will be to grow in God - not goof off. Having seen the schedule, I believe he means it! Please pray for the group this week, pray for spiritual depth to arise, pray for transformation and fire, pray for safety and joy, and pray for true, God-honoring fellowship.

Speaking of the youth (and all of the adults that are with them), they won’t be joining us for worship and word this Sunday morning, and they will be sorely missed! In their absence, we are going to be taking another look at meditation this week. I intend to make the case that Biblical meditation is a key ingredient to holiness, joy, and becoming a person who DELIGHTS in God and His word! I hope you will be able to join us!
I highlighted the word “delight” above because I was rather amazed during my studies this week to find the connection that scripture makes between meditating on God’s Word, and delight. No fewer than five times in the Bible is this connection explicitly made. Think about that word, “delight”. Do we delight in the things of God? Do we delight in worship? Do we delight in His word? Would our friends and family members say of us that we delight in Godly things? If not - I propose the missing ingredient is mediation. It is as necessary to living a Christian life of joy and peace and delight, as sugar is necessary to making a tasty pound cake. YUhmmmm, pound cake.
Now that I am hungry, I will close with a quote from Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God:

Scripture is wonderful, if you meditate on it. Our problem is we read without meditation. Your life will never be anchored like a tree without meditation. Some say,“I’ve read through the Bible at least once every year.”"Well, that’s wonderful, but your life will not be anchored beside a river of living water until you stop and meditate on God’s Word. It’s the one who meditates on God’s Word day and night who becomes like a tree planted by the rivers of water. So, you really need to know what meditating is. Now, in our generation, we talk about transcendental meditation. On television we can see the stereotypical meditator, eyes closed, mumbling the same phrase over and over. That’s not biblical meditation at all.  Let me tell you my own definition of meditation. Meditation is that moment when God confronts you with the truth about Himself. It is that moment when you go into the presence of God and let God discuss it with you until you know exactly how to respond to Him, however long it takes.”

I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Chase

Juno05

Chase

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Agape Newsletter: Special June Showers Bring July Fireworks Edition (Also: Genesis Sunday Night!)

Hello all, and welcome to another Agape newsletter,

This Sunday should prove to be an interesting one. John Talley will be leading us before God in worship, and as we worship, we will be going through one of the Psalms in a corporate way, where lots of people will be invited to participate by reading and/or praying. As John was describing this plan to me earlier today, I got excited by the Godwardness of it, as well as how it has the potential to involve many members of the congregation in worship. After worship, we are going to light some incense candles, put on our Buddhist robes, hold our hands in that certain way, shave our heads, chant a few bars of “Om for Dummies” and talk about Meditation. Okay, I’m just kidding about that whole sentence, except for the part about meditation. Many times in scripture, we see Godly people spending time meditating on the Word of God, but now that practice seems to be more common among other religions, hippies, and odd people. The fact is that meditation is Biblical, is useful, is edifying, is God-honoring, and is an important and relevant activity for the people of God living today. In a fast paced world full of reality television, online temptations, troubling news reports, and difficult family situations, meditation on God’s Word offers a respite from worldliness, and a refreshing drink of truth and goodness. Lest anybody think I am out on a limb with Shirley Maclaine and other New Agers, I am not speaking of the kind of meditation that empties the mind of everything, but rather the kind of meditation that fills the mind with God’s Word. This is an Old Testament AND New Testament practice, and I think it will be a fun topic to discuss, complete with a time of Q and A. Come join us!

Also this Sunday, the youngish adults small group is kicking off a new series that you should come check out. It will be a short video and discussion driven study called Uprising, a work by Erwin McManus. This series focuses on how to find the calling and destiny that God has for each person. We will watch some video, read some scripture, and then discuss things in a round table type format. I think it will be fun! In addition, we are planning on having some class fellowships and fun times in order to get to know each other better, and experience true fellowship. Come join us Sunday morning at 9:45 for coffee, and then small group - I think you won’t regret it. Here’s a blurb on Uprising, “Find your true purpose and destiny in the pursuit of the passion and character of God. Be a part of a revolution that changes a life of imitation and mediocrity into one of passion and character . . . a radical revolt that will forever change the world!” What age does youngish include? We don’t really define it - you decide! (Note: it is very possible that this small group, which currently meets at the church on Sunday mornings at 9:45, will soon morph into a home group, that might meet at a different time and place.)


Don’t forget, as well, that Genesis, our small group for all who would want to lead and minister at Agape, will be this Sunday night at 6:00 at our house, next to the church building. We have great food, fun, fellowship, prayer and discussion, so I hope you will be able to  come join us!


Finally, if you are interested in becoming a member at Agape, we will be having a new member’s class and fellowship coming up soon. Let me know if you are would like to attend!


See you Sunday,


Chase

Mayo28

Chase

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Hello all,

Welcome into another Agape mini-newsletter. After a great Family Fun Day last Sunday, I don’t have a ton of news to report this week, but we do have an important gathering this Sunday morning, and some important prayer requests to cover:

This Sunday, we will be looking at one of the primary prophetic predictions in the scripture, known theologically as “The Great Apostasy”. This is a predicted/prophesied falling away of many in the church in the last days. In simple terms, the Bible teaches that in the days before the return of Jesus, that many people will leave the Body of Christ, pursuing a sort of one world religion. You’ve probably heard preachers teach about this before, but what you might not have heard about is the other side of the coin: concurrently with the great falling away, there will be an almost unprecedented revival, in which tons of people will come into the Body of Christ. It is possible that we are either entering into this period of time, or we are entering into a preview of it. Come join us Sunday as we delve into the last days, and what the Word of God says will happen to his people in those days.

Also: a preview: At some point in June, we are going to launch into a series that will seek to answer the question, “Why does a good God allow terrible suffering and evil?” This is one of the most common questions asked by those who are outside of the church, and this will be a great opportunity to invite your friends to hear an explanation of this perplexing question, to watch a video debate of a Christian scholar and an agnostic scholar wrestling over this issue, and to be able to ask questions that they may have always wondered about. Stay tuned.

Prayer Requests:

  • Please pray fervently for Linda Roberts. I have just found out that she had to be re-admitted to the hospital with an infection, and a very high fever. Pray for her quick healing!
  • Please pray for Greg Cusimano’s father, who had a serious stroke this week, and is still in the hospital. He is unable to move on one side of his body, and his language has been affected greatly. Please pray for his healing, and for the Cusimano family in general - lift them up!
  • Please pray for Steve Sellers and his mother Evelyn, who is back in the hospital, and struggling with her O2 numbers. Pray for her healing, and for strength, peace, joy, and upholding for Steve, and his brothers.
  • Please pray for Ann and Lynn and Sue’s uncle Gray Brumbloe
  • Please pray for my daughter, Kassidy (the youngest), as she seems to be developing bronchitis, and as my kids are asthmatics, bronchitis hits them very hard.

Thanks for your prayers, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Chase

p.s. - Thanks to all who helped with the food pantry Wednesday night - we had a huge crowd of people, and a great number of helpers!

Mayo21

Chase

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Family Fun Day this Sunday!!!

Due to unprecedented rains, we have moved our Family Fun Day venue onto an Ark that we are constructing for that purpose.

Okay - I’m just kidding, but my - we have had a bunch of rain, haven’t we!? The good news is that the rain will be gone by Sunday, and it will be nice and sunny. (bring sunscreen and a hat).
Here’s what you need to know for this Sunday:
  • Small Groups will be held as normal, and corporate worship will start at 10:45. Instead of a sermon, we will hear from a few different people encouraging us to rise up as families of God.
  • Invite your friends and family members! This will be a very casual and fun day, that will be ideal to bring a friend with you.
  • Folks: Even if you aren’t entering the baked goods contest, or the man food contest, we do need you to bring a side dish of some sort for sharing. This will be a covered dish type day, with the church providing some great baked beans, and smoked turkeys, thanks to Greg Cusimano, David Ledbetter, Jason Roberts (and maybe more).
  • The Man Food Contest will be held shortly after the conclusion of morning worship. There is a prize - a gift certificate to Long Star Steakhouse! Man-Food entrants - be sure to cook enough food to share - the point of our contest is to share your manly food with as many people as possible. Judges will be picked from the congregation. Women and youth (and children) are allowed to enter - indeed a woman won the contest last year!
  • The baked food contest (cake, pie, cupcakes, etc) will be held at roughly the same time - again, bring enough to share, as this will most likely be our dessert table!
  • We are also going to have a great moonwalk - a dunking booth, and a ton of fun and games for the kids and adults. If you have fun items (Lassos, badminton sets, Frisbees, etc) - BRING THEM!
  • Our day will conclude with an awards type ceremony to celebrate the winners of all of the games that we will be playing.
Come join us Sunday, and don’t forget to invite your friends!
Chase
(email me back with any questions)

Mayo17

Chase

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Paul Tillich, jumping.

This is a picture of theologian Paul Tillich jumping. I am not a big Tillich fan, but unfortunately, I do not possess a picture of Wayne Grudem or D.A. Carson jumping. This will have to suffice until then:

paul-tillichFamily Fun Day, by the way, is this Sunday, May 23rd. Details soon!

Mayo05

Chase

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FREE CHEESE TONIGHT AT AGAPE! ;)

Wednesday!, Wednesday!, Wednesday! (you should “hear” this whole paragraph as if it was read by a guy advertising a monster truck rally). This Wednesday, only at Agape Baptist church, we are giving away a free 2 pound block of cheese to the first twenty people to attend tonight’s Adult Last Days Bible Study and say the words, “Agape Baptist is the best church to get free cheese at on a Wednesday night!”   “What’s the catch”,  you ask? There’s no catch  - just come!   “There’s gotta be a catch, like I probably have to get baptized or something.” I hear you thinking - but no - you don’t even have to get baptized to get a free block of cheese tonight - just come and ask!  Also witness Clobberalla the giant Monster Truck crush a bright blue pick up truck IN THE CHURCH PARKING LOT!!*

Okay okay - I suppose I am being a bit silly. Wayne and I picked up about 240 pounds of cheese today at United Way, and we don’t really have a good place to store it for very long, so if you would like some fresh, Bordon Cheddar cheese tonight, all you have to do is ask! Whether you need cheese or not,  I would urge you, however, to come join us for tonight’s last day’s Bible study, as it should be action packed, encouraging, interesting, and faith building. In addition to looking at the devastating but God-breathed trumpet judgments, we are also going to begin to look at the second coming of Jesus - probably in a way that you’ve never considered before. We will look at some specific Old Testament and New Testament passages that will give most of us a clearer, and more detailed picture of His return than we have had before. I hope you can make it, whether you need cheese or not!! :)  The fun starts at 7pm, but come early for some coffee and fellowship!

Also, don’t forget about Kid’s Revive tonight at 6:30pm, where Sam and Laurie (and team) will be teaching our kids the Word of God, and leading them in worship. EPIC youth also begins at 6:30 with worship led by John Talley, followed by David McConnell.

Men of Agape: We need your help to get us ready for Mother’s Day this week! If you can help weed-eat, or cut the grass some this week, please let Greg or I know. I will write more in a couple of days about our plans for this Sunday, but Mother’s Day @ Agape should be wonderful!

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for Dennis Underwood, as he had surgery on his leg this past week, and will have to be off of his artificial leg for several weeks.

Please pray for my Grandmother, Ann Partain, as she broke her back last week.

Please pray for Linda and Jason Roberts, as Linda has now come home, and is celebrating her birthday this week!

Please pray for our Mother’s Day worship time this Sunday that it would bless our moms, and that God would be most glorified!

See you tonight, I hope!
Chase

(* Not really - no trucks will be crushed tonight)

Apro21

Chase

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Resources on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Did it Really Happen?

Here are some excellent resources for those who want to examine in depth the greatest event in history, the historical resurrection of Jesus the Christ:

YouTube Preview Image

Great books on the Resurrection that are deep, but also somewhat easy to read:

1. The Historical Jesus - Gary Habermas
2. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus - Gary Habermas
3. The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith - Lee Strobel.
4. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist - Norman Geisler
5. The Reason for God - Timothy Keller
6. Conspiracies and the Cross - Timothy Paul Jones
7. The 10 most Common Objections to Christianity - Alex McFarland.

Also great books, but a little bit deeper and more academic - great for when you are engaging with a professor or intellectual.

1. Reasonable Faith - William Lane Craig (Also check out the Reasonable Faith podcast on iTunes)
2. Atheist Delusions - David Bentley Hart
3. God’s Undertaker - John Lennox (who often debates Richard Dawkins)
4. On Guard - William Lane Craig
5. Unapologetic Apologetics - William Dembski

Some articles to read online:

1. Some free e-books and chapters of books from one of  my favorite professors, and perhaps the foremost authority on the resurrection of Jesus in America, Gary Habermas. These downloads are free! CLICK HERE This link includes a book on doubt, written by Dr. Habermas, after he watched his wife die of a very painful and terrible cancer. If you struggle with doubt - this should be a great read for you!

2. Some free .mp3 downloads from Dr. Habermas, including radio appearances and messages where he talks about the Resurrection. CLICK HERE.

3. David Wood, of Answering Infidels on, “Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?” CLICK HERE

4. William Lane Craig - The Empty Tomb of Jesus CLICK HERE

5. William Lane Craig - The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus: CLICK HERE

6. N.T. Wright on the Resurrection of Jesus and Easter. CLICK HERE Another N.T. Wright resurrection article: CLICK HERE

7. Josh McDowell on resurrection evidence: CLICK HERE

8. One more William Lane Craig Article on the historicity of the resurrection: CLICK HERE

9. General apologetics questions and answers (including questions on the resurrection) from Dr. Habermas: CLICK HERE

10. John Piper on the intentionality and intensity of the Resurrection: CLICK HERE

One more video: From Dr. Gary Habermas, via Lee Strobel:

YouTube Preview Image

I hope this is helpful to you!

Apro21

Chase

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Wednesday Night Last Days Bible Study + Prayer Requests

Hello all,

Tonight (Wednesday) at Agape, we are going to be looking into the last days again, and in a week of earthquakes volcanoes, and shining objects darting across the sky, I can’t think of a better time to be talking about what we’re going to be talking about tonight. Some of the specific things we’ll look at include the mystery of the 12/13 tribes of Revelation 7 (what happened to Dan? Who is the tribe of Joseph?), and the things that are supposed to happen before the devastating earthquakes, famine and pestilence that is to come. If you haven’t been in a while, come join us a little before 7 for some coffee, and then some great discussion starting at 7pm.
Kid’s Revive and Agape EPIC youth begin at 6:30, so bring your kids too.
Prayer Requests:
  • Please pray for Steve Seller’s mom, Evelyn. She is in the hospital and very much struggling in critical condition. Pray for her healing, for her blood levels to rise, and for peace and rest for Steve and his brothers.
  • Please pray for Kay Turner and her entire Vida Nueva team this weekend as they are will be ministering to an important group of teenagers.
  • Continue to pray for Jerry Jacobs. Jerry had surgery to have a large portion of his foot removed due to a blood clot, and it will be quite a while before he is able to get around well. Pray for quick healing and for peace and rest for Jerry and Joy.
  • Continue to pray for Linda Roberts. Linda will be coming home from the hospital soon, and the Agape family will really need to surround the Roberts family with love, and practical, in home help. More details soon.
  • Continue to pray for Bill Dedman as he recovers from heart surgery.
  • Continue to pray for Paul Marshall, who has been in a lot of pain this week.
See you Wednesday, I hope!
Chase

Apro13

Chase

0

A trick we are currently working on….

We’ll let you know when it is perfected!

- The Agape pastors.

skating

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