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Jano07

Chase

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Agape Newsletter, November 21, 2008: Special Innapropriate Reference to Moonshine Edition. ;)

Hello friends and family,

Welcome in to another action packed edition of the Agape newsletter. This week is a big week, so let’s jump right in:
Ultra-quick summary of this week at Agape:

1. Sermon this week: The Great Romance Part 3 - The Great Romance played out in the world.
1A - Coming December 7 and 14 - Agape’s Vision for 2009…Please be praying!
2. Agape Thanksgiving meal this Sunday after church.
3. Crossroads Sunday night at 5:00 pm - Focus: One Life, One Shot.

4. Crossroads: Christmas party and December schedule (see below).
5. Traci Jones surgery….meals for the Jones family.
6. Cornbread and Cranberry Sauce needed.

What an exciting week we have ahead of us! In the Thompson family we love Thanksgiving week. It means great food and fellowship, and a time of thanksgiving, of course - but also - it means Christmas music! We look forward every year to the day after Thanksgiving as the time that marks the beginning of Advent, and the breaking out of Christmas worship music that will be played throughout the day. “What is Advent?”, I hear some of you ask? “Are you Catholic?” I hear others ask. Advent, put simply, consists of the weeks leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In our family, beginning after Thanksgiving, we gather nightly for a candle lit devotion, responsive reading, and singing. Then we place an Advent ornament on the Christmas tree. By speaking of the birth of Jesus every night leading up to Christmas, I believe it really communicates to our entire family what this season is all about. Next Sunday, I believe I’ll be sharing more with you about Advent and family worship, so stay tuned. Also, we are not Catholic, though we have caught Abbey sneaking around with a nun’s wimple lately. (I kid…)
Speaking of Sunday’s - this Sunday we will be concluding our series on The Great Romance. Two weeks ago we looked at the amazing fact that God loves us not just as a Father, but also as a Husband - indeed we are to be the Bride of Christ. Last week, we looked at the implications of that Romance - He loves us, so we are to especially love each other in the church. Sunday, we will take The Great Romance a step further and look at how the Love of Christ compels us to go into the world and invite others to the wedding feast.
After worship and word, we will all join together to celebrate Thanksgiving. You are encouraged to bring 2 dishes - either 2 side dishes, or 1 side dish and 1 dessert. The church will be providing the meat, rolls, drinks and moonshine*.


Also Sunday, our missions team asks that you bring corn bread and cranberry sauce for the food pantry. During last week’s food pantry, we had the largest line I have ever seen here - and even this week (when no food pantry was scheduled), we had people lining up outside the doors. Help us feed the hungry!
Please be in prayer for Traci Jones, who had back surgery this week. We would like to bless her family with meals as she recovers from surgery, so please email me if you’d like to provide a meal for the Jones family!
Finally, David sends this information about Crossroads in December: December 14th after Crossroads service we are going to have a Christmas fellowship dinner at Mary and David Ledbetter’s house in Pinson. Everyone is welcome. Mary and David ask that everyone who comes bring some kind of a dish, that way we have plenty of food. We are going to have Crossroads on Dec 7th, and the 14th. The 14th will kind of be our end of the year service so to speak. We will take the 21st and the 28th off and come back on Jan 4th.

This Week’s Schedule:  (This month’s schedule online at: http://agapepinson.com/calendar_of_events.htm)
Saturday, November 22: Angel Food pick up. If you’ve ordered Angel Food for this month, then it needs to be picked up at 9:30am Saturday.

Sunday, November 23, 9:15 am - Please remember that we’ve changed corporate prayer time from 8:30 to 9:15am
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Corporate worship, prayer and word. This Sunday: The Great Romance, part 3 - Into The World…

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on: :: One Life…One Shot

Jonathan Edwards once said that he was resolved to live his life the way that he would wish he had lived it when he came to die. All around us we are surrounded by the worldly ideals of what will make us a success in life. But in light of the gospel we have experienced, what will a successful life look like when we stand before Christ? Join us on November 23rd as we look at what scripture says it means to make life count for all of eternity.


Tuesday Night, November 25th: The Nest - church volunteers leave Agape at 6:30.


Wednesday night, November 26th - We will not be having Wednesday night Bible Study, but the Food Pantry will be open - from 6 to 8 pm, and I’m sure the mission’s team would appreciate your help!


Next Sunday, November 23 (right after worship: Thanksgiving fellowship meal and celebration.

This Week’s Links:

*****    In San Francisco, a group of 13 young adults with the San Francisco Justice House of Prayer, were physically and sexually assaulted by 200-500 homosexuals who were angered by the passage of proposition 8. The response of the 13 is a great example of love under fire. http://www.jhopsf.org/


*****    Serbian doctor who performed almost 50,000 abortions, becomes a pro-life activist. A must read!: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111304.html
*****    Let the shaking begin! http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/worship/11584250/

*****    Tragedy in India: Hindu extremist groups are offering rewards of food, money, and alcohol to those who kill Christians and burn their homes: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5186703.ece


*****     For you artsy folks, the Bible in sand (a video): http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/worship/11584250/

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday! 

Chase

*moonshine not available at all churches. Including ours. Why, the very thought of moonshine at a church - shame on you!  ;)

Jano07

Chase

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Agape Newsletter 10-31-2008

Hello friends and family, and welcome to another Agape newsletter. I’ve promised myself a fresh chocolate chip as a reward for finishing this newsletter, so I’d better get started!

(I added a few people to the newsletter list this week - if you’re one of those people, and don’t want to get this amazingly awesome weekly newsletter, please let me know, and I’ll take you off my list!)

First up: Here’s an ultra-quick summary of what’s inside:

1A. DON’T FORGET about Daylight Savings Time ending this Sunday morning - set your clocks BACK 1 hour before you go to bed Saturday night! 
1. Send in your questions for our economy panel this Sunday!
2. PLEASE invite a friend to come join you at worship this week!
3. Crossroads Sunday Night at 5:00pm (topic: can I lose my salvation, and how do I know if I’m really saved?)
4, Special Prayer Time for the 2008 election Monday night (November 3rd) at 8:00pm. 
5. The children’s Christmas program practice begins Wednesday night, November 5
6. Don’t forget to turn in deacon nominations this week.

Sunday morning we will be having our expert panel on the economy, and addressing all of your questions. Our panel consists of 2 attorneys, an accountant and a banker. In addition to the extended Q and A time, I will be bringing a very brief (10-15 minute) message on how we, as God’s people, should respond to the economic crisis. IF YOU HAVEN’T SENT IN YOUR QUESTIONS YET, please do so! There is still time for you to send in any questions that you might have, and the sooner we get your questions, the better we’ll be able to answer them. Thus far I have about 11 or so questions that have been sent in, and we still have room for a few more. Act Now! Operators are standing by. Free questions to the first twenty callers!

Also - I would like to urge you to invite friends, neighbors and family members to come visit Agape Sunday. The economy is something that is on a lot of people’s minds, and to my knowledge, not many churches are addressing it in a practical and spiritual way - this week would be an awesome time to encourage somebody to visit with you!

This Monday night, beginning at 8:00 pm we will be having a time of corporate prayer in the sanctuary,  focused on the 2008 election, which will be happening Tuesday. This is a critically important election for our country, and we need to join with millions of believers across the nation who will be crying out to God for His will and His wisdom for Tuesday.

Finally, on a bit of a personal note, please allow me to encourage you to go see the movie Fireproof if you haven’t seen it yet. Janet and I watched it tonight, and both of us found it to be a great movie. Let me be very clear: I don’t have a lot of patience for most Christian movies - I appreciate their message, but let’s be frank: most of them stink! Fireproof, however, stinketh not one jot or tiddle, to use King James English. It was an enjoyable movie with a powerful message, and it can certainly be a life changer for a lot of couples. Let me say it one more time: this movie doesn’t stink! I wasn’t actually looking forward to seeing it all that much, having plenty of experience in the past with Christian clunkers like Megiddo,Thief in the Night,  and some of the Left Behind movies (the books are better than the movies) - but this is a really good movie, with an even better message. Guys - take your wives!

My Top Christian Movies:

1. Amazing Grace
2. Fireproof
3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (I haven’t seen Prince Caspian yet)
4. Luther
5. The one I’m forgetting right now.



This Week’s Schedule:
Sunday, November 2, 9:15 am - ALERT ALERT ALERT. Corporate Prayer has been changed from 8:30 to 9:15. The reason for the change is so that people (like me) who might not be all that fired up about waking up early, can wake up just a shade early, and come pray together. It is a critical time in the life of our country and our fellowship at Agape, so I urge you to come a few minutes early, and pray with us in the back of the sanctuary.
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - This Sunday, as noted above, we will be addressing the crumbling economic situation in America. What does it mean for us individually, and what does it mean for the church?

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on the Gospel again, specifically focused on two important issues of salvation. Here’s his summary: When it comes to the issue of salvation, more than one Christian has dealt with the question of ‘Am I really saved’ or ‘Can I lose my salvation?’ And while it is critical for us to know the condition of our heart, Christ does not want us to walk in confusion or fear over the issue of being born again. Which is why we can and should have the assurance of salvation. Join us November 2nd at 5pm as we seek truth from the word on how we know we are saved.
Monday Night, November 3rd, 8:00 pm - Corporate prayer for the 2008 Presidential election - in the sancutary.

Wednesday night, November 5 7:00 pm- This Wednesday night we’ll be finishing up Matthew 10 - should ministry today look like it did when Jesus sent the twelve out? Was Jesus the Prince of Peace, or did He not come to bring peace but a sword? And why in the world is He telling us to hate our wives, mothers andf fathers in this passage? Could this be the same Jesus that we used to see on the flannelgraphs in Sunday school? Come join us!

This Week’s Links:

*****     Here’s a fantastic new song from Hillsong - Stronger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZBPD-T20t0

*****     A great holiday is set to be celebrated today, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Happy Reformation Day!” To everybody: http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/worship/11583552/

*****    Abortion is one of the greatest tragedies and horrors of my generation. This article demands a response of intercession and a crying out to God for mercy and justice. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/viewarticle.php?selectedarticle=2008.10.28_Hendershott_Anne_A%20Dangerous%20Time%20to%20be%20a%20Black%20Baby_.xml I honestly had no idea it was this bad.

*****    Thoughtful and short: Three ways we can spoil the gospel. http://andynaselli.com/theology/three-ways-to-spoil-the-gospel

*****    John Piper on meekness vs. laziness: http://adrianwarnock.com/2008/10/piper-friday-meekness-not-laziness.html

*****     Visualizing the debt of the United States in a clear and easy to understand way (as credit card debt). Who knew we owe Luxembourg so much? http://blog.mint.com/blog/finance-core/visualizing-uncle-sams-debt/

Come and join us Sunday morning as we worship together and encourage each other in Jesus!

Chase

p.s. I ate my chocolate chip cookie about one paragraph into this newsletter. Guess it’s time to work up a message on self discipline…and time to go make some more chocolate chip cookies!    :)

Jano07

Chase

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Agape Newsletter #3 - September 13, 2008

Hello friends and family, and welcome to another Agape e-newsletter, chocked full of announcements, interesting links, and vain attempts at humorous writing. We’ve got a lot of announcements to cover this week, so we’ll start there.

Announcements:
This Wednesday, September 17 - Beginning at 5:45, we’ll be having a family meeting and fellowship meal together. Come and join us for some great eats and hang out time. At one of our last family meetings, I spent an entire action packed hour answering a question from the floor in regards to the issue of ordination of women, so if you missed our last family meeting - you missed that!! And if you miss this family meeting, you could miss something equally exciting, or even more exciting! Okay okay,  - actually I won’t be doing that anytime soon. So if you come this week, you will not be subjected to that again - I promise. (To be clear, I’m poking fun at myself for being long winded in the answering of the question, not the question itself, which I consider a good one)

September 21 - Leadership Team meeting 4:00pm in the church office.

September 26, 27 - Men’s Golf Outing.  For more information, see Brian Perkins or Andy Gray - there is a sign-up sheet on back table. Alright men, listen up: I’m going on this golf outing, and I absolutely stink at golf - I haven’t played in about 3-4 years, and even when I was playing regularly (3-5 times a year) to call me a duffer would be an insult to duffers everywhere. The whole point of the golf outing isn’t really to play golf - it’s to hang out, to fellowship with each other, to be men, etc. YOU SHOULD COME!

September 28 - J. David Mcconnell will be preaching, as well as filling us in on the rebirth of Crossroads on October 5th. I know that David’s message will be timely, anointed and powerful. I also imagine that he will take the opportunity to throw in a few jabs at Alabama football, since I myself have taken the opportunity to do the same to his beloved Auburn Tigers. Fair is Fair, I suppose. :)

Oct. 3,4 Youth Trip to Stewart Center in Atlanta, Georgia- see John Clayton King for more details.

October 5 Sunday Night: Crossroads, the Sunday night teaching and worship time led by David Mcconnell (teaching) and John Talley (worship), will begin again - this time on a more permanent basis. I’ll write more about this next week, but go ahead and mark it on your calenders. Crossroads is always a great teaching and fellowship time, and a perfect way to go deeper in the word, as well as build deeper relationships with other people at Agape. After Crossroads that night we’ll have a food and fun get together at the parsonage.

Oct 11 - Youth Quake - Cullman - see John King. Here’s the website http://youthquake.org/cullman/index.html 1000 ft Crutch, Kutless, Fireflight, Pillar and KJ-52 (what could possible be cooler than a white rapper?) will be there, as well as Matt Pitt from The Basement.
Sunday morning: 8:30-Corporate prayer…meet in the right hand corner of the sanctuary.
Sunday morning 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday morning 10:45- Corporate worship.
And now for a very special interruption: -
This Sunday, we will continue talking about worship and warfare - specifically how our committing to a lifestyle of worship changes things spiritually, and wages war on the Kingdom of darkness. Last Saturday evening, as I was preparing the message for the next two weeks, I felt like God simply downloaded some deep truths into me to share with you all. This communication, if I can call it that, lasted about 10 minutes or so, and it was almost like I felt a direct line to heaven. It was very unusual for me to say the least. I was typing as fast as I could to keep up with what was being received.
I don’t believe I’ve said anything like this in the 5 months that I’ve been at Agape, but I urge and encourage you to come this Sunday morning, at least partially to hear this message. I believe it is truly from God, and is a very timely message for our body. If I don’t somehow get in the way, then I believe this message will be very beneficial and encouraging for you. I hope this isn’t coming across as arrogant or self promoting, because that is the very opposite of what I am intending to convey. If the message Sunday morning is good in some way - it will be only because of the grace and enabling of God.
Some links, freebies and other things worth checking out:
****     Everybody likes free music, right? Here’s a link to an entire worship album available for free and legitimate download. The music is very beautiful, Christ centered and scriptural. You can download the whole album (look for the link) or you can download each individual song by right clicking on them and saving them. My favorite songs on the cd are: Resurrection Song, Psalm 103, and Beatitudes. Resurrection Song is on of the most powerful and hopeful worship songs that I have ever heard. Here’s the link: http://www.christourlife.ca/new_worship_cd.html
*****     The mainstream media often portrays pro-life people as violent, and it is rare to hear the other side, but this week a pro life person was assaulted at a clinic.
*****     Focus on the Family: Married people should laugh more with each other . (and perhaps less AT each other)
There’s so many other links I can include this week, but I’d better stop here, so that most of you can get this in your inbox before 5:00 Friday.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday,
Chase