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Jano30

Chase

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Agape Newsletter, January 30, 2009: Special New Members Class and Sword of the Spirit Edition

Hello all, 

I have no time to think up a clever introduction to this newsletter, because there is too much to say, and not enough time to say it, so let’s just start with our ultra quick summary: 

1. NEW MEMBERS CLASS SUNDAY! (right after church - free lunch provided) 
2. Message Sunday: Pursuing Holiness, part 3: The Sword of The Spirit. 
3. Wednesday night Bible Study: The unpardonable/unforgivable sin? 
4. One Prayer 2009: What do you think about this? 

5. Check out our blog! Pinsonchurch.com/blog Updated every week with this newsletter, as well as funny/amazing videos and other articles to build you up. 

This Sunday’s message is going to include a surprise twist - what sort of twist? Well, you’ll have to wait and see, I’m afraid. What I can tell you is that we will be completing our 3 part series on holiness Sunday, with a message that will teach us how to overcome temptation and the enemy by using the Sword of the Spirit. The message should be practical as well as quite challenging, and I hope you can make it! The last two messages in the series are available on our website, thanks to David. Click Here for Agape’s online sermons.  

Also this Sunday, directly after worship and word, we will be having a class for anybody who wants to join Agape. The class is very informal, quite short, and includes a free meal. What a deal! If you are planning on coming, and you haven’t already told me, or one of the other staff members, that you were, please email me as soon as possible so I can have an accurate count to give to our head chef Jennifer Z. At this point, I’ve heard from 31 people (including children, and staff families) that they plan on being there. 

This Wednesday night, we will be tackling one of they great mysteries of Jesus’ teaching, the unforgivable sin. What did Jesus mean when He said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin? Come join us as we complete our study of Matthew 12, and look towards Matthew 13. 

Finally, check this website out: One Prayer 2009 (click here) this is a nationwide and worldwide unity and service effort of the Body of Christ to reach our neighborhoods and neighbors for Jesus. Be sure and watch the videos from Craig Groeschel and Dino Rizzo to get an idea of what this movement is all about. What do you guys think about doing this in Pinson for June, 2009? 

To close, here are some links for the week that are interesting: 

*****     One of Ted Haggard’s close friends and ministry partners (at New Life Church) shares his reaction to the recent documentary about the former pastor and evangelical leader caught in a sex-scandal. “Something always does — and always did — smell off about the “Jesus makes life perfect” version of Christian witness” Click Here 

*****     Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks about his faith: CLICK HERE 

*****     Pendragon, a new movie made by a couple of homeschooling families, actually might be pretty decent: CLICK HERE  and CLICK HERE 

*****     Hooray - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been picked up by Fox - Narnia Lives! CLICK HERE 

*****     The 2009 Christianity Today book awards: CLICK HERE

*****     Related: The ten most redeeming films of 2009: CLICK HERE Note: These films are not Christian films, for the most part, and most contain questionable elements. 

I conclude with the full text of Oswald Chamber’s devotional from this past Monday, sent to me by my wife. (from My Utmost for His Highest): 

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

“I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . .” Our Lord says to be careful only about one thing-our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month— or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (Matthew 6:30).

I’ll see you Sunday! 
Chase

Jano07

Chase

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Agape Newsletter, November 7, 2008 Special Presidential Election Edition.

Hello again everybody and welcome to yet another Agape newsletter. Wow - what a historic week! Is everybody ok out there? 

Ultra-quick summary of this week at Agape: 

1. New sermon series begins this week - The Great Romance.
1A - Coming December 7 and 14 - Agape’s Vision for 2009
2. Don’t forget to bring spaghetti sauce or noodles this Sunday to give to the food pantry. 
3. Crossroads Sunday night at 5:00 pm - Subject: Jesus’ call to follow.
4. Angel Food money is due by Sunday morning, but Cindy will be at church Saturday morning from 9-12 so you can pay then.
5. Christmas Shoe boxes are due November 22 (for more details, see display in the back of the sanctuary) 

This Sunday morning, we will begin a three part series that will lay the foundation for something critically important to Agape that will begin in December. The message series is entitled “The Great Romance” and is an examination of the Love of God for His people, and how we are to experience it, enjoy it, return it and reflect it. This week the primary focus will be on God’s Love for His people. I can hear you thinking now - “well, I know God loves us - and I’ve heard plenty of sermons that have told me that.” I can assure you that you’ve not heard many messages on God’s love from the perspective you will hear Sunday. I believe Sunday will bring a fresh understanding and experience of God’s love for all of us. It will be a message partly presented via multimedia, and I believe it will be quite emotional, encouraging and life impacting. This is a good series to invite a friend who has been wounded in church in the past to come and hear. So, please let me encourage you to invite your wounded and discouraged friends to come and be refreshed! Week two of this series will look at how God’s love for us should be reflected to each other in the family of faith. Week three will examine how God’s love for us should compel us to love those outside the walls of the church. 

I mentioned earlier that this three part series will be foundational for something very important at Agape. I am referring to December 7th and 14th - the first two Sundays of December. On those days, and probably the first week or two in January, I will begin a series on Agape’s call and vision for 2009. The word vision has always been a powerful word to me, especially in the context of the church. When I was ten or so, I went to a large church that began a 12 million dollar building program. The cornerstone verse used for raising money for that program was Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. This verse has been (mis)used in many hundreds (thousands?) of churches over the years to inspire the people to all join in a vision - a vision that usually centered around either the expansion of the facilities or a new building entirely. I believe that to be a misuse of that particular passage - but the passage itself is important and certainly true - the people of God wander aimlessly, ultimately perishing when there is no God centered, God inspired, God breathed vision put in front of them. When I say vision, I really just mean that which God is uniquely calling the people of Agape Baptist to do. I believe that we each have a powerful and unique calling from God on an individual level, and I believe also that we have a corporate calling as well - one that can only be fulfilled by us moving together under the leadership of God. 

Since Cary left Agape in 2007, it seems that we have been without an overall specific vision. Please don’t misunderstand me - I’m not saying that as an insult in any way, shape or form. The fact is that for a church of our size - Agape has a very strong community impact, and is very active in so many areas. In the eight months that I have been at Agape, I have been waiting on God, and asking Him to reveal His vision for us - His call, His specific purpose for Agape in this specific time. I believe that now is the time for us to hear and understand God’s vision and call for us at Agape on a new level - a specific level for this next year. I would ask you to join me in fasting and prayer over the next month as we all seek God and ask Him to reveal His will to us for this next year. I will write and speak much more on this issue in the coming weeks. I invite your input - especially your input gained after personally praying for God to reveal His calling to Agape. 

One other thing - if you missed the expert’s round table discussion on the economy this Sunday, David has posted the audio file on our website: http://agapepinson.com/sermons_online.htm (you can also download David’s Crossroads sermon from last week there as well) 

This Week’s Schedule:  (This month’s schedule online at: http://agapepinson.com/calendar_of_events.htm)
Saturday, November 8 - Food Pantry (from 9-12) Although Angel Food money can be turned in Sunday morning to Cindy, she tells me that it would be helpful for people to turn their orders in on Saturday morning if at all possible. Angel food menu and other information is online at: http://agapepinson.com/angel_food_ministries.htm

Sunday, November 9, 9:15 am - ALERT ALERT ALERT. Corporate Prayer has been changed from 8:30 to 9:15. You no longer have to wake up early to come and pray together!!! 
Sunday 9:45 - Small groups
Sunday 10:45 - Corporate worship, prayer and word. This Sunday: The Great Romance, part 1. 

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on what it really means to FOLLOW JESUS. Here’s his summary:  A Call to Follow

Jesus offers to everyone this invitation: ‘Come to me and I will give you rest’. And while this certainly is a call to receive forgiveness for our sins, we must realize that is also a call to responsibility. To be born again is to accept Christ as Savior and Lord. We are to trust Him, not just for redemption, but also for total direction in life. Therefore, His words are not just a call to receive, but also a call to follow. Join us on November 9th as we continue our study of what it means to experience the gospel.


Wednesday night, November 12 7:00 pm- This Wednesday night, we should be finally wrapping up Matthew 10, and going into Matthew 11. I said that last week as well, but our discussion this past Wednesday night on certain elements of Matthew 10 was so good and lively that we didn’t get as far as I thought we might. We will also have food pantry this Wednesday night from 6-8. 

A few other scheduling notes: Sunday, November 19th will be our last Fellowship Wednesday night of the year, so be sure and join us for great fun, fellowship and food. Also, we will not be having our normal Wednesday night services the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but I believe we will still have food pantry that night. I will find out for sure and let you know in the next newsletter. 

This Week’s Links:

*****     What if Starbucks marketed itself like the church did? A parable: http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2008/11/06/what-if-starbucks-used-church-marketing/

*****     Wednesday the sun came up and I was happy. It is still morning in America. The candidate I voted for did not win, but I got to vote in a free and fair election. Power will be passed peacefully and the Constitution is intact. http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11595333/

*****     Were you disappointed by the results of this week’s election? Here’s John Piper on how to cope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFvlfc2VkN0  (He also addresses the current economic situation). I love John Piper. 

*****    Oswald Chambers on intimacy and having a now faith vs. a future faith: http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/11/06/devotion.aspx

*****    Zondervan Publishing has bought one of my favorite and most used websites, www,Biblegateway.com. All I’ve got to say is that they had better not mess it up! http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/novemberweb-only/145-41.0.html

*****     Finally, from the practical, if not spiritual department: Did you know that stretching before exercise isn’t a great idea after all (at least not the way most of us stretch!) Read on:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?_r=3&em&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday! 

Chase

Jano07

Chase

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Agape Newsletter - 9-20-2008 (Special Escalade Edition)

Hello everybody, and a happy Friday to you. Welcome to another Agape newsletter, and happy birthday to my beautiful wife, Janet. (Does this constitute abuse of power?) :)

For those of you that have been newly added to the recipients of this newsletter - I try to send it out once a week (usually Friday afternoon). It contains announcments, prayer requests, fun/interesting links, and lots of corny humor.

Hope you all have had a great week, and that you have a wonderful Saturday tomorrow enjoying this crisp, clean fall air, and perhaps a few football games. Speaking of football games, here are my picks for the weekend: Take Florida over Tennessee by roughly 10 points - Tebow and company are too good for the Vols this year. I think The Georgia Bulldogs will handle Rudy Carpenter and the Arizona State Sun Devils fairly easily as well -by at least a touchdown, maybe a touchdown and a field goal. As for my beloved Crimson Tide, I see them beating Arkansas by two touchdowns - though next year the game might be significantly closer. I’m not a big Petrino fan, but he is certainly a good coach. As far as Auburn goes? Here’s a shocker: I think LSU has better personel, but Tommy Tuberville is the better coach, and AU often shines in this kind of matchup. I’ll take LSU as Chase’s loser this week - Auburn will win by a field goal. Please don’t use my advice for gambling purposes - that would be a bad idea on several levels, both morally and practically!  :)

Enough nonsense - here are some announcements for you:

Announcements:

September 21 - The Leadership team meeting that was originally scheduled for 4:00pm has been postponed due to child care issues revolving around our involvement with Tres Dias.

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 - SIGN UP THIS WEEK!

September 28 - 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. (see below for more information on it):

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 at 5:00 - this time on a more permanent basis. After Crossroads that night, we will resign to the parlor of the parsonage for food, fun, fellowship and fencing. (bring your sabre).

Oct 11 - Youth Quake - Cullman - see John King. Here’s the website http://youthquake.org/cullman/index.html
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.

Upcoming Sunday Mornings:

For this Sunday morning, we will be finishing up our series on Worship by looking at the value of worship in the midst of adversity, and how living a life characterized by worship will lead us to a life of overcoming trials and intimacy with God. Next week,.noted Scotsman and preacher  David “Angus” McConnell will be bringing the word, followed by a bagpipe solo entitled “ode to my odious Tigers”. The next week after that - October 5th, I’ll be bringing a word on Godly leadership in the church - what the Bible says about Elders, Deacons, Pastors, etc. Following that, we will begin the process of choosing several more deacons to be servant leaders/ministers in our congregation. Be praying about that, please!

As I was typing this newsletter, I noticed that David was online, so I thought it might be a good idea to hear from the horse’s mouth (so to speak) what he would be teaching on next week. Here’s the transcript of our chat. (I’m me - He is David. He calls me Razor - perhaps because I remind him of former WWF wrestler Razor Ramon. I get that a lot.)

me (Chase): Hey yo

David: ’sup Razor..
me: Do you happen to know what you are preaching on next week?
David: Yes
me: Our readers are interested - could you fill us in? (This will be included in the newsletter)
David: How God wants us to be rich and drive Escalades
me: Wow! That should pack the pews. Can you back it up Biblically?
David: Nah - does that matter?
me: It might - many of the people are quite Biblically literate.
David: Oh well, guess I better change it. Seriously, are you about to send it out? I can type you up something real quick.
me: that would be great. I shall await your email
David: Ok - give me about 10 min
me: No problem - thanks on behalf of our readers. ;)

Just to be crystal clear (since emails can often be misunderstood), David was joking about the Escalades.

Here’s what David sent me:

I recently read a book in which the author started his work by saying: ‘We know very little about the gospel today.’ So the question should come to our mind: is this true? Do we understand the gospel in its entirety? Are we seeing people experience it on a daily basis? Are we proclaiming from our hearts the message of hope that lives within us?

Sunday the 28th we will preview where we are going beginning in October, at our Crossroads service. We are going to begin a journey together to fully study the gospel that is the power of our salvation. We are going to look at the gospel from several different lenses. The gospel must be understood, it must be experienced and it must be proclaimed. Along the way, we are going to ask some hard questions; questions that are being asked everyday by unbelievers. We are going to challenge ourselves and test our faith, because it will make us stronger and better prepared to share the hope that sustains us. The gospel is the single most important communication of God to mankind, and it has been entrusted to us. I pray that we will have a deep hunger to study its entire message together.


David

That sounds inspiring, and exciting, doesn’t it?! I hope you make plans to join us at Agape Next Sunday to hear David bring the word - I know I’ll be there.

Some links worth checking out:
*****     As some of you heard this week, Christian singer Ray Boltz (”Thank You”, “I Pledge Allegence To The Lamb”, etc) has come out in the press and now claims to be gay. How do we as Christians respond to that? Think Christian has a good article that addresses the issue (Click Here).

*****     Here’s an interesting article from Chuck Colson - Churches Must Choose Courage over Comfort. A quote from the article (from a succesful lawyer who left for ministry at the height of his career): “If I can rescue one child from the unspeakable horrors of prostitution, it would outweigh any sacrifice.” Sean got his wish and a lot more. Through his efforts, he and his staff rescued hundreds of women and girls from sexual exploitation.” Click here for the article.

*****     Speaking of Crossroads, as we did above, the main focus of the first six weeks of Crossroads was on Spiritual Disciplines. Quaker Richard Foster wrote one of the best books on Spiritual Disciplines, entitled, “A Celebration of Discipline.” Here’s an article from Christianity Today that has an extensive interview with Foster. (Click Here).

****    Here’s the free music from last week, in case you forgot to download it - this is good stuff:  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
Finally, last week’s message was led off by 2nd Corinthians 11:3, which interestingly enough, was the lead Bible verse for that day’s Utmost for His Highest devotional, by Oswald Chambers. I’ll include it below for your edification:

Arguments or Obedience

. . . the simplicity that is in Christ —2 Corinthians 11:3

Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your “arguments and . . . every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25 ).

Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday,

Chase

Jano07

Chase

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Agape Newsletter #2 - August 29, 2008

Hello all, and welcome to another exciting edition of the Agape Newsletter! Let’s start off with announcements, shall we?

Announcements:

Saturday at 9:00am: The youth will be gathering at the church to work on the youth room

Saturday mid-morning: The Seniors class will be gathering at the church for a lunch and fellowship time together.

Sunday morning, 8:30: Corporate prayer - We will meet in the sanctuary (look to your right as you come in the doors) and all are invited to come pray together for the Body of Christ at Agape.

Sunday morning, 9:45: Small groups - a class for every age and group; see the bulletin board in the foyer (or the bulletin) for a listing of available classes.

Sunday morning, 10:45: Morning worship - come join us together as we worship and lift high our God! The message Sunday will be a continuation of our worship series, and we will find out what Great Value trash bags, and Glad cling wrap have to do with worship!? At the end of our time together, we will be commissioning Richard “Bubby” Burchfield who is going to be leaving us this week to spend an entire year in Delaware as an urban missionary. How exciting and wonderful!

Sunday at lunch: After morning worship, we will be having a potluck luncheon and fellowship time in honor of Bubby. Sue Taylor is coordinating that luncheon, and here is what she has written about it: (her full email is copied at the bottom of this newsletter): “Agape’s Mission Team will commission Bubby on August 31st during the morning service.  Please make every attempt to be there to see him off.  We are also going to enjoy a meal together as a church family before he leaves.  Please plan to bring enough food to feed your family and one more person.  We will be eating directly after the Sunday service.  During this time, we will be able to spend time with him, give him our best wishes, and send him off with lots of Agape love.”

Wednesday night: There will be Bible study for all ages, including children and youth group. For the adult class, we will be finishing up Matthew 8, and going into Matthew 9 (if we can make it!). The three questions that we are pondering for this week are, “Can a Christian be demonized, and are demons still a real issue for the 21st century church in Alabama?” and “Specifically, how does God speak to His people today?” Bible study begins with worship at 7:00, so I hope to see you all there!

Prayer Requests: (Please email me your prayer requests if you’d like them to be in the newsletter)

Please continue to pray for Hannah Underwood, and the entire Underwood family. Hannah Hicks (the newborn of Kristy and David Hicks) has come home from the hospital, so keep them and her in your prayers. Remember to pray for Bubby as he prepares to leave for Delaware. Also remember some people in our fellowship that are struggling with job issues (job as in employment, not as in the book of Job). Please pray that God would lead and direct and provide for them!

Something to think about:

My wife sent this Oswald Chambers devotional to me a few weeks ago, and it has stuck with me ever since. We are always looking to the goal, or conclusion of something that we are going through, but it seems like the process is so muhc more important to God. This is a great read:

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” ( Mark 6:49 ). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

Great stuff! To read more of Chambers (this is from My Utmost for His Highest) you can do so here: http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/07/28/devotion.aspx?year=2008

Other interesting Christian links, news, or just plain fun stuff:

A very moving, simple and useful article on Prayers that Move the Heart of God.

A funny picture (for football fans): God is faithful (click here)

Did you know that Charles Wesley (brother of John, and author of “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”) had a secret, encrypted diary? I didn’t either, but interestingly enough, his code has just been cracked, and the diary has spilled its secrets. Nothing too earth shattering, but Charles did very strongly disapprove of his brother’s proposed marriage to Grace Murray. Interesting that the spirirual giants of yesteryear are just as human as we are! Read more here (click here)

Finally, here is a Christianity Today article that has a lot of good quotes on praise and worship, including this one from Thomas Merton, “if we have no real interest in praising him, it shows that we have never realized who he is. For when one becomes conscious of who God really is, and when one realizes that he who is almighty, and infinitely holy, has “done great things to us,” the only possible reaction is the cry of half-articulate exultation that bursts from the depths of our being in amazement at the tremendous, inexplicable goodness of God to men.“ Click here to read more….

thanks for reading - I’ll see you Sunday!

Chase

Sue’s email:

Hey everyone!

As most of you know, Bubby Burchfield will be leaving Alabama for a year to serve God through an organization called MISSION YEAR. (www.missionyear.com)  He will be spending a year in Wilmington Delaware studying poverty and at-risk populations while he gives of himself to the Lord for the Gospel.  We as a church family can’t express how proud we are of him!

Agape’s Mission Team will commission Bubby on August 31st during the morning service.  Please make every attempt to be there to see him off.  We are also going to enjoy a meal together as a church family before he leaves.  Please plan to bring enough food to feed your family and one more person.  We will be eating directly after the Sunday service.  During this time, we will be able to spend time with him, give him our best wishes, and send him off with lots of Agape love.

Instead of a list, I am asking that you reply to all in this email telling us you’ll be there AND telling us what you’ll bring.  Instead of hitting ‘reply’, hit ‘reply to all’.  This way, each of us will know who is coming and we’ll see what everyone is bringing!

If you haven’t already emailed or mailed a letter to me or Amber Perkins, please do so BEFORE that date!  Remember, he needs our love and encouragement!

John King is putting together a love box for Bubby!  If you want to contribute to that, please contact him.

Bubby will need financial support while he is in Delaware. If you want to make a financial contribution, please contact Cindy Underwood or Sonya Perkins.

Thank you all and remember, after August 31st, you won’t see Bubby for a WHOLE year! 

I love you all!

PLEASE, also…FORWARD this to all of your Agape and VN friends and family!