Tag Archives: worship

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

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

Jano07

Chase

0

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!