Scott's Thoughts

 

Grace Presbyterian Church

E-mail bulletin

March 30, 2005

 

Dear Members and Friends of Grace,

 

Greetings in Christ’s name! At the close of last week’s Sunday School lesson, I read a passage from D. A. Carson’s book on prayer, “Spiritual Reformation”. It is worth repeating here:

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, at the heart of all our praying must be a biblical vision. That vision embraces who God is, what he has done, who we are, where we are going, what we must value and cherish. That vision drives us toward increasing conformity with Jesus, toward lives lived in the light of eternity, toward hearty echoing of the church’s ongoing cry, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” That vision must shape our prayers, so that the things that most concern us in prayer are those that concern the heart of God. Then we will persevere in our praying, until we reach the goal God himself has set for us. (pg. 62)

 

Carson’s insight reflects the fact that in many ways our prayer life is simply the outworking of our spiritual life. One of the challenges of teaching on prayer is that to teach on prayer is, in effect, to teach on the Christian life. Every aspect of our life in Christ influences, and is influenced by, our praying. Love for God and people, worship, Christian service, knowledge of God’s Word, and all other aspects of our walk with Christ, as well as a biblical vision, are the necessary preconditions for a rich and fruitful life of prayer. To grow in prayer is to grow in Christ and vice versa.

 

For this reason we are devoting some time at Grace to the study of prayer. My hope is that your hearts will be strengthened as you find that God is drawing nearer to you as you draw near to him in prayer (James 4:8).

 

Please note the following information:

 

           This evening, March 30th:

 

-         We will meet for our weekly Wednesday evening prayer meeting this evening at 7:00 p.m. at our house. Please call me for directions or to inform me of any matters for prayer.

 

Saturday, April 2nd:

 

-         The Women’s Bible study will meet at the Johnsons’ house this morning. Call Marilyn Doerfel (364-0830) or Robyn Johnson (321-6151) for more information.

 

This coming Lord’s Day, April 3rd:

 

-         The adult Sunday School class will study chapter 4 of “A Call to Spiritual Reformation – Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”. The theme of the chapter is praying for others.

 

-         During the morning service, I will preach from Mark 14:66-72. The message will be, “Godly Sorrow.”

 

-         Daylight Savings Time! Don’t forget to set your clocks one hour ahead on Saturday night!

 

-         The evening service begins at 6:00 p.m. I will give a devotional message on Psalm 32.

 

Opportunity for service:

 

-         There are still needed volunteers to clean the church for the month of June. The sign-up sheet is on the table in the narthex of the church. Thank you to those who have committed to this un-glamorous but important service to the congregation!

 

New Member’s Class:

 

-         A new member’s class has begun meeting on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 at the Johnsons’ house. While the class is designed to prepare those interested for membership at Grace, anyone is welcome to join the study (member or not). We are working our way through “Confessing Christ” by Calvin Cummings. We are covering basic Bible teaching as well as looking at the particular distinctives we hold as a Presbyterian and Reformed church. Please let me know if you are interested in attending.

 

Change in the Pastor’s Study:

 

-         I have recently moved my study from the church building to our house. However, the phone number for the church is still the same (321-5220. It now rings in my study at home.). Please feel free to stop by our house anytime if you would like to see me.

 

Stamps for Missions:

 

-         The Foreign Missions Committee is accepting cancelled stamps in order to raise funds for the purchase of Bibles and Reformed literature for the people of Haiti. Instructions on what stamps to save, how to prepare them, and where to send them, are available on the table in the narthex of the church.

 

Eric Pyle’s work with Wycliffe Bible Translators:

 

-         Read Eric’s latest newsletter (“Eric’s Heart Language – Explorer”) for an update on his work in developing software for Bible translation: http://www.opcNorman.org/Wycliffe/EricPyle/newsletters/heart_lang_exp_mar05.pdf

 

Young People’s Camp:

 

-         The 2005 Presbytery of the Southwest (PSW) Young People’s Camp will be held July 23rd – July 29th in Amarillo, Texas. The camp’s theme is “Covenant Scene Investigation”, and is for students going into the 6th – 12th grades. Last year we had several people from Grace attend, both as campers and counselors. I hope that we can send another good-sized contingent this year, as well. There is information and registration forms available at the church. NOTE: If you are planning to attend, register AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. There must be 60 registered campers by May 16th for the camp to take place. Also note: Scholarships are available for those who may need financial assistance to pay for the tuition. Please contact me for more information about this.

 

-         If you would like more information on this camp, contact me or Betty Brack at betbrack@amaonline.com, or 806-433-5415.

 

 

Covenant Youth Organization (CYO):

 

-         A group of Reformed pastors and churches have organized some exciting activities for interested young people from Reformed churches. One activity they have planned is a Christian study weekend in February 2006 for Post-High Singles. Here is more information:

 

To find out more, visit www.covenantyouthorganization.org.

 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

 

 

 

 

Pastor Scott Johnson

Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC)

Norman, Oklahoma

Visit our website: www.opcNorman.org

church: 405-321-5220

home: 405-321-6151