Operation Christmas Child

It's time to start filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child! If you would like to participate in this vital ministry of Samaritan's Purse please fill and label a shoebox and bring it to the church lobby at either church location no later than Wednesday, November 16th. (Don't forget to include $5 for shipping if you can ). If you would like to take part in this ministry but don't want to fill a shoebox you can make a donation to help pay shipping costs.

For more information call Judy Cochran, 656-8659. Brochures and empty shoeboxes are available in the foyer.

New Life Thanksgiving Baskets

Please bring non-perishable food items to church for the next three weeks (Oct. 30-Nov. 13) to stock Thanksgiving Baskets to give away. We will collect food at both locations to give away to people in the church and in the community.

This is another great way to show God's love in a practical way. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Froode or Barbara Gustafson.

Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Modern church news, from an old church perspective

Here is an interesting blog with a love for old things. The title of his blog is good enough for a link.

Look especially at the comparison between Joel Osteen and Anthony Robbins.

The writer is critical of where he has come from (the seeker-sensitive church movement), as most of us are. So take his remarks with some discernment, but I think they are helpful enough to point you to him once. Modern church news, from an old church perspective

Ten Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer

Here are Ten Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer written by John Piper as a meditation on Proverbs 18:13.

I voted for it before I voted against it.

Sunday's message at New Life Church Riverfalls will be on Winning Every Christian's Battle, or What's So Real About Halloween? The text will be Ephesians 6:10-12:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I originally thought, what a great message before Halloween. Then I flipped and thought, just do Ephesians in order and take this topic after Halloween. Then I flopped back. So for the next couple weeks Ephesians will be out of order and we'll highlight the keys to winning our spiritual battles this weekend.

About Daylight Saving Time

Don't forget about Daylight Saving Time this Saturday night. I would hate for anyone to miss the extra hour sleep you get from setting your clocks back one hour.

What do people notice about our church?

What do people notice first in a church? What do they notice first in our church? You may not know that we ask them. We do, and here is a sampling:

"Friendliness & greetings."

"The friendliness of the members."

"People were very warm and friendly."

"People were just NOT friendly."

"The people there were very willing to go out of their way and welcome us in."

"Friendly greeters."

"The positive atmosphere and friendly faces; the worship."

Maybe you notice a theme. Now, granted, when we sent my mom a postcard said she liked the sermon! But most people notice people of the church long before they notice the pastor. In fact, they're often convinced about what the church is like before the announcements even start.

I want to encourage you that you make a difference in how people respond to Jesus when they come to church. Let it be a matter of prayer and then action for you to make a difference every Sunday.

Creation and Jesus

Immediately after my conversion God’s excellency began to appear to me in everything: in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in the waters, and in all nature. The Son of God created the world for this very end, to communicate to us through it a certain image of His own excellency, so that when we are delighted with flowery meadows and gentle breezes we may see in all that only the sweet benevolence of Jesus Christ.

When we behold the fragrant rose and the snow-white lily we are to see His love and His purity. The green trees and the song of the birds, what are they but the emanation of His infinite joy and benignity? The crystal rivers and the murmuring streams, what are they but the footsteps of His favor and grace and beauty? When we behold the brightness of the sun, the golden edges of the evening cloud, and the beauteous rainbow spanning the whole heaven, be but behold some adumbration of His goodness and His glory.

And, without any doubt, this is the reason that Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness, the Morning Star, the Rose of Sharon, The Lily of the Valley, The Apple Tree among the trees of the wood, a bundle of myrrh, a doe, and a young hart. But we see the most proper image of Jesus Christ when we behold the intellectual and spiritual beauty of the mind and heart of a truly holy man.

-- Jonathan Edwards
Taken from “The Excellency of Christ.”

Cleo Scheidel Coe

December 30, 1929 - October 18, 2005

TUALATIN - Graveside services will be at 10:30 a.m., Mon., Oct. 24, at Restlawn Memory Gardens. Arrangements are by Restlawn Funeral Home. (Statesman Journal)

Last Tuesday Cleo passed away in her home of an apparent heart attack. She loved the Lord and will be missed. Please pray for her family. Her sister Marjorie Farrell also attends New Life church and has served short-term with Paul & Diana Mayhugh.

Her granddaughter Katie Parkinson has gone to many of our children's events. Katie and her mom Diane would appreciate your prayers. Katie's dad passed away two months ago from a long fight with cancer. They have had a lot of loss in a short time.

God's Advice to Parents

Parents don't have to blow their tops like a volcano.

Pastor Scott's message tomorrow at New Life Church Riverfalls can help. This text is one of the most helpful pieces of advice a parent could ever receive.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

(Kids, you may want to bribe your parents to come and take notes).

All-Church Potluck

This Sunday, October 23rd, at 12:30 p.m. at New Life Church Riverfalls the Missions team will host an All-Church Potluck to spend time together and to hear from Paul and Diana Mayhugh. Paul and Diana are missionaries to Macau who were sent out from our church in 1981. Missions is one of the many things we will do together as an entire church.

If your last name begins with A-M please bring a main dish and a salad, N-Z please bring a main dish and dessert. Come celebrate their ministry, learn and enjoy good company. You will be glad you did.

New Life Servant

When he’s not directing a choir or leading music at a youth event, Ben Ross is a mild-mannered servant of the Lord who uses his unique talents to make a difference for New Life Church.

I overheard people talking about what a good job Ben did leading the choir last Sunday, coat flapping as his arms signaled a crescendo of praise. He’s been a faithful servant musically with his saxophone and voice in the music department for a couple years now. In the past few weeks he has begun leading worship for the high school and middle school students on Wednesday nights.

His greatest impact, though, may not be where you see him, but where you don’t. Ben designed the church logo. He’s published a style guide and web guide to help us use the logo as it was designed to be used. In addition, he has designed the logo and web page for the Remnant, New Life Church’s high school ministry. The Coffee Cart banner is his creation, too. The visual impact of all those is remarkable.

Even as I am writing this, he is redesigning New Life Church’s website from top to bottom. Ben, thanks for doing what only you can do to serve the Lord and his church.

Archives

I recently had occasion to dig through the history archives of the church formerly known as West Linn Baptist Church.

Guess which of the following is not in one of those boxes:

1. Mark and Molly Hanson's wedding program.
2. A picture of a mortgage burning.
3. Cindy Sollers' high school graduation picture.
4. Pictures of the donkey given away during the nation-wide Sunday School competition.
5. Hannah Cochran as a baby.
6. Paul Mayhugh's commissioning service bulletin.
7. A picture of Pastor Scott doing disco in front of a peer pressure poster.
8. Every bulletin ever produced in the first 50 years of the church.
9. An announcement for "Spiritual Crusade" at our church featuring John Piper's father.

You are right. #7 is no longer in one of those boxes!

Actually, here is the point. It would be great if someone would volunteer to scan many of the church pictures to create a digital archive of the history of the church. If someone would be willing to work on this project we could loan a you a scanner. Thank you. Please let me know if you would like to do this.

West Linn High Bible Club

The Bible Club at West Linn High School started off their year yesterday with a kick off lunch. They served a five foot long Subway sandwich, chips and soda. Approximately 25 kids participated. The Bible Club, which is now an official club at West Linn High School, was started almost two and a half years ago by a group of students from New Life Church. The club meets during lunch every Tuesday in the classroom of the English Department Co-Chair, Mr. Freyer. Although students from many churches attend, the club continues to be lead by students from New Life Church. The goal of the Bible Club is to reach students with the Gospel and to encourage Christian students in their faith.

Heaven (Pt. 2)

Psalm 73:25 There is none on earth I desire beside you.

It is the spirit of a godly man to prefer God before all other things on the earth. There is the enjoyment of God, for which he hopes hereafter, which is better than anything in this world. They not only prefer those glorious degrees of the enjoyment of God which are promised hereafter before anything in this world, but even such degrees as may be attained to her in this present state, though they are immensely short of what is to be enjoyed in heaven. There is a great difference in the spiritual attainments of the saints in the world. Some attain to much greater acquaintance and communion with God, and conformity to Him, than others. But the highest attainments are very small in comparison with what is future.
The saint prefers what he has already of God before anything in this world. That which is infused into his heart at his conversion is more precious to him than anything which the world can afford. The knowledge and acquaintance which he has with God, though it is but little, he would not part with for anything that the world can afford. The views which are sometimes given him of the beauty and excellency of God are more precious to him than all the treasures of the wicked. The image of God stamped on his soul he values more than any earthly ornaments.
-- Quoted in Devotions from the pen of Jonathan Edwards, p. 37.

The Remnant Needs You!

The Remnant is looking for someone to join their staff who has a desire to help high schoolers have fun! As part of our mission on Wednesday nights to provide quality worship, fellowship, and teaching, we set aside a part of the evening to games and/or mixers. If you're looking for a place to plug in, we would love to have you join us as our "official Game Coordinator". Please let Jason know either through email (devries13@remnantyouth.org) and phone (503-656-8600). The sooner we can fill this position, the sooner we can begin to reach local students more effectively with the Gospel!

Ministry in Malaysia

Aaron Anderson & Nathan Hanson are going to serve the Lord in Malaysia. They will be working in a youth camp, leading worship, speaking and working with young people.

Below are the introductions they wrote to explain themselves to the missionaries who will be putting them to work:

My name is Aaron Anderson, I’m from Portland, OR., and I have been very interested in missions my whole life. Even at a very young age I thought I might want to be a missionary because of my taste for exotic food, love of different cultures, and heart for the lost. As I grew older I began to love leading worship and teaching as well. God has blessed me with the opportunity to use my gifts on missions trips twice before this: once on a trip to lead an English camp for junior high school students in the Czech Republic and once to reach out to the homesick American military in Japan with Cadence International.
This last year I grew quite significantly in my teaching ability by teaching the high school Sunday school class at my church. Every week was a 20-30 minute lesson with 20-30 minutes of worship before for about 30 students a week. God has also blessed me with relational skills used in mentoring new Christians and for building relationships that allow me to speak into others lives and to have friends that I am accountable to as well. I want to honor God with everything I do and want to be a part of His work in the middle of the 10x40 window. I am so blessed to be able to see God in this part of the world and hope and pray that he would use me to my fullest extent here and that this ministry would have an eternal effect for the people at the camp and for the Kingdom of God.

My name is Nate Hanson and I live in Portland, OR. I am 18 years old and I’ve been extremely interested in missions for many years. My desire has grown and I am now considering the possibility of being a full-time missionary one day. For the past three years I have led worship weekly for thirty minutes for up to 50 students. This job included planning and practicing as well as often speaking throughout the worship sessions. I have also been able to lead for our main Sunday services multiple times. To further enhance my skills in leading and speaking I joined a local speech club as well as a national speech league. Through many rounds of competition I was awarded the opportunity to take my two speeches to the annual national tournament. At that tournament I was bless with third place in the nation with one of my speeches.
I have been on a mission trip before—it was about three years ago when I ventured to Lomas, Mexico. During this trip we built relationships with the students there by playing soccer and basketball with them. While building relationships we were also able to share our testimonies and saw two young people accept Christ. At the weekly services there I was able to lead worship multiple times. I feel confident in my worship-leading skills and believe that I can lead most groups on any kind of notice. I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to travel all the way across the globe to use skills that I have been practicing for so many years. This opportunity is a blessing from the Lord and I can’t wait to see how he will work in the lives of those I’m going to touch and in my own life.

Katrina Team Meeting

The time to act is here. We will have a meeting Wednesday, October 19 at 7:00 at New Life Church Robinwood for all those even interested in serving Katrina victims. We will answer questions and come away with a plan of action that includes firm dates, facts about the church we'll partner with and a time of team training (October 29 at Sandy Baptist). Brian Stark the Northwest Representative for Delta Ministries will be there to answer questions. This is a great opportunity. Please come if you are interested.

Children Obey Your Parents

Tomorrow's text is Ephesians 6:1-3, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"-- which is the first commandment with a promise-- "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

It is one of the first verses Christian children learn, the Reavely children at least.

Plan to Hear David Bryant

I heard David Bryant speak Friday night at a small gathering for pastors. His message is hope-filled and encouraged us all to make Christ supreme in our lives. He used his new book,
Christ Is All -- A Joyful Manifesto!

Sunday, October 16, from 6:00-8:00, he will be speaking at Beaverton Christian Church. Do your heart a favor and make plans to hear him.

I recommend dropping everything Sunday night and attending. You will be stirred with passion for Jesus. Take a short road trip with your small group -- you can have a normal small group meeting any day.

Check Out God's Work in the Remnant (aka High School Group)!

This is a response to the topic Jason talked about on Wednesday night, Providence Anyone?. It was posted on the ultra-cool youth blog, The Buzz.

MikeE has been a great encouragement to the high schoolers and those that know him, but I thought you all would be encouraged to know, in his own words, what God has done in his life.

Discipline

No horse ever gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.
— Harry Emerson Fosdick

I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. … I firmly believe that any man's finest hour—this greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear—is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle victorious.
— Vince Lombardi

Life is tons of discipline.
— Robert Frost

(Quoted in John Maxwell's Leadership Wired Newsletter)

Baptisms!

Our first few weeks have been pretty exciting at New Life Robinwood. The thing that has brought us the most joy is that we have already seen two people follow Christ in baptism (see pictures of Steve Ticen and Jeff Jones below).

Please pray that the Lord will use us to see many more people put their trust in Christ, be baptized, and follow whole-heartedly after Christ!

Ukraine Pastor's Wives Conference

One month from yesterday, Lori Elliot and Carol Carlson are leaving for Kiev, Ukraine. They will be speaking at a pastor's wives conference in partnership with our missionaries Rich & Cheri Strahm of Equippers Network International.

Please pray for them. Lori will be the 'keynote' speaker, talking to them about family life. And, Carol will be teaching them how to create women's ministry events that are feminine and special. Please pray for safety on the trip. Pray that they will make their connections for their flights.

There will be a women's missions night October 18 at 7:00 at NLC Riverfalls so that all the women of New Life Church can share in this ministry to Ukrainian women.

Treasure God Above Everything Else!

Yesterday was our second Treasure Island, where our mission is "To Treasure God Above Everything Else". Our project was to choose team names and created team flags. The K-2nd grade team chose Treasure Hunters.

The 3rd-5th graders chose Treasure Pros (meaning Treasure Protectors).
Our memory verse this week is: Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105
Thanks for praying for us, we had 3 new kids attend this week. Our next Island Gathering is Wednesday, October 19th at 3:30 PM. Invite a friend to experience Treasure Island.

Heaven

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

"It is the spirit of a truly godly man to prefer God before all other things, either in heaven or on earth. He prefers God before nothing else that actually is in heaven. Every godly man has his heart in heaven; his affections are mainly set on heaven and what is to be had there. Heaven is his chosen country and inheritance. He has respect to heaven and as a traveler who is on occasion abroad in a distant land has to his own country. The traveler can content himself to be in a strange land for a while, until his present occasion and business is over; but his own native land is preferred by him to all others (Hebrews 11:13ff).

So also the respect which a godly person has for heaven may be compared to the respect which a child has when he is abroad for a little while; but the place to which he desires to return, and in which he desires to dwell, is his own home at his father's house (John 14:2; 20:17).

Now the main reason why the godly man has his heart thus in heaven is because God is there; that is the palace of the most high God. It is the place where God is gloriously present, where He is to be seen, where He is to be enjoyed, where His love is gloriously manifested, where the godly may be with Him, see Him as He is, and love, serve, praise, and enjoy Him perfectly. It is for this chiefly that a godly man desire heaven.

-- Quoted in Devotions from the pen of Jonathan Edwards, p. 36.

One more time on Hurricane Relief

In a previous post I invited responses of those who may be interested in helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. One of the questions that came up again and again was "When would we go?" We can go any 8 days between now and the end of January 2006, but the two weeks we are focussing on now are November 12-19 or November 26 -December 3.

Brian Stark of Delta Ministries is going to connect us with a church in Slidell, Louisiana or Biloxi, Mississippi. He will determine which church in the next couple days.

If you would like to be part of this team, please leave a comment here or call me at the church with more questions. The deadline for being part of the team is October 19, so don't delay.

Community Service Award

Last Friday, Colleen Mickelson received a Community Service Award at a West Linn High School Pep Assembly on behalf of Coffee Cart and New Life Church! It was the homecoming pep assembly and the student body cheered for New Life Church.

You can see the award on the coffee table (where else?) in the foyer. May the Lord make all our service "award-winning."

Thank you again, Coffee Cart volunteers. You are making a difference.

Prayer

NOTHING NEVER HAPPENS WHEN YOU PRAY. -- Tom Stellar

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

Marcia and I are with Chuck and Erica Searl in Minneapolis at the Suffering and the Sovereignty of God conference. It has been a full and rich couple days.

Five sessions yesterday ended with Joni Eareckson Tada sitting in her wheelchair asking all of us, "Why is this woman so happy?" Her answer to all of us is, "Because God is happy." The Lord used her to bless me and bring me to conviction about my own complaining. He was very good to me.

Before that Steve Saint, the son of Nate Saint who was killed in Ecuador with Jim Elliot, shared his testimony. The most gripping part was the end where he described, not the death of his father, but the death of his daughter.

He said one person at a conference told him that if his dad and his four friends had done it differently they wouldn't have had to die. His response was, "You are right. They didn't even have to go!"

If you'd like to read more you can at Challies Dot Com or Coffee Swirls.

We're up and running - Treasure Island!

Yesterday was our first Treasure Island! We had a great time as we studied about Paul & Silas sharing their faith with the jailer in Acts 16. Our mission is to "Treasure God above everything else" and we are going to do that this week by sharing Treasure Island with our friends. Our next Island Gathering is Wednesday, October 12th at 3:30 PM. Don't miss out on the Treasure! Sign-up online at newlifenw.com

Treasure Island Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day! You don't want to miss the treasure of TREASURE ISLAND. Pre-register online at Newlifenw.com
When: 3:30-5:00 PM at New Life Church: Robinwood
Who: Kids, grades K-5th
Why: To Treasure God Above Everything Else!

Own a Piece of History

Computer Desk For Sale: $0, no cheaper! All Prices final!

Many fine sermons have been written from this desk, and some pretty average ones, too. For you, I'm sure it would work well on all your sermons.

The top is detachable. It has other shelves that aren't pictured.

I'd like to give it away before Thursday. Please call or post a comment to claim it. Thanks.

Prayer

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life; and to say that a man lilves a life of faith and lives a prayerless life is every whit as inconsistent and incredible as to say that a man lives without breathing. A prayerless life is so far from being a holy life that it is a profane life. He who lives so lives like a heathen who does not call on God’s name. He who lives a prayerless life lives without God in the world.

-- Jonathan Edwards
Taken from “Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer”

October Voice Online

The October edition is of the New Life Voice is up on the church web page. It includes news about the Robinwood start, a "Creative Team," an Old Testament survey class, a financial update and more.

I hope you enjoy it in its new pdf form. Check it out.

Our Opportunity to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

New Life Church has the opportunity to send short term teams to help with clean-up and rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina.

In partnership with Delta ministries, we can put together a team from New Life Church and join hands with a local church either in Mississippi or Louisiana. Teams would last 8 days and cost $650-$850/ per person plus airfare. We can go as soon as possible and any week until the end of the year. You can read a MS Word file of a letter from Delta to the leaders of our church by clicking here. It describes this opportunity in more detail.

This partnership involves New Life Church, Delta ministries, CBAmerica, Forward Edge and select local churches in the affected areas. Forward Edge has been given a $1,000,000 matching grant, which means that if you want to give through them your gift will have double value. Then, and this is one of the best parts, some of the money from that grant has been given to CB churches as project funds for use on these short term teams.

If you have questions or wish to volunteer you can leave a comment below or you can call the church with questions.

Won't Heaven Be Great?!

Reaching down,
You pick
A bright autumn leaf.
Between thumb and forefinger;
both joy and grief.
-- Unknown