What if I don't have faith?

I have split tomorrow's sermon into two weeks and then I still have too much. William Guthrie, a puritan, in his sermon on Mark 11:24 lists several reasons why someone should be concerned if they don't have faith:

1. Consider the danger of such a case.
2. They are prey to the devil.
3. They are prey to their own lusts.
4. It deprives them of fellowship with God, and with Jesus Christ.
5. Lack of faith brings hardness of heart.
6. Not only can they not pray acceptably, they cannot speak to God.
7. The cannot bring forth fruit to the glory of God.
8. Whatever they do is sin.
9. They are liable to the wrath of God, now and hereafter.
10. They shall irrecoverably die and perish eternally.

What should they do about it?

1. They should sincerely consider their case and condition.
   
2. They should realize they have hope, yet while they live, of finding faith and use every means possible to get it.
   

Cleansing the Temple

Mark 11:12-19, Cleansing the Temple, June 24, 2007

Brazil Team Gone

Our team is on their way to Brazil. They left today at about 11:30. Please pray for (l-r) Tyler & Sheree, Nick & Meredith, Val, and Louise. Scott and Melanie Creps had left earlier. Please pray for:

• Health and Safety.
• The Holy Spirit to work in and through them.
• Spiritual protection.
• Boldness in witnessing and many open doors to speak for Christ.

We'll have updates posted here as we receive them.

Bridges to Change News!!!

Thanks to everyones generous giving, we sent over another 5 boxes of food to the Transitional Housing down the street. This brings our total to 29 boxes so far and we hope to keep on giving about 2 boxes every week, so please remember to bring non-perishable food items to the Manna Cupboard chest in the foyer. This is such a fantastic opportunity to reach out to our neighbors and we are seeing positive results. Men from the Bridges housing are attending a meeting at the church on Tuesday night and some are attending a bible study. They held a graduation ceremony here last week for several of the people that had completed their 90 day program and were ready to made the next step out into society and a new job and a new life. We can continue to pray that New Life Church is making an impact on their lives.

MEGA Sports Camp 2007 Pictures (Update)

Brazil Send-Off

Please join us this Friday, June 29th at 10:00a.m. as we send the Brazil Global Outreach Team on their way. We will be meeting at PDX by the American Airlines ticket counter. Your presence will be a great encouragement to the team as they embark on many, many hours of travel.

Sports Camp is HERE!!!!

New Life Church's MEGA Sports camp is underway. It all started yesterday with 34 kids and attendance increased to 48 today. Today is basketball day!

And we haven't forgotten you parents - come by for coffee, conversation and more every morning at 9 AM. See you tomorrow! You can check out more pictures here.

Remember to pray for MEGA Sports Camp 2007!

A Small Mistake

Yesterday in my message I mentioned that the Court of the Gentiles in Herod's Temple was 450 meters by 300 meters. I then compared it to a football field and a half long and a football field wide. The dimensions were good, but the comparison was terrible. It was closer to the size of 27 football fields. [Note to self: the length of a meter is close to a yard not a foot]. Oops!

The Triumphal Entry

Mark 11:1-11, The Triumphal Entry, June 17, 2007

SPORTS CAMP IS COMING!!

REMINDER: Sports Camp is NEXT WEEK. You would be a blessing to the volunteers that are preparing for your kids if you would register your child before Monday. Scholarships are available for those who need them. Registration forms can be found here, or at either church location this Sunday. If you are unable to register prior to June 25th, we will still be excepting kids that are registered on the day they arrive. If you have any questions, please call Janelle Austen at 503.631.7260.

New in the Library!

Teen Section
The Case for Faith (Student edition and Leader's guide)

FictionPiercing The Darkness by Frank E. PerettiThis Present Darkness by Frank E. PerettiThe Sacrifice by Robert Whitlow
Unveiled (Tamar) by Francine RiversUnashamed (Rahab) by Francine Rivers
Unspoken (Bathsheba) by Francine RiversUnshaken (Ruth) by Francine Rivers

Bible Study
Becoming A Woman of Freedom by Cynthia HealdBecoming A Woman of Purpose by Cynthia Heald
Tame Your Fears by Carol Ken (Small Group Discussion Guide)

DictionarySeven Language

Non-Fiction

Children and Pray by Betty Shannon Cloyd (248.3)

Growing Compassionate Kids by Jan Johnson (649.1)

The Birth Order (Why you are the way you are) by Dr. Kevin Leman (155.9)

Together At Home (100 proven ways to nurture your child's faith)
by Dean & Grace Merrill (249)

The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn (241.66)

The Greatest Gift by Ideal Publications (263.1)

In the Footsteps of Jesus by W.E. Pax (232.9)

Lord Only You Can Change Me by Kay Arthur (241.5)

Daniel In the Critic's Den by Josh McDowell (224.5)

Grace Grows Best in Winter by Margaret Clarkson (242.4)

Partly Rights (Learning from the Critics of Christianity)
by Tony Compolo (239)

Ordinary Men called by God (Abraham, Moses & David )
by James Montgomery Boice (221.9)

Destined To Overcome (The Technique of Spiritual Warfare)
by Paul E. Billheimer (248.4)

FOOTPRINTS (The True Story behind the Poem)
by Margaret F Powers (811)

The Race (Discipleship for the Long Run)
by John White (230)

The Divorce Myth (A Biblical Examination of Divorce and Remarriage)
by J. Carl Lancy (306.8)

Affliction (A compassionate Christian look at understanding the reality of pain and suffering in our lives ) by Edith Schaeffer (242.4)

Visas

Hello Everyone,
I am so happy to be writing you all to let you know that I just heard that we were granted the visas and they should be arriving back at our house today!!!! :) Praise the Lord! I somehow knew that we would hear about it today - in fact, I just wrote Bruce an email in Brazil and told him that I would be writing him later on today to let him know we got them... and now I am! Thank you Lord! They are 90 day visas, instead of 1 year (which I guess is the norm for tourists), but I told the visa agency lady we only needed two weeks, so 90 days is plenty! :)

Thank you for all of your prayers. God listens and I guess He wants us to go on this trip, regardless of any new restrictions on Brazilian travel! I am so excited!

In His hands,

Melanie

Treasure Chest Podcast

The Treasure Chest Podcast is online! That means that you can have the messages from New Life Church Riverfalls come right to your computer. You don't have to order a tape. You don't have to pay for a CD. All you have to do is subscribe to the podcast.

How to Subscribe:

1. Download iTunes: Here is a link about how to download iTunes on your computer, if you don't have it yet. Essentially you go to the download page and follow the instructions.
2. Find the Podcast: Once you have iTunes on your computer, click this Treasure Chest Podcast link to go directly to it.
   
3. Or, if you prefer more of a challenge you can find it by browsing. Click on "iTunes store" in the sidebar of the iTunes program. From there you will see a menu that allows you to select "podcasts". Select "podcasts". The on the right you can "browse". Select "Religion & Spirituality" in the center column. Then select "Christianity" on the right column. Scroll down to the "t's" where you will see the Treasure Chest. Highlight the title and click on the arrow.
4. Subscribe: You can subscribe from this screen. Or, you can listen to any one sermon from this past year. And/Or, you can leave a comment.
   

I have posted a bunch of sermon titles below. If you click the links on those, it will just go to the mp3 file and depending on how you have your computer set up, nothing may happen. You can download the sermon files from those links though by right-clicking with your mouse. Clicking on the links in the blog has nothing to do with subscribing to the podcast.

Thank you for subscribing. My prayer is that this will be a continued and convenient way for you to get input from God's word.

Sweet Strawberries!

Okay, I confess. I played hookie from the office this afternoon to stop by the sweetest little strawberry sale this side of the Willamette River (and of course I'm not biased). On Tuesday afternoon my wife and two kids went Strawberry picking! They came home with gobs of strawberries and an idea.

My daughter Julie had the idea of making strawberry shortcake, strawberry lemonade, and strawberry jam to sell on the roadside near our house. You say, "how cute." But the deal gets sweeter. Each night before bed Julie has been fervently praying for the Brazil Team. She decided she wanted to sell the strawberry products to make money for the Brazil Team. Well, by the time I arrived to "sample" some of the products this afternoon, Julie had raised about $50 for the team!

Oh, and by the way, the shortcake was really good! : )

What Does God See in a Blind Beggar?

Mark 10:46-52, What Does God See in a Blind Beggar?, June 10, 2007

The Suffering Servant

Mark 10:32-45, The Suffering Servant, June 3, 2007

How Rich Is Too Rich?

Mark 10:17-31, How Rich Is Too Rich?, May 27, 2007

God's Plan for Marriage

Mark 10:1-12, God's Plan for Marriage, May 20, 2007

Let the Little Children Come

Mark 10:13-16, Let the Little Children Come, May 13, 2007

The Seriousness of Sin

Mark 9:42-50, The Seriousness of Sin, May 6, 2007

Adventures in Missing the Point

Mark 9:30-41, Adventures in Missing the Point, April 29, 2007

I Believe, Help My Unbelief

Mark 9:14-32, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, April 22, 2007

This Is My Son, Listen to Him

Mark 9:1-13, This Is My Son, Listen to Him, April 15, 2006

A Journey with Jesus

Luke 24:13-32, A Journey with Jesus, April 8, 2007

Don't Be A Fool

Mark 8:21-38, Don't Be A Fool, April 1, 2007

I Can See Clearly Now

Mark 8:22-30, I Can See Clearly Now, March 25, 2007

Don't You Understand?

Mark 8:1-21, Don't You Understand?, March 18, 2007

Going to the Dogs

Mark 7:24-37, Going to the Dogs, March 11, 2007

Dirty Hands, Clean Heart

Mark 7:1-23, Dirty Hands, Clean Heart, March 4, 2007

Walking on Water

Mark 6:45-56, Walking on Water, February 25, 2005

Feeding the 5,000

Mark 6:32-44, Feeding the 5,000, February,18, 2007

Refusing Repentance

Mark 6:14-29, Refusing Repentance, February 11, 2007

Not a Spectator Sport

Mark 6:6b-13 & 30-32, Not a Spectator Sport, February 4, 2007

Familiarity Without Faith Breeds Contempt

Mark 6:1-6, Familiarity Without Faith Breeds Contempt, January 28, 2007, Matt Vorhees

Our Superhero

Mark 5:21-43, Our Superhero, January 21, 2007, Bob Binswanger

Never Too Late

Numbers 20, Never Too Late, January 14, 2007, Scott Creps

The Power of Jesus

Mark 5:1-20,The Power of Jesus, January 7, 2007, Aaron Orendorff

Thank You

To my church family and friends,

I am so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful church and I want to say, "Thank-you", for all the visits, prayer and support these past weeks; A special "thank-you" for the floral planter arrangement that Bob and Agnes Spidal brought to me. It was all very encouraging.

Love in Christ,
Phyllis Cooper

Christian Book Reviews

If you'd like to spend your time reading books that you know about and are good, the Discerning Reader can help. This resource focusses on the kinds of books I like. . . so it must be good!

Jonathan Edwards Quotes

Now that I have finished school, I've picked up a book that I started earlier, Jonathan Edwards, Evangelist by John Gerstner. Here is some encouragement from JE:

If we truly come to God for mercy, the greatness of our sin will be no impediment to pardon." . . . Mercy, "which is infinite, is as much above what is great, as it is above what is small." "You can never come to Christ at all, unless you first see that he will not accept you the more readily for any thing that you can do."

As a reason for seeking salvation:

"A possibility of being saved is much to be preferred to a certainty of perishing."

With respect to so-called believers:

"that 'tis a common thing after they think they are safe, to be abundantly less diligent and earnest in religion than before."

Sunday Morning Bible Classes

Do you know that the Old Testament is approximately two thirds of the Bible? Did you know that the Old Testament is based on a promise given to one man? To most Christians, the Old Testament is a mystery. Every Sunday morning at 9:15, there is a Bible class that will help you unravel the mystery of the Old Testament.

There is another Sunday morning Bible class at 10:45 am, exploring the book of Philippians. It has been called the book of joy, yet the author, the apostle Paul, was in a Roman prison, not knowing from day to day if he would live or die. Come, join the class and learn Paul’s secret to victorious life in prison.

Today's Prayer

A Christian's Prayer

Blessed God,
Ten thousand snares are mine without
and within,
defend thou me;
When sloth and indolence seize me,
give me views of heaven;
When sinners entice me,
give me disrelish of their ways;
When sensual pleasures tempt me,
purify and refine me;
When I desire worldly possessions,
help me to be rich toward thee;
When the vanities of the world ensnare me,
let me not plunge into new guilt and ruin.

May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,
never be too busy to attend to my soul,
never be so engrossed with time
that I neglect the things of eternity;
thus may I not only live, but grow towards thee.

Form my mind to right notions of religion,
that I may not judge of grace by wrong
conceptions,
nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts
of my natural being.

May I seek after an increase of divine love to thee,
after unreserved resignation to thy will,
after extensive benevolence to my fellow
creatures,
after patience and fortitude of soul,
after a heavenly disposition
after a concern that I may please thee in public
and private.

Draw on my soul the lineaments of Christ,
in every trace and feature of which thou wilt
take delight, for I am
thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
thy letter written with the Holy Spirit’s pen,
thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.

(From The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.60)

Pastor Jerry

Some of you may remember this guy! I still remember the search team introducing him to the church as "PJ", Pastor Jerry. They introduced him that way because, though he had his Doctorate they didn't think he resembled "Dr. J" too much.

Jerry and Carol are doing well. He retired in January and has had only one Sunday off, Easter Sunday, since then. Other than that he's been preaching on Sundays and fishing during the week.

For their 50th anniversary last fall he and Carol flew first class to Europe where he was chaplain for a Mediterranean cruise. They spent some time exploring London on their way home.

Jerry was the Senior Pastor when I started working at New Life Church as youth pastor. We were delighted to see him at the WorldVenture Dessert. He formerly served on the board of directors for the mission.

No Need to Find a New Church

New Life Church -- Two locations conveniently located near two Starbucks!

H2O & WorldVenture

Last night at the WorldVenture Dessert, Leslie and Lauren Reavely told the story of our H2O Ministry. It was born at a Missions Camp and was featured at the dessert. H2O is also the inspiration for this year's Missions Camp. Campers will spend the week learning about at risk kids worldwide and then will develop ministries to those children.

They shared the platform with Paolo Mota, the founder of Restoration Ministries in Sao Paolo, Brazil and with Hans Finzel, president of WorldVenture. When Kati Tefft went to Brazil last month she worked with Restoration Ministries part of the time.

A Great Day for Children's Ministry

We had a happy day for Children's Ministry on Sunday. At 5:00 on a beautiful afternoon the church was full for a Child Safety training that Pastor Nathan led. He went through our Child Safety policy and introduced the new Child Safety Team. I was very encouraged to see a new level of commitment to the safety of children and the dispersal of responsibility for it. Way to go, New Life Church!

After a pizza dinner together, we thanked those who have worked with children throughout this past school year. As the picture shows we had workers from Nursery through High School come to the front. Bob is smiling at the prospect of receiving a rose. Thank you again for your service. What a good example of what it means to be like Jesus:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Senior Sing

Last Saturday the Seniors of New Life Church, or those who "had passed the midpoint of their lives," received a gift. They enjoyed a hymn sing with a full gospel band.

Roger Beltz had been playing music with a group of friends for years. Instead of simply continuing to do it for their enjoyment only, he proposed they serve someone with it. So, in the words of one of the band members, "he cooked this up."

Every detail was taken care of. Every table was set with beautiful roses. They produced their own hymnal. They provided food and even cleaned up. What a blessing it was to so many that Roger and company took the words of Jesus and applied them in a practical way:

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43-45

Pearls Before Breakfast

I received several comments on my opening illustration this morning. It came from a Washington Post article entitled, Pearls Before Breakfast. This link is a very interesting article published on Easter Sunday. It's 15 pages long and has some video of Josh Bell playing his violin in the subway station. Enjoy!

A Prayer for Today

Living for Jesus

O Saviour of sinners,
Thy name is excellent,
thy glory high,
thy compassions unfailing,
thy condescension wonderful,
thy mercy tender.

I bless thee for the discoveries, invitations,
promises of the gospel
for in them is pardon for rebels,
liberty for captives,
health for the sick,
salvation for the lost.

I come to thee in thy beloved name of Jesus;
re-impress thy image upon my soul;
Raise me above the smiles and frowns of the world,
regarding it as a light thing to be judged by men;
May thy approbation be my only aim,
thy Word my one rule.

Make me to abhor that which grieves thy
Holy Spirit,
to suspect consolations of a worldly nature,
to shun a careless way of life,
to reprove evil,
to instruct with meekness those who oppose me,
to be gentle and patient towards all men,
to be not only a professor but an example
of the gospel,
displaying in every relation, office, and condition
its excellency, loveliness and advantages.

How little have I illustrated my principles
and improved my privileges!
How seldom I served my generation!
How often have I injured and not recommended
my Redeemer!
How few are those blessed through me!
In many things I have offended,
in all come short of thy glory;
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

(From The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.58)