Donations Requested for Upcoming Garage Sale

The recently returned Brazil GO Team will be hosting a garage sale August 11th at Robinwood. Please continue to support the team by donating some of your finest used items for the sale--all proceeds will go to the ministry. Drop-off options:

• You may bring your donation items to Robinwood the morning of the sale, August 11th.
• You may bring your donated items to Robinwood Sunday morning, Aug. 5th before service.
• To make special donation arrangements please call Julia at the church office: 503-656-8600.

Baby Shower For Elaine Hochstettler This Saturday

Come celebrate with us in the Fireside Room at Riverfalls this Saturday at 3:00 pm as we play games, eat cake, offer advice, and otherwise shower blessings upon new-mother-to-be Elaine! Please call Melanie Creps with questions at (303) 809-7115. Elaine is registered at Target.

Reavelys on Vacation

The Reavely family is leaving on vacation this morning. This will be, for us, a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We'll see all of Marcia's family in Montana and then head to Kentucky to see Chuck and Erica Searl. After that we'll go to Lexington, VA; Williamsburg, VA; Washington, DC; Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Niagra Falls; Chicago, IL; Little House on the Prairie; Mount Rushmore; Montana again; and home. The whole trip will take us seven weeks. I will be back in the office on September 24.

Over the past nineteen years, I've accumulated vacation time that I haven't used. I will be cleaning it all off the books with this trip. If you would like to follow our trip, we'll try to communicate using my RevReav blog.

You will be well taken-care-of on Sunday mornings in my absence. Scott Creps, who led our Brazil team and will be leaving later next month to serve a church in Utah, will preach this Sunday. Everyone can enjoy Pastor Nathan's preaching at our annual outdoor service and picnic at Robinwood on the 12th. Then Aaron Orendorff will be speaking for three straight weeks (he will also be carrying some office duty in my absence). Then Matt Vorhees (who will also have increased time in the office beginning in August), Bob Binswanger and then Matt again, will round out the time of my absence.

I trust that my being gone will be a reason for all of us to be more vigilant in our spiritual lives. I pray that you will be faithful in worship, giving, ministry and private devotion while I'm away. Some have suggested that while the cat is away the mice will play. I am convinced of better things concerning you. I trust that your devotion is devotion to Christ, not to a pastor.

I hope that you have a refreshing summer and am confident that we will be refreshed and of more use to you when we return. And I am confident that you will be in good hands while we are gone. So, God be with you! See you again in September.

Coffee Cart Ministry at New Life Church

Prayer for Today

The Deeps

Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach.
Help me chastely to flee it and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust, that I may lose myself to find myself in Thee,
the ground of my rest, the spring of my being.
Give me a deeper knowledge of Thyself
as saviour, master, lord, and king.
Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in Thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from Thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until Thou alone art seen in me,
Thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
Thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no master but Thee,
no law but Thy will,
no delight but Thyself,
no wealth but that Thou givest,
no good but that Thou blessest,
no peace but that Thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that Thou makest me.
I have nothing but that I receive from Thee.
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

(From The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.74)

Brazil Report Potluck This Sunday!

12:30 pm this Sunday in the basement of the Riverfalls building there will be a potluck and report from our GO Team recently returned from Brazil. Come hungry, with food to share, and ready to hear the wild and wonderful things God taught them while away, including a song in Portuguese!

Everyone please bring one hot dish. Additionally alphabetically by last name, A - L bring a salad and M - Z bring a dessert to share.

Germany Team Returns Friday, July 27th

The GO Team, which has been ministering in Germany will be returning Friday, July 27th--let's welcome them home! They will be arriving on Lufthansa Airlines flight 468 direct from Frankfurt. Their plane is currently scheduled to arrive at 11:25 am. Please keep in mind, the team will have to pass through customs which can take as little as 20 minutes, or as long as 2 hours, you may want to meet them around 11:45 am. There is an "International Arrivals" area just past baggage carousel 10.

Computer problems

Our ISP (Internet Service Provider) is down. Apparently the hard drive that hosts our website and email programs crashed. So, you cannot successfully email the church. If you need to communicate calling will be the best bet. When your browser can find the church website, the email should work again. Thank you for your patience.

"Worship is not . . .

...first an outward act; it is an inner spiritual treasuring of the character and the ways of God in Christ. It is the cherishing of Christ, a being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ. When these things are missing, there is no worship, no matter what forms or expressions are present."

--- John Piper (Let the Nations be Glad, p227)

Mississippi Update

I was privileged to spend some time with the leaders of Bible Fellowship Church in Pass Christian, Mississippi last weekend. My trip was a reprise on some of the leadership work we had done together last Summer when our students were there doing a sports camp. Last October I went down to speak at the dedication of their building. It wasn't quite done and didn't look nearly this nice.


Last summer the students rehabilitated a Delisle Park. The play structure they put up was not doing very well. But the park was still clean and the paint on the basketball goals and garbage cans was still looking good.

Damage from Hurricane Katrina was still inescapable after almost two years as evidenced by this McDonalds sign.

The highlight this trip, as with my preceding ones, was the people. This time I made a fast friend, Stevie. Here we are on our way to his brother's baseball game. I told him a joke at the restaurant and he spit out his sweet tea. After that we were inseparable.

Watch Your Step!

I'm sorry, but this is too funny not to share.

New Life Service at the Fair

Well, we didn't get rained out - Praise God for holding off the rain! The day ended up being the nicest day of the weekend! Thanks for everyone who came, who helped, who worshipped our Savior together. What a good time!

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
(Mark 12:30-31 ESV)

Germany Report

We’re a bit over halfway now, just four full days of work left and one day of travel. Our time here has been amazing. The team morale, unity and energy have all been astonishing. Saturday we took our first break from work and traveled to a number of tourist stops in France. Our wildly navigated trip included a restored 12th century castle, a walled-in medieval village that had been turned into an open-air market and a French and German WWI trench-memorial. The history here is staggering. The church we visited today wasn’t the regular church the Holladays attend. G5, which is the name of the church, hosts what is essentially a very Willow Creek-esque, seeker-sensitive Sunday morning service. Most the music is a mix between German and English, while the speaking is in German although our team had translation via headphones. The facility is sprawling and we stayed after for lunch in their restaurant/full-bar area.

The work has been dirty and demanding, but thanks in great part to the group’s spirits, it has gone well. Please pray for our continued safety, as a lot of the jobs we’re doing are a bit treacherous. We continue to enjoy one another’s company and I really can’t say enough about how miraculous our camaraderie has been. We look forward to seeing you all on our return home.

For His Glory and the Joy of the Nations,
Aaron and Amanda Orendorff

Rain Plan for This Sunday

Hello New Life Church! If the weather man is right, it could very well be raining for our 10:00 AM outdoor service at the West Linn Fair tomorrow morning.

If you wake up and it is raining, plan on heading over to New Life Robinwood (19915 Old River Drive, in West Linn). We are right behind 7-11 off of highway 43 (across from Bales SuperMarket).

We will still plan on meeting at 10:00 AM. We will make sure there are plenty of chairs for everyone from both locations.

See you in the morning (one way or the other)!

Pastor Nathan

Blood Drive

New Life Robinwood will be hosting the monthly West Linn Blood Drive on Friday, July 20th from 1:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday, July 21st from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m..

********Germany Update********

Gutten Tag,

Hello family and friends. Today is Wednesday and we are very happy to be here in Kandern, Germany. The weather has been humid and warm. The landscape and countryside look much like the Northwest. The gang has been working very hard on the old tile factory to convert an area into new quarters for the Holladays. I have been one of the cooks and general person to go to market with Marabeth. It is such a dream come true to be here and will be hard to leave.

We love and miss all of you and I will write more later. Amanda Orndorff has allowed me to use her computer. She and her husband Aaron are the main leaders of the team and Amanda has been making some delicious meals. Billy is picking up the language very easily and teaching a few words to others.

We will do some site-seeing on the weekend and are having a wonderful time. Thank you for all your prayers. God is definitely at work here keeping everyone safe and well. We are definitely well fed. We hope to have a fundraiser for the Holladays, as this tile factory is a huge project and will take some funds to get it up and running for an art school.

Bye for now,
Annie

Julia McBride

I am pleased to introduce you to the newest New Life team member, Julia McBride. She will begin Monday July 23rd as our new Office Assistant. It will be her voice that greets you when you call during regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., M-Th.

She has a perfect background for this position. She has served the Fair Housing Council of Oregon for several years doing almost exactly what she will be doing at New Life Church. She has a heart for ministry and a rich heritage -- her father and grandfather were pastors. So, she has spent her share of time around churches.

Monday, her first day, would be a great day to call and get acquainted. Pastor Scott and Elaine will both be out of town and Julia will have the training wheels off on day one!

Community Worship Service

This Sunday, July 22, at 10:00 a.m. New Life Church will hold a worship service for the community at the West Linn Old Time Fair. The fair and the service will be held at Willamette Park. Here is a map. There will be no services in either building Sunday.
There will be space available if you would like to bring your own chair.

Germany Team Arrives

Thanks for praying. The Germany team arrived safely and already has one day's work under their belt. For daily updates and pictures you can check Andie's blog.

Congratulations on 50 years

Ralph and Shirley Hanson were married 50 years July 12th. They were married at Neighborhood Bible Church where Shirley had been attending and played the piano for the services. Their reception was at Shirley's Aunt's house. They have been attending New Life church since 1969. Their family (Mark, Molly, Kathy, Dave, Rick, Lisa, Elizabeth, Nate, Katie, Andy, Ryan, Tyler, Austin, and Aidan) honored them Saturday, June 30th, with an early surprise party day. It was a wonderful family time.

Question Authority

Mark 11:27-33, Question Authority, July 8, 2007

Prayer for Today

Paradoxes

O changeless God,
Under the conviction of thy Spirit I learn that
the more I do, the worse I am,
the more I know, the less I know,
the more holiness I have, the more sinful I am,
the more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!

O Lord,
I have a wild heart,
and cannot stand before thee;
I am like a bird before a man.

How little I love thy truth and ways!

I neglect prayer,
by thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
by knowing thou hast saved my soul.

Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be
an evangelical hypocrite,
who sins more safely because grace abounds,
who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them,
who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell,
for he is saved,
who loves evangelical preaching, churches,
Christians, but lives unholily.

My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
with no spiritual understanding,
no desire for the Lord’s Day,
ever learning but never reaching the truth,
always at the gospel-well but never holding water.

My conscience is without conviction or contrition,
with nothing to repent of.

My will is without power of decision or resolution.

My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.

My memory has no retention,
so I forget easily the lessons learned,
and thy truths seep away.

Give me a broken heart that yet carries home
the water of grace.

(From The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.72)

We came, we hiked, we conquered!

Friday the 13th couldn't keep Ignite from summiting Saddle Mountain. We departed the morning of ready to take on the world, but found the hike to be more challenging than anticipated. Still, the entire group pressed on toward the top with legs full of lactic acid and bodies that were ready to quit. In the end, everyone made it without serious injury. After expending enormous amounts of energy, it was time to eat! We stopped at Camp 18 on the way home and gorged ourselves on burgers and fries. It was great! This will be a trip that we'll all remember for some time.

Germany GO Team Send-off

The Germany Team will be departing on Saturday, July 14th. Please join us at 11:45 p.m. in front of the Lufthansa ticket counter. We will be praying for the group as the depart to serve in Kandern, Germany.

Brazil Team Returns

The Brazil Team will be returning tomorrow, July 13th at 10:45 a.m. on American Airlines flight 1279. Please join us as we welcome them home!

Middle School Retreat Video

June 29-30 the Middle School Ministry held a retreat at the Haugens on the Clackamas River. The theme was water/river scenes from the Bible. Nineteens students enjoyed the weekend. The went swimming, floated the river, ate fish eyes, had relay races and all the things you might do if you were in Middle School. Here's a video of their weekend:

Brazil Update

Hello from Forteleza, Brazil.

We hope by now you have heard the update from Lee regarding our trip. We had a wonderful time in Teresina with the Igresia Baptista Morada Nova (Baptist Church in Morada Nova). The 10 days were filled with VBS, English classes, home visits and neighborhood evangelistic visits, as well as many services. We also had some time for rousing games of Uno, Skip-bo, cup games, and even some swimming time! The church reserved a camp for our team along with about 25 Brazilians who stayed and played with us the whole time. One of the neatest aspects of the trip was the ability we had to communicate even through the language barrier. We praise God for this, since it was a prayer request before we left.

The church was incredibly welcoming and loving toward us, and at the end of the time with them, we were all very sad to say goodbye. They gave us many small gifts and hugs and letters, and most of us were crying. It was an amazing time, feeling united in the Lord. At the end of the week, the church reported 50 new contacts through the VBS, as well as many more from home visits and services. You might remember that we were praying for 30 new contacts, so the Lord answered that abundantly above what we hoped! The church will follow up with all these people.

As we were at the airport saying goodbye, some of you might be interested in knowing that we ran into the Prosise family. They were celebrating a wedding, and children and family were all there.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We now will have 2 days of relaxing and debrief time at the beach, and look forward to returning home to you all soon.

With Love,
Scott and Melanie, Louise, Nick and Meredith, Val, Tyler and Sheree, and Bruce

Sports Camp Video

High School Hike

If you're a high school student, don't miss this exciting opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with friends from Ignite (the high school ministry of New Life Church). If you plan on coming, please remember the following:

1. Adequate hiking shoes and clothes
2. Sunscreen/sunblock
3. Money for a late lunch on the way back (about $10-15)
4. A way to carry your own water (it will be provided, but you must carry it somehow)
5. No iPods in the car or on the hike

Baptism Yesterday

New Life Church enjoyed a great baptism yesterday. Jennifer Austen, Nicole Grant, Shardea Richardson, and Christine Van Oeveran followed Christ in baptism. Each young lady told of the great work God had done in their lives. Here are some pictures:

Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Brazil Team Update

The Brazil Team checked in last Friday. They left the Friday before and arrived in Teresina on Sunday night -- over 48 hours to get there. Turns out they encountered an airport strike that slowed down their trip. They are beginning their return trip on Thursday, one day after an even larger strike has been threatened. You can read more about it here. Please pray for their safe and timely return.

Their VBS went well. They have had some great opportunities to share the gospel, particularly with their translators.

All-American Picnic

In honor of American Independence Day, some folks from New Life Robinwood had an All-American Picnic last Sunday. No All American Picnic can be complete with out plenty of fun games. To the left you can see some of the boys getting ready to race down the field to a sack race victory. To the right you can see Ty, Tim, and Evelyn pondering how they will fit Shaun through this hula hoop.

Even more exciting was watching to see how far Jay could spit a watermelon seed. Jay has an interesting theory about how many watermelon seeds one would have to spit to cover the moon with seeds. Ask him about it next time you see him. You'll also have to ask him who
it was that won the seed spitting contest and what the method it was that brought victory. Here's a hint: check out the picture on the right. Some people are so full of hot air! : )

Seriously though, we all had a great time deepening our relationships with each other. Just a fun side note: In the picture above left you can see Shardea on the right hand side. She is going to be baptized this Sunday at the River Baptism! We'll see you all there!

Brazil GO Team Update

Melanie left a voice mail message that they are doing great! The Vacation Bible Schools and the English classes are are going well. Everyone is healthy and happy. Bruce Tissell was making jokes in the background--so it seems that everything is normal. Please continue to pray for this team as they have another week of ministry ahead of them.

Outdoor Baptism

Just a reminder, this Sunday, July 8th, we will be gathering at the Haugen’s house for an outdoor baptism. Four women will be following Christ in baptism! This will be a great time of encouragement, celebration, and fellowship. The worship and testimonies will begin at 4:00 p.m.

Click here for a map and directions, please carpool and bring your own chairs if possible.

Independence Day

Barbecues, Fireworks and hot weather dominate our celebration of Independence Day. I think it would be worthwhile to consider some of the ideas, documents and speeches that have made our country what it is. Here is a list of terrific original documents and speeches that shaped our country (listen to the audio if you can):

1. Declaration of Independence
2. Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
3. Bill of Rights
   
4. John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address
5. Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream."
6. George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation.
7. Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
   
8. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
   

College Group Summer Kick-Off

We're having our 'Summer Kick-Off BBQ' this Saturday, July 7th! Please join us at the Haugen's house at 6:00 p.m.. Bring a swimsuit (not a "pool party" but for games), a Bible, and a dessert or 'extraordinary beverage'.

This is a great opportunity to get to know the incoming students, or reconnect with old friends. If you have any questions please call Anna @503.656.0970 or Aaron @503-261-2988.

How Can I Know If I Have Saving Faith?

William Guthrie, a Scottish Divine who lived 350 years ago, preached a sermon on the same text as I did last week. In it he listed (almost as though he was a blogger)evidences you could look to in your life to determine if your faith was genuine. I didn't have time to include this in my message, but I thought it might be helpful.

Evidences of Genuine Faith

1. Those excellent graces, gifts, and fruits of the Spirit are where this grace of faith is (Gal. 5:22).
2. Where those Christian virtues and graces are linked together in a chain there is faith (2 Peter 1:5-8).
3. Wherever there is true faith there is love to the object of faith (1 Peter 1:8).
4. Where faith is, there is sincere love to all the saints of God.
5. Where faith is, there is a patient waiting for the promises. Faith makes no haste.
6. Where faith is, there is patient enduring of affliction.
7. Where it is, it weans the heart and affections from the earth and earthly things; they are not desirous of them (Gal. 6:14).
8. Faith, where it is exercise, resists temptations to sin.
9. Faith is serious and studious of holiness in the heart, life and conversation. Believing will not tolerate sin in the heart or conversation (1 Peter 1:15-16).
10. Again, where faith is, oh! but it puts folk upon being serious and fervent in prayer to God (Mark 9:24).
11. Were faith is, persons are very sensible of the unbelief of their hearts; and gladly would they have their unbelief cured.
12. Faith leads the person in whom it is to make, conscience of yielding obedience to God only in Christ's strength.
    
13. Where faith is they are longing for Christ's second coming, that they may be in His company never to be out of it again (2 Cor. 5:1).
    

I trust this list will prompt you to respond to God in true faith!

Have Faith in God

Mark 11:20-26, Have Faith in God, July 1, 2007

A Prayer for Today

Self-Knowledge

Searcher of hearts,
It is a good day to me when thou givest me
a glimpse of myself;
Sin is my greatest evil,
but thou art my greatest good;
I have cause to loathe myself,
and not to seek self-honour,
for no one desires to commend his own dunghill.

My country, family, church
fare worse because of my sins,
for sinners bring judgment in thinking
sins are small,
or that God is not angry with them.

Let me not take other good men as my example,
and think I am good because I am like them,
For all good men are not so good as thou desirest,
are not always consistent,
do not always follow holiness,
do not feel eternal good in sore affliction.

Show me how to know when a thing is evil
which I think is right and good,
how to know when what is lawful
comes from an evil principle,
such as desire for reputation or wealth by usury.

Give me grace to recall my needs,
my lack of knowing thy will in Scripture,
of wisdom to guide others,
of daily repentance, want of which keeps thee
at bay,
of the spirit of prayer, having words
without love,
of zeal for thy glory, seeking my own ends,
of joy in thee and thy will,
of love to others.

And let me not lay my pipe
too short of the fountain,
never touching the eternal spring,
never drawing down water from above.

(From The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.69)