X'treme Praise - Tuesday, March 28th

Coming to New Life Robinwood this Tuesday night at 7 PM. Invite a friend and come enjoy a night together.

X'treme Praise is a High School choir from Community Bible Church in Central Point, Oregon. They have been preparing for the "Live Out Loud" Tour since September. This will be an exciting time to worship the King together. Come be encouraged to worship!

Concert Info:
March 28th, 7:00 PM
New Life Robinwood

Middle School Auction

The Middle School group began supporting 2 students (Binod and Sowjana) in India last August through an organization called the Dalit Freedom Network. The support is to give the opportunity for the two Indian youth to attend a Christian school, since they would otherwise be unable due to their low socio-economic status and their low place in the Hindu caste system. Our Middle School class has faithfully been providing $40 a month to send to these two youth, but we wanted to do something more. We are unable to send items to them in a care package due to the corruption and greed of the postal system - the items would either not make it to them, or they would be taxed to receive them. So we decided hold an auction, and the money would be sent to world partners working in that area to purchase gifts for Binod and Sowjana. The middle schoolers have been bringing items of their own to auction off, and last night we held the big event. There were 21 youth there, along with many parents and leaders. We started the evening with a pizza party and a recap of how God calls us to give and why we are giving. Brian Cochran officiated the auction, and after an hour of biddings and winnings, the group was able to sell everything that was brought and raise $211.50 for Binod and Sowjana! What a way to share our treasure (beyond the money raised) with God's work on the other side of the world!

Change is inevitable!

After several comments we decided to reprise our picture from 1993. Somehow it didn't have the same feel (at least not for my crushed leg)!

The more things stay the same, the more they change. . .

Extreme Makeover & DELTA Ministries

EXTREME GET TOGETHER

Episode Airs Sunday Night, April 2nd, 2006 (subject to change, check your local listings)
God has a wild imagination and occasionally HE provides unique opportunities. DELTA Ministries was handed such an opportunity when it was discovered that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition had accepted a special family submitted to the show by DELTA staff members. DELTA Ministries was introduced to Sadie Holmes while planning a community outreach in Orlando, Florida. DELTA Ministries was moved by her story and submitted her name to the show. Sadie Holmes, a single mother of five living in Altamonte Springs, Florida, became burdened to help those in her neighborhood who are without adequate food, clothing or lodging.

Sadie credits her relationship with the Lord as what helped her overcome drug addiction and led her to establish an organization to help others in need. Moved by their plight she started her own nonprofit ministry, Sadie Holmes Help Service, collecting provisions and using her home as a resource center. Last year, two hurricanes hit Florida damaging the home. While repairing this damage with limited insurance money, a fire broke out and destroyed the rest of the home leaving nothing but a burned out shell. With the needs of the community still great and no place else to go, Sadie cleaned out the house and continued to use the shell of a home to run the nonprofit organization. Now, Sadie has a beautiful new home in addition to an adjacent building to continue her nonprofit ministry to her community. During the filming (Feb 17-24), DELTA sent a short-term volunteer team to Orlando to participate in the show. In addition to submitting the family, DELTA’s Team Leader, Asher Sarjent, was instrumental in securing a $50,000 college scholarship to Belhaven College- Maitland Campus which was presented to Sadie during the week.

Visit Delta's web page for the rest of the story!
Extreme Makeover

Sharing Your Treasure

Our "Sharing Your Treasure" training last Saturday attracted some would-be evangelists from New Life Church. I was especially encouraged by the number of young people who, first, have Christ for their treasure. And second, who have a desire to share Him. Please pray they will meet with good success talking about Jesus.

Thirteen Good Years

Thirteen years ago, Tuesday, I began as the Senior Pastor of what was then West Linn Baptist Church. The Oregonian wrote about my start as a "young pastor."

Graciously, the Lord didn't allow some of the ideas represented in this article to destroy the church. His faithfulness is more obvious looking backward than it is looking forward. In retrospect we can see He was faithful, where trusting His faithfulness in the future requires an act of faith.

I am so thankful for his work in me, and in our church for the past thirteen years! It is and has been a privilege to serve as your pastor.

Worship Gathering

Our first Worship Gathering was last Saturday night at New Life Church Robinwood. We had a blessed evening singing, reading Scripture, sharing testimony and praying together.

The room was lit with candles. The atmosphere was special for kids and adults of both our congregations.

All the comments I heard were from men who told me they thought we ought to do it more often. I hope this event and many others will help New Life Church make God their treasure!

Beating People with Bibles

This recording gives new meaning to the term "Bible-thumper." Enjoy -- but don't follow their examples!

Plan Ahead

Summer's coming so here are a few future dates for you to put on your calendar. Several highlights include: Sports Camp, 65th anniversary, Outdoor service & Picnic, Outdoor baptism, Day camp at Robinwood and more.

Seniors Luncheon Music

My favorite music group played
yesterday at the Seniors' luncheon...

Truth Matters!

Here is a unique opportunity to settle some confusing questions in your own mind or to get a clear way to explain those same questions to a friend. This Truth Matters! seminar is about the Da Vinci Code and how Christians should understand the challenges is poses.

The presenter, Jon Swanson, was a classmate of mine at Western. This seminar is the week the Da Vinci Code movie opens in theaters!

Truth Matters! 6th Annual Portland Metro SEMINAR

The Worship Gathering is Coming!

The Worship Gathering at New Life Robinwood. Our time together begins at 7:00 PM.

Psalm 96Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend The Worship Gathering at New Life Robinwood on March 11th. This will be a time to WORSHIP our God through song, prayer and Scripture and to CELEBRATE His Son, Jesus. Invite a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker to come so they may learn to treasure God, and as a result, spread the news of His excellence,trust His promises, and give our lives away for His purposes.

Psalm 96:1-6(New International Version)New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Leadership Summit Follow-up

Some of the material in our Leadership Summit yesterday came from this extremely helpful book. I recommend it if you are looking for ways to get more done with less stress. As far as personal productivity books go this is one of the best I've ever read. The thing that made the most difference was his insistence on boiling down every project into small enough steps that you act on them. No longer (Or, honestly, not as often)do I put off doing something because now I know what to do AND the thing to do is never very big.

A Prayer for Today

Confidence

O God, Thou art very great,
My lot is to approach thee with godly fear and humble confidence,
for thy condescension equals thy grandeur,
and thy goodness is thy glory.

I am unworthy, but thou dost welcome;
guilty, but thou art merciful;
poor, but thy riches are unsearchable.

Thou hast shown boundless compassion towards me
by not sparing thy son,
and by givine me freely all things in him;
This is the foundation of my hope,
the refuge of my safety,
the new and livng way to thee,
the means of that conviction of sin,
brokenness of heart, and self-despair,
which will endear me to the gospel.

Happy are they who are Christ's
in him at peace with thee,
justified from all things,
delivered from coming wrath,
made heirs of future glory;

Give me such deadness to the world,
such love to the Saviour,
such attachment to his house,
such devotedness to his service,
as proves me a subject of his salvation.

May every part of my character and conduct
make a serious and amiable impression on others,
and impel them to ask the way of the master.

Let no incident of life, pleasing or painful,
injure the prosperity of my soul, but rather increase it.

Send me thy help,
for thine appointments are not meant to make me independent of thee,
and the best means will be vain without super-added blessings.

-- Valley of Vision, p.140

Psalm 115

The messages at New Life Church tomorrow will be from Psalm 115. The book highlighted below written by John Piper and Jonathan Edwards would be a great follow-up if you would like to get a better perspective on the glory of God. It has helped me trust God that his glory and my good are one in the same pursuit, not separate and opposite desires.

God's Passion For His Glory By John Piper / Crossway Books In his essay, The End for Which God Created the World, the great theologian Jonathan Edwards proclaimed that God's ultimate end is the manifestation of His glory in the highest happiness of His creatures. Pastor John Piper has devoted the past thirty years of his ministry to exploring the implications of this stunning truth for life and ministry. Understanding that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him has made all the difference for John Piper and this truth can transform your life as well. Edwards saw that truth more clearly than anyone in his day. His relentless God-centeredness and devotion to the biblical contours of doctrine are desperately needed in our time to counteract postmodern pragmatism and relativism. His radically God-centered view of virtue has great relevance now for cultural transformation and world evangelization. Edwards's moral vision can do much to reform contemporary evangelicalism as well. In God's Passion for His Glory, Piper passionately demonstrates the relevance of Edwards's ideals for the personal and public life of modern evangelicals through his own book-length introduction to Edwards's incomparable essay as well as the inclusion of that original, unabridged work (for which Piper supplied copious notes). The result is a powerful and persuasive presentation of the things that matter most in the Christian life.

New Life Church in the News!

Sunday's Oregonian featured a front page story on how churches from the Northwest are helping with Katrina relief. We were listed in the fact box at the end of the article! OregonLive.com: Factbox - Help from the Northwest

Share Your Treasure!

Many people wonder why they should share their faith with people who don't believe, especially if God is going to call them. This quote from Charles Spurgeon is a beautiful answer to that question.

"The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest too. But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy too. I hope you will get into such a state that you will dream about your child or your hearer perishing for lack of Christ, and start up at once and begin to cry, 'God, give me converts or I die.' Then you will have converts."—Charles Spurgeon, The Sermons of Charles Haddon Spurgeon Volume 22, London:Passmore & Alabaster, 1876, 143-144.

If the Holy Spirit is moving you and you are uneasy to share your faith, then we can help you talk about Jesus. On the morning of March 18 at New Life Church Riverfalls, we are going to host an evangelism training event. You will learn or review several of the most important aspects of sharing your faith like praying for your friends, starting a conversation, turning a conversation to spiritual things, giving your testimony, and presenting the gospel. Plan on becoming a sharper tool that God can use this Easter season.

Internet Evangelism Day

It's still a couple months away, but everyone can be involved. Here is a suggestion that you start a new blog designed to share your faith. This is a primer on blogging focussed primarily for sharing your faith.

Christian blog evangelism: blogging strategy to make outreach blogs share Christian gospel

God Answers Prayer

We received a report yesterday of answered prayer from our friends in Ostia. In addition to a number of personal and individual victories, they had a great Sunday.

The greatest cause for celebration was "a table overflowing with men!!!" They shared a meal and were thrilled to enjoy the company of several men for whom they have been praying.

Please remember to pray for the church in Ostia. I received another recent report of how excited they were to receive Pastor Nathan's last prayer letter. They post them on their bulletin board and pray for us frequently!

Great Grateful Hearts Banquet

Last night New Life Church shared a meal together and celebrated God's grace in our lives. The Old Spaghetti Factory in Clackamas hosted over 100 of us.

Brian Cochran planned a fun evening. He gave prizes for those who'd been married longest and shortest and those who'd been at New Life Church the longest and shortest. The big winners were Jeff and Marti Jones. They came away with two of the prizes.

Steve Wilent encouraged us to think about God's grace. The line I most remember is, "What about the rest?" The character he was depicting understood the question to mean, "What else have you done?" God intended the question to mean, "What about your resting and confidence in Christ?"

Pastor Swap

Some suggested it could become a reality show called "Pastor Swap." Today Pastor Nathan and I exchanged pulpits. I went with a band to Robinwood. Nathan gave a message on Psalm 86 and the youth band played at Riverfalls.

I hope the weekend gave a both congregations a perspective that God is doing something bigger at New Life church than either congregation experience week to week. We are excited about what God will do next for New Life Church.

We were privileged to have Paul Mayhugh, our missionary to Macau, at both locations today. Audrey Sorenson, a mission appointee to Rwanda, was teaching the children at both locations. Rumor has it she brought some snacks for her classes, but you'll have to ask them about it.

New Life Church Staff Updates

Update #1: Our Worship and Music selection team met yesterday. In dependance on the Lord's leading, we narrowed the field to three solid candidates. Please continue your prayers. The hard work is still to come.

Update #2: Jason De Vries announced his resignation as the High School Youth Pastor this week. His last day will be February 28. He has served New Life Church for sixteen months. He is planning to rejoin the Christian Reformed Denomination. He will continue as a student at Western Seminary. Please continue to pray for Jason & Mishaela, for the students and for New Life Church.

You may read the letter he sent out to families of high school students here, as well as Pastor Scott's letter that went with it. You will discover in these letters a confidence that God is working in Jason's life and in the youth ministry to bring about His will for all concerned.

There will be a farewell party for them on Wednesday March 1st at 7:00 at New Life Church Riverfalls.

Uncommon Common Sense

1. What results to you want?
2. What are you doing about it?
   
3. Is what you are doing getting you the results you want?

If the answer to #3 is no, then change #1 or #2.

A Prayer for Today

Openness

Lord of immortality, before whom angels bow and archangels veil their faces, enable me to serve Thee with reverence and godly fear.

Thou who art Spirit and requirest truth in the inward parts, help me to worship Thee in spirit and in truth. Thou who art righteous, let me not harbour sin in my heart, or indulge a worldly temper, or seek satisfaction in things that perish.

I hasten towards an hour when earthly pursuits and possessions will appear vain, when it will be indifferent whether I have been rich or poor, successful or disappointed, admired or despised. But it will be of eternal moment that I have mourned for sin, hungered and thirsted after righteousness, loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity, gloried in His cross. May these objects engross my chief solicitude! Produce in me those principles and dispositions that make Thy service perfect freedom.

Expel from my mind all sinful fear and shame, so that with firmness and courage I may confess the Redeemer before men, go forth with Him hearing His reproach, be zealous with His knowledge, be filled with His wisdom, walk with His circumspection, ask counsel of Him in all things, repair to the Scriptures for His orders, stay my mind on His peace, knowing that nothing can befall me without His permission, appointment and administration.

-- From the Valley of Vision

New Life Heros!

Last night at New Life Robinwood we had a meeting to talk about how we can continue to accomplish our vision of taking the new life of Jesus Christ to the Robinwood neighborhood of West Linn. The folks in this picture showed up thinking we were going to have a discussion about building maintenance. We did have that discussion. We discussed how thankful we were to them for all of their hard work over the last several months.

Those recognized were (from left to right): Eleanora Larson (spends more time at New Life Robinwood than Pastor Nathan :) ), Bob and Barbara Montgomery (serve as volunteer janitors, do routine maintenance, and whatever else needs done), Lee Bennett (has done so much over the last year not the least of which is lay carpet at Robinwood- 3 times!), Ken Weiss (He and Joanne have done so much in the last year that to list it all would require a whole seperate post. We honored them with a night at Skamania Lodge), Mark Rainey (has fixed our H-VAC system more times than I care to mention, put in dropped ceiling, fixed exit signs, brought friends to help, and thrown out his back more the once for the sake of the cause), and Merle Ross (has helped a ton through the flooding issues of the last several months). Larry Latimer is not pictured, but he was also honored for a lot of carpet laying work in recent days. When you see these folks, give them a big thank you!

The Heart Coming Alive

Check this out:
Featured Article from Charlie Hall at WorshipTogether.com

Ps 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
Ps 86:12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
Ps 86:13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

Remember March 11th, The Worship Gathering at New Life Robinwood.

Men's Leadership Ministry Breakfast

Dick Patty was the speaker for the Men's Leadership Breakfast this morning at Robinwood. He challenged the men to lead at home. Twenty-six men listened as he shared a lifetime of experience training children to be leaders.

His advice included:

"If I had it to do again, I'd make it a major goal to raise wise children."
"Legalism is the enemy of wisdom."
"Wisdom is being able to project out into the future and figure out what the consequences of your actions will be."
"We didn't teach them to be leaders. We taught them to be responsible to people and projects."
"We wanted them to respect us and elders, not because we needed to be respected, but because things go better for people when they respect their parents."
"We taught them that other people's needs are more important than how you feel at the moment."
"I asked myself, 'What will matter 3 million years from now?"

UFO Sighting

There is a bright, warm, glowing object in the sky! Does anyone know what it is?

Worshipping God in the small and BIG.

In America, we often flock to large gatherings and see BIGNESS as a sign of significance. This may be true at times, but this article reminds us of the smaller times when worshipping our Savior is me, my family, my Life group. Enjoy the Lord today in the small and BIG times!

How To Make it Big
by Michael Gungor

Remember March 11th at New Life Robinwood - The Worship Gathering

Janssen Update

Several of you have asked how the Janssens are doing. We had them over last Friday, so I’ll give you a brief report. They sold their house and will be out of West Linn by the end of this month, if the Lord wills.

And, as you would expect, Bethel Baptist Church loves Brian. How do I know this, you ask? On Brian’s first Sunday, midway through the traditional service he was leading the choir in an anthem with his back turned to the congregation. Unbeknownst to him, the ushers, evidently used to taking the offering during the choir anthem, came forward and took the offering. Brian, turned around to the congregation and led them in a hymn. Then he announced the ushers were going to come forward to take the offering (when he had it on the schedule). Imagine his surprise when the ushers refused to come again and someone told him that they’d already had the offering!

You know they love him if, on his first Sunday, he tries to take the offering twice – without a complaint! Some people get uptight when a church takes an offering once per service.