Sports Camp Pictures

There are over 400 pictures from Mega Sports Camp 2008 on the Ignite Youth Ministries Gallery. Click here to check them out.

Sports Camp Part 2 (What a week!)

What a week we had at Sports Camp! By the end of the week over 110 children passed through the doors of New Life Church! Though this large of a group made for some tired volunteers, it was well worth the effort. Listen to some of the feedback we got from parents:

Camp was fantastic and a joy to be a part of.
So blessed to have such a wonderful program for young children.
My kids only came two days but they had a blast.
My son really enjoyed the camp and I love that it was Bible based.
Wonderful week, thank you!

Not only was it exciting to have our largest attended Sports Camp ever, but 12 children indicated to their coaches that they had prayed to accept Christ during the week! None of this would have been possible without the dedicated team of students (led by David Nizic) who served as coaches this week.

While the kids were playing sports and hearing the word of God, a team of New Life Church women were making connections with parents. These ladies served coffee beverages and pastries to the parents who were dropping their kids off for Sports Camp.

One of our life groups even got into the game this week. Dawn Currey was our concession stand coordinator. She enlisted the help of her life group to make over 200 cupcakes for our awards ceremony and lunch on Friday.

Please pray that the some of the families who came to Sports Camp and don't have a church home would connect with New Life Church. Also, pray for the children who made decisions to accept Christ. Pray that they would get rooted in the word of God and follow Jesus for the rest of their lives.

Thank You From Pregnancy Resource Center

Sanctity of Human Life Baby Bottle Giving Results:

39 Contributing Churches

$42,195.45 Raised!

Dear New Life Church,

Without your willingness to be involved in the Baby Bottle Campaign this much money wouldn't have been possible. We really appreciate all your hard work! Thank you so much for your time and love of this ministry.

Your church families have contributed $1,735.99 to PRC Through the 2008 Sancitity of Life Baby Bottle Campaign!

Please convey our very deep and heartfelt thanks to your families and let them know their gifts make eternal differences in lives right now...for the young women, girls, and babies of Greater Portland.

God Bless,

Becky Elkind
Pregnancy Resource Center

Sports Camp Day 1

Our Sports Camp/VBS began today at New Life Church. We had 77 kids show up (59 is the most we have ever had before)! A great time was had by all as David Nizic (camp director/general manager), Matt Vorhees (youth pastor), The Utah Mission Team, and other volunteers taught the children about basketball.

Brianne Cochrane is the Rally Coach for the camp. She taught the kids the story of Nehemiah and the teamwork that was needed to accomplish the task of rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. Each day has a different Bible theme. On Thursday the theme will be "sacrifice", and Brianne will share about Christ being the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Please be in prayer for Brianne and the other "coaches" as they share the good news of Jesus Christ. Please pray for the kids to be safe and for some to put their faith in Christ this week!

Cardboard Testimonies

This is the video I showed in church today. In addition to being a great reminder that God loves us, it is also a good way to think about making the gospel personal like I wrote last week. Think in simple before/after terms. If you can put it on a sheet of cardboard it is simple enough. Enjoy!

Present the Good News

We use the simplest gospel presentation I've ever seen. It is easy to remember and use. I made this video during the first "Don't Waste Your Summer" training meeting, the low production costs will be obvious. But, if you are wondering how you might share the gospel wherever you have a pen and paper, I've found no better way than this.

The One Verse Bridge

Personalize the Gospel

There is no better way to present the gospel, to make it interesting and memorable than to weave your own story into it. How has the gospel changed you? If someone is interested in what a difference Jesus has made in your life, what would you say? Answering those questions can give you a ton of confidence sharing your faith.

A typical pattern for your story is a before and after outline. Begin by answering, "What was life like before Christ?" In other words, "What was going on in my life that made me realize I needed Christ?" or, looking back, "Now that Christ has changed me, what did He change?" If you couldn't put your finger on it then, maybe you can now.

Then, answer the question, "How has Jesus helped me with that problem?" What has He done to make you a different person with regard to the problem you mentioned above?

The before/after pattern is simple and clear. . . and that's important. It will require little more embellishment than, "Once I was insecure, now I have peace," or, "Once I was angry, now I've experienced forgiveness and can forgive much more easily."
Bill Hybles in Just Walk Across The Room suggests working on your story and then trimming it to 100 words. That's right, 100 words or less. He suggests you solve four common problems with as you prepare your personal story of conversion:

1. Long-Windedness: The 100 word limit will keep both you and the person listening from getting bored. It will also keep you from going into prehistoric detail. "When I was in kindergarten. . . (yawn)."
2. Fuzziness: Trim out extra details. Is it something someone else can relate to? You don't need to relay every dream, thought, vision, verse, need, crisis, sermon, etc. that was important in your turn to Christ. Draw a straight line from before to after and don't deviate. Everyone who listens to you will thank you!
3. Religionese: Words like "asking Jesus into my heart," "walking the aisle," "born-again," "personal testimony," and many, many more sound more religious than genuine. Say what you mean and mean what you say in words that every person can understand. If you can explain what you mean (in your 100 words or less), please do. Otherwise, don't talk about it.
4. Superiority: This can be tricky. Pride, spiritual or otherwise, is deceptive. You can come off as holier-than-thou without really meaning to. You can talk as though you every problem is completely solved and anyone who still has problems is stupid. . . that wouldn't be good. God saves people who humble themselves and trust Christ, stay humble when you talk about it. That's all.
   

If you'll do a little homework, you can be confident in telling people the difference Jesus makes in your own life. Nothing is more beautiful or interesting to listen to that than. In the comments below is one example of a 100 word testimony. Maybe you can add yours. . .

How to Talk to People About Important Things

It is one thing to talk to people about, well, nothing. . . to make small talk. It is another thing all together to talk about important things. How do you go about finding out what other people really think? How do you go about surfacing opportunities where the Good News might not only be heard, but be appreciated?

Again, there may be countless ways, but I am going to share only the easiest: QUESTIONS! That's right, questions. Simply ask more questions. Follow up the questions you ask when getting to know them (see yesterday) with better questions. These questions fall into three basic categories:

• Permission Questions: If you are going beyond finding where someone is F.R.O.M. you will want to tread lightly. You can tread lightly by simply asking permission to go farther. "Do you mind if I ask you what you like about that?" or "Would it be alright if I told you what that has meant to me?" or "If you don't mind my asking, why do you believe that?" Permission questions simply make you a polite and respectful sharer of good news.
  
• Poisonous Questions: Poisonous questions are not designed to create a crisis immediately. They are not designed to be confrontive. A poisonous question is one which lodges in someone's mind and give them reason to consider eternal and important things. It might be something like, "Yes, but is that really what you want out of life?" or "Don't you have to sell your soul for that kind of job? Will it really make you happy?" or "Is your hope that you won't have to give an account to God really worth the risk?" Poisonous questions don't preach, but as they say in Montana, they simply 'salt the oats.'
  
• Progress Questions: A progress question comes when someone raises a serious question about your faith. Say, they can't go farther in your discussion because they believe in Evolution, or can't swallow the fact that 'a loving God would send people to hell.' You can stop all together, go home and cry, or you can ask a progress question. There are only a few varieties of this. You can ask, "What is it about this that makes you hesitate?" That will lead you to more substantial things to talk about. Or you can ask, "If I could provide an answer or solution to your problem that satisfied you, would you be willing to follow Christ?" This will tell whether it is a legitimate objection or one unconsciously designed to through you off track. If you need to find an answer you don't know, admit you don't know and make a plan to get back, but ask one more question first, "What would you consider an adequate solution?" This will help you know how to approach the solution.

These three types of questions are some of the best ways to not be preachy, but not be a coward about your faith either. Have fun!

How to Talk to Anyone!

It is one thing to identify and to initiate, but how do you know your attempt at initiation won't be a complete disaster? The simplest, and the best, way to plan a conversation with people you don't know is this little acronym. Find out where they are F.R.O.M. by asking questions in the following areas:

• FAMILY: Are you married? Any kids? Do you live with parents? How did you meet? Do you all get really busy or is this a quieter time of year?
  
• RECREATION: What do you like to do in your spare time? Where did you learn to play (quilt, ride, garden, etc.)? Where do you go for vacation? What do you like to do then?
  
• OCCUPATION: What do you do to pay the bills? Do you like it? Why did you chose that? What do you like best about your job? Do you have a commute? What do you do to fill the time when you're commuting? What are you studying in school?
  
• MEMORIES: Where did you grow up? (Whether I like it or not, it is easy to talk with someone about Montana!) What brought you to Oregon? What do you like best about living here? Did you have brothers and sisters?
  

You are bound to find some common ground by being friendly and using these questions. One thing always happens. You make it easy for someone else to ask, "What about you?" While there are countless other ways to connect with someone, this simple acronym forms a platform for most of my conversations with people I don't know very well.

Getting Started

One of the biggest barriers to sharing the love of Jesus is getting started. For a variety of reasons the first step is the hardest. The first step is really easy to take. It requires that you do two simple things:

• Identify: Find someone to love for Jesus' sake. Jesus found a woman at a well, somewhere she went every day. He found a tax collector in a tree while He was out for a walk. Where will you find someone?
  
• In their yard, in your neighborhood?
• On a walk of your own?
• At a park?
• At a concert in the park?
• At the farmer's market?
• At a sporting event of your choice?
• While doing a service project or a kindness project with the church?
• At work?
• Online?
• At a restaurant, serving you?
  
• Initiate: Once you find someone, what will you do? Jesus asked the woman for water. He invited himself over for dinner at the home of Zaccheus. He did not pass them by. Instead he took intiative. Bill Hybels suggests taking the simplest level of initiative in the title of his recent book Just Walk Across the Room. It won't matter if you identify people to love in Jesus' name, if you don't do anything. What should you do? Try these:
• Pray. Pray. Pray.
  
• Ask questions (see tomorrow's post).
• Invite to coffee.
• Offer help.
• Ask for help.
• Introduce yourself.
• Pray. Pray. Pray.

This is just a start. But the point is if you don't know who to talk to and/or don't talk to them, you'll end up wasting your summer by keeping to yourself.

Simple Ways To Make A Difference

Anyone can waste their summer! Someone who treasures Christ will look for ways to make an eternal difference with their summer. It's not that hard. We are having some training to take the fear/uncertainty out of investing in other people. It covers a few simple skills. Every God-Treasuring Christian should be able to:

• Get started building a relationship with another person.
• Talk to them.
• Talk to them about important things.
• Make your story of faith personal.
• Present a summary of the Good News!

This week, I will blog some of the simple things from the training you can do to make an impact this summer.

Don't Waste Your Summer: Church Calendar Updated!

There are LOTS of exciting events happening in and around New Life Church this summer! Our online church calendar has just been updated to help keep you up-to-date on the latest events! Click here to be re-directed straight to the calendar!

Encouragement to Pray

In Prayer

O Lord, in prayer I launch far out into the eternal world, and on that broad ocean my soul triumphs over all evils on the shores of mortality. Time, with its gay amusements and cruel disappointments never appears so inconsiderate as then.

In prayer I see myself as nothing; I find my heart going after Thee with intensity, and long with vehement thirst to live to Thee. Blessed be the strong gales of the Spirit that speed me on my way to the New Jerusalem.

In prayer all things here below vanish, and nothing seems important but holiness of heart and the salvation of others.

In prayer all my worldly cares, fears, anxieties disappear, and are of as little significance as a puff of wind.

In prayer my soul inwardly exults with lively thoughts at what Thou art doing for Thy church, and I long that Thou shouldest get Thyself a great name from sinners returning to Zion.

In prayer I am lifted above the frowns and flatteries of life, and taste heavenly joys; entering into the eternal world I can give myself to Thee with all my heart, to be Thine for ever.

In prayer I can place all my concerns in Thy hands, to be entirely at Thy disposal, having no will or interest of my own.

In prayer I can intercede for my friends, ministers, sinners, the church, Thy kingdom to come, with greatest freedom, ardent hopes, as a son to his father, as a lover to the beloved.

Help me to be all prayer and never to cease praying.

(from Valley of Vision, Banner of Truth)

New Life Church at West Linn High School Baccalaureate

Several students took part in the WLHS Baccalaureate last Sunday. The only two boys who participated were both from New Life Church, Eric Koczian opened the event in prayer and Taylor Reavely led singing and gave the first student address. Here is his talk:

Steps for Life

New Life Church supports Pregnancy Resource Centers in a number of ways. One of the ways is through the annual Steps for Life Walkathon. While we did not have many people walk, we did come through as one of the top sponsoring churches. Thank you to those who walked and those who sponsored! Pregnancy Resource centers provide help and hope to women with crisis pregnancies.

Thinking of the Chapman Family

I have been unable to shake the knot in my throat for days now since I have heard about the tragic death of Maria Chapman, the youngest daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman. Last November my family sat in his concert and cried as he sang Cinderella, a song he wrote about her.
He has been one of my favorite Christian artists since I received free cassettes of his in a sample package 20 years ago when I was a youth pastor.

What do you say to them? What can I say to them? The blog they established in her memory already has over 18,000 comments, more than 2,000 people attended her funeral. My thoughts will just add to the pile they are already experiencing. My prayers I will still add to countless others. Of course, most of my time would be spent listening, but I asked myself, what would I say if I was called upon to comfort?

I could share some sentimental notion about my two children in heaven welcoming her, or playing with her, or singing with her. But, what is that? We don't know how that works, or if it would even happen. Where is the help and hope in that?

We found the greatest help and hope from what we could affirm from Scripture. Affirming things that God said to be true was the strongest anchor for our hearts when we were inclined to accuse or blame or despair. Nothing helped us like reminding us of what God has said about similar pain. Here is a start:

• Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A special sense of God's presence is reserved for those who are crushed and brokenhearted. Lean into Him.
• Psalm 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. No matter how they come or how long they stay, children are a treasure from the Lord. If they bring pain or pleasure they are still sent from the Lord. God's design is for blessing.
• Job 1:21-22 "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Job 2:10 is equally staggering: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. I can identify with Job who lost more children than I have. Why does the writer repeat that Job did not sin in what he said? Because he was right to affirm that God was in the calamity that came upon him. Yes, the devil had designs to destroy Job and the Sabeans stole his oxen, but God did not look the other way. He was sovereign over their sin and their intended destruction of this man of faith. Don't abandon this calamity to less loving causes than God.
• Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Some of God's design in this tragedy is to give you a glimpse of Him that you can only hear about another way. This is Job's reflection on his experience of losing his children -- I got to know God.
  
• Lamentations 3:19-33 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust-- there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. I was going to shorten this, but every word of this weeping prophet is precious. Several things in this passage are worth affirming:
  
• Honesty about how I feel is not only acceptable, but the means by which I am reminded of the Lord's mercy.
• It is because of the Lord's great love that my unbearable situation is not worse.
  
• God's goodness is not changed by this calamity.
• It will not last forever. I will not be cast off by the Lord forever.
• "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.He brings grief (same affirmation as Job). He also brings compassion.
• This affliction and grief is not His first choice. He does not willingly bring it, or literally He doesn't bring it 'from the heart'. His first desire is not this pain. Yet, He sends it anyway.
• John 9:3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." This is not God's judgment for your sin. His judgment for sin (for believers) is taken care of on the cross. God has designs beyond this suffering to display His glory.
  
• John 11:5-6 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. The smallest word in this sentence is the most significant, "so". Jesus love Martha, Mary and Lazarus SO, as a result, he waited two days. . . just long enough to let Lazarus die. Mary and Martha both said, "If you were here he would not have died!" Odd as it may seem, the love of Jesus led to the death of Lazarus. Less odd, Jesus' absence led to the revelation of His glory. His love and his glory are wed in the suffering of this family.
• Psalm 44: When none of these affirmations help, Psalm 44 gives voice to my complaint. The two parts that have been most helpful to me are verse 12, "You sold us for a pittance gaining nothing by our sale," and verse 20, which says we'd expect you to treat us this way if we'd been unfaithful, but we haven't been. So, a complaint of faith and a call to remember is the most spiritual thing we can do.
  
• Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Nothing has shown us that God himself is the only reliable source of joy and hope like losing a child. This passage is where we finally landed, it broke our fall. God is our strength and our eternal portion. Nothing else will satisfy our hearts. Everything else will break our hearts!
  

Why do I share this? Maybe you will have opportunity one day to comfort someone in an unspeakable tragedy. What will you say? I hope this helps. It has helped us. There is nothing like a world-changing, life-altering tragedy to display the strength of Christian hope.

Steve, Mary Beth, and Chapman Family, you are in my prayers.

Dear New Life Church,

How blessed we feel to have such a loving and caring church family. Thank you for the prayers, cards, flowers, and messages of concern during our recent illness.

--Alex and Kathy Fuentes

Guatemala Team Hard At Work

Help support the 2009 Guatamala Team! Members of our team will help you with your "honey-do" list and you can make a donation to the short term mission.

We will do yard work, general cleanup, painting projects or "you name it".

Here's a snapshot of Dianne Froode, hard at work on a recent workday.

"Don't Waste Your Summer"

Last night we had a little business at our Quarterly Business meeting, a financial report and receiving new members. Mandy Littrell, Pat and Ruth Clifford, Todd and Julia McBride, Laura Martin, Joyce Helgerson, and Jeff and Danette Brophy were introduced as new members.

The bulk of the meeting was an encouragement to "Don't Waste Your Summer." Our strategy at New Life Church is built on getting transformed, God-treasuring people in the lives of people who don't know Christ. The meeting focused on how we might do that this summer. Here is the impact it had on my wife. She wrote this to our family in her weekly email update to them:

"Like usual, I have big ideas of things I'd like to do this summer that we haven't gotten to. But I know how that goes. Some of it might happen, but some will go by the wayside. My cleaning, projects, yard, gardening lists are also long, and some of that will have to go, too. It was a good and much needed reminder for me last night at our "Don't Waste Your Summer" meeting at church that there are much more important things to be about, people that God has put in my path to befriend, a commission that God has left me here to be involved in. These are not optional (only for the outgoing/people-oriented type), not intrusions or interruptions, they are the main thing. Who will care if every closet got cleaned the summer of 2008? Well, I may care... at least right now, but I won't care for eternity. It will be much more rewarding if at the end of the summer my family feels more loved, my neighbors have been shown Christ's love, the people I see at the park and the store have been spoken to with love, I've had conversations with people about the Lord, my home has been open to friends as well as to "tax collectors and sinners" who are becoming friends. I don't know exactly how that will look, but I am praying that God will give me opportunities (He does, all around us, everyday) and that He will show me His plan for my summer, day by day, person by person. He is Master."

I am praying that God will give you opportunity to love someone in His name today!

This is a Great Story

This has little to do with New Life Church, but it's a good story anyway. Dwayne Wade buys his mom a church!

Mother's Day Video

Don't Waste Your Summer

Whew! It feels hot today. This is just a foretaste of the glorious warmth of summer that allows all of us to have a little more time off, a little more work outside and a lot more opportunity to spend time with other people!

All of us have an opportunity to waste our summer playing and/or indulging ourselves, or we can invest it in ways that will pay off for all eternity. Sunday evening at 6:00 at our New Life Church Riverfalls campus, we'll talk about our plans for making that eternal difference this summer. I hope you can join us. In addition we'll introduce several new members and hear an update on the church finances. See you then.

New Books At Our Riverfalls Campus!

We have a terrific selection of books in our library at the Riverfalls Campus, with new books arriving often. Here is a list of our newest arrivals:

On CD...
The Holy Bible : New Testament KJV
Children's Library:
My Bible Journey by Mary Hollingsworth

Main Library:
Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn
A Passion for the Impossible (The Life of Lilias Trotter) by Miriam H. Rockness
The Mystery of God's Will (What Does He Want For Me?) by Charles R. Swindoll
Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt

Fiction:
Guilt by Association by Michael Farris
Detours by Bette Nordberg
Private Justice by Terri Blackstock
Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser
Even NOW by Karen Kingsbury
A Kingsbury Collection (Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came to Stay, On Every Side) by Karen Kingsbury
The Splendor of His Music by Diane McMurrin
Dana's Valley by Jeanette and Laurel Oke
A Season of Grace by Bette Nordberg
Gideon's Torch by Charles Colson

Please be courteous to other readers by returning books/movies/or CDs in a timely manner.

Happy 100th Mother's Day

Mother's Day turns 100 years old today! Encourage your mom with how young she is! Happy Mother's Day!

H2O & Do Hard Things

We had a great Saturday last weekend. Several New Life Church students and parents attended a conference for teens called "Do Hard Things." It was sponsored by the Rebelution. As you may or may not know, our H2O ministry is featured in the book by Alex & Brett Harris called Do Hard Things. So, when they put on the conference with the same title last weekend, they asked Leslie and Lauren to tell about H2O. They got up in front of over 2200 students and parents and told their story and encouraged other young people to do hard things. In addition they gave out almost 600 H2O bags and near 500 starter kits. We are excited about the multiplication opportunity this presents. Our prayer is the other young people will pick up this ministry in their churches and together we can eliminate panhandling in the Portland area!

Return of the Helping Hands

The New Life Church "Helping Hands" ministry was back in action again last Saturday. Jeff Brophy, Jon Van Tuyl, Josh Whitbeck, Ronn Pricer, and Lee Bennett helped Andy and Aaronn Doyle with a much needed project. In the space of about 3 hours this motley crew tore off a back porch and built another one in its place.

Lee Bennett says, "the ministry of Helping Hands is simply to give men in our church who have strong backs and willing hearts an opportunity to help people in our church and do outreach to our community." Lee has a list of about 25 guys who are willing and able to do all sorts of odd jobs to help people who are in need. He says the only reason this ministry isn't more active is that the team simply isn' t made aware of the needs. If you are aware of a need in our church or in the community that this team could help with, please contact Lee Bennett at leenlou5969@msn.com.

New Life Classifieds

I have thought this would be a good idea for a long time. . . and the time has finally come! We launched the first edition of New Life Church Classifieds. The first edition debuted with everything from a house for sale to bathroom tile and a bassinet to give away. People were looking for child care and offering free OMSI coupons. Be sure to check it out each week.

The Classified Advertisements are available from our church family for our church family and will be published weekly free of charge. If you would like to post some service or item, please email your ad to Andrea Robinson or the church office. The ad must include:

• Your name and contact information.
• Where the item or service is located.
• A short description of the item or service that you are posting about.
• The price of the item or service.

The Voice of the Martyrs

God used our guest speaker last Sunday to challenge us in a unique and powerful way. Several people have wondered how we got in touch with her. The organization that sponsored her was Voice of the Martyrs. The Organization was founded by Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor from Romania who spent over 14 years in prison for preaching the gospel.

I heard him speak at Western Seminary years ago. He sat with his shoes off and spoke because of the injuries he had suffered while in prison. In one instance he speaks of suffering and reminds us that, " A flower, if you bruise it under your feet, rewards you by giving you its perfume."

The organization has several resources -- books, a prayer map, and a listing of countries and their relative openness for the gospel.

50,000 Visitors

We passed 50,000 visitors earlier this morning! I thought that was kinda cool.

New Sermon Series at New Life Church

We are excited about the start of new series of sermons at both locations of New Life Church this week. With the exception of the first three months of New Life Robinwood we have been preaching messages from the same text at both locations. This summer we will diverge from one another, not in spirit, but in topic.

At New Life Robinwood, Pastor Nathan will be starting a series in 1 Thessalonians that he is calling, "A Season of Encouragement." Here are his thoughts:

I am calling this sermon series, “A Season of Encouragement.” Paul wrote the letter to the church at Thessalonica to encourage the believers their in the faith. He encourage them about the good work he had already seen God do in them and spurred them on to press on in the faith. I am believing that God will use this series to encourage the folks at New Life Robinwood as they press on the faith.

At New Life Church Riverfalls, I started a new series last Sunday called, "The Defining Moment." We will look at God's work in salvation which changes everything. When someone is born-again it is, more than any other point in time, The Defining Moment in their lives. The list of benefits that come to those who belong to Christ is almost endless. I'm sure you will find it to be a rich and rewarding study.