The Little Church That Could...

Does this article still describe ABC? Just wondering.

Free Stuff

Sermoncentral.com has posted some free Christmas items. Take what you can use.

Logos Bible Giveaway

Logos is giving away some high quality Bibles. Check them out & see if you win.

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Bible Search Tool

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Bible Give Away

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

David & Goliath

John Calvin's 500th Birthday

Get the John Calvin birthday clock at Calvin 500

Ashland Bible Church May Activities

Sunday mornings -- Sunday School at 9:45, Worship at 11:00
Sunday evenings -- Prayer & Bible Study at 6:00 (not on the 10th or 17th)
Monday mornings -- Bible Study in Ashland, 10:00
Monday evenings -- Bible Study in Phoenix, 7:00
Tuesday evenings -- Bible Study in Central Point, 7:00
Wednesday evenings -- Choir practice, 7:00 (not the 27th)

May 9th -- Workday at the church
May 9th -- Prayer at the church, 9 a.m.
May 13th -- Praise team practice 6:30
May 13th & 27th -- Men's Breakfast, 6 a.m. at the old Annie's Cafe (now King's Cafe)
May 17th -- Community Potluck & Prayer at Lithia Park, 4 p.m.
May 31st -- Ashland & Phoenix High Schools Baccalaureate service, 7 p.m. at First Baptist Ashland

Please call for more information (541-482-8644).

In the month of March I met my goal of running 50 miles (50.6 to be exact). However, April has not been good. Only 20 miles & it's already the 24th of the month. I wish I had a good excuse, but it's mainly just laziness.

What Books Am I Currently Reading?

From time to time I'm asked this question. Here are the books I'm currently reading:

Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides -- chronicles the life of Kit Carson, manifest destiny, & southwestern Indians, especially the Navajo.

Wallenberg: Missing Hero by Kati Marton -- the story of Swede Raul Wallenberg, a righteous Gentile, & his help in saving 100,000 Jews from death in 1994-45 in Hungary.

The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church by Harry L. Reeder III

Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' "Religious Affections" by Sam Storms

And I've just started reading The Cross He Bore by Frederick S. Leahy

What are you currently reading?

Ashland Bible Church March Activities

Sunday mornings -- Sunday School at 9:45, Worship at 11:00
Sunday evenings -- Prayer & Bible Study (currently in Nehemiah) 6:00 (not on the 15th or 29th)
Monday mornings -- Bible Study in Ashland, 10:00 (not on the 30th)
Monday evenings -- Bible Study in Phoenix, 7:00
Tuesday evenings -- Bible Study in Central Point, 7:00
Wednesday evenings -- Choir practice, 7:00
Wednesday evenings -- Praise team practice 6:30 (4th & 18th)
Thursday evenings -- Ladies Bible Study in Phoenix, 7:00
March 14 -- Prayer for ABC, 9:00 a.m. at Cannon's
March 15 -- Potluck following the morning service (Irish theme)

Please call for more information (541-482-8644).

For those that care, & even if you don't I'll tell you anyway, I almost met my goal of 50 miles per month in February. 47.9 miles. YTD 78.5 miles. In my defense, there are only 28 days in February. With one more day I would have made it. Of course, if I would have ran on one of the seven days that I did nothing, I would have made it as well. We'll see what happens in March.

Econocalypse!

Moments ago I read the following statement:

"Today, people are beginning to understand that the government's account is overdrawn, that a piece of paper is not the equivalent of a gold coin, or an automobile, or a loaf of bread—and that if you attempt to falsify monetary values, you do not achieve abundance, you merely debase the currency and go bankrupt." (Ayn Rand, "Moral Inflation," The Ayn Rand Letter, vol. 3, no. 12, p. 1)

Although written some 30 years ago, this seems to make sense to me. But infinitely more important are the words found in Scripture:

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

How often do we neglect praying for all who are in authority because we think we know the solution to whatever is currently the hot-button issue? Why don't we take Scripture at its word & simply obey it. When's the last time you sincerely prayed for our politicians? When's the last time you lead a quiet life in all godliness & dignity? May God's Spirit continue to convict in this area & empower us to be obedient to our God.

Postscript: Anyone see any similarities between the days we live in & the ones portrayed in Atlas Shrugged? Just wondering.

Optical Illusions

I've always loved optical illusions. From the very simple to the highly complex, they fascinate me. My eye is fooled into believing something that, in reality, is not true. For example, check out this sidewalk drawing by Edgar Muller.

As we read through the gospels we find that Judas is perhaps the greatest optical illusion that ever existed. Everyone except Jesus was fooled into believing something about Judas that in reality was not true. He appeared to be a loyal and faithful disciple, even to the point of being their treasurer. When Jesus said to His disciples, One of you will betray Me (John 13:21), no one immediately pointed to Judas & said, It must be him!

Is my life an optical illusion as well? In what areas am I being a hypocrite? Do I appear to be one thing while being something entirely different?

Optical illusions are great to view on paper or on the internet, but optical illusions in our churches can be lethal.

Theology-ology

Tim Challies writes, in part, on his blog for today:

If a Christian is diligent in studying God through the right motives and methods and for the right reasons, there will necessarily be change in his life. He cannot help but be changed by the living Word of God. However, if someone studies God only to acquire knowledge about him without applying any of that knowledge to his life, he is not so much studying God as he is studying the study of God. The study of God when done as he has commanded must always lead to application, heart change and then life change.

I know that I'm guilty at times of studying the study of God. How about you?

Enduring...At Least On Mondays

If you've never heard, or read, Arturo Azurdia, you've missed out. He nails it again here. Besides that, he has one of the best sentences I've read in a long time.

"Nor did he assault my intelligence with bumper-sticker superficialities wrapped in pious colloquialisms."

As Christians, we can be very good at speaking to believer & unbeliever alike with bumper-sticker superficialities wrapped in pious colloquialisms & then we wonder why people don't respond to our words.

Getting back to Art Azurdia, his book Spirit Empowered Preaching is on my "read every year" list. It's a powerful, informative, & convicting book. He also heads up The Spurgeon Fellowship, is an associate professor of pastoral theology at Western Seminary, & is a popular speaker at a variety of churches & conferences. Check out his website.

Bible Study Magazine

Bible Study Magazine is giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

I haven't read Vintage Church, but I use Logos Bible Study software & continue to be amazed by everything it can do. Someday I hope to go to one of their training seminars & learn more of how to make the best use of the program.

Bible Study Magazine is on their 3rd issue. The first two were good reads & I see no reason why issue #3 should be any different.

Sacramento Kings

I've been a Kings fan since they moved to Sacramento in 1985. They've had their ups & downs, but more downs than ups. Currently they are 10 & 37, only 27 and 1/2 games out of first place in their division. Tonight they lost to the Phoenix Suns by 48 points. How far does loyalty go for a sports fan? How far should it go? I'm probably taking it out of context, but Proverbs 3:3 says, Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. My loyalty & faithfulness to the Kings has not been forsaken. Am I that loyal & faithful to my Lord? & if not, why not? He's far more important than any overpaid sports franchise & has done far more for me than the Kings ever will. Can I be a fan of my King Jesus as much as I am of the Kings?

Running Log

I'm off to a slow start on my running this year. My total for the month is only 30.54 miles. Seeing as how I'd like to be doing a minimum of 50 miles a month, I've got my work cut out. Why is it that although I've always hated running, I now find it to be my main physical activity?

Friday Night Muse

Attended the North Medford vs. South Medford boys basketball game tonight. At half-time they took up an "offering" for both schools Sparrows (South Medford -- Gavin & Roselyn. North Medford -- Benjamin.) They raised $1900 in less than two minutes to be split between the schools. People were eager & anxious to give. Is that how we give in local churches? When a need is presented & an offering taken with no previous warning, how do we respond? Just wondering.

Oh, yeah, South won 62 to 51.

SCL #479. Critiquing the sermon at lunch.

"I realized very early on that the best way to avoid being impacted by a sermon is to analyze it. I knew that if I could pretend I was there to study it and dissect it from the outside, I could save myself all the hassle of actually learning and applying the message to my life."

How true is this? What other ways do we avoid learning & applying the truth of God's Word?

Read the entire post at: Stuff Christians Like #479

NICE Board Meeting

In Hood River, Oregon for the Northwest Independent Church Extension Board Meeting of which ABC has been associated with for many years. Thanks, NICE, for all you have done for us!

Annual Report

Recently I sent out the following email to everyone who attends ABC that I have an email address for. (If you didn’t receive it, it’s because I don’t have your address! See what you miss out on?)

Subject: How is God working?
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:51:29
Good Afternoon,
As I sit and contemplate our church and the past year the thought crossed my mind, how do we (can we) measure spiritual growth in ourselves personally and in our church corporately?
My kids make fun of me because I keep track of various things, such as how many books/pages I read and this year I'll be adding how many miles I run. One reason I do this is because I'm a little OCD in some areas. Another reason is to compare myself to previous years to see if I'm increasing or decreasing in various areas. Spiritual growth is a little harder to gauge. All this to say, how do you measure spiritual growth personally and for our church?
One way I know of to measure spiritual growth within the church is to see if God is working in people's lives. I would love to hear from you how God has worked in your life in 2008? What has He taught you? How have you grown spiritually? It would be an encouragement to me to hear from you on this. Don't worry, nothing you say will be used against you!
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for your help!
Nate

Fortunately I got several replies! Here are some of the ways God has worked in the past year:

I’m truly grateful for everything that happened last year, despite the difficulties.... While I had days of despair, I never doubted God for a moment. As I look back at this past year, I have to honestly say I grew more spiritually than any other single year of my life.

I have been praying for more boldness in sharing Christ. The Lord has answered by giving me more opportunities.

I have a hard time figuring out exactly what it is that He’s trying to teach me, even though I’m sure it’s a pretty basic principle. It centers around faith – accepting & allowing Him to give me His peace and contentment even when I don’t particularly like what’s going on around me.... I know that He’s in control and that, in the end, He’s already won the victory. It’s just all those details between now & then that cause the problems.

I am learning that we can have more of a moment-to-moment relationship with Him.... If we’re really sensitive to God, it’s almost like standing in the middle of a river of opportunity to hear Him, & to say “yes” to Him. He does the work, we’re just the tool or the vessel He uses.

I have been praying for new younger families for the church.... I was beginning to wonder what plans the Lord had for the church. Then almost suddenly families with younger kids started to come.

I needed a lesson in financial stewardship.... I had to submit all my finances to God in the form of a strict budget.

I can verify that God’s ways are not my ways. In the last few years God has shown me that I do not know much, He has dashed most of my dreams, He has limited our financial possibilities, He has us looking at unemployment, & our family is still far away. All this & yet I can say that God has grown me more spiritually in the last year than for a long time.... Keeping my relationship with God healthy has to be the focus of my efforts.... When I walk with God, I am not responsible for me, God is.

God has worked in my life in the past year ... so I can start trying to be the husband, father, and man of God that I need to be.

Even when we lose the strength at times, God always somehow, someway, sustains us.

I have learned a few things about trusting God to take care of me and to not worry so much about the future and things that I cannot change.

We work so hard to be productive for God that we often forget to be with God.... God wants us to know Him first, service second.... Study + Service = Spirit-filled Life. Study + No Service = Stifling the Spirit. Service + No Study = Self

I think I have learned to accept the fact that God allows things to happen in our lives that are not very much fun. I’ve realized that I am not being punished. I believe I have developed more patience and acceptance and tried to be more concerned for others that experience difficult events in their lives.

These are a few of the ways that God has been working in ABC. Thank you all who took the time and effort to respond! I encourage all of us to share with others what God is teaching us and how He is growing us.

What the coming year holds for us, only God knows, but it will include continuing our study through the Gospel of John. Also, God still wants us involved in missions, locally & globally. Some have expressed interest in a missions conference. Brent is planning on going with Wheels for the World to Romania. It’s been suggested that we put together a team from within our church to distribute wheel chairs in Argentina. Be praying about these things and let me know if you’re interested in working in these areas.

Speaking of prayer, it’s vital that we be a people of prayer, individually & as a church. It’s God’s desire that we come to Him at all times in prayer. We have an active prayer chain, each of our small group Bible studies includes a time of prayer, & once a month we meet just to pray. Please pray for our nation, our church, and our church leadership.

I remain convinced that we need to be involved in each others lives more than just on Sunday mornings. We need to interact with one another & hold each other accountable before God. The best place for this to happen is in a small group Bible study. We have several that are active. I encourage you to join one & see how God uses it in your life. If none work into your schedule, let one of the elders know so that we might see how we can accommodate you in this.

As always, I am grateful to you for your love, support, & prayers. Please continue to pray for my family & I. Of my 20 years of being a pastor (I must be getting old!) this has been the most difficult personally. But God is good. Recently this verse seemed to jump out of the pages of Scripture to minister to me: Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him (Isaiah 30:18). Will you long for Him together with me in the coming year?

With love & thanksgiving,

Nate

Service Times

Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 a.m.
Worship Service at 11:00 a.m.

Please call for schedule of home Bible studies and Sunday evening prayer time & Bible study.

541.482.8644

Welcome to Ashland Bible Church

Just trying to get up to date and getting our presence on the web.

Join us on February 1st for our annual meeting. Following our worship service will be a potluck (bring some food to share) & then our meeting. We will be voting on 3 men who have been nominated unanimously by your board of elders to serve as elders in the coming years. We will also be hearing how God is working in and through individuals at ABC.