Pastor_David's blog

I’m reading a book my father gave me that is adding new meaning to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day for me this year. It is The Children by David Halberstam, which tells the story of eight young college and seminary students who were involved as leaders of the civil rights movement in the South in the 1960’s. I’m not yet half-way through the book, but so far it’s really good. Three insights the book has given me are: a) how deeply humiliating segregation was to African-Americans on a personal level; b) the tremendous amount of courage that was required of each individual who decided to take a stand against injustice; and, c) the surprising number of civil rights activists whose commitment to the cause was informed by their Christian faith.

I have been reading Jerry Bridges' book Respectable Sins -- Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. In it he addresses several subtle, but spiritually dangerous, sins that are often viewed in Christian circles as being of minor importance. He talks about how significant these sins are in the eyes of God and how we must apply gospel truth in order to rid our lives of them. He deals with matters such as: discontentment; anxiety; pride; selfishness; unthankfulness; impatience & irritability; envy & jealousy; judgmentalism; gossip & criticism; bitterness & resentment; worldliness; and, more. The book is exposing a lot of sin in my life, which doesn't sound like fun. But I am actually finding it to be very refreshing -- as repentance and forgiveness always are.

Due to the forecast of a big snowfall, the early morning prayer meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, 7:30-8:30AM is rescheduled for Wednesday, January 19, 7:30-8:30AM.

I have been reading Jerry Bridges' book Respectable Sins -- Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. In it he addresses several subtle, but spiritually dangerous, sins that are often viewed in Christian circles as being of minor importance. He talks about how significant these sins are in the eyes of God and how we must apply gospel truth in order to rid our lives of them. He deals with matters such as: discontentment; anxiety; pride; selfishness; unthankfulness; impatience & irritability; envy & jealousy; judgmentalism; gossip & criticism; bitterness & resentment; worldliness; and, more. The book is exposing a lot of sin in my life, which doesn't sound like fun. But I am actually finding it to be very refreshing -- as repentance and forgiveness always are.

Our intern Aaron Bjerke preached a couple of Sundays ago. It's hard to believe this was his first sermon. To hear what he said click here.

To read one of my favorite quotes click here.

On Sunday, December 26 we will only have one worship service -- at 10:30AM. On the following Sunday (Jan 2) we will return to our regular Sunday morning schedule with services at 9:30AM and 11:15AM. Come worship God with us.

Last Saturday a group from ACC (led by Greg & Lara Meneses) ministered to day-laborers on Broadway in Astoria. To read Lara's report about how it went click here.

As my running partner Bruce constantly tells me, I have a tendency to go out too fast at the beginning of a run, leaving myself no energy for the end. He’s right; it’s a bad habit. But what is merely a bad habit when it comes to physical exercise can be a tragedy in the life of faith. Far too many believers in Christ fail to finish the race well. In fact, many seem to have less passion for God’s Word and less delight in God’s goodness than is often seen in new believers. I have been reading A.W. Pink’s commentary An Exposition of Hebrews and was struck by his words of warning for middle-aged and senior Christians. To read what he said click here.

In Ezekiel 18 God said that children should not be punished for the sins of their parents. This is one reason why the DREAM Act makes sense to me. The DREAM Act is a bi-partisan legislation that is being considered in Washington. It is a proposal to open a door toward U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children, if they attend college or serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Of course, you should form your own opinion about the DREAM Act, and I hear that its chances of passing are growing slimmer. But I encourage you to learn more about it. I emailed both of my Senators urging them to vote for the bill to pass. To visit the DREAM Act website click here. To read an analysis of it from en evangelical perspective click here.