I’m looking forward to our annual Hot Doggin’ cookout and talent show. It is being held this coming Sunday (July 6) at Jack Dalton Park. We have the large pavilion reserved from 3:00 pm on, so feel free to come any time after that. Big Tom usually serves as our emcee for the talent show, but since Tom is on the mission field up in Chester, the baton is being passed to Brad Peters!

As in previous years, we’re on the prowl for hidden talent for our show, so if you would like to participate in the talent show, please let Brad or Don know no later than next Sunday. If you can sing, dance, play an instrument, or perform a skit involving Hershey’s chocolate syrup. . . okay, maybe not that far. . . we’d love for you to ham it up. . . Whether funny or serious, consider yourself officially invited to participate.

Here are some of the other highlights:

• Softball and Volleyball at 4:00 pm for whoever is interested.

• Men’s Dessert Competition - All of the Christ’s Church men are invited to pull out all the stops and prepare a dessert. The only rule is that your dessert cannot come straight out of the deli case at Wal Mart. We had some delicious entries last year! As in previous years, we’ll be judging (and ENJOYING!) the entries.

• Dinner at 5:00 pm under the large pavilion - hot dogs, chips, drinks and desserts. Suggested donation of $5 per person, $10 per family, all the proceeds go toward funding this summer’s mission trip.

• Home Run Derby immediately after the talent show.

Accordance Bible Software just hit version 8 and it keeps getting better and better. It’s the only full-featured Bible study program designed specifically for the Mac. I’ve been using it for several years, and I love it! It has become an indispensable tool for both sermon and lesson preparation, as well as my personal study and reflection.

Click on the picture to see what a sample layout looks like. Having the multiple translations side by side is a huge convenience, and that literally is just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s a short list of some of the features. If you’re into the Mac and Bible study, it’s definitely the way to go.

While in the process of preparing for Sunday’s message, I landed on this excellent post from a mom named Jeana who has the blog Days to Come. Even though she is writing from the perspective of a wife and mother, I can relate to her list of ‘Things That Don’t Make Sense To Me’ . . . I’ve tweaked it just a bit to apply to my own life:

1. How having three children tripled the love I have for my kids instead of dividing it into three.

2. How focusing on meeting my wife’s needs results in my needs getting met.

3. Why having a lot of “me” time tends to make me more self-centered, not less.

4. Why serving other people makes me more content, not less.

5. How spending time with God usually results in me accomplishing more that day, not less.

6. Why exercising gives me more energy, and not exercising makes me more tired.

7. How submitting to God’s will brings freedom rather than confinement.

8. Why things that taste good often are not good for me.

9. Why having fewer things makes me enjoy them more - and vice versa.

10. How I can know all of these things are true and too often behave as though they are not.

No, I didn’t forget how to spell my last name. . . I’ve been playing around with a little Java Applet called Wordle. It basically generates “word clouds” from large amounts of text, visualizing them in cool ways. The more a word is used the larger it will appear in the cloud of words.

I decided to copy and paste our Christ’s Church statement of faith into the program and this is what came out. Pretty creative, eh? Even more interesting are the words that showed up BIG - I’d say they communicate the main things. . .

Read More...

We’re going to get back into our Radical Faith for Ridiculous Times series tomorrow. I’ll be preaching from Joshua 5-6 on demolishing spiritual strongholds. . . about my Jericho and your Jericho. I can’t wait! In the process of finishing up, I ran across this post by Mark Beeson that got me even more fired up!

“Lord, help us to live fully surrendered lives for Your glory!”

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters,

Just a brief note to let you know that we arrived safely in Chiang Mai almost 24 hours ago.  The flights went smoothly and we arrived in good health and spirits, although somewhat jet lagged as usual.  We were met at the late hour of 11:40 PM by our coworkers Prawit and Sunni and their daughter Noi, along with Surin, and taken to the home in which we will be living.

What a blessing to be able to go immediately to our home and lie down on a very comfortable bed after the long trip.  Our sincere thanks go to Sharon and David Filbeck for preparing the house for our arrival.

We reached a high of 90 degrees here today, so the days of 90+ in Johnson City shortly before our departure, and during which we waited several days for a repairman to fix our burned-out air conditioning compressor, were good preparation for the weather here.

Thank you for your prayers for our travel; please continue to lift us up in prayer as we get our house set up and ease back into the work here.

We remain in debt to all of you for all of the prayers, encouragement and financial support which makes our continued work here in Chiang Mai possible.

Jerry and Pam Headen
Philokalia Ministries

If you weren’t able to be with us at Christ’s Church this past Sunday, I hope you’ll listen to the message online. Even more, be sure to check out this excellent Father’s Day Challenge from James McDonald.

More photos here. . .

It was really good to be back yesterday. As I shared during the service, I sincerely appreciated the opportunity to be away these past two weekends. Preaching at my home church was an absolute treat two weeks ago, and being with Laurie last week was very important to both of us. Thank you again for all the cards, calls, meals, and prayers following her surgery. She’s on the mend and continuing to get a little stronger each day - P.T.L.!

I was stoked about yesterday’s message even though it hit me right between the eyes! I also had a heavy heart over the fact that I realized it was a painful message for a number of you. In fact, I had a really good conversation with someone earlier tonight who shared that she went home in tears yesterday, not because she was upset with anything in the message, but because she is so burdened for her husband to know and love the Lord. And I know that yesterday was a tough day for a number of others as well. May the Lord continue to keep us sensitive to the needs around us.

It was very special to get to close the service celebrating Wendy’s baptism. I loved it that Doug brought their two girls up on the stage so that they could be sure to see it. What a wonderful testimony!

And it was also good to have my own father in the service yesterday. He came down on Friday to give us a hand around the house until Laurie gets back on her feet. He’s a been huge help. But without a doubt, the highlight of the day for me were the three “Happy Father’s Day!” greetings I received from Sarah, Emily and Robert! Robert surprised me with a card and gift at breakfast and then both girls called in the afternoon.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(II Cor. 5:17)

This was too good not to pass along. It is an open letter from Kelly Adkins, a pastor’s wife serving in Orlando, Florida...

Dear Church Hopper:

I met you again on Wednesday, the same person smiling at me through a different face, telling me that you've been shopping for churches for months now, and that darn it, you "just can't find one (you) like." The music's too rocky at this one, you said; the preacher too funny at that one. The latest one might make the cut, though: you'd had the pastor and his wife over the previous evening for a little "dinner audition" -- your words, not mine -- and he said things that made you feel good and comfortable, things that you already agree with, so you're thinking about sticking around. At the very least, you could get your teaching from this church and your worship from that one.

I'm sure we'll run into each other again, but before we do, I'd like to suggest some things you could perhaps think about before you move on to the next church, as I'm sure you will, whether this weekend or next year:

• Christ didn't bleed for the Church so you could treat your search for one like an episode of Survivor, deciding who to vote off the island this week.

• The Church was not commissioned by Christ to meet your needs. You ARE the Church, and you've been commissioned to meet the needs of the world.

• Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25). Quit treating his bride like a Jesus buffet where you can pick and choose what you like, hedging your bets against the pain and sacrifice of making a commitment.

• Per scripture's instructions to use your gifts in service to the Body of Christ -- and its lack of instruction to search for a church that scratches you where you itch -- you might want to consider what the Church you're visiting needs from you, rather than the other way around.

• If you only want to hear things you already know and agree with, save your Sundays and talk to yourself in the bathroom mirror.

Sincerely,
The Preacher's Wife

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to "fill-in" and teach my Dad's Sunday School class. What a terrific group of people! I led the class in a discussion on outreach using Jesus as an example of the ultimate missionary. Specifically, I asked the class to share their insights into what the following Scriptures reveal about the way Jesus approached His mission of seeking and saving the lost:

• What He did: John 1:1, 14 and Philippians 2:5-8
• How He did it: Matt. 9:10-13; Luke 7:34; 15:1-2; 18:9-14

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The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18–20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.
– John Piper

I had the pleasure of preaching at my home church yesterday. This is a picture of me standing with my sister and father in the auditorium following the second service. Speaking of the second service, that was the first time I have ever preached at multiple services on a Sunday morning. I also had an opportunity to teach my Dad's Sunday School class between the two services. I had a blast!

It had been quite a while since I had been home to preach, so there were a lot of new faces in the congregation. But there were also a lot of folks present who had watched me grow up. It was so good to see all of them. It was especially gratifying to hug a number of former Sunday School teachers and tell them how thankful I am for the spiritual investment they have made in my life.

It made me think of all the wonderful teachers we have at Christ's Church who are faithfully planting the seed of the Word in the hearts of so many children each week - P.T.L.!! It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the investment you are making! Thank you for being faithful!

Speaking of Christ's Church, I heard that we had a great day yesterday as well. Wonderful! I can't wait to listen to Chaplain Carter's message. I'm thankful that he was able to come and share about the Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, one of the missions that we support. Thank you for giving me the freedom to be away to preach yesterday. I told so many people about how special our church family is in Martinsville. I lost count of how many times I told somebody, "I just love our church!" And I really do!

As I have shared before, I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life than what I am doing right now, or doing it with any other group of people. I love you guys and am so thankful to be a part of such an incredible church family! The Lord is indeed good!