Reading The Bible
As we began our new series on Sunday, we came across this exhortation from God to Joshua:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” -Joshua 1:8
I think that so many times we as Christians can be tempted to just read the Bible to get through it when we should read it so that it will get through us. We need to constantly guard against just checking off our “Bible time” from some kind of devotional task list. The goal is not to just get through the Scriptures but rather to allow their truth to penetrate our hearts.
Scripture gives us wisdom from God and the more that we read and meditate upon it, the more it becomes a part of us. The more time we spend reflecting and praying through Scripture, the more it will influence and re-wire our thinking, decisions, and actions according to the will of God.
What are some ways that you find helpful in getting God’s word not just in your head, but in your heart?
Exciting Stuff Ahead
Spent the better part of the morning today with our key leaders in a planning session for some really exciting upcoming changes in our church. God has truly been doing remarkable things in our community, not just in terms of increasing attendance, but in the fruit of changed lives.
All I can say is, you won’t want to miss a Sunday between now and December. God has been opening some amazing doors of opportunity for us and is guiding us into an incredible future. Ephesians 3:20-21 says,
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Stay tuned…
New Series: Momentum
God is always working and he has amazing plans for our lives. Following him is anything but boring. How can we enter into God’s best for our lives? How can we move forward into the plans that God has for us? How can we follow hard after God?
Join us over the next several weeks as we begin a new sermon series called Momentum in which we will be looking into questions like these and studying how to follow God and his plans for our lives.
Weekend Reflections
Really thankful to Pastor Pat Summers for pinch-hitting for me this weekend! He gave a great message about how the church is the hope of the world. Favorite one liner from the message: “You will never lock eyes with another person who doesn’t matter to God.” I love that!
Really enjoyed the acoustic worship by candlelight. There’s something about changing things up that helps worship to stay fresh. I think that when you do the same thing in the same way every week it can lose its freshness and its easier to disengage over time.
Looking forward to the coming weeks. Some REALLY EXCITING things are ahead!
ESV Study Bible Video
Check out the video for the new ESV Study Bible. I’ve already ordered an advance copy. Really looking forward to receiving it!
If you’ve been thinking about getting a new Bible, this would be a great investment.
Fall Membership/Baptism Weekend
Membership at ACC isn’t about joining a religious club or institution. Its about reaching your full potential in Christ by becoming a connected, committed, contributing part of his family.
If you’re interested in becoming a member, you are welcome to join us this Saturday 9.20 from 10am-1pm. You will have the chance to hear about who we are, what we believe, and where we’re headed. A free lunch will be provided. Please email us here for more info.
Also, this Sunday 9.21 we will be having water baptisms in both morning services. If you would like to be baptized or want more info about baptism simply email us here.
Remembering What You Read
I’m a slow reader and can sometimes even read whole paragraphs and chapters without retaining much of the content. I’ve done a few things to help myself overcome that. Here are some things I would suggest if you are like me:
First, develop a habit of reading with a pen and marking anything significant that stands out as important. Whenever you need to revisit some of these points or thoughts they will be easy to find.
Secondly, I’d suggest writing out significant thoughts and sentences on the blank pages at the front of the book. This way you can identify an important point in your reading and note it for future study. This is something that I have started doing recently. I’ve found that taking the time to write something down also helps solidify the content in my mind.
These things are by no means revolutionary, but I have found them to be helpful.
Weekend Reflections
Thoughts from the weekend:
Had two great services on Sunday. The second service could reasonably be described as “busting at the seams.” We had a combined total attendance of 197. I am in awe of what God is doing! As we’ve sang in recent weeks, I believe that greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in the Ambridge area! God is not finished with this community!
Awesome to be able to introduce and pray over this Fall’s Community Group Leaders! I’m so proud of every person and couple that has stepped up to give leadership to this very important and vital ministry.
Had a wonderful time Sunday afternoon watching the Pirates beat the Cardinals from free luxury box seats! (Thanks to Big Brothers Big Sisters for the tickets!)
Twittering
Sometimes I can be a late adopter, but I’m trying my hand at Twitter. Not that I think my life is all that interesting, but I do like trying out new tech stuff that comes down the pipe from time to time. You can now follow my feed on the right side of this blog if you feel so inclined.
Fall Community Groups Info
I’m getting really excited about the start up of our Fall Community Groups! There will be a total of 8 groups. 5 of them will be studying the Alpha Course and the rest will be specialty groups. They will all be starting the week of September 21. Here’s the info:
Alpha Community Groups
Wednesdays at 6pm- Location: Ambridge Christian Center, 424 Duss Ave. Ambridge, PA Leaders: Greg & Deb Winich *Childcare Available
Wednesdays at 7pm- Location: 3092 Sylvan Rd. Ambridge, PA. Leaders: Tim & Pam Webb
Thursdays at 7pm- Location: 430 Knollwood Circle, Economy Borough, PA. Leaders: Mitch & Suzanne Nace
Fridays at 6pm- Location: 1685 Laurel Rd. Ambridge, PA. Leaders: Jim and Terri Santistevan
Young Adult Group- Tuesdays at 7pm (Ages 18-30ish) Location: 125 Whitewood Dr. Center Twp., PA. Leaders: Bill & Janet Chalmers/Matt Cooper & Laura Fischer
Specialty Community Groups
Prayer Group- Tuesdays at 1pm. Focus: Prayer for the church and our communities. Location: 908 4th Ave. Conway, PA. Leader: Georgia Evans
Youth Breakout Groups- Wednesdays at 7pm (6th Grade, Jr. High, & Sr. High students) Location: Ambridge Christian Center, 424 Duss Ave. Ambridge, PA. Leader: Jessica Santistevan
Celebrate Recovery- Sundays at 7pm. Focus: Anyone with hurts, habits, hang-ups,
or addictions. Location: Ambridge Christian Center, 424 Duss Ave. Ambridge, PA. Leaders: Jerry & Colleen Parone/James & Amy Pawelkoski
A Good Re-Read
I first read this book a little over two years ago just before I started pastoring. It was tremendously helpful in helping me get started. Now I’m going through the new 10th anniversary edition. So far its been a great refresher on the big principles of leadership.
Maxwell’s also added two new laws of leadership, consolidated some others, and added more relevant content. I definitely recommend it to anyone in leadership whether church, business, or non-profit.
Anyone who leads people would benefit from it. Its definitely a classic on the subject of leadership.
Alpha Community Groups
I’m excited to let you know that this fall, five of our Community Groups will be using Alpha as their primary study. Alpha is an opportunity to explore the meaning of life and the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions.
In addition to helping believers grow spiritually, the Alpha course is also an ideal opportunity to reach out to unchurched friends and neighbors. Here’s a clip from the Alpha website:
People attend from many different backgrounds, religions and viewpoints. They attend for a variety of reasons. Some want to investigate whether God exists and if there is any point to life; others are concerned about what happens after death. Still others may have attended church all their life, but feel they never really understood the basics of the Christian faith.
Alpha is the course for everyone who thinks there may be more to life than meets the eye.
The groups will begin meeting the week of Sept. 21 and will gather weekly at various times and locations in southern Beaver County. More details will be available soon.
Youth Group Kick-Off
Tonight marks the official kick-off of Transit Student Ministries. After taking a break for the summer, the youth group is ready to start meeting weekly on Wednesday nights at 7pm. I’m so proud of Jess for all she puts into the youth ministry! This pic is from the Transit Picnic last Saturday.
Next Master’s Class
I’m pretty pumped about a new class that I’ll be taking this fall for my master’s program with AGTS. It’s called Theology and Practice of Spiritual Gifts. What’s cool about this class is that its offered here in the Penn-Del district as part of the annual Minister’s Enrichment. I have a bunch of pre and post course work in addition to 3 days of intensive classes at the district conference center.
Its cool on another level because I have been planning on doing a teaching series on Spirit-filled living and Spiritual Gifts in January. This course will help me sharpen my own understanding of the biblical teaching on the gifts of the Spirit.
Lastly, I’m looking forward to being taught by Dr. David Lim, a biblical scholar who is also the Senior Pastor of Grace Assembly of God in Singapore, a church with 12 weekend services offered in 5 different languages.
