Church Family,

This past Sunday we looked at a famously difficult passage of James in which we are told that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. As a church that confesses that salvation is through faith alone, this phrase may be upsetting to us if we take it on its own without considering the full idea James is intending to convey. But what’s really being said here is that a living faith always bears itself out in good works. If we trust that we are heirs to the riches of God in the coming kingdom, then we will be generous with what we have here and now. If we trust that we have been received by God with open arms, then we will boldly share the Gospel now even at the risk of rejection. Let us be assured that it is not our good works that allow God to be merciful to us, rather it is God’s mercy that empowers and even compels us to do good works.

Life Groups

The much anticipated start of life groups is just around the corner on September 21st. As a reminder, we are asking that those south of the 60 go to our south group hosted by Alex and Cassandra, and those north of the 60 go to our north group hosted by Kyle. Both groups will be meeting at 4 p.m. and will be bring-your-own-dinner. If you signed up on the life group interest sheet that was in the foyer earlier this summer, keep an eye out for an email in the next few days with more details about life group. If you had not signed up but would like more information then feel free to send me an email at logan@lightinthedesert.church.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued our series in James, we worked through a passage that wasn’t just sharp like a knife but also precise like a scalpel as James begins to address the particular sins that arise in the life of believers. In this case, he speaks to the sin of partiality, our tendency to favor those who have the resources to benefit us. And while James is being particular in this passage, he is not just nit-picking. He’s so careful to address even the subtlest of sins because any sin at all is a transgression of the whole law of God. Church, let us respond to this passage by being careful not to excuse any of our sins, rather let us be ever repentant and all the more glad for the grace of God which saves us in spite of our selves.

Life Groups

Life groups will be officially starting back up on Sunday, September 21st. Alex and Cassandra Gerhard will be hosting one group for those south of Baseline, while Kyle Villa will be hosting another for those north of Baseline. At least for this first meeting, both groups will start at 4:00 p.m. and will be bring your own dinner. If you have any questions about life groups generally or about either life group in particular, feel free to reach out to myself or the respective life group host.

Wednesday Activities

With summer coming to a close, our Wednesday activities will start back up on September 10th. This includes a women’s study on Revelation in the morning, as well as both men’s and women’s studies on Revelation and the first semester of our Disciple Makers class in the evening.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued our series in James, we found ourselves in verses 19-27 of chapter 1. One of the nice things about the book of James is that most passages are straight-forward and easily understood, but the real difficulty is responding humbly to the strong words of conviction. It would serve us well this week to look back on these verses and respond by praying that God would soften our hearts to the call to righteousness that we will see repeatedly over the next several weeks.

Life Groups

Life groups will be officially starting back up on Sunday, September 21st. Alex and Cassandra Gerhard will be hosting one group for those south of Baseline, while Kyle Villa will be hosting another for those north of Baseline. At least for this first meeting, both groups will start at 4:00 p.m. and will be bring your own dinner. If you have any questions about life groups generally or about either life group in particular, feel free to reach out to myself or the respective life group host.

Sunday Studies

This upcoming Sunday we will start a new series in our 9:00 a.m. class called Sanctification – A Theology Of Change. In light of the call from the book of James to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only,” we’ll spend a few weeks investigating what it means and what it takes to flee sin and cling to righteousness.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued our series in James, we were met with both encouragement and conviction. We read that those who endure trials will be blessed with life in Christ. But we also read that enduring trials is not easy and that when we fail we have only ourselves to blame. When we face difficulty we are tempted by our own selfish desires, and temptation turns to sin when we do not fight against it. But God in His goodness grants His strength to His people that in Him we may fight temptation and endure. In this we can see even now the beauty of the righteousness in which we will live in the coming kingdom.

Sunday Studies

This upcoming Sunday we will have special one-off Sunday studies on evangelism in an educational context.  Our aim is to equip our college students as they start a new semester, but this class will also be valuable to younger students, parents of students, and even grandparents of students. The following Sunday we will start a new series called Sanctification – A Theology Of Change. In light of the emphasis on good works we’re finding in James during our main service, we’ll spend a few weeks investigating what it means and what it takes to flee sin and cling to righteousness.

Wednesday Activities

With summer coming to a close, our Wednesday activities will start back up on September 10th. This includes a women’s study on Revelation in the morning, as well as both men’s and women’s studies on Revelation and the first semester of our Disciple Makers class in the evening.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued our series in James, we were met with a sort of grounding exercise for the believer. James tells his poor readers to boast in their exaltation in his rich readers to boast in their humiliation, which may sound like nonsense to our worldly ears. But that is because this boasting is not worldly at all. This boasting is grounded in the true identity of believers, which has nothing to do with worldly riches or power or influence, and instead has everything to do with being in Christ. The poor believer has nothing, but has everything in Christ. The rich believer may seem to have it all, but that wealth is nothing in comparison to the worth of being in Christ. In this alone both rich and poor can boast.

Special Sunday Studies

On August 24th we will take a break between our usual Sunday Studies series to do a special session on evangelism in an educational context. Our aim is to equip our college students as they start a new semester, but this class will also be valuable to younger students, parents of students, and even grandparents of students.

Christian Challenge Lunch

Also on the 24th we will be having a lunch after service to welcome students to our Christian Challenge ministry on the ASU Polytech campus. Anyone interested in spending time with our college students and enjoying some free pizza is welcome to join.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy,

Pastoral Intern

Church family,

This past Sunday, as we continued our Psalms summer series, Jared led us through Psalm 43. Here the psalmist demonstrates a crucial practice for God’s people, that is the practice of preaching to ourselves. The psalmist is wracked with all kinds of negative emotions about the trials in his life. But these emotions were not grounded in reality, rather they were deceptions of sin clouding his mind. The only reality for untruth is actual truth, so the psalmist repeats to himself the reality that God is his refuge and salvation. We too ought to repeat the truths of God to ourselves that we may be grounded in reality. What’s more, as the church we have the joy of preaching truth to one another and receiving truth from one another that through the church God may provide us strength even when we are weak.

Youth Retreat

We will be taking our middle school and high school students on a youth retreat August 30 – September 1. We ask that you would be praying for that retreat, both for safe travels and that it would be a fruitful weekend of studying God’s word and admiring his creation. We would also ask you to consider donating towards the costs of travel, lodging and food so we can keep this trip accessible to our youth this year and in the future.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued in Psalms for the summer, we were reminded by Psalm 39 of the brevity of our lives. In this Psalm, David describes not only his own life as fleeting, but the whole of humanity which is no more than a single breath from the perspective of the eternal God. Yet every single moment of human history has been crafted in love and wisdom by that very same eternal God, even the fiercest trials we face surrounded by the most wicked of people. Let us be like David, then, and humble ourselves before God, receiving both his discipline and his mercy with deep gratitude.

Life Group Survey

If you put your information down on the life group interest sheet you should have received a survey in your email this week. This survey is to help us make sure that the relaunch of life groups is serving as much of our church as possible as well as possible, so your input is highly appreciated. If you signed up but did not receive the survey or if you didn’t sign up but have any interest in life groups, please reach out to me at logan@lightinthedesert.church so I can make sure to account for you in my planning.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued our series in Acts, we say Paul finally give his defense before Festus and Agrippa which focused primarily around Paul’s own testimony. Here we get a new detail about what Jesus had said to him in that miraculous encounter. Early in their encounter Jesus had told Paul “it is hard for you to kick against the goads.” Goads were pointed sticks used to get stubborn animals to move where herders wanted them to move. Jesus was saying that Paul simply could not continue to resist the path of faith and obedience towards which Jesus was pushing him. The message of the risen Christ was the clear endpoint of the Old Testament law and prophets; Paul’s striving for Jewish piety would lead him there sooner or later. And simply put, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were just too powerful and wonderful to be denied. Church, let us consider how we too kick against the goads. Where do we ignore the clear commands of scripture? How have we gotten our priorities out of order? How do we live in ways inconsistent with our belief in the risen Lord Jesus Christ? And let us pray that God would overcome our stubbornness and lead us back to the life of faithfulness he desires for us.

Kids Camp

On Saturday, May 17th, we will be handing out fliers in our community for our upcoming kids camp. If you would like to be part of this outreach effort please meet up in the church lobby at 8:00 that morning, and make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen and bring plenty of water.

Women’s Event

This is just a quick reminder for those who signed up for the women’s event that it is this Saturday, May 10th.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday we picked our series in Acts back up with Acts 25. This chapter continues Paul’s journey through the Roman legal system. While legal hierarchies and courtroom strategies can make the whole process a bit difficult to follow, the governor of Caesarea gives us a surprising moment of clarity when he states that the whole matter centers around “a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. the governor recognized that everything hinges on whether or not the resurrection really happened. For those of us who believe the resurrection this puts a particular call on our lives as it gives Jesus an utterly unique authority. If we believe that he alone can conquer death then he alone is worthy of a radical kind of obedience. If we believe he has risen from the grave then the only sensible response is to follow him. The question we ought to consider then as we reflect back on this passage is whether or not we live as though we truly believe.

Wednesday Nights

Tonight was the last night of our regular Wednesday activities for the semester, but we want to encourage you not to let that mean that your engagement in God’s word and in the life of the church stalls out between now and when we pick back up in the fall. Rather, we’d encourage you to use that time to be doing extra Bible reading in smaller contexts. Consider meeting with someone on Wednesday evenings to read through a book of the Bible, or finding a Bible study to work through with your family. This would even be a great time to invite a non-believing friend or coworker to explore God’s word with you.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, in observance of Easter, we looked at the account of Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 28. This narrative clearly lays out for us how those who opposed Jesus sought to overcome him both by strength and by cunning. They posted a guard to secure the tomb, yet it still was empty on the third day. They then spread lies saying that the body had been stolen, not resurrected, but the true story still spreads like wildfire. It is no coincidence then that as the risen Jesus sends his disciples out into the world he does not tell them to lean on their own might or cunning. Instead, there is one singular truth that empowers them, and us now, in living out the great commission. God, the Living God, is with us always, to the end of the age.

Prospective Members Class

We are having a prospective members class on the afternoon of Saturday, May 3rd from 1:00 to 4:00. Attending this class is not any sort of a commitment, it is just an opportunity to learn the core convictions of Light in the Desert Church, including a particular belief in the biblical model of church membership. If you are interested in participating in this class and learning more about LitD, please sign up in the foyer.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern