Church Family,

I do hope you all are well.  We are hopeful that we will be able to gather again soon.  The Leadership Team and I are considering everything to make decisions that will best serve us all and ultimately honor the Lord.  We are, like Proverbs, beginning with what it calls “Fear of the Lord,” which calls for greater trust in Him, surrender to His ways, and humility of understanding our need of Him.  We will keep you posted.

This past Sunday, we looked at Proverbs 1:8-19.  Within that section of scripture, we explored verse 17, For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird.  The meaning is rather straight forward if a net is spread out in plain view of the bird, well any sensible bird will see it and avoid the trap.  Easy to understand, but often not practiced.  The sinners of Proverbs 1:8-19, did not avoid the net, though it was plain to see that their actions, desires, and motives were outside of God’s instructions and wisdom.  The son in this text had the advantage of a father giving instructions, and a mother giving him teaching—which in the end is God’s instruction and teaching.  They are giving their child God’s words, God’s wisdom, and it will make him/us wise to the nets that so easily entrap us.  Take time this week and read some Proverbs to gain insight into the ways of sin and your heart tendencies towards easily being enticed.

This Week:

• Disciple-Makers:  We have two more weeks of Disciple-Makers.  This Wednesday at 6:30 pm, we will discuss scripture and let God’s word encourage, convict, and mature us (link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/501936397).
• Sunday Gathering:  At this point, you are very familiar with how Sunday works, so just let this be a reminder to be on Facebook at 10 am to participate in our virtual gathering.  You can also view it from our webpage here.
• Needs:  Please don’t hesitate to let us know about any needs that arise as a result of these uncertain times.  God, in His sovereignty, has put us in a position to be able to help.  If you experience a significant drop in income, you don’t have to bear that burden alone.  Or, if you have a neighbor you’ve been reaching out to that you think we could help with, let us know.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

I do hope you all are well.  This past Sunday, we began our series in the book of Proverbs.  We discovered the impressive work Proverbs could do in our lives.  It can make us wise, give instructions on life, direct our interactions with each other, and continue to mature us.  All these glorious things–knowledge, wisdom, instructions, justice, fairness, wise dealings, continued development–hinge on one thing; fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). Fear of the Lord requires us to remove ourselves from the center of life.  It is an acknowledgment that He, the Lord, knows best.  It is surrendering to Him as the higher authority.  Come to find out; wisdom is a heart issue more than just filling our heads with knowledge.  I look forward to the coming weeks and anticipate the Lord revealing our hearts along the way to bring us towards greater maturity.

This Week:

• Disciple-Makers:  We will continue looking at scripture and working together to unpack its truths for our life (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/501936397).
• Prayer Gathering:  This Friday, we will have a prayer gathering using Zoom at 6:30 pm.  This will be a guided prayer time so come prepared to hear how the Lord is directing our attention and to saturate those concerns and praises with prayer (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83004580171).
• Sunday Gathering:  By this time, we all have down our Sunday rhythm, but as a reminder, go to Facebook at 10 am to watch our Livestream.  You don’t have to use Facebook.  You can view it from our website here. I would encourage everyone who can to use Facebook.  That is the best place for interaction within the comment section.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

What a great Easter weekend!  It was enjoyable to reflect on a few of the most important truths we hold dear.  In times like these, it is essential to hold tightly to the truths about Jesus that never change, waiver, nor fail.  “He is alive” is much more than a slogan once a year; it’s our rally cry into eternity!

I wanted to direct your thinking towards a helpful article I stumbled upon a few days ago about anxiety.  One thing is for sure, whether you struggle with anxiety or not, COVID-19 is more than likely causing you to worry.  It’s helpful when dealing with anxiety to clarify exactly what you are feeling and what type of anxiety you feel.  In doing so, it allows you to address the worry better and begin to cope and or overcome the stress.  The long term effects of this virus are very uncertain, so it is wise for us to be aware of the areas we are prone to higher anxiety and to be experts on God’s Word that reminds us of our ultimate reality.  This article will help with both.  Click here to read more.  If you need someone to chat with further about anxiety, reach out to myself or Blaine Barber, who can be reached by email (bbarber@biblicalcounselingaz.org).

Schedule this week

• Disciple-Makers:  Wednesday at 6:30 pm, click this link (https://zoom.us/j/501936397) and jump into a wonderful conversation about reading scripture well.
• Sunday:  We will continue to go live on Facebook at 10 am with a few announcements and then a message.  You don’t have to have a Facebook account to view that video, just click here, and you can watch it from our website.
• You:  Yes you!  Why would I include you in the schedule for the week?  Because it is crucial that we as the body take time each week to connect through whatever means we have available.  Emails are ok, a text message is a little better, a phone call is way better, but a video chat is the best!  Use these things to chat, listen, and pray for one another this week.  Perhaps you could even read scripture together as part of your time.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

I do hope you all are well and encouraged today.  Yesterday was a great day of connecting with you all in various ways. From our 10 am Facebook live (you can watch it here as well) to the many Zoom calls, it all was good for my soul.

With that said, now that we are several weeks into COVID-19, perhaps things are starting to feel a little overwhelming.  We should anticipate as this virus drags on an increased sense of frustration and a longing for normalcy.  Knowing these things will come, it’s wise for us all to stay connected and participate in the different activities we are making available throughout the week.  So grab your calendar or open it in on your phone and put in these activities:

• Disciple-Makers: Every Wednesday, we will continue our disciple-makers class at 6:30 pm.  The link will remain the same (https://zoom.us/j/501936397) each week.  We are discussing healthy and practical ways to read the bible.
• Easter Schedule:  Historically, the church for centuries has marked out this week, often called Passion Week, to reflect deeply on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.  Though we are separated, we can still leverage this week and experience joy, conviction, and hope!  I will be sending more details as the week progresses to prepare our hearts for these moments:
  • Good Friday (death):  Jesus experienced a brutal death upon a rugged cross.  We must not soon forget the enormous suffering He endured that brings us our salvation.  At 5 pm on Friday the 10th, we will have a Good Friday service through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/486027828)
  • Waiting Saturday (burial):  The period after the death of Jesus until resurrection would have been a very uncertain time for God’s people.  It would have been extremely disorienting to them as Jesus was their great hope who now lies in a tomb, died.  This is similar to our current state of uncertainty, and this is the one time in our lives, we can think deeply about the waiting, about the uncertainty, and express how disoriented we feel.  To reflect on this, I will be sending out some instructions for you and your family to use to reflect on this time.
  • Resurrection Sunday (resurrection):  The tomb is EMPTY!  He is ALIVE!  We will continue with our 10 am Facebook live unpacking all the resurrection means to us from 1 Corinthians 15.  Invite those who you have been praying for and sharing with about the gospel of Jesus.

Lastly, thank you for the many that continue to give.  If you are unaware of how to give during this time, there are three different ways:

1. Online:  This is the simplest way to give.  Just click here and follow the steps.
2. Church Mailbox:  If you feel like getting out, you can drop it in the onsite mailbox to the left of the glass double-doors.
3. USPS:  You can simply put it in an envelope, slap a stamp on it, and send it in the mail.

I miss you all tremendously!  I look forward to this week of reflection and wholeheartedly trust the Lord will encourage us, convict us, give us joy, and strengthen our faith!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

This is a friendly reminder of our schedule for tomorrow.  At 10 am, we will be on Facebook live for a few announcements and to unpack the next section of 1 Corinthians.  You don’t have to have Facebook to view that video.  You can click here and watch it on our website.  The best way to make the most of this unnormal rhythm is to watch the video together and then participate in family worship (here are two resources to help you, a video and an article).  We have encouraged this every week and hope that repetition has neither annoyed you or lessen its importance.  It is our effort to wisely do things that will help to build each other up.  Remember, it is simple: read, pray, and sing (see songs below)!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan

Church Family,

I hope you all are well and healthy.  We are scheduled to have a prayer gathering through Zoom at 7 pm this Friday. I wanted to give you a few instructions to make the most of tomorrow.  Below is a guide put together by The Gospel Coalition to help you spend the entire day focused on prayer for various things.  It breaks the guide up into a morning prayer, a midday prayer, and an evening prayer.  The evening prayer is going to be online, and the link is provided in the prayer guide.  It will take place from 4 pm-5 pm (APRIL 4TH).  I would suggest participating in that as it will be an encouraging time.  By God’s sovereign design, we already had a prayer gathering scheduled from 7 pm-8 pm.  We will make use of the midday prayer during that time because it focuses on praying as a group and praying for the local gathering.  I look forward to spending some time together tomorrow evening.  Find the links below:

Prayer Guide

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/719683473

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Bryan