A Glimpse of Sunday, Feb 26 & Building Update

     "It's now or never!" I've had that urgent attitude as I have visited people who are dying or near death. I want them to understand that it's never too late to make a commitment to follow Jesus--never too late as long as they have breath! Sometimes we may write people off if they haven't made a decision to accept him as Savior by the time they are close to death. But we see from the life of Jesus that he himself was able to help one of the thieves who died next to him on a cross join him in heaven. It was never too late for Jesus to reach out, even as he was dying.
     The second cry of Jesus from the cross is a cry of salvation, and features the thief that made a "death-bed" decision to follow Jesus. And follow he did--that day--from the cross to heaven with Jesus. I will expand on that this Sunday in my message, and it will be a clear message of how a person can become a Christian. If you have a friend who is asking questions about how to become a Christian, this would be an excellent time to invite them to church.

The Start of Lent
     Lent started yesterday with Ash Wednesday. Rituals can be an excellent way to merge a concept or truth into our experience so that it becomes fresh and alive. The season of Lent provides a built-in time to do something special and different so that we make Good Friday and Easter not just a short, quick program, but an opportunity for spiritual growth.
     I always try to read a devotional or book during this time that points me toward the cross. One book that I have started at least a dozen times, is the book by the late John Stott, entitled, The Cross of Christ. It is one of the finest books on what Jesus did on the cross available. It's a bit deep, but well worth your effort. I am determined to finish it this year. You can preview it at http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Christ-John-Stott/dp/083083320X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1330039296&sr=1-1.
     Another, shorter book, but one that is filled with many views of the cross is Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. It is by John Piper, a great pastor and teacher at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. It seeks to answer the question, "Why was Jesus Christ crucified?" The 50 reasons are 2 pages each, making it an excellent book to read each day of Lent and beyond. You can find it at: http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Reasons-Why-Jesus-Came/dp/158134788X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330039611&sr=1-1.

The Building Project Moves Ahead
     Many workers have pushed our building project forward this week. Plumbers have connected new gas lines that lead out to the kitchen and have run piping for the fire sprinkler system. You can see pictures of the lines that run through the auditorium and into the lobby. The concrete slab was poured today. Three concrete trucks came to empty revolving barrels of concrete to pour the foundation slab for the new entry way, bathrooms and kitchen. With the great weather we have had, we have been able to pour the concrete and now have to worry about the water in the concrete freezing before it sets up and firms up.
     Enjoy the pictures below of this week's work:

The big black pipe is the sprinkler system pipe.

Gas pipe coming into the auditorium.

Concrete trucks pouring the concrete, 6 men scrambling to move the concrete around the forms, then smoothing it out to a nice finish. Makes me appreciate my day job as a pastor!

Wire mesh helps to keep all the concrete joined together and minimizes the cracking of the slab.

The finished product just needs a few days now to cure:

A Glimpse of Sunday Feb 19 & Building Update

     This Sunday kicks of the season of Lent, which officially begins next Wednesday. Lent is a time of reflection as we head toward Easter, a time to think about and enrich our understanding of the events of the Cross. As wonderful as Christmas is, Jesus would only have been a great example to us if we were not for Good Friday and Easter. Because of the Cross, he is not just our Lord, but also our Savior. I will have some suggestions next week for Lenten devotional material that you can order to enrich your view of the cross and appreciation of what Jesus has done for us. You can't meditate on the Cross enough! The more we understand what Jesus did on the cross, and daily live with his supreme act of grace filling our hearts and minds, the more we will see his life manifested in our life.
     Also this Sunday, I am starting a new series entitled "Cries from the Cross." We will explore the seven last words of Jesus as he hung on the cross. If you have friends who are from a Catholic background and who have gotten disengaged from church, you might consider inviting them for this special series.

     We continue to progress on our building. Below you will see pictures of the water line that will eventually connect from the main water line near the downstairs bathrooms to where the new kitchen and bathrooms are. It goes down the hall and through room 119 and through the lobby. Another picture is of the fire sprinkler pipe that goes into the lobby. We will eventually have to retrofit our building with a sprinkler system, adding on to what we have already done.
     The other pictures are of the steel structure of the building addition. Within one day, they put all the steel up and today, have been welding all the trusses and cross section supports. We were not able to pour the concrete this week because of the cold weather, so that is slated for next week. It's taking shape!

Start of the fire sprinkler system extension into the lobby.

A Glimpse of Sunday, Feb 12 & Building Update

     Divorce has become so commonplace in our society, even among Christians, that we usually aren't completely surprised when we hear that someone has divorced. I know that that isn't true when we, once in a while, hear about a divorce among our fellow Trinity members. Being a Christian is and does make a difference, and it certainly does with most of our church family. But when we hear about a divorce among our friends or to popular people in the media, we may shrug and say it's too bad, but we're not surprised.
     This Sunday we finish our series on "Marriage in a Changing Culture," and I will be looking at some messier situations that people can find themselves in, even Christians, and help us see things from God's perspective. The Bible definitely gives us guidance, but I find that sometimes, Christians understand and apply the Bible inaccurately. I brought up a couple of things today to two of my pastor friends about the text I will be using for Sunday, and when I explained some things that reflect the actual words and culture in the time of Paul, they admitted that they hadn't seen before what the Bible was saying.
     It is so easy to form an opinion about such things like divorce and not truly understand what God is saying. This is one of the things I like so much about Trinity. We have mature believers who understand the Word accurately, and we liberally apply grace and love to all people, especially in the messes of life. Then we help them get pointed to Christ and to follow the teachings of the Bible.
     I hope that the message this Sunday will help you in your understanding of what God says about this difficult subject of divorce. And, for some of you, you need to hear it and experience God's grace because of your past divorce. Come and experience God's blessings!

     The plumbers have been out the last few days, installing the drains and piping for our kitchen and bathrooms. You can see in the pictures below, some of their progress. Next up will be to pour the concrete slab, and then the steel supports for the walls and roof will start to get put together like an erector set.

A Glimpse of Sunday Feb. 5 & Building Pics Update

     Divorce hits home to many of us. My parents divorced when I was in college. My sister and brother are divorced. I know what it is like. What does God say about divorce? When does God allow divorce, and along with it, remarriage? That's the focus of tomorrow's sermon, a timely message for many.
     We also celebrate communion.

     We are moving along in the building. We have backfilled the dirt around the footings and have cleaned up a bit. Tomorrow, you can drive to the front entrance to drop people off as before, althouh you will need to use the temporary entrances.

     In the pictures below, you can see the backfilling taking place; the small yellow machine compacts the dirt; the final two pictures show a somewhat cleaned up area.