John Lynch - Co-author of Truefaced & Bo's Cafe

Cathy and I have been attending a meeting of the Bible Alliance this week with about 100 leaders from around America. This is the organization that produces the Fire Bible, a special edition with comprehensive study notes, for many language groups around the world. Last month our offering for the Fire Bible was $32,000 and we were able to be a part of raising an additional $2,000,000 for future editions from all the participants at this year’s event. It is exciting to see what can be accomplished when we all work together and do our part.

I’m excited for you to meet a new friend of mine, John Lynch. He has co-authored two books I have recently read: Truefaced and Bo’s Café. They are both in our bookstore and will be available this Sunday in the Lobby. John will be there to encourage us with a message of God’s grace and how to embrace His love toward us. It is a day you won’t want to miss. It is a day I don’t want you to miss. Moments like this have the potential to be life-changing.

Romans 3:21-24 (Message Version) But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Can’t wait to see you on Sunday.

Pastor Rick

Epic Sports Accomplishments

This has been a week of two epic accomplishments in the world of sports. Wednesday, the U.S. soccer game against Algeria had about 15 minutes remaining when it was time for our staff to gather for our weekly staff chapel. We decided to cram in to the boardroom and watch the conclusion of the game. When the U.S. team scored the only goal of the game with two minutes remaining, there was quite a roar in the room. They now advance to the round of 16 teams left in the tournament.

Then, at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the longest match in history was played between American John Isner and Nicolas Mahut from France. The match was played over three days because of darkness setting in the first two days. It lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and the deciding fifth set was won by a score of 70 games to 68. In the fifth set, a player has to win by two games and there is no tiebreaker provision. The two players won their service games one after the other until finally Isner broke Mahut’s serve in the 138th game of the set. It has been a historic week in sports.

I love sports but even these remarkable achievements are not as important as what we will be doing on Sunday. There is nothing like worshiping God because of His amazing love and mercy toward us. We will be sharing Holy Communion together, providing study Bibles for believers in third world countries through our donations of $10 per Bible, and learning about our purpose in our community. Life is packed with purpose when we pursue God’s best for our lives.

Here is our memory verse for Sunday: Matthew 5:16 . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Pastor Rick

Personal Purpose

Our theme for June is “Packed with Purpose.” It is going to be a great month beginning with this Sunday’s kick-off regarding our “Personal Purpose.” I’ll be in Israel and Jason Harper will be sharing a study from the Scriptures inspiring us toward God’s best for our lives. It is going to be a great day and an important foundation for the month!

I would like to encourage you to start thinking about one of our annual missions
projects . . . the Fire Bible. The Fire Bible is the name for the international language editions of the Full Life Study Bible, one of the few Pentecostal study Bibles in existence. Often referred to as a one-book Pentecostal library, this study Bible contains 77 theme articles, a concordance, 45 maps and charts, introductions to each book of the Bible, and Pentecostal study notes. It is often the only study resource pastors have in many countries of the world. It is impossible to calculate the value of such a resource.

Our goal is to count the number of Bibles we own and consider contributing $10 per Bible toward the translation and printing of the Fire Bible. This year’s project is the Korean language. We will be receiving a special offering for this incredible mission’s project on Sunday, June 25. It will be the capstone to our month of learning how we are packed with purpose.

Jeremiah 33:2-3 This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

Pastor Rick

Growing in Our Ability to Love

40 Days of Love continues this week with a study from 1 Corinthians 13:5. There are four statements in that verse that are great life lessons to follow in our pursuit of a life of love. This is certainly not easy but it is definitely worth the effort. We can change the circumstances and people around us by growing in our ability to love with the strength of character modeled by Jesus himself.

We have a great missions opportunity this week. The Bible Alliance has produced a Pentecostal study Bible in many languages of the world where they have not had adequate resources to understand God's Word. This Bible has study notes written into it that provides the reader with Bible College level understanding. For many ministers in other countries, this is the only Bible training available to them. The latest project of the Bible Alliance is to translate this study Bible (also known as the "Fire Bible") into the languages of the countries where Paul traveled in his missionary journeys. These languages are: Hebrew, Greek, Turkish and Italian. Ten dollars provides one of these Bibles for a person in these distant lands. Please consider bringing an offering this week to supply as many of these study Bibles as you are able. Remember, God's Word never returns void. It will always reaps a great eternal harvest.

Isaiah 55:10-11 "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Together . . . Continuing the Dream,

Pastor Rick