Author: Mark

Hubby to the greatest gal, Pastor of an amazing community, brother to a bunch of people called my family, lover of God, follower of Jesus.

Upcoming @Grace!

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I love summer in Flagstaff, don’t you?  Here are a few dates I want you to know about and mark down:

July 1st – Vision 2012 Update.  I’ll use time during the sermon to update you on what we set out to do on January 1. 

July 8th – If I were you, I wouldn’t want to miss this Sunday! 

July 22nd – Grace @ Noon and Sinagua Service day.  Regular worship service, themed on serving, then an all-church lunch (this is what we call Grace@Noon!), then an all-church work day for a few hours to minister right there at Sinagua. 

July 29th – Grace 1.0

Aug 19th – Baptism!!

GSM to Hume

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We just sent our kids off to Hume Lake today.  I love seeing all these kids, many I don’t know, many friends going because they were invited. I love seeing a huge, cool bus.  I love seeing a group of parents watching, knowing the real cost of something like this. I love watching the young ones launch out for the first time and get on that big bus with kids they don’t know. Yet.  Mostly, I love seeing our man Timothy Serrano step up and own this. I love that he was mentored by Pastor Bob and raised by godly parents. This is what a church does. It raises up and launches. It invests in others.

Be praying for Tim and Makensie and all the youth workers as they love and lead this group of students in a wonderful week.

Filled with the Holy Spirit…

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All week I’ve been considering Acts 4 in preparation for tomorrow’s sermon at Grace.

4:8 “The Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, …”

I wonder if we realize what a big deal it is that today, followers of Jesus who know Him because they’ve been saved, have the Holy Spirit.  We teach here that a person receives the Holy Spirit when they come to faith in Jesus as their Savior.  Romans 8:9-11 tells us that if we know God through Jesus, then we have the Spirit.  In Ephesians 5:18 we realize that there is a regular (perhaps daily?) filling of the Holy Spirit.  Are there Christians who have the Holy Spirit yet don’t live as though they are filled with the Spirit? Sure.

To be filled with the Spirit is to yield your life to Him and not be “filled with yourself”, but instead, know the Holy Spirit is in you to empower you for serving, loving others and let Him guide you.

Imagine the words, “Then [fill in the blank with your name] filled with the Spirit, said…”

 

Yep, it’s been awhile

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Finally opened my blog site, and I’m noticing a poor pattern here.

Seriously, it’s just about everyday I think of something I need to blog about. What that means is, there’s something I want to either add to last weeks sermon, or some observation I just made, or I just witnessed a real-life answer to prayer and I want you to know it.  There’s always something.  I am a little intimidated to even think about making a list of such observations since I last wrote here. Yep, it’s that bad.  (Maybe a few highlights will show up if I can in fact get on this horse and stay on it for a while.)

I’ve mentioned before that I like to read either a chapter from Proverbs each day or one of the Psalms.  No matter what else I’m reading (currently the wild ride of King David), I like to keep the Proverbs open.  As you probably already know, the 31 chapters in Proverbs makes it easy to stay in the game.  You know life happens, you get busy, and you realize it’s been too long since you’ve had meaningful time in the Scriptures.  With the Proverbs, you simply pick up reading on the corresponding day of the month.  That’s not why I read it, but it’s probably what got me started and yes, it still helps.

Have you found yourself saying, “yep, it’s been awhile” since I …?  It’s not too late. If it’s about taking care of your soul by reading, meditating, enjoying some good worship music, then do it. Now. Today. Open the Bible and read a paragraph and stop for 5 minutes and think on it.  Has it been awhile since you’ve exercised, enjoyed your favorite meal, or written in your journal or spent time with someone near you?  Just do it. Today. Even if it’s simple.

Kinda like today’s blog.

Jet lag? and Blessings

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It is so good to be home. The time in Thailand was amazing and I’m so grateful I was able to be a part.  

I really don’t even understand jet-lag.  I mean the time change makes sense that it would bother you a little, but this is just odd.  I’d think a good night’s rest would take care of it. Of course I know better. We’ve traveled enough to know what this is and to expect it. But that doesn’t make it any easier. I’ve heard it best described as living in a ‘fog’.  That about says it.  So, forgive me if over these next few days you and I meet and you leave wondering if I haven’t suffered a stroke.  I think I’ll be fine. Eventually.

This morning at Grace was one of those special times.  I can’t wait for Resurrection Sunday and the opportunity to share more of what happened today. Blew my mind!  God’s grace is amazing the more we understand and celebrate who HE is and what HE had done for us.  To think, we deserve hell, but instead we find ourselves in the righteousness of Christ.  All because of His love and grace for us.  What a blessing to be a part of this church and to know God is working through a bunch of ordinary people.  

Nice. 

Headed Home

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We’re leaving in just a few minutes to teach the last session at the college, then this afternoon we’ll take the 2 hour drive to Bangkok and get on our flight to LA.  Once we arrive, we’ll rent a car and drive to Phx, arriving about 3 or 4am on Friday.  This might be a long day!

Thanks for praying for me while I’ve been here. It’s been wonderful and I’m grateful for all God is doing and has allowed us to be a part of here in Thailand. I’m ready to come home.

 

Teaching at the Bible College

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We’re here in Sriracha teaching a few classes each day at the Bible College.  I really do love teaching the Bible and that is only highlighted when you’re teaching students at a Bible College.  Pray for these students as they are preparing for ministry and just like the rest of us are learning to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”

Final day with Hmong Pastors

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The three of us each spoke Thursday morning to conclude the teaching for the week. Later that afternoon we were privileged to visit one of the churches in a nearby village and pray with the pastor and his family. Thursday evening in our closing service we gave and received gifts as a cultural expression of saying thanks.