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.

A perspective on ‘help’

On By MarkIn GRACE1 Comment

Today I lend out this space to the one and only Spurgeon.  I read this in Morning and Evening, for Jan 16. Maybe it’s the old English, maybe it’s Spurgeon, but something resonated as I read. Now I pass on to you without further comment:

“I will help thee, saith the Lord.” — Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: “I will help thee.” “It is but a small thing for Me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I have done already. What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with My blood. What! not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do for thee; I have done more, and will do more.

Before the world began I chose thee. I made the covenant for thee. I laid aside My glory and became a man for thee; I gave up My life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now. In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. ‘Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. ‘Help thee?’ Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. ‘I will help thee.'”

O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them here—thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy might. The Eternal God is thine helper!

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismay’d!

I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.”

Grace Continues

On By MarkIn church, Flagstaff, GRACE, ThanksLeave a comment

Just a quick note of thanks to the family of Grace Community.  Yesterday we spent the first Sunday of the New Year displaced from our normal meeting place.  We’ve had to do this only one time before.  As anticipated, it actually went off very well.  As mentioned in earlier posts, the school we meet in had an electrical problem due to the extreme freezing weather we’ve had.  So we moved Sunday church services to our rather small Ministry Center.  I believe we have 80 chairs. Maybe close to 100 by the time every desk chair and old metal chair was found.  In three services, each less than an hour, we had about 315 make their way through Grace.

What grabbed my attention was that the message of Grace went forth, without a hitch.  The set up people, techs, and musicians all put in extra to make sure Grace had a home.  Thanks also to the sign guy for making the necessary changes so people would find their way.  It was also encouraging to meet guests. Imagine that, guests finding their way to a church that wasn’t meeting in the normal place.

Thanks to all.  I think it’s because we really believe in what we’re about. We have the awesome privilege of carrying the message of grace.  I’m pretty sure this is going to be an amazing year for Grace.  So, here we go!

IMPORTANT: SERVICE CHANGE FOR JAN 2, 2011!

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There was extensive damage at Sinagua last night due to the storms and a freezing pipe in the boiler room.  So the school is without electricity and in emergency mode to get things back up and running.

We were asked to NOT be there tomorrow, so we will have our services at the Ministry Center.

We’ll have 3 Services, each a little under an hour, 9:15, 10:15 and 11:15.  If you’re reading this, would you consider the 9:15 or 11:15?  The 10:15 will be filled with the many that we won’t be able to get a hold of.  We’ll have some people at Sinagua to direct people this way, hence the 10:15 start!

Also, could you help me by letting others know?  Thanks.  There is no childcare due to the limitations at our Ministry Center, so we’ll be one big happy family tomorrow, in all three services.  Seriously, you’ll want to come, it’s a blast when God allows us to shake things up a bit.  It’ll be awesome to worship as a church family in a more intimate setting.  Same great worship, teaching and fellowship.

MC & HNY

On By MarkIn Christmas, Family, God's Glory, ZacLeave a comment

Here’s the web-version of our Christmas Letter we sent out to our family.  After reading a few this season, we realized what a year this has been and it only seemed appropriate to share how God has led and blessed us this past year.

In January, Laurie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully God allowed the doctors to find it early and she began immediate treatments after her February surgery. We were both very thankful her mom was able to come and help out the week of her surgery.  Her radiation treatments started in March.  Her last treatment was May 13th. She is cancer-free but will continue with regular follow up visits.

Just two days after Laurie’s last treatment we made the trip to say goodbye to my nephew Zac. We saw him briefly on Sunday morning, and that afternoon he was able to see Jesus face to face.  It was an added blessing to see several family members for his amazing memorial service at NewSpring Church. I miss him on a regular basis.  You can watch a part of his story here.

A huge highlight from our summer was a few days in Mammoth Lakes, CA.  It was our first time there and Laurie had it planned out very well where we simply enjoyed down time in a beautiful setting. At the end of our week, we did a quick drive through Yosemite and came out the western side so we could have an afternoon visit with Laurie’s Grandma Clarice.  We were both so glad we made that trip. Grandma died just a few months later.  Laurie was able to join her mom in Three Rivers for a brief visit for Grandma’s memorial service. An added blessing was reacquainting with family.

In October I learned the reason for some unexpected weight loss was a condition called Graves Disease, a form of hyperthyroidism. Though the name sounds morbid, it appears this is not terribly uncommon and it is very treatable.  My good doctor has me on a medication with regular blood work to monitor the progression. So far so good.

Thanksgiving gave us the opportunity to see several family members in Mesa, as Stacey hosted the main event.  We had a great Christmas Eve service with our largest crowd ever.  We were blessed to share the holiday with two of my sisters from Tucson, Janet and Sandra.

As we’ve exchanged gifts and shared precious family time together, we clearly think of our gift to God first and foremost.  What is it?  To give to God the praise and thanks He is due. We are so blessed.  And above all, we give Him thanks for Jesus, His Son. “For unto us is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Mark and Laurie Smith

A Full Day of Grace

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Last night as I was reflecting on the day, I realized just how good God is and what an amazing ride it is to serve Him and lead others to do the same.  Here are a few highlights:

  • I had a brief meeting yesterday with our Grace Group leaders and hosts. I was reminded how thankful I am for each of them and their leadership within our church family.
  • Each Sunday we meet with everyone working that day throughout the ministries of Grace.  We now meet at 9:30 and pray for the day and for our ministry and the opportunities we’ll have.  I love these people and their willingness to serve the family of Grace.
  • 10 minutes before the service even starts we have live worship music as our musicians get the day going and welcoming as the church gathers. Yesterday there was such a sweet spirit in the room as we awaited the 10 o’clock start.
  • We had our Grace Group at lunch yesterday, because of the Kids program last night.  With this amazing weather we grilled burgers as we said farewell to some that are leaving this semester.  Like many of the Grace Groups, we’ll start up after the first of the year.  Love our Group!
  • Last night Kelly Phillips led a group of Grace kids in a Christmas program.  It was very sweet. You could tell a lot of work went into practicing, costumes, building a set, and memorizing lines.  Kids did great!
  • Last night we got to hear testimony from one of our families who just returned from a missions trip.  Their enthusiasm is contagious. Laurie and I were encouraged and reminded of why we’re here as we listened and prayed with our dear friends.

The day seemed a little longer than usual, but it was full of God’s grace. We are seeing His hand at work throughout Grace and for that, we are most blessed and thankful.

Pray.

On By MarkIn PrayLeave a comment

How gracious of the Lord to teach us to pray.  I guess He didn’t have to, but it only figures that He would, because He loves to hear from His kids!  We know the facts of prayer, yet most people I talk with still struggle with prayer.

We’ve spent two weeks studying prayer, as only Paul can teach it.  It started a few weeks ago as we looked at Ephesians 1:15-23. Then this past Sunday, we looked at Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians 3.  These passages have sparked some great conversations in Grace Groups throughout Flagstaff.  It’s simple really.  God wants us to spend some time, and thoughtful time at that, only because He loves us. Not because we are in some kind of a “I have to in order to…”. No. He loves us.  So, really let’s just pray. Don’t make a big deal of it. Talk to God. Often. He really doesn’t care if you’re driving, or walking, or washing the dog.  Talk to Him.

What you’ll learn in Ephesians is that He wants you to know what He’s done for you. Paul helps us see that prayer is way more than rattling off a list of things we’d like God to fix, remove or add to our current life.  No, it’s way more. It’s about realizing who we are IN CHRIST and what we can look forward to.

I did have two different people tell me this week of acronyms that help them:

PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield

ACTS: Adoration, Confess, Thanksgiving, Supplication

For those that remember from the sermon, I guess it would be SACTS!  “Selah, before you speak!”

Hope that helps. Whatever it takes, let’s not be shy about talking to our Father.  I think He’d really like that.

Not Just One Day – Thoughts on GivingThanks

On By MarkIn Family, Flagstaff, GRACE, ThanksLeave a comment

Laurie and I enjoy getting out and hiking.  By the term hike, what I really mean is a nice walk in the forest. We save the strenuous stuff for prepping for a Grand Canyon hike or pushing ourselves a little up the Lost Burrito trail.  But mostly, it’s getting out and enjoying the forest and watching our dogs run like they were bred to do.

Because we don’t get out enough, almost every time we do, one of us will say, “we really should do this more often”.  We don’t say that because we feel guilty about our health. We don’t say it because someone is telling us we should. We certainly don’t say it because someone said that to be a good resident of Flagstaff, you have to hike, eat granola and vote liberal.  No, we say it because we thoroughly enjoy it. There are several things good about getting out and hiking. I won’t list them out, because that’s really not the point.

Here’s the all too obvious point; giving thanks for God’s activity in our life is not limited to Thanksgiving.

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1

Certainly throughout Israel’s year, there were days set aside for remembrance and worship.  So, we too get to worship each week on the first day. And we get to tell of His goodness and grace 24/7. Let’s give thanks today. And then again tomorrow, and the next day.  And not because we have to. We get to enjoy all of His blessings!

If you’re reading this, then you probably know me a little and I need to at least attempt a brief list of His wonderful deeds in my life:

  • Life eternal with God
  • My Laurie is cancer free and I love her more each day
  • That God allows me to serve Him by serving the wonderful family at Grace Community
  • Family and friends to share life with, sometimes randomly
  • That my house has been full the past few days with family
  • We get to eat. Every day.
  • That someone had the odd idea of a pie made of meat that is minced. That it sounds gross and few like it.  And for pumpkin pie as a chaser.
  • Good doctors who have helped us both this year
  • Grace that has saved me and kept me and allowed me to share that with people who God created to know Him.

Begin Thanksgiving by Giving

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Tomorrow our shoe boxes are due at Grace for Operation Christmas Child!  All the boxes were cleaned out last week and I know some will just do their own box. Remember to bring them to church with you tomorrow!

Then tomorrow night, you can continue the spirit of giving by giving thanks as our church family gathers for our first Thanksgiving Service.  Join us at 5:30!

Regular Worship service – 10 am

Thanksgiving Service – 5:30 pm

Can’t wait to see you there.

Testimonies of Grace

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This Sunday night is our first ever “Thanksgiving Service”.  We’ll meet at 5:30 for about an hour.  As we’re planning this, it’s hard to believe we’ve NOT been doing this before.  Mark it down- new tradition!

Would YOU like to participate?  During the service most will have an opportunity to express in small groups what they are thankful to God for during this season.  I also will have a limited number of testimonies given from the stage.  I’d like to have one of you that reads my blog give your testimony.  So here’s how this will go: If you’d like to give your testimony in 3 minutes, then send an email to pmarksblog@gmail.com with your story and I’ll prayerfully pick ONE.  And yes, I may introduce you as the Blog winner! But probably not.  Sorry I can’t have all of you share, but it’s a time thing!  That’s why you’ll probably have time during the service to share with one another.  Ok, go. Make it short and honoring to Jesus!

But God.

On By MarkIn Bible, Gospel, GRACE, Theology2 Comments

I think it’s important for the Believer to know his lost estate before saved by God. The only reason I think it’s important is because Paul seems to think so as he reminds the Ephesian readers of this in the first three verses of chapter two.

Let’s be honest. We’d all like to forget our past, especially the blunders, the mistakes.  I recently had someone remind me of something I said years ago, and my first thought was “Really, that’s what you remember?” It wasn’t even a bad thing.  When I think of my past, I’m glad there are things that don’t come to mind.  Paul, however, seemed to think it was good to remember who we were and in what condition we were in before we met Christ.

Eph 2:1-3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Read what Charles Ryrie says of our depravity:

The scriptural evidence provides the basis for what has been commonly called total depravity. Depravity means that man fails the test of pleasing God. This failure is total in that (a) it affects all aspects of man’s being and (b) it affects all people.

Negatively, the concept of total depravity does not mean (a) that every person has exhibited his depravity as thoroughly as he or she could; (b) that sinners do not have a conscience or a “native induction” concerning God; (c) that sinners will indulge in every form of sin; or (d) that depraved people do not perform actions that are good in the sight of others and even in the sight of God.

Positively, total depravity means (a) that corruption extends to every facet of man’s nature and faculties; and (b) that there is nothing in anyone that can commend him to a righteous God.

Total depravity must always be measured against God’s holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.

(from Basic Theology, Copyright © 1986, 1999 by Charles C. Ryrie.)

I think it matters that we understand this because of the next two words in the English text: But, God.

It seems to be possible to lose the wonder of God when we forget who He is and what He did for us, in our place.  We were lost without Him. We sinned.  Gen 3:6-13; Rom 5:12; Rom 3:10-12, 18, 23, 24

But God.

Eph 2:4-7 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Here Paul sums it up in one verse: Rom 5:8

You can listen to a full sermon on this passage here.