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Dear Church Family, Are you ever overcome with nostalgia? As you get older, does it happen more or less frequently? Nostalgia is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.” Does that definition pretty well match up with your life’s disposition? Apparently, the word “nostalgia” was formed in … Continue reading Your Glory Days (Newsletter 05.23.18)

Dear Church Family, Have you ever heard someone say, “Find out where God is working and then join Him there”? Several people, including Henry Blackaby in his study Experiencing God, have made statements like this one along the way. My intention for this newsletter is not to comment on the usefulness of this directive, but … Continue reading The Miracle of Motherhood (Newsletter 05.09.18)

Dear Church Family, In the life of our church, the past two Sunday nights have been particularly meaningful. This has certainly been true for me personally, but in conversations I’ve had with other members, I think this has been true for all of us. I’d like to take this newsletter to talk about why. As … Continue reading Use Your Words Wisely (Newsletter 05.02.18)

Dear Church Family, The thirteenth and final section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.” As we’ve worked our way through the previous twelve sections of our church covenant over … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section Thirteen (Newsletter 04.25.18)

Dear Church Family, The twelfth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final word on all matters of life and doctrine.” To this point our church covenant has hit on the major requirements for every Christian in the context of meaningful membership in … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 12 (Newsletter 04.04.18)

Dear Church Family, The eleventh section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will, if the Spirit leads us to move from this place, unite with some other church as soon as possible, keeping ourselves under the oversight and discipline of the church. At such a time we will continue to carry out the … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 11 (Newsletter 03.07.18)

Dear Church Family, The tenth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will serve one another, using the gifts God has granted us. And in doing so, we will strive always to rely on the power of His Holy Spirit that all glory may be given to Him.” All Christians are called to … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 10 (Newsletter 02.28.18)

Dear Church Family, The ninth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the relief of the poor and those in need, and the spread of the Gospel throughout all the nations.” All Christians are called by God to be generous givers. Why? … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 9 (Newsletter 02.14.18)

Dear Church Family, The eighth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will uphold and defend the doctrines of the faith against all who would come against them and, consequently, against the Word of God.” Before we can really unpack this statement we need to define a few terms. In this context, to … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 8 (01.24.18)

Dear Church Family, We believe every person is created in the image of God. We believe personhood begins with life. We believe life begins at conception. Therefore, we believe because of the image of God inherit in all human life, each life has worth and dignity and should be treated accordingly. In other words, it … Continue reading The Dignity of All Human Life (01.17.18)

Dear Church Family, The seventh section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will submit ourselves to the discipline of this church as a testimony of our desire to always walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. And for our brothers and sisters, we will seek their spiritual advancement as dearly as our … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 7 (01.03.18)

Dear Church Family, The sixth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will seek, by His grace, to live in a manner striving for holiness in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. We will constantly renew our minds to the truth, leading a new and holy life glorifying our Father in heaven.” … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 6 (Newsletter 12.06.17)

Dear Church Family, Lord willing, this weekend we will host a revival weekend focusing around the appearing of God’s grace in the God-man, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly … Continue reading Revival Weekend (Newsletter 11.29.17)

Dear Church Family, The fifth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will rejoice at one another’s joys and endeavor, by tenderness and sympathy, to bear one another’s burdens and sorrows.” Before I attempt to answer how we should attempt to do this, let’s consider why we have committed to do this. In … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 5 (Newsletter 11.08.17)

Dear Church Family, The fourth section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will strive to bring up our children and any under our care in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and by a pure and loving example to seek the salvation of our family and friends.” To this point, our covenant … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 4 (Newsletter 11.01.17)

Dear Church Family, The third section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and one another.” In a way, it might be helpful to view this section as the other side of the coin for the previous statement. The second … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 3 (Newsletter 10.25.17)

Dear Church Family, The second section of our newly adopted church covenant reads: “We will walk together in brotherly love, exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over one another, and faithfully encourage and counsel one another as occasion may require with wisdom and humility.” Let’s break this down into its three parts. 1) We will … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 2 (Newsletter 10.04.17)

Dear Church Family, After much discussion, last Sunday night (9/24) by God’s grace our church voted unanimously to adopt updated documents as they were proposed. This is no small feat. Of course, until Jesus returns there will be all kinds of things we disagree about, but the beauty of the vote is the way it … Continue reading Church Covenant, Section 1 (Newsletter 09.27.17)

Dear Church Family, Lord willing, this coming Sunday night (9/24), the Long Range Planning Committee’s proposal for our updated church documents will be discussed and then voted on by all members present in our regular quarterly business meeting. These documents include our church constitution, bylaws, and policies. I wonder how many of you read “church … Continue reading Upcoming Members’ Meeting (Newsletter 09.20.17)

Dear Church Family, This coming Sunday (9/10) and the following Wednesday (9/13) our church will be privileged to have Nathan McCravey, Jim Roberts, and Harold McConnell minister the Word to us. It is a great blessing to have so many men equipped by God serving our church. This will be Nathan’s first time to preach … Continue reading Different Preachers, Updated Documents, and a New Series (Newsletter 09.06.17)

Dear Church Family, Is work a good thing? Many would argue the answer depends on compensation, time commitment, responsibilities, and satisfaction level. Others give their answer through their evasion of work by either refusing to work altogether or being off task when they’re supposed to be working. Our federal government’s Department of Labor has answered … Continue reading Is Work a Good Thing? (Newsletter 08.30.17)

Dear Church Family, Next Wednesday night (8/30), we will start back with our dinner rotation on the last Wednesday of every month—with a few exceptions. Lord willing, we will pick up where we left off in answering the question, “Who Is Jesus?” If you know of someone who may feel a little intimidated to go … Continue reading Monthly Wednesday Night Dinners (Newsletter 08.23.17)

Dear Church Family, Lord willing, this coming Sunday morning we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper and will again be reminded of the shed blood of Christ and the promise of His return. We truly commune with God as we partake of this family meal together. To be a member of the family of God is … Continue reading Upcoming Sunday Night Study (Newsletter 08.16.17)

Dear Church Family, Lord willing, by the time you are reading this, Nathan and Katy McCravey will have closed on their house and will have begun moving in. I know I speak for all of us when I say that we are extremely glad they are here. We have prayed for God to direct our … Continue reading Welcoming the McCravey Family (Newsletter 08.09.17)

Dear Church Family, Are you still afraid to fail? Last week I wrote, “we should be afraid to fail when we are resting on the one we see in the mirror, but we shouldn’t be afraid to fail when we are resting on our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” That sounds simple enough, right? … Continue reading Are You Still Afraid to Fail? (Newsletter 07.26.17)

Dear Church Family, Are you afraid to fail? I imagine most of you would say, “Yes.” You may even think of 1 Corinthians 10:12 which says, “Therefore let anyone who think that he stands take heed lest he fall” as indicating the fear of failure is a virtue. In one sense, that’s right, but in … Continue reading Are You Afraid to Fail? (Newsletter 07.19.17)

Dear Church Family, In case you weren’t able to be with us, this past Sunday night we changed things up a little. For all of you who were there, thank you for your openness and your willingness to publically connect with the other members of our church. We live in a culture that boasts of … Continue reading Newsletter 07.12.17

Dear Church Family, Next Tuesday will mark the United States of America’s 241st birthday. Some of us have been around for a larger percentage of those years than others, but I think we would all agree our nation is changing. Think about what life was like for the colonists and how different their lives were … Continue reading Newsletter 06.28.17

Dear Church Family, This coming Lord’s day, we will be honored to have Nathan and Katy McCravey worshiping with us. Nathan has been interviewing for our open family minister position and many of you had the opportunity to meet them the last Sunday in May. After much prayer on both sides, he has accepted our … Continue reading Newsletter 06.21.17

Dear Church Family, Ten years ago our church planted another church under the leadership of then-pastor Phil McGehee. Since that time, Casa de Restauración has been served well by its pastor, Carlos Aguilar. We are two churches meeting at different times in the same building. However, though we are two separate local churches, we are … Continue reading Newsletter 05.17.17

Dear Church Family, This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Like many holidays, Mother’s Day can be met with mixed emotions. There are those who have lost their mothers. There are women who have longed to be mothers, but they were unable. There are mothers who have lost children. There are also mothers whose children and husbands … Continue reading Newsletter 05.10.17

Dear Church Family, This coming Lord’s Day we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This meal of remembrance is often called Communion, but with whom are we communing? Is it with God or with man? Well, we know regardless of our ethnicity, social status, gender, or any other divider—the repentance and faith that defines us as … Continue reading Newsletter 05.03.17