Confessions of a Confessional Rev.

That's All, Folks!

2011-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about doing this for some time, but in all likelihood, this will be my final post on this blog. Life in general, and ministry in specific, are both quite busy right now and I simply do not have the time to keep this blog current (six posts in the last four months might have already given you a clue). Anything of interest that I will link to or comment on will be posted on my Facebook page. And if you really want to hear my take on theological matters, you can join me on Sundays at Zion United Reformed Church (www.zionurc.org).

New Year's Eve Service

2010-12-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

This Friday night, we will having a New Year's Eve service, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Here is the liturgy...

Prelude

Call to Worship

God's Greeting

Opening Psalm of Praise: #48 (Psalter Hymnal) "Jehovah Is My Light" vv. 1, 3, & 5

Responsive Reading: Psalm 90

Psalm of Response: #176 (Psalter Hymnal) "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"

Offering

Congregational Prayer (concluded with corporate "Amen")

Psalm of Preparation: #38 (Psalter Hymnal) "The Lord's My Shepherd"

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Sermon: "A Time for Everything"

Hymn of Response: #351 (Psalter Hymnal) "Ah, Dearest Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended"

Celebration of the Lord's Supper

Hymn of Response: #316 (Psalter Hymnal) "Now Thank We All Our God" vv. 1 & 2

Benediction

Doxology: #316 (Psalter Hymnal) "Now Thank We All Our God" v. 3

Christmas Service of Lessons & Carols

2010-12-23T09:43:00.001-08:00

Join us this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. for our Christmas Day service of Lessons & Carols...

Call to Worship

Prayer of Invocation

God's Greeting

Opening Carol: "Angels, from the Realms of Glory"

First Lesson: Genesis 2:4-25

Carol: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"

Second Lesson: Genesis 3:8-15

Carol: "Joy to the World!"

Third Lesson: Isaiah 40:1-11

Carol: "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

Fourth Lesson: Isaiah 7:10-14; 9:2, 6-7; 11:1-10

Carol: "Silent Night! Holy Night!"

Fifth Lesson: Micah 5:2-5

Carol: "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Offering

Congregational Prayer

Sixth Lesson: Luke 1:39-55

Carol: "Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus"

Seventh Lesson: Luke 2:1-21

Carol: "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night"

Eighth Lesson: Revelation 12

Sermon: "The Preservation of the King"

Carol: "O Come, All Ye Faithful"

Benediction

Doxology: "O Come, All Ye Faithful"

Kevin De Young and Grand Rapids

2010-11-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

Fantastic post here by Rev. Kevin De Young on Grand Rapids, Michigan.

New Book

2010-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

The White Horse Inn has just released a new book on the doctrine of justification. For more information, click here. Also, if you use the code XFPM89VW when ordering you receive 50% off.

The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church

2010-11-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

From Rod Rosenbladt, one of the panel on the White Horse Inn...

Dad Rod Thursdays – “The Gospel For Those Broken By The Church” In Video

Reformation Conference

2010-11-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

Dr. Michael Horton, professor at Westminster Seminary California, recently spoke at St. Peter's Presbyterian Church's 2010 Reformation Conference. Audio files of those lectures may be found here.

The Family Pew

2010-10-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Rev. Michael Brown, pastor of Christ United Reformed Church in Santee, California, has written a very helpful piece on children in worship. You may find it here.

Upcoming Conference

2010-10-27T19:45:00.001-07:00

Westminster Seminary California will hold their annual conference on January 14-15, 2011. The theme will be "Christianity and Liberalism Revisited." Cost is $50/person for early registration. For more information, click here.

Reformation Day Service

2010-10-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, October 31st, is Reformation Day, the day on which, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg. This, of course, is seen as the beginning of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation (though there were forerunners to this, men like John Huss and John Wycliffe).

Some of the great truths that came out of the Reformation are known as the "5 Solas." These were at the very heart of the Reformation. However, we must remember that these were not new truths that were first discovered in the 16th Century. Rather, they are "old" truths that are found in the very Word of God.

"Sola Scriptura" - Scripture Alone

"Sola Gratia" - Grace Alone

"Sola Fide" - Faith Alone

"Solus Christus" - Christ Alone

"Soli Deo Gloria" - To God Alone Be the Glory

This Sunday morning (9:30 am) at Zion United Reformed Church, we will be focusing on these great truths. Below is the order of worship...

Entering God's Presence

Choir

Call to Worship

Votum

God's Greeting

Hymn of Praise: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19:7-11

Hymn of Praise: "Jehovah's Perfect Law"

Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

Hymn of Praise: "And Can It Be"

Sola Fide (Faith Alone)

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:1-8

Hymn of Praise: "Not What My Hands Have Done"

Offering

Solus Christus (Christ Alone)

Choir

Congregational Prayer

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Sermon: "Christ Crucified"

Soli Deo Gloria

Hymn of Praise: "In Christ Alone"

Benediction

Doxology: "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow"

The Church & Politics

2010-10-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've recently been reading William Still's excellent little book "The Work of the Pastor." If you are a pastor or in seminary, I would highly recommend that you pick this up.

Anyway, as most of you in the U.S. know, you can't go more than 5 minutes today without hearing a political ad on the radio or seeing one on television. And as citizens of this country, it's our duty and our privilege to vote. It's also a legitimate calling for Christians to be involved in the political realm. However, should the church be involved in politics? Last night, I came across this quote from William Still...

"A great many of us are far busier propping up our particular brand of democracy and social service than building the church of Jesus Christ against which even the gates of hell shall not prevail, whether our democracy collapses or not. The church is not called to subsidise the state any more than she is called to work against it; she has to be as neutral to it as loyal citizens can be. She is called to gather and build the church of Jesus Christ under any system whatsoever."

New Book on Baptism

2010-10-22T11:19:00.001-07:00

Here's a new book on baptism that you might want to check out. It's "Word, Water, and Spirit," by John Fesko. Dr. Fesko is the academic dean at Westminster Seminary California. Here's what Joel Beeke says about this book...

"J.V. Fesko's 'Word, Water, and Spirit' is a major work that both models how to do theology by moving from historical theology to biblical and systematic theology and, most importantly, presents fresh insights for a Reformed understanding of baptism. Fesko's fair-minded, page-turning history of the doctrine of baptism is itself worth the price of the book. Most enlightening, however, is his biblical-theological survey of baptism as new creation, covenant judgment, and eschatological judgment. The book's emphasis on God's judgment in baptism is particularly innovative and helpful. These insights pave the way for treating baptism systematically as a means of grace and as a sacrament in relation to its recipients and ecclesiology. Highly recommended for all who wish to grapple seriously with the doctrine of baptism and its implications."

You can order Fesko's book here.

The Cult of Personality

2010-10-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

This morning, I came across something on Facebook that caught my attention. It was a Christian radio station in a place that I formerly lived, asking people what they appreciated most about their pastor. Here are some of the responses...

"He believes in us and our gifts! He and his wife (our worship Pastor) love getting to know everyone; we're more like family than just a congregation. They love to plan potlucks, family community outreaches, and just 'hanging out' on a casual level."

"My pastor is the funniest dude I know! So weird, and filled with energy when he's teaching a sermon, it's so easy to learn because he's so weird!"

"We have a new pastor and we learn more about him every day! One Sunday he sang a solo! Who knew?? Then, last week, he played guitar too! And his wife was on keyboard!"

"All the pastors out at _______ Church are just amazing. They know how to relate the day's sermon to our understanding and make us laugh the whole way through."

"My pastor has the most amazing sense of humor."

"I appreciate his transparency...he shares his own struggles with us and also that he is energetic and shares what the Holy Spirit tells him spontaneously."

"Two things come to mind--1st: He has upgraded our sound system and brought our sound system into the current century! 2nd: His wife Lily has done a lot for our Youth group."

"He's hilarious!"

So apparently, what people most appreciate in their pastor is a sense of humor, musical gifts, authenticity, and the ability to just "hang out." Very simply, this is the cult of personality. If we like the guy, if he's funny, hip, cool, then he's a great pastor. The problem with this, of course, is that it has no correlation whatsoever to Scripture. For example, as I read the New Testament, I don't see any of these characteristics in the apostle Paul. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul says this...

"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

May God give us a greater desire to have pastors who preach Christ, rather than pastors who are funny and hip.

Preaching Christ

2010-10-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a great quote from T. David Gordon on the importance of preaching Christ...

"Preach Christ, and you will have morality. Fill the sails of your hearers' souls with the wind of confidence in their Redeemer, and they will trust him as their Sanctifier, and long to see his fruit in their lives. Fill their minds and imaginations with a vision of the loveliness and perfection of Christ in his person, and the flock will long to be like him. Impress upon their weak and wavering hearts the utter competence of the mediation of the One who ever lives to make intercession for them, and they will long to serve and comfort others, even as Christ has served and comforted them."

Reformation Conference

2010-10-13T09:03:00.001-07:00

For any of you near Sunnyside, Washington...you should check out the upcoming Reformation Conference on October 29th. It's on the critical subject of "worship." For more information, click here.

Contemporary Worship Music

2010-10-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

I just picked up a copy of "Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns" by T. David Gordon. Thumbing through it this afternoon, I came across a great quote regarding the modern-day church's use of contemporary worship music in order to not "lose the youth." In other words, we seem to think that if we only introduce some contemporary praise music to our worship services that we can keep the younger people from leaving the church. Here's what Gordon writes: "Though even here, one must ask why no other generation manifested such a fear. As I indicated before, the church of my father's youth did not compose hymns in a big-band style in order to "reach the young," and the church of my generation, while quite aware of the 1960's rebellion against tradition, did not abandon its hymns to rewrite the hymnal to sound like Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton. So why do we constantly fear losing this particular generation if we do not employ musical idioms with which they are familiar?" (page 158)

The Mission Commission

2010-10-06T21:27:00.001-07:00

One of the things that excites me about the church I pastor is the enthusiasm and the passion that the congregation has in reaching out to the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A number of men here are involved in a ministry to truckers at the local truck stop. Hospitality hosts reach out to these truckers with a meal following our morning worship service. Our radio ministry seeks to bring the gospel to those in the surrounding area (and soon we will be sponsoring the White Horse Inn on the radio here). In June, the church hosted Vacation Bible School, where over 100 children attended (many who were not from the church). This coming June, we'll have our 2nd annual VBS. And each month, the church is involved at the Stockton Gospel Center Rescue Mission. Tomorrow night, I'll have the privilege of preaching at this mission, where I will be preaching on 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." Pray that the Lord would use the preaching of His Word to open the eyes and hearts of these men and bring them to faith in Jesus Christ.

New Book

2010-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

A new book is out, entitled "Always Reformed: Essays in Honor of W. Robert Godfrey." I have yet to pick up my copy, but it can be ordered at the reduced price of $20 (normally $25) through this Friday. Some of the contributors are R.C. Sproul, Cornel Venema, Michael Horton, and Sinclair Ferguson.

You can order your copy here.

Ripon at 8 Weeks

2010-10-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we've been in Ripon for almost 8 weeks now, having arrived here on August 12th. For the first 2 weeks or so, it felt like we were on an extended vacation and would be heading back to the Pacific Northwest. But it didn't take that long before we settled in and it's definitely feeling like home now. While it wasn't easy to leave our former church, we feel very blessed that the Lord has led us to a group of people who are excited about the future ministry here and who love to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ from Lord's Day to Lord's Day. The girls have settled into school quite nicely...Corinne is on the 7th Grade Girls' Volleyball team and Kim will be in the High School play in November (Anne of Green Gables). They're also quite busy with church activities (GEMS for Corinne, high school youth group for Kim). My wife is adjusting to life with both girls in school and is busy with ladies' Bible study at church and getting a new house in order. We're also excited about all the new places to discover around here. While we've yet to get to Yosemite, we've been to San Francisco, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. I've also attended a SF Giants game with some of the men of the church. I'm very much excited to be around so many Giants fan, having been a LA Dodgers-despiser my entire life. Following are just a few pictures from our first 8 weeks here...

My messy office as I unpack 60 boxes of books

Church picnic (complete with water slide)

Ripon Christian Knights 7th Grade Girls' Volleyball game

No explanation needed

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-08-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

As the sun sets on our ministry here in Bellingham, this will probably be my last post as the pastor of the Bellingham URC. I just realized something the other day: Before I got back into the ministry, I worked in the furniture business for a period of 7 years and 10 months. I have now been the pastor of the Bellingham URC for...you guessed it...7 years and 10 months. Somewhat strange. I wonder what we'll be up to in July 2018?

It's been a very enjoyable and blessed 8 years serving here. From lots and lots of babies being baptized...to professions of faith...to people coming to grasp Reformed theology for the first time...to a great council and consistory to work with...to faithful members...to everything in between, it's been a blessing. Sure, there have been trials and disappointments, but that's going to be true no matter where you go. In many respects, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better group of people to work with.

But now, we move on. And while we're sad to leave our church family behind, we're excited to learn a new area of the country. We're looking forward to having a solid Christian school (K-12) in our town. And we're looking forward to getting to know a new church family. That doesn't mean, however, that we'll ever forget our church family up here. I'm sure it's true for all pastors, that you never forget your first church.

This Sunday, I preach my final sermons at BURC. It's going to be a strange day. It's going to be a hard day. But the Lord is good. And He will continue to build His church here and throughout the world.

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

A Day at the Beach

2010-07-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dr. J. Mark Beach is Professor of Ministerial and Doctrinal Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He has recently written a helpful 2-part response to a paper produced by the Consistory of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho that interact with the "Report of the Synodical Study Committee on the Federal Vision and Justification." I would highly encourage you to take some time and read Dr. Beach's response. I was privileged to serve on this study committee and am hopeful that our Synod (which meets in 2 weeks) will take a strong stance for the truth of the gospel of grace.

Dr. Beach, part 1

Dr. Beach, part 2

Not Much Going On Here

2010-06-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last number of weeks. Life and ministry are quite busy. I hope to have some new stuff on here in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, if there's a subject you'd like me to touch on, feel free to leave a comment.

Children's Church

2010-04-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

Scott Clark has an excellent post here on the subject of children's church. Many years ago, I remember attending a church and being looked at as if I was calling on people to worship Satan because we weren't going to put our child in children's church that morning. Now one thing that we have to keep in mind is that it's important that we train our children how to sit in worship. Nothing wrong with a little noise, but constantly noisy children should be taken out of worship so as not to distract everyone else. In fact, I'd be curious to hear any advice that some of you parents have for training and teaching our covenant children to sit through worship.

Whatever Happened to the Second Service?

2010-04-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

One of the things that is interesting about the ecclesiastical landscape today is the almost universal absence of a Sunday evening service. Whenever we are on vacation, or out of town for some reason, it is virtually impossible to find a church that has a second service. Now certainly, there are many reasons for this. If you don't see Sunday as the Lord's Day, a day of rest and worship, then you might as well get worship out of the way in the morning (or even Saturday night) so that you can have the rest of the day free to do what you want. But why is it that among so-called "Reformed" churches that the second service has disappeared. Or, if there is a second service, why is attendance so poor? I am thankful that we get anywhere from 75-85% of our people back for the evening service, but in talking with fellow ministers, I've discovered that most Reformed churches (even of the confessional stripe) typically get 20-30% of their people back for the evening service. Some get 40%, but very, very few get more than 50%. Here's the question: Is there a biblical warrant for a second service? Or is that just simply a tradition that has no biblical foundation? I hope to use a post or two to look at this issue, so that we will understand both "why" we have a second service and the importance of the second service.

The Return of Calvinism

2010-03-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

Click here to read.

Principles of Reformed Worship

2010-03-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

In reading through D.G. Hart's "Recovering Mother Kirk" this afternoon, I came across his 5 principles that are to characterize Reformed worship...

1. Centrality of the Word of God

2. Theocentric (God-centered)

3. Dialogical (worship is a conversation between God and His people)

4. Simplicity

5. Reverence

Certainly, there are others that we could list (one of which is Christ-centered preaching), but these 5 are a good starting point for evaluating our worship.

Is America God's Special Nation?

2010-03-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

Click here to read more.

I particularly enjoyed this quote: "Concomitant with those sins is the sin of our ministers of failing to preach the gospel of Christ's glorious law keeping, death, and resurrection for his people." A great reminder to those of us ordained to preach to continue to feed our people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Classis Meeting

2010-03-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

There were two main items on the agenda of Classis Pacific Northwest: The ordination exam of Mr. Brad Lenzner and the organization of the URC church plant in West Linn, Oregon. Brad did fantastic on his exam, passing with flying colors. He will now pastor Emmanuel URC in Hanford, California. And it is with much rejoicing that classis gave concurring advice to organize Grace Church in West Linn, Oregon. From its beginning in January 2009, Grace Church has grown from 5 families (17 members) to 10 families (34 members).

Pictured here are Brad and his wife, Samantha.

Federal Vision Rubbish

2010-03-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

I came across this quote today from Federal Vision advocate Rich Lusk:

"Good works justify persons in James 2, not faith or one’s status as a justified sinner. James is not telling his readers how to 'justify their justification' or how to 'give evidence of a true and lively faith'. Instead he says their persons will not be justified by faith alone, but also by good works of obedience they have done. The use of the preposition 'by' is important since it indicates a sort of dual instrumentality in justification. In other words, in some sense, James is speaking of a justification in which faith and works combine together to justify . Future justification is according to one’s life pattern." Rich Lusk, “Future Justification to Doers of the Law.”

A "dual instrumentality" in justification? And how exactly is this faithful to Scripture or our Reformed confessions? Having been condemned by a number of ecclesiastical bodies (URC, PCA, OPC, etc.), it would be nice to see all the FV boys head to the Confederation of Reformed Evangelicals, which is the pro-FV body where they all belong.

Gig Harbor Bible Study

2010-03-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Gig Harbor Bible study is up and running and will be meeting for the third time tomorrow night. We as a consistory (and as a congregation) are diligently praying that the Lord would open the door for this to be a URC church plant. You can find more information at their website here. In addition, the audio for the first Bible study is now posted here.

Federal Vision, part 2

2010-03-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

Here's part 2 of the discussion between Scott Clark and Lane Keister regarding the Federal Vision.

Weeping for Jesus?

2010-03-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

Just ran across this great quote by Charles Spurgeon on the death of Christ:

You need not weep because Christ died one-tenth so much as because your sins rendered it necessary that He should die. You need not weep over the crucifixion, but weep over your transgression, for your sins nailed the Redeemer to the accursed tree. To weep over a dying Saviour is to lament the remedy; it were wiser to bewail the disease. To weep over the dying Saviour is to wet the surgeon's knife with tears; it were better to bewail the spreading polyps which that knife must cut away. To weep over the Lord Jesus as He goes to the cross is to weep over that which is the subject of the highest joy that ever heaven and earth have known; your tears are scarcely needed there; they are unnatural, but a deeper wisdom will make you brush them all away and chant with joy His victory over death and the grave. If we must continue our sad emotions, let us lament that we should have broken the law which He thus painfully vindicated; let us mourn that we should have incurred the penalty which He even to the death was made to endure ... O brethren and sisters, this is the reason why we souls weep: because we have broken the divine law and rendered it impossible that we should be saved except Jesus Christ should die.

Grounded in the Gospel

2010-03-13T09:36:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I mentioned an article by Scott Clark in Tabletalk Magazine, which discusses how the theology, piety, and practice of today's evangelicals differs quite drastically from that of our Reformed confessions. There is a new book coming out next month, "Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way," that touches on the subject of catechization. Not having read the book yet, I can't give it an unqualified endorsement. But, if you'd like to read a brief excerpt from the book, click here. In a day and age when experience is king, may we have the courage to return to "building believers the old-fashioned way."

Amazing Grace

2010-03-12T17:25:00.001-08:00

This afternoon, I read a brief interview with Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. In the interview, he was asked, "Why do you think Christians fail to find God's grace amazing?" Here's his answer:

"There are many reasons, but usually they involve three things. First, we have such a low sense of the holiness of God and we are insensitive to the sheer intensity of it. To whatever extent our sense of God's holiness is diminished, to that extent our sense of amazement at God's grace will be diminished. Second, we adopt superficial views of our sinfulness and too often guard against the ministry of the Word and Spirit exposing it. Jesus said that it is those who are much forgiven who love much. The reason is that those who are most conscious of their sin become most conscious of their need of grace, and therefore most aware of the wonders of grace. Third, we think too little of the costliness of grace. It comes freely to us because it was so expensive to Christ to satisfy the justice of God on our behalf. Sadly, in our contemporary "Christianesque" subculture, we are weak in reflection and meditation on Christ and the meaning of the cross."

Raising Children Gary Ezzo's...oops...God's Way

2010-03-12T14:20:00.001-08:00

Good article here on the subject of raising children and the danger of being enslaved to a particular methodology.

Religious Experience

2010-03-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

One of the best devotionals available today is "Tabletalk," published by Ligonier Ministries. In the February issue of Tabletalk, Dr. Scott Clark of Westminster Seminary California writes an excellent piece on the contrast between Reformed theology, piety, and practice and American evangelical theology, piety, and practice. One of the points that he makes is that the theology, piety, and practice of American evangelicals is shaped by religious experience, rather than by the objective work of Christ. You can read the article in its entirety here.

To show you what is meant by this, notice the following statement from a large, broadly evangelical church in southern California, sent to me today by a colleague: "Our relationship to God as believers provides us with the privilege of moment-by-moment communion with God. It is this silent communion of our spirit with the Spirit of God that is essential to our continued walk with Him." Now I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "this silent communion of our spirit with the Spirit of God," but it certainly goes hand-in-hand with what Scott writes about the religious experience that is so central in many churches today. And the sad thing is that this mentality is creeping into many churches that call themselves "Reformed." May the Lord give us the courage and the conviction to pursue the theology, piety, and practice of our Reformed heritage and confessions!

Another Recommendation

2010-03-11T20:30:00.001-08:00

I know, I know...a lot of recommendations lately. Who has time to read all these books and listen to all these podcasts? Well, in light of the poor ecclesiology that permeates much of the church today, as well as the way people view worship, I would really recommend that you pick up this book. As part of the blurb says, "Dig below the surface of today's worship wars and rediscover the biblical and theological foundations for a Christian understanding of worship." Whether you fall on the traditional side of worship or the contemporary side of worship, you need to read this book to understand what the Bible says about the subject of worship. The best price I've found is here at Westminster Seminary California's bookstore.

Reformed Forum

2010-03-11T16:08:00.001-08:00

If you're looking for some good mp3 programs to add to your iPod or other device, let me suggest that you check out Reformed Forum, where you will find a number of thought-provoking, edifying discussions. Click here

New Book

2010-03-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Next week, Rev. Danny Hyde's newest book will be released. It's titled, "Welcome to a Reformed Church." Having read the book already and written an endorsement for the book (which earned me a free copy), I cannot recommend this book highly enough. This will be a great book to hand to visitors who wonder what a "Reformed" church is all about. At the same time, it will be an excellent book for those who have spent all of their lives in a Reformed church and yet don't have a great grasp on the distinctives of a Reformed church.

It will be available next week, with Ligonier offering special discount pricing if you order multiple copies. Find out more here.

Audio Recommendation

2010-03-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Click here to listen to a good discussion of the Federal Vision between Dr. Scott Clark and Rev. Lane Keister.

And the Winner Is...

2010-03-09T08:48:00.001-08:00

Beginning on Wednesday, April 28th, our men's book club will start discussing a new book, "Why We Love the Church" by Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck. In a day of muddled and at times, downright poor, ecclesiology, it is critical that we understand the importance of the church.

You Can't Get This on Your Blackberry

2010-03-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

If you have an iPhone or an iPod touch, you can now get a free app called "Christian Creeds & Reformed Confessions." This contains the following: Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dort, and the Westminster Standards. Very, very cool! Click here for more details.

Men's Leadership Training

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

One of the most critical components to the health of a local church is godly leadership...specifically, godly male leadership. Because of this, it is imperative that churches are proactive and train men to serve in the offices of the church. In April, we will be beginning a men's leadership training course that will meet once a month from April through October. This course will be a prerequisite for any men to serve as an office-bearer in the Bellingham URC. Much of our time will be spent studying and discussing the book "Called to Serve." We already have 15 men signed up to take the course. If interested, please sign up this Sunday. We'll have a brief meeting after the morning service of March 14th to discuss the specifics (day of the week we'll meet, time, etc.).

Men's Book Club

2010-03-04T10:23:00.001-08:00

The following are the 4 finalists for our next men's book club, which will begin in late April...

Reformed Forum

2010-02-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, I mentioned the new book "The Shepherd Leader," which was on sale for $5 through Westminster Philadelphia's bookstore. You can also find an excellent interview with the author of that book on Reformed Forum. Click here.

"The Shepherd Leader"

2010-02-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

For the next 48 hours, you can get this book, "The Shepherd Leader," which has just been released, for only $5 (list price $17.99). Click here to purchase it through the Westminster Theological Seminary bookstore.

Weekly Liturgies

2010-02-04T08:59:00.001-08:00

As a reminder, the liturgies (or orders of service) for Sunday mornings and Sunday nights can be found at our website here and on Facebook here.

Free Videos: Westminster Conference

2010-01-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

The videos of the recent Westminster Seminary California conference on the subject of "Christ, Kingdom, & Culture, may now be viewed here for free.

New Website!

2010-01-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

One of the members of our church, who handles our website, has just got the new website up and running. On the new site there is also a page that lists the liturgy for the upcoming Lord's Day. You can access the new site here.

J. Gresham Machen...

2010-01-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

"Here is found the most fundamental difference between liberalism and Christianity: Liberalism is altogether in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative."

Gig Harbor Bible Study

2010-01-25T09:04:00.001-08:00

We are privileged as a church to be overseeing a new Bible study in the Gig Harbor area, with the hope that it will transition into a church plant. Mark Vander Pol, a recent graduate of Westminster Seminary California, will be traveling up from southern California every 2 weeks to lead the group. For more information, go to their website here.

This Sunday (January 17th)

2010-01-13T09:40:00.001-08:00

This Sunday's liturgy can be found on our church Facebook page here.

The 7 Favorite Heretical Crazy-Talk Videos of 2009

2010-01-08T07:28:00.001-08:00

Click here

This Sunday (January 10th)

2010-01-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#48 (Blue hymnal)

#380 (Blue hymnal)

#396 (Blue hymnal)

#79 (Red hymnal)

#6 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Habakkuk 1: "This Doesn't Make Sense"

Evening Service

Songs

#122 (Blue hymnal)

#291 (Blue hymnal)

#719 (Red hymnal)

#401 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:12: "Honor Authority"

Facebook

2010-01-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

You can now find the Bellingham URC on Facebook: Click here.

This Sunday (January 3rd)

2010-01-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#194 (Blue hymnal)

#181 (Red hymnal)

#264 (Blue hymnal)

#282 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 4:1-16: "Why Do We Have Elders & Deacons?"

Evening Service

Songs

#11 (Red hymnal)

#59 (Red hymnal)

#321 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:8-11: "Day of Rest and Worship"

This Sunday (December 20th)

2009-12-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#85 (Blue hymnal)

#94 (Blue hymnal)

#51 (Blue hymnal)

#214 (Red hymnal)

#7 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 2:8-20: "Soli Deo Gloria"

Evening Service

Songs

#331 (Blue hymnal)

#158 (Blue hymnal)

#2 (Red hymnal)

#283 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:4-6: "The Right God, The Right Way"

This Sunday (December 13th)Mo

2009-12-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#88 (Red hymnal)

"How Deep the Father's Love"

#110 (Blue hymnal)

#337 (Blue hymnal)

#224 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 2:1-7: "The Birth of Jesus"

Evening Service

Songs

#331 (Blue hymnal)

#158 (Blue hymnal)

Psalm 99 (Trinity Psalter)

#283 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:4-6: "The Right God, The Right Way"

This Sunday (December 6th)

2009-12-03T15:49:00.001-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#339 (Blue hymnal)

#485 (Red hymnal)

#187 (Blue hymnal)

#261 (Red hymnal)

#6 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Revelation 19:1-10: "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb"

Evening Service

Songs

#342 (Blue hymnal)

#30 (Red hymnal)

#23 (Blue hymnal)...to the tune of "Not What My Hands Have Done"

#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:3: "No Other Gods"

This Sunday (November 29th)

2009-11-27T16:20:00.001-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#190 (Blue hymnal)

#51 (Red hymnal)

#65 (Red hymnal)

#388 (Blue hymnal)

#299 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 17:1-7: "Rock of Ages"

Evening Service

Songs

#16 (Blue hymnal)

#99 (Red hymnal)

#440 (Blue hymnal)

#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:1-2: "Grace...then Gratitude"

This Sunday (November 22nd)

2009-11-18T16:24:00.001-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#53 (Red hymnal)

#500 (Red hymnal)

#150 (Blue hymnal)

#383 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 Samuel 28: "The Witch of En-dor"

Evening Service

Songs

#37 (Blue hymnal)

#172 (Red hymnal)

#114 (Blue hymnal)

#307 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Exodus 20:1-21: "The Ten Commandments: An Introduction"

This Sunday (November 15th)

2009-11-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#195 (Blue hymnal) - alternate tune

#230 (Blue hymnal)

#1 (Blue hymnal)

#94 (Red hymnal)

#283 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

1 Kings 13: "A Tale of Two Prophets"

Evening Service

Songs

#198 (Blue hymnal)

#55 (Blue hymnal)

#35 (Red hymnal)

#401 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Psalm 51: "A Man After God's Own Heart"

This Sunday (November 8th)

2009-11-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

Morning Service

Songs

#298 (Blue hymnal)

#124 (Blue hymnal)

#80 (Red hymnal)

#380 (Blue hymnal)

#204 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 15:11-32: "The Parable of the 2 Sons"

Evening Service

Songs

#119 (Red hymnal)

#78 (Red hymnal)

#22 (Blue hymnal)

#310 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 Corinthians 6: "Bought With A Price"

This Sunday (October 25th)

2009-10-21T08:41:00.001-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#315 (Blue hymnal)

#129 (Blue hymnal)

#75 (Blue hymnal)

#88 (Red hymnal)

#733 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 14:1-11: "The Parable of the Wedding Feast"

Evening Service

Songs

#48 (Blue hymnal)

#196 (Blue hymnal)

#389 (Blue hymnal)

#176 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

John 13: "Loved to the End"

Semper Reformanda

2009-10-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

"Semper Reformanda" is a phrase that you often hear quoted in Reformed circles. But what does it actually mean? Michael Horton has a terrific explanation here.

God's Program for the Church

2009-10-15T09:43:00.001-07:00

In our Reformed circles, we often decry those churches that are full of programs. However, it is not programs per se that are wrong, but man-made programs. Last night, our men's book club had its first meeting this year, as we are reading through and discussing "Dual Citizens" by Jason Stellman, a pastor in the PCA. And Stellman makes a great point in the first chapter when he writes, "...when the evangelical church focuses on methods and programs to try to meet these demands for intimacy with others and with God, it far too often mimics the world-and that mimicry can spill over into the area where the church's distinctiveness is to be most evident: corporate worship. The church forgets that God Himself has prescribed a simple, straightforward, and east-to-follow program for the growth of the church and the edification of believers: the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper."

This Sunday (October 18th)

2009-10-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#14 (Blue hymnal)

#520 (Red hymnal)

#288 (Blue hymnal)

#378 (Blue hymnal)

#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 13:1-9: "The Parable of the Fig Tree"

Evening Service

Songs

#38 (Red hymnal)

#59 (Red hymnal)

#190 (Blue hymnal)

#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Hebrews 10:1-14: "It Is Finished"

This Sunday (September 27th)

2009-09-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#89 (Blue hymnal)

#408 (Blue hymnal)

#303 (Blue hymnal)

#508 (Red hymnal)

#16 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Luke 10:25-37: "The Good Samaritan"

Evening Service

Songs

#31 (Blue hymnal)

#85 (Red hymnal)

#180 (Blue hymnal)

#442 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Romans 10:14-17: "Two Keys to Spiritual Growth"

This Sunday (September 20th)

2009-09-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#115 (Red hymnal)

#485 (Red hymnal)

#298 (Blue hymnal)

#36 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Matthew 19:13-15: "Let the Little Children Come"

Evening Service

Songs

#121 (Blue hymnal)

#314 (Blue hymnal)

#529 (Red hymnal)

#6 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

John 15:1-17: "What About Good Works?"

Wedding Disaster

2009-09-10T07:27:00.001-07:00

There's no way I could hold it together if I was officiating at this wedding...

This Sunday (September 13th)

2009-09-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#318 (Blue hymnal)

#291 (Blue hymnal)

#48 (Blue hymnal)

#692 (Red hymnal)

#5 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 5:13-21: "A Final Word on Assurance"

Evening Service

Songs

#75 (Red hymnal)

#187 (Blue hymnal)

#388 (Blue hymnal)

#306 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Genesis 15: "A Courtroom Drama"

Weird Law Fridays

2009-09-04T16:33:00.001-07:00

In Georgia, it is illegal to change the clothes on a storefront mannequin unless the shades are down.

This Sunday (September 6th)

2009-09-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#53 (Red hymnal)

#105 (Blue hymnal)

#286 (Blue hymnal)

#257 (Red hymnal)

#7 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 5:1-12: "Life in the Son"

Evening Service

Songs

#103 (Red hymnal)

#212 (Blue hymnal)

#471 (Blue hymnal)

#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Revelation 21:1-8: "The Life Everlasting"

Teaching Bible in the Christian School

2009-08-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

As a new catechism season is upon us (we start up on September 13th), I've been thinking lately about teaching children and young people the essentials of our Christian faith. I've been looking over curriculum for our various classes and thinking about memory work. All of this has got me to thinking about the responsibility of the church (as well as parents) to train children and young people. But what about the Christian school? Should the Christian school be teaching the Bible? It might seem like a no-brainer to say "Yes, absolutely!" But is that really the case? I came across a blog post by Dr. Scott Clark of Westminster Seminary California. Following is some of what he writes...and I think he makes some excellent points:

I have a radical idea – well it might not be as radical as it seems–but in our current context it’s likely to seem radical. Perhaps it’s time for our Christian schools to stop teaching the Bible? Before you go on the warpath hear me out.

Is everyone authorized to teach the Bible? Yes, we believe in the priesthood of believers, but does that mean that just anyone can anoint himself a “Bible teacher”? I guess most of us would say no, it doesn’t. Well, who authorized the local Christian school to teach Bible? Most Christian schools are operated by a board, a private society — which is perfectly appropriate. Where does Scripture teach the establishment of such societies for Bible instruction? It doesn’t. To whom did Jesus give the “Great Commission?” He gave it to the visible, institutional church (Matt 28:18-20). He did not commission the local Christian school to baptize or to make disciples or to preach the gospel. Christ has ordained the visible church to preach the gospel, to administer the sacraments, to make disciples (Christian education) and to exercise church discipline.

The visible church is not called to operate schools, to teach history, geography, math, or physics. The school has these vocations. The Christian school has one sphere of responsibility and the Christian Church has another. They are complementary. There is one God who is our Creator and the same God who is our Redeemer but that doesn’t mean that we don’t distinguish between creation and redemption. The same God who created and by his providence sustains and governs and operates through creation also redeems through the preaching of the gospel, but that doesn’t mean that we hike at church or preach in the forrest.

In the same way Christian schools should focus on creation (nature) and let the church instruct our children about redemption (grace). Do we really need our math teacher to show how math relates to redemption? No. What we need is for the math teacher to teach math and, perhaps, to show it relates to the rest of creation. Is our math teacher really trained to explain the Bible? Is our Christian school Bible teacher actually trained to explain the Bible? Does he or she read Hebrew and Greek? Has he or she taken courses in Church History, Systematic Theology, Biblical Theology and the like? Has the Christian school Bible teacher been examined by a consistory and a classis? I guess that few Christian school Bible teachers are so prepared. Most of them have a BA from a Christian college. Perhaps your Christian school Bible teacher had a Bible major.

Whatever the case regarding the Christian school teacher, your minister is so prepared and he doesn’t (or shouldn’t) pretend to be a math or physics teacher. Let us (follow Kuyper) and distinguish the two spheres of creation and redemption and our children will actually be better catechized because of it.

Weird Law Fridays

2009-08-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

In Pueblo, Colorado: It is illegal to let a dandelion grow within city limits.

Orcas Island

2009-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our oldest daughter's 15th birthday so we headed over to the San Juan Islands for the day. Instead of our normal trip to Friday Harbor, we decided to go to Orcas Island, which we hadn't visited in a while. We had great weather and a very enjoyable day.

First up is a picture from the ferry terminal in Anacortes...

Next is a picture from the resort at Rosario...

And finally, 2 pictures from the top of Mount Constitution, which we had never been to before...

Weird Law Fridays

2009-08-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I downloaded a free app on my iPhone, entitled "Weird Laws." So an exciting new feature on the blog (with the scarcity of posts, just about anything new would be exciting) will be "Weird Law Fridays." Here's today's weird law:

In Alabama, it is illegal to play dominos on Sunday.

No, it's not our new church building...

2009-08-20T09:38:00.001-07:00

Here's the transcript of a 1992 interview that Michael Horton did with Robert Schuller (of Crystal Cathedral fame).

This Sunday (August 23rd)

2009-08-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#194 (Blue hymnal)

#261 (Red hymnal)

#78 (Red hymnal)

#387 (Blue hymnal)

#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 4:7-21: "The Source of Love"

Evening Service

Songs

#301 (Blue hymnal)

#85 (Blue hymnal)

#398 (Blue hymnal)

#493 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Matthew 16:13-20: "The Church Builder"

This Sunday (August 16th)

2009-08-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#274 (Red hymnal)

#242 (Red hymnal)

#240 (Blue hymnal)

#284 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 4:1-6: "Spiritual Discernment"

Evening Service

Songs

#37 (Blue hymnal)

#95 (Blue hymnal)

#332 (Red hymnal)

#30 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

John 16:5-15: "The Work of the Spirit"

This Sunday (August 9th)

2009-08-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#2 (Red hymnal)

#172 (Red hymnal)

#159 (Blue hymnal)

#380 (Blue hymnal)

#282 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

2 Corinthians 3: "Spiritual Transformation"

Evening Service

Songs

#11 (Red hymnal)

#60 (Blue hymnal)

#370 (Blue hymnal)

#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Psalm 79: "The Second Coming"

This Sunday (July 26th)

2009-07-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

No Costco cake Sunday morning...no delicious cheesecake Sunday night. But while just a "basic" Lord's Day, still a great blessing to gather together as God's people and be nourished spiritually.

Morning Service

Songs

#85 (Blue hymnal)

#129 (Blue hymnal)

#247 (Blue hymnal)...to the tune of #299

#455 (Red hymnal)

#6 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 3:11-24: "Love One Another"

Evening Service

Songs

#51 (Red hymnal)

#42 (Blue hymnal)

#366 (Blue hymnal)

#310 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

2 Kings 2:1-18: "The Triumph of the Ascension"

Sabbath Delight

2009-07-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

This morning, we witnessed the baptism of 2 covenant children in our church and then, this afternoon, we went over to the home of one of the families for some AWESOME BBQ hamburgers. Bacon cheeseburgers with grilled onions...they were magical! And what better way to end the feasting with some ice cream?

Friday Harbor

2009-07-18T12:40:00.001-07:00

We spent Thursday in Friday Harbor with our good friends from Phoenix. It was a picture-perfect day as you can see from these pictures...

If you've always been fascinated by reading "Robert's Rules of Order" (and be honest, who doesn't find that absolutely scintillating), then you have this guy to thank for it (not the guy holding the stick of wood, but Henry M. Robert, to whom this plaque is dedicated).

This Sunday (July 19th)

2009-07-14T16:02:00.001-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#34 (Red hymnal)

#293 (Blue hymnal)

#298 (Blue hymnal)

"In Christ Alone"

#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 Corinthians 7:14: "How Should We View Our Children?"

Evening Service

Songs

#190 (Blue hymnal)

#545 (Red hymnal)...to the tune of "God, Be Merciful to Me"

#22 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Job 19:23-26: "My Redeemer Lives"

This Sunday (July 12th)

2009-07-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#125 (Red hymnal)

#124 (Blue hymnal)

#89 (Blue hymnal)

#500 (Red hymnal)

#6 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 3:1-3: "Seeing Him as He Is"

Evening Service

Songs

#169 (Red hymnal)

#219 (Blue hymnal)

#471 (Blue hymnal)

#307 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Philippians 1: "To Die is Gain"

This Sunday (July 5th)

2009-07-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

# 4 (Red hymnal)

#14 (Blue hymnal)

#364 (Red hymnal)

#439 (Blue hymnal)

#187 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:28-3:10: "The Love of God"

Evening Service

Songs

#1 (Red hymnal)

#79 (Red hymnal)

#369 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Matthew 27:32-56: "The Sufferings of Christ"

This Sunday (June 28th)

2009-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#282 (Blue hymnal)

#204 (Blue hymnal)

#233 (Blue hymnal)

#575 (Red hymnal)

#5 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:18-27: "Confessing Christ"

Evening Service

Songs

#660 (Red hymnal)

#218 (Blue hymnal)

#339 (Blue hymnal)

#310 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Matthew 1:18-25: "God With Us"

This Sunday (June 21st)

2009-06-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#66 (Red hymnal)

"In Christ Alone"

#159 (Blue hymnal)

#291 (Blue hymnal)

#299 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:15-17: "The Love God Hates"

Evening Service

Songs

#261 (Red hymnal)

#311 (Red hymnal)

#387 (Blue hymnal)

#301 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

John 1:1-14: "Who is Jesus Christ?"

This Sunday (June 14th)

2009-06-10T09:37:00.001-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#89 (Blue hymnal)

#257 (Red hymnal)

#88 (Red hymnal)

#350 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:12-14: "A Word of Comfort"

Evening Service

Songs

#31 (Blue hymnal)

#110 (Blue hymnal)

#642 (Red hymnal)

#30 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Matthew 3:13-17: "Anointed by the Spirit"

This Sunday (June 7th)

2009-06-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#194 (Blue hymnal)

#81 (Blue hymnal)

#383 (Blue hymnal)

#352 (Blue hymnal)

#187 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

2 Samuel 9: "The Honor of the King's Table"

Evening Service

Songs

#324 (Blue hymnal)

#247 (Blue hymnal) Tune: "Duke Street"

#121 (Blue hymnal)

#488 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Acts 4:1-12: "All or Nothing"

Home, Sweet Home

2009-06-02T15:05:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh...it's nice to be home. We had a wonderful time on vacation, but it really is nice to finally get home, even after a long, long day of travel that started at 7:00 am Hawaii time and ended around 2:00 am Washington time. Every time we go on vacation, near the end of our time, we always ask, "What was your favorite part of vacation?" Usually, there are a variety of answers given, but this time the answer was always the same: "Polihale." If you ever have the opportunity to go to Kauai, don't miss Polihale Beach.

Saturday Night

2009-05-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, we drove down to Shipwreck's Beach and then hiked up to a cliff that overlooks the ocean and the beach below. After that, we headed down to the harbor to catch another sunset. If you look closely at the 2nd picture, you can see a group of people congregated on the beach. It's a wedding, the third or fourth one we've seen down at this beach in the last 10 days.

Coming to An End

2009-05-29T23:55:00.001-07:00

Being in the ministry has allowed me to travel to a lot of different places over the last half a dozen years. I've been to San Diego, San Francisco, Belgrade, Montana, Salem, Oregon, Springfield, Missouri, Sioux Center, Iowa, Smithers, British Columbia, Edmonton, Calgary, Chicago, and probably others I can't remember right now. This has also allowed my family to travel with me at times, often at very little cost to us. Of all the places we've traveled, the island of Kauai is far and away the most beautiful. And we have been privileged to come here not just once, but three times in the last 19 months. It's also been a privilege to preach at one of the newest URC church plants, the Kauai Reformation Church. Speaking of which, please continue to pray for this work, as they seek to establish a confessionally Reformed church on this island. They are all very excited to have their new minister, Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen, arriving around July 1st.

Well, all of this to say that we've really enjoyed our time here the last couple of weeks. However, at this point, we are all ready to come home. We miss our house, our beds, and our church family. We're also somewhat tired of sand, salt water, everything being wet all the time, and expensive groceries. And so we're all looking forward to getting on the plane Monday and getting home Monday night.

Here are a few pictures from our last couple of days: sunset, Polihale Beach (hands-down the best beach on the island), dinner at a local restaurant tonight for Mem's b-day.

Kauai 2009: Day 5

2009-05-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our pictures from today. The first 3 pictures are from Hanalei Beach on the north end of the island. Interestingly, as we were eating breakfast this morning, we saw on the national news that Hanalei Beach was just voted the number 1 beach in all of America. Ironic that we saw that on the same day that we were planning on going there. The last picture is from Tunnels Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.

Kauai 2009: Days 1-4

2009-05-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would post some of the pictures I took with my iPhone here in Kauai. Most of our time has been spent in some form of water: Pools, boogie boarding, floating in the ocean, going down the water slide at our hotel, etc. It's been very refreshing and extremely relaxing.

Here's the picture right outside of our hotel room at the Hyatt. This is where we stayed our first 2 nights, before moving onto the condo that the Kauai church provides for all visiting ministers.

Here's the 150' slide at the Hyatt. We must have gone down this thing at least 20 times each.

This morning, we went to Mahaulepa, one of the beaches that is kind of a "local knowledge" kind of place. Beautiful spot. We sat in our beach chairs for a couple of hours while the girls swam in the ocean.

Tonight, we grabbed at Pizza in Koloa Town and went down to Shipwreck's Beach for the sunset.

This Sunday (May 17th)

2009-05-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#17 (Red hymnal)...tune of "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken"

#94 (Blue hymnal)

#540 (Red hymnal)

#442 (Blue hymnal)

#231 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:7-11: "Brotherly Love"

Evening Service

Songs

#500 (Red hymnal)

#260 (Blue hymnal)

#226 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 Kings 17:1-7: "An Antidote for Anxiety"

This Sunday (May 10th)

2009-05-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#184 (Blue hymnal)

"How Deep the Father's Love"

#170 (Blue hymnal)

#446 (Blue hymnal)

#299 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:3-6: "The Fruit of Salvation"

Evening Service

Songs

#301 (Blue hymnal)

#16 (Blue hymnal)

#609 (Red hymnal)

#5 (Red hymnal)

Sermon

Isaiah 40:12-31: "Almighty God, Faithful Father"

New URC Bible Study in Gig Harbor

2009-04-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

Here's some exciting news from Mark Vander Pol, third year student at Westminster Seminary California...

"For those that live in the Tacoma/Gig Harbor, WA area: Are you interested in seeing a solid, Confessional Reformed church in your area? There is currently in the planning stages a Bible study/church plant in Gig Harbor with the goal of establishing a URC church. Since this is still in its infancy we are just trying to gather some rough idea as to how many people would be interested in this work. This is a unique opportunity that the Lord has placed before us and we hope and pray that the field is ready for the harvest on the Kitsap Peninsula.

So if you live near Gig Harbor and this interests you then please send an e-mail to Mark Vander Pol at gigharborreformed@gmail.com or check out our blog at gigharborreformed.wordpress.com. If you know somebody that lives close to that location then please forward this information on to them! This group needs to know that you are out there so please contact them!

This Sunday (May 3rd)

2009-04-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Morning Service

Songs

#119 (Red hymnal)

#85 (Blue hymnal)

#296 (Blue hymnal)

#351 (Blue hymnal)

#280 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

1 John 2:1-2: "Our Only Hope"

Evening Service

Songs

#70 (Red hymnal)

#78 (Red hymnal)

#471 (Blue hymnal)

#307 (Blue hymnal)

Sermon

Ephesians 1:3-14: "Praise to Our Triune God, part 3"