Morning Star's newest addition

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Psalm 127:3 (ESV)

Name: Brookelyn Hope Scott
DOB: February 26, 2007, 8:27 am
Questions everybody asks: She weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz and was 19 1/4"

Mom and baby are doing very well!

Congratulations to Jason and Heidi, and to Bethany and Brianna.

Office Furniture for New Building

I received a phone call from a business that will be moving in just a few doors down from our new building. This phone call is a direct answer to prayer. They told me that they heard from another source that we needed some room/cubicle dividers. My response, of course, was an emphatic, YES WE DO! Not only do they have dividers that they would like to sell, but also office desks, chairs, guest chairs, community room table, kitchen cabinets-- and all in excellent condition.

Please pray as Bill Hunt and I meet with them this coming Saturday, February 24, at 9:00 AM. The business is ID Technologies, and our contacts will be Jeff (the owner) and Bonnie (one of the secretaries) The Lord provides!

We are still in need of many new items for the building. Please consider giving toward the building fund especially over the next month as we will encounter many expenses. If you would like to give for a specific project, please let Chris or Pastor know.

Hymn of the Month

Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven,
To His feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who, like me, His praise should sing?
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the Everlasting King!

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress;
Praise Him, still the same forever,
Slow to chide and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness!

Father-like He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows,
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows!

Angels, help us to adore Him,
Ye behold Him face to face;
Saints triumphant bow before Him,
Gathered in from ev'ry race.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!

lyrics by Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847)

VCY Rally

This past Saturday almost thirty people from our church travelled to Waukesha to see and hear Dr. John MacArthur speak at the VCY Rally. The group ranged from people who have followed Dr. MacArthur's ministry for more than twenty years to some who had never heard of him. Dr. MacArthur exposited from Luke chapter 15 on the passage commonly referred to as "The Prodigal Son". What we heard was a one hour summary of a passage that he spent six weeks preaching at Grace Community Church. You can read transcripts of those sermons here.

While most people were familiar with the parable, Dr. MacArthur skillfully explained what the story would have meant to those who were hearing it nearly two centuries ago. In contrast to those who argue that we need to bring Scripture into modern times, Dr. MacArthur emphasized that we need to do the exact opposite...we need to take the hearers back to the time in which the Scriptures were written. As he succinctly stated "The meaning of Scripture is the Scripture." By transporting us back to the culture of middle eastern peasant life, with its emphasis on shame and honor, Dr. MacArthur shows how this parable of a father and two sons (if you only focus on the prodigal son you're missing the point) illustrates the joy of God in the the salvation of lost sinners, and why this concept was so inconceivable to the Pharisees.

For those that weren't able to attend, you can listen to this sermon (as delivered at Moody's Founder's Week conference) for free (for at least a couple of weeks) by clicking here.

More Building Pictures

This is exciting! There is much progress being made on the construction of the building. I dropped by today and took some updated pictures that I will be showing on Sunday.

TheHVAC guys have almost completed the ductwork throughout; the plumbers are busily installing piping; the cement workers are leveling the floors in the mezzanine; and the electricians will soon begin their work. Many have asked to see the building in person--please let Bill or I know what time would work for you, and we will meet you there. I know that Bill Hunt will be going there again tomorrow, so if you would like to see it, call him to let him know!

There is no particular date that we are shooting for to be into the building. However, I am pushing for sometime in mid March. Some things are still progressing slower than we would like to see, but this will give us more time (and hopefully money) to purchase some accessories that we need just to move in. Please be in prayer for the progress of the buildout, Bill Hunt and I as we continue to meet with the buildout crews, as well as the financial commitment that we have made for this project!