September's Stuff

September 3 ~ AGAPE SUNDAY

Breakfast will be starting up again! Plan on coming at 8:45 for some good food and fellowship. We are very enthusiastic about the positive effect this fellowship has on each Lord's Day.

All youth will be starting a special class and fellowship during Sunday School hour. We will be meeting at the Chris Metras home. Be sure to come! I am really looking forward to this particular ministry.

PM - Lord's Supper will be in the evening.

Friday, September 8 ~

Men's Retreat. There may be still opportunity to sign up for this rather spontaneous adventure at Camp Fairwood. Please contact Pastor Mark for more details.

Sunday, September 10 ~

PM Service. We will be recognizing Chris Metras and his expanded role and ministry in both MSBC and Global Grace.

Sunday, September 17 ~

Dave Deets, missionary candidate to Italy through Baptist World Mission, will be with us all day long. We will take an offering.

Friday, September 29 ~

The Youth will be going to see Flame of Fire by Overshadowed Productions in Itasca, Illinois. This play is about the five martyred missionaries of Ecuador. Details will be announced.

Looking ahead: Missionary/Stewardship Conference on October 8-12.

August 27th

We will not be having our services at the Burritt Township Hall as normal. Instead we will be meeting at the Walshes in Harvard, IL. Click here for directions.

Here's the scoop. Our morning service will begin at 10:30. Please do everything that you can do to be early. You will need to get parked and settled, so allow yourself plenty of time for that. After the morning service we will have lunch. $10 per family is asked to help cover the cost of meat and beverages. Each family is asked to bring a salad and chips or a desert.

It's going to be fun! Come casual. You may get grass stains! Sporting activities will be possible. If the weather is nice swimming is possible. So, come prepared for a festive picnic!

Peep Deep, Volume 1, no. 3

Jonathan Edwards, A New Biography, by Iain H. Murry.


That New Sense of Things

Jonathan Edwards joined the Collegiate School of Conneticut in 1716. He was 13 years old. Harvard had been the place of choice for religious studies before this school was founded in 1701. In fact, it was still a matter of debate among pastoral leaders of the day.

There were rules:

1. Every student shall exercise himself in reading Holy Scriptures by himself every day that the word of Christ may dwell in him richly.
2. All students shall avoid the profanation of God's holy name, attributes, Word and ordinances and the Holy Sabbath, and shall carefully attend all public assemblies for worship.
3. All undergraduates shall publicly repeat sermons in the hall in their course and be constantly examined on Sabbaths at evening prayer. (In other words, "You better take GOOOOOOOD notes!")

Though these kind of rules fostered mere formalism, Jonathan was able to spend a lot of time with his grandfather (Richard) who would die that same year. It was these kind of statements that he heard on a regular basis uttered from his godly grandfather:

"Make the glory of God your main end."
"Depend on him by a lively faith in his promises"
"I carry my life in my hand every day, I am daily looking and waiting until my change come"
His last words: "I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and I desire to do so more and more."

Sometime during this first year Jonathan Edwards would come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The change was evident in his spirit. He writes:

[about walking in his father's field after returning home]"And as I was walking there, and looking up on the sky and clouds, there came into my mind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, that I know not how to express -- I seemed to see them both in sweet conjunction; majesty and meekness joined together: it was sweet, and gentle, and holy majesty: and also a majestic meekness; an awful sweetness; a high, and great, and holy gentleness" (p.36).

What amazing contemplations from a boy only thirteen years of age! Yet, how true!

s

Brethren, pray for us!

We are rejoicing for a good Lord’s day today and ask that you pray diligently for us and the ministry here.

A self-professed non-believing Filipino lady came to church today. A Christian friend who lives overseas somewhere found our church on the internet and encouraged her to visit. She called in advance and said she would be coming to visit and was hoping to also find another Filipino to befriend her. God is looking after this lady, and we do indeed have another Filipino lady in the congregation. The visitor said she previously spent 20 years in Hare Krishna religious practice but is no longer involved with that group. She is searching for truth and said she has lots of questions. She readily agreed to meet with us for a regular Bible study. Please pray for us to have wisdom in directing her to biblical answers to her questions. There is also a 17 year-old daughter whom the mother identified as “another lost soul.”

We are reminded of Paul’s writing to the church at Corinth with the words, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” (I Cor. 3:6-7) We are so thankful to have the opportunity to share in the care for this lady’s soul!

The various cultures and native languages of the people in the church family continue to be a significant challenge. As part of our attempts to get to know the church people attending church and build a sense of family among them, this weekend we invited everyone to our house for an evening of fellowship. We managed to play Guesstures (game where you act out a word without speaking to your team), with the added requirement of drawing pictures of the words for our Mandarin-speaking people to participate. The game was successful in joining everyone in an activity, but it felt more like work than a game! We need to purchase a Chinese-English dictionary to aid in communication, and we need wisdom and guidance from the Lord to help these people to grow in their love and care for each other.

Scott has focused his initial teaching and preaching on the church from a biblical basis…what the church is for, role models in the New Testament, etc. as well as the topic of the Bible itself…it’s sufficiency, authority, etc. Please pray for Scott to have wisdom as he studies and seeks direction from the Lord on what to feed this congregation made largely of babes in Christ.

We continue to attempt to unpack boxes and are once again amazed at the bountiful material blessings God has bestowed upon us. Having lived over two years without the majority of our earthly goods, we have become less attached to them. Many of the church people are not as materially blessed as our family, and we have decided to pick something from our home to give each person/family when we visit them in the coming months. We tell you this not to impress you, by any means, but to share a part of our own spiritual journey that it may encourage you in yours. It is always fun to stop and see where we have grown ourselves in our spiritual walk on this earth. We are just so delighted to be serving the Lord here. We are so thankful for His goodness to us in spite of ourselves. Please pray that we will keep our hearts attuned to Him.

Serving joyfully in New Zealand,
Scott, Lori, Heidi and Daniel

Peep Deep, Volume 1, no. 2

Jonathan Edwards, A New Biography, by Iain H. Murry.

The Son of East Windsor

Windsor is somewhere in New England. Conneticut area. The place that just sacked Joe Lieberman. Back in 1636 a very famous Puritan preacher, Thomas Hooker, journeyed to this place from Massachusetts Bay area. Seems the Bay was too crowded. A woman named Ann Coles was part of the group that traveled with him along with her 18 yr. old son, William Edwards, the son of her deceased husband, Richard Edwards.

Though you may not think of yourself as having a forte in history, you probably can guess where this going? Yup. William got married. So, get this:

Richard begot William.
William begot Richard.
Richard begot Timothy (Creative guy, that Richard. Glad he broke the monotonous name cycle).
Timothy begot Jonathan.

Seems like Richard, Jonathan's grandpa, had a very bad marriage. So bad, that Timothy (Jonathan's dad) and his sister actually filed a complaint against her to justify their father's divorce! Seems like poor Richard had barely betrothed and married his lovely wench when she had a baby by another man. She actually had all kinds of infidelities. That sort of blows the whole pre-1950s utopia we imagine America to be. Anyway, Timothy highly admired dad Richard. He said of his dad: "He was naturally cheerful, sprightly, and sweet tempered, of a ready wit, had a mind well stored with knowledge, particularly the knowledge of history and theology, and in coversation was uncommonly pleasant and entertaining" (p. 5).

That's a pretty cool thing to say about a dad. Hope my son says that about me some day.

Oh, don't have a son. So much for the well-stored mind part.

Apparently, Timothy was a flat out good preacher. He married into preaching stock too. Not that his wife was a preacher, but her dad, Solomon Stoddard, was. Pastor Stoddard, Jonathan's grandpa from his mom's side, said, "We are not sent into the pulpit to shew our wit and eloquence but to set the consciences of men on fire" (p.8).

Jonathan was born to Timothy and Esther Edwards on October 5, 1703. He was number five. Four girls preceded him. Six girls would be born to Timothy and Esther after Jonathan was born. All I can say is, "Wow!"

It is really too bad that basketball hadn't been invented yet. All ten of Timothy's daughters were at least 6 feet tall! People spoke of Timothy Edwards' "sixty feet of daughters!" He deserves a medal for that. I have 3 feet of daughter and I sometimes think myself a worthy candidate for canonization.

Seems like Timothy taught son Jonathan to do all his work with a "pen in hand and to regard accuracy in writing essential" (p.14). AT thss varya mment I have a penn nin handas anddsa it issn ot helpingm y accararuacy nin wrritnng. Oh well, I guess I'll never be like Jonathan Edwards that way.

This was a godly family. The correspondence between Jonathan and his sisters is amazing. Such depth. Jonathan was a mature, young man, adequately prepared for higher learning with a thorough grasp of latin and greek when he rode down river in 1716 on his way to college at the ripe old age of 13.

Peep Deep, Volume 1, no. 1

Jonathan Edwards, A New Biography, by Iain H. Murry.

Introduction: On Understanding Edwards, p. xix - xxxi

Basically, Jonathan Edwards blows people's minds. Is he a metaphysicist, a philosopher, or a theologian (a "divine")? His contemporaries acknowledged him as one of the greatest theologians of all time, certainly of their day. Secular biographers and writers in the centuries since Edwards was born (1703. Many years before the oldest member in our church) have actually bemoaned the fact that Edwards wasted his brilliant and unequaled mind on theology!

But "those who knew him best never put 'the philosopher' first. A fellow preacher, Giblert Tennent, announcing Edwards' death in a Philadelphia newspaper of March 28, 1758, described him as 'a great divine, divnity was his favourite [that's how they spelled favorite back then] study and the ministry his most delightful employment" (p. xix).

Murray, the author, explains why most biographers and historians just don't get it. Being unbelievers, they simply cannot grasp what even a small, believing child sees so clearly. Edwards knew this.

"According to the New Testament, and therefore to Edwards also, the difference between the regenenerate Christian and the remainder of men constitutes the most radical of all divisions. What is revealed to babes is hidden from the proud. The reason, he says, 'why the things of the gospel seem all so tasteless and insipid to natural men' is that 'they are a parcel of words to which they, in their own minds, have no correspondent ideas'. 'It is like a stranger or a dead letter, that is, sounds and letters without any signification. This is the reason they commonly account religion such a foolish thing, and the saints fools. This is the reason the Scripture is not sweet to them, and why the godly are called by the name of fanatics, and the like'"(p. xxv).

Someone said that to remember history means far more than "a mere bow to history." "His theology had revivals and repentance, and salvation from hell, in it; and this made it, and makes it, and will keep it divine theology till Christ is all in all."

I agree with with Murray. "We fail to understand Edwards aright until the record of his life begins to make the same impression upon us."

Peep Deep

Ladies and Gentlemen! I am introducing to you a new, never-before-heard-of (to me anyway)feature of pastoral ingenuity and zeal: Peep Deep.

Have you ever wished you could eavesdrop on an conversation between two interesting people? Have you ever sat in an airplane and tried to read over the shoulder of your row partner, a person who is a complete stranger to you, but just so happened to bring on board a fascinating book? Have you ever desired to peep into the thoughts of other people without having to actually interact with them?

No?

Okay, so I'm the only weird one in the bunch. But, anyway, Peep Deep is a new feature of this blog that will let you get a peep into what I'm reading by exposing to your inquisitive eyes snippets and smidgens of my reading, pithy statements, and provocative quotes. I shall even courageously bare the flotsam and jetsam of my boondoggled mind, overtaxed by gluttonous, voracious reading as it snaps and spins to the stimuli of such deep material. (Impressive, heh?) Thus, Peep Deep.

Know Who's Who

You should know who's who in Church History. This is particularly important because I so often quote from people in the past. Here is an excellent resource produced by Phil Johnson, one of the elders at Grace Community Church where John MacArthur pastors. In fact, Pat, can you put this link on the side of our blog? The page that might interest you the most is "The Stalwarts." Last Sunday, for example, I quoted from A.W. Pink. You'll find out a lot about him here.

Joy's Moved

Joy has moved.

We Ministered in Santa Martha? Really?!!!

Remember this? Then did you pray when we got this? Then I think you will especially enjoy the following:

Dear Pastor Bob,

I wanted to take a minute as we returned a week ago from our 2 week ministry to the Tenek Indian people in the area of Santa Martha, Mexico to say a special "thank you" to all at Morning Star Baptist Church for the toothbrushes sent our way. Many of the people we treated were among the poorest of poor in the world, which was a little surprising to us. In some villages, most, if not all, had never seen a dentist and did not own, nor could they afford, a toothbrush! Needless to say, they eagerly
lined up to receive one of the brushes we were giving out. Thanks to the generous folks at Morning Star we had plenty to pass out and even left some with the local missionary to give out in other remote villages he visits in the future.

The bottom line to this is that the dental clinic and the VBS type of ministry the rest of our team had to local children has generated a lot of good will and a number of new contacts for the local missionary. He has been invited back to several of the locations to begin Bible studies. It's sometimes hard for us to comprehend how something so seemingly insignificant as a toothbrush could be a help in opening up an opportunity to share the gospel!

So, once again, a hardy thank you to all from Morning Star Baptist Church who were such an integral part of this most recent evangelistic dental ministry to the glory of God!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Jack & Jennifer

And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward ~ Matthew 10:42

Fountain of Youth

Thanks to Jeremy Scott for posting the last three posts. Also, he ought to be recognized for running an excellent program. Though it wasn't large, it met all of our expectations, ministered to the younger children in our church, and they have many happy memories. I think we had more volunteers than attendees! But they had fun too.

If you want to see a funny shot of Steve Johnson, go to the Berryman family blog and see Pat's report of the activity last Saturday. There are some good shots. Be sure to click on the links.

September 3 will be the kick-off Sunday for a new ministry emphasis with our youth. The Chris Metras and the Bob Bixbys will be co-leading that ministry. Stay tuned.

And the winner is . . .

All good things must come to an end.

Last night was the last night of VBS – it was crazy dress night. The week ended with a high attendance of 28 and was full of enthusiasm and excitement. The excitement was surrounding two main things: 1. The conclusion to the Jimmy / Jenny story told by Ms. Karyn and 2. Which team won the competition for the week.

Also last evening, the professors tried one last time to question creation and promote evolution. One of the assistant professors asked a very important question, “How can life come from nothing?” Of course the kids were quick to answer that the only way that life can come from nothing is if it is a miracle of God, not a big bang!

It was a great week – many leaders sacrificed to be a part of it (although, I think that the leaders had just as much fun as the kids!) Everyone did a great job. So, how did the week end? Who won the competition? In the end, it was the Sand Blasters that held on to their lead to take the competition. Joshua K. and Evan M. were the two top point earners for the week and were awarded a gift card to Wal-Mart.

Thank you for your prayers and hard work.

The Adventure Continues. . .

Our kids' Awesome Archaeological Adventure continues. Last night we had 26 kids come and participate in our VBS. It was a great evening. Our focus was on God's word. He created His word for us, so we are responsible to it. The 4th through 6th graders contemplated that fact that Peter said that the Bible is more authoritative than personal experience (II Peter 1:19,20).

As mentioned in yesterday's post, the Sand Blasters had made a comeback and taken the lead. The Dune Destroyers' great effort to take the lead back fell just short as the Sand Blasters stayed on top - led by the evening's top point earner, Cody M.

The snacks were great (thank you to all that made them!), the games were exciting and the continued story told by Ms. Karyn still has us guessing what will happen next! Each team did a great job in participating in Crazy Hat Night! Jimmy W. took the prize for the Sand Blasters while Nathan R. won the prize for the Dune Destroyers.





Tonight is the last night! All K-6th graders are welcome to come. We meet at the church at 6:00 and will be done by 8:15-8:20. If any adults want to come and see the kids have a great time, you are welcome as well!

Attention!

We are halfway through our Vacation Bible School. So far 27 kids have been enrolled and are having a great time. Each night of the Awesome Archaeological Adventure the kids are learning the importance of God's creation. Even though the visiting professors tell the kids that evolution is true, the kids are learning the Genesis 1:1 is the truth and why that is important.




The competition between the Sand Blasters and the Dune Destroyers is intense! After Tuesday night, the Dune Destroyers had taken the early advantage. However, when the kids left last night the Sand Blasters had made an incredible comeback to take the lead.



We have two nights left . . . if you know any kids K - 6th grade who like to play games, sing songs, and maybe get some occassional candy, bring them to the church tonight at 6:00 pm.

If you have any questions, feel free to email them to Jeremy at pj4youth@msn.com.

Stuff Happening

This Saturday the younger people in our church are taking a bike hike under the Metras' supervision. Those of you that are interested will want to be at Midway Village a little before 10:00 AM.

This coming Lord's Day, my Dad and Mom (our supported missionaries to France) will be with us for the entire day. As we typically do for our missionaries, we will be taking up a love offering for them.

Vacation Bible School starts next Tuesday night! Be prepared!

You can keep posted on our church website news page and -- I think this is very helpful -- our church prayer concerns on this page.

A Word from the Silsbees

Happy 4th of July. We had a minor celebration here with canned baked beans, homemade big soft buttery pretzels (like the ones at the mall) and the barbecue grill cooked up hot dogs and hamburgers (magic!). We even found two fireworks pieces in a box of stuff we had left behind with a friend on our way out of New Zealand. (They are a really cool spinning kind that I had wanted to take and show my dad. I chickened out of taking them in our airplane luggage! They survived sitting somewhere for two years and we benefited by lighting the two of them tonight!)

We are currently…and still!...staying with friends. And…they are still our friends!! We’ve hit nine weeks and counting living out of our suitcases and we are SO ready to have a place to call home again. One house we lived in previously is again for sale, and if it wasn’t so close to our previous ministry, we might be tempted to buy it again. The four of us are lined up on the floor like Indians in a teepee. Our gracious friends cleared out a bedroom for us. There is just enough room for sleeping across the one side and a couple suitcases lined up at our feet. Don’t feel sorry for us. We are happy to have stayed in one place now for two weeks straight! It is an adventure we are happy to make in service to our King. Lord willing our suitcase days are coming to an end. This coming Sunday a church will be voting on us coming to assist them. Please pray that these people will be seeking the mind of the Lord and cast their vote accordingly. We don’t want anything outside his will. A number of things have fallen into place to make this ministry possible, and a positive vote will be final confirmation from the Lord that this is the place He would have us serve.

While waiting for the Lord to make His will known, we\nhave been busy re-acclimating ourselves to New Zealand, renewing old contacts\n(both believers and many in need of Christ), and being involved in ministry opportunities\nwherever possible. The church we are currently attending is very short on\nworkers, and one lady was covering the children’s program during all the\nservices. I have helped to provide relief so that she can benefit from\nsitting in on some services as well. Scott has preached a number of\ntimes, and his messages are being well-received.

Missionary Updates

Dr. Jack Mitchell

Dear Friends,

The office staff at Grace Dental Mission has completed the latest edition of the mission newsletter, The Dental Dialogue.

The newsletter can be viewed by clicking on this link: http://www.gracedentalmission.org/news/archive06/DD6-06.pdf

If you encounter any difficulties or desire a paper copy of The Dental Dialogue, please contact us and we would be happy to send one out to you.

Please pray for the team of 13 that will be leaving on Friday, July 7th for 2 weeks of ministry in Mexico, about 4 hours southwest of Tampico. We have recently been informed by missionary Fernando Angeles that all the dental supplies and equipment which were sent ahead made it over the border - after 3 hours of questioning by customs officials and no tax charged! We praise the Lord for His great faithfulness.

Specific prayer requests would include:

- Safety for the team in travel

- Quick adjustment to the culture and food

- Effective spiritual ministry among the unsaved

- Wisdom for the medical/dental staff

Thank you so much for your interest in and support of this ministry.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Grace Dental Mission Staff

Duane Scott

Dear Friends,

This is the first email to “our list” from Thailand! We are doing well and beginning to get settled in. We have seen the Lord work out many details already, which gives us encouragement for the times ahead.

So much has happened between our last letter and this one that it would be impossible to relay it all here. If you would like to see a report of our commissioning service, read some good news about our child care situation, and see some pictures from our first days in Thailand, see our website at www.scottsinthailand.org.

We arrived to a blast of heat and humidity as we walked into the Bangkok Airport parking garage at 1:00 am the morning of June 22^nd. Things have been pretty busy ever since.

Both sets of co-workers were at the airport to meet us. Actually, Ed and Darlene Weber were on our flight into Bangkok. They have been in the States for their furlough, but had to return to Thailand to take care of their visa situations. The Lord worked it out so they “just happened” to be on our flight. Nate and Maam Beckman met us all at the airport.

After spending the weekend with the Webers and Beckmans about 3 hours outside of Bangkok where they are working, we all returned on Monday to look for a place for us to live. Since traffic here is terrible, we felt we needed a place near the subway or sky-train line so we could get to language school in a reasonable amount of time. We were able to find such a place at a price we could afford, which was not as easy as we thought it would be! The Lord’s hand seemed to be in it in several ways though. Not the least of which are our neighbors! The first night we met an American man getting on the elevator. It turns out he and his Thai wife are also missionaries here. They live just one floor down and have already been so friendly and helpful! Since our BMM co-workers will not be living in Bangkok, we definitely need someone to call on for help and answers to our endless questions. We are really thanking the Lord for this connection.

Our immediate plans are to get settled in, try to relax a little bit after a couple really stressful and emotional weeks, and then figure out how to navigate this city. If you have ever seen Bangkok you know that will be no small task! We hope to begin language school shortly after Hannah’s sister Gloria arrives on July 21^st. She will be taking care of Elaine and David while we are at language school. She will be staying for one month.

I would like to close this letter with special thanks to the many people who have helped us to this point:

Those of you who have prayed for us and offered words of encouragement. God is definitely answering prayers.

The many who have given so sacrificially and generously for our financial needs. We have never been lacking for any of our needs.

The Webers and Beckmans who have helped us tirelessly these past two weeks. I could not imagine doing this without the help of someone who knows what they are doing!

And of course, thanks to God, the giver of all good gifts.

With love and appreciation in Christ,

Duane and Hannah

I Love America

In light of the conversation here and here because of this. Pat Berryman, a concerned member of our church, wants everyone to know that he has actually caught me being patriotic! And it was in front of his house! Here's the proof.

Whose Money?

What does the Bible teach about money? What does it teach about giving? How much should we give? What is tithing? Is tithing a command?

Any sincere Christian wants to know the answers. Any sincere Christian is not afraid of the answers.

Later this year we will do a special series (perhaps in the context of a mini-conference) on the subject of giving. The Pastoral leadership will be reccommending books that articulate our thinking on this important matter and we urge you to become a student, lay aside your presuppositions, and learn about this subject even before we address it in church.

We are attempting to make this easier by not only recommending the books, but by making sure that our book table is stocked with copies. This coming Lord's Day we plan to have about 12 copies of MacArthur's book available for purchase. Let me encourage you to read this book and to become acquainted with grace giving.

July Events and So Forth

Sunday, July 2 - AGAPE SUNDAY

We will have breakfast together at 9:00, fellowship, and Pastor Mark will be leading us in our Bible study on indwelling sin from the book, The Enemy Within by Kris Lundgaard.

Tuesday, July 4 - Independence Day.

If you don't have family or other plans, you should join me. I have plans! Talk to me about it! At Morning Star everybody has a family to go to during the holidays!

Sunday, July 16 -

We will be visited by Dr. Joel Tetreau, pastor of Southeast Valley Baptist Church in Arizona. He is coming to particpate in a discussion with us about Global Grace and the possibility of his church partnering with us in this endeavor. He will speak for us. Joel is a friend of mine. I know that you will enjoy him. He is very down-to-earth, committed, happy, and humble. We will take up a love offering for this brother.

Sunday, July 23 -

Our supported missionaries, Bob and Bonnie Bixby to Bordeaux, France (my parents and responsible for this brood) will be with us for this day. Many of you have already met my parents. I am looking forward to having them here in my home, but also to hearing them update us about their ministry in France. As usual, we will also be taking a love offering up for them.

Tuesday, July 25 thru Friday, July 28 - VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Vacation Bible School is an excellent time for the children to invite their friends and for our church to reach out to the children in the community. Many parents willingly send their kids to VBS. We want to take advantage of this disposition to get the Gospel into their homes. Jeremy Scott will be directing the VBS this year.