The Flame Jan / Feb 2011

8/7/2019 The Flame Jan / Feb 2011

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The FlameThe magazine of Christ Church

Rev. Shane BishopSenior Pastor

Rev. Allen MillerAssociate Pastor

Donna HarrisonEditor

Justin AymerDirector of Communications

Service TimesSunday8:30am, 10:30am, 6:00pm

Saturday5:00pm

Barbara GermanyProof Reader

Christ Church339 Frank Scott Pkwy EFairview Heights, IL 62208618.277.4659

For a complete listing of the ChristChurch Staff and to learn more aboutChrist Church please visit:

www.mychristchurch.com

Copyright 2011, Christ Church.Questions about the Flame?Contact Donna Harrison at:[email protected]

A Note From The Editor

2011 will mark my third year as Editor and I consider it a privilege toserve at Christ Church. Id like to thank the staff for their leadershipencouragement and patience. Many thanks to Justin Aymer for hisgraphic artistry; he has truly made the Flame vibrant. To the foldingteam and proof readers, thank you for your faithfulness. To the authorsand poets, I cant wait to see what God puts on your heart this yearThank you Lord Jesus for another year of life and service.

Happy New Year!Donna [email protected]

Contents3 What Does God Expect Of Us?By Larry Weber

4 The World As I See ItBy Rev. Shane Bishop

5 Are You Truly Happy When A Sinner Is Saved?By Demian Farnworth

5 The Stay-At-Home SonBy Emily Climaco

6 All I AmBy Don Frazure

8 A Message Of Hope For The New YearBy Pat Mace

9 Getting To Know You10 Unto The Least Of TheseBy Mary Pierce and Michael Harrison

11 Women 4-GivenBy Kathy Odell

11 No Greater Love MinistryBy Bernie Kneale

12 Spotlight On Ministry Mens Softball

13 Dont Waste The WildernessBy Nick Turner

15 Watch Us Grow


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What Does God

Expect Of Us?By Larry Weber

Jim Wallis and some friends involved in Bible Study cutout all the verses in their Bibles that dealt with poverty,wealth, (in)justice and oppression. They named whatwas left the American Bible. In Matthew 27: 37-

39 Jesus tells the Pharisees that the most importantcommandment in the Law of Moses is, love the Lordyour God with all your heart, all your soul, and all yourmind. A second is equally important: Love yourneighbor as yourself. The issue is not whether or notwe believe the words of Jesus but how do we applyHis words to how we live our lives. We seem to knowhow to love God with all our heart, soul and mind; itcertainly is made easier by the incredible corporateworship we experience each week at Christ Churchand our daily study of the word. But how do we liveout the second commandmentloving our neighbor

as ourselves? What are our responsibilities to thepeople in the world who are living in areas of poverty,injustice and oppression?

This past fall I read Rich Stearns book, The Hole inOur Gospel. The book makes the case for expandingour personal faith into a public and transformingrelationship with the poor and sick of the world. AsI read the book, I was troubled by my own beliefs,attitudes and (lack of) actions in caring for the poor.I live in the richest nation in the world with freedoms

that many can only dream of. I have an income thais in the top 1% compared to the rest of the worldBut I do not have an awareness or understandingof the twin crises of poverty and sickness that affectmany of my neighbors in other parts of the worldMy values/belief system would suggest that thosein poverty should grab hold of their bootstraps andpull themselves up with no understanding of howunlikely, if not impossible, that is for my neighborsin other parts of the world. Yes, at Christ Churchwe do many things that serve those Down the HallAround the Corner and Around the World. And I donot mean to minimize the impact those things haveupon our neighbors. But does our understanding ostewardship truly demonstrate our love of neighbor inan intensely personal way? Do we have a Hole in OuGospel that needs attention?

At Christ Church my role as Director of Ministries is toidentify opportunities for growth for our congregationFor Lent it is my desire to engage the entire church inthis stewardship study, The Hole in Our Gospel. In this

6 week quest, we will learn how Stearns believes ourlives can be transformed as we grasp the magnitudeof the challenge and the opportunity to ll the Hole inOur Gospel. I am asking you to join a small group foour church-wide Lenten Study or establish your owngroup. Every God Is Calling You connection class wilbe devoting their time to this study. The quest to ll theHole in Our Gospel begins in March and April and weinvite you to be a part of it.


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The World As I See ItBy Rev. Shane Bishop

At Christ Church our mission will always be to connectpeople with Jesus Christ. Though the mission is aconstant, our strategies to accomplish that missionmust change from time to time. Up to this pointour strategy has been to evangelize, grow into asmany worship services as possible, construct more

buildings and then run capital campaigns to pay forthe buildings. We now estimate, at our current rate ofgrowth, that we have 3 to 5 years before we again llup all 3 Sunday services. While this clearly gives ussome breathing room, it is time for strategic thinkingright now.

As the current complex moves toward maximumcapacity, we will have three very clear choices.1) We can stop growing. This is not an option for meas I have no understanding of the church apart fromevangelism and growth. 2) We can relocate. We

could look into the purchase of 100 acres and beginplanning for a sanctuary seating 2,500 at a price tagin upwards of 20 million dollars or3) We can join the multi-site revolution. The multi-site movement already attracts about 10 percent ofProtestant worshippers in US America. The ideais simple. You rst build a great church in a singlelocation and take the DNA of that church and plantit in multiple locations or campuses. All campusesrun from a common mission, budget, staff and board.

Each campus features a lay pastor, a childrensworker, a small group coordinator and a live band.I would preach the sermons live at the Fairview HeightsCampus and the other campuses would experiencethe same message via video projection.

There are four things that excite me about this concept

1) It moves us away from a brick and mortar/capitacampaign existence.

2) It keeps us growing without major capital expense

3) It will multiply leadership and plunge hundredsmore people into ministry.

4) And most importantly, it will exponentially increaseour capability to connect people to Jesus Christ.

Are multi-sites the next big thing at Christ Church?Almost certainly! We are currently talking with BishopGregory Palmer, District Superintendent Gary Wilsonand New Church Development Mike Crawford aboutpossibilities that could come as soon as this fallPlease keep this new strategy to fulll our mission inyour prayers as we look boldly toward our future!

And that is the worldas I see it.


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Are You TrulyHappy

When A Sinner Is

Saved?By Demian Farnworth

Lets admit it: The Prodigal Son is our favorite storyin the Bible. Son hates father, squanders inheritancewith loose living and crawls back to father. Fatherruns to son, throws his arms around son and kissesson.

Who wouldnt love a story like that? But did you everthink that maybe youve got the story half right? Letme explain.

In the story of the Prodigal Sonas so often the casein Jesus parablesthe twist in the story makes thepoint. Whats the twist? No Middle Eastern fatherwould greet a rebellious son that way. And thatssomething the elder brother picks up on.

Remember him, the elder brother? Hes the otherperson in the story. He is miffed and asks: Why all

The Stay-At-Home

Son(Luke 15:11-32)By Emily Climaco

Ive always identied with the older son in the prodigalstory; this son is annoyed when his younger brotherreturns. His blood is boiling, but hes reluctant tomake a scene; after all, hes the good one. Through

clenched teeth he argues, Ive been here all along,Dad, working hard, but wheres my party? He showsup and you have a feast!

In rst grade I developed a strong sense of injustice,especially in cases of unfair rule enforcement. In otherwords, I was the recess tattletale. Miss Johnston onceasked me, Do you like getting other kids in trouble?I sensed that the question was rhetorical and savedmy answer for now: no, I didnt enjoy getting kids introuble, but I wanted her to notice me being super-

the fuss over a mist like my younger brother? Whaabout me: My obedience, loyalty and hard work?

His response should remind you of two other parablesthe workers in the eld and the lost sheep*. Theworkers in the eld teach us that Gods love for usdisregards our levels of obedience or performanceAnd the lost sheep demonstrates our proper responsewhen it comes to a sinner being saved: joy. And theseare the same lessons taught in the Prodigal story.

So let me ask you a question: Are you truly happywhen a sinner is saved? Or are you like the eldebrother?

I am the elder brother: apathetic toward the lost, bitterover the attention paid the new convert. But dont feesorry for me. I need this pointed out to me, otherwiseI remain a liar: If anyone says I love God, and hateshis brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his

brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom hehas not seen 1 John 4:20. And trust me, I dont wanto be a liar. Neither should you.

*Matthew 20:1-16 and Luke 15:1-7

good. Pointing out others faults made the contrascrystal clear. Funny, Miss Johnston never threw mea party.

The older son wants a little recognition, but he seemsto think his fathers recognition is a zero-sum gameThere is something slightly unsatisfactory in thefathers response, Youre with me all the time, andeverything that is mine is yours. As in, of courseyoure always here; however, . . . Understandably, hefeels theres not enough attention to go around.

In contrast, our heavenly Fathers attention toward usis steadfast, affectionate, overowing. When someoneelse receives Gods mercy, there is still enough forme. God doesnt recognize my supposed goodnessHe recognizes me simply as His beloved child. Aspotlight is not a halo; a stage is not an altar. Whilepeoples recognition is nice, it recedes into shadowin light of Gods love. When the sheep are rescuedthe coin turns up, or the child returns, God smiles andthrows a party. May as well let the good times roll.


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All I AmBy Don Frazure

Holy Spirit Come is a song that Jeff Allen wroteseveral years before he came to Christ Church asour Assistant Worship Director. We sing it with agood degree of regularity because, lets face it, its agood song and it connects with our congregation. In

October we were recording each service so we coulduse the takes on the new worship CD (set for releaselate February/early March 2011 shameless plug, Iknow,) and Holy Spirit Come was on the set list forthat Sunday.

The day we recorded this song I was going through arough period of time. On the outside, things lookedgreat; the Fall Journey event was a success, ourweekend attendance was surging, the new 6:00 p.m.service was off to a great start, the band and vocalteam were tearing it up, the choir and orchestra werebringing it we were on re. But something waswrong with me. I was becoming so concerned withlittle details and things that shouldnt have botheredme. I noticed myself becoming snappish with basicallyeveryone on the team. I was becoming annoyed withpeople I loved and wasnt extending grace to themfor not being like I wanted them to be. Lets just saythat I wasnt offering up the best example of goodleadership at that time and leave it at that. I wasputting my focus on the service of worship rather than

on the God to whom I was worshipping. So its nowonder that things seemed to fall in on me that day.

Remember to Pray no matter what!

We normally have prayer just before the band andvocal team go out on stage. On this particular SundayI lost track of time and when I checked the count downit said 0:30 uh oh!!! Everybody on stage were

late!!! is all I could say (yell is more like it) as I rushedeveryone out on stage (without prayer) and we hastilybegan the service. It was all downhill from there. Iseemed like so many simple things that normally gooff without a problem suddenly were a problem. Iseemed like nothing was going right and I felt like was propping up everything for most of the serviceAs I look back on that day, having prayer with myteam would have centered my focus back on Christand on worshipping Him. Since that didnt happenthe dominos began to fall in the wrong direction. Theproblem, however, was deeper than just a missedprayer. My focus was not only on the things goingwrong in worship, but I was feeling it was about meand I was judging myself by those things. Then wecame to Holy Spirit Come.

When we sang All I have for You, is what I am to Youthe words hit me hard and the Holy Spirit spoke to meI was convicted of what I was doing. In an instant themeaning of that line sunk into my heart. Instead o


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seeing myself as God sees me, I was seeing myselfthrough the eyes of man or rather like I see myself.I was letting the success of Christ Church and mysuccess as worship director become the foundationof my identity. While I am proud to be serving at thischurch and take great joy in all that we get to do inworship, that is not who I am. I was letting myself feelequated to the success and also the perceived failures(remember how I said it seemed like the whole servicethat morning was falling apart) of the worship teamand worship services of Christ Church. I had lost sightof my true identity. While we were still singing, I hadto stop and pray for Gods forgiveness for losing sightof who I am in Him.

Who am I, really?

When all that seemed to fail that day, I felt like a failure.And if that was how God saw me, then I really was afailure in His eyes. Thankfully though, He sees me

differently than I do. All I have or am to Him, is who Iam through Jesus Christ not who I am through theworks of Don Frazure or Christ Church or the worshipteam, etc. That righteousness is as lthy rags in Hiseyes (Isaiah 64:6). No, when God sees me, He seesHis child who He bought with the blood of His Son. Inpreparation for this devotion, these scriptures spoke tome as to how God sees me through the saving graceof Jesus Christ:

I am a new creation in Christ.2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new hascome!

I am a child of God.John 1:12 Yet to all who received Him, to those whobelieved in His name, He gave the right to becomechildren of God.

I am a friend of Jesus Christ.John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because aservant does not know His masters business. Instead,

I have called you friends, for everything that I learnedfrom My Father I have made known to you.

I am Gods temple.1 Corinthians 3:16 Dont you know that you yourselvesare Gods temple and that Gods Spirit lives in you?

I am Gods workmanship.Ephesians 2:10 For we are Gods workmanship,created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which Godprepared in advance for us to do.

My ministry here at CUMC is not who I am. It is a parof who I am and I pray that God will always get theglory for what I do in His name. Your occupation isnot what God uses to identify you either. When Godlooks at you with your sins covered by the blood of Hisson, He sees His child that He created. He loves youbecause you are His and He is yours. That is how weneed to be identied. That doesnt give us permissionto ignore His teaching and go our own way. We musdaily repent of our sins, forget the world and remembernot only who we are, but whose. Do you see yourselfthrough the eyes of your Creator? Do you know whoyou are in Christ? Take some time to reect on theseverses and peel back the layers of your self-imageand see just who you really are in His sight. Whenyou see who you think you are measured against whoyou really are, the differences may reveal more thanyou want, yet need to know.


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A Message Of Hope

For The New YearBy Pat MacePerhaps the best reason for having calendars and formarking life in years is that the cycle offers hope. Weneed fresh starts and new chances. As we face a newyear, we pray for guidance. If we pray for guidance,our rst task is to listen deeply, alert for how answersappear from deep within our inner dialogue. Werealways talking to ourselves and hearing our minds talkback to us. Its called thinking. Lets take qualitytime in this new year to aim ourselves God-ward topresent a deep openness, and to bear with patiencethe sound of silence and the din of distracting thoughts.Depending on the issue, this may take a while.

After my husbands death, when I was driving myself,I was often lost (weird sense of direction). I needed tond my way out of dead ends and wrong turns. Perhapsyou have had this experience one way or another, ofsuddenly not knowing where you are or which way toturn, what road to take. The journey reveals itself to befull of unexpected dangers and unmarked crossroads,

bewildering choices, discouraging setbacks. We areall on our long journey home; we get lost along theway. We need to ask for help. We have to learn tolisten, follow directions, and recognize the help weasked for when it comes. We need to be sure of ourdestination and take responsibility for the path wechoose. Because society is committed to success,our time of dislocation and confusion can be terrifying.Similarly, it can be difcult to admit that we cannot ndour way alone. If you are on the wrong road, progressmeans turning around and walking back to the right

road. In the dark days of Nazi control of the Germanchurch in the 1930s, it was suggested to the youngpastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer that he could continue to

do much good from within the false church. I likeBonhoeffers response: If you board the wrong trainits no use running along the corridor in the oppositedirection. Sometimes we need to get off the trainaltogether. So how can we recognize Gods way ina world that so persuasively offers us its own way, away that will lead to destruction? The courage to keepgoing when the going is tough is necessary, but nosufcient. Fortitude must be informed by prudenceThe person seeking good must rst know what thegood is. In other words, a long obedience in the samedirection is not necessarily a virtue. A long obedience

in the wrong direction will not get us anywhere Christleads. Fortunately, Christians knowthat we never journey alone, that nothing can separateus from the love of God. Even when we are lost Godis with us. In the John Bunyan classic, PilgrimsProgress, I remember the way the hero Christiangoes astray over and over. Repeatedly he takes thewrong turn, gets distracted by ignorance and mistrustBut every time, with the help of Faithful and Hopefulhe gets back on track and keeps going toward thecelestial city. It seems signicant that Hopeful is the

companion who stays with Christian to the end. Nomatter how many times we nd ourselves lost andafraid, there is no reason to despair. Hope goes withus and there is nowhere we can go where God is notMay we, like Christian and all saints, rejoice and be ocourage by following the one who said I am the way.

The message for the new year is this: keep your eyeson Jesus and then you can offer an arm to others toease their struggles. We will recognize our onenessand our responsibility to others, listening with love andan open heart.


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Getting To Know

YouName: Justin Aymer

Job Title: Director Of CommunicationsJob Description: Responsible for the creation of,strategic planning and implementation of the digital

and print media in the church.

What are your hobbies?I enjoy creating stuff, playing music, songwriting,shing of any kind, canoeing and radio controlledhelicopters and airplanes.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I strangely enjoy the large capacity paper cutter. I

feel weird about this, but I discovered that I love to cutpaper.

What drives you every day?My wife because we share a car, but sometimes I ridea scooter or my bicycle.

What is your favorite food?I really like cheese.

What was the worst job you ever had?

I delivered newspapers in highschool for 2 weeks. I neededto buy a guitar amplier, so took this job long enough toget a paycheck. I deliverednewspapers overnight from2 am 6 am in the middle ofwinter during school daysThat was horrible.

What is your mission?

The Church as a whole isnot known for quality mediaActually, it is almost a jokeChurch websites and printmedia are way behind. I wanto change that perspective. want to create quality mediafor the church. I want toutilize print and digital media

to connect people with JesusChrist.

Who has inuenced your lifethe most?

I cant even count how many people have blownme away with generosity. People have shared theihomes, money, food and stuff with me. Sometimeswhen I was a complete stranger to them. They sharedtheir life with me. Because of them, I strive to beopen with everything that I have. If anyone needssomething and I can give it, then I am going to give it

What frightens you?The sound of wringing out a wet rag is terrifying to meIt creeps me out.

What advice do you have for the young people atchurch?Do something besides just coming to church. Go ona mission trip or join a ministry. That goes for anyoneShowing up is the smallest part of Christianity.

If you could choose a new name for yourself, whatwould that be?I would pick some sort of Viking or pirate tag to put onthe end of mine. Something like,Justin the short guy. Or I would go with Jasonbecause most people I know over 40 call me thatanyway.

Contact Justin:[email protected]


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Unto The Least Of

TheseBy Mary Pierce and Michael Harrison

But for the grace of God there go each one of us.A single mother of three small children who, afterpaying nearly all she has for rent and utilities, hasscant left for food; an out-of-work dad desperatelylooking for employment, scared that he may beunable to keep his family fed; an elderly widowseeing the last of her income succumb to risingcosts; a homeless veteran. Any one of these areyou and me under different circumstances, andall of these are loved dearly by our God becausethey are His children...and in this He calls us tobe His ministering hands.

Throughout the year people in tough times ndtheir way to the Fairview Heights Food Pantryfacing the challenge of feeding their hungryfamilies, rapidly emptying pantry shelves. ChristChurch has been one of the largest and mostgenerous, systematic supporters of this pantryand what we do from week to week is vital to the

service offered to those in need.

At any given time the pantry has need of whatwe can provide: canned and boxed food, pastacanned meats, rice, potatoes, beans, tuna, coffeetea, sugar, our, cooking oil, salt and pepper

Personal hygiene items such as toothpasteshampoo, deodorant and body wash as welas household cleaning supplies and laundrydetergent are also needed.

Please remember that large, bulk items aredifcult to repackage, so smaller, family sizeditems are better. Deliveries are made to thepantry every Monday morning, so please placeyour items in the designated bin in the collection

room off the gym.

Your generosity is a powerful way to connectpeople with Jesus Christ by meeting their needs.

...Any one of these areyou and me under differentcircumstances...{ }


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No Greater Love

MinistryBy Bernie Kneale

With each new year one of the rst things I put on mycalendar is the dates for the NGL trip to Mardi Gras inNew Orleans (March 48). This year will be number19 for me. And each year I ask myself the samequestion: Why should I go to Mardi Gras?

I am not an outgoing person; in many ways Im aloner. Over the years I realized the importance ofhaving a relationship with Jesus and how it has givenme an abundance of love, joy, and peace. I wantothers to share in that abundance as well. Jesus has

commanded me to share and I desire to be obedient.My natural inclination is to be quiet and, most of all, notembarrass myself. Hence, a major conict betweenJesus and me.

Any skill I have ever developed came because Istepped out, overcame my fears, and did it. I loveJesus and want to share Him with others, but I knowI cant (or wont) do it if I dont put myself in a have-to position. I wont share Jesus alone because Ineed support, encouragement, strength, experience,

practical advice, and wisdom. The men of NGL giveme that. Because of my experience with NGL, I canbe a greeter at the doors on Sunday, I can lead aBible study, I can hang-n-run or knock-n-talk, I cantalk to the store cashier about Jesus, I can pray with

people, and I can boldly say, I am not ashamed of theGospel!

Why not plan now to join me with a bunch of Jesusloving, boldly contagious, committed men andparticipate in one of the best mission trips you wilever experiencethe Mardi Gras outreach with NGL?

Women 4-GivenBy Kathy Odell

For a few years I have had a sometime goal ofcreating a Giving Circle based on the belief that givingis a source of spiritual joy. Okay, you might say, justwhat is a Giving Circle? A Giving Circle is a form ofphilanthropy where individuals join together and sharethe joy of giving.

We will do this by embracing generosity, becomingmore aware of area needs, and using membershipcontributions to award grants to not-for-protorganizations to make a positive difference in the livesof women and children.

Last April, women (many from Christ Church) agreedto come together, listen and consider this conceptof bringing together women from many churches

to increase our impact in serving Christ by servingothers. These 16 women have prayed, encouragedand worked together to form Women 4-Given, ournew 501(c)(3) charity.

The mission statement reads Women 4-Givenprioritizes generosity to serve women and children inChristian love.

The numeral 4 in our name represents the four keyprinciples of our Christian faith upon which this charityis founded: 1) We are all sinners. 2) We are saved bythe grace of God found in the death and resurrection ofJesus Christ alone. 3) We love God with all our heartmind, soul and strength. 4) We love our neighbor.

Membership will decide what agencies receive grantsThere will also be opportunities for hands-on serviceAnnual membership contribution equals $1 per day -$365 per year.

You are invited to the launch information meetingthat will be held 7 p.m., Thursday, January 20, atWestview Baptist Church in Swansea. For questions

please email me at [email protected]

Visit our blog at: www.women4-given.blogspot.com


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Spotlight On

Ministry Mens

Softball87 wins..

33 losses

7 post-season teams

3 League Championships

and more men than ever on the eld forJesus Christ!

That pretty much sums up the 2010 season for theMens Softball Ministry here at Christ Church.

With the success of our teams during the 2009season, it was difcult to imagine how things couldimprove during 2010. However, the Lord took the menof Christ Church Softball to new heights this year! Ican recall a time in the history of this ministry whenvictory was hard to come by. However, patience andperseverance have paid off as the Lord now dishesout victory to our teams over 75 percent of the time!The Mens Softball Ministry at Christ Church housesmen who compete on teams each spring and summer.Having its roots in a church league whose games were

held on Monday nights, Christ Church Softball hasgrown into a powerful mens outreach ministry strongenough to compete against the best teams in theMetro-East region. Ryan Blaha leads the men of ouTournament Division onto elds which had previouslybeen untouched by church teams. Their mission isto compete in an arena which we know to contain menwhich share a couple things in common:

1) They are searching for answers to difcult situationsencountered during this life;

2) They love to play softball!

The fruit of this group is becoming evident as menslives are being impacted by the presence of Godlymen on the eld of competition. Men are beginning toshow up every Sunday morning at CUMC as a resulof the efforts of our Tournament team. And there arestill many more to be harvested!

On the church league side of things, Jim Shoffstal

works to build teams using opportunities to competeagainst men of various Metro-East churches toorganize teams who will hopefully grow beyondcompeting in the church setting. The vision is tosend strong teams of Godly men into area beerleagues to pursue evangelical opportunities offered inthat setting.

The 2011 season is just around the corner. For moreinformation please visit us on the web at:www.leaguelineup.com/christchurchsoftball


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Dont Waste The

WildernessBy Nick Turner

Today in Christianity the wilderness is a concept

that is talked about seldom. We see the conceptof wilderness throughout scripture, especially in thePsalms. Many Christians of the past and presenttestify to their personal experience in the wilderness.

The wilderness is not to be confused with the dailygrind of life. The Christian life is hard, but thewilderness is a seasonweeks, months or even yearsof spiritual depression architected by God Himself.

The agony of the soul is known only to the oneenduring the darkness and to God. God feels distant

and the depth of your sin and unbelief feels near. Thewilderness exposes our weakness. You doubt theassurance of your salvation. You doubt any evidenceof Christ living in you let alone near you.

Yet the wilderness is a time when the Lord is craftingHis likeness in you with gracious precision. TheMaster is at work in His creation. Ironically, when youare doubting His favor, He is actually showing you richfavor. Count your time in the wilderness a privilege.

The people of Israel endured the wilderness. Scripturetells us that Israel was taken through the wildernessso that God would humble and test the heart of Hispeople. Israel endured the wilderness before inheritingthe promise land. It was a time of preparation andtesting to receive something greater in the future(Deut. 8:2-3 & 11-16).

David endured the wilderness. The promise okingship was Davids, but the envy of Saul put Davidto ight for his life in the wilderness. Throughout thePsalms we read of his souls dryness and how he felabandoned by God (Psalm 63).

Jesus endured the wilderness. Before Jesus beganHis ministry, the Spirit drove Him into the wildernesswhere He faced temptation of the devil. We knowJesus was without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and His timein the wilderness was a time of preparation. Noticea key principle here: the Spirit drove Jesus into the

wilderness. It is God who leads us into a dryness osoul the wilderness is the work of God (Mark 1:12-13).

There are times in the Christian life when the Lordchooses to take us through the wilderness. It ispainful. Yet the Lord takes us through for our good.


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Why does the Lord take us through the wilderness?

1.Preparation The Lord takes us through thewilderness to prepare us for the future. We mustdevelop a spirit of humility and dependency for thework of the Lord to come (Mark 1:12-13).

2.Discipline There are times when the Lord maytake us through the wilderness in order to disciplineus for something that displeases Him. Our charactermust be rened (Deut. 8:5; Hebrews 12:5-11).

3.Cultivation of a Deeper Passion Often the Lordwill take us through the wilderness to break us fromanything that competes with Christ for our worship.We may have objects of affection (other than Christ)removed where we are forced to press in and leanon Him. As the darkness grows we nd ourselveshungering for Jesus. As we recognize our desperateneed for Him, we pursue Him like our life depended on

it, because it does. A deep passion for Jesus beginsto develop where our greatest desire is to know Him(Psalm 63:1; Phil. 3:7-11).

4.All of the above The why in the wilderness is notas important as the Who. The result of the wildernessis Christ-likeness, Christ-centeredness, and Christ-exaltation. The soul seeking, pursuing, glorying in,and being satised in Jesus and Jesus alone is thepurpose of the wilderness.

Dont waste the wilderness.

The barrenness of the wilderness produces theourishing fruit of a heart yielded to God. Be patientand wait upon the Lord. Allow the Lord to teach youand mold you into His likeness.

Take courage and let faith rise in your heart. Leanon the promises in His Word. Trust in Him and Hisgoodness despite any evidence. Trust in His presenceeven if He seems far away.

I once heard that it greatly pleases the Fathers heartwhen His children trust and seek after Him despiteany external evidence. Any person with a luxury car,a house and 2.5 kids can believe in God. But whenwe have no evidence that He is near, it pleases theFather when His children choose to trust in Him andHis Word.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are youin turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again

praise Him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 42:11(ESV)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; mysoul thirsts for you; my esh faints for you, as in a dryand weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

Dont waste the wilderness.

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On Sunday, January 30 from 1-3 p.m., the BoneMarrow Registry will be at the Christ Church Gym totest and register potential donors. If you are unable todonate personally because of a certain condition, you

can still help by bringing others that can donate andby giving nancially. It costs about $100 per person tobe tested (which is done by a cheek swab), and whilewe have already raised about $250 with bake saleswe will need more to help support our volunteers(There is no charge to you to be tested, but a donationis kindly accepted.)

There will be a sign-up sheet at the Activity Centeif you are interested in donating. If you have anyquestions, please go to BeTheMatch.org or call theParish Nurse at 277.4659. Remember, all you need

is to: Be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willingto donate to any patient in need, and meet the healthguidelines.

When you join the Be The Match Registry, you canSAVE A LIFE!

Jeri Lyn Horowitz, RN FCNParish Nurse Ministry Coordinator


15/16

15

Watch Us Grow

New Members--------------------------------

NovemberJessi Semaan, Vince Semaan, Patrick McGinthy, SaraMcGinthy, Corinne Whitlatch, Connie Easley, KathleenA. Clark, Terry Snodgrass, Brent N. Kohlenberger,Lisa K. Kohlenberger, Vee Richardson, Ryan Wilson,Aleida Wilson, Harry Easley, Debbie Porter, Lori Yung,Todd Yung

DecemberRyan Sweeten, Christina Ballard, Carrie Gaxiola,

Jonathan Gaxiola, Joshua Gaxiola, Landon Gaxiola,Megan Gaxiola, Urban Gaxiola, Frances Howie, MikeCreagh, Debby Creagh, Kyle Clark, Jeron J Haas,Dustin Ballard, Deanna Haas, Tracy N. Meyer, DennisHowie, John Moore

Baptisms--------------------------------

NovemberTerry Snodgrass, Paula Peppers, Melissa Markle,Natalie Painter, Mikayla Archambo, Allison Gail Mayo

DecemberGabriel Lakota Castaneda-Sexton,Jacob Pierre Howie, Landon Gaxiola, Parker ChristianBarrett

Member Passings

--------------------------------Ann F. Prescott November 19Neil Cresswell December 13

Membership Transfer

--------------------------------NovemberKaylyn Nation, Jack Haydon, Janice Haydon

DecemberJeffrey Mitchell, Debi Mitchell, Joshua Mitchell

Attendance--------------------------------

December Worship = 1,559Dec. Connection Classes = 302

Year Avg. Worship = 1,382Year Avg. Connection Classes = 379

Finances--------------------------------

General BudgetYTD Giving = $1,631,391.65YTD Expenses = $1,656,334.51Annual Budget = $1,680,054.00

Change The WorldTotal Remaining Debt = $5,751,166.91Remaining Pledges to Collect = $310,089.99


16/16

Feb. 24-25, 2011

Church Leadership Conference

navigatethechange.com

Volunteers are needed to help with registration, greeting, hospitality, and food service. If you would liketo volunteer for Thursday evening, Friday morning, and/or Friday lunch and cleanup, please contactevent coordinator Liz Reed at [email protected].

Visit the conference website for more information. www.navigatethechange.com

Nonproft

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

E. St. Louis, IL

Permit #2290

339 Frank Scott Parkway EastFairview Heights, IL 62208

Documents

The Flame Jan / Feb 2011