Events of last week

I am still thinking through the events of last week around ClearView. We began the week (January 18) by reading the Bible through as a church family. We did so by reading the entire Bible aloud. We started Sunday morning at 9:00 and read 15 hours / day each day of the week ending Saturday evening at 9:00. We actually read through the entire Bible by 9:48 Thursday morning. That is 60 hrs and 48 minutes if anyone is counting. We then started over at the beginning of the New Testament and read it through a second time. Then we started the New Testament again and read through to Acts 5. I have heard feedback from a number of families and individuals as to the impact of this experience. When each person read, they signed the Bible alongside the passages they read. This will be a keepsake Bible for years to come in our church.

We also signed up for prayer times in the new building with established prayer stations and instructions for prayer at each station. We finished the week with a 24 hour fast Saturday evening through Sunday evening to coincide with the end of our dedication service of the new building.

Simply put, this was a highwater mark for me personally as a Pastor. I don't know that I have ever been part of something that was so simple, yet made such an impact. We have as a core value the centrality of God's Word in all that we do and teach. This was a way to highlight this core value while making personal impact. To walk into the chapel at different times of the week and see and hear God's Word simply being read was just awesome!

This is a public "thank you" to all those at ClearView that personally participated in the reading, the prayer, and / or the fast.

Here are a couple of pictures of the new chapel for those that haven't seen it.

A Christian's Response During Economic Downturns

A video posted by John Piper regarding how Christians should respond to economic downturns...

Getting the Word out ... for 100 years

An organization that I admire is celebrating 100 years of ministry. The more I study it and the more I teach it, the more I have come to have absolute confidence in God's Word. The Bible has the power to change lives and the Gideons have seen this happen in the lives of thousands. If you have opened the drawer of the nightstand next to a bed in a hotel you have most likely come across a "Gideon Bible". But there ministry stretches around the world.

We have a number of men and their wives in our church who are invovled in this ministry. I want to say to all of them as well as the other approx. 175,000 who are part of this impactful ministry. Thank you for the unsung behind-the-scenes ministry you have provided over this past century. His Word will not return void. And you have demonstrated this to be true.

Happy Anniversary!

Update

This will be an update to the immediate previous post. We will starting the prayer and Bible reading times on Sunday, January 18. More information coming Sunday, but I wanted you to be aware we are starting on Sunday rather than Wednesday. This will allow us to avoid overnight times which will be more secure for those involved. We will be starting at 6:00 am Monday - Saturday (Jan. 19-24) allowing some to come before work. We will going to 9:00 pm on the same dates allowing some to come after work. We will be signing up for 20 minute increments.

I would encourage you to think about doing this as a family or as Sunday School classes when possible. I believe it will be an amazing experience done this way. Also, feel free to sneak into the back of the room and listen to the reading if you would like.

We will have instructions as you arrive for your time(s), but one piece of information ahead of time: You will sign in the margin beside the passages you will read. This copy of the Bible will be kept in a special place upon completion of this reading.

More to come Sunday!

Special days just ahead

For those outside the area local to the church I pastor, I apologize for the irrelevancy of this post. We (ClearView) has some very special days just ahead. I am asking all ClearView attenders and members to spread the word on this post. I will also be sharing some of this content this coming Sunday, January 4.

We will be having Open House and Dedication for the new building January 25. The Open House will be 2:00 - 5:00 that afternoon. We will be having a dedication service for the building with special emphasis on the chapel at 5:00 that afternoon.

Beginning Wednesday January 21, we will be reading the Bible through aloud as a church body. That's right ... Gen. 1 through the end of Revelation ... aloud. We will be providing opportunities for you to sign up for time slots. During the time for which you sign up, you will stand (or sit) on the stage in the chapel and read from Scripture aloud the text following the person that read just prior to you. If you don't like speaking or reading in front of people, don't worry there will be time slots available for which few if any will be present in the room. This will begin Wednesday evening and we will finish during the dedication service with the reading of the final chapters of Revelation. We will then place the copy of God's Word used for the reading in a special place.

In addition to reading, this will be a special time of prayer. We will be signing up for times to come to the chapel and pray during the same times during which the Bible is being read.

In the weeks just ahead we will be seeing the example set by the people of Israel after the rebuilding of the wall. A time for emphasis on God's Word and spiritual renewal followed the completion of the project of rebuilding the wall and to set the stage for God to work among His people.




As each of us prepare individually for this coming new year and the fresh opportunities in front of us, collectively God has granted us new opportunities as a congregation.