Church Family,

Continuing our Psalms for the Summer, this past Sunday we looked at Psalm 35, a rich and robust imprecatory psalm. Here David shows us that God cares greatly for justice. Not only does He care for justice, His righteousness makes him uniquely qualified to declare what is just and his power makes him uniquely capable of administering justice. God’s justice is seen in its fullest in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus alone lived a life undeserving of death, and though death struck out against Him on the cross, He overcame death in his resurrection, putting death itself to death. Let us, like David, respond to this glorious display of God’s justice with shouts of joy and gladness, praising God and telling of his righteousness all the day long.

Fall Schedule

The weather may still feel like summer for a while longer, but according to the calendar we’re coming up on fall and so we’re returning to our fall schedule. This upcoming Sunday will be the last of our Psalms for the Summer, so starting August 4th we’ll be picking back up where we left off before summer with Acts 4:32-5:11. The next week-and-a-half would be a great time to look back and remember where we’ve been in Acts and even to read ahead to see where we’re going. Our Wednesday night ministries are still a little further out, but will be starting back up on September 11th.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday guest preacher Brandon Reimus walked us through Psalm 34. This psalm highlights God’s persistent goodness as seen in his love towards his people. It does not claim that God’s people will not face hardship, in fact it argues the exact opposite. Still, God will meet the needs of his people in those hardships. We can be certain of this by looking back at how God has provided for us and others in the past. Even if hardship persists to our deathbed, we can trust in the ultimate provision that is eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God.

Christian Challenge

Starting in the Fall semester, Light in the Desert will be leading the Christian Challenge ministry on ASU’s Polytech campus. Christian Challenge is a ministry organization focused on bringing the Gospel to Arizona’s college campuses and connecting students to local churches for discipleship and service. We plan to establish a consistent on-campus presence at Polytech by tabling to spark Gospel conversations and having regular Bible studies on campus. We also plan to connect the students we reach back to Light in the Desert so they would reap the benefits of the church gathering and of discipling relationships. This past Sunday Brandon Reimus, the director of Christian Challenge at the Tempe ASU campus, took a few minutes to tell us about why this ministry is so valuable to both students and churches. If you weren’t there to hear it we would highly recommend you check out our sermon feed to at least listen to that portion of Brandon’s time with us. We would also strongly encourage everyone to be regularly praying that this new ministry effort would be fruitful and life-giving.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday we looked at Psalm 33. This psalm clearly establishes that the Lord alone is our rescue. The laws and structures of even the greatest nations cannot be our rescue; they are subject to the will of God which alone stands forever. The might of armies cannot be our rescue; they all pale in comparison to the might of our Lord. We are called, then, to be glad in the Lord and to sing songs of praise to him who alone is enthroned over all. Let us rejoice in the fact that our hope is not in the fading things of this world but in the sure and steadfast love of the Lord.

Christian Challenge

Starting in the Fall semester, Light in the Desert will be leading the Christian Challenge ministry on ASU’s Polytech campus. Christian Challenge is a ministry organization focused on bringing the Gospel to Arizona’s college campuses and connecting students to local churches for discipleship and service. We plan to establish a consistent on-campus presence at Polytech by tabling to spark Gospel conversations and having regular Bible studies on campus. We also plan to connect the students we reach back to Light in the Desert so they would reap the benefits of the church gathering and of discipling relationships. Even as someone who was a believer long before college, being part of a college ministry that was closely tied to a local church played a vital role in keeping me grounded in a church and in the Gospel both while I was in college and afterwards, so I have no doubt that this is a valuable ministry. As we approach the start of the semester we ask that you would be praying regularly for this new ministry effort, not only that it would be fruitful but also for guidance in how you might come alongside us in reaching the students at Polytech.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday we looked at Psalm 32 which centers around a clear point and counterpoint. First, it tells us “blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven.” There is a true and utterly unique joy that comes from receiving the forgiveness found in the work of Jesus Christ. By contrast we are told that “many are the sorrows of the wicked.” While it may at times seem appealing to live in unrepentant sin that is just a deception of sin itself. In reality it makes the sinner waste away and leads ultimately to death. As we reflect on this psalm this week let us consider if we recognize godly blessedness and the sorrow of sin or if we have fallen prey to sin’s lies and envy the unrepentant. Let us pray that God would open our eyes to the joy that is found in faithfully following Him.

Guest Preachers for July

As per usual we will have guest preachers covering all the sermons in the month of July. This allows for people from both inside and outside our church to have the joy of preaching and to gain a little more of the valuable experience that preaching provides. This also allows Bryan the benefit of sitting under the preaching of the word and frees him up to put in some hard work on things like planning future sermon series and, especially this year, preparing the church to take on new ministry efforts like running Christian Challenge on the ASU Polytech campus. We encourage you to be praying this month both for guest preachers we will have over the next few weeks and for our elders as they enter into an intensive period of planning.

Sunday Studies

Church Family,

This past Sunday we spent our time in Psalm 31, one of David’s lament psalms. This psalm indicates that David was facing the dreadful experience of being slandered and being rejected for that slander. David responds by asking that God would preserve him, not just physically but spiritually. He asks that God would protect his character, and displays tremendous confidence that God will do just that. David repeatedly calls the attention of his readers back to God’s steadfast love by which the Lord preserves the faithful. Brothers and sisters, as we inevitably face trials in our lives, let us think back to this psalm. Let us be like David and pray that God would keep us in righteousness, and let us overflow with confidence in the steadfast love of God.

Kids Camp

Kids Camp is this week, maybe even happening right now as you read this blog! What are you doing checking your email? You should be here helping! In all seriousness, we want to thank everyone so much for all the hard work you have already put into Kids Camp and for all the work that is to come. We also ask that you would continue to pray for all the kids in attendance and for their families, that the Gospel would take hold in their hearts and even take hold in entire households. We trust that God is using all this effort to grow His kingdom and glorify His name.

Sunday Studies

We just wanted to take a second to remind you that while our Wednesday night ministries are on break for the Summer, our 9 a.m. Sunday Studies are ongoing. These classes are a great way to address important matters on a topical basis and to do so with a discussion-oriented approach that allows us to speak into each other’s lives in a unique way. If you’re not already in the habit of making it to these classes we would greatly encourage you to give them a shot.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday we spent our time in Psalm 30, which David wrote for the dedication of the Temple but is also fit for any moment of gathering in the house of the Lord. It highlights the permanence of God’s glory, especially in contrast with the fleeting moments of our prosperity. It also highlights God’s faithfulness to his people. While the life of a believer surely involves suffering, that suffering inevitably gives way to joy. God turns our mourning to dancing, as David puts it. Ultimately Psalm 30 shows that we can have tremendous confidence in the Lord our God, and it calls us, not just individually but together as a unified voice, to respond in a bold outpouring of praise.

Kids Camp

Kids Camp is now less than a week away. If you are signed up as a volunteer please plan on attending a meeting this upcoming Sunday immediately after the main service. That meeting will involve handing out roles for Kids Camp and providing any necessary instruction for those roles. As you continue to pray for Kids Camp we ask that you would specifically pray for the kids who will attend and their families. Pray that they will develop good relationships with our volunteers and, more importantly, that they would hear the Gospel clearly and be transformed by that truth.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday we continued our Psalms for the Summer with Psalm 29. Here David makes use of opposites like heaven and earth, land and sea, mountains and lowlands to emphatically declare that God has undeniable lordship over all things. The Psalm even makes reference to high and low moments of the people of Israel to show that God’s lordship stands even in the best and worst of times. As we reflect on this Psalm this week we should be filled with incredible hope as we recognize God’s authority over every moment of our lives, which he acts upon in mercy and grace. We should also take Psalm 29 as a reminder to witness the majesty of God displayed in creation and declare to him the glory due his name.

Kids Camp

Registration for Kids Camp is open and available here. It can also be accessed through the Light in the Desert Website and the QR code on the Kids Camp flyer. As we continue to pray for God to do amazing work through this ministry effort we encourage you to specifically pray this week that our volunteers would be united in loving the kids that attend Kids Camp, caring for and cooperating with one another, and ultimately seeking to honor God in their volunteer efforts above all else.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This week we picked back up our Psalms for the Summer. Starting back where we left off, Psalm 28 is a Psalm of lament, expressing David’s sincere and justified feelings of despair. Still, as a holy lament, this Psalm is a Psalm of faith. Rather than becoming despondent or vindictive, David responded with confidence that the Lord would be his salvation and would see to justice. Let us seek to be like David as we think back on Psalm 28, eagerly bringing our troubles to God and trusting in His faithfulness to His people.

Kids Camp

Kids Camp is just a few weeks away now, and along with continuing to encourage you to sign up to volunteer we’re also asking that you would take up some particular prayer requests regarding Kids Camp. This week, we encourage you to pray for strength and wisdom for our deaconesses of children’s ministry as they finalize decisions for Kids Camp and are hard at work with all the remaining preparations.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday we looked at Peter and John standing before the authorities in Jerusalem after the two of them had been thrown in prison for preaching the Gospel. These authorities can find no grounds for charges in light of the two apostles’ arguments from the Old Testament and pointing to the man who had been healed in Jesus’ name. Still, the authorities worried what would happen if word of the resurrection spread further and commanded Peter and John to no longer speak in the name of Jesus. Despite the threats made against them, Peter and John said they simply cannot be stopped. The news of salvation through Jesus is too amazing, important, and urgent to be contained. As we look back on this passage this week, we should consider if we see the overwhelming value of the Gospel that Peter and John recognized or if we put greater emphasis on the worldly pressures around us to keep this message bottled up.

Prospective Members Class

We will be hosting a prospective members class on Saturday, May 25th 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Attending this class is not a firm commitment to anything; it is simply an opportunity to learn about Light in the Desert Church and what it means to be a member. If you are interested in attending please sign up on the sheet in the foyer.

Pursuing Faithfulness Through the Summer

As our regular mid-week ministries take a pause for the Summer, and as many people use this time to go out of town, it can be easy to fall out of regular rhythms of faithful Christian living. In light of this, we wanted to offer a few practical suggestions for continuing to seek and serve God over these next few months. As we will be returning to the Psalms for our sermons in June and July, consider meeting weekly with someone to either read ahead the Psalm we will cover each week or reflect back on the Psalm afterwards (or both if you’re really ambitious). If you’re traveling, pray for churches you see in your travels, asking God that the truth of the Gospel would be proclaimed powerfully in each of those congregations and thanking Him that we are part of a global body of believers. Watch for the wonder and majesty of God, perhaps in the scenery as travel or in the awe-inspiring storms that will likely come through over the next few months. Consider using time normally spent at church on Wednesdays to share a meal with other church members as an opportunity to grow more invested in each other’s lives.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern

Church Family,

This past Sunday, as we continued to work our way through the book of Acts, we encountered yet another of the many signs and wonders performed by the apostles. As Peter and John entered the temple they came across crippled beggar. Lacking either silver or gold, the apostles offer this man something far more valuable, his strength to walk. Notably, this healing is performed in the name of Jesus, and the apostles use the attention drawn by this miracle to preach Christ crucified and resurrected. Peter and John proclaim to the very people who had Jesus put to death that He still is offering grace and mercy to them. The apostles call the crowd to repent and many do, but others grow irritated and have Peter and John imprisoned. We find in this passage that the Gospel is greater than money, our health, or even our worldly freedom, yet many still bitterly reject it. As we continue to think about this passage this week, we should seriously consider if we are valuing the Gospel as highly as we should.

Prospective Members Class

We will be hosting a prospective members class on Saturday, May 25th 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Attending this class is not a firm commitment to anything; it is simply an opportunity to learn about Light in the Desert Church and what it means to be a member. If you are interested in attending please sign up on the sheet in the foyer.

Kids Camp Donations

We are taking donations for our upcoming kids camp. There are two ways to donate. First, you can take a sticky note with an item to donate off the board in the foyer and put your name down on the sheet for that item. Second, there is an Amazon wish-list you can use to directly purchase items needed for Kids Camp. You can access that wish-list through the QR code in the foyer or by following the link here.

Grace be with you,

Logan Murphy

Pastoral Intern