Personal Sacrifice for the Glory of God
Church Family,
This past Sunday we looked at Hebrews 13:1-6, in which the author of Hebrews gives instructions regarding five different aspects of the life of the church:
- Love for those inside the church
- Hospitality for those outside the church
- Care for those who are suffering for the Christian faith
- Honor for the institution of marriage
- Contentment that defies the worldly love of money
Faithfully adhering to these instructions from Hebrews will demand that we all make sacrifices and engage in righteous, but difficult, self-denial. Yet we can pursue these things joyfully as Jesus Christ is our strength and our comfort, and we can rejoice that our sacrifices are for the glory of our Lord.
I encourage you to read Hebrews 13:7-25 to prepare for this upcoming Sunday when we will consider the concluding thoughts of this wonderful letter.
Prospective Members Class
If you have been visiting Light in the Desert Church and are interested in attending a prospective members class, please reach out to Pastor Bryan or sign up at our welcome desk in the foyer. This class is not a commitment to anything, but it is an opportunity to learn more about what Light in the Desert Church believes in and what it means to be a member here. This class is even a great opportunity if you are simply looking to understand more about what church membership is in a general sense.
Senior Lunch
We will be having a senior lunch on Wednesday, February 21st. We have not drawn a hard line regarding who is or is not a senior, but if you consider yourself to be a senior you are welcome to join. If you are familiar with how we have done senior lunches in the past there are a few changes to note. First, we will be meeting at noon. Second, we have changed venues to The Hub just down the road at Baseline and Sossaman. Third, if you are planning on attending, we need you to sign up so we can give the restaurant a heads up on how many people we have coming.
Grace be with you,
Logan Murphy
Pastoral Intern
The Church as a Stronghold of Faithfulness
Church Family,
This past Sunday, Pastor Bryan walked us through Hebrews 12:12-29. In this passage we were reminded that one of the purposes of the Church as a God-given institution is to preserve believers in life-long faith. This support from the Church is an essential part of what allows us to endure earth-shaking moments in which the faulty things we have built for ourselves and in which we have placed undue trust crumble away. All that remains is that which is unshakeable because it has been established by God, particularly the unshakeable truth that Jesus’ death on the cross payed the penalty for our sins and granted us His righteousness so we might enter the unshakeable kingdom of God where we will glorify him and live in perfect relationship with him forever.
In light of this passage I would encourage you to consider your relationship to the Church, if it is truly serving as a stronghold of faithfulness in your life and if you are striving to preserve the faith of your brothers and sisters in Christ. I would also encourage you to read ahead to Hebrews 13:1-6, which we will cover this upcoming Sunday, and prepare for us to consider some of what it looks like for the Church to be a stronghold of faith.
Church Calendar
We just wanted to take a second to remind you that we have a church calendar built into our website which you can access here. It’s a great way to keep track of the goings-on at Light in the Desert, both our regular patterns of ministry as well as any one-off events. If you are especially inclined towards electronic organization, you can even export all the events on the calendar so you can pug them in to any other digital calendar you use. We hope this calendar serves to promote the kind of active and involved Church life preserves God’s people in life-long faith.
Grace be with you,
Logan Murphy
Pastoral Intern
The News Blog is Back!
Church Family,
One of our priorities as we begin our pastoral internship program is to bring back our weekly news blog, as evidenced by the existence of this very post. Our intent is that this would not only be a useful tool for keeping up with all the goings-on of our church, but also an opportunity to reflect on the past Sunday’s sermon so that the truths of God’s word will better permeate each moment of our lives. If you are reading this, you likely know how to find the news blog and may already be subscribed, but just in case, the news blog can be found here and you can click the “subscribe here” button on that page to receive the news blog in your email.
This past Sunday we considered how Hebrews 12:1-11 teaches us to shed the weight of sin so that we might tirelessly follow the path God has set out before us. We do this by looking to the faith of those who came before us, and far more importantly, by clinging to the example of Jesus Christ our savior. What’s more, we are strengthened to this end by the loving discipline of God the Father which produces the fruits of righteousness in us.
Next Sunday we will be covering Hebrews 12:12-29, so we encourage you to read ahead and prepare to consider how we are called to promote holiness in our church and why that holiness is so vital to believers.
Women’s Conference
We are a Bible-believing church and desire that we would all be more capable Bible readers. In pursuit of this goal we will be having our Get the Picture Women’s conference this Saturday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Guest speaker Lauren Locker will teach on seeing God and His plan through the pictures He has given us in His word. Get more information and register for the conference here.
Church Picnic
This Sunday, Jan. 28, we will be meeting up at Monterey Park after church for a bring your own food picnic. Bring your lunch and your drink and have fun hanging out in the community with our church family. The park is located at Guadalupe and Power. Parking is just off Monterey St. at the Superstition Springs Elementary School parking lot. We will be gathering very close to that parking lot. Feel free to bring a camp chair for comfortable seating. Hope to see you there!
Grace be with you,
Logan Murphy
Fall Ministry
Church Family,
Though the heat is still with us, the summer break is behind us. It’s nice to have a bit of a break from the daily grind during the summer, but I’m super excited about getting back into a regular rhythm, and that is precisely what is happening this week. Our fall ministry efforts will begin! Below is a schedule of this week’s gatherings:
- Wednesday (Sept 7): Join us for Disciple Makers from 6 – 7:30 pm to hear what Disciple Makers is all about and what we will cover this semester. Childcare will be provided.
- Sunday (Sept 11): We will start a new round of studies for our 9 am Sunday Studies: The Attributes of God and Living as a Church. As you enter the foyer, look for signs directing you to the classroom where these classes will meet. If you have never attended a Sunday Study, let me encourage you to do so this week!
- Sunday (Sept 11): Desert Kids will launch their new classes this Sunday! We are excited about the adjustments and trust the changes will serve our families better. If you don’t know where to go, grab a volunteer, and they will help you find the right class.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
For the Truth
Church Family,
It was such a joy to be together last Sunday as we looked at 3 John. It was an exciting time of reminding ourselves to be fellow workers of truth by fully knowing the gospel and faithfully supporting gospel work. I’m so thankful for LITDC’s commitment to both those beautiful things. We long to be gospel-saturated in all we do and continue to pray for gospel partnerships. Join us in that prayer as we seek to be fellow workers of truth in Mesa, Arizona, and across the world.
Kids Camp!!!
We are so excited about Kid’s Camp from June 8 to 10! Continue to pray as we get more registrations coming in daily. If you want to hand out flyers in your community, just let us know, and we can print as many as you like.
Elder Candidate
We announced this past Sunday a significant step forward in moving towards a plurality of Elders as our collective conviction. Since January, once we agreed and affirmed a new set of Bylaws reflecting a plurality of Elders, the Transition Team has been working, praying to seek God’s wisdom, and then vetting potential Elder Candidates. We are happy to present Jared Whitehurst as our Elder Candidate. On June 12, we will vote either to affirm or deny that recommendation in two weeks. If you are a member, take the next two weeks to pray, and don’t hesitate to reach out to Jared.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Blessings
Church Family,
Can you believe we have just one more week left in the book of Genesis? This series has been encouraging to me in at least two ways. One, the entire bible finds its roots in the book of Genesis. So to study it thoroughly will aid your understanding of the whole bible. I pray that has been the case for you. Secondly, how it sets the tone for the importance of God’s sovereignty has been deeply encouraging. What has been extremely clear is that we owe our salvation, from beginning to end, to God alone. There is no other explanation for all we have in Christ; it’s God’s work!
Thank you for your desire to consume God’s Word above all else every time we gather!
Kids Camp
Pray for those who will attend and the volunteers as June 8-10 draws near. We are excited and looking forward to what the Lord will do with that time. Also, we will announce this Sunday a day we will need as much help as possible to clean and set up after the school removes all their stuff. Please consider helping those days! We are going to need it!
Prospective Members Class
We are excited for the many who have signed up for this Saturday’s Prospective Members Class! There is still room for others, so if you did not get a chance to sign up just be here this Saturday at 9 am. We’d love to see you!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Kid’s Camp
Church Family,
What a great Sunday together as we explored Genesis 46, which explains Jacob’s entrance into Egypt. By this point in the story of Genesis, many years have passed since God made a promise to Abraham (Gen 12). Though time has passed and people have come and gone, God has not wavered in keeping His promises. He alone has proven to be faithful. It is Him who works providentially to bring about his desired ends. Genesis 46 shows us God’s faithfulness in multiplying Jacob/Israel and highlights His future faithfulness to bring them back to the promised land.
Kid’s Camp Registration
Registration is now open! Click HERE to register your child/children for Happy Holidays: Celebrating God’s Good Plan Kid’s Camp. Please join us in prayer as we send out a flyer through multiple schools in the area!
Prospective Members Class
We announced this past Sunday that we are having our next Prospective Members Class on May 21 from 9 am – 12 pm. Please register in the foyer if you are interested in attending. This class is designed to give further details on all things Light in the Desert Church. We will discuss what we believe, what a church is, why join a church, and lastly, the nuts and bolts of our life together.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
A Few Updates
Church Family,
I hope you all have enjoyed our time in the book of Genesis. It’s been a joy studying and preparing each week. We are scheduled to finish up Genesis in four weeks, and then we will dive back into the book of Psalms for June and July. This week, take some time to read the final chapters of Genesis and consider Joseph’s words in Gen 45:4-8 and Gen 50:20. (Check the entire series out here or listen to last week’s message here.)
Kids Camp
Thank you to everyone who has donated supplies to Kid’s Camp! Continue to be in prayer as we open up registration in a couple of weeks through various schools in the area.
Disciple Makers
There will be no Disciple Makers Class this week, April 27. We will resume next week on May 4.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Join us this weekend!
Church Family,
I do hope you all are well. I want to invite all who receive this blog post to join us this weekend as we contemplate and celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. This week in our calendar, often referred to as Passion Week, captures the heart of where our hope lies–in a living Savior who took the punishment we deserve. Please participate in the various opportunities available this week to contemplate and celebrate our Risen Lord!
Easter Schedule
- Good Friday, 6 pm
- Waiting Saturday, provided readings given out on Friday
- Resurrection Sunday, 9 am fellowship, and 10:15 am gathering
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Test of Mercy
Church Family,
What a great time together this past Sunday. It was a joy to have Erik Naylor from Life Among the Nations share God’s Word with us and update us on what the Lord is doing at ASU amongst international students. Check out this link for more information and get a glimpse into their work. Erik walked us through Joseph testing his brothers. What we found were hearts that were showing repentance from the brothers and mercy that Joseph extended. We will continue looking at Joseph and his brothers’ interactions this coming week. Take some time and read Genesis 44 this week.
Easter Weekend
This is just a friendly reminder of our Easter Weekend schedule:
- Good Friday (April 15th), 6 pm
- Waiting Saturday (April 16th), readings at home
- Resurrection Sunday (April 17th), 9 am Fellowship, and 10:15 am Gathering.
Members Meeting
We announced this past Sunday our next Members Meeting. It will be held on April 24th at 4 pm. We will discuss the budget, update the Elder search, and, most importantly, hear testimonies to receive new members. Mark your calendars and plan on being there.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan