Genesis
Church Family,
This past Sunday, we dove back into the wonderful book of Genesis. Since starting this series, it has been a joy to see the beginning of all creation and to understand our origins. In doing so, we can make sense of the world around us and better understand God’s redemptive work throughout history. I look forward to the coming months as we begin to see the formation of God’s people specifically. We will continue to see the struggle of faith, the effects of Sin, and a Sovereign God working providentially despite it all. I hope you will find our time studying the beginning very fruitful for the present.
Get the Vision
We cannot be more excited about this historical moment for Light in the Desert Church as we move to a plurality of Elders. We’ve studied scripture, prayed often, and discussed together to arrive at this pivotal time in our life together. It all culminates this coming Sunday, January 9, at 4 pm as we discuss and approve new bylaws that reflect our collective conviction of Elder-lead, Deacon-served, and Congregational-ruled.
Sunday Studies
As a refresher and encouragement to attend, let me explain Sunday Studies. Sunday Studies are designed to tackle tough theological and cultural issues with a desire to help us love God supremely, love others sacrificially, and share hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples. They typically last about seven weeks but are strategically set up to join at any point. Each lesson does not require being at the previous. They begin at 9 am, so set your alarm a little earlier and prep the night before to attend.
International Missions Offering
Each Advent season, we collect a mission offering where 100% of what is collected goes to international mission work. This year, as in years past, you all gave generously. Let me say thank you and how much of a joy it is to serve such generous people. Each and every dollar will aid in gospel work across the world. The final total was $3,440.00!!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Christmas!
Church Family,
We are in the home stretch of 2021! This year, we have truly seen God’s grace in some real, measurable ways. At the close of 2021, we have 41 members, celebrated three baptisms, and continue to move towards a plurality of elders. What a year! Despite the struggles over the past few years, the Lord has been gracious to us, and we have been able to experience significant moments together. These moments show us wonderful signs of health as a church and remind us of God’s grace. I rejoice in all the Lord has done and anticipate much more to come. I pray that this week will provide many moments for you and your family to rejoice in God taking flesh and all that means. Slow down, sit together, and open your bibles to see and savor the God-man!
Christmas Schedule
Here is just a quick reminder of what will and will not be happening this week:
Disciple-Makers finished up last week and will start back up in late January.
Christmas Eve we will gather at 4 pm to sing songs, read scripture, hear a message, and rejoice at the birth of Christ.
Sunday Studies will not meet this coming Sunday (Dec 26) and will resume the following Sunday (Jan 2).
Lastly, our 10:15 Sunday Gathering will be as usual this coming Sunday.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Peace
Church Family,
I hope this holiday season has been filled with a greater sense of all we have in Jesus Christ. Let’s be reminded this Christmas that we have hope, joy, peace, and love because of the first coming of Christ long ago in a manger. In all the happenings and traditions of the holiday, what is most true is the unshakable person and work of the God-man. There is so much to reflect upon and no shortage of peace to be gained as we consider God taking flesh. As we looked at Luke 2 during our Sunday Gathering, we saw clearly through the declaration of a random man named Simeon that in Christ, we SEE our salvation. As he holds that baby, he can depart in PEACE because he holds salvation in his arms! He alludes to the suffering that will come as this baby, the Promised One, brings salvation (Luke 2:35). Peace is ours, but let us not forget what the person Jesus does in his work to secure it!
Disciple-Makers
This Wednesday will be our last Disciple-Makers Class of 2021. It’s been a wonderful time of learning and reflecting upon the great truths we hold so dearly to our hearts! We will pick it back up in late January.
Sunday Studies
We have a special treat at our 9 am Sunday Studies this coming Sunday. A missionary will be here sharing with us the work God is doing across the world. I will not share specifics for safety reasons, but you don’t want to miss it, so come a little early and be encouraged!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
The Righteous Judge
Church Family,
It was wonderful to be back this past Sunday! I’m thankful for all the prayers and encouragement we received during our recovery. This past Sunday, we examined Psalm 9 and found that it directs us towards the Lord, our Righteous Judge, who removes the wicked and remembers the needy. The Lord, not forgetting us, is based upon His character of righteousness and His actions as a judge. Since God is righteous, He rightly sees our troubles, and since He sits enthroned as judge, He will weigh in on our situations. He will remember, He will respond, and we can trust it will be right. This is what we reflect on during the Christmas season, that the Lord remembered and responded to our most significant need. Christ Jesus is God’s ultimate response as Righteous Judge to our troubles, needs, and difficulties.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Psalm 9:18
Disciple-Makers
This is a reminder that there will be no Disciple-Makers class this week due to Thanksgiving. Enjoy your week with family and friends!
Advent
We will start Advent this coming Sunday. Advent takes up the four Sundays before Christmas day and reflects on the coming of the God-man and then anticipates the forthcoming of the God-man! If you have not already, please grab an Advent book to begin reading as a family on December 1 through 25.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Peacemaker
Church Family,
It has been an interesting week! We are grateful for all your prayers and encouraging words over the last few days. We all are recovering well and feeling much better. This past Sunday, as I watched from home, I was thankful for God’s grace and ongoing care for us, His children. As I listened and sang along to “He Will Hold Me Fast,” my soul was edified and reminded that in our weak, tired, and restless moments, He, God Himself, will hold us close, keeping us secure and fueling our belief. Then as I listened to Andy unpack Matthew 5:9, I was reminded of the peace that is ours in Christ. This all worked together to refresh me as nothing else could. God really does bring peace in unsettling times!
Thanksgiving Meal
We will gather this Sunday, November 21, at 4 pm to share a meal and give thanks. We are looking forward to celebrating God’s grace! We will take a few precautions by spreading out tables to provide plenty of space. Be sure to double-check the sign-up sheet Sunday morning to ensure there is variety in what everyone is bringing.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
As For You…
Church Family,
This past Sunday, we were encouraged to consider many areas of our lives. The instruction was twofold, flee and then pursue. Because of the gospel, we can flee unhealthy habits and thinking and are empowered to pursue godliness. Logan reminded us what it looks like to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness, and generosity (1 Tim. 6:11). There was a wealth of application laid before us and plenty to give ourselves to each week. So, take this week and prioritize pursuing these things by doing specific actions. Wake up early to read your bible, ask a co-worker how you can pray for them, open your stuff to someone in need, offer kind words in disagreements, stretch your faith, and stop and pray when something draws your attention to God’s gloriousness. In doing so, we will fight the good fight with greater energy and effectiveness!
Members Meeting
Every quarter we gather as a church family to celebrate what the Lord has done, and is doing, by giving updates and hearing testimonies of prospective members. Our next meeting will be on November 14 at 4 pm.
Thanksgiving Meal
On November 21 at 4 pm, we will have our annual Thanksgiving Meal. Many of you have already signed up but let this serve as a reminder to let us know you are coming, how many people, and what you will bring.
Jefferson Elementary
Thank you for the overwhelming support you all have shown for Jefferson Elementary. We will collect spiral notebooks, and dry erase markers for one more week in the foyer. You can’t miss it; there’s already a pile of stuff!!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain
Church Family,
There is so much joy we gain from being in Christ. One of those joys is contentment. God, through Christ, brings satisfaction to our lives because our greatest need is met on the cross of Christ. This deep satisfaction changes the way we see our money, view our circumstances, and treat others. Sunday, we explored contentment applied to money. We began to understand that godliness breeds contentment because godliness is respect for God, belief in His Word, and obedience to His truth. So we in godliness with contentment experience great gain, greater gain than any material possession! This all works together to bring about a deep satisfaction that is not self-brought but only realized in dependence upon Christ.
Thanksgiving Meal
Join us on November 21st at 4 pm to celebrate the work of God in our lives and at Light in the Desert Church. We will have a sign-up sheet in the foyer at the welcome desk for you to indicate how many in your family are attending and what you will bring. So stop by the welcome desk and sign up! We are excited to share this potluck meal giving thanks to God for his tremendous grace.
Jefferson Elementary
Jefferson has asked us to collect a few things they need for their students. They need spiral notebooks and dry erase markers. We will collect these items for a few weeks in the foyer. We are working with them to hopefully be able to adopt a couple of families for Christmas. We should be able to update you all soon.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Church Life
Church Family,
It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve posted. Many great things are happening here at Light in the Desert Church, and we could not be more excited. This past Sunday, we explored together more of what it means to be a local gathering in a specific community. We saw how to appoint leaders, deal with sin, and exist in the community not to hinder the name of God. We, as a church, have tremendous responsibilities, and we are learning that it’s worth the fight to be what God has called us to be. This is why we are so excited about the changes we are pursuing. We are serious about being a church that honors God and remains faithful to Him. We ask you to continue to pray as we, in joy, move towards a greater biblical vision for the church.
Disciple-Makers
Join us each Wednesday at 6 pm as we dive into the deep theological goodness of God’s Word! We will be taking the next couple of months to explore essential doctrines we need to know to be good disciple-makers. See you then!
Get the Vision
Like I mentioned above, we are excited to move towards a plurality of Elders to become an Elder-led, Deacon-served, and Congregationally-ruled church. I encourage you to grab the documents we have published over the last couple of months. These papers help explain the ins and outs of where we are headed. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to me to talk further about these changes.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Legalism and License
Church Family,
Disregard the email you received yesterday. We are working on a registration form for ESOL, and I did not account for the email blast that goes out!
Sunday was joyous as always, and I hope we find strength and comfort from God’s Word directed towards the church. We are more than just a gathering of people on random Sundays. We are God’s children coming together to worship Him and encourage one another. With last week’s text, we were reminded that we are to protect the gospel. We cannot undermine its work in our lives by the way we pursue holiness. Holiness, both positionally and practically, is obtained in the person and work of Christ Jesus. If we do anything to undermine Christ, it will draw people away from the faith. All of holiness is found in Christ Jesus, and we use all God has created to grow into mature followers of Christ.
Disciple Makers
One last reminder that we have started back our Disciple Makers class on Wednesday nights at 6 pm. We are discussing the gospel and will begin discussing essential doctrines that will help us read our bibles. See you this evening!
Get The Vision
We will have another Get the Vision meeting on October 10 at 4 pm. We will take any questions about the previous documents (Biblical Explanation of Elders and Common Questions about Elders) we handed out and then propose Bylaws that reflect our convictions about church polity.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan
Household of God
Church Family,
We had another wonderful Sunday celebrating the person and work of Jesus in our lives. As we saw Sunday, when we gather, we are putting on display what it looks like when the gospel takes root in a people. As we become a godly people, God is honored, and it shows how effective the gospel is in changing people (1 Tim 3:14-15). It’s also mysterious that sinful people can become holy. The mystery of that godliness (1 Tim 3:16) is that it is accomplished through the person and work of Christ Jesus! The local church is significant because it is a display of Jesus to the world.
Disciple-Makers
Join us this week as we discuss “What is the Gospel?” to better understand it, articulate it, and most importantly, depend on it! We don’t graduate from the gospel at conversion. It is what sustains us as we mature in our faith. See you at 6 pm this Wednesday!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan