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Pastor's Points - July

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Dear Church Family,

To say that 2020 is different than any of us ever could have imagined is a great understatement. We have experienced a pandemic which fundamentally changed the way that we live and operate.  Because of this we have gone from one of the best economies and employment rates ever, to layoffs, terminations, and whole companies being closed. People now must take precautions that just a few months ago none of us ever even really thought about.  Many people are frustrated, scared, or just plain wore out with this whole situation.  And on top of this we see the fallout of us living in a fallen world with how we treat one another.  Our days are marked by unrest, hatred, disunity, lawlessness, anger, and fear.  And if all of this were not enough, we also have been threatened with an invasion of killer hornets, and a sandstorm.  These are indeed strange days.

But during it all, followers of Jesus Christ have much to hope in.  Our God is still in control when all seems to be spinning out of control.  He is the one that we run to and place our full hope in.  We do not need to despair!  2020 does not have to be a year of fear, and unrest.  We can run to His Word and find that we can have peace, comfort, and hope even in the middle of a pandemic that is marked by loss, unrest, confusion, and fear. Take hope and comfort from the Word of God in these strange days.

1. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

2. “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

3. 6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:6-7

4.“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:31:34

5. “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless[d]his people with peace!” Psalm 29:11

6. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

7.“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord, your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

8. “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalm 55:22

9. 2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 

May God use His Word to minister to us and help us to see that in the middle of these strange days we have an opportunity to grow in our faith and trust in the Lord. I am truly excited for the days ahead and know that God is going to see us through!

I love you and I love being your pastor!!

Posted by Alan Scott with
in Kids, Newsletter, Missions

Spare Change - July

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What is the “Families for Life” Podcast?

Pastor Brian Van Doren and I have started a podcast for our church.  It is primarily focused on parents, but it is beneficial for all believers.  There also may be other episodes, from time to time, that address the wider church body.  I hope you have had a chance to check it out.  You can find it at www.oakhillbc.org/F4L or wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.).

It has been a dream of mine for a while now to start a podcast.  I love the podcast format and have been a fan of it for some time.  I was a fan of talk radio, both political and sports, I still enjoy listening to some of these shows, like the Dan Patrick Show, for instance; however, the long format radio show is not good for focusing on one subject.  There are podcasts that are more like documentaries and some are treated like a radio show, but in most cases, they can focus more in depth on one topic.  The podcast format also allows for you to get your show out to a wider audience.  We are seeing people from all over the country, and even someone from the UK, listening to our show!

We started this podcast because both Pastor Brian and I have a desire to help equip parents.  We both were looking for an avenue to give biblical teaching and encouragement to families in the church.  Also, we are parents and we want to continue to grow in our parenting.  Another thing that helped was that during the quarantine we had more time, because many of our activities were cancelled; however, even after the quarantine is over, we want to continue this because we have found it to be very helpful to parents.  There are several people that have told us how much it has encouraged them.  For the foreseeable future we will continue to produce episodes.

We have begun the podcast using a book from Lifeway called Settle for Nothing Less.  Lifeway Kids’ department partnered with Lifeway Research to poll a bunch of parents on their adult children’s spiritual health.  They want to know what were the positive and negative influencers in their lives.  Meaning, what helped or hurt them in keeping a hold of their faith as they grew up.  This is an important topic because many Christian parents, me included, worry about their children in this way.  What the research returned was ultimately not surprising.  There are several factors that contributed to kids holding onto their faith into adulthood; you may be wondering what they are...well, you will have to tune into the “Families for Life” podcast to find out!

Ultimately, we just want to encourage your family to walk closer to Jesus!  If there is anything that either of us can do to help your family, please let us know.  Also, if there are any subjects you want us to touch on in future episodes please email me at   I hope you will check out the podcast!  As we say at the end of each episode, “We’ll see you next time!

 

Posted by Bryan Gotcher with

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