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CrossPoint Community News 06/09/2023

by | Jun 8, 2023 | Announcement, CrossPoint Community Ministry, FrontPage-News | 0 comments

time lapse photography of flowing waterfall
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
     I have been reading through the Psalms since the beginning of the year. I have two more days to go to get through all 150! Something that has caught my attention going through the Psalter this time is how often we have to be instructed / commanded / encouraged to praise God. “Praise the Lord, O my Soul”; “Praise the Lord all you nations”; “Praise the Lord, sun, moon and stars”; “Let the rivers clap their hands…” etc…
     Why is it that we have be told to praise God? We are ready to praise lesser things. We praise artists and performers. We praise good food and good times. We praise accomplishments and achievements. These things are right and good. But as with any good thing, especially the best things, they can turn into ultimate things. 
     Brothers and Sisters, check your heart. We tend to be distracted by difficulty and pain, thinking that our praise of God is determined by our experience. But God’s character doesn’t change with our circumstances. We are called to praise God in all seasons – no matter if we are experiencing pain or problems. But I think that in the midst of graduations, transitions, and joys, it is easy to forget that we are to praise God. In other words, we become distracted by lesser joys. The key is to remember that our lesser joys point us to our soul’s greatest joy – namely our Lord. We are encouraged to praise God because we get distracted due to our negative or positive circumstances.
     Praising God is good for us because it helps us rightly order our struggles and our delights. Our struggles are overseen by our Savior who knows what it means to suffer. We can praise God that we are not alone in the midst of our suffering. He knows what it is like. But we also praise God in the midst of our delights because all the good that we have comes from His gracious hand. God is the source and supply of all joy. 
     Brothers and sisters, this weekend, take time to praise the Lord!
 
     Also, please continue to pray for the nation of Ukraine. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.

This Week (June 9 – June 15, 2023):

     1. Tonight, June 9, 2023, the Living Stones Friday Night Bible Study is meeting from 7:30-9:30 to begin our study about Dealing with Temptation. You can read Deuteronomy 8:1-19 and Matthew 4:1-11 in preparation for this time of fellowship. Join in person in Room A-216 or online via the following link at 7:30 pm:

https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)

Also, the Empower Fellowship continues to meet in Room A-201A this week!

2. The Living Stones Sunday School and Grace Ambassadors Sunday School classes and Empower Sunday School are joining together for Sunday School talking about the Heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers this Sunday, June 11, at 9:45 am (in-person in Room A-202).

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/491248585?pwd=RnpLcnpjQ01nTGZLSmhaZ3l4L3dKQT09
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 403767
Join by phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

3. This Sunday, June 11, 2023, at 11:25 am, Pastor Raymond Lee will be preaching. Pray for him! Join us for worship at CBCGL!

a. Text: Philippians 2:5-11
b. Title: Christlike Servanthood
c. Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/live-stream/

4. Each Wednesday, such as this week (June 14) at 7:45 pm, you are invited, encouraged, and requested to join our weekly prayer meeting. We will not grow in Christ without growing in our dependence on God through prayer. In June, we will be taking time to pray more focused prayers (and for our college students!). The link is found below in the section on prayer.

Administration / Events

1. We have a missions update (so check out the missions tab from the bulletin)! This week, we have an update from S and S, serving in Japan. They are currently both servants in their church and students in Seminary. They are praying for family members and for friends who have been hospitalized, but recently discharged. Please check out the tab to keep them in your prayers.

2. Sunday Lunch Service is available at CBCGL with $5 lunchboxes through June 18! To place an order, please use the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/nCwQnMruKv Orders are preferred to be placed as soon as you know, but need to be placed by Saturday night so that the kitchen can prepare the correct amount of food. Note: The selection which states “Number of Meals” refers to the cooked food/lunch box/Chinese food option.

3. CBCGL’s COVID-19 guidance has been updated. We still are following CDC guidance for travel and participation in activities following travel or exposure to a positive case. Please note, wearing a face mask to church is now optional.

4. All other announcements can be found here (in our CrossPoint Community bulletin).

For Prayer:

1. The one who lives without prayer lives as if there is no God. Truly, our time in prayer shows what we think about God! Do you see your need of Him? Or are you trying to live this life without / apart from Him? Please join our Wednesday night prayer meeting (7:45 – 9:15 pm) even if you can’t participate the whole time.

https://zoom.us/j/758587937?pwd=aS9sZUdxcm1janNNM2I2aXJ6Smx2QT09
Meeting ID: 758 587 937
Password: 030086
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)

2. We’d be glad to pray for you. If you need prayer, you can submit your prayer request via the following link: https://www.cbcgl.org/pray/

In Christ, your servant, SDG,
Rev. Dr. Nathan Willems
Associate Pastor of CrossPoint Community – A Ministry of CBCGL