March 25, 2022
One of the joys of my ministry at POPC is gathering with the CCS Preschool weekly for Come Together Time and speaking at the CCS Lower School Chapel monthly. Singing with 3s, 4s, and 5s, and hearing them recite the Children's Catechism and the books of the Bible in order (using the "Bible Rap" that I learned in 6th or 7th grade), warms this pastor's heart. Lower School Chapel is one of the few places I get to play my guitar (since our church is so richly blessed with gifted musicians!), and I love teaching the Scriptures to our students. Yesterday I had the privilege of opening up I Corinthians 11:23-29, sharing with them what I'll be teaching our Communicants Class this coming Lord's Day - the "Five Directions" we are to look when we come to the Lord's Supper (which we'll be doing next Lord's Day!): backward (remembering the substitutionary death of Jesus on our behalf, 11:24-25); within (examining ourselves for sin to confess, faith in Jesus, love for the Lord and the body of Christ, etc., 11:28); upward (communing with our risen Savior, 10:16; around (communing with the body of Christ in sacrificial love, 10:17 and 11:29); and forward (we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes, remembering that the Lord's Supper is an hors d'oeuvres for the wedding feast of the Lamb, 10:26). As you prepare for the Lord's Supper this week, meditate on these "compass points"! And pray for our students at POPC and CCS, that God would grant them saving faith and repentance, and grow them through the word, the sacraments, prayer, and fellowship.
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Dr. John Kwasny, our Director of Discipleship (and one of my mentors since college and the best man in my wedding), has just recently published his 100th episode of his "Biblical Counseling Today" podcast. In case you don't have time to listen to all 100, here's a list of the seasons so you can choose what is most relevant for you right now:
Season 1: Individual problems
Season 2: Marriage problems
Season 3: Parenting problems
Season 4: Teenage problems
Season 5: More challenging problems
Season 6: The problem of suffering
Season 7: Demonic confusion vs. Biblical truth
Season 8: Relating to Married, Adult Children
Season 9 (current season): All Things Culture
You can listen on your podcast app, or on iTunes or Spotify, or visit www.biblicalcounselingtoday.podbean.com on your computer (click the three lines in the upper left corner to see the various seasons).
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If you haven't heard, Mr. Scott Miller has been called to be the next Minister of Young Adults and College at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. Scott has faithfully served us here the past several years as a Youth Intern and as an Interim Youth Director between Wilson Van Hooser and Christian Brewer. I'm excited for him to take this new role, not only because he will get to stay close to home and serve in the church where his wife Abbey's father grew up, but also because the Lord has prepared him wonderfully to minister to young adults and college students with wisdom, grace, and knowledge. He'll be starting his work in late April, so make sure you get a chance to say good-bye and thank you during the next four weeks!
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Be on the lookout next week for a letter from your Deacons. On Monday night, the Session approved their recommendation that we purchase new furnishings for our Parlor, and raise funds from the congregation for this much-needed purpose.