Luke 22:31-34 (cf. Job 1,2)

I. Satan's goal - to defeat individual believers
II. Satans' purpose - to frighten and weaken them
III. Satan's power - lies in the self-confidence of the believer
IV. Satan's downfall - Christ prayed for Peter (Jn. 17)

www.scgrotzke.blogspot.com

Fall Fun

We weren't sure who looked the best here...

Why look to the harvest?

Because the world is the object of God's love (John 3:16)
Because God made it the object of our work (Matt. 28)

Money Thoughts

Dr. Straub made this comment during our missions conference, "It is not how much of my money I should give to God, but how much of God's money I should keep for myself."
Should make us rethink our budget.

Greed free living

Pastor Odens delivered a timely message on Sunday evening on the
Believer and Money. As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday it
behooves us to remember what we truly have as children of God.

Hebrews 13:5-6

1. God's provision is sufficient (5)
a. We are concerned with what we want, God is concerned with what
we need.
2. God's constant presence is sufficient (5).
a. What is worth more than His presence while waiting in a
hospital, while sitting with a funeral director after the loss of a
family member?
3. God's power is sufficient (6)

I heard a challenge on this in chapel, and the passage has stuck with me

Mark 9:2-8
When we see Christ in His glory - for who He us
1. We will not doubt Him for He is the Messiah, God as man
2. We will not disregard Him, but listen to Him
These two reactions only take place when we have seen Christ in His glory! We cannot expect to trust and listen to Him without seeing Him.

Christ's Prayer

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”

—Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, ed Andrew Bonar (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth: 1960), 179

“Do you ever think that your sins are too bad, and that forgiveness for those sins requires you to get your act together first? If so, you don’t fear God. You are minimizing his forgiveness. You are acting as though his forgiveness is ordinary, just like that of any person or make-believe god. In contrast, the fear of the Lord leads us to believe that when God makes promises too good to be true, they are indeed true.”

- Ed Welch, Running Scared (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 195.

“Ready for some good news? . . .

Jesus Christ is stronger!

Stronger than my fears about the future or my shame over a past that cannot be altered though I wish so much I could do some things differently.

Stronger than my tired prayers with well-worn phrases and weary pleas.

Stronger than my need to know now, and have the trial terminated.

Stronger than the enemy of my soul who would discourage me with my own failings and disillusion me with the faults of others.

Such a simple truth—Jesus Christ is Stronger. ‘Stronger than what,’ you ask? Stronger than whatever would cause you doubt or discouragement today.”

—James McDonald, “Jesus Christ is Stronger”

(HT: Tim Challies)

Rest

“If you want rest come to Christ in Gethsemane, to Christ on Calvary, to Christ risen, to Christ ascended. If you want rest, O weary souls, ye can find it nowhere until ye come and lay your burdens down at his dear pierced feet, and find life in looking alone to him.”

- Charles Spurgeon, Rest, Rest

Why Me?

Sometimes things just happen and life and we say, "Why me?" Such as this past week, I (Crystal) having worked for long, long, LONG hours on my 25 page paper for theology class was almost done and the computer went to sleep and decided not to wake up....Needless to say that my paper was late but my professor had mercy and allowed me to turn it in anyway. So, that was a disaster averted (who wants to write the exact same paper twice?). Then we went several days with very cold water (our water heater broke) and with it becoming snowy outside, (and by the way, the heater in our home wouldn't work either..) cold shower were not a huge relief after a long, hot day. =) Seth and I made it through these things just fine, and none worse the wear. But let me change the direction of the "Why me" question to the positive light: We should be saying "Why me?" when thinking of why Christ saved us from our sins, "Why me?" when he gave us loving families, "Why me?" when He blesses us abundantly every day! Next time the common grumble of "Why me" starts to come out of our mouths, we should think of God's blessings!

Confession

“Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness. It’s not just your sin that separates you from God; your righteousness does as well. Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, you don’t seek the forgiving, rescuing, and restoring mercy that can be found only in Jesus Christ.”

- Paul David Tripp, Whiter Than Snow (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2008), 22.

The group!

Always in trouble...

I found this in the archives and wanted to share the memory.

Self-sanctification

"Healing from duty, and not from Christ, is the most desperate disease."

- Thomas Wilcox, "Honey Out of the Rock"

Enjoying carmel apples

We were subcontracted by the dentist here in Eden Prairie, so we provide plenty of sweets for the youth group.

Celebrating in our work

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

somewhere else. You think that by now someone could have figured out how to get rid of this nasty thing that comes every year called "winter." Would it really be that hard?

Radical Raking!

This past Saturday a group of us went out and raked lawns. We helped out a family in the church and also several families who live near the church.

The teens did a great job (their parents must have trained them well in the fine art of wielding a rake!).

"If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

Friends don't let friends forget Daylight Savings Time

I just want to thank all of you out there who claim to love and care about us, and yet failed to mention anything concerning daylight savings time. Shame on you.