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Dear Friends,

Former "Yard of the Month" Tree Coming Down Soon

I paid an arborist to come out to my house a few days ago and look at the tree in my front yard. The leaves have been wilting and falling off for a few weeks. There is one branch on it that just died. There is a swing attached to that branch, but now I am reluctant to let my little grandchildren use the swing. All around the tree, the grass is green. I water the tree on a routine basis. And the ironic thing is that just six weeks ago I won the neighborhood “Yard of the Month” award!

The tree specialist looked at the 60 ft. tree and made a noise. It was hard for him to hide his verdict. It should probably come down, Mr. Roseberry. But why? Just a few weeks ago, I won Yard of the Month! What happened? The tree has been stressed…too hot a summer for the species. He mentioned he could see a little root-bounding going on.  Despite all the water I had put on the tree, the roots weren’t getting what they needed.

He is the second specialist I had paid to come out and he told me the same things as the first. In short, the tree didn’t make it through the hot summer. It got stressed for lack of water.  Then it caught a virus, dropped its leaves, and the rest will soon be history.  It’s coming down.

There is a broader lesson here for us all. The heat of the summer stressed the tree…and led to its demise. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. In two different locations, the Bible puts up a warning:

In Psalm 1, King David talks about a man who is strongly connected to God’s Word, i.e. the Law of the Lord. The poet/king writes:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
(Psalm 1:3 ESV)

The prophet Jeremiah is even more vivid when he picks up this same idea. He writes:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

(Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV)

Could it be any clearer? Do you see the sign from God in your own life?

As we begin a tremendous program year at Christ Church, make a commitment to know His Word and to trust in Him. If you do, your own roots will go down, down, deep into a supply of refreshment and nutrition that will carry you through the difficult days.

What does that look like? I say to do three things. Just three…but do them all. 1) Worship our God week by week. 2) Grow in faith and knowledge and depth of insight.  3) Serve Him in and/or from Christ Church. How? Go to our website and find the dozens of offerings and programs, and get involved.

In a week or so, that huge tree—the one that was the cornerstone for our Yard of the Month prize—will be wood chips. Take the lesson, and don’t let this happen to you.

‘See you this weekend.
In Christ,
David+



Click on the image above to view or download or print the Sermon Study Guide for August 28-29, 2010.

Dear Friends,

How can I improve the weekly sermon study guides?

After my sermons, on my way home, I always have a series of ‘”gee-I-should-have-said-it-this-way” moments. Until now, I have had to live with the frustration that all messages are completely preached on Sunday morning. But now I can get one more chance…and I am thankful to take it.  I get to come home and write out a Sermon Study Guide for members of our small groups and many other individuals who want to take a second look at the message. Go here to see what I am talking about.

The Sermon Study Guides come out every Tuesday in The Call and are a helpful tool for thinking and sharing at a different and deeper level. For example, this week, the newspaper article I referred to (the one about the church and the dance club) is referenced and linked to in the study guide. Additional ideas about what Paul means by “adoption” are linked to in the study guide. An extended quote from C.S. Lewis about the glory of humanity is listed in the study guide. I do hope you will make it a weekly discipline to use the study guide in your small groups and personal life, too. And if you have any suggestions about ways to improve the study guide, please let me know. You can email me, or leave comments at the end of this post.

Here are a couple of things you should know:

Fall Kick-Off Was Fantastic!
Our Fall Kick Off this past weekend was fantastic. After the 9:15 sermon, I ran over to Archgate Center to see our youth ministry program take shape. I was very pleased.  I spoke to 56 high schoolers, 67 seventh/eighth graders, and 47 sixth graders. I invited them to worship with us in the Sanctuary week by week at 11 a.m. I hope to see many of them in worship, and I invited them to stay connected to the sermon series through Facebook, too.

I also heard a few stories of the youngest members of our church yelling out to their parents after Sunday School. One little guy, without really caring who heard him, shouted that he had attended his Sunday School…and he loved it. He was proud of himself. And you can be proud of our Children’s and Youth Ministries, too. Both programs depend on the commitment of students and their parents to make it work. Christian education does not work without the parent(s) being thoroughly involved! Our staff is dedicated to partnering with the parents to raise their children to know, love, and serve the Lord.

On Point for Men
By the time you read this, the men will have met for their first session of On Point Bible Study. This is a great joy for Fr. Jason and me to teach. Over the six years that I have led this men’s study, I have seen incredible growth and spiritual strength emerge in these men. I love these guys and I try to prepare material that speaks to where they are in life. We deal with issues that connect directly to the life of the men of our church. All men are welcome to attend…and you don’t need prior Bible knowledge to come and get started.

Men, I hope you will make plans to be here next Tuesday at 7 a.m. We are studying the Book of 2 Samuel. You will be welcomed with fresh hot coffee, and we end promptly at 8 a.m.

On Point - Tuesdays 7 a.m....You're Invited!

Finally, I would want you to know that our church offers Christian support for many important areas of life: finances, grief, divorce, marriage, illness, etc. If you are seeking to not just “get through” some issues in your life but also to grow through them, you may want to contact our clergy staff. Don’t be shy. Fr. Clint Kerley can be reached at 214-291-5056.

‘See you soon,
David+

Dear Friends,

There is nothing like worship in the Anglican tradition. The majesty, beauty, and grace of God from the moment the processional begins and the cross is lifted high above everything else to the ending proclamation: “Thanks be to God!” – it is all about Him. It is in our service where we, as a community of faith, encounter God together through Word and Sacrament. It is in our service where the prayers of God’s people are lifted up with one heart and mind, and we proclaim with one voice what we believe. It is in our service where God is magnified through the beauty and power of music…

Youth in Church

For these reasons and more, it is also our heart to see our youth join us in worshiping God together in the Sanctuary. Beginning this fall, our youth ministers will encourage our youth to become a part of the 11 a.m. worship service after their 9:15 youth Sunday School. We want them to be a part of this wonderful, life-changing moment every Sunday morning. We want them to receive, to worship, and even to serve.  For too long our youth have seemed a little isolated from the larger body of faith here at Christ Church.  I am excited about inviting and welcoming our youth to our 11 a.m. service.

Sermon Study Guides are posted on this blog each Monday.

Adults in Bible Studies

Fitting hand-in-hand with having our youth in church is this: Beginning this Sunday we are offering a new adult Bible study called 360 each Sunday at 9:15 a.m.  Fr. Jason and Fr. Daniel are teaming up to bring us this exciting and challenging new study. 360 will be a place to both receive deep, thought-provoking and encouraging messages, and to meet and build relationships with others at Christ Church. It is an especially great place for parents to get to know each other while their students are in youth group.  Then the family can all go and worship in the sanctuary at 11 a.m.  360 kicks off this Sunday, August 22, as they dive into the book of Galatians. Go here for the complete list of Bible Studies for Sunday mornings.

‘See you this weekend for the 3rd installment of our sermon series, More Than Conquerors. The message will be “Crying Out: Abba Father.” By the way, the Sermon Study Guides for each sermon are posted here on my blog each Monday. I hope they are useful to you.

In Christ,
David+