June 30, 2010

The Secret Power of Time

This is worth watching…if you have the time.  Actually, it will be time well-spent but some of you won’t watch it because it’s 10 minutes long and you think you don’t have the time.  But it’s timely, so take the time to check out how we view time.  Especially take the time to watch the last minute or so as it relates to family time.

June 29, 2010

Beware of Christian Junk Food

Ann Graham Lotz has written a compelling article that encourages us to take a look at our spiritual diets.

June 29, 2010

Discipleship Classes Now Online!

Our Discipleship classes are now available as audio files online.  Click away to listen to the following classes:

Budgeting
God’s View of the Church
Prayer
Worship
Parenting with a Purpose
Understanding Your Spiritual Gifts
Marriage 101

Special thanks to Pastor Dick and Dave Schappaugh for their work in this area, to Steve Staley and Josh Williams for recording and as always, to Brian Sullan for his part in getting everything on the web!

June 26, 2010

King Family

Our webservant, Brian Sullan, has designed another website.  This one is for the King Family.  They play original bluegrass music and are looking for places to perform.  They attended our church years ago before moving to Monticello.  Click around to listen to their music and to watch some videos.  Great job, Brian!

They will playing at Thresherman’s in September.  I highly recommend them with one exception…Tim needs to get some new jokes!

June 25, 2010

Global Day of Prayer for Gary and Carol Varner

Wanted to let you know that we have received word that this Sunday has been declared the “International Day of Prayer for Gary and Carol Varner” by the board of directors of Portage Perspectives.  We’ll spend some time praying for Gary in the services this week.

Here are some ways to pray…

• Pray for a miraculous healing of Gary’s body.  Medically speaking, the kind of cancer that Gary has doesn’t look good.  But we serve a God who is the Great Physician – the Gentle Healer.  May we pray with boldness, placing our urgent request before Him.
• Pray for Gary and his wife Carol as they deal with the stresses of chemotherapy.  The regiment Gary is on now is brutal - pray for strength to endure.
• Pray for Gary’s children.  His son, Lt Clayton Varner is currently stationed in Iraq.  Pray for his safety and return to the US in August.  Gary’s daughter, Jessica, is currently serving in Athens, Greece with Campus Crusade for Christ.  Pray for her safety and protection in that unstable environment.
• Pray that Gary, who is also an accomplished writer and author, would be able to finish the second installment of his popular novel.  Outside of missions, Gary has a deep love for writing, but the chemo has left him unable to finish his book.  Pray that he would have miraculous moments of clarity throughout his days to be able to release the creative giant inside. 

Gary and Carol continue to touch lives for God’s glory.  To read a very moving tribute by someone who first met them when she was 15, click here: Where Two Or More Are Gathered.

June 24, 2010

The Heart of the Matter

Many parents use a simple behavior modification approach to raise their children. “If you get your homework done, then you can go out and play.” “If you clean your room, then you can watch a video.”

Unfortunately children trained this way often develop a “What’s in it for me?” mentality. “If I don’t get something out of it, why should I obey?”

God is concerned with more than behavior. He’s interested in the heart. The heart contains motivations, emotions, convictions, and values. A heart-based approach to parenting looks deeper. Parents still require children to finish their homework and clean up their rooms but the way they give the instructions is different.

Instead of just getting things done, parents look for long-term change in their kids. Sometimes children aren’t ready to change on a heart level and parents must work to address the heart. That may mean more relationship to open the heart or it may involve more boundaries to show kids that they way they’re living just isn’t going to work.

A heart-based approach shares values and reasons behind rules. It requires more dialogue, helping children understand how their hearts are resistant and need to develop cooperation. A heart-based approach is firm but also relational. It’s a mindset on the part of parents that looks to develop heart qualities that then bring about significant change.

As you consider your kids remember the words that God said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.”

This parenting tip is from the book,  Parenting is Heart Work by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

If you’d like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.

June 23, 2010

Pray for PCS and the Ridder’s

My friend Dean Ridder has taken on a new leadership opportunity to be the administrator of Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and will be moving on July 1st.  He and his family will be greatly missed by both the school and church community.  Our loss is Cedar Rapids’ gain.

Here’s a letter he put together…

For 28 years, Pontiac Christian School has touched the hearts and minds of the students who have passed through these halls with an education based on Christian values and God’s Word.  As I look back on the recently completed school year, I am thankful for all of the blessings the school has experienced.  I am grateful for each student and family, and I am asking God’s continued blessings on Pontiac Christian School.

I will be stepping down as the adminsitrator of Pontiac Christian School on June 30, 2010.  My family and I have accepted a position to be the administrator of a Christian school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  We believe that God has led us to the opportunity at this school.  Four years ago, God tapped us on the shoulder in Indiana and called us serve at Pontiac Christian School.  Just like then, God has tapped us on the shoulder again.  As a family, our primary goal has been to follow our Good Shepherd, wherever He leads us.

As we leave Pontiac Chrisitan School, we are experiencing bittersweet emotions.  We are excited and are looking forward to a new opportunity to serve the Lord and to be part of Christian education in a different setting.  We are also sad to leave the family that we have come to love at Pontiac Christian School (this is certainly true of our family at Pontiac Bible Church as well).

I have the utmost respect for the faculty of Pontiac Christian School.  They are wonderful and talented teachers who love the Lord.  We have considered it a privilege that our childre have been able to attnd the school for four years.  I also have the highest admiration for the board of education at Pontiac Christian School.  The team that God has assembled to lead the school has a dep love for the Lord and for PCS.  This is evident at every board meeting.  I consider each board member to be a good friend, and will miss them greatly.

Please be in prayer with me as the board of education seeks to find a new leader for Pontiac Christian School.  I am confident that God already has a blessing in store for the school in the form of a new leader.  I am also confident that Pontiac Christian School will continue to provide an excellent Christian education in this community.

June 22, 2010

The Story of God’s Glory

Our family just returned from a wonderful vacation in Colorado.  We spent a lot of time laughing, playing games, reading verses that deal with mountains, hiking and just plain chill-axin.

I came across this video set to a sermon from John Piper that captures the story of God’s glory as evidenced by His creation.  Check it out.

June 11, 2010

Tornado Relief

The Ministerial Associations in Dwight and Streator are coordinating efforts to help people recover from the tornado. If you’d like to provide assistance in Dwight, please call (815) 584-3420. To help in Streator, please call (815) 673-5531. Our Mercy Fund provided money to both groups this week. Let’s continue to pray for these two communities.

June 10, 2010

Caregiver Guidelines

This article may be of help as we reach out to the hurting today.

June 08, 2010

Radical

I just finished reading the first 60 pages of a new book by David Platt called Radical.  I highly recommend it if you’re ready to be rocked.  Much of the first chapter echoes some of the themes from Sunday’s sermon.  Someone gave me the book after the services and I was surprised at how similar the themes are—I wish I would have read it beforehand because I could have included some quotes.  Check it out.

You can download and read the first chapter for free here.

This video powerfully summarizes the message of the book.

He also talks about something called, Secret Church.  Watch this.

Here’s more from the “Secret Church” in Asia.

June 08, 2010

Story from Sunday

At the end of the sermon on Sunday, I mentioned the story of Esther who came to faith after watching her parents be persecuted for their faith.

Here’s the full story.

June 06, 2010

Both Hands Service Project

Check out the work done for Lori Wiseman and how this is helping Dan and Chrisi Ucherek in their adoption plans.

June 05, 2010

I’ll Stand For You

Pastor Jeff found this song that we were going to use for the Mercy Fund tomorrow but I decided to go in a different direction.

It’s worth watching and making it real in our own lives.

June 03, 2010

Both of These Guys Have Class

By now you’ve probably heard of the blown call by an umpire in a MLB game that cost a pitcher a perfect game.

Check out this story which shows the power of an apology, the class of a man who was wronged, and fans who know how to forgive here.

June 03, 2010

Attacking Sin

From the great evangelist Billy Sunday: “I’m against sin. I’ll kick it as long as I’ve got a foot, and I’ll fight it as long as I’ve got a fist. I’ll butt it as long as I’ve got a head. I’ll bite it as long as I’ve got a tooth. And when I’m old and fistless and footless and toothless, I’ll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!”

June 02, 2010

Our God is Greater

Our daugther Megan came home singing this after hearing her cousin sing it this weekend.

Check it out.

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