WE NEED REVELATION TO BE REORIENTED

God has revealed Himself in all of creation; so much so that “day to day pours out speech”. In other words, the beauty and grandeur and wonder of what He created speaks undeniably of Him. Yet, we suppress that voice in our hearts through sin. When we suppress that voice, we wander aimlessly and lost in the world God created. What, then, can reorient us?

Listen to this last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 19. If Psalm 1 was the psalm of orientation par excellence, then Psalm 19 is the psalm of reorientation par excellence. It tells us of the efficacy and necessity of God’s Word - His special revelation - alone to reorient our souls back toward God.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

CELEBRATING ALL GOD DID THROUGH OUR SPANISH CLASS

Just last week, our 2021 Spring Class, “Confident Conversations” a Spanish Class to equip us to better live with and love our Spanish-speaking church members, friends, and neighbors came to an end! Over the course of three months, over 20 men, women, and children from CGSA - ranging from total beginners to fluent Spanish-speakers - came together in order to learn and teach Spanish. The class gathered together six times, learned vocabulary, practiced conversations, read Scripture, prayed together, laughed much, and even had some homework!

Both our Spanish-learners and our Spanish-speakers grew in the boldness and knowledge needed to press into a variety of conversations with greater confidence. Conversations covering the simple topics of introducing ourselves and our families, describing the events of our day, telling what time it is, and asking, “How are you feeling?” to asking others, “How can I pray for you?” addressing God in prayer and worship, and even presenting the gospel!

God was at work as the Spanish language was learned, but even more than that, he was at work as the fellowship of our church was strengthened and the unity of our church was deepened as English and Spanish speakers drew nearer to each other. The class came away with a fresh and deeper experience of the joy of Jesus as we pressed into the uncommon and unfamiliar united in our shared Lord. This experience reminds us that God is at work in the world to gather to himself a redeemed people “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9) and that this global redemptive reality is being experienced here and now in our local church! We hope and pray that God would continue to draw all kinds of Santa Ana neighbors to himself and give us the confidence to welcome, love, and share the gospel with them as they come! We’re now more eager and equipped to go out into our city to spread the joy of Jesus!

Señor, ayudanos a hablar a nuestros vecinos con confianza y amor. ¡Dales nuestros vecinos la alegria de Jesus!

OPPORTUNITIES TO MIX IT UP WITH OUR DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA NEIGHBORS

This past year and a half has pushed us into our homes and away from the life of our city. Changing that direction will take intentional effort by every single one of us. We have been sent by Jesus to spread His joy in the city of Santa Ana. Let’s take the opportunities we have before us to re-engage our families and our schedules into the lives of our Santa Ana neighbors. Expect regular blog posts advertising upcoming events and gatherings that you can attend in your effort to “get back to the city”. Here are a few options below. They’re a great place to start.

• Summer reading challenge at the Santa Ana Library running from July 1-31. Click here for more information or to register.

• Santa Ana Zoo resident day- Residents of the City of Santa Ana receive FREE admission to the Santa Ana Zoo on the third Sunday of every month!

• Patches and Pins Expo on June 26th from 12 pm-9 pm at 201 E. 4th St. Admission is free but you register for tickets on eventbrite.com.

• Santa Ana Movies in the Park. The series will take place every Wednesday and Friday, beginning July 14 through August 27, 2021 at various City parks throughout Santa Ana. Each event begins at 7:00 pm, with the movie screening starting at dusk. For the 2021 movie schedule and park listing, download the event flyer, here.

TONIGHT AT 7 PM

Join the ladies of the church tonight at 7 pm for our monthly women’s meeting.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

JUNE 21 - JUNE 27

Every Tuesday we publish a blog post to lay out in one place what’s going in the life of the church for the upcoming week. See below for a snapshot of what’s on the calendar this week:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23: PARK DAY

• 9:30 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana

THURSDAY, JUNE 24: WOMEN’S GROUP

• 7:00 pm - Schlieder Home

SUNDAY, JUNE 27: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB

• 10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom

JOIN US WEDNESDAYS AT MORRISON PARK

This summer, members of the church will be gathering for a casual park day every Wednesday morning. This is a once-a-week hangout time for anyone who can join, to encourage fellowship, meet others, and spend time in the city where we have been called. 

Anyone is welcome, whether you have kids or not. Bring a blanket or chair and some snacks and please consider joining us every Wednesday through August 25th at 9:30 am. We hope to see you there!

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, EMAIL OFFICE@CROSSOFGRACESA.ORG

YOUR ORIENTATION TOWARD GOD WRITES THE SONGS YOUR SOUL SINGS

This past Sunday, we began a six-week journey through the Psalms - a book that is too often undervalued in the lives of Christians. Why? Because, as John Calvin said, “the Psalms are an anatomy of all the parts of the soul”. They help us to rightly understand our motional responses and how to rightly express our emotions in response to the various seasons God ordains for our lives. In other words, they’re the playlist for our souls. They resonate to the tune of our hearts. The Psalms give voice to every song of our soul.

As we began our series in Psalm 1, we learned the why behind our emotions; what determines the type of emotions that rise up within us. And it has everything to do with our orientation toward - or away - from God.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

TRUE FEELINGS BY CAROLYN MAHANEY AND NICOLE MAHANEY WHITACRE

The Psalms, according to John Calvin, are an “anatomy of all the parts of the soul”. They don’t shy away from human emotion and feelings, but rather give us a theological lens through which we can rightly understand the emotions we experience. This month’s book of the month will help you to press even further into this understanding. Written by two godly women, primarily toward women, our June book of the month has a decidedly feminine appeal. Nevertheless, whoever you are, God created you as an emotional being, so listen well to this summer sermon series and pick up this book and give it a read.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

PURCHASE THE AUDIOBOOK HERE

GOD IS GOOD

This Sunday we’ll be introducing a new song during our Sunday service. The lyrics are below, in English. Read them slowly as you consider the goodness of our Lord and listen to this song in preparation for our Sunday gathering.

Even when it seems the answer’s no
The promises of God all find their yes
In Christ who worked the Father’s will below
That all who run to him would find their rest
And even when it seems he hides his face
And darkness seems to be our only friend
We look to Christ who suffered in our place
That one day all our suffering would end
God is good all of the time
All of the time God is good
God is good all of the time
God is good
And even when it seems he pays no mind
We have a guarantee of his great love
In Christ who came and left his crown behind
That one day we would reign with him above

God is good all of the time
All of the time God is good
God is good all of the time
God is good

Lord, we believe
But help our unbelief
Lord, we believe
But help our hearts to sing
Lord, we believe
But help our unbelief
Lord, we believe
But help our hearts to sing

That you are good all of the time
All of the time you are good
You are good all of the time
You are good

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

GOD IS GOOD

Even when it seems the answer’s no
The promises of God all find their yes
In Christ who worked the Father’s will below
That all who run to him would find their rest
And even when it seems he hides his face
And darkness seems to be our only friend
We look to Christ who suffered in our place
That one day all our suffering would end
God is good all of the time
All of the time God is good
God is good all of the time
God is good
And even when it seems he pays no mind
We have a guarantee of his great love
In Christ who came and left his crown behind
That one day we would reign with him above

God is good all of the time
All of the time God is good
God is good all of the time
God is good

Lord, we believe
But help our unbelief
Lord, we believe
But help our hearts to sing
Lord, we believe
But help our unbelief
Lord, we believe
But help our hearts to sing

That you are good all of the time
All of the time you are good
You are good all of the time
You are good