ALL MEN, HIGH SCHOOL AGE AND OLDER, WELCOME
THURSDAY, 7:00 PM
PATIO OF THE 4TH STREET MARKET
JULY 5 - JULY 11
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, JULY 7: PARK DAY
9:30 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana
THURSDAY, JULY 8: MEN’S MEETING
7:00 pm - Fourth Street Market Patio
SUNDAY, JULY 11: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH IS NOW AVAILABLE IN SPANISH!
Last fall, after a 5 year process of writing and revision, our family of churches approved an expanded statement of faith. This statement is a document that represents a summary of the teaching of Holy Scripture on key points of doctrine essential to the beliefs, conduct, and witness of our family of churches and it is now available in Spanish! We are excited to share this rich, robust, and God-glorifying compilation of truth with our Spanish-speaking church members, friends, and neighbors!
Further information about our Statement of Faith HERE.
NUESTRA DECLARACIÓN DE FE YA ESTÁ DISPONIBLE EN ESPAÑOL!
El otoño pasado, después de un proceso de 5 años de redacción y revisión, nuestra familia de iglesias aprobó una declaración de fe ampliada. Esta declaración es un documento que representa un resumen de la enseñanza de las Sagradas Escrituras sobre puntos clave de doctrina esenciales para las creencias, la conducta y el testimonio de nuestra familia de iglesias y ahora está disponible en Español. ¡Estamos emocionados de compartir esta recopilación de la verdad rica, sólida y que glorifica a Dios con los miembros de nuestra iglesia, amigos y vecinos de habla hispana!
Más información sobre nuestra Declaración de Fe AQUÍ
GOD IS MORE PRESENT TO YOU THAN YOUR TROUBLE
There is nothing that disorients our souls quite like trouble. If you’ve lived long enough, you have experienced seasons of life in which it feels like your world is falling apart. Times when everything seems to be giving way. When you are facing your worst case scenario. If you haven’t experienced trouble yet, you will. Jesus told his disciples that, “in the world you will have tribulation” (Jn 16:33) and that, in fact, everyday has “its own trouble” (Mt 6:33). What is God’s reorienting-remedy to our soul-disorienting trouble?
Listen to this last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 46. How can we have peace in the midst of trouble? Because, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps 46:7, 11). Psalm 46 grabs us by the shoulders and urges us to stop trying to outmaneuver our circumstances and to quit seeking peace apart from God. He is God, we are not, and in our trouble we must rest in him.
Cultivate regular rhythms of reading, studying, and meditating upon God’s word
On Sunday, we were encouraged to respond to Psalm 19 - the preeminent Psalm of Reorientation - by eagerly and expectantly intaking God’s word. This is because God’s word is God’s way of bringing reorientation to our weary souls when we become disoriented through sin. We need God’s word to speak into any and every experience of disorientation we face and thoroughly address the anatomy of our souls.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE BE READING THE BIBLE?
Consider the words of John Blanchard:
“Surely we have to be realistic and honest with ourselves to know how regularly we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we face problems, temptation and pressure? Every day! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance and greater encouragement? Every day! To call these felt needs up into an even greater issue, how often do we need to see God’s face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know his power? The answer to all these questions is the same: every day!”
LOOK TO AND LEARN FROM THE EXAMPLE OF THE PSALMIST
But beyond the words of this pastor, consider the words of the Psalmist himself. If you were to read Blanchard’s words and say, “But where does the Bible command us to have a “daily devotional” or “quiet time” each day?” We’d do well to look to and learn from the example of the Psalmist in Psalm 119. Reflect upon the verses below which describe the Psalmist’s engagement with God’s word to help frame your understanding of the fervency, frequency, and expectancy with which we should approach God’s word:
o “With my whole heart I seek you” (119:10)
o “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (119:11)
o “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to you word!” (119:25)
o “My soul melts away from sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!” (119:28)
o “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (119:48)
o “I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law” (119:55)
o “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (119:97)
o “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (119:103)
o “I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil” (119:162)
What is the posture of the Psalmist before God’s word? He is feasting on God’s word like a hungry man. Applying God’s word to himself like a wounded man applies medicine to his wounds. Always meditating upon God’s word, “in the night” and “all the day” like a disoriented sinner who is desperately starved and a delighted saint who finds the deepest of satisfaction in knowing God through his word. Perhaps “daily devotions” or “quiet times” are far too tame an expression to describe the experience of the Psalmist! His primary focus in, filter for, and foundation of all of his thinking, feeling, and doing is the word of God. Daily devotions are the beginning of us coming into the fullness of the experience of the Psalmist as he loves God’s word and readily and regularly places himself under it so that it would speak into any and every area of his life.
PRACTICAL WAYS TO ENGAGE GOD’S WORD
1. Find time – Daily devotions of 5-15 minutes even, unleash the reorienting-grace of God in our lives.
2. Find a plan – Know what you’re going to read each day. We make progress toward the destination of godliness when we have planned out a route to take in the Scriptures.
3. Find something to meditate on – Find one word, phrase, or verse and think deeply about it for a few moments before moving on or bringing your daily devotion to a close. Meditation on Scripture is placing a bag of tea (which is God’s word) in the hot water (that is your mind). The longer you leave the bag in there, the more the tea colors the water and flavors it as the process of steeping continues.
4. Expect God to work through his word – “Open the Book expectantly. Anticipate the discovery of a practical response to the truth of God. It makes a big difference to come to the Bible with the faith that you will find an application for it as opposed to believing that you won’t” (Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life).
FOR FURTHER READING ON THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OF SCRIPTURE INTAKE SEE DONALD WHITNEY’S SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE OR DAVID MATHIS’ HABITS OF GRACE
SANTA ANA MOVIES IN THE PARK - EVERY WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY UNTIL AUG. 27
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.
Guests are recommended to arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. to find parking and reserve their seat. Guests may bring their own lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic*. Free popcorn will be provided to the first 500 guests each night, while supplies last. Audio headsets will be available for alternative languages (if available).
For the 2021 movie schedule and park listing, download the event flyer, here
Descargue el folleto del evento, aquí
Wednesday, July 14 - TOY STORY 4 - Jerome Park
Friday, July 16 - MOANA - Cesar Chavez Campesino Park
Wednesday, July 21 - ABOMINABLE - Rosita Park
Friday, July 23 - ALADDIN - Thornton Park
Wednesday, July 28 - MARY POPPINS RETURNS - Edna Park
Friday, July 30 - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - Portola Park
Wednesday, August 04 - THE JUNGLE BOOK - Santiago Park
Friday, August 06 - SELENA - Memorial Park
Wednesday, August 11 - LION KING - Lillie King Park
Friday, August 13 - FROZEN II - El Salvador Park
Wednesday, August 18 - TROLLS WORLD TOUR - El Salvador Park
Friday, August 20 - RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON - Delhi Park
Wednesday, August 25 - INCREDIBLES 2 - Madison Park
Friday, August 27 - COCO - Centennial Park
TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7 PM
Houlton small group @ Houlton home
Erkelens small group @ Erkelens home
JUNE 28 - JULY 4
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 30: PARK DAY
9:30 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana
FRIDAY, JULY 2: SMALL GROUP
7:00 pm - Erkelens and Houlton Homes
SUNDAY, JULY 4: SUNDAY GATHERING AT THE EBELL CLUB
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
WE THANK GOD FOR THE EBELL CLUB OF SANTA ANA
It’s important to commemorate milestones. Why? Because otherwise, we forget to see the gracious hand of God beyond our present moment. In the case of our Sunday meeting venue, for instance, we can be prone to take for granted what has become our regular Sunday meeting space.
But let’s not forget that just over a year ago, when schools were entirely shut down and we were looking to resume in-person services, we had no “Sunday home” - that is, until the Lord graciously led us to the Ebell Club.
This past Sunday was our 52nd Sunday gathering at the Ebell Club - one year of meeting in one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the city of Santa Ana. Take a moment today and offer a prayer of thanks to God for His goodness!
IT’S ON YOUR CALENDAR. NOW MAKE SURE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
October 8-10, 2021
Idyllwild, CA