Read the book of 1 Samuel - either incorporate it into your daily devotional time or read it separately. However you do it, we encourage you to take the time to familiarize yourself with this Old Testament book that we’ll be spending the next 10 months journeying through. We’ve even created a page on our website for you to use to get going. Just click the link below and start reading …
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:
9:30 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
Last week, we asked you to save the date. Here’s why: because if you’re reading this and you have been volunteering on any ministry team at Cross of Grace Santa Ana over the past year, we want you to know how deeply appreciated you are. The pastoral team is grateful for your joyful and sacrificial service. The members of the church whom you serve through your volunteer roles are built up by your selflessness.
Volunteering within a church plant can be hard and oftentimes thankless work. We know that you don’t do it for the thanks, but for the honor and glory of the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31). Nevertheless, it’s our joy to thank you through a special dinner on August 13. We’ve reserved Benchmark Restaurant (just a stone’s throw away from the Ebell Club) in Santa Ana for a special evening to reflect on God’s grace through your joyful partnership in the Gospel together.
Who’s Invited: All Cross of Grace Ministry Team Volunteers
Childcare: Not provided
Date: August 13, 2021
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Benchmark, 601 E Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana
Details: This is an adult only dinner event. Feel free to park in the Ebell Parking lot.
The Psalms don’t shy away from the difficult realities of life. Neither do they shy away from our complex emotional responses to them. Psalm 73 is one such psalm; one in which Asaph, the author, looks out on the world and sees more prosperity among the wicked than among the godly. The inequity, this apparent unfairness, drives him to question God’s goodness. Have you ever found yourself questioning God’s goodness toward you because, compared with others, you’re just not getting out of life what you wanted or expected? Then listen to last Sunday’s sermon and be reoriented by Psalm 73 to walk away saying not “poor me”, but confidently declaring “I am rich”.
This Sunday take the opportunity to eat lunch with your French Park neighbors. Immediately after the service, we’ll be walking over to French Park to eat lunch and enjoy one another’s company while in the midst of the neighborhood God has placed us in. Here are the details:
It’s “BYOL” (bring your own lunch). If you forget your lunch or your favorite lunchbox isn’t clean, there are plenty of great restaurants nearby in DTSA.
It’s optional - but we highly encourage coming!
Bring some folding chairs - unless you like sitting on the grass, bring something to sit on.
Expect the Lord to build existing relationships and create new ones with our neighbors
All ladies, high-school-aged and older, are invited to join the women’s meeting this week. This meeting is a place where women at all stages of life can come and learn how to be women whose lives honor God - women who live in light of the Gospel.
For more information, contact Rebecca Erkelens at bequita_17@yahoo.com.
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:
9:30 am - Morrison Park, Santa Ana
7:00 pm - Schlieder Home
10:00 am - Meeting Room: Ballroom
12:00 pm - French Park
Clear your calendars on the evening of Friday, August 13th. If you volunteer on any of Cross of Grace Church’s ministry teams, the pastors would like to take an opportunity to bless you and thank you in a special way. The event will begin around 7:00pm. Childcare will not be provided, so take the next few weeks to find a trusted friend to watch your kiddos so you can enjoy the evening. More details to come.
A few words from the Executive Director of our family of churches on the future of Sovereign Grace Churches:
One of my prayers for Sovereign Grace is asking God to give us grace to be a multigenerational family of churches that continues to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, all for the glory of God alone. I find joy watching God answer that prayer as our most recent Pastors College class graduates, and our next Pastors College class is scheduled to start at the end of August. These recent graduates, and new students, represent our future, young men being trained for pastoral ministry who will faithfully serve in our local churches. God has also answered my prayer by giving us Jeff Purswell. As you know, Jeff is the Dean of the Pastors College, and our Director of Theology, and he does an excellent job of leading this program that has a strong theological training focus, an important relational component, and a gospel culture shaping influence. In our most recent Sovereign Grace Mission Video, I wanted to give you a quick look into the Pastors College, hear from some of our recent students, and give you a chance to hear from Jeff about his heart and vision for the future of the college. You can view the video here.
With faith for our future,
Mark
Psalm 55 describes the deeply emotional experience of betrayal. David had endured countless trials during his lifetime. He had learned to suffer long under the oppression of his enemy. But when the people he had grown to trust turned their back on him (v. 13), he discovered that it was a pain almost too intense to withstand. Friends are supposed to be an orienting presence in our lives, so when betrayal occurs, the disorientation is magnified. Where do we turn when friends unexpectedly act like enemies? To the always faithful Friend, to the one who gave us grace when we had turned our back on Him, to the One who has shown us that there is hope for restoration even in the most broken friendship. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to learn more.
