I love the Christmas season. Above all, I love the focus on Jesus. I also love the decorations. I love the lights. I enjoy the fact that several radio stations play Christmas music all month long. But, tuning in to these stations, there are some songs I’ve come to despise! They drive me nuts! Here are my current “Top 5″ lists.  The five songs that make me cringe and turn the station.  And the five songs (among many more) that bring nostalgia and/or stir my heart with worship.

The Worst:
5. Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano
4. Little Saint Nick, The Beach Boys
3. Merry Christmas Baby, The Beach Boys
2. Last Christmas, Wham!
1. Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney

My Favorites:
5. White Christmas, Irving Berlin
4. Carol of the Bells, Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych
3. O Holy Night, Adolphe Adam
2. Mary Did You Know?, Mark Lowry
1. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Charles Wesley

Ok, there’s my best and worst list. Any objections?  Any additions?  How about yours?
~Jeff

I had a great time with the elders of Bethel Grace at the 9Marks workshop this past weekend!  All the speakers blessed us tremendously.  Pastor Rick Holland of Grace Community Church brought a message stressing the primacy and vital importance of God’s Word in the life of a local church.  Here’s my attempt to recapitulate a few of his points that really blessed me…

1.  Don’t judge the success of a message by the retention of all its content so much as by its impact on the heart and life the hearer.  Not everyone will remember every truth received in a message.  Most families don’t go home and recite the cleverly alliterated outline!  But the encounter of receiving God’s Word faithfully preached is vitally important to the soul.

  2.  Yesterday, many preachers wanted to be accepted by the academic world.  Today, many preachers want to be accepted by pop-culture.  Above all, Spirit-filled preachers want to be approved by God.

3.  The Gospel is not necessarily in every text, but it should be in every sermon.  Point people to the cross.

Here are some interesting items online!…

Desiring God Holiday Sale. ‘Tis the season! Start your holiday shopping with some edifying resources from John Piper at great bargains.

Increase in depression and suicide among pastors. Totally sobering. This is why the Holy Spirit inspired verses like Hebrews 13:17. This is why Christians should love their pastors and pray for them rather than criticize and gossip about them.

“The Day I Went to Church.” An Aussie describes his first visit to a local church. Oh, let’s reach out to visitors in love Bethel Grace! Thanks for the link, Donovan!

Free Tim Keller Sermons. Pastor Tim Keller, of Redeemer Prespyterian Church in New York, has recently made his sermons available free of charge. Awesome resource!

Can’t wait for this weekend!  The Bethel Grace Elders are heading to beautiful Riverside, California for the 9Marks “Building Healthy Churches” Conference this Friday and Saturday.  And we are very excited to have Alvin Colston joining us!

Please be praying that we will…
1 – Be drawn closer to the Lord Jesus
2 – Be drawn closer to one another
3 – Be refreshed in our ministry to love and lead the flock
4 – Be energized in our commitment to nurture biblical church health
5 – Be given wisdom and clarity in applying the biblical principles to BGBC.

To read the ”9 Marks of a Healthy Church” as discerned by Mark Dever, click here.

To see the conference speakers and schedule, click here.

On behalf of the elders, thanks for your prayers!
~Jeff

Highlight of the Day

Monday is usually regarded as the pastor’s day off.  Did that for years.  Over the past several months, however, I’ve been taking Friday as my day off for family, fun &  home.  Here are some of the highlights of my day off, Friday October 16:

7:30 am – Woke up, cleaned up.  Kristy gone and off to work with her bro for the day.

7:35 – PB & J – Prayer, Bible, Java. 

8:00 –  Checked email.  Sent email to BGBC small group participants.  Sent email to Pat.  Worried about church.  Prayed about worry & church.  Reviewed recent website updates.  Got excited about church.  Worried some more about church.  Prayed for a healthy and active church.

8:15 – Danny up.  A bit of play time with Danny Ryle.  Made him some Ovaltine & oat meal.

8:30 – Read The Presence of the Future, by Ladd.  Danny watching PBS Kids.

9:00 -  Jonathan up.  A bit of wrestlemania with the boys.  Got the boys dressed.

9:30 – Cruised by Dunkin’ Donuts with the boys. 

9:45 – Arrived at El Dorada Nature Center with the boys.  Had a little tailgate donut eating  milk drinking party with Jon and Danny.

10:00 – Picked good sticks.  Walked around the Nature Center.  Looked at turtles.    Thought about Sunday.  Sang “Let Your Kingdom Come.”  Had fun with the boys.  Thought about how dad used to take me and my brother to the same place when we were the same age.

11:00 – Went off to another part of El Dorado Park.  Had fun playing with the boys on the playground.  The boys played with a kid named Carter.  I chattted with Carter’s uncle, a very friendly fellow covered with tattoes.

Noon – Took reluctant boys home for lunch.  Drank lots of water, ate lots of pinapple and pepperoni and Hawaiian bread for lunch.

1:oo – Put Danny down for nap.  Jon played with toys.  I brushed Stewart and threw the ball around with him.  Tidied up around the house a bit.  Showered up.

1:30 – Got the mail.  Tons of stuff in the mail.  Behold…  Tons of stuff from Bethel Grace family!  Must be pastor appreciation month!  Got a glass of Ovaltine.  Sat on the sofa with all the letters and cards.  Felt like a kid opening presents on Christmas day.  Soaked it in.  Went slow.  My heart was warmed.  My spirit was refreshed.   Thought about BGBC.  Praised God for BGBC.  Asked God to bless BGBC.

2:00.  Read an email from a hurting friend.  Prayed for hurting friend.  Replied to hurting fried.   Prayed more for my friend and my friend’s family.  Read a few other emails.  Worried about church.  Asked God to bless the church.

2:30.  Spent some time with Jon watching the Dodger game.  Pedro was pitching good for the Phils.  Danny woke up.  Made some popcorn.  Watched some ball and ate popcorn with the boys.

3:00 – Loaded the boys up in the truck.  Off to Long Beach Town Center.  Got a pumkpin spice frap from Starbucks.  Watched the boys play in the little water playground.  Did some playing in the water myself.  Jonathan played with a kid named Chris.  I spent some time chatting with Chris’s eccentric grandma.   Stayed a while.  Walked around the Town Center.

5:30 – Got home.  Angels losing!  Daahhh.  Watched some of the game.  Let the boys play PBS kids on the computer.  Did laundry, did dishes, cleaned house while watching the game.

7:00 - Kristy called.  Her bro’s cancer really wearing him down.  She’d be needing to spend more time helping tonight.  

7:15 – Made dinner for me and the boys.   Wheat pasta with olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and butter.  Pepperoni (always a sure hit with my boys).  Salad with ranch.   

7:45 – Boys bath time.

8:15 – Bath time done.  Work out time.  Boys worked out too.  Lots of stretching, ab routine, pushups, more stretching.

9:00 – Kristy’s home!  Lots of hugs and kisses for mama!!! 

9:15 – Went shopping.  Bought birthday present for my mom at Homegoods, rustic looking pilgram figurines.  Went to Starbucks looking for a new insulated deskmug.  Lost mine way back at VBS.  No luck.   Went to Vons for coffee and cranberries.

10:15 – Back home.  Boys still up.  Good!  Family devotional time.  Read together out of Mark.  Talked about Jesus, the Gospel and discipleship. 

10:45 – Jonathan wanted to act like it was Sunday and he was the preacher.  We set him loose.  He grabbed his Bible.  He exhorted us briefly, but with conviction, “John the Baptist ate honey, Jesus is God, and we should obey Him.”   Dude.  He was pointing at us and everything.  Could it be?  Envisioned Jonathan the preacher.   Had to take a picture.  We prayed for eachother, uncle Rick, and Bethel Grace.

11:00 -  A very late bedtime for the boys.

11:30 – Talked with Kristy about her long day.  Told her about mine.  I have an amazing wife.  Truly a woman who gives herself away with love and grace. 

12:00 – Kristy dozes off.  I start this blog. 

Good night BGBC Family.  I love you and am so truly blessed to be here with you.
~Pastor Jeff

I love this song. The choir encouraged us with this song during last Sunday’s service and my heart was being stirred by the Spirit. Rod and Tavi led this song at Junior High Bible Study last night and my heart was bursting.

I’ve been reflecting on these lyrics all week long.  This song communicates what our church is all about.  We are here to fill Southern California with the glory of King Jesus by spreading God’s Word and making Spirit-filled disciples.  I think this should be the theme song of Bethel Grace. I love this song!

Reflect carefully on these lyrics:

Your glorious cause, O God, engages our hearts
May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are
We ask not for ourselves but for Your renown
The cross has saved us so we pray,
Your kingdom come

Let Your kingdom come
Let Your will be done
So that everyone might know Your Name
Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
Till Your sovereign work on earth is done
Let Your kingdom come

Give us Your strength, O God, and courage to speak
Perform Your wondrous deeds
Through those who are weak
Lord use us as You want, whatever the test
By grace we’ll preach Your gospel
Till our dying breath

Awesome.  Wonderful lyrics.  Is your heart engaged?  That song was inspired by this prayer in the Puritan book on prayer, The Valley of Vision.  Let’s pray this prayer lots:

Sovereign God,
Thy cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to thee with greatest freedom
to set up thy kingdom in every place where Satan reigns;
Glorify thyself and I shall rejoice,
for to bring honor to thy name is my sole desire.
I adore thee that thou art God,
and long that other should know it, feel it,
and rejoice in it.

Follow this link to download a free mp3 of the song.  On that page, the Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace music explains how the Puritans’ passion to advance the gospel inspired the song.  Get the song while you can.  Get it into iTunes and listen to it lots.  Pray it lots. 

I can’t wait for this Sunday in Mark. We will hear Jesus’ first sermon: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”

~Jeff

Here are a few items online that interested me and/or stirred worship in my heart.

Driscoll on “unbelief vs. questions” and God’s ability to do anything.
Here is an example of why I appreciate the preaching of Mark Driscoll.  For all the (sometimes valid) criticism he has received, he is a Bible-saturated expository preacher of Truth who exalts the sovereign majesty of Jesus Christ.  Two things on this link.  First, I think the “unbelief vs. questions” insight can be helpful in regard to the final message of the James series on those who “wander from the faith.”   Second, the story at the end about the reconciled couple sent chills up my spine and worship to God from my heart.  God can do ANYTHING!

Letterman and the Gospel.
Some very powerful insight into the dread exposed sin places in the heart of man.  People need Jesus Christ. (HT – challies.com)

Fabarez & Compass Bible Church on their coming switch to ESV.
In this blog Pastor Mike Fabarez (who spoke to the men of Bethel Grace about a year ago) explains while Compass will soon be using the English Standard Version.   He mentions some curious news concerning the future of NIV that I was not aware of.

Blessings to you Bethel Grace!
~Jeff

As you read throughthe Gospel of Mark, you noticed these words showing up again and again describing the way people responded to Jesus:
“amazed,”
“astounded,” 
“afraid,”
“terrified,”
“marveled.”

Think closely on these phrases:
“utterly astounded”
“astonished beyound measure.”

This Sunday morning at Bethel Grace we enter into the life of Christ . Mark will introduce us to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the prologue, he will line up five testimonies revealing to us the glory of who Jesus is and what he came to do.  I am praying that you will be amazed, astounded, and astonished at his glory and grace.

Jesus is our banner.  Pray He will be lifted high and draw all men to himself.

~Jeff

Charles Simeon

John Wesley

Here is a brief account of how Charles Simeon  ”squared off” against John Wesley, in the love of Jesus!

How Calvinist Simeon Related to Wesley

Beginning Sunday Morning, October 4, Bethel Grace will use the English Standard Version of the Bible for its preaching and teaching ministries.  The ESV is a highly literal, word for word translation of the original Hebrew & Greek that is very readable at the same time.  In the words of John Piper, it brings a great “balance of literal accuracy and contemporary English readability.”

Here’s why I approached the elders for permission to make this switch and more info on the ESV…

I’ve been preaching on Sunday mornings at Bethel Grace for five years now.  Each week I read and study the Sunday morning passage in the original Greek.  At the same time, I’ve been using 6 English translations in my study (NIV, ESV, NASB, Youngs, KJV, NKJV).  I’ve been blessed immensly by the NIV over these past years, but also have been frustrated at times to find details of the Greek left out of the English (The NIV uses a “thought-for-thought” rather than a “word-for-word” approach in its translation.).  Meanwhile, I’ve found the ESV to be right on target week in and week out.  It has become my favorite among the different translations I use. 

The ESV seems to bring all the nuances of the original languages into the English while being very easy to read at the same time.  A “word-for-word” translation is more consistent with the kind of preaching and teaching that occurs at Bethel Grace.  For these reasons, the elders happily agreed to make the ESV the primary translation used at Bethel Grace. 

I encourage all of you in the Bethel Grace family to get a copy of this Bible.  Also, pew Bible are being ordered for our sanctuary.  I can’t wait to start using it with Bethel Grace!

For more general information on the ESV, click here.

For more reading on “word-for-word” (ESV) and “thought-for-thought” (NIV) translation philosophies, click here. 

To read endorsements of the ESV (including Bridges, Chan, Lucado, Piper, Sproul & Walvoord) , click here.

To order your own copy online, click here.

~Jeff