New Prayer Letter (Spring 2012)
  Thank you once again so much for all of your prayers! Below are the links to our latest prayer update.   Spring 2012 Update  
Lessons from Colossians
LESSONS FROM COLOSSIANS After concluding our studies on 1 Corinthians and Let the Nations Be Glad in our Koinonia young adult Sunday school group, our attention is now set on Colossians. Two main notes of application are on my mind lately. 1. The need for passionate lay leadership. There Paul, a Jew who gave his life for the Gentiles’ redemption, finds himself in Roman imprisonment. Al...
Easter 2012
After a couple thousand years of generations and cultures, we come to another year of commemorating the cross and the resurrection. It's 2012 and Jesus is still fulfilling His promise of building His Matt. 16:13-19 church centered on the glorious Eph. 1:7 redemption bought at the terrible but beautiful cross. God is still redeeming His people to Himself until the Rom. 11:25 fullness of the Genti...
Word-Shaped Prayer
Picking up on another Let the Nations Be Glad post, I wanted to include some of Piper's writings regarding prayer. Interestingly I read as Piper explained how prayer can often be too elevated above its intended role. Now, if you're like me and thinking, you may say, huh? Let me further explain. He continued to explain that prayer is often elevated in our emphasis on it over the Word of God. H...
Worship, Missions, and Life
Greetings! I just wanted to check in and share some stuff that I am really enjoying going through with the Koinonia group at our church from our Let the Nations Be Glad study. The study itself finds it's roots in a principle inseparably connected to the Scriptures as a whole. However, Psalm 67 rings clear on the study's central premise. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His f...
New Prayer Letter (Winter 2012)
  Thank you once again so much for all of your prayers! Below are the links to our latest prayer update.   Winter 2012 Update  
Our Deliverer, Our Solace
I was reading in Exodus today about Israel's deliverance from Egypt. Although the parting of the Red Sea and the host of other miraculous deliverances of Israel are familiar to us, I think we often take them for granted. Can you relate? Consider the Red Sea deliverance in Exodus 14 for a moment. Can you imagine what it must have been like! Imagine as we all are just delivered from an oppressive pe...
Welcome Jathan!
Announcing the birth of our dude-man #2! Jathan Lee Black was born today, January 26, 2012 at 4:14pm. He measured 8 lbs. 6.9 oz. and 21.25 inches in length. Laura is doing pretty good and on her way to recovery. Thank you all so much for your prayers! In His Grace, Derek, Laura, Elias, & Jathan
Let the Nations Be Glad!
I'm super amped (really, really excited) to launch a new study this Sunday in the Koinonia group! My attention is drawn to a book by John Piper, entitled, Let the Nations Be Glad. Piper's subtitle is "The Supremacy of God in Missions," but don't let the title and subtitle automatically shuffle this book into strictly a missions category. The Biblical truths in this book reveal God's desire and pla...
Corinthians… Jesus Identity
Well, in the Koinonia young adult group we just wrapped up our 6 month study in 1 Corinthians. Wow, what a great book! If you haven't lately checked out Paul's letters to the church at Corinth, maybe you should. We found this first canonical letter to the Corinthians to be extremely relevant for us the church today! In a world racked with moral depravity, God redeemed a people to Himself. Think ab...

Brief 2012 Thoughts

Posted By: thegapstander on January 1, 2012 in Random Bloggings, Updates (all) - Comments: No Comments »

As I think about this new year (which reaches us in AK rather late on the world’s timetable), my heart is drawn to Paul’s earnest prayer for the Ephesians in chapter 1. This Christmas I thought much on Isaiah 9:1-7 and the reality of our God’s active plan of redemption. As we graciously enter 2012, may we bring the reality of God’s Word and His work back to our minds. Our world so desensitizes us, but the stuff we read in God’s Word is real. Our God is redeeming His own among the nations. May we be to the praise of His glorious grace! May we (like in Eph. 1:18-19) be driven to greater worship! May Jesus’ fame spread! Happy 2012 everyone!

Grace,
Derek

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