Join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as Pastor Norm completes our summer series, Postcards with a Punch.  Only 13 verses long, the tiny memo that is II John would have barely filled a single sheet of paper.  It's like a note we might write and drop in the mail to a close friend.  However, as I've shared throughout this series, short does not mean insignificant, and the letter of II John is no exception.  II John contains three principles we can spend the rest of our lives putting into practice.  These aren't complicated, but they are difficult, because navigating between unconditional love and discerning truth will always be a challenge for followers of Jesus.

First, loving others is a fundamental expression of authentic Christianity.  Nowhere does John dismiss the idea of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.  One of the greatest forms of witness we can have is to show love toward each other and those outside the church.

Second, embracing the truth is equally important.  The one who loves you the most is the one who tells you the truth.  It isn't loving to let a person engage in destructive, ungodly behavior just because we don't want to offend them.  This means we need to know the truth, grow in the truth, and study Scripture and sound theology.  If you don't know what you believe and why, you won't know where to stand on any doctrinal or moral issue--at least not with any solid conviction.   Take time to study and be strengthened in the truths of God's Word.

Third, love and truth are not mutually exclusive.  We must know the truth and take a stand for it without backtracking, compromising or downplaying its importance in the role of a follower of Jesus.  At the same time, we need to be gracious and winsome in our witness.  As I Peter 3:15-16 states:  "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."  We must stand for the truth, but at the same time, we must extend love and walk in grace. We must love within the banks of love and discernment...and learn to live in the tension of grace and truth.

Note:  Good Neighbor Project is scheduled for Sunday, August 21st.  This will be our 5th year taking a Sunday morning to blanket our city with the love of Jesus.  We will accomplish this by rolling up our sleeves and helping get Beaverton High School ready for the upcoming school year, filling backpacks with school supplies and individually providing our neighbors with a gift bag.  The day will conclude at noon with an all-church bbq.  Make plans now to join us for this special Sunday of loving our neighbors.

Finally, John Crisan (wife Syliva, son Alex), went home to be with Jesus on Sunday, July 31st.  On behalf of Sylvia and family, I want to invite you to attend a Celebration of Life service for John.  This special time of remembrance will take place tomorrow, Saturday, August 13th at 10:00am in the Fireside Room of Parkside Fellowship.

Please join us for this special time of remembering the life God gave John and the love and laughter he shared with his family and all who knew him.  Also, please pass this information along to those who would be interested in attending.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Doug

Too often, Christians believe that just because we follow God, that somehow we should be immune to life's challenges.  But if you've followed Jesus for any length of time, you know that's not always the case.  During the rough seasons of life, it can be easy to turn our back on God, believing that He has turned his back on us.  The book of Habakkuk shows us that there is another option for dealing with our struggles, fears and doubts.

Habakkuk saw God unleash His wrath on the world.  Confused and upset, he asked God the question we all want to ask:  "Why?"  Like Habakkuk, one of the best things we can do with our doubt is to present our questions to God and spend time with Him in prayer.  In Habakkuk 3, the prophet is finishing a long conversation with God.  He reflects on who God is, remembers the past faithfulness of God and ultimately cries out:

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord!  I will be joyful in the God of my salvation."  Habakkuk 3:18

Remembering who God is, His faithfulness in the past, and His promises for the future gives us confidence to trust God with what's happening right now.  Even though we live in a sin-filled world with loss, hardships, doubt, stress and fear, we can choose how we respond.  The difference when we face each day with Jesus is that we have the ability to experience joy, peace, love and security even in hard times.

Take time today to read the book of Habakkuk, and then ask yourself: "Is there anything about my response to doubt that needs to change?".

Join us Sunday at 9:30am, as we take a deep dive into the postcard book of Habakkuk.

Note:  Good Neighbor Project is scheduled for Sunday, August 21st.  This will be our 5th year taking a Sunday morning to blanket our city with the love of Jesus.  We will accomplish this by rolling up our sleeves and helping get Beaverton High School ready for the upcoming school year, filling backpacks with school supplies and individually providing our neighbors with a gift bag.  The day will conclude at noon with an all-church bbq.  Make plans now to join us for this special Sunday of loving our neighbors.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug

On behalf of the Law family, I want to invite you to attend the Celebration of Life for Jean Law.  This special time of remembrance will take place tomorrow, Saturday, June 4th at Parkside Fellowship.  The service will begin at 2:00pm.

Please join us for this special time of remembering the life God gave to Jean and the impact he had on all who knew him.

For those who are unable to attend in-person, the service will be available via livestream.  The livestream will begin at 2:00pm.  Click on the link below to access the service.
https://youtu.be/jLMpNZL6qX8
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There will be a reception in the Fireside Room immediately following the conclusion of the service.

Also, this Sunday at 9:30am, we will finish our short, but powerful "post-card" letter of Jude.  As we will learn this week, Jude's purpose went beyond just condemning false teachers.  His purpose was also to protect the faithful.  In verses 17-23, Jude works to sharpen the discernment of his readers by issuing commands to remember the teachings of the apostles, to keep themselves in the love of God, to have mercy on those who had been deceived by false teachers, and to save those who were being threatened by these false teachers.  Finally, Jude prays for his readers, as he concludes with a hope-filled, confidence building doxology of praise to God, through Jesus, whose power will never end.

After the service, we will launch 2 brand-new Sunday School classes.  Below are the details for each:

Study #1:  Prayer that Moves Heaven
Facilitator:  Martha Bailey
Time:  Sundays at 10:45am

Study #2:  Psalms and Proverbs
Facilitator(s):  Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski
Time:  Sundays at 10:45am

See you Sunday,

Pastor Doug

Back before cell phones, texting, instagram, snapchat, etc., the only way to let your family and friends experience your vacation with you, was through those familiar "wish you were here" picture postcards.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  A 4x6 overpriced, thick, cardstock quality piece of paper, with a color picture of some exotic location on one side and a brief description on the other side, with just enough room left over for you to write a brief note along with a name and address.  What I loved most about these postcards was the enticement for the recipient to get up and get moving. 

In the spirit of the "postcard from paradise", this Sunday at 9:30am, we are kicking-off a brand new series called, Postcards with a Punch.  What we are going to be doing over the next couple of months is taking a deep dive into some "postcard" type letters from the Bible.  When I say postcard letters from the Bible, what I am referring to are those short books like II and III John, Philemon and others.  As we open these short letters from scripture, what we will quickly realize is that short does not mean insignificant or irrelevant.  In fact, I titled this series, Postcards with a Punch, because each of the books we are going to look at contain passionate language and vivid "postcard worthy" imagery that communicates the urgency to stand up and fight for the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the next 3 weeks we will focus our attention on the little book of Jude.  Jude is the second to the last book in the New Testament.  A book often lost in the shadow of its next-door neighbor...the book of Revelation.  But even with just 25 verses and 613ish words, the book of Jude still packs a punch, as the author wastes no time in providing us with a fighter's manual for defending the faith.  In a world where people emphasize love without truth and tolerance without limits, the letter of Jude stands as a timely reminder to stand firm for and even fight for the faith.

Take some time this weekend to read the book of Jude and, in the midst of the call to contend for the faith, don't forget Jude's closing benediction:

"Now all glory to God who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.  All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.  All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!  Amen."  Jude 24-25

Also this Sunday at 10:45am, our adult discipleship class will be in week #3 of our study, Keeping It Simple (Spiritual Discipline for a Focused Life).  This week, Martha will lead a workshop on how to prepare your own way of simplicity.  I want to encourage everyone to consider attending and learning about this much lacking, but extremely important discipline.

Below are the class details:

Facilitator:  Martha Bailey
Topic:  Keeping It Simple (Spiritual Discipline for a Focused Life)
When:  Sundays at 10:45am.
Why?:  Because all of us could use a little "simplicity" in our lives.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Doug