September 10, 2011 New Keeping in Touch
As I had mentioned in our previous gathering together, I would post some ways in which we can keep in contact. I hope all of you take me up on this because it would be a real joy to me to keep in touch.
So here they are…
Email: aftertheheartoftheshepherd@gmail.com
Blog: www.aftertheheartoftheshepherd.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dgeroux
I hope to hear from all of you sooner than later.
Remember, among all the great and glorious purposes we find for our lives in Christ, the three that we looked at were…
- We exist to be a means of others’ progress and joy in the faith. (Philippians 1:25)
- We exist to be ample cause for others to boastfully and joyfully brag about Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:26)
- We exist to continually come together in fellowship. (Philippians 1:26)
May it be so, by God’s grace, for all of us! Again, I love all of you so much and praise God for being, I hope and pray, all of these to you!
Grace and peace,
Dave
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August 19, 2011 New Seasons, Times and Matters
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
As we are nearing the close of summer and the opening of fall, you and I could say that we are ending one season of life and beginning a new season of life. Looking back on the many different seasons and times and matters under heaven the Lord ordained for us this past year, my eagerness for this year’s new seasons and times and matters under heaven is great!
Having said that, I have news to share with you as it pertains to my ministry involvement at Crossroads Bible Church. Shortly after the waves of grief over Derek’s departure began to settle and life began to “normalize”, I was notified by our elders that my position as 5/6th grade and Junior High coordinator would be temporary as they began to search for a new pastor of student ministries. The reason for this temporality was that the Lord led the elders to envision this new position as overseeing the M56, I78 and HWY 912 student ministries.
After meeting with Rod this morning, I was officially released from my ministry involvement and I will no longer be overseeing the M56 and I78 youth ministry. The Lord has given our church elders who are full of the Spirit, wisdom and love of Christ in that they have been preparing me for this moment while encouraging me all along to keep the pedal to the metal in shepherding you and your kids. I have been ready for this for some time and so this comes to me with no surprise. However, change being what it is, as parents I encourage you to pass this news on to your kids. My hope is that it would be an open door for you and your family to talk not so much about me as it would be an open door to talk about dealing with change while trusting whole heartedly in the Lord.
Having said this, I would love for you to please be present in the Upper Room next Sunday, August 28, at 7 PM. I would love to open God’s Word, pray, worship, and share snacks and coffee and fellowship together one last time for now. My earnest hope and prayer is that I have been a great cause for your progress and joy in the faith and that on account of me you have ample cause to glory in Christ, because of my coming to you in this way. (Philippians 1:25-26) I love each of you very much and am praying nothing less than God’s best.
For your progress and joy in the faith in Christ Jesus,
Dave
August 11, 2011 Colossians 4:2-6 pt. 3 | “Walking the Walk, Talking the Talk”
As we come to the end of our I78 Summer ’11 calendar, my heart is eager to see God’s leading the I78 youth ministry at Crossroads into the fall. As your kids continue to grow up “in wisdom and in stature,” (Luke 2:52) youth groups will pass away but Jesus assured us, “until heaven and earth pass away, not an not, not a dot, will pass away from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18) Therefore, this Sunday, we’re going to go and dive into God’s everlasting, sure, and true Word with the hope that after having heard from Him in Colossians 4:5-6, your young men and women, the leaders and myself will have drawn out of us a life of wisdom toward outsiders and speech marked by being always graciously seasoned with salt for the glory and praise “of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works!” (Titus 2:14)
So come out and join us in the Upper Room this Sunday @ 7 PM for our last Summer gathering before we get ready to kick things off for the fall!
I’m calling all parents, who would be willing and able to, to not simply drop off your kids. Please come and gather in the Upper Room’s prayer room to pray God’s light and truth get sent out and into the hearts of all who are there, including me!
Thanks for a summer that has been restful yet well-filled with good works! See you Sunday, Lord willing!
Grace and peace,
Dave
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August 4, 2011 Owning Your Children for Wisdom pt. 2
“Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.” (Proverbs 23:19, ESV)
In the last post, we saw Solomon commending his son to his heart being wise. Here, we see Solomon again commending his son to be wise. So I ask you again, are you commending your son or daughter to be wise? Or are you commending your son or daughter to be something else? What we commend our sons and daughters to be communicates to them what is truly or not truly valuable. Let me give you a few examples.
Our culture around us is commending us to be powerful, the top dog and in first place. This is nothing new. The mother of Jesus’ disciples James and John came up to Jesus requesting to Him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit at Your right hand and one at your left, in your Kingdom.” (Matthew 20:22) Does this sound like you toward your kids’ teacher, football coach, or even me? “Say that your favor will be towards my son/daughter that he/she may be in first place among your class/team/youth group.” Our culture around us is also commending us to be cool, to be fun, and to be the life of the party without counting a penny of the cost on our souls here and now and for eternity. This is nothing new. Right after this attention grabbing statement from Prov. 23:19, Solomon told his son, “Be not among drunkards [lit. “those who drink too much wine”] or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.” (Proverbs 20:20-21) What makes us more sleepy and unproductive in life and in the Kingdom than guzzling down alcohol like water and downing food like we’re trying to stuff a teddy bear? Drunkenness and gluttony both result in sleepy poverty. What our culture is commending is not a good deal. Show them a better way. Show them the wise way of godliness with contentment, in which Paul said, “[T]here is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)
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July 26, 2011 I78 Family Beach Day BBQ!
Let us not neglect “to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, ESV)
Let’s be real, back in the spring during the “As for Me and My House…” night, I was the white elephant in the room! If you don’t understand what I mean, maybe this will help you out: there I was, giving the teaching on what is the foundation of family worship, as a single, never-raised-children, just-graduated from college, temporarily living at home with my parents, 23 and 3/4 years old youth pastor to a wonderful group of parents who were there to be equipped, encouraged and empowered to go home and be a Christ-exalting, Kingdom of God and His righteousness-seeking family. Thankfully, God has a way of working through young men for His people and His purposes. (1 Samuel 17; 1 Timothy 4:11) God’s grace overflowed toward me through Jesus Christ, (1 Timothy 1:14) He put the white elephant in the cage and God was among us in great Christ-exalting, gospel-declaring example-setting power for us!
Another white elephant some of you need to simply be real about is your habit, thus far, of neglecting to bring your son or daughter to meet together at any I78 summer event. Please do not read this as a passing of judgment. Believe me, I remember my summer months in middle and high school for my family. They were sometimes nuts! But I will say that God, who alone knows our hearts, (2 Chronicles 6:30) knows whether this is because of laying up for yourselves treasures on earth, as was the sad and common experience for my family and I, or because of laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21) Whatever treasure you are laying up for yourselves, here’s an excellent opportunity for us, young men and women and their families alike, to break that habit of neglecting to meet together!
If you look at the I78 ’11 Summer Calendar, you will see that on July 31st we have the Family Beach Day BBQ! The location will be on the beautiful Grand Haven State Park, the time will be 2:30-6:30 PM and the weather will be fantastic, Lord willing! We’re talking about weather that is less humid, 85 degrees, sunny, and extremely welcoming to our company!
I just ask that you please bring a side dish and let your small group leader know which dish you will bring for us to enjoy with you. I prayerfully and eagerly hope to see you and your family there enjoying God’s workmanship, God’s people, and God’s good food on the beach with the leaders and me!
Grace and peace,
Dave
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July 19, 2011 Tough Decisions and How Christians Can be Good Citizens
Paul’s letter to the Christians living in Rome, the Washington D.C. of the Roman empire at the time, addressed the issue of citizenship in the empire while being unashamed and uncompromising citizens of the Kingdom. ”How are we as Christians to ‘lead a peaceful and godly life, godly and dignified in every way‘ that we may be ‘pleasing in the sight of God our Savior‘?” (1 Timothy 2:2, 3) This had to have been one of the hot topic-issues with which our brothers and sisters were wrestling! Sounds a lot like us nowadays, doesn’t it? “There is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired pastoral counsel to this question was,
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. (Romans 13:1-3, ESV)
One way in which we as members of the empire and, ultimately, the Kingdom can do good, leading “a peaceful and godly life, godly and dignified in every way” that we may be “pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” is by petitioning for good things like the rights of the poor. According to 2dollars.org,
$2 a day is the global poverty line below which people are defined as living in poverty. The World Bank produces estimates of the number of people living in poverty, and in 2004 they estimated that in 2001 2.7 billion people were living on less than $2 a day. Of these, 1.1 billion people lived on less than $1 a day, the level of extreme poverty.
Therefore, in view of God’s rich mercy and grace in Christ Jesus and the abundant financial provision that He has given to us as Americans who live off of $100+ a week I urge you to join me in defending the rights of the poor. Please read up and sign this petition to the House of Representatives concerning the care for the poor around the world.
In two weeks, the House will start deciding where and how much to cut in the 2012 budget.
We know that tough decisions need to be made, but now is not the time to cut poverty-fighting programs that we know work–programs that have helped put more than 6 million people on AIDS drugs since 2002 and have helped avert 5.4 million child deaths due to vaccines–all for less than 1% of the budget.
I just signed this petition asking the House to protect these programs. Will you sign it, too?
http://act.one.org/sign/protect_fy2012/?source=protectfy2012tafem&referring_akid=.5472797.ftxM1u
Together as ONE we can make a difference.
Seeking to defend the rights of the poor with joy,
Dave
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July 13, 2011 Owning Your Children for Wisdom Pt. 1
Over the course of the next five weeks, Lord willing, it is on my heart to devote the attention of this blog to some meditations, or thoughts, on five portions of Scripture from Proverbs. The theme is called, “Owning Your Children for Wisdom.” You may think, “‘Owning your children’? This sounds more like a set up for how to get the C.P.S. to own my children, Dave!” Take heart! What Scripture means by “owning” your son or daughter is totally different than what our culture means by “owning” your son or daughter. This is not a power-tripping, macho-man fronting, dripping faucet-nagging child “ownership” but a child ownership reflecting the heart of God and His example for us in His relationship toward His Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father said to God the Son, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
Within every human being is a longing desire to belong, to be owned, to be named. For example, it is a son’s longing desire to receive the holistic loving affirmation of his father. Sons cry out to their fathers, “Tell me, show me, dad, that you’re proud of me! Tell me I’m your son!” Or take daughters, for example. It is a daughter’s longing desire to receive the holistic loving attention of their father. Daughters cry out to their fathers, “Tell me, show me, daddy, that I’m beautiful! Tell me I’m your daughter!”
As I read today’s portion of Scripture from Proverbs during this morning’s devotions, my whole being seemed to be captivated by the language that God inspired the writer to use as he addressed his son and through which God now addresses you and me. Within just two chapters “My son…” is used five times! My hope is that these next five weeks will help you in “Owning your children for wisdom.”
“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.” (Proverbs 23:15-16)
Do you commend your son or daughter to their hearts being wise in their conduct toward others and to always speaking graciously, seasoned with salt? (Colossians 4:5-6) When they are among the few who enter by the narrow gate, the hard way that leads to life (Matthew 7:14) while everyone around them enters by the wide gate, the easy way that leads to destruction, (Matthew 7:13) do they look to the sidelines of their life and see you there with your heart glad and your inmost being exulting? Or do they look and see you there with all the other aloof moms and dads who are addicted to their crack-berries and high-phones?
Keep a watchful eye on your son or daughter! God is at work in them! Keep a watchful eye on your son or daughter for those moments of wisdom in their conduct and speech! Join the father’s glad heart and inmost being’s exultation, affirming and blessing them with undeniable love and pleasure just as the Father affirmed and blessed the Son, ”You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
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July 5, 2011 Continual Devotion to Prayer with Thanksgiving
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2, ESV)
At our last large group gathering at the beginning of the summer we camped out on this text in Colossians. But I took a moment to think it over again. I wanted to think over what God’s Word said through Paul in this final portion of instruction in his letter to the Colossians. Essentially this text tells you and me that we must have a continual devotion to watchful prayer with thanksgiving. This essentially breaks down into three pieces that I want to briefly point out to you so that your family may be encouraged to live lives that are prayerfully prayerful in your private lives so that you may be powerfully powerful in your public lives in wisdom and grace as members of “the kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
- What? Paul commanded the Colossians, “Continue steadfastly in prayer,” or literally, “In prayer, be devoted.” This word for “continue steadfastly” or “be devoted” is the same word used in Acts 2:42 where Luke described the life of the early church as, “They devoted [italics added for emphasis] themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42) As it was here in Acts so it was also in Colossians. They were already devoted to the prayers; Paul was simply commanding them like a good coach who yells from the sidelines to his player already running with the football, “Run! Run! Run!” So, “Pray! Pray! Pray!”
- How? Paul said to pray, “being watchful in it.” Paul undeniably got this idea of being watchful in prayer from the gospels when Jesus was in Gethsemane and he prayed there before his betrayal, arrest, trial, sufferings and death. Just let your mind take in the weight of what was happening here and let it feed your heart’s affections! “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!” (1 Timothy 1:15) And the very thing for which He came into the world to do was just about to happen! Jesus’ words to his disciples are enough to describe this moment’s weight, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch [italics added for emphasis].” (Mark 14:34) Did the disciples remain there? Oh yea! Like rocks! Did the disciples watch? Well, “[Jesus] came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch [italics added for emphasis] one hour? Watch [italics added for emphasis] and pray [italics added for emphasis]…And again [italics added for emphasis] he came and found them sleeping…And he came the third [italics added for emphasis] time and said to them, ‘Are you still [italics added for emphasis] sleeping and taking your rest?’” (Mark 14:37-38, 40, 41) Is your family’s devotion to prayer like the disciples, “sleeping, for their eyes were heavy”? (Mark 14:40) For those in Christ we can toil, struggling in prayer “with all [Christ’s] energy that He powerfully works within [us].” (Colossians 1:29) So, “Pray watchfully! Pray watchfully! Pray watchfully!”
- How? At this point, some of you are fired up, ready to go and lead your family in devotion to watchful prayer. While some of you might be thinking, “Sounds great, Dave! But really? Our family has never been devoted to prayer in general so how could we possibly go from here to a continual devotion to watchful prayer?” The answer is, “With thanksgiving.” The instrument for awakening a continual devotion to watchful prayer is thanksgiving. I told the kids, “When you come to grips with the reality of who you are as a wrath of God-deserving slave to sin and repent [from sin] and receive the gift of God ‘the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light’ (Colossians 1:12) it will affect you to be so thankful that it awakens your prayer life.” When you and me understand the grace of God in truth (Colossians 1:6) that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14) it will affect you to be so thankful that it awakens your prayer life. So, “Pray watchfully with thanksgiving! Pray watchfully with thanksgiving! Pray watchfully with thanksgiving!”
One final note. I gave the kids three suggestions for application and I will give the same to you.
- Pray with your friends. This can be done with the people in your house church or with Christians with whom you normally never practice your righteousness.
- Pray for me. One of the greatest gifts someone can give their pastor is one they don’t even need to know they’re receiving from you; pray that God would work in them to have lives that are above reproach as 1 Timothy 3:1-7 calls them to be.
- Pray Scripture. Doing this will not only help deepen your relationship with God on a prayer level but it will also help deepen your relationship with God on a Scripture level. You’ll know God deeper in prayer and you’ll know God deeper in His Word!
I’m looking forward to our next large group gathering on July 17th in the Upper Room @ 7 PM, Lord willing!
Grace and peace,
Dave
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June 26, 2011 Wednesday Night Craig’s Cruisers!
“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8, ESV)
Let’s paint a hypothetical situation. You’re thirsty so you go over to the fridge to get some water. As you’re letting your glass fill up, you take a look at the I78 Summer ’11 calendar that is front and center on the fridge. You take a look at the June agenda and see that there is an event coming up this week! You got it! Craig’s Cruisers!
As I’m setting things up with our friends over at C.C.’s could you do me 2 huge favors?
- Please let me know “Yes,” or “No,” if your son or daughter will be planning on going ASAP. I would love to see at least 20 of our beloved young men and women show up for this blast of a time! This comes with great kudos! We will be qualified to order option #3 on the link I have posted for you to see above. Please let me know ASAP! Thanks!
- If, Lord willing, there are at least 20 young men and women running around C.C.’s the leaders and I will need backup! Would you pray, look at your schedule and consider giving two hours or so of your Wednesday night to share some fun times eating buffet food and playing bumper boats, put-put, go-karts, etc. with us? Thanks!
Tags: I-78
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June 22, 2011 Father/Son Camping Trip
Well here it is! The weekend I’ve been anticipating for a long time: The father/son camping trip! So far, I have one father/son duo coming. So for those of you who are on the fence, free to come, but just aren’t sure if you want to come here are some helpful heads’ up for the weekend to help your choice.
Lord willing, this weekend will include…
- Study and discussion over Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
- Rustic, electricity-less bathroom-less, tent dwelling camping
- Food cooked by camp fire
- Fishing (Be sure to buy your fishing permit!)
- Swimming
- Fun outdoor games and activities for fathers and sons to do together
- Take off: 7 PM @ the church offices (678 Front Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504)
- When: 7 PM Friday-8 AM Sunday
- Where: 5555 Corrigan Rd., Belding, MI
- Cost: $20 per father/son for food
Tags: I-78
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- Posted under Scheduling
