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Last year, Paul Vaughn, faithful member of his church in Centerville (and long time friend of mine), participated in a peaceful, pro-life protest. Last week, the FBI deemed the timing appropriate to arrest Paul for this far past event at gun-point on his farm, surrounded by his children, and cart him off without answering any of his or his family’s questions as to the nature of the arrest. We know now that it had to do with that protest from a year ago. Paul and Bethany have 11 children in all, the oldest of whom are married with little children of their own, the youngest of whom is toddling around in a diaper.

There are many questions surrounding this arrest, but what is not in question is the Vaughn’s commitment to Christ, family, and children. Their money is where their mouth is and the powers that be have decided to persecute them for it. In 2 Timothy 3:12–13, the Apostle Paul says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” So those who despise God and his word purposing evil against us is not unexpected. Paul goes on, “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.”

Paul is facing up to 11 years in prison for trying to peacefully stop the murder of unborn babies. Please lift up Paul and his family at this time that they may walk faithfully to that which God has called them.

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” ― C.S. Lewis

It’s easy to believe we are totally in control of our lives every action is directed by ourselves alone. We often don’t do this on purpose, we’re just so used to ordering our lives as we see fit that we forget every breath we take is because God has ordained it so. One has only to look at our prayer list to see that a lot of folks, many right in our midst, are experiencing things over which they have no control.

This is one of the reasons it’s a good to be in a daily habit of prayer. When we bring our petitions, our anguish, our anxiety, to the one who ordains all things, it reminds us who is really in control — and it’s not us. The Apostle Paul, by way of his letter to the Philippians, in chapter 4 verse 6 instructs us: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Doing this daily, when you rise up in the morning, for instance, is a good way to fulfill this command and place our trust and hope in Christ. And as we do, we have the promises of Psalm 34:17–19:

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Praise the Lord for His goodness to us!

While the world overturns definitions and gender roles, it’s good to remember that simply following the templates God has given can be very powerful tools in shaping the culture and carrying out God’s purposes.

Men, in a general sense, are designed to take leadership roles. Each man has different giftings to be sure, but men are designed to take dominion, to cultivate, to grow, to take what was shapeless and useless and shape it into something good and useful. Young men should prepare for this by taking on smaller ideals of the role. Men already in these roles and taking on more of these leader positions, should remember to lead as a servants. They should remember to lead joyfully, remember to be eager to listen and not wield an iron fist. They should not exasperate those under them.

Women, in general, have been designed to beautify and glorify, to be an aid in taking dominion. Like men, this will look different from woman to woman, but the principle applies. Young women should focus on the simple duties and daily tasks in their purview to help with and beautify. Woman already in this position should remember that they wield much influence in the life of their husbands, children, and those around them. They should beautify their domains with smiles and love.

As we seek to influence and shape culture, let us do so by working with the designs God gave. As we do, we will find joy designed exactly and specifically for us.

We are living in a time when the way God made things to be is questioned and if you believe in the truth of the created order, you are labeled as an extremist. If a boy says, “I’m actually a girl,” or a girl says, “I’m a boy,” they can get supporting “medicine” and dangerous and life altering medical procedures to help support the delusion. And public schools are full of alphabet soup with non-sequitur pronouns galore.

As we navigate these times, it can be difficult to know how to raise our children, what information to give them and expose them to and when. There is no doubt this may look different from family to family. But regardless of any differences, one thing is certain: our children — the next generation of Christ’s church — need to be grounded firmly in the truth of the Word. They need, more than ever, to be brought faithfully to partake in covenant renewal through word and sacrament each week. They need to learn of and handle the truth so much that the lies in the world are easily identifiable as the absurdities they really are.

As we look and see the war raging all around, remember that what you do on the Lord’s Day in bringing your family to Christ, and what you do every day of every week in training and nurturing them, is one of the most effective means of warfare you have. And remember, Christ has already given you the victory! Praise be to Him!

Last Wednesday during prayer meeting, we experienced unusually quick positive feedback to an item on our docket. The prayer request was of a work opportunity before one of our members to receive a promotion and salary increase. Word was received by a family member while we prayed that the promotion went through and relayed that to us through that member’s prayer of thanksgiving.

Of course, the Lord doesn’t always provide that sort of feedback that quickly. But he does love to give good gifts to His people. And sometimes his quick response surprises and delights us. The timing is, of course, impeccable in terms of the sermon we heard just this past week that we are to be a praying people. And as we learned that the Apostle Paul even relayed prayer requests in his letter to the Colossians, so also, we relay to each other on Wednesday night and by means of our prayer list our prayer requests that we each might know what to pray for and how to be praying for each other.

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, in chapter 6, Paul instructs them to “pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Then he says a couple verses later, “Brethren, pray for us.” And then James tells us in James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” And so, brethren, as you’re able, make use of the prayer list, and pray for your brothers and sisters. It is the will of God for you!

Today, a church that St. Mark has sponsored in the CREC (our denomination), Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, will officially receive members. This is indeed a joyous thing to celebrate as they continue to represent the body of Christ on the north side of Nashville. As is good and right on such occasions, they are celebrating with a psalm sing and feast after the service and have invited us to join them. We hope to see many of you there as we enjoy fellowship with these dear brothers and sisters.

We read in 1 Timothy 3 of a rightly ordered church being a good and Godly thing, and Pilgrim Hill continues to serve the Lord and His people faithfully in taking this next step.

As the foundations of the ungodly society around us crumble, and as more liberal churches push away from the faith handed down by our fathers and the apostles, we’re seeing more interest for conservative, bible believing, liturgical churches. When the sheep aren’t fed, they look for pastures with green grass. We’re praising God for the work he’s doing at Pilgrim Hill, for work such as Richard is doing to start a faithful church over in the Cookeville area, and for other inquiries we’ve fielded of people hungry for faithful churches. God is, as always, working among his people, and we’re exited to see it unfold!

The school year has begun and it’s a good time to take stock of why education of Christian children is important. At St. Mark, many tools for the education of children are employed. Some chose home school, others choose private or classical school. Others are involved in Classical Conversations. The common theme is we all believe that education is not neutral and must be grounded in God’s word. Further, we believe parents are responsible for equipping their children. Delegation, of course, can and should be used as needed and necessary.

Sometimes educating and equipping our children can be exhausting. But take heart: God sees the work you are doing, the exhaustion that can overwhelm. In educating sons and daughters, you are engaging in very important kingdom work. Children represent the future of the church. You are training future men and future women, future husbands and future wives. The education you are giving them now has impact for all future generations. That is, in fact, one of the reasons God commands parents to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And that is also why the job can feel exhausting and overwhelming. But God gives strength to accomplish the tasks He calls us to. And that God calls us to equip our children for the kingdom work is precisely why we do it. Give God the glory as He gives you strength to train the future!

The Mullenaxes have joined the Drapers in hosting a monthly hymn and psalm sing. This month the Mullenax hosted event is this Friday, August 19th. They live just north of Nashville so if you’re a northern dweller and have not been able to make it to the Drapers, we encourage you to make time for this event as they open their home.

Pastor Joe’s sermon last week from Colossians 3:16–17 was timely, exhorting us on the singing life of the church. The hymns and the psalms are formational to our way of thinking as they shape and mold us. Verse 16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” And that’s what we do at these events. You may come, weary from the day, the work, the challenges, and the world, but you will leave refreshed, invigorated, and instructed.

Food, drink, and lively conversation also accompany the singing of hymns and psalms — all things which draw the body of Christ closer to one another, and deepen our walk with God.

The hymn and psalm sing at the Drapers will be the following Friday, August 26th. If you are able, come to one (or both!) of these events to be encouraged, and to lift your praises to God your maker.

Pastor Uri Brito of Providence Church in Pensacola, Florida, recently released a new hymn tune with words by Charles Wesley which we are making the hymn of the month. Pastor Uri named this tune “Strawbridge” in honor of the late Gregg Strawbridge who Uri noted in a post introducing this tune was, “friend, pastor, musician, and scholar.” and that he missed his dear friend. It’s a moving tribute and one that caught our eye.

The music has a wonderful Celtic lilt and it is in a minor key which fits nicely the mood of the text. It puts us in mind of our suffering Savior and calls us to glory in His cross and to bear our burden joyfully. The 4th verse is particularly poignant, reminding us that we have been bought by Christ’s shed blood and we are sealed and confirmed as heirs of heaven.

And whether you consider yourself a good singer or not, remember, as verse 3 instructs us, that His power is shown in our weakness. So take heart today as we begin learning this wonderful hymn. God accepts your praise as you earnestly put in the effort.

As always, the practice tracks are available to members and friends in the members area of the website. May the Lord bless us all as we seek to hone our singing and bring our best before Him.

One of the things that identifies God’s people is song. That’s because we are commanded to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The Bible details many times when God’s people sang. And of course, there’s God’s hymn book right in the middle of our Bibles.

Recently in episode 558 of The Theopolis Podcast titled, “Singing the Future,” Dr. Trevor Laurence expounded on the hope found in the psalms. If you ever wonder why we sing and chant so many Psalms, why every Wednesday during prayer, Pastor Joe reads from the Psalms, this episode is highly recommended. The Psalms shape our outlook on the world and show us the world as God made it to be — as it really is. They counteract the incorrect views we get by dwelling on our human perspective, or from the godless philosophies around us. Reading the psalms is like putting on glasses to correct the blurry vision we have. Suddenly we have eyes to see.

At the hymn and psalm sings hosted by the Drapers, and now the Mullenaxes, you’ll notice quite quite a few psalms here, too. While some hymns are selected to be more familiar, the psalms are also sung that we might bring more into focus the worldview God has for us in his song book. So as you sing the psalms, let it shape what you see and show you God’s world as it really is, and give Him the glory!

On Tuesday, July 19, 47 U.S. House Republicans joined their votes with all the House Democrats in voting for a bill titled, “Respect for Marriage Act.” The name is, as you might expect, something of a misnomer because it formally overturns the, “Defense of Marriage Act” of 1996 and requires the recognition of same-sex marriages deemed legal in the state in which they were preformed.

None of the aforementioned Republicans are from TN, so there are no action items for you on the voting front. There are, however, action items for you on the prayer front. Having been granted a victory in Roe v. Wade, it could be easy to become complacent in other areas. We must recognize that this codifying into human law of that which God abhors is also an important battle to wage. One does not have to be a theonomist to recognize that you cannot avoid legislating morality on some level. The question then becomes, who’s morality will man legislate? Mankind can legislate righteously or he can legislate unrighteously. Recognizing as marriage that which is not and which God in fact says is an abomination is very much the latter.

Continue to pray for moral victory in our country. Pray that God would strike down this bill and those who would put forth such evil. Pray that the hearts of our leaders would be inclined toward our good God!

Come one, come all. The Gallants have issued their yearly invitation and you are invited! At 3:00 on Saturday, July 30th the Gallants serve us hamburgers, hotdogs and all manner of fixins for such items. If you haven’t been to one of their picnics yet, it’s a lot of fun for the kids (with an obstacle course and everything) and plenty of food, fellowship, and drinks for the adults.

One of the things that marks us saints is our love one for another, and our desire to fellowship together is one of the ways we show love for each other. And this very type of casual fellowship is sometimes missing in the lives of modern believers. Often the conception of the church in the modern western sensibilities is to show up on Sunday for an hour, maybe two and, “put in your time,” and then head out to watch some game on television or nap. But as we read throughout the Bible, and certainly throughout the book of Acts, and glimpsed in the epistles, believers form community and then live the out-workings of community. We taste and see each Lord’s Day that He is good as Jesus breaks bread with us. And this is the example He sets. As he breaks the bread of peace with us so likewise we dine with each other — not in a sacramental way, but in fellowship, sharing but a dim foretaste of the glorious fellowship that is to come.