GCV Blog

“I hope it rains today.” “I hope I do well on this test.” “We’re hoping the results come back negative.” From the trivial to the most profound longings, hope colors every facet of all of our lives. Whether you think about it or not, hope is an attitude that anchors much of your life. When you lose hope you lose your grip on life. Beyond just wishful thinking, hope informs the foundation of our dreams and expectations. That hope is challenged by our circumstances, however, and most particularly by our suffering.

Do you get disappointed? A lot? Does it seem like no one, from your spouse to the electrician, can keep a promise to you? That no matter how much you lower your expectations, life can still do the limbo even lower? You’re in good company if your hopes are constantly being dashed. Along with the rest of humanity, you are experiencing the inevitable result of living in a fallen world. Besides a world that is entirely incapable of giving us what we long for most, we also tend to stake our hope in shifting sand. For that too, there is good news.

Looking Ahead As we move into February, here are some reminders of ministry events for you to take part in, be blessed by, and be a blessing at. Sunday morning is not our only chance to learn together, encourage each other, and do the work of the ministry. Far from just making busy calendars busier, we pray these ministry opportunities help us pursue our goal of glorifying God through equipping, worship, and outreach.

There is no shortage of books on parenting. Additionally, you can find “Gospel centered” anything on the Christian book market. Neither of those realities should keep you from reading Ed Moll and Tim Chester’s Gospel-Centered Family. I highly recommend this book because it is readable, practical, and most importantly driven by biblical principle.

As another Thanksgiving season has come and gone, I’ve asked myself again about the state of my thankfulness. Thankfulness is not a calendared activity, but every Thanksgiving is a valid opportunity to reflect on the condition of my soul. A Gospel-saturated heart necessarily leads to a thankful heart. When the Word of God dwells in us richly, we inevitably give thanks liberally. If I know the powerful works of God, I cannot help but return words of thanks.

With all the strategies for church growth swirling around in our world, Charles Spurgeon helps us see clearly both what truth church growth is and how it happens.

Joining Grace of the Valley Church on November 17, 2013 was an Amazing God Day.

“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” â€" Mark 1:1 Two thousand years after this was written, Christians confidently proclaim that there is no gospel without Jesus Christ. However, to those reading it for the first time â€" this was a bold proclamation for a lowly carpenter to fulfill. To the Roman or Gentile audience the Gospel of Jesus Christ was an attack on what they believed. Gospel, meaning good news, was often spoken in conjunction with the coronation of a new ruler. Commentators often cite the Priene Calendar inscription dated 9 BC in honor of Augustus, referring to his birth as the “birthday of the god Augustus…the beginning of the good news for the world…”

The following article comes from Jon Bloom of Desiring God (http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/when-the-perfect-comes). Though this is an older post, I come back to it at the turn of the year because of it’s mixture of hope and honesty. “…when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:10).

Earlier this month, the Spanish ministry held a couples’ retreat in the mountains. The majority of those who attended were the men who have been involved in weekly Bible studies conducted in the local fields and farm shops. We met most of the wives for the first time at the retreat. It was the men who encouraged their wives to attend and made the effort to be a part of this. As we headed into the weekend, we did not know what to expect. This was a Christian marriage retreat attended mostly by unbelievers. How do you teach Christian principles to couples whose souls have yet to know Christ? It could be very frustrating to hear truths that can be applied only as the Holy Spirit provides the grace to do so.