Advent Christmas video message for you!

A couple weeks ago we handed out some orange Advent DVD's at the services. There are 4 DVD clips corresponding to each week of Advent on the DVD. This clip below is a special clip of the second week of Advent and it is just for you. It's about 2 minutes long and make sure to watch to the end....

Advent DVD clip

Doug Yonamine's Reflections on last Weekend's Baptism Service

Doug and Jen Yonamine are Community Coaches in Algonquin (Eastview Ele. Neighborhood Area)

Dear Friends,

Did you sense the undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit during the baptisms at Willow during this weekend’s services? My wife said it was the closest she's come to experiencing a revival. We could not stop talking about it on the drive home (and neither could the people we ran into later that evening!). I loved the way Gene Appel gave the Holy Spirit space to move in the program and in people’s hearts – and the Holy Spirit moved indeed! Watching dozens of people on Saturday night step forward to be baptized in the moment -- without advance sign-up or an extra set of dry clothes -- was a powerful sight to see! I still can't explain it (other than saying it was a God thing), but I was literally weeping for joy as I sat in my seat watching each person declare their faith to Christ. I will never forget what I saw and experienced deep in my heart. How great our God is!

As we enter into the week of Thanksgiving, I pray that you are doing well. I’ve been encouraged to see people connecting and building friendships both through our Table Groups as well as by other means and opportunities.

November 2007 Baptism Numbers
Registered 129 Walk-up 167 Total 296

So, with 296 for November, that brings South Barrington baptisms for 2007 to a grand total of 1,013 for the year!

Spiritual Conversations / Open Table Training

Do you want to learn how to have spiritual conversations with your neighbors? Or have your non-Christian neighbors over for dinner and know what to say? My friend and spiritual conversation dynamo, Garry Poole, is having a training class that will help you engage those around you.
Spiritual Conversations / Open Table Training

Neighborhood November Table Talk from Randy Frazee

Here is the latest "Table Talk" from Randy. In this volume Randy addresses many of the questions that came up at our August Neighborhood Gathering. It is also listed in the "Grow" section of this Blog.

Monk-e-Mail

Hopefully you all got your Monk-e-Mail from me, just a little holiday fun! Send one to your friends and family for a good laugh!

FUEL - Week 5 - Manna From Heaven

This week’s FUEL study is on Exodus 16-17 and continues with the adventures of Moses. We see water from a rock and manna from heaven. I love how my study notes talk about manna being the Lord’s “unique provision” for His people in the Desert.

Have you ever thought about how the Lord is your “unique provision” for your life today? Moses was Israel’s deliverer from Egypt, God’s instrument to provide water for thirst, give laws to live by, and bread from heaven but how does that help us?

Jesus called himself “the true bread from heaven” (Jn 6:32) and the “bread of God” (Jn 6:33) and “the bread of life” (Jn 6:35, 48).

Jesus said, that “whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst again” (Jn 4:14).

When asked about the greatest of God’s laws and commandments Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments (Mt 22:37).

Moses writes in Deut 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.” And at the transfiguration we see Moses appear with Jesus (Mt 17:3).

The parallelism between Jesus and Moses is powerful! And seeing the links between the Old and New Testaments show us that Jesus is the ultimate Moses who has come to deliver the whole world.

Now that is FUEL to live on!