http://www.whittonavenue.org Reaching up in worship of God; Reaching in to equip the Saints; Reaching out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:40:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The cover story of this week's issue of The Economist is titled "Gendercide," and highlights the massive gender gap in China, India, and other Asian and European countries due to gender-based abortions of female babies.  Consider this staggering projection: in 10 years, China will have as many unmarried male adults as ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/03/gendercide-through-kingdom-eyes/ 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/03/memory-verses-for-march-2010/ There is a sacred hush about the Old Testament faith that is refreshing when compared to the barrage of noisy information that characterizes our day.  Consider the awe-infused silence that the children of Abraham must have experienced as they saw Aaron and his sons consecrated as priests (Leviticus 8).  Moses ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/03/reclaiming-the-sacred-hush/ Last night we conducted our annual business meeting, where the congregation overwhelmingly affirmed Peter Kinkel and reaffirmed Don Vander Giessen as elders.  I took some time to reflect on the year behind us, address some current issues, and look to the year ahead.  Here is what I shared about the ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/looking-to-the-year-ahead/ Download 1 Corinthians 14 1-12 http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/1-corinthians-14-1-12/ Next Thursday, February 18th, we will have our annual business meeting in which we vote on issues such as the 2010 budget and confirm eldership for Peter Kinkel and Don Vander Giessen.  It may be tempting to understand these items as the centerpiece of our meeting.  Yet our desire is ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/the-significance-of-the-annual-business-meeting/ Download 1 Corinthians 13 8-13 http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/1-corinthians-138-13/ Sacrificial love in the family of God is a beautiful thing.  When one person uses his or her Spirit-enabled gifts "for the common good" (1 Cor 12:7), when the various members "have the same care for one another" (1 Cor 12:25), what emerges is the most attractive display of God's ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/learning-love%e2%80%99s-beauty-from-my-children/ Download 1 Corinthians 13 1-7 http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/1-corinthians-13-1-7/ 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/memory-verses-for-february-2010/ In our Bible reading plan we recently witnessed the "gospel event" of the Old Testament, Israel's exodus from Egypt.  One of the striking features leading up to the exodus is the cosmic nature of the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh.  Before the showdown began, God told Moses, "See, I have ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/men-devote-10-weeks-to-smashing-counterfeit-gods/ As we walk through 1 Corinthians 12-14 on Sunday mornings, one thing we have seen already and will see again this Sunday is the radical Christ-centeredness of the Holy Spirit's ministry.  The Spirit's initial work in our lives is to enable us to confess, "Jesus is Lord!" (12:3) as he ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/should-the-holy-spirit-make-us-uncomfortable/ Earlier this week I heard of an Arizona church in which the decisions and direction of the church were made by a board of directors.  One Sunday a board member made the announcement in church, "Some of our board members have decided to step down from their responsibilities, so we ... http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/02/new-elder-candidate-peter-kinkel/ Download 1 Cor 12:14-31 http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/01/1-cor-1214-31-don-vander-giessen/ Download 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 http://www.whittonavenue.org/2010/01/unity-in-christ-1-corinthians-1212-13/