Missionary Spotlight:

Dale and Kathy Hollenbeck - Uganda

Dale and Kathy Hollenbeck have been serving the Church in southwestern Uganda in theological education since 2001. Dale serves as a lecturer in Biblical studies with fellow RTS Jackson graduates at Uganda Bible Institute, a school established in 2003 to equip church leaders with the tools they need to preach and teach the Word of God.

Dale also serves as a trainer with Veritas College, a mobile ministry focusing on training pastors and church leaders in the skills of Biblical exegesis. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dale is the Les Collines Unit Leader for Africa Inland Mission International (southwest Uganda and Rwanda), recruiting and caring for fellow missionaries. Kathy home educates their three boys, Micah (9), Benjamin (6) and Zachary (4). Kathy is a member of a team trainers that conducts periodic Sunday school teacher trainings throughout churches in Mbarara. She also teaches ladies’ Bible studies in the neighborhood and at the local university. The Hollenbecks host a weekly children’s catechism club in their home for neighborhood children. In all of their endeavors, the Hollenbecks seek to bring glory to Christ as they disciple Christians for the growth of the church and the advance of the Gospel in missions

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Speaking of John Calvin...

Marilynne Robinson on our "great amnesia"

It seems that one recent pulitzer prize winning author for fiction finds at least part of her inspiration for writing from a most unlikely source. You guessed it: John Calvin.

In 2005, Marilynne Robinson's novel, Gilead, won the pulitzer prize for fiction. Before winning the prestigious award, Robinson was relatively unknown as a writer, having only one other novel (written 20 years earlier) and a few rather obscure books of essays to her name. After the publication of Gilead, she could hide no longer. She became an overnight, literary success.

What also became clear, almost overnight, is the fact that Robinson is unique among novelists of her time. She is a 21st century writer who holds religious, historical, and literary convictions more akin to the 16th century. Robinson is deeply committed to the long standing tradition of Western literature and believes the 20th century's deconstructionist turn has systematically undermined history, religion, and language--cornerstones on which life and culture are built and maintained.

In a recent lecture at Amherst College (published in Harpers Magazine a few months back) Robinson decried the "great amenesia" that has settled on the consciousness of our time. "Those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it," she said, "and society does indeed seem to be reverting to a dismal past, which, in our ignorance, we call an inevitable future. But this is true too: Those who are ignorant of history deprive themselves of the hope that they might learn from what is best in it. Generous hope is embedded in this landscape and in the national landscape, waiting to be remembered."

Interestingly, part of Robinson's love for the past is rooted in her love for theology, and a particular theologian, John Calvin. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Robinson notes how post enlightenmnent history has falsely caricatured her theological hero, and that in his writings, we discover one of the most brilliant crystalizations of Biblical truth.

Robinson recently wrote a preface to a short selection of John Calvin's writings entitled, John Calvin: Steward of God's Covenant (Harper Collins, 2006).

If you're interested in learning more about Marilynne Robinson or her books, just follow this link, "At 'Home' With the Past," to the WP article.

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Spend 2009 with John Calvin

A Daily Reading Plan:

The Institutes in Ten Minutes a Day

HT: JT. When I was a Youth Director in St. Louis, my high school students came to me and asked me to teach them through Calvin's Institutes (no kidding!). Here's a tool to help you read through them in a year. New Year's Resolution anyone?Check it out here.

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Email Scam Targeting PCA MTW Donors

Be on the lookout

Our denomination's missions sending agency, MTW, has just released this important information about email scams. We actually received one of these scam emails a few weeks ago at First Presbyterian, but were able to contact MTW and our missionary, and alert them to it.

What should you do if you receive an urgent email from an MTW missionary with an emergency request for funds?

Both MTW and your missionary hope you would respond by contacting MTW. Recently, the email account of an MTW missionary was taken over by hackers, and very quickly, emails began going out to supporters in the missionary’s name. These emails described an emergency situation in which the missionary was allegedly in a different country for a conference and had lost both money and a plane ticket. If they could help with a loan, recipients were asked to reply for instructions about sending funds by Western Union.

Unfortunately, the scammers were able to steal a significant amount of money from generous and sympathetic donors, even though MTW took quick action to close the door of opportunity. And not only were donors affected, but a conscientious and faithful veteran missionary is grieving for the harm caused to partners of long standing.

MTW wants supporters to know that we are here to stand behind our missionaries who are in crisis. Missionaries also know to contact MTW for assistance in crisis, and they are completely aware that they may not send out unapproved requests for funds. Our financial policies also require that all funds provided to a missionary must come through MTW.

In light of the recent cyber attack on our donors and one of our veteran missionaries, the value of these policies becomes even clearer. Many people do not realize that an email account, especially if not properly secured, can be taken over and messages sent in the name of the account holder. So, even messages from a trusted friend can be fraudulent. And funds obtained through these means are often used to support criminal activities or even more sinister causes.

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Our Approach to God in Prayer

Adapted from Matthew Henry's Method for Prayer

As we prepare ourselves to pray, Christians will:

compose our hearts, so that we are reverent and joyful, serious and delighted, God-fearing and God-desiring;

with our thoughts gathered in, and God's word stored up, and all that is within us charged with anticipation of communion with the Triune God; longing to come to the Father, by the Son, through the Holy Spirit;

we set the Lord himself before us, with a fixed attention and application of mind and an active lively faith, and (as it were) we see his eyes upon us, and set ourselves in his special presence, presenting ourselves to him as a living sacrifice, which we desire may be holy and acceptable and a reasonable service;

*We lift up our hearts, with our eyes and hands, unto God in the heavens.
*We stir up ourselves to take hold on God, to seek his face, and to give him the glory due unto his name. Unto thee, O Lord, do we lift up our souls.
*We enter, in humble boldness, into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, in the new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil.
*We attend upon the Lord without distraction, so that our hearts are not far from him when we draw nigh to him with our mouths and honour him with our lips.
*We worship God, who is a Spirit, in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.

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The Weekly Blogging Schedule

What's On Daily

Here is our plan for the weekly schedule of regular posts at the Pastors' Blog.

Sunday: Lord's Day Reflections

Monday: Pastor's Perspective, Blog of the Week

Tuesday: Understanding the Times

Wednesday: Hymns of the Faith

Thursday: Sunday Order of Worship, Windows on the World, Windows on the Past

Friday: Missionary Spotlight

Saturday: Sunday's Coming

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Praying with Rick Phillips

On Veterans' Day

I have freely swiped this post from my good friend, Rick Phillips, at Second Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC. He is a former Army Officer. He offers here helpful pastoral guidance on praying for those in our Armed Services.

"November 11th is our nation’s annual celebration of Veteran’s Day, having been established as a national holiday by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. Previously, Nov. 11th had been designated Armistice Day, to commemorate the Allied victory in the First World War. After the change of name, the holiday was set aside to remember the sacrifices of our veter-ans in all of our wars. According to the original proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson, the holiday was designed to promote reflection “with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

It is entirely appropriate that Christians should join our fellow citizens in expressing thanks to those who have served as veterans in our Armed Forces and also gratitude to God for the peace we have enjoyed through the service of our soldiers, airmen, and sailors.

One of the most valuable ways we can show our thanks to veterans is to devote ourselves in prayer for the veterans who defend us during our pre-sent time of war. We should be praying not only for soldiers who we know and love, but also for all the men and women presently serving in our military. Having been raised in a war-time Army and having spent thirteen years in active duty, let me suggest some items that would assist you in praying for our current veterans:

 Pray for their safety. Every single person in uniform has people at home who love them and who lie awake at night worrying about their safety. Military service is inherently dangerous, and all the more so in a war zone. Pray that God would thwart the evil designs of those who seek only harm. Pray for success in war with a minimum of human casualties, including the beleaguered people of Iraq and Afghanistan, but especially with respect to our military members.

 Pray for their suffering and misery. Many of our soldiers are living a very difficult life. They get used to it, but it is still miserable. Many of them are severely sleep deprived. They are often hungry. They do not often get to thoroughly wash and they suffer from the sun and the heat. Pray for God to strengthen their resolve that they would not be worn down by misery.

 Pray for their strength of heart. They are lonely and sometimes discour-aged. Many of them are seeing heart-breaking scenes. My personal interactions with veterans of this war reveals a significant problem in this respect: returning to “normal” life can be a real trial and the effects of war can scar the soul. Some of our military will doubt the wisdom of our policy or of their particular unit’s command. Pray that they would respond with faithfulness to their duty and courage against difficulties. Pray that they would not be taken up with anger against the enemy or temptation to sin.

 Pray for those who bear great responsibility. A young squad leader has numerous lives in his hands. A young officer, like Matthew Russell from our congregation, is often burdened by the life-and-death decisions he makes every day. Of course they make mistakes, but these mistakes can be costly and can burden their hearts. Pray that they would not falter, nor that they would fail in their duties. Pray that leaders would bend their knees before the Lord, lift up their hearts to God, and seek from Him the wisdom that their responsibilities require.

 Pray that their sacrifices would make a difference for peace. War is always terrible. But a war that does not make a tangible difference for good is particularly bitter. Our military has made enormous personal sacrifices over the last five years and more. May God bless their sacrifice by enabling a stable peace in Iraq and at least a manageable situation in Afghanistan.

 Pray for their families, who daily wonder where their loved ones are and are sacrificially doing without a father or mother, a son or daughter. I personally know a Green Beret captain (and PCA elder) who is serving his fourth combat tour in Afghanistan and who left his wife only a few weeks before she gave birth to their fourth child. Pray that family unity and love would remain strong. Pray that marriages would not be unduly strained, that children would not be embittered by the long absence of their father, and that the daily strain of fear would not break their spirits.

 Pray for Christians and Christian families in the military. They have a significant opportunity to show the power of God’s grace and to share the gospel with many in very great need. Ask God to give them strength to bear rich spiritual fruits and a boldness to witness the gospel. Pray for the Christian soldiers to manage the great strain of cultivating love within a violent occupation, and that God’s Word would restrain them from sin while bearing arms.

Let us not fail to pray for our nation during this time of war, but especially for those who most greatly bear our burdens. May God bless America, may He protect us from wicked enemies, and may God make our country a blessing to all peoples.

In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Rick Phillips

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Watch this space

Next Monday Big Changes Coming

Some big changes are coming in our usage of the First Presbyterian Pastor’s Blog. This coming week, for instance, this weekly First Epistle column, the “Pastor’s Perspective” will move to the Pastor’s Blog.

We have been blogging here for some time now, but our activity has been minimal for the past year. So we are going to re-launch it next week – Monday morning, November 17, 2008. Tune in!

My "Pastor’s Perspective" column will appear weekly, here, on Mondays. In addition, Derek Thomas’s regular “Understanding the Times” column will appear on Tuesdays. We will have a weekly "Hymns of the Faith" column on Wednesdays and a "Windows on the World" column on Thursdays. Also, on Thursdays, we will post the Sunday Order of Worship. On Fridays, we will continue to introduce you to our missionaries, church planters, campus ministers and others supported through the gifts of the church. On Saturdays and Sundays, we’ll include things that will help you in worship preparation.

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Missionary Spotlight:

Tial and Annie Thanga - Myanmar



Thank you for your faithful prayer support. We are living in the most center place of 10/40 window that make a lot of work a mong the most unreached people group of the world. Because of your unceasing prayer, the Lord enable us to reach the heart core of the unreached groups slowly by slowly. We have now working on Nagis cyclone effected people as well.
Tial is currently the head of mission work and also teach at RTS of Myanmar. Annie is helping our home kids and students at the bible college. Our oldest daughter, Eden is now finished her college and teach English at the bible college. Also involve in our Church Sunday School as kids teacher. She is applying to come to RTS Jackson for MA in christian Education course. She need to raise fund at this time for her Education at RTS Jackson. Our sons; David and John are now in the 10 and 11 Grade. David hope to be a pastor in her future.

We also fostering 3 girls since 4 years a go. The yongest Sangte is 2 Grade this year now and just boke her elbow and now in the healing process. The Second one, Remboihi is in her high school final year. The oldest Moite is now in the bible collge as the first year student. We all enjoying God grace. Our family hope to serve the Lord as much as possible for His glory.

We appreciate for your prayer card and mail.
Matt. 25:40.

Your prayer support family
Tial, Annie, Eden, David, John
Moite, Remboih, and Sangte

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Men of the Covenant Luncheon

Dr. Samuel Hensley

Join us Thursday, November 6, for the Men of the Covenant lunch. The speaker this week is Dr. Samuel Hensley. Sam is one of our new elders and a respected pathologist and bioethicist.

Dr. Hensley, in addition to practicing medicine, serves as Bioethics Consultant to Mississippi Baptist Medical Center and is an Adjunct Professor at Covenant Theological Seminary and a Fellow at the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. He is president of the Board of Directors of Matthew 25:40 Ministries, an outreach to the elderly in Chicago. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the local campus based chapter of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) and serves on the CMDA National Ethics Commission. In 2000, Dr. Hensley received a Master's Degree in Christian Thought and Ethics from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He and his wife, Elizabeth, teach an elective in Bioethics for fourth year medical students.

The time is 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The cost of lunch is $5.00. Reservations are not required. If you have further questions, please contact me at 601-326-9243 or ShannonC@fpcjackson.org

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