"Romans 5:2-6"

In the middle of distress? In the middle of sorrow? In the midst of sin & guilt? (That sorta sounds like one of those Commercials for a Personal Injury Lawyer) But if your answer to any of those questions is yes, that means that your journey isn't over, and the power to rejoice in the midst of this life comes from the hope of God's glory.
Through Christ we have the ability to access the power of grace through faith, and through that power we have obtained the freedom to stand in the midst of this world. We have secured the ability to rejoice in midst of any problem. Not that we will have an answer for why God allowed it to happen, or that mourning will not take place (Mourning is an essential part of properly rejoicing God in the midst of sorrow.), but rather that a beautiful worship will take place in the midst of pain.

When we rejoice in our sufferings and look forward to the perfect joy that is to come, a certain endurance is built up in our spirit. Similar to the way that constant use will make our hands callous, constant acknowledgment of the sorrow produced by a sinful world will build a thick endurance that creates that Christ like character we all strive for. That character in an almost indistinguishable way will cause us to always look forward to the hope of heaven, to the realization that if it isn't perfect, it isn't over.

That hope in heaven, that hope in grace, that hope in God's sovereignty will not disappoint or let us down, but will rather be built inside us by God's love that has been poured into our hearts by the holy spirit. His companionship and love will provoke us to worship in the midst of our hardest times.

But in the end, just remember, that if it isn't perfect, it isn't over.

ponder why

you can't always explain it;
the room seems quieter than usual. things move slower and you even have time to stop and ponder in between events. people's words stand out, everything is more sensitive. your walls seem thinner, your mask stays on the shelf.

Then something happens, you turn it all off, put the walls up, and go about your merry way. Perhaps that something is sleep, the TV, your checkbook, work - either way, when found in these positions, find the streams and soak it up. roll in the green pastures and stain your clothes. Burn the memory in, for the path to get back to that place will soon seem daunting when those same walls cave in.

the lush country side can be found around every corner and in a variety of nooks - you can't get there alone, you must have a friend lead you to such places.

- roy

C.D. Release Party Tonight

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to make sure that everyone involved in the gathering knows that our own John Morris is releasing his first C.D. tonight...


John has been sitting in his room in 8hr intervals recording this C.D. on his own. His lyrical inspiration comes from his own life expereinces and his own life story.


It is going to be at 7:00p.m. in the fellowship hall at perimeter Church.

There will be a total of 4 people playing at the show tonight and John will be on from 8:00p.m. till 9:00p.m.

Hope you can come and support him...











The C.D. will be 5 dollars

The Inter-web...

If you are new to the gathering, please check out our website and forum for more information on how to get involved in our community.

Do you remember?

Psalm 138:5
“They Shall sing of the ways of the Lord.”

When did you really start to sing of the ways of the Lord? The first time any one really sings of the ways of the Lord is when they lose their burden at the foot of the Cross. There is never a song as sweet as the one of a newly born christian, who has just realized they are a forgiven child of God. You know how the mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal said it on the night of his conversion:

“From about half past ten at night to about half an hour after midnight,
FIRE
"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob," not of philosophers and scholars
Certitude, heartfelt joy, peace.
God of Jesus Christ...
God of Jesus Christ...
"O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You" (John 17:25).
Joy, joy, joy... tears of joy....”

(Remember you must read this with passion or it will make no sense at all)

Having written this on a piece of parchment and pinning it on the inside of his jacket so he may always remember that night.

Do you remember the day that your sins fell off your soul? Do you remember the night when you went to sleep without that burden? Do you remember when he sought you out and said “I will be your God, and you will be my Child... for I have loved you with an everlasting love, I will continue to be faithful to you...(Jer 31:1,3)”

How sweet it was that night that Christ took my sin away from me, realizing that the burden of achievement was now taken of my chest. So joyous I could rarely keep from talking about it. The fresh healing of my wounds made me want to tell everyone I knew of the liberty I had received at the foot of the cross.

But it has taken me four long years to realize that I mustn't celebrate only that day, but rather everyday since then. God has loved me and you with an EVERLASTING love, not a conditional once in awhile love, but an EVERLASTING Love. That should cause us to wake everyday fighting to know that love more intimately so that we may once again fully realize the burden that has been lifted.

opposites

I have the pleasure of making my way through Orthodoxy, a book by GK Chesterton, with a few friends - it's a great read. It has made me think of the subtle complexity that exists amongst the simplest of things. Seldom do we think about the the knowns of this world, these common & understood things. It is weird how at one moment we can crave routine for security sake and then in the next be fed up with our lives and want to move to some foreign place (at least I do). Making note of the paradoxes that exist in the Christian life (ie. to die is gain, one must die so one can live, etc) GK says this;

Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites, by keeping them both, and keeping them both furious. - GK Chesterton

If you are desiring a good read & have an inkling to find some mystery in the seemingly mundane, I highly suggest the book. However, one must read with a friend, its just too much to read and keep bottled in.

Free Download this Weekend

Laura Elvington and INO Records/Brentwood Benson Publishing have agreed to let us download her new single Immortal Invisible FREE for a limited time. Laura is leading worship at Perimeter this weekend. We will post the link for the free download Saturday at www.worshipwell.blogspot.com

We are asking you to only download for personal use to your computer, for a CD or, for your ipod. Please do tell your friends they can come and get it too! It is fabulous. Blessings