Benny the Jet, the Beast, and King David’s Prayer

David’s prayer is urgent in Psalm 5 and reminds us that we can pray because of God’s character and covenant love toward his people. Prayer should be our first response rather than a last resort. The movie from the early ’90s, The Sandlot, provides an entertaining picture of solving problems without first asking God to help.

Insomnia

Sleepless nights can wreck your life. The problem is only exacerbated when you can’t sleep because people are seeking to kill you! That’s the background for David’s insomnia which induced the writing of Psalm 4. Dan Cabal helps us walk through this Psalm to see what enables David to lie down and sleep in peace and what we can do in times of trouble.

How God Judges Worldly Living

It can be easy to follow the wisdom of culture and those in leadership even to our peril. Psalm 2 is a great contrast to how God perceives this way of life and worldview. Michael Knights to the work of brother TJ Betts, who does a remarkable job in his book 40 Days in the Psalms, of helping us see how our rebellion against the Almighty God is just foolishness at its core.

College and Singles Weekly Update: August 25th-Sep. 1st

Love the Ville is coming up on Saturday, August 28th!

This Saturday!!

This is a church-wide event where all NAOBC members get to give back to the community and share the love of Christ through various service projects.

Projects will occur in the morning hours with the respective group you sign up to serve with, followed by lunch at the church for volunteers.

SIGN UP HERE!! Today is your last day to sign up!

SINGLES GROUP:

  • BFG (Bible Fellowship Group) Sunday Morning 10:30 AM, RM 202
  • Sunday Worship: 9:00 AM

COLLEGE GROUP:

  • BFG (Bible Fellowship Groups) Sunday Morning 9:00 AM, RM 202
  • Sunday Worship: 10:30 AM

BIG NEWS/CHANGES FOR THE COLLEGE GROUP!!

We had a great time last Sunday night kicking off our first college night!! It was a huge success and we can’t wait for many more Sunday evenings to gather togehter. Join us this coming Sunday for another college night full of fellowship and fun.

Join us for supper, games, a brief lesson time (different speakers each week), and fellowship. This will be a wonderful time of getting to know everyone in our college group! See you at 6 PM this Sunday!

Time: 6-8 PM

Location: Room 231 (the youth room)

*Meal provided!!

Wednesday Night Discipleship:

Beginning tonight, August 25, at 6:30 pm.

Adults will have the opportunity to serve with the Choir, attend Open Bible Study with TJ Betts studying the Psalms, or meet in Discipleship Groups.

Men’s groups will be using the book Disciplines of a Godly Man by R Kent Hughes, and women’s groups will use Disciplines of Godly Women by Barbara Hughes as a springboard to invest in one another’s lives.

Please be sure to register so you can be placed in proper groups! Click here!!

Check out our website or GroupMe App for more info regarding specific events!!

Our Week in the Word segment this week comes from Harrison Meggos. Harrison is one of our Singles interns and is one of our church’s missionaries at the Avery Apartments across the street from Ninth & O.

 

I’m dropping in to give a quick status report on the Avery Apartment complex ministry.

Ben Nguyen and I have moved in across the street into the Avery Apartments complex by God’s grace for those of you who have not been updated. We have been here since the third week of June and are excited to see how the Lord will work in this new opportunity that Ninth & O has begun.

Since moving in, we have learned a lot. Apartment ministry is even more challenging than expected. We’ve learned that it has been difficult getting to know our neighbors in the first few months. People are mainly moving about the complex and coming from the parking lot and their space, so conversations have been few and far between. However, the discussions have been fruitful, and I look forward to how the Lord will use our new relationships for his Glory.

We could use prayer that my and Ben’s conversations would intentionally lead people to know who Christ is and how he has radically worked in our lives. We also would pray that Love the Ville at the Avery would be fun and that families would come and check it out. Lastly, our new ministry core team plans to have a cookout on September 11th at the apartments to create more friendships. If you have any questions about the Avery ministry, please don’t hesitate to stop Ben, me, or any of our other single ministry core team members: Megan Dent, Jadon Gadson, or Abigail Johnson.

I hope you all have a great week, and Lord willing look forward to seeing you Sunday!

The Blessed Life

Today, we begin a series through the first 50 Psalms corresponding with Dr. TJ Bett’s book, 40 Days in the Psalms. Derek Riley gets us started helping us walk through Psalm 1, contrasting the blessed life of the righteous and the way of the wicked.

What is the Value of a Life?

 

Do you find your time and resources too precious to devote to God? Let this hymn remind you why devotion to God is so rewarding and necessary in our pursuit of God’s kingdom.

College and Singles Weekly Update: August 18th-25th

Love the Ville is coming up on Saturday, August 28th!

Just two short weeks away!!

This is a church-wide event where all NAOBC members get to give back to the community and share the love of Christ through various service projects. We strongly encourage all College and Singles to mark this date off on your calendar and join in our day of “loving the Ville!”

Projects will occur in the morning hours, followed by a volunteer lunch at the church.

SIGN UP HERE!! Please be sure to sign up!! Projects are filling up and we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to serve and meet those from our church in different stages of life than you!

First Step Class:

THIS SUNDAY, we are offering our First Step class on August 22nd.

This is a required step in joining the church.

If you have not taken this class and are even interested in joining the church, it would be important for you to attend! Please reach out to Alexa Knight if you would like more information on registering for this class. It normally goes from 9 AM to 11:45 AM on Sunday morning.

This class does not make you a member but is a required step in the whole process of membership, even watch care.

Our First Step class is only offered a couple of times a year, so take advantage of this opportunity on August 22nd!!

SINGLES GROUP:

  • BFG (Bible Fellowship Group) Sunday Morning 10:30 AM, RM 202
  • Sunday Worship: 9:00 AM

COLLEGE GROUP:

  • BFG (Bible Fellowship Groups) Sunday Morning 9:00 AM, RM 202
  • Sunday Worship: 10:30 AM

BIG NEWS/CHANGES FOR THE COLLEGE GROUP!!

OUR FIRST COLLEGE NIGHT IS THIS SUNDAY!! WOOOHOOOOOOO!!! Can’t wait to see you all there!!!

Join us for supper, games, a brief lesson time, and fellowship. This will be a wonderful time of getting to know everyone in our college group! See you at 6 PM this Sunday!

Time: 6-8 PM

Location: Room 231 (the youth room)

*Meal provided!!

Wednesday Night Discipleship:

Begins next week, August 25, at 6:30 pm.

Adults will have the opportunity to serve with the Choir, attend Open Bible Study with TJ Betts studying the Psalms, or meet in Discipleship Groups.

Men’s groups will be using the book Disciplines of a Godly Man by R Kent Hughes, and women’s groups will use Disciplines of Godly Women by Barbara Hughes as a springboard to invest in one another’s lives.

For more information, and to register, click here!!

Check out our website or GroupMe App for more info regarding specific events!!

Our Week in the Word segment this week comes from Nick Braun who serves in our College Group.

 

One of my favorite musicians is John Mayer. I rediscovered him during my freshman year of college and listened to him religiously for most of my early twenties. One thing that makes him so intriguing to me is the sense of longing in his music. Although he is rich and successful, his music is full of wondering if something, or someone, has passed him by.

 

Questions like these plagued my college days and, to some extent, plague me still. I think many of us wonder if we have done the things we were supposed to do in life. Are we on the right track for our degree? Have we done enough to score our dream job when we graduate? Will we ever find that perfect someone? Or the perfect car? Or the perfect house? Our culture pushes us to compare ourselves to our peers. Our parents push us to live a better life than they did. We have countless competing voices telling us who we should be.

 

Our current study in the book of Proverbs has addressed these concerns head-on. While the world wants us to chase after material wealth, earthly pleasures, and the recognition of man, the author of Proverbs tells us that our main focus should be on the attainment of Godly wisdom. We are instructed to seek it out like silver or hidden treasure (1:4). We are given the imagery of clinging to wisdom as one clings to their precious bride. We are then promised God’s blessings if we seek after his wisdom and his heart (8:15-21). Jesus reiterates this in Matthew 6. We are told to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (6:33) 

 

In our best moments, we know these things are true. But there are still times when we wonder what path we should take in life or if we have missed out on a path that God wanted for us. While our search for answers should always begin in the Bible, sometimes the answers aren’t as clear as we would hope. This is exactly why being part of a church is critical. Dr. Howell and Dr. Cook both spoke about this Sunday morning. Godly brothers and sisters (younger, older, or similarly aged) can offer us wise counsel based on Biblical truths and their lived experiences. While John Mayer has attempted to find solace in wealth and success, we can find peace in receiving the wisdom God has granted our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

So, come to our College Night services on Sunday. Plug into a Wednesday group with a senior adult and a middle-aged parent. Serve in our youth group. Commit yourself to the local church and you will find God faithful to his promises.

I Stand Amazed

Aaron Pickard talks about the hymn, “I Stand Amazed,” and encourages us to think upon the things of the Lord through the spiritual disciplines of reading the Word and worship, challenging us to do what we can to seek the Lord at all times.

Center My Life

Have you ever found yourself succeeding in an area of life only to realize you are thriving in the wrong things? We have to make sure that we are aiming at the correct targets. The Apostle Paul identifies for Christians where we must set our sights, heavenward and on the Lord Jesus. This thought is encapsulated in one of the songs we sing here at Ninth & O, “Center My Life,” and Ryan Whitley helps us consider these truths in today’s devotionable.