January 4, 2020

Dear Rockford Reformed Church Family and Friends,

Happy New Year! My job description lists a variety of responsibilities but at the heart of it all, just as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians (4:11-16), my role is to equip you for the “work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” so that we would all “grow up” to increasingly love and be like Jesus. And so I live for this—my great passion—is your progress in faith, love, truth, and joy. Through all of my reading and conversations and observations with you, I am constantly evaluating how I can understand, apply, and present the gospel so that Jesus is treasured and your heart and life is increasingly aligned with his.

Some of you are taking New Year steps toward new habits around diet and exercise and that’s good. But I want to provide you with some resources and ideas to equip you for our highest goal of being conformed to the image of Christ. The gospel as we see it in God’s Word is his provision for us to make real progress. But the Bible does little or nothing for us if it remains on the shelf or even when it is read, it is not well understood or applied.

And so I have gleaned a few of the best articles/blogs that can serve as a guide for reading, absorbing, understanding, and applying God’s Word. Note that the first article listed below includes links and subscription opportunities for Bible reading plans, a daily devotional newsletter, podcast, and excellent online articles that track with the Bible readings. The second article lists an excellent variety of Bible reading plans where you should be able find one that fits for you. In addition to the articles below, you can find great resources for an excellent app and online reading, study, and listening to the ESV at esv.org.

In addition to digging into these articles, my Wednesday evening “How People Change” class will finish up in a few weeks and then I will teach a series of classes that focuses on how to read and apply the Bible so that it is well understood and applied to our hearts and lives. I encourage you to join us for this series.

You may recall that a year ago, our sermon series focused on developing disciplines/habits toward holiness or becoming like Jesus and one resource that we used revolved around “ The Common Rule.” Since this time, the book, “ The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction” by Justin Whitmel Earley, has been released and has earned a Christianity Today 2020 Book of the Year Award. If you could use a reset or reboot for developing a set of habits that help you grow in your love for God and neighbor, I commend this book to you.

Finally, I want to encourage you all to sign up for the Organic Outreach Workshop that we are hosting on February 1. This is a great opportunity to make real progress to becoming better equipped to naturally and effectively reach out to our neighbors, friends, and family. And please PRAY for this event! Pray that God will do a great work in us and our community through this gathering that is wonderfully focused on God’s vision for us in our community—all for his glory!

Pastor Tim