What an absolutely wonderful day of worship we experienced this past Sunday! Wasn’t it a sweet joy to see those three students follow the Lord’s command in believer’s baptism? Together with the four people who presented themselves for membership, that is seven new people added to our church on a single Sunday. And then to see hundreds of people streaming forward to lay their Lottie Moon gifts at the altar…Wow! 

Let me give you an update on Lottie Moon. As you know, our goal is $65,000. As of today, we have already collected $41,579. That means we are just $23,421 shy of our goal, with three Sundays remaining in December. That’s really good, especially considering that, due to weather, many people who would have given were out this past Sunday. 

We will keep pressing toward the goal this Sunday. And remember, you can give electronically, you can bring your gift by the church office, or you can put your offering in the plate. By God’s grace, we can do this! 

Also this Sunday we will continue in our study of Ruth. The message will be “The Third Sunday of Advent: JOY.” Our text will be Ruth 3. Be reading through the third chapter of Ruth, looking for the joy of the Lord. 

At this time of year, I usually recommend some resources for your library. These would make wonderful Christmas gifts. One would be the Spurgeon Study Bible. This is a fantastic Study Bible that debuted in 2018, filled with super rich and encouraging notes and illustrations by the incredibly gifted Charles Spurgeon. The other new resource I would recommend is one for ladies, the She Reads Truth Bible. Many of our female students and our women already use the “She Reads Truth” devotionals and Bible reading plan, and this Bible would be a fantastic accompaniment. 

By the way, both of these resources use the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). This is a wonderfully readable and accurate translation that Lifeway just debuted last year. Much of our Sunday School literature is already in the CSB. Personally, I’ve found myself using it more and more. I still love the ESV, the NIV, and other translations as well. But I’ve found that the CSB is so fresh and readable, and such a good translation of the Greek and Hebrew, that it has been a wonderful blessing in the study, and you’ll hear me using it in the pulpit more and more often. 

It is extremely helpful to have multiple good translations in your toolbox. And, through technology, they are all free through the YouVersion and other apps. If you haven’t yet done so, check out the CSB. I think you’ll really enjoy it!