Pastor's Page

Rev. Craig M. Toth

The "5 Rs" of the Season of Lent

1. Recognition: The Holy Spirit helps us to recognize the sin in our lives and our need for God's forgiveness and empowering presence. This leads us to ask God to forgive us our sins.
2. Repentance: Repentance means we "turn away from" our sins and aim our lives in a new direction. We ask God to forgive us of our sins, and God is faithful to forgive us!
3. Relationship: When God forgives our sins, the result is that we are brought into a right relationship with God.
4. Restoration: Once we are in a right relationship with God, we begin to act, with God's help, to bring about God's good will in the world.
5. Resurrection: Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead to new life. At some point in the future, all people will be raised by God to live again in gloried bodies for all eternity!

Bible Study Class Notes
Book of Acts (Fall 2009)

• Semester Reading Schedule

• October 15, 2009 class

• October 22, 2009 class

• October 29, 2009 class

• November 5, 2009 class

• November 19, 2009 class

• December 3, 2009 class

• December 10, 2009 class

Recommended Reading

• Culture Making, by Andy Crouch

• The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, by Wendy Mogel

• Five Practices of Fruitful Congregation,
  by Robert Schnase

• Jesus and Money, by Ben Witherington

• John Wesley's Sermons, by Albert Outler

• Justification, by N.T. Wright

• Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright