Hunt Valley Church

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Joeraab — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:09:04 +0000

Here is a list of the music from this week’s service. Next to each song is a link to preview and/or purchase and download a version of the song, if you choose to, from AmazonMP3. Enjoy!

Awakening AmazonMP3

How Great is Our God AmazonMP3

How He Loves AmazonMP3 Crowder AmazonMP3 McMillan

Offering Song:

JIG

C4

Michael Batley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:24:39 +0000

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Joeraab — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:00:46 +0000

Here is a list of the music from this week’s service. Next to each song is a link to preview and/or purchase and download a version of the song, if you choose to, from AmazonMP3. Enjoy!

Lead Me To the Cross AmazonMP3

The Solid Rock AmazonMP3

Rescue AmazonMP3

Offering Song:

How He Loves AmazonMP3 (Crowder) AmazonMP3 (McMillan)

A funny little cartoon…

Joeraab — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:38:26 +0000

{or.phan.ol.o.gy} Week 2

Melissa Corkum — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:49:58 +0000

In our Week 2 study of Orphanology, we examined 8 similarities between divine and human adoption. These similarities, derived from a John Piper sermon on adoption, serve not only as reminder of what God has mercifully done for us, but also as indicators of God’s mandate to care for orphans and vulnerable children to the glory of the Father and for the purity of His church.

Similarity #1: Adoption involves purposeful planning

Similarity #2: Adoption requires the right qualifications

Similarity #3: Adoption is costly

Similarity #4: Adoption saves children from terrible situations

Similarity #5: Adoption involves a legal change

Similarity #6: Adoption involves the Spirit of Sonship

Similarity #7: Adoption transforms the child

Similarity #8: Adoption gives the child the right to be an heir

Can you think of any more? Have you ever considered adoption in this light?

{Ethiopia} Polk Update

Melissa Corkum — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:31:37 +0000

On December 20, 2011 at 1:01 PM, the Polks welcomed Isaiah Emmanuel. The Polks are only 25% away from reaching their fundraising needs for an anticipated June deployment to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Please keep them in your prayers as they adjust to their newest addition and make plans to move to Addis.

{YFC The Block} Count Me In!

Melissa Corkum — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:26:34 +0000

As a church we have a special opportunity to join in Eric Heiland’s ministry to local youth by praying at specific and strategic times. Read Eric’s invitation…
“I spent the past week in Denver, Colorado receiving training at the YFC Institute. It was a week filled with searching out God on behalf of the ministry as well as learning some great practical JJM practices. It was eye opening!

While there we talked about the essentialness of widespread prayer. Sadly in my line of work (work that requires fundraising) prayer tends to become the thing you ask for or people offer if they can not financially support your ministry. It becomes a second best or nicety of sorts. Much as we do with Christians we run in to during our day who share things going on in their lives. It just seems to be polite and right to say, “I will pray for you.”. My eyes have been open to the centrality of prayer in the work of God. My favorite quote from the weekend was, “Make sure you are talking more to God about your kids than you are talking to your kids about God!”

As an experiment we were asked to text as many people as we could in a few minutes and ask them to be a part of praying for our ministry. I asked everyone who was willing to be a part of praying for the ministry site to let me know by responding “I Am In”. I was excited to see how many of you were willing to join me in this but now I want to offer the opportunity to everyone.

If you are willing to pray for the work God is calling and equipping us to do at the Detention Center click on the “Count Me In” button below. It will take you to Wiggio which is a group Calendar sharing site.

It will ask you to enter your email address, set your profile and create a password. If you would also like to receive prayer requests via text click on your name at the top of the site. It will give you some options, click on “Edit Profile”. That will lead you to an option to receive notices via text. Enter your number and carrier and you will receive prayer reminders via text as well as email. (This is my first time using this tool so please be patient with any glitches)

This calendar will send you reminders to pray for specific things each day. Sometimes it will be about important meetings, other times it will be prayer on behalf of a specific teen (names will be changed to protect them) or other times it will be prayer on behalf of teens in general as they daily face the reality of living on the streets or behind bars.

As always, Thank you for partnering with me on this journey.” –Eric Heiland

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Joeraab — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:00:23 +0000

Here is a list of the music from this week’s service. Next to each song is a link to preview and/or purchase and download a version of the song, if you choose to, from AmazonMP3. Enjoy!

Our God AmazonMP3

Awakening AmazonMP3

Nothing But the Blood AmazonMP3

Lord I Need You AmazonMP3

Offering Song:

Sing Over Me AmazonMP3

{or.phan.ol.o.gy} Week 1

Melissa Corkum — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:12:58 +0000

If you missed out on last Sunday’s Or.phan.ol.o.gy discussion, here’s your chance to join in. If you were able to attend, feel free to chime in and/or share how you were impacted by commenting below.

1. Have you ever thought of adoption as central to The Gospel?

2. Ever reflected on your own orphan experience in your spiritual journey?

3. Why are association with God’s name and membership in His family critical to our identity and our understanding of God’s grace at work in our lives? (see Ephesians 2:19, John 1:12, 1 John 3:1)

4. How does receiving the Spirit of adoption connect us to The Father and to orphans? (see Romans 8:15)

5. How does possession of a heavenly inheritance impact our identity and our future? (see Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Titus 3:7)

6. What are the advantages and implications of having a Father who is near? Do our conversations and interactions with God honor this reality? (see Galatians 4:6, Hebrews 4;16)

7. How does our perception of The Gospel (by implication, God’s adoption of us) inform the way we view and respond to the needs of orphans?

8. Do we need orphans as much as they need us? Explain.

Some quotes to ponder:

1) “I could not help but see my own past complacency regarding this global issue [orphan crisis] for what it really is — selfishness. The Gospel kills selfishness and cultivates Christ’s own compassion and love for the fatherless.” (George G. Robinson)

2) “I wept as I read the great truths [about orphans]…because it ignited worship and thanksgiving for a God who would adopt ME. Orphan me. Abandoned me. Fatherless me. Undeserving me.” (David Nasser)

3) “The deepest and strongest foundation for adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. And this act is not part of His ordinary providence in this world; it is at the heart of The Gospel.” (John Piper)

One Final Thought:

The Bible says that those who belong to Christ are “heirs of an everlasting covenant” (see Acts 3:25, Romans 4:13, Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Titus 3:7, Revelation 21:7). An inheritance is made possible when someone dies and bestows upon another something of value. Of course, we recognize that this is what Jesus did by laying down his life for us on the cross. But how often do we consider Jesus’ many sufferings before his death as parallel to those of the orphan? Here are a few comparisons I thought of that may help to illustrate how Jesus could identify with orphans:

1. He became poor

2. He often had no place to live

3. He made himself a servant

4. He made himself vulnerable

5. He had no advocate in his greatest time of need

6. He was physically violated

7. He held no position of worldly influence

8. He was separated from his brothers and sisters

9. He was stigmatized

10. His personal integrity was called into question

11. He shamed those who refused to love him

12. He was well acquainted with sorrows — hunger, pain, grief, suffering, loneliness, rejection, hatred, etc.

Do we see the face of Jesus when we peer into the lonely eyes of the orphan?!

Block Party Slide

Michael Batley — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:09:04 +0000