In The Beginning

Donna and I are thankful for our Lawndale family! We loved every “Merry Christmas,” every card, every gift, but most of all your encouragement and fellowship over December. Paul said, “. . . they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then by the will of God to us” (2 Corinthians 8:5). We are humbled by your love and prayers.

As we move into 2022, we begin a new series called “In the Beginning.” Over the next few months, we will study together Genesis 1-11. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a book in the Bible that told us how we got here, why we are here, and what went wrong? You already know this . . . there is, and it’s called Genesis!

Genesis gives us a worldview from God’s perspective. We need this study to think more clearly about life. We, our children, and our grandchildren are hearing many confusing messages. There is a right way to think. God has made Himself, His purpose, and His plans known. As we make our way through this God-inspired book, we’ll study the foundations and history of our faith and also how it connects and flows into the New Testament.

The Lawndale Scripture memory text for the study is a New Testament passage, Hebrews 11:1-3:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Please work hard to commit this to memory; you will reap the reward of hiding God’s Word in your heart in defending your faith, growing your faith, living your faith and sharing your faith (Psalm 119:1-11). You will also be better equipped to teach these truths to your children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 4:9).

For 2022, I’m encouraging you to join our churchwide Bible reading plan. It’s a five day per week plan to read through the NT in a year. Every one of us can do this . . . including most of your children! It’s basically one chapter per day, so if you miss a day, you have two days over the weekend to catch up.

Some of you may be committed to reading through the Bible in a year or another plan. You can do this plan alongside of what you are already reading. The average reader can read most chapters in the Bible in five minutes. I encourage you to 1) pray before you read, 2) read the assigned chapter, 3) mark what stands out, 4) find your best verse, 5) write down in a sentence or two why it’s your best verse, and then 6) talk to God about what He has said to you.

You may think you don’t have time, but you can do this whole process in 15 minutes. You can also spend much more time, but can we not all give at least 15 minutes per day to grow in our faith? I urge you to pick up a copy of the plan in the lobby. My first sermon for 2022 will be, “Read Your Bible; Pray Every Day.” In the beginning of time as we know it, God spoke the world into existence. Let’s commit together in the beginning of 2022 to listen daily to our Creator as He speaks through His Word!