August 26, 2021

Pastor Dan’s Letter August 26, 2021

Dear Pine Glen Alliance Church Family,

I trust you are well wherever you find yourself reading this letter. I trust that you have enjoyed a good summer so far. Indeed, God has given us much rain and sunshine this summer, along with many other blessings. I trust that you are grateful for the many good gifts God has bestowed upon you. Psalm 32:11 says, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Amen.

A couple weeks ago I was saddened when Chris Prough informed me that she had resigned from her position as “Ministry Facilitator.” Over the past two years, Chris has done an excellent job in this position and she will be greatly missed. The good news is that Chris and Steve are not going anywhere. They will continue to worship with us and serve in different ways here at Pine Glen.

On a different note, our family will be moving into our new home Saturday, September 25th. If you are able to pitch in that day, your help would be greatly appreciated. Trucks and trailers will be needed, but even if you don’t have that, you can still help! We plan on getting started at 9am. Please talk to me if you are available. Thanks!

A couple months ago, I read a book on The Welsh Revival which dates back to around 1860. This revival was a remarkable work of the Spirit of God and below you will find a couple (long) paragraphs which describe a little of what happened.

“The spirit of prayer has been poured out on the Christian churches in this town. The young people were among the first to enjoy it, but it has at length been given to all classes of professors. The revival shews itself in a deep concern for the salvation of souls, in a strong desire to see the Savior glorified, and in a strong faith in those great and precious promises which relate to these subjects. The character of the prayers offered, and the conversations among the people, are unmistakeable proofs that the Lord works savingly by His Holy Spirit in the souls of the people. There are clear signs of that which the Bible represents as conviction for sin – the pricking of the heart – a broken and contrite spirit – repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in those who offer themselves as candidates for church-membership, and this is very evident in those who were previously immoral in their conduct.”

“We may further regard the external circumstances of this movement, and compress the whole into a short compass. The prayer-meetings are very popular. They are attended not only by those who were in the practice of attending the means of grace frequently, but by many who had totally neglected the house of God. There is such a powerful charm in the prayer-meetings that it is found difficult to terminate them at the usual time; and although they are held every night, without interruption, they often continue until midnight and even later. It is no uncommon thing to hear persons in the distress of their souls crying out for mercy. Some have experienced very deep convictions. In some cases there have been loud rejoicings in the services. The effects of this movement upon the town are very remarkable. You may observe a general seriousness of manner and deportment. Drunkenness has greatly diminished, and Sabbath desecration is now rare, when compared with former times.”

Many more similar stories are told in the book of how God moved and stirred in the hearts of His people, along with the salvation of many souls. In virtually every instance where God touched His people, it was accompanied by joy. It is my prayer that God would awaken us as a church in a similar way. Who could argue that we need to be revived and awakened? Who could argue that the churches in our area need to be revived and awakened? Revival is not just something that we read about in church history books. It is something that God can and will do in the present!

I also want to take this time to remind you of the responsibility that we have towards one another. The Bible says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). We are a needy bunch. We have around 25 widows along with many others who are hurting in different ways. This is the genius of the Body of Christ because we are part of a community (“family” if you will) where these needs can be met. Let’s strive to reach out to one another in love day by day. If you have a need or a prayer request, don’t hesitate to contact myself or one of the elders.

My favorite John Wesley quote goes like this: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” Yes! But might I add something – do all the good you can……in the grace and strength and wisdom of God. Wesley no doubt assumed as much, but I wanted to clarify.

A few closing thoughts. God is gracious and compassionate. Christ is Savior and King. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and Teacher. And this world is not our home. Yes, we live in a crazy, chaotic world, but we can take heart because Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). We have hope!

Until next time, may God bless you…..really good!

Pastor Dan