October 27, 2021

Dear Pine Glen Church Family,

It is a great joy for me to sit down and write these pastor’s letters to you because you are always near and dear to my heart. My prayer is that you would grow in grace and godliness day by day and experience all that God has for you. Hard to believe, but it is already the end of October. I hope you are able to enjoy the autumn season as we gear up for the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I don’t want to miss the opportunity to sincerely thank you for making last Sunday so special for me and my family. Your pastor definitely felt appreciated! The many cards, words of affirmation, and generous gifts spoke volumes. As I have said many times, we are so blessed to have such a loving church family. Steph and I are especially grateful for all your prayers and support. Like Todd said on Sunday, the last year and a half hasn’t been easy, but it has been an especially rewarding time and God’s grace has been amazing. Thank you again!

Some of you will have heard by now that my book “Help! I Want to be a Loving Husband” is now in print. I believe this little “mini-book” will be useful to many husbands. I have discovered over the years that most Christian men are good providers and protectors to their wives, but they don’t know how to tangibly love their wives. They are willing to take a bullet and die for their wives, but they struggle to know how to live for their wives. Well, that is what this little book is all about. That is the gap that this book aims to meet. Please join me in praying that God would use this book above and beyond what we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21).  If you want to know more about the book, click on this link: https://pastoral-theology.com/2021/09/21/so-i-wrote-a-book-a-mini-book/

Another thing I am excited to share about is that this Sunday (October 31^st) Rev. Stephen Kwakye will be joining the Pine Glen Church family. When I went to Ghana two years ago, I had the opportunity to spend much time with Stephen, and let me tell you, he is the real deal. He loves the Lord and has a deep desire to reach the lost through the power of the gospel. You will not want to miss this man as he ministers during both our Sunday school hour and morning worship. Please also consider contributing to his ministry.

On another note, we have been deeply encouraged by the turnout to our adult Sunday school class. To say the least, our gathering space in the Commons is packed and some of you have expressed concerns about having so many people in a small area. In response, we have decided to move the adult SS class into the FLC (the gym), where space will not be an issue. This will allow for the sanctuary to remain a place of quiet and solitude before each service (in not moving the SS class back into the sanctuary), while at the same time being able to accommodate everyone.

Next Wednesday, November 3 at 7pm, marks the Annual Congregational Meeting for PGAC. As I am sure you know, this is a very important meeting. There are several important matters that we need to vote on and we will also be talking about the future direction of our church. Please be in prayer for this meeting and come prepared. I know that God has great things in store for His church here at Pine Glen, and the neat thing is that we get to be involved in that great work (Matthew 16:18, Hebrews 10:24-25).

Just a quick reminder to be in continued prayer for Ross and Elaine and the team in Mali. No doubt they are still grieving the tragic loss of their friend and sister in the Lord, Carina Saarloos. In a recent email, they said, “Thank you for your continued intercession and encouragement!  We are experiencing His Presence and Grace!  Our dependency on the Almighty is great, but He will use this for the Kingdom!”

Praise God for their strong faith in the midst of such circumstances! (see also James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4, Philippians 1:29 for more on trials and suffering as a Christian).

Before I sign off, let me quote from another fantastic passage of Scripture: ¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13)

This passage is all about the grace of God in action. We see past grace (“bringing salvation….”), we see present grace (“training us to renounce…..”), and we see future grace (“waiting for our blessed hope….”). The more you grow in your walk with the Lord, the more you will see that grace is the fuel that you live by. My prayer is that we would have a “grace awakening” at our church as we increasingly see our dependency upon the Holy Spirit.

Well, dear friends, that is all for now. “Keep on loving one another earnestly,” (1 Peter 4:8), and “let us not grow weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9). Indeed, we have a wonderful, merciful Savior, and nothing compares to knowing Him (Philippians 3:8-11).

With love and care,

Pastor Dan