Preparing for worship at NRN - Southern Gospel Sunday!

Tomorrow is SOUTHERN GOSPEL SUNDAY at NRN!

 

 

 

The Lumber River Quartet are a group of men called by God to share the message of Jesus Christ through the powerful medium of music. Glenn, Ronald, Randy and Steve have a commitment to the Lord to make Him first and foremost in our lives and at our concerts. The Quartet’s southern gospel harmonies, lively performances, and humor have been an encouragement and blessing to people everywhere they have been. Spreading the Good News throughout the US and Canada, the quartet have sung in churches, auditoriums, gospel singing cruises and are frequently featured on TV and radio.

Ronald Freeman is the tenor for Lumber River and has been singing music all his life. Ronald is married and has two children. He also has one grandchild, Ms. Tori. They all live in Lexington, NC. Ronald is a Native American and comes from The Lumber Tribe of NC. He will bless your heart with his unique style of singing.

Glenn West is the baritone singer for the group and has been a member since Lumber River started in 1983. He plays the piano and also works the office for the group. He writes some of the songs we sing and in his time at home, teaches young kids and older folks how to play piano. He is married to Carolyn West and they have a daughter named Anna.

Randy Armentrout sings the bass for the group. He and his wife Brenda, live in Cassatt, SC along with their 3 girls and 4 grandchildren. Randy is 6’9” tall and will surely catch your eye when he walks in the building. He has a smooth bass voice and will surely bless you with his style of singing.

Steve Feazel is the lead singer for us. He and his wife, Karen and their two boys live in Mansfield, Ohio. Steve is a great lead singer and will capture your attention with his diverse range and expression of voice.

It is Lumber Rivers desire to see people come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We have a verse from the bible that is our motto. John 12:32 says, And I, If I be lifted up from the Earth, will draw all men unto me. That is our goal, to lift Him up that people may come to know Him as Savior!

 

Southern Gospel - at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and the Christian life.  A core value of our church is to express our love to God through celebrative and relevant worship. We hope you will enjoy this day of hand clapping, toe tapping fun!

Weird Math Calculations

Here is a weird math calculation:

Chocolate Age Calculation Sheet

Determine how many times a week you eat or want to eat chocolate

It must be a number on a scale from 1 to 10.

Your chocolate number = ________ times a week

Calculate your age (by chocolate)

• Multiply your chocolate number by 2
  ________ × 2 = ________

• Add 5 to the previous result
  ________ + 5 = ________

• Multiply that by 50
  ________ × 50 = ________

• Add the current year (e.g. 2013)
  ________ + ______________ = ________
                         current year

• Subtract by 250 if you've had a birthday this year
  _______ - 250 = ________
  
  Subtract by 251 if you haven't had a birthday this year
  _______ - 251 = ________

• Subtract your birth year (e.g. 1975)
  ________ - _________________ = ________ (a 3 or 4 digit number)
                         your birth year

• You'll end up with a 3 or 4 digit number
  = ________
  
  The last 2 digits are your age by chocolate

 Ready for another one?

 

 

Billy Graham's Message to America

This is a historic message that will be long remembered.  Be sure you have taken the time to see it.

Is corporate prayer important?

Tonight we gather for prayer at NRN.  Each Wednesday at 6:30 people gather to pray.  Is corporate prayer important?

Corporate prayer is an important part of the life of the church, along with worship, sound doctrine, communion, and fellowship. The early church met regularly to learn the doctrine of the apostles, break bread, and pray together (Acts 2:42). When we pray together with other believers, the effects can be very positive. Corporate prayer edifies and unifies us as we share our common faith. The same Holy Spirit who dwells within each believer causes our hearts to rejoice as we hear praises to our Lord and Savior, knitting us together in a unique bond of fellowship found nowhere else in life.

To those who may be alone and struggling with life’s burdens, hearing others lift them up to the throne of grace can be a great encouragement. It also builds in us love and concern for others as we intercede for them. At the same time, corporate prayer will only be a reflection of the hearts of the individuals who participate. We are to come to God in humility (James 4:10), truth (Psalm 145:18), obedience (1 John 3:21-22), with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6) and confidence (Hebrews 4:16). Sadly, corporate prayer can also become a platform for those whose words are directed not to God, but to their hearers. Jesus warned against such behavior in Matthew 6:5-8 where he exhorts us not to be showy, long-winded, or hypocritical in our prayers, but to pray secretly in our own rooms in order to avoid the temptation of using prayer hypocritically.

There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that corporate prayers are “more powerful” than individual prayers in the sense of moving the hand of God. Far too many Christians equate prayer with “getting things from God,” and group prayer becomes mainly an occasion to recite a list of our wants. Biblical prayers, however, are multi-faceted, encompassing the whole of the desire to enter into conscious and intimate communion with our holy, perfect, and righteous God. That such a God would bend an ear to His creatures causes praise and adoration to pour forth in abundance (Psalm 27:4; 63:1-8), produces heartfelt repentance and confession (Psalm 51; Luke 18:9-14), generates an outpouring of gratitude and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 1:12), and creates sincere intercessory pleas on behalf of others (2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2:16).

Prayer, then, is cooperating with God to bring about His plan, not trying to bend Him to our will. As we abandon our own desires in submission to the One who knows our circumstances far better than we ever could and who “knows what you need before you ask” (Matthew 6:8), our prayers reach their highest level. Prayers offered in submission to the Divine will, therefore, are always answered positively, whether offered by one person or a thousand.

The idea that corporate prayers are more likely to move the hand of God comes largely from a misinterpretation of Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” These verses come from a larger passage which addresses the procedures to be followed in the case of church discipline of a sinning member. To interpret them as promising believers a blank check for anything they might agree to ask God for, no matter how sinful or foolish, not only does not fit the context of church discipline, but it denies the rest of Scripture, especially the sovereignty of God.

In addition, to believe that when “two or three are gathered” to pray, some kind of magical power boost is automatically applied to our prayers is not biblically supportable. Of course Jesus is present when two or three pray, but He is equally present when one believer prays alone, even if that person is separated from others by thousands of miles. Corporate prayer is important because it creates unity (John 17:22-23), and is a key aspect of believers’ encouraging one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and spurring one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/corporate-prayer.html#ixzz2k4lJ6WOS

A time of worship as we honor our Veterans

This week we paused in thankfulness as we honor every man and women who have served our country.  We gave tribute on Veterans Day - November 11, 2013  Here is a portion of a time of worship that blessed my soul. I hope it encourages your faith today:

Veterans Day 2013 - A Tribute

On the Veterans Day 2013 - I give tribute to those who have served and to those serving in our armed forces to preserve our freedom.. THANK YOU!

Reflection of my message today - This is the truth....

God is so good!  I am confident in my heart that God met with us in power this morning.  Here is a reflection of my message today:


More than 50 years have passed since Jesus' death on a cross and His subsequent resurrection, and throughout the Roman world at the close of the 1st century the disciples of Jesus and their disciples have spread His message and built a thriving church. But after the great fire of Rome occurred on July 19, AD 64, the Caesar Nero blamed this growing religious sect known as "Christians" for the fire. He did that to combat doubts about the part he had in causing the fire. What a brilliant strategy — blame the Christians — they were trouble anyway claiming that God was greater than all other gods, and greater than Caesar as well. The Roman world was a world filled with gods and was inclusive of the Gods of people conquered into the Empire. Yet in spite of their claim that Jesus was the only way, Christianity continued to grow.



Here is a great overview of the teaching series I closed today:

This is written from God's perspective to the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3 as a whole. My hope is that this maybe inspires you because we are the church and we are called to be the body of Christ to the world. Satan will tell us that we are not worth it and that we have no chance of making any difference but God's Word reminds us that Satan and the world have been overcome by the power and blood of the perfect lamb, Jesus Christ. That same power lives inside of us and gives us the victory. All that is left is for us to take action. So let us arise, church, for the the battle is won and the victory is ours!
Blessings and peace to you.
Enjoy.