After some thought and consideration, we've made the decision to close down our church's library, "The Library". There are two main reasons for this decision:

1) The Library wasn't utilized often
2) More importantly, we need to make space for another office as we will welcome a new pastor, Tom Wilkins, to our church in April.

We are so grateful for the books that many of you donated over the years and since we will be shutting the library down, we would like to give you a chance to take some books that you would like to read! We will be officially "closing" the library after Sunday, March 13th, and before then there will be three different days you can come and take some books:
- This Sunday, March 6th, before or after church
- Wednesday, March 9th, between 9am-5pm
- Next Sunday, March 13th, before or after church

As a note, please only take books that you think you will read and keep in mind that other church members might want some books as well.

For those of you who borrowed books from The Library, we hope that you were blessed in the past by the books you borrowed, and we are hopeful that you will be blessed by taking home some books before it's officially closed! We are grateful that we can use the space The Library is currently using to make room for a new pastor!

As 2021 ends and 2022 begins, we are excited to gather as a church in a unique way. We call it a Family Meeting. We don’t call a Family Meeting regularly, but I’m sure, like your family meetings, when we do, there is a purpose, and they are memorable. 

Here’s the scoop. We will have dinner together at 5 pm. After dinner, the children will be released to childcare. We will begin with a time of singing and end with a time of prayer. In between, we will do three things:

1. Introduce new members

2. Set in new deacons

3. Announce an exciting opportunity we believe the Lord will use to bless and grow our church

Each of the above represents special and vital events in our church life. Therefore, we humbly appeal that you do all you can to be there as a family. To make it as easy as possible, we are taking care of dinner and providing childcare. 

So, please do two things right now. First, to help us with our dinner and childcare planning, click this RSVP link (sovgracetucson.org/family-meeting). Second, save January 30th, 5 pm, on your calendar. Trust us; you don’t want to miss this Family Meeting.  

It’s here! A brand new year. As it begins, I pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for the abundant grace and goodness of the Lord in 2021. What the new year has for you, only God knows. But here’s what you do know as a Christian: Whatever role, season, or situation God has you in, nothing you do in 2022 will be more important than prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), preaching the gospel to yourself (Colossians 3:1-4), and reading the Bible (Psalm 1:1-3). 

For this reason, I encourage you to consider Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan. Mr. M’Cheyne was a nineteenth-century Scottish pastor. The Lord took him home just a few weeks before his 30th birthday. Though his life and ministry were short, his impact has lasted centuries, mainly through his annual bible reading plan. 

A foremost passion for himself and his church was reading the Bible with great intentionality and purpose. One gets a sense of this in his encouragement: 

You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also; or if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an Epistle also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you were reading the First Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before you, and kneel and pray, “O Lord, give me the blessedness of the man”; “let me not stand in the counsel of the ungodly.” This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray.

Wherever you are in your bible reading, right now is a great time to start reading or rereading the Bible. And let’s do it together. Let’s talk about it on Sunday mornings in the lobby. Let’s share our time in the Word in the home, on the double-date, or that one-on-one coffee. In the hands of the Spirit, God’s Word is active and alive, transforming our hearts and lives to live another year in the good of the gospel and for the glory of our King!

For your convenience, I have included three ways (taken from The Gospel Coalition) you can join us this year:

1. Bible Reading Plan. Read the entire Bible according to Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s plan, which takes you through the entire Bible in a year (including the New Testament and Psalms twice). Download the PDF reading plan

2. Daily Newsletter. This daily email contains Don Carson’s devotional reflection, along with related articles and links to go deeper in each day’s Bible readings. Subscribe here.

3. Podcast. This podcast contains audio reading of Don Carson’s For the Love of God,a daily devotional commentary that follows the M’Cheyne plan: podcast (Apple | Stitcher | Spotify).

Happy New Year and Happy Bible Reading all year!

“Jesus is the reason for the season!” How many times have we heard that phrase?!

Every year, amidst the joyfully hectic hustle and bustle of December, we gather together as a church to pause and remember the birth of Jesus. We don’t do this simply to remind each other, our friends, and neighbors of a cute story about a baby in a barn. But to remind us of where our hope and joy truly belongs, not only in this season but in all of life - THE GOSPEL. The life and death of our precious Savior. A baby in a barn is only a piece of that story!

This year will be no different! And we invite you to join us this Christmas Eve at 6:00 PM for our annual Candlelight Service. There will be paper invitations for you in the lobby on Sunday, however, feel free to screen-shot the image below to share the details that way! The Gospel will be preached!

“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you what you are.” - Iron Chef Japan

The world’s most coveted culinary title is BACK.

Sovereign Grace Church’s Iron Chef 2021.

Unexpected? It’s time to get used to the unexpected! Join us New Years Eve for this epic annual showdown. Show your audience - and the professional judges! - just what it takes to be a master of the culinary arts (or simply what it takes to make your dishes taste good with the unexpected surprise ingredient of caramel corn thrown in…thanks Pastor Derek!)

This is a great opportunity to invite family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, your favorite greeter at Wal-Mart - to compete or join us the audience! Snacks and plenty of fellowship will be included!

The Iron Chef positions fill up fast so mark your calendars, sharpen your knives, grab a sous chef, and be prepared to sign up in the church lobby on Sunday, December 12th.

Proverbs 22:6 and Ephesians 6:4 declare the goal of every parent—Train your children in the truths of God and the Gospel. If you are a parent (or a grandparent like me), you know how frustrating it can be to find good books for your child's spiritual benefit. Finding a biblically sound, gospel-centered book that is relevant and readable for your child can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

For this reason, I am grateful to people like Marty Machowski. Marty has been a pastor for years at Covenant Fellowship, our sister church in Glen Mills, PA. He has been a blessing to his church, our family of churches, and beyond in the area of parenting and Children's Ministry. One way the Lord has gifted him is his ability to communicate sound doctrine and the clear gospel message to children through writing.

So it is with much excitement, I share a list of all the books Marty has written for children over the years. I pray the Lord uses it as a means of grace as you walk in the privilege of parenting for the glory of God!

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AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Angels on Your Side

Picture Book
For Preschool - 2nd Grade

FORTHCOMING NOV 1, 2021 This picture book is written to help young children combat their fears and point them to God’s protection. It introduces them to God’s angels, who he sends to watch over and protect all but Christ. While Jesus could have called down an army of angels, he did not. He gave up his life for us that we could be reconciled to God. All those who turn from their sin to trust in Jesus are welcomed into God’s family and enjoy his Fatherly protection.

Buy on Amazon

Brave and Bold

Bible Study
For Men

This Bible study is written for young men who have grown up in our computer gaming culture. It is designed to challenge them toward courageous biblical manhood. The devotions are short and easy to read. Each devotional begins with a military or sports-themed story to introduce the topic of the day. It is designed to clearly articulate the gospel and Christ as the true source of our courage and strength.

Buy on Amazon

Don’t Blame The Mud

Picture Book
For Preschool - 2nd Grade

This picture book is designed to teach our children about sin and our need for the gospel. The main character of the story disobeys his mom and then tries to hide his sin.

Buy on Amazon

Dragon Seed

Gospel Allegory
For Middle Schoolers

Dragon Seed is a fictional allegory the expands the biblical allegory of the dragon found in Revelation 12:3-5. Dragon seeds are synonymous with pride. Once a dragon seed sprouts, it sends its black roots deep down. If plucked out quickly, it dies. But if left to grow and send its black roots down, it turns a person into a dragon. The book ends with a Bible study on humility entitled “The Antidote.”

Buy on Amazon

God Made Boys and Girls

Picture Book
For Preschool - 2nd Grade

This book is designed for our youngest children to build into them two critical biblical truths. First, our gender is a good gift from God, and second, our gender can never change. With so many promoting gender fluidity, it is essential to teach these two important truths to our youngest children. Building a solid foundation of truth in our children is the best way to help them combat the lies and deceptions of our day.

Buy on Amazon

God Made Me For Heaven

Picture Book
For Preschool - 2nd Grade

This picture book provides a biblical view of heaven to include Jesus’ return and remake the earth and live with us here. The book also helps children who have lost a loved one to deal with that loss

Buy on Amazon

The Gospel Story Bible

Children’s Bible
For Preschool - 3rd Grade

This children’s story Bible follows the 156 stories covered in the Gospel Story Curriculum. The last paragraph of each OT story answers the question, “Where is Jesus?” Each NT story answers the question, “Where is the gospel?”

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Gospel Story Curriculum

Children’s Ministry Curriculum
For Preschool - 6th Grade

A biblical theology survey of the Bible for three age groups - Preschool, early elementary, and upper elementary. Each of the 78 OT lessons answers the question, “Where is Jesus?” Each of the 78n NT Lessons answers the question, “Where is the Gospel?” The devotionals, Long Story Short and Old Story New, follow the same scope and sequence so that parents can disciple their children at home in concert with the children’s ministry Sunday lesson. The Gospel Story Bible also follows the same scope and sequence, providing a family devotional resource for younger children.

Buy on Amazon

Leading Your Child to Christ

Minibook
For Parents

This booklet helps parents relate to their children’s response to the gospel. Unlike many profession-centered approaches. This book emphasizes the need to observe repentance and fruit, following Paul’s model from Acts 26:20 - “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.”

Buy on Amazon

Listen Up

Family Devotional Parables
For Preschool - 6th Grade

This family devotional on the parables of Jesus is designed to provide a 12-week family introduction to the parables of Jesus. The Sovereign Grace Children’s album, Listen Up, was created to follow the lessons in the Listen up book and companion curriculum.

SHOP CURRICULUM HERE

Listen Up Curriculum

Children’s Ministry Curriculum
For Preschool - 6th Grade

This 12-week children's ministry curriculum follows the same scope and sequence as the book of the same title so that parents can follow the classroom lesson in their family devotions.

Buy on Amazon

Long Story Short

Family Devotional Old Testament
Gradeschool

This Old Testament devotional is designed to follow the scope and sequence of the first half of the Gospel Story Curriculum, providing 18 months of five devotions per week. The goal is for the devotions to take 10 minutes per day to make them easy for parents to use.

Buy on Amazon

Old Story New

Family Devotional New Testament
Gradeschool

This New Testament devotional is designed to follow the scope and sequence of the second half of the Gospel Story Curriculum, providing 18 months of five devotions per week. The goal is for the devotions to take 10 minutes per day to make them easy for parents to use.

Buy on Amazon

Parenting First Aid

Topical Study
For Adult - Parents

This parenting book is designed to help parents see the importance of partnering with the Lord in parenting. Each study begins with a true-life parenting story. Not all of these stories have a happy ending, but all point to the help we receive from Christ in our parenting trials. This is a great book to give to parents of struggling teens.

PURCHASE STUDY GUIDE HERE

Parenting First Aid - Study Guide

Study Guide
For Adult - Small Group, Parents

This small group study follows the book of the same title.

Buy on Amazon

Prepare Him Room

Family Advent Devotional
Preschool - 6th Grade

This family advent devotional includes a family Bible study of the Old Testament Christmas prophecies and their corresponding fulfillment in the New Testament. In addition to the Bible study, it includes activities, crafts, and a fictional Christmas story. The companion Sovereign Grace Christmas Album of the same title is designed to be used with this book.

PURCHASE CURRICULUM PACKAGE HERE

Prepare Him Room Curriculum

Children’s Ministry Curriculum
For Preschool - 6th Grade

This children's ministry advent curriculum follows the family devotional.

COMING SOON…

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Teach Them Jesus

Ministry
For Adults

FORTHCOMING OCT 4, 2021 This book, co-authored with Deepak Reju is designed to be a comprehensive children’s ministry manual focusing on both the practical and theological priorities in leading a children’s ministry.

Buy on Amazon

Teaching Your Child About Money

Minibook
For Adult - Parents

This booklet helps parents teach biblical stewardship to their children.

Buy on Amazon

The Ology

Systematic Theology
For Preschool - 3rd Grade

This picture book systematic theology for children incorporates creative analogies to communicate complex theological ideas. It includes a study in the back for older children.

Buy on Amazon

Wise Up

Family Devotional Proverbs
For Preschool - 6th Grade

This family devotional on the book of Proverbs is designed to provide a 12-week family introduction to the book. The book was designed to incorporate the Walking with the Wise Sovereign Grace Children’s Album.

PURCHASE CURRICULUM HERE

Wise Up Curriculum

Children’s Ministry Curriculum
For Preschool - 6th Grade

This 12-week children's ministry curriculum follows the same scope and sequence as the book of the same title so that parents can follow the classroom lesson in their family devotions.

Buy on Amazon

Wonderful

Bible Study Psalms
For Preschool - 3rd Grade

Wonderful follows the same layout as The Ology and includes illustrations by the same illustrator. This picture book Bible study of the Psalms teaches children how to read the psalms and use them to guide our prayers. The book includes a fictional story woven through the Bible study. The story focus is on a boy whose grandfather is dying. He learns how his grandfather finds comfort in the psalms and learns how to use the Psalms for his own comfort. The story is designed to provide an illustrated application of the psalms as an example.

In a fallen world, suffering and hardship come in all shapes and sizes. Jesus promised it; history proves it. Right now, there are many suffering in the wake of destruction left by hurricane IDA. 

Please pray for them. Pray for our sister churches in New Orleans and Covington. Pray God would give the leaders wisdom to lead the church as they care for one another. Pray the Lord would keep people safe, keep families together, and most of all, opportunities for the gospel would abound.

Of course, if you would like to GO help physically or GIVE financially, Sovereign Grace Churches has provided a way. Please read the brief update report below and click the link provided for details.

Whatever you do, we are grateful for our partnership and have confidence in God’s grace as we serve one another!

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“Greetings friends,

I hope you're enjoying the grace of the Lord today.

As many of you know, New Orleans has begun the process of recovery from Hurricane Ida. We have been in contact with our friends at Lakeview Christian Center and Christ Community Church and have learned that a number of their members are without power and some have experienced significant home damage from the storm.

Information about ways to support these churches can be found here and we will update this page as new support opportunities arise.

These are the moments where I am freshly grateful for the affection and generosity of our partnership. May the Lord give us grace to care for each other well!

Grace to you all,
Jon Payne
On behalf of the Leadership Team

Over the years, I have heard people much smarter than me encourage Christians to think about your sanctification in terms of formative activities and corrective actions.  Formative is the disciplines and habits built into your life – morning devotions, prayer, fellowship, Church attendance, etc. Corrective actions sometimes come directly from the Holy Spirit but a majority of the time they come from people God has placed in your life.  Both of these means of grace are fundamental activities in our Community Groups and become a huge tool in God’s Rescue Plan. 

Community Groups are a structure that helps us formatively build solid relationships, get into fellowship, apply God’s Word, have accountability, live out the one another’s, etc. 

The problem is that when it comes time for correction, when we need to pursue someone wandering from the truth, it’s crucial to have a history with that person, to know and be known and have a bridge of friendship strong enough to handle the truth and oftentimes the difficulty that can come when we embark on an effort “to bring back a sinner from his wandering.” 

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Here’s the beauty of Community Groups.  By God’s grace we give ourselves to living out our Christian lives and pursuing sanctification with a small group of likeminded, gospel centered believers in our Church.  That’s the majority of our experience in Community Group (1 Timothy 4:7-8, Hebrews 3:12-13).  

If a member of my group (or me!) begins to wander, there is a built in guard rail to nip things in the bud (as we like to say).  Loving relationships, friends, people we have history and memories with, people we have lived life with ready (and hopefully willing) to pursue that member (or me!).  What a beautiful thing! 

Think about Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus’ teaching on Church discipline.  Just like we heard in James 5:19-20, this is God’s Rescue Plan!  Do you see yourself in V. 15?  “… go and tell him … you have gained a brother.” Community Groups provide that platform to be the guard rail in God’s Rescue Plan and live out Biblical truths like these.  

Why? Why would I want to get involved in God’s Rescue Plan?  Why pursue fellow Christians who are wandering?  Isn’t that just going to get messy?  You might be thinking “I have enough problems in my life!”

Here’s a view of Community Groups you might not have considered.  More than just a means of grace, more than just being a tool in God’s Rescue Plan, Community Groups function in a way that image God (Ephesians 5:1)  How’s that?  

Think about it.  The gospel is God’s ultimate rescue plan.  We learned last Sunday that to pursue God we pursue God’s people.   When we pursue a wandering brother we image Christ and His pursuit of you and I who wandered since day one and yet Jesus rescued us by going to the Cross. 

Bottom line … we pursue the wandering believer because Christ pursued us! 

If you have been around Sovereign Grace Church for any length of time at all, you have probably heard the following statement: While you can’t find the phrase “church membership” in the Bible, church membership is thoroughly biblical. Or, in the words of Mark Dever*, “It is everywhere implied.”

It’s true. Whether it is theological, historical, or practical, personal identity with and commitment to a local church is clearly God’s design and desire for all He saves by His grace.  But don’t take my word for it. Grab your Bible this week and let the Scriptures below do the talking. You might be surprised at what you find!

A biblical argument for local church membership:  

1. Obvious pattern of the NT (Most Epistles were written to specific local churches)

2. Intimate metaphors for the church (Human body—1 Corinthians 12:27; Flock—Acts 20:28; Household—1 Timothy 3:15)

3. Clear practice of the early church (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37; 5:12-14)

4. Call to submit to leaders (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5)

5. Command of church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:1-12)

6. Charge for pastors to care for and govern the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-5; 1 Timothy 5:17)

7. Sobering reality of a pastor’s accountability to God (Hebrews 13:17)

* Mark Dever has served as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church since 1994 and as president of 9Marks (a ministry to churches and church leaders) since its founding in 1998. Mark has authored a number of books, including 9 Marks of a Healthy Church.

In last week’s post, we were reminded of how easily summertime can shrivel our souls (if you have not read the post, I encourage you to read it now). The bottom line is this: If we are not careful, the busyness of summer can put our communion with God and fellowship with His church in the backseat of life. 

One way we can resist this temptation to take a vacation from God is to pray.

Whether you are at the beach, in the mountains, or in the privacy of your backyard, summertime is a time to pray. As you consider your prayer life over the next few months, please consider the following prayer requests: 

• Pray that God would provide opportunities and courage to share the gospel with unbelievers here at home and on vacation.

• Pray God would strengthen our church relationally through hospitality, fellowship, and mutual care for one another.

• Pray for our brothers and sisters in Bolivia as they continue to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel throughout the city of Santa Cruz. 

• Pray God would continue to provide financially for our church so that we will be positioned in the new budget year (Sep 1-Aug 31) to continue the ministries God has given us and be positioned for new opportunities in our community and beyond. 

• Pray for those who continue to experience physical pain and limitations (Heidi Aranda, Dave Fronk, Sarah Carey, Jerome Walsh, Mary Hope, Beth McGee, and others)

• Pray for our ministry team leaders as they plan and prepare this summer for the new ministry year beginning in September. 

• Pray about where God would have you serve this fall. Is he calling you to something new, different, or the same?

• Pray that God will give your pastors wisdom and clarity this summer for the Fall/Winter preaching schedule as well as the next step for those in the Pastoral Evaluation Group (Bakers, Carseys, Overstreets, and Elijah Mckenna).

• Pray the Lord will bring new people to our church who are hungry for sound doctrine, gospel-centered preaching, and genuine relationships.

Thanks for praying and have a great summer!