Merry Christmas to all of you!

God With Us

Knowing You

Don't Forget!

I Just Want You More

God is faithful. We can trust Him in all things. Do you trust Him with all things? Check out this video and take some time to reflect on your relationship with the Lord that knows everything about you (God the Father- God the Son- God the Holy Spirit). Peace be with all of you who feel like no one cares or those who feel all alone. Trust in the God that loves you, He's got your back!

Thoughts For The Journey

For many years I fought to overcome things in my life that I knew were displeasing to God (I hated and hate the parts of me that aren't like Jesus). At times I felt so defeated. It wasn't that I didn't love God, on the contrary, it was that my efforts were misdirected. 

In no way am I talking about being flippant with sin, but, had I spent more time drawing near to the One who loves me and has all power to break the hold of every sin, then maybe freedom would have come much sooner.

Alan Redpath said it so beautifully when he said, "Give up the struggle and the fight; relax in the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus; look up into His lovely face and as you behold Him, He will transform you into His likeness. You do the beholding--He does the transforming."

I have found this to be so true. Things that I once struggled with are now gone. I don't know when they left. I can't write a book about it. I only know that my desire to be close to God became greater than the desire to sin against Him. He did it and continues to do it and I am forever grateful. The journey continues.

By Tom Zurowski

A Word From Greg Laurie

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

— 2 Timothy 3:12

Persecution shows itself in many ways. It can show itself in the martyrdom of a believer. It has been estimated that since the early church was formed to this present day, millions and millions of Christians have been martyred.

But persecution can show itself in other ways as well. Persecution of Christians has not stopped. It will continue on. In fact, the Bible says, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). Now that is a promise we rarely claim. As believers, we lay hold of promises of God's provision and of God's protection. But when is the last time you heard someone pray, "Now Lord, You promised in Your Word that if I live godly, I will be persecuted. So bring it on, Lord"? We don't pray that, because who wants to be persecuted? There is no enjoyment in that. But if you are living a godly life, then persecution will come.

So how should we react when persecution comes our way? Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10–12).

Why are we persecuted? Because righteousness is confrontational. I'm not necessarily speaking of verbal confrontation. Just your presence—just the fact that you are a Christian—appears on the radar screens of other people. You can bother them a bit. So remember, as you simply live for the Lord, persecution will come.

Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here

I'm Not Just Giving You My Sin

Ordination of Elders

On July 29th, The Chapel will be ordaining elders. As many of you know, The Chapel was established with this in mind. My (Tom Zurowski) heart's desire has always been to be a team (plurality) led church with Christ as the Head and elders as overseers and servants of the Chapel family. Please join us on July 29th at 10:00 am for this very special day in the life of this church. We would love to have you join us!

 From left to right: John Follman, Kerry Matheny, Larry Meece and Tom Zurowski

Holy by Matt Redman

Take Time To Worship

Where Are You Going And Have You Been There Before?

If you continue to be the person you are today, if you continue to hang around the same people you are hanging with now, if you continue to attend the same church you do now, if you continue to think the way you do now, if you have the same attitudes you have now, if you esteem yourself as highly (or as lowly) as you do now, if you think the same way about others as you do now, if you love the way you do now, where will you be in the next five years? Does where you are in life right now look familiar to where you were in days gone by? Are you circling a mountain that you have circled before? Why?

"If we continue to do what we have always done, we will get what we've always gotten." ~ John Maxwell 

Our Thanks To Michele Perry

We would like to thank Michele Perry for being with us this past Sunday. The message she brought to us was right on time and very much in line with what God has been speaking to our church for some time now. If anyone would like to purchase her book "Love Has A Face" you can do so this Sunday for $15. We are excited about what God has in store for The Chapel in the days ahead and we would love for you to be a part of it if God leads you to do so.

Come Listen To Michele Perry

We encourage you to come visit The Chapel on June 3rd @ 10:00am to hear Author/missionary Michele Perry. Michele is the author of "Love Has A Face" and is a missionary yo South Sudan. Come and have your faith stirred and your hearts warmed by this faithful servant of our Lord Jesus. We look forward to seeing you there!

What Do Angels Look Like?

Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in angels? I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life when I have questioned if God really takes notice of the little things in my life. It was just a few days ago that I returned from South Sudan and the testimony I am about to share erased all doubt from my mind and I hope it builds faith in you as you read it.


It was the last day of the trip and we were in a hurry to get to the capital, Juba, for me to catch my flight to Kenya and make my way back to the States. We had struggled with our truck almost every day of the trip and it seemed like no matter what we did, our efforts were in vain. We purposefully rose early that morning to take the truck to a nearby mechanic to look over the truck before making the four hour trip to Juba. After a few major repairs, they assured us that we shouldn't have any more trouble and wished us "luck". I don't know about you, but I don't like setting out on a four hour road trip, in 100 degree heat, on rough dirt roads, in the middle of NOWHERE and have our mechanic wish us LUCK.

We had been on the road for a few hours when we started to feel the left front wheel start to wobble. We jumped out of the truck to check things out and noticed that three of the four main bolts which had been replaced that morning had fallen out and all the oil had poured out of the crank case on to the wheel and all over the road. There was only one bolt holding the whole wheel assembly together. We got back in the truck and decided to inch our way down the road. We were literally in the middle of NOWHERE, with no spare parts and no help. We were still 30 miles from Juba and there wasn't a person or village anywhere. As we crept down the rugged dirt road about only 100 feet, a small truck passed us with the driver hanging out the window pointing vigorously at our front wheel. He motioned for us to stop and he kept going.


When we stopped the truck, we were under the only shade tree along the road as far as the eye could see. Again, this was NOWHERE! As we stood under the tree, Global Response Network's (GRN) (My wife, Elli, and I founded GRN many years ago and currently direct it) field coordinator, Dickson Mutiso said, "Brother, what are we going to do?" Trying to sound confident I declared, "We're going to trust God, that's what we're going to do!" I said the right words, yet, I must admit I was asking myself the same question.

Within less than two minutes the truck that had passed us had returned. When the truck stopped, six guys jumped out and headed straight for our truck. Two guys were putting on coveralls while one guy was carrying a jack. Without asking permission, they started jacking up the truck and passing wrenches to each other. They did not speak the local language, so Dickson could only pick out a word here and there. We just couldn't believe what was happening. They worked as though it was fun and their expressions were almost playful. 


After about twenty minutes they lowered our truck and rushed over to their truck and began jacking it up. The guy who was driving the truck climbed underneath it and removed one of the bolts holding his wheel on. With that, he lowered his truck and vigorously began to jack ours up once more. He took the bolt from off his truck and put it on ours. He now had three and we now had two.

After tightening the bolts, he motioned for Dickson to give him the keys. He jumped in the driver's seat, started her up and put her in gear. He drove down the road, turned around and moved slowly back toward us. The other guys squatted down with their hands on their knees and looked intently to make sure the wheel was no longer wobbling. When he reached us, he put it in park and jumped out and threw the keys to Dickson. With a big smile, he gave us two thumbs up and started joking with his friends. Dickson then tried communicating with them and trying to give them money but they refused. I went up to the main guy and said "Thank you", he looked me square in the eye and in perfect English said, "God loves you!" I almost began weeping right there. 


I took their picture and then they jumped in their truck and took off laughing, smiling and waving at us. Dickson and I climbed quietly into our truck and sat stunned with tears in our eyes. Dickson turned to me and said, "It was a miracle. God is with us!" He started the truck and we made our way toward Juba. All along the last 30 miles to the capital, we couldn't help but just keep saying, "It's a miracle!" We made it to the airport with time to spare. 


I don't know what angels look like, but to us, just a few short days ago, they looked like six happy African mechanics. God was so kind to show us that He cares about the "little" things in our lives and He made it clear that yes, He is with us. 


So if you think God is too busy to help you, let this simple story plant a seed of faith in your heart and remember... God still does miracles.


By Tom Zurowski

A Wake Up Call

Persecution Report (April 2012)

There Is A Cost!

All I Have is Christ Animation from Grace in Cranberry on Vimeo.

The Revival We Need... Thoughts From A Weeping Prophet

“An astonishing and horrible thing
Has been committed in the land: 

The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people love to have it so.” (Jeremiah. 5:30-31)

Though these words were written thousands of years ago, they plainly ring true to God’s people today. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could stand in most churches on any given Sunday and declare these same words and we would be forced to plead “guilty”.

My good friend Dr. Michael L. Brown once said, “The majority of what we see in churches across America is simply man’s best effort to make up for the lack of the presence of God”. How sad it is that his statement was and is right on.

Perhaps one of the most difficult things that church leaders do is discern the spiritual climate of the people they oversee and then listen for the voice of the Lord on how to steer them toward a deeper life with God Himself.

As church leaders, we are simply “friends of the Bridegroom” and nothing more. Our main objective is to prepare the bride for her wedding day with the Lord. We encourage her to keep oil in her lamp and to run the race set before her. We cheer her on to fight the good fight and finish the race well.

This is no "walk in the park" and perhaps this is the main reason why it is imperative for church leaders to live a life of prayer. The bride needs leaders who take serious the practice of spiritual disciplines such as solitude, reflection, fasting, study, worship and so on.  The church, once again, needs leaders who walk with God and who can teach others to do the same. If ever there was a need in the church today it is for leaders who know God and not just leaders who know about Him.

Today, more than ever, we have:

·      Christian radio and music

·      Christian movies and entertainment (even Christian comedians)

·      Christian books, audio books and magazines

·      Christian TV networks

·      Countless Bible teachers and preachers

·      Hundreds of Bible schools and seminaries

·      Thousands of children involved in Bible quizzing

·      Untold numbers of Bible translations

·      Untold numbers of Bible commentaries

·      We have an ever increasing number of Christian homeschoolers

·      We have Vacation Bible Schools without number

·      We have Bible studies galore

·      And countless home groups

Without a doubt, we know more about the Bible today than any other generation in history and yet our carnality runs as deep as the ocean. How is it that we have so many people boasting of theological knowledge, yet the majority of Christians live like spiritual babes? Our knowledge has produced more pride than purity. What’s the problem? I believe God’s words to Jeremiah may give us some insight.

“For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are silly children,
And they have no understanding.
They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.” (Jeremiah 4:22)

Now, we could spend all of our time pointing out what is broken with the church (remember, finding fault with something is a cheap gift and everyone has it) or we could go to what I believe is the root of the problem: “They have not known Me.”  It seems that in every generation there is a need to return to God Himself. Our generation is no different.

As evangelical Christians we are so quick to declare that, "Christianity is not about religion, it’s about a relationship!” And then we spend the rest of our lives religiously reciting the “Romans Road” and memorizing scripture to back up the validity of the prayer we prayed to “accept Christ” (the miracle is that He has accepted us). But wait a minute, what about the relationship part? When do we get on with knowing Him and not just knowing about Him? When do we stop feeling like victims of false advertisement?

This is perhaps the greatest failure of the church and the very reason for our shallow living. The truth is that we can only give what we ourselves have. I don’t fault people, for to do so I would have to fault myself. For many years, I thought that Christianity was all about memorizing scripture and avoiding sin. Though I still believe strongly in both of these, I have come to understand that these are byproducts of something far greater. That’s right, you guessed it, the “relationship”. The relationship that I have with Him makes me hungry to read His word and reflect upon it. In fact, the more I read the Bible the more I understand where our evangelical statement, “It’s not about religion, it’s about a relationship” came from. The Bible is lovingly laced with verse after verse that woos, “Come know Me!”

And as for avoiding sin, it’s only natural not to want to flirt with my Groom’s enemies. I don’t want to sin, because I love Him and I want to keep myself clean for my wedding day. I don’t want to come to the altar with stains on my wedding gown. He washed me with His blood and clothed me in righteousness (I’m sorry to say that He has had to launder my gown with patience, forgiveness, and mercy many times).

It has taken me and my generation far too long to understand that God alone is enough. It is in Him that we live, move and have our being. I believe if there is going to be a revival, it must be a revival of knowing Him; a drawing near to the God who whispers to us in the secret place, “Come know Me!”

By Tom Zurowski 

Am I Defensive?

Peace and Order...

"Shut the door of your room and call Jesus, your Beloved, to you, and stay there with Him. There is no greater peace anywhere else than to be with Jesus. If you had not left your room, nor listened to gossip, you would have retained your peace, but because you crave the latest news you must, as a consequence, suffer a disordered heart." ~ Thomas a Kempis

    In the busyness of life, we often find it difficult to slow down. In society, we have been taught that slowing down is just a step above laziness and that sitting quietly with God may seem spiritual and nice, but not very productive.  As a result, many people live chaotic lives without peace and without order of inner self.

     The truth is and will always be, that we cannot give away something that we do not have ourselves. For many years, I have heard people tell me stories about "trying" to help other people only to come to the realization that they themselves also needed help. They had little or nothing to offer. The hurts and needs of others only added to their own disordered lives.


    As Christians, when we are looked to for help, it is not necessarily our opinion that people are looking for. Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them and say very little. Sometimes people come to us because they want to know what God thinks about a certain situation that they are facing. At that moment, because of the craziness and disorder of our own lives, we far too often find ourselves offering well meaning shallow advice rather than godly perspective.

    It has been said of godly men of old, "It was in silence where I learned how to speak." Another way of saying that may be, "When I sat alone with God and gained His perspective on life, I had something meaningful to offer my hurting friend." Maybe it could also be said, "When I sat with, talked with and meditated on my Lord, He brought peace and order to my life. As a result, I was able to help bring peace and order to others."


    The older I get, the more I find myself drawn to older men who walk in peace and demonstrate humility, gentleness, and wisdom. Just being around men like this offers me great strength. They are not men who "know it all", but they are men with well ordered lives, who have found their peace from walking with God Himself. 

    There is one common denominator in the men that I esteem most; it is not their knowledge of the Bible, or the apparent success of their ministry, but rather it is their devotion to God that pulls me in. These men have taught me that the only hope I have of finding the true peace and order I so desperately need is to get alone with my Lord. I need to be still and know that He is God. I find myself wanting to be like these men when I grow up. For the sake of all the lives that I will touch in my lifetime, it is imperative that I do.


    If the Christian life you are living lacks peace and order, maybe you have been trying to live it on your own strength. If that's you, it's time to shut the door and sit alone with the only true source of real peace: God Himself.


Peace be with you!


By Tom Zurowski
    

Private Faith?

In the world we live in there are many unwritten rules to live by, such as: “Don’t discuss politics and religion”, and “Don’t ask how much someone’s house or car costs”. Or how about this one? “Faith is a private thing; it’s to be kept to yourself.”

"Private" faith? This one has always stumped me. I can understand not pushing our views about Democrats and Republicans, taxes, health care, free trade, or the war in Iraq, but to tell someone to keep their faith a secret just doesn’t make much sense to me. I mean I wouldn’t die for my political views, but I would die for Christ if need be.

Many of us would call ourselves Christians or simply put, we follow the teachings of Jesus. At some point or another we decided to make Him our Lord. We fell in love with Him. Our heart was moved when we realized that He died for us so that we could live and not die in our sins and go to hell. And, in light of that, we were forever changed. Now the unwritten rule says we are to keep that to ourselves. To ask me not to talk about Him is like asking me not to breath. I’m not a weirdo; I’m just overwhelmed buy the magnitude of His love for me. As it says in the book of Jeremiah, Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.

To ask someone who has truly fallen in love with Christ not to talk about Him is like asking a man who has fallen in love with a woman, and marries her, not to be seen in public with her. That would be unheard of. That would be just plain weird! No one has touched my life like Jesus. No one has loved me like He has and because of this I am compelled to break the rules.

Now we all know that sharing our convictions about important issues can reveal disagreements. More than that, it can actually start a fight and even divide families and “friends.” Nothing seems to make the air thick like someone making a statement such as, “Anybody that would vote for that guy is a brainless idiot!” or “That woman is going to hell for sure!” Maybe the problem isn’t the convictions we have as much as the way we discuss them. 

It is evident in our society that some of our fellow citizens lack good people skills, but that doesn’t mean that we should spend our lives talking about things that don’t really matter…" does it? 

By Tom Zurowski

Daylight Savings

***REMINDER***

Tonight is Daylight Savings. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead (SPRING AHEAD) one hour before you go to bed!

Kony 2012

October Baby

*NOTICE* ~ For all those who are planning on seeing "OCTOBER BABY", The Chapel will have tickets on sale this Sunday for $7.50 each. Please see Jessie Johnson for more details.

Light A Fire

We Need To See God For Who He Really Is.

The Awe of God

Bless The Lord

Holy Spirit

Persecution Report - February 2012

NCL Radio

The Chapel @ Somerset hosts a weekly radio broadcast called 'The Normal Christian Life." The broadcast is designed to discover God's perspective on normal Christian living. 


This is a very simple, yet deeply meaningful Bible study. Some have referred to the broadcast as "expository preaching." We are currently going through the book of Mark. 


We believe the Bible contains the words of eternal life and that every word (cover to cover) is God breathed. We study God's word to gain knowledge, but more importantly, we study the Bible to discover how we ought to live as followers of Jesus. We search the Holy Scriptures not to be puffed up with knowledge, but to simply learn how to live a life that pleases Him.


Our prayer is that, by listening, you will be encouraged in your walk of faith. The Normal Christian Life airs every Sunday at 12:30 pm on WYGE 92.3 FM in London, KY. You can also listen online at your own convenience @ www.nclradio.com .


May God bless you as you do your best to live the normal Christian life.

Persecution Report

Revival Hymn

Athirst For God Himself

"In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct "interpretations" of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water."


A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963)

Does It Hurt To Be Real?

Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."



"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."



"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"



"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Something to ponder from "The Velveteen Rabbit"

The Story Behind ~ Come Thou Fount

Robert Robinson was born of lowly parents in Swaffham, Norfolk, England, on September 27, 1735. His father died when Robert was eight, and at the age of fourteen he was sent by his mother to London to learn the barbering trade. He was then associated with notorious gang of hoodlums and had lived a morally corrupt life. One day, Robinson together with his gang went to a meeting where George Whitefield was preaching. At first, they were there for the purpose of "scoffing at the poor, deluded Methodists," but he was converted to Christ that day. Years after, he sensed that God's calling him to preach and enter the ministry of the Methodist church. After some time, he left for Cambridge and became a Baptist pastor; an able theologian through his writings of many theological works as well as several hymns. 

Come, Thou Fount was written by Robinson when he was 23 years old. The interesting expression, however, is contained in the second stanza which says, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer-Hither by Thy help I'm come." This language is taken from 1Samuel 7:12, where the Ebenezer is a symbol of God's faithfulness. An expression in the third verse, "prone to wander-Lord, I feel it-Prone to leave the God I love," seems to have been prophetic of Robinson's later years, as once again his life became characterized by lapses into sin, unstableness. 

The story is told that Robinson was one day riding a stagecoach when he noticed a woman deeply engrossed with a hymn book. During an ensuing conversation the lady turned to Robinson and asked what he thought of the hymn she was humming. Robinson burst into tears and said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

Love Came Down

Why Do You Do What You Do?

A New Day