Isaiah 50:10 says, “Who among you fears the LORD?  Who obeys the voice of His Servant?  Who walks in darkness and has no light?  Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.”  You may fear God and love Him dearly, yet you find yourself in darkness and no light.  

Trouble has flooded your soul like a river that has overrun its banks.  Isaiah says trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon God.  This word translated “rely” in Hebrew is shaan and it means “to lean upon” like one would lean upon a wall for support.  God invites you to lean upon Him today.  God’s very name is a strong tower and the righteous run to it and they are safe (Proverbs 18:10).

What a blessing to start preaching on the Hebrew names of God this coming Lord’s Day!  Will you pause for a moment and say a prayer for this study, and ask God to teach us His name so we can know Him better and worship Him more accurately, and so that He would bless us as we study His name?  God’s name is vitally important.  Man did not assign Him these Hebrew names—God revealed His name so we might know Him.

God blessed us last Sunday morning as many of us were promoted to our new Bible Life Groups.  Sunday evening worship was a blessing and in my exuberance I said I was looking forward to preaching this Sunday night, but we do not have church on Sunday evening, Labor Day weekend, so I will not see you this Sunday evening.  However, I look forward to seeing you the following Sunday evening, September 12, as we continue our study on the fascinating man of God, John the Baptist.

There are many wonderful things happening these days at Great Hills as we seek to be a radiant church in worship, discipleship, and on mission for Christ. Thursday we had 104 men at our first Men’s Ministry luncheon.  Our Women’s Ministry is offering Beth Moore and Precept Bible studies beginning this week.  This fall we will be hosting Bible Study Fellowship for 400 ladies each Wednesday morning.  Also, I am very glad to announce that after a year without a college class we are starting our new College Team at 9:30 am this Sunday in the Patio Café!  I love all of us studying the Word of God!

As your new pastor, I want to ask you for prayer and help on two important financial matters that are stirring within me.  I want you to give above your regular tithe to our Raise the Roof & Lower the Debt campaign that goes through October.  We are close to paying off the roof—we need only $125,000 more to be given from an original roof cost of $1,277,000.  All that is given beyond the roof cost will be paid into lowering our debt principal.  Thank you for giving so faithfully since last fall, most of which was during the interim season before I was called to Great Hills. 

Please mark Sunday, November 21, on your calendar.  On this day we will give our Harvest Day Offering where we as a church family will come to the altar and give to God a sacrificial financial offering to bless our church.  This is one of the highlights of the year for me when the people of God, in devotion to Him and out of love for our church, come and give cheerfully, willingly, and sacrificially.

In C.S. Lewis’ series, The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is the strong lion that lays down his life for the blessing of others.  The lion is a clear reference to Jesus Christ, as Lewis was a follower of Christ.  I do not know if you are sensing this, but there is something happening at our church; there is a spiritual stirring and I believe that here at GHBC, the radiant church, Aslan is on the move!

Danny Forshee
Ephesians 3:19-20