Starting This September 14 at Grace Covenant

There will be two levels for Kids' Quest Catechism Club:
Beginning Kids' Quest
and
Elementary Kids' Quest



9 part series (23 minutes each) by Reformed scholar, author, and teacher R.C. Sproul.



 The beauty of the arts seems to be a thing of the past. All throughout history, Christians have understood the importance of art and aesthetics, but their significance has been lost.

In Recovering the Beauty of the Arts, Dr. Sproul explores different art forms and the positions they should hold in the Christian life and community. Dr. Sproul says that there are three dimensions of the Christian life that the Scriptures are concerned about: “the good, the true, and the beautiful. We tend to have cut off the third from the other two.” In discussing things like music, literature, images, and drama, Dr. Sproul shows the beauty and prestige that the arts hold to God and how the church needs to recover them.

[For more information about this series or Dr. Sproul's many books and lessons,

visit http://www.ligonier.org/.]

Helpers for food and lessons are always welcome.  

Church News and Events



Hope at the end of a long, hot summer!

Greetings to all the Saints of Grace Covenant Church and Others who might be reading this blog. 

After being gone to Illinois (with its better temperatures) we are back home, trying to catch up on events, particularly, in regard to getting ready for the new school year.  There are, along with school, lots of things happening on the church front.

1.  Tonight:  Friday, August 26 at 6:00pm at the church:

Food, fellowship, and fun for the youth.  The meeting will be in the Humanities classroom.
A study will begin with the DVD series and book titled Do Hard Things.  Following the DVD series, Brian and Bess Hawthorne will be leading a discussion on what it means to live for Christ in the pre-teen and teenage years.

After prayer, pizza, drinks, and desserts will be served in the Fellowship Hall.

If you are attending, bring along a favorite snack or dessert. Invite your friends.

For all church members:  Pray for this new program to minister to the young people in our church.  Many of our couples who are in their 30s and early 40s first came into our circles through Bible studies directed at the youth.  If you don't continue to replant the fields, don't expect a harvest.

2.  Don't forget Hannah and Luke's wedding tomorrow, Saturday, August 27 at Lakewood United Methodist Church in North Little Rock at 3:00pm.  Many church members will not be able to attend, so those who are there, convey the best wishes and blessings of our congregation on Hannah and Luke.

3.  Thanks to all of you who were praying for the House and Hornok families in our travels to and from Wheaton.  Continue to pray for Nick as he gets adjusted to life in a Christian college, and pray for Grace and Caroline Hornok also.

4.  Some of you have recently been reading articles about the supposed Reconstructionist influences of R. J. Rushdoony's teachings on Presidential candidates (Michele Bauchman and Rick Perry) and on former President George W. Bush.  I have written a satirical (and hopefully funny) account of Rushdoony's influence on my blog.  (http://benhouseblog.blogspot.com/) 

5.  Be in prayer for our plans and hopes for the fall season for our church.  We are excited about plans that are actually being implemented and ideas that are being considered.  Your input and ideas and support are welcomed and much needed.

6.  One of the books I read this summer was The Legacy of the King James Bible by Dr. Leland Ryken.  I have been reading Dr. Ryken's works for more than 30 years.  It was a great honor for me to be able to meet him at Wheaton College where he teaches and where his son, Philip Graham Ryken, is president.  I am also excited that Nicholas got permission to take a junior level course with Dr. Ryken.  The course is on Shakespeare.  I also must admit to a great deal of jealousy.  I would really like to be there with Nick, Dr. Ryken, and Shakespeare.

I'm grinning like a school boy because of getting to meet one of my heroes.

Announcements for the Week of August 14

Church Related Events for the Week of August 14

Seventh Sunday after Trinity, August 14, 2011 Sunday School, 9:30am Adult Sunday School Class:  Alan Woll:  Christian Living in a Bad Economy Worship, 10:40am Sermon:  The Great Commission and Our Mission, Part 6: Shepherding Ben House Tuesday Night Men's Bible Study (at the church in the Humanities Room). 7:00 PM. See Brian Hawthorne for details.

Other Events or Announcements

The Adult Sunday School Class for August “Christian Living in a Bad Economy” Prayer Meetings will resume in mid-September with food, children’s lessons, and an R.C. Sproul video series. We will be needing helpers with food (ordering pizzas, barbeque, etc.) and with the children's program. Church News and Events are posted on this web site:  http://www.gracecovenantchurchtexarkana.blogspot.com/. The Izards new address in Little Rock: 13200 Chenal Parkway #254, Little Rock, AR 72211.  Bill's work phone: 501-240-9080 (cell is currently the same: 903-556-4612). Nick House leaves for Wheaton College this week. Nick’s address: Benjamin Nicholas House, CPO 1342, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton IL 60187. The Houses will be gone from Tuesday through next Monday, taking Nick to Wheaton.  If you need to reach us, call 903-244-0241. September Hymns will be featuring the works of Isaac Watts. However, if you have hymn requests, let Ben know. Also, if you have requests for sermon topics or classes, let the elders know. We cannot guarantee results, but we will try.  We are continually adding more books to the sale shelf in the hall.  We are trying to stock and restock a variety of books to meet all kinds of Christian needs.

August Calendar of Events

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7 SS: Christian Living in a Bad Economy, 1: Ben House Sermon: Great Commission, 6: Discipleship Fellowship Meal--Noon Officers Meeting--1:30	8	9 Men’s Bible Study 7:00 Humanities Room Veritas Board Meeting 7:00 Sanctuary	10 NO Prayer Meeting for the rest of August	11	12	13
14 SS: Christian Living…, 2: Alan Woll Sermon: Great Commission, 7: Shepherding: Ben House	15	16 Men’s Bible Study 7:00 Humanities Room	17	18	19	20
21 SS: Christian Living…, 3: Alan Woll Sermon: Tom Lincoln	22	23 Men’s Bible Study 7:00 Humanities Room	24	25	26	27 Hannah & Luke Wedding in NLR
28 TBA	29 First Day of School at Veritas Academy	30 Men’s Bible Study 7:00 Humanities Room	1	2	3	4

Summer Sanctus 2011

Summer Sanctus 2011 Pictures from the Week of July 25-28



Our group gets ready to head off to Summer Sanctus 4



Ben is really getting into it.

Exciting activities



A group of quiet, studious scholars





OK, maybe not.





Having fun on the High Ropes Course




Of course, most of us only came for the sugary food.




Singing gospel 'round the piano.'




Noah does not look excited at the prospect of losing his Monopoly money.



Victoria chills with her friends.



Of course, the highlight of Summer Sanctus is the dance.



Victoria Robertson cuts a rug.

Bible Study Helps

　Our recent sermons have emphasized Biblical preaching and teaching.  The following are suggestions that might help you in your own reading and studying the Bible.  These are suggestions, not commands.  You may have ideas that are far better.
1. Find or start a Bible study group. Whether 2 or 10 people are interested, studying together is one of the key ways to grow in Biblical knowledge. Some members have enjoyed Bible studies with people from other churches, but it is really good if we have some such studies going on.

2. Teach a children’s Sunday school class. “To teach is to learn twice.” (Joseph Joubert)

3. Study or read the Bible or a Christian book along with someone else. “It does not matter what books you read. What matters is who you read them with.” (Andrew Nelson Lytle)

4. Read books of the Bible in two translations. Use one of the more correct translations (NKJV, KJV, ESV) and a looser translation (Amplified Bible, NIV, Phillips, The Message).

5. Find a CD series on the Bible and theology or a good radio program to listen to while driving or getting ready.

6. Start (or renew) either personal or family Bible reading programs. (You don’t have to wait until January.)

7. Keep a cheap, expendable Bible with you. Keep it in your lunch box, car, or somewhere handy. (Be willing to give it away, if necessary.)

8. Get a journal or spiral notebook and begin making notes on your Bible reading and study.

9. Read a Bible commentary. Many people enjoy Calvin’s commentaries, but there are many others that are easier, more practical, and accessible.

10. Use a study Bible and use the notes, outlines, and helps contained in it. The Reformation Study Bible, the Geneva Study Bible, and the ESV Literary Study Bible are all good.

11. Read a particular book of the Bible over and over. (See #4) Master a book of the Bible, even if it is one of the shorter books.

12. Talk with someone (or with several people) about Bible study. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).

13. Actively be involved in a Sunday school class. Read on the Bible or subject ahead of time, participate in the class, and review the handouts after class. (Danger: This could land you a Sunday school teaching job.)

14. Inform the elders and other teachers in the church of classes and topics you would like to see taught. If nothing happens, tell them again. (Remember the parable of the importunate widow.)

15. Read a passage and paraphrase it. That is, write out the passage using your own words.

16. Read a passage and write down 10 or 20 or more applications. (See how the authors of the Westminster Larger Catechism did this with the 10 Commandments.)

17. Memorize a Bible passage (whether one verse or many). Recite and meditate on the passage throughout the day.

18. Talk to people whose Bible study and knowledge exceed yours and find out what kinds of things they do in Bible study. Often people whose theology differs from our have much to share with us about Bible study.

19. Join with others in a “Read the Bible in 90 Days” program. (Or if less ambitious, begin a “Read the Bible in One Year” in January.)

20. Create a blog featuring Bible passages with your own explanations and exhortations.

21. Either eliminate some habits or time-wasters that interfere with your Bible reading or supplement an activity with Bible reading. For example, political talk radio has many benefits, but can use lots of time that could be used for better purposes. Listening to the Bible on CD or MP3 players can be done while driving or jogging.

22. Read a Christian book and look up all the Bible verses that are referenced.

23. Buy at least one Bible study tool, such as a Bible dictionary, a concordance, or a commentary, and use it for the next several months extensively.

24. Buy a Bible computer study program and use it extensively for the next several months.

25. Buy a Bible study guide and use it. Navigators has been publishing these kinds of materials for years. Many of these programs are heavy on Bible reading, with an appeal to a wide evangelical community.