There is so much on my mind about this post, so I will do my best to keep this within reason. This past weekend, we had our marriage retreat in Bandon and our Sunday service in Roseburg without a hitch. I’d like to talk about both because they bring me remarkable joy.
Sunday Service:
Let me start here because Sundays really are the highlight of the week for the gathered Church. It’s one day a week, like our Super Bowl each week, where we set aside our time, energy, gifts, and talents to give them to the Lord. We say, each week, “Lord, we are Yours. All that we have belongs to you.”
At CLF, we have put a high premium on our Sunday gatherings, and this past Sunday was no different. Even though we had almost 200 people in Bandon for our retreat, our Sunday church gathering at Jacoby was well served. Stan Welch taught on Psalm 23, a Psalm he’s been meditating on for quite some time. If you know Stan, anything he meditates on needs to be heard by others. He’s a deeply godly man, in love with Jesus and the church. That came out on Sunday. Andrew Crawford led worship in song. Per usual with Andrew, it was consistent, filled with joy in Christ, and his love for the church. And…the church gathered. It would be easy to stay away knowing that so many would be gone, but that’s not what happened. Sure, attendance was down, but that was to be expected.
None of this surprises me. CLF is filled with people who love Christ, love His Church, and are eager to be together.
Marriage Retreat:
As mentioned, about 200 of us gathered in Bandon for our marriage retreat. Mark Prater did the heavy lifting, and it was fantastic.
One of the goals we had for this retreat was to envision how couples’ marriages display and declare the gospel (See Ephesians 5:32). We’re recognizing that CLF is a mature, growing church. We have spiritually-minded people. But an area of growth that we see for our future is sharing the gospel throughout the regular rhythms of life. We don’t see evangelism as ‘an event,’ but a lifestyle. And one of the best places to do that is at home and from home.
Mark (and Jill) did a fantastic job of leading on this journey. The recordings will be available soon, and you don’t want to miss these when they come out. They’ll be posted on our website at clfroseburg.com/sermons, and the series will be “Marriage Retreat 2026.”
Let me add this note from Mark: “Dave, God was very good to us this past weekend. It was encouraging to hear from your folks specific ways God was at work in their marriages in response to the preaching of the Word and the work of the Spirit. You and your pastoral team have built a wonderfully solid gospel-centered church. All of your folks were “leaning in” during each session, reflecting your faithful preaching week after week. Really well done, my friend!”
Hebrews 13:17 speaks about the joy in a church leader’s life when the people of that church follow Christ and follow the leaders (as they follow Christ). Well, CLF, you bring your pastoral team great joy. This past weekend is another piece of evidence (stacked upon many) that proves God’s work in you.
Looking ahead:
This week, we will start a series through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). We’ve called this series, “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached,” because…it is! The goal of this series is to answer the question: How do citizens of Christ’s kingdom live in this world? We’ll start with Matthew 5:1-2.
Cheap Seats:
- USA vs. Venezuela. Venezuela is good. Lots of good players. The USA is starting a young pitcher. It should be very interesting. John Smoltz made an interesting remark during the USA vs. Dominican Republic game. He said that in every MLB game, there are 2-3 hitters that you have to work around, but in the WBC, every hitter can do damage. That’s why pitchers don’t last very long in these games.
- A walk-off homerun robbery: https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/48217175. I’m not a Tennessee fan, so seeing their guy bat flip and talk to his dugout, only to get robbed…is epic.
- This is not sports-related, but it is hilarious. I’ve said for a long time that Christians in the 21st century need to stop being shocked by the craziness in the world. By that, I don’t mean ignore it, don’t do anything, or not share the gospel with others as the only hope. I mean, we literally act like “how in the world is this happening?” and “what in the world??” This funny reel explains the biblical reasons why we need to not be shocked: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVJ3MO3E0-h/
Christ is King!
In Christ,
Dave York
