Pastor’s Page | July 9th, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read Ezekiel 33)
C.S. Lewis is my favorite theologian and author. I have digested just about everything he has ever written and his books have left a huge impression on me. One of the things that has drawn me to C.S. Lewis is that he wasn’t always the devout Christian. And what I love about his story is that it sounds less like a revival meeting and more like a guy slowly losing an argument... with God.
As you know, Lewis was a brilliant Oxford professor. He loved mythology, logic, and books. He didn't believe in God. In fact, he was an atheist for years. Then he made one terrible mistake...He became friends with Christians who were smarter than he was. One of them was J. R. R. Tolkien. They would meet together in an English Pub and discuss myths, ancient literature, and of course theology. Lewis held his own but imagine trying to argue against Christianity when your opponent is the guy who invented Middle earth. Lewis kept debating with Tolkien and other Christian friends, but every time he thought he'd found another reason not to believe, they'd patiently answer it. It was like playing theological Whac-A-Mole. Every objection popped up... whack!... gone. Finally Lewis had to admit there probably was a God. Lewis described himself as 'the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.' He basically said, "Fine! You win!" But admitting that there is a God and becoming a Christian are not the same thing.
Lewis would become a Christian, but don't picture fireworks, angels singing, or somebody crying at the altar. In fact, it wasn’t emotional at all. One day, he and his brother were riding to the zoo. Just an ordinary motorcycle ride. Lewis later wrote that when they left home, he didn't believe Jesus was the Son of God. By the time they arrived at the zoo... he did. No lightning. No dramatic music. Just somewhere between Point A and Point B, God finished what He'd been doing all along. Lewis later joked that God was like a divine chess player. Every move Lewis made to escape Him simply put him in a better position to be found.
And here's my favorite part. The man who spent years trying to prove Christianity wrong became the man who wrote Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, and countless books that have led millions of people to Christ. That's just like God. God loves taking His biggest skeptics and turning them into His loudest witnesses. It reminds me that sometimes the people who argue the hardest with God aren't the farthest away. They may just be the ones He's pursuing the hardest."
This Sunday we will be having a guest speaker. One of our members, Professor Craig Fisher, will be giving his testimony on how he came to believe in God late in life. He was an atheist who was married to a praying wife who had a deep faith in Christ. His story of how he came to faith is wonderful. I am looking forward to hearing the Professor this Sunday and I know we will be encouraged by the God who pursues us.
June Sermon Series
Crazy Times and a Steady God:
We Smell Like Sheep and Wolves
07/12 - Craig Fisher - Personal Testimony
07/19 - Owning Up To Your Duties - Ezekiel 34
07/26 - God’s Breath Of New Life - Ezekiel 37
Updates, Thoughts and More
1. Acton Celebrates America was such a great success!!! We had close to 950 people attend and it was such a wonderful display of patriotism and love for our Savior. I want to thank Dr. Rawlianne Rangel for putting such a wonderful service together. We are so blessed to have so many gifted servants on staff at our church.
Now that ACA is over, we truly are in the doldrums of summer. This does not mean that we won’t be doing things. I already have in mind some fun things for us to do here in the next few weeks. I will be letting you know those things in the coming weeks.
Now that the USA is out of the world cup, can we all go back to hating soccer?
July is going to be a good month for movies. I am excited about Christopher Nolan’s “Odessey” movie. I know his casting decisions are suspect (very suspect) but he is a great story teller and director. I am hoping to see this one in IMAX. But at the end of the month is what I am very excited about. The latest Spiderman movie comes out. Those who have previewed it say that it is the best Spiderman film yet. Savannah has already bought us tickets and we are planning on seeing it at least 3 times in the theater. It is good to have a daughter who is just as big of a nerd as me.
Did you know that July is the last month we have without football? Praise God!!!
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (07/12)
Worship Services — 9:00am & 10:30am
Monday (07/13)
Alzheimer’s Support Group — 10:00am
Stitching Angels — 1:30pm
Tuesday (07/14)
Men’s Prayer Breakfast — 7:30am
Wednesday (7/15)
Prayer Warriors — 9:00am
Sip And Share — 10:00am
Joke of the Week
A little old Christian lady comes out onto her front porch every morning and shouts, "Praise the Lord!" And every morning the atheist next door yells back, "There is no God!" This goes on for weeks. "Praise the Lord!" yells the lady. "There is no God!" responds the neighbor. As time goes by, the lady runs into financial difficulties and has trouble buying food. She goes out onto the porch and asks God for help with groceries, then says, "Praise the Lord!" The next morning when she goes out onto the porch, there are the groceries she asked for. Of course, she shouts, "Praise the Lord!" The atheist jumps out from behind a bush and says, "Ha! I bought those groceries. There is no God!" The lady looks at him and smiles. She shouts, "Praise the Lord! Not only did you provide for me, Lord, you made Satan pay for the groceries!"
Memory Verse of the Week
“ For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. “
~Ezekiel 34:11-12 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
" I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."
~ C.S. Lewis
