Three Weeks to Form a New Habit

They say that it takes three weeks to establish a habit, whoever “they” are, and apparently, that goes for good habits and bad ones. Occasionally, I talk with people who are interested in starting to run. I am by no means an expert or a trained professional on the topic of running, but I do enjoy it. One piece of advice that I do feel fairly comfortable passing along is that the first three weeks of running are often the greatest challenge. Week one is typically miserable. Week two is often tolerable. Week three is generally manageable. Then, nine times out of ten, sometime during week four, the effort becomes almost enjoyable. Finally, the body has managed to adjust to the new routine and begins to experience a happy response.

Meet the Interns: Stephen, Chris, and Farley

This past September, Parkside Church welcomed the new class of pastoral interns. Affectionately referred to as the "Unholy Trinity," they are Chris Beals, Stephen Downey, and Stephen Judy (a.k.a. Farley).

Call for Help: Christmas Concert Nursery Volunteers

As many of you know, our much-anticipated annual Christmas Concerts are right around the corner. These spectacular evenings are a great way for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as a church family, and to welcome our family and friends to Parkside Church. As an outreach effort to our guests and church families who will be attending the concerts, we will be providing childcare to children under 36 months of age for all three evening concerts, but we need your help.

Marriage Matters Resources Available

Last month, Pastor Alistair Begg shared from God’s word about the gravity, integrity, and sanctity of the marriage covenant, as well as offering practical advice from his own experiences as a husband and as a pastor.

If you were unable to attend this two-session workshop, here are some useful links to help you have a Christ-centered, God-glorifying marriage that matters!

With Thanksgiving

For more than two decades, Parkside Church has partnered with Scranton Road Bible Church on the near west side of Cleveland to collect and deliver food to local area families in need. This partnership, known as The Thanksgiving Box Project, has evolved from its first year of collecting 25 bags of groceries to last year's collection and delivery of approximately 300 complete Thanksgiving meals.

In Case You Missed It

This past Sunday night, Parkside Church's congregation gathered for its annual meeting. Senior pastor Alistair Begg, along with the members of Parkside's elder board represented by elder Bill Mills, presented the congregation with a vision for the future of our church family as they reflected upon God's goodness and faithfulness throughout the 27 years of Parkside's growth.

Missionary Update

It has been wonderful to see many of you since we returned from a Muslim country (Turkey) over a year ago. For those whom we haven’t seen, we wanted to update you with what is going on in our lives and ask for your prayers.

Book Recommendation: Listen Up! A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons By Ch

"Why on earth do we need a book like this?" Author Christopher Ash asks and answers this question in his pithy, 31-page booklet, Listen Up! A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons. Ash offers seven key ingredients for listening to sermons effectively, from expecting God to speak to doing what the Bible says and rejoice. Additionally, there is a refreshingly honest final section to this easy-to-read booklet that offers guidance on listening to a sermon that may be dull, biblically inadequate, or even heretical.

Marriage Matters Workshop with Alistair

Location: Parkside Church-Bainbridge
Start Time: Sat 30, Oct. 2010, noon
End Time: Sat 30, Oct. 2010, 2:45 p.m.

Shelves at bookstores are crowded with books telling you how to save, repair, or even end your marriage. Christian and secular authors alike each carve out their own niche in the ‘marriage’ market claiming to have the secret to a happy marriage. Unfortunately, the one book which offers us the greatest blueprint and purpose for marriage is often overlooked—God’s living and active word.

Register

Book Recommendation: The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission

This book comes out of years of reflection, failures, and some successes in the task of reaching out to others with the gospel. Many Christians think of the task of mission as an entirely verbal activity, when perhaps the best kept secret of New Testament teaching about mission is that it involves a whole range of activities that explicitly promote Christ to the world and draw others to him, and only a few of them involve speaking. Without diminishing or downplaying the importance of speaking the gospel, John Dickson shows that, on the other hand, downplaying the range of activities that promote Christ to the world has its own set of problems.