Thank you so much for your thoughtful cards and testimonies over the past week.  10 years has gone by so fast.  I am also thankful for the cooler temperatures we have been experiencing with the rain.  I love fall most of all, and it seems we are getting a small preview in August.  School has started and hopefully we are all getting into stable routines that will carry us to the end of the year.
            Fall and the beginning of a new semester is a great time to re-evaluate what is truly important.  I want to invite you to our mid-week activities at Oak Crest.  I know that many things crowd our time, but gathering with other believers in the middle of a busy week is a great blessing.  There are so many things to do and places to go, but don’t neglect the most important thing.  We have a unique opportunity in the middle of the week to pray, learn, and worship.  Students and children are studying the Word in-depth.  There are activities for everyone.  Would you consider gathering with us on Wednesday nights?  Our Bible Study begins at 7:00pm.  The time we spend together on Wednesday nights is a time of recharging and renewal.  I am so thankful God has granted us the privilege of feasting on his Word in the middle of the week.  Another important part of Wednesday night is the time we spend in prayer.  I love the more extended prayer time and I love to hear the prayers of God’s people.  Don’t wait for Sunday to worship with other believers at Oak Crest.  Make Wednesday night worship a priority in your life.
            I don’t know about you, but by the time Wednesday rolls around a lot of pressures and stresses from the week have started to pile up.  It is a blessing to come together corporately to God’s Word for a boost of certainty.  We gather every Wednesday.  Would you consider joining us?
 
           
In Christ,
Blain Craig

​Next week is a significant milestone for me and my family.  Next week will mark 10 years I have had the amazing privilege to serve as pastor at Oak Crest.  In those ten years, so many things have changed.  The world is a different place than it was even ten years ago.  Oak Crest is a different church than it was ten years ago.  So many of our loved ones and friends have gone on to be with the Lord.  Many others have joined our covenant family.  Many families have moved on to other places of ministry.  Babies have been born.  Children of 10 years ago are married with their own families.  But through all of the experiences, both the good and the bad, the gospel has not changed.  “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever,” Isaiah 40:8.  I was interested to look back at my first newsletter article at Oak Crest.  My request is still the same.
 
            As I write this first of many “Blocks” for our weekly newsletter, my mind is filled with so many things I desire to share with you.  My family and I have already grown to love all of you so much.  We could not be happier that God has called us to Oak Crest.  We are looking forward to getting to know all of you as we all get to “know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Philippians 3:10.  In other words, the love of Christ unites us unlike another organization or group on the face of the earth, and we are overwhelmed to be a part of you.
          Each week I hope to use this space to share my heart with you.  I hope to give you some insight into how I see life at Oak Crest.  Sometimes this article will be brief, sometimes more lengthy, but always biblical and always to the glory of God. 
          In this first article I am making a personal plea.  I am embarrassed to even write those words considering all that you have already done for my family in making our transition effortless.  Nevertheless, the request I am making of you in this article is more important and more urgent than any other need you have been so gracious to meet.  The plea is simply for prayer.  Not just any prayer, a very specific prayer.  Don’t misunderstand, I covet all your prayers for my life and family including health and physical needs, but please remember this request above all.  Simply pray that the truth of Malachi 2: 5-7 would daily be the reality of my life.  Listen to the words of God as he speaks about Levi the priest, “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.  True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity.  For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”  If those verses are a reality in my life, I will be in right relationship with Jesus Christ, and I will be in right relationship with you as your pastor.  Remember, I will be praying for you as you pray for me.  May God richly bless you in these days, and may he receive glory in all that we say and do.
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig

It should come as no surprise to most of you that I am not a sports fan.  That is why I am always amazed by how riveted I am to the Olympics.  Summer or winter, every two years I become a sports fan to my own surprise and amazement.  I don’t really know what draws me to the Olympics.  It may be the purity of the sports.  Unlike so many professional sports, the Olympic athletes seem to participate merely for their love of the sport rather than the paycheck.  But probably the most interesting aspect of the Olympics for me is the fact that the event comes around only every four years.  That heightens the level of importance to the athletes more than a major league baseball game that is played literally every night.  No, for the Olympians, everything, all the training, all the preparation, comes down to one moment, one race, one match.
          The apostle Paul, along with everyone of his day, was quite aware of the Olympics.  They began in 776BC and continued for over 1000 years.  Their height would have been in Paul’s day.  No doubt the Olympic tradition was the background of 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
          I am always stunned by the devotion and passion and emotion of the Olympic athletes.  When they win, it is obviously the greatest moment of their lives.  When they lose, it is obviously the worst moment of their lives.  They devote so much time and energy and effort to gain the temporal reward of the praise of men and a circle of metal.  Don’t get me wrong, the pursuit of excellence in athletics is a noble and worthy endeavor.  Also, many of these athletes recognize their ability is a gift from God and rightly honor him in their victory.  But the main point of Paul in 1 Corinthians is equally true, if they give that kind of effort for a wreath, how much more should we devote ourselves to that which is eternal and imperishable.  I don’t know how many of you are paying any attention whatsoever to the Olympic Games; but if you do, I hope the dedication, and work of the athletes of the Olympics serves to motivate you to pursue the greatest treasure – Jesus Christ.  “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 12-14.  

In Christ, 

​Blain Craig

​Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”  The leaders in view in this verse are not our secular leaders.  The verse is not talking about mayors, or governors, or presidents, rather it is talking about our pastors.  In one very important sense, all of us are called to imitate Christ in such a way that others may look to our life as an example of godliness.  On the other hand, pastors or elders have a special responsibility to lead by example and by teaching.
            I am thankful to God for the four nominees we have before us.  I think the men you have nominated to be elder are exemplary candidates.  I love each of them and think we will all be well served by their leadership.  They along with our faithful and true deacons are blessings to Oak Crest.  Our deacons have a heart and desire to serve you sacrificially by ministering to the various physical and spiritual needs of the church.  Don’t neglect to seek the wisdom and counsel of all of these men as you walk daily with the Lord.
            I hope you have noticed the announcement in the newsletter and the bulletin regarding the elder affirmation process going forward. To allow you all further opportunity for prayer and examination, we have arranged four Sunday evening services to hear from the elder nominees.  Beginning on August 14th and extending to September 4th, each of the four elder nominees will take a Sunday evening to share their heart and their testimony with the church.  This will be an excellent opportunity to hear their background, and get a good feel for their core beliefs and convictions.  I want to encourage you now to make plans to be in attendance at these meetings.  Not only will you hear the word of God, according to Hebrews 13:7, but you will also be able to “consider the outcome of their way of life.”
            I cannot think of a time in my being pastor at Oak Crest that I have been more excited about the future of this fellowship.  Our families are growing in the Lord, our church is renewing and reenergizing her commitment to evangelism and outreach, we are devoted to the Word like never before.  All of these things and many more point to a God glorifying future for Oak Crest.  You are a part of that future, so be in prayer.  Pray with urgency and deep fervency that God will lead us into the future that most glorifies him in both our discipleship and the evangelization of the lost in our community and around the world.   May God bless his church.
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig