God’s willingness to show mercy appears by His joyfulness when sinners take hold on His mercy. God’s goodness is that He rejoices at the salvation of sinners and is glad when His mercy is accepted. God rejoices when a poor sinner comes in and takes hold of His mercy. What an encouragement to believe in God! He is a God of pardons. Mercy pleases Him. Nothing prejudices us but unbelief. Unbelief stops the current of God’s mercy from running, shut God’s bowels, closes the cavity of Christ’s wounds, so no healing virtue will come out. As far as the heavens are above the earth, so far is God’s mercy above our sins. What will tempt us to believe, if not the mercy of God?”

— Thomas Watson

Simeon (Luke 2) had been waiting on God.  We also wait on God.  Below is from Paul Tripp

Waiting Is Giving You Time

When God asks you to wait, what happens to your spiritual muscles? While you wait, do your spiritual muscles grow bigger and stronger or do they grow flaccid and atrophied? Waiting for the Lord isn’t about God forgetting you, forsaking you, or being unfaithful to his promises. It’s actually God giving you time to consider his glory and to grow stronger in faith. Remember, waiting isn’t just about what you are hoping for at the end of the wait, but also about what you will become as you wait.

Waiting always presents me with a spiritual choice-point. Will I allow myself to question God’s goodness and progressively grow weaker in faith, or will I embrace the opportunity of faith that God is giving me and build my spiritual muscles? (see Psalm 27:4)

It’s so easy to question your belief system when you are not sure what God is doing. It’s so easy to give way to doubt when you are being called to wait. It’s so easy to forsake good habits and to take up habits of unfaith that weaken the muscles of the heart. Let me suggest some habits of unfaith that cause waiting to be a time of increasing weakness rather than of building strength. These are bad habits that all of us are tempted to give way to.   –Paul Tripp

Also, see Psalm 62

A few years ago Chris Hiatt served our church family as Director of Worship and Communication.  He left here to move to New York to fulfill a lifelong dream of living and working in the city.  Fortunately for us, he returned to Gainesville in April (with his wife, Amber!) and immediately took the worship leader part-time position.  It is with gratitude to God and excitement for the future that we announce that Chris is once again on full-time staff with the church.

Chris is now the Creative Director and Facilities Coordinator.  His role as Creative Director includes worship, communications, and special projects.  As Facilities Coordinator he will put together teams of people to handle the basic needs of the facility and position us to use the facility as a blessing to the community.

Go out of your way to congratulate Chris and feel free to ask him any questions or tell him any ideas you have about the areas he is overseeing.

As was mentioned in our December congregational meeting, we are nominating officers this month. During the month of January, please complete the nomination form (available at the Resource Desk) for new officers and either turn it into Debbie Staples in the church office, mail the nomination form to CCC, 1603 SW 122nd St, Gainesville, FL (Attention: Debbie Staples), or you may place the completed form in the offering plate on a Sunday morning before January 31, 2012. If you nominate someone please include your signature and the nominee’s signature.

All nominees will be initially screened for membership and Christian experience requirements by the session. If the session affirms that the nominee qualifies under both categories, they will be sent a letter informing them of their nomination and the subsequent process they can expect. Included in that letter will be a questionnaire that is required to be filled out and returned by a deadline. Once the questionnaire is completed, a personal interview will be set up with the nominee and a small group of officers to discuss the appropriateness and timing of their nomination. If it is determined that they should proceed with the nomination, approved nominees will then receive notification regarding the times and dates for the new officer training classes. Nominees will then complete an 8 week training course and examination in February through March. The exam will be in April.