Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.t

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.

5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.

6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.

8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.

12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.

15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.

19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.

23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.

24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.

25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.

26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.

29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the seat were hushed.

30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.

31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,

34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;

36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.

37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;

38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.

39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.

41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.

42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.

43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

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What about this Psalm stands out to you? How have you seen God “satisfy the thirsty” and/or “fill the hungry with good things”?

Here’s another chance to respond to a Psalm. Having trouble getting started? Click here to get some ideas.

PSALM 50 (CEV)

1 [ A psalm by Asaph. ] From east to west,
the powerful Lord God has called together
everyone on earth.

2 God shines brightly from Zion, the most beautiful city.

3 Our God approaches, but not silently;
a flaming fire comes first,
and a storm surrounds him.

4 God comes to judge his people. He shouts to the heavens
and to the earth,

5 “Call my followers together! They offered me a sacrifice,
and we made an agreement.”

6 The heavens announce, “God is the judge,
and he is always honest.”

7 My people, I am God! Israel, I am your God.
Listen to my charges
against you.

8 Although you offer sacrifices and always bring gifts,

9 I won’t accept your offerings of bulls and goats.

10 Every animal in the forest belongs to me,
and so do the cattle
on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds in the mountains,
and every wild creature
is in my care.

12 If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you,
because I own the world
and everything in it.

13 I don’t eat the meat of bulls or drink the blood of goats.

14 I am God Most High! The only sacrifice I want
is for you to be thankful
and to keep your word.

15 Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you,
and you will honor me.

16 But to the wicked I say: “You don’t have the right
to mention my laws or claim
to keep our agreement!

17 You refused correction and rejected my commands.

18 You made friends with every crook you met,
and you liked people who break
their wedding vows.

19 You talked only about violence and told nothing but lies;

20 you sat around gossiping, ruining the reputation
of your own relatives.”

21 When you did all of this, I didn’t say a word,
and you thought,
“God is just like us!”
But now I will accuse you.

22 You have ignored me! So pay close attention
or I will tear you apart,
and no one can help you.

23 The sacrifice that honors me is a thankful heart.
Obey me, and I, your God, will show my power to save.

Here’s the first Psalm we’re responding to. If you’re not sure what to do, click here.
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Psalm 43
Show that I am right, God!
Defend me against everyone
who doesn’t know you;
rescue me from each
of those deceitful liars.

I run to you for protection.
Why have you turned me away?
Why must enemies mistreat me
and make me sad?

Send your light and your truth to guide me.
Let them lead me to your house
on your sacred mountain.

Then I will worship at your altar because you
make me joyful.
You are my God,
and I will praise you.
Yes, I will praise you
as I play my harp.

Why am I discouraged? Why am I restless?
I trust you!
And I will praise you again
because you help me,
and you are my God.

Sometimes when we read the Psalms, we may not feel like we can relate to what we are reading. Other times, we can pick up the Bible, open up to the Psalms and say with the Psalmist, “Hear my prayer, Lord!” Over the next three weeks, you are invited to respond to the Psalms. You have the opportunity to respond to nine different Psalms, but not in a research paper, school-answer sort of way. As you read each Psalm, you can respond by writing a reflection about how that Psalm made you feel and whether you can identify with what the Psalmist is writing. As well, you can get creative and write your own Psalm–a creative piece to try to put yourself in the shoes of the Psalmist. Write a poem, song, acrostic–any form of writing to capture what the Psalmist is saying and put those feelings into your own words and life experience. How are you frustrated? What are you celebrating? How are you crying out? If you don’t want to write a creative piece, that’s okay! Just respond to the Psalms by writing a brief statement about your reaction to each Psalm.

We learn best when we learn in community, so let’s get the talking started! To write, follow these instructions:

1. Click “Leave a Comment”
2. Write your entry in the box at the bottom called “Leave a Reply”
3. Then click “Guest” and enter your name and email, OR you can leave the comment through your Facebook or Twitter account. It’s totally up to you.
4. Click “Post Comment.”

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask by emailing Anne at awilson@chapelrock.org.

Peter Nevland has been at Ben Davis’ 9th Grade Center the past couple days teaching creative writing workshops. Tonight he will perform at Chapel Rock with his wife, Vicki. Come experience Spoken Groove and interact with people from our community!

It’s coming! It’s coming! Our annual Fall Hayride is coming up two Sundays from now. Since it’s the day before Halloween, we’re shaking it up with a Costume Contest. Pick a theme as a small group this coming Sunday night (i.e. Star Wards, Ninjas, Breakfast Cereals, Super Heroes, ec.) and come dressed to win! There will be prizes awarded for the group that best rises to the challenge. We’ll leave Chapel Rock @ 4:00pm to catch the bus. We’ll return by 8:30. Guys bring a 2-liter, ladies bring a bag of chips. See you there!

 Registration is beginning! On January 13-16th, we’re joining other churches in the area and traveling up to Lake Ann, Michigan for a long weekend of snow tubing, skiing, worship, great teaching, getting to know your friends, and making some new ones, too! Register online or download the Registration Card. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Anne (awilson@chapelrock.org) or Nick (nwilkes@chapelrock.org).

We are starting a new series this weekend called RELEASE. We all want forgiveness, but we’re not always eager to give it out, are we? For some of us, there are some very big hurts that have a grip on our lives. Things that were done, or not done, that wounded us. Even the very memory of those things brings up the emotions as fresh as they were when they were new. So how do you move on? How do you get past the hurt and pain? And how do push past something you know you should do to the point where you can finally release it?

To access the Parent Cue for this series, click here. To see more resources on parenting, click here. And, as always, you are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings for our large-group time at The Vine. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Nick (nwilkes@chapelrock.org) or Anne (awilson@chapelrock.org).

Parents & Jr. Highers! The Jr. High Journey deadline is THIS Sunday, September 26th. If you haven’t filled out a form, you can pick one up outside the Chapel on Sunday morning in the “Jr. High Events” slot. Turn it in to the lockbox in the back of the Chapel.

This past Sunday in The Vine, we learned that when it comes to growing our faith, doing, not knowing, is what makes the difference. During his lesson, Nick said, “Unapplied Scripture is like unapplied paint. You can have all the materials to pain a mural–paint, canvas, ability, paintbrush, etc., but unless you apply it–it’s pretty pointless.” When we read the Word, know the Word, but don’t apply it to our lives, what’s the point?

We then read 1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT), “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” As they looked forward, they saw empty paint cans spread throughout the room, each with a title on it: what you say, way you live, love, faith, & purity. Every can had different Scriptures inside that directly applied to those areas of our lives. Students had the opportunity to “apply some Scripture,” and after reflection and prayer, they came up and chose a verse out of the can and then wrote what area of their life they needed to “apply some paint” by writing that word on the canvas. God wants us to be an example in EVERY area of our lives.

So students, what Scripture did you memorize this week? And how have you applied it so far? Leave comments and let the conversation begin!