We hope the following resources help you grow as you seek to understand your sexuality more deeply. 

Because of the weather and condition of the roads in our surrounding areas, we have decided to cancel our worship gathering for tomorrow. Stay home and stay safe!

The pinnacle of every Sunday should be in gathering with God's people and setting the day apart as a day of worship to the Lord. However, just because we are not gathering does not mean that this day cannot be set apart for His purposes as we seek to cultivate joy in Him.
I have prepared a Sunday morning worship guide where you can still engage with Scripture for all those who are found in your home tomorrow morning.
In the church calendar, tomorrow is set aside to remember the baptism of Jesus. This guide was written in a way that helps you engage in this event in Jesus' life and makes it accessible for kids and adults of all ages. There is also singing and scripture readings. I hope that it is something that encourages your family and helps you as you seek to spiritually lead those in your household.

Many of you have been asking about when our groups will start back up. You can be looking for sign ups for groups to come out over the next day or two. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

If you have been at church at all the last few weeks, we have consistently announced that our church would be doing a digital fast. So, starting on Monday January 6 2025, we are inviting all members at Sola (and anyone else!) to join us as we fast from portions of our digital lives in an intentional way for the month of January.

Fasting is not just abstinence. It is saying "no" so that we can say "yes" to other things. When we fast from food, we are saying "Jesus, I want you more than food." Thus, when you fast from other things, it functions in a similar way. Fasting in the Bible is a way that we wake ourselves up to the things of God by intentionally limiting and abstaining from other things - idols you could say - that do not allow us to live in the way of Jesus. Here are 3 reasons why we think a digital fast will be helpful for our church family at this time.

To be more Present in our lives.
To God. One of the biggest distractions to a life set apart for God and His purposes is our phones. They crave our attention and we give it to them. But when we intentionally lay our phones down we gain something of our spiritual lives back.

To Others. When we are looking down at our devices we are not seeing the people and relationships that are in our lives, the people that God has called us to listen to, love, and share our lives with. Time away from devices is time present with those whom God has called you to be with. The research is overwhelming here. Devices rob us of life giving relationships. Lets fight against that by probing what it would truly look like to be relationally present to others for these few weeks.

To Ourselves. It is pretty straightforward. Most of us do not really know how we are doing (emotionally, physically, spiritually) because we are distracted or escaping our negative emotions by giving our attention to other things. Phones really hinder us here. Furthermore, they slowly perpetuate a lie about what it means to be you. We are not digital beings in a cloud. We are embodied souls, grounded in reality. Laying down devices give us the space to explore our whole selves in fresh and needed ways.

To devote ourselves to the things that will lead us to a life of love and joy
Most people tell me that the biggest hinderance to their spiritual growth is time and attention. They do not have the time to truly pursue God in their lives as they seek to manage all other responsibilities they carry each day. But in many cases, when you truly examine how they spend their time, its not uncommon to see hours upon hours of screen time logged on their phone each day. If you were to trade screen time for life-giving, joy-infusing habits, we would find that we actually have a lot more time than we think!
(disclaimer: its important to note that part of the problem here is that our hearts, minds, and bodies are not trained to actually be able to enjoy and love the things that give us the most joy, but thats for exploring at a later time.)
The digital fast is for this purpose: to give us space to do the things that truly lead us to flourishing. Don't you want to live a life like that? Don't you want to give yourself to Life and Joy?

To be more productive.
This is somewhat connected to reason #2, but I find it important to make a distinction between doing things that give joy AND, on the other hand, making the best use of your time. After the dishes are put up and the kids are in bed, there may be legitimate reasons why we immediately find ourselves on the couch scrolling our phones. It may be because we are tired and we need to rest. But sometimes during those moments, we need to resist the urge of self-pleasure through scrolling-dopamine-hits and turn our attention to love and serve others, finish that task around the house, or finish a few things up for work SO THAT, when the weekend comes you can truly lay things down and prioritize a sabbath rest. These are decisions you ultimately have to make. But I can tell you with confidence that, at some level, the phone is distracting you from these things.

So we have talked about why we think a digital fast is necessary right now. Lets now turn to how we are actually going to do this during January 2025. Here are 8 recommendations for you as you seek to establish a digital fast for you and your family over the next few weeks.

Delete Social Media Apps AND any other app that tempts you for the month of January
Trust me. You can do it! You can be “out of the know.” You can miss the latest giveaway from your favorite influencer. You can even lose a few followers if that is what it comes to. You will be fine. Matter of fact, you will be better for it.

And when February rolls around and the digital fast is over, ask yourself how your relationship to social media and distracting apps/devices needs to change.

Limit Television to 1-2 nights/week
Television is not evil. It can be, but the television itself is not the problem. So you do not have to completely be free from it unless you want to, but for a month you could limit it. How can you limit your television intake during January?

No Phones at church. Only Bible
Leave phones in the car or at home. Or on the pool table in the back of the church! You don’t need them during service. This is a gesture that anticipates "immense encouragement is available for me - from the Lord and through others - if I can allow myself to be present for these few moments. And I promise that you will be strengthened in the faith.

Devote yourself to the Bible Reading Plan for the month of January.
The early-medieval church understood that to read the Scriptures spiritually you needed to linger and meditate on it. Not just read to check the box. Meditate and think about Christ. Chew on it. Ponder it. Treasure it up in your heart. Don’t easily move on. Thats where Jesus is at in Bible Reading.

Here is a Bible Reading Plan that I am doing for the next 2 years. It is slowly and methodically going through the Scriptures 2 chapters/day(ish). This is the most popular Bible reading plan in the world and has been around for hundreds of years.
You dont have to do this one. But you should intentionally engage the scriptures. How do you plan to do that? If you want more suggestions, Ill happily give them!

Practice a Digital Sabbath where you put your phone in a box every Sunday
Our family does this every Sunday as we practice the Sabbath. We take our devices (our kids bring their tablets) and we place them in our “sabbath” box for the day as a way to give them over to God and be present with Him and one another. But it does not have to be a box. It could just be a special place in your house. Just somewhere that clearly sets the day a part as free from devices.

Choose to be less available
Have moments in your day where you are not reachable by others (or by notifications). A daily time set aside for deep work that allows you to give your full self to your job, or your kids, or your home, or to Jesus. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and answer texts at a certain time of day after you have finished your tasks and responsibilities. Most texts and calls can wait. But you have to have the courage enough to say no and to push it off to later.

Give weeknights a more intentional focus instead of “vegging out.”
Maybe Tuesdays and Thursdays you let yourself enjoy a book and on Wednesdays it’s game night with the family. Fridays are for focus on your spouse or some friends you want to connect with more. Be intentional and don’t let your devices dictate where and what you give your attention to. Ask yourself how you can leverage your time for the things you want to use it for. Better yet, ask God how you need to make the best use of your time (Ephesians 5:16). We know that the latest TV show or notification is, generally speaking, not leading where you really want to go or really want to do. So set nights aside for intentional practices.

In relation to this, Sarah has been thinking through some intentional ways that she can assist families in engaging with each other more intentionally during the week. There should be some resources/ideas that she gets to you all soon.

Scheduled times of kneeling prayer 3x/day
By kneeling, we embody humility and surrender, aligning our hearts with God’s will and acknowledging our dependence on Him. This practice not only deepens our relationship with God but also integrates faith into the rhythms of daily life, fostering a holistic discipleship that permeates every aspect of our being.

Here is a short blog to read that helps explain what I mean in more detail, but here is the basic gist below:

1. KNEELING prayer Morning, Midday/Afternoon, Night
2. Pray through a psalm for 5 minutes on your knees at 3 points during the day.
3. Wherever you find yourself (Office, home, Car, Friend's house)
4. Its doesn’t have to be much. It’s not long. But engages the body and turns the heart and mind toward God instead of other things.

Think of it as replacing the mindless scrollings in the middle of the day that happen in between meetings, tasks, etc. Instead of scrolling you pray. That seems like a little adjustment that can make a world of difference.

[NOTE: I think this could easily be the least practiced of the 8 points for the next few weeks. I want to encourage you to truly prioritize these small moments of the day. And be undignified and get on your knees and seek God's face. Imagine what the Lord could do in our church and in our city if there were a group committed disciples who did this every day for a month. Its impact could be incalculable!]

If you take this seriously, I can almost guarantee that you will reap the benefits of a more relationally present, spiritually vibrant life. And when you do, you are not done. You are tasked to share with others what God is doing in your life. One of the most beautiful aspects of the early church is how they were so eager to open up and share their lives with one another. This is a practice that slowly drew others in. It legitimized the good news of Jesus that they preached. So as you fast this month, as you seek to live free from distraction, share these good things with your leaders, pastors, and others church members so that we can rejoice and experience more grace together.

Below is an excerpt from Adam Young's Newsletter:

I think these words are particularly helpful in understanding the dynamics of the hard circumstances that we find ourselves in.

But consider Isaiah 61's words about this suffering, conquering servant - Jesus. He is the binder of our broken hearts. He is the healer of our wounds. He is proclaiming liberty to those in captivity. So, wherever you find yourself, if you open yourself up to Him, he is graciously smashing your idols and leading you toward life and peace with Him. Will you receive this work in your life?

This Sunday
This Sunday, we are going to be continuing in the book of Acts (References from Acts 11, 12, and 13) by looking at the church of Antioch for the next two weeks.

This Sunday is also bittersweet as it is the last Sunday before the Roughtons return to India. We will pray and send them out this Sunday as a church, just like the church at Antioch did in Acts 13!

Hospitality and Set Up
2 Sundays ago, I preached on Acts 10-11 where the gentiles are welcomed in to the New Covenant through Jesus. One of the implications of my sermon was the need to create an environment of welcome and hospitality on Sundays. If you interested in serving in this way and have not connected with Ronny Wilson yet, please do!

In addition to that, Ronny is also serving as point over all set up on Sunday for now as we announced that Tyler Folsom is stepping back as a deacon in this season of life and ministry. If you have questions regarding his transition, please reach out, and at a minimum, make sure to thank Tyler for how well he has served our church during this last season of ministry.

Sunday we resumed our preaching series through the book of Acts where we did a recap of the first 9 chapters. Below, we explore further how the early parts of Acts 9 envision Christianity.

This graphic is a common understanding of the christian life in our area. It separates the basic principles of Christianity into 3 buckets of Bible reading, church attending, and giving. And these actions are motivated out of a moral uprightness that is built into the general fabric of our society and culture.
I need to read my bible so that I can be a good Christian
I should join a church and attend their bible studies
If I am going to be taken seriously in my career/vocation, I should seek to be involved in some charity in my city
None of these desires are necessarily bad in and of themselves. These are good things. You should read the Bible, join a church, and do good in the city. But these things by themselves are woefully deficient in representing what God has done in Christ and what that means for our lives now if He is alive.

Now, in contrast to the cultural Christian model above, consider this graphic that represents how Acts 1-9 portrays Christianity on this side of the resurrection of Jesus:

If this graphic is indicative of the Christian life at all, notice where everything begins and flows from: Participation in the Life of God Himself.

Church life flows from each of us participating in the life of Christ. Mission flows from this life with/in God. The book of Acts shows a living reigning Savior who is breathing His life into His disciples. You cannot have a relationship to the church apart from a deep participation in the life of God. Nor can you understand identity as an ambassadors for Christ until an experience and participation in the life of Jesus defines all that you are.
The book of Acts reinterprets our modern culturally Christian lifestyles. It shows us that we do not read the Bible just to know the story. We read the Bible as the very words of God and means to abide in Him, to be united as one with Christ, and so that He can be our home. We do not go to church because it's the right thing to do. Instead, our "church" involvement is the way that we actively participate in what God is doing in the world. And from there God uses us for His purposes.

I want you to notice how this graphic changes our understanding of mission. If this accurately represents the book of Acts (1-9), then we see that our carrying out the mission of God stems from our participating in the body of Christ. What this means is that church involvement is by nature missional. Mission begins with a local church considering  the implications of the living Jesus together as a people first. How they live with and love one another. How they worship. How they repent and grow together. How they give to meet the needs in each other's lives. How they pray for each other and spur one another on toward good works. And as we seek to see the local church healthy, vibrant, prayerful, bold, zealous, holy, among many other characteristics used by the NT to describe our life now with Christ, the end result of our labor is an attractive alternate way of living that the world sees and is invited into. Where the church is healthy, God is seen and felt as real and alive. It is at this place that God uses us for His purposes in the world to see the light of the knowledge of His glory shining for all to see.

This past Sunday, we finally received copies of our LTG Manual. These manuals are now available for purchase for $11. If you are signed up for an LTG this semester, make sure you get one before you start meeting. These manuals help each member be adequately prepared and ready to engage in each LTG weekly meeting.
You can pay for the manual through the church app under the giving tab. Select "Sola City Resources"

Sunday we will pick up in Acts 9:32-43 as we resume our series through the book of Acts. If you are able, please read through this passage this week and prayerfully prepare for hearts to receive from God's Word on Sunday.

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Worship in the Park this Sunday!
We are so excited for our Worship in the Park Sunday happening this Sunday at Rock Creek Veterans Memorial Park right off of the Gainesville Square. Here is the address:
223 Northside Dr, Gainesville, GA 30501

We will start at 10:30 as usual. Dont expect a long service but one that is to the point yet still engaging and one that pushes us toward greater mission, obedience, faith, and love as a church. There will be coffee and great weather and great conversation together. I think this is going to be a sweet time for our entire church family, and we hope you can make it.
On Sunday, I will be preaching a short message on the Kingdom of God in our Statement of Basic Beliefs. I anticipate that this will be helpful for us as a church in understanding what our lives look like now in light of His Kingdom.

Love you Church,
Alex Gailey

Good morning on Good Friday. It’s the end of the week. You may be tired from a lot of toil. Whatever you are feeling, there is grace available for you today. Receive it. Declutter your mind. Slow yourself down this morning to really be in tune with the new mercies that are available right now as you wake, or wherever you find yourself engaging in prayer during your day.

(Set a timer for 3-5 minutes)
Today, we are going to start by considering what Jesus did when he bore the wrath of God for our sins on the Cross. Feet on the ground. Palms up in surrender. Quiet your mind. Cast all thoughts away except for the Crucified Lord on the Cross.

“It is finished. Thank you Jesus.”

Control your breathing. Slow. Be aware of the tension you are feeling. Give your burdens to the Lord. He willingly takes it on his shoulders, and today is the day to remember that.

Breathe in: “It is finished.”
Breathe out: “Thank You, Jesus.”
(Repeat this for the next 3 or so minutes)

(7 Minutes)
Scripture Reading: John 19:1-30 (The Crucifixion of Jesus)

What about John’s account of Jesus’ death stands out to you?
What details are unsettling? Why are they unsettling?
What hope do you find in this passage?

Spend a few moments now thanking Him for what He did on the Cross.

When you are ready, pray this prayer as you close:

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, on this day we remember Your sacrificial death on the cross. You bore the weight of our sins and endured unimaginable suffering out of Your great love for us. What a Savior you are. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Many of you are preparing to eat dinner with some friends as a way to remember and celebrate Good Friday. For clarity’s sake, it is important to note that this is not a celebration of the Lord’s Supper. That time we reserve for the church to do together. We are one people of God that enjoy the bread and the wine together as His people.

Good Friday Dinners are more about highlighting how central the table is to the Kingdom of God. God’s Kingdom goes forward at  tables. The Israelites need not do anything but celebrate the Passover Meal in their homes with family as the Lord swept through Egypt. David said God prepares a table before his enemies. In Acts 2, they went from house to house breaking bread in their homes with glad hearts. Meals are important to the Kingdom of God. Full stop. 

So this year for Good Friday, we are encouraging people to gather around the table with others. Invite friends over. Come up with a meal plan. Enjoy the presence of others and see it as God’s blessing in your life. 

There is total freedom in how you structure this time with others. The only requirements are food, laughter, and conversational depth. As we should seek to do everyday, tomorrow night is especially about being present to those you are with, entering in to their lives and hearts for the purpose of love. As we saw this past Sunday, we are increasingly becoming a community of love. This is another opportunity to grow in that reality. 

One way you can facilitate this is being intentional with discussion around the table. If you need some guidance in discussion, Here are some questions you could consider:

• How have you seen God moving in your life in the current season you are in?
• What can we celebrate with you?
• What can we grieve with you?
• What are some of the deepest desire for your discipleship to Jesus that we can come alongside of and encourage in you?

You might want to start dinner with this prayer that everybody could say together. Or you could start another way as well. Whatever works best.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as we remember your sacrifice on this Good Friday, we are reminded of the profound significance of meals and tables in your Kingdom. May this time of fellowship around this table be a foretaste of the great banquet you have prepared for us in your Kingdom. Help us to extend hospitality and love to all who gather around our tables, just as you welcomed all who came to you. Amen.

However the night goes and however you choose to structure it, remember this: Jesus is with us when we gather in His name. There is so much that is happening in nights like this. Jesus himself is pushing back the powers of darkness in the world through simple gestures of hospitality and openness to others when it is done in faith. So relax. Enjoy Jesus together. Savor the foretaste that it is to be with others in this way.

Love you Church.
Alex Gailey 



P.S. - Do not forget the men’s breakfast on Saturday morning at 7am. We will have a light breakfast and coffee. Some Worship. Fellowship. God’s Word. It’s gonna be a great time together. Easter Weekend is the best!

Psalm 8:3-4
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Here, in this passage, David sees creation, is amazed at the glory of God as he sees all that He has made, and is humbled to realize his place as God’s beloved creation. He is overwhelmed with the reality that God is”mindful” of him. Cares for him. Loves him. 

Today, if you are able, go out on your porch, back yard, patio, or street. Coffee in hand. Spend 3 minutes considering the vastness of God’s creation. I like to do it bare-footed when I can. It wakes me up in the morning!

Drink in the beauty and wonder of what God has created. It’s simply incredible. It is filled with wonder. 

Yet….

God’s attention is on you. God rejoices over you with loud singing. God loves you. 

————
Now return to that place in your house that helps focus your attention on Him. Maybe it’s a chair, a spot in the floor, a spot by the window. 

Wherever it is, make sure you maintain a good posture so as to stay aware of and present in the moment. 

Feet on the Ground. Palms up in surrender.

(Set a timer for 3-5 minutes)
Our breath prayer today is modeled after Peter’s words in his epistle:

1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”

If you could turn the eyes of your heart to the beauty of Jesus, do that now. Draw near to Him as he draws near to you. 

Now breathe in: “Faithful Creator…”
Breathe out: “I entrust my life to you..”
(Repeat this for the next 3 or so minutes)

Relax into that truth. Jesus is God. We don’t have to be. He is perfectly okay that we, in our humanity, have limits. He created us that way. He wants to be our provider, our friend, our God. He has proven this in the life of Jesus. 

Especially as we turn to John 13 today.

(5 Minutes)
*Scripture Reading: John 13:1-19
(Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet)*
"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them." - John 13:12

Question:

• In what ways is it hard to accept Jesus’ words here to Peter: “Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
  • How might Jesus being inviting you to allow Him to “wash” you? 

Do not rush this moment. But when you are ready, pray this prayer out loud. 

*Prayer:*
Lord Jesus, You showed us the ultimate example of servant leadership by washing the feet of Your disciples. We, like Peter, cannot imagine our Lord humbling Himself in such a way, but we let you wash and cleanse us, Lord. Teach us humility and selflessness in our relationships with others. Help us to serve one another with love and grace, just as You served us. Amen.

Good morning. His mercies are new. 
No matter what yesterday was, there is new grace and new mercies today. And the presence of Jesus is pervasively invading all the spaces you occupy if you have the eyes to see Him. 

We start engaging the Scripture first by quieting our own soul. There are many voices vying for your attention. Our task right now is to quiet them enough to hear the still small voice of God in his Word. 

Be aware of the tension you feel as you prepare for the Word and give that tension to the Lord. Feet on the Ground. Palms up in surrender. 

Let’s start with a breath prayer. 

(Set a timer for 3-5 minutes)
Moses prayed “Show me your glory” and the NT tells us that we see with even greater clarity than Moses the fullness of the glory of the Lord. We are going to start this morning with that simple prayer:

“Lord, Show me your glory. “

Control your breathing. Slow. Be aware of the tension you are feeling.
Breathe in: “Lord.”
Breathe out: “Show me your glory.”
(Repeat this for the next 3 or so minutes)

(5 Minutes)
*Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16, Luke 22:1-6 (Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus)*

Make observations. Highlight important phrases. Let the Word wash over. 

Question as you engage the Word:

• Where do you sense the temptation toward greediness and money in your own life?

When you are ready, say this prayer out loud:

*Prayer:*
Lord, you came to your own, and your own people rejected you. Yet you willingly laid down your life. O God, Guard our hearts against betrayal and deceit. Help us to remain faithful to You, even in the face of temptation or worldly gain. Grant us discernment to recognize the schemes of the enemy and strength to resist them. Amen.

Bible. Coffee. Journal. Quiet. 
If you are like me, you might wanna find that space in your house that fills your heart with gratitude, beauty, and silence.
Like yesterday, make sure you are in a position to really engage your whole body. Jesus is redeeming your bodies. Think about that. 
Good posture. In a position that keeps you in the moment and in tune with what God might be doing.

(Set a timer for 3-5 minutes)
Breath Prayer: Jesus, when he was in Jerusalem days before He would die on the Cross, submitted himself to the Father when He says,

“Father, Glorify your Name.”

Control your breathing. Slow. Be aware of the tension you are feeling.

Breathe in: “Father.”
Breathe out: “Glorify your Name.”
(Repeat this for the next 3 or so minutes)

As you do this, cast all thoughts away but the Lord. Maybe have a journal to write down your random thoughts as a way to put them a way for later. This present moment is for Jesus. Quiet your soul.
Make notes of the ways your heart is responding as you welcome him to speak through his Word.

(5 Minutes)
Scripture Reading: John 12:20-36 (Jesus Predicts His Death)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Make observations. Highlight important phrases. Let the Word wash over.

As you sit in silence and prayerful reflection, consider these questions:

• How do you need to die today so that you can take up the way of Jesus?
• How does Jesus’ foreknowledge of his death impact your view of the Cross?

Prayer
Lord Jesus, help us to understand the depth of Your sacrifice. You willingly embraced death so that we might have life. Grant us the courage to die to ourselves daily, take up our cross and follow you. Amen.

Good Morning. Christ is risen. 
Let’s start by getting in a position that engages your whole body. If it is morning, maybe you want to fix yourself a cup of coffee. But at the very least, find a place wherever you are that is quiet, distraction free (“Do Not Disturb” mode on), feet on the ground and palms up as a sign of surrender to God.

(Set a timer for 3-5 minutes)
Lets start with the oldest breath prayer that we know of in church history that comes from Philippians 2 and Luke 18:

“Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Control your breathing. Slow. Be aware of the tension you are feeling.
Breathe in: “Jesus.”
Breathe out: “have mercy on me, a sinner.”
(Repeat this for the next 3 or so minutes)

As you do this, cast all thoughts away but the Lord. Maybe have a journal to write down your random thoughts as a way to put them a way for later. This present moment is for Jesus. Quiet your soul and join the psalmist when he says “My soul waits.”

Make notes of the ways your heart is responding as you welcome him to speak through his Word. 

(5 Minutes)
Read John 12:1-11

Make observations. Highlight important phrases. Let the Word wash over.
As you sit in silence and prayerful reflection, conclude at the appropriate time with this prayer:

(1-3 Minutes)
Prayer
O Lord, just like Mary did, we pour out our love and devotion to You without reservation. Free our hearts more and more to love you. Teach us to offer our best to You, even if it means sacrifice. Let the fragrance of our worship fill the places we inhabit, drawing others to You. Amen.

This week-long devotional is not about reading. It’s about practice. Pushing past just an intellectual engagement is not an easy exercise in the modern west. It takes intentionality. 
Over the course of the next week, you will receive a series of emails each morning that will hopefully serve as a daily guide to prayerfully encounter Jesus in the Scriptures. The most important story is not the one you are living. It’s the life that Jesus lived. The death He died. The day He conquered death and ascended to the right hand. The most important story is His Story. This devotional is an attempt to deep-dive into his life as we look forward to Easter. It may also be a foreign experience for some of you. We don’t have good categories for how to engage our whole selves in prayer and active, humble listening before the Lord in the Word. But we are embodied souls. And Jesus’ redemption is moving into every fabric of our being. 

What might be different for you is the practice of breath prayer. This is an exercise in prayer that the church has used since the early centuries that followed the apostles. This is basically just sitting before the Lord, quieting your mind, focusing on His glory by breathing in and out, naturally repeating prayers from scripture as a way to cultivate a continuous awareness of God’s presence. These devotionals start with breath prayer as a way to ask God to speak through his Word to us. Then, in the moments to follow, after we have quieted ourselves through prayer, we will turn to God’s Word and hear a few details of what happened that week as Jesus drew near to the Cross. Then, after much reflection, there will be a prayer that you can pray as a way to conclude your time. 

We hope this impacts you in ways that are unexpected. 

Sunday we looked at Psalm 51 trying to more clearly understand what repentance is in the Christian life. This psalm is so powerful and offers us so much insight into the Christian experience. I am reminded of this quote from St. Augustine:

“Most of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us.”

This is how psalm 51 feels. It gives me language that I do not have - and categories that I do not know I need - to approach God in a posture of repentance.

I would encourage us all as a church to begin to think through your prayer life intentionally through the language of the psalms. What I mean is that the Psalms are a place where we are given words to pray and language to approach God with the deep groans of our hearts.

Let’s look at Psalm 51 for a minute to see what I am talking about. As we saw on Sunday, Psalm 51 could really be summed up through the lens of 3 cries that any repentant heart feels as they approach God:
1. Lord, have mercy
2. Lord, heal me
3. Lord, Get Glory

Now, here is how Psalm 51 helps us. When you are caught in sin and feeling the guilt that stems from your actions, this psalm points us in the right direction by telling us to approach God for mercy (psalms speak to us). But it also tells us why, and gives us the language to use as we pray for God to have mercy on us in our situation (psalm speak for us). You could really say that about all of these prayers that I listed:

Lord, Have Mercy. David tells why (the character of God) and gives us a simple repeatable pray to pray “Have mercy on me, O God.” There is not a more simple easy way to pray than this. And there is not reason to reinvent the wheel. Just take this language and make it your prayer.

Lord, Heal Me. David tells us in vv. 5-13 that our real problem is our hearts. It is not just what we do. It is how we are oriented, who we are. We have sinful hearts. When we pray v. 10 “Create in me a Clean heart” we are both learning from David’s prayer and following His lead in what real repentance looks like: heart transformation. Psalms help us understand our heart problem and gives us the language to address it.

Lord, Get Glory. Left naturally to our own devices, our lives would not move beyond ourselves. But here, David has the whole nation of Israel in view in his repentance. It’s not just about him. It is about the glory of God shining through the people of Israel. Psalm 51 gives us the language to grow our imaginations beyond ourselves to what “could be” in the world as the glory of God covers the earth as the sea.

All that to say, “Make the psalms a regular part of your prayer life. God gave us a prayer, and its got 5 prayers for each day of the month (150 psalm!). Let’s live and breathe this book!

Love you Church
Alex Gailey

P.S. - As we mentioned on Sunday, we will be having a joint worship service with Chicopee Baptist Church, the Congregation across the street who has served us in so many ways. One of which being providing a building for our church to use each week for our worship gatherings. There will be great children’s programming starting at 10am Sunday morning and will continue through the end of our service around 12:15. We want to encourage you all to arrive at 10am for fellowship and an extended time of prayer together. Here is a playlist to the songs we are singing.

P.S.S - Easter Week is quickly approaching. One new initiative that we are doing this year for Easter is Prayerful devotions for each day of Holy Week. In Addition to this, we have a few events for that week. See the Graphic below. Dont miss what the Lord is doing in the church during this season.

This past Sunday, we looked at 2 Corinthians 7. In this chapter we get such a beautiful, descriptive picture of what repentance looked like in this early church. One characteristic that really stood out to me is what Paul calls “Zeal.” This church had a zeal for the Lord. Totally motivated by an awareness of God and of their sin before Him. 

Australian pastor Mark Sayers says that zeal is “passion and intent meeting determined action.” I really like this definition and think it is helpful when thinking through what repentance looks like in our lives. Here is the general process for how I think this plays out:

An awareness of God’s character and holiness develops in a person’s life
+
An Individual is convicted on a heart level of the repulsive nature of their actions
in light of who God is
+
But they hear the relieving, freeing invitation of the Lord to experience
reconciliation and healing through the transformative power of Christ
+
The transformation of the individual’s heart is most clearly seen in their capacity to
imagine what redemption looks like by asking “How could I follow Jesus in this
specific sin area in my life from this point forward?”
+
Passion for discipleship to Jesus meets a clear action plan that results in practical
steps being taken
=
Salvation is seen breaking into the world. 


This is basically what I think is meant by zeal. Zeal is a characteristic that even describes God in the OT regularly. Isaiah especially uses this language. What is being biblically communicated about God through this language is that the Lord has a resolve and action plan for how He will remain faithful to His people through the worldly circumstances that arise. So it is with us with a couple caveats: We are resolved through a renewed love/passion for God to walk a specific path of holiness as we seek to see Christ’s redemptive power hit every fabric of our lives and of the world. 

One last point: repentance requires courage. I do not want to understate our role in repentance. When it comes to the work that God is doing in our hearts (repentance), I think it is important to acknowledge that the New Testament is full of imperatives and “calls to action” on our part. Though Jesus is our ultimate redeemer, the initiator of salvation, the author of eternal life, He still calls us to participate in this work. And this is why I say that “repentance requires courage.” The road to follow Jesus is hard. It is narrow in that not many want to walk it. It will cost things in this world. But, in an ultimate sense, we don’t give up anything now that we do not gain a thousand times over in eternity. 

Courageously live the life of repentance that God has called us as His children into.

Love you Church,
Alex

I missed being at our worship gathering this past Sunday. Jessy and I were at one of our partner churches with a host of pastors from across the country celebrating what the Lord has done in planting churches for the advancement of His Kingdom all throughout the US. It was a wonderful time. 

Jay continued our sermon series on “Repentance” by answering the question of “Why Jesus says we should ‘repent’ in light of the Kingdom of God being ‘in our midst.’”

He made 3 points toward the end of his message that I want to reemphasize and expand on here. As we continue through our fast and focus on repentance, I hope this mid week reminder fuels you to more fully entrusting your life to Jesus as King:

Repentance is the logic of the Kingdom of God because:

1. The Kingdom of God is ultimate and Preeminent. In other words, God’s Kingdom surpasses all other kingdom claims in the world. Though there are many attempts and claims to power that we see playing out in the news everyday, the disciple of Jesus knows that there is one Kingdom that stand above them all. Moses proclaims God’s Kingdom power and supremacy by saying, “The Lord is One,” meaning there is no rival to this God because there is only one true God. Repentance is logical because when we become awake to his preeminence we turn from the other ways we have lived for other Kingdoms and embrace our citizenship in his Kingdom. 
2. Repentance is the way by which we enter the Kingdom. Jesus tells us that, in light of His Kingship and sovereignty over all things, we are to come to Him, lay down our old way of life, and follow Him into a new way in light of His Kingdom in the world. We lay down our allegiances and come beneath his lordship and care. It is this narrow gate of repentance that Jesus calls us to enter His Kingdom. 
3. King Jesus eternally saves and condemns. Our faith that Jesus is who He says he is (“King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords”) gives us the motivation for repentance. Our repentance is motivated by Jesus’ claims of salvation. Those who believe in Jesus will not die in the ultimate sense, but live forever. He is the only true way of salvation. Therefore, we entrust our lives to Him by turning from the other salvation narratives that we believe in. To believe in Jesus and embrace Him as King simultaneously says “I have found the only way that I might be saved from the death of sin and rebellion to God and live forever in reconciled relationship with God. It is illogical to confess this salvation while refusing to embrace the alternate life on offer through Jesus. This is why I said 2 weeks ago that “repentance is the logic of Gospel wakefulness (“wakefulness”=being awake to the claims that Jesus makes about our lives).

If Jesus’s Kingdom is what He says it is, repentance is not a heavy burden. I do not say that to discount the long hard road that we all find ourselves on as we seek to put to death sin and cling to Christ. Instead, the burden of repentance in our lives is “light” in that it is logical. It makes sense of our lives if Jesus is King. It is “light” because He really is offering us a better way to understand life. The burden of repentance is “light” because He gives us the power to overcome sin. “Light” because our tastes have changed and we love Him more than life itself. 

This upcoming week we will look at the relationship between the “kindness of God and our life of repentance.”

Love you Church

In Christ,

Alex Gailey

Sunday, we began a sermon series for Lent on repentance by looking at Joel 2:12-14. Alongside of this teaching, we also entered into a church wide fast until Easter. Fasting is consistently associated with the act of repentance in the Bible. It is an appropriate response to encountering the ways that our hearts stray from the Lord. 

As I have talked with many in our community, it has become very clear how unaccustomed we are to the spiritual practice of fasting. Fasting is not commonplace for the modern day Christian. We do not have great categories to see what relevance it has for our lives and if there are any spiritual benefits other than just being “hangry.”

But fasting was a normal part of jewish life as well as the lives of Christians in the context of the New Testament. What this should tell us is that its foreignness is not a result of its irrelevance to Christianity as much as it is a result of how our modern Christian expression is out of touch with the biblical picture of Christianity. Since the Enlightenment of the late 17th-18th century, we have a hard time seeing the benefit of spiritual practices that are not intellectual. But fasting engages our bodies in a unique way that is needed in our spiritual formation and discipleship.

We naturally have this logic as it regards fasting: “I stop eating so that God can hear my prayers and I can prove to be a legit christian.” But this is not the heart of it at all. Fasting in the bible is not so much about “asserting your will on God” as much as it is about opening yourself to the work of God in your life, expressing grief over your sin and returning to a life of dependence upon Him. It’s an expression of humility before Him, as a way of saying “O Lord I need you in my life. More than the very bread I eat, your words are eternal life.” Think of Jesus in the desert as he was tempted by Satan. 

Fasting may feel transactional by nature. A lot of people think that fasting is kind of how we “up the ante” on our request before God. God must hear us more if we do something demonstrative like fasting, right? But don’t think transactional. Think transformational. The logic of fasting is actually more about how God loves us and desires to transform us into a particular person by awaken our hearts to his reality afresh. 

I hope that a few days in, you are experiencing a deeper hunger for Him than ever before.

In Christ,
Alex Gailey

We are becoming. What are we becoming? 

As we discussed on Sunday, spiritual formation is a given. The question is more about what kind of spiritual formation we are under. We do not live in a middle passive space regarding our formation and discipleship as if there are no external factors contributing to the person you are becoming. If you take an honest assessment of your life I think you will find that your life is centered around something, some things, or someone. Some may be centered around a formation through various forms of media (Netflix, Instagram, Amazon). Others may be centered around a formation through careerism (“everything I want and need in life can be discovered through my job”). Jesus makes a claim about the biggest questions of our lives, but these alternatives do too! Instagram is telling you something about who you should be, what you should spend your time on, what makes the good life, etc. 

What we discussed Sunday is how Jesus invites us to organize and structure our lives around Him. Acts reveals to us that these early disciples were devoted to a “way” of living. To be christian was to lead a life where Jesus was at the center. He was their teacher. He was their Lord. He was their God. It was not just talk. It was an authentic embrace of Jesus because He truly did become the very substance of what their lives were about. 

As we move into Lent, this is at the heart of what we hope we can all experience together. Lent is really about counting the cost of discipleship and accepting Jesus’ terms of following Him in the world. Lent is about turning from the alternate pathways of formation to a better way with Jesus. It will be hard. It will be costly in some ways. But it is totally worth it. 

As we move into Lent, our church is entering in to a fast together where we intentionally take a break from certain things as a way to increase our hunger for the Lord and grow in allowing the Lord to truly captivate our hearts and lives. As we all consider what this will look like for us, here are a few areas you may consider:

• Can I limit how much TV I watch?
• Can I put limits on when/how I use my phone?
• Is there a meal each week that I could fast so that I could spend that hour in prayer or moving toward others in love?
• Is there an indulgence that I struggle to go without? How might I push against this during Lent by asking God to help me?

In addition to fasting and prayer, we are going to be taking a break from Acts to do a sermon series on Repentance. Some of the questions we are going to be answering during this series are:

• What is repentance?
• Why do we need to repent?
• What makes repentance a Christian thing?
• What does repentance look like in the local church?

We anticipate that the Lord will really be at work over the next few weeks as we gear up for Easter. I want to ask you: Can you commit to take the next few weeks and really seek the Lord? Can you sit aside time each day to seek Him in prayer? Sitting before Him in silence? Responding to His voice and Spirit appropriately? 

I love you guys so much. And I am praying for you church. See and Savor Christ. Trust and Treasure Him,

Alex Gailey  

It’s probably not news to hear that Jessy and I have been a mess for the last couple of weeks as we have faced some really scary and uncertain times as a family. It is safe to say that these have been some of the hardest circumstances we have ever faced. It has been a strange mix of good and bad. God has been near, actively moving and drawing us to himself. Time would fail me to list the ways we see this. But that work of God has come through suffering. Often this is the case following Christ. We get brought to impossible-to-navigate situations and emotions so that we can come to the end of ourselves where God meets us with open arms. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” We deceive ourselves when we think that we are made of titanium, metal, secure, indestructible jars. But this passage tells us that he puts His treasure in jars of clay. Suffering acquaints you with the feeling of “being clay.” But notice the good that comes. We experience the fragility, instability, weakness of “being clay” SO THAT we can come to know - through experience - that the power belongs to God. You can’t understand that when everything is going well. According to this passage, you only understand the power of God when you understand your weakness. We have experienced that. 

But something else we have experienced during this time is how important community and the church is. We all know in theory that we were made for community - to be known, cared for, and loved by others. All of us can communicate that to some level at Sola. But our family is experiencing something beyond “theory” right now. There is a sense that we are being sustained by God through others. The Gailey Family’s growth in Christ is a community project. What I mean is that God has called us into relationships that aren’t trivial. We do not know where we would be right now without the community that God has put around us. At the very least I can say that we would not be doing good. 

I have mentioned to some of you how dark those early days were for me. I sensed bitterness and cynicism as we faced unclear and scary diagnoses with Elisha. That bitterness and cynicism was aimed, in some ways, toward God. God’s promises were so far from my recollection. A Gospel that I communicate weekly on Sundays, in weekly counseling sessions, in small group settings could not be found. But as I turned to the Lord in my bitterness and cynicism - searching for Him and His promises - He met me in unexpected ways.

• He used the words of my grandmother to comfort me in the hospital.
• He used a late night call in the hospital with a friend where I just sat there with not much to say. 
• When we did not have the capacity to pray on our own, he used early morning prayer calls with our pastors to give us the words to say.
• He used a friend who spoke basic promises of God to me that I for some reason could not find/remember myself. 
• He used a friend who commanded me to go read a scripture, and when I did I was deeply comforted. 
• He used many of you to speak simple, clear words with prophetic power and encouragement. 

I knew I needed community in the Christian life. But I did not know how badly I needed it. I need it more than I tend to think when things are going well. And when the Lord delivers Elisha from this trial, I’ll need to be reminded of how important it is again. Community is a tangible way that we touch the grace of God. If we are the body of Christ, then our care for one another is like Christ is caring for us. I hope that no one has to face what we have gone through with Elisha, but I do hope that each of you go through something where “the rubber meets the road” and you get to taste even more how important the body of Christ is to your life and your growth in Him. 

I share all of this as we all prepare for our 6 year anniversary service coming up this Sunday. I can’t believe it has been 6 years! What a wild ride we have been on together! I would have never dreamed the last 6 years would be what they have been. Through it all, I can say that you guys are family. I am so honored to be your pastor and to be walking hand in hand with one another following Christ. What a joy! What a privilege! As we prepare for worship together Sunday I know that our family will be very aware of the tangible grace of God that our church has been to our family. I pray that you will too!

Love you Church,

Alex