It’s that time again. It’s summertime.
Our custom at Heritage is to take a break from our regular preaching series for a month or so. This allows me to get ahead on pulpit and ministry planning, get to extended family across the country, and hit the backpacking trail with old friends from High School. Importantly, this lets all of us benefit from the labors of other preachers.
Read ahead and pray for our preachers. Here’s the plan.
Out to Sea in the Month of July
From June 29–July 27, Jason Read will preach us through the book of Jonah. Jason has been working on this series in the background for many months. Pray for his prep as he heads into the week-by-week preaching. Buckle up.
Some stories are just hard to believe—crazy events and characters just too much to swallow. Like a storm so big even the boat is scared. Pagan sailors and kings, wicked cities, and even cattle who repent. Or a great fish who listens to God and obediently swallows and vomits up a man who lives to tell the tale. Plants the size of houses obey the Lord, and worms obediently eat them. Who could possibly believe all of that? But even more unfathomable? The God who commands the winds, waves, and worms forgives repentant sinners. He stands ready to forgive you. Now that’s hard to believe. Through Jonah, God teaches us about both our hearts and his own. We’re bent toward rebellion, but his heart is full of mercy. And in this true story, God prepares people to recognize Jesus. For just as Jonah spent three days in the fish, so too Jesus spent three days in the earth. Not for his sin though, for our own. Those who turn to him find only mercy now. Unrelenting mercy for undeserving sinners.
In from the Coast on July 6
Our voyage with Jonah will take a one-week stop on July 6 for a sermon from a friend to our church, Mark Whitcomb. Mark is the Executive Pastor at Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon. Some of you have visited Hinson when traveling. The pastors at that church have helped and encouraged us over the years. Speaking of that backpacking trip I take, twice I’ve been out to the Oregon coast. Both times Mark and his wife, Jen, hosted me in their home. They are magical hosts. There is no other word. While in town, Mark and Hinson’s preaching pastor Michael Lawrence welcomed me to join for their elders meeting. They did all the things we do—they sang, they read, they prayed, they deliberated, and they committed their plans and people to the Lord.
Mark and I typically visit when he’s in Greenville visiting family. Mark grew up around the corner from our church. His father, Dave Whitcomb, pastored Community Bible Church for many years.
At long last, we found a date that worked for Mark to preach. I’ll be out, but you will be here to receive a faithful word from 2 Peter 1:1–15. Here’s Mark’s setup:
We strive to grow our knowledge through most of our life. Whether through direct training in school or through practical experience in life, we are all trying to grow in what we know. Knowledge is necessary for our wellbeing in this life. But what does it mean that God gives us spiritual knowledge? And if it is a gift, then what’s expected of us as Christians? On July 6, we will spend time in 2 Peter 1 grappling with Peter’s instruction to the church to take joy in God’s gift of knowledge and his following instruction to make every effort to grow spiritually. Join us as we take great encouragement in our spiritual walk as we settle our hearts on what God has given to us through Christ.
Pray for Jason. Pray for Mark. Pray for the congregation, that we would be faithful hearers of God’s Word. Nothing blesses a preacher more than to know God’s Word is at work among us.
Approaching Port, A Prayer Request
One final item for prayer. You may recall that last Summer I devoted time to writing a study volume on Isaiah’s Servant Songs for a Crossway series called, Knowing the Bible. I wrote a volume on Joshua for this series many years back. Since that time Crossway has completed volumes for every book of the Bible. You should check them out. This new volume I’m writing is one of a handful of studies on more narrow portions of Scripture. For example, my brother Drew wrote studies for The Ten Commandments and The Sermon on the Mount.
The manuscript for this new volume is due in July. They say with sermon preparation, you never finish, you just quit. Sunday always comes! In the case of a writing project like this, the same is true. The impact of a sermon well outlives the preaching moment in your lives. But there’s something permanent in its own unique way with a writing publication. Pray I truly get it done. And pray that this project glorifies our sin-bearing Servant, the Lord Jesus. The project should publish sometime in 2026.
