Pastor Bryce

Sunday the 2nd found Carolyn, Wanda and me driving up the 57 freeway about 30 minutes behind Bryce and Ashley to Christ Church in Pasadena to hear and support Bryce as he preached in their old church. Sally and John, Bryce's parents, drove up from a short holiday in the Palm Springs area and we spoke once or twice by cell phone on corrected directions to the church. Lisa joined us from Montrose.

We all were warmly welcomed by the pastor, Mark, and others in the church we had visited a few times before when Bryce and Ashley lived in Pasadena. Held in a community center at the base of the mountains, the view from the meeting area was of a fairly full detention basin - full of the rain waters that we've been getting fairly frequently in the last two weeks (New Year's day and the Rose Parade having been sandwiched between two storms).

After praise songs, responsive readings, and a welcome from Mark along with an explanation of who Bryce and Ashley were for those who were new to the church, Bryce led us in prayer before beginning his exegesis of Psalm 139.

Bryce went through David's song thoroughly and made clear our total depravity in the presence of an awesome, omniscient, omnipresent, and totally holy God. David used concepts and words that tried to explain how far from God we actually are and how we can neither hide physically or spiritually from God. So our only hope is to appropriate Christ's perfection through our dependence and faith in him.

For a complete sermon, you'll have to request that Bryce post it on his blog, but we all were proud of how well he taught from God's word and the call to those who had not yet accepted Christ which was integral to his message. He spoke with authority and at ease which is good because he wants to do this the rest of his life!