Next Step - December 27

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Hi Everybody

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I never really have, they really are not my personality (or maybe I just don't want to break them). In any event, the end of the year is a very natural time to take stock of where you are and to make any changes that need to be made in your life. I think as Christians, it is important to do that periodically -- to take stock of where we are and then make changes. This is the essence of the word "repentance," it is a course correction, and each of us needs to make course corrections to turn ourselves more and more into the life of Christ, in order to finish this life well, in order to finish my life more in love with Jesus than I am today, accelerating to and through the finish line.

There are a lot of things that we can be intentional about which will help us to finish well. Here are 5:

1. Recognize God’s Presence Throughout Each Day: How does God interact with the things of everyday life? Do you see Him and His goodness reflected in the things around you?

2. Seek Mentors Whom You Can Learn From As Well As People You Can Mentor: Who do you know who is finishing well? Who do you know who has a trait you wish you had? Ask them to coffee, ask them to mentor you in this area (and look for others whom you can mentor).

3. Make It A Priority To Be In A Community Of Love And Accountability: Are there other people in your life who know you inside and out, struggles and all? Do you meet with them regularly and ask them to hold you accountable? If you do not, who might be able to fill that role in your life?

4. Recognize That Your Time On Earth Is But A Breath Compared To All Eternity: None of us knows how long we have. Take a moment each day and recognize the reality that you do not know if you will be around tomorrow. How does this change how you react to others? How does this change your priorities in life, faith, family, etc.

5. Incorporate Spiritual Disciplines Such As Regular Times Of Reading The Bible And Prayer Into The Rhythm Of Your Life: God wants us to read the Bible, to pray, to fast, to do any other spiritual disciplines that help us to develop greater intimacy with Him. We do these things not because we need to in order to be approved by God, but in order to meet Him. What spiritual practices have been helpful for you to connect with God? What might you add?

As we approach the end of 2009, take stock of your life. If your life ended now, how would you have finished? Flash forward a year. Same question. I'll ask you again in 365 days. Will your answer be different?

Peace, hope and love

Doug

Next Step - December 20

Hi Everybody,

We are just finishing week three of Advent. It has been a season of waiting and spiritual preparation for the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus. Although the Christmas story is one we hear every year, it is a story that must never lose meaning or significance. Each Sunday this Advent season, we have been using the Advent Wreath and an Eastern Nativity Icon to tell the Nativity Story. There are 5 candles in the Advent Wreath; one candle will be lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each candle will allow us to enter the Nativity Story from a different person’s perspective and experience. The final Candle, representing Jesus, will be lit this Thursday night at 8:00 -- Christmas Eve.

We have created a guide that tracks directly with Sunday morning’s devotions for you to use or adapt. I hope you have been following along.

The first week we entered Mary’s story, then Joseph’s story, and next we entered the story of the Shepherds. This week we entered into the story of the Wise Men.

Week Four. The Wise Men. A Sense of Urgency and Danger.

In the picture above, you see the wise men on horseback on the left-hand side of the picture, galloping uphill, their faces turned up looking for the star, which has led them here. The uphill angle of the horses tell us about the long, hard journey made by the wise men, and how important the event was to them. The wise men bring not only strange and exotic gifts, but also the world of politics and power into the Christmas story.

From the book of Matthew, Chapter 2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” Matthew 2:1-2

King Herod was a violent and cunning ruler, paranoid about his hold on power. He is alarmed by his unexpected visitors, alarmed by the mention of another king who could threaten his power. He encourages the Magi to continue their search, and to report back to him their findings, so that he too could worship the Christ.

The speed of the wise men’s horses tells us of the urgency and danger living in their part of the story, for they were aware of Herod’s true intent. Maybe they alone in the story had realized something of what was truly happening and that they would be risking their lives to disobey the commands of the most powerful ruler of that time. The wise men show how the story of the birth of Jesus was rooted in the real world of political corruption and intrigue, of a ruthless ruler who was prepared to kill anyone who stood in his way.

We learn later that when the Wise Men do not return to Herod, he orders the murder of every single newborn baby boy in Bethlehem so that he can be free of any challenge to his throne and his power, regardless of how young that challenger might be. It was this real world of oppression, death and danger, which Jesus had come to save.

This week we enter the story of the wise men, who made their long, exhausting journey to Bethlehem, and stirred fear and suspicion in the powerful leader, and risked their own lives to not only see Jesus, but protect His life as well.

Question: There are still many people around the world who suffer and die because of the corruption of powerful people and governments. How are you willing to take on powerful governments, systems and forces to worship Jesus and to bring his message of hope and peace to those suffering?

Next Step - December 13

We are just finishing week three of Advent. It has been a season of waiting and spiritual preparation for the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus. Although the Christmas story is one we hear every year, it is a story that must never lose meaning or significance. Each Sunday this Advent season, we have been using the Advent Wreath and an Eastern Nativity Icon to tell the Nativity Story. There are 5 candles in the Advent Wreath; one candle will be lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each candle will allow us to enter the Nativity Story from a different person’s perspective and experience. The final Candle, representing Jesus, will be lit on Christmas Eve.

We have created a guide that tracks directly with Sunday morning’s devotions for you to use or adapt. I hope you had a chance to pick one up. If not, you can pick up a copy of the devotional on Sunday. This week's devotional is below. It is designed for you to set up your nativity, but leave all the people out of the scene. Each week as you discuss a different person’s story and experience, add them to the scene. Try to put yourself into the story, to really engage with what they might have been feeling, thinking and experiencing. Take time to share insights on the devotional question and then spend a moment in prayer, silence or reflection. If you choose, you could also light an Advent Candle each week instead of doing the Nativity Set or in addition to it.

The first week we entered Mary’s story. Last week we entered Joseph’s story. This week we enter the story of the Shepherds.

Week Three, Candle Three. Shepherds and Angels. God touches the least likely.

In the picture above, a couple of shepherds are on the right-hand side, and one of them is playing a flute. Below them, their sheep drink in a river. One of the shepherds looks up and is blessed by an angel looking down on him. The middle group of angels is kneeling or bowing in worship before Jesus, and the angels to the left are an angelic choir, singing his praises.

From Luke, Chapter 2
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ Luke 2:8-14

While Matthew’s Gospel focuses on the wise men, those with wealth and power, Luke’s spotlight falls on these working men, the poor and marginalized, who hear from heaven itself the news about the birth of Jesus. God does not show favor as the world does, but rather reaches down to those the world oppresses. He brings a voice to the voiceless, a home to the homeless, and love to the unloved. Luke’s Gospel is a message for people living on the margins of society. Jesus himself said,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind…” Luke 4:18

We enter the story of the shepherds, for their story reminds us of God’s love for those who are forgotten and left behind in our world.

Blessed are you
O Christmas Christ,
that your cradle was so low
that shepherds,
poorest and simplest of people,
could yet kneel beside it,
and look level-eyed into the face of God.

May the Shepherds remind us that we come to the throne, not because we deserve it, but because we are called. May their story spur us on towards love and good deeds to those in the margin of our society today. Jesus truly is news of great joy that is for all the people!

Question: At the time the Bible was written, being a Shepherd was one of the worst jobs possible. Everybody looked down on Shepherds; nobody wanted them around because of their smell and low standing. Yet God had the angels appear to them so that they could go and see Jesus. Why do you think God told the Shepherds about Jesus when He could have told anybody?

Next Step - December 6

We are currently celebrating the season of Advent. It is a season of waiting and spiritual preparation for the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus. Although the Christmas story is one we hear every year, it is a story that must never lose meaning or significance. Each Sunday this Advent season, we are using the Advent Wreath and an Eastern Nativity Icon to tell the Nativity Story. There are 5 candles in the Advent Wreath; one candle will be lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each candle will allow us to enter the Nativity Story from a different person’s perspective and experience. The final Candle, representing Jesus, will be lit on Christmas Eve.

We have created a guide that tracks directly with Sunday morning’s devotions for you to use or adapt. I hope you had a chance to pick one up. If not, you can pick up a copy of the devotional on Sunday. This week's devotional is below. It is designed for you to set up your nativity, but leave all the people out of the scene. Each week as you discuss a different person’s story and experience, add them to the scene. Try to put yourself into the story, to really engage with what they might have been feeling, thinking and experiencing. Take time to share insights on the devotional question and then spend a moment in prayer, silence or reflection. If you choose, you could also light an Advent Candle each week instead of doing the Nativity Set or in addition to it.

Candle Two - Joseph. Feelings of Doubts and Fear.

Last week we entered Mary’s Story. This week we entered Joseph’s Story.

In the picture above, we see Joseph with his back to Mary, listening to the doubts and fears, which fill his head. He is an isolated figure, right at the bottom of the picture, and he looks thoroughly fed up with the whole situation. He’s the person least likely to put up a Christmas tree, send out Christmas cards and start getting into the festive spirit.

Joseph reminds us that there’s a very human dilemma in the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus: how could Mary be pregnant? This was not the way his marriage was supposed to start.

The original story from the book of Matthew tells us…

Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:18-21, 24

It seems that Joseph may not have believed Mary’s explanation of how it happened: that an angel had showed up and told her she would have a baby even though she was a virgin. And can you really blame him?

It was only after his dream – after an appearance by an angel -- that he accepted Mary as his wife. We’re not told, however, if he had any change of heart about it all, and from the reading, it sounds as though perhaps he just did what as he was told.

And yet… despite his doubts, Joseph is given a big halo and has an important place in the whole picture. He remained faithful to God amidst his questions.

We light the candle and enter the story of Joseph. We relate to his doubts, questions and feelings of isolation. Yet his halo reminds us that God is with us.

May we use our doubts to become honest with God and with ourselves.

Question: Joseph was probably brokenhearted and confused when he first heard that Mary was pregnant. After God told him that her baby would be Jesus, he understood better, but was still confused and doubtful. How do you think God feels when we have doubts; when we keep them to ourselves and when we tell him about them? Share areas where you have great faith in God, and areas where you struggle.

Next Steps - Nov 30

We are currently celebrating the season of Advent. It is a season of waiting and spiritual preparation for the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus. Although the Christmas story is one we hear every year, it is a story that must never lose meaning or significance. Each Sunday this Advent season, we are using the Advent Wreath and an Eastern Nativity Icon to tell the Nativity Story. There are 5 candles in the Advent Wreath; one candle will be lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each candle will allow us to enter the Nativity Story from a different person’s perspective and experience. The final Candle, representing Jesus, will be lit on Christmas Eve.

We have created a guide that tracks directly with Sunday morning’s devotions for you to use or adapt. Pick up a copy of the devotional on Sunday. I also will send out the week's devotional as the week's Next Step. This devotion is designed for you to set up your nativity, but leave all the people out of the scene. Each week as you discuss a different person’s story and experience, add them to the scene. Try to put yourself into the story, to really engage with what they might have been feeling, thinking and experiencing. Take time to share insights on the devotional question and then spend a moment in prayer, silence or reflection. If you choose, you could also light an Advent Candle each week instead of doing the Nativity Set or in addition to it.

Week 1 – Mary. Cold, Exhausted and Reflecting

We find Mary right at the center of the Christmas story, which is why she’s at the center of this picture. Mary is lying down on the ground, with Jesus in His makeshift cot by her side. She pulls her cloak around her for warmth, maybe trying to get some sleep after the exhaustion of a long journey and hours of labor. Perhaps she’s reflecting on the events which led up to this night.

From Luke 1:

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Cold and exhausted, she reflects on that first encounter with the angel. God had found favor with her, yet now she lies in a stable, far away from home, scarred by the wounds of ridicule from being pregnant and unmarried, while her new husband sits in the distance. It was Mary’s “yes” which set the whole story in motion. It was her amazing belief that God could do what He promised that made it possible. But this was not what she had envisioned, that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High in a stable, a son who now lays in a feeding trough for cattle.

As we light the candle we enter Mary’s story. We reflect on the times when we’ve said “YES” to God and have had a strong trust in His ability to do the impossible. We also reflect on the times when maybe we haven’t had as strong of a faith and yearned to feel His presence.

May we find favor with God and respond with a Yes. May the words of Mary be our very own: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Question: God invited Mary to do something very special -- to be the mother of Jesus. He sent His invitation to Mary through the angel Gabriel. God invites every person on earth to do things, very special things. But, He does not usually use angels to invite us. What are some of the ways that God invites you to do the special things He has for you to do? What are some of the things that God has called you to do in the past? What is He calling you toward now in your life?

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Nov 22

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus . . . I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
(Philippians 4:4-7;11-13)

Thanksgiving.

We'll all say that word a lot this week; "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" "Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"

I love Thanksgiving, the food, the conversation, the memories and the gateway to the Christmas season. At the same time this holiday gets me thinking about thanksgiving itself -- not the holiday, but the state of being.

Contentment.

Paul tells us -- through the letter he wrote to Christians 2,000 years ago and passed down to us -- that he has learned to be content in every and any circumstance, learned in fact the secret of a contentment that is not dependent upon circumstances.

Are you thankful? Are you content?

Imagine your life if you could say the same thing Paul said? Imagine your life if you could say that you were content (gratified, happy, pleased, satisfied) regardless of how things were going for you. Notice what Paul says about how he got where he was: he learned it. To me that says process. It says time. It says trial and error. It says that at one point Paul didn't have contentment in good and difficult circumstances alike. Maybe there was a time when Paul was anxious in a bad circumstance and he really gave it to God, really experienced the peace that he talks about and then . . . he was anxious again. And then he tried it again and then ... he was anxious again -- only this time it was a little longer period of peace. Maybe he kept trying to trust God with success and with failure and with grace. And in the process, he learned the secret of being content in good and bad times. He learned the secret by experience, by trial and error, soaked in grace. And his reward? Contentment all the time.

I don't think I will ever get there this side of heaven -- all the time -- but I certainly want to try. I want to see how far I can get. I want to experience the commands, "rejoice" and "don't be anxious," as realities in my life, more and more. I'm convinced that the secret of thanksgiving is contentment, the secret of freedom is contentment, the secret of everything is contentment. If I were content in all circumstances, would I get angry when things went against me? Would I be hesitant to step into things that God calls me to but might disrupt my life? Would I hold a grudge against someone who has not earned the right to be forgiven? The list could go on and on; if I were content in all circumstances, all of the things that keep me from experiencing the abundant life and modeling that life would drop away like dying leaves from a tree. I'd be free.

Are you thankful?
Are you content?
Do you want to be?
Do you want to learn?
What do you think this might look like for you?
What will your next step be?

Remember to share your experience with others.

Peace, Hope and Love,

Doug

Next Steps - Nov 15

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the good news." (Mark 1:15)

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:7-10)

The apostle Paul tells us in a couple of places (in his letter to the Ephesians above, and in Galatians) that Jesus was born "in the fullness of time." That is, Jesus was born at the exact time that He was supposed to be born, not as a response -- God playing defense and making changes in reaction to events that took an unexpected turn. God, the Author of life, wrote the incarnation into His story before the beginning of time; and then in the fullness of time, entered the stage.

I find it helpful to think of God, and His moving through history, as a story. A story that begins in God Himself, in the mystery of His mind, and moves through creation, the Old Testament, the New Testament, up and through the 20th Century when we enter into the story. His story has a genesis before time and a fulfillment past time, in His plan and purposes. All human beings are invited to live -- through Jesus and after His pattern -- in God's story. Every morning we get up into the middle of something that is already going on. Jesus is not only relevant to the things we read in the newspaper, He and His kingdom are reality, breaking in -- through us, through the Church -- into the competing kingdoms and stories that are distorted shadows of reality. We are called to be on mission, to break in like Jesus did, wherever we are. With this awareness, it is amazing how often you will see glimpses of the splendor all around you and opportunities to join in and partner with God in His story, to break the power of the mundane, break the power of the grey.

When Jesus was on earth, in human body, He accomplished many, many things. One of these was to demonstrate what it looks like for humans to live fully within God's story. He gave us the pattern for how we deal with things like loneliness, busyness, disappointment, accusation, judgmentalism, legalism, and sickness. The list could go on and on. We are called to follow His pattern, we are to uniquely live in the pattern or manner of Jesus in our own setting. When we do this, we fit naturally into God's story. As Jesus' modern-day disciples, we are called to live our lives the way Jesus would live our lives if He were us.

Think of some mundane area of your life. How would Jesus deal with that if He were you? How would Jesus act as a student, or teacher, boss, or employee, parent or child? How would Jesus live your life if He were you? You see, being a Christian is not a question of merely being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to enter into an amazing story. Isn't that something you could get excited about? Isn't that something you want to invite others to join you in?

God bless!

Peace, Hope and Love,

Doug

Next Steps - Nov 8

"I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:15-21)

The above quoted passage memorializes Jesus' prayer to His father for us, for you, for me, for our unity with one another.

That sounds good. I mean, is there anybody who if asked would be opposed to unity? But what does that really mean when moved from a concept or a discussion to a life practice? How does unity play itself out when the person whom you are supposed to be in unity with isn't making the same kind of effort as you are? That's where it gets hard. That's where the world says, don't bother; "forget it, they don't deserve it." No, they don't. What does it look like then? What does it look like to live in the reality that we are "not of the world," even as we are sent into the world and for the sake of the world?

Not easy to do, but not really optional either. God calls us to be a people of community, with the grace that says "I will give you the ability to do this."

Wrestle this week with the question of what community looks like for you and for us. Talk to others about this question. Ask God to show you how you can move into greater unity; how you can live out His charge to be "one." Finally, read through the following verses on what this looks like and ask yourself how each plays out in your life and to the extent that you have control (If you are not doing so well, give yourself a break, and give them a try):

• Be at peace with one another. (Mark 9:50, and repeated elsewhere)
  
• Love one another. (John 13:34, and repeated many, many times)
  
• Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10)
  
• Live in harmony with one another. (Romans 12:16)
  
• Don’t pass judgment on one another. (Romans 14:13)
  
• Welcome one another. (Romans 15:7)
  
• Instruct one another. (Romans 15:14)
  
• Wait for one another. (1 Corinthians 11:33)
  
• Care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:25)
  
• Greet one another . (1 Corinthians 16:20)
  
• Comfort one another; agree with one another. (2 Corinthians 13:11)
  
• Serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
  
• With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bear with (tolerate) one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
  
• Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. (Ephesians 4:32)
  
• Submit to one another. (Ephesians 5:21)
  
• Don’t lie to one another. (Colossians 3:9)
  
• Admonish one another. (Colossians 3:16)
  
• Encourage one another and build one another up. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
  
• Do good to one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
  
• Stir up one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)
  
• Do not speak evil against one another. (James 4:11)
  
• Do not grumble against one another. (James 5:9)
  
• Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. (James 5:16)
  
• Show hospitality (love for strangers) to one another. (1 Peter 4:9)
  
• Act in humility toward one another. (1 Peter 5:5)
  
• Fellowship with one another. (1 John 1:7)
  

Peace, Hope and Love

Doug

Next Steps - Nov 2

"Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons (and to heal)." (Mark 3:13-15)

As a church community, we have been talking about the inward journey (toward Christ), the outward journey (toward the world) and the together journey (in community). Each of these journeys is interwoven with and dependent upon the others, each of these is only experienced to the fullest as it is shared with others. This week, we got to experience a bit of the inward journey together, as we were led by JD Ward in a series of exercises to help us connect with Jesus. I hope that the experience was a life-giving one. If you experienced the presence of Christ in any way, don't keep it to yourself, share that experience with someone else.

JD was in town to lead the staff and the Leadership Team on a 24-hour contemplative retreat. Before we left for the retreat, we as Creekside leaders shared our emotions about a 24-hour time of prayer. Emotions like fear, anxiety, expectation, and excitement, among others, were shared. What might your emotions be going into a 24-hour time of prayer and silence? Does such a time sound attractive to you? Have you experienced such a time? Would you want to be a part of a time like this? Make a point to ask one of us about our experience at the retreat.

The following are the descriptions that were at each of the six stations during this week's experiential worship service. If you like, use the descriptions to prompt you as you connect with God this week:

Communion - Jesus invites you to the table. He says to you, "This is my body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me." He then says, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

Before the Cross - Stand, sit or kneel before the cross. What is it that God is calling you – inviting you – to die to?

Prayer for a Broken World - Write down on a piece of paper a need or a brokenness in the world. Look at the words on your paper. Lift that need to God in prayer. Fold or crumple the paper and leave it in the prayer basket.

Offering- As you give to God thank Him for providing all that you give and all that you have.
Release Your Burden - Pick up a rock. Feel it in your hand. What burden does it represent? Slowly carry it down the path in prayer and drop it into the water when ready. Watch as it falls to the bottom.

Prayer- Come if you would like to personally be prayed for.

Have a great week.
Peace, hope and love

Doug

Next Steps - Oct 25

"Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man." -- Genesis 2:18-22

The story of God's creation of man and woman has always fascinated me. God created the heavens and the earth. God created all of the animals and the birds and fish and then he made man. Everything up until the point of man being in the garden with the animals with all of creation was deemed by God to be good. Yet God declared that Man being alone -- even in a perfect world and in perfect community with Go -- to not be good: "It is not good that the man should be alone."

Jesus said that all of the laws of God are summed up in the duel command to love God and love your neighbor. We sometimes think it is hard to love God, but that is because so many things block our ability to really see him. If we truly see God we cannot but love him. Really the first part of the equation is the easy part. It's the love your neighbor that's really hard. If we see each other as we really are, we can be hard to love. But, that is God's plan. It is His design. It is his likeness. If we love one another, Jesus says, people will know that we are Christians.

We live in a society and a time in history that values autonomy, rugged individualism and lone rangers. Yet God seems to values community, togetherness, and connectedness.

• How does this challenge you?
• Why do you think God wants us to be in community?
• What are the dangers of individualism?
• What does it look like to live the "inward journey" in community?
• What does it look like to live the "outward journey" in community?
• What is one thing you could do today to move into "more" community?
• What is one thing that we as a church can do to move into "more" community?
  

Make sure you share your learning and practice stories with others.

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Oct 18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it ... and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. -- John 1:1-5; 14

As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. -- John 20:21

In the Old Testament, God called Abram to go, to move away from all that he knew. And he went. In so doing, he accepted God's call to him and his promise to be a people of God, a called out and sent people, sent for the sake of others. The story of the Old Testament, among other things, is the story of a people who forgot that they were a sent people and instead drew walls around them and held tightly to their identity as a chosen people. Thousands of years later, God sent Jesus out from the perfect unity of the Trinity, to go to a people, the descendants of Abram (since renamed Abraham) and then to all of humanity, to invite them back into their identity as a people of God, sent for the sake of others.

God is a sending God, and we are a sent people.

• Is being a sent person a new concept to you?
• What are some of the ways that God might be sending you?
• If you think of our Sunday Creekside gatherings as being the gathering of a sent people (as opposed to a gathered people who are then sent) how does that change the way you view what we do on Sundays? How does it change the way you think about what we do on Monday through Saturday?

As a sent people, as a people of God, we are a people of story. And, we will always have stories to tell. Jesus says that even giving somebody a glass of cold water on a hot day is incarnational.

• What is the equivalent in your life, school, family, work, of giving someone a cold glass of water?
• What could you do this week so that you have a story to tell someone else?

God calls -- invites -- you to go, in ways fitting to you.

• What is your "go" story?
• What will your "go" story be tomorrow?
• Who will you share your "go" story with this week?

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Oct 11

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." -- Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus uses words like salt and light to describe us as his followers together and in the larger community of those who do not follow him. Salt, making bland things more flavorful; salt, preserving things so that they do not spoil. Light, bringing visibility to dark places, visibility to invisibility. The psalmist says, "even the darkness is as light to God." As we think about the inward journey, we draw close to the One for whom even darkness is light; in the outward journey, we take the light with which we have been filled and carry it ourselves into the places that are dark.

Mike McAllister's shared about how answering God's call to be a parent to children who have no parents has shined a light onto the importance of his role as a parent back home. That's how it works, when we begin to be light in the dark places of the world, when we listen and respond to God's call to go, we always will find that God speaks light into all areas of our life. Often we hear from the people who hear God's call and travel overseas, but God calls all of us, he invites all of us, "go." Some of you are parents, some are not. Some are married, some are single, some in school, some working, some retired. God enters into the great diversity of our lives and invites us to go in ways specific to us.

Light and salt, grey and color -- poetic language. But it is more than mere poetic language, it is a command and an invitation from God. It is the way that God designed his followers to live. The apostle Paul instructed us to be in the world (to be fully present in the places we live and go to school and work, to be salt and light in these places) but not of the world (not allowing the darkness and the blandness of the world to overtake us). What does it mean for you to be salt and light? What does it mean to be in the world yet not of the world? What are the dark places in your neighborhood, school, work, etc. What would it look like -- what practical thing could you do -- to bring the salt and light to the places you are in each day?

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Oct 4

The LORD God formed the man out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. - Genesis 2:7

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. - Matthew 28:18-20

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:29

Jesus modeled for us what it was like to live a rhythm of life where "being" in God precedes, even as it is connected with, "doing" for God. He knew that although he was fully God and fully man he had to get away, to connect to God as the source of his strength if he was to do anything. He then tells his apostles, and by extension us, that he is the holder and source of all authority and that we need to connect with him in order for us to do anything for him. Jesus demonstrated this inward/outward rhythm.

Spiritual disciplines allow us to connect to him as the source. They are, in fact, absolutely necessary for transformation into his likeness and into the people God intended us to be. We practice spiritual disciplines in order to draw closer to God – not to earn his approval or to get something – like a trade -- or to make up for something or anything like that. In that way, they are really a gift to us. There are many disciplines -- the below list is not exhaustive. There are also some good books and other resources on spiritual disciplines. Take a look at the list, order one of the books. Pick some to try. Come to the Creekside Ministry Center anytime this Friday from 7:00 p.m. to Saturday at 7:00 p.m. to experience a time of silence and prayer. Try fasting something this week. Or, try another one that seems attractive to you. Pick two or three and try them out on some regular basis for a month or two. Share with someone what you are trying. Once you have been doing them for a month or two ask yourself, is this life-giving to me? Do they help me connect to Jesus, the source? Share with our community what you discover.

Enjoy the disciplines and meet God.

Blessings, Peace, Hope and Love

Doug

Definitions of some spiritual disciplines are below, which “does not include every practice or situation that could actually serve as a discipline in the process of spiritual formation.” (from The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible, ed. by Richard Foster (Harper, 2005).

Celebration: Utter delight and joy in ourselves, our life, and our world as a result of our faith and confidence in God’s greatness, beauty and goodness.

Chastity: Purposefully turning away for a time from dwelling upon or engaging in the sexual dimension of our relationship to others – even our husband or wife – and thus learning how not to be governed by this powerful aspect of our life.

Confession: Sharing our deepest weaknesses and failures with God and trusted others, so that we may enter into God’s grace and mercy and experience his ready forgiveness and healing.

Fasting: The voluntary abstention from an otherwise normal function – most often eating – for the sake of intense spiritual activity.

Fellowship: Engaging with other disciples in the common activities of worship, study, prayer, celebration, and service, which sustain our life together and enlarge our capacity to experience more of God.

Guidance: Experiencing an interactive friendship with God that gives direction and purpose to daily life.

Meditation: Prayerful rumination upon God, his Word, and his world.

Prayer: Interactive conversation with God about what we and God are thinking and doing together.

Sacrifice: Deliberately forsaking the security of satisfying our own needs with our resources in the faith and hope that God will sustain us.

Secrecy: Consciously refraining from having our good deeds and qualities generally known, which, in turn, rightly disciplines our longing for recognition.

Service: Loving, thoughtful, active promotion of the good of others and the causes of God in our world, through which we experience the many little deaths of going beyond ourselves.

Silence: Closing off our souls from “sounds,” whether noise, music, or words, so that we may better still the inner chatter and clatter of our noisy hearts and be increasingly attentive to God.

Simplicity/Frugality: The inward reality of single-hearted focus upon God and his kingdom, which results in an outward lifestyle of modesty, openness, and unpretentiousness and which disciplines our hunger for status, glamour, and luxury.

Solitude: The creation of an open, empty space in our lives by purposefully abstaining from interaction from other human beings, so that, freed from competing loyalties, we can be found by God.

Study: The intentional process of engaging the mind with the written and spoken Word of God and the world God has created in such a way that the mind takes on an order conforming to the order upon which it concentrates.

Submission: Subordination to the guidance of God; within the Christian fellowship, a constant mutual subordination out of reverence for Christ, which opens the way for particular subordination to those who are qualified to direct our efforts toward Christlikeness and who then add the weight of their wise authority on the side of our willing spirit to help us do the things we would like to do and refrain from doing the things we don’t want to do.

Worship: Expressing in words, music, rituals, and silent adoration the greatness, beauty, and goodness of God, by means of which we enter the supranatural reality of the shekinah, or glory, of God.

Also, check out:

The Life You've Always Wanted, John Ortburg
The Spirit of The Disciplines, Dallas Willard
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster

Next Steps - Sep 27

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:9-10

Jesus' gospel is that all the preliminaries have been taken care of and the kingdom of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable opportunity. -- Dallas Willard

When Jesus' disciples asked him how they should pray -- what they should pray about -- the words above were his response, followed by recognition and request for God's provision of food, forgiveness, and protection from the temptation to live in ways that are out of tune with his Kingdom. Have you thought much about Jesus as King? What are the implications? One is the very fact that when a king says something it happens -- a king's words make things happen. Do you remember the story in the Bible when Jesus walked on water? It took place right after Jesus fed 5000 men plus thousands of women and children. The disciples were traveling back across the lake, when Jesus comes walking up. The men in the boat were scared, which makes sense since this is not something one sees every day. Mark, one of Jesus' disciples, wrote about this later and described it in a fascinating way. He wrote, " And they (the guys in the boat) were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves." (Mark 6:51-52) You see, when Jesus fed the 5,000, he demonstrated that he was king over the very elements of creation and that as king, they must obey him. So, the only way they could be astonished that he could do something like walk on water was if they did not understand that, "did not understand about the loaves."

There is a King and he has a Kingdom - the range of God's effective will. You have a kingdom, the range of your effective will. What does it look like in your life when those intersect? In what ways do you make "up there" come "down here"? Do you think that can happen? Do you think God can really make up there come down here, through us? Test Jesus on this, and see if you do not discover that it is indeed a remarkable opportunity.

Look around you, the Kingdom of God is near.

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Sep 20

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy -- 1 Peter 2:10

The above-quoted verse is a very interesting verse. It is talking -- in the context of God's redemptive pan -- about how God had a chosen people in Israel, but that as we become followers of Jesus, we become part of a new chosen people.

Are you familiar with the phrase, "A Chosen People?" Have you thought about that phrase before? If you have, what has the context been? Have you ever thought of that phrase in reference to Christians? In my experience, we as followers of Jesus rarely if ever think of ourselves as a chosen people. That makes sense, it is a difficult concept. But, how might your perspective change if you thought of yourself as part of a chosen people -- regardless of whether you think God did the choosing or you did? I think it naturally raises the question, chosen for what? How would you answer that? And then there is the notion of "a people." We live in an individualistic society. How might your perspective change if you began to think of yourself as part of "a people" of God -- not just Creekside, but a worldwide people? What might be different if all followers of Jesus saw themselves as part of a people of God?

The Bible makes it clear that when God gathers a people, he does so in order for them to be a blessing to others. At the same time, we experience a blessing, a fullness that we would not otherwise experience. At least, that's the way I see it. Do you agree? How does this play out in your life? How might it play out better?

Have a great week.

Peace, Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Sep 13

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (more and better life than they ever dreamed of). - The words of Jesus as recorded by his disciple, John (Jn 10:10)

This week, I talked about the contrast between what are often our expectations of what a life as a Christian looks like and those of Jesus. Think about the two words "abundant life." Do you expect your life to be abundant? Have you experienced life as a Christian to be "more and better life than you ever imagined"? What do you think Jesus meant by those words. Do you think he meant them for you (not a person like you, but you personally)?

I got an e-mail in response to last week’s Next Step (I love e-mails by the way) from someone who wanted to discuss my thoughts about God’s authority over all that happens in our lives. They reminded me of the quote that they had heard, “if your theology doesn't work in Darfur, it doesn't work,” and inquired how the notion of God’s Authority can be explained in the context of a place like that. A great question, one that I think we always need to ask, and one that is applicable to the question of abundant life as well.

I believe these three things: 1. That the Bible promises abundant life -- a better and richer life than we could dream of -- for all who follow him; 2. This promise is a promise for here and now as well as on the other side of this life; and, 3. If your theology doesn't work in places of deep and dark suffering, it is not a correct theology. How can all of these three things be correct? If you think they can’t, why? (let me know). If you think they can, how?

This week, I talked color as an aspect of abundant life. I stressed how God wants us to be filled up with color, pouring that color into the black and white or gray places in our world. How might you allow God to fill you with color? What are some of the gray places that you see around you each week? What are some ways that you might bring color to them?

If you process and act on these steps, you will experience God. When you do, tell somebody about it – and let me know too.

Peace Hope Love

Doug

Next Steps - Sep 6

"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." (Psalms 33:6-9)

Hi everybody.

It has been a good thing for me to be reminded again that I can accomplish nothing for God under my own power.

Sometimes we can feel like we are doing what we need to be doing -- in work, school, family -- but if we are doing it with no sense of dependence on God's power and God's authority, it will ultimately fail. In our own power and strength, we "own" the results, the outcome. If things don't go the way that our efforts dictate they should go, bitterness will surely be the result. Even if things do go as we think they should, burnout is a likely result. If, instead, we do the things that God calls us to, but with a continual dependence on and recognition of God as the source of all outcomes all praises and regrets are his to carry and not ours. That is a secret to a non-anxious life. Behind that "secret" lies the truth that all we see, all that we have, our very breath comes from God and his power.

Jesus' words make things happen. He has all power and authority over everything.

Do you believe that?

If you were hooked up to a lie detector, what would it indicate about your belief that Jesus' words have the power to make things happen in Bible times?

If you were hooked up to a lie detector, what would it indicate about your belief that Jesus' words have the power to make things happen in the end times?

If you were hooked up to a lie detector, what would it indicate about your belief that Jesus' words have the power to make things happen in others' lives?

If you were hooked up to a lie detector, what would it indicate about your belief that Jesus' words have the power to make things happen in your life today?

If there is a difference in any of your answers, why do you think that is? What would it take to make all of your answers the same?

How might your day-to-day life be different if you really believed that God was the author and sustainer of everything?

I do not think that any of us believes it 100%, every minute of every day. But, that is the beauty of Grace and the beauty of God's power -- even the ability to believe this is something we are powerless to do on our own. Ask God to help you believe; Ask God to come to you in your doubts; Ask God to demonstrate this truth to you. And then ask again.

When you see it, tell somebody, when you are certain, share it, when you doubt invite someone in.

Have a great week,

Peace Hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Aug 23

It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.” (1Samuel 14:6 ESV)

Hi everybody,

What a week it has been. If you are used to reading my "Next Step," you know they come on Tuesday. Today it is coming late because as you may know, I broke my wrist in multiple pieces on Tuesday. So now I am figuring out how many things are way easier when you have both hands. And because of that this will be a very short email. "Whether by many hands or few hands God is able to finish it."

When you think back to last week's message, what did you see in the example of Jonathan's stepping into a divine moment that challenged you? What divine opportunity might God be inviting you into? If you weren't concerned with acceptance, approval, comfort, money, security, is there anything -- even a small thing to start -- that might be a divine moment in your work, school, family or any other area of your life?

Your divine moments are all around you to see and to step into.

Peace, hope, love

Doug

Next Steps - Aug 16

Isaiah 58 is an amazing chapter. In a lot of ways it is presents a future bigger than one that I can dream of.

Slowly read Eugene Peterson's paraphrase. It is long, but let the words sink flow over you. Consider printing it out and keeping it around. After you have read the passage, think about the two following questions:

• What is God saying to you through the voice of his Prophet?
• Is there a simple first step you could do?
  

If you can't think of anything then pray for God to show you something, and then do that one step and tell somebody about it or e-mail me at dough@ecreekside.com

Have a great week!

Peace, hope and Love
Doug

Next Steps - Aug 9

Take care lest you forget the LORD your God . . . lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deut 8:11-18

Hi Everybody

I hope you had a great weekend. Sunday's installation service and the BBQ at Anderson Park was a great time, a great celebration. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. As I said on Sunday, it was a marker, a "remember moment" in the life of Creekside. Isn't it interesting to be in a "remember moment," a marker and be able to recognize it as it is happening? So often our markers are only seen in the rear view mirror of life. So often we do not take the time to even look back and identify or acknowledge the markers as such. And so, we forget and repeat experiences that we would never have chosen to go through in the first place, or we miss the comfort of knowing God's provision for us when we again are in difficulty.

So, this week:

1. Make a list of 10 significant markers in your life. They can be good or they can be bad, but try to get to 10.
   
2. Ask yourself how you can -- looking back -- see God in those markers.
   
3. Try this week to actively remember God, to recognize his presence in the goodness of his gifts all around you -- good food, conversation, memories, whatever.
   
4. Consider buying a small notebook like a moleskin or something similar to carry around with you. When you see God in your life, write it down, record your remember moments, and share them with somebody else.
   

Peace, hope and love
Doug

Next Steps - Aug 2

Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. -Matthew 6:25-33 ESV

God is the provider of everything. He gives us the very breath that we breath. And yet, so often, we look at the ways that others are blessed (or are perceived to be blessed) and we want for ourselves what they have; we measure what we should have -- and therefore our happiness -- by what others gifts, abilities or life situation. And that is a real trap. Living a life of comparison makes us anxious, it makes us discontent, it makes us question God, and ultimately creates in us a suspicion that God really cannot provide all we need, that really he is not good.

So, this week, take some time out and look at God's provision for your life. Don't just think about it as you read this, but actually sit down and think through all the things that God has blessed you with (as I sit at my desk here in the Creekside Ministry Center, I think of the ability to see and to talk, taste buds and friends). So, just stop and think -- maybe make a list. And then, thank God for the things he brings to your mind. Ask him to continually bring to mind the gifts that he has and regularly brings to you. Then, look around your neighborhood(s) (where you live, where you work, the mom's group, the gym, whatever) and find someone who you can bless -- in a big or small way. Do you know anyone who today might be feeling as if they are not able to think of one blessing? Could just coming alongside them to listen or simply be with them be God's provision for them?

As you bless others, you will feel God's presence, share your story and how you felt God with at least one other person -- and let know as well.

Peace, hope and love,
Doug

Next Steps

“What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in Jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 1 Cor 4:5-7

What an amazing thing that God choose us to be his message bearers, not in spite of the fact that we are broken, fragile people, but because of it – so that he will get the glory and not us. Sometimes our brokenness can block us, prevent us from moving forward, other times it is the pathway that God uses to release us into the lives he has intended for us to live. We need God to enter into the areas of our brokenness, and safe community to support us.

God always chooses people who are “not good enough” to do amazing things for Him and for his Kingdom. Dallas Willard once said in reference to King David, “David certainly was not perfect, but he trusted God.” “And God can always do more through a person who trusts him than through a person who is perfect – and if you have ever met a perfect person, you know why.”

None of us is perfect, and not being perfect is the job description for disciple of Jesus, the onramp to a life of surrender. So, a couple of questions to ponder:

How are you broken?
- Are you stuck in that brokenness or moving forward?
- If you are stuck, who can help you get unstuck?
- Where do you see Jesus in your brokenness?
Can you think of a time where you felt called to something (where you acted or didn’t) that if God were not real it would be crazy?
What is God calling you to today – big or small – that would be crazy if He did not exist (that demonstrates His upside down economy where we look to lose our lives and thereby save them in Him)

Every day God provides ways for us to step into his upside down economy and demonstrate Him (at work, at school, in our family, while driving . . .) Keep your eyes open and try to spot the opportunities God made for you. When you see them, step into one: share what happened with at least one other person this week.

Shalom
Doug

Day 7-8-9 Ukraine Update

Day 7
This was the second full day of camp and it was filled with many activities but more importantly we are getting to know the kids better. One of the kids that stands out is Nazar. The statistics for kids that graduate from Ukrainian orphanages are very bad but some still somehow succeed. It seems to me that Nazar will be among them.

Nazar is always happy, always smiling and playing around, and always ready to pitch in and help. He was orphaned at birth and had foster parents until he was ten years old when he entered the orphanage system. When asked what his experience was like being in foster care he will tell you that it was very good. When asked what it was like to be put in an orphanage he will tell you that it was fine. He says he’s very flexible. He graduated from the orphanage at age 16 and was pretty much on his own after that. He entered technical school and is now in his second year there. A year ago he came in contact with one of our translators here (Olya) who is a strong Christian along with her husband. Since then she has taken him under her wing and he asked her if he could call her his sister. She, of course, agreed. Nazar was baptized in February and is now her sister in Christ.

(Double-click on the photo below to see the larger pictures.)


Day 8

We all went to church today. The service ended sooner that we thought and our driver did not come to pick us up for some time after the service ended. This gave us some time to talk with the pastor there. About 13 years ago his church in Kiev began outreach work and providing economic assistance to the people in Ivankiv. Ivankiv is the nearest inhabited city to Chernobyl. That makes it not the most attractive place to come. The people there asked for a church to be established there. He was asked to take the position and reluctantly accepted thinking he would only be there for a few months. That was 13 years ago. He got his bible training from St. James Bible College in Kiev. The college was run at the time by a man named David Illian. That was in 1993. David Illian moved to Magadan Russia in 1994 and lived there for part of 1995. That was when Mike and Linda came to know David. We really do live in a small world.

We lost power again in the evening but it did not slow us down. We played our evening games by the light of flashlights.

Day 9

Power was restored some time mid day. When we awoke in the morning we had to start thinking about how we would make do with power and water (since the water system depended on water). We started to collect water from the local public wells for dish washing and toilet flushing. So generators were in place to keep the refrigerators and water system going.

The roads to the camp can be pretty treacherous to navigate. Someone got stuck today really well. It took us about 2 hours to free the car and get it to a real road. It was actually a lot of fun and good bonding time with the boys.

Storks and stork nests can be seen all around the village. It has been reported that the storks have been flying around Andrew and Jenny’s (directors of the camp) house for the last month. We have seen them flying around camp in the evenings. Today Andrew and Jenny announced that they are expecting their second child.

Do I live like I believe it?

If instead of just "knowing" some of the truths in the Bible with our head, what if we actually lived like we believed them? Yesterday was asked that question. Of course, we didn't look at every truth in the Bible. We focused on five found in Romans 8.

Truth 1: You are not condemned. (Romans 8:1-3) Really...you're not. Not even a little. Not for something you did years ago that you won't let go of. Not for anything you did, thought, or said yesterday. Your sin does not define you. Your righteousness through Christ defines you. That's the truth. What if you lived like you believed it?

Truth 2: You are a child of a perfect Father. (Romans 8:15-17) You have been adopted into the family. You are a child of the King of Creation. You have been chosen. God doesn't just "let you in" because you say the right prayer or mentally ascent to the right ideas or concepts. He loves you and calls you His child. Not "acquaintance." Not "team member." No...He calls you "child." What if you lived like you believed it?

Truth 3: You have a glorious future. (Romans 8:18-21) Your eternity is set. And the Bible's take on heaven is certainly way, way different from the picture we often have of the endless church service or sitting on a cloud playing a harp. An eternity filled with awe, wonder, exploration, learning, growing, relationships, joy, laughter - and all without the tainting of sin. Keeping an eye on eternity makes us more fully alive in the present. Jesus said He is preparing that place - just for you. What if you lived like you believed it?

Truth 4: You have a God who is for you. (Romans 8:28, 31-32) God is on your side. Cheering you on. Applauding you. Thrilled to know you...and be known by you. Your biggest fan. When your face appears in God's mind - He smiles. You bring the God who fashioned the heavens abundant joy. It's true. What if you lived like you believed it?

Truth 5: You are never alone. (Romans 8:35-39) Never. Ever. God is near. He loves you. There is nothing you can say, do, think, or feel that will separate you from the love God has for you. There is no power of hell that can separate you. There is nothing any other man, woman, or child can do to separate you. Every moment of every day - just as surely as there is air that surrounds you - the God who knit you together whispers in your ear, "I am here. And I love you...deeply. Forever." What if you lived like you believed it?

Yes...What if we all lived like we believed it?

Day 5 & 6 Update from Ukraine

Day 5

The kids arrived today. This was a day of getting to know some of the kids and a day of reuniting with others. Some are freshly graduated from the orphanage and they are supposed to still be pretty rough around the edges. Some of the kids will be leaving the transitional homes this fall and they are pretty sad about it. The boys are particularly sad because once they finish their education they must enter the military. The ones that will remain are quite happy that they still have more time at the transitional homes. Some of the girls that were at camp last time could not come because they are working. This is sad but a good thing because they are working and are well on their way to a successful transition into society.

Day 6

This was the first day of a full camp program. There will be lots of crafts and games at camp but there will also be lot of biblical messages delivered through out our time here. The kids are aware of this and chose this camp over going to a government run camp. After breakfast there is a half hour program with songs and skits. This is followed by an hour long Bible message/discussion time and then there are evening devotions involving singing and testimonials.

The team will participate in all aspects of the programming as well as performing chores along with the kids. So we will be a busy team.

This morning Marina and Heather helped the kids decorated t-shirts that we brought for them while Mike and Barb lead the bible message/discussion time. Both went really well. Later we went to the nearby lake because it has been extremely sunny and hot. In the evening we had movie night and made it to bed a little before mid-night.

Day 3 & 4 Update from Ukraine

Day 3

Day 3 was spent cleaning and planning for the camp. The interns that will work with us returned today. They worked with Andrew and Jenny to put on the first two camps here and took a few days off vacationing in another city in Ukraine. These are college students that plan to become missionaries. There are 4 interns and 4 members of our team. We will be joined later by another missionary family.

We visited the pediatric ward at the local hospital in Ivankiv. This is tradition for us now. There is no orphanage for kids 2 and under so they are dropped off at the hospital where they live until they are old enough to be sent to an orphanage. They spend all of their time in one small room. There is no budget for these kids. The hospital pretty much relies on Jenny and Andrew’s ministry to bring them supplies. Our Creekside team was the first to bring supplies for the kids that live there when we came 2 years ago. This is always a heart wrenching experience.

We took a walk in the evening and began to interact with the local residence. They seem very anxious to talk to us, tell about them selves, and learn about us. These people lead very simple lives as subsistence farmers. The very first camp this year was held for the children in this community. It was the first time these children used flushing toilets and took showers. The showers were a bit of a problem because once the kids got in them it was difficult to get them out. It was also the first time many of them saw a movie or rode in an automobile. Ukraine has a very rich history as the breadbasket of Europe. The land is very fertile here. Taking a few steps outside our camp is like taking a time machine into the past to see what life was like several hundred years ago in Ukraine.

Day 4

Not much to report. We spent the day preparing for the kids. We are now ready and the kids will arrive at 12:30 this afternoon (I am writing this on the morning of day 5).

Mike McAllister's Update from Ukraine

Day 1

The sound of roosters crowing could be heard this morning starting around 4:15 AM. The sound of a tractor passing close by came about 10 minutes later. The timing of the plane departure and arrival in Kiev resulted in a severely sleep deprived team. We arrived in Kiev at 9AM and stayed up until 9PM in an effort to adjust quickly to the local time. Most of the team went to bed last night with almost no sleep over a period of 48 hours. Despite the lack of sleep the team was in good spirits. The highlight of the day was a walk around the local farming community of 400 residents. We were lead by several cows walking several hundred feet ahead of us. Marina managed to step in several fresh cow pies along the way which lead to a lot of laughter amplified by sleep deprivation.

We are leaving today for some sight seeing in Kiev which is a one and a half hour drive away. It is good timing because there was a thunder storm last night and we lost power just before dinner. The power is still out today. Hopefully it will be restored before we return from Kiev.

Day 2

Not a lot of rooster crowing this morning. The weather turned a bit colder and it is fairly windy this morning. The electricity was finally restored around 10 PM last night along with the water which went out while the team was in Kiev.

The team went into Kiev for some shopping and sightseeing yesterday. Kiev is a very historic city with lots to see and good restaurants. This was the one scheduled day for sightseeing but there is too much to see in one day so most of the team plans to return today. They will venture out on their own this time and attempt to navigate the local transportation system into city. Mike will stay at camp to do some planning with Andrew and Jenny (the founders of Jeremiah’s Hope). Two days remain before the kids arrive.

James #4: What do I do with my ATTITUDE?

I really enjoyed Sunday. After a wonderful 4th of July, it was good to be with the Creekside family Sunday morning. Many, many Creeksiders were at Family Camp, lots of others were out of town, so we ended up having a nice, intimate gathering. Worship was simple (loved it!), and we ended up having a bit more of a "conversation" feel to the sermon than most Sundays.

We wrappted up our sermon series on the book of James by asking the question: What do I do with my ATTITUDE? Attitude is so important because it manifests itself in everything - work, relationships, home life, rest, finances - everything!

As I read through James there were four "attitude check" questions that bubbled to the surface for me. Rather than asking additional questions, let's just throw these questions out there.

1. What am I ultimately after?
This isn't just what we SAY we're after, but what we are REALLY after - deep down. It's important to look deeply at this (remember...this is about attitude) because what we are ultimately after will affect our current actions.

2. Am I others-focused?
You can't read through James without seeing how others-focused he is. In addition to the conversations about serving the poor, orphans, and widows, when we look at the description of "the wisdom that comes from heaven" in chapter 3 we notice that every one of the characteristics is others-focused.

3. Am I Other-focused?
This is "Other" with a capital O. Do we integrate a consciousness of God into everything we are and do? Our lives at home? Our lives at work? Relationships? Rest? Hobbies?

4. What am I telling myself?
What we tell ourselves has a tremendous affect on our attitudes. Am I telling myself what I "feel" about my circumstances, or what God has said is true? Am I telling myself I am in control or that God is in control? Am I telling myself that what I do with my money is really "my decision?" Am I telling myself that what I say isn't really that important?

What are some other "attitude check" questions you see as you read through James? And as an added bonus, here's a quote I found interesting as I prepared for Sunday:

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” Victor Frankl

James #3: I Got My Mind on My Money

Today we looked at part three of our James series -- What do I do with my money? James speaks harshly to the ‘rich people’ about hoarding wealth, living in luxury, and finding our security in our cash store.

Take for example James 5 :

“For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.“

Yikes! James specifically speaks to our attitude on money. First, we learned the money isn’t ours. It’s God’s. Everything we have comes from him. Time, talents, resources. God wants us to be STEWARDS for him.

Remember, a steward is an ‘asset manager’. So we are ultimately managing God’s money.

Here are some questions to consider:

• Is our security in our wealth rather than in God?
  
• How much time have we spent fretting over economic loss and the % loss of our 401K in the past 6 months? Or how much money we make? Or how much we have or don’t have in savings?
  
• Is our attitude that of hoarding what we do have, or giving generously with confidence in God’s provision?
  
• How can we make investments in God’s kingdom here on earth?
  
• Have we spent our years on earth in luxury, satisfying our every desire?
  
• Has anyone ever gone without on our account, because we weren’t willing to give obediently?
  

We also touched on the idea that our instant gratification mentality causes us to spend more than we have-- via debt. It chains us to the lender and ultimately forces us to serve two masters.

Proverbs 22 says. “The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender.”We’ve all been given one extra dollar to intentionally invest in God’s Kingdom.


Please comment below on how God led you to invest the dollar. My hope is that it would be an encouragement to everyone who reads it.

Note from Doug Humphreys

I am so happy that I and my family am now counted among that word, "Creeksiders." I am so excited and thankful to God to have been called as your Lead Pastor. I hope you sense the excitement that I, the PST, Staff and Leadership Team all feel. God is a big God - the author and sustainer of everything - who continually invites us to join Him on an amazing journey, partnering with him to allow his Kingdom to break down into the world in which we live. Can anything be more exciting?

Some things that you might want to think and pray about this week related to the topic of Hope through Hopelessness are:

1. Where is your hope? Try to answer this question not with the "church" answer, but with the "heart" answer -- they may be the same thing. They most likely are not the same thing all the time. Think through yesterday. Where was your hope at various points throughout the day?
   
2. Read Paul's charge and promise from Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Meditate on the passage -- let it sink into your soul as you ponder these questions:
   Do you believe God can fill you -- not me or your spouse friend or neighbor, but YOU -- with all joy and peace? Ask him to fill you and see what happens. What would it look like for you to overflow with hope? Notice how this is not possible without the power of the Holy Spirit: Ask him to do this in you.
   
3. Try this experiment: Throughout the day, regularly ask God to fill you with hope and peace.
   At the end of the day, ask yourself how successful you were in asking God throughout the day for hope and peace. Give yourself a grade, 1-10. How'd you do? Write it down on a piece of paper and if you did great, wonderful. If not so good, give yourself a break (we are under grace, remember) and then start over the next day. God will give you peace!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I can hardly wait to be up with you all in July, to get to know you all better and to see the amazing things that God is going to do in and thorough us as a gathered people of God.
God bless you all and have a great week.Doug Humphreys

James #2: What do I do with my WORDS?

Yesterday was Week 2 in our sermon series on the book of James. We’re asking four questions that serve as a “Personal Litmus Test.” The first question was What do I do with my FAITH? Yesterday we asked ourselves What do I do with my WORDS?

Our words are so important and powerful. We know the impact others’ words have on us. A compliment – or slam – that we heard years ago still sticks with us. A fight we had with a loved one that we can remember – verbatim – for decades. And yet we often say things without thinking that OUR words will have lasting impact as well.

The first lesson from yesterday was that God takes this “word stuff” seriously. For example look at what James says in 1:26:

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

Seriously? Worthless? Yowza! And yet we tell ourselves “Oh, gossip isn’t that big of a deal”. “He’ll get over it…I was just blowing off steam.” “I’ll just send this email and get this off my chest.”

The second lesson we learned from yesterday is that our words have positive power. It’s not all negative. Our words have the power to encourage, heal, teach, and call on the Spirit of God. We looked at chapter five of James where James – in one paragraph – lists out five ways our words can be used in positively powerful ways.
1. We can pray.
2. We can praise.
3. We can pray for others.
4. We can call for help.
5. We can confess.

(By the way…this list isn’t exhaustive. Come up with a few hundred of your own. wink)

Questions:
1. Do I take God’s command to “keep a tight rein on my tongue” seriously?
2. In what ways do I need to improve when it comes to what comes out of my mouth?
3. How have I seen words used positively?
4. How can I use my words to encourage someone – today?!?

James #1: What do I do with my FAITH?

Sunday we kicked off a 4-part series on the book of James – “A Personal Litmus Test.” We’re going to be asking four self-examination questions.
1. What do I do with my faith?
2. What do I do with my words?
3. What do I do with my money?
4. What do I do with my attitude?

James is an extremely uncomfortable book to read. James calls us to a life of faith that is far from easy. It’s a life of whole-hearted surrender and service to the One who surrendered His very life to serve us.

This week’s question was “What do I do with my faith?” We looked at four different passages in James that talk about our faith and our deeds working together.

James 1:24 – Faith + Deeds = A sign of BLESSING
James 3:13 – Faith + Deeds = A sign of WISDOM
James 4:17 – Faith + Deeds = A sign of OBEDIENCE
James 2:14-26 – Faith +Deeds = A sign of LIFE

Questions:
1. Am I simply a “hearer of the word” or am I a “doer of the word?”
2. Am I really willing to do whatever God calls me to do?
3. Is my faith just something I believe or is it something I do?
4. Is my life characterized by a pursuit of God’s glory or a pursuit of comfort?

Reminder: Between now and July 5th, I’m asking each of you to read James four times each week. We have to be in this together. If I simply preach these sermons on Sundays, this book won’t change us at all. But if we are reading together, praying together, struggling together, and challenging and encouraging each other, God can use this time to grow our faith into a faith that truly changes us, our community, and our world. Truly.

“But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He call us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.”
(Crazy Love, by Francis Chan, page 124)