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