Surprised By Worship

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.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. - Luke 2:8–20 NIV

Worship is an interesting topic. If you don't think so, consider the fact that the people can get very upset over the subject of worship, people will argue about it, people will divide over it, people can even get mean and nasty about it. I guess it kind of makes sense – to a point -- people will react in all these ways over issues they feel passionate about; worship is something we should feel passionate about.

Worship should also surprise us. If worship is entering into the presence of the eternal and all knowing God, shouldn’t we created and finite beings, be surprised sometimes when we discover ourselves in that pretense?

• Have you ever been surprised by worship?

o Have you experienced a time where worship snuck up on you and you found yourself its midst without intending to be there? (That is perhaps for me its sweetest expression);

o Have you ever sought worship, been in the time and the place where you would expect to enter into it – even had it surrounding you -- and not found it yourself? (I have experienced that too).

The “Christmas shepherds” were definitely surprised when the Angel of the Lord appeared to them in the middle of a dark, dark night to announce good news of great joy – followed by, I imagine, a singing choir of praising angels, more light, maybe some instruments (maybe not) but in any event a massive worship experience. It was as surprising as it was terrifying. It would have been no less surprising, no less terrifying if their was no sound at all, “just” the glory of the Lord. Either way, the surprise of worship would have stayed with them for the remainder of their days.

While I doubt if any of us will experience surprising worship of this magnitude, we still can and should be surprised. And ironically, this surprise is more likely when we expect it, but don’t necessarily try to create it.

• Are you expecting to be surprised by worship? You should be.

God Sighs

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,” Phillips Brooks (1835–1893)

There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. - Mark 7:32–35

I love those words from “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,” "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." Indeed, hope was born in that backwoods town that first Christmas morning. Hope is the message of Jesus, hope is the message for the world, hope is the message of Christmas. Our hope is in a God who moved into the neighborhood, who sought us out and whose heart breaks for the ways in which things are not the way they ought to be. In the passage from Mark, above, Jesus looks to heaven and sighed deeply, when confronted with a man who lived a life of disability. Jesus sighed even as He was about to free the man into wholeness -- He sighed at the brokenness of a world where sin and death seem to have the final say.

Author Max Lucado, speaking of Jesus’ sigh suggests that it comes from “a recognition of pain that was never intended, or of hope deferred.” He writes,
“Man was not created to be separated from his creator; hence he sighs, longing for home. The creation was never intended to be inhabited by evil; hence she sighs, yearning for the Garden. And conversations with God were never intended to depend on a translator; hence the Spirit groans on our behalf, looking to a day when humans will see God face to face.”

He continues, “When Jesus looked into the eyes of Satan’s victim, the only appropriate thing to do was sigh. ‘It was never intended to be this way,’ the sigh said. ‘Your ears weren’t made to be deaf, your tongue wasn’t made to stumble.’ The imbalance of it all caused the Master to languish.”

Lucado concludes, “In the agony of Jesus lies our hope. Had he not sighed, had he not felt the burden for what was not intended, we would be in a pitiful condition. Had he simply chalked it all up to the inevitable or washed his hands of the whole stinking mess, what hope would we have? But he didn’t. That holy sigh assures us that God still groans for his people. He groans for the day when all sighs will cease, when what was intended to be will be.”

Our hope comes in the One who sighs in the presence of things that seem hopeless, in the brokenness that surrounds us.

Do you believe God sighs over the pain in the world?
Do you believe God sighs over the pain in your life?
What hurt in the world causes you to sigh?

Peace, hope and love

Doug

Give More . . . relationship

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. - John 1:1–2 NIV

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. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'Immanuel'—which means, 'God with us.'” Matthew 1:21-23 NIV

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. - John 1:14 MESSAGE

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. - Revelation 21:3 NIV


God/Relationship; Relationship/God.

At the very heart of the nature of God is relationship -- from the eternal relationship of the Trinity through the relational friendship with the people he made, the people he breathed very life into, to choosing a people for himself, the Christmas coming in relational form to redeem us from the results of our decision to break relationship with him and finally in the consummation of all things in relationship with us, dwelling with us, we his people, he our God for eternity in relationship. God is a relational God; Christmas is at it's heart relationship. Think of your best memories of Christmas. Are those memories of things or of people. My guess is that for most of us, the best of our memories are of people.

As we enter into the Christmas story this year through our Advent Conspiracy, one of our challenges is how to reclaim or at least step more fully into the relational aspect of Christmas. How do we give more by thinking through ways to give relationally? What are you doing? What are you planning on doing? Do you have any ideas you want to share? Share them with me, share them with others. Take a look at the Advent Conspiracy Facebook page; join the discussion and get ideas. Below are some ideas I found somewhere -- they are not original to me, but I like them and pass them along.

1. A Letter - Write a letter of thanks or affirmation. Everyone from Great Grandmas to grade schoolers likes to be told how much they’re appreciated. If your letter is for a parent or grandparent name the reasons you are grateful to them and for them. If it’s for a friend or sibling tell them the ways they have helped and supported you and the gifts you see in them. To make your letter longer share a favorite memory or anecdote that illustrates your affirmations but don’t feel like you have to write a novel. Often a single page or even just a few paragraphs can convey all that needs to be said. Write a few drafts till you get down exactly what you want to say. You may want to do your editing on the computer for efficiency and then handwrite your final copy to make it personal. If there’s a key to gift giving, maybe that’s it, something personal. A moment, a feeling, a connection you have with another person, memorialized by an object. And, sometimes the best things in life are free.

2. An Afternoon - Give someone the gift of your time. Take a trip to the park together or invite your special someone on your favorite walk. An afternoon just hanging around – playing cards with your great aunt or taking your little cousin for a drive – can make memories to last a lifetime. Check the forecast and choose a beautiful day. Check your calendar and choose a day without work pressing in on all sides. Talk about your hopes and dreams, ask important questions or reminisce. You can give this gift in the form of a card or coupon. If you’re a “crafty” kind of person, you could even create your own gift card with this “special offer.”

3. A Treasured Possession - My friend Kathy is a cat lover. You could safely call her a Cat Lady. Over the years she had amassed an impressive collection of feline knick-knacks and kitty-cat kitsch. When she decided it was time to lighten the load she bestowed on me a small golden kitty pin with green rhinestone eyes. I felt almost like I was being entrusted with the care of beloved pet. I really liked the pin, but because it had been hers it connected me to her in a way that a new purchase just couldn’t have done. Think of the person you’re giving to. What would he or she appreciate? A favorite book or mug of yours? How about giving your girlfriend that sweater she’s constantly stealing or maybe its time to hand over the penknife your kid brother was always jealous of. Passing on something that’s gently used but greatly loved can be worth a lot more than anything that comes from the store. The key with this one is matching up what someone else would enjoy with something that’s special to you.

4. Photographs & Memories - Make a list of all your shared best times titled “Thanks for the Memories” or “I’ll Never Forget When We…”. Roll it up and give it as a scroll. Go through your photo collection. Gather some pictures through the years or choose one photo of a favorite moment- maybe a shell from a day at the beach and a picture to go with it boxed and wrapped. One friend of mine who loves to take snapshots puts together beautiful photo albums as gifts. Another is the master of mix making and burns cd’s that evoke memories with notations for each song: remember the time… or thanks for being this kind of friend.

5. Teach, Cook, Grow, or Help - How long has your mom been saying she wants to clean out the basement? Does your niece want to learn how to knit? Does your best friend need to paint her kitchen? Could you help your brother plant a garden? Can you change the oil in your Grandpa’s car for him or cook your folks a gourmet meal? Think about what you can do and what someone else might need done. What seems easy to you might seem insurmountable to someone you love and what you can DO might be the best gift of all.

None of these sound right? Here are a few more simple gift ideas…

Collect- quotes, comics, poems that your loved one would appreciate. Give them in a big fancy envelope or as a collage.

Make- candles, bookmarks, photo collages, a tribute website, a video with different family members sharing memories.

Share- a tea lover I know made a little gift mug with a few each of the tea bags in her cupboard tucked into a well loved mug and tied with a ribbon. Put all those shoots from your spider plant or reduce your book, tool, plant, art or sweater collection by sharing it.

Write- a song, poem, prayer, or how about a story for a niece or nephew about your sibling “When your dad was five…” Cast their mom or dad as the hero and watch their little eyes get big!

Merry Christmas

Doug

Still

The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. John 5:19-20 The MESSAGE

I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I’m not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. - John 5:30 MESSAGE

Be still, and know that I am God. - Psalms 46:10 NIV

Jesus was dependant upon his Father. Jesus needed time spent with his Father to have the clarity and the power that he needed to move into his call; to live the life that he was meant to live. He not only received power and clarity, he modeled what was necessary for us to do so. We must, as the Psalmist says “be still” if we are ever to really experience God as God. The anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing writes, "Lift up your heart to God with an humble impulse of love; and have himself as your aim, not any of his goods. Take care that you avoid thinking of anything but himself, so that there is nothing for your reason or your will to work on except himself. Set yourself to rest in this darkness, always crying out after him whom you love. For if you are to experience him or to see him at all, insofar as it is possible here, it must always be in this cloud and in this darkness.”

Are you ever still? Have you tried. Perhaps now is the time. One of the ways that Christians through the centuries have come before God in silence is through a practice called Centering Prayer. Give the following “Centering Prayer” exercise a try several times during the next week.

1) Try to quiet your mind and still your body and you rest in the peace of God. If you find your mind wandering, gently bring it back to a place of quiet rest. You may feel the need to be active in your thoughts. But remember this is a time for God to just be with you.

Set a timer for 15 minutes so you are not thinking about time – this is the last you think about time. When it goes off you are done.

A. Preparation. Before you begin, you have to get in touch with your will to desire God. Worship or scripture may help you with that. Some kind of practice that helps you get in tune with your desire for God.

B. Breathing. Begin to breath very patiently and slowly and calm yourself through breathing. It is not magical, but if you think about breathing you are not thinking about other things – it helps to simplify your mind and clear distractions.

C. Presence of God. Stay in that conscious state of openness and being with God without an agenda. Total presence. Use a prayer word to help bring back our thoughts to a place of openness, NOT nothingness. (Goal of eastern religion is nothingness, goal of Christian is openness to God) There is no significance or magic to the words. (Mercy, Grace, Jesus, Peace)

D. Distractions. Distractions will come all the time. When a thought comes “I did not take the dog for a walk,” acknowledge that the thought has come and divert your attention back to God by the prayer word “as gently as a feather falling to the ground,” gently come back. The more we do this prayer the easier it is to come back.

Share your experiences with me and with others.

Peace, hope and love

Doug

What time is it?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1–2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. - John 1:1–3

Time.

It is impossible for us to really understand the concept of an existence without time. We live in time; for us to try and understand what “outside of time” actually would be like is like trying to describe color to a person born blind or taste to a person with no taste buds. We might be able to make approximations, but they would be just that; they would be shadows of a thing we cannot know.

Yet that is where God lives. God lives outside of time, without time, before time, yet he is somehow in time, all of the time. Confused yet?

At the time when all that we know, feel, see, or sense had it’s beginning, God was already there. Time is a created thing, a divinely created thing, a reality that each of us lives in, and that God does not.

Let your mind play with that idea for a while. And stand in awe of a God who is so much bigger than our idea of Him.

- What does it mean that God is “outside of time.”?

- How does this reality give you hope when you are going through a time of pain that seems like it will go on forever?

- How does this give you rest in the business of world without enough time?

Peace, hope and love

Doug

See? People.

Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins! They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people— law-abiding, God-honoring. They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ and love having me on their side.

But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way? Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’ “Well, here’s why: “The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. You drive your employees much too hard. You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist. The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, GOD, would like?

This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The GOD of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, GOD will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, "Here I am."

If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.

If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, GOD’S holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing "business as usual," making money, running here and there— Then you’ll be free to enjoy GOD! Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all. I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.

Yes! GOD says so! - Isaiah 58:1–14 MESSAGE

I decided to quote Isaiah 58 in it's entirety because I think it is an fascinating passage and worth reading. When you are done reading it, it is worth reading again and finally reflecting on it (and maybe reading it once more). It's fascinating because it's the voice of God actually spoken to and through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, and telling people who want to follow God what authentic worship looks like. According to God, worship or religion or faith that most pleases Him is not what people often think it is or what they most often do. It is not times of singing, gathering together on Sunday, living good lives or even seeking God, that is if you are not doing other very concrete things. If we do the things I just mentioned, but live lives that are not terribly different from everybody else who is looking out for #1, God says to blow a trumpet announcing we are wrong. God says through the prophet Isaiah that people who have really encountered God should be easy to spot -- not by how they worship and pray (as important as those things are), but by how they love -- especially by how they love those who society does not love.

People who have been marked by God should be concerned about injustice, poverty, the hungry and the homeless -- not just concerned but bothered to the point of action. Now look at what it says after the requirement to love; this is not some "do this because I say so," command. God actually promises that as we live this love in action, as we actually move into physically caring for the poor, we will discover that we will not run empty, but actually will become more full; firmer muscles and bones, healthier, more content, able to know God's will, able to hear His voice and able to have our voice heard by Him. "Yes! God says so! Read it again, these are amazing promises.

Amazing promises, and amazing requirements; amazing and hard. What does it look like to invite the homeless into our homes? Does God really want you to do that? What about safety? How do you actually share our food and put clothing on the shivering ill clad, where do you do it, is that even practical? Is writing check to others who do it ok? Are we supposed to do it ourselves? What does this all actually look like lived out here in 2010? These are hard, real questions. Questions that we need to ask and struggle with in community, and then to step out, to experiment together with the many ways we might begin live this way, discover together the very practical ways that we can refuse "business as usual," and move into being restorers of things that are broken, who make communities livable again. "Yes, God says so."

This past Sunday Dustin Cross with One4One shared a little of his story and the stories of his friends on the street, his friends without homes. He shared very practically how we could begin the process of moving away from business as usual, step by step. He suggested that when we see someone who is homeless, that we start with simply making eye contact and saying hi to them. The next time you see them, tell them your name and ask them theirs. Next time, ask if they would like a cup of coffee. Move toward asking them to join you next time, in a continuum from an unseen person to a person seen, a person known, a friend. It actually sounds kind of easy, when put that way, doesn't it? Is there somebody who comes to mind when you think through this continuum? What would stop you from doing it?

Peace, hope and love

Psalm in the Key of Life

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Psalm 23

I don't know about you, but until recently I really had never given much thought to the 23rd Psalm. Maybe it was a case of familiarity breeding contempt; not contempt actually, more like complacency. The times where I have read through the Psalms, I almost always had skimmed this one because I knew it so well, I'd heard it so often. Am I the only one? Can you relate?

The 23rd Psalm is sometimes known as "the funeral Psalm," I've read it at funerals myself. It's called "the funeral Psalm," I think, because it talks about not fearing and walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Death, sadness and fear are so closely linked. Recently I have become convinced that it is not a psalm about death at all, it's a "life Psalm," actually an abundant life Psalm. Take a look at it again. Read it slowly, line by line and see the life that flows from it.

Starting with God, and his leading of you to:

- Satisfaction
- Rest
- Peace
- Restoration and healing for you
- Direction into a way of life that heals the world
- Contentment and comfort even in times of shadow-like darkness (the word death here is actually the hebrew word "tsalmaveth" which means darkness or gloom rather than literal death).
- A trust in God so real that you want his leading of you wherever he wants is comforting
- A sense of God's care and presence even when it seems all the world is against you
- A welcoming by God at all times
- Abundant, extravagant provision of all you need.
- A resultant life and presence that naturally brings goodness and love and mercy to those it comes in contact with.

Ending with, and resulting in a life that is lived continually in God's presence, wherever you are.

This is not a "death Psalm," at all! It's a "life Psalm," a Psalm about the abundance of a life rooted in God.

One day Jesus told some religious leaders who challenged the motives for his ministry that he "came so [we] can have real and eternal life, more and better life than [we] ever dreamed of." (John 10:10) He describes this abundant life which starts and ends with him this way, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (John 15:5–10)

Do you hear the echoes of the "Life Psalm" in the words of Jesus? From the mouth of the Psalmist and from the mouth of Jesus our abundant life begins and ends -- finds its very sustenance --in a life rooted into, abiding in, and dwelling with God. Any good that we become and any good that we do flows from Him, and leads us deeper into His goodness.

- Is your life one of abundance (satisfaction, rest, peace, healing, goodness, mercy and love)? What if it could be?
- Where do you find yourself in Psalm 23?
- Where do you find yourself in the words of Jesus?
- Do you believe the words of the Psalmist?
- Do you believe the words of Jesus?

In the words of a father who so wanted to believe Jesus could heal his child, "I believe, help my unbelief."

As always, share your thoughts with me and with others on the journey.

Peace, hope and love

God Does Not Live Here

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. - Acts 17:22–27

The first two words in Webster's definition of Church, are "a building." That is not a definition that flows from a Biblical understanding of Church, but rather from the practices of Christians throughout the centuries. The early Christians, before they were known as Christians, simply were called, or said to be of, "The Way." They were people who were part of a movement, people who were part of something bigger than themselves; The Way (of Jesus), called to live and to love, to care for people, to make disciples -- to expose and invite people to become apprentices of Jesus, followers of The Way -- throughout their communities and the world. That does not sound like a building, it sounds like a movement.

For the first several hundred years of Christianity, there were no "church" buildings -- The Way was illegal, people had to meet in secret in homes. And an amazing thing happened. The number of Christians grow from as low as 25,000 in AD 100 to as high as 20,000,000 some 200 or so years later. Interestingly, nearly 2,000 years later when Mao Zedong outlawed Christianity in China, taking away all of their buildings, the Church again experienced phenomenal growth, growing from approximately 2,000,000 immediately after it was banned in the mid 1940s to estimates of 60,000,000 40 years later. Perhaps the two most significant periods of growth in Christianity happened when they had no buildings.

But, buildings are not the problem. Buildings are good, they serve an important purpose. The problem comes with what often comes when we begin to think that God lives in the building, that the Church is a building, that our Christianity happens "there." The reason Webster's defines "Church" as a building is that Christians have often lived as if what went on in the building was the start and end of their faith. Now, we have ground to cover to change that impression -- to live into the reality of the Church not as a building, but as a redemptive force, a prophetic community, a counter-cultural people, regardless of where we are -- a people of the Way.

The challenge as we step more and more from the idea of going to church to the reality of being the church is to not minimize what happens when we gather together as church. We do not need to diminish the importance of what we do when we gather together, but actually to elevate it. What does church look like when what we do on Sunday is a celebration of the ways we have been the church throughout the week? What does it look like to create a "thin space" when we gather, a space where the presence of God is almost palpable? What practices and ways of worship do we need to engage in to create this thin space? How can we -- when we gather together -- more fully worship God and more fully celebrate His reality in all areas of our everyday life? These are questions that we all must ask, conversations that we all must engage in as we make our Sunday experience a more integrated (though special and essential) expression of our everyday Christianity.

Do you agree with this understanding of our Sunday morning times?
- If you disagree, what do you think the purpose of our Sunday morning time is?
In what ways have you or do you experience God's presence?
- Is it on Sunday mornings?
- Is it a different time?
How might you more fully experience His presence on Sundays?
How might that influence and inform the rest of your week?

God does not live in a building. Yet when we gather we can meet Him in very special ways.

Peace, hope and love

Belovedness

As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” - Mark 1:10–11

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. - 1 John 3:16–20 NIV

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. - 1 John 4:16–19

Hi Everybody

I want you to ask yourself a question; the same question I asked this past Sunday: What do you think God feels when He thinks of you? What emotions do you imagine stir in His heart when you come to mind?

Have you ever thought about these questions? I fear precious few people truly live in an accurate understanding of the real answer to them. The real understanding? Beloved. God looks at you and sees His beloved. Yet, it is hard for us to fully own the fullness of that reality. Each of us knows ourselves too well -- the bad stuff we have done, the things we wish we had not, the stray and not-so-stray thoughts that would mortify us if everybody knew them. One of my favorite songs begins with the line, "No one would love me if they knew, all the things I hide." Is that thought foreign to you? Or, is it as I suspect, a common fear? Maybe it is good that nobody knows all the things we hide. Maybe. Still, God does. God knows all the things we hide, He not only knows the things we hide, He knows us fully -- more fully in fact than anyone, including us. And what's most amazing is that though He alone fully knows, He alone fully loves. He calls us to that love, calls us to Himself, to rest in and be fueled by the reality of our belovedness. God gives everybody a call, inward to Himself and outward to the world, to whatever broken spot in the world that when we enter into it to heal it we find that we ourselves are healed. He loves us so much that He invites us into the only unchangeable thing, Himself, and then invites us into the call or the life thread that He has us to live -- we must go inward toward Him to hear His voice well enough to know where and how we are to go outward.

It is only with an experiential understanding of the love of God for us that we can face the temptation to leave who we are in order to settle for a lesser good. That’s why we need contemplation, because we need to know how much we don’t really accept and live by God’s love and how far we are from true love, and then to be once again confirmed in the love of God, the kind of love we are supposed to have. The verse above says we should be the kind of people who willing to lay down our very lives for one another. What does that mean? We don’t have that kind of love. Only with the prior experience of belovedness, can we begin to live that kind of sacrifice -- and then realize as we experience even more of our belovedness that it actually was no sacrifice at all.

Faith Like A Child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:1–4 NIV

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. - John 5:24 NIV

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” - Romans 8:15 MESSAGE

This past Sunday was our last of our seven Summer of Rock weeks. I hope you had fun. I hope God surprised you in some way -- I always hope and pray for that; I love to be surprised by God. I hope that you thought about how creativity reflects the very image of God with which all of us are imbued. Thank you to the worship team and all who worked so hard to make this series possible. I really enjoyed it.

We concluded the series with the song Wake Up by Arcade Fire. I picked that song because of the line which speaks of growing up from child to adulthood, being told what was and was not appropriate once one entered the land of adulthood (crying is not ok, mistakes are not ok) and the realization that although each of us must grow into adulthood and maturity, some of what we are told that means might not be really true. Most of us, the longer we live into these less-than-true tenets of adulthood, push any suspicion that these might have been lied to into a rummage pile of faded dreams never to be reclaimed.

Or so we think. Jesus invites us to reclaim the wonder of a child -- requires it actually, if we are truly to see the Kingdom of God that exists around us. Adulthood says "Worry about death." Jesus says, "What death?" (Children say "What death?") Adulthood says, "Worry about your status in life." Jesus says "Seek the Kingdom -- it really is a real thing, look, don't you see it?" (Children say "Don't you see it? It is not make-believe.")

There is a scene in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian, where the children find themselves lost. Lucy sees Aslan off in the distance, but nobody else can see him; though they have seen him in the past, they doubt that he is really there. When Lucy insists she saw him, her sister Susan asks, "Where do you think you saw him?" Lucy replies: "Don't talk like a grown-up . . . I didn't think I saw him. I saw him."

Jesus started His discipleship plan by announcing "the Kingdom of God is at hand." He then invites us to become like children (full of wonder, innocence, humility, awe, questioning, laughing, crying, searching, exploring and abandon) in order to enter into it. And when we do, we will see that it is indeed real. When we do, we cannot help but with childlike joy exclaim, "I've seen it!" And, when those around us ask what we think we have seen, smile and tell them, "I don't think I saw it, I saw it."

Unwritten

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. -Psalm 34:8

Every day we wake up in the middle of something that is already going on and has been going on for a long time, genealogy and geology, history and culture, the cosmos—God. We are neither accidental nor incidental to the story. Eugene Peterson, The Message, Introduction to Matthew

When Hathach told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai sent her this message: “Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you’re the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.” Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai: “Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.” - Esther 4:12–16 MESSAGE


Everybody loves a good story. We are wired that way, it is part of our DNA.

All of history finds its setting in the story of God, with its beginning in the mystery of the mind of the author, God, and its end in eternity -- in His plans and purposes. In the midst of this ongoing story you enter the stage, a unique actor, collaborating with God in the writing of your part of the story.

From the beginning of time, history was shaped by people who acted when they felt the call to act. Esther, from the Bible, became queen through very extraordinary means and just when you would think the rest of her life would be one of ease and predictability, she is called to risk her life to help others. What she was called to do might not have made sense to her. It might not have made sense to her friends or people who cared about her, but she knew that it was the right thing to do, she knew it was part of the story that God was writing for her. Despite this knowledge, she could have done nothing. Instead, Esther risks death by going before the King to intercede on behalf of the people of God. Although everyone around her probably would have told her that to do so would mean death, she knew she had to act. She thought something like, "Something needs to be done, and I know that God is able to do it." So, she stepped into uncertainty, not uncertain about everything. She knew who God was. She knew what God was capable of, what He was able to do, and she knew that she could trust God. "Perhaps I am in the place where I am for such a time as this – and if I die, I die. God is able to save me and His people, I may be uncertain about how it will turn out for me, but I have absolutely no uncertainty about God and His character, and God and His ability."

God will most likely not call you and me to end the slaughter of a people, but He could. I know He is calling each one of us to something. Each day He brings people and events into our lives and invites us to act. I find that when I'm aware and looking for those opportunities, I see them all around. When I do not expect them, they are harder to see. How intentional are you about looking for the opportunities that God has for you to join Him? When you look at your life with God, is it all that you dreamed that it would be? If you allowed yourself to dream again, what dream might God be inviting you to explore?

Dream big, start small, your story is still unwritten. Step into your story and live.

Peace, hope and love

Cultivating An Awareness Of The Presence Of God

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. -Psalms 19:1

So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Have you ever thought about what it would look like for you to cultivate an awareness of God throughout a day? Take a day, any day, take today; as you walk through the activities of your life, ask yourself, "how does 'this' reflect the goodness (or glory) of God?" At the end of the day, take a couple of moments to ask yourself how you did, and what you experienced. If you did not do so well, give yourself a break and try again tomorrow. If you experienced God's presence in ways unexpected, thank Him, remember those experiences, and try again tomorrow. Shortly you will find that you are experiencing God far more often than you have ever experienced Him, felt His presence more regularly than you ever experienced it, and brought more things to Him throughout the day than you had ever done. Before long, you will realize that you are actually praying without ceasing.

Have you ever heard the name Frank Laubach? He was a literacy advocate in the first half of the 20th century. His methods for increasing literacy are still used with millions today. In addition to literacy, he was concerned with cultivating the presence of God in his life. In talking about the disillusionment in a Depression-era world, and the hopes of many for Christ to save them, he observed: "Christ has not saved the world from its present terrifying dilemma. The reason is obvious: few people are getting enough of Christ to save either themselves or the world." He challenged himself to call Jesus to mind at least one second of each minute. He said, "not to forget other things nor stop work, but to invite Him to share everything I do or say or think." He later wrote, "Hundreds of us have experimented until we have found ways to let Him share every minute of our waking hours." Laubach was a creative man seeking after God in very real and practical ways. If you are interested in reading some of his interesting thoughts, you can download and read his Letters of a Modern Mystic, (enter password Creekside).

In what ways could you develop a habit of cultivating an awareness of God throughout the day - in your morning shower, in a cup of coffee or orange juice, in nature, in conversation, in a nap, in His word, in prayer for the big things and for the little things? Experiment and you will find your ears and your eyes opened to hear Him; find yourself more aware of the fact that you are living in God's ongoing story, living out a unique role, written just for you.

Peace, hope and love

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. -Isaiah 25:8

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. -Revelation 21:4 NIV

Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. -Isaiah 65:17–23 NIV


Have you ever had a broken dream? Have you ever wanted something so much, planned so hard, imagined how things would be at this stage or your life . . . and then it slowly slipped away or was suddenly taken away? We live in a world where broken dreams are all around us, where so many spend each day walking boulevards of broken dreams or worse, live in situations where they have given up the ability to dream, or have never dared to dream. Since the fall of mankind, we live in a broken world with broken dreams. So many people walk boulevards of broken dreams – alone -- hoping someone out there might find them. Big dreams and seemingly little dreams; your broken dream is not too small for God to weep over it. God’s heart breaks over your broken dreams -- big and small.

And, He has a plan. God has a plan, there is a hope. One day; there will be no more death, One day there will be no more pain, One day there will be no more suffering, One day there will be no more broken dreams. One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. One day. That is the future part of God's plan. It is amazing. But there is a present part of His plan as well. Jesus taught us to pray today, "Lord, Your kingdom come, Your will be done," here, right now, "on earth, as it is in heaven," how it will be one day. His plan is to do that through His power and through His authority, and through us.

We are God’s tools for restoration of broken dreams, most often through a theology of presence; rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn. Theology of presence – and walking alongside. Hope is as simple as listening. Hope is as simple as seeing. Hope is as simple as sharing, hope is as simple as asking for help, hope is as simple as offering help – or just helping. "Sometimes I wish someone out there would find me. Till then I walk alone."

+ What do you imagine a theology of presence would look like for you?
- in your neighborhood, at church or work?
- in an inner city context or with marginalized people?

+ Who do you know who might be walking a boulevard of broken dreams?
- might you be the person they wish would find them?

+ Are you currently walking in broken dreams?
- how can you invite someone to walk with you?

Continue the conversation with others this week.

Peace, hope and love

All Religions Are Basically The Same

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -Ephesians 2:8–10

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1

Hi Everybody

God wants you to lose your religion.

Does that sentence bother you? Your answer might to some degree depend upon how you define the word religion; what is religion? I think it is best defined as a system of behaviors that we do or refrain from doing, in order to gain the acceptance of God (If I do or don't do this, God will accept me). If you do not like this definition, take a second and think of things that we label as "religion" and observe the common denominators -- from not drinking or smoking to sacrifices, ways of dress and the like, the key is certain behavior tied to earning the acceptance of or forbearance from God. One of the reasons why Christians have so much difficulty in answering the challenge that "all religions are pretty much the same" is that, well, all religions are pretty much the same -- they all seek to earn salvation. What right do I or anybody else have to challenge anybody on whether the things that they do to earn God's approval are enough or not enough than the things you do -- how good is good enough? All religions are basically the same.

"Hold on Doug," you say. "Do you meant that Christianity is the same as every other religion?" Well, despite the fact that the politically correct answer would be yes, it would also be a lie. Christianity is not the same as all the "other" religions, because it is not a religion. It is the only belief system that does not say that you need to be good enough (religion) to be accepted by God. It is, in fact, the only system of belief that says flat out that nobody can be good enough. Christianity says, you are accepted by God -- not because of anything you have done, but because of what God did. That is by definition (at least the one I claim above) the opposite of religion. All religions are basically the same; and Christianity stands apart from them all.

I believe religion is a result of the fall. On some level most of us want to earn our way to God and thereby retain some level of control, some level of say in the process. Because of this, even those of us who believe the anti-religious words of the apostle Paul, above, allow religion to creep into our lives, to live as if we can control God's approval of us by our actions. This is religion, and religion kills. Jesus invites you to live, to freedom, to lose your religion.

- How do you react to the uniqueness of faith in Jesus?
- Do you believe that Jesus wants you to lose your religion?
- Where do you find religion creeps into your life?
- What is your response when it does so?

I invite you to share your thoughts with me and with others.

Peace, hope and love

Revolution

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy -Colossians 1:15–18 NIV

Hi everybody

Someone said to me in passing after the the message on Sunday, "Messages like the one you gave really bother me." I like comments like that, I actually get kind of excited to hear how so.

I don't mind bothering people -- in some ways it's part of my job, not for the sake of the bothering itself, but for the sake of raising questions that sometimes we don't want to ask ourselves. Jesus bothered people -- He still does. Jesus bothers me -- and when He does, I share that "bothering" with you. I think Jesus does not want us to get too comfortable here. He tells us in the gospel of John that He came so that we might have life to the fullest (more and better life than we ever imagined). He says a couple of chapters later that whoever loves their life will lose it and whoever hates their life will somehow find it. I do not believe He is being contradictory, merely saying that true, abundant life comes not from striving to make the best life you can imagine for yourself, but instead believing Him when he says "I can imagine so much more than you can." Abundance, from trying to give it all away (some of us figuratively, but others literally -- at least in part). Our tendency is to believe that for most it is figurative and that for a very few it is literal -- at least in part. I think that the exact opposite might be true.

This past Sunday we started our summer series: Summer of Rock. Each week we are enjoying a "non-Christian" rock song and seeing God and the themes of His Kingdom in and through it. Our first week was "Revolution" by the Beatles. I think Jesus was a revolutionary, and that He calls us to live lives of revolution. Jesus asked, "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth?" He answered His own question, "No, I tell you, but rather division." (Luke 12:51). I think so often we want Jesus without the revolution, we want Jesus the Sunday School teacher, not Jesus the troublemaker, Jesus the revolutionary.

"You say you want a revolution?" Most of us say, "No, not really, I'm actually quite happy with the status quo." But Jesus isn't. Jesus' plan is to make up there, come down here, to make the way things are in the Kingdom of God the way they are here on earth. And it does not take a lot of imagination before we realize that Jesus is talking revolution.

Does that bother you? It bothers me. When I live in ways that reflect God's Kingdom come, His will be done, right here, right now, as it is in heaven, my world is disrupted, upset, bothered. Yet when I embrace that revolution, when I step into the ways that Jesus bothers me, I discover that He actually meant it when He said that if I trust Him enough to lose myself in Him, I will actually discover the truer me. It makes no sense, but it's true.

I'm getting together later this week with the person who told me my sermon bothered them. I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say. In a way, I hope it bothers me a bit.

Peace, hope and love

Water

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. -Isaiah 58:11

Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. -John 4:14

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. -John 7:37–38


Since the dawn of time, water has been at the center of our existence. While the earth was an empty void, the Spirit of God was hovering over its waters (Genesis 1:2).

The surface of the earth is more than 71% water -- The human body is more than 50% water -- If deprived of water for more than a couple of days you will die -- Water is necessary for life.

Water is a source of great pleasure -- a cold drink on a hot day; a warm shower on a cold day; a pool in the summer; boating, fishing or merely gazing upon it -- some even have beds that are filled with it.

Its importance transcends all times and cultures; the Bible contains nearly 700 references to water.

Today, access to safe drinking water is the primary cause of hunger, disease and poverty throughout the world. 400,000,000 children worldwide have no access to safe water -- most will die because of this basic lack. Clean water saves lives, and we in the developed world have the ability to provide clean water, we have the ability to save lives. Check out One Day's Wages and see how you can make a difference. Or, simply google, "clean water" and see the many ways that you can help make a difference if you choose to. It is actually one of the things that we as the Church can effect.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to not have water, to be dying of thirst. But, Jesus can. Jesus thirsted deeply as he was tortured to death on the cross. He knows the pain, and his heart breaks over those who thirst. He also knows that we can thirst metaphorically as well -- for acceptance, for friendship, for love, for belonging, for compassion, for justice, for the cup that he was to drink to be removed from him. Jesus knows our thirst. Jesus knows your thirst. His invitation: Come to me and drink. His promise: You will never again be thirsty; you will never again have unquenchable desire that eats you up, that controls you.

The reality is that as we make Jesus our desire, he unleashes and then fulfills in us desires that surpass our greatest dreams. As our desires are met in Him, he gives contentment; satisfaction of our thirst, and then abundance; an over flowing and a desire to pour out what he has given us to a world that is thirsty – most often in very practical ways.

-- Are you thirsty?

-- What thirst do you have that is unquenched?

-- What would it look like for Jesus to quench that thirst?

-- Do you think that is possible?

-- What would it look like for you to be a stream of living water to those who thirst in your family, church, work place, neighborhood, city, region or world?

Share your thoughts with someone.


Peace, hope and love

The Kingdom of God Has Come Near You

"The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, "Peace to this house." If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you." -Luke 10:1–9 NIV

Towards the middle of his ministry, Jesus sent out His disciples -- His apprentices -- to go out and personally bring a glimpse of the Kingdom of God to people who are suffering -- to heal the sick. He tells them that when they heal the sick to make sure the people know what is going on, to tell them "the Kingdom of God has come near [them]." This past Sunday was Worship Through Service at Creekside Covenant Church, a time where instead of gathering to worship God together at Redmond Junior High School, we disperse and worship Him -- like our predecessor disciples from 2,000 years ago -- through our service of others. While we were not called to heal the sick, we were called to be the bringers of the Kingdom of God, to go to places that were experiencing brokenness and say with our actions, "The Kingdom of God has come near you." What an amazing opportunity.

From the many projects, came many stories. Share and ask others to share their stories from that day. My story started even before Sunday. Three days before we headed out to serve, I met at City Hall with the head of Code Enforcement for the City of Redmond. I was there to pick up vouchers for the dump for one of our Worship Through Service projects. When we sat down to sign the paperwork, she shared how thankful she was that we were doing this, how so often she finds herself frustrated, charged with enforcing the City's Municipal Code, and unable to help people who are sometimes stuck and cannot help themselves. "I felt like there was nobody I could call. Now, I know that I can call Creekside and you might be able to help." On Sunday, we used these vouchers to haul three truckloads and three trailers of junk from the yard of a man who was at his wit's end, overwhelmed, feeling that there was no one who could help him and then seeing hope appear through a dozen people -- strangers from Creekside -- who showed up to help.

This was just one of more than half a dozen projects that Creeksiders undertook this past Worship Through Service Sunday. In each and every project, those served felt blessed, humbled and honored that people would come and help them. Those who did the serving also felt blessed, humbled and honored to serve them. It was an example of God's upside-down economy in action where the giver and the receiver each walked away with more than they brought. And throughout, God received the glory, God received the worship through our service, and we all sensed that the Kingdom of God was near indeed.

Free Indeed (from Kim Hjelm)

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed - John 8:36

My friend, Krisann had a specific prayer request this week. It was that the Holy Spirit would “be in me in an extra powerful way”. She asked for this as she was leaving on a trip that was “way, way out of [her] comfort zone”. Where was she going? To Angola, Louisiana…to the Louisiana State Penitentiary. She was going with a ministry team from the Evangelical Covenant Church and they would be participating in worship and chapel services, presenting a seminar, and meeting and praying with inmates—including men in solitary confinement and on death row. I understand why she would be “quite anxious about this trip”!

Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) is the largest maximum security prison in the United States. It has an inmate population of 5,108 men, of which 86% are violent offenders and 52% are serving a life sentence. Eighty-four men are on death row. At one time, LSP was labeled America’s worst prison, a dangerous place without hope. To get a glimpse of what Louisiana State Prison is like today, watch this 12 minute video (You have to watch both Part 1 and 2...to the end...to get the full effect!). I guarantee you will be amazed.

“Life” Angola – Part 1
and
“Life” Angola - Part 2

Now for some questions to provoke some thoughts…please share your answers/ponderings on the Creekside Facebook Page

• What was your initial reaction to the video?

• Some of the men that spoke on the video are murderers…they actually have killed someone. They have broken the 6th Commandment, “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). They will be in prison for the rest of their lives. Now think of Jesus’ message in Matthew 5 that says that we have also broken the 6th commandment if we are angry with our brother. Whoa…are we guilty of murder and should we be on death row?

• The men talk about their community, what it means and how important it is. Can you compare that with our Creekside community? What can we learn so as to improve our community?

• What are your thoughts about the idea of God being at work in the prison…is it possible for God to work in a place like a maximum security prison and with men that have been told they are of no worth or value? How is God at work at Creekside? In Redmond? In your heart?

• A lot of credit for the transformation in the prison was given to Warden Cain, mainly because he showed God’s love and that he has love and passion for people. Sound familiar? It should! It has been our “Memory Verse” for the last 10 weeks: LOVE GOD-LOVE PEOPLE. How can this story of one man, making such amazing changes for the Kingdom, help you to show God’s Love and have more love and passion for people in your daily life?

• An inmate has been reported as saying, “If I was given the choice of freedom from prison without God or life in prison with God, I would choose God.”

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

These are only a few of the verses about freedom within Scripture. Has your idea about what freedom actually means been altered not only with this glimpse into prison but through the messages from our study of the Rules of Life (The 10 Commandments)? Remember…

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

Are You Rich?

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’" “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” -Luke 18:18–27 NIV

Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. -Philippians 4:11–13 MESSAGE

Last Sunday I shared how I had discovered from the Global Rich List that I was indeed rich. Not just a little rich, but 99.12% rich (compared to the entire population of the world).

Now, I don't feel guilty that I'm rich. But, it does make me think about the words of Jesus above, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." For those of you who can't quite get the picture in your head, Jesus is saying that it is really hard, impossible perhaps. Like I said, I don't feel guilty -- and I am not calling you to feel guilty either. Jesus never encouraged anybody to feel guilty. Instead, He regularly invites us into a better way of life and then highlights those things (often good things) that keep us from realizing this Kingdom way of life. For most of us, I believe, it means we need to give more of our money away. But, it’s not about the amount, it's about giving more and more of it away.

Churches will often talk about tithing. Tithing actually means a 10th, and comes from the Old Testament practice of giving a 10th of all you had. Pastors today will often take the fact that "tithe" is an Old Testament word to say that it is a guideline or even starting point. My perspective? If your giving (to church or elsewhere) does not prevent you from doing something you want to do, you are probably not giving enough. If your giving does not prevent you from doing something else, you are by definition giving out of your abundance. God calls us to more -- not because He needs cash, but because He wants us to trust that He will provide for us even if we give away more than we think we can afford. That is countercultural. Giving is not about the amount, it's about the trust. But Doug -- I have to prepare for my kids' college, I have to be secure, I don’t know if the economy is going to hold. Yup. It’s hard. But it’s where we meet God. It's how a rich man gets through the eye of a needle.

Ask yourself these questions:

- are you rich?
- would Jesus agree with your answer?
- do you feel guilty? (if so, it is not from Jesus)
- do you trust Jesus with your life enough to give away more than you think you can?
- what do you fear would happen?

Pray this prayer: God, don’t let these things that look so much to the world like blessings cause me to miss out on the blessing of knowing – really knowing you – the only real satisfaction I could ever know. Please God, do whatever it takes to cause me not to become dependent on things other than you. Amen

Belovedness and a countercultural community

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. - Exodus 20-16

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. - Philippians 2:3

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. -1 Peter 2:1–3

The church is called to be a sign, foretaste, agent and instrument of God’s reconciling love and forgiveness. - Missional Church, Darrell Guder

Hi Everybody

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be a people who live differently, have different values and different ethics than the world. God calls us to be a culture within a culture, a countercultural community in the way of Jesus. Before Jesus followers were called Christians, they were merely said to be of "The Way." That is, the way of Jesus. The Way stood out. The Way was different. Not because of what they were against, but because of what they were for. The Way stood out because of how they loved one another and how they loved those who were not people of The Way.

Similarly, followers of Jesus today are called to be a people of The Way, to be a countercultural community that together tries to figure out how to actually live out the ways of Jesus. This is the heart of discipleship. It is difficult -- if not impossible -- to be a disciple of Jesus alone. It takes a community. One of the things I love about Creekside is that we are a people who strive to be a community of people committed to be on this journey together. Over the past several weeks, we have seen the reality (and the difficulty) of this countercultural journey in our call to seek restoration instead of anger, to seek relationship and not lust, and most recently to seek the good of others, before our own. These are admittedly difficult things that are only possible to do if as part of our rhythm of living this way we continually seek to connect to the love of Jesus Himself. It is His love that changes us, it is His love -- the Bible says -- that allows us to really love at all. Connecting to our belovedness by God, however, is not just a Sunday thing. We are so often bombarded by things that distract us that we must return regularly to this well of love if we are to have any hope of living out the type of life we are called to live out.

So, a few of questions:

-Do you feel that you are able to enter into the belovedness of God?
-If so, what practices are helpful to you in doing so?
-What questions do you have about entering into the belovedness of God?
-Whom do you know who can help you to develop a rhythm of entering into the belovedness of God?
-In what ways is God calling you toward a more countercultural way of life?

Jesus invites us into His love and then through that, to be a countercultural community that shines like a signpost of the Kingdom of God, reflecting the image of the King. He does not intend this journey to be a burden, but rather a joy. Jesus says, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:9–11). I am daily excited to be a part of this joyous journey with each of you.

Peace, hope and love

Doug

Connecting Faith with the Realities of Lust and Pornography

You shall not commit adultery - Exodus 20:14

You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery." But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart -Matthew 5:27–29

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. -Romans 8:1–2 NIV

Hi Everybody

This week's topic in our Sunday series on the 10 Commandments was lust. Lust (sexual desire minus honoring the humanity in a person) has been a problem since the beginning of time. People, being naturally innovative, creative and fallen beings, quickly created pornography to feed our lust. Historically, however, one had to work, or at least use some effort to access pornography. Through the internet we now all have instant access. What historically was a problem for a few has exploded into a problem for many. And while grace tells us that there is no condemnation for followers of Jesus who struggle with pornography, viewing pornography is not life giving and honoring -- it is not the way of Jesus.

The reality is that whenever and in whatever ways we continually walk down a path other than the path of Jesus, we will turn further inward on ourselves -- into self condemnation and accusation -- and move further and further from the life giving connection to Jesus himself. Jesus continually woos us to himself. Yet when we walk down another path, we can get stuck, we get trapped, we get lost. This is true of the path of lust and pornography. In order to turn off that path which gives no life and back onto the path of life, we need to grab hold of the reality that there is no condemnation from God, but rather an invitation from him to move into a better way -- and then take action to do so. In any area of our life (including lust and pornography) that moves away from the life of Jesus, we need to draw near to him (spend time resting in his presence), to invite others into our struggle (for support and accountability) and to take advantage of any tools, resources or methods that might be available to assist us.

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) He does not intend for you to be stuck -- he wants more for you (peace, joy and hope to name a few). I promised that I would provide you with some resources to help if you are struggling with issues of pornography. If you are, I pray for courage for you to invite others into your struggle (that you share with others at Creekside) and to take advantage of the resources that are available.

Covenant Eyes software that tracks all online activity and emails a log to accountability partners each week. Use promo code YouthMinistry for a free 30 day trial.
This video on YouTube talks more about Covenant Eyes, as well.
Porn Again Christian is a free, downloadable ebook written by Pastor Mark Driscoll that deals with the struggle of pornography in a man's life.
When A Man's Eye Wanders. It's a little dated, but the material is still good.
XXXChurch.com is a ministry that helps men and women overcome their struggle with lust and pornography. They have many good resources, events, tools, podcasts, and more.

Peace, hope and love

Are You A Murderer?

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, "Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment." But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. -Matthew 5:21–24

I was listening to a radio talk show a couple of years ago and the topic was morality and the 10 Commandments. The basic point of the show was that if people actually obeyed The 10 Commandments, our society would be a far better place. At one point, a caller brought up Jesus' words about murder from the Sermon on the Mount (as were his words about adultery which follow). The host emphatically made the point that Jesus was obviously using hyperbole and could not really mean that God would hold people who had inappropriate anger accountable in the same way as he did murderers. Such a view was ridiculous and extreme, he said, because it raised matters of thought, heart and feeling to the same level of actions. "Actions," he said, "we can control, thoughts and feelings we cannot." "God cannot hold us accountable for our thoughts and feelings, that would not be fair," he concluded.

His conclusion made me sad, because it demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding of the beauty and the fullness of the good news of Jesus. The radio guy was right, actions we can control (or try to). If we are only accountable for our actions, we are in control of our own salvation and our own goodness. If, on the other hand we responsible to God for all of our errant thoughts, feelings and desires in the same way as if they were played out in reality, then all we can do is throw up our hands and say "I can't do that." And Jesus says, "exactly." "Welcome." "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "Come to me with your actions and your thoughts, your deeds and your desires, and I will change transform them all." I have the power to do it, you do not." I am convinced that it is only when we come to the point of actually surrendering all of ourselves to God that we can truly be free to actually live in the life that we were meant to live and free to help create a better world in which to live it.

Author Esther Elizabeth writes, "When we let go of hatred, prejudices, arrogance and entitlement from the heart, our actions change. We love, forgive and hope from the heart, and from there our world changes. So I offer this prayer for us: 'Holy One, we give you permission to carve away all that is not pure in our hearts. We invite you to create space in our crowded hearts for you to dwell. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. We ask you to align our priorities with yours, and awaken our hearts from their sleep.'"

That is my prayer as well.