Step Into Your Life

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:5–11

Hi Everybody

This past Sunday we wrapped up our series The Keys to the Keys to the Kingdom of God by having a conversation with Killian Noe founder and director of Recovery Cafe in Seattle. I chose to have Killian come and share with us because she is one of the people I know who truly embodies what it means to live in the intertwined rhythm of INWARD (toward our identify as God's perfectly loved child), OUTWARD (as redemptive agents in a broken world) and TOGETHER (as a unique people of God). Killian Noe has all of the credentials one would need to be an "expert" in transformation, but more importantly she lives it out. She has learned by experience that in order for her live as the hand and feet of Jesus in the world (and to sustain the very successful ministries she has founded) that she needs to be grounded in -- to abide in -- Jesus, first. All the ministry in the world, all the love, the forgiveness, the life of transformation begins in the intentional INWARD journey and shows it's fruit in the ways that we live OUTWARD and TOGETHER as Kingdom people -- it is the key to the keys to the Kingdom of God.

As we move from our specific emphasis on the INWARD, we must not think that we are leaving it behind. If we do, if we move on from this, it will just be a nice idea that we might agree with but one that does not change us. We need to take the things that God teaches us and incorporate them into our lives. The INWARD journey is something that you must take responsibility for -- not purely individualistically, but as part of the community of Creekside. How do you keep yourself focused on this crucial piece? What book might you read next? What smaller group of friends will hold you accountable as you journey together? What practices will you commit to for extended periods of time (90 days) to see if they in fact connect you with God? Perhaps you have immediate answers to these questions and are developing action steps. Perhaps you think it is a good idea and will now do so. Perhaps you'd like to and do not know how to begin. That is why it takes a community of people to come alongside one another. If you do not know how, there are others that do. Ask me, Lynn, Noah or Jesse. Ask your small group leader. Ask. Act. Move.

If God has revealed to you the necessity of actually learning how to abide in him, don't let time pass before you move. If you do, you will lose the momentum. Connect with at least one other person and step into continuing on in the INWARD Journey. Grab the keys, they are yours.

Peace, hope and love

Doug

P.S. Some other resources you might want to explore are: Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen (speaks of our identity as beloved by God), Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon (speaks of our need to simply sit with God and how to do so); or Prayer by Richard Foster (introduces a number of helpful prayer techniques) to name just a few.