MARCH 22
10:15 I Facebook Live
UTTERLY AMAZED
Well friends, we’re all one week into the national emergency due to the COVID-19 virus. How y’all doing? I’m sure the answers are all over the board. And our answers say much about us — things like where we work, what personality type we have, where we gather our information. But most importantly, this is a great time to find out what we truly value. Testing has a way of making some things clear to us that we can’t see when life is easy, when nothing is asked of us. And what is testing but a time of being asked for things? Let’s dig in this week and see how Jesus handles this, and what it has to teach us, and let’s see why his answers let the crowds utterly amazed.
September 27, 2020
10:15am I Facebook Live
Question of the Week
How are you cultivating gratitude in this season?
The Big Idea:
Gratefulness/gratitude is a discipline that must be cultivated and practiced.
How does this fit into our culture Belong Become Believe?:
Gratitude affects all aspects of our operating ethos. It helps establish and bond our belonging, opens up our heart to believing and forms all aspects of our becoming.
Relevant Verses:
1 Thes 5:16 “Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! 5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near! 6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. 9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Resources:
Consider this and how joy and gratitude are related
Use these resources to help cultivate your practice of gratitude
For kids and their families:
Our new next-door neighbors are huge fans of God’s creation! They have planted flowers and herbs to attract migrating Monarchs and tag them as they emerge from their chrysalises, and they’ve installed a huge owl box in a nice, big tree in their backyard. Recently, the mom recorded a stunning sunrise that was visible from their back deck, and her little girl’s reaction was full of awe and admiration. When I commented about how cute it was, the mom said even in the car on the way to school, her daughter was still marveling, and said, “Best morning ever, God.” This is just one way to purposefully teach gratitude.
Sing: God Makes Everything
Little one, (pretend you’re holding a small baby and rocking it)
Who made the seas? Who made the birds? Who made the bees? (hold hands palm up at your sides as if you’re questioning)
Who made the sun all big and bright (make a circle above your head by connecting your hands)
And twinkly stars to shine at night (close and open your fists in front of you like sparkling stars)
God made them all, God made them all (arms out, and take two spins!)
Oh yes, little one, oh yes, it’s true (point your finger out to the beat 8 times)
God made them all, (hands out to sides)
and God made you. (point at someone else with you!)
Other ideas:
Write a thank you card for a teacher
Send a video of gratefulness to an older family member
Put a twist on thankfulness for chores!
You have a bed to make...you have a bed!
You have dirty dishes….you have food!
You have toys to pick up....were they gifts?
September 20, 2020
10:15am I Facebook Live
What's Our Place in the Story?
Question of the Week
Can you think of a time when you felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit? -or- What is one way that you can support others as they take part in God's story?
The Big Idea:
We are all being formed into something, by someone(s). Following Jesus is an intentional commitment to the process and practices of Spiritual Formation.
Take away:
Spiritual formation is our continuing intentional response to the reality of God’s grace shaping us into the likeness of the Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, in the community of faith, for the glory of God and for the sake of the others.
How does this fit into our culture Belong Become Believe?:
If our engagement with this model is to produce results that lead to our flourishing, we have to intentionally engage with practices centered in things that are good and true and beautiful.
What comes next?:
Making an intentional commitment to the practices of Spiritual Formation
Relevant Verses:
Romans 12
Resources:
Facebook page for Conversatio Divina: A Center for Spiritual Renewal, and the Website and a Renovare Devotional
For kids and their families:
Have you ever seen an artist use a pottery wheel? It’s amazing to watch a potter take a lump of clay and turn it into a beautiful vase or vessel! Watch this video to see an artist and some kids at work.
Now think:
Can we humans be formed and trimmed up as we grow up? How do we grow and change?
*Have a family night and make your own coil pots. As you work together, talk about how you’ve felt when you’ve been stretched.
*Have you ever felt run over?!
*Have you had things smoothed out, or had some of your rough edges taken off?
*How has God worked on you to be more useful and beautiful in the world?
Where does our help come from? Sing along!
September 13, 2020
10:15am I Facebook Live
Whats Our Place in the Story?
Question of the Week
Can you think of a time when you felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit? -or- What is one way that you can support others as they take part in God's story?
The Big Idea:
We are not the heroes of the story—Jesus is.
Take away:
We’re not the center of the story, but we’re still part of the story and have a collective obligation to carry on the story.
Relevant Verses:
Exodus 14:14–15
14 The Lord[a] will fight for you, and you can be still.”[b]
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.[c]
Footnotes
-
Exodus 14:14 tn The word order places emphasis on “the Lord” (Heb “Yahweh”).
-
Exodus 14:14 tn The imperfect tense needs to be interpreted in contrast to all that Yahweh will be doing. It may be given a potential imperfect nuance (as here), or it may be obligatory to follow the command to stand firm: “you must be still.”
-
Exodus 14:15 tn The text literally says, “speak to the Israelites that they may journey.” The intent of the line, using the imperative with the subordinate jussive or imperfect expressing purpose is that the speaking is the command to move.
Resources:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Fee & Stuart); For Your Consideration (on Hulu)
What comes next?:
What story is being written around you right now? So what’s your role?
September 6, 2020
10:15am I Facebook Live
Once upon a time/The Good News
Question of the Week
What’s Some Good News you’ve heard this week?
The Big Idea:
The Good News is so much bigger than we can imagine
Take away:
“The early message was, accordingly, not experienced as something its hearers had to believe or do because otherwise something bad- something with no essential connection with real life- would happen to them. The people initially impacted by that message generally concluded that they would be fools to disregard it. That was the basis of their conversion.” - Dallas Willard
So how do we experience this as a Church?
Relevant Verses:
Romans 5:6-11 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? 11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.