Complete

We finished up our lessons drawn from the Psalms on Sunday with one of the most beloved of all time.  Psalm 23 is so stunningly simple. It is complete. It speaks to everyone differently and it has such profound implications stated so elegantly.  It must be sung.. believed.. shared with others.. from your heart... from your core..

Sharing the Presence of God with a people that need it so..

Psalm 23 NIV (New International Version)

A psalm of David.

    ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
    ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
       he leads me beside quiet waters,
    ³ he restores my soul.
       He guides me in paths of righteousness
       for his name's sake.
    ⁴ 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.
    ⁵ You prepare a table before me
       in the presence of my enemies.
       You anoint my head with oil;
       my cup overflows.
    ⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me
       all the days of my life,
       and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
       forever.

Open Door "at a glance"

If you are visiting HRBC on a Sunday AM here is an "at a glance" view of the Life Community which calls itself Open Door. We usually meet upstairs in the Wallace building "by the coffee pots".. but with us, you never know. Sometimes, we end up outside, in a park, or even at pool;-)

Disclaimer:Admittedly, this is Jeff's view of the class, but I figure as the teacher I am best positioned to prime the pump with ideas and lay it out there. If you all have other ideas, comments welcome.

Requirements to visit/join:

• Not really much, as we talk about the Bible and the implications of scripture in our daily lives, in plain english, no nonsense kind of approach.
• Can't say that I regularly even take roll. We are there for one another, whoever is there, each week.
• Bible knowledge not really required, this is an OTJ training environment.

Fun Facts:

• We are interested in "churches without walls" but that isn't practical, so we always leave the door open. seriously...We talk a lot about going to people instead of asking them to come to us...still trying to solve this one.
• We are the "coolest" class in the church. (especially in the Winter)
• We actually talk about things that many people in churches just think about.
• We have a lot of fun outside of church, from Pool parties, to Meat Night, to Ladies Nights Out, to our annual "men provide/cook gourmet dinner and serve it to the ladies"

Who we are:

• We are mostly married 30 somethings, 40 somethings, and 50 somethings. We tend to have children of differing ages in elementary school, but not necessarily.
• We enjoy thinking about current issues, and talking about how to actively use the gospel in our every day lives/applications.
• We aren't afraid to discuss and even question entrenched ideology and theology in a safe, inclusive, environment of friends.
• We care about one another and we act accordingly, going beyond the "traditional" expectations. We strive to sacrifice for one another, to make a difference.
• We ALL want to learn more about loving one another through regular study of the Bible, and further through regular fellowship and study. (in ecclesia)

Whose we are: GOD's period.

We are believers and searchers. A few of the favorite saying of Jeff are

• "I don't know the answer, but I still believe"
• "Every day is an opportunity"

Joy from Despair... based on perspective?

What a great class today.. We began with an extended exercise to document our coping mechanisms for handling serious "despair" scenarios.  The list extended from bible verses, to poetry, trips to the beach/mountains, music, family, loved ones, and even sports and exercise.  Everything on the board was relevant and perfectly articulated how we deal with problems in our world.  Rational, reasonable, logical.. and well explained.. Then the kicker arrived.. We cannot avoid the trials and sorrow..

 JOHN 16:19-22  (MSG)  Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, "Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, 'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness. "When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You'll no longer be so full of questions

"Joy is derived from the presence of God, not the absence of sorrow."  As humanists, realists, and "enlightened" thoroughly modern thinkers we tend to rely on our intellect, to control and try to manage issues to solve problems. This does not work. We solve for the symptom, not the disease/source.  As a class, we talked a lot about how the "coping mechanisms" we had all articulated "double" as mechanisms to seek the presence of God in our lives.  Even as the problems remain, the solutions must be centered in the JOY from "down deep in our heart" provided by God..

We are wired for joy and no amount of pleasure can complete that circuit..  From shoes, to jobs, to the internet and Facebook, to sports and entertainment... we must be sure that we seek joy rather than short acting, pleasures of our material, consumer driven society.  We are completed through the presence of Christ in our lives and he not only makes us whole, but provides us an imperative for action.  The world needs to continually hear the story of Christ.. to be reminded that he is our joy, not just for salvation but for everything in our life.  The difference between pleasure and joy is... "the presence of God" in the object, idea, or activity.  God is within in you and working all around you.  You must remember that and look to him, see him, trust him... It is really that simple..  Note that I didn't say it was easy. As we talked about in class, there is no Simple button in life. We know it, but we so often forget that.

"Theology without obedience is mere religious opinion." Wesley Handy 

We are COMMANDED to spread that joy to the world, the be the salt and light for the "greatest meal ever served"... Start by loving one another.. loving yourself, and seeking God in everything, everywhere! He is already there.. the only question is whether we choose to see him or see ourselves...

My favorite line from Bert's sermon today:

"Simple" -- 7 word summary of the Bible:

"I am God, and you are not!"

Awesomeness!!!

We met outside in the courtyard today and it was refreshing and different for everyone. Distractions, focus and mechanics/logistics o corporate praise are indeed difficult to manage, but when approached with care, they can be managed.. Goal must be to focus on the why(source) not the how(logistics, liturgy, facilities, chairs, food, etc..) -- Jeff

Praise: express warm approval or admiration of
• express one's respect and gratitude toward (a deity), esp. in song : we praise God for past blessings.

Other Words to consider: worship, glorify, honor, exalt, adore, pay tribute to, give thanks to, venerate, reverence; formal laud; archaic: magnify.
--- Awesome, Humble, Authentic, Facade, Simple, Elegant, Alone, Together

-----
Where does your praise come from...
If and When you praise... HOW DO YOU DO IT
What role does worship play in your life?
Do you praise, or do you perform...and how do you define the difference?
What role does praise have in your relationships... in your relationship with God?
When you are facing the "demons of your days".. how do you get up?
Do you "hang out" with Jesus?




 Psalm 150 MSG:
Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship, 
      praise him under the open skies; 
   Praise him for his acts of power, 
      praise him for his magnificent greatness; 
   Praise with a blast on the trumpet, 
      praise by strumming soft strings; 
   Praise him with castanets and dance, 
      praise him with banjo and flute; 
   Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum, 
      praise him with fiddles and mandolin. 
   Let every living, breathing creature praise God! 
      Hallelujah!

So, What is your story?

Easter is a miraculous event..
 it is a celebration of the cornerstone of our belief as Christians in a risen Savior.

Texts for the day: Psalm 118  and 1 Peter 2

Remember: the lesson from Psalm 118

1. Thank God (BE)
2. God is Good and His Love endures forever! (BE, LOVE)
3. Admit and own your difficulties and who you are.. then let them go.. (BE, LOVE, SERVE)
4. and Let it be said of you.. that Christ's likeness is shown to the world through you. (REPEAT)

How do you tell the story?
Will you tell the story?
Is THE story your story?

"What defines you NOW may not be what will define you eventually. However, NOW is what matters to allow for the journey to continue. Definition takes time, observation, decision, and a large dose of reality.Accepting WHAT YOU HAVE is enlightening - not disappointing. If you know what you have, you can develop it to its fullest. It can truly be YOU - not a watered-down version of something else; YOU ARE ENOUGH if you develop honesty, work ethic and purpose to find it and develop it fully." -Susan Eichhorn-Young

 “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” --- Marianne Williamson.

Let it be said of us that the Lord is our passion... 

that with gladness we bear every cross we are given. 

That we fight the good fight..that we finish the course...

Knowing within us the power of the risen Lord.

Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song....

by mercy made holy, by the Spirit made strong. 

Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song...

til the likeness of Jesus be through us made known.

Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song!