Success at community?

What would Jesus think of?
Us, Our church, Our familes, How we use our time... OUR DISCIPLESHIP

I deeply enjoyed learning and worshipping with you all this morning. I got myself all worked up as I listened to Bert speak and at the same time realized how busy my family would be at "church" today. The ideas that were laid before me were oxymoronic. This isn't the first nor likely the last time I get into situations where the Holy Spirit speaks to me and I don't understand. I may not know the answer, but I do believe.

We are truly committed to the business of HRBC, but we are more committed to the mission that Jesus laid out for us. I had some revelations in the last 24 hours as I studied Mark 8:34-9:1. Ask me one on one and I'll be glad to share some of my own insights. They are a bit personal, so I won't write them there, but I would like to talk with you more about them and learn about your own journeys, with their successes and failures. We don't have time for that on Sunday mornings, but I would like to offer up a regular discussion time at my house, if anyone is interested. We as a life community, can choose to prioritize and spend time together supporting one another in our homes, and outside of the expectations of HRBC. Perhaps, we might find a new language or tone to our discussions if we are open. We can talk more about this after I ask Tracee if it is okay.. ;-)

I know and can speak to the elements in my life of denying self and sacrificing for the ministry and mission that Jesus has laid out for me. I follow blindly, and I trust in the future. I love my neighbors often to a fault.


Assignment: (yes this is a test and written answers would be best)
1. What sort of Church do you want to be a part of? (answer in paragraph form)
2. Does HRBC and our OPEN DOOR class fulfill on those dreams? (yes or no)
3. How are you helping your church to bridge the gaps?

EXTRA CREDIT!!!
4. Are we successful as a class based on the criteria laid out in the video?
passion, work, focus, persistence, ideas, good, push, serve
5. What are we good at?
6. What can we improve on?

Meet Who? where, when, how, why

Hi all, Scripture for tomorow is

Isaiah 12:1-6 NRSV
You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. 56 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.

Isaiah 12:1-6 MESSAGE And you will say in that day, "I thank you, God. You were angry but your anger wasn't forever. You withdrew your anger and moved in and comforted me. "Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. God—yes God!—is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!" Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to God. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation! "Sing praise-songs to God. He's done it all! Let the whole earth know what he's done! Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel."

Since I won't be there.. I need each of you to think about how you can contribute to the class' journey through Meeting God. Look to the Holy Spirit to work within you and treat this as a bit of a test for one another.

on accountability, resourcefulness, encouragement.. are you role models for one another?

Proposed discussion plan and starter sequence: whoever is there.. this is your "ASSIGNMENT"

When you come to church.. Who exactly do you intend to meet?
How exactly do you "MEET" God? write up some practical examples.. maybe even personal stories. reviewing the last few weeks..

How do we worship.. review the scripture for guidance.. what else can we do?
Why do we worship.. review the scripture for guidance.. what does it say.. What else is the Holy spirit telling you right now?

Others: What role does discipline and boundaries play in your life, sports, arts? What are some of the big boundaries for Christians? How do we deal with them and what role does the worshipping community play in supporting one another through our collective failures?

Is worship between and individual and God or is it the "collective" offering of the church honoring God? is it both? and what does that mean.

I am so sorry that I won't be there to talk with you and learn from you tomorrow. I will probably miss you much more than you miss me.. ;-)

Reminder, this is what we have talked about through January..

Meeting God in Renewal Isaiah 2:1-6, 13, 20-22
Meeting God in Judgment Isaiah 5:1-13
Meeting God in the Temple Isaiah 6:1-8
Meeting God through the Spirit Isaiah 11:1-9
Meeting God through Worship Isaiah 12:1-6

BONUS ACTIVITY: What do you remember from our study this month... fill up those boards.. with thoughts, ideas.. maybe even action plans.. would love to see comments, emails on this for discussion.

Our first Make a difference Sunday is still set for April 26th but we may not be able to partner with Julie's class since this is Youth Sunday.. I am feeling convicted that we should stick with the date and find something to do.. even if it means coming to church and then "hitting the road" with our familes for service.. Wasn't my original plan, but it might be what God's plan is.. I am still praying on that one.

Sorry I won't see you tomorrow.
jeff

The LISTS: Kooky with Big Ears, are you?

It was great to be back at HRBC today. We had a low attendance day today.. FYI to all, we noticed and missed you. Glad we had Jill, Jon, Veona, Don, Tracee, Heather and myself..

MAKE A DIFFERENCE SUNDAY will be April 26. mark your calendars, and start preparing.. We are partnering with Julie's class and ideas are coming soon...

Study today was on Isaiah 11:1-9(full text is at the bottom of this post from the NIV)
Sermon in worship service was on :

We began our exercises today trying to come up with the characteristics we would list to describe people in our lives who are "led by the spirit".. real people, real examples.. not ministers or church leaders..

Our Role models, Encouragers, Accountability Partners, and Resources were:
Bruce, Cassandra, Pat, Ed, Liss, Dee, and Nancy.

The Spirit LIST: Humble, Faithful to God, Trusting, Compassionate, Honest, Encouraging, Servant, Positive, Respected, Kooky, Helpers, Charitable, Available, Big Ears, Big Hugs, Persistent, Fair, Objective, Prayerful.

For us this list defined values that are Old and TRUE... these should be the keys to success. It is unfortunate that in most cases in today's world, we tend to attribute value to individuals who exemplify the opposite of these things all too often. The list above perfectly exemplifies the ideas we have been focusing on for: Perspective, Opportunity, followed by Action. That is how we meet God in my book. We should all strive to be a little more "kooky" and we should definitely spend more time listening with our "Big Ears".

We then dove into our Bible study and created the following lists to try and make sense of the poetry and message from the prophet.

vs 1-5-- The new king as defined by Isaiah will be: fruit-bearing, filled with wisdom, understanding, counsel, mighty, powerful, full of knowledge, fearful of the Lord, will delight in the Lord. he will judge by righteousness and not just by sight, just, righteous, faithful,

vs 6-9-- The new kingdom as defined by Isaiah will be: non-conformist, child-like, calm, peaceful,trusting, smart and safe

The Branch From Jesse

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

QUESTIONS for YOU!
How would you score on our spirit filled, spirit led 10 point scale?
Under pressure, do you look to the Lord first or do you first lean on your OWN understanding and experience?
Who is in control? the president, the pastor, the church, the individual, the parent? or......

Accountability: Perspective, Opportunity, Action

I have been so busy lately, that I haven't maintained a very healthy example of keeping perspective, finding opportunities or actions. I wonder if maybe you all might be feeling the same. Seems like things are kind of hectic right now despite our "deep freeze".

Had an interesting thought that while my personal focus is a little frenetic right not, my "systems of involvement" and relationships have kept me on track. Other people and my regular committments have helped to hold me in line despite myself. Coaching in Upward with the practice on Monday and then games today has made a difference in reminding me and keeping me accountable to my own plans. Preparing for SS lessons is always a challenge and praying with my family at meals is a constant baseline of attention. Think about what your grounding points are and what the contexts are that keep you involved in each others' lives. Telephone calls to one another, maybe meals together, studying together and even playing Wii together are all opportunities. Sports, Music, Choirs, etc.. each presents chances already in place that we just need the courage to embrace and commit to.. Not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. Aren't we lucky that God is always there and just waiting for us to ask for help, or even just waiting for a simple conversation.

How is your personal God time going these days? I would like to hear and help and hope we can all help each other as the devotion below mentions..

Tracee and I will be at First Baptist Ahoskie way down in NC tomorrow but Ken will do a great job facilitating and teaching as he always does. Pray for safe and fast travel for us.. We will be booking it back up the road and hope to see some or all of you at Family Movie Night tomorrow night. See you soon!

jeff

==========================================
Spiritual Growth Is Not a Private Matter
by Rick Warren

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)

*** *** *** ***

Some of us hesitate to commit ourselves to developing an intentional plan of growth that requires accountability or relationship with others because we believe spiritual growth is a personal and private matter. We choose to believe each person develops in his or her own way at his or her own rate.

This is an aberration from the truth.The idolatry of individualism has influenced even the way we think about spiritual growth.So much of the teaching on spiritual formation is self-centered and self-focused without any reference to our relationship to other Christians.

This is completely unbiblical and ignores much of the New Testament. The truth is that Christians need relationships to grow. We don't grow in isolation from others. We develop in the context of fellowship.

Over and over again in the New Testament we find this basic truth: Believers need relationships with each other to grow! Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another …" (NIV).

God intends for us to grow up in a family.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches.

The Line

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. As we enter this holiday week and the Advent season beyond (even if Rev. Terry thinks it is Lent.. ;-) each of you should know how special our time together is each week. I have learned to cherish the precious time I have with you, as it emboldens and empowers me to action and decisions throughout the week. It is my prayer that our time together has the same effect on you. Thank you for your time and energy.

---------

We talked today about names, choices and the system of influences which inform even our most basic of decisions. Going forward, think about how you use your Christian beliefs, the imperatives presented in Matthew 25, the examples set out for us in Daniel, and the model of servant leadership displayed to us by the life of Jesus.

One piece of my lesson that I didn't get to today was the role of our government in this call to social activism. I honestly don't believe that it is nearly as central and important for us in the future as it has been in recent decades. Our government is charged to provide for us: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".. Each of us defines success differently, it has radically different manifestations based on place, time, culture, and the context of neighbors. The government needs to succeed in ensuring opportunities for its citizens equally, not in mandating the content of those provisions. We are each accountable for our own success and failures given the conditions provided for us by our times.

The video Jill mentioned is included here from Advent Conspiracy



As a member of a the Christian community and a follower of Jesus, we are charged to make a difference. We are charged to "just do it", not talk about it, pray about it, or simply expect to others to do it for us. Doing always presents choices and options, and the choice of actions or acceptance is driven by our perception of the line.

Where do you choose to stand up, set an example, and act to preserve your faith(with its implicit call to action)? Jesus was a radical and called us to be the same. I call you to stand up for "your" line and encourage/learn from our class both in relationships, and in the classroom.

Happy Thanksgiving,
jeff

Class BUSINESS:

1. Need some "action" for a Christmas event/party.
2. Need to check in on the Hulettes and help out however we can. first few weeks of new baby are tough, even tougher as we enter Holidays with other children.
3. "Make a difference Sunday" is still on for some time in Q1 2009. I am still looking for ideas on how we as a group, with our families, can put our words into action showing that worship can and will take place somewhere other than just at HRBC on Sunday am. ideas so far include: Children's Hospital trip, Veterans Hospital fellowship, Homeless shelter workday, Neighbor in need blitz on housework, etc.
4. Team teaching on Sundays. I would like to return to a regular rotation where we provide some others in our class opportunities to step up and lead. Volunteers, step up and let me know. I'll schedule it.
5. Deacons Warm up plans for the Winter are underway. Barry and I will be in touch with more details. Please make this chance to meet and interact intergenerationally important in your schedule.

Bruschetta ________________

Got this picture from a friend who recently returned from Spoleto.. In honor of our recent adventure into Bruschetta Pomodoro.. thought you might enjoy options on what it looks like with other toppings from mushrooms, to herbs, to ???

remember it is pronounced [broosKeta] not brooshetta

Confession of an "Activist"

I have to be honest and confess. I was actively trying to stir you all up a bit to see what would happen and how we would function as a life community faced with volatility and opinion. I was using volatile language and emotional personal preferences to spur you into thinking about your own actions, ideas and choices. I believe that Amos was dealing with this sort of situation when he spoke out and I commend each of you for talking and listening equally. If you left thinking, then I accomplished my goal as your facilitator. If you left stirred up, a little shocked, then I accomplished my goals. I wanted to "Rock the Boat". Thanks for helping me.. all of you.

WHY?
Social activism is something I believe we should embrace as a class, but it will NOT come without a cost. maybe money, maybe reputation, time, resources, etc..
Like Amos, there will be consequences. Lots of things will be "in the air"..

• Will we choose to sacrificially love those around us who we may not even agree with?
• Can we love without return?
• Do you believe that actions really speak louder than words.. If so, then why do we talk so much, and do so little...?

We can't fight all the battles or change the world. We can pray to God to inspire and direct us towards HIS work.

What is God telling you that we should be doing? now, tomorrow, next week, year, etc...
Where do you draw the line and stand up to be counted, despite the cost?

I'd like to hear...

jeff