tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26340627155091610982024-03-05T13:57:37.976-08:00The River ChurchTodd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-53962003905957376902017-03-09T10:48:00.001-08:002017-03-09T12:47:44.517-08:00Living What We're Learning: Nothing Matters More than People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This coming Sunday, I'll preach the second message in our new series "Art of Neighboring". But before I do, it occurs to me that I missed or at least under-emphasized something important in week 1. We'll see it again this week, too, no doubt. In week 1, we took a look at the story of "The Good Samaritan" from Luke 10:25-37. There are so many beautifully pregnant details in this passage. On Sunday, I stated that one thing we ought to take away from this passage is that <i>"loving your neighbor means caring for people near you, not just people like you &/or people you like"</i>. I think this is absolutely true, though maybe an extension of what is most emphasized in this specific passage. It can't be denied that in this passage Jesus is showing us not who we should love but what loving looks like, who we should be, not who should be loved. Jesus shows us via the Samaritan, whose actions mimic those of Jesus himself throughout the Gospels, that loving means caring for people near us regardless of who they are, what they need, or how occupied we might be. But the thing I think perhaps I should have emphasized more in this passage is something a little more basic, a little more obvious. Here it is: Nothing matters more to Jesus than people--not the next item on my to-do list, not my itinerary, not my plans, not anything. Loving people like Jesus did means prioritizing people over my plans, problems, or agenda. <br />
<br />
Here's what that looks like on the roads we travel in the 21st century as described by a person who lived it out this week:<i> (The name of the person and some details may have been changed/omitted for the sake of anonymity)</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"So talk about God putting you in the right place at the right time...it happened to me on I-20 and it goes along with Sunday's message about how we move through life oblivious, not caring about others.</span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I was working out of town all day and ended up working over. To make matters worse, I hit every single red light and terrible traffic on my way back to my office to drop off my work van and close out my work orders for the day. By the time I finally clocked out I had already worked two hours overtime that I wouldn't be paid for. So as I get on my way home 45 mins away, I get caught in traffic again going well under the speed limit, when out of nowhere as I'm crossing the Congaree River bridge, I see a guy about to jump off and commit suicide!! So I jerk my truck over two lanes of traffic, enraging a number of people in the process. I jump out of my truck and run over within 15 feet of the guy then start walking so I don't scare him. Then I did what I know you're not supposed to do in a situation like this: I hopped up and sat down on the edge and I said, 'Hey, nice day outside huh? I'm (<i>Joe</i>)', and we start talking. Eventually he gets down and 15 minutes later the police show up and I give him my number.</span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">There were hundreds of passers-by who were just too busy with their own problems that could have taken the time to pull over and talked to Andre, his name is Andre. He was going to kill himself because his girlfriend wouldn't let him see his two boys...</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So even when you're having a bad day, caught in traffic, stuck at work, or just life is difficult in general, take a second look and keep your eyes peeled. It very well could be a God thing. It could be him putting you where He wants you, where someone needs you, and not just the devil messing with you. Be still, be patient, have confidence and trust that God will put you exactly where he needs you and at the exact moment he wants you there...If I'm dumb enough to not obey, he'll choose someone else and I'll miss out. I'm grateful and I feel so privileged that He chose me...and that today I was not one of the hundreds who ignored Andre altogether." </span></span></blockquote>
Nothing matters more to Jesus than people, nothing at all. Shouldn't it be the same for those of us who follow Him? </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-27723056356010198242013-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:002013-10-02T12:12:11.439-07:00Seeing God through Glasses I Couldn't Find<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Answered prayers take on many forms, and every one of them speaks to the love of the sovereign God who is on our side. Today God's love and sovereignty showed up as an answered prayer in the form of a pair of glasses and a credit card company mistake.<br />
<br />
A couple of months ago, I got a slightly changed new prescription for my glasses. The lenses I had were terribly scratched last February during my trip to India & Nepal. But I'd worn them with scratches ever since to save money. And I didn't fill my new prescription after I got it for the same reason. But then roughly three weeks ago I lost my glasses. As soon as I realized it, I looked everywhere for them, and thoroughly, but I couldn't find them. I still had my prescription sunglasses, and I managed as best I could for the last 3 weeks with only my shades <i>(So if you saw some crazy guy in a white SUV driving somewhere in Kershaw county SC at night while wearing shades, now you know he wasn't drunk or high)</i>. But over the last few days, I was starting to get headaches and achy eyes, so I realized I just couldn't wait anymore. I had to bite the bullet and go get new glasses.<br />
<br />
Because my prescription had recently changed some, I also needed lenses for my shades. So by the time the lady added up one pair of new frames and lenses for 2 pairs of eyeglasses, the total came to over $350!! Though we make it a point not to carry a balance on credit cards, all I could do was put it on a card and pay it off over the next couple of months. So I selected a card I use regularly but pay off the balance in order to get vacation points from the purchases. Although the lady who helped me tried to run the card several times, it inexplicably wouldn't work. Eventually she set my order aside on my promise that my wife would be in later that day to pay for the new frames and lenses with another card that would work.<br />
<br />
As I walked out of the store, I called my wife to tell her she'd have to come by to pay for my glasses for me. We both remarked how this was a large expense we didn't need right now due to some other recent unplanned and unavoidable expenses. She asked me, "Are you sure you checked everywhere?", to which I answered, "Yes, thoroughly." She also mentioned that the credit card company had contacted her as I was attempting to pay for the
glasses, to ask her if we were trying to make a $357 purchase. She would have to call them back to find out why it wasn't going through.<br />
They
later informed her that the card wouldn't go through because the security code printed on the card
was not ours "according to their records". Keep in mind that this was the very same security code that had always been printed on the card and which
we had used multiple times including within the last 48 hours! <br />
<br />
As I got to my car and hung up the call with my wife, I decided it couldn't hurt to check the car once more for my lost glasses. As Lisa hung up the call with me, she decided to pray and ask God to help us with this unexpected expense. I looked under the seat, then I looked in the gap between my seat and the console. As I knelt beside the car to look under the seat again one last time, I caught a reflection just behind the seat, not under it. THERE THEY WERE!!!<br />
<br />
God had answered Lisa's prayer! But even more than that, God had made sure just minutes earlier that I didn't purchase eyeglass frames that I didn't need. For a few critical moments, at just the perfect time, a credit card, which had always worked, suddenly didn't--just long enough for God to reveal what I needed--just long enough for God to reveal that He was involved and in control.<br />
<br />
Lisa called the card company and they fixed the "problem". I found glasses to wear till my new lenses <i>(no new frames needed!)</i> come in <i>(so no more headaches)</i>. And I spent nearly $100 less on glasses than I would have had to spend had I not found the glasses! <br />
<br />
A good friend recently asked me, "How can you be so sure about God? Do you ever struggle to believe?" I told her that I often have questions, that I often deal with things I don't quite understand. I did today when the lady at the optical shop read me a total that was $100 more than I expected. I thought, "Lord, why now?" But I also told her that although I have questions and doubts, I don't doubt that He is, that He is good, and that He is in control. I often doubt my own understanding of Him. I sometimes question whether I have misunderstood His Word and Him as a result. But I don't doubt Him. <br />
<br />
"Why do you not doubt God?", you may ask. There were at least 10,000 reasons before today. But reason 10,001 is that today I saw Him through glasses I couldn't find, frames I couldn't afford, and a credit card that wouldn't work...each of them a part of a gracious and timely answer to prayer from the God who both "exists and...rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-11253465704275729922013-07-24T09:30:00.001-07:002013-07-24T09:38:26.826-07:00Are You Thirsty?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.dannold.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ComeThirsty-TITLEweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.dannold.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ComeThirsty-TITLEweb.jpg" width="320" /></a>by Bill Stroup</div>
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On Sunday, July 14<sup>th</sup> Pastor Bryan referred to
this verse:</div>
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<br /></div>
<span class="text"> Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for streams of water,</span> <span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text">so
my soul pants for you, my God."</span>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Related to the idea expressed here are the following verses
from other psalms:</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Psalm 63:1 "<span class="text">O God, you are my God;</span><br />
<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">I
earnestly search for you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text">My soul thirsts for you; </span><span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text"> </span><br />
<span class="text"> my
whole body longs for you </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text"> </span><span class="text">in this parched and weary land</span> <span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text"> </span><br />
<span class="text"> where
there is no water."</span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Psalm 65:9 "<span class="text">You take care of the earth and water it, </span><span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text">making
it rich and fertile.</span><br />
<span class="text">The river of God has plenty of water;</span><br />
<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">it
provides a bountiful harvest of grain,</span> <span class="indent-1-breaks"></span><span class="text">for
you have ordered it so."</span></div>
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There is a song we sometimes sing, based on Psalm 42:1 – </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> <span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>As the deer pants for the water
<br />
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So my soul longs after you.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
You alone are my heart’s desire</div>
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And I long worship you.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left;">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> (Refrain) You alone are my strength, my shield,</i>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To you alone will my spirit yield.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You alone are my heart’s desire</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And I long to worship you.</i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> <span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>I want you more than gold or silver,
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
Only you can satisfy.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
You alone are the real joy giver</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
And the apple of my eye.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
You’re my friend and you are my Father</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
Even though you are my King.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
I love you more than any other</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left;">
So much more than anything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text"></span>Really? Does that describe how you feel, how you react when
thinking about God’s presence in your life. Are you dying of thirst for His
presence, for an active relationship with Him?
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
As worship leader in another church I used the above song on
occasion. One Sunday after having used this song in the service, a fellow elder
in the church came to me and said, “Bill, I don’t really like that song very
much. I wish you wouldn’t use it.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
When I responded back by asking him what he did not like
about it he replied, “Well, there are lots of times when I just don’t feel that
way. I don’t feel I’m dying of thirst for God’s presence in my life. I feel
like when we sing it that I am telling a lie to God.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Do you ever feel that way when using that particular song or
other songs in which we express our love and appreciation toward God?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
“John, I totally agree with you – but here, as in many of
the songs we sing, we sing about where we know we ought to be, where we desire
to be, where we hope that we will be as we grow and develop in our Christian
lives. I really believe that if you sing it in that spirit that it will mean
very much to you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
What about you? Do you find that at times it is hard to sing
some of the lyrics to worship songs? If so, remember that they are often meant
to challenge us toward growth in our Christian lives and appreciation of God’s
awesome goodness and care for us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
On the other hand, if you are never challenged by the songs
we sing, are you actually thinking while you sing? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be easy to JUST SING, without focusing
on the words, on their meaning. It is encouraging to hear Pastor Bryan comment
often on the words of the songs we sing, to note how they touch his heart. That
comes from paying attention to what is being expressed, and I would implore you
to do that too. Think about the words – and allow them to turn your heart and
mind to our God and his gracious and mighty character.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Even if you can only “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”
(Psalm 100:1), allow the words of the songs to bring you to real worship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i>(Bill Stroup is an elder serving on the River Church's advisory team. He and his wife Mary Ellen have served the Lord in various leadership roles in churches over the years. They also served as missionaries in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.)</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-45809843552652502062013-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:002013-07-15T14:12:19.231-07:00Love, Serve, Give - Feeding the Hungry and Homeless in Kershaw County<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The book of Nehemiah is a great story. A rather ordinary guy has a burden for what is ultimately God's burden, and - despite incredible opposition - accomplishes great things as he leads the effort to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem in 52 days! So often, we read these stories and think... <b>why don't great things like this happen is modern times? </b>A better question might be, <i>are they happening, and we're just missing them?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This week, we enter our third month of serving the hungry and homeless in the old Bi-Lo parking lot in downtown Camden. <i> </i>A lot has happened in these first eight weeks. We've grown, we've learned a lot, and we've been able to begin thinking about "<i>what's next</i>?" in the realm of this ministry. But... let's back up a bit... What am I talk about, and how did it get started?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPaJS67MY27yw9vOFSs7NFc4AVRmt-cySYk-tbpSADA3MQIOWZbEvdq1jm0lY2xhzUnJLcbwBxKJT0VZN9HJuFOl7XMFrM7rlV9gZQE0nn5RZ2h1dK9I-BPdA2ufWmQvIiXzZOvcUwzD3/s1600/lsg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPaJS67MY27yw9vOFSs7NFc4AVRmt-cySYk-tbpSADA3MQIOWZbEvdq1jm0lY2xhzUnJLcbwBxKJT0VZN9HJuFOl7XMFrM7rlV9gZQE0nn5RZ2h1dK9I-BPdA2ufWmQvIiXzZOvcUwzD3/s400/lsg2.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In March 2013, The River Church did a series on Nehemiah entitled "<i>52 Days" (</i>you can listen to it <a href="http://www.riverchurchonline.com/media.php?pageID=5" target="_blank">here</a>.") A young lady came up after the service and said she had found her burden, and that she felt called to feed the hungry and homeless in Kershaw County. <i> </i>I remember thinking "...<i>this lady can't really impact the problem, and she's really not in a position (financially) to do anything about it." </i>I also remember thinking... "<i>I know how this works...she'll be back in a month, wanting to know what WE (the church) had done about HER problem..."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few weeks passed, and - sure enough - she started towards me after church. I remember thinking, "<i>Here she comes... wanting to know what <b>we've</b> done..." </i>Instead though, she began to tell me this incredible stor<i>y</i>! On her own, she decided to purchase and cook rice and beans, and take them to the old Bi-Lo building to feed whoever showed up. No plan. No committee. Just someone who saw a need, married it up with God's burden (to care for the less fortunate), and answered it. She fed 17 people that first day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other people had ideas. Ideas that they carried with them for years. Ideas for a place. Ideas to feed hungry and homeless people. Ideas to get churches to work together. And we had incredible cooks with a desire to make lots of food for people! It all began to come together.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaVI0iHTr5ZCTymFM5AeZ2G1zfUaNw0ewhtQlesi7jjDMj4nuJFLCoAyelJkHcyeDfd1y7QeRw8nxoX5RGvUgyzenNxEObM1QOBKdtEAF6KgfE-8DmoVRvEqlIOQbhyphenhyphenxlor0scYj3OYt6/s1600/lsg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaVI0iHTr5ZCTymFM5AeZ2G1zfUaNw0ewhtQlesi7jjDMj4nuJFLCoAyelJkHcyeDfd1y7QeRw8nxoX5RGvUgyzenNxEObM1QOBKdtEAF6KgfE-8DmoVRvEqlIOQbhyphenhyphenxlor0scYj3OYt6/s400/lsg1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fast forward to where we are today. That initial "feeding" has grown to a group of people from multiple churches feeding around 60-80 people on Sunday afternoons at 5pm in the old Bi-Lo parking lot. Some of those involved don't attend church. We don't attend the same church. In fact - we're not even all the same denomination! But - we've all come together to meet the needs of the community and to answer the call that Christ had to "love your neighbor."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Why Sunday afternoon? Because it's the ONE day in Kershaw County that the hungry and homeless cannot get a <u>hot </u>meal. The other six days are provided for by our friends at <a href="http://foodforthesoulkc.org/" target="_blank">Food for the Soul</a> and Mount Moriah Baptist Church. We've also found out that friends at God's Hand's Beyond Our Wall's ministry, a group of churches that provides a bag lunch on Sunday at Boykin Park, share our vision for providing a hot meal, and that four times a year (on the "fifth Sunday" months), we will be joining with them at a location to be determined for a celebration and feeding for the hungry and homeless! Our goal has NEVER been to compete. In fact, we've said - the day that Food for the Soul feeds on Sunday is the day we find another problem to solve!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what's next? Someone from our own church asked me "<i>If other churches 'sign up' to handle a week each month at the old Bi-Lo, then what will those of us from The River do?"</i> It's a great reminder that <i><b>this was, and never will be, about US! </b></i>There are communities spread all over Kershaw County that can't get to the Bi-Lo building in Camden. What about Elgin? Lugoff? Cassatt? Kershaw? Bethune? Our goal was never to find something for us to go - but to <i><b>ensure that every hungry person in Kershaw County had access to a hot meal seven days a week. </b></i>Not just in Camden. Or Lugoff. Or Elgin. In ALL of Kershaw County. This is simply the first step, and there's much work to do!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqytzygaR1x5MEkGRV0Kdz2APvaWIwlTUT7LIwDZx6bcvwNdeIbrPtSIlIJEYQkU_mNUXRJdIMLvEijtfLadGiCIdjumhSvr7GV73_PtR7Mk32owwXiKCheZPvgqNba8654h9rsDjT6OF8/s1600/LSG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqytzygaR1x5MEkGRV0Kdz2APvaWIwlTUT7LIwDZx6bcvwNdeIbrPtSIlIJEYQkU_mNUXRJdIMLvEijtfLadGiCIdjumhSvr7GV73_PtR7Mk32owwXiKCheZPvgqNba8654h9rsDjT6OF8/s320/LSG.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You may have already begun seeing the bright yellow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LoveServeGive" target="_blank">LoveServeGive</a> t-shirts around town. Where do they fit into all of this? Remember - <u><b>it's never been about us.</b></u> It's never been about me, and it's never been about The River Church. The t-shirts are simply a way to say "it's not about me. It's about Him, and what He wants." <span style="font-size: small;">Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all we've got
and the second is to love others the same way! There is no better way to
show this than to follow the example that Jesus set by serving others
and giving completely of Himself. It's not simply about feeding the hungry or serving the homeless. It's about showing people who Christ was. Not <i>just </i>inviting them to church. Not <i>just </i>telling them about Jesus. Both are important, but people need to <b><i>see</i></b> who Jesus is, too. We do that when we Love. Serve. Give.</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon
every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the
apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in
common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and
distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day,
attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they
received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and
having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day
by day those who were being saved."</span> - </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Acts 2:42-47 (ESV)</span></i></span></span> </div>
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Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-74364967859446622002013-06-11T12:43:00.001-07:002013-06-11T12:44:31.082-07:00I'm a Big Flippin' Mess!<h2 class="title">
</h2>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="day">By Jimmy Braddock</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="day"> </span><span class="month"></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXX7ybB0maELu4C5hoh-dc_-aM5VTNTp8AuGc-shZpY0B1crbhXEJUjj8AGZuIfGXVG80l99UQ1Yj7bW_AmqPaqpkCGc_oKnQSmqVPdW8XUqf3mJC9qQroVSpuAw2y8NaT2KjLTZMh-TF/s1600/mess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXX7ybB0maELu4C5hoh-dc_-aM5VTNTp8AuGc-shZpY0B1crbhXEJUjj8AGZuIfGXVG80l99UQ1Yj7bW_AmqPaqpkCGc_oKnQSmqVPdW8XUqf3mJC9qQroVSpuAw2y8NaT2KjLTZMh-TF/s200/mess.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything and that’s
because I really haven’t felt like anything I had to share was good
enough, important enough, eloquent enough, profound enough or anything
enough to warrant our precious collective time and attention. I get that
way a lot and, I guess, that’s the way I feel about my life in
general. Stay with me! This isn’t about my lack of self esteem or
inferiority complex-Those things have been addressed…Okay, still being
addressed! This is about travelling through life, with all it’s peaks
and valleys, and being comfortable with my screwed-uppedness (yep, my
word.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had been dealing with several situations that were just difficult
and messy. I was struggling with my ability to be an effective leader,
if I was qualified to give advice, and if I was capable of dealing with
anything much more complicated than a spirited game of Go-Fish. Enter
the Creator of the Universe who decided to take a little time out of His
somewhat busy schedule to send me, one of His problem children, a
little nudge. A friend shared a Facebook status about a page called
Messy Spirituality (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MessySpirituality">https://www.facebook.com/MessySpirituality</a>)
and it said the 100th “Like” would receive a free book and a $5 Panera
card. I had to…I Love Panera. I liked the page, thought I was the 100th,
and then forgot about it. I scanned the page briefly but honestly
dismissed it with a thought to return later. A few days later, a small
package arrived and I hadn’t thought anymore about the giveaway. It was
my Panera card and a copy of <i>Messy Spirituality</i> by Michael
Yaconelli. By now, we had started a diet and there was no way Julie was
gonna let me have chocolate croissants from Panera. So, Keli got the
gift card and I started reading the book. After I read the back cover, I
realized this was all just a little plot by my crafty Father to get
this book in my hands. I haven’t finished the book yet and this is not a
review. I will, however, recommend it to anyone who has ever thought to
themselves (or screamed at the top of their lungs) “I’m a big flippin’
mess”!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have known since I was a little kid that Jesus loved me! How did I
know? For the bible told me so and that’s the way the song went. I went
through a long period thinking God didn’t want anything to do with me.
Then, that Jesus may love me, but He probably didn’t like me much. I’m
finally starting to accept that Jesus loves me and there ain’t nothing I
can do about it. He loves me in spite of, and including, my
screwed-uppedness. Actually, I think it endears me to Him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I want so desperately to be the perfect picture of
faith, spirituality and obedience! But, I fall short of my
expectations-not His. I get mad at myself when I question God, when I
complain, when I’m short with my wife or kids, and the list goes on.
Basically, I’m upset when I screw up because I know that God deserves so
much better from me. He knows how messed up I am and he expects that
I’m going to screw up-frequently. I feel like I am in this
perpetual cycle of brokenness and regeneration while He continues
to draw me ever closer to Himself. Jesus has absolutely wrecked my life
and completely shattered any ideas of who I think I am or I’m supposed
to be. I am grateful beyond words for that beautiful collision of my
mess and His Grace. As long as I’m confined to this body on this earth, I
will never come anywhere close to that perfect picture. Guess what? I
hear that still, small voice telling me that as long as I keep moving
closer to Him, That’s okay! If He’s okay with my mess, I’ve got to be
okay with it. It’s okay to not have all the answers. It’s okay to not be
okay. It’s okay that I don’t meet my expectations (or anyone elses) as
long as I meet His. It’s okay to be a mess!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Wk3L6hXq57VP3jvxY9rGCualv6zGWCQSTbe7E9htMcFR_foksN8XLEODse-V03zSKPRmImdtiq8eG5hedrDlVgf_LIr5N2UQo0RS7_MLlLQ8NfjZs9nplZFSIf0Id8UxzwrTRfdjPy_9/s1600/Scribble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Wk3L6hXq57VP3jvxY9rGCualv6zGWCQSTbe7E9htMcFR_foksN8XLEODse-V03zSKPRmImdtiq8eG5hedrDlVgf_LIr5N2UQo0RS7_MLlLQ8NfjZs9nplZFSIf0Id8UxzwrTRfdjPy_9/s400/Scribble.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have said all of this to tell you that my God is right on time. He
knows what I need and when I need it. No matter how big a screw up I am,
He loves me! No matter how inadequate I feel, He says I’m capable! No
matter how inferior I think I am, He says I am good enough, I am adored,
and I am a kid of the King! I may be a screw-up, but I know that I am
His screw-up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m a big flippin’ mess, but it’s a glorious mess and it’s okay!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Jimmy Braddock </i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>is husband to Julie and dad to Keli and
Karis. Jimmy is the Director of Operations for Providence Home in Columbia, SC and gets to do for a
living what he loves - hanging out with amazing people everyday
sharing the love of Jesus while striving to be a follower of Christ and not
just a fan! </i></span> </span>Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-1376867447288895052013-06-04T08:08:00.001-07:002013-06-04T08:08:28.453-07:00Why We Don't Disciple Like Jesus Did<!--[if !mso]>
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Why We Don’t Disciple Like Jesus Did</span></b></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">by Mike Breen</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If we want to know how Jesus discipled
people and how the early church (including Paul) certainly seemed to disciple
people, this is what we need to know: <b>Discipleship requires imitation. </b>This
is the nitty gritty of what it means to be a <i>learner.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus asked his disciples to imitate
His life. That was His process. It was how He passed on the DNA.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our lives don’t have to be perfect, or
close to perfect, for us to begin multiplying the life we have in Jesus into
others. But people desperately need a flesh-and-blood example to look at,
watch, ask questions, receive teaching and apprentice themselves to. If they
are struggling to read Scripture, it’s not enough to toss someone a book on
reading the Bible or point them to a podcast.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We don’t simply tell people to pray; we
teach them to pray as we pray. We don’t just instruct people to forgive; we
show them what it looks like to forgive when we’ve been stabbed in the back. In
the end, we need to be at a place of enough stability and maturity in our own
spiritual lives that we are confident it would be a good thing if people did
imitate us. This is the way of discipleship.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what stands in our
way of following Jesus’ example?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you’re anything like me, you
probably have two, slightly negative knee-jerk reactions to the idea of
imitation. And they probably have to do with confidence and power.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With confidence, it comes down to you
and me. It comes down to the fact that we may know we’re created to disciple
people and that it isn’t just about me “being fed.” We know if we are invested
in, eventually we need to invest our lives into others. Scripture doesn’t give
much leeway on that one. And if we are going to offer our lives to a small
group of people to imitate, we actually have to believe that our life is worth
imitating.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now we’re going to take a sudden turn
here because seriously discussing discipleship and imitation requires us to
look into the future and ask what Jesus is asking of us. If we are His disciples,
it means we will eventually be discipling people. That idea raises up some
things in us.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At gut-level honesty, most of us don’t
have the confidence to offer our lives as something to imitate, do we? Why?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because we don’t think it would be a
good thing. Our lives are often chaotic, hard, challenging and slightly
depressing enough. Why in the world would we want to pass that on?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe our marriages aren’t in the best
place.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe we’re single and haven’t exactly
lived the “purest” of lives.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe we’re not particularly good
parents, and that’s not a relationship we want anyone to see.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps our work life/home life balance
is really out of whack.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We might be loaded with debt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps we feel isolated, alone or have
very little sense of peace.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We wonder—though we have a hard time
admitting it—if God is actually moving in our lives and communities. We read
the book of Acts and think it must be for other people or other times.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This could very possibly be your
reality. Herein lies one of our biggest problems: We can’t possibly conceive of
discipling people because we don’t have lives we’d want others to have.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are so consumed with being
successful (the drug of choice for Americans) or simply surviving the chaos, or
having more stuff, or being popular, that we aren’t much different from people
who don’t know Jesus.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even pastors.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The fact is that for most of us,
imitating our lives might not be a good thing. The reality is that we don’t
even know how to live ourselves, much less feel comfortable with someone
imitating us.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because most of us have never truly
been discipled. Maybe you’ve grown up in church. Maybe you’ve even gone to
seminary. Maybe you lead a church, small group or Bible study. Maybe you’ve
read every Christian book there is to read from the last 50 years. Great! You
may have an outstanding informational foundation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But you still might need to be
discipled in the way the Bible understands discipleship.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have met more leaders than I can
count who, combined, lead hundreds of thousands of people—and have never been
discipled.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if it didn’t have to be that way?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wonder if there are people in your
life whom God has been preparing in advance, who are open to you, who would
want to invest all that God has given them, into your life?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I guarantee there is a person you know
who, when you look at them, consider them and pray about them, you think, <i>You
know what? If in 20 years my life looked like theirs, that would be a really
good thing</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If we exist in a relational system
where the principle “every disciple disciples” is lived out, then we are all
being held accountable by someone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
article is excerpted and adapted from the free eBook </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Great Disappearance<i> by 3DM leader Mike Breen. In the eBook, Breen explores
why the word “disciple” disappears from Scripture after Acts 21—and why the
answer to that question is vital to how we make disciples today. To download
the full eBook, click <a href="https://www.exponential.org/ebooks/greatdisappearance/" target="_blank" title="here"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-34563835135717077242013-05-14T14:19:00.001-07:002013-05-14T14:19:40.429-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Joshua
3:4 --“Follow in the path I will show you. Now, you’ve never seen anything like
this before, so follow about a kilometer behind the priests with the Ark.” </div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
You will have plenty of time to see what I am doing, plenty
of time to be ready for what I will ask you to do.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">lamp</span> for <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">my</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">feet</span>, a light on
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">my</span> path. </div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
The small footlamp was not a spotlight! It gave little
illumination beyond a step or two beyond. There are many times when we see no
further ahead <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>than a few steps. </div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
Who is really called upon to trust God?</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
Many might say the ones with the footlamp. But I contend
that both are called upon to trust God.</div>
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First the priests had to wade into a raging torrent driven
by the rains. How far would you get into this torrent before you were swept
away in and under it? But, that was what God said to do. The priests cross to
the other side and wait for the people. </div>
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Joshua 3:16 says that the river was stopped a great deal
above where they were crossing. At the Red Sea they apparently were able to see
the water piled up on either side of them. Perhaps wondering when the wall
might release and cover them with water. Here there was no way to see what held
the water back. Might it begin to flow again sometime soon? I have seen such a
flow where a dried up river suddenly filled with raging flow of water. Sunny
day; no rain or threatening clouds, but suddenly the water filled and flowed in
the dry river bed. The priests got over – but that was 20 minutes ago before
the first of the Israelites started across. Was it safe? Would half the group
get across, then be separated from the others? Well, no insurance company would
sell you insurance against the chances. OSHA would certify it as definitely
unsafe.</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
Still, they went across safely. Probably some with trepidation,
some praying “Lord, I believe – PLEASE help me in my unbelief.” (See Mark
9:23-25.) Whether we can see a couple of steps or a kilometer, God calls upon
us to grow in faith. Not all the circumstances are the same, but we can trust
God in all circumstances.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
Bill Stroup</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
Bill is serves as an Elder on the Advisory Team of The River Church </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-64094235638489359882013-05-06T08:16:00.001-07:002013-05-06T08:16:15.623-07:00Martyred for Christ in Central India<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody>
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<tr><td align="center" colspan="1" rowspan="1" valign="bottom"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Dwh0-QsXm7Rv3Wpx-aDY696AByv1MYU8SHM_aJRCzW7b3WzDAwKzBFnK2ctvpSc7Qk8YNZy1lCuYjmjAO5mOmPpon6-gMW4RSHVbkVdb17F26MRZuDiWZw==" shape="rect" target="_blank"><img alt="Aim Banner" border="0" height="62" name="13e7655b795089f3_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.80" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs040/1102184341965/img/80.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<b>Martyred for Christ in Central India</b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Dear Ministry Partners,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">My dad Dr. Mathews is on one of his two week trips to the villages.
He is ministering in the central part of India where hundreds of first
generation churches have been planted. As a result of these advances in
the Kingdom, there is an increasing amount of persecution against
Christians. He gave me this report of a Christian brother that he had
met just a couple of days ago while preaching in his village. This
brother was brutally martyred for Christ.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<div>
<br />
Raut was a Christian who lived next to a Hindu neighbor who has
tuberculosis. As is the common practice, this Hindu neighbor went to
see a witchdoctor who lives in the village. The witchdoctor told him
that the reason he was suffering is because of his Christian neighbor
who is practicing "Christian Witchcraft" against him. Raut is known to
pray out loud with his family every day. The other day when the Hindu
neighbor heard Raut praying, he was convinced that the prayers were
meant to be a form of Christian witchcraft against him. So the man
decided to murder Raut.</div>
<div>
<br />
After prayer, and as Bro. Raut was walking out of his house,
the Hindu neighbor took his axe and attacked him and split his head wide
open; Brother Raut fell dead in a pool of blood. After killing him,
the man walked straight to the police station confessing to the police
that he killed a Christian who practiced witchcraft against him. The
police took him into custody and a case of murder was registered against
him. Our fellow pastors in the area took the body of Brother Raut and
buried him.</div>
<div>
<br />
Please pray for the Christians and churches in this region that
they will be bold in the midst of the persecution. Like Stephen may
Brother Raut's Martyrdom be used to lead many to Christ. Please
remember his wife and three children who are going through a tough time.
Pray that God would protect Dr. Mathews as he has a few more days of
ministry in this region.</div>
<div>
<br />
For those of you who would like help the families of believer's like Brother Raut, you can contribute to our <b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Dwh0-QsXm7S9t4sOvbTivOvW06BZVbg99--_qmPf_aerGgOMmmJ-3v0Pj0J4_KI5EwVkt3LUyDWnlhLDzoT4qLA36rAroH1f2O86ZVkL3pU0SPapRRiKU3Z9ryD_tVhnNrBRlA6kxmw=" shape="rect" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Persecuted Pastor's Fund. </a> </b>These funds are used to pay for expenses that arise out of persecution and also assist the surviving family members.</div>
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;">Thank you for your prayers.</span> </div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
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</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</span>
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<div>
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<div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><img border="0" height="83" name="13e7655b795089f3_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.93" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs040/1102184341965/img/93.jpg" width="137" /> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: black;">Finny Mathews,</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: black;">President, </span><span style="color: black;">AIM President</span></div>
</div>
</div>
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-18234695015997204662013-04-19T09:06:00.002-07:002013-04-19T09:06:57.538-07:00It Matters Whom You Marry<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></h1>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thechristianpundit.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_1140.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4152" src="http://thechristianpundit.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_1140.jpg?w=150&h=91" title="p&e wedding" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My husband and I were once with a youth group. </span>There were three kids
sitting across from us at a meal: two guys and a girl. The one guy was a
computer geek with glasses. The other one was a college student with
slightly cooler hair and no glasses. The girl was obviously with him.
But while the computer geek was busy serving everyone at the meal,
clearing plates and garbage, the college student got angry with the girl
for a small accident and poured red juice over her leather jacket and
white shirt. She picked the wrong guy, and the juice didn’t seem to
change her mind. She is in for some grief if that relationship continues
and especially if it leads to marriage. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So to all the young, unmarried Christian girls out there, listen up: <i>who you marry matters</i>.
You might think that the way he treats you isn’t so bad. It’s not going
to get better after the wedding. You might think that he’ll change.
It’s possible, but most don’t. You might think that you’ll be able to
minister to him and help him. Possibly, but if you can’t now, you won’t
then, and you will be at risk yourself. A husband should lead and
cherish you, not need your counsel for basic personality or behavior
issues.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unless someone married is very frank with you, you can’t understand
how much a husband will impact your entire life. Next to salvation there
is no other long term event that will change so many areas of your life
so deeply. Here are just some of the ways that marriage will impact
every aspect of living.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>1. It will impact you spiritually.</b> If the guy is not
a believer, you can stop right there. You have no business yoking a
redeemed soul with an unregenerate one, even if he seems open to change.
Christ has bought you with a price and it is not an option to give away
that blood bought heart to someone who doesn’t know and love your Lord.
It will cripple your spiritual development, open up a host of
temptations, stifle your prayer life, make regular church going
difficult, and cause massive parenting conflict if you have children.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If the guy is a believer, is he a strong one? Will he lead you in
prayer, Bible reading, family devotions, and public worship? Or will you
be on your own? Is he going to make spiritual growth a priority or do
other things come first? Is he going to ask you how it’s going with your
soul so he can help you grow in holiness and love for Christ, or will
he leave that to your pastor? Is he going to lead the children in this,
or will you have to spearhead that? In church, is he going to help the
kids sit well, pray, find the hymn, or will you be the one pointing out
what is happening next and helping the family keep up? Many women have
married spiritually immature men, thinking that it wasn’t a big issue,
or that the man would change, and they were wrong. They bear the scars.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The health of your eternity is at stake. Think carefully.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>2. It will impact you emotionally.</b> Is the guy you’re
thinking of going to encourage you, love you, be kind to you, and seek
to understand you, or will he want to go out with the guys when you’re
having a hard night? Will he listen when you are struggling with
something or will he be preoccupied with a video game? Is he going to be
annoyed when you cry or will he get you Kleenex and give you a hug? Is
he going to going to understand that you are probably more tender than
he is, more sensitive to issues and comments, or is he regularly going
to run rough shod over your feelings? One woman was struggling to
breastfeed her new baby, believing that that was the best thing for her,
but it was very difficult. Instead of giving support and encouragement,
the husband would make mooing sounds whenever he saw his wife working
at it. We have to get rid of princess complexes, but we do have
emotional needs. Any guy who is uncaring about your feelings and self
esteem is selfish and should be left alone.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be careful – a husband can cripple or foster emotional health.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>3. It will impact you physically.</b> Is the guy you’re
with going to provide for your basic needs? Will he be able to shelter,
clothe and feed you? At one point in our marriage, I was worried that
there was no employment opportunity. My husband assured me that he would
work at McDonalds, dig ditches, clean up roadkill – whatever it took to
provide for the family, regardless of his gifts and training. That’s
the kind of attitude you want. A man who doesn’t provide for his
household is worse than an infidel (I Tim. 5:8). You might have to help
ease the financial burden, but unless your husband is disabled or there
is another unusual circumstance, you shouldn’t have to carry it
yourself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will the man you are with care for your body or abuse it? If he gives
you little smacks, kicks, etc. when you’re dating, get away. It’s
almost guaranteed that he will abuse you after marriage, and stats show
that’s especially true when you are pregnant. Is he going to care for
and protect your body or will he hurt it? There are women in churches
across America who thought it was no big deal to have little (sort of
friendly) punches or slaps from their boyfriends, but who are covering
up the bruises from their husbands.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Will the man you are with care for you sexually? Is he going to
honour the marriage bed in physical and mental faithfulness to you or
will he flirt, feed his porn addiction, or even leave you for another
woman? You can’t always predict these issues, but if the seeds or
practices are already there, watch out. I recently saw a newly married
couple and the husband was flirting openly with another woman. Unless
something drastic happens, that marriage is headed for disaster.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is he going to be tender and gentle to you in bed? An unbelieving
co-worker once told my sister that after her first sexual encounter, she
had trouble walking for a few days because her boyfriend was so rough.
In other words, he wasn’t selfless enough to care for the body of the
woman he said he loved.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Watch out. Your body needs care and protection.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>4. It will impact you mentally.</b> Is the man that
you’re thinking of going to be a source of worry or will he help you
deal with your worries? Is he going to encourage your intellectual
development, or will he neglect it? Is he going to value your opinions
and listen to what you are thinking, or will he disregard your thoughts?
Is he going to help you manage stress so that your mind is not burdened
that way, or is he going to let you struggle through issues alone? Is
he going to care for you and be thoughtful of you if you are
experiencing mental strain, or will he ignore it? I know of a woman who
could handle pregnancy and child birth very well physically but
postpartum depression took a huge toll on her mind. The husband
overlooked it, continuing to have more children, until his wife ended up
in a mental institution.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You might think that the intellectual or mental side of a marriage is small. It’s bigger than you think. Consider it seriously.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>5. It will impact you relationally.</b> How’s your
relationship with your mother? Your dad? Do you love them? Does your
boyfriend? Fast forward ten years: you tell your husband that your
mother is coming for the weekend. Is he excited? Disappointed? Angry?
Making snide jokes with his friends? Of course, a husband should come
first in your priority of relationships, as you both leave father and
mother and cleave to one another. But parents are still a big part of
the picture. Whatever negative feelings he has about your parents now
will probably be amplified after marriage. Your marriage will either
strengthen or damage – even destroy – your relationship with your
parents. The people who know you best and love you most right now could
be cut out of the picture by a husband who hates them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s the same with sisters and friends. Will they be welcomed, at
reasonable times, in your home? Will the guy who you’re with encourage
healthy relationships with other women, or will he be jealous of normal,
biblical friendships? Will he help you mentor younger women and be
thankful when older women mentor you, or will he belittle that?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Don’t sacrifice many good relationships for the sake of one guy who can’t value the people who love you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So how will your boyfriend do after the vows? Because this is just a
sampling of the ways that a husband can bless or curse his wife. The
effects are far reaching, long lasting, and either wonderful or
difficult. True, there are no perfect men out there. But there are great
ones. And it’s better to be single for life than to marry someone who
will make your life a burden. Singleness can be great. Marriage to the
wrong person is a nightmare. I’ve been in a church parking lot where the
pastor had to call the police to protect a wife from a husband who was
trying to stop her from worshiping and being with her family. It’s ugly.
Don’t be so desperate to get married that your marriage is a grief. If
you are in an unhappy marriage, there are ways to get help. But if
you’re not married, don’t put yourself in that situation. Don’t marry
someone whose leadership you can’t follow. Don’t marry someone who is
not seeking to love you as Christ loved the church. Marry someone who
knows and demonstrates the love of Christ.</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reposted from </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>The Christian Pundit - August 11th, 2012 - <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All content © at The Christian Pundit, 2011-2013. </span></span></i>Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-32168680573529402902013-03-30T02:44:00.000-07:002013-03-30T02:46:31.796-07:00Nepal and a Movement of God<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Testimony from Bryan Plyler, Lead Pastor at The River Church</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div>
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</tbody></table>
</em><br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>For my entire Christian life and ministry, I have wanted to witness and participate in an authentic "movement" of God. By the grace of God, over the course of 21 years in Christ and 16 years in the pastorate, I have seen God move in the lives of many individuals and even in the corporate life of individual congregations. But until now, I could not say that I have witnessed or participated in a widespread movement of God reminiscent of the Great Awakenings we read of in history and the great Gospel outpourings we read about in the book of Acts. But what I witnessed recently in Nepal and northern India seemed to me like being in the 29th chapter of Acts!</em></em></div>
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</em></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<em></em><br />
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<em><em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I have counted it a privilege over the past seven years to lead our church in partnering with AIM in support of indigenous leaders reaching some of the most unreached and difficult mission fields in the world. My recent trip to Nepal and northern India only served to amplify my conviction that this is the most strategic missional investment our church makes. What I witnessed and experienced showed me that we are not merely partnering to address a need, but we are joining God where he is already doing a genuinely mighty and miraculous work.</em></em></div>
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</em></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img align="left" border="0" height="225" hspace="10" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.165" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs171/1102184341965/img/165.jpg" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" vspace="10" width="300" /></em><br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>In the national leaders with whom I was privileged to interact, I witnessed a display of inspiring sacrificial and dependent prayer and faithfulness that God is honoring with open doors for the Gospel, answered prayers that pave the way for the Gospel, and a harvest of disciples who are trusting in Christ in response to their sharing the Gospel! Over and over, I heard testimonies of healing and deliverance through prayer. And I also heard the stories of how God is using such attesting signs to open people's minds to the Gospel and move them from darkness to light. I saw again and again men of no standing with little formal education who had led hundreds of people to Christ and were overseeing the growth of literally hundreds of churches in villages in their regions! I witnessed first-hand "people of peace", influential households not yet even in Christ themselves, whom God is using to bring the Gospel to thousands in a culture that ranges from ignorant of the Gospel to hostile toward it. I did not see complex strategy or methodology, but I saw faith, prayer, sacrifice, faithfulness in service and preaching over and over again like I have never seen--except in the pages of the New Testament. And I saw results like I have never seen--except in the pages of the New Testament!</em></em></div>
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</em></div>
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<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<em></em><br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<em><em>My trip to Nepal and northern India left me more committed to our partnership with AIM than I already was because of what God is clearly doing with this ministry. But along with that, my trip inspired me personally. This trip revived me--it renewed my first love in our amazing savior and my own sense of wonder at his power to save and transform. It convicted me of my own American self-reliance, encouraged me, inspired greater faith in me, and motivated me like never before to turn to God in prayer and seek what HE can do in and with me. Having seen what a movement of God looks like in person, I am encouraged that God still moves as he did in the book of Acts, and furthermore, I can no longer be satisfied with what I can do for him with my best efforts. I have returned from Asia with a renewed faith that God is moving there and we can participate in the work. I have also returned believing that a movement in America is no further away than the distance between our stiff necks and our knees, and by the grace of God, I hope and intend to participate in that movement as well.</em> </em></div>
<em>
</em>
<br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bryan Plyler</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lead Pastor</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The River Church</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Camden, SC</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #405b81; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span></div>
Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-20161970229339094032013-03-25T09:14:00.001-07:002013-03-25T09:14:56.284-07:00Recovering the Missional Passion of the Church
<br />
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Recovering the Missional Passion of the Church</span></span></h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="post-info">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By <span class="author vcard"><span class="fn">Ed Stetzer</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="post-info">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="author vcard"><span class="fn"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<a href="http://pastors.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/11922_14757_5-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Missions" border="0" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-19479" height="150" src="http://pastors.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/11922_14757_5-300x225.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In
order for the church to recover its missional passion, we must reclaim
our lost sense of the awesome, overarching glory of God’s mission. Most
Christians do not deny the orthodox doctrines of Scripture. We grasp the
fact that God has revealed himself to us as Lord and King. But to
borrow the words of author David Wells, the modern church has been
“caged” by a diminishing of who God really is.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We have turned to a God we can use rather than a God we
must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill our need rather than
a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a
God for us, for our satisfaction– not because we have learned to think
of him in this way through Christ but because we have learned to think
of him this way through the marketplace. Everything is for us, for our
pleasure, for our satisfaction, and we have come to assume that it must
be so in the church as well.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We have shrunk God down to our size. We have limited the scope of his
mission in our minds. We have unwittingly bought into the idea that
progress is more important than redemption.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And this is chiefly why our zeal for evangelism and the gospel has
been undermined– not because we don’t care, not because we don’t know
what to do. We have simply replaced God’s purpose for the world with our
own purpose for the world. Even when we serve and help and give and
share, we too often do it from a sense of obligation or a desire to
impress. We have become a church steered by many different motivations
but all too rarely by a singular desire to glorify God. Wells is right:
“We will not be able to recover the vision and understanding of God’s
grandeur until we recover an understanding of ourselves as creatures who
have been made to know such grandeur.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The message that emanates from the life and work of the apostle Paul,
who was without argument the most productive missionary in the history
of the church, is that we cannot hope to be either faithful or effective
in kingdom service while being overly concerned about our own needs.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">On two occasions he called himself an “ambassador.” That’s a pretty
important job. Where I grew up in New York, those were the people who
didn’t have to pay parking tickets. They mattered. And Paul said, “We
are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20). Yet the only other time we
read him referring to himself by that title, he said he was an
“ambassador in chains” (Eph. 6:20). Yes, he was an ambassador– just as
we are– yet that ambassadorial role, representing King Jesus, did not
mean Paul was without hardship.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">No one survives the harsh, abusive treatment he endured without
living for something bigger than himself. We might assume, then, Paul
was simply that devoted to the people he was called to serve. His
compassion for them, his selfless interest in them, his desire that they
experience the fruit of the gospel– all of these must have come
together to make him an unstoppable force.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Well, yes, Paul was devoted to the churches and the people who
comprised them. He possessed an uncommon zeal to see others convinced of
gospel truth and redeemed through God’s eternal mercy and grace. But it
wasn’t concern for his neighbors that ultimately motivated Paul to such
extremes of spiritual exertion and sacrifice. It was Jesus’ love that
“compelled” him (2 Cor. 5:14). “To live is Christ,” he said (Phil.
1:21).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And we, too– if we wish to be faithful to our calling– must live
supremely for the glory of God and what he is doing through his Son in
our world.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If we are not on this mission, then we must ask ourselves what we’re
doing here. Are we just working to make the church a more acceptable
place to our friends and neighbors? Are we looking for a nice place to
socialize on Wednesday nights? Are we turning spiritual cranks and
pulleys because we think the church is supposed to do those things,
because we feel better about ourselves when we do them?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The only thing that really matters is this: our God has a mission.
That’s why he sent Jesus here on subversive terms. And that’s why he
established the church– churches like yours and churches like mine– to
join him on mission to reestablish his glory over all creation.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is why God has given his church the “keys of the kingdom of
heaven,” so that “whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven” (Matt.
16:19). To people in the world who live chained to the notion that their
desired ambitions can be achieved on earth, the church possesses their
liberating answer. They are no longer forced to exist in the bondage of
living from experience to experience. For some this “bondage” takes the
form of workout gyms, corner offices, organic food stores, and all the
apparent trappings of success. But for others it means gambling losses,
broken relationships, wasted opportunities, prescription drug abuse. For
many it’s a roller-coaster mix between the two, a frantic navigation of
highs and lows. And for all it’s a life that leads away from ultimate
purpose and permanence.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Through the gospel those individuals who are “bound” in spiritual
darkness can be “loosed” from what has held them captive– redeemed from
their slavery. God’s plan for overthrowing the devil’s dominion, freeing
its hostages, and advancing Christ’s kingdom is for the church to
proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. That’s how
he pursues his plan of bringing all creation under his authority and
deriving glory for himself in the process.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May this be the purpose behind all our subversion.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When we grasp the enormity of this calling and our role within it, we
will begin trusting the Spirit to empower us to engage the lost, serve
the hurting, and live “sent lives” as Christian believers united in
kingdom purpose. We will live out the difference that Jesus makes in our
hearts not because people expect it but because it shows what our God
can accomplish. We will talk with others about the power of the gospel
not just because they’re lost but because our Lord and King is glorified
in finding them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Begin your plan of action there, and get ready to see what happens around you when God starts making progress.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Adapted from <em>Subversive Kingdom</em> (2012, B&H Publishing Group)</span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-78035376608511876222013-02-26T07:39:00.001-08:002013-02-26T07:49:40.760-08:00Student Ministry Parent CUE<br />
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<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Student Ministry Parent CUE: </span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Reversing Darwin</span></h1>
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1. Be a Student of What They are Learning<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In the dog-eat-dog world of middle school and high school, survival of the fittest often seems like the law of the land. And when we’re on the bottom of the food chain, this idea of a pecking order can start to affect the way we understand God—and maybe even the way we believe God sees us. But what if we were able to reverse this idea? What if something in Scripture allowed us to turn survival of the fittest on its head? Maybe we can start to flip the idea of “only the strong survive” and live in the reality that God has a bigger purpose and a better picture in mind—and this purpose and picture involves all of us—the strong, the weak, the in, the out, those you would expect, and those you wouldn't. Maybe in an effort to reverse Darwin, we need to start by understanding who God created us to be and how to live like it matters. </span></span></h3>
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<br />2. Be a Student of Your Student<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take a moment to think back—way, way back—to those first days of middle school. Or to the moments and memories that still define your high school experience. Or, get really bold and break out an old yearbook and see what you find. Feathered bangs? Side ponytails? Maybe even a mullet? Or, maybe seeing those old pictures brings back memories of who you thought you would one day be and all the adventures you hoped to have. Maybe you envisioned getting out of your small town and attending college in a bustling urban center, or studying abroad and soaking in the European culture. But even if those hopes and dreams didn’t pan out, they probably helped you dig deeper to define who you were, sometimes by simply figuring out who you were are not.<br />And for many of us, this process is still an ongoing part of our lives. It may even be that we were more sure of who we were at 18 than we are now that we have children, a job, a mortgage and a “life.” But why is it that we are still working so hard at figuring this out? Sometimes it seems that in our now grown-up lives we are working harder to convince other people of who we are. Whether on our Facebook profiles (yep, our students aren’t the only ones) or through conversations with friends, family and even other parents we are often caught up in a PR battle … with ourselves. We try to define ourselves by the way we represent ourselves to the world and in the process, we end up forgetting who we really are. Throw in 24/7 parenting duties, work tasks, daily household management, church and family life and any other threads of schedules and responsibilities and we get lost in the mix altogether!<br />And, as you may have noticed, we usually realize the weight of figuring out who we are in times of crisis or great change. Often, we find that somewhere along the line we have “activating events” that trigger us to shatter the image of who we think we are and dig deep again to find our true selves, to rediscover who we truly are.<br /> <br />And for our students, these activating events happen on a daily or maybe even hourly basis. They don’t make the team. They fail a test. They get dropped by a group of friends that were once their whole world. And like us, when this happens to our students, they get to pause, reflect, pick up the pieces and walk away in their new—or maybe just dusted off—identity.</span></span></span> </h3>
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<br />3. Action Point<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">Sit down with your teenager and talk about a time when something happened to you that redefined who you are. Maybe it was a divorce, or even some defining moment that occurred before they were ever born. Whatever it is, talk about how it changed you and led you to better understand yourself.<br />Then, ask them if anything has happened this week that has caused them to feel “less than.” What was it? How did it make them feel? Did it make them want to change something about themselves? Did it make them feel like they don’t really know who they are or where they belong?<br />Now speak into that place of vulnerability and insecurity. What do you see in your student that is unique? What would be lost if they changed themselves in order to fit in? Why does it matter that they strive to be just who God created them to be?<br /> <br />Be sure to carve out some intentional time to sit down and wrestle through these questions with your student. And remember, even if they don’t open up as much as you would hope or like, the fact that you took the time and cared enough to ask will pay huge dividends in the future. Because just knowing what they are going through means the world to your student, even if they aren’t able to show it. </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*<b>February 27 through March 13</b></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-364125248451891272013-02-12T12:20:00.001-08:002013-02-14T07:01:00.898-08:00Family Values<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I know that everyone will agree that
your family and your family time is important. But if you are not careful, your
time with your kids will pass you by.
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Here are five family values that could encourage you and your family. Take
some time read, think and then challenge yourself and your family to make your
time a priority.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make It Personal<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Put yourself first
when it comes to personal growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What we model is more
compelling than what we say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where are your faith,
marriage and family on a ranking of your highest values?</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fight for the Heart<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Create a culture of
unconditional love in your home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Relationships are
built around heart connections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Legacy is transferred
relationally.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Widen the Circle<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Inviting others to
intentionally partner with you to have other voices helping to shape and
determine the direction of our marriages and parenting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Parents should pursue
strategic relationships for their kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Become a valuable
contributor to someone else’s circle of influence.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Create a Rhythm<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Much of our everyday
life seems to function in a fairly steady rhythm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Families want to tap
into the power of quality moments together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Build a sense of
purpose through everyday experiences.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imagine the End<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Focus your energy and
effort on the issues that will have a lasting impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As parents, in the
end, the most important thing is our child’s relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-left: 10.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We must be intentional
each day about what is most important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How are you and your family living the five
family values?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Carringer, Chuck, Family Pastor at Faith Promise Church. </span><a href="http://fpchur.ch/jq" rel="nofollow alternate shorturl shortlink" style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" title="Short URL">http://fpchur.ch/jq</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">“Family Life, Five Family Values.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"> June 6, 2011. </span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-90810572852051973772012-09-26T12:07:00.002-07:002012-09-26T12:08:29.922-07:00The Gospel: Just Forgiveness?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uOV3QsdmyEtsgsQW25I4Uls7BMMljffwhPKIJPtS8Ko1iURKZfe-KTDCrMvMTrpsXplj2YWXlUq-0dwLom0z7Y-r2SqPuM78ccjPz4ny0oliDDRtXWENUKFsQM-wWLgACWrjI_B9lzUC/s1600/Bill+Stroup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uOV3QsdmyEtsgsQW25I4Uls7BMMljffwhPKIJPtS8Ko1iURKZfe-KTDCrMvMTrpsXplj2YWXlUq-0dwLom0z7Y-r2SqPuM78ccjPz4ny0oliDDRtXWENUKFsQM-wWLgACWrjI_B9lzUC/s200/Bill+Stroup.JPG" title="" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Our featured blogger, Bill Stroup, is a husband, father, and grandfather. He is a Christian businessman having worked in the publishing industry early in his career, and now as a partner in a company that </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">develops safety equipment for the transit industry. </span>Over the years, Bill has served churches in various ministry positions including pastor, and spent 20 years as a missionary leader and seminary teacher in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We recently concluded a five week series called “Supernatural” which explored
how we can victoriously engage the spiritual battle raging around and within
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of thoughts stuck out from <a href="http://www.riverchurchonline.com/media.php?pageID=5" target="_blank">week 4 (Sep. 9),</a> of the series, which addressed what we should
do when we or others fall in the spiritual battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
end of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%201:5-10&version=ESV" target="_blank">1 John 1</a> acknowledges that Christians still sin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also makes clear that (1) God knows we
still sin and (2) if we try to convince ourselves that we do not sin, we only
deceive ourselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is left unsaid,
but might be implied, is that we may deceive ourselves, but those around us
are not deceived at all – they know all too well that we are not sinless!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Still,
that same passage goes on to say that when we manage to get past deceiving
ourselves about being without sin and confess our sins to God instead, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins”.</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we read this, how can we not rejoice that God is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“faithful…to
forgive us”</i>? After all, we don’t have to hope without certainty for God’s forgiveness, as we might hope for sunny weather on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Forgiveness </span>is a solid promise of God when we confess!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will forgive us; He promised! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
when we read this passage, do we think about the second part?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The passage also says that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He is…JUST to forgive us our sins”</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot that could be said about God
being “just” to forgive our sins. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
let this single thought be enough for now:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus paid for our
sins – past, present and future.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
confession (agreement with God about our sin) deals with the relational
distance caused by our sins, but God is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“just
to forgive us”</i> because Jesus has already dealt with our sins by paying for them completely on the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Boy,
does that take a load off my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
line from the old hymn, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYP--c2LTfg" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It Is Well with My Soul”</i></a>, perhaps sums it up best: </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My sin, Oh the bliss
of this glorious thought,</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My sin, not in part
but the whole,</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is nailed to the
cross and I bear it no more,</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Praise the Lord,
Praise the Lord, Oh my soul!</span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-40184810149283122412012-06-04T09:21:00.002-07:002012-06-04T09:21:51.300-07:00Jesus: The End or Just the Means?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As soon as David killed Goliath, Saul resolved to keep him nearby from that point forward and to use him for his own agenda (1 Sam 18:2 & 5). He did this until he perceived David as a threat to his agenda, at which point he no longer wanted David nearby. In fact, at that point he just wanted him to no longer exist and he set his mind to making that a reality (1 Sam 18:6ff). <br />
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But upon David's victory over the big Philistine, <i>"</i><span class="text 1Sam-18-1"><i>the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul"</i> (1 Sam 18:1), </span><span class="text 1Sam-18-4" id="en-ESV-7681">and he <i>"stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David"</i> (1 Sam 18:4). So much for "like father, like son". Jonathan recognized David as God's King and, in his own words, only wanted to <i>"be next to (him)" </i>(1 Sam 23:17)</span>. To Jonathan, God's anointed one was not the means to another end; he was the end.<br />
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We are often more Saul-like than Jonathan-like. For many of us, doubtless all of us at times, Jesus, "the Son of David", the Lord's anointed King is someone we want to keep close when we believe he can advance our agenda. We want proximity not intimacy, and this only <u><i>so</i></u><i> </i><u><i>that</i></u> we might have something else that we want. Worse than this, when God won't advance our agenda or when we feel he threatens our agenda, we may prefer that he just didn't exist. And although we can't make that a reality, we may try to live as if it is.<br />
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Jonathan wanted more than proximity. He didn't just want to be king himself in the presence of God's anointed. Jonathan wanted to experience the covenant love of God's king, to be his friend, to be "next to" him. He didn't want proximity, he wanted intimacy. He didn't want God to advance Jonathan's plan; he wanted to advance God's plan. Jonathan wanted God's king and God's plan to succeed. There was no <i>"so that..." </i>behind his desire to be close to David. He simply loved him as his own soul.<br />
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What do you want with Jesus? And why? A.W. Tozer wrote in his book <u><i>The Pursuit of God</i></u>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. <b>He waits to be wanted</b>. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long in vain."</i></blockquote>
God give us a soul that is knit to his own, a love for him that makes us desire intimacy with him without any "so that..." behind it. God give us a heart like Jonathan's who wanted to "be next to" the king for its own sake. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-53735785948505442542012-02-20T07:30:00.000-08:002012-02-20T07:30:40.091-08:00Sacrificing mission on the altar of family?<h2 style="color: #555555; font-size: 20px; margin: 0pt;"><a href="http://mikebreen.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/sacrificing-mission-on-the-altar-of-family/" style="color: #2585b2; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank">Sacrificing mission on the altar of family?</a></h2><span style="color: #888888;">by <a href="http://mikebreen.wordpress.com/author/wheatonguy18/" style="color: #0088cc; color: #2585b2; color: #888!important; text-decoration: none; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Mike Breen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #888888;"> </span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqE3ED05U3A94zke0iRgzaPUYkp8PyExbmyPxGXPYHa-6Jw6QTn3HYZV-6ZQl7RYXR4iEe3BXWFS89xGXUVVBVC5k2rqIykbi76UzfNp580Jeb_Zl20XEVipM54oHLXsX5wYkEAUWnyNg/s1600/church20family.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqE3ED05U3A94zke0iRgzaPUYkp8PyExbmyPxGXPYHa-6Jw6QTn3HYZV-6ZQl7RYXR4iEe3BXWFS89xGXUVVBVC5k2rqIykbi76UzfNp580Jeb_Zl20XEVipM54oHLXsX5wYkEAUWnyNg/s320/church20family.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;"><a href="http://mikebreen.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/one-life.jpg" style="color: #0088cc; color: #2585b2; text-decoration: none; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #ccc; clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; max-width: 100%; min-height: auto; padding: 4px;" title="one life" /></a>As I've said before, we are often creatures of overreaction. One of the recent things I've been seeing in working with pastors is an almost paranoia about bringing the life and mission of the church into the life and mission of their family. My observation is that clearly a generation or two of ministry leaders are ensuring not to do what they've seen some of their forebears do: Sacrifice their family on the altar of mission (ministry). And they should be commended for this.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">However...</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">What often happens is an unhelpful compartmentalization rather than <em>integration </em>of life. <strong>We've been given ONE LIFE so we should live ONE LIFE.</strong> So rather than working 60, 70, 80 hour weeks and leaving our families on their own, we've pulled the work hours way back (good!), but have put up impenetrable walls between the life of the church's mission and the life of our families. There is often very little overlap between the two.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">But is that what we really want for our families? Don't we want the mission of Jesus to be their mission? Don't we want the whole of our family to function in that mission <em>together</em>?</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">Here's the problem. For far too long, many of us felt we were pushed into having to make this false dichotomy: <strong>Is it family OR mission?</strong></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">Rightly recognizing we shouldn't sacrifice our families, we started to put some healthy boundaries in place, but also some unhealthy ones. So we started to compartmentalize. But I believe it's part of the progression. So for many of us, this is now the question of our time: <strong>Is it family AND mission?</strong></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">But when we learn to <em>integrate</em> our life and live well as a people participating in the mission of God each and every day and as we listen to the mission God is calling our family to, this is the next progression: <strong>Is it family ON mission?</strong></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">Yes there are still smart boundaries we put in place, but it's <em>integration</em> that opens up our families to a new reality of life in the Kingdom of God.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">It's fascinating to watch the leaders we work with make this progression as their life becomes more and more integrated and their family is part of that calling:</div><ul style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-left: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding: 0;"><li style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; line-height: 1.6; line-height: 1.6; margin-left: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">Family OR Mission? ...to</li>
<li style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; line-height: 1.6; line-height: 1.6; margin-left: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">Family AND Mission? ...to</li>
<li style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; line-height: 1.6; line-height: 1.6; margin-left: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">Family ON Mission.</li>
</ul><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">We have one life, so let's live one life with our family on mission together.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0 0 1em 0;">Where do you think you and your family are functioning right now?</div>Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-29461149205951594372012-02-10T11:15:00.000-08:002012-02-10T11:50:55.497-08:00Stories<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iOMvyNro89g/TzVxA7xOKaI/AAAAAAAAAA4/7lUSdTacKWY/s1600/power-of-giving-5.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iOMvyNro89g/TzVxA7xOKaI/AAAAAAAAAA4/7lUSdTacKWY/s320/power-of-giving-5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707592363620051362" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Stories are powerful. They inspire, encourage, and capture us. They draw from us a myriad of emotions. I remember as a child, my mom reading </span><i style="font-size: 100%; ">The Chronicles of Narnia </i><span style="font-size: 100%; ">to my brother and me every morning at the breakfast table. I was instantaneously transported to a land of fantasy and intrigue over a bowl of Life cereal.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Today, we read stirring stories in the Bible of God’s provision and faithfulness. We hear of God providing food and water for Moses and the wandering Israelites (Exodus 16-17), delivering Daniel from the mouths of hungry lions (Daniel 6), and producing oil for a widow to sell so her sons would be saved from slavery (2 Kings 4).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We personally hear amazing stories of God providing for people in truly miraculous ways. We have listened to people tell their stories of how they received an unexpected check in the mailbox, or a refund in the exact amount needed for an unforeseen expense, or how someone had an available refrigerator at the exact time that theirs went out.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>But just like listening to a story about Narnia, we have only heard, we have not experienced. A lot of us do not have our <i>own</i> stories of God’s faithfulness and provision that we can share.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The potential for the writing of some our own stories is one of the main reasons I am excited about the “<a href="http://storage.cloversites.com/theriverchurch1/documents/40%20Day%20Giving%20Challenge.pdf"><span >40 Days of Giving Challenge</span></a>.” If you missed <a href="http://riverchurchonline.com/media.php?pageID=5"><span >last Sunday</span></a>, it is based out of Malachi 3.8-10. The people had not been faithful in bringing their tithes and offerings to God and were guilty of robbing Him. For the first time in Scripture God tells them to put Him to the test by giving to Him what is rightfully His. He tells them that if they do this, He will “pour out a blessing until there is no more need.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We have the opportunity to do a few things through these 40 days. First, we have the opportunity to become the kind of sacrificial, cheerful giver that God loves (2 Corinthians 9.6-7, 2 Corinthians 8.2-3). Secondly, we have the opportunity to grow in our trust of God through giving (2 Corinthians 9.8). And thirdly, we have the opportunity to become part of the story of what God is going to do in these 40 days (Malachi 3.10; Proverbs 3.9-10).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We have already begun to hear stories of God’s blessings in the lives of those who have committed to becoming a more God-honoring and trusting giver. God is already demonstrating His faithfulness and we wait with anticipation to see how this chapter of the story of The River Church is going to be written. We invite you to contribute a page to this story… to God’s story… to your story… to our story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Let us hear your story of how God blesses you in these 40 days. Email us at <a href="mailto:info@riverchurchonline.com">info@riverchurchonline.com</a> or drop us a note in the offering basket or in one of the black boxes located at the rear of the auditorium.</span></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-56520722639697815712011-11-04T13:49:00.000-07:002011-11-04T14:00:37.799-07:00Everyone Wants a Plan B<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNevFtBXxCcwtbUf3-NnBztIp0wsEbY6tHpSzs0hkIlSbQv5s_M363p_o84jwseAobmyWg4Fyk2LF8lvZFifUPcUQ5Aewn6LUeJJ3rKJ7dCLoQUKBitwKgkfi8sqehOIu1Vg4ebDpcZ3yg/s1600/No+Plan+B.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 320px;" 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >Sooner or later, if we haven’t already, we will all find ourselves facing some challenging but undeniable directive that leaves us anxious, afraid, maybe even disappointed and looking for another option--any other option.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It could be when you have a friend who is far from God but you're afraid to share your faith with them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It could be when you see that person who needs help but you want a more convenient option.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It could be when you are asked to compromise your morals by fudging that report at work and you know you shouldn't do it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It could be when your marriage is on the rocks and you are tired of the strife and are tempted to give up and move on to something else, something easier.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s not our desire for a plan B that is so faithless.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s not our asking God for an easier alternative or even our looking for one that sets us apart from great men and women of character, our heroes of the faith.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone wants a “Plan B” at some point--<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">EVERYONE.</i><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >Let’s start with Abraham, the father of the faithful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When commanded by God to take his promised son to the top of Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there, he hopes out loud for a plan B in response to Isaac’s question of where is the lamb for sacrifice: "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son" (Genesis 22:8).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God provided a plan B for Abraham, the ram caught in the thicket.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Whew!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >Abraham of course had other moments when he was not so faithful to plan A, creating his own plan B or going along with someone else’s.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There were the two times that he lied about Sarah being no more than his sister rather than trusting God to protect him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And of course there was the time that he went along with Sarah’s impatient plan B to generate an heir by letting him sleep with Hagar, her handmaid.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was in these moments that he looked more like a spiritual midget than a hero of the faith.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Too many of us identify with this part of Abraham’s life rather than the Abraham of Mount Moriah.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >Everyone wants a Plan B--<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">even Jesus</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Satan offered Jesus multiple versions of Plan B when he tempted Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Bible tells us “he was tempted in all things as we, yet without sin”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s one thing to be tempted by some Plan B; it’s another thing entirely to choose it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >On the night he was betrayed, Jesus prayed in the garden at Gethsemane: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Faced with all the sins of the world being placed on Him as the sacrificial Lamb of God, all the righteous wrath of God being poured out on Him because of our sins, separating Him from the Father for the first time in all of eternity, he shuddered in fear and he sweat blood in anguish.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He asked His Father for a Plan B.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was none to be had. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>AND HE DID NOT TRY TO CREATE ONE.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He denied Himself and just a few hours later took up His cross, despising its shame, and following through with Plan A, he secured our redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As David Platt puts it in his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1601422210/ref=asc_df_16014222101769610?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=1601422210"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><u>Radical</u></i></a>:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:.5in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >“At the Cross, Christ drank the full cup of the wrath of God, and when he had downed the last drop, he turned the cup over and cried out, ‘It is finished.’”</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >Jesus gave us our Plan A:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35).</i><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only has Jesus not offered us a Plan B, He has made it clear that there isn't one<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><sup><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">“</span></sup><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).</span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-Times New Roman"font-family:";" >Everyone wants a Plan B--that’s normal, human, expected.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s only when we create or choose an alternative to God’s plan when he offers none that we step outside the footsteps of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is then that we are excluded from being useful to Him and from experiencing His best for our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Plan A = deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is no room for compromise, ever.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is no plan B.<br /></span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-25412665205913257312011-10-21T17:22:00.000-07:002011-10-21T17:40:59.284-07:00Jesus Was Not a Bible Study Leader<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7tdI1YkSU4/TqIRFaxCx5I/AAAAAAAAAAQ/v9nXyI3LTig/s1600/Community%2BGroup.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7tdI1YkSU4/TqIRFaxCx5I/AAAAAAAAAAQ/v9nXyI3LTig/s320/Community%2BGroup.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666110065967548306" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span">What would it have looked like if Jesus had led bible studies?<span> </span>Would he have served refreshments?<span> </span>Would he have played ice-breaker, get-to-know-you games?<span> </span>Would he have used a DVD based, sermon based, or book based curriculum?<span> </span>Jesus could have just met once or twice a week with the disciples to talk about the Old Testament but the good news is: Jesus did not lead Bible studies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Jesus did far more than just lead Bible studies.<span> </span>Jesus poured into his disciples by sharing life with them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">For instance, Jesus did not teach the disciples how to worship by inviting them to come to a 6 week study on the topic of prayer.<span> </span>Instead, he <i>showed</i> them how to pray.<span> </span>In Luke 11, the Lord’s Prayer was not initiated by Jesus asking what the disciples wanted to study next.<span> </span>The disciples were <i>with</i> Jesus; they witnessed him praying and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”<span> </span>They were sharing life.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">How would Jesus have shown the disciples how to be sacrificial servants outside of sharing life with them?<span> </span>He could have just reprimanded them for their “who’s the greatest” arguments or left it at “the first shall be last, and last first.”<span> </span>But there was absolutely no greater way to show them sacrificial servanthood than to kneel down before them wrapped in a towel and wash their dirty, smelly, road-weary feet.<span> </span>They were sharing life.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Jesus did not come to pass on an informational mission.<span> </span>Jesus came to share in and pass on the “sent life” in community with a few.<span> </span>Jesus would leave his mission for his disciples to carry on after he was gone.<span> </span>Mere information would not do.<span> </span>They had to share life.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">So, who are you sharing life with? Who are you worshipping with? Who are you on mission with? Who are you sacrificially serving with? The shared life is such an integral part of who we are as a church. Without it, life transformation does not happen or is at least stunted. Without it, we are just having bible studies. And remember, Jesus did not lead bible studies. Jesus shared life.</span></p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-51479347179823468012011-10-07T04:30:00.001-07:002011-10-07T06:50:18.330-07:00Under Construction<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8X4GUSceHFk/To7jGu6W-CI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/6ab2rV1LSrs/s1600/360_2838666.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8X4GUSceHFk/To7jGu6W-CI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/6ab2rV1LSrs/s320/360_2838666.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660711486462818338" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Under Construction</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Have you ever tried to build something? I learned early in life that I’m not very handy. As a kid, I once attempted to build a tree house. I got some boards and nails and went to work. I hammered some nails into the tree trunk and placed my boards on top. After, I had them just the way I wanted them, I climbed down and examined my creation. Satisfied, I climbed back up the tree to start constructing the walls. I was feeling pretty accomplished, that is until the nails gave way and my floor fell apart leaving me on the ground with some serious bumps and bruises. I learned pretty quickly (and painfully) that if you’re going to stand on something, you’d better have a good foundation. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the past few months in Kid Zone, we’ve been working to build a solid foundation for our kid’s ministry. We’ve made som<a name="_GoBack"></a>e great strides: We have an incredible team of committed volunteers and an improved, safer environment for our children. Sounds pretty good, right? Definitely! But we’re not stopping there; we’re going to the next level! </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the next month, you’ll begin to see some changes in the Kid Zone environments. First off, our leaders have taken a huge leap of faith and committed to lead on a full-time basis, so when your child comes into Kid Zone he or she will see familiar faces and be excited to hang out with them. The good news is you’ll recognize them, too! This change allows us to take a big step forward in our strategy for partnering with families to develop spiritually healthy kids. On November 6<sup>th</sup>, we’re introducing a new teaching style that allows kids to participate in age-appropriate worship and small group activities, in addition to our interactive Bible lesson. We didn’t leave out the parents in this equation. We’ll be providing tools on a monthly and weekly basis to help you discuss and reinforce the spiritual truth your child is learning. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">So watch out River Church, Kid Zone is under construction! Beware of excitement!</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-7477691092422000582011-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:002011-10-08T05:13:15.842-07:00Our Samaria<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 ESV</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By now, each of you should have heard the good news - <b>we're moving to Camden High School's Performing Arts Center for our new worship venue starting December 4th! </b> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF2Q0uixey8rb8esJXSKcizK4JS-FBcZCedxRbF0gneN9JTDqJiHnSlOEo2U_A7gAP40Dswc9wy71a8OL8sEvvsxOWc-eJSh-fWVU-u8X5MRXq2juSofeMGhSNCqzfnPNIH538nmLCBh3/s1600/chs-main_banner-black_frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoF2Q0uixey8rb8esJXSKcizK4JS-FBcZCedxRbF0gneN9JTDqJiHnSlOEo2U_A7gAP40Dswc9wy71a8OL8sEvvsxOWc-eJSh-fWVU-u8X5MRXq2juSofeMGhSNCqzfnPNIH538nmLCBh3/s1600/chs-main_banner-black_frame.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camden High School Performing Arts Center</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's easy to be excited... The new venue offers <i>a whole bunch</i> of "convenience factors" for us as a church - 350+ padded seats that don't need to be setup each week; a larger lobby; more children's rooms (and more space <i>in</i> each of the rooms; better security for our kids; better sound and lighting options; more parking...the list goes on and on. But, with that said, and if you've attended The River for more than two weeks, you've heard us say on countless occasions - <i><b>"It's not about us...."</b></i> So, if these <i>aren't</i> the reasons we're moving, what are they?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>Our mission is to multiply and grow missionary disciples and communities by loving God and loving people. </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's why we exist! It's not only what we as a church believe, but it's what we believe as Christians, based on what Jesus said in Acts 1:8. Too often we focus on our own comfort and convenience, and forget what God really called us to do in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we look at our mission statement, it not only talks about growing disciples, but also <i>communities</i>. You could (rightly) argue that you can't do one without the other. We talk about being "in community" in our Life Groups, but there's also an element that calls us to reach communities <i>outside</i> of our comfort zone. When Jesus commanded that we reach out, he specifically mentioned Jerusalem (Jesus' home) but then spread to "...Judea and Samaria...", and then to "...the end of the earth." Why did he lump Judea and Samaria together? In some respects, they're the same place. So what makes them different? <i><b>They were two different ethnic groups.</b> </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we look at moving to Camden High School, we see an opportunity to move into a community that - in some respects - is different than we are as a church today. Remember, it's not about the building, it's about the community - and <b>that </b>community looks different than most of us do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's not going to happen by accident. We can't just move to Camden High School and hope that things change. That we start attracting people that are <i>different. </i>People that are far from God.<i> </i>That people will somehow come to know and understand who Jesus is simply because we meet there on Sunday mornings. <b> <i>It's doesn't work that way.</i></b> We use the word <i>intentional</i> a lot, so let me define it. <i>It means we have a plan, and that each of us <b>own </b>making the plan happen.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What about you? Are you committed to being on the journey with us? Are you committed to being <b><i>intentional?</i></b> Are you committed to helping us spread the Gospel to our Samaria?</span>Todd Warnockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605926157005806029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-53341385271682020312011-09-09T05:00:00.000-07:002011-10-08T05:13:37.125-07:00Climbing to rescue others or descending to save ourselves?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilshDxUvUAO4dJlofrLlc5J289rQibWISOU7opI5r75FF-8h0KkjW7oG_va97m7XOhwZicBi4w-HqadNTsglmB_XYKMGBiWczl87L1GgGpeJC03_W7R4hCGIqLJYwUxPluTPu17kuItcZX/s1600/Sep+11+Memorial+Lights.jpg"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650047913221861202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilshDxUvUAO4dJlofrLlc5J289rQibWISOU7opI5r75FF-8h0KkjW7oG_va97m7XOhwZicBi4w-HqadNTsglmB_XYKMGBiWczl87L1GgGpeJC03_W7R4hCGIqLJYwUxPluTPu17kuItcZX/s320/Sep+11+Memorial+Lights.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 213px;" border="0" /></a><br />This Sunday, September 11 marks the 10 year anniversary of one of the most tragic days in the history of the U.S. But ten years later, September 11 is not just a time to mourn the people lost, but to celebrate the inspiring stories and take note of the lessons learned from the heroes of that day.<br /><br />Recently I watched a documentary in which a veteran NY firefighter spoke of losing many of his friends and of losing his firefighter son at the towers on 9/11. He told the story of how he searched for the bodies of the fallen alongside many other fathers and friends for months after the towers fell. Eventually they began to recover the equipment and bodies of firefighters each time they would find stair treads, and so it became evident that their loved ones died in the stairwell. The man shared accounts of survivors who had descended the stairs and escaped the towers. Many of these descending survivors spoke of crying as they saw the firefighters passing them on their way <span style="font-style: italic;">UP </span>the stairs. They cried because they knew these brave men were going TO the places where they had just come from; they cried because they knew the hell these firefighters were charging toward as they ascended those stairs.<br /><br />This September 11 also marks the six year anniversary of the launch of The River Church. What a perfect time to learn from the inspiring example of the 9/11 heroes who died climbing the stairs toward the fires, climbing toward those who needed to be rescued from the fires. Recently, my friend, @KennyKelly (Pastor of Refuge church in Chapin, SC) tweeted the following quote from C.T. Studd: <span style="font-style: italic;"> "Some wish to live within the sound of a church or chapel bell, I wish to run a rescue shop within a yard of @#!*% ."</span> That little rhyme captures the missional heart beat of Jesus himself, demonstrated in his leaving heaven to "dwell among us" (John 1:14) and reveal the glory of God to those who are far from Him. More than once Jesus reminded the religious people and leaders that <span style="font-style: italic;">"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." </span>He said "<span style="font-style: italic;">I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)</span>. The problem was these religious folks were comfortable within the confines of their religious community and they thought it was all about becoming clean and remaining clean by staying away from anything or anyone who might be unclean. Not so with Jesus.<br /><br />Everything Jesus said and did was about carrying out his rescue mission from the Father and passing that mission on to those who follow Him (John 17:18). How did he grow his disciples? By taking them with Him on his rescue mission. How did he challenge the stagnant status quo of religiosity of that time? By letting them see Him on his rescue mission. How did He bring people to wholeness and peace in a real relationship with God? By taking His rescue mission where they were--<span style="font-style: italic;">where we were</span>--to save them.<br /><br />We need to never,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaErorUtwLbzBLfhyphenhyphenEqAK0FO7iE-0Yf4T2ZycaEwoxVeLp-NLrRbmkFKqZbRCSYDWF7a423jygC53GaPAqRp1un_gKF1roxVmLN6mALd_vRGfQV0GjxnUKKQ2KaUQmQ0DK5bgpzQf_9zM9/s1600/firefighters+on+stairs.jpg"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650050223116330690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaErorUtwLbzBLfhyphenhyphenEqAK0FO7iE-0Yf4T2ZycaEwoxVeLp-NLrRbmkFKqZbRCSYDWF7a423jygC53GaPAqRp1un_gKF1roxVmLN6mALd_vRGfQV0GjxnUKKQ2KaUQmQ0DK5bgpzQf_9zM9/s320/firefighters+on+stairs.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 206px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;" border="0" /></a> ever forget that our mission is not to just to descend the stairwell of life to live another day safely. We need to take our cues from Jesus and the firefighters who climbed the stairwells of the twin towers on 9/11. Our mission is not to build churches (and certainly not church buildings) where saints are comfortable. In fact our mission is not to build churches at all; that's Jesus' job (Matthew 16:18). Jesus gave us our mission in Matthew 28:18-20, to make disciples. Our mission hasn't changed. Our mission on earth is the same as that of Jesus when he was modelling it for us in sandals: <span style="font-style: italic;">sacrifice ourselves to rescue those who are perishing. Let us live and die climbing tow</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ard the fire and those who need to be saved. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-20493400802531392232011-08-26T12:27:00.000-07:002011-10-08T05:13:37.126-07:00The Next "Look" for The River Church<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQpZ7o-hFqUj2PAMizkKDunwrVZbio8VuoNvqBe5EG15-CVl7eN2RL0P8U863mqnKt3hX4XqamF0phWUwbH-jhtJK8Bcg529Qx2IhE_JKU2sg9hOifas6MkJGWSswtNQ7ljW4jugFZqtp/s1600/road+ahead.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQpZ7o-hFqUj2PAMizkKDunwrVZbio8VuoNvqBe5EG15-CVl7eN2RL0P8U863mqnKt3hX4XqamF0phWUwbH-jhtJK8Bcg529Qx2IhE_JKU2sg9hOifas6MkJGWSswtNQ7ljW4jugFZqtp/s400/road+ahead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645275206358488130" border="0" /></a>A couple of years ago, I heard Artie Davis, Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Orangeburg SC, tell a story to some church planters. As I remember it (and frankly, I may mangle the details), this is how it went.
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<br />After traveling for hours to get to a distant village in a remote part of Africa, some missionaries came upon a lone man walking along the road in the middle of nowhere. Worried that they might be lost and thinking this native man would surely know the area better than them, they stopped to talk with him and see if they were getting closer or if they were even on the right track to get to their intended destination. After greeting him, they explained where they were going and asked if they were close to the village yet. His reply puzzled them: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Yes, you are close. The village is only 3 looks and a stone's throw away."</span> Not knowing what that meant in kilometers or miles, they asked him to explain. The man told them to "look" for something on the horizon along the road they were traveling, perhaps a distant tree for example, and then follow the road until they reached it. Then he said they should do the same again twice more, thus completing "3 looks". From there, the village would only be as far from them as the distance they could throw a small stone. The missionaries were relieved to know that they had been making progress toward their destination though they could not yet see the end of the road.
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<br />The River Church is rapidly approaching our 6 year anniversary since launching on September 11, 2005. We have come a long way already. Worship attendance has increased ten fold. Our staff is more than 4 times the people it was back then. Most importantly, we've seen hundreds of lives changed powerfully by the Lord Jesus Christ! We really have come a long way...<span style="font-style: italic;">but we haven't arrived yet. </span> But you might say that we have reached the end of a "look". As we continue to travel toward the distant destination of seeing every man, woman, and child in Kershaw County have opportunity to see, hear, and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ, our end point may be too far away to see it yet. But now we have to set our sights on the horizon, to the next marker on the road to our destination and keep moving.
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<br />In the coming months, we will begin to fix our gaze on some new milestones. These will include
<br /><ul><li>strategic changes in structure and curriculum to make our children's ministries more effective, </li><li>new resources for Life Groups and new groups for people to plug into,
<br /></li><li>new ministry opportunities that will reach across new lines to impact "the least of these" in our community,</li><li>incorporating four core practices into the lives of every believer who calls the The River Church home,
<br /></li><li>and a new worship venue for our Sunday morning worship services.
<br /></li></ul>I hope you'll join us right now in this journey toward our next "look" by committing to serve <span style="font-style: italic;">consistently</span>, by connecting in a Life Group or opening your home to host a new one, by preparing your heart to be challenged in the days ahead, and by praying for God to open the doors he wants to lead us through as it relates to our next worship venue.
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<br />My heart is set on the destination--every man, woman, and child in Kershaw County seeing, hearing, and responding to the good news of Jesus Christ. My eyes are fixed on the next "look". How about you?
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11026946070491875152noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634062715509161098.post-63012583189239255842011-05-17T13:29:00.000-07:002011-08-22T07:42:29.424-07:00Blog Announcement!As we continue our efforts to better communicate not just what's going on at The River, but - more importantly - how God is impacting our lives and our communities, we've started a BLOG! Our goal, as a staff team, is to share with you on a regular basis. Ever two weeks (sometimes more often), we'll share what God is doing in our lives and how that impacts the mission of The River.
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<br />As a reminder:
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<br /><i><b>Our mission is to multiply and grow missionary disciples and communities by loving God and loving people.</b></i>
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<br />Stay tuned - there's LOTS to share. God is at work, and we're excited to be part of the journey!
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<br /><i>Bryan, Todd, Mike and Eric
<br /></i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0