This morning we are continuing the “Intersections” series by taking a look at “Where do God and politics meet?” Hope to see you at one of our two services! Have a great Labor Day weekend [what's left of it]!
josh
August 31, 2008
August 29, 2008
Happy Labor Day weekend!
I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. I am looking forward to a little college football and a lot of relaxing!
What are your plans this long weekend?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
josh
August 27, 2008
A Christ-centered heart…
In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul writes:
9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. [TNIV]
These are the words of a man who knew pain, suffering, hunger, and loss. As I have reflected on these words, I have wondered…how have I been inconvenienced because of Jesus? I tend to avoid any disruption of my life. I protect my routine. I defend my schedule. But, I am learning that to truly follow Jesus means to surrender everything to him…including my plans.
Paul recounts multiple times in this passage being mistreated, hungry, slandered, the list is long. Yet he responds to each of these from a Christ-centered heart. I think my selfishness often keeps me from this kind of attitude. For me to be “Christ-centered” would mean that I would not be able to be “me centered.”
So, what is keeping you from a heart centered on Jesus?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
josh
August 25, 2008
Sunday recap…Intersections part 2: Where do God and suffering meet?
Yesterday at MCC we continued the Intersection series by taking a look at suffering. When we suffer we often ask questions. “Why did this happen?” and “God, where are you?” are common questions that we all ask. And God is not angry at our questions. He invites them. At the same time, our “whys” may never be answered. So, Jesus gives us a better, bigger, more hopeful question to ask…”What is God up to?”
Jesus assumes that God is present and involved.
A couple of key thoughts from yesterday:
1] The disciples saw limitations but Jesus saw possibilities. [John 9.1-5]
2] Jesus gave of himself for the woman’s healing. [Luke 8.42-48]
3] The Intersection where God and suffering meet is when we reach out to Christ, and find out that he has been reaching out to us all along.
Read Isaiah 53 [which we looked at briefly yesterday]. What do these verses mean to you?
How has Jesus been present to you in times of suffering?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
josh
August 24, 2008
This morning @ MCC
This morning at MCC we are continuing the “Intersections” series by talking about suffering. Where do God and our suffering meet? Also this morning we will be celebrating communion. Hope to see you at the 9am or 10.30am service!
josh
August 22, 2008
Stop…and listen…
Yesterday I shared a question [originally posed by Craig Groeschel at the Leadership Summit] that our leadership team discussed at our meeting this past week. The question was, what is God teaching you through your greatest limitation?
So, I though today that I would share another question [also from Groeschel] that we discussed:
What are we doing that we should stop doing?
In his book, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, author Brennan Manning says:
“…most of our lives we are, as Soren Kierkegaard notes, “so busy” with other things that we don’t have time to wait patiently to hear the voice of the God of Jesus within us.”
Are there things, good things, noble things that we are doing that are keeping us from the greatest thing, intimacy with our Father? As I examine my life are there areas that need be reduced or even eliminated altogether?
For me, I so often listen to the voices of people and allow them to be the loudest voices in my life. I need, at times, to mute the noise around me so that I can hear from the God who created me.
So, what are you doing that you should stop doing?
Looking forward to hearing from you…and have a great weekend!
josh
August 21, 2008
Take it to the limit…
Last night I had the privilege of spending time with our leadership team [Elders+Staff] here at MCC. We had a great time sharing what God was doing in our lives, discussing our vision and future plans, and even talking about the areas that we need to improve in as a church.
One of the questions we discussed really made me think, so I thought I would share it with you:
What is God teaching you through your greatest limitation?
[This is not an original thought...Craig Groeschel said this at the Leadership Summit...to meet the author of this question, click here.]
For me to answer that question honestly I would say one word: dependence. Through a summer of difficult situations that have piled up one after the other, God has been teaching me to depend on him. Not on my solutions or quick fixes.
I wish I could say that I am totally dependent on God now and not struggling with any doubts or worry, but that is not true. I am a work in progress, and every day God’s faithfulness takes me a little farther on the journey.
So, what is God teaching you through your greatest limitation?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
josh
August 20, 2008
How aware are you?
In his book, Buck-Naked Faith, Eric Sandras says:
“Abiding in Christ isn’t just knowing more about Jesus but knowing Jesus more. It involves cultivating a moment-to-moment awareness of his involvement in our lives.”
In John 15, Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ”I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” [v4-5, TNIV]
Often, I live life and make decisions as if I am doing it by my own power. Jesus’ words are so challenging because they invite us away from self reliance and into a dependency on him. He is the vine, the source of all energy and life. We are invited to simply trust, remain, rest, and abide in him.
What or who do you depend on?
How aware are you of God’s activity in the “moment-to-moment” activity of life?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
josh
August 19, 2008
Where are you placing your trust?
This morning I read a story about a king from Judah named Asa. Asa was the first good king in a long line of evil kings. What set Asa apart from his fathers was that he “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD,” and he “…expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.”
His story is recorded here and here.
Asa was not perfect though, and at a critical moment, he made an unwise decision.
The king of Israel, Baasha, was attacking Asa’s kingdom. So, Asa sent to the king of Aram for help…which he received.
This decision, however, was not the right one.
God sends a prophet to tell Asa:
“Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” [2 Chronicles 16.7-9 TNIV]
I found these words challenging and convicting. How many times do I place my trust in people, and refuse to trust in the Lord? How many times do I panic and scramble in an attempt to fix something now, instead of waiting patiently for God to give me direction?
Don’t get me wrong. We need people in our lives to provide council, wisdom, accountability, and encouragement. We were created to be in community…not living on our own. But people can not take the place of God. They can not rescue or deliver us.
Is it possible, when the odds are against us, that we can lose sight of whom we are ultimately supposed to trust in and rely on?
What are the consequences that we face when that happens?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
josh
August 18, 2008
Sunday Recap…Intersections [part 1]: Where two roads meet
Yesterday at MCC we began a new series called “Intersections: where God and real life meet.” We kicked off the series by talking about the two kinds of people in the world. The first group always use a divided plate when they eat because they don’t want their food to touch. The second group use an open plate, because its all going the same place anyway. The reality is that a lot of people tend to live divided lives, some areas and days are sacred, others are secular.
We discovered an interesting truth from the story of Jacob’s dream [found in Genesis 28.10-17]
Jacob awakens from his dream and says, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He doesn’t wake up and say, “Wow, God finally showed up!”, as if God were somewhere else and only “shows up” when we get it all right. Jacob wakes up and realizes that God has been there all along, but Jacob was just waking up to the reality of God’s presence. Jacob is waking up to the truth that God is always present, that there is no such thing as a “God forsaken” place…he is always there.
How many of us are asleep to God’s presence and activity in our lives?
Yesterday, we talked about several disciplines or practices that can help “wake us up” to God’s presence.
The Scriptures. We read the scriptures, but the scriptures also read us. Those stories still speak into our lives today. When we read the stories in the Bible, we are reading about men and women who “woke up.” Their stories can help us detect God’s activity in our lives.
Prayer. A consistent prayer life can be eye opening. Prayer is not simply presenting God with our wish-lists. Prayer, at times, is being still and quiet. In the silence the Holy Spirit can bring to your attention anything that is preventing you from experiencing the life God has for you.
Fasting. When we fast, we abstain from something [food, activities, etc.] in order to feast on things that draw us closer to God.
Generosity. When we are generous we are like Jesus. Giving allows us to see God at work in the lives of others, but also in our own.
Community. God exists is a community of one. He is one, yet three. Father, Son, and Spirit. It was never God’s intention that people would be alone or without others to go through life with. When we journey with others in community, their stories impact us, and even have the potential to help “wake us up” to God’s presence in our own lives.
So, which of these practices do you enjoy most? Which is the most difficult for you?
What are your thoughts on Sunday’s teaching?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
josh
