I can’t really speak for the guys–since I was not present–but from what I hear, they had a lot of fun playing soccer…or dodgeball…let’s just go with “sports.” As for the girls, we had a very girlie, very fun, and very colourful evening of manicures and pedicures. We had a blast and were so blessed to hang out with the junior youth and just do something fun with them.

Personally, I think this should become something we do more regularly. Maybe it’s just me, but there seems to be a gap between the two groups that needs to be filled. Along with the Youth, the YA and Junior Youth are part of the larger group of OCC’s youth ministry and though we mingle with the youth very readily, a relationship with the junior youth is not as evident.

I’m not saying this to reprimand anyone, but to shed light on an opportunity to strengthen the youth ministry at OCC. Being the eldest group of the ministry, we have a responsibility to the youngest. I am so happy that we took the time yesterday to spend with them and to just show them that we care and I hope that we can become more involved and take on a larger leadership role in the youth ministry at OCC.

That’s all for now, hope to see you on Friday!

D

I suppose we all have our challenges to face. As children we were either too short, too tall, too fat, or too skinny. Someone else was always smarter, or faster, or more popular. As adults we are either too young or too old, too inexperienced or too overqualified, too busy or too alone.
Sometimes it’s more serious. We carry the baggage of being abused in some unfair way, we worry about how to pay the bills, we grieve over a loss of someone close, we agonize over a rebellious child, a broken relationship or we face an uncertain future of chronic physical problems.
We all experience disappointments and failures which are often beyond our own control. We get frustrated, impatient, and angry at the way life has treated us. We may then become resentful and bitter.

There are some of us who appear to have it all together while on the inside we wonder why life seems so empty and meaningless. Maybe we can’t exactly put our finger on it, we just know that something is missing. But this is usually a temporary state, what with so many distractions around. As some say, thanks to our culture, “We can easily amuse ourselves to death.”

Then for many of us, I suspect, we’re so accustomed to our predictable, safe pattern of living that we become unaware there’s more to which God is calling us. We get so accustomed to the familiar — day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year — that we fail to realize the difference between living and simply existing. Our status is quo, and thus we fail to recognize the abiding sickness which resides within our own souls.

38 Years and Counting

Whatever pain we carry, it seems rather insignificant compared to the man in this (John 5:1-9) story. He had been an invalid for 38 years. We don’t know the cause of his suffering. We just know that for a very long time he had been unable to do the things most of us take for granted. But, apparently he still had a sliver of hope.

This man took his place with many others who shared a similar plight. After all, misery does love company. They gathered at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem where some said that every now and again an angel would disturb the waters, and the first one in would be healed. But that’s a mighty tall order if you can’t get up. It was the kind of atmosphere that TV preachers dream about.

Then, one day, someone better than an angel, or a televangelist, comes along — though no one really knows this at the time. His name is Jesus — the friend of sinners, the compassionate man, the divine healer. Surely Jesus will tell them to forget about their superstitions and throw a healing party for them all.

But something strange happens next. The compassionate Jesus takes a look at the man lying on the ground and asks a very insensitive question: ‘Do you want to be made well?” Talk about “politically incorrect” speech! What was he thinking? This poor sick man could have rightfully come back with some sarcastic response like, “Sir, I really enjoy being here completely unable to move!”

Yet there was something about the way Jesus looked at him, something about the way he asked the question, that made it not so foolish a question after all. The answer was not as obvious as it must have seemed. Jesus wanted to know. Did the man really want to be made well or not?

He had waited in this condition for 38 years and it might have been that all hope had died. The man might have been content to remain an invalid. After all, if he was cured he would have to bear all the responsibilities of making a living for himself. There are people who find a sense of security in sickness, and for them, suffering isn’t that unpleasant because someone else does the work and worry for them.

“Do you want to be made well?” Maybe it wasn’t such a dumb question after all. The man failed to give a direct answer. Why not a simple “yes”? 38 years is a long time to be able to settle into a kind of comfort and safety even in misery. Being well holds more responsibilities. Being well holds more accountability.

But the man did respond quickly. He wanted to be healed, but he didn’t see how since he had no one to help him up when the waters stirred within the pool. Besides, someone else always managed beat him to the punch when he did try to make his way down to those magical waters.
Still, Jesus had to know if the man really wanted to receive the gift of healing. So he quickly cut right to the heart of the matter: “Stand up, take your mat and walk.”

The Question Behind the Question

Jesus spoke the word, but God’s healing power could not be let loose until the man assumed the responsibility of choosing life and risking the possibility of transformation! What’s true then is still true for us.

The deeper question Jesus asks is, “Do you really want to be changed?” If we are content to stay as we are — no matter how miserable that may be — there can be no change, no possibility of healing for us. It is almost as if Jesus said to the man: “Bend your will to it and you and I will do this thing together!” (William Barclay, The Gospel of John: 178-79)

The gospel truth is that we all must recognize our own utter helplessness apart from God. That is our shared human condition. But then we must realize it is also true that miracles can happen when our will cooperates with God’s power to make them possible. (Barclay, 180) The question Jesus asks is the ultimate question each of us must answer, “Do you really want to be made well?”

Even God himself can do little for us if we are comfortable with our place in life. Too often we plod along in our debilitating condition, craving to be healed, yet resisting any change whatsoever. Carl Sandburg once said: “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.”

A part of me wants to fly like an eagle, but I get too accustomed to wallowing in the mud. We all have our dreams and visions, but then as we get older, life’s realities convince us to settle for less — or to forget them altogether. We get the message, “This is just the way the system works,” and eventually we get sucked into the system while our dreams fade away.

An article in the Bergen (NJ) Record illustrated just how complacent we can become to our immediate circumstances. It told of a zoo in Copenhagen, Denmark that put a human couple on display. Henrik Lehman and Malene Botoft lived in a see-through cage, in the primate display, next to the baboons and monkeys.

Their 320-square-foot habitat had a living room with furniture, a computer, a television and stereo. The kitchen and bedroom were also a part of the display. Only the bathroom was hidden from public view.

Unlike their neighbors, who weren’t allowed out, the two humans occasionally left their fishbowl existence to shop and water the flowers on their porch back at home. “We don’t notice the visitors anymore,” said Lehman. “If I want to pick my nose or my toes now, I do it.” (Parade, Dec. 29, 1996)

Yes, we humans have an innate ability to adjust to just about any kind of circumstance in order to survive. Sometimes survival is the best we can hope for. Our problem, however, is that we too often settle for surviving rather than authentic living.

Jesus’ question to the man was about physical healing, but the man’s physical condition was not the main point. The question behind the question is about life itself: “Just what do you want from life? What is it you really need with God?” I’m afraid that many of us really don’t know what it is we need.

Then Healing Doesn’t Come

Most of what we come to expect out of life comes straight from the television or movie screen. We buy into the false reality that our culture hands to us. We sell our souls for an illusion of life — not the real thing.

We also buy into the false reality peddled of a God who can be manipulated in order to make us healthier, wealthier, and wiser. With this god, everything happens by cause and effect. If you are suffering, then you have sinned. If you aren’t being healed, then you don’t yet have enough faith.

Did you notice in today’s scripture there was a crowd of sick people surrounding that pool? There were many invalids — the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. And as far as we know, Jesus asked only one of them if he would like to be healed. What about the others? What became of them?
Surely Jesus cared about them too, but he offers no explanation as to why grace came on that day to this particular man. There is a mystery about God’s healing and grace that we cannot fathom or predict. Sometimes, though we want it desperately, healing does not come — at least in the way we want it.

What Will It Be?

The well being Christ offers to all of us is greater than our physical world. It has to do with the sickness of our souls. St. Augustine said, “We are all restless until we find our rest in Thee.” This is what God offers to us in Christ — rest for our souls. But maybe we have something different in mind — something more material. If so, then maybe we don’t really want to be made well after all.

Jesus asks us the question today, and He deserves an honest answer. Healing will come on God’s terms, not ours. It is really a question of faith. Can you trust God to change you without manipulating the results? Can you let go of your own fear of change and allow God to make all things new? A new life, a new way of living, that is the Good News of God in Christ.

If you really want to be made well, then you must cooperate with God’s power. Jesus said to the man, “Get up … and walk.” That is His invitation to you and me today: “Get up … walk … put one foot in front of the other … follow me.” He is saying keep going!

This is not just a message about tithing and giving. Some of you are reading this and thinking “I tithe, so this message has nothing to offer me.” But stewardship is not just an economic or money issue, it’s a heart issue not a percentage-of-your-income issue.

God wants all of your treasure, time and talent. He wants to use you to make a difference in the world. Stewardship is about faithfulness (i.e. how, what and where you devote) and what we do with what God has given us. As 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”

Stewardship is about looking at all of our resources and how they are used. Why is this important? Tithing is our need to give in order to express our appreciation because all good things come from God. 1 Chronicles 29: 10-14 says,

(10) David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, 
“Praise be to you, O LORD, 
God of our father Israel, 
from everlasting to everlasting.

(11) Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power 
 and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, 
for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; 
you are exalted as head over all.

(12) Wealth and honor come from you; 
you are the ruler of all things. 
In your hands are strength and power 
to exalt and give strength to all.

(13) Now, our God, we give you thanks, 
and praise your glorious name.

 (14) But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

This passage shows where our possessions come from and what our stewardship should be like.

A Christian Perspective:

You don’t even own yourself, you have been purchased with the blood of Christ, through His death. Even our kids are not our own, they have been given to us in trust.

Stewardship is Obedience. The problem with this is that obedience seems to suggest weakness and subservience. In obedience we surrender control to God; control of material possessions, time, destinies, families, and ourselves.

1 John 5:3-4 says, “(3) This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, (4) for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

We obey because we love God, and that love comes from freedom in Jesus. So, we can stop being a prisoner of free will (Romans 6:16: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”)

Principles of Stewardship:

1. Don’t get engrossed in or with your possessions. (1 Corinthians 7:30-31: “those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” i.e. time on earth is short so it is better to have an eternal perspective instead of an earthly one.)

2. Take care of the possessions you do have (we need to attend to what we do have instead of what we don’t have and stop assuming that God will take care of us without our active planning or preparation. There’s a balance, God owns everything but he entrusts us to care for our possessions. As Proverbs 12:27 says, “The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.”

3. Provide for the future. (Plan for the future and your own retirement. Proverbs 27: 23-24 says, ”Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.” i.e. pay attention to what is going on with your assets, because they are not guaranteed to be their forever.)

4. Give 10% of your income to the work of the church (tithe).

5. Give above the tithe as God blesses you and you feel led.

6. Steward your own life (areas: relationship with God, finances, health, relationship with spouse, children, and family).

Stewardship is every aspect of life. A faithful steward is surrendered to God and accepts and lives in submission to His plan.
Stewardship is a lifestyle. It is a sign of being an authentic Christian. 
 
Discussion Questions
1. Why is discipline required to be a good steward?
2. What does a disciplined person look like? sound like? do?
3. Reread 1 Chronicles 29:10-19. What can you take and apply from it?
4. Have you been a good steward of time? Why or why not?
5. Have you been a good steward of talent? Why or why not?
6. Have you been a good steward of treasure? Why or why not?
7. What do you need to do differently based on what we have discussed and learned? Partner up and pray about it with them.

About a year ago, we had the very first Kitchen Cabinet Meeting to discuss the Young Adults Life Group. In that meeting I was asked to take over the blog. A little daunted, but very excited, I got home and started to think about what I would write about. I wasn’t given any specifics, I was just told to write and if anything is amiss Terry and Cathy would let me know. A few days later, I was watching tv and came upon the 700 Club. I had never seen the show before but that day it featured a story that resonated with me and inspired my first blog entry.

The thing is, I never posted it. I remember writing it, crying and a little shaky, and then printing it out even though that little annoying voice in my head told me not to. I drove to the church and almost got in an accident because was so shaken and was crying, afraid of what people would think if I posted it. I gave it to Noemie and ran out the church (I had to pick up my little sister anyway, but I was glad for the opportunity to flee). A couple of days later, Noemie had read it and she was awesome as usual, encouraging and understanding. But I still could not come up with the courage to post it.

At first it was because the blog wasn’t set up yet-the password had been lost and the site wasn’t up-but then I just delayed it, then delayed some more and then just decided not to post it. Not because I was ashamed, there was (and is) nothing to be ashamed of. I didn’t do anything wrong, and even if I had there’s no condemnation for those in Christ. I know that the reason I didn’t post it was because of pride and because of fear.

The past few weeks since I signed up for Encounter, God has just been speaking to me (at pretty much every turn, ask me later if you want specifics, God works in unexpected ways sometimes) that I have to post it. I have been delaying it, a lot, I mean, we leave for Encounter in like 5 hours so this is down to the wire, but I have to let it go because, as Pr Frank said the other day in our Pre-Encounter class, God sets up the table but it’s up to us to eat. In other words, God can’t help me if I won’t let him. I know that I can’t go to the Encounter holding on to this because even though I hold on to it pretty strongly, it has an even stronger hold over me. It’s that mountain that I just can’t seem to move.

So, I am going to post it now. Hopefully, you all will understand how difficult this is for me. It might seem kind of dumb and trivial, but it’s kind of like a small little crack that is left to itself. It keeps getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger and then it’s so much harder to fix. Sometimes the damage can’t be repaired, the object has to be torn down and completely rebuilt. But that’s what I am hoping to get out of this Encounter. I haven’t done everything I should have to get ready for it, but God is good and he wouldn’t have been so pushy (for lack of a better word) if he wasn’t planning something BIG. So here I am, obeying like a good daughter, and trusting him to make it all better than ok. I’ll see you all on Sunday. God bless!

-D

Original Blog Post: July 10th, 2009

 Have you ever said something that you’ve regretted? Chances are you have. The Bible says that “no one can tame the tongue.” (James 3:8) Hopefully, you have repented to God and apologized to the person(s) you may have offended with an honest heart. If you have, that’s awesome and I commend you for that, it’s not always easy to do. But as it says in Luke 14:11 “For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honoured.” Unfortunately, though, your words can never be taken back, the damage (if there is any) has already been done. Our words have tremendous power, over our lives, the lives of others and even our Christian lives.

•  Is your life too busy?
• What is the pace of your life?
• What condition is your heart in?

A prescription: Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.

It may seem impossible but could you do it if your life depended on it? 

There is a battle going on between spiritual life and hurry. The primary concern in this battle is not that we will renounce our faith but that we will be so distracted, rushed, and preoccupied, that we will have at best a mediocre, half-hearted spiritual life.

Hurry Sickness (hurrying buys more time)

Forty years ago, time management experts believed that work weeks would be cut back by technological advancements. Products that promise to deliver a particular service faster or take less time thrive in our society. The best selling shampoo launch ever in North America was when a company combined shampoo and conditioner; Domino’s pizza was the bestselling delivery pizza out there purely based on it’s promise to deliver within 29 minutes, the quality of the product (which was horrible) was a secondary concern; and fast food restaurants developed the drive thru because customers complained that buying fast food wasn’t fast enough.

In the words of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.”  

One definition of hurry sickness is as follows: above all, a continuous struggle to accomplish or achieve more and more things or participate in more and more events in less and less time, frequently in the face of opposition, real or imagined, from other persons.

Jesus knew how to avoid hurry sickness and repeatedly withdrew from crowds and activities. He urged his followers to rest and to eat because you cannot follow someone when you are ahead of them. Jesus never lost the connection to his Father and He never stopped loving because when He withdrew, He did so for solitude and prayer.

How do we diagnose hurry sickness?

• A speeding up person will read, talk, nod faster to try to speed the talker up.
• We guess which lane will move faster at a grocery store, behind cars.. we must be in it. If we pick the right lane, we win. If we pick the wrong lane, we lost time.
• We become super multiple-taskers. It is called doing more than one thing at a time. In the car do you eat, drink coffee, monitor the radio/music, shave or do hair/makeup, talk on the phone, text, make gestures…. all at the same time
• At home do you watch tv, read, eat dinner, text, surf the net and carry on a conversation at the same time.

 Symptoms of Hurry Sickness

1. Clutter: no simplicity, weighed down by cares or worries

• many books, magazines I want to get to
• time saving gadgets with no time to use
• also the clutter of missed appointments

 2. Superficiality: depth is slow, takes time

• we have traded wisdom for information and exchanged depth for breadth
• we want microwave maturity

 3. Inability to Love

• love and hurry are incompatible
• love takes time
• sunset fatigue – at the end of an exhausting day, those who need us the most, get little or nothing
• hurry kills love. Hurry creates anger, frustration and bitterness. Hurry prevents receiving God’s love and giving it.

 How do I know if I am too hurried? (True or False)

 I often think there is not enough hours in the day. T / F

 I often do or think more than one thing at a time. T / F

 I often have trouble getting rid of stuff. T / F

 I often want to know right now. T / F

 Test for Sunset Fatigue (True or False)

I find myself rushing even when there’s no reason to. T / F

I feel an underlying tension that causes sharp words or quarrels. T / F

I set up mock races that really in order to get through “it” as quickly as possible. T / F

I sense a loss of gratitude and wonder. T / F

I indulge in self-destructive behaviour as escapes from fatigue. T / F

 Reviewing the Day with God

1. Be still, quiet your mind.
2. Acknowledge Jesus. Invite him to teach you.
3. Go back to the morning, when you woke up, review it like a movie
4. Go throughout the day, speak to God about it (you may need to pray about forgiveness, courage, greater love, etc.) 
5. Thank God for mercy and love…

 Curing Hurry Sickness

 1. Slow Down

• deliberately put yourself in a position where you will have to wait, like driving in the slow lane on the highway. People hurry because they are worried they will accomplish less.

2. Seek Solitude

• Jesus did this often; solitude is the one place where we can find freedom from all the societal pressures that try to mold and control us.
• If you put a frog in a pot of boiling water he will jump out, but if you put him in a pot of warm water and gradually turn the heat up he will sit there and acclimate until he boils to death. Most of us run away from extreme danger like the frog and the boiling water, but we don’t seem to notice the growing danger as we gradually get busier and busier, just like the frog doesn’t notice the water getting hotter and hotter.
• solitude is a remedy for busyness
• solitude requires perseverance
• there are two types or kinds of solitude: brief (on a regular basis, a few minutes here and there) and long (a half-day, a day, a few days).

NOTE: May 28th is our monthly social! We are meeting at the church as usual for worshp and then going to LazerQuest. We have booked two games at $5 per game, so bring $5-$10 with you!

Prayer Of the Forsaken

When God seems distant and remote from us, we still need to pray.  This is a common experience (Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Jesus…), and it does not mean that God is angry with us or that we have strayed from him, even if we are angry with Him.

Our actions and prayers need to come out of an attitude that says, “I do not understand what God is doing or even where God is, but I know that he is out to do me good.” (Foster, Prayer, 24)

Prayer of Examination

In this prayer, we examine our consciousness to “discover how God has been among us and how we have responded to him; to remember his mighty acts on our behalf.”

We also examine our conscience, asking God to search our hearts so that evil can be identified and excised and that good can be encouraged and celebrated.  “If the examination is solely a self-examination, we will always end up with excessive praise or blame [for ourselves].” (Foster, Prayer, 30)

Guidance from Holy Spirit  (Ortberg 132; Foster CD 175)

“Why is it that when we speak to God we are said to be praying, but when God speaks to us we are said to be schizophrenic?” (Ortberg, 135)   “We cannot be transformed if we close ourselves off to the guiding power of the Holy Spirit” (Ortberg, 150).

God does not need to use symbolic sounds or images to guide my thoughts like people do (although he may use them).  God can make his thoughts directly present to us, so that they are almost indistinguishable from our own thoughts, at least in the way they occur to us.

Guidance from the Holy Spirit is not “insider trading” information advanced to us because of a special relationship with someone “in the know.”

God’s guidance is primarily intended to help us become more like Jesus, which is our destiny (Rom 8.29).  Following his guidance does not guarantee us the kind of future that we dream of for ourselves, or even immunize us from loss or tragedy, but it does build up trust in God and Christlikeness in ourselves.  As a secondary concern, God may speak to us about particular ways to make specific decisions.

Receiving Guidance

One of the reasons we don’t hear God is that we are not listening; we are not fully present to him when we worship or pray.  To mitigate this situation, practice his presence (see “Practicing the presence of God”).  Even when we are working on a demanding “spiritually unrelated” concern, we can be in prayer and worship deep within, cultivating a listening and responsive attitude in our spirits.  Each time we encounter a new person or situation, we can quietly pray, “How would you have me respond to this person/situation? How (if at all) do you want to work through me in this situation?”

“It only makes sense to ask God for guidance in the context of a life committed to seeking first the kingdom.” (Ortberg, 146). Don’t ask for guidance unless you are already committed to follow it when you get it, however unlikely (Acts 8.26ff) or insignificant it may seem at first. If we are going to be so bold as to ask God for direction, how dare we disobey him when we receive it?  This disobedience grieves the Holy Spirit and makes it more difficult for us to hear him in the future.

Listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice coming through others, even (or especially) unlikely sources.  Graciously, God can speak directly to even the most infantile of Christians, or even unbelievers about a matter concerning others, and his choice is often for our own benefit, even though it may be surprising.  When we ignore or dismiss such messages from others, we do so at our own peril. 

Prayer of Intercession

“As we consider prayer for other people or situations, it is easy for us to be defeated right at the outset because we have been taught that everything in the universe is already set, and things cannot be changed but the Bible does not teach that.” (Foster, CD, 35)

Knowing and listening to God for guidance is the starting point (see above).  Otherwise, how can we know what he wants us to pray for, and therefore what prayer he will honor?

We should not fear that we do not have enough faith to pray for something.  Jesus said that a tiny amount was enough (the size of a tiny mustard seed).  “Usually, the courage actually to go and pray for a person is a sign of sufficient faith” (Foster, CD, 39).

Journaling

Journaling “is a highly intentional reflection on the events of our days.  It differs from a diary by its focus on why and wherefore rather than on who and what.  The external events are springboards for understanding the deeper working of God in the heart.”

A journal keeps a record of God’s work in our lives to be used as a remembrance, much like the Passover meal was for the Israelites and the communion meal is for us  (Foster, Prayer, 33).  If we use a journal to record times of great spiritual moments, intimacy, guidance, triumph, etc., then it can be of enormous value in helping us to remember these times (just because we wrote them down).  Furthermore, this written record can be a great encouragement in future times of uncertainty or despair.

Life-Centered Prayer 

(Thompson, 94-95): “integrating the life of prayer into the ordinary events and decisions of everyday life.”

What Does OCC believe about Prayer? (from “Covenant Partner”)

1. We are devoted to personal and corporate prayer and intercession.
2. We believe that without the Lord we can do nothing and that prayer supernaturally moves the hand of God to act on behalf of His people.
3. We are committed to prayer and intercessions our lifeline of power and enablement to accomplish God’s will and purpose.
4. The church is called to be a house of prayer for all nations, populated by people who are called to be a royal priesthood of believers and a kingdom of priests, given to intercession for others.
5. We must deal with the powers of darkness through concerted prayer, intercession and spiritual warfare, because Satanic powers are real and will resist us in building the church.
6. Personal, daily prayer is the minimum, normal activity of every believer, and corporate prayer is to the power of agreement, which brings down spiritual strongholds.
7. Strategic intercession is to be employed in all the ministries of the church with committed believers who are trained in prayer and effective intercession.

Discussion Questions

1. How, if at all, are your days that begin with prayer different from those that begin without prayer?
2. Where and when do you pray?
3. Why do you sometimes not pray?  How can you change that?
4. Share a time when you heard from God and what happened as a result.

•  we often have a “go it alone” mentality but at the same time we know that there’s strength in numbers.
• fellowship is more than just a “misery loves company” or “whining together” type of gathering, instead it’s a “God is more real because I see him in you” kind of thing!

Fellowship is many things, It’s a friendship, partnership, gathering, camaraderie, building and encouraging relationships, brother/sisterhood, hanging out, getting together, etc.

 In Genesis 2:18, God said that it was not good for man to be alone; so, he created Eve. Marriage is good but we need relationships beyond marriage. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” And in Psalm 18:24 it says that there is a friend closer than a brother. God did not intend anyone to live or to fight the battles/challenges we face by ourselves

Church and the Human Body

1 Corinthians 12:12 explains that the body is a unit. Even though it is made up of many parts, and its parts are many, they form ONE body.

• one definition of body is community, a unit with many parts – when we assemble on a Friday, it is a gathering of “the body” of young adults

1 Corinthians 12:13 says that we are all baptized into one spirit. (Read also verses 15-20)

What if we were only one part or we did not have some parts? What things would we lose?

 We often ask ourselves why can’t I ________ like Jane or Bob? God designed us to all be needed but not all for the same thing. All of our parts, all of us are special, that is the effect of fellowship. We are not supposed to live as lone wolves. I need you and you need me.

 A RADICAL POSITION

God has not given us everything we need to follow Him successfully! So what did God do about this? He gave us each other. We have gaps, things missing, but he gave us each other to fill in the gaps. We are part of the body for each other, needed and necessary.

 What does biblical fellowship look like? Hebrews 10:24 says, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” To spur means to provoke, challenge or inspire. Furthermore, Hebrews 10:25 says not to give up or withdraw: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us enourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

God’s plan is that we will exhort and encourage each other. To exhort may mean to hold someone accountable, ask them “do you want me to do this?” That means I would have to say yes I want help, I will answer your questions, I will be honest and open with you. We probably don’t need sympathy. Often, we need support and a kick in the pants. The issue needs to be confronted.

 Encouragement

•  we may need encouragement and comfort- it feeds the heart
• we all need it, what if no one was around or noticed you needed encouragement?

When we show encouragement we show Jesus in us. We show His love. You are helping someone be more whole.

How to Pursue Fellowship

Can you pursue relationships? Think about it. We know that we can. We may have to wilfully pursue relationships. Surround yourself rather than withdraw. You fill their gaps and they yours.

Billy Graham was asked what he would do if he started a church. He said, “one of the first things I would do is gather 10-12 around me that would meet a few hours a week and pay the price. It would cost something in terms of time and effort. I would share what I have with them, over the years. This would create 12 ministers among the laymen who in turn could take 10-12 and teach them.” There is a model.

 Big Ideas

• it is easier to stand together, rather than alone
• God is real because I can see HIM in you
• we all play different parts in the body, we all play different parts
• God designed us to help each other
• Jesus is alive because I see Him in you
• I know Jesus loves me because you love me
• friends can kick you in the pants
• friends can care and encourage you

 Discussion Questions:

1.  How has someone exhorted (kick in the pants) or encouraged you? How did it make you feel?
2. Is fellowship mandatory? See Hebrews 10:24-25
3. What barriers keep us from enjoying genuine fellowship with one
4. another? (Why is to worse for men?)
5. Do you need to give or get more genuine Christian fellowship? What will you DO about it?

NOTE: Terry and Cathy were going to have us at their house this Friday (May 7th) but it has been changed. We are now meeting at the Church at the regular time (7pm). Hope to see you there!

The verb ‘to celebrate’ originally (15th century) meant “to solemnize,” “to perform with due rites,” and “to observe with due formality” (Oxford English Dictionary) It has always served a religious function and as such celebration fosters a sense of community, fulfillment and has an element of transcendence. Moreover, it is not unheard of  to impose a religious function on elements of popular culture. Tracy Trothen, a scholar in the field of religion and popular culture, has argued that hockey serves as a form of religion for devoted fans, offering community, rituals, mythology based on atonement theories, fulfillment, and transcendence. (Trothen, Tracy. “Holy Acceptable Violence?: Violence in Hockey and Christian Atonement Theories.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 21 (2009), 42pp., http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art(se)-HockeyViolence.htm ) Others have argued that rave culture, baseball, rock concerts, hallucinogenics, etc… also offers the same “religious” functions.

When I put it into context I saw that celebration truly is a spiritual discipline and is used by many to seek happiness and fulfillment. However, true happiness and fulfillment, as goals of celebration, cannot be achieved unless the spiritual is involved. That is, unless God is the focus of our celebration. For example, how am I achieving happiness if I go out to a party, get wasted, and then wake up the next morning with no memory of the night before and feeling like a truck ran over me? How is the celebration fulfilling if I am seeking community, understanding and transcendence and all I get from my experience are friends with whom all I have in common with are our tastes in liquor, incoherence, ordinariness and simplicity? Because lets face it, the brain that is flooded with alcohol is far from able to understand anything complex or superior to itself (i.e. able to transcend). Is that a celebration? Are vodka-crans and tequila shots really worth celebrating? and consequently, when used in this way, worth idolizing?

On the other hand, through my secularized perception, discipline has always been something to stay away from, a kill-joy and a punishment. How does celebration fit into that when it’s supposed to make us happy and give us freedom? Again, when we put it into context, discipline doesn’t restrict our freedom it enables our freedom. Discipline comes from the (14th century) latin “disciplina” which means instruction of disciples, or instructions imaprted to disciples or scholars (Oxford English Dictionary). Really it just means that a spiritual discipline is a teaching. As a teaching from God, spiritual disciplines require our obedience and it is through our obedience to God that we are free. However, as Terry and Cathy pointed out in their talk on Friday, ”Foster cautions us to never turn spiritual disciplines into ‘soul-killing laws,’” as with many things in the Christian life, “it’s not so much what you do (although it is that); it’s how [or why] you do it.” i.e.  “the question we need to ask with any spiritual discipline is, what does God want to accomplish in me through this practice?” (72)

So, what does God want to accomplish in us through celebration? Why should we celebrate? Terry and Cathy brought up some great points on Friday to answer this question:

• “Jesus is remembered, among other things, as ‘a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.’” But the sorrow of God, like the anger of God, is his temporary response to a fallen world. That sorrow will be banished forever from his heart on the day the world is set right. Joy is God’s basic character. Joy is his eternal destiny.”(Ortberg, 67). “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neh. 8.10) There is a time for grieving, but there is also a time for joy and celebration.
• Foster says that celebration is central to all Christian spiritual disciplines: “Without a joyful spirit of festivity the disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees.” (CD 191).
• Dallas Willard says, “…failure to attain a deeply satisfying life always has the effect of making sinful actions seem good. Here lies the strength of temptation… Normally, our successes in overcoming temptation will be easier if we are basically happy with our lives. To cut off the joys and pleasures associated with our bodily lives and social existence as unspiritual, then, can actually have the effect of weakening us in our efforts to do what is right.” Consequently, we want to set up our lives so that sin appears less appealing to us (Ortberg, 70). Celebration is a powerful tool for this purpose.
• Unlike hedonism, Christian disciplinary celebration does not follow the law of diminishing returns. Rather, our ability to take more pleasure in the simplest gifts of God and our capacity for joy increases (Ortberg, 72).
• “Celebration gives us the strength to live in all the other disciplines. When faithfully pursued, the other disciplines bring us deliverance from those things that have made our lives miserable for years, which in turn, evokes increased celebration.” (CD, 201)

Also, then, we must find appropriate ways to celebrate. How do we celebrate in a godly way?

• Retain and cultivate an awareness of the true Christian joy that is always there in spite of sin and evil, and is based on the assurance that Jesus has ensured of the final victory. Based on the words of Jesus in Luke 11:27-28, Foster says that joy is the result of obedience to God, and that the true joy of the Lord cannot be known apart from obedience to him (CD, 192).
• The scriptures are full of examples of celebration in worship, singing, and dancing. Paul tells us a lot in Philippians 4 about how to practice celebration:
  • ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
  • ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
  • ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
• Foster suggests that laughter, creative imaginings, rites of passage, spontaneous fun times, and days with special social significance are wonderful ways and opportunities to practice the discipline of celebration (CD, 197-201).
• Sometimes, especially for people who may be joy-impaired, it may be necessary to increase one’s avoidance of joy-leeches (that suck the joy out of you without being affected by it), at least for a time, until the discipline becomes established. It may also be helpful to pray with and learn from someone who is a “disciplined celebrant.”
• Sometimes, in order to find time for celebration, something else needs to be abstained from (perhaps TV, telephone, or overscheduling).

Find some time to celebrate today. Rejoice in the Lord our God, he deserves all of our praise and wants to celebrate with us.

God Bless!

D

Sorry for the delay in updating. :s Unfortunately I’ve been very, very busy with school work so I missed the Mid-Winter Meltdown. I am extremely upset about this since last year was AWESOME! From what I hear it was pretty epic this year, too. Recordings are available online via the OCC website (occonline.ca, click on media and it should be the first one as of now) and DVDs are available to purchase at the church. I will definitely be giving them a listen once I finish all these essays.

The last Friday night I attended we started the NOOMA series. In it we discussed silence. We are surrounded by noise and it’s increasingly difficult to find a place where we can just sit in uninterrupted silence. When we are trying to hear from God, we need to “be still.” Sometimes we need to be completely silent in order to hear Him, and with everything that’s going on around us, from the sounds of the TV, other people, the ticking of the clock, or even visual noise like the hundreds of ads we see everyday, it’s really hard to just sit and listen. We live in a world of constant distraction, there are so many things competing with God for our attention. It’s important to find that time to spend with God, in silence. I tried it the other day, it wasn’t complete silence, the ticking of the clock was distracting for a little bit, but when I really focused on God, the ticking was drowned out and I had an awesome time. I felt so at peace just in his presence. I wish all of my devotional time could be spent that way. Try it sometime, you won’t be disappointed.

Tonight Terry and Cathy wanted to go deeper into the messages presented at the Mid-Winter Meltdown. We had testimony time where some people shared what they learned from the message or what God revealed to them during the conference. Then, we broke off into pairs and discussed issues such as revelations, what we need God to cleanse us of, etc. It was a great time to give our testimonies and get to know the person we were paired up with better. The highlight of the night, in my opinion, was the worship. I can’t not mention it, even if it isn’t exclusively Young Adults. It was so energetic and everyone was really into it, so much so that when the worship team was finished everyone screamed to worship some more with “Dancing Generation.” It was awesome. This is the first time since I have been at OCC that this has happened. God is MOVING!!! I can’t wait to see what happens next, hope you’ll be there to see it, too!

Blessings!!!!

D

But I had no answer. For the first time since I can remember, I had no goals or plans. Everything was all up in the air. Since kindergarten I knew I wanted to be a doctor, so in highschool it was go to university and study life sciences, in the first year of university it was study hard to get into med school, and then when that plan fell through it was finish my bachelors degree. Well, I’ll be finished my degree in just over three months and I have no idea whatsoever what I’m gonna do. I applied to Graduate school, and God has spoken to me that I will get in and he will make a way for me to get there, and this has been confirmed prophetically a few times, but without that acceptance letter I, being the practical person I have always been, needed a backup plan in case God changed his mind, or I just didn’t hear him right.

So anyway, Phil (our youth director for those not familiar with OCC) commented on my status with a link for a video on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhX7m3rF20c&annotation_id=annotation_927104&feature=iv) I’m watching this Nate guy, telling me I’m going to Hell even though I think I’m saved, and I’m thinking this guy is outrageous, a fanatic, what is Phil thinking sending this to me? What is he trying to say, that I’m going to Hell even though I’ve been going to church, I run the blog, I pray, I serve as usher, I read the Bible, …all that stuff, and I’m still going to Hell? But I kept watching the video, and as I did I started to weep, I started to realize everything this Nate guy is saying is true. I do all the “right” things but do I do them for the right reasons? Do I truly love God? or do I love what He can do for me? I had been using Him. I was using Jesus, who was beaten and took my punishment for me, for my own personal gain. Because it made me feel better to think I was going to Heaven and that I was part of a select group of good people in a world of atrocities. I was using Him so I could call myself righteous, even though I was far from it.

Why am I telling you this? Because people, Christians and non-Christians alike, need to know and understand that we can’t hide from Him and that those times when we think we’re doing good and feel justified in our ”minor” sins, sin is still sin, and no sin is greater than the next. I was just as bad as the ones who cast lots for Jesus’ clothes, who spit on him as he walked up the mountain, who gave him vinegar instead of water when he was thirsty, hanging on the cross by nails in his hands and feet. That is a horrible feeling. I hate that I did that and I am ashamed of myself for taking advantage of Him, but as much as I would like for no one to know any of this, it’s important that I confess it to you all because:

a) God wants me to, he gave me a gift and the opportunity to use it for His glory, and I give Him all the glory in this entry;

b) some of you might be in the same boat but too ashamed to face it, or believe the lies that I believed, that you’re too far gone, or not worth saving, and I hope this entry will help you realize that that is not true;

c) by confessing it I am freeing myself from it, it’s like when David Letterman revealed on his show that he had an affair so that the man who was attempting to blackmail him would have no power over him, not the best example but that’s pretty much the gist of it.

One of my mottos is “it’s not the fall that defines you, but what you do after you fall.” This is mostly because I’m a klutz so I fall a lot, but when I fall I don’t sit there with my head down calling myself stupid and putting myself down as people laugh, I get up, dust myself off and keep walking. I give a little laugh to acknowledge that it happened but I don’t let it get me down. That motto is totally applicable here, too. As soon as I realized what I had done, what I had been doing to my God, I confessed it (acknowledged that it happened), I repented (acknowledged that it was wrong and mourned my actions) and I pleaded with God for forgiveness.

But I didn’t only ask for forgiveness, I asked for deliverance. I think that’s something else I had to learn, I had been repenting of sins as they came up in my day to day life, but I had never been freed from them. It’s like being blinded and asking God to restore your sight temporarily. Who in there right mind would only want temporary healing? If you were blinded, you would want to have your sight completely restored, right? Similarly, I don’t want temporary relief from a sin I’m struggling with, I want to be completely freed from it so that I don’t make the same mistakes over and over again. It’s like Israel in the book of Jeremiah. How many times did God tell them not to go to Egypt? In one chapter alone he says it three times, if I remember correctly. And one of those times it’s when the Israelites ask Him what they should do, and when He tells them, through His prophet Jeremiah, what they don’t want to hear they say Jeremiah is lying (even though everything he had prophecied before had come to pass) and they go to Egypt.

Well, when I was reading this and thinking they were stupid, I was doing the exact same thing. Not cool. But as soon as God revealed this to me, did I sit there and say “well, too late now then. I’m a hopeless case, there’s nothing more I can do. I guess I’ll just give up on God because there’s no way I can live up to his standards or be worthy of anything he wants to give me.” No. Because God never gives up on us and there’s nothing He can’t do: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” (Isaiah 59:1)

I was right, I am not worthy of His blessings and I can’t live up to His standards, not by myself. But “when ordinary people pair up with an extraordinary God, awesome things happen” (Pr. Frank Seixas). With Jesus on my side, I can overcome the world, I can be delivered from sin and freed from bondage. But I also can’t just let Him do all the work, I have to do some heavy lifting also. I have to face fears, shame, sins, rejection, persecution, despair, etc… but I know that I have to live like no one else, so I can LIVE like no one else (Dave Ramsay, different context though). I have a purpose, it’s to serve God. I don’t know specifically how I’m gonna do that, career-wise, but He’ll let me know when the time is right. And even if He wants me to serve Him by pumping gas at the Petro Canada on the corner for the rest of my life, I will because His wisdom is so beyond what I can understand that I just have to trust that pumping gas is the best thing for me.

Like Neil says in the video, when I’m at my last breath, it’s not gonna matter if I have a PhD and made billions of dollars, if I was in a movie, or if I wrote a national best-seller, if I discovered the cure for cancer, or was Prime Minister, even though these are all worthwhile things in this world, when I’m no longer in the world and it’s just me God and Jesus standing in Heaven and I start to list all of the “good” stuff I did and that I went to church, etc, all that’s gonna matter is if Jesus is gonna say, “I know you.” or “I know you not.”

Matthew 10: 32-33 says: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Will I be disowned or acknowledged by Him? Have I disowned or acknowledged Him? I may think that by doing all the “right” things I am acknowledging Him but Psalm 44: 20-21 says: “If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?” He knows our hearts. If we acknowledge him in our appearance but disown Him in our hearts, don’t you think he would know it? Which one do you think matters most to Him, how we act or the motivation for our actions? We can be doing all the “right” things on the outside but are our hearts in it? Are we doing it because we love God? He knows, even if we don’t want to admit it to ourselves. He tells us, but do we listen?

Tonight at OCC Young Adults it’s Spiritual Check Up night. I encourage you to go. If you can’t go, talk to God about what is missing in your walk and really take the time to evalutate how you have been serving Him and what your motivations are. If you don’t like what you discover, don’t shy away from it, there’s no condemnation for those in Christ, God is ready and willing to forgive, forget and restore, give Him a chance. My prayers are with you!

Love, D