The divine project: ‘To secure God’s people in God’s place living under God’s rule in God’s way in God’s holy loving presence’

Remember

Our first week for our new series at 212 was a great start. We took a look at the beginning, Creation. We asked the question was is the irreducible minimum that Genesis 1 and following must be saying for the rest of Scripture to make any sense. We talked about 7.

1. God simply is (He has no beginning and No end)
2. God made everything
3.God is a talking God
4. There is only One of Him
5. He made everything Good
6. Creation proclaims His greatness and His glory
7. God Rests

Think::

Which one of the seven impacted you the most? Why? What thoughts did it generate in your mind?
What does it say about God that He used spoken word to create all things?
Which one of the 7 is hard to grasp or a little confusing?
How do you experience Gods rest? If you don’t how can you?
Take a moment and write down thanks and praise to God our creator.

Wonder::

What part of creation do you love to enjoy?
Do you think Adam and Eve looked like we do today?
Do you think mosquitoes would be as annoying as they are today?
Do ever wonder if God knew Chapter 3(the Fall) was going to happen why he still created?
When was the last time experiencing creation made you feel small?

Read::

Genesis 1 and 2
Psalm 19:1-4

Next Week
Corruption
Text Genesis 3

Returning yesterday from the UP in Michigan was a sweet and yet a little sad all rolled into one. I had the privilege of leading 20 dudes on a backpacking/camping trip. It was dubbed man maker and i think that’s what it did. Th idea was not to go to the wilderness and sing songs and have Sunday school lessons. Not that’s wrong. But I wanted it to be a trip that was hard, difficult, frustrating, exciting, confusing, and a life memory. I think it was…I know it was for me. The food was not plentiful, water was more valuable than money and it pushed them past some limits never known to exist. This was not the Seals BUDS program, but it was a good push that brought upon their bodies, thirst, blisters, hunger, annoying bites, scrapes, sun burns and soreness. I hope as they grow and get older and life gets hard and it seems like its time to quit… that they will remember man maker and push through when they think they can’t go another step. Being a man is not about how strong, or funny, or smart or how much money you make…its about courage, integrity, perseverance, long suffering and trust in God. There are no (insert word I used at the ranger station) allowed. Its stepping up to challenges and pushing through, working hard, not quitting and never giving up. Jesus was a real man. He persevered through persecution, verbal abuse, abandonment, incredible pain, even to the point of death. Why? because that’s what God called him to do and he was not going to quit no matter the pain, the frustration, or even when he was the only one standing…he knew it was the right thing to do and he had the courage to stand. That is where he discovered his greatest victory the world has ever know or will ever know. I hope man maker pushed us all a little close to the greatest example of who man should be…Jesus Christ.

Anyway his situation has caused me to be frustrated with Church leadership. In conversations with him and around my town Church budgets seem to be guiding the Church. Church budgets are influencing the decision making process of ministry. The discussions are bound by the pressure of not wanting to do anything that would cause people to leave…because if they leave our budget…If they don’t like it they might stop giving and our budget… We are called to be ministers of the gospel and men who follow God even when it doesn’t make sense…even when it doesn’t make sense to the budget. Where is God? Where is the Holy SPirit? They are disguised in the word stewardship…bottom lines…and survival philosophy…which is only a slow death to irrelevance. My friend is in the wake of budget controlling the Church. My friend is amazing at what he does and I love him. May God lead Him to places that don’t make sense. May God continue to use Him in radically ways wherever God plants him.

I love to hear great questions. I am so tired of holding onto ideas and beliefs “only” because its how we have always don it. The history of the Church seems more like an organism flowing through the ages seeking understanding. Today Christendom seems to have become a solidified rigid substance with very little color or creativity. As I said I love great questions and we need to continue asking great questions as we attempt to humbly take the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth. May God have all the glory!

A High school student spoke a message with purpose, poise, humor, compassion, depth, conviction, and love. It was great! He spoke from the perspective of a student who has grown up in the church his entire life and began to realize the Christian stuff he was doing means nothing with out truly giving your heart to Christ. His challenge was to pick one thing from two lists: List one was something they could do this week to love God more and list two was something to do to love people more…very clear message. On the list “love people was to forgive someone…wow it sounds so easy, but its so hard when you are hurt deep. The video highlights this point very well. Take a look…

One more thought…
I have been to several youth ministry and training stuff…None of the hours spent in breakouts, classes, or main sessions compare to the indestructible power of having the “Youth Leaders” get out of the way and let students be used by God. Were not taking about a bake sale, or serving on the lawn crew, or helping baby sit and all the other requests that come in the form of, hey lets get the teenagers to help…but that’s only because they don’t want to do the “grunt work themselves” Its about letting them dream, think create and then doing it to bring Jesus glory. Students praying with students. Students delivering a message from their heart in the power of the Holy Spirit…Students planing and implementing meetings, deciding what we are doing, what were are teaching and who…The kind of stuff that usually gets kept by the “youth Pastor” or “youth professional” Students leading the way most American Churches need to begin turning the ship or face death.

On Adam Lehman’s blog a person asked the question, whats the key problem facing student ministries today? Church and Student Ministries have become goods and services that they consume…they go and get and run out of and have to come back next week and the week after that because they are only pumping quarters into the vending machine…Just enough God for the week….Why is it this way? Because Youth Pastors suck. Churches suck. Parents suck…The entire system sucks and its time we start questioning our entire paradigm. Don’t get all pissy…you suck too oh and I suck. Jesus died for a lot of suckie people. Amen

All I Have Is Christ from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

I guess I wonder how people walk through life with out someone to place their faith… It just seems like life would be so random, and pointless….But its not. If we look to the Old Testament we can see that God who has always had plan. Always pulling the levers and working the buttons to bring about His redemptive plan. Who uses ordinary people in ways that to them might not make sense, who received promises that weren’t fulfilled…until much later…Who believed God when it absolutely made zero sense…They went to far off places, they left their home without direction, they confronted ruthless rulers, went to war against all odds, and so on and so on…I guess I am just so thankful to serve a God who makes life meaningful, purposeful and adventurous…even when sad things are on the horizon

High school students arrived at our weekly gathering as they do most Wednesday nights. But the night was offering a different expression of worship. The band played a few songs as usual…then students were directed to float around the room to various stations to experience and worship our savior. We had a place to paint, sculpt, write, reflect, rest, text in heart felt emotion, take communion, confession on a chalk board…it was extremely encouraging to be present. I think students connected in a new and powerful way. Coolest part: students dreamed up the ideas and help set it all up…hence “student” ministry…

Thoughts? How do you gauge your “success” or “faithfulness?”

On a sunny 70 degree day our plain landed in San Jose California. I had the enormous privilege of attending a conference. The conference was unlike any I had been to in the past. The conference was dubbed, “The Innovative Church” The key note speaker was Gary Hammel and to say he is smart does not provide you with a clear picture. Brilliant, rock star of the Business world and a very engaging witty speaker. Oh and he loves the Lord. He agreed to do this conference because he Loves the Lord and because he wants to see Churches thrive. Its nothing new to say that the Church (yes most likely yours) is irrelevant, stale, and not growing. Chances are your church is exactly that same as it was 5, 10, or even 20 years ago. Same programs (new names), same organizational structure (new faces), but its most likely the same. The problem is that culture is changing. It just changed…look it changed again…and again. It changes so fast the church is left with trying to hold onto the past because there is no way to catch up to the future.

It has taken me almost a month to digest all the information I brought back from California. Let me explain the video. Gary Hamel brought his friends from IDEO (an innovation and design firm) to hep Church leaders discover a process to innovate their churches. The tag team of Gary Hamel and the minds from IDEO were an intersect of awesome! Bottom line we must be better and creativity is one piece of helpling churches become relevant.
more later…