To share your thoughts and read others, click on the comments link following the Reflection that you would like to respond to.
November 15-16, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth
As you consider the relationships in your life and the different circumstances in which you engage in those relationships, what are some ways that you know you have been successful in generating thankfulness in others? What are some new things that you are going to try and implement into your relationships with hopes of bringing people to thankfulness, either for your presence in their life or for what you have brought to their awareness of what they have to be thankful for in their lives?
As you consider the relationships in your life and the different circumstances in which you engage in those relationships, what are some ways that you know you have been successful in generating thankfulness in others? What are some new things that you are going to try and implement into your relationships with hopes of bringing people to thankfulness, either for your presence in their life or for what you have brought to their awareness of what they have to be thankful for in their lives?
November 8-9, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastor of Teaching & Worship
This week we
looked at Paul's words to the Thessalonians that says, "Be
thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to
Christ Jesus." I've heard it said that we don't have to give thanks FOR
all circumstances, but the command here is to be thankful IN all circumstances.
What do you see as the difference?
After
the four services this weekend I felt a little melancholy. Even though I can now
give thanks for God, those stories I shared were difficult times for me. At the
same time I'm thankful to God for His refining work in my life. I count it a
blessing to be a part of His kingdom here on this earth
today.
How
did today's message connect with you? Are you going through a difficult
circumstance right now? Are you able to give thanks in it? Let's
not forget the other side of life – What good circumstance can you give thanks
to God in?
Next
week we will continue to look at the Language of Thankfulness, I'll see you
then.
November 1-2, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastor of Teaching & Worship
This weekend we started a
four part series on "The Language of Thankfulness." Our goal was to start
our time by focusing on God. Without considering the things God does for us and
the things God gives us, we can give thanks for who God is. Psalm 100 gave
us four reasons to thank God. He is our creator, He is good, His unfailing love
continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each
generation.
Which one of those
four has the most meaning to you? How can you spend some time this week just
thanking God for who He is? To go deeper, review the bulletin insert and the
attributes of God listed there. Take some time this week to ponder those
attributes and then in your own words express your thanks to God for everything He is.
October 25-26, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth
Proskineo: It's worship, with options! Joyful praise and adoration, or humble surrender at the feet of our Savior. How amazing it is to know that we serve a God who is there for us no matter what. To know that we can go to Him with our joys and sorrows, triumphs and failures should cause us to proskineo and live our lives as sacrifices for Him.
It is not always easy to worship simply because our moods do not always cooperate, but I want to encourage all of us to allow the act of worship to usher in the mood of worship. I think you will find that once you are in a place of praise that the joy of the Lord will become your strength and you will be glad you went there. Feel free to share some of your praise experiences with us so that we can be encouraged to continue a life of praise. Have a great week.
Proskineo: It's worship, with options! Joyful praise and adoration, or humble surrender at the feet of our Savior. How amazing it is to know that we serve a God who is there for us no matter what. To know that we can go to Him with our joys and sorrows, triumphs and failures should cause us to proskineo and live our lives as sacrifices for Him.
It is not always easy to worship simply because our moods do not always cooperate, but I want to encourage all of us to allow the act of worship to usher in the mood of worship. I think you will find that once you are in a place of praise that the joy of the Lord will become your strength and you will be glad you went there. Feel free to share some of your praise experiences with us so that we can be encouraged to continue a life of praise. Have a great week.
October 18-19, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth
Worshipping God when you just aren't feeling it can be really tough. We see in scripture that God can be honored even in our laments and in times when we feel "blah." What are some ways that you have brought worship to God while feeling as though you are in a wilderness? Your responses could help others as they go through their own wilderness experiences.
Worshipping God when you just aren't feeling it can be really tough. We see in scripture that God can be honored even in our laments and in times when we feel "blah." What are some ways that you have brought worship to God while feeling as though you are in a wilderness? Your responses could help others as they go through their own wilderness experiences.
October 11-12, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastor of Teaching & Worship
This weekend ended
our series on Habakkuk. (If you missed the service you can watch it online.) How
did Habakkuk turn his questions for God into confidence in God? Habakkuk
chapter 3 revealed three things he did that we can do this week to help with our
difficult situations in life. He prayed, but just not the typical prayer asking
God for things. He pondered God, which lead him to trust God more fully. He also
praised God in the midst of his difficult life situations.
What do you think
about these three? Do they seem like the same old things you've heard before?
How is Habakkuk's approach different from the usual? Do you think if you do
these that you will experience a deeper relationship with God? Send me a note,
I'd love to hear how this message has affected your life.
Finally, I
appreciated Habakkuk's perspective on prayer – I want to try that this week. I
want to stop and ponder God more this week. In fact, I'm setting some special
time aside to do just that. And Lord help me to praise You in the middle of
tough times. God Bless you this week as you grow deeper with
God.
October 4-5, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastor of Teaching & Worship
I confess, I just
hate it when I see somebody getting away with something that is wrong. This weekend we
learned that God answered Habakkuk's questions about the injustices he saw.
There were five areas of injustice that God spoke to in the passage this week.
God spoke about people who steal things, people who gain wealth dishonestly,
people who exploit others, people who betray theirs friends with
alcohol, and people who embrace a false religion.
We learned that
God is not okay with this. We learned that there will be a time when God will
deal with these injustices. Do you think this passage covers the topic of
injustice? After considering these five issues what questions do you still have
for God about the injustices you see? Habakkuk asked God some important and hard
questions. What is a question you have for God that is left
unanswered?
Let's talk about
it.
September 27-28, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth
Understanding why God does or allows some of the things that we see or experience is something any of us have yet to fully understand. "What do you want to bring out of this?" and "What role do you have for me in this?" are key questions as we wrestle with the "Why are you allowing this to happen?" dilemma.
What are some roles that you have felt God has called you to play in situations in life that you have found difficult? What were the effects of your involvement and faithfulness to do what God was asking of you?
We all grow from each other's experiences, so please feel free to share your own of how you have seen God work in the midst of things you didn't understand.
P.S.
I had several people this weekend share some of their terrifying taxi
experiences. Countries that were included in the unofficial "Scariest Taxis in the World" survey were Thailand, Japan, and France. How about you? Had a scary taxi experience? Share it with us!
Understanding why God does or allows some of the things that we see or experience is something any of us have yet to fully understand. "What do you want to bring out of this?" and "What role do you have for me in this?" are key questions as we wrestle with the "Why are you allowing this to happen?" dilemma.
What are some roles that you have felt God has called you to play in situations in life that you have found difficult? What were the effects of your involvement and faithfulness to do what God was asking of you?
We all grow from each other's experiences, so please feel free to share your own of how you have seen God work in the midst of things you didn't understand.
P.S.
I had several people this weekend share some of their terrifying taxi
experiences. Countries that were included in the unofficial "Scariest Taxis in the World" survey were Thailand, Japan, and France. How about you? Had a scary taxi experience? Share it with us!
September 20-21, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Youth
"I am doing something"
- God
Is this easy or difficult for you to believe? What are some of the factors that cause you to struggle with this? How do you work through this in your own life?
The "God how could you..." questions are rarely easy, so let's talk about how we handle those wrestling times in our faith. What God has done in and though your life could really make an impact for others who may be struggling the way you have. Let's talk about it!
"I am doing something"
- God
Is this easy or difficult for you to believe? What are some of the factors that cause you to struggle with this? How do you work through this in your own life?
The "God how could you..." questions are rarely easy, so let's talk about how we handle those wrestling times in our faith. What God has done in and though your life could really make an impact for others who may be struggling the way you have. Let's talk about it!
September 13-14, 2008
This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Pastof of Teaching & Worship
There
are approximately 2,350 verses in the Bible on the topic of money. In
these past four weeks Pastor Jeff and I touched on no more than 25 of
those verses. In those four weeks we spent our time looking
specifically at what God says about how to live as rich people, but it
is safe to say that there were many more "money" things we could have
talked about as well.
For example, on
Friday night at the "Money You Get, Budgets & Debt" Seminar, I had the
opportunity to talk for a few minutes about stewardship. That's not a word we
hear very often in our normal conversations, but it is an important concept in
the Bible when it comes to our money. The basic thing to know about
stewardship is that all that we have, our money and possessions, are owned by
God and we are His stewards. To be a good steward is to be a good manager
and caretaker of what God owns.
When you add this
important Biblical concept to the message from this weekend we find that it also
helps us even more to "take hold of life that is truly life." I know that these
past four weeks have changed my heart – I hope that it has done the same
for you. I'd be interested in knowing how these past four weeks have made a
change in your thinking when it comes to money. As you open the case and take a
look at what's in your heart what do you see? And how will this make a
difference in your life?
