Prayer...

I think Mc Hammer said it best... "You've got to pray just to make it today".

In all seriousness I'm learning that prayer is the anchor of our faith. If I'm honest I can also say in the same breath I have much growing to do in this area. What I mean by that is my life doesn't reflect the truth I just made. My life doesn't reflect the truth of prayer anchoring my faith. I believe it to be true, my story is full of times where prayer has not only influenced me but also completely changed an aspect of my life. Without prayer I know I wouldn't be where I am today... Yet my life doesn't reflect this truth.

Let me clarify... I don't have a "dynamic" prayer life, I don't discipline myself enough to spend X number of minutes/hours with God, I don't find myself on my knees crying out to God. But I should...

For the past few months I feel like God is calling me to Him. I feel like God wants my prayer life to be "dynamic". I feel as if my relationship with God could be so much more than it is and I'm the one that is missing out.

I'm not saying I don't pray... I'm saying I don't make it a point to spend time with just God. I'm not talking about while I'm in the car or right before bed... I'm talking about time with God with no distractions...

What about you? How does your life stand up to the truth of prayer being an anchor of our faith? What does your prayer life look like?

What might you be missing out on?

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Love

John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in
the name of God's one and only son."

Absolute, gut-wrenching terror. That's what I felt as I looked around
our empty family room, searching for my mom and brother. The
furniture and other familiar objects surrounding me loomed ominously
to my eleven-year-old eyes, and my heart thundered against my chest.
Our church had been showing a graphic movie series depicting the lives
of people left behind after Jesus' second coming. Once again, I'd
convinced myself that the absence of my family signified that I'd
missed the rapture. I knew that I'd become a Christ follower during a
Sunday night service years earlier, but the memory of cheating on the
previous day's math assignment weighed heavily on my conscience. Had
I waited too long to ask God's forgiveness for that sin? Was I now
destined to spend the next seven years trying to stay one step ahead
of the antichrist's soldiers?

The comforting echo of my mother's footsteps as she climbed the stairs
from our basement put my fears to rest. For now. Flush with relief,
I ran to my room, confessed my sin and prayed the sinner's prayer yet
again. For a couple of days I felt all right, secure in my knowledge
that God still loved me. But I knew that sooner or later I'd say or
do something I shouldn't and experience a fresh wave of terror at the
sight of an empty room.

This cycle went on for years. Every time I'd mess up, I was certain
that this time God would refuse to take me back. This time, he'd draw
the line and say, "Son, I think I've been about as patient as anyone
could expect a father to be. We had a good run, you and me, but this
time, you're on your own."

My version of God consisted of an old man dressed in white robes who
kept a clipboard at his side, always ready to mark down my latest
infraction. If I could remember my sins in time, and beg his
forgiveness, he'd scratch out my mistake and I'd be ok. At least for
a while. But I knew in my heart that God always stood ready to add
another transgression to my ever-growing list.

Was my caricature of God accurate? According to the Gospel of John,
absolutely not. You see, John 3:18 reads, "Whoever believes in him
(Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in him stands
condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one
and only son."

According to that verse, even though I would continue to mess up,
because I believed in Jesus, and had surrendered my life to him, I
could no longer be condemned. Period. End of story. For the longest
time, my human mind couldn't process that simple truth. Who really
loves that way? Who can honestly look someone in the eye and say, "No
matter how you hurt me, no matter how your actions embarrass me, no
matter what you say about me, I will still love you. In me, there is
no condemnation."

Think I'm making this up? Check out what the Apostle Paul had to say
in Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit
of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Kind of Resets your definition of love, doesn't it?

- Don

* Andy said that sometimes this truth is hard for us to accept
because we don't always see this type of absurd love modeled in our
families. Have you ever seen someone in your family model absurd
love? Tell me about it.

* In the Robb Bell video we watched Sunday, Robb said that the son
thinks, "I'm found out. I'm guilty." All the while, the Father is
saying, "There's nothing you could ever do that would make me love you
less." That may be one of the hardest truths in scripture to
understand. Have you ever had to come to terms with this truth in
your life? How?

Surrender...

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

I'm not sure we truly understand the implications of this verse. I mean if we just read it we can't even understand it... To become a disciple means to learn to be like Jesus. That is a really simple definition to a really BIG ask... Because the second part of that verse asks us to "take up our cross daily and follow Him".

Our cross... What does that even mean? One of my commentaries makes this point; "To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following Him. Discipleship involves a death is like a crucifixion". Even that can be misunderstood, especially in our country, I mean we aren't "against/rejecting" Jesus so how does that apply to us?

The truth is following Jesus is living a life very different from the way our country attempts to have us live. We live in a "I want it now, I earned it, look out for yourself, etc" mentality. Yet Jesus asks us to put our selfish desires aside and seeking His desires.

I mentioned before that Discipleship involves a death like a crucifixion, which is often a slow death. This is why we need to make the decision daily to pick up our cross and follow the one who died for us. It shouldn't be a surprise that Jesus would ask the same of us. Because when we decide to die to ourselves, Jesus tells us that we can really start living...

The question is will you do it? Will you make the decision to seek God with all your heart, mind and soul? Will you seek him with everything you have? Because let's be honest we often do this for the things we want in life so why wouldn't we do it for the one who sacrificed it all for us?

Fair...

So if God is love how can He be unfair? It doesn't seem like those two things can co-exist. I mean we are raised to play fair or to play by the rules, but when we read the Gospel Luke we see that Jesus didn't play by the rules... I don't know about you but when I first connected with this truth I'm not sure I liked it, but after looking closer I sure am glad Jesus doesn't play by the rules.

What I learned was that my disbelief that Jesus doesn't play by the rules really comes from my "assumption" that He should. I know for me it is really easy to think what makes me feel good or what makes me happy is or should be true of my faith. I mean is it really to much to ask to treat people fairly? Isn't that all the other son wanted in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)?

My problem is typically when I read that story I identify myself with the lost son and I get great joy from that story, but what about the other son? What about the son who stayed and worked, the one who picked up the slack from the son who wanted all his money now only to squander the money... Then and only then did he realize that he had nowhere to turn, nowhere to go except to go back home and at best, in his mind, be a "hired servant".

Well the story takes a turn... The father sees his son and accepts him back, throws a party and allows his son back into the family like before. That is a beautiful picture of grace... See the son didn't deserve it, he squandered it all and his brother is the one who was "doing what was expected".

So who are you in the story? Are you the lost son squandering what you have or are you the son that is doing what you are "expected" to do? Either way Jesus tells us He loves us and He is extending grace to both. So if your to "good" son Jesus asks you to extend grace to your brother...

It isn't what he deserves, but is it what he needs... Sounds familiar doesn't it? It sounds a lot like what Jesus does for us... He gives us grace and accepts us into His family, His love is so great that He loves us right where we are... But He loves us enough not to leave us there.

Assumptions...

Mr. Rogers with a beard. Sheppard dude. Longhaired, halo
wearing peacenik. White robed, soft-spoken pushover. Helpless,
broken man hanging on a cross.

Say the word Jesus and see what pictures pop into your head. Do
the images resemble any of the descriptive phrases I've listed above?
Probably. But does that make them true?

The new series we're undergoing as a church, Reset, challenges
us to abandon our assumptions and discover who Jesus really is all over
again. How about these phrases:

Divider.
Activist.
Revolutionary.
Crusader for social justice.

Are we still talking about the same guy?

That's just it, isn't it? If we were really honest with
ourselves, then we'd have to admit that each of us harbors a unique
version of Jesus built from a combination of cultural assumptions,
intellect, and past experiences. Our own, personal, Jesus.
Would the real Jesus please stand up?

Fortunately, we've got something more than just stained glass
pictures or cheesy movies to introduce us to our savior. Read the New
Testament book of Luke, join a Reset group, and have the guts to check
your assumptions at the door. Come with us as we discover Jesus all
over again.

- Don

* Picture Jesus and his disciples standing together. Do you see a
bunch of construction workers on a coffee break, or a theology professor
and his grad students sitting in the faculty lounge? Why?

* Would you agree that most iconic images of Jesus feature some
version of an effeminate man surrounded by lambs or children? Does that
sound like the guy who trampled on the social taboos of his day while
insulting the members of the cultural elite? How do you reconcile those
images?

* I can sum up my preconceived notions of Jesus with one
word-boring. But how do you think a person as nonthreatening and bland
as we've made Jesus could convince twelve men to leave their livelihoods
and families to follow him to their deaths?

Community

He called us his Three Horsemen. BP, Kelsey and I were three of his five Troop Commanders, great friends, and brothers in arms. Our Squadron Commander knew that he could count on us to together accomplish any mission that we couldn’t complete individually. Our relationship made the Squadron stronger, but more than that, our friendship made each of us stronger.

Like anyone deployed away from his family and loved ones for a year, I endured some dark times in Afghanistan. But the friendship and trust I placed in my fellow Horsemen helped see me through those moments. On countless days existing on little sleep while spending long hours in the cockpit, the sound of my friends’ voices checking in over the radio often brought a smile to my face. Knowing that they were in the air with me provided a feeling of security during uncertain times.

I can recall one mission in particular that went terribly wrong. While lost in the maelstrom of chaos that poets call the fog of war, the one stalwart I clung to was the conviction that if I too were shot down, Kelsey would come for me. I knew this without Kelsey ever voicing this sentiment, because if the situation were reversed, I knew that I would come for him.

The bond between the three of us didn’t develop in Afghanistan—we were a community before we deployed. Our wives were friends, our children played together and we ate dinner at each other’s houses. We’d invested the time and effort to develop our community prior to Afghanistan, so that when I needed friends the most, I already had a family to support me.

So what about you? Do you have a community that supports you? If not, do you ask God why he hasn’t sent anyone into your life? Maybe you should be asking him to point you towards someone who needs your time and energy in their life. Sooner or later all of us will face a trial like Afghanistan.

Don’t face yours alone. Take a step towards someone today.

-Don

• Is your small group a band of brothers or just a bible study? What can you do to grow authentic community in your small group?
• Andy said, “Christian life is designed to be a team sport.” Are you part of a team? Why not?
• React to this statement: Our faith in God is personal but never private. Who have you invited to share in your personal relationship with God?

Intimacy

Intimacy... It isn't a word that is used everyday, yet it is a word that describes something we were created to experience. When God created man there was an intimate relationship where Adam and God talked openly, honestly and freely. When God realized that man needed another companion and created Eve there too was an intimate relationship between Eve and God and between Adam and Eve. So we can see from the very begining what type of relationship we were created to have with each other and with God.

That is the easy part... Knowing how we were created. The hard part is living it!

Although Intimacy is often hard to describe, it is easy to spot. Children do this relatively well, they don't know how to do relationships any different. They naturally have the time for there parents, they haven't learned how to pretend to be someone they aren't and although it is difficult to say they are "committed" to the success of their parents, they do tend to "submit" to the will of their parents.

I know for me it is often difficult to abide by those three principles in most of my relationship, especially with God. They seem pretty simple; Time/Vulnerability/Commitment. But when the rubber meets the road, well I typically don't get anywhere to quickly.

I'm guessing the same is true for you... I'm guessing like me you make excuses as to why we don't make time for the people we care about and why we don't make time for God. "I'm too busy with School, I have to practice, I'm so busy with ____ (Fill in the blank)". When we really put that in perspective it seems like a really silly excuse... We are basically saying "God I don't have time for you because I have more important things to do". Meanwhile God waits...

God makes time for us, but often don't make the time for God. And time is really where it all starts. It is difficult to be vulnerable with someone, to let them into your life if we aren't dedicating time to them. It is difficult to Commit yourself to someone, to help them become successful without setting time for them. It is hard to get to know anyone with out spending time with them...

The question is... Where are you spending your time? What are you getting to know? Who or what is getting to know you? What are you committed to?

I'm guessing it isn't God... Meanwhile God waits... God waits and He knocks (Rev 3:20), will you let Him in?

* Have you set time for God today?
* Will you trust God and let Him know you for who you really are?
* Will you commit yourself to God and trust God will do the same to you?