Delicious Thoughts....

Well, I hope that that stirred your minds into thinking a little differently about intimacy with Jesus.

I get caught up in that thought sometimes. For my own life.. what does intimacy with Christ look like, what would my life be if I embraced deeper intimacy with Him (certainly I am self-aware enough to know there is plenty... boundless amounts... of room to grow in this area)? So maybe that's a question for each of us to wrestle with this week, or maybe forever, but how about a more focussed, deliberate consideration of this question this week.

What would our lives be like if we embraced deeper intimacy with Jesus?

Considering all the things we talked about this weekend. The conflict within, the confrontation of sin in our lives, the fear of authenticity or transparency. Taking all that into the lens through which you look... examine the question.

Leave a comment or two... let's talk this one out.

Truth at work... week one

So this past week was most interesting.
I was really moved by some of the content of the Truth Project and of course some of it was incredibly heady... Ravi Zacharias surely provided the most mind bending quote of the night about what truth is. On the flip side of that some of the content was scary, the unitarian lady was very "interesting" with her take on the truth as light refracted through windows of the cathedral of the world. However, if there is one thing that permiates the world, it's that concept of each person holding onto a little piece of the truth and together we complete the truth puzzle. Wow.

So anyway, I hope that each of you were challenged, inspired, or somehow moved by what you saw and heard. I was wondering what really stood out for you guys, what was most profound?

I enjoyed our conversation and was really glad to see the new faces and hear them jump right into the conversation... good stuff. I hope to see you all this coming week as we take on week 2 of the truth project... Philosophy & Ethics.

And to get that jumpstarted in your mind... what do you guys have to say about those topics? I will be posting an additional thought for you guys this week about ethics, hopefully it will get you guys thinking about the subject at large.

See you this wek.

His
j-

The Turkey was Bomb!!

So, after a dinner like that I don't know how we will ever look at our Sunday night dinners the same. Jessie did a phenomenal job last night and did so under a great amount of stress, so please keep praying for her and her friend Jen and daughter Tierza (sp?). I haven't gotten an update yet, but will be calling this morning.

After reviewing the night, I'd say it was good. It's a more simplistic outlook than we've seen in the past few weeks but it seemed a more basic concept. Hope works in our lives as a helmet to protect our thoughts and to cover our minds, it gives us that assurance we talked about last night. Of course I'd really love to hear your thoughts about last night or anything that's come to mind since then. And I'd really love to hear something more specific.

I'd love for you guys to share a moment in life where you definitely recognized that the hope you have in Christ has carried you through some circumstance, difficulty, struggle or whatever. So... lets have the stories...

As we work our way through this week, start ramping up for this coming weekend. We are taking on the final two elements of armor the word and prayer, now prayer is not normally considered in this armament but I think that's equally important to what we are called to do. Spiritual warfare without the covering of prayer is like going into battle dressed in plastic armor, it's not doing you much good. So, get your research in... bring it to the table.

Have a great thanksgiving this week, enjoy your friends and family and of course the food. Take time to give thanks to the One who made it all, and gave it all for you.

His
j-

Sunday Wrap... Readiness & Faith

Wow! I just wanted to thank you guys for the discussion last night. I really enjoyed getting into the thoughts of readiness and faith. Digging into what the Gospel of Peace is. I walked away, and of course this could just be my read on things, feeling like we covered a lot of ground last night. So... some feedback if you want... some follow on questions? Let's dig a little deeper, maybe uncover a little bit more. I am wondering if this thing is being read. Either way I will still keep posting.... it makes me feel significant (sad I know)!

So what did you guys think... was there something that got missed that's burning in your heart to cover? Did it meet all your needs? Was it just the most astonishingly profound thing you'd ever discussed so you are stunned into silence?

Let me know.

Plus I'd love some feedback on an idea that was brought up to me to do a Christmas themed video scavenger hunt in December. We would run it and open it up to the whole church. Some of the guys thought this would be great, I'm liking the idea but would like some back up.

PLUS... mark your calendars now... Dec 21st we are having a Crossroads Open House Christmas Party at my place.

more to come this week....

His
j-

song that really touched my heart

It's Friday.... but Sunday's coming

Ok... let me start by saying....
what's with that saying? I've never gotten that. I remember working in a mortgage bank and having one of my christian co-workers say that to me.... Sunday's coming? I think it's some sort of encouragement but I would rather have someone who noticed I was in need of encouragement come up and say... HAVE HEART... the Lord is with you and will never forsake you!! or something poetic along those lines. I sort of detest the idea that we must wait for sunday to somehow reconnect with Jesus. I guess, the thought of the curtain to the Holy of Holies being torn apart for me to relegate His presence in my life to church services on Sunday morning (or of cours in our church's case Saturday nights). If that is ever our attitude.. then we are missing the point, we are selling ourselves short. So... it is Friday... and Sunday is coming, but live for Christ today!!

now on to the point.
Last week we took on Truth and Righteousness and we had a pretty killer discussion... at least I thought we did. So... were there any thoughts we missed? Some words of wisdom from you guys that you felt you didn't get to bring forth? Come on! Bring it!

so this weekend... Readiness of the Gospel and Faith... the boots and the shield. What are their significance, what is real faith? What on earth is the "readiness of the Gospel"? let's hear it.

See you on Sunday night.

j-

Sunday Wrap on Tuesday Morning... Warfare of the Saints

Sunday night,
Well Sunday night was pretty good, the pizza was good, the worship was good, and the talk... well I'll leave that for you guys to decide. But there was something that seemed off. A sort of a sense of fragmentation. I met a new guy, first time at the group and well, I was glad to talk him for a few minutes before, and had a great talk with him after, but no one else seemed to interested in him, nor the other new folks that were with us on Sunday... I am just putting this out there for you guys to consider, reach out... you wanted it when you showed up, and maybe you got it or didn't, but you wanted it none the less. So turn that around and reach out to those coming in for the first time, make that an act of worship each week and see how lives are changed.

On to the talk...
Spiritual Warfare.. or as I found when I was doing the research, Warfare of the Saints. I found that to be a pretty awesome title, much more definitive than just saying "spiritual warfare", it really communicates that it's just understood that it's part of being in relationship with Christ. It was my hope to do the subject matter some justice, and really bring it out from the shadows and into a more prevalent place in our conversations. The whole idea is to become aware of the reality of this particular warfare in our day to day lives. It doesn't mean, necessarily, that you are the person under direct attack, but perhaps it becomes you that is the person who knows when to pray specifically for someone else, or you are able to bring some insight to someone who's being beat down. The point, it's not just about us and us defending ourselves. In the picture we saw Paul painting, the Roman Centurion, we know from history that part of the strength of these soldiers was their numbers and their unity. They fought side by side and depended on the man next to them to fight just as hard as they were. So, since we ended and no one had any input then, how about now?
What are your thoughts on our knowledge vs. awareness of spiritual warfare?
I got some looks when I mentioned why I think we are not more aware (living rightly, hard hearts, lack of convictions) so what are some thoughts around that?

I'd love to hear.. let's talk.

His
j-