[This is pretty late. My apologies.]
Last Wednesday we talked about the story of Jonah and the Great Fish*. Here are some words we found that describe Jonah:
Prophet, Rebellious, Scared, Reluctant, Not Compassionate, Worshipper of God, Hebrew, Honest/Confused, Suicidal, Depressed, Refreshingly Normal, Angry, Hardheaded
Some commentary on a few of those:
Refreshingly Normal: He had to hit rock bottom before "remembering" God. How many of us need this type of experience to be reminded that we depend on Him?
Depressed: I thought it was interesting that someone noted that Jonah exhibited the signs of a depressed individual. He seemed suicidal and also probably slept a lot (see Jonah's reaction to the storm on the sea).
Angry: He seemed to harbor some deep resentment and hatred toward the people of Nineveh. We found out that these people were the Assyrians who did some pretty horrific things to the Israelites including throwing babies off of the temple and killing any other Jews they could find. So it's easy to understand where his anger comes from.
We also spoke about how God appears in the passage. Here are some words we found to describe Him:
Sovereign, Merciful
Sovereign: The verse that states, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy." came to mind. God can pretty much do whatever he wants even in spite of us or our motives.
Merciful: God is merciful even to those people who violently opposed Israel. Who are the people in our lives that we think do not deserve mercy?
Here are some lessons that we took away from the passage:
1. Don't be so concerned with yourself and your own plans that you miss God's miracles.
2. Think about the Ninevites next time you hear someone say, "Let's just nuke 'em. Let's just turn that place into a parking lot."
3. Do we think about the people we don't like (or even hate) and think that they are made in the image of God?
4. It's easy to call yourself a worshipper of God, but much harder to actually "follow" him.
5. What we want is not always what God wants.
6. Who are the Assyrians in our lives? Who are we bitter towards? Who would we like to see destroyed?
7. Sometimes we like to "sit on the hill and watch others be destroyed". Especially those who hurt us. What is God trying to teach you in the metaphor of the "gourd"?
It was noted that this may not have actually been a "whale" as commonly thought. That's not a commentary on anything. Just interesting.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Announcements 4.23.08
Hey everyone..here are some announcements from last night..it was great seeing everyone!
Saturday April 26th - Drag Bingo - It is this Saturday and we are going to play Bingo this time and not really volunteer. So you need $15 to play and Contact Bernie for more information... bernardnewton@gmail.com
Wednesday April 30th - Homegroup Meeting our house 7:00 pm
Saturday May 3rd - Aids Walk + Ride SIGN UP here
If you are going to be in town this weekend...go SIGN UP - seriously!!!
Sunday May 4th - Leadership Development - 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Visio Dei Building If you are going our HG is suppose to bring desserts. So bring a yummy dessert to share!
Newcomer's Reception - after the 2nd service..let me know if you are interested in going and representing our HG
Africa Hope Center Meeting - 10:30 am...they are meeting the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month at the Visio Dei Building
Wednesday May 7th - Homegroup Meeting our house...we are suppose to do dinner this week so if anyone wants to organize this let me know...mrsdanielglennsmith@gmail.com
Saturday May 17th - Amanda and Mike are moving - They are planning to move that morning and will need some help. So put it on your calendar. They plan to start on Friday afternoon (16th) and evening and have to go pick up some new furniture that night so if you are free on Friday they could use your help as well. :)
Saturday May 17th - Meg is having a Graduation "Kegger" Party. Everyone from HG is invited so if she left you off.. she apologizes. She tried to add everyone's emails on there. Check out the evite for more information
Saturday April 26th - Drag Bingo - It is this Saturday and we are going to play Bingo this time and not really volunteer. So you need $15 to play and Contact Bernie for more information... bernardnewton@gmail.com
Wednesday April 30th - Homegroup Meeting our house 7:00 pm
Saturday May 3rd - Aids Walk + Ride SIGN UP here
If you are going to be in town this weekend...go SIGN UP - seriously!!!
Sunday May 4th - Leadership Development - 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Visio Dei Building If you are going our HG is suppose to bring desserts. So bring a yummy dessert to share!
Newcomer's Reception - after the 2nd service..let me know if you are interested in going and representing our HG
Africa Hope Center Meeting - 10:30 am...they are meeting the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month at the Visio Dei Building
Wednesday May 7th - Homegroup Meeting our house...we are suppose to do dinner this week so if anyone wants to organize this let me know...mrsdanielglennsmith@gmail.com
Saturday May 17th - Amanda and Mike are moving - They are planning to move that morning and will need some help. So put it on your calendar. They plan to start on Friday afternoon (16th) and evening and have to go pick up some new furniture that night so if you are free on Friday they could use your help as well. :)
Saturday May 17th - Meg is having a Graduation "Kegger" Party. Everyone from HG is invited so if she left you off.. she apologizes. She tried to add everyone's emails on there. Check out the evite for more information
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Recap 4/16/08
Today we revisited the story of Daniel in the lion's den, wonderfully facilitated by our own Daniel, thanks Daniel!
Daniel pointed out that there were three main people in this story- King Darius, the satraps, and Daniel.
The basic (really basic) story goes like this: Daniel was a really intelligent, moral person that was part of the inner circle of governors or "satraps." King Darius even wanted to make him the leader of all the lead governors. This pretty much made the other satraps jealous, and they wanted to find a way to get rid of Daniel. So they watched him closely for any mistakes. But they could find nothing. Pretty amazing.
So they found a way to trick king Darius into getting rid of Daniel for them. They convinced the king to make an irrevocable law that anyone worshiping any god other than King Darius will be put to death. Daniel had such strong faith that he still worshiped God, without hiding it. They caught him and sent him into the lion's den (how did they get the lions in there anyway?).
King Darius seems like an easily manipulated kind of guy, and also prideful and arrogant. He was easily convinced that there should be a law to make people worship him. But then he seems to know something about the power of God also. He tells Daniel that he hopes his God will save him when he seals him into the den.
And God does. And then the king puts the conspiring satraps and all their wives and children in there instead. They were ripped to shreds! yikes!
The satraps seem like jealous, power-hungry men that wanted their own glory over what is right. But we see that in the end, their jealous schemes that were supposed to help them get ahead in the world ended up backfiring. It lead to the suffering and death of their loved ones as well. Same thing in our lives- jealousy often leads to our own suffering. Even if we scheme to get something from someone that we want, it often doesn't ease that burning feeling that jealousy creates in our hearts.
Looking at Daniel, we thought about what it means to be a Christian in the workplace. Daniel lived in religious excellence not for selfish gain, but because of his faith. He openly showed his loyalty to God, and stayed reliant on God even in his success. Would we openly go against the law of the workplace to show our faith in God? And would we remain loyal to God even after we gained success in the workplace?
We looked at Daniel's prayer life. He prayed three times every day. Maybe this is how he stayed focused on God despite his personal success. Today, we talk about the spiritual disciplines, prayer being one, and that sometimes they turn into just a habit that doesn't mean anything. I wonder if Daniel ever prayed just out of habit, or was he pure in his worship and love of God? There's a note in the story that God judged Daniel while he was in the den and found him pure. Maybe this shows his pureness of heart through prayer.
One last idea that we touched on was the idea that Daniel faced a dilemma- give in to satan and worship King Darius, or follow God and be put to the lions. Would we be willing to face the lions in order to defy satan? What are the lions in our life-- things that we fear so much that we give in to the easy temptations of satan... What things can we do to stay focused on God in those temptations?
Daniel pointed out that there were three main people in this story- King Darius, the satraps, and Daniel.
The basic (really basic) story goes like this: Daniel was a really intelligent, moral person that was part of the inner circle of governors or "satraps." King Darius even wanted to make him the leader of all the lead governors. This pretty much made the other satraps jealous, and they wanted to find a way to get rid of Daniel. So they watched him closely for any mistakes. But they could find nothing. Pretty amazing.
So they found a way to trick king Darius into getting rid of Daniel for them. They convinced the king to make an irrevocable law that anyone worshiping any god other than King Darius will be put to death. Daniel had such strong faith that he still worshiped God, without hiding it. They caught him and sent him into the lion's den (how did they get the lions in there anyway?).
King Darius seems like an easily manipulated kind of guy, and also prideful and arrogant. He was easily convinced that there should be a law to make people worship him. But then he seems to know something about the power of God also. He tells Daniel that he hopes his God will save him when he seals him into the den.
And God does. And then the king puts the conspiring satraps and all their wives and children in there instead. They were ripped to shreds! yikes!
The satraps seem like jealous, power-hungry men that wanted their own glory over what is right. But we see that in the end, their jealous schemes that were supposed to help them get ahead in the world ended up backfiring. It lead to the suffering and death of their loved ones as well. Same thing in our lives- jealousy often leads to our own suffering. Even if we scheme to get something from someone that we want, it often doesn't ease that burning feeling that jealousy creates in our hearts.
Looking at Daniel, we thought about what it means to be a Christian in the workplace. Daniel lived in religious excellence not for selfish gain, but because of his faith. He openly showed his loyalty to God, and stayed reliant on God even in his success. Would we openly go against the law of the workplace to show our faith in God? And would we remain loyal to God even after we gained success in the workplace?
We looked at Daniel's prayer life. He prayed three times every day. Maybe this is how he stayed focused on God despite his personal success. Today, we talk about the spiritual disciplines, prayer being one, and that sometimes they turn into just a habit that doesn't mean anything. I wonder if Daniel ever prayed just out of habit, or was he pure in his worship and love of God? There's a note in the story that God judged Daniel while he was in the den and found him pure. Maybe this shows his pureness of heart through prayer.
One last idea that we touched on was the idea that Daniel faced a dilemma- give in to satan and worship King Darius, or follow God and be put to the lions. Would we be willing to face the lions in order to defy satan? What are the lions in our life-- things that we fear so much that we give in to the easy temptations of satan... What things can we do to stay focused on God in those temptations?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Recap 04-09-2008
Last night I heard the name Naaman for the first time ever. He's a person* that was involved in a story documented in a book called 2 Kings. The story is found in chapter five.
Some observations about the people and places in the story:
People - Naaman, Naaman's wife and her maidservant, Elisha the prophet, God, King of Aram, Elisha's messenger.
Places - Abana, Pharpar, Jordan (all rivers), Temple of Rimmon, Aram, Damascus.
We listed some characteristics of the people involved:
Naaman - Great and highly regarded, commander of the army, valiant soldier, enemy of Israel, protagonist, rich, prideful/lazy, worshipper of Rimmon, desperate.
The maidservant - Heroin, caring, daring, abducted, served Naaman's wife.
King of Israel - Rips his clothes to shreds, thought the king of Aram might be picking a fight by asking him to do something impossible, which might say something about the way the king views God.
Elisha - Prophet, man of God, humble, not all about the benjamins.
Some of the themes discussed were:
Pride - Naaman assumed that Elisha would know who he was and heal him in such a way that was worthy of his stature. He also thought he could purchase his healing after he returned from the river.
Grace - God's grace in healing an enemy of Israel. The maidservant's grace in offering a way for Naaman (her captor) to be healed.
God's power - God's ability to use even the "smallest" of people. Also God's ability to heal a leper.
Listen to the little guy - Going along with the last theme, God uses the "little" people in the story to impact it the most (the maidservant, Naaman's servant...)
Don't be showy - Going along with another scripture that warns against doing your acts of devotion in public to be praised by man, this passage seems to suggest that God isn't really into healing as a party trick or a way to gain man's favor. He had Elisha tell Naaman to wash in the river while Naaman expected Elisha to put on a show in order to heal him.
Healing - Sort of obvious.
Misguided Expectations - Naaman had some preconceived notions about what it means to be healed by God. We should take this example and realize that maybe God won't always do things the way we expect him to.
Humility/Faith - It took both of these things for Naaman to wash in the Jordan. He had to put aside his expectations and have faith that Elisha heard from God. Elisha also showed humility by not trying to put on a show to heal Naaman as well as by refusing the money Naaman offered.
Forgiveness - The maidservant showed incredible forgiveness by offering Naaman a way to be healed.
We also tried to draw some paralells to Christ through this story:
King = Pharisees
- The king was supposed to be the one showing the people of Isreal the way of God, but instead the word of God was "spoken from the margins" as Corey put it.
Jordan River = Baptism
- The paralell is pretty easy to draw here.
Leprosy = Sin
- Leprosy is a disease that turns your body calloused and eats away at you (literally). It was mentioned in the childrens' bible that Naaman has leprosy of the heart, which is why God told him to go to the river instead of having Elisha heal him in some spectaular show of power. Naaman needed to humble himself.
Maidservant = Jesus
- The maidservant found it better to forgive her captor and offer him healing. This paralells to Jesus offering us salvation from our leprosy (sin) while were yet enemies of his.
What did we learn?
-One person really can make a difference.
- God's word comes from the margins. Who is marginalized in our culture?
- Be open to God working in different ways than you expected.
- Simple obedience.
- Have faith that God can do the impossible.
Wow. That was long, but it was a great dicussion.
* I say person and not character because it helps me to realize that this story actually happened. It's really easy to relegate stories like this to the part of my brain that's not the "fact" part and right next to the "fiction" part so that I can not really believe it, but still say I do because it's in the bible. Make sense? Good.
Some observations about the people and places in the story:
People - Naaman, Naaman's wife and her maidservant, Elisha the prophet, God, King of Aram, Elisha's messenger.
Places - Abana, Pharpar, Jordan (all rivers), Temple of Rimmon, Aram, Damascus.
We listed some characteristics of the people involved:
Naaman - Great and highly regarded, commander of the army, valiant soldier, enemy of Israel, protagonist, rich, prideful/lazy, worshipper of Rimmon, desperate.
The maidservant - Heroin, caring, daring, abducted, served Naaman's wife.
King of Israel - Rips his clothes to shreds, thought the king of Aram might be picking a fight by asking him to do something impossible, which might say something about the way the king views God.
Elisha - Prophet, man of God, humble, not all about the benjamins.
Some of the themes discussed were:
Pride - Naaman assumed that Elisha would know who he was and heal him in such a way that was worthy of his stature. He also thought he could purchase his healing after he returned from the river.
Grace - God's grace in healing an enemy of Israel. The maidservant's grace in offering a way for Naaman (her captor) to be healed.
God's power - God's ability to use even the "smallest" of people. Also God's ability to heal a leper.
Listen to the little guy - Going along with the last theme, God uses the "little" people in the story to impact it the most (the maidservant, Naaman's servant...)
Don't be showy - Going along with another scripture that warns against doing your acts of devotion in public to be praised by man, this passage seems to suggest that God isn't really into healing as a party trick or a way to gain man's favor. He had Elisha tell Naaman to wash in the river while Naaman expected Elisha to put on a show in order to heal him.
Healing - Sort of obvious.
Misguided Expectations - Naaman had some preconceived notions about what it means to be healed by God. We should take this example and realize that maybe God won't always do things the way we expect him to.
Humility/Faith - It took both of these things for Naaman to wash in the Jordan. He had to put aside his expectations and have faith that Elisha heard from God. Elisha also showed humility by not trying to put on a show to heal Naaman as well as by refusing the money Naaman offered.
Forgiveness - The maidservant showed incredible forgiveness by offering Naaman a way to be healed.
We also tried to draw some paralells to Christ through this story:
King = Pharisees
- The king was supposed to be the one showing the people of Isreal the way of God, but instead the word of God was "spoken from the margins" as Corey put it.
Jordan River = Baptism
- The paralell is pretty easy to draw here.
Leprosy = Sin
- Leprosy is a disease that turns your body calloused and eats away at you (literally). It was mentioned in the childrens' bible that Naaman has leprosy of the heart, which is why God told him to go to the river instead of having Elisha heal him in some spectaular show of power. Naaman needed to humble himself.
Maidservant = Jesus
- The maidservant found it better to forgive her captor and offer him healing. This paralells to Jesus offering us salvation from our leprosy (sin) while were yet enemies of his.
What did we learn?
-One person really can make a difference.
- God's word comes from the margins. Who is marginalized in our culture?
- Be open to God working in different ways than you expected.
- Simple obedience.
- Have faith that God can do the impossible.
Wow. That was long, but it was a great dicussion.
* I say person and not character because it helps me to realize that this story actually happened. It's really easy to relegate stories like this to the part of my brain that's not the "fact" part and right next to the "fiction" part so that I can not really believe it, but still say I do because it's in the bible. Make sense? Good.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Announcements 4.14.08
Wednesday April 16th - Home Group Meeting 7:00 pm our house
Saturday April 19th - Stride and Ride sign up here... or contact Jessie for more information sweetpeaze@gmail.com
Sunday April 20th - Africa Hope Center Meeting - 10:30 am at the Visio Dei Building The meetings will be the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month
Saturday April 26th - Drag Bingo - Contact Bernie for more information... bernardnewton@gmail.com
Saturday May 3rd - Aids Walk + Ride SIGN UP here
Sunday May 4th - Leadership Development - 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Visio Dei Building
Saturday May 17th - Amanda and Mike are moving - They are planning to move that morning and will need some help. So put it on your calendar. They plan to start on Friday afternoon (16th) and evening and have to go pick up some new furniture that night so if you are free on Friday they could use your help as well. :)
Saturday May 17th - Meg is having a Graduation "Kegger" Party. Meg said everyone from HG is invited so if she left you off.. she apologizes. She tried to add everyone's emails on there. Check out the evite for more information
Ok if there is something else I missed...let me know or post a comment!
See ya'll on Wednesday!
Mandy
Friday, April 4, 2008
Recapitation, 4/2
Hi everyone!
This past Wednesday we met at Erin's house and had some fabulous spaghetti. Thanks so much Erin for your super hosting skills!
We decided to think again about what we learned from Joseph's visit this past weekend. We remembered his idea of think of the impossible and then do it. Amanda did just this this past week and thought of an amazing way to help the Africa Hope Center. You probably read about that in her email...And lets be sure to meet on Sunday to get that rolling!
Another idea that I know stuck with me was one of listening to God's leading during our service. Many times it is easy to think of ways we want to help, and then proceed to fight as hard as we can to make that happen. I know I do that sometimes in my service desires. Corey gave a good example, that sometimes when we do this we are feeding the demon possessed, and casting out demons from the hungry. In other words, we do things out of selfish ambition rather than to actually serve a need that God has spoken to us about. I think that reminds me of James somehow...
So a few things to remember: lets always be in prayer to listen humbly for God's leading in our lives of service. And let's not let the passion for serving through the Africa Hope Foundation die down. Those two things are an interesting combination, so let's pray about that too! Also, there was an idea of putting together a care package for Joseph and his family that Traci can deliver when she visits soon.
I hope everyone has had a great week. One more idea I've been thinking about that I get to throw in there just cause I worte the update =). A yoga instructor at the YMCA has a habit of encouraging people to try certian poses in "any amount." So there I am, thinking how imposible it is to try some new pose, I might as well just sit this one out. But then the instructor chimes in, "Move your arms up, in any amount." Then I feel freedom and relief that I don't have to be perfect, just give it a try, in any amount, and I am able to move one tiny inch closer to the goal. I've thought of this several times as we've been thinking how we can make any difference in the problems we face as a society and as individuals. So relax, just move towards the goal in any amount.
This past Wednesday we met at Erin's house and had some fabulous spaghetti. Thanks so much Erin for your super hosting skills!
We decided to think again about what we learned from Joseph's visit this past weekend. We remembered his idea of think of the impossible and then do it. Amanda did just this this past week and thought of an amazing way to help the Africa Hope Center. You probably read about that in her email...And lets be sure to meet on Sunday to get that rolling!
Another idea that I know stuck with me was one of listening to God's leading during our service. Many times it is easy to think of ways we want to help, and then proceed to fight as hard as we can to make that happen. I know I do that sometimes in my service desires. Corey gave a good example, that sometimes when we do this we are feeding the demon possessed, and casting out demons from the hungry. In other words, we do things out of selfish ambition rather than to actually serve a need that God has spoken to us about. I think that reminds me of James somehow...
So a few things to remember: lets always be in prayer to listen humbly for God's leading in our lives of service. And let's not let the passion for serving through the Africa Hope Foundation die down. Those two things are an interesting combination, so let's pray about that too! Also, there was an idea of putting together a care package for Joseph and his family that Traci can deliver when she visits soon.
I hope everyone has had a great week. One more idea I've been thinking about that I get to throw in there just cause I worte the update =). A yoga instructor at the YMCA has a habit of encouraging people to try certian poses in "any amount." So there I am, thinking how imposible it is to try some new pose, I might as well just sit this one out. But then the instructor chimes in, "Move your arms up, in any amount." Then I feel freedom and relief that I don't have to be perfect, just give it a try, in any amount, and I am able to move one tiny inch closer to the goal. I've thought of this several times as we've been thinking how we can make any difference in the problems we face as a society and as individuals. So relax, just move towards the goal in any amount.
Announcements 4.4.08
Hello everyone! I heard you had a great discussion on how we can partner with the African Hope Center. So I am excited to hear more about it.
Here are the announcements that I know of. Of course I wasn't there on Wednesday so if there is more to add...please do!
Sunday April 6th - Visitor Reception - after the 11:00 am service for about 20 minutes. Julianne will be there to represent our Home Group.
Sunday April 6th - Africa Hope Center Meeting - 10:30 am at the Visio Dei Building. If you are interested in helping to brainstorm or create ways to partner with the Africa Hope Center plan on attending this meeting. Email Corey if you have any questions coreypaxton@gmail.com
Saturday May 3rd - Aids Walk + Ride SIGN UP here
Sunday May 4th - Leadership Development - 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Visio Dei Building
Saturday May 16th - Amanda and Mike are moving - They are planning to move that morning and will need some help. So put it on your calendar. They plan to start on Friday afternoon and evening and have to go pick up some new furniture that night so if you are free on Friday they could use your help as well. :)
Ok there may be more going on...so blog about it or add it as a comment!
I hope everyone has had a good week and has an awesome weekend! I missed being at Home Group and look forward to next week. We are back at our house next week at 7:00 pm starting our new study on children's bible stories.
peace out
Here are the announcements that I know of. Of course I wasn't there on Wednesday so if there is more to add...please do!
Sunday April 6th - Visitor Reception - after the 11:00 am service for about 20 minutes. Julianne will be there to represent our Home Group.
Sunday April 6th - Africa Hope Center Meeting - 10:30 am at the Visio Dei Building. If you are interested in helping to brainstorm or create ways to partner with the Africa Hope Center plan on attending this meeting. Email Corey if you have any questions coreypaxton@gmail.com
Saturday May 3rd - Aids Walk + Ride SIGN UP here
Sunday May 4th - Leadership Development - 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the Visio Dei Building
Saturday May 16th - Amanda and Mike are moving - They are planning to move that morning and will need some help. So put it on your calendar. They plan to start on Friday afternoon and evening and have to go pick up some new furniture that night so if you are free on Friday they could use your help as well. :)
Ok there may be more going on...so blog about it or add it as a comment!
I hope everyone has had a good week and has an awesome weekend! I missed being at Home Group and look forward to next week. We are back at our house next week at 7:00 pm starting our new study on children's bible stories.
peace out
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)