Last night Jason Nelson, from Third Church's staff joined our group to discuss Contemplative Prayer. He did a great job! He had several handouts but began by discussing how contemplative prayer at its core is a journey of denying your "self" to become unified, united and whole with Jesus Christ and our one true and loving God. It is a life of surrender as a person increasingly seeks to abide in the Lord.
Jesus set the example in John 14:10-11 "Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe in the evidence of the miracles themselves..."
We focused a lot on resting prayer and began with Psalm 131 "I have calmed and quieted my soul...hope in the Lord from this time on and fore ever more." We become quiet within and recognize that my worries can't do much... Silence, however long, is like a holy stop, a sabbatical rest, a truce of worries...
Twenty minutes a day! That's all it takes to change your life. Here are some steps to take to get into silent prayer...
1. Figure out how long you are going to pray!
2. Sit alone in silence.
3. Get in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
4. Relax your breathing, and with your imagination direct your mind from the head into the heart.
5. Try to regulate your breathing for a moment in rhythmic breathing because it disperses distracting thoughts.
6. Pray the Jesus Prayer. While inhaling, say "Lord Jesus Christ" as you exhale continue with "have mercy on me" You may say it out loud or in your mind...
7. Continue until you relax. Allow God's peace to settle over you and rest your mind. When distracting thoughts enter your mind (AND THEY WILL!), set them aside...
8. Be patient and peaceful and repeat the process as needed in bringing yourself to silence and rest.
9. As you quiet down and go deeper, you may reach a place where you have no awareness of thoughts. This is like an open space where you are so intimately connected with the Lord that you experience complete rest in God and are not aware of anything but him. This is where silent prayer becomes resting prayer.
I will be honest. We practiced a little last night and it was difficult. My mind was racing with thoughts from the day, what I was going to do next, who I needed to talk to...where I needed to go... But for a short while, it worked and I did feel closer to God and to Jesus. I think it is something I am going to continue to try and hope you do too...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Spring Service Surge in Ottumwa!
Spring Service Surge in Ottumwa: TNT, Third Church, and thebridge are partnering with A Call To Serve Ministries (ACTS) of IA to complete 10-15 service projects on April 18 from 6:45 am-3:00 p.m. Projects will include painting, clean-up, general home repair and maintenance and the construction of wheelchair ramps. We need laborers, team leaders, prayer warriors, hospitality leaders, photographers/videographers and project “gophers.” Not able to volunteer all day? We also need prep volunteers to help pack kits of materials and tools for the team prior to the event, volunteers to help out on the morning of check-in (in Pella) and volunteers to help check-in tools and materials (in Pella) on the afternoon of April 18. If you are interested, register at www.actsofiowa.org or call Joel Bennett at 641-780-7858. Volunteers will receive a Spring Service Surge t-shirt for participating.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Destiny
Last night we watched a video teaching by Beth Moore in her Esther series. She talked about "destiny" and reflected on the Esther 4:14-15 verses that are so popular - that Esther was the Queen "for such a time as this."
Here's some common denominators about destiny . . .
1) We expect it to feel different than it does.
2) It will often be crisis that God uses to pivot our direction
3) There is human dilemma in destiny - like . . .
a) poor timing (this is not the right time for this! But God's time is always prime-time!)
b) unreasonable expectations (this is humanly impossible for me to step into)
c) it's tough being a person thrown a giant sized weight
d) risky identification - destiny appoints one and effects many
4) one of the most important parts of fulfilling our destiny will be transparency
a) the revelation of a person's destiny always demands revelation of the person
Have you thought about destiny before? I think the future moves toward us and when we come into it, what are we doing? Have you thought about God bringing about your destiny or that he even cares about that?
He does! Thanks for sharing last night and I pray that all of us will be able to come into a new revelation of God's destiny for us!
Here's some common denominators about destiny . . .
1) We expect it to feel different than it does.
2) It will often be crisis that God uses to pivot our direction
3) There is human dilemma in destiny - like . . .
a) poor timing (this is not the right time for this! But God's time is always prime-time!)
b) unreasonable expectations (this is humanly impossible for me to step into)
c) it's tough being a person thrown a giant sized weight
d) risky identification - destiny appoints one and effects many
4) one of the most important parts of fulfilling our destiny will be transparency
a) the revelation of a person's destiny always demands revelation of the person
Have you thought about destiny before? I think the future moves toward us and when we come into it, what are we doing? Have you thought about God bringing about your destiny or that he even cares about that?
He does! Thanks for sharing last night and I pray that all of us will be able to come into a new revelation of God's destiny for us!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Nooma - "Shells"
TNT was able to review the Nooma "Shells" on Wednesday, March 4. We had a good time watching the video and discussing it after wards. This was aided by a group volunteering their time and delivering ice cream sundaes. (Hmmmm...ice cream...)
Pressing forward, the discusson was really good because I feel like the Nooma really spoke to a number of people (or maybe just myself...) In the Nooma, Rob's son is on the beach collecting sea shells and then he stumbles upon a star fish... Only he can't grab the star fish because he has so many broken sea shells in his hands... Raising the question - have we filled our time with so many good things (broken sea shells), that it inhibits our ability to go after that one, really great thing in our life???
Karen C. made the good points that "all decisions involve loss" and "embrace your limits"... Wise words to keep in mind, if you are giving your time to certain things, it is taking away your time from other things, and maybe from that one, really important thing...
We prayed together as a group and then stormed out of the room, ready to take on the world!
Pressing forward, the discusson was really good because I feel like the Nooma really spoke to a number of people (or maybe just myself...) In the Nooma, Rob's son is on the beach collecting sea shells and then he stumbles upon a star fish... Only he can't grab the star fish because he has so many broken sea shells in his hands... Raising the question - have we filled our time with so many good things (broken sea shells), that it inhibits our ability to go after that one, really great thing in our life???
Karen C. made the good points that "all decisions involve loss" and "embrace your limits"... Wise words to keep in mind, if you are giving your time to certain things, it is taking away your time from other things, and maybe from that one, really important thing...
We prayed together as a group and then stormed out of the room, ready to take on the world!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Nooma - "You"
Before we get to the Nooma video that we discussed on Wednesday - don't forget about the pot luck on Sunday! 2/8/09 12:15 Room 101.
Okay, since that is out of the way, let's discuss the Nooma video "You" that we watched on Wednesday night. This was the first time I had ever viewed this Nooma and it made my head hurt. It really tackled some big topics... Let's go to the quotes!
"These first Christians believed that Jesus' resurrection had implications for the entire universe. Their tradition had taught them that the world was broken and desperately in need of repair and at some point in the future, God was going to put it all back together. For them, this future restoration had nothing to do with leaving this world; it was all about restoration, the renewing and reclaiming of this world..."
Do you believe this? How do we restore and reclaim the brokenness of this world? How do you do it?
Another good quote:
"These first Christians believed very passionately that the world was not made better through military power or political coercion. This gospel they were living had nothing to do with using political force to FORCE people to live according to their laws. For them, this gospel was about serving the world, especially those on the underside of the Empire. For them, it was about serving, not ruling."
This gets my motor going! Do people view you as a servant, or are you more of a ruler? How can we better serve those around us? Of course, I immediately start thinking about the poor, the needy, the disabled...but I am challenged to serve the short tempered, the egotistical, the wife who gloats in victories over me (wait, is that too personal?)... You get the point. Conversions to Christianity will happen little by little in some cases. Rev Kev's quote comes to life - You are the only Bible some people will read...
Last one...
"We all fall short and that's the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of Jesus who loves us exactly as we are, and yet, loves us way too much to let us stay that way..."
Beautiful.
Now for the mandatory scripture.
"And all of those who believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing with them all, as anyone might have need." Acts 2: 44-45
Okay, since that is out of the way, let's discuss the Nooma video "You" that we watched on Wednesday night. This was the first time I had ever viewed this Nooma and it made my head hurt. It really tackled some big topics... Let's go to the quotes!
"These first Christians believed that Jesus' resurrection had implications for the entire universe. Their tradition had taught them that the world was broken and desperately in need of repair and at some point in the future, God was going to put it all back together. For them, this future restoration had nothing to do with leaving this world; it was all about restoration, the renewing and reclaiming of this world..."
Do you believe this? How do we restore and reclaim the brokenness of this world? How do you do it?
Another good quote:
"These first Christians believed very passionately that the world was not made better through military power or political coercion. This gospel they were living had nothing to do with using political force to FORCE people to live according to their laws. For them, this gospel was about serving the world, especially those on the underside of the Empire. For them, it was about serving, not ruling."
This gets my motor going! Do people view you as a servant, or are you more of a ruler? How can we better serve those around us? Of course, I immediately start thinking about the poor, the needy, the disabled...but I am challenged to serve the short tempered, the egotistical, the wife who gloats in victories over me (wait, is that too personal?)... You get the point. Conversions to Christianity will happen little by little in some cases. Rev Kev's quote comes to life - You are the only Bible some people will read...
Last one...
"We all fall short and that's the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of Jesus who loves us exactly as we are, and yet, loves us way too much to let us stay that way..."
Beautiful.
Now for the mandatory scripture.
"And all of those who believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing with them all, as anyone might have need." Acts 2: 44-45
Monday, February 2, 2009
Iowa Chops!
TNT traveled to the Wells Fargo Arena (aka the Meat Locker) for some hockey action on Friday, January 30th. We saw a game between the Iowa Chops and the Peoria Rivermen. The Chops are the minor league affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. (Things I didn't know until today.) They were also doing a "Pack the Meat Locker" promotion and were trying to lure fans in with $5 of Wendy's vouchers. (It worked for us!) Sadly, only 8,300 fans showed up and they fell short of the 8,900 goal.
On to the hockey game. Have you ever heard the expression "We went to a fight and a hockey game broke out"? Well, that's kind of what the game felt like on Friday. The second period saw 4 major penalties dished out for fighting and two players had to leave the game due to rather large cuts over their eyes sustained in the fights. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the fights as much as anyone, however, I couldn't help but feel like they were a little bit forced on this evening. It's like the marketing group went down to the players and said "We have a large crowd tonight... Put on a good show... People aren't coming here for the hockey action..." Between the fights and the cheerleaders (The Baby Backs) wearing about as much clothing as some of the new born babies in the Pella area, I was a little disappointed in the ol' Iowa Chops. (I didn't even mention the hot tub next to the arena with the Grandview students in their two piece swim suits that made their way to the Jumbotron more than a couple times...) It was pretty obvious what kind of fans they were appealing to, and how they wanted to keep them coming back.
It was kind of sad because overall, the hockey game was actually really good! Iowa overcame a 3-1 deficit, and tied it in the third period...sending it to overtime. Neither team was able to do anything in overtime, so it went to a shootout, with the Rivermen winning 3-1. I am pretty sure I could have goal tended about as well as the Iowa Goalie did in the shootout... :)
I pondered all of these things late into the night...all while enjoying $5.05 of Wendy's entrees. Hmmm... Wendy's....
On to the hockey game. Have you ever heard the expression "We went to a fight and a hockey game broke out"? Well, that's kind of what the game felt like on Friday. The second period saw 4 major penalties dished out for fighting and two players had to leave the game due to rather large cuts over their eyes sustained in the fights. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the fights as much as anyone, however, I couldn't help but feel like they were a little bit forced on this evening. It's like the marketing group went down to the players and said "We have a large crowd tonight... Put on a good show... People aren't coming here for the hockey action..." Between the fights and the cheerleaders (The Baby Backs) wearing about as much clothing as some of the new born babies in the Pella area, I was a little disappointed in the ol' Iowa Chops. (I didn't even mention the hot tub next to the arena with the Grandview students in their two piece swim suits that made their way to the Jumbotron more than a couple times...) It was pretty obvious what kind of fans they were appealing to, and how they wanted to keep them coming back.
It was kind of sad because overall, the hockey game was actually really good! Iowa overcame a 3-1 deficit, and tied it in the third period...sending it to overtime. Neither team was able to do anything in overtime, so it went to a shootout, with the Rivermen winning 3-1. I am pretty sure I could have goal tended about as well as the Iowa Goalie did in the shootout... :)
I pondered all of these things late into the night...all while enjoying $5.05 of Wendy's entrees. Hmmm... Wendy's....
Financial Learning Experience!
TNT had the opportunity to travel down to Ottumwa on Wednesday, January 28th and listen to Joseph Sangel talk about everyone's favorite topic...MONEY! 
Joseph was what I like to call "high energy" and made what could be a very dry, some what boring topic more exciting. First, I am going to promote his website www.joesangl.com. It is wildly popular. Under the "Tools" link there are a bunch of useful ideas, excel spreadsheets and links that can help you start savings today.
The core principles of financial freedom...
1. There is power in working together. (Either with your spouse, or with friends...accoutability)
2. Avoid the debt trap! (Where is it written that you have to have a car payment?)
3. Develop a plan for your life - This creates the reason for you to plan your finances.
4. Have FUN managing your money! (Budget for fun!)
Another good quotes from Joe... "A written budget is different from a written budget that is followed!"
There were a lot of good ideas given by Joe and I guess I took away a couple ideas...
1. Shop your insurances. Life, car, home and any thing else... You should shop these at least every two years. Joe gave the example of the "Lending Tree" commercials - so when Insurance companies compete... YOU WIN! On Joe's website, under the "Tools" link, you can go to "Next steps and click insurance. http://nextsteps.iwasbrokenowimnot.com/insurancemain/ Here you can scroll down and get different life, car and home insurance quotes... When Insurance companies compete you win!
2. The debt snowball. Say you have 5 debt payments every month... When you pay one of them off, apply that payment to the next smallest payment and pay that off. And so on... This works better with a picture, but instead of paying off one credit card and then taking that $50 a month you were paying and upgrading your cell phone, apply that $50 towards credit card #2. Or car payment #3... You will not miss the $50...
3. Have at least $2500 in an emergency fund. Joe made the good point that money problems are terrible and they make every other problem worse. Say you don't have an emergency fund and suddenly your furnance breaks down. Now, you got a furnance problem...and a money problem.
I could ramble on (oops too late), but this was a good night and we got dinner and we got to listen to a speaker for $10 per family...but at the end of the night, Marty Schmidt and the Bridge said they were so serious about us saving money, they were going to refund the $10 we paid! It was beautiful! Much rejoicing was had...
"Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow..." Proverbs 13:11
Joseph was what I like to call "high energy" and made what could be a very dry, some what boring topic more exciting. First, I am going to promote his website www.joesangl.com. It is wildly popular. Under the "Tools" link there are a bunch of useful ideas, excel spreadsheets and links that can help you start savings today.The core principles of financial freedom...
1. There is power in working together. (Either with your spouse, or with friends...accoutability)
2. Avoid the debt trap! (Where is it written that you have to have a car payment?)
3. Develop a plan for your life - This creates the reason for you to plan your finances.
4. Have FUN managing your money! (Budget for fun!)
Another good quotes from Joe... "A written budget is different from a written budget that is followed!"
There were a lot of good ideas given by Joe and I guess I took away a couple ideas...
1. Shop your insurances. Life, car, home and any thing else... You should shop these at least every two years. Joe gave the example of the "Lending Tree" commercials - so when Insurance companies compete... YOU WIN! On Joe's website, under the "Tools" link, you can go to "Next steps and click insurance. http://nextsteps.iwasbrokenowimnot.com/insurancemain/ Here you can scroll down and get different life, car and home insurance quotes... When Insurance companies compete you win!
2. The debt snowball. Say you have 5 debt payments every month... When you pay one of them off, apply that payment to the next smallest payment and pay that off. And so on... This works better with a picture, but instead of paying off one credit card and then taking that $50 a month you were paying and upgrading your cell phone, apply that $50 towards credit card #2. Or car payment #3... You will not miss the $50...
3. Have at least $2500 in an emergency fund. Joe made the good point that money problems are terrible and they make every other problem worse. Say you don't have an emergency fund and suddenly your furnance breaks down. Now, you got a furnance problem...and a money problem.
I could ramble on (oops too late), but this was a good night and we got dinner and we got to listen to a speaker for $10 per family...but at the end of the night, Marty Schmidt and the Bridge said they were so serious about us saving money, they were going to refund the $10 we paid! It was beautiful! Much rejoicing was had...
"Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow..." Proverbs 13:11
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