Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us about your time alone with God this week. We would like to know what you experienced and what you heard from Christ through this time.
Please feel free to share what would have made this time more meaningful as well as what "next step" you might be taking.
Tim J.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Choose to... write the message?
Recapping the 10 (choose wisely.) Series
Over the last several weeks at New Cov, we've been going through the 10 most important choices you can make in life. This week we'll be hitting #9, and for those not keeping track, we've covered the following:
1. Choose God
2. Choose God's Forgiveness
3. Choose Jesus as Lord
4. Choose the Bible as God's Word
5. Choose to Forgive
6. Choose to Trust
7. Choose to Love My Family First
8. Choose Authenticity
9. Choose to Serve (coming this weekend)
In the two Sundays to follow (October 18 and October 25) we will be reviewing these 9 choices, and talking about how they have impacted us. So we want to know: what do you want to hear on these topics? Obviously, we won't be just reviewing them (what fun would that be?). Instead, we're planning bring some new thoughts on the choices, and we hope to answer questions you have on them!
What We Need From You
Here's where you can help! YOU can help us WRITE THE MESSAGE! (Sorta.) We do want to hear from you, so respond to any of the following:
- Which choice has impacted you the most? How?
- What question has been burning in your mind since hearing one of the messages?
- How has one of these choices changed your thinking?
- Which choice challenged you the most? Why?
Or just write your thoughts on any of the 9 choices we've covered so far. Our hope is that for the next two weeks we can reflect on what we've covered before revealing the final of our 10 choices. Because if you're not choosing any one of the first 9 choices, choice #10 doesn't matter.
So share your thoughts! Post a comment! Or, if you'd rather do it as part of a discussion, you can head to the New Cov page on Facebook (there's a badge link on the right side of this blog).
The First 9
And if you need some more details to jog your memory on the first 8 choices, here are the "Bret's Notes" versions of the messages:
--Choose God--
Jeremiah 29 also calls us to seek Him, and that's the key here: choose to seek Him. The first 4 words of the Bible were a call for reflection for the week: "In the beginning, God..." God can be found in the improbabilities of the Earth, in the moral fiber of humankind. We should choose Him.
--Choose God's Forgiveness--
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic was the text. Tim used boxes stacked up to show that we can't be 100% good on our own. We listened to Sinatra's "I Did It My Way" as painters showed us that we can't paint over our mistakes by ourselves. We took communion and heard the words of Isaiah 53 in the song "By His Wounds."
--Choose Jesus as Lord--
Curt Liesveld talked about a created order of the world. God made us higher than creation, but not at the top. He mentioned a Dallas Willard concept: "vampire Christians." We accept Jesus and his blood, but we don't make Him Lord.
--Choose the Bible as God's Word--
Tim reflected on Psalm 1. In the first verse are 3 postures that show our progression to our bottom-line authority: walk, stand, sit. Who or what is the authority, the compass, the final authority in our lives? James 1:22 then says to not only read the Bible, but to do what it says.
--Choose to Forgive--
We heard quotes read from blog comments on why forgiving is so hard. Tim reminded us through Matthew 18 that God has forgiven us, so we should forgive others. Justin and Erica Klemsz shared a story of forgiveness from their marriage. We had communion, remembering that Christ has forgiven us: how could we withhold forgiveness from others?
--Choose to Trust--
The service started with movie clips, where the topic was worrying about the future. Tim took us to Matthew 6:25, and challenged us with this idea: when we worry, we are saying there isn't a God big enough for our problems. We can choose to trust, or we can choose atheism.
--Choose to Love My Family First--
Troy Heller spoke on the importance of making our family a priority. Using tennis balls to illustrate, Troy showed us that we've got 168 hours in the week, and around 72 aren't spent sleeping or working. How do we make the most of those 72 hours? And how do we work spiritual growth into our family communication?
--Choose Authenticity--
Tim spoke, and illustrated that the only way we can lessen the gap between who we say we are, and who we really are, is to draw nearer to Christ. We saw a drama called "Mask" that showed a woman putting on an act to go to church, so no one would see how she was hurting. "Honesty" by Sara Groves concluded the drama. We had communion while singing verses from "O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing."
--Choose to Serve-- (coming this weekend)
Over the last several weeks at New Cov, we've been going through the 10 most important choices you can make in life. This week we'll be hitting #9, and for those not keeping track, we've covered the following:
1. Choose God
2. Choose God's Forgiveness
3. Choose Jesus as Lord
4. Choose the Bible as God's Word
5. Choose to Forgive
6. Choose to Trust
7. Choose to Love My Family First
8. Choose Authenticity
9. Choose to Serve (coming this weekend)
In the two Sundays to follow (October 18 and October 25) we will be reviewing these 9 choices, and talking about how they have impacted us. So we want to know: what do you want to hear on these topics? Obviously, we won't be just reviewing them (what fun would that be?). Instead, we're planning bring some new thoughts on the choices, and we hope to answer questions you have on them!
What We Need From You
Here's where you can help! YOU can help us WRITE THE MESSAGE! (Sorta.) We do want to hear from you, so respond to any of the following:
- Which choice has impacted you the most? How?
- What question has been burning in your mind since hearing one of the messages?
- How has one of these choices changed your thinking?
- Which choice challenged you the most? Why?
Or just write your thoughts on any of the 9 choices we've covered so far. Our hope is that for the next two weeks we can reflect on what we've covered before revealing the final of our 10 choices. Because if you're not choosing any one of the first 9 choices, choice #10 doesn't matter.
So share your thoughts! Post a comment! Or, if you'd rather do it as part of a discussion, you can head to the New Cov page on Facebook (there's a badge link on the right side of this blog).
The First 9
And if you need some more details to jog your memory on the first 8 choices, here are the "Bret's Notes" versions of the messages:
--Choose God--
Jeremiah 29 also calls us to seek Him, and that's the key here: choose to seek Him. The first 4 words of the Bible were a call for reflection for the week: "In the beginning, God..." God can be found in the improbabilities of the Earth, in the moral fiber of humankind. We should choose Him.
--Choose God's Forgiveness--
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic was the text. Tim used boxes stacked up to show that we can't be 100% good on our own. We listened to Sinatra's "I Did It My Way" as painters showed us that we can't paint over our mistakes by ourselves. We took communion and heard the words of Isaiah 53 in the song "By His Wounds."
--Choose Jesus as Lord--
Curt Liesveld talked about a created order of the world. God made us higher than creation, but not at the top. He mentioned a Dallas Willard concept: "vampire Christians." We accept Jesus and his blood, but we don't make Him Lord.
--Choose the Bible as God's Word--
Tim reflected on Psalm 1. In the first verse are 3 postures that show our progression to our bottom-line authority: walk, stand, sit. Who or what is the authority, the compass, the final authority in our lives? James 1:22 then says to not only read the Bible, but to do what it says.
--Choose to Forgive--
We heard quotes read from blog comments on why forgiving is so hard. Tim reminded us through Matthew 18 that God has forgiven us, so we should forgive others. Justin and Erica Klemsz shared a story of forgiveness from their marriage. We had communion, remembering that Christ has forgiven us: how could we withhold forgiveness from others?
--Choose to Trust--
The service started with movie clips, where the topic was worrying about the future. Tim took us to Matthew 6:25, and challenged us with this idea: when we worry, we are saying there isn't a God big enough for our problems. We can choose to trust, or we can choose atheism.
--Choose to Love My Family First--
Troy Heller spoke on the importance of making our family a priority. Using tennis balls to illustrate, Troy showed us that we've got 168 hours in the week, and around 72 aren't spent sleeping or working. How do we make the most of those 72 hours? And how do we work spiritual growth into our family communication?
--Choose Authenticity--
Tim spoke, and illustrated that the only way we can lessen the gap between who we say we are, and who we really are, is to draw nearer to Christ. We saw a drama called "Mask" that showed a woman putting on an act to go to church, so no one would see how she was hurting. "Honesty" by Sara Groves concluded the drama. We had communion while singing verses from "O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing."
--Choose to Serve-- (coming this weekend)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Forgiving is hard. Why is that?
We all know that forgiving people can be hard sometimes. Sometimes it's like throwing a switch, but sometimes we withhold forgiveness for weeks, or months, or years.
Why is it so hard to forgive?
We want to hear from you on this one. Tim is currently working on a message about forgiving others, scheduled for Sunday, September 13. He wants to speak to what people need to hear, so we're giving you an opportunity to help shape the message. So here's what we need from you:
Post a comment below, and answer at least one of these questions:
Why is it so hard to forgive?
We want to hear from you on this one. Tim is currently working on a message about forgiving others, scheduled for Sunday, September 13. He wants to speak to what people need to hear, so we're giving you an opportunity to help shape the message. So here's what we need from you:
Post a comment below, and answer at least one of these questions:
- Why is it so hard to forgive?
- What are the barriers that keep me from forgiving the person who wronged me?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Romans 9 Summary
Somehow in his providence God is able to orchestrate everything so that people choosing freely somehow contribute to God’s plan exactly as he planned it.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Questions/ Comments Calvininsm
According to Calvinism:
Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the Triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them, the Holy Spirit makes Christ's death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the gospel. The entire process (election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.
What in this statement is true according to your understanding of the Bible?
What seems "off" from your understanding of the Bible?
Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the Triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them, the Holy Spirit makes Christ's death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the gospel. The entire process (election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.
What in this statement is true according to your understanding of the Bible?
What seems "off" from your understanding of the Bible?
Questions / Comments Arminiansim
According to Arminianism:
Salvation is accomplished through the combined efforts of God (who takes the initiative) and man (who must respond) - man's response being the determining factor. God has provided salvation for everyone, but His provision becomes effective only for those who, of their own free will, "choose" to cooperate with Him and accept His offer of grace. At the crucial point, man's will plays a decisive role; thus man, not God, determines who will be recipients of the gift of salvation.
What in this statement is true according to your understanding of the Bible?
What seems "off" from your understanding of the Bible?
Salvation is accomplished through the combined efforts of God (who takes the initiative) and man (who must respond) - man's response being the determining factor. God has provided salvation for everyone, but His provision becomes effective only for those who, of their own free will, "choose" to cooperate with Him and accept His offer of grace. At the crucial point, man's will plays a decisive role; thus man, not God, determines who will be recipients of the gift of salvation.
What in this statement is true according to your understanding of the Bible?
What seems "off" from your understanding of the Bible?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Face to Face----Betrayal
From Text Questions Feb. 15
1. How do you ever heal from being betrayed? How long is it going to hurt? It's been years.
It is going to be a long journey. For sure, it will be when Jesus appears! My experience is that a betrayal today opens the wound of yesterday’s betrayal. I have to go back and work on forgiving and letting go of something that happened long ago—again. Memory is both a wonderful and terrible thing. Healing, however, is different from remembering. Healing has happened when I can honestly say “God has used the terrible wrong for something really good in my life.” In other words, when I can bring God into the situation and truly believe and see the good He has delivered, then I am healed. (Gen. 50:20) A tip I have would be to talk to a trusted friend in detail about the betrayal. Having someone listen and ask questions really helps the healing process. James 5:16 says confession and prayer bring about healing. Likely things will not return to "normal." We are in process and are changing. A decision to look forward instead of backward will help the process of growing into Christlikeness.
It is going to be a long journey. For sure, it will be when Jesus appears! My experience is that a betrayal today opens the wound of yesterday’s betrayal. I have to go back and work on forgiving and letting go of something that happened long ago—again. Memory is both a wonderful and terrible thing. Healing, however, is different from remembering. Healing has happened when I can honestly say “God has used the terrible wrong for something really good in my life.” In other words, when I can bring God into the situation and truly believe and see the good He has delivered, then I am healed. (Gen. 50:20) A tip I have would be to talk to a trusted friend in detail about the betrayal. Having someone listen and ask questions really helps the healing process. James 5:16 says confession and prayer bring about healing. Likely things will not return to "normal." We are in process and are changing. A decision to look forward instead of backward will help the process of growing into Christlikeness.
2. Is being conscious of what we're doing wrong in sin and feeling the conviction in our heart wanting to draw closer to God ...Is that enough punishment?
I hear two things in this question as it is stated: (1) is what I used to say to my mother when she was spanking me, ‘That’s enough. I won’t do it again!” In reading Hosea, it is hard for us to erase the picture of God doing punishing. If I read the book properly, God is allowing the consequences of sin to do the punishing. “Egypt” and “Assyria” are mentioned repeatedly as punishers. Those are the very nations that Israel looked to for life rather than looking to God. Israel made treaties with those countries and tried to buy their way into alliances. Those are the nations that tore Israel apart. (2) “wanting to draw closer to God” is not enough. Hosea 5:4 says, “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God.” In addition to wanting to draw closer, there has to be the ceasing or stopping of the actions and attitudes that caused one to leave God. It is both heart and action.
I hear two things in this question as it is stated: (1) is what I used to say to my mother when she was spanking me, ‘That’s enough. I won’t do it again!” In reading Hosea, it is hard for us to erase the picture of God doing punishing. If I read the book properly, God is allowing the consequences of sin to do the punishing. “Egypt” and “Assyria” are mentioned repeatedly as punishers. Those are the very nations that Israel looked to for life rather than looking to God. Israel made treaties with those countries and tried to buy their way into alliances. Those are the nations that tore Israel apart. (2) “wanting to draw closer to God” is not enough. Hosea 5:4 says, “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God.” In addition to wanting to draw closer, there has to be the ceasing or stopping of the actions and attitudes that caused one to leave God. It is both heart and action.
3. Do we have to restore a relationship with someone who betrayed us?
No. Forgiveness is different from reconciliation and restoration. I can forgive someone who has been toxic to me or even abusive without letting them back into my life. I need to wait until I know they have fully repented and they have rebuilt trust to invite them back in my life. Forgiveness does not mean that the hurt is gone. When the hurt returns, I must go to God and to other trusted friends to share my hurt. I may need to revisit and reaffirm my choice to forgive which is not unusual. Forgiveness is vital to our spiritual health. Bitterness is a cancer that will eat away our spiritual life. In Christ, we can come to a point of forgiving and then enter into a process of healing which involves forgiving again and again. Rom. 12:19 says that the goal is not reconciliation but peace. “If possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” I can be at peace that I have done all I can do in Christ. I can pray for the one who wounded me. But if the other person is unwilling come to Jesus honestly for what they have done, then I can have peace but not restored.
No. Forgiveness is different from reconciliation and restoration. I can forgive someone who has been toxic to me or even abusive without letting them back into my life. I need to wait until I know they have fully repented and they have rebuilt trust to invite them back in my life. Forgiveness does not mean that the hurt is gone. When the hurt returns, I must go to God and to other trusted friends to share my hurt. I may need to revisit and reaffirm my choice to forgive which is not unusual. Forgiveness is vital to our spiritual health. Bitterness is a cancer that will eat away our spiritual life. In Christ, we can come to a point of forgiving and then enter into a process of healing which involves forgiving again and again. Rom. 12:19 says that the goal is not reconciliation but peace. “If possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” I can be at peace that I have done all I can do in Christ. I can pray for the one who wounded me. But if the other person is unwilling come to Jesus honestly for what they have done, then I can have peace but not restored.
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