Wabash Friends - Between Sundays

Belly of the Whale

2012-02-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

Jonah is a real dude. What I love about him is that his struggles are our struggles. We often run from the hard things in life. We will often go to sleep, isolating ourselves to avoid the storm. Loving your enemy is difficult. Dealing with your heart’s intention is scary and raw. Last week we learned that God is at work in the middle of all that is going on around us and in our lives. At some point, just like Jonah, we are brought into the reality of our situation. In response to his reality, Jonah gave up his life to the sea and was rescued by a whale. The Death and Resurrection of Jonah is pointing us to Jesus who is now our rescuer. Could it be true that when we lose our life for Christ’s sake that we gain life to the fullest? Could we truly experience rescue and redemption as we are in our own “belly of the whale”?

Read Jonah Chapter 2 in preparation for Sunday where we will discover the key truths God is teaching us through this story.

The storms

2012-02-10T14:03:00.001-05:00

Jonah is more than a big fish story. Last week we found Jonah running from the hard thing God gave him to do. The key truth about us is that we love to run to Tarshish…it is nice there. God’s redemption plan is many times in the hard places.

This week we will look at Jonah 1:4-17. As you prepare for Sunday, think about the “storms” in your life or in the world that sin and brokenness have caused.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Reaching us

2012-02-03T10:29:00.003-05:00

Does God use the world to teach us, change us and mold us to be more Christ-like? As Christians, we are working hard to tell the unchristian world to turn to God but maybe at the same time God is using the unbelieving world to reach us. It is God who saves and it is God who is abounding in love for, in this case, Nineveh…..Jonah’s enemy. God teaches Jonah about godly character by the world he was sent to preach. Lets look at Jonah’s story to discover God’s abounding in Love character and what we can learn from the world as we live out the truth and grace of Jesus.

I encourage you to read the book of Jonah several time during the course of this series. If you are tight on time just read chapter one for Sunday.

Blessing

2012-01-26T21:39:00.000-05:00

We GATHER in community to build one anther up so we can GROW into mature Christians who are equipped to GO multiply the work that Christ, the Ruler and King, is doing to restore His world. This is the blessing of all nations, that the world would be blessed through Abraham and reconciled through Christ making the link all the way to us through faith. We are a part of something huge that will last forever! How will we pass this Blessing on to our family, church, community and world?

Read Gen. 12:1-3 and Gal. 3:14 in preparation for Sunday as we kick off Missions Month.

Don’t forget to attend the Souper Bowl family event this Sunday after church. Everyone is invited. Proceeds go toward the Access.

See you Sunday,

Alex

The Great Commission

2012-01-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18b-20 (NIV 1984)

In preparation for this Sunday, read the passage above three times taking time after each reading to reflect. The first reading, look for a word, phrase or idea that jumps out at you. The second reading, ask God what He wants to speak to you about this word, phrase or idea. The final reading, ask God what He wants you to do in response to this word, phrase or idea.

It is my hope that God will speak to you though the reading of His Word.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Keep Growing

2012-01-13T16:15:00.001-05:00

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col. 2:6-7 NIV)

Have you received Jesus as Lord? The word Lord means master, leader, ruler and the one who commands us. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we have a different source in which we draw our direction in life. Something changes in the way we view the world. We shift from a self-centered approach to life to a God-centered approach that spans beyond this life. The shift goes from me building my little kingdom for my sake to building into something bigger, growing the kingdom of Jesus for His sake. I would like to challenge us to be a part of the bigger story, using your gifts and influence to build an everlasting kingdom for Jesus our Lord.

It is always encouraging to hear the story of others who have made Jesus Lord of their life. Check out these stories http://www.iamsecond.com/

This Sunday we are looking at the growth aspect of our vision statement….. Grow intentionally, transformed by the love of Christ and others. Come ready to be challenged and hear from people just like you who are growing in their walk with Jesus. Read Colossians 2:6-10 in preparation for Sunday.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Bring it!

2012-01-06T13:44:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! What will this year be known for? I hope after hearing Eric last week you are inspired to take a step forward for the sake of Christ and His Church. Just like Jesus sent the 70, He also sends us out this year as he does every year. We will make this journey together as we Gather, Grow and Go.

This week I will begin a series on our “Three G” approach to ministry at Wabash Friends Church. Why would we gather in a grace filled community? Is the church community something worth the investment of our time, talent and treasure? I believe the community Christ calls us to is worth our investment. I believe this community to be one of the greatest blessings God has given us. I believe the local church is the hope of the world. Join us the next four weeks as we challenge each other with the “WHY” behind what we do at Wabash Friends Church.

Read Eph. 4:11-16 and Act 2:42-47 in preparation for this Sunday. Investing in your walk with Jesus means a higher yield in your spiritual growth. We are asking you to bring it!

Take advantage of the electives launching this Sunday at 9:15am.

Paul Cochrane and I are teaching a class for those exploring Christ, stuck in their relationship with Him or just want to get back to the basics.
Dave Phillips is teaching a class on sharing your faith with others.
Dan Dyson is teaching a class about Jesus found in the book of Mark.
Eric Dale is teaching a class on our perspectives in missions.
Scott Makin is teaching a class on living out everyday faith.

See you Sunday,

Alex

IT'S A NEW YEAR

2011-12-29T08:54:00.001-05:00

Last week we looked at a number of Scriptures. One that that we might re-visit is :

Luke 2:10 “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (NIV 1984)

I would guess that the shepherds were petrified. They were afraid of the angels, they were afraid of the directives to go and probably did not understand the peace that came over the animals in the presence of this newborn child. Are we any different?
This Sunday will be the first day of a brand new year. It always evokes thoughts of the past and hopes or fears of the future. It is a great time of reflection across the entire world. Different peoples from every tribe nation and tongue will do the same on the potential of tomorrow.

WFC has so much potential. As we Gather, Grow and Go this year, what is your role? How will you grow by taking next steps in your walk with Jesus?

This week read how Jesus sent out the 70 (or 72) in Luke 10:1-17. ( Maybe it was January 1^stwhen they were sent.) No matter what day it was, it was a new day in their view of who Jesus was and is. Let’s talk about that, not with New Year’s resolutions, but with ears for the call that comes from the Lord.

Love. Hope. Peace.

2011-12-22T13:24:00.002-05:00

When you simplify what Christmas is about, Immanuel, “God with us”, we begin to see the gift of God’s love for us. We begin to know the hope that we have in His rescue plan, reconciling the world to himself through Jesus. For the remainder of this week, I would encourage you to focus on experiencing the peace of God, “which transcends all understanding [and] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we start to experience this peace of God in our heart, the hope of reconciliation will spill out into our relationships, community and world.

The angels announced peace to the shepherds on that first Christmas and we have the privilege to see what Christ accomplished in His death and resurrection. Reconciliation and peace are realities for us as we wait for the returning Prince of Peace. What a gift we have in Jesus!

Read the verses below and meditate on what we were really given with the birth of Christ - Immanuel.

Romans 5: 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…….. 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (NIV 1984)

Col. 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (NIV 1984)

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV 1984)

Rom. 15: 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV 1984)

^{2 Cor. 5:18} All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: (NIV 1984)

Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (NIV 1984)

Our Hope

2011-12-16T20:39:00.002-05:00

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:10-14 (NIV1984)

Read John 1:1-14, Colossians 1:15-20 and Romans 5 in preparation for Sunday as we talk about the hope we have in Jesus.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Simply Christmas

2011-12-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

Last week we finished our Discovering Character series. I am always curious to know your takeaway from the series. How has God been working in your life? This is beneficial in a couple of ways:

It gives testimony to God’s work
It helps you to process what you are leaning
It gives the staff good feedback on what is hitting home with you, helping us plan future sermon series.

We are fully engaged in the Christmas season and it is our goal to focus in on Jesus. We want to clear away all that distracts us from our savior. We are often focused this season on gifts, shopping, decorations, food, parties and the like. We are also faced with the sadness or pain of tough stuff occurring in our families. Let's shift into the simplicity of Christmas by looking at God’s love, hope and peace. If one of the reasons for Jesus coming to earth was to show us what God the Father is like, what do we learn about Him in this first Christmas?

Join us this Christmas season as we dig into what the angels declared to the shepherds on the night our Savior was born.

Luke 2:10-14 (NIV1984)

See you Sunday,

Alex

Love God - Love People

2011-12-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

I trust your thanksgiving went well. The past two weeks we have discussed some very important pieces of our maturing process as Christians. Scott taught about simplifying your life to create the space for relationships with God and others. We cannot become mature followers of Christ if we have no margin in our life. Dave taught about the importance of engaging our losses through grief. Many of us have had our hearts buried by some kind of loss in our life. Our heart will stay in that buried space until we do the hard work of grief.

Are you simplifying your life to give relationship with God and others space to grow? What activities are you going to cut to reduce the business of your life? Have you grieved your losses in life? Is your heart buried somewhere in your past, unable to mature into the healthy adult God is calling you to be?

This week we are wrapping up our Discovering Character Series. We will be learning the number one benefit of being a spiritually healthy adult...LOVE. One thing I am always asking myself is, am I loving Jesus and other people better? I think we all want to do the Great Commandment better. We want to be better friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers and followers of Jesus. This requires love and it seems love does not come naturally. Read Luke 10:25-37 in preparation for Sunday as we discover the "under the surface work" that Jesus wants to do in us.

See you Sunday,

Alex

The WALL

2011-11-17T23:53:00.000-05:00

If you find yourself hitting a WALL in your faith Journey, how do you move forward? Last week we talked about the WALL being a crisis of faith. Something in life that stops us dead in our tracks. The only way forward is through the WALL. Hebrews chapter 12:7-8 says “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his Father? If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” When you find yourself stuck at the WALL, God may want to do some kind of surgery beneath the surface in your heart. St John of the Cross wrote about the WALL, calling it the Dark Night of the Soul. He said when enter this time the Lord wants to remove our idolatries or deadly attachments. Here are some of those deadly areas he addresses:

Pride (being Judgmental and impatient with the faults of others), avarice (suffering discontentment), luxury (taking more pleasure in spiritual blessing than God himself), wrath (becoming easily irritated, impatient), spiritual gluttony (resisting the path of the cross), spiritual envy (always comparing) and sloth (running from what is hard).

This week Scott Makin is going to be teaching on the rhythms or structures we need in our life to boost our spiritual growth and maturity. Come prepared to allow Christ to speak to your heart about the below the surface issues in out lives.

See you Sunday,

Alex

FOO to FOG

2011-11-04T21:15:00.003-04:00

We all hide just like Adam and Eve hid in the garden. I hide behind popularity. What do you hide behind? Last week we talked about the three temptations of Christ.... relevancy, popularity and power. The RX for getting to our real self before God and others is contemplative prayer, confession, forgiveness and service. These are practices that allow us to come out of hiding to become our real selves. We cannot be in true relationship with God and others when we are in hiding. It is only when we become our real selves that we can start experiencing our true life in Christ.

In Christ we belong to a new family of God (FOG). We also have a family of origin (FOO). Much of who we are, good or bad, is due to our family of origin. We want to get to the bottom of the FOO issues that keep us from moving forward in our relationship with God and His family. In preparation for Sunday, read Genesis chapter 50:15-21. Joseph had some FOO issues kicking in his life.

See you tomorrow at the Day of Healing and then at church,

Alex

P.S.

· Daylight Saving Time ends 2 a.m. Sunday, so it's time to set clocks back one hour-and gain another hour of sleep.

· Brent Dawes will be teaching about biblical principles of finances in the Christian Companions class beginning with an overview this week. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join this class.

Under the Surface

2011-10-28T22:07:00.000-04:00

What Saul-ish parts do you have in your life? My first response is, “I don’t know and I don’t really want to know. I am just fine not digging under the surface until I absolutely have to.” This attitude is the reason why deep character, emotional maturity and contemplative spirituality are such weaknesses among Christians today. We only deal with these areas of life when things get painful, especially when things are painful due to the lack of character. How do we motivate ourselves to work on these beneath the surface issues before we get to the end of our rope? Lets start training, equipping and addressing our character now so when life hits us with a hook/uppercut we are prepared to not only endure, but to fight back and engage with a godly character. I have heard it said, “Faith always fights” through the hardships and realities of life. It would be great to say at the end of our life what Paul said to Timothy “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7 NIV).

This series will give us the space and time to look beneath the surface. I ask that you will engage your heart and engage each other over the next few weeks in the Discovering Character series.

This week we will be looking at David and his battle with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. David didn’t just fight Goliath. He fought through family dynamics. He fought through the doubts of others. He fought through his own fears. We will be talking about how David knew his true self and how this helped him to know the true God.

Resources you might be interested in:

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality By Peter Scazzero

Changes That Heal By Dr. Henry Cloud

Don’t forget:

The imagination station is this Sunday from 9am – 12:30pm in the Atrium of the Family Center. Stop by and see God’s Creativity in the lives of our children!

Reminder! Please bring your directory information form to church THIS SUNDAY or email carrie@wabashfriends.org to confirm what will be printed in the church directory.

Day of Healing is just around the corner. (Nov 5^th) This is Wabash Friends’ own personal growth conference dealing with those “under the surface” issues in life. I hope it is on your calendar to attend. Sign up this week!

The problem

2011-10-20T20:42:00.002-04:00

Thank you for your grace in last week’s sermon on stewardship. I know the area of money is not an easy one to look at on Sunday morning, but I think it honors God to take an honest look at our stewardship. Takeaways for me include:

When we have open hands and an open heart concerning what God has given us, we are also open to His blessing.
When we are generous, we are more like the image we were created in…God's.
The word tithe means tenth
Tithe is a reminder of who the owner is. We are stewards or managers of everything God has entrusted us with.

This next week we will start the “Discovering Character“ series. Week one we will look at the problem. Saul’s life gives us a good look at the problem. Read 1 Samuel 15:20-24 in preparation.

Here is a top ten symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality or unhealthy character outlined in the book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality:

Using God to run from God
Ignoring the emotions of anger, sadness and fear
Dying to the wrong things
Denying the past’s impact on the present – family of origin issues
Dividing life into “secular” and “sacred” compartments
Doing for God instead of being with God
Spiritualizing away conflict
Covering over brokenness, weakness, and failure
Living without limits or boundaries
Judging the spiritual journey of other people

See you Sunday,

Alex

Discovering Character

2011-10-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

Nehemiah taught us some great principles about rebuilding our walls. I hope you will continue to work toward the rebuilding of your broken down walls. I also hope that you will join me as we fast and pray for a youth pastor. I have chosen Thursday lunchtime to fast and pray. Feel free to choose what time works well for you.

The question I have about Nehemiah is what helped him become the kind of leader he was? Was his leadership just a part his DNA or was it learned? Did God give him the wisdom and strength overnight or was it something developed over time? We do not learn much about how Nehemiah developed his character, but we do see how other biblical characters develop their character or ignore their character.

We are starting a new seven-week series called “Discovering Character”. I am guessing that each one of you wants to be known as a man or woman of godly character, but godly character does not just happen when you become a Christian. In fact you and I know lots of Christians that on the outside look all put together but on the inside they are emotionally immature and have little to no character.

One cannot grow spiritually without addressing under the surface issues of character and emotional maturity. During this series we will explore God’s Word, Peter Scazzero’s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and other works by Cloud and Townsend that will dig deep under the surface of who we are becoming as God’s people. I am looking forward to the journey.

Don’t miss it!

- Come see our tent at the Chili Cook-off tomorrow. If you want to help, meet us down at Paradise Springs at 7:00am!

See you Sunday,

Alex

Five building blocks to rebuilding your life.

2011-10-06T10:29:00.004-04:00

When we survey our life, it does not take long to see broken down walls. Broken walls represent anything that is not the way it is supposed to be…..broken marriages, estranged family members, harbored unforgiveness, hopelessness, drug addictions, bitterness, violence and abuse. The reality of our world is that we live among the rubble just like the people of Jerusalem during Nehemiah’s life. “The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire.” Nehemiah 1:3b

What would it take for you to start rebuilding the broken walls in your life? Do you sense a discontentment with the rubble around you? If you want to be known as a “Rebuilder of Broken Walls” then Nehemiah is a great man to model. Nehemiah shows us 5 building block principles he used in rebuilding the walls:

Block #1 -Get real – In order to rebuild what is broken you must face the reality of the situation head on. This is often a very hard thing to do. When Nehemiah learned that the city where his ancestors were buried had broken walls and burned gates he wept. You may need to face some painful circumstances in your life and that may stir up emotions like anger or sadness. Part of rebuilding is grieving what isn’t right.

Block #2 - Go to the source – Nehemiah spent four months in prayer and fasting regarding the broken down walls. God is the source of all life. He created you and me. He knows our situation and our pain. When we go to the source we are given the cornerstone, Jesus Christ. When we put our trust in Christ and his body, the Church, we have a solid foundation to build upon.

Block #3 - Create a blueprint – While Nehemiah was in his time of prayer and fasting, he developed a blueprint or vision. He knew exactly what and how he was going to present to the king. Nehemiah had a blueprint that he and God created. You need a blueprint or a vision for rebuilding your wall.

Block #4 - Use your resources – Nehemiah used every possible resource he could find to get the job done. Letters of permission, lumber, armies for safe travel and people who were ready to work. You have to take inventory of your resources and you need the guts to ask to use them to fuel your vision.

Block #5 – Be as diligent as an Ant – Nehemiah had many negative obstacles to overcome in rebuilding the wall. He experienced ridicule, assault, poverty, and low moral. Nehemiah did not loose hope nor did he become defeated as the obstacles arose. He adjusted his plan to overcome the obstacle and pressed on by encouraging people and addressing the people head on until the finish.

The outcome of Nehemiah’s story was an impossible task completed by a bunch of struggling people. They rebuilt the wall in 52 days and celebrated what the Lord had done through them. God is a good God, but he is not just going to rebuild our broken down walls. We are co-laborers with Him. Let’s strive to described as the people talked about in Isaiah 58:12 “Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.” NLT

FYI - some resources for your walls.

All men are invited to attend a special 4-week study, Courageous Living: Honor Begins at Home, led by Phil Boone and Eric Dale. Men do not need to have seen the movie to take part in this series. Starts October 30th.
Get registered for Day of Healing.

Use your resources

2011-09-30T07:04:00.000-04:00

The more I study Nehemiah, the more I love the story. The story is dripping with God honoring principles that can be used in any life circumstance. Nehemiah got real, he engaged the grief process, he went to the source to develop a blueprint and used his resources to get the job done.

What resources do you need to help you rebuild your walls? People are our most valuable resource but we often act like we don't need them. This week we will explore how Nehemiah used the resources he had available to rebuild the walls.

Read Nehemiah 2:5 and 2:17-20 in preparation for Sunday.

We have about 10 extra tickets to see the movie Courageous tonight at 7:00pm. I would love for you to join us. Email me and let me know.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Building Block #3

2011-09-22T16:12:00.000-04:00

Between Sundays

In the past two weeks we have looked at Nehemiah’s story of rebuilding the walls. Each week we are giving you a building block principle that you can use as you rebuild the broken-down walls around you.

Building block #1 – What is reality? Nehemiah faced the reality of the walls in Jerusalem and wept. When we grieve what is real and broken, space is created for the new.

Building Block #2 – Go to the source. Nehemiah prayed and fasted for almost four months. God used Nehemiah to help be an answer to his own prayers.

This week we are looking at Nehemiah’s vision in Chapter 2:1-8. Come prepared to wrestle with the vision God is giving you to be a rebuilder of walls.

Building Block #3 – Create a blueprint. Paint a picture of the new walls to be rebuilt.

See you Sunday,

Alex

What is Reality?

2011-09-17T09:08:00.000-04:00

Survey the scene in your life. What are the broken walls around you? Last week we explored how Nehemiah responded to the reality of the broken walls of Jerusalem. He heard the news and wept. Nehemiah shows us Building Block #1 to rebuilding the walls: Come to grips with reality and grieve what is not right. The process of grief allows us to face our situation (broken families, friendships, relationships, marriages, community problems, addictions, etc) head on. When we grieve an issue, we are able to let go of what should be and address what is. The reality of our broken down walls is sad because it is not what we ever wanted. I didn’t want my marriage to fail. I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want my sister to hate me. I didn’t want to be addicted to drugs or alcohol. I didn’t want my spouse or child to die. We use massive amounts of energy holding on to the ideal or what should have been. We use massive amounts of energy on stuffing our sadness, ignoring the problem or denying what is real. Yes, we are living in the wake of Genesis 3 but the radical good news is Jesus Christ offers us redemption and renewal of our broken down realities.

Weeping for something broken often leads us to our knees in prayer. Come explore with us Nehemiah’s bold prayer and Building Block #2. Read Nehemiah 1:4-11 for Sunday.

Don’t forget……….

· Good News! We still have a few openings for church directory photos! Sign up on Sunday!

· Men sign up for the men’s retreat and purchase your ticket for the Courageous Movie!

· New Sunday School Grow Group Electives begin in 2 weeks!

See you Sunday!

Alex

Rebuilding the Walls

2011-09-09T10:25:00.000-04:00

Let's get RADICAL! The Radical auction is this Saturday at Wabash Friends Church at 10:00am. All proceeds from the auction go to missions. There is still time to get your auction items to the gym. In my mind, God has orchestrated this auction in line with our last series; listen with wide-open ears, give with wide-open hands and serve with wide-open hearts. Have you asked God to whisper to you about this auction?

This week we are starting a five-week series entitled Rebuilding the Walls. Nehemiah shows us a God honoring way of restoring what is broken. As Christians, we should reclaim and restore what belongs to God. Everyday we see walls broken down around us. There are walls in our life and family that are broken. There are walls in our relationships that are broken. There are walls that need to be rebuilt in our schools and community. We will start this series by addressing the reality of brokenness. In the weeks following, we will work towards a God honoring game plan for restoration. You can start this journey by reading chapter one in the book of Nehemiah.

Don’t forget!!!
Sign up for your church directory photo! Photo sessions begin this Wed. Sept 14. Go online to: www.ucdir.com Click on Schedule my photo; Enter Church Code: IN735; Password: friends and schedule.
OR Sign up on Sunday!

See you Sunday,

Alex

Deeper whispers

2011-09-02T08:55:00.000-04:00

Oh! give me Samuel’s ear,

An open ear, O Lord,

Alive and quick to hear

Each whisper of Thy word;

Like him to answer to Thy call

And to obey Thee first of all.

God does speak to his people today. Do we practice putting ourselves in a position to hear God’s voice? Last week we talked about what is at stake. Our freedom, blessing and children are at stake. Most importantly, the Gospel of Christ getting to those who need it is at stake. The stakes are high! We must practice God’s presence by lighting up our soul with the light Christ, renewing our minds and storing the Word in our hearts.

This Sunday we are going to talk about the deeper whispers that might come as you journey with Christ. These are whispers where God shows us what is on his heart. These whispers cause us to look outside of ourselves and into the lives and situations of people in the greatest need. These whispers are the things that break God’s heart and will most certainly break ours. When we choose to respond to this type of whisper we are never sorry. The blessing, compassion, purposeful interaction, transformational growth and good that God allows us to be a part of are worth the cost. Read Isaiah 58:6-12 in preparation for Sunday.

Don’t forget….

Send me your whispers

Bring your auction items starting Sept. 6th

Sign up to get your directory picture http://www.ucdir.com Enter IN735 for the church code and friends (lowercase) as the church password.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Tell us how you have heard from God

2011-08-20T19:55:00.000-04:00

We believe that God still speaks to His people today. God is relational and wants to communicate with us through His word, through our experiences, through His whispers and through each other.

We would love to hear how God has spoken to you. What was the whisper? How did you respond? How did your walk with Christ grow because of that whisper?

You can comment by clicking the green comment button below.

Everyday Promptings

2011-08-19T07:36:00.002-04:00

Getting a whisper from God is an intense experience. If you are like me, you wrestle with the whisper. What does it mean? How am I to respond? What are the implications of the all powerful God speaking to me? It takes guts to hear from God and it takes even more guts to respond. When we respond, our hearts are opened and transformed by the power of Christ.

Remember the five-part filter of knowing a whisper is from God:

Is this whisper really from you, God?

Is this whisper scriptural?

Is this whisper wise?

Is it in tune with my wiring or character?

What do the people I trust think about it?

The real question is, do you want to hear from God? Are you putting yourself in a position to hear from God….scripture, quiet, intentional relationship?

I love the poem we shared last week:

Oh! Give me Samuel’s ear, an open ear, O Lord, alive and quick to hear

Each whisper of Thy word; like him to answer to Thy call and to obey Thee first of all.

Next Sunday we are going to look at Paul’s conversion in Act 9:1-19. In that conversion experience, we see a few ways that God spoke. What kind of whispers does God prompt us with in everyday life? Come Sunday alive and quick to hear each whisper of Thy word.

Check out the link http://doesgodwhisper.com/

See you Sunday,

Alex

Does God still speak?

2011-08-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

Does God still speak today? If so, how does He speak? How do we discern His voice amid all the other voices? If the God of the universe speaks to people like you and me, would you do everything in your power to hear what He has to say? Would you do what ever it takes to respond to what He was saying to you? I think the majority of us would say yes. I think the majority would say they want to hear from God. The next four weeks we are going to teach on hearing God and having the guts to respond. We believe that God does speak to His people today. Come and tune your ear toward heaven. Hear what is on God’s heart and catch a vision for building His Kingdom. In preparation for Sunday, read 1 Samuel chapter 3.

P.S.

Grow Group electives start up this Sunday at 9:15am

o What about the Bible – taught by Dave Phillips and Paul Cochran in room 107 SW corner

o Gifted- a course on spiritual gifts, passions and strengths – taught by Dr. Pat in the counseling center conference room

o Real life/real faith – Scott will start a new round in the old toddler nursery.

Don’t forget about the all-church picnic Sunday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Youth group will be at the park starting at 6:30pm with two great games – battleship and seek and destroy.

See you Sunday,

Alex

Fruit

2011-08-06T11:00:00.001-04:00

Bonnie challenged us last week to do something radical for the mission of Christ. I trust you felt her passion and are inspired to be radical yourself…..the kingdom of God is worth pouring our time, talent and treasure into.

I go back to the picture of my son on the motorcycle ride…. wide open for God. This last week I took my kids on a jet ski and they were not so excited to go wide open. They were very scared and overwhelmed. We are all at different stages in our journey. What might look radical to one may be very comfortable to another. The point is that you are taking your next step in growth toward following Jesus. You may be going from a to b or m to n. Please don’t feel like we are asking you to step from a to z overnight. Each one of us needs a goal, but it takes a lot of encouragement and challenge over a period of time. Remember, the formula is grace and truth plus time.

This week we are going to hear from Eric Dale. Eric has been stepping out in faith to pursue the radical mission that Jesus gave us in Matthew 28. Eric is the clerk of our missions committee and just recently went to Kenya, Uganda and Nepal to see what God has for the future of Wabash Friends Church missions program. What kind of world impact will we make for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Eric has a fire in his core about pursuing the lost in the darkest areas of the world.

In preparation for Sunday read Isaiah 49:6, Acts 1:8 and Genesis 12:3.

See you Sunday,

Alex