Living the Message

Grace in the Story of Ruth

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:54:00 +0000

16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Today, we talked about the story of Ruth from the Old Testament. Pastor Amy read the story and asked us to look for signs of God's grace in it. One of the things that stands out to me is the faith that Ruth has been given. She must see in her husband's family's character something that she knows she must follow and this is the God of Israel. God is with Ruth when she takes the step out in faith. In the story, she follows Naomi back to Bethlehem, her life is redeemed through Boaz and as we know, she becomes part of the line to David. Boaz healed her brokeness as Christ our Redeemer heals our brokeness.

Question of the Week: When did you see God's grace during a hard time in your own life?

Like Ruth, I think it has been important to me to follow and/or be with people who I know serve the God of Israel who gave us Jesus because His people offer grace to me in different ways all the time. I have been blessed to know so many people who know Jesus.

Samson and a Grain of Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:42:00 +0000

We've heard what faith the size of a mustard seed can do, but have you ever thought about what sin the size of a grain of rice does? While holding a teeny tiny grain of rice throughout all of Pastor Henry's message, all I could think about was how much it was bugging me. I was developing a cramp in my thumb and if I set it on the bump on my shirt, I had to concentrate on it too hard. When I told Henry about it after church, he told me I needed to learn to let go.

Today at MCC, we read the story of Samson from Judges 16 and everyone was given a grain of rice. Henry asked us if Samson was good or bad. The answer to that we found out is "yes". He was good and bad. Samson thought he could handle a little bit of sin, but we saw how it distorted his whole life. When he didn't keep his eyes on God, he messed up badly.

We saw a picture of how pine beetles the size of grains of rice killed the pine trees in Colorado. Even little sins do the same thing to us, so how do we overcome them? The only way is by handing them over to God who can do something about it. He gave us Jesus for the forgiveness of sin so we look to Him.

Question of the Week: What most surprised you about the Samson story? Maybe it wasn't new, but it was interesting to note that after Samson's eyes were poked out, he really looked to God and prayed, "O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more..."

Surprised by Jericho

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:12:00 +0000

The Koopman family gave us their reading on the story of Jericho today. Watch it here!

Pastor Amy told us many elements in the Jericho story found in Joshua 6 that I had never heard before. Recall that the city of Jericho was a large wealthy city surrounded by walls in the Promised Land which the Israelites had enterred. The Israelites marched around the city 6 days in a row while blowing the shofar and on the 7th day, they marched around 7 times, shouted and the walls came down. The Israelites destroyed every living thing in the city except for Rahab and her family because she had helped them. Rahab had a real faith with deeds and that saved her.

Today's Question of the Week: What surprised you about the Jericho story?

I had never heard about the Legend of Keret. The things which God told the Israelites to do were parallel to and maybe a mockery of the rituals of the Canaanites at that time. In addition, archeological discoveries also point to the truth of this story - for instance the 15 foot stone wall, the 3 foot layer of ash above the rubble of the walls, and the full jars of grain. I also found it interesting to think about how the "trumpets" they blasted were in reality shofars which were both military and spiritual symbols. The priest blew the shofars as a call to confession, and by blowing them around Jericho, perhaps they were calling the city to confess.

Burning Bushes and Snapshot Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:53:00 +0000

Today, our summer intern, Mary Stegink, spoke about the story of Moses and the burning bush found in Exodus 3. She talked about those "snapshot moments" in life where we sense that God is calling us to change our direction. When we look back, we can see where our life was kind of "frozen" in that moment and we remember it as the time when nothing was ever the same again.

The story of Moses and the burning bush is a good example of one of these snapshot moments. God called Moses out of the burning bush to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses didn't feel worthy of the calling, but are we any more eager to follow God's call than Moses was? We can see how God had been equipping Moses throughout his life for this call, and through this, we should be encouraged to trust that God goes before us when we answer His call.

Meagan and Kyle showed us a painting they made to illustrate what this story said to them. It showed calm waters at the bottom with a blazing fire at the top. This shows how when we answer God's call, our calm lives are set on fire. Some people shared stories of snapshot moments in their own lives... do you have any to tell about?

Abraham's Test

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:57:00 +0000

Today, our intern Jason talked about Abraham's near sacrifice of his son Isaac - the story found in Genesis 22. God told Abraham to take his ONLY son Isaac to Moriah to sacrifice him. The Bolt family gave us their input on the story and noted that this phrase "only son" reminded them of John 3:16 - for God so loved the world that He gave His only son..." Jason pointed out that this story is a typology - it foreshadowed the story of Jesus' sacrifice in so many ways. At the end of the story, God promises that because Abraham did not withold his only son, He would bless him and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Today, we are asked by God through His word to offer our bodies as living sacrifices(see Romans 12:1). How can you do this?

Listening to God in the Story of Noah

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:49:00 +0000

Today Pastor Henry asked us to reflect on the story of Noah's Ark. He suggested we listen to the story "with fresh ears". What does the story say about God? About humanity? About God's desire for our relationship with Him? Ultimately, God created us to be in relationship with Him. He wants us close to Him, and to be close to Him we need to listen to (hear) what He tells us.

Question of the week: If God would wash out one thing that is corrupting my life right now that is preventing me from walking in faith with him, what would it be?

I have a tendency to believe Satan's lies and to let his lies make me afraid of the future. I would want God to erase all my memories that are filled with Satan's lies.

Thanks to Cathy R. for writing this today!

In the Beginning...

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Today, we read the story of the creation of the world in Genesis 1 & 2. The Reeds shared that in talking about the story of creation at home, they also read the book You are Special by Max Lucado which is a good reminder for all of us to seek daily the one who created us because He is the One who tells us what we are worth.

Pastor Amy contrasted the biblical story of creation with the Babylonian or Mesopotamian creation epic, the Enuma Elish. She noted especially that in the Bible, God (one God) made order out of chaos, while other ancient traditions spoke of many gods who made things and people to serve them and constantly fought over what they had made and with each other. Creation was a result of God speaking. Even today, we can see how God sorts out situations and infuses them with His life.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

What new perspective about the creation story did you learn today?

I loved the story Amy told about her grandpa who wrote the book, "Science God & You". He thought about how we can't even see some of the stars that God created yet because their light hasn't reached us yet. That was cool to think about because then I was thinking about how we haven't seen all He has created because He is still creating through His people, us! And hopefully, we too are making order out of the chaos in people's lives.

Bloom Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:23:00 +0000

Today we read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 which was so appropriate for Bloom Sunday. Paul says in verses 6-7: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." This makes it clear that God causes spiritual growth and not any of us. We only need to keep our eyes on the "Son" as plants keep their eyes on the sun. This is where we find life.

How is God making you grow right now?

I believe that by keeping my eyes on Him, He is making me righteous or right with Him through the process of sanctification. He is changing me to be able to make more choices based on love and truth rather than selfishness. This is a life-long process in which I have to continually trust that God knows what is best for His purposes even if it doesn't seem good for me at the time.

Deliverance

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Mon, 26 May 2008 02:38:00 +0000

Today, we read from 1 Peter 4:12 -5:14 focusing on verses 5-9,

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

We talked about God's mighty hand as a sign of deliverance. As the Lord said to Moses in Exodus 6:1, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."

Where have you experienced God's mighty hand delivering you?

The situation that comes to mind first when I think of this is a time where I felt I was being treated unfairly in a job and I questioned other people's integrity but I felt trapped. God came through with a new job for me in the most astounding way and I'll never forget that.

Using Your Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms. I Peter 4:10

Today we talked about the verse above and how if we used the gifts that God has given us, his grace will be faithfully administered. We can serve people with our gifts and together, with our church, we can serve the community. This summer, we have great opportunities to do this in the Bloom '08, Kid's Games, Riverfest Monroe North and Riverfest 2. If you haven't signed up yet, prayerfully consider where you can use your gifts!

Pentecost

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Today we talked about Pentecost - when the Holy Spirit came to live in the hearts of believers and the church began. We read about the new community of believers in Acts 2:42-47 and talked about many of the characteristics that described them: they were devoted to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer; they were filled with awe; many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles; they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

We then looked again at 1 Peter 3:8-18 through a "we" lens this time. Instead of thinking individually about the reason for the hope we have, Pastor Amy talked about the reason for the hope we have as a church. Using the image of a door, she talked about the many doors of opportunity MCC has had and the blessings that have come when they are walked through by faith. After talking about new doors of opportunity, we were encouraged to pray for these. We have a reason for the hope we have, but many people don't have a community that cares about them, and we have some opportunities to reach out to them.

Where have you seen God working at MCC?

I think that we have such a strong encouraging community at MCC that is focused around God's word and is looking with expectation for what He will do next. As we crave spiritual milk and are built into a spiritual house, we can declare His praises by letting what we believe shine through our lives like we talked about a few weeks ago. And we have been given some new doors of opportunity to do it!

Being Prepared

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Today we read 1 Peter 3:15 -

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

Pastor Henry talked about how this verse means we should be prepared to give an answer, and not an argument and not to convert or convince people of your reason for the hope you have. A helpful answer should be brief, clear, use everyday language and be done with gentleness and respect. A helpful answer answers the question, "What difference has Jesus Christ made in your life?"

If someone asks you, do you feel prepared to give an answer for the hope you have in Jesus Christ?

I do feel prepared to tell people about the hope I have and even more so after working on it at church and talking about it with the people at my table because now it's more personal.

Living in Harmony

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:03:00 +0000

After I wrote that title, I started to think about how I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. But what does it take to bring harmony to even our own little part of the world? That's what we talked about today at MCC - getting our instruction through Pastor Henry from I Peter 3:8-15. Here we learn that to live in harmony, we should be humble, sympathetic, compassionate, and loving to one another.

We talked about barriers which prevent us from living this way:
fear of what others think
time
fear of rejection
selfishness
ignorance
prejudice
status concerns
lack of energy
low self worth
mixture of messages
lack of preparedness
assumptions about people or their intentions
lack of confidence
anger
not believing who we are in Christ
unfair expectations
apathy
leaning on our own understanding

But with God's spirit we can overcome these barriers so we can invade people's lives with grace, mercy, love and compassion. Who will harm us if we are eager to do good?

Where can I bring some harmony this week? And what barriers can I break down in order to do so?

I was thinking about how sometimes what breaks down the peace is miscommunication and how any of the reasons listed above can contribute to this. In the coming week, I need to take the time to listen to people and look for opportunities to bring grace, mercy, love, or compassion.

What is the Mission of Submission?

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:28:00 +0000

Today we read 1 Peter 2:13-3:7 and talked about submission. Pastor Amy encouraged us to think about how we define submission since the term sometimes carries negative baggage or connotations with it. Amy reminded us that submission does not necessarily mean that we are forced, threatened, or bullied into compliance.

We are given the example of Jesus as the best example of submission -His faith was not in those who judged Him unjustly but was in God, and therefore He submitted to God's will by being obedient. As much as submission is an action it is also an attitude. Jesus was also humble, patient, gentle, loving and compassionate.

Do you understand submission any differently after today?

My understanding of submission has been expanded to include the reason why we should be submissive. We should be submissive and live as Christ lived to be a witness to the world. As Amy said, "Christians are to live such holy lives that nothing can be lodged against the Gospel because of their example."

Craving, Building, Declaring

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:08:00 +0000

This morning, we read 1 Peter 2:1-12 and talked about 3 things that God wants us to do.

1. Craving - we should crave pure "spiritual milk", that is, the things that Jesus offers that make us grow.

2. Building - as we come to Jesus, the living stone, we also, like living stones, are built into a spiritual house.

3. Declaring - we are a chosen people belonging to God that we may declare His praises by letting what we believe shine through our lives.

Which of these 3 images used by Peter in this section spoke the most to you today?

I loved all of these images but if I can only pick one, I would pick the "building" image. Pastor Henry picked up some lego-duplo pieces and the first one represented Jesus, the living stone. As we are all built into Jesus, the foundation or living stone, we, like living stones, are built into a church.

Four Words to Live By: Hope Holy Fear Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:11:00 +0000

Today at MCC, Pastor Amy talked about the next part of I Peter 1 in verses 13-25. Here we learned 4 teachings that show us how to live the gospel:

1. Set your hope on Jesus' resurrection and eternal life with Him.

2. Be holy as God is holy.

3. Live your lives in reverent fear, awe and gratitude for Jesus' sacrifice.

4. Love one another deeply - with depth and duration.

Which of these is the hardest for you?

These are all hard and I fall short on every one of them! The hardest is probably to be as holy as God. Thankfully, Jesus' righteousness has been credited to us because it is impossible for us to do it on our own, but to live by faith in this sacrifice is difficult.

God's Gift of Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:46:00 +0000

Today, Pastor Henry talked about what God in His great mercy has given to us as we read in 1 Peter 1:1-12. Because Jesus has been risen from the dead, we have been given a new life through Him and now we have everything to live for - including a future with Him in heaven. Because of this faith in His sacrifice, we are able to put up with suffering and hardship until the day when we are home with Him at last.

What does a life that is defined by God's gift of mercy look like? I think knowing that God in His great mercy has given us this gift of faith, we can be thankful and always ready to live for Him. We are told in these verses that our faith is worth more than gold, so even as gold is refined by fire comes out pure, so faith refined by suffering is proved genuine. And this glorifies God. As it says in the Message, God will have this on display as evidence of His victory.

Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:46:00 +0000

Today we celebrated Easter and read about the Jesus' resurrection summarized in 1 Corinthians 15. His resurrection has given us a great hope for eternal life with Him.

What do you hope for? I look to the day when everything is under God's rule and all are praising Him without pain, sorrow, death, or tears. In the meantime, I hope that we will be able to see God, His faithfulness, grace, and deliverance every day and that we can do what we're called to do to reveal His goodness and mercy.

Seeking God

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:05:00 +0000

"To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations-- ..."Isaiah 65:1-2

Today, Pastor Henry read from Isaiah 64-65 where God is talking about how He revealed Himself but many did not see Him. We read how all of us are so filthy and unrighteous that we can't approach God, and our only hope is through faith in Jesus who restores us to Him. If we look through the eyes of this faith, we see God's grace all around us.

Where do you see God at work around you, holding out His hands? I think His grace has been very evident to me in our church family. It has been so good to hear the stories of those who have had opportunities to share the gospel, of those who have seen miracles, and of those who have felt His support through the church. I too have felt this support as we continue to strive to walk in His way.

Greener Pastures

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Today in church, Pastor Amy talked about shepherds. At the end, we read Psalm 23 and were given the opportunity to pray silently about the phrases in that chapter. I was thinking about how God lets us rest in the green pastures and how His goodness follows us always. When we got home, Maria showed me the painting below which she just finished - a good reminder of very green pastures. Durning Bible times, the pastures weren't nearly so lush which makes the verse even more meaningful. If we follow Him, He leads us to what we need even if we are going through more arid times. I especially love the last verse - how His goodness follows us or pursues us always.

Psalm 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:24:00 +0000

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Ps. 1:1.

Today at MCC, we had a guest speaker, Sam DeYoung, talk about Psalm 1. She highlighted verse one which says you are blessed if you do not do these things. The people who are blessed are those who love God's law. We need to continually fill ourselves with God's ways and His word so that we aren't led astray. This is the map we need to live. People who are lost have been trying to use another map. We need to remember this and not listen to the voices that try to lead us the wrong way.

... for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. vs. 6.

Finding Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Today at MCC, we talked about things that lead us astray from our identity in God. Pastor Henry read from Jeremiah 50:1-10 which describes the people who have wandered astray as lost sheep who have forgotten their resting place. St. Augustine best describes the cure for our plight when he said, "Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you."

Going with the Lost theme, we saw what happened to the person who had won the lottery - we saw how money failed to build character, but instead revealed character and this person remained lost with all his money. We talked about many things which can lead us astray: advertising, cars, money, neighbors,internet, Hollywood, actors, community expectations, clothes, shoes, pleasure, politicians, TV & radio talk, food, health, medicine, education. In short, anything that we seek to fill us besides God leads us astray. If we seek God first, He changes us and these things can become tools we can use for God's kingdom rather than cures for our empty souls.

"This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'" Jeremiah 6:16

Finding the Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:00:00 +0000

During the season of Lent, we'll be talking about the spiritually lost. Pastors Henry & Amy shared with us their feelings during a time when they each felt physically lost and we talked about how that compares to being spiritually lost. Amy was lost on an island without a map and Henry was rolled around dizzily in a great wave without air to breathe. Both were overcome by fear, irrationality and regret over bad decisions and mistakes made.

In Psalm 119, we hear the psalmist talk about how thankful he is for all the rules that God has given him. As Christians, we are reminded that we have God's word as a map for our lives. We are given actual directions to find our way out spiritually, and Jesus is our leader. He is the only way to real life.

We were encouraged to think of 3 people who are lost and to pray for them throughout lent. I thought of 3 people who I wasn't sure about and I'll be reminded to pray that Jesus will lead them home when I see the cord with 3 beads.

"I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands." Psalm 119:176

We Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Today, Pastor Amy read from I Corinthians 12-13 about spiritual gifts and the most necessary ingredient for the expression of these gifts which is love. When we use our gifts, they are only effective if we do them out of love for God and His people. We have the example of the Trinity to look to for unity in diversity, and so as we exercise our diverse gifts, we need to maintain unity by appreciating the gifts of others. This will show love and appreciation for others.

My dream for MCC is that it continues to be a place where people feel welcomed and affirmed in who they are as children of God, that it remains a place where God's word is central and He is praised. I would love to use my photography skills where I can. I have been taking my camera to church for the past month or two to be open to its use, but I hesitate to be disruptive, so I haven't done much. I also wouldn't mind a friendly game of Off-the Table every now & then :)

Listening to God

noreply@blogger.com (Jewels) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:29:00 +0000

Today at MCC Pastor Henry read from Isaiah 55 where God invites us to come and listen. In this text, we see how He desires that we have a relationship with Him and that we seek Him so our souls will live. In our world, so many things compete for attention, but to give our attention to God is worth it all because from Him we get rest, mercy, forgiveness, life, joy, faithful love - things that money can't buy. We need to turn away from our own thoughts and ways and seek Him.

We had a chance then to listen to God together while the band sang. God confirmed to me that I was where I should be praising Him with His people and listening to His Word. Everything that makes us focus on God serves His purpose and is good for that reason, and we should encourage and continue with those things in our lives.

Knowing You Jesus, knowing you.
There is no greater thing.
Knowing You, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You.

What did you hear God say to you today? I hope we will all remember to listen and answer this question every day.