Archive for January, 2010

On the cusp of opening the new Cafe, we want you to have a say!  After a week or so and about 47,000 name ideas (exaggeration), we have narrowed the list of names to three. After we came up with a nice sized list I asked several people to give me their top three and a little explanation of why they liked those names. Here are your finalist and a few of the explanations behind each one:

1. Grounded Coffee House

We should all be grounded in our relationship with Jesus

It plays off of the coffee process and also speaks to either humility or having a good foundation (Christ)

2. The Root

The Root because you have to be firmly rooted and hopefully people could grow in this while they are there.  Plus I think graphics would be easy to do too.

The strongest part of the tree is the roots. We need to have those same roots so that we don’t fall to temptation or make a dumb decision

3. The Point

It keeps the name of the church in it.
It just sounds good……Hey lets go to The Point for coffee.
It would be a place to meet and visit with people and we have a point in what we are doing. (ok that may be stretching it a bit)

because it goes with the name and blog

Here they are!

One of these will be the name of the new Cafe.

You only have One week to vote. We put it in your hands now.

Happy Voting

The winner is “The Point”

Finances

Read Mark 8:34-37

Does following Christ mean we have to give up possessions or stop acquiring things?

How does denying ourselves give us the right perspective on wealth and finances?

Read Acts 4:32-35

How hard would it be to share everything you own?

Are these passages relevant today? How so?

Practical Questions

How does God expect us to use finances in the church and as individuals? Are we doing a good job in either area?

What steps can we take to have a positive attitude toward finances?  2 Corinthians 9: 6-7

Do you need to change your actions in regards to giving?

If so what is preventing you from using the resources that God gives you to share with others?

12 “Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? 13 And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? 14 Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.

Matthew 18:12-14

This came to me at 2 o’clock in the morning so stay with me here.

Over the last several days, a group of us have been working on a name for the cafe we are opening here at CrossPoint Salina. As I layed in bed, my mind raced with ideas (good and mostly bad). I was trying to think of anything that we could tie in Biblically without naming it “The Holy Trinity Grace and Peace Resurrection Coffee House and Tea Cafe”. You know, something clever, something that attracts instead of repels. The story in Matthew 18 came to mind, mainly because I thought 99 would look cool on the sign.

I started thinking  “What do these verses mean anyways?”

As I read, and re-read, and read the verses in front of and behind 12-14, all I came up with were more questions.

“Why did he leave the majority to find the minority? He must not know the democratic process.”

“Why does he care so much for the one who took off and leave the sheep who were doing what they were supposed to?”

“Why am I still awake?”

I knew that I was not getting to sleep until I resolved this, better yet, till God resolved this. I prayed, “Please God tell me what this means so I can go to sleep” (insert desperate dramatic effect).

Then came the “aha” moment:

The 99 are the His church. So why doesn’t He seem to care about His church in this verse?  Because Jesus loves the church, but we are not the focus. Those who he wants to be a part of His church are the focus.

We should be focusing on those that have been hurt or who have let their faith die. That is where the need is. Not to make a better cooler church for us, but for the church to see others with the compassion that Jesus sees them.

Lets stop thinking about what this church needs and start thinking how this church can meet needs.

EF

“Finding the Career God has for YOU”

Icebreakers: What is your dream job? Are you currently working at your “Dream Job”? What are the differences between a Calling, Career, and Job?

Read Ephesians 2:10

What kind of work is Paul referring to?

Do you think this kind of work and our “full time jobs” should be related? Does God intend for them to be?

Read 1 Peter 4:10

What are your gifts and talents? Are you using your gifts for God’s kingdom? If not, do you need a career change or attitude change to start using your gifts for God? Are you “serving others” in your job? How so?

Read Jeremiah 6:16 STAND, LOOK, ASK, WALK

Discuss where you need to go from here? If you are where you are supposed to be then share how you arrived there.

Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

Leviticus 8:23

In my endeavor to read through the bible this year I am full speed ahead in the book of Leviticus! To be quite honest I was not expecting to find just a huge amount of journal entries or sticky note thoughts for the day! Instructions on when to sprinkle the blood, throw the blood, kill the goat, burn fat inside the camp or outside the camp, kill my neighbors ox, and regulations about mildew were entertaining in a weird way….but not inspiring in my walk with Jesus!

And then I read the above verse!

Hang in here with me because this is really going somewhere!!!

As I read the verse two thoughts hit me hard.  The first is that God is a God of details. Why the ear lobe, the thumb and the toe? And don’t forget it must be the right, not the left. It was a refreshing reminder of how much God is concerned about every detail in my life.  That thought is great encouragement when my hurts are deep, my worries plenty and my purpose in question. On the flip side it is very convicting when I know that also includes every thought, action, word and motive! So right in the middle of the instruction on sacrifices came encouragement and conviction!

The second thought was that I am so humbly grateful that I was born on this side of the cross. The followers of the old testament were constantly working to receive forgiveness of sins in their acts of sacrifice. And when all the work was completed, they still stood at a distance in their relationship with God. In all of their obedience the priest and the curtain were  blocking a personal view of God. Because of the willing sacrifice of Jesus on the cross the curtain came down, I have a clear view of God, my sins forgiven and a relationship with Jesus.  I can boldly come to the throne and don’t have to drag a goat, bull or lamb with me!! I can’t bring anything to cause a greater love from Him than just myself!  It is just me and my Jesus! And with this thought began a great time of worship and praise!

In one amazing verse there is conviction, encouragement, worship and praise! That should fill a few sticky notes for the day. Tomorrow I began the book of Numbers….we will see!

We are blessed to be apart of the Cross Point family. Thank you far all of your support and prayers. And because of that we would like to say:

What lights your fire? What is it that you will drop everything to be a part of? What gets you dreaming? Passion is a term that we have become desensitized to. Its used to describe things like crying, lust, and even fruit. So what is passion? It has a fairly broad definition:

• any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
• strong sexual desire; lust.
  
• violent anger.

Christians may expand upon on those definitions with:

• the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His suffering subsequent to the Last Supper.
• the narrative of Christ sufferings as recorded by the Gospels

How does it relate to us?

• the sufferings of a martyr.

What? Me? Die? I thought that was what we were trying not to do. That’s what OSHA is for, that’s why we have insurance policies, that’s what we call “survival instinct”.

Passion is something worth dying for? Jesus is the prototype.

In his book, “Wild Goose Chase”, Mark Batterson writes about what it means to be passionate:

I’m not convinced that your date of death is the date carved on your tombstone. Most people die long before that. We start dying when we have nothing to live for. And we don’t really start living until we have something worth dying for. Ironically, discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living.

Maybe that explains why Jesus was so full of life. He had so much–or rather so many–to die for. No one was more passionate about life that Jesus. In fact, the final chapter of His life is appropriately referred to as the Passion. And we are called to follow in His footsteps. Christ followers ought to be the most passionate people on the planet. Pursuing God-ordained passions isn’t optional.

Don’t opt out. Ask God to show you something worth dying for!

EF

My professor told me a couple good God stories the other night. Enjoy!

The Meat Story

When Ron (my professor) and his wife started off in ministry they like most were dirt poor. Ron was working three jobs to stay above water. One of those jobs was driving a bus for a Christian school. His wife called him one day and told him that one of the families on his route had some meat for them to pick up. (He wife didn’t want to bother him with the fact that they had run out of meat and couldn’t afford more). So like a good husband he just did it. He picked up two grocery sacks of meat. When he returned home he and his wife were surprised to find 50- 1 pound packages of liver in the sacks. Needless to say they were a little shocked. It was God’s provision so they thanked the Lord and ate liver daily for about SIX MONTHS. He said that his children (grown up now) still shudder when someone says “liver”. Ron and his wife were thankful for God’s “manna” no matter what form it came in. As the liver was close to running out Ron received a call from his wife again. “Ron another family on your route has meat for you to pick up” she said. Now it was a different family than before but you know what Ron was thinking. He went and picked up two grocery sacks of meat that day. When he returned home his wife looked in the sacks. It was all steak and roast. He said, ” Sometimes you have to be content and thankful for liver before God gives you steak.”

The Dryer

Around the same time in Ron’s life they had a dryer. One day when Ron was a work his wife called to explain that the dryer had caught on fire. The fire department had to come and put it out. They just left the dryer in the driveway. Ron pulled in the driveway that night and stared at the dryer. He knew what he had to do… So he moved it to the back porch and rewired it. They were to poor to buy a new one. He installed the dryer and life went on. Two weeks later Ron’s wife called him at work (I think Ron would have learned by now not to answer his work phone) and she told him that the dryer caught on fire and the fire department had to come put it out. That night when Ron returned home he noticed the dryer once again in the driveway. This time it was in pieces. The fireman decided to chop it up with their axes so Ron wouldn’t try to fix it. So now they have two children in diapers (cloth diapers) and no dryer. The money started rolling in. They received random gifts from people in the church and within five days they had added it up to be within $10 of the cost of a new dryer. By the time they picked up the dryer they had exactly the amount they needed. God knows what we need and is faithful to provide.

From the beginning of time until the monastic (monks) movement around 4oo A.D.(when monks in monasteries acted as scribes and started making as many copies of scripture as possible) the people HAD to tell their stories and the stories we read in the Bible. In some cases story telling was the only way scripture would get passed from generation to generation.We NEED to hear these stories. That’s why inter-generational discipleship is so important. When it comes to Christ-centered relationships I encourage you to make friends with people 5, 20, 50 years older than you. The stories of people that have gone before us are invaluable. This IS discipleship. It’s making friends with someone and watching them live a Christ-centered life. It doesn’t have to be awkward or scary. It can and does take place before and after worship services, during grow groups, serving together, etc. Chances are you are being discipled right now and may not even know it. I encourage you to LOOK for opportunities to share your story and to hear the stories of others. God doesn’t give us stories so that WE may be known rather so that HE may be known.

Marriage in the Bible

Read Genesis 2:8, why did God create marriage?

Either read or sum up the Book of Ruth. Why did she marry?

Read 1 Peter 3:7, Col 3:18-19, Eph 5:21-33 key verse 33

What are the roles of men and women in marriage?

Questions for Singles

In what ways are you preparing for marriage? (Although, not everyone is called to marriage) What should you be doing?

Describe the perfect spouse? Be specific.

How can you honor a spouse you may not have met yet?

What does your parent’s marriage look like? Would you do anything different or similar?

Questions for Married Couples

What are 3 things you like about your marriage? What are 3 things about your marriage you and your spouse could work on?

What could YOU do to strengthen your marriage?

How well do you and your spouse communicate?

Do you talk regularly about these things and what would it take to do that?

What will you do THIS week to be a better spouse?

I told this story to my grow group Monday night and thought I should share with you. Here is the story:

Last Friday night my wife went to eat with some friends after she got off work. This left me responsible for making supper… So there I was in line at the Dillon’s Chinese food section. A man walked up to me and stood by me in line. He was stocky in stature and probably around 30 years old. He started making small talk with me and I responded as anyone would by answering his questions. The question’s started to get a little more personal like “Do you live in Salina?” and “How long have you lived here?” Still at this point I am not thinking anything is out of the ordinary and thought this was a nice little ministry opportunity that just fell in my lap. I was eager to talk and get to know him which would eventually lead me to inviting him to our church. At that point I would order my food, debate whether or not to try using chopsticks (the answer is always no) and go on my way feeling like a good Christian should. Then it happened… He asked for a ride across town. I couldn’t believe it. He ruined my nice little don’t-get-out-of-my-comfort-zone ministry moment and was asking me to act on my faith and do something nice, sacrificial, and kinda risky.It just happened to be the part of town that you would feel incredibly unsafe in if you drove through in the middle of the day much less driving through at 8pm on a Friday night. So I said yes and started questioning what I just got myself into. Of course now I am looking at him completely different. I see his rough looking clothes and facial hair and all of a sudden he looks like someone who was going to kill me instead of someone who needs a simple invitation to church. I think back to our conversation and realize the things he was asking were a little odd considering he didn’t even know my name. He went on to explain that he and his family (whom were no where to be found at this point) live in KC and were coming back from Wichita when their car ran out of gas (conveniently at his friends house on the rough side of town. And why that didn’t take the turnpike from Wichita to KC is beyond me.) Anyway, things were not adding up and I started to think something wasn’t right. At that moment my brother and sister in law come walking up unexpectedly. They didn’t know what was going on but I told them (loud enough for everyone around to hear) that they need to call me in 30 minutes along with where I was going and why I was going there. At this point I’m still hoping this man is just a citizen in need and doesn’t have horrible motives. Although things were making me feel a little weird. To sum up the rest we got into my vehicle, things continued to get weirder, he explained that he needed to stop somewhere else to get food for his family. We went one place then he wanted to go to another. We went there and ordered food which he ate himself, then explained that his friend was taking his family out to eat. He wouldn’t let me talk much and when I did ask questions his story only seemed more unlikely. At this point we start across town to his friends house where his vehicle supposedly was. He told me he needed money for gas so I gave him everything I had (which was 12 bucks and I just witnessed him spend 8 on food). I started talking about faith and family so he would feel sorry for me because at this point things seemed like they were going downhill in a hurry for me. Eventually, we came to the area he wanted to go and he jumped out.

Kind of anti-climatic huh! There were other goofy things that he said which gave me a confident feeling that this may have all been planned and who knows how far this could have gone. I’m sure by now you are thinking of the thousands of other options you would have choose to do before taking the risk I did. Needless to say it turned out to be a semi-scary experience. One part that I left out was this. Before, I left Dillions I prayed and begged God to tell me what to do. Although, I was scared to death I heard him say it was going to be all right. I needed to take a leap of faith even thought it didn’t seem like the smart thing to do. If God didn’t tell me what to do I would have taken the easy path by making an excuse or maybe given him a couple bucks for a cab. The point is that although it may have been more comfortable to listen to myself, God wants us to listen to him. No matter how hard the path and how IRRATIONAL it may seem. I believe God is constantly challenging us to walk by faith. Some circumstances are more obvious than others. This story was the way God choose to challenge me to walk by faith. What circumstance(s) in your life can you find God challenging you with? I encourage you to seek these out and embrace them rather than ignore or run from them. They may look completely different than my story (and for your safety I hope so). I leave you with this well known verse. Hebrews 11:6a “And without faith it is impossible to please God. At Cross Point we want to step out of our comfort zones together as a faith community. Will you walk by faith with us?