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Hello, everyone. I just finished posting a reply to Pastor Tim's latest blog, and in my comments I was talking about the discipline and strength of character required to continue blogging. Of course, I felt guilty, so here I am posting. But it isn't because I don't have anything to say! For starters, here are some updates:
- Erik House finally found a place to stay in Florida. It's one mile from school and it sounds like a good set-up. Now we need to pray that he can get plugged into a good church! Erik has also started blogging. Check it out and encourage him whenever you get a chance.
- Luau is this weekend! Please come! I plan on being there with my wife and kids, so we can all get to know you.
While we are at it, I would like to add links to student blogs to this site. If you have a blog and would like to be linked to it, let me know and I'll get it up ASAP.
How is everyone's summer going? I remember that last year my family and I had a BBQ almost every other night and totally enjoyed the Central Coast. This year is a busy one, and I feel like I'm wasting my summer away staring at the walls of my office. Have a great rest of the summer while you can. There's no such thing as summer break once you're done with school!
Phillip
I've had the chance over the last few weeks to chat with a few of you about the idea of bringing Growth Groups into college ministry here at Grace in the Fall. For those of you who aren't familiar with our Growth Group model, let me explain briefly what Growth Groups are. Growth Groups are closed groups of 6-12 people who meet regularly for prayer, care and Bible study. They're sermon-based "lecture-lab," giving opportunity to go beyond just hearing a sermon to grappling, discussing, and applying God's Word in the context of open and honest relationships. Growth Groups have allowed people who are new to Grace to connect deeper with our church family and to build lasting friendships.
Why "Sermon-Based" Growth Groups?
- It's a model that maximizes learning and application by taking into account different learning styles. Learning increases dramatically when people are given the opportunity to hear, take notes and discuss.
- It's a model that unifies the whole congregation as multiple groups study, learn and apply the same material together and grow in the same direction at the same time.
- It's a model that's flexible in that it allows different leaders to springboard off of the sermon material in their own individual ways.
- It’s a model that's scalable by allowing the creation of new groups on a continual basis as the church and the college ministry grows.\It's a biblical model. Jesus himself taught in large group settings and then discussed His sermon in small group settings. (Matt 13)
For these reasons and more, we believe College-age Growth Groups are a great addition to the ministry that is already taking place at The Source. This will provide a context for people to plug in to our ministry and build authentic relationships and community. Growth Groups will allow our existing group to take our relationships to a new level of intimacy and unity. Additionally, it will strengthen the ties between college ministry and the intergenerational church family here at Grace!
I know some of you are still thinking, "But what's unique and distinct about Growth Groups from other studies out there?" That's for next week! For now, I'm looking forward to seeing you at the Luau at the Woods on Saturday! Don't forget to bring meat to BBQ, swim stuff (girls--one piece please), snacks to share and get ready to have fun!
Whew! It's been a crazy week. My family and I have spent the last three evenings at the Family Conference and it was awesome! Dan Haakenson did a terrific job showing us what the Proverbs have to say about communication. If you missed it...well all I can say is you missed out! (Some of you wondered about ordering the CDs, I can only direct you Dori Iunker, our Children's Ministry Director, to ask) Speaking with Kindness, Listening and Conflict Resolution were among the topics he covered and I'm glad I was there! It was a great way for Lisa and I to celebrate our 6th anniversary on Sunday by being reminded about key principles of communication. Great job Dori—I can’t wait ‘til next year’s conference!
I've had a great week getting together with students and adult mentors with the Source! As we begin to look toward Fall we've talked about a Fall retreat possibility, college Growth Groups (I'll blog more on this next week), worship team, the look and feel of Sunday Mornings and all kinds of other things. I appreciate the initiative and responsiveness I see among those engaged in college ministry here at Grace.
I'm looking forward to this Sunday morning at The Source. Dan Edwards is going to bring us a message from Acts 20 and Patrick Little has been putting together a band for the morning--including a new freshman or two! Way to go Pat in making this happen! For those of you who are new to the group, this will give you a taste of what takes place more consistently throughout the year.
I've been Talking with Christal Alderton about the Luau next week. Don't forget to sign up for snacky food and let me or Christal know if you want to help with the event (you can sign up on Sunday, or comment on the blog or email me at stevel@graceslo.org). Plans for this years' Hoedown (Oct.29--put it on your calendar now!) are already underway. I hear this is an incredible time together and has been going on for more than 15 years! I'm excited to experience this thing for myself for the first time.
I love what I do. What a joy and privilege to work with such great people as we have here in our college ministry at Grace!
According to our web traffic, it looks like alot of readers are coming to our blog from Pastor Tim's "life together." And, since he is on vacation and not posting for the next few days, I wanted to let everyone know that Pastor Steve's sermon is now online.
You can click here to listen to his sermon, "The Treasure & the Pearl - Parables of the Kingdom, pt. 5 from Matthew 13:44-46.
You can also click here to download sermons you may have missed from weeks past.
You can do the whole podcasting thing, too, but check with Pastor Tim's blog for more specific information on the "how to's".
Anyways, what did you all think of Steve's sermon? I was greatly encouraged and challenged to examine my own life and ask some pertinent questions in my life. I sure miss my growth group (we're on hiatus for the summer), as I would love to talk about the questions that were reverberating in my mind after this Sunday's message.
So, why not have an online growth-group question and share time? Here's the questions I was thinking about, and I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on the subject: - What has the Kingdom of Heaven cost me recently?
- What would I be unwilling to give up for His Kingdom? Anything?
- To what (sins or posessions) am I clinging too tightly to - preventing me from more perfectly experiencing the fullness of God's plan for me?
The other thing that I was thinking about recently is how these parables are distinctly from man's perspective: the Kingdom of Heaven is a priceless gem that we should be willing to give and sacrifice all for (although it is a free gift).
But the reverse is also true from God's perspective: Christ loved us so much, despite our sinfulness and depravity, that He paid the ultimate sacrifice to make something worthless (us) perfect, whole and precious.
What are your thoughts? I would love to hear them!
Hey guys,
I just received an email from Eric House (perhaps you received it too?). He is asking for some prayer right now as he needs to find a place to live. It looks like the original roommate plan went south and he is now in a hotel waiting to find some place to move into.
Keep him in your prayers for the next few days. I'll try to keep you posted on his housing progress. If you want to drop him a line on AIM, let me know and I'll give you his handle.
I plan on updating the blog soon with some additional thoughts from Sunday's lesson. More info soon!
OK, I know I always blog about things specifically related to The Source's ministry here at Grace. Today I have a couple films I have recently seen on my mind. A couple weeks back Lisa and I watched To End All Wars. The film follows Earnest Gordon's experience in a Japanese POW camp in WWII and shows graphic examples of human cruelty and the power to forgive and hope that comes with a deep understanding of the penetrating forgiveness Christ offers.
I've heard about this film for some time, but only just got around to getting it onto my Netflix and watching it. I was struck by the way the film ends. Gordon is riding away from the camp in a truck having just been liberated by American soldiers and he asks,
- How many times shall I forgive my brother?
- What does it mean to love one's enemies?
- What can a man give in exchange for his soul?
- These are the questions that I faced in my prison camp...
- ...The answers changed my life forever.
The film exposed to me the pettiness of the offenses I take up. It revealed to me that forgiveness is powerful and costly. Here was a battalion of men who lived in an environment of hatred and selfishness and oppression and yet forgiveness and self-sacrifice broke through and transformed the camp—from the prisoners to the guards. What a wonderful illustration of Jesus' words in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This weekend my brother-in-law, Matt, and I watched Hotel Rwanda together. I don't know how to capture my response to this film other than to say it shows an international antithesis of the message of To End All Wars. The world sat by and watched one of the worst genocides in history. I was moved by my own ignorance of the plight of the Rwandan people. I remember seeing news reports, but not thinking much of it. I even got online after the film to research other places in the world where this type of thing is taking place today. To our missionary friends here at Grace and others of you we know and love around the world, I was convicted of my infrequent and half-hearted prayers for you. Some of you are in areas very affected by similar issues. On the other hand, Paul Rusesabagina's story of self-sacrifice testifies to the impact one person can make even in the midst of a heinous situation.
Taking these films together, it is clear to me that to end all wars, the Gospel must be celebrated, proclaimed and living out among every people, tribe and tongue. What other hope is there?
One of the things I love about Grace is our commitment to get along and love each other. Whether it's worship, where we emphasize celebrating the Gospel together above our own musical styles, or getting together for family time at the 4th of July Picnic where everyone pitches in, or in our Growth Groups where all ages come together in a small group setting, at Grace we are a family. I think this is especially important for you who are college aged. Where else do you get to hang out with people your own age and the young and old alike?
July 24-26, 6-8pm each night, is our annual Grace Family Conference. This is another great opportunity for us at The Source to connect with the whole church family. Pastor Dan Haakenson from Valley Evangelical Free Church will be addressing "Keys to Communication: Practicing the Principles of the Proverbs" this year. If the idea that this is a Family Conference scares you away, let the topic scare you back! All of us need to communicate with all kinds of people. There's even some break out seminars that might of interest to some of you (e.g., Pastor Tim is doing one on family devotions--never too early to think about this! one of our finance trustees is leading one on financial principles and more!). You can even come at 7:00pm just to hear Dan if you want.
Don't miss this excellent opportunity to join in with the rest of the church family. If you're going to attend, you need to register by this Sunday, so come prepared!
I've been thinking lately about what we're all about at The Source. What are we passionate about? What do we want to do with excellence? What will produce intensive and extensive growth in college age people here on the central coast? The Gospel. The Gospel changes everything.
Through the Gospel we are confronted with the brutal reality about ourselves that we are much worse off than we ever could have possibly imagined. We fail to do the things we should. We succeed at doing things we shouldn't! In our hearts we seek to prove ourselves and to justify ourselves. In so many ways we cast God aside in our lives and live life our own way without Him. The Gospel forces us to see the worst in ourselves. It makes us reckon with how our rejection of God alienates us from God, others and even ourselves.
Yet, the Gospel simultaneously turns us from despair to hope and eager expectation! The Gospel shows us that God loves us more than we can dare to imagine! It shows us that God sent Jesus to live life in obedience and submission to God because we can't! The Gospel reveals that Jesus took the penalty for our rejection of God to reconcile us in our relationship with our Creator. Because of this Jesus welcomes all who come to him with open and loving arms. He restores our relationship with God, others and ourselves!
Jesus is The Source of the Gospel! He is the way, the truth and the life! That is why our college ministry's focus is on the Gospel. More specifically, what we are about is celebrating, proclaiming and living out the Gospel among the college age community on the central coast and beyond. If you want to learn more and be challenged in what it looks like for the Gospel to transform every area of life check out Tim Keller's article The Centrality of the Gospel on his website. Our teachers are reading this article together and I'd love to get the rest of you in on the dialogue. How does this article challenge you? What do you resonate with in it? What excites you about what Keller says?
Howdy, folks! Many of you have been asking me where I've gone and what I've been up to. It has been ages since I've posted regularly on this blog, and it's been far too long since Jacquelyn and I have been in The Source on Sunday mornings.
I don't know what to say other than "life happens" and it happened to us. It has been an interesting road for Jacquelyn and I the past few months. We have been very busy and we both feel like we are slowly crawling out of a cave of spiritual drought. But here we are now and God has been faithful to us through it all.
The past few weeks we have either been in LA or in the nursery or sick. But one thing that we have noticed is this: we miss you guys! When was the last time we had college students over for a game night? It's been a while, but we look forward to plugging back in as much as we can. I look forward to meeting as many of the freshmen as possible, and I hope to see you guys continue to serve and be a part of the greater work here at Grace.
One of the other things that I've missed these past few months is the growth I experience as I prepare to teach the Word of God on Sunday mornings. Fortunately, I get to dive right back in this Sunday as we look at Acts 19. All of Acts has been "interesting" from a teaching perspective, and I look forward to seeing how God will teach all of us from His Word on Sunday.
Anyways, I just thought I would post something to check in and get back in the swing of things. Are there any college students / new freshmen out there reading this other than Brian & Christal?
Preparations for our summer poolside Luau are well underway! Join us at the Woods house (directions available at The Source Sunday AM), Saturday, July 30 @ 3:00PM. Sign up to bring something snacky to share (you can respond to this blog, email me, or sign up Sunday morning) and plan to BYOM (Bring your own meat to BBQ). Drinks, etc. will be provided. We'’ll swim, BBQ, hot tub, limbo, hang out & more! Email me if you're interested in helping out. Let's seize the summer!
I got to meet with our new class of freshmen guys at Denny's for breakfast yesterday. All I can say is look out! This group of guys is thoughtful, fun loving, eager to serve and devoted to the Lord (not necessarily in that order!). We talked about what an amazing opportunity the Lord is giving us in Fall when 3,500 Freshmen begin and end a day in downtown SLO in Mitchell Park right across the street from our campus! I'm in the process of signing us up so that Grace has a booth in Mission Plaza and our church is a part of the downtown tour! These students' eyes lit up as we explored the ministry possibilities that are opening up right on our front door step. For those of you are out of town for the summer, I think you're going to find that this is a class to be reckoned with--and many of them will be sticking around to attend Cuesta and Poly in the Fall! These guys are fired up to get in and serve and to engage in ministry--It's obvious how the Lord has been using Ken Peet and our high school ministry to mentor and train this group.
I eagerly anticipate the return of those of our group who have gone home for the summer break. Our Student leadership had some great discussion in May about how to take advantage of the influx of new students and the time of new beginnings that is so much a part of Fall. WOW week, SLO Bound, Pizza lunches in Mitchell Park, Fall Kick Off, college focused Growth Groups, service opportunities and more were all put on the table as ways we might run with all the Lord is putting before us in this season. Start praying now about how the Lord might want to work in and through you when September rolls around--it will be here quickly!
Tomorrow evening from 6:00PM until "dark" we officially say farewell to one of our faithful men who has worked for a long time behind the scenes here at The Source. Eric House is heading out to Florida to pursue further education and training. Take advantage of this great opportunity to hang out with Eric show our love for him. We'll be at Cuesta Canyon County Park with drinks and utensils. B.Y.O.M. (Bring Your Own Meat) to barbeque and a snack to share with everyone else. We'll have volleyball, frisbee and great playtime together! We love you Eric and pray the Lord will continue to work in and through you to celebrate, proclaim and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ as He sends you beyond the Central Coast!
What a weekend! We had a good group that came out for our SLO Blues Baseball game last Friday night including a number of our new freshmen class! If you didn't make it, you missed a great time of connecting and fun. The Blues trounced the Marlins 9-0 (not that I saw much of the game--I was talking the whole time). I enjoyed meeting some new faces and spending a great July evening being together. There was some talk among our student leaders who were there about a possible Luau this summer--pool, BBQ, music and great times! We'll keep our eyes posted for more details on that!
I'm also nursing my sunburn from our All Church 4th of July Picnic yesterday afternoon. Thanks again to those of you from The Source who got in there and made a significant contribution to one of the key components of the day--games! I heard there were a number of people at the picnic who were very encouraged to hear that our college students had jumped in to serve. I was so impressed as a newcomer to Grace how many people church-wide stepped forward to make yesterday happen. Karen Weaver (head organizer for the picnic) even told me she had to turn help away because everything was already taken care of!
It's like I said on Sunday morning. Sometimes we get confused and think God needs because He's got a lot to do and He needs help to make it happen. In reality, God tells us, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish my purpose..." (Is 46:10), and He gives us the privilege to play a role in what He is accomplishing. I look forward to us grasping this and looking for opportune moments to join Him more and more!
