You are not alone.
Yesterday 46 people joined you in coming to this blog and began being intentional about talking to God. Very cool. We are in this together, and you are not alone.
As we continue to think through this praying thing, Ioften have moments when I don't "feel" God or think he isn't around. This weekend we touched on the fact that not only is God around us as Christ-followers, he is in us through his holy spirit. My emotions may say one thing, but what is true is that God and I are completely connected.
But what about the times that I try to pray and i've got nothing (no words to say)? Have you ever been there?
Check these passages of scripture out:
Romans 8:26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
This verse is basically saying that in the times that we dont have words to say, because God is good and he knows us completely, the holy spirit speaks on our behalf. It says he actually "intercedes" or prays for us. Is that not awesome?
As you are begining to pray, there may be times where you will have nothing to say. Many times we may feel guilty or ashamed because of this...but God is OK with those moments and has provided a way for us to connect with him through his spirit.
What if that is where i am at? Check this out.
Psalm 46:10"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
This verse not only gives me permission to just be still, i believe in the moments i dont have words to pray, that if i just be still and get quiet, God will do his part and the holy spirit in that moment will pray on my behalf.
Many times, prayer isnt about the words...it is about quiet, it is about surrender, it is about yeilding to God. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
May you spend some time today embracing this truth as you spend a few moments just being still before God.
grace and peace my friends...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Prayer Devotion One
And so, yesterday we learned about prayer as we continued our series: Everday, allowing Jesus to lead our lives. If you havent had a chance to listen to the message from yesterday, you can find it under the resource tab on our website: www.newcommunityonline.com.
We looked at Matthew 6:5-13 yesterday
Prayer
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.[a]'
Jesus first pushes back on those who were praying for the wrong reasons, and then he taught his listerners how to pray. This is commonly known as "the Lord's prayer". We learned together that Jesus wasnt giving this as a formula, but really a starting place for those who were awkward and uncomfortable to pray. Once we finished the teaching of the passage, i read a paraphrase of that prayer, or a more modern interpretation. We have already had a ton of people ask for it. So, for our prayer devo today, i am giving this to you so that it may be your beginning place as you are intentional about talking to God through prayer.
Here it is:
God/Jesus you are so great
This cant be the way you want things to be
help me spread your love around here
Please watch out for me today
Forgive me for taking you for granted
Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me
There are so many distractions going on in my life
keep me focused
Keep me pure, keep me safe, help me to live
my life like you want me to.
Thanks God, AMEN.
May this be your prayer today. More to come tomorrow.
We looked at Matthew 6:5-13 yesterday
Prayer
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.[a]'
Jesus first pushes back on those who were praying for the wrong reasons, and then he taught his listerners how to pray. This is commonly known as "the Lord's prayer". We learned together that Jesus wasnt giving this as a formula, but really a starting place for those who were awkward and uncomfortable to pray. Once we finished the teaching of the passage, i read a paraphrase of that prayer, or a more modern interpretation. We have already had a ton of people ask for it. So, for our prayer devo today, i am giving this to you so that it may be your beginning place as you are intentional about talking to God through prayer.
Here it is:
God/Jesus you are so great
This cant be the way you want things to be
help me spread your love around here
Please watch out for me today
Forgive me for taking you for granted
Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me
There are so many distractions going on in my life
keep me focused
Keep me pure, keep me safe, help me to live
my life like you want me to.
Thanks God, AMEN.
May this be your prayer today. More to come tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
on the verge
so, new community is on the verge of becoming a church of multiple services. crazy. this sunday, we will test drive our new two service plan so that we can work out all the kinks and make sure our plan worked the way we envisioned it.
what's so amazing is that we have had 70 families committ to moving to the early, 9:15 am service. UNREAL. These families are making room for more people in our later service that first time guests will most likely check out.
I feel the same way that I did, the week before we launched NC in 2007. excited anticipation for what God is going to do...about what is ahead...about lives that are going to be changed with the big and safe love of Christ.
and we are rolling out a teaching series that will push hard on the status quo. "religion poisons everything". This series is going to set us up to make significant strides forward as a faith community and as the individuals that make up our faith community.
so, pray for God to move. pray for God to bless. pray for God to reveal. pray for God to draw those who need a safe place to connect.
bring it.
new website: www.newcommunityonline.com
what's so amazing is that we have had 70 families committ to moving to the early, 9:15 am service. UNREAL. These families are making room for more people in our later service that first time guests will most likely check out.
I feel the same way that I did, the week before we launched NC in 2007. excited anticipation for what God is going to do...about what is ahead...about lives that are going to be changed with the big and safe love of Christ.
and we are rolling out a teaching series that will push hard on the status quo. "religion poisons everything". This series is going to set us up to make significant strides forward as a faith community and as the individuals that make up our faith community.
so, pray for God to move. pray for God to bless. pray for God to reveal. pray for God to draw those who need a safe place to connect.
bring it.
new website: www.newcommunityonline.com
Monday, September 7, 2009
90 Day Tithe Challenge at NC
Hello Everyone...
Yesterday, we wrapped up our Direction Series. As we finished up the "partner" teaching, we invited everyone to take the 90 Day Tithe Challenge. So far, 11 families are going to honor God with their resources but are also testing him (Malachi 3:10) at the same time. It is going to be an amazing journey together this Fall as a church and i wanted to invite you to watch a video that will help teach us how to give back to God.
Yesterday, we wrapped up our Direction Series. As we finished up the "partner" teaching, we invited everyone to take the 90 Day Tithe Challenge. So far, 11 families are going to honor God with their resources but are also testing him (Malachi 3:10) at the same time. It is going to be an amazing journey together this Fall as a church and i wanted to invite you to watch a video that will help teach us how to give back to God.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Marriage Retreat
Dawn and I just returned home for an awesome marriage retreat this weekend. This is the first "chris & dawn" trip that we have had since we launched New Community. I am confident that we will make this an annual trip.
We spent the weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. We had several sessions that dealt with Covenant Marriage and how our marriage will only be as strong as our relationship with God. We ate, slept, played and spent time together. It was great...getting reconnected. We feel like we have a plan to keep moving forward in our marriage each day, week, month and year.
the only bad thing about the trip is that Gatlinburg didn't have a Starbucks...i know...what the. Seriously, it was a bummer because the only other coffee shops didn't open early and their coffee sucked. On the way home, we found the nearest Starbucks and had a spiritual experience enjoying a good cup of Joe.
Anyway, if you and your lover ever have a chance to go on a marriage retreat...i highly recommend it.
Grace and Peace...
We spent the weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. We had several sessions that dealt with Covenant Marriage and how our marriage will only be as strong as our relationship with God. We ate, slept, played and spent time together. It was great...getting reconnected. We feel like we have a plan to keep moving forward in our marriage each day, week, month and year.
the only bad thing about the trip is that Gatlinburg didn't have a Starbucks...i know...what the. Seriously, it was a bummer because the only other coffee shops didn't open early and their coffee sucked. On the way home, we found the nearest Starbucks and had a spiritual experience enjoying a good cup of Joe.
Anyway, if you and your lover ever have a chance to go on a marriage retreat...i highly recommend it.
Grace and Peace...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
vision coming to life repeatedly
Last night, Dawn and I were invited by the Mayor to attend a fundraising event for the Arts Commission of Hoschton. This commission is doing everything they can to develop and launch an arts community within Jackson County. It was a great time to just hang with Dawn and marvel at how beautiful she is, especially when she is pregnant.
As we were walking up to this historic house in downtown Hoschton, it became very clear that every person of influence was present at this event. Beer, wine, sweet tea and good food were served while a silent auction was running. As Dawn and I made our way in, we were overwhelmed with how many people we knew and with how many knew us. Over and over, throughout conversation, New Community was lifted high with praise and appreciation.
When Dawn and I moved here to start NC, we knew we wanted it to be a church (movement) that loved people without strings attached...with no agenda...just the big and safe love of Christ. As we mingled, ate and talked, we were seeing this vision played out right before our eyes. This town, these people love NC because of who we are and who we represent. It is a beautiful thing.
This wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the people of NC. Everyone of YOU make this happen, day in and day out. Your generosity allows me to be in the community and your volunteerism and selflessness, has a reverberating effect all through Jackson County.
As always, i am proud to be your leader and i am stoked about what God is doing!
As we were walking up to this historic house in downtown Hoschton, it became very clear that every person of influence was present at this event. Beer, wine, sweet tea and good food were served while a silent auction was running. As Dawn and I made our way in, we were overwhelmed with how many people we knew and with how many knew us. Over and over, throughout conversation, New Community was lifted high with praise and appreciation.
When Dawn and I moved here to start NC, we knew we wanted it to be a church (movement) that loved people without strings attached...with no agenda...just the big and safe love of Christ. As we mingled, ate and talked, we were seeing this vision played out right before our eyes. This town, these people love NC because of who we are and who we represent. It is a beautiful thing.
This wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the people of NC. Everyone of YOU make this happen, day in and day out. Your generosity allows me to be in the community and your volunteerism and selflessness, has a reverberating effect all through Jackson County.
As always, i am proud to be your leader and i am stoked about what God is doing!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Easter @ NC
What a day it was on Easter. People just kept coming in and coming in...it was amazazing. I have to give a shout out to several groups of people. First, to all of you who invited friends...YOU ROCK. Most of our guests were from personal invites...way to go. Second, All of our volunteers that made Sunday happen...YOU are the best. So much preparation went into getting ready...and by 10 AM, we were ready. Third, everyone who gave to the Easter Offering. THANKS for getting us close to the goal your generosity is overwhelming.
Here are the highlights from the day:
- 445 in total attendance!
- More volunteers than ever before...55 people serving.
- 8 people indicated that they wanted Jesus to be the leader of their life.
- We received $9800 toward our Easter Offering Goal of $15000
- Over 50 first time guests with the families and kids
- Parking lot team launched and did a fantastic job
- We added a toddler environment and it was packed.
- 43 elementary students in the GARAGE...96 NC Kids all together!
So, i am still on cloud nine. I am so proud to be your leader and i am thrilled with what God is doing @ New Community. Let the good times roll.
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