Rescue

When my wife and I moved this past year, we spent a lot of time packing...like...a lot of time packing. While it was mostly a nuisance, I found one thing about packing to be refreshing: memorabilia. As we packed for 2 straight weeks, we often came across items from our past that had been tucked away in folders, or unpacked boxes from previous moves. I remember stumbling across an old photo album from high school. As i leafed through the familiar faces of my past, I stopped at one particular picture that caught my attention. As I studied the picture for a couple of minutes, my mind began to wander off into my memories to recollect who this person was...it was me.

You see, I became a Christian in the year between high school and my freshman year of college. It was in this time that the transformation process began...and has never ended. I became a new person. Unrecognizable to some. He's not finished with me yet. Nor is he finished with you. Often times I find myself looking at old photos trying to remember who I once was. I was lost. Unsure of where I was headed. Insecure. Selfish. Filled with anger and resentment, not love, patience, and mercy. It's easy for me to look back at me then and say, "Look at how Christ rescued me!" and it's true, He did! But there's more...it's not that he did, it's that he does. When we use the past tense, it tends to lead us in the thinking that salvation happened, when in reality, it is happening. If we do not rely daily on this reality, then we cannot KNOW JESUS the way He intended for us to.

Christ has rescued.

Christ is rescuing.

and because of this, we are His...forever.

Love Came Down

One week and counting...

When I first met the kids in this picture I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into. I was a new youth pastor fresh out of college. I thought I knew something, but really knew nothing at all. My first few attempts at teaching failed horribly. Nothing seemed to come easily.

This picture is from year four with those students. What you can't hear is their beautiful voices lifted up praising Christ. What you can't see is the four year process of change that took place in all our lives.

How did that change occur? I know it was not one big thing, but many little things done over a few years. Here is a list of the key things that helped us to change: prayer, teaching the gospel and studying the bible, eating meals together, serving other people, playing lots of dodge ball, singing with our band, sharing our hurts and confessing our sins, learning to love people who got on our nerves, and spending time with older people who loved Jesus too.

Seven days and one hour from now we will see each other face to face in what we hope will be a two hour feast in the presence of God. We will not have time to do all of those things. But we will have time to do some. The question is will we be ready to do them together?

“Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15.5–6 NET)

It is so important that we not gather as individuals to worship, but that we gather as ONE. We are ONE body, we serve ONE Risen Savior, we are indwelled by ONE Spirit, and we are children of the only ONE true God.

Day 17

Day 16

Day 15

Day 14

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 6

Day 5

Scripture: Joshua 1:6-9

watch a live studio cut of "Fireflies" on vimeo - password: smith

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

Day 1 Questions

Response: So what can we do to get ready? What can we do to prepare so we don't miss the point for our gathering? How about this, let's not wait to gather. Let's start our gathering today. And let's start asking some tough questions to our hearts and to each other.

• Do you know Christ? Do you understand the gospel? Have you been transformed by the gospel? What are you waiting for? Tell us your story.
• Are there known sins in your life that you need to turn from? Do it and don't look back. Do you need some help, counsel, or encouragement to get it done? What types of things can we be praying with you about?
• Do you take time to privately worship God? What is your prayer life like? Do you ever feel like you don't know what to say?
• Do I love my family? Am I serving my parents in obedience and respect? Could this be hindering my relationship with God and my impact as a disciple on mission?
• Is church a joke to you? Do you even care about the people you see there? What would it take for you to see these people as your real family? What do you love about your church? How do they show you they care?
• Are there people in your life who need your friendship, your time, your love, or your help? Why wait? What types of justice missions can you start or join?

How can you get involved? Post Comments, start discussions, tweets, videos, write songs, record and post songs, write prayers or poems and post them, record yourself reading and post, do you have scriptures that you think will help get us ready post it and tell us why...

...look we want to engage with you, we want to gather together before we gather. The time is now, don't wait join us as we live in community to worship the living God.