MOVIES AND POPCORN

With great power comes great responsibility. Have you ever wanted to be powerful, for the right reasons. Deep within the context of our faith is a power unshakable, a life unthinkable. Society is looking for heroes, people who defy what is possible. Are you one of those? You could be. People want authenticity, to believe in what is real, to buy into the calling. You are called, and with that calling comes great responsibility. Don't miss Sunday July 6th, Movies and Popcorn.

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

John 8:34-36, Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."

What is freedom? Freedom is the absence of slavery, the freedom to come and go as you please. We can live this way in the United States, and we celebrate our Independence and Freedom today. Nonetheless, freedom is not free, not in our country, and not in our faith. The price was paid; you and I can truly live free, because Jesus paid it all.

Happy 4th of July! May we always enjoy the freedoms given to us by others.

I am thankful for a faith rooted in freedom. I am thankful for a country founded on freedom. I am thankful for those who serve to defend our country, and I am thankful for those who serve to extend the greatest freedom ever given, salvation.

BYE SONICS~HELLO PORTLAND

Ok, so they weren't spectacular the last decade, but with recent draft picks and the rookie of the year Kevin Durant, our Seattle Super Sonics were poised to get back on top of the NBA. It will happen, mark my word, but not in Seattle! That new fangled metropolis of Oklahoma City will get to enjoy the good years as we have had to endure the past decade. Well, good luck OKC, my affections are moving to Portland!

The biggest mistake the Sonics made was losing Nate M. as the head coach, just think, he is our coach again! Other than that I know nothing about the Blazers except they play in the Rose Garden, I saw U2 and Tim McGraw -Faith Hill concerts there.

I can't say I'll be buying season tickets or even going to a game in Portland for that matter, but hey, we can root for them now as the only NBA team in the NW.

I just thought of something, "Maybe if we don't get another NBA team we won't need a 250 million dollar arena for them to play in." That's good, there is the money for the 350 million dollar NASCAR Track the NW should have. If we have to lose the Sonics, bring on NASCAR!"

LIFE=DEVOTION TO GOD (3/15)

"And all the believer's devoted themselves to...the sharing of meals (including the Lord's Supper)..." Acts 2:42

The other day I go and see a Naturopath about some diet stuff, to get healthier in my eating. We are talking and he is like, "Jeff, you got to cut the caffeine, cut back on the sugar, cut the preservatives and all the other additives. Red meat only once a week." His words were militant and I was motivated. It's been 3 weeks yesterday since I have had chocolate, Red Bull, Coca-Cola and a host of other life's enjoyments, not to mention, I have not had one burger, steak or BBQ'd ribs. When it's time to cut stuff out I go big.

Here is something I believe we need to "cut out" of our lives as those devoted to God, eating alone. Seriously, sharing meals together is one of the most valuable things we can do. One of the most relevant pieces of furniture in the New Testament is the table. When we share meals together we are sharing life.

Take it a step further and share the Lord's Supper with family, friends and other believer's. You don't have to be in church to remember what Jesus did. You can engage the Lord Supper daily, weekly and as often as you like.

When was the last time you had dinner with someone for the first time? When was the last time you shared a meal with a friend? Living devoted to God is not just spiritual overtones. Sometimes it's the simplicity of a meal together. Happy BBQing on the 4th!

LIFE=DEVOTION TO GOD (2/15)

"And all the believer's devoted themselves to... fellowship...," Acts 2:42

Do you remember your first church experience? I do. I was only an 8 year old boy. I went to Bothell Baptist Church and sat in the chair looking around this huge room, at least it was huge to me. After a few times going I got more comfortable, with the floor. I would lie on my back and count the ceiling tiles and fidget. I'd draw pictures on the offering envelopes, bulletins and try to sprawl out over the neighboring chairs to take a nap. At some point mom sent me to kids ministry and all I can remember is the smell. It was smelly like an old musty barn, but it didn't matter because I made friends. Somewhere there was this transition for my family from the crowd (attendance) to the community (fellowship), a most important transition.

To devote myself to God I must devote myself to others, fellowship. I think sometimes I confuse the "who" with the "where." When I only look at the "who" I inadvertently make assumptions that can lead me down the wrong path. Instead, I have to consider the "where." I must make every effort to engage in fellowship no matter "where" I am at. It's less about who I fellowship with and more about where I fellowship.

A lot of people want to be with a certain "who" or they want to be in "this" crowd, or hang with certain people. Even as we age it can still be like High School with cliques and other immaturity. Crowds can be like that, but fellowship is about devotion to God. Being devoted to God looks beyond the who and takes into consideration where. When we put the externals in check and devote ourselves to God we discover the brand new world of fellowship. Only then can we move from the Crowd into the Community.

Where are you fellowshipping regularly? Church? Reach Teams? Coffee Shops? Restaurants? Sports Teams? Book Clubs? On-line?

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES...

So we got a hot conversation going on here about kids in the worship center. Also, I want to include some other stories this weekend about our kids. Every week we get very positive stories about how families are impacted by Lifesaver's. In fact, every weekend has stories like this one...

I had a friend come to church on Sunday and her daughter is severely allergic to peanuts. I reassured her that our children's classroom was now a peanut free zone and she was comfortable enough to leave her daughter in our LifeSavers leader's care. She left her epi-pen and instructed the teacher on how to use it, kissed her daughter and left her. My friend was SO blown away by first service that she asked if she could stay for second! After bringing her older daughter into second service so she could experience praise and worship (they have only been to church one other time) the daughter went back to her classroom and she absolutely loved it! She also has a 1yr old and left her in her classroom for both services also.She couldn't believe that her older daughter was asking to go back to her class and didn't want to stay with her through the whole service (I also encouraged the mom that she would have more fun back in LifeSavers :-) ). The mom said she will be here every week and after the message on Sunday is now believing God that the peanut allergy will be healed!

After helping her take her girls to their classes, I was able to see our Children's Ministry through fresh eyes. The nursery teachers were so comforting and gracious to her. They gave her their full attention during the whole drop off procedure, assuring her that her baby's well being was their number one priority.

The Heroes teacher was so great and listened to all the precautions and instructions for the medicine. She jumped in and offered to administer it if necessary, again showing that the daughter's well being was her number one priority.

These are the stories that people need to see and hear when they step into our building. We have an amazing Children's Ministry!!!

I couldn't agree more. There are countless stories like this one. I was also told about a Connection Genius showing a family around the children's wing and how helpful and informative this process is. Our children's leaders are giving so much to our kids. Like I told our team this week. There are 100's of families who have the utmost confidence in the processes, procedures, curriculum and personnel of TRC's children's ministry, they wouldn't drop their kid/s off otherwise.

93 Days of Devotion

Sorry I missed yesterday. I had a big day at the courthouse. No, I wasn't on trial, or jury duty, or a key witness. Melinda and I had to go before a judge and testify to our desire and ability to be Seven's parent's! We told the judge, "We are all in!" It is official! We are parent's and nothing can change that now and forever!!!!

Matthew 22:37-38, “Jesus replied, “’You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Life = Devotion to God. We cannot live life without devotion. It is human nature to devote oneself to whatever endeavor, task, project or otherwise. The reality is we want to be devoted to something. I am convinced that if all people could experience real life knowing God they would devote themselves to Him. Yet, there are so many barriers to devotion as a result of devotion to break. Think about it, some people are so devoted to their misconstrued ideas of Jesus, the Bible and etc they cannot or will not experience how awesome life can be. But for those who open the shutters and reach for devotion life is very sweet.

"And all the believer's devoted themselves to the Apostle's doctrine...," Acts 2:42

Devotion to God includes being devoted to His Word. The Word of God is the very essence, character and nature of God played out for us to learn, read and, most of all, fall in love with. The Bible is this huge love story complete with twists, turns, events and cliffhangers. Stop reading it as a text book, and start reading it as the greatest true story every written, because it was written to you.

Read it in a year; find a devotional to read it through with; read a proverbs a day; read the new testament with an emphasis on Jesus Christ; read chapters and look for leadership, parenting, wisdom, trust; read it and look for betrayal; read the bible and look for love, hope, help; read it and find Life.

Real life equals devotion to God! "Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh and dwelt among us." Look for the character, the beauty and the artistic impressions that only the Word of God can give. For centuries the greatest artists painted, wrote and instrumented what they read in the Bible. Have we minimized it to a self help book, only to be used in a crisis?

Pick up your bible and read it as it was meant to be read. It is meant to exhort you, convince you, and rebuke you. Read it for the thrill of it, the stories playing out as if you've never known them. When you read the bible and devote yourself to it you'll experience Life with a capital L.

A short prayer. May the Word of God come alive to you like never before. May you see the beauty, the tragedy, the pain and the victory through the eyes of a child. May you know how crazy God is about you. May you see His passion. May you never forget the work and plans he has set forth in your life. May you experience the Holy Spirit. May you believe, trust, long, linger, question, seek, find, knock, rest...May you know the truth, and may it set you free.