Because Relationships Matter

Turning Point - Change!

Turning Point is our group environment for anyone ready for change in their life and their relationships. Pay attention - it's significant shift time!

There will be 2 flavors of Turning Point groups starting September 21, 2009. Since they echo the commandments Jesus gave us, no doubt about where we're going!

Loving God (Take your next step in your relationship with God. Content from Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended.)
Loving Others (Identify not-so-helpful patterns and learn new communication skills for your important relationships. Content from Boundaries.)

For the content of Turning Point: Loving God, we're using material from John Burke; his first book, No Perfect People Allowed, is really the foundation for our culture of groups at GCC. I wrote this post last year regarding the content for what will now be Turning Point: Loving Others; it will remain the same and be covered in the 10 weeks that the groups meet. 

It's only right that as we shape the ministry, we keep ourselves open to change. We are, and we're changing things up! I'm excited to see what God will do through this!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

At Rob's direction in a recent teaching, I've been reading Phil 2:1-15 a lot. My mind keeps looking at respect and the confusion it brings people's understanding of how we treat each other.  

It gets communicated in these kinds of statements: "You will respect me!"; "You have to earn my respect."; "I can't respect someone who acts this way." Choose the scenario of your choice (marriage, parenting, work, family, church), because it's really common.

What does it mean to respect someone? I think most agree that it's associated with behavior, and when we don't agree with someone's behavior, we rationalize disrespectful treatment of them. 

Even if I don't respect how someone's acting, I can still treat them respectfully. We honor God by treating those he loves respectfully. It isn't easy, but will I submit to it? What will I have to do? 

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took the status of a slave, become human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and died a selfless, obedient death-and the worst kind of death at that - a crucifixion."

View Point

We've made some adjustments over our first three offerings of View Point, our group environment for those who want to read and talk about the Bible with others. All of the offerings have taught us lots, but we've reached a place where we're finding our groove, and I'm excited about where we're going!

Here's an example of one question from our latest offering. The study was from I Samuel. In 15:11, God said, "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned from me and has not carried out my instructions." The question to be considered: What does it mean for you to consider God as 'grieving'?

There isn't a right answer. The style of it fits us. It's the space we want to create for our people to experience God through the Bible.

Now, I didn't come up with that question. I don't naturally see that stuff when I read the Bible, but we have a volunteer leader, Stephanie Johnson, who does!

She connects -- I mean seriously connects in that mystical, unexplainable, beautiful sort of way -- and I'm convinced she's following Jesus, so I'm following her! It's leading to great places, I'm learning a ton from her about my own perspective of scripture, and I'm so very grateful!  

View Point launches next on September 14, 2009, and you can register here. Hope to see you there!

A woman named Dawn

A few weeks ago, I was also at the lunch that Rob talks about in this post. A server that wasn't assigned to our table approached us. (Hear this with an excited tone of voice at a very fast speed. I'll type quickly for effect!)

"Hi! I go to GCC, and I wanted to come talk to you guys. I want to tell you about something that happened to me. You have this woman that works on your staff named 'Dawn'. Do you know her? Well, she's incredible - she helped me so much!

A few weeks ago my dad was going to have heart surgery. It was bad. We didn't konw if he would make it, and my brother and I didn't know if he knew Jesus, and I just didn't know what to do or who to talk to. I just didn't know. I thought that if I call my church, I'm sure someone can help me.

Dawn was so good to me, and she just listened, and she was so patient, and she had just the right things to say and just what I needed to hear! I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't been there.

Before surgery, my dad was really out of it, but my brother and I prayed for him. My dad opened his eyes and said, 'I know the Lord' and then he went to surgery. Yeah, he's fine, stubborn again, and he's doing great. But I was really scared.

I just don't know what I would have done without Dawn. Would you tell her thank you? She was really great! She helped me so much! I just knew that if I called my church that someone could point me in the right direction. That's all I really wanted to say. Thanks!"

Dawn Lovitt is our Care Coordinator and my assistant. She is our first line of contact with hurting people, in addition to all of her other roles as our coordinator for groups, wedding coordinator, and a potpourri of other stuff that helps people know they matter. She loves Jesus. She's a great wife to Dave. She's a great mom to Breanna and Paige. She's awesome! She honors God and represents us as church really well! I'm so proud of her and grateful for her!

...just passing on a message, Thank you Dawn!

 

Commitment

We spend a lot of time in churches trying to get people to live committed. Out of a commitment to God comes a commitment to spouse, children, finances, integrity, relationships, volunteering, study, prayer, and the list goes on. It all begins with a primary commitment to God. Without that priority, the rest is an uphill battle.

Try to move people toward anything, and they resist. Greater effort brings greater resistance. Adam & Even didn't commit to God through obedience, and it's not all that different today - appears to be the human condition - the reason we need a Savior.

I have been studying Soul Revolution, the content for our newest Turning Point group of the same name launching September 21, 2009. The focus is founded in the principles from Frank Laubach's, Practicing His Presence.

Rather than push people toward Jesus, we're gonna help them understand what it means to be in his presence. When Jesus is lifted up, they are drawn to Him. I'm excited to see how God works through our next step in GCC Groups.  

"God is always on the alert; constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him." 2 Chronicles 16:9

Leveraging Your Past

(Homework given by Wess Stafford, Compassion International, at Leadership Summit 2009. If this seems a little too weird for you to try, it may be the clue that it's just what you need.)

Make an appointment with yourself - 30 minutes alone in front of a mirror. Ask God to give you wisdom to understand yourself more clearly than you ever have before. Think back to the little girl/little boy deep inside. After a few minutes, answer these questions:

Who am I? What do I really care about?

What do I believe? What do I value? Why am I the way I am? Why do I do what I do?

Why do I lead what I lead?

What is my leadership story? Where did it begin?

Is my leadership based on joy & fulfillment? If so, who do I owe for it? Who believed in me, before I believed in myself, and launched my leadership? Do they know it? Have I ever thanked them?

Or, am I driven, even in success, by pain, sorrow, or fear? If so, who hurt me? Humiliated or discouraged me? Have I ever forgiven them? Even if they hae not asked for forgiveness or are not even sorry, your allowing them to stayin your heart and mind is not hurting them at all-it's only hurting you.

Whether your passion is fueled by joy or pain, the most profound question you may ever ask yourself is: What am I trying to prove, to whom, and why?

"I will talk to the Father, and he will provide you another Friend, so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth." John 14

Ask.

"That night God appeared to Solomon. God said, 'What do you want from me? Ask.'"

What would I ask God for? 

I met with a new member of our Prayer Team this week to provide orientation training. Instead, as I got to know their heart on prayer, I was taught. "Every thought can be a prayer which is why we have to be so careful with our thoughts and bring them in line with God. Prayer is also God ministering to us which is why we have to listen as God can talk to us in our thoughts."

Am I ok with God knowing all my thoughts? What about wrestling thoughts -- is that ok with God? Is he the Master Sorter of our thoughts? What am I asking God for now?

"Solomon answered, '....you've given me a staggering task, ruling this mob of people. Yes, give me wisdom and knowledge as I come and go among this people - for who on his own is capable of leading these, your glorious people?'

God answered Solomon, 'This is what has come out of your heart: You didn't grasp for money, wealth, fame, and the doom of your enemies; you didn't even ask for a long life. ...Because of this, you get what you asked for - wisdom and knowledge....'" 2 Chronicles 1  

Keep moving

When we take steps towards God, we become more like Jesus. I'm grateful for Mark Beeson's really helpful definition of sanctification.

Someone recently told me their understanding of what trips them up as they take their steps. It succinctly describes what I know so many people experience.

"I'm back. I had turned away from God again. I don't know why I keep doing that. My life is so much better when I stay turned toward him. I know it comes from the thoughts I have that say, 'I'm worthless.' When I'm in church, it numbs the thoughts, but they come back pretty quickly." 

Here's what he discovered, however. As his journey continues, the distance he moves from God and the time that he stays away is lessening. He's learning to recognize the pathway that God has created for all of us, and how to find his way back to it when he strays. 

Paul words from 1 Corinthians are fitting, "We don't reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he us."    

A praying man

I was thrilled to see our own Don Wiseman honored in our local paper. He is 70 years old, and has been teaching golf for 50 years!

I am honored that Don and his wife, Marcia, serve as leaders of our Prayer Team. They are faithful and steady as they make sure members of their team are available following every service to provide care to our guests.

Don was quoted in the article saying, "If you understand that a golf swing is like the rudder of a ship, whatever direction you turn the face is the direction the ball is going to go. Most people don't understand that."

Don also understands that whatever direction you turn your feet is the direction that your life will go. He turned his feet toward Jesus about 20 years ago, and he's never regretted that decision.

That same decision has served our pastor, our staff and our church as he's diligently prayed for us. We may never know the evil that Don Wiseman has protected us from over his years of faithful prayer!

Thank you Don -- I'm so proud of you! "The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with." James 5:16