Tuesday Text "Quote"

“All struggles are essentially power struggles.  Who will rule?  Who will lead?  Who will define, refine, confine, design?  Who will dominate?  All struggles are essentially power struggles,and most are no more intellectual than two rams knocking their heads together.”  - Octavia E. Butler  

Eileen's Story

Jesus calling us to not judge and to serve one another isn't just for sinners and dark-seeded people.  It is for anybody God puts in our past even if they are different, foreign or invalid.  The following story gives us a bit of perspective on this thought.  


"In an article in Campus Life a young nurse writes of her pilgrimage in learning to see in a patient the image of God beneath a very 'distressing disguise.'  "Eileen was one of her first patients, a person who was totally helpless. 'A cerebral aneurysm (broken blood vessels in the brain) had left her with no conscious control over her body,' the nurse writes. As near as the doctors could tell Eileen was totally unconscious, unable to feel pain and unaware of anything going on around her. It was the job of the hospital staff to turn her every hour to prevent bedsores and to feed her twice a day 'what looked like a thin mush through a stomach tube.' Caring for her was a thankless task. 'When it's this bad,' an older student nurse told her, 'you have to detach yourself emotionally from the whole situation...' As a result, more and more she came to be treated as a thing, a vegetable...

"But the young student nurse decided that she could not treat this person like the others had treated her. She talked to Eileen, sang to her, encouraged her, and even brought her little gifts. One day when things were especially difficult and it would have been easy for the young nurse to take out her frustrations on the patient, she was especially kind. It was Thanksgiving Day and the nurse said to the patient, 'I was in a cruddy mood this morning, Eileen, because it was supposed to be my day off. But now that I'm here, I'm glad. I wouldn't have wanted to miss seeing you on Thanksgiving. Do you know this is Thanksgiving?'

"Just then the telephone rang, and as the nurse turned to answer it, she looked quickly back at Eileen. 'Suddenly,' she writes, Eileen was 'looking at me... crying. Big damp circles stained her pillow, and she was shaking all over.

"That was the only human emotion that Eileen ever showed any of them, but it was enough to change the whole attitude of the hospital staff toward her. Not long afterward, Eileen died. The young nurse closes her story, saying, 'I keep thinking about her... It occurred to me that I owe her an awful lot. Except for Eileen, I might never have known what it's like to give my self to someone who can't give back'" (Rebecca Manley Pippert, Stories from the Heart (Multnomah Books: Sisters, Oregon, 1996), 31-32). 

This week begin to look at everyone the way Jesus see's them and don't play God by trying to determine whether they are worth the time or not.  Just be a good farmer and sow seed.

Saturday Sneak Peak: The Proximity of Change

Then Jesus, said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.  -  Mark 4:9

What is it that Jesus wants us to hear?  The answer is found in the first 20 verses of Mark chapter 4.  I'd encourage you today to take some time out and read those verses and begin praying on what it is God wants you to hear.  The answer to the question means everything to what you know and believe about the Gospel and the working of the kingdom.  Tomorrows study could be life changing in terms of your over all world view of how the Gospel works and what God is trying to accomplish and through whom.

What we hear from God and ultimately don't hear, makes all the difference in the world of our Proximity of Change.  Every day we are either changing our proximity to become closer to God or we are staying the same, which always, no matter what, pushes us farther away from God.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor B

The Last Word - Mike Law

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.   - Galations 5

What an amazing week as we have been awakened to the truth
that Scripture stands firm as the solid score for the music that is our
lives. The Holy Spirit giving life and breath to the improvisational
(and God-breathed) moments that happen over the structure secured
by scripture. Jim and Psalm 139 reminded us of the presence of the
Holy Spirit and how proximity with Him is vital and sustaining. Here
are a few more thoughts…

“Spontaneity is an underappreciated dimension of spirituality. In
fact, spiritual maturity has less to do with long-range visions than it
does with moment-by-moment spirituality to the promptings of the
Holy Spirit. These moment-by-moment promptings turn life into an
everyday adventure.

Hurry kills everything from compassion to creativity. And when
we are in a hurry, we don’t have time to get out of our routine, do
we? No room for Spirit-led spontaneity. No time for Wild Goose
chases. Our routines can be counterproductive. We can get so busy
doing “ministry” that we don’t have time for ministry.”

--- Wild Goose Chase -  Mark Batterson

As schools let out and summer takes over, let’s take the chance to
slow down and not let hurry kill the Holy Spirit moments in our lives.
Let’s embrace them and lean toward them with greater passion. Let’s
see people and show them Jesus. This can’t happen on our own.
May the fruit of the Spirit’s improvising be evident to many, especially
a world that does not know Jesus.

Pastor Mike

Tuesday Text

Not every unexpected thing that happens to us is the Holy Spirit trying to grab our attention. But if we are listening during those moments...we won't miss what He is saying.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28)

Unexpected Chords

Yesterday we talked about listening for those unexpected chords that grab our attention. The Holy Spirit can use these moments to redirect our focus back to God. We learned that the Holy Spirit will do three things in these moments:

1) He will remind you of what God is trying to say to you
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

2) He will call out to God on our behalf
6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

3) He will move us to do God's Will

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  

(Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Are you listening for those unexpected chords? Are you recognizing those things that come out of nowhere and are out of the ordinary? If we can see these events and acknowledge them for what they are, we can open our hearts and minds and learn what the Holy Spirit is trying to remind us of.

There will most certainly be an unexpected moment in your life this week. Take a moment and pray that God will give you the ears to hear that unexpected chord and the courage to listen to His will.

Have a great week!

Pastor Brant

Saturday Sneak Peek

What was the last unexpected thing to happen in your life?

The Final Word

This week's Final Word, comes from Ben Collins.  Ben is the teaching pastor at Canvas Church in Deland, Florida and co-author & speaker with Radius Camps Inc.  

Who is Jesus? 

The question of someone's identity always brings us back to their story.  You can't really know who somebody is until you know where they've been, where they've come from, who they are, and what is their past.  Jesus' past is part of the entire biblical story.  He is the God of creation, Liberation and ultimately reconciliation.  Jesus is the God preached by the prophets, the king that is to bring everything back together.  In order to show them these truths he must allow them to experience situations that teach them about his past and ultimately the his entire story.    

In Mark, things go badly in the boat that night and the writer asks the question, "Who is this?"  Mark doesn't give their answer as he kind of lets it hang there and the answer to the question is a question.  Who is this that the wind and the waves obey Him?  The answer is on the tip of their tounges.  The wind and the waves obey him because He is the creator.  The wind and the waves obey Him becuase he can resuce us.  He's the liberator, the one who resuces.  the wind and the waves obey him because he is the king of this domain.  He is making peace and reconciling us to God.  

It is this question that is at the heart of discipleship.  Mark loads the question with the assumption that Jesus is the Creator, Liberator, and Reconciler.  The question for us as we wrestle with the rest of our lives is, do we see what Mark sees?  Do we see Jesus as the Creator, Liberator, and Reconciler?  The better question; are we allowing Jesus to be the creator, liberator and reconciler of our lives?  For once we learn his story, the story should change our lives forever.    

 

Tuesday Text

What would people learn from our lives about the Jesus we serve had the Gospels never been written?

Proximity Changes Everything

Proximity changes everything.  Most spend their lives in self-preserving fear and then one day you come face to face with this amazing God and things change.  I'm not talking about your economic status, stress, or family issues.  I'm not even talking about struggles within your own spirit.  So often those things take time and can even be false senses of security.  The change that I'm talking about is when you will stop at nothing to find the answer to the question, "Who is Jesus?"

One can't look at the world the same after being motivated by the glory of God's Spirt.  Things change.  You change.  You look at your employers different, you work harder, you even treat your co-workers a bit better.  It even affects the way you do business.  You don't always look at the bottom line or treat customers as commodities.  Maybe it affects the way you view salary structures.  You become a better friend, parent, lover and citizen.  You stop asking, how can I protect myself and start asking, "What is God doing in my life?"  And most of all; others don't see a version of God in you, they actually see God!

The Scripture in Mark 4 we looked at Sunday shows us that Jesus is the God of the Biblical story.  He is not just an agent of change.  Not just a version of God.  He is God!  He is the creator, liberator and reconciler of all man-kind.  Jesus identifies himself not with Moses of the Old Testament, but the God of the story of Moses.  So for those of us, who have answered the question, "Who is Jesus?"  This simply means a great and glorious life of being a slave to God.  Going where he leads, moving when He speaks and guiding others to do the same.  It starts with being reborn as you find faith in Christ, but it doesn't stop there.  You find that over the years this rebirth continues to happen, over and over again.  Not salvation, but the sanctification of your life.  What feels like a new start on life is just closer proximity with God.  You change from being a self-centered "me" follower to a Christ-centered "God" follower.  Why you ask?  Because, proximity changes everything!

Further Study:
Mark 16:9-20;  Ephesians 2:1-10;  Matthew 16:13-20
The Explicit Gospel, by Matt Chandler

 

Saturday Sneak Peak

Read Mark 4:35-41 

Think about the things that make you fearful.  Usually there’s a question or set of questions associated with the fear:  “Can I live through this? Am I going to be ok? Will I make it? Does anyone understand me? Am I alone? Don’t you care if I drown?” 

What kinds of questions have come up in your life as the result of fear or anxiety?

In this passage, the disciples are not just afraid.  They are blown away by what is going on.  They don’t just have fear, but the kind of fear that the scriptures talk about as the fear of God.  Not just, “Oh no, I am going to die”, but “Oh wow!  

What “Oh wow” moments have you had? What questions were raised? 

Hope you're able to make it out to Nomad Community Church tomorrow.  Bring your mom to worship tomorrow and begin investing in this great community.  The study is going to be great, and I truly believe God is going to give you that, "Oh wow" moment.  

Grace & Peace,

Pastor B

The Last Word - Jim Trick

This week the Last Word comes from our Nomad North Pastor, Jim Trick in Marblehead MA.

Desire

"and if you want more love, why don't you say so" John Mayer

As a songwriter I have come to realize that there is nothing so poetic as a simple truth highlighted in such a way as to bring fresh realization and understanding. In the song Say What You Need To Say, musician John Mayer achieves this level of poetry in a simple line. In our walk with Christ I also feel like simple truths can get to the heart of a point and bring quick, clear, beautiful clarity.

This week's message talked about desire in the context of proximity.  God's desire to be close to us and what that cost and what it entailed. It is humbling and amazing and I can't even fully get my head around it. We are left however with a question. What about my desire for God? For many of us we immediately feel like our level of pure desire for God is lacking. We feel like we are failing and then feel guilty. As if we just need more books, prayer groups, Bible studies, programs, services, quiet time or acts of service. We convince ourselves that if we just did a little more, certainly our faith level and desire for Jesus would overflow. For a season we become overachievers and while we may look more faithful often trying to earn desire has the opposite effect. So what is the key? For those who listened to Bill's message and felt convicted that in light of God's desire for us we should desire Him more how do we achieve this?

This is where John Mayer comes in. The line "and if you want more love, why don't you say so" invites the listener to simply ask for what they want. This my friends is my invitation to you today. Ask for what you want. You are the children of a wonderful God who loves you and wants to equip you for all that he has called you to. In Mark 9 a man is famously quoted as simply asking God to "help his unbelief". Asking for what we need is a common theme in scripture. It is counter intuitive to our culture because we are programmed to work hard for everything.  While God does not want us to be lazy He does want us to trust in Him. Demonstrate your dependency by asking Him to increase your desire for Him. Offer your simple but powerful request as beautiful poetry to our great God.   Pray with me...

Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. I confess my distracted heart to You and I ask You to increase my desire for You. I ask You to help me to receive all the love You have for me. Adjust my motives and make them pure. Oh Lord, fill my heart to overflowing with faith in You. In Christ I pray. Amen

Tuesday Text

"We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.  Knowing the true God and recognizing idols that would take His place are marks of a true Christian."  - A.W. Tozer

Desire, Purpose & Intent

Desire, Purpose & Intent
It is likely not a coincidence that the process that leads us into closer proximity with Christ occurs in the midst of our busy lives.  Jesus' call is full of purpose - he calls us to prepare and then sends us out.  He calls us not just to tell us, but also to prepare us to go tell others.  God has a desire for you, but where does your desire lie?  It is desire that takes us into closer proximity, but it is also desire that can often take us farther away.  It is true the most spiritual people in the room are the ones that understand God's desire for their lives, but what are we doing with it?  What do we desire the most?

The Great Divorce

In his book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis gives an allegorical story about a ghost of a man consumed by lust.  And in this story lust is depicted as a red lizard that sits on his shoulder and whispers seductively in his ear.  When the man is bothered by this lizard on his shoulder, an angel volunteers to destroy it for him.  But the man is conflicted because he wants to hold on to his lust but also wants the lizard gone.  What he is afraid of is that the death of his lust will be the death of him.  He offers all these excuses to the angel.  After much discussion the man finally lets the angel kill the lizard.  The angel grabs the lizard, breaks its neck and hurls it to the ground.  Now that the spell of lust is broken the man who once ghostly is wonderfully remade into a real and solid person.

Lewis is drawing us to the bond between killing our lust and finding life.  When giving into lust it feels like we are going to die without  it, or it feels as if we are going to die with it.  Instead of destroying us, we find a new life we never imagined.  Instead of giving into desires, we begin to experience a pure desire - a God centered desire, which is birthed in us to experience the full purpose and intent of God.  

The joy that comes from knowing that God isn't just saving us from our sin, but that he is up to something far more profound:  God is saving us for a life of love and joy and faith and peace and self-control.  Begin to desire God more than anything else and you will begin to see the entire world thru the lens of how God has wired you & where He has placed you for His glory!  

Further Reading:

Mark 3:13-19;  Mark 4:1-20 

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler

Saturday Sneak Peek...

Read Mark 3:13-19.  What does this scripture teach us about the “calling” that many of us have already experienced?

The Final Word - 5/4/12

The Final Word:  This week comes from our "musicianary" Tom Conlon, phenomenal singer/songwriter, who is currently home from touring and back in Marblehead, MA for the summer while he records his next album.  

This week’s subject reminds me of one of my favorite passages in Ps. 23 “…You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”  This challenges me to consider that at the times when I feel it most necessary to act, “in the presence of my enemies”, He invites me to be at ease.  When I feel that a show of force and defiance are necessary, He invites me to recline with Him…effectively, to turn my back on what I’m threatened by, and exercise the discipline of dealing with my fears and learning to be at peace.

This is counterintuitive; to resist, endure, and prevail in what we call “fighting the good fight of faith” requires above all pursuing this personal and corporate peace that comes only in communing with Him as our primary task.  It affects our every perception, assessment and action.  In Hebrews 4 we’re reminded to be diligent to enter this rest that He’s provided and to cease from our own works.  This table He is inviting me to is actually a different way of being in the world.  You could say it’s the way of His Kingdom.  The imagery of the marriage feast is no different – a table of friends.  When He corrects his lukewarm bride in Revelation 3, it is with an invitation to ‘come and dine'.  Part of me always fights this - out of shame, indifference or pride, but it remains an option, and always leads to me being changed.  In terms of spreading the good news, I can’t think of a better place to start.

The Empty Chair - Video

Tuesday Text

"If Jesus would appear at your dining table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not...you would feel His full acceptance and forgiveness." - Brennan Manning