Ponderings of Scott Gressell and “snoodles”

Guest post by Scott Gressell as a follow up from Wednesday night’s teaching by Sarah Barkan!

The thing that I picked-up was the example of the little “snoodle” guy that kept being given pictures of how stupid he was as viewed by other people. He carried those around on his back and accepted every one of them without objection. I began to think…why does he do that? Why does he accept the opinions of others as accurate rather than his opinion of himself? He accepts them and then carries them around everywhere he goes.
I heard a saying once that says “Opinions are like belly-buttons…everybody’s got one.” One thing I had to learn was to respect others’ opinions…but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with them. I have a very select group of people whose opinions I actually take to heart. The rest need to work a lot harder to convince me. The problem comes in when we just accept the bad opinions along with the good ones out-of-hand without reflecting on what we are agreeing to.

This is when I remembered two illustrations about guarding what thoughts go into your mind.

1st. Illustration:
If someone rang your doorbell, you opened the door and saw a total stranger standing there with an open bucket of red paint asking to come into your house to redecorate it, would you let him in?
“Sure! Come on in!”…to which he would run frantically around your entire house splashing red paint everywhere until it was all used…and then he would leave. Does this sound like a wise thing to do? So why do we do it with people’s opinions and advice? We let them into our minds and give them free reign there.

2nd. Illustration:
What would happen if a total stranger put strychnine (poison) in your coffee.
Answer: Well, you’ld be dead. Correct.
What if they put it in your coffee by accident?
Answer: Well…you’ld still be dead.. Correct.
Conclusion: It doesn’t matter under what circumstances you get the bad stuff- It will still affect you just the same.

What would happen if even your best friend (not even a total stranger) put stricknine in your coffee? Answer: You’ld STILL be dead. Correct.
Conclusion: It doesn’t matter who gives you the bad information, it can still have a devastating effect on your life or on your bank account…whatever the case may be.

…So…watch your coffee…

november calendar

Click here to view the November schedule! We are on a retreat this month! Make sure you’re signed up to go!

end zone

I have a very distinct memory of a childhood moment in an old gym where my mom would play tennis and work out. It was there that I met a former NFL player Tom Cousineau who played the linebacker position during his career, so naturally this man towered over us young boys. Now at the time all three of us brothers played football and as we were being introduced to this monster I thought to myself, “this guy will be super impressed with the fact that I play quarterback. He’ll probably even want to hear all about how I dominate the field like a gladiator among boys.” So in a moment of excitement I recited in some fashion what I was thinking out loud. His response was simple, “act like you’ve been in the end zone before.”

His words struck me to the core, I was hurt, offended, and discouraged. Little did I know the gift that he had given me that day.

You may ask what does this have anything to do with church or missional communities for that matter? The answer to that is simple. It’s easy to talk about discipleship, church building, and all of our other great growth philosophies. However, somewhere along the line if we are trying to portray a reality that we really haven’t experienced, we need a voice like Tom’s to come along and say the tough thing.

act like you’ve been in the end zone before.

Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Disciples didn’t just know the the information or “theology” of their faith to be able to talk about it; but the very nature of their live’s, lived in community, reproduced disciples like themselves. Reflecting the same model that Jesus demonstrated for them.

He’s calling us to do the same.

I remember how uncomfortable and exposed I felt as a young boy after hearing those honest words. I believe the Holy Spirit desires to lovingly, and almost certainly painfully, speak to us in a similar way. My encouragement to all of us is this: Ask the Holy Spirit to speak deeply into your heart. As the great Physician, expose in us any falsehood. Help us to reproduce disciples as a natural flow of our lives, coming straight from the life we have in You. 

october calendar

Click here to view the Octcober missional community calendar. Good stuff ahead!

orphans and widows

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

It is no mystery that the a modern day comparison can be made of single mothers raising their children in fatherless homes. Our world is being completely assaulted with this type of situation, and regardless of the circumstances that create them they break the heart of the Father. It’s said that this generation will be called the fatherless generation.

Last Wednesday our students went out and met a very tangible need for one of these mothers, and their child. We were able to build a retaining wall that was needed on the side of their property. While the project was being finished some of the students went on a walk lifting up the community in prayer. We later sat and listened to Chante’s story and struggle to make ends meet to provide for her son. She spoke of the progress that she has made on her own, and expressed deep gratitude for the help she received from us. We all sat there feeling connected to her story, and felt that our efforts were only a shadow of what God desires to do in her life. She is a courageous woman of faith fighting to make her son’s story reflect a sense hope and destiny.  We will be following up with her soon, so stay tuned!

repentance

When I think about defining the word community I think of words like

transparency

     grace

          love

               forgiveness

                    strength

                         justice

                              patience… to name a few.

I would also use these words when trying to define what we saw within our community the night that we took serious the words of God in 1 John 1:8-9. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Students and leaders stepped into an act that took courage by confessing their sin and fears in front of their community of faith. They were able to write down what they felt entangled them and then nailed it to the cross.The imagery and power of this act was unreal, they then washed their hands at the foot of the cross. We watched as students and leaders from different backgrounds; some raised in the church confessing their judgment of others, then others confessing their only escape from problems is to plunge themselves into alcohol and drugs, now plunge themselves into the deep waters of mercy. The grace of God was tangible in that room, we went on to share in communion and celebrated the walls that began to crumble as we experienced a truer sense of unity. May God continue to grow our hearts’ closer to Him and each other for His glory.

the beginnings

Let us say it again: The Universal Presence is a fact. God is here. The whole universe is alive with His life. And He is no strange or foreign God, but the familiar Father of our Lord Jesus Christ whose love has for these thousands of years enfolded the sinful race of men. And always He is trying to get our attention, to reveal Himself to us, to communicate with us. We have within us the ability to know Him if we will but respond to His overtures. (And this we call pursuing God!) We will know Him in increasing degree as our receptivity becomes more perfect by faith and love and practice. A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God

This past Wednesday night we asked for the Universal Presence of God to open our eyes to His life. We recognize that a central theme of the entire story of Scriptures is this idea that God has made covenant with us. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 TNIV) Our desire for the “in” nights is to connect with God and realize our identity in Christ, a child of the most high God. We had young people going after God’s heart and saw students from across the spiritual spectrum respond to His calling. It was truly a powerful experience.

Kingdom truth: Jesus is the Shepard, we are His sheep.

Diana and I were completely humbled at the launch of this new community to hear the earnest prayers of our students. The Spirit worked it out as if to remind us that He sets the agenda, not us, by leading the students to pray specifically for us in a time of transition. We watched as this young generation stormed heaven expectant to receive from the Lord, it was incredibly moving. I can’t wait to see how God uses these young people to step up and change their world. May His kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.