We talked about the fact that basically we sow what we reap, and if we leverage that principle to the positive, good things will happen. We learned that sowing new seeds doesn’t necessarily take away what was sown prior. God forgives, yes, but consequences of past decisions don’t just go away. The good news is, if we allow the Holy Spirit to guide what we sow, we will reap good things.

Join us this Sunday as we continue Taking Responsibility for Your Life. We’d love to see you there. Worship begins at 10:45 a.m. with LIFEgroups and Children’s activities beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Serving Alongside,
Matt

If you weren’t able to join us, I also gave some homework:

1. Listen to your blame.

The conversations you even have with yourself. The justifications that lead to irresponsibility. Ask the question: Am I taking responsibility for my life…really? Listen for the blame. For others, for yourself. Irresponsibility means someone else has to come along and shoulder the responsibility. If I refuse to take care of myself, the reality is someone else will have to take care of me and clean up after me. Someone will ultimately have to be responsible for me and carry my load.

2. What’s my slice of the pie?

Wherever there is relational conflict ask yourself: What is my responsibility in this equation?

Remember, God created us to be responsible. And when we own our responsibility we tend to be more fulfilled and happy.

Try it out this week and, on Sunday, let me know how it went. Worship begins at 10:45 am. See you there!

Serving Alongside,
Matt

–Jim Denison is a cultural apologist, building a bridge between faith and culture by engaging contemporary issues with biblical truth. He founded the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture in February 2009.

Serving Alongside,
Matt

Serving Alongside,
Matt

Click here to see what we learned. The law of Non-Contradiction, Hindus, Buddhists, Islam and more. We touched on quite a bit.

This coming Sunday, join us for Vision Weekend. We’ll be looking deeper into the exciting days ahead for The Fellowship.

Worship starts at 10:45am. See you there! For more information, check out our website www.thefellowship.cc.

Serving Alongside,
Matt

We’ll continue this series, Your Questions Answered, this coming Sunday as well. We’d love for you to join us at The Fellowship. Worship begins at 10:45. For more information, check out our website. See you there!

Serving Alongside,
Matt

The One Thing We Can’t Talk About
His name was Ed and he liked to talk.

The administrator down the hall was one of those guys. He had a story for every situation. He’d been everywhere. He’d done everything. Ed had driven trucks for 12 years. He ran a pool hall for six years. He served as a hunting outfitter for four years and had been in
his current job for 21 years. When I did the math, he was well north of 80 years old — but I never challenged him on it. No need to ruin a good story.

One day I was having coffee with him and I mentioned that my Life Group at church was talking through some interesting discoveries, that the cosmos and the world around us suddenly weren’t so small. He put up a hand to my face. “Not gonna go there,” he said sternly. “Can’t be talking about that stuff.”

Here’s a man that talk about just about anything and anyone, but he simply was afraid to walk down the path that a simple conversation about God might take him.

This scene is often replicated in today’s society in one way or another. We can talk about our kids, our grand kids, our parents and our weird Uncle Al, but we can’t talk about the Father. We can talk about history, places we’ve been been and plans for the weekend, but we can’t talk about eternity. We can talk about what we think about politics, the workplace and the community, but we can’t talk about the King.

Today’s Christians are in a quandary. We know the divine imperative to live out our faith and we understand that living out our faith involves talking about our faith. Hiding who we are goes against our calling. So, just what are we supposed to do?

Many of us try to walk the middle ground by dropping non caustic code words like “higher power” and “faith.” We display cozy spiritual things on our desks like rainbows and angels. But they fall short because they don’t do a thing to help improve the human condition of those around us. Eventually, we have to talk about it.

Even though Ed didn’t to talk about it then, eventually he did.
You can’t keep a good story to yourself.

Serving Alongside,
Matt

We kicked off our first week talking about why there is pain and suffering in the world.
This past Sunday, we at whether or not you really can “lose” your salvation [here].

So what are your questions? What questions do you have about life, God, the Bible? Let us know. And come join us this Sunday at The Fellowship.

Serving Alongside,
Mat

Study Says God-Connections at Church are “Rare”
Are churches failing, or are our expectations too high?
by Skye Jethani

Let’s be honest for a minute. Most churches expend the vast majority of their resources on weekend worship gatherings. It’s when facilities are most utilized, when programming is most robust, when volunteers are most required, and what many pastors spend the majority of their time preparing for. This great emphasis on Sunday is often justified because it’s when people gather to meet with God.
But new research released this week from Barna reveals that most churchgoers rarely experience God in worship services. While most people surveyed can recall a “real and personal connection” with God while at church (66%), they also reported that these connections are “rare.” Among those who attend church every week, less than half (44%) say they experience God’s presence. And one-third of those who have attended church report never feeling God’s presence in a worship gathering.

But “experiencing God” is a wishy-washy, emotional, and subjective idea, you might argue. We’re in the business of transforming lives. Well, the Barna study has a dose of reality for you too.

The survey also probed the degree to which people say their lives had been changed by attending church. Overall, one-quarter of Americans (26%) who had been to a church before said that their life had been changed or affected “greatly” by attending church. Another one-fourth (25%) described it as “somewhat” influential. Nearly half said their life had not changed at all as a result of churchgoing (46%).
A closer look at the breakdown of the survey participants is also illuminating. Generally, the older generations (Elders and Boomers) reported more positive church experiences than younger generations (Busters and Mosaics). The report says “There were significant gaps between young adults and older adults when it came to feeling part of a group that cares for each other, experiencing God’s presence, knowing the church prioritizes assisting the poor, and being personally transformed.”

What should we conclude from this report from Barna? That is going to depend upon your own setting and congregation. But here are a few of my wonderings:

-Many (perhaps most) churches still have structures/values that appeal to those 50+. Despite all of the rhetoric since the 90s about “emerging generations” and new models of church, there is little evidence it has been implemented broadly or effective.

-Is the problem really our worship services, or what we expect from them? Some might look at these numbers and respond by updating their music selection, adding some icons or candles, and getting younger leaders up front. And that might be wise. But I wonder if most people aren’t “experiencing God” in these gatherings because they aren’t experiencing God Monday through Saturday either. Perhaps we (church leaders) have over-emphasized worship gatherings because they are something we can control, when we ought to be training people to commune with God apart from formal services.

-Finally, a friend of mine has vented in the past about all of the “transforming lives” talk that permeates ministry gatherings these days. “Transformation isn’t our job,” he rants, “it’s God’s! All we can do is lead people to him.” Granted, my friend is highly Reformed, but he has a point. Might it be time to consider what Paul said about ministry in 1 Corinthians 3? Some plant the seeds, others water it, but ultimately it is God who causes the growth. I don’t believe we should ignore outcomes or allow lazy, ineffectual discipleship to take root in our churches. But we must also admit that life transformation is more mysterious, more God-driven, than making widgets in a factory.

I welcome your responses to the Barna study.

Serving Alongside,
Matt

We kicked it off yesterday talking about why there is pain and suffering in the world.
Check out what we discovered [here].

So what are your questions? What questions do you have about life, God, the Bible? Let us know. And come join us this Sunday at The Fellowship.

Serving Alongside,
Matt