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Visit Communication Central

Do you want to hear God speak?

11/30/2016

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​The view I got to take in this past weekend was breathtaking. Spending the weekend on a 54 acre wooded camp with ocean views wasn't much of a hardship. The view from the 80 foot high swing were pretty nice too, though it was hard to enjoy amidst the terror of sitting on a swing 80 feet in the air. 

I am talking about the Men's Retreat that myself and some of the guys went on. It was great to be away together, get to know each other deeper, and make some memories. Regular rhythms of life just doesn't give you the opportunity to escape from rooms and shoot arrows and eat like kings and egg each other on to conquer fears in the same way getting away together does.

It was great to learn together and play hours of ping pong and pray for one another. But the most precious moment for me happened away from it all. Somewhere about an hours' walk away from anything. In the dead quiet of the forest in winter. Because that's where God spoke. 

Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that is where I heard God speak.

And it made me wonder, are there certain times and places where God is more likely to speak? Or is the issue whether there are certain times and places where we are more likely to slow down and listen well enough to hear his voice?

Whatever the case may be, what I do know is that the words of the Bible prove themselves to be true again and again and again.

 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 
- Jeremiah 29:13

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
- Matthew 7:7

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."
- James 4:8


Jesus told the story in Luke 15 of the Prodigal Son. In it he paints a picture of God as a father who hikes up his robe and runs unshamedly towards the son who had disrespected him and gone astray when the boy decided to return home. The father was waiting with arms wide open for his beloved child to come home and embraced him with great love and celebration. (You can read that beautiful story in the Bible by clicking here.)

God is waiting to meet with you, today. Like a father on a front porch, longing to embrace his prodigal child. Whether its been a few minutes, a few years, or an entire lifetime since you sought him, he is waiting. Arms wide open. He loves you, and wants to be near to you, to speak to you, to comfort you and guide you. 

While we often spend time wondering why God won't speak, sometimes we need to flip the question around and ask ourselves; am I really listening?

I have found consistently that when "God isn't speaking" the actual issue is with my listening. If I make the effort to seek out God's voice in his Word the Bible, in prayer, and in silence and solitude...if I confess my sins to him and genuinely seek him, he never fails to show up. 

But don't take my word for it. He's the one who made all the bold promises above.

Do you want to be close to God? To feel him near? To hear him speak? To feel the embrace of a loving father who doesn't reprimend you for your rebellious ways but simply holds you and loves you in the midst of your brokeness?

​Then let me encourage you to make some space for it. Draw near to him with sincerity of heart. Ask him, seek, knock. Come near to him and see if he doesn't come near to you. 
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Christmas Nostalgia vs Hopelessness

11/23/2016

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Christmas and warm memories go together like cookies and milk. It's the perfect time to sit around and sip egg nog and reminisce about the good old days.

You know the days when there was an actual fire in the fireplace,  not a video of a fireplace with a manly hand occasionally turning the logs on a 50'' plasma screen. The days when you'd drag the kids on a sled through the woods unto you found the perfect tree to cut down. The days when you'd gather around the piano and sing and laugh and it never even crossed your mind to take a picture of yourself having fun because you were too distracted by actually having fun.

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82 & 2

11/16/2016

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How are the numbers "82" and "2" connected?

The stats came out a few years ago. Do you know what they said?

82% of people surveyed said they were at least "somewhat likely" to attend church if invited. To put it another way, according to one survey, more than 8 out of every 10 people would attend church if you invited them.

So where does the number 2 come into play? It's not about the 2/10 people that wouldn't attend. Its not the number of invites it would take for someone to decide to go either. The 2 represents the percentage of Christians who actually invite someone to church each year.

Yep. Studies show that only 2% of Christians actually invite someone to attend church with them in a given year.

We all know it's not hard to think of reasons not to invite someone to church.
  • It might make them uncomfortable if I ask.
  • It'll definitely make me uncomfortable if I ask.
  • They probably don't want to anyway.
  • I don't think they are interested.
  • They won't know anyone else there.
  • The pastor might say something that offends them. Plus he's a weird guy on the best of days.
  • They wouldn't know what to do during the worship time.
  • They might feel pressured to give.
  • And on, and on, and on.

Do you feel like 82% is way too high? Do you think it is unlikely that  8/10 people in your life would come to church if you invited them? It would be a shame if only 2% found out forsure because they actually tried to invite people.

So this Christmas season (which is statistically by far the time of year when people who do not go to church are most likely to be willing to try it out), let's make sure that we are thinking about, praying for, and inviting our friends and family to experience the miracle of Christmas with our church family. 

And hey, what if every person did their own survey, asked 10 people, and found that only 1/10 people they asked was willing to attend? Would that be disappointing?

Not really. Because if that happened our church attendance would still double and we'd have twice as many people hearing the good news that brings great joy to all people, that a Saviour has been born! And that wouldn't be such a bad thing at all.

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HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PRAY FOR PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD?

11/10/2016

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You might have heard it mentioned last Sunday that this year November 6 & 13 are the dates chosen to be "International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church."

It's not easy to know what or how to pray for what's going on on the other side of the globe. That's where Operation World comes in. They provide information about dozens of countries, guides for how to pray for them, and even calendars to help you pray for a different country each day all year long if you want.

Many of their resources are provided for free at www.operationworld.org. Check it out!


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A GREAT WAY TO END THE DAY WITH YOUR CHILD

11/10/2016

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I'm not sure what it's like in your house, but in mine the process of "winding down" for bed time needs to start hours before bed time actually arrives. For better for for worse, one of the most predictable ways to help kids calm down is to give them some "screen time". But let's face it, not all screen time was created equal. 

Some shows and apps are great. Informative, help to develop fine motor skills, can even be inspiring. But a whole lot of ways to spend screen time isn't all that profitable.

One way to help it become more useful time is to do it together. Technology tends to drive us towards an individual experience, but with a little effort you can make it something you share.

What are the benefits of sharing the experience when often you wouldn't mind a little individual screen time of your own? For starters, you get to monitor what they are seeing. If you didn't already know you should be aware that a lot of the free games out there make kids watch ads that aren't at all age appropriate every few minutes in order to keep playing. You might never know what they are seeing unless you are playing with them. You'll also get to maximize the opportunity for learning, encouraging their discovery, and teach them to utilize the technology that will be such a big part of their future...or maybe they'll be able to show you how to use it properly. Either way. Plus, you can help them pass that difficult level if they need a hand and look like a hero for it.

But games aren't the only way to spend screen time together. Did you know that our Kids' Connection Leaders at Redemption have begun teaching an AMAZING curriculum that has an app you can download so you can follow along at home? 

It's called The Gospel Project for Kids and over the course of 3 years it will take the kids in our church through the entire Bible with the focus on showing them how the Scriptures point to Jesus. You can download the app for free (just search "Gospel Project for Kids"). Because we are starting after the material first came out you'll need to click on "Fall 2015" in order to find the lessons they are working on right now.

There is a free version, as well as the option to spend a few dollars and get the full version. I totally recommend spending the $5 or less for every 3 months of material. When you do you'll get coloring games and puzzles, you can watch the videos they see each week in Sunday School with them, and have them teach you the songs they are learning. 

It can be hard for parents to connect meaningfully with their kids about faith. It can be hard to get kids to wind down at night. It can be hard to have the screen time kids so desperately want be profitable for them. This offers a solution to all three challenges and makes for an awesome way for you to end the night with your kids.


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  • Who We Are
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    • Staff
  • Sunday Services
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    • Sermon Archives
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