GCF Manly Minutes - January 2014

GCF
MANLY
MINUTES
JANUARY 2014
Are You Approaching or Avoiding?
Paul Gunderson
E
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Grace Community Fellowship
989 Country Club Road
Eugene, Oregon 97401
office hours
Monday–Thursday
8:30 am—4:30 pm
Worship services:
Sunday mornings at 9:15 and 11:00
arlier this week I realized that I had a free day before flying home to Eugene. Naturally I
started asking myself, “What am I going to do that day?” I started thinking about all the
things I could see and do here in Colorado Springs. Then it’s as if I heard God calling me to
spend extended time with Him. I always say this is important to do every once in a while: To
take extended time away from the pressures of the world to regain my focus from our Lord. But
how often do I do this? Not very often. To be honest I can’t think of the last time.
Truthfully, it is uncomfortable for me to think about spending a huge chunk of time with God
in prayer and reading the Bible. Why? I believe there are a few reasons:
1. I have a wrong view of God.
2. I find worth in being productive
(marking things off my to-do-list).
3. Satan and my flesh try to drive me
away from God.
4. I get bored easily.
do you realize
that God cannot get
enough of you?
Actually, #1 and #4 coincide. I get bored because I have a wrong view of God. If we don’t deal
with our misconceptions of God we will avoid Him because we start to think of Him as a
boring old miser that keeps us from being productive, having fun, and yet demands our time.
This morning I was not excited to spend a longer focused time with God even though I knew
it is what I needed. I found myself asking God questions such as, “What do I do? What do
I read? How are you going to speak to me?” And inwardly I was asking, “Is this going to be
another ritual day of praying and reading my Bible and walking away feeling that I just did
my “duty” and didn’t sense God’s nearness or direction?”
Then I recalled these lyrics that I heard Bebo Norman sing a few weeks ago from his song titled
“God of My Everything”:
In all creation You call my name
In all the beauty that this world displays
Still I’m the one for whom Your heart aches in all creation.
Do you really believe that God’s heart aches for you? That He is waiting and longs for you to
come to Him?
This song has really encouraged me this past week. To think that out of all of God’s beautiful creation that I’m still the one for whom His heart aches. As I was reading today I reached
Hebrews 4:14-16:
Continued on page 2
1
Dear 21-Year-Old Me
MATT YOUNGER, THE VILLAGE CHURCH
I just marked the 10-year anniversary of my
21st birthday. It’s shocking how fast that
decade flew past me—21 feels like a long
weekend ago. Convinced more than ever
that time flies, I started thinking about what
I might say if I had the chance to sit down
with me 10 years ago.
someone you think you have to impress to
get where you need to go? Ignore it. It’s dumb.
Worse,
it’s sinful. Jeremiah says you’re like a
Even though you’re 21, you’re kind of a
parched
desert plant that eventually dies alone.
dummy when it comes to understanding
love. You’re convinced it’s about finding There’s not a drop of real nourishment when
a trophy, the mythical “Kelly Kapowski” you choose people’s validation over God.
who will banish all your insecurities. I wish God’s love for you is staggering and complete.
I didn’t have to embarrass you with a fic- You’ll need to remind yourself of this daily.
So, dear 21-year-old me, here’s a little wistional analogy from a high school TV show, Keep cultivating your mind to understand
dom you could have used a decade sooner.
but a big part of you still lives there.
how the gospel frees you from fear of man.
Surprise the sun
Man, you love that pillow. In Economics you will learn about opportunity cost,
which is “the loss of potential gain from
other alternatives when one alternative is
chosen.” Sleeping late is a textbook example.
I know you have nothing happening until
lunch, but you’ll regret not starting your day
earlier. Too many great men and women
in the Bible rose early for you to miss this.
Wake up, drink a cup of coffee, meet with
the Lord, and plan your day. The returns
are so good they’ll surprise you, and you’ll
be more productive over the long run, too.
Marriage will be
wonderful and hard
The truth is, you’re too screwed up for any
girl to save you. God loves you too much for
that to happen anyway. His clear hope is for
you to share in His holiness, and marriage
is a strategic gift to wrangle you away from
self-absorption. Soon enough you’ll see that
because Jesus gave His life for you, you can
lay down yours for her. It might feel like death,
especially at first, but He’ll lead you into joy.
One more thing: Just because God will use
your marriage to sanctify you doesn’t mean
you won’t have fun. Marriage gets better, not
worse. Don’t listen to people who relegate
marriage to some sacred chore. Your wife’s
not a ball and chain; she’s a treasure.
Once you’re married and your daughter
comes, it’s the only real time you’ll have to
yourself anyway. Better start practicing now. Stop worrying what people
Michael Hyatt has a great blog entitled “Slay will think of you
Your Dragons Before Breakfast.” Check it out. Know that feeling you get when you’re around
Relying on your talent
alone is weak.
You spend way too much time thinking
about what you’re capable of and not enough
time actually breaking a sweat.
But a hard worker, the kind who remains
teachable, who recognizes dignity in all
work, who worries less about his title and
more about the people around him, honors
the Lord. Remember, Jesus came as a bluecollared carpenter; you’re not too good for
anything. God cares a whole lot more about
faithfulness than He does about talent.
I wish I could say there were only four
things in 10 years I’ve had to learn the hard
way. But know this: He loves you, and He’s
put His whole heart into your redemption.
Be encouraged. And stop eating Oreos.
Continued from page 1
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as
we are, yet without sin. 16Therefore let us approach the throne of
grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us at the proper time.
14
Read that bolded sentence (v.16) again. How do we find mercy and
grace to help us?
Men, do you realize that God cannot get enough of you (even with
your weaknesses and shortcomings)? He longs for you. He is the reason you can experience life. The chorus of Bebo’s song listed above says:
God of my hope, God of my need
God of my pain that no one else will ever see
God of my healing, God of my strength
God who has always and will forever reign
God of my everything
God is waiting for you to approach Him. Stop avoiding and be intenWe have two options: to avoid or to approach. Avoidance is easy and nat- tional in approaching Him. If you don’t know where to start, just pick
ural. Approaching is difficult and takes intentionality amongst the daily a book of the Bible, ask God to meet you where you are at in your walk
distractions we face. When we avoid the throne of grace, we are basi- with Him and spend a chunk of time reading. You won’t regret it. I
cally saying that we don’t need God (or His grace or His mercy) and that didn’t today.
we are strong enough to do life on our own. But who are we kidding?
2
New Men's DVD and Book study
The Cure, by John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, and Bill Thrall
T
he Cure gives the diagnosis of this century’s religious obsession with sin-management.
It has poisoned the Church, obscuring the Original Good News and sending millions
away—wounded, angry, and cynical—from nearly any organized expression of faith.
The Cure shares how an authentic relationship with Christ frees you from the never-ending
treadmill of chasing after a righteousness you can never seem to attain. The Cure will show
you how a relational theology of grace and identity can heal, free, and create sustainable, genuine, loving, life-giving communities.
If you’re tired of striving to fix your sin and somehow become “good enough” to please God,
perhaps it’s time to stop trying, and to start trusting God’s path to knowing Him instead.
For more info, or to sign up, email [email protected] go to gcfweb.ccbchurch.com.
FIRST MEETING: Tuesday, January 21, 7:00–8:30 pm in the Annex
JANUARY 2014
SUNDAY
Monday
7:00–8:00 pm
Men’s Small Group
(Mike McKerrow)
5th Grade Room
29
5
12
19
20
7:00–8:00 pm
Men’s Small Group
(Mike McKerrow)
5th Grade Room
26
27
FriDAY
SaturDAY
31
1
2
3
4
7
8
9
10
11
6:00–7:30 am
Great Escape
Atrium
13
7:00–8:00 pm
Men’s Small Group
(Mike McKerrow)
5th Grade Room
ThursDAY
6:00–7:30 am
Great Escape
Atrium
6
7:00–8:00 pm
Men’s Small Group
(Mike McKerrow)
5th Grade Room
WednesDAY
6:00–7:30 am
Great Escape
Atrium
30
7:00–8:00 pm
Men’s Small Group
(Mike McKerrow)
5th Grade Room
5:00–6:00 pm
NEXT
Atrium
TuesDAY
6:00–8:00 pm
Next Great Date
Night (Child Care)
Atrium
14
15
16
21
22
23
24
6:00–7:30 am
Great Escape
Atrium
7:00–8:30 pm
The Cure
Annex
18
6:30–10:30 pm
Family Game Night
Atrium
6:00–7:30 am
Great Escape
Atrium
7:00–8:30 pm
The Cure
Annex
17
8:00–9:30 am
Men’s Breakfast
25
8:00 am–4:30 pm
Family Inner-Tubing
at Hodoo Autobahn
GCF Parking Lot
28
29
30
31
1
3
Men’s
PORNOGRAPHY RECOVERY GROUP
Men’s Breakfast is an opportunity to meet other men over a good meal,
hear some testimonies from guys who share real life stories, and hear
a speaker who will challenge you in some area of your life. We hope to
see you there. (Don’t forget to bring a pack of undies for the Mission)
TUESDAY MORNINGS 6:00 CHURCH LOBBY
Family Game Night!
Ever hear of Settler of Catan, Carcassonne, or Ticket to Ride?
Saturday, January 18, 8:00–9:30 am in the Atrium
TUBULAR FAMILY FUN TIMES!
We’re going tubing at the Hoodoo Authobahn!
How about Roborally, Castle Panic, or Descent? They’re all board
We’re heading up to Hoodoo for a fun day of tubing on their super-awesome
games, and you can come and learn to play them (as well as many
Autobahn. Cost is $20 for kids under 13, and $25 for everyone else. You can also
more, including a number of classic games like Pictionary, Trivial
buy a punch-card for $14 that gets you ten runs. Be sure to sign up in advance
Pursuit, and Boggle).
so we can hopefully get a group discount if enough people are interested.
Bring your family and your friends—EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
To sign up, or if you have any questions, email [email protected].
Friday, January 24, 6:30–9:30 pm in the Atrium
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, February 1, 8am to 4pm