WHAT GOES ON AT YAM?

The Gathering--learning how to make God look good 24/7, Sundays at 10 AM, on the TFB campus, in the Young Adult room

Eating together--most Sundays, around 11:30 am, give or take...

Experience--an alternative worship event, Every couple of months or so

HomeBase--fellowship in homes

Plain wRap--a bible and brain, pen and paper bible study, Sunday nights during the Summer

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IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK

Upcoming Events
Next Sunday
The Gathering--God is doing something extraordinary
What's going on? Alright, so Biola is just way too exciting...
Christmas Funnies: Can you name these Christmas Carols?
Know God--Lectio Divina (no, it's not funny Italian candy!]

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UPCOMING EVENTS

- After Christmas Soda Shop Party, December, 26-- So far it's karaoke and food--have ideas? send 'em in!
- Winter Retreat - December 27 through 29, Cost: $35 ($15 due at sign-up).

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NEXT SUNDAY

8:45 am Worship--Worship Center
10:00 am The Gathering--YAM Room
11:45 am LUNCH @ Mimi's Cafe!

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THE GATHERING--God is doing something extraordinary--Week Two

When God does something extraordinary, he calls one to lead many
Genesis 49: 8-12

Have you ever been to a funeral? One of the main features of any funeral is remembering the person—sharing their mark on their world. We’re going to look at an upside down funeral today. At this funeral, the ‘honored dead’ isn’t dead yet. In fact, it is the dying person who does the remembering and the sharing. At the end of the book of Genesis, Jacob calls his family together and blesses his sons. The blessings are a remembrance in advance. A prequel of sorts to their mark on their world. In his blessing, Jacob reveals each son’s personality, potential, and prophetic future. Jacob tells him what sort of person he is, how he will turn out, and how the promise to Abraham will be fulfilled through him.

Open your bible to Genesis 49

Personality

Verses 8 through 12 contain Jacob’s blessing of Judah, his fourth son. Jacob first reveals Judah’s personality. He tells him what sort of person he is. Look at verses 8-9. Despite being the fourth son, Judah’s natural leadership was already clear. Judah had convinced his brothers to sell Joseph rather than to kill him (Gen. 37:25-28). Judah convinced his father to bring the clan to Egypt (Gen. 43:3-10). In addition to natural leadership, Jacob reveals Judah’s strength. In comparing Judah to a lion, Jacob makes it clear that even at rest, Judah is a force to respect.

Potential

Judah’s strong, leader personality gives him the potential not only to rule Israel, but also to defeat Israel’s enemies. Jacob tells Judah how he will turn out.

Prophecy

Jacob then makes an abrupt turn. Having considered Judah’s personality and potential, he turns to prophecy. He turns from likelihood to certainty. Through Judah, One will come. The right to rule, the scepter, belongs to this One. Jacob prophesies that the rule will remain with Judah until this One arrives. Even with some disagreement over one of the terms in the verse (translated ‘Shiloh’ [KJV, NASB], ‘to whom it belongs [NLT]), most Jewish and Christian biblical scholars agree that the term refers to the Messiah.

The Messiah will come through Judah, and he will not only rule Israel, but the peoples will also be obedient to him. So here, in the first book of the Old Testament, God once again declares that the blessing promised to and through Abram, and through Judah is a blessing for all peoples of the earth.

Last week we saw that when God does something extraordinary, he calls one to bless many (Gen. 12:1-3). This week we see that when God does something extraordinary, he calls one to lead many. That One, who blesses many and leads many, is Jesus.

So, what do we do with this? One of my professors has said that the purpose of the whole Bible is to confront us with a question: who will you trust? You choose. Will you trust the One through whom God blesses and leads humanity? Or will you trust something smaller and weaker? Remarkable or mundane? You choose. Will you join God in the extraordinary something or go your own way, reaching only as far as your own arms? You choose.

Wanna join the something extraordinary this week? Remember that 'faith story' we talked about last week? Well, get out there and tell someone about the something extraordinary God is doing though you.


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WHAT'S GOING ON?

Alright, so Biola is just way too exciting...

Christian College Invaded By Swat Team

Larry Wheeler
KTLA-TV Newswriter

December 5, 2002, 7:03 AM PST

LA MIRADA -- An armed standoff on a college campus has ended with the arrest of one suspect.

It came to an end about 3:15 a.m. (PST) Thursday at Biola University in La Mirada. Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies said two carjacking suspects stole a car about 10:00 p.m. Wednesday. The car and the suspects were found a short time later near the campus. The men were chased to the school, where one of them ran into the cafeteria. He finally gave up after several hours of negotiations.

SWAT officers found him hiding in a hole in the ceiling in the cafeteria. He was later arrested.

The other man remained at large.

Copyright © 2002, KTLA
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CHRISTMAS FUNNIES: Can you name these Christmas Carols?

CAN YOU NAME THESE CHRISTMAS CAROLS?
(For those who give up, the answers are posted below.)
1. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
2. On my list, I only desire my foremost dual incisors.
3. The smogless witching hour has arrived.
4. Exuberating to this orb
5. 288 Yuletide hours
6. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis
7. Leave and do an elevated broadcast.
8. That small hamlet south of the Holy City
9. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.
10. Mom's mother was the victim of a "hit-and-run" by Santa's sleigh team.
11. I spied my maternal parent face-against-face with Father Christmas.
12. Whose offspring?


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KNOW GOD--RESOURCES FOR WALKING THE WALK

Lectio Divina--no, it's not funny Italian candy!

Lectio Divina is an ancient Christian prayer method. The steps in Lectio are more properly called movements. The first movement is 'lectio' or reading rather listening to God's Word with a spirit of silence and awe. The second step is 'meditatio' or meditation. This movement does to scripture what cows do to their food when they chew the cud--it gets out every bit of goodness. The third movement is 'oratio' or prayer understood as dialogue with God. In other words, you and God are speaking together. The fourth movement is 'contemplatio' or contemplation. Contemplation is resting in God's presence, like a weaned child sleeping at it's mother's breast. The child is not there to get anything but his mother's presence. That is enough.

Here are some sites for more information (these sites are a mixed bag; take what is true and reject what is not):

Lectio at St. Andrew's Abbey
Article by Michel de Verteuil
Lectio at Saint Joseph's Abbey
Lectio by Carmelites
Awakening to Prayer









Answers to the Christmas funny:
ANSWERS:
1. The First Noel
2. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
3. It Came upon a Midnight Clear
4. Joy to the World
5. The Twelve Days of Christmas
6. Silent Night
7. Go Tell It on the Mountain
8. O Little Town of Bethlehem
9. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
10. Grandma Got Run-over by a Reindeer
11. I Saw Mama Kissin' Santa Claus
12. What Child Is This?