Week ending March 6, 2005
Know the story…Be the people…Expand the Kingdom
If you would like to contribute to the eNews or converse with the editor (Laura1), send an email to tfbyam1@hotmail.com
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IN THE eNEWS THIS WEEK
THE STORY OF GOD—Lament, Don’t Wallow!
TELLING THE STORY OF GOD: the media piece
BEING THE STORY OF GOD: the life piece
BIBLE DISCUSSION—Messy Spirituality
SERMON NOTES— God’s Power In Your Life
REGULAR HAPPENINGS
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOTE: the Bible Discussion section is updated on Wednesday.
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THE STORY OF GOD—Lament, Don’t Wallow!
Sunday, February 27
What about when we REALLY mess up?
David had really messed up. He doesn’t tell us exactly what he had done, but, whatever it was, it was bad. The guilt was making him physically ill. He felt like God was totally peeved at him. He felt so bad, he probably could have chucked it all, but David knew God’s heart. He was hurt, sad, and angry, but he knew God was the only one who could do something about it. So, David, being a songwriter-poet, wrote a song-prayer to God. His lament had four verses: a plea, a prayer, a complaint, and a declaration.
[read Psalm 6]
When you mess up, what do you do? Do you chuck it all and wallow in your guilt? Or do you take your hurt and anger to the only One who can do something about it?
THE BIG PICTURE:
The story of God runs from the creation of everything to the consummation of everything in God’s Kingdom and includes everything God is doing in the already-and-not-yet. The lives of God-followers today are vignettes in that continuing story, joining the millennia of God-followers who live out God’s story. The God-followers here in Torrance, at TFB, and in the TFB college group are part of the ongoing story that includes believers across the globe. God has commanded us to be his storytellers through our lives, through words, through media, through art, and through any means possible, spreading the Story of God to all who will listen.
THE KEY QUESTIONS:
What is the story of God?
What is our part in the story?
Why should we tell the story?
How can we live out the story in the TFB college group, in TFB, and in Torrance?
How can we tell the story so others will understand?
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TELLING THE STORY OF GOD: the media piece
Intent: to create a media piece that communicates to the average South Bay twenty-something the facts, emotions, and participations in the continuing story of God.
Here’s the brainstorm list from Sunday, February 13
Lego stop action
musical
stick figure cartoons
claymation
pantomime
children’s picture pop-up book
puppet show
movie
diorama
beat poetry
haiku
limerick
silent movie
After brainstorming, we settled on a silent movie as the primary media piece, supplemented and interspersed with other forms. Post any ideas, etc. in the comments.
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BEING THE STORY OF GOD: the life piece
Intent: to implement a student-run, on-going goodness ministry in the South Bay.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Where do we see the entitlement mentality in ourselves?
What decisions or experiences are behind it?
- cultural influence
- not understanding real need
What could have been done to prevent or lessen the effects of these decisions or experiences?
- mission trips
- exposure to true poverty in other countries and in our own country
Given what we now know about ourselves, what can we now add to our community project?
- community project in underprivileged area
STEPS
1. Locate neighborhoods
- Wilmington/Imperial
- PV Drive North/Western
- Scottsdale in Carson
2. Decide our target audience
- people/culture
- demographics (Laura1 will research)
- Churches and Parachurch organizations in the area (DanP will research this)
3. Decide what to do
- discover needs (visit and ask; contact churches in the area; contact law enforcement)
- clean
- paint
4. See what’s going on already
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BIBLE DISCUSSION—Messy Spirituality
TUESDAYS
7:15-9:00 pm— TFB College Room
Discussion is potluck style—everybody brings something to share,
so read ahead, pray a bunch, listen, and create.
March 8, 2005
MESSY SPIRITUALITY, pgs 15-20
What are we going to do with the “not-so-little Jesus who, running wild in our hearts, will wreak havoc in our souls, transforming our messy humanity into messy spirituality”? (p.19).
HESED: Worship Readings in the Psalms
Psalm 17
Hesed is God being a persistent cat. (see Anne Lamott on the little cat)
God’s hesed is our refuge.
v.7 ESV Wondrously show your steadfast love (hesed), O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
Prayer: Through your hesed we are grateful that we can take refuge in you.
Thank you, God, for being my rock.
Thank you for chasing me down.
(Thanks to DanP for being our worship leader! Good job.)
WHAT’S NEXT?
Mike Yaconelli’s Messy Spirituality-we’re on pg 21
Psalms ‘hesed’ passages—worship readings and prayer response
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SERMON NOTES— God’s Power In Your Life
Pastor Charlie Rice
February 27, 2005
Jeremiah 32:17
"Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You ( Jeremiah 32:1, NIV).
EVIDENCE OF GOD'S POWER
Creation: Psalm 19:1-2
Jesus:
Jesus has power over nature (Mark 4; Matthew 21; John 2).
Jesus has power over illness and death (Luke 5, 7).
Jesus has power over Satan (Luke 8).
Word of Caution:
Even in scripture God does not perform visible miracles frequently, except in the case of the life of Jesus. Why? Because God understands the heart of man and what is at stake.
EXPERIENCING GOD’S POWER Ephesians 1:20
You Need God’s power to get started. Romans 7:18; Romans 7:18; Philippians 2:13
You need God’s power to keep going. Psalm 6:2 3; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Isaiah 40:28-31
“Burnout comes from either doing what God never intended for you to do, or from doing
what God intended without God’s power.”
TAPPING INTO GOD’S POWER
Step 1 – ADMIT your own lack of power. 2 Corinthians 12:9 10
Step 2 – ASK God for the impossible. Mark 9:23; Matthew 9:29
Step 3 – ACT in faith. Joshua 3:13
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REGULAR HAPPENINGS
SUNDAYS
WORSHIP GATHERING @ 9:15 am—Main Worship Center
Intergenerational worship gathering with indy-folk-rockish music and good preaching… too fun!
“COFFEE HOUSE” @ 10:30ish
Coffee, conversation, and donut holes in the TFB Courtyard.
COLLEGIUM @ 11 am—TFB College Room
Fifteen minutes of random yapping,
followed by 45 minutes of tangent-surfing and bible searching
TUESDAYS
BIBLE DISCUSSION @ 7:15-9:00 pm— TFB College Room
Bible study meets hangout. Thirty minutes of random yap
followed by directed digging. Right now we’re going through
Mike Yaconelli’s Messy Spirituality and the OT ‘hesed’ passages.
We’re also working on the Story of God media project.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Spring Cleaning and Room Redo: March 22 @ 6:30 pm (Mgrs: Jeff B and Laura1)
Dinner, Games, Movies: March 18 (Mgr. Cassie M & JJ)
BBQ (Mgrs: Daniel and Danny)
Summer Camp—old style: June or July (Mgr: Jeff B)
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