Week ending March 20, 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
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL—Surrounded!
TELLING THE STORY OF GOD: the media piece
BEING THE STORY OF GOD: the life piece
THE STORY OF GOD
BIBLE DISCUSSION—Messy Spirituality
SERMON NOTES—The Four Sides of God’s Love
REGULAR HAPPENINGS
UPCOMING EVENTS—Next Up: Stone Soup and Movies, Mar 18
NOTE: the Bible Discussion section is updated on Wednesday.
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WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL—Surrounded!
WORD OF GOD: Psalm 18:46-50
The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
DEVOTION
Mariska Hargitay (Detective Benson from L&O: SVU) was on Leno the other night (3/4/05). They were talking about her recent marriage to Peter Hermann. Leno asked what they did on their first date, and when Mariska said that they had gone to church, Leno launched into an uncomfortable “humor bit”—obviously making fun. Also obvious was the look on Mariska’s face; she was offended. Her faith was serious, not funny.
Guys, we’re surrounded by people who think Christianity is a crock. Now, most of them are all for spirituality, but the idea of worshiping a God who is actually in charge is problematic. We live the story surrounded by enemies. This is no place to hide. We’ve got to be honest about our mess AND honest about our God—the Creator of everything, full of mercy and bringer of justice.
CONVERSATION WITH GOD
Help us to be honest.
Help us to care.
Help us not to make faces when people pray funny.
Help us to forgive.
That our prayers will be endless.
That we will be slow to judge.
BENEDICTION: Isaiah 40:28
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
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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.
Our timeline is filling up nicely. Sunday, March 13, we begin our jet tour of the timeline stories in preparation for our media piece.
Sunday, March 13: Creation and fall
Genesis 1:1-6:8
Storyboarding is underway.
Scenes:
#1 Claymation creation
#2 Live action dual-screen (silent film) of the first sin and the first murder
#3 Live action depicting corruption of humanity and the introduction of Noah, the only human to find favor with God.
Characters:
Adam: first man, first father of the human race, avoided responsibility, sinned, blamed, hid
Eve: first woman, first mother, tempted by the serpent, sinned, blamed, hid, shared sin with Adam
Abel: first member in the hall of faith (Heb 11), shepherd, offered his best to God, goes to God
Cain: first child, first murderer, acted in anger, was punished and protected
Noah: only follower of God left in his generation, man of patience, built the ark, second father of the human race
Serpent: craftiest of all animals, tempts Eve, evil, wise, sneaky
Father:
Son:
Spirit:
Settings:
dark, light, universe, earth, sky, water, in the east, Tigris, Euphrates, Southern Iraq, Pishon thru Havilah (gold), Lihon thru Cush, Tigris east of Asshur, Euprates, east side of the garden in Eden
Theme (God’s Hesed):
God’s clothing Adam and Eve with skins, God’s protection of Cain despite his murdering his brother, Noah found favor with God.
Music ideas:
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Ragtime
The boys are back in town
Next week: Flood and Babel
Create away!!!
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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.
Under consideration: a neighborhood in Torrance (see map).
More later.
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THE STORY OF GOD
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.
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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 15, 2005
MESSY SPIRITUALITY, pgs 29-38
We talk our way out of the spiritual life by refusing to come to God as we are. Instead, we decide to wait until we are ready to come to God as we aren’t… Some of us actually believe that until we choose the correct way to live, we aren’t chooseable, that until we clean up the mess, Jesus won’t have anything to do with us. The opposite is true. Until we admit we are a mess, Jesus won’t have anything to do with us… [Jesus] prefers the lost ones over the found ones, the losers over the winners, the broken instead of the whole, the messy instead of the unmessy, the crippled instead of the noncrippled” (p. 37).
HESED: Worship Readings in the Psalms
Psalm 21:1-7 God's hesed gives strength.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love (hesed) of the Most High he shall not be moved.
Psalm 23 God's hesed gives calmness in the middle of trouble.
6 Surely goodness and mercy (hesed) shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Tuesday Prayer
Give us your power and calm us through your hesed.
Thank you for using our brokenness.
Help us to come to you with our problems now.
Thanks to Jonathan P for being our worship leader.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Mike Yaconelli’s Messy Spirituality-we’re on pg 39
Psalms ‘hesed’ passages—worship readings and prayer response
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SERMON NOTES—The Four Sides of God’s Love
Ephesians 3: 17, 18
Pastor Charlie
March 13, 2005
WHY PEOPLE AVOID GOD
FEAR #1: I will have to give up my fun. 1 Timothy 6:17; Matthew 11:19
FEAR #2: I will become a fanatic. John 10:10; Matthew 23:27-28
FEAR #3: I will loose my freedom. John 8:36; 1 John 4:18
GOD’S 4 SIDED LOVE
EPHESIANS 3:17-19
1. God’s love is wide enough to include everyone. Psalm 145:17; John 3:16
2. God’s love is long enough to last forever. Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 89:2
3. God’s love is high enough to be everywhere. Romans 8:39, NIV).
4. God’s love is deep enough to meet your needs. Psalm 40:11; Deuteronomy 33:27; John 15:13; Romans 5:8
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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—Next Up: Stone Soup and Movies, Mar 18
Stone Soup, Movies, and Board Games: March18 (Mgr. Cassie M & JJ P)
Stone Soup
Spring Cleaning and Room Redo: March (Mgrs: Jeff B and Laura1)
BBQ (Mgrs: Daniel and Danny)
Summer Camp—old style: June or July (Mgr: Jeff B)
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