“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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Numbers 13:33 "....to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them."
Life feels like just a bundle of comparison so often, doesn't it? We see what others have and we compare it to what we have. We hear of a great work that someone has done and we compare it to what we have done. We watch that show that has the amazing design skills of the star of the show and we look around our house in discontement of our "mere" belongings. We see someone who is seemingly more beauitful or stronger than us and we compare oursleves with the lie that they must see us the same way we see ourselves. This idea of living in comparison to others is not a new concept. The question isn't, why do we compare oursleves? The question is, who do we trust?
In the book of Numbers, we see Moses sending out a group of spies to scout the land of Canaan, thier promised land. He sends 12 men who spent 40 days scouting the land to see what the land was like, what the people were like and if the land was fertile or unproductive. In the midst of thier instructions of what to look for, Moses tells them to be courageous, then finishes the list of what they should look for and bring back.
I find this interesting, because they indeed scoped out the land and found that it was flowing with milk and honey and wonderful fruits, but they also found strong men with large fortified cities and this caused the very courage they were instructed to have to waiver. They felt that they were grasshoppers compared to the strong men in the land and they thought for sure the people of that land would see them the same way. They chose to give in to thier fears rather than trust God and His promise to them and did so through comparison.
A few verses later we see God asking Moses, "how long will they not trust in Me despite all of the signs I have performed among them?" God recognized that the people did not trust Him. Because of thier mistrsut the only two who were allowed to live from that generation and live in the promised land were Joshua and Caleb. These two men held fast to God's promise and Moses' instruction to be courageous and they stood up in truth and told the people to not be afraid, and trust that God was with them.
Their complete trust in God allowed them to live to see the fullfiment of His promise in a new land that flowed with milk and honey. God planned for Joshua to lead the next generation of Israelites in to the promised land. Joshua wasn't perfect, but his faithfulness reminds us of Jesus, who is perfect. Jesus obeyed the Father and trusted His plan to save people from their sins.
This week, help your children to see how vital our total trust in God is, because that is an essential component of the gospel. God doesn't compare us to the people or circumstances that surround us, He simply asks us to trust in Him.
~Blessings,
Rhiannon
Next week: The Bronze Snake
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we profess. He who promised is faithful.”
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When I first became a Christian, I had a desire to go out and show the love and grace of God to everyone I met. Years later, that burning desire had dwindled to little more than a passing thought. I found myself on the ‘couch of peace,’ rather than in the ‘shoes of peace.’ Ephesians 6 lists the armor of God. These are all qualities of God that we “put on.” Shoes are one of the articles we put on with readiness given by the gospel of peace. This sounds great! Shoes are meant to be put on when we GO places. Shoes protect our feet and provide comfort. Shoes help us to go out and serve God, but what happens when the shoes of peace turn into the couch of peace?
I found myself in a spiritual rut once in which the shoes of peace turned into the couch of peace. I had a personal theology that since I was saved through Jesus Christ, I could just coast and chill 'til I entered Heaven or ‘til Christ returned. I had no spiritual responsibility to others. My shoes turned into a couch. I was fine not going out and seeking relationships with those who didn’t know Jesus. I was fine just chillin' where I was, enjoying my own life. Why go out when I’m good, right? Why take the risk of meeting someone new?
Relationships are messy… people are messy… it’s sometimes easier not to get involved in all that. What’s interesting about shoes is with more wear, comes more dirt and tear. A worn and dirty shoe means someone went out and experienced the mess. It seemed easier to stay home and keep my shoes clean, so to speak.
I remember feeling convicted while reading Ephesians 6. I had turned my faith into a comfortable, self-serving life. I was so me-focused that I had lost sight of other people…of God’s people. The sandals of peace are meant to aid us in going out for others and pointing them to God. I started realizing how many people I came in contact with daily and the opportunities I had missed. These were opportunities to build up God’s kingdom here and now.
Once I prayed on this, I put my sandals back on. I went out. I started to notice relationships in which God was using me to bless others. I was able to embrace the challenge of meeting new people as an opportunity for God to use me, and if I was obedient, to further his kingdom. This was life-changing for me in the way I view meeting others.
I always encourage students to realize that every interaction with other people is a chance to be the light. One simple smile and hello can have such a huge impact. One simple call, text, or message of encouragement to someone could be life-changing. Yes, people and relationships are messy, but they are nothing Jesus can’t handle.
These things all happen when we get off the couch and put on the shoes of peace. In John 1 Jesus said, “Come and See,” and in several places in the Bible, he said to his disciples, “Go.” As his disciples here and now on earth, let’s get our shoes ready!
Blessings,
Justin Talk
Student Ministries Associate
This is my last blog post, as my husband, Jeff, and I have decided to help “plant” the new church that is being started with Daniel Lukas and the Awaken Community in St Paul. It was not an easy decision, but one we felt strongly that God was asking us to make. Being excited about a new adventure does not mean that there isn’t sadness in leaving where and whom you have grown to love dearly…..so here goes:
“We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”
(Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God)
Ok, if you have served on the Connections Ministry for any length of time, odds are you have seen this quote at least…well, a LOT of times in things that have been printed for you or for advertising what Connections Ministry is all about. (Once I find a good quote, I tend to over-use it).
The thing is, when I think about this team - its mission, its members - these words from Brother Lawrence ring so true and remind me so much of how you on the Connections teams serve. (Brother L., by the way, lived in the 1600’s and worked in the kitchen of a French monastery. He knew a little about serving and hospitality!)
I started this job with what I thought was a decent amount of experience in the needed areas. Let’s just say that I was possibly over-confident. But as I met more and more of you every weekend as you served, your attitudes and caring actions gave me real-life examples of leadership and love for others. YOU trained ME.
Thank you.
Love,
Carol
Pam Hawley, incoming Associate Connections Director
Martha Young, incoming Connections and Youth Assistant
As Carol leaves to help plant Awaken and build a new church home, we welcome two familiar faces to the Connections team. Pam Hawley joined the team as Connections Associate Director starting in March. Pam and her family have been Five Oakers for more than 13 years, and she has been on staff for 10 of those years. In that time, Pam has been a ministry assistant supporting small groups, Impact, Pastor Henry, Discovery, membership, worship, and too many other things to count! Most recently, Pam has added a huge helping of fun to Five Oaks as the leader of the FUN Team (shameless plug for Game Cafe on March 31 -- don't miss it)! Connections will also be adding Martha Young to our awesome team. If you are a regular at the Wednesday night youth group gatherings, you will recognize Martha. She serves as ministry assistant to our Student Ministry team and will be adding a new layer to her title as our Connections and Youth Ministry Assistant. Martha and her husband, Ben, have been coming to Five Oaks for almost two years. We are thrilled to have her take on these additional responsibilities.
It's time to make my bi-monthly menu plan. Three meals a day, for five people for 14 days, is a lot to remember. I dig out the recipe books and choose recipes, then plug them in to the menu plan. Then it's time to write the grocery list using the menu plan, but I can't stop there. Then I need to organize the list by departments, or even sometimes aisles if I know the store well enough. It's a process but I want to make sure I don't forget a thing. The check list is long and time consuming and I probably kill a baby tree in the process with the amount of paper I use, but when it comes to my family's stomachs, I can't risk forgetting even one item needed.
As we finish up this unit with The Gospel Project, we are coming off of a large list of laws for sacrifice and commandments and it's easy to see them as a checklist that must not be forgotten. The Israelites are standing on the edge of the promised land, ready to enter, as Moses calls on them to be holy and obey only God, even though He knew they wouldn't. God reminded His people that He made an unconditional covenant promise. The promise that He was working out His plan to to send Jesus to not just rescue His people, but to bless the whole earth.
Remind your kids this week that God asks for our obedience to be born out of gratitude, not as a way to earn His favor. Remind them that God's plan to rescue us all from sin and save His people has ALWAYS been through Jesus.
More often than not, even though I worked hard on my checklist, I inevitably forget many items that I needed to complete the list, just as, often times, I forget all that He has accomplished for me. He wants our love and our obedience, but it doesn't come through a checklist, it comes through Jesus!
~Blessings
Rhiannon
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
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“He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
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“But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”
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“He has anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
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Every time I talk with other churches about how Five Oaks is doing small groups and engaging our people with Scripture, they are always blown away by 2 things.
1. The number of people in our small groups.
2. That we have our own volunteer writing team. (And it's a writing team that our people actually love!)
I just met with our DailyLife writing team this past weekend. It is an eclectic bunch who absolutely love bringing the story of God to life through engaging people with daily Bible reading and reflection. This is a multi-week process of writing, content editing, and format editing. It's incredible what this team is able to do each and every week!
I shared with them a story of a man in our church recently challenged to read and reflect on Scripture daily. DailyLife was put forth as an option for him. This guy came back weeks later saying, "I look at each day differently. My perspectives are changing. My wife is commenting on changes seen in me." (etc. etc.!) God can work mightily in and through us as we take time to listen to him through the scriptures.
I am thankful for this team that makes a huge impact on the hundreds of subscribers, everyday. And if you aren't signed up, here's how: sign up for DailyLife.
-Jonathan
It's been a busy few months in our house. Unfortunetly, a lot of times, that means that time with kids gets pushed back to "another day". The busy schedule leaves room for too many empty promises of time together. As a parent, my heart begins to ache to just dwell with them. With that ache in my heart, I can only imagine theirs as they reach out for a time and place to just sit with me.
When we review the Word of God we see that over and over, God makes a place for Him to fill His longing to dwell with His people. The Garden of Eden, where God revealed Himself to Adam and Eve. The tent in the wilderness was a dwelling place where He was able to demonstrate Himself to the people of Isreal. Jesus was (and is) the tabernacle where God displayed Himself to humanity.
The Tabernacle was just such a place and He desired a specific experience with His people. Israel followed God's very specific instructions on how to build this tabernacle. The people gave joyfully and generously as God equipped them and provided for them what they needed to build a place where He could dwell with them.
He created us to dwell with Him and He longs to dwell with us, and to accomplish the fullfilment of these desires, He sent His only Son, Jesus, to "tabernacle", or dwell with God's people. How grateful I am that through Him, we are given the opportunity to dwell with God forever.
The tabernacle story is one filled with a great promise and hope of the opportunity to dwell with our Hevanly Father. It's a story that we can carry the example of in to our homes as we desire to dwell together with our kids and they with us.
Take time this week to ask your kids how they long to be with you, and share with them how you long to be with them as you share the story of the tabernacle and how God longs to dwell with His people.
Blessings~
Rhiannon
“Imitate God in everything you do because you are his dear children. And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us...”
Keep this as a reminder with you all week.
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