We had another stellar weekend at Journey.
• The Friday Night Service got us off to a great start. Not to long ago, Friday was great for the people that went, but for those on stage there was a decided lack of energy. That’s long gone & has been for quite a while. Friday has become a great start to the weekend. Lots of the Fri crew like the “unedited” version of the message. But I like the fact that like those of us to go to the other services the INVITE TEMP has been sky high. The DIVING IN to WORSHIP is growing.
• INVITE TEMP – like I said above, you Journey types have been blowing me away. Rock on!
• The “MY JOURNEY” OF THE WOODS FAMILY – Wow! I loved the story of the adoption of little Benjamin from Kazakhstan by Aaron and Julie Woods. What a great story. May the Lord bless this family!
• THE KITE RUNNER – I absolutely love how much God’s story & the story of redemption is all over this movie. I sensed a lot of people were ready to face their shameful secret.
• AN UNUSUAL PRAYER – Before the service on Friday night I had to pray that the Holy Spirit would help me to hold it together. This movie really got to me. I could tell I was in trouble when I was typing up the list of scenes to go to Jim Hammond & Becky Phillipson I was choking up thinking of some of the scenes. I’m not usually this emotional.
• SELAH – what a cool night. These nights are always a little scary in that they are unplanned. But God was really speaking to people. I am convinced that people need to be taught in some kind of experiential setting how to connect with God, how to hear Him speak, how to stretch themselves in worship.
Some additional message thoughts
I had a point that I was only to make on Friday night due to time. [Of course I still went way over in each of the Sunday services. God & Rod forgive me! Next week… really!]
It as the point about “PLAY”. One of the comments that his father’s friend makes as he is telling Amir about the state of his country under the Taliban is this: “they have even banned kite flying”. The point on the outline looked like this:
• Play – importance of play as an expression of the imago dei & God’s plan to restore goodness!
– I wary of spirituality that is “anti-fun”. No fun can’t be the Telos (the end / the purpose / the goal) of life, but it is an important way that God’s plan to restore goodness is demonstrated. It’s a way that we enjoy God.
– Here is an interesting passage in which Paul warns about false teachers. Notice what he tells us to look out for.
1 Timothy 4:3men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
– One more thing. Notice God’s idea of paradise vs. our future star trek visions of the future with everything orderly, everyone 25-32 & dressed the same.
Zech. 8:3-6 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. [4] Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. [5] And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. [6] Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts?
I’m heading out to the desert this afternoon for a couple of days of solitude. I am already fired up for next week.
Ed
p.s. My next post I’m going to talk about the book “The Shack”
p.s.s. Lakers (good) v. Celtics (evil) starting this Thursday – let’s pray!
