Job Description and Application (due July 28)  churchbcc.org/job-opening. Contact: Kelly Gregory

Personally, on Friday mornings I sit with  my cat on my lap, a cup of coffee in my hand, and my journal open, and ask God what he wants to teach me from the experiences and conversations I had in the last week.  While this is not the only time I pray, or the only way I pray, it is the rule that I have established in order to build listening into my prayer experience.  This week, I was reading Bill Hybels’ book, Just Walk Across the Room, and he says that he has made it a habit to have his knees be the first thing to hit the floor each morning, in order to ensure that his type-A personality will be conformed to the will of God that day.

Prayer is life-changing.  If our circumstances don’t change because of our prayer, we have the opportunity for our will and perspectives to change.  There is a spirit of submission by which we petition God.  And so it is in this spirit of submission that we come before God monthly as a church community, and raise our requests to Him, in the practice we call Watching the Wall.

Thanks for joining us this month.  I pray for each of you, that as you pray, God will lay other prayer needs on your heart, and that by lifting these requests to God, you will have a deeper conviction of his love and mercy for all of us.

Blessings,

Nancy Eckardt

Pastor, Discipleship & Leader Development

Praise God for the wonderful tour that our Pint-Size Praise Company went on last weekend, performing six times in three days.  Pray that through this experience, God would nurture in each of these kids a sense of his love for them, and that they would desire to follow him the rest of their lives.

Pray for the upcoming Summer Series for our Post-College/Early Career group.  Pray that through the topics and the study of scripture, God would fan into flame in each of those who attend a desire to know him better and to live as a light of Christ in the world.

Pray for the upcoming Wednesday night Summer Series, as we explore the ways that our relationship to Christ flows out into our relationships with our family, our friends and community, and our global involvement.  The teaching on Wednesday will be an expansion of the topics in the Sunday sermon.  Pray that God will work on people’s hearts and transform their lives through the word they hear on Sunday and Wednesday.

Pray for the short-term mission team that is currently in Costa Rica.  Pray for their safe and health, and that they would be effective communicators of the love of Christ to all they encounter.  Pray that this experience will lead to a lifelong commitment to Christ for each one who is there.  Pray for Nick as he leads the group, that God would sustain him give him wisdom as he deals with all the details of the trip.

Pray for the Children’s Ministry as they prepare for the Kids’ Summer Adventure.  Pray for those whom God is nudging to volunteer that they would be sensitive to his leading and step forward.  Pray for the children who come, that they would come to a saving knowledge of Christ, and that those who are already believers would be strengthened in their faith.

Pray for the Youth Ministry, as the team of workers puts on Wednesday night activities, as well as youth camps for both Middle School and High School.  Pray that the workers and volunteers would be encouraged in their ministry.  Pray that the students who attend the activities will be introduced to Christ and desire to follow him the rest of their lives.

Pray for the hike and overnight events planned by Bethany Wilderness Ministry over the next few months.  Pray for safety and protection for each group.  Pray that these events would serve to draw the participants into the presence of God through his creation, and that each one would desire to follow after God more closely as a result of these events.

Pray for those in our midst who are struggling with a serious medical condition.  Pray that God would be renewing their spirit daily, granting them peace, and giving them the strength to endure whatever medical treatment they are undergoing.  Pray that God would strengthen their care givers, and give them peace as well.

Pray for those who are visiting Bethany during the summer months.  Pray that God would bless them through the worship services and our hospitality as a congregation.

Pray for the staff as we plan for next year.  We are in the midst of planning and budgeting for the 2010-2011 year.  Pray that we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and that all we plan to do next year would bring glory to God.

Pray for those who are moving this summer, whether for school or a new job, or other reasons.  Pray for journey mercies, and that God would be their Provider for a new home, new friends, and a new church family.

Pray for those who are looking for work.  Pray that they would look to God as their Provider, and that they would have unshakable hope during this time of uncertainty.

Pray that all of us would desire more and more each day to reflect Christ to those around us, and to extend to others an invitation to meet the God of mercy and love.  Pray that our interior lives would be transformed by Christ so that we are his effective agents of transformation in the world.

]]> http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/watching-the-wall-july/feed/ 0 http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/watching-the-wall-june/ http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/watching-the-wall-june/#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:08:12 +0000 Richard http://churchbcc.org/?p=4618 Greetings.  Please join me in praying this weekend along the following lines:

1. Our search for a director of music and worship is nearly over but I’m in prayer all weekend as we make a final decision.  Pray that God will bring guidance to our church in this important decision.

2. Our staff is in the midst of strategic planning and God is showing us important next steps to take for our future.  I’m excited about them, and looking forward to sharing them with you in the coming days.

3. Pray for our Town Hall Meeting on Monday evening, as we invite the Bethany community to come and hear vision, ask questions, and pray together.

4. Give thanks for our new Pastor of Children’s Ministries as Earl Radford begins.  He brings vision, strong leadership ability, and a love for children.

5. Give thanks for a tremendous response to our Spilling Hope initiative, about which I’ll be sharing more over the course of the next two Sundays.

6. Pray for the many students who attend Bethany who are graduating, asking that God will give them direction.  Join with me in giving thanks for the privilege of serving them these past years.

7. Part of the brevity of this month’s Watching the Wall is related to the very full lives our staff are leading right now, as we seek to serve our growing community.  Pray for each of us serving on staff, asking that God would continue to grant us wisdom, strength, and freshness from Him in the midst of this busy season.

8. Pray for us as we search of a our missions pastor, asking that God would bring the right person.

9. Pray that God would give us wisdom as we seek to help our community be a place where people can truly get connected with others and find the tools they need to grow in Christ.

10.  Pray for the West Seattle group as they meet once again this weekend.

11.  Pray for those marriages you know that are in need of God’s touch, asking that God would grant each couple the spirit of grace, forgiveness, humility, vulnerability, and blessing that will enable their lives and home to be a place of blessing, for each other and their children, neighbors, and friends.

Thanks so much for joining with me in praying this weekend.  I’ll see you Sunday.

In Him,

Richard Dahlstrom

This friend of mine is at a much bigger crossroads than an ordinary day typically brings, and I wanted to dismiss her comment–yet it echoed something I had heard earlier in the week.

“ …if God speaks anywhere, it is into our personal lives…  Someone we love dies, say. Some unforeseen act of kindness or cruelty touches the heart or makes the blood run cold.  We fail a friend, or a friend fails us, and we are appalled at the capacity we all of us have for estranging the very people in our lives we need the most.  Or maybe nothing extraordinary happens at all – just one day following another, helter-skelter, in the manner of days….(yet) at moments of even the most hum-drum of our days, God speaks.”

(Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey, quoted in Simpler Living, Compassionate Life, Michael Schut, ed.)

Throughout our days, through big things and little, exciting events and what seems like monotonous routine, God speaks to us, and we have the chance to respond.  To move away from him in despair or anger or boredom, or toward him in honesty, expectation and obedience.  Our commitment to follow God may be first proclaimed in dramatic and memorable experiences,  but it is confirmed in the daily, almost imperceptible shifts we make in turning our attention and will to God and hearing him speak to us.

In the context of an ongoing awareness of God’s presence, we are invited to intercede for others, that is, to bring requests before God for the well-being, healing, and protection of others.  We also intercede for those who have no one else to pray for them, asking God to provide for them.  I invite you to join Bethany this month by praying the through requests below as an ongoing dialogue with God.

Blessings,

Nancy Eckardt

Director, Discipleship & Leadership Development

Pray that God would give you an increased sensitivity to his work in your life.  Confess to him areas of your life where you have not relinquished control and ask him to reveal to you areas of your life where he desires to reign.

Pray for those closest to you – your family and friends. Pray that you would be an agent of God’s love and grace to them, and that God would bless them and cause them to be a blessing to those in their lives.

Pray for those you work with.  Pray that God would reveal himself to them and give you opportunities to share his love and truth with them.

Pray for those from our congregation that are serving the marginalized in our communities.  Pray that God would give them hope and strength to serve from a full cup, and that those they serve would be drawn to God by the aroma of their lives.

Pray for our missionaries who are serving both within and outside the country.  Pray that they will find the support they need – spiritually, economically, strategically, and physically – to minister effectively.  Pray that God would show us as a church how to be co-laborers in the work they are doing.

Pray  for those in our congregation who are without jobs.  Pray that they would be able to find a permanent job, and that God would provide their needs.

Pray for those in our congregation who are struggling with illness.  Pray that God would be their peace and strength, and bring healing to their hearts and bodies.  Pray that God would also strengthen those who are caring for them.

Pray for those in our congregation who are graduating.  Pray that as they transition into a new context their faith would flourish, and God would provide for them in new ways.

Pray for the youth at our church.  Pray that God would give them the ability to discern truth in the midst of all they see and hear each day.  Pray for their leaders, that they would encourage them in their faith and commitment to Christ.

Pray for the staff and council at Bethany, as they begin planning for next year.  Pray that God would be the center of our thoughts and goals, and that all we would seek to accomplish would be for the glory of God.

Pray that God would place in each of us a desire to put into practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, scripture reading, generosity, and service, and out of the tilled soil of our heart, Christ’s life would be reproduced in us, so that we might be fruitful in our lives and relationships, to the glory and praise of God.

Pray for the Spilling Hope campaign, as we raise money and awareness to build wells in Uganda. Pray that God would give us generous hearts and creative ways to live simply, both during the 50 days of the campaign and for the rest of the year. Pray that we would give out of grateful hearts for all that God provides for us.

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus agonized over his impending suffering and death.  And he brought his closest friends with him to “keep watch”—to be his companions as he submitted to the unfolding of God’s will for him.  From our vantage point, we know the end of the story, but for the disciples, it was nothing but a bad story getting unbelievably worse.  No wonder they fell asleep!  It was the only way they could escape the shared agony over their friend and teacher, who was walking into the darkness of suffering and death.  What happened to the dreams of being rulers in a new Kingdom?  Of living forever?  Of experiencing His peace?  All their hopes became dust as they watched their Lord suffer unbearable that night in the garden.

And their worst fears became reality, as Jesus was taken into custody and put before ad hoc judgment seats and accused of ridiculous and inconsistent crimes.  They lost their faith, and rather than continuing to keep watch, they scattered.

This day is called Good Friday.  What is good about it, we might ask.  From our standpoint in western culture, suffering and death holds no goodness, no potential for happiness.  It is contradictive to the values we hold for a life filled with ease and freedom from suffering.  What is good about staring into the face of suffering and death?

But the day is good, because it marks the day that, through His death, God poured out His love and reconciliation on us.  And it is good because it levels the ground, reminding us that we all stand at the foot of the cross, saint and sinner, male and female, regardless of race or socio-economic status. We’re all in desperate need of Christ’s death to bring reconciliation and peace.

And so, the Friday before Resurrection Day, we are invited to each year to keep watch, to peer into the darkness of his death, and to remind ourselves that it is through suffering that Christ was victorious, and that we walk the same road as He, experiencing suffering here on earth and standing by others who are suffering, in anticipation of the victory of completion that we will experience when we see Him again, face to face.

Almighty God, whose most dear Son
went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,
and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Peace,

Nancy Eckardt

Pray those all who will be attending Bethany this week, that they will encounter Christ through the welcome of a handshake, the message of hope, or the music.  Pray that each of us who are regular attenders will pay attention to those around us and be willing to reach out to those who may be visiting.

Pray for all the volunteers this weekend, that they we would be energized and blessed throughout their time of ministry.  Pray for Richard as he preaches multiple services, and for all the staff as they oversee the events throughout the day.

Pray for those in our congregation who are without jobs.  Pray that God would be their Provider and that their needs would be met as they depend on him in new and courageous ways.

Pray for those who are struggling with mental illness.  Pray that God would calm their hearts and the hearts of those who are supporting them.  Pray for healing of their minds and emotions, that they may experience wholeness.

Pray for those who are facing surgery, that God would give them peace and comfort, and guide the doctors’ hands.  Pray for quick recovery and good results.

Pray for those who are undergoing treatment for cancer.  Pray that the various treatments would be effective for eliminating the cancer, and that the side effects would be minimal.  Pray that God would minister to the family members and friends, and give them peace during this time of uncertainty.

Pray for the children at Bethany, that they would encounter God at a young age, and turn to him.  Pray for the parents of young children, that God would grant them patience and perspective as they care for their kids.

Pray for the marriages at Bethany.  Pray that each couple would recommit each day to honor their spouses with their words, thoughts and actions.  Pray that God would renew their love for one another in surprising ways.

Pray for those at Bethany who are single.  Pray that God would be the Provider of all their needs, and that they would see His hand on their lives.

Pray that all of us at Bethany would grow in our desire to honor God with all areas of our lives by reading and studying his word, and by putting into practice that which we have heard, so that God may be glorified at Bethany and in our communities.

It was our last day of basketball camp with the kids, so we spent time scrimmaging with them.  We started playing 5 on 5, but because we were running out of time their coach, Toni, made it 10 on 5. We still won every game, but it’s slightly unfair that only 1 of our players at a given time was remotely their height. Toni was with us all week translating our games, directions, and daily devotional.  He coaches some of them and is a remarkable combination of being a disciplinarian, playful, and funny. It’s clear he loves them a lot.

There were times when we had the kids in smaller teams without a translator so we would demonstrate what to do with exaggerated gestures. I’m sure from the outside we looked ridiculous, but it worked. My favorite was watching the kids try to do the grapevine. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically running sideways alternating crossing your leg in front and then in back. I’d say about 70% got it and the remaining 30% were hilarious disasters.

The team doing construction has had some false starts. Yesterday there was some miscommunication – Ryan would give the team direction and leave and then someone else would come by, tell them to stop, and give them different instructions. This happened a few times until Ryan had the chance to intervene.  Between the two direction givers they decided that we should sand some steel doors and window frames with a belt sander, to prep them for painting. When they gave Chris the sander, which he’d never used before, the only direction he was given was to let it cool down every 5 minutes or it would overheat and be too hot to hold. I think it lasted one cool down cycle before the belt, which wasn’t aligned, broke. The replacement belt was the wrong size, again more set backs.

With the bumps from yesterday it was amazing what they got done today.  They got the primer and first coat of paint on an entire side of the building, as well as demolishing a bunch of rocks with a sledgehammer.

Tonight we’re watching the movie “Invictus” with some of the kids, hopefully. Getting ready for that requires dragging my virtually paralyzed body off this bed, taking a shower (which is an event without a shower curtain) and meeting the team for dinner, so I need to go. Thank you so much for your prayers. We’ve really needed them and with all the challenges we’ve faced they’ve been handled with relative ease. We’re leading the service on Sunday which could really use some prayer. Some people are singing and others are speaking so our request would be for clear communication and that we would be vessels of the Lord.

The team is organized by Megan Dobrasz, Bethany’s Pastor of College & Career. She has sent several updates about the team’s time in Macedonia…

Day 2:

Another great day! We had a ton of kids show up to the camp this morning: 30 1st through 3rd graders and 50 5th through 8th graders. It was so much fun to play with them. The language barrier was a huge challenge. And it seems that their current coaches mostly let them scrimmage, so they were a little grumpy about the drills we had them do. But all in all it was great. I anticipate that I’m going to be painfully sore tomorrow, as I was in charge of teaching defensive stance and I chased a lot of balls and kids today.

The other team members worked really hard outside today.  Tomorrow the US Ambassador to Macedonia is coming to see the sports hall, so they picked up trash, painted, and knocked trees down.  Chris and Todd literally ran at the trees to knock them over.

What a day! The weather has been unbelievable which means that I’m slightly sunburned, but it’s been so great that it’s a small price to pay. The cement sports hall is so cold that you have to go outside to warm up.

Day Three:

Today was much the same as day two. The basketball camps were a ton of fun. I was in charge of defensive drills again so I’m still pretty sore and the rest of the team thinks it’s hilarious.

We also met the US Ambassador to Macedonia, who seemed to be really interested in supporting the sports center remodel. That’s a huge blessing.

The roughest part of the day was literally a three-hour dinner where we were all so tired that we barely spoke. And the 100% empty restaurant still took about an hour to make our food. It wasn’t a horrible experience by any stretch, but shortly after eating we were very ready to go back and even took a taxi, which we rarely do.

Day 4:

Today can best be described as the perfect day. We took a drive to Phillipi, Greece, where the apostle Paul performed baptisms and was put in jail.  In addition to our team, John and Ryan came which was a lot of fun. Ryan is a great tour guide and John is so laid back and fun that it would take effort to not enjoy his company.

Phillipi was cool. The city ruins were really interesting. We saw a significant sized snake and I tried to convince Donte to chase after it, which almost gave Ryan a stroke – even when I assured him I’d suck the poison out if Donte got bitten.
We then went down to the river where Paul baptized Lydia, and I got to baptize Chris.  It was a very significant moment. I’ve gotten to know him over the past six months or so, and he continues to impress me with his heart for serving and his devotion to God. So I felt priviledged to baptize him. It kind of turned into an ordeal because although they’ve made a specific place for people to be baptized, the water is fairly shallow yet running so quickly that I couldn’t hold Chris in place to baptize him. It ended up that John helped hold him up, and between the two of us, with only a little bit of awkward maneuvering, we did it. It was so funny, and in the very beginning I was trying not to laugh because it felt irreverent, but then it became such a fiasco that we were all laughing.

We went on to Thessalonki, Greece, where we went to Starbucks, saw some statues and more ruins, and ate an incredible dinner.

On the way home in the bus we somehow started playing a game using my InStyle magazine where people had to choose an outfit on each page that they would like to wear. Or, for the guys, that they would want their significant other to wear. At one point Todd was so confident that he had chosen the same as Sandra that he was mildly braggy. When it came time to reveal our choices, they hadn’t chosen the same. Normally this would be the end of the story, but Todd was so shocked that he was wrong at what he picked that they had to have the magazine back so they could explain their choices. In the meantime, the rest of us are dying of laughter (mostly because they’re a hilarious couple) but also because Todd’s reaction was so flabbergasted that it was like he had just been told their entire marriage was a sham. It’s probably one of those “had to be there” moments, but the point is that this is such an incredible group of people and I’m so thoroughly enjoying getting to know them.

In spite of all this, it was only today that I was really struck by the fact this guy wasn’t very careful about where he put his seeds.  Rocky soil, good soil, the side of the road, amidst weeds… come on farmer man, take aim!  In spite of his seeming to sow seeds like a blind man, Jesus’ interpretation of the parable says nothing about being more careful, no, “so folks, let’s learn from this silly wasteful farmer about the importance of only planting seeds where we know they will be fruitful.”  To the contrary, when Jesus says that “the seed is the word of God,”  He’s saying:  “this is the way it is – the seed will be scattered everywhere – EVERYWHERE!”

The gospel isn’t supposed to be shared like a smart bomb: find your target, take aim, fire.  It’s supposed to be shared like a reckless farmer throwing seed everywhere, and this reality has some profound implications:

#1 – I need to stop preemptively assuming that people are or aren’t ready to hear about Christ.  I can find ways to build bridges, find ways to serve and embody hope, and listen clearly so that I might know when to speak and when to be silent, but we’re all soil, all in need of encounters with the holy, the true, and beautiful.  If it’s true that Jesus has ushered in God’s Good Reign, then to presume that my cranky neighbor won’t be interested or responsive (so ‘I’ll just save the seed’) doesn’t make me a smart farmer – it makes me a farmer unlike the one about which Jesus spoke.  Sow generously!

#2 – I need to stop presuming who I’m able to reach. Some people who ran a ministry in the Alps years ago didn’t have a target audience.  They simply prayed that God would bring ‘the people of His choosing’, and they were content to believe that whoever God brought were precisely the people God wanted there.  Of course it’s usually true that thinkers attract thinkers, skaters attract skaters, etc.  But it’s dangerous to presume your scope of influence because God might be using you to change the lives of people very different than you.

#3 – I need to expect fruit.  I don’t know when it will come, or how, or how much.  I only know that this is what God does.  This makes the starting point: “Thank you” rather than, “God will you please….”  because I genuinely believe that to the extent I’m living in dependency, looking to Christ to express life through my, I can equally enjoy the confidence that He will do just that.  The nature, timing, and scope of the fruit are God’s prerogative.  But the promise of fruit stands, and as a result, we’re free to expect that God will work miracles through us, ‘beyond what we can ask, or hope, or imagine’.

A British soldier picks up a German hitchiker in postwar Germany, as the reconstruction continues.  By the end of the evening, the German soldier has said yes to Christ, and goes home to share the news of his discovery with friends.  Soon he and his friends are off to England in order to learn more.  Eventually that same hitchiker will return to the continent and begin a Bible School in Austria which will spawn numerous other ministries around the world.

One hitchiker…  it would have been easy for a British officer to drive right past a German youth right?one seed.  But the British officer was a farmer – and 50 years later there are thousands who’ve attended Bible School in a Castle in Alps and gone on to be the presence of Christ around the world. I like farming…

We’re close to Easter, and I encourage you to sow seeds by praying for your neighbors and inviting them to be with you when you celebrate the resurrection on April 4th.  So sow… and let the adventure begin.

Each month we are invited to set aside the first Friday of the month to ask specifically for the needs of Bethany and the community. As we ask God to do what we could never do on our own, let us give him the glory for how he is working in and through us in all of the communities that we represent.

Pray that all who attend Bethany will desire, above all else, transformation that comes through repentance and commitment to Christ. Pray that God would speak to each of us through the sermons on Sunday, and that we would respond with obedient hearts.

Pray for us as a congregation as we seek to be intentional in developing a Rule of Life in the areas of prayer, Scripture reading, generosity, and service. Pray that we would each commit to specific practices in these areas that will prepare our hearts to receive what God has for us to be and to do.

Pray for those who are involved in the search for new ministry staff: Worship Ministry Director and Children’s Ministry Director. Pray that God would guide the right person here for each position, and that they would be confirmed by consensus among the search committees. Pray for those who have stepped in as interim directors – Chris Gough and Jean Ballance – that God would guide and strengthen them to continue to lead their respective ministries.

Pray for the preparations for Easter, that we would be welcoming hosts for the visitors that will be here on Easter Sunday, and that each one who comes will encounter Christ in a new way.

Pray for those in our congregation who are grieving the loss of loved ones. Pray that God would comfort them and be present with them in their sadness. Pray also for those in our congregation who are struggling with illness. Pray that God, the Divine Healer, would restore their health and fill them with his strength and comfort.

Pray for those in our congregation who are between jobs and looking for work. Pray that God our Provider would meet their needs and guide them to a new position where they can use their giftedness for him. Pray that God would fill them with his peace during this time of uncertainty.

Pray for the short-term mission trips coming up this month. We will be sending teams to the Lummi reservation and to Macedonia. Pray that God would protect these teams, and that he would accomplish great things in and through them as a result of these trips.

Pray for our Tabitha Ministries. Pray for the women who spend the night at our church; may they feel safe and cared for by the many volunteers who staff the shelter. Pray also for those who staff the Food Bank and host the Community Dinners. Pray that we as a church community will continue to develop ways to build bridges to the surrounding community.

Pray for all of the ministries of Bethany, that they would be sourced and directed by the Spirit of God, so that in all things He would receive the glory and thanks.

Blessings,

Nancy Eckardt

One new area for this year’s trip is a soccer camp. The vision is to bring in 400 kids from around the project and host a camp, with our Costa Rican friends assisting us with soccer skills; teaching a Bible story time; providing snacks; and running a tournament. Each child will receive a soccer ball, t-shirt, and a new pair of tennis shoes.

Along with the soccer camp, we will continue to help build a new sanctuary, pull nails our of donated wood, volunteer with kids in homes and daycare, attend a youth camp, and help with a feeding program.

The trip is 10 full days; please pray for our strength, our ministry to the Costa Ricans, and for what the Lord will want to teach each of us.

Thanks,

Nick Steinloski

Student Ministries Pastor

In keeping with Paul’s practical instruction, I’m happy to invite to join with me in praying the following thanksgivings and intercessions, blended together in the following areas of our life as a church:

Thank God for all He has done

1. We’re profoundly grateful to the Lord that our community has been able to raise over $100,000 for relief and rebuilding in Haiti.  Pray for the World Vision team and all their affiliates as they use these resources for both immediate needs and long-term issues.
2. Give thanks for Scott Sund, Shonnie Scott, and the families that are forming core leadership teams for satellite campuses in both West Seattle and North Seattle.  Pray for their continued wisdom and strength, asking that God would shepherd them every step of the way so that the works that are established testify of His grace and power.
3. Give thanks for the provision of two wonderful finalists in our search for a new Director of Worship & Arts.  Pray for our search task force as we meet soon to make important decisions regarding next steps, asking that our decisions would be right.
4. I’m grateful for the many people at Bethany who have signed up to attend retreats.  Pray for the Middle School, High School, Post-College/Early Career, and Guys’ retreats, all of which are happening this month.  Pray with me that each participant will encounter the living Christ in significant ways, resulting in transformation, and the strengthening of life in Christ, both for individuals and for our church.
5. Pray also for the upcoming Ash Wednesday service and the beginning of Lent.  We’ll be inviting the Bethany community to go deeper with Christ and enter an intentional discipleship effort (which we’re calling Rule of Life) during this season, focusing on the areas of Bible Reading, Prayer, Service, and Generosity.  Pray that we will collectively be responsive to Christ’s invitation to follow Him fully, and that our development of a Rule of Life community will result in Christ’s life being seen with greater clarity.
6. We’re searching for a new children’s ministry director and ask for prayer for the task force involved in that search.
7. Megan Dobrasz is preparing a team for a March trip to Macedonia.  Pray for Megan, her team, and their preparations, asking that God would be providing all that’s needed for His purposes on this trip.
8. There are many who continue to feel the effects of unemployment.  Pray for those looking for work and direction, asking for God’s provision of both, and comfort in the midst of the trials.
9. Finally, Bethany continues to be the recipient of God’s mercy and grace in countless ways.  Please pray for all our leaders, especially our staff and church council, asking that God would protect us from presumption, keeping us ever dependent on Him for each step, and ever grateful for His goodness.

Thanks so much for making time to pray with me on these important matters. May His life continue to strengthen, protect, and direct us in all we do.

In His Service,

Richard Dahlstrom

Senior Pastor

Greetings in the name of Christ. I shared just a few weeks ago how grateful I am to the Lord for the privilege of playing a role in the Bethany community. This past week demonstrated, once again, why this is so. When the earthquake struck Haiti, I let you know that we intended to take an offering on January 24th. I asked you to pray and give sacrificially. Our staff carefully and prayerfully considered various options for channeling relief dollars, and decided on giving to World Vision’s relief and long-term support fund. We chose them because of their long time presence in Haiti, low administrative overhead, and the fact that a grant would multiply our gift threefold.

You responded remarkably-giving over $87,000-which, due to the 3:1 matching program, translates into $348,000 to help with the rebuilding efforts of Haiti. Never have I been more proud of our community. This generous outpouring contributes directly to our mission of becoming a visible expression of Christ by “inviting people to God, to community, and to wholeness.” Food, shelter, clean water, public health infrastructures, and education all contribute to the goal of wholeness. Please pray with me for the distribution of these funds, and for Haiti, that the spirit of God would be poured out on that nation so that what comes out of this day of distress will be a new Haiti, better able to serve its own people.

In less than 12 months, we’ve been privileged to contribute $217,000 to serving the neediest in our world in both Haiti and Uganda. Thank you again for your generosity! And if you missed the Haiti offering this past Sunday, there’s still time to give. You can make your check out to Bethany Community Church—make sure to designate “Haiti” on the memo line—and we’ll pass it on to the World Vision fund.

Yours in His Service,

Richard Dahlstrom
Senior Pastor

I’d like to express my appreciation for the many good suggestions about how the Bethany community can best demonstrate the love of Christ in the midst of the catastrophe in Haiti. After prayerful consideration, we have determined that the special offering Bethany receives this Sunday will go to World Vision’s “Relief and Long Term Support” fund, which will help with both the overwhelming immediate needs, as well as invest in the vital infrastructure issues that will enable Haiti to come out of this stronger than before.

World Vision’s credibility, long-term presence, and low overhead were all contributing factors. In addition, I’m excited to let you know that every dollar you give will be matched, through a grant, by three more dollars. That means your $100 investment will be worth $400!

We’ve been advised to wait until things settle before planning any trips to Haiti, so will remain open to such in the future, but mindful that the present situation is such that this acute phase is best served by our prayers and dollars. Several of Paul’s letters included specific exhortations and instructions regarding offerings, always appealing to those with means to share with those without. In this case, few have more means than many of us (though I’m painfully aware that there are those inside our community facing the pains of unemployment), and none have less means than the Haitian people.

I hope you’ll join me in giving sacrificially as we receive this special offering, and pray that, as God is well capable of doing, light will shine into the darkness, bringing hope and blessing to that land. If you missed Sunday, you are more than welcome to send in a check with “Haiti Special Offering” in the memo up until Sunday, January 31st.

Yours in His Service,

Richard Dahlstrom

Senior Pastor

“This picture is from a Spilling Hope funded water project site we visited today outside of the town Ntugamo.  ”Health and Hygiene” training started with a dance to get warmed up.   Limited internet here and attaching 1 photo took a while so this is all for now.”

-”Wolt” Wolters
Spilling Hope Project Coordinator

“Wanted to send a quick note to say that we are here safe.  Met some incredibly nice people and I am super impressed by the Living Water International team.   Staying at a hotel tonight and then at the LWI compound for a few nights before heading back to Kampala. Starting to get some good photos/footage… will let you know more about that soon… or when we get back.”

-Andrea Moon
Spilling Hope Visual Media

An extended stay in Europe this past month has reminded me of two things. The first is that Bethany Community Church, though we are completely independent, stands in a rich tradition of carrying the torch of Christ’s testimony. We’re part of God’s global story, which transcends both geography and generations. Though we may feel alone at times, we are connected to a story much bigger than what God is doing here in Seattle, and there are those praying for us around the world, even as we pray for God’s work elsewhere.

Also, as I stood in a pulpit in Austria and thought about all that had happened in history since that pulpit was built, I was reminded that we carry the testimony, each of us, for but a few brief decades. The brevity makes each day, month, and year a privilege. I hope and pray that we’ll be found faithful, both individually and collectively. Towards that end, I’ve asked the staff of Bethany to begin the new year by submitting prayer requests related to their various areas of ministry, so that you might know how best to pray for us.

Thanks, in advance, for your ministry of intercession. The Scriptures surely teach us that God desires our asking, seeking, and knocking, and that He responds. I look forward to seeing what God does in the coming year, as we seek Him, and ask for His guidance, provision, and annointing, throughout our church community.

Pray for the spiritual well being of our staff, church council, and their families. This is, of course, of paramount importance; without it, everything else we might do will be nothing but a sham. Ask that God would continue to teach us how to love Him, and other people, in increasing measure, to the end that we might increasingly make Christ’s life visible to each other and to our world.

Pray for our community as we spend time this year inviting people to a more intentional path of discipleship. I’ll be talking about this more in the coming weeks, but please pray that God would put it on the hearts of many in the Bethany family to take the next step in the growth in Christ by declaring their intent to follow Jesus in specific ways in the areas of Prayer, Bible Reading, Service, and Generosity. This specific discipleship path is called a RULE OF LIFE here at Bethany.

Richard

SMALL GROUPS
Pray that God will continue to raise up couples/individuals who have a heart to be trained for leading new small groups. Also, pray for a community of people who will help surround the Small Group ministry with their prayers, talents, and time. Most importantly, continue to pray for people to be growing in their relationships with Christ, and each other, as they seek Jesus in the context of smaller communities.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Pray that God would bring us the right fit for the next Children’s Ministry Pastor/Director and that we would be patient with God’s timing during this process. For the Children’s Ministry staff, that we would continue to love and build into the kids God brings through our doors.

CONGREGATIONAL LIFE
Pray for wisdom for the Stephen Ministry leadership team, as they begin to recruit a new class of Stephen ministers to care for our community. For wisdom in stewarding our resources, that Bethany would continue to be a place of support during tough economic times.

DISCIPLESHIP & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Please pray that we will each develop the practices of prayer, Scripture reading, generosity, and service into our lives this year, not as an end in themselves, but as a context for God to transform us and draw us to himself. Pray that we will identify and develop leaders who will walk alongside the staff in carrying out the work that God wants to do through Bethany in the Seattle area.

WORSHIP & ARTS
Pray that the Lord would hand-select a replacement for the position of
Director of Worship and Arts here at Bethany, and for the search committee to be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit during this process.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY
Please pray that the women of Bethany will participate in the studies being offered this upcoming quarter, and that through these studies, they will know Christ in a deeper way, experience connections with the women they worship with, and be motivated to serve Him. Pray that the Holy Spirit will fill the leaders with wisdom and instruction as they lead. And finally, please pray that Women’s Ministries will find volunteers to help with the various jobs that keep the ministry running.

MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRIES
“Reaching the unreached student in new and creative ways”—this is our prayer for 2010. Our heart is to see hundreds of teenagers in our city get connected with Jesus and Veritas, baptized, and equipped in their faith. We have over 30 amazing youth staff who give their time, talents, and hearts; your prayers for them would be truly coveted. Our students each day walk on to campuses with the opportunity to be salt and light—please pray for them to have the courage and wisdom to live for Jesus.

COLLEGE & POST-COLLEGE/EARLY CAREER
College: Pray that during this time in their lives, students would find a safe place and a home at Bethany, where they can ask questions and be challenged in both their thought process and their faith.
Post-College/Early Career: Pray that Bethany would be a place for people to connect with other believers and grow toward intimacy with Christ. Specifically pray for the upcoming Winter Retreat, that there will be space for people to take the next step with God, whatever that looks like for them.

OFFICE STAFF
Wisdom stewarding and prioitizing the church’s facility and office resources.

Every morning at 8:39am, my watch alarm goes off. At one time or another, just about everyone on staff has asked me what is magical about that hour, especially when I am sitting in a staff meeting or prayer time before a Sunday service. My answer: “If I was home right now and it was a school day, it would indicate to Cameron that it is time for him to get his coat and shoes on and head out the door for the bus.” With the knowledge that my watch is keeping time, we can both relax for those 20 or so minutes before school, knowing that one of us doesn’t have to keep our eye on the clock. And when play is interrupted, it is happily the watch’s fault, not the parent’s.

I have often thought that I should set more alarms on my watch, alarms to remind me to stop and pray. How else will I be shaken out of my routine and activities to be drawn back to the feet of Jesus, to remember the important practice of the “observing the divine hours,” in order to more deeply be the hands and feet of Christ to those in our world? As Phyllis Tickle describes it, “The divine hours allows our human awareness or mental focus to move back and forth on a daily basis and in a disciplined way from attending to the necessary bustle of each day of our lives to attending to the eternal timelessness and magnificence of divine life.”

As we begin to focus on the importance of spiritual disciplines to till the ground of our heart to receive God’s presence, we will discover quickly that these habits do not form out of our intentions, so much as out of our daily commitment to carrying out those intentions. The divine hours is one way to commit to the discipline of prayer throughout our day. This practice of setting aside time at fixed hours of the day for prayer goes way back to our Jewish roots. It was as they were on their way into the temple for prayers that Peter and John healed the lame man; it was during the afternoon prayers on Cornelius’ roof that Peter encountered a vision for the salvation of all, Jews and Gentiles alike. Over the years this same practice has taken on new forms in different contexts. In my late teens and early 20s, I would attend Compline service at St. Mark’s Cathedral, as some of you do now, and without realizing it, having grown up Conservative Baptist, would observe the divine hours.

With the start of Advent, I began observing the divine hours, using Tickle’s book, Christmastide: Prayers for Advent through Epiphany from the Divine Hours. To be honest, I have not set my watch, and while my morning prayers are nailed, the afternoon and evening prayers have not become habit yet. But it has been nice to find the cry of my heart and the hand of God in the words of the psalms.

These prayers can be done alone, but are also done in community. In fact when we do them in community, we are actually standing with the body of Christ, the universal church, across the world and the centuries, as one voice of worship and prayer to God. With this in mind, we invite you to join a group of us on Monday evenings at 6:20-6:45pm, beginning on January 18th, in the Sanctuary, as we practice the tradition of evening prayers. We will provide the format and the content. Together we will read aloud the scripture and the corporate prayers, as well as offer time for personal prayers of intercession. It will be a time to refresh and center our hearts after a busy day, and to join with others in prayer.

Happy Advent

Richard

Joseph, a righteous man, almost missed his opportunity to care for and parent Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It was his willingness to listen to God and obey that opened up this great calling on his life as Christ’s earthly father. When we spend time in prayer, we can make our requests know to God, and we are also invited to see situations and events through God’s eyes. As we grow in our prayer life, we can move from talking at God, to talking to God, to listening to God, to being with Him, aware of His presence in every part of our day. His presence teaches us His way of responding to what happens, so that, like Joseph, our righteousness and graciousness is empowered and directed by His revelation to us.

Practicing Prayer
1. Pick up a devotional book that focuses on prayer and contemplation. Commit to reading from it once or twice a day throughout Advent.

2. Write out a prayer to God. Then prayerfully write a response. What might God be trying to say to you?

3. At the end of the day, prayerfully consider the following questions: For what moment today am I the most grateful? For what moment today am I least grateful? Give these moments up to God in prayer.

4. Start a prayer journal. You can make a simple one by labeling four columns on a sheet of paper: Date Requested, Request Made, How Answered, and Date Answered. Below there are downloadable samples of prayer journals.

Verse to Memorize: Psalm 25:4–5
“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Prayer List for Everyday
Prayer Journal Sample One
Prayer Journal Sample Two

Advent has a way of sneaking up on me, especially when it starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving. As I gear up, my first thought is to cut corners. Do I have to put Christmas lights on the outside of the house this year? I know we have the friendly competition with our neighbors, to be the first house lit, if not the best, but can I let it go this year? What about the Advent Calendar? And which of the red/green boxes on the high shelf is it in?

The Advent wreath was another shortcut I wanted to take this year. “Would it be okay if we just read the advent stories, but didn’t light candles?” I asked my son. He looked at me in disbelief and suggested I stop by the thrift store and pick up some inexpensive solution to the problem of no Advent wreath. Yes, it mattered to him.

We all want to take shortcuts in our life. Especially during busy times, like the holidays, we are tempted to give up anything that seems extra so that we have time for the urgent to-do lists. Unfortunately those things that seem extra are often, in reality, the most important.

Prayer may be one of those things. God knows our hearts. He knows our desires before we speak them. But there is something that occurs in our hearts when we name those desires, so that they are out there on the table before God. Our nagging sadness in spite of the celebration of the season. Our fear regarding an uncertain future. Our addiction to some substitute for intimacy with God. This prayer of confession before God draws us into His presence in authentic ways, as His spirit speaks to our spirit, reminding us that regardless of our circumstances, we belong to Him.

Prayer for others may be lost as well, as our focus narrows to our close family and friends and the details of preparing for gift-giving and feasting together. Yet our own planning should remind us of those around us for whom the holidays may not be so filled with joy. Loss, uncertainty, and grief may overshadow this time of year for them. Praying for them renews our own humble gratitude for God’s provision and may reveal to us concrete ways that we can reach out to those around us.

This December, as we prepare for Christmas, and celebrate with friends and family, may we not shortcut our time in prayer, so that we will carry God’s presence with us into all our activities and events. Blessings to you all during this Advent season.

In Christ,

Nancy Eckardt
Director, Discipleship and Leadership Development

This Week:

Pray for Pastor Richard throughout the month of December, as he spends his time in Europe. He will be teaching at two different Bible schools during his time, as well as vacationing with his family during Christmas. Pray for health and refreshment, and a renewed focus for the coming year.

Pray for staff as they share the teaching and ministry load while Richard is away. Pray that God will anoint their hearts as they prepare.

Pray for all the volunteers and staff who are a part of the Advent celebrations here at Bethany. Pray also for the hearts of the congregation as they listen and participate in the events. Pray that this season will be a powerful time of drawing people to Christ as we reflect on the profound and loving expression of God becoming flesh.

Pray for Shonnie Scott and Scott Sund, who have been identified as the ones to lead our first two church plants. Pray that God would give them a vision that reflects His heart and the hearts of those who will plant the church with them. Pray that we will all see ourselves as a part of this effort, and that we would be willing to hear God’s voice for our own lives in this area, and be obedient.

Pray for those in our midst who are looking for work. Pray that God would give them peace and direction in their search, and that He would provide all their needs and the needs of their families.

Pray for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones this season. Pray for those who will attend our Longest Night Service on December 21, that they will experience the comfort of God’s love, and the hope that comes from our faith in Christ.

Pray for those who live around Bethany who are struggling financially. Pray that we will be able to help them in tangible ways through our Benevolence Fund.

Pray for our missionaries who are away from family and friends during the holidays, some for the first time. Pray that God will fill up their loneliness with his presence, and provide a new “family” for them to celebrate with. Pray that they will be renewed in their sense of God’s power in their lives and ministry in this new year.

And finally, pray that we would take this time of Advent to grow more deeply in love with Jesus, and that the love he has poured out on us will spill into our homes and communities, and that we will give God the glory.

Come Lord Jesus.

Gifts of Hope: Women’s Enterprises International
Women’s Enterprises International is dedicated to creating opportunities that equip women in developing countries to overcome poverty and transform their lives and communities.  Gifts of Hope provide for the basic needs of women both young and old this holiday season.

Krochet Kids
Buy a Hat.  Change a Life.  Krochet Kids international works in developing nations to empower impoverished communities to rise above poverty by employing this generation through the creation of products, and educating the next through their sale.

Living Water International
Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst.  LWI gift cards allow you to charge a gift amount to the card and your loved one will get to decide  what projects the gift will fund!

Advent Conspiracy
The concept behind Advent Conspiracy is simple: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All.

Agros
By choosing to give a gift from Agros in honor of someone you love, you are enabling families across Central America and Mexico to break out of crushing poverty.

World Vision
World Vision “must have” gifts are precious because they are genuinely needed. They are the charity gift of hope, dignity, health and in some cases life itself. Thanks to you, your friends and family will know that they’ll be making a real difference to some of the world’s most vulnerable children and families.

World of Good
Wish you could shop and support what you value?  World of Good allows you to choose what you support with your purchase.  Eco-positive, preserving tradition, enabling education, and animal-friendly are just a few you can choose from.

Better World Books
Better World Books is a for-profit social enterprise that collects used books and sells them online to raise money for literacy initiatives worldwide.

Fair Trade Sports
Fair Trade Sports is excited to bring North America the world’s first line of sports balls for soccer, football, basketball (and more!) that are certified green and certified Fair Trade.

I’m finishing up teaching on an island in Canada this week. The time has been full of both teaching and opportunities for personal ministry with students, for which I’m profoundly grateful. Meanwhile, back at Bethany Community Church…

1. We’re getting ready for our annual meeting, which will happen Monday, Nov. 9. This is a critical time in the life of our church as we briefly look back, once again grateful for the provision of Christ, but also look ahead, confirm the next year’s key leaders, and pray for our future. Please pray that God will continue to both shepherd us, and provide for us as we seek to follow the Lamb.

2. We’re beginning our work for the filling of two very important positions at Bethany. Pray for us as we search for the Children’s Ministry Director Position, and for our Director of Worship and Music. Being confident that both of these positions are important to the work of God at Bethany, we’re confident that God has people in mind for these roles, and are praying that God would lead them to us.

3. Please pray for Brian and Ted, as both of them seek God’s will for the next and future steps for their vocations and calling. We’re grateful for both of these men, and continue to pray that God would guide them into His perfect calling.

4. Megan is making plans for various mission trips for our college students and others. Pray for her, as she seeks God’s direction regarding those trips.

5. Nancy and I are working on plans for the Winter as we seek to build a culture within Bethany that makes intentional practice of a rule of life a central piece of discipleship. We’re asking that God will give us wisdom to structure this, and that His hand would be upon us as we move into more widespread and intentional practices of Bible reading, prayer, service, and generosity.

6. Many of our team will be attending a conference in November related to the subject of beginning satellite campuses and planting churches. Please pray for us as we continue to learn and seek the Lord regarding these things.

7. We’re happy to say that we’re very close to being able to announce key leaders for not one, but two satellite locations! Pray for us as we continue to seek God’s wisdom and provision for these key leadership roles.

8. I’ll be writing a book on the subject of hope over these next months. Please pray that God anoints both the study time of learning, and the writing time of articulating truths, to the end that people would learn how to get on with the calling of imparting hope to our world—right now, in the midst of life’s messes and uncertainties.

9. Many of us are particularly grateful for health in these days, mindful in this time of flu, that our strength is a daily gift. Take time to give thanks for that, and to pray for those suffering with afflictions.

10. This time of economic uncertainty continues to be a time of struggle for many families, and fallout of economic hardship often stresses marriage and family relationships as well. Please pray that God will shepherd each family through seasons of vital and visible need.

11. We were blessed to hear from our friend Doru and his ministry in Romania. Pray for him and his team of leaders as they serve faithfully in that country.

12. Continue to remember the special classes that have begun well this fall: Alpha, Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, and Phil’s Spiritual Journey class. Pray that each one will complete their fall course strong, and that the result of the huge investment of time and resources will result in changed lives.

I’ll close with the personal observation that this Fall we’ve taken on, under the guiding hand of Christ, the challenging task of running simultaneous services in two locations. We’ve certainly needed the space, and while this new format hasn’t been without hiccups and challenges, it’s clear that we’ve turned a corner. I want to offer a personal word of gratitude to the Lord Jesus, for it’s perfectly clear to me that none of this would have been able to happen without the hard work and dedication of two special groups:
1. The staff team of Bethany, both on the ministry and administrative side, who have worked tirelessly and sometimes very long days, in order to fulfill this mission, and have done so with grace and joy.

2. The hundreds of volunteers who fold bulletins, drive buses, make coffee, teach classes, greet attenders, help people cross the street, lead worship, run cameras, fix broken tech stuff, bring snacks, run sound and lights, sing in the choir, and so much more.

God has been good to us, but it’s these people who have made Christ visible. Thank you. May we each know the blessing of Christ and, as we move into this glorious and beautiful season, cling to Christ as our source of all we need.

Yours in Him,

Richard Dahlstrom

I’m praying for several things, and I’m happy that you’ll be praying with me for each matter:

1. Staff transitions. We’ll be welcoming our Director of Small Groups later this month (an announcement will be made this Sunday regarding the “who” of this position), and we are continuing to look for a Director of Missions. Both of these matters fall under the category of staffing, and I ask that you’ll be praying with me for the transition of our new staff member, and that God will guide us to the right staff member for Missions.

2. Along these lines, I’d like to emphasize how important it will be for Bethany’s future for us to grow in our intentionality to be like Jesus, “the Word becoming flesh” in neighborhoods, including the Aurora corridor, if we’re to be effective in building a community that testifies of Jesus’ power to knock down walls of division. Pray that God will pour out His spirit on our church so that we might be captured more fully by God’s heart for our neighbors and city.

3. Pray for the many ministries that are beginning this month, such as MOPS and College Student Ministries, as well as those that began during the second half of September and are still in their early stages, such as the Alpha Course. Pray that the many classes that are occurring would collectively be used by God to shape us as a community and that individual lives will be challenged and equipped.

4. Pray for Nancy Eckardt and me as we begin planning winter events related to creating a rule of life community within Bethany: a group committed to the disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, service, and generosity.

5. There are many in our community continuing to feel the effects of the difficult economy. Pray that people will find work, and that, equally important, all of us will be teachable regarding how best to steward our resources according to God’s purposes.

6. As always, pray for marriages, knowing that there are couples who are being robbed of genuine intimacy through wrong choices and roadblocks. Ask that God would bring them the help they need.

7. We’re praying for leaders, as we ponder who it is that God would want to be the ministry leader for our new work in West Seattle. Pray that God would give us clarity regarding this matter.

Finally, in these very opportune and challenging times, it’s vital that we who are shepherding the church be people who are serving out from intimacy and rest in Christ, rather than compulsion, ambition, fear, or longings for human approval. The habits that nurture intimacy are often, when things get busy, the first to go. May our Lord keep us near to Him in the midst of all that is unfolding.

Thanks for standing with me in prayer.

Richard Dahlstrom

I need  more sleep.

Do you remember the last blog I wrote that started out that way? It was when we added our newborn son to our family, with one day’s notice, five months ago. This entry starts with a phone call as well.

During the month of May, the phone rang. This time it was not a social worker who changed our lives; it was a young man named Martell who I had been mentoring for several years. Early in the mentor relationship, my wife and I had invited Martell to move from his current foster home into our home. He was calling to see if the offer was still open. We were humbled by the courage that it took for him to call, and of course, we said YES!

On July 1, Martell moved into our house and became the older brother that Kaleb has always wanted. My wife used to always say before Jacob and Martell came home that “our family is not all here yet.” Within four months, we have added a newborn and a 17-year-old, and we are all home. Our house is certainly full; full of love, full of laughter, and full of true living. Jacob is five months old and sleeping through the nights (when it is my turn to watch him). Becky is five years old and just started kindergarten. Kaleb is seven years old and has begun first grade. Martell is trying not to let his senioritis start too early as he begins his senior year at Shorewood High school.

Karmin and I spend our time feeding, cleaning, doing laundry, helping with homework, giving driving lessons, changing diapers, etc., in what we call our beautiful, crazy life. We have never been so tired, but we’ve never been so happy. Thank you God that Your vision for our lives is so much more beautiful that could have dreamed. Thank you for writing such an awesome story for our family.

Worship

• Greeters (8) – 11am Chapel
• Power Point Slide Managers (5) – All Morning Services
• Sound Board (3) –  9 & 11am Chapel

Bus Ministry

• Back-up Shuttle Drivers (7)– All Morning Services)
• Crossing Guards (4)– All Morning Services

Children’s Ministry

• Small Group Leaders (2)– 9am, K-3rd Grade
• Small Group Leaders: 4th-6th Grade – 2 (9am)
• Small Group Leaders: K-3rd Grade – 4 (11am)
• Classroom Aid: 4th-6th Grade – 1
• Childrens Greeters – 5 (9am & 11am)
• Group Storytellers: K-3rd Grade – 2 (9am & 11am)
• Preschool Music Leader for 5-10 minutes – 1
• Music Leaders: K-3rd Grade – 3 (9am & 11am)

Let’s begin, before talking about anything else, by thanking God for some cloud cover and cooler weather.  The crazy weather patterns of this summer, all around the globe, serve as a healthy reminder that, in spite of the vast technological advances we’ve made over the past millennia, we still can’t make it stop raining in Louisville to the tune of 6 inches an hour, or prevent the normally mellow city of Seattle from reaching 103.  All this would be meaningless except for the fact that every shred of food we consume comes to us because the weather patterns of our world sustain life.  Since God controls those patterns in spite of best efforts to do it ourselves, we remain, as always, dependent on His provision!

Closer to home, August will be anything but a quiet month at Bethany, and we who serve on staff covet your prayers on the following fronts:

1. We’re in the midst of searching for God’s choice of the person to fill newly opened position of small groups ministry director.  Pray for us as we interview finalists and seek God’s right choice for this very important decision.
2. We’re also in the midst of budgeting, and as always, there’s healthy tension between our human projections and the vision of where we believe God is leading us.  We tug and pull at these various numbers, utilizing prayer, conversation, consideration, reconsideration, cuts, additions, more prayer, more conversation… you get the picture.  Pray with us that the final product is a representation of God’s heart.  Of course we want to avoid selfish ambition and presumption.  Just as much, we want to avoid any sense complacency or conservatism that is rooted in doubt rather than faith.
3. Pray for me as I teach in Canada this coming week.  I’ll be both plowing through Exodus, and preparing for Philippians 3 for the Sunday that I return.  I’m excited to be with my family (and a family with Bethany) at this conference, but also excited to continue the study in Philippians and preparation for the fall.
4. There are more newly married couples this summer than any in recent memory and literally every one of them that comes to mind fills my heart with gratitude for the love for the Lord, their creativity, and their desire to be a blessing in the world.  Pray for the new marriages in our midst, asking that God would strengthen them.
5. We’re in the middle of preparing for some vast changes this fall, as we become a church with multiple sites.  I’ll be writing and talking much more about this in coming weeks, but the short prayer request for now is simply that Bethany Community Church would be obedient to the voice of our Lord as He invites us to write yet another chapter in the book of Acts; God’s continuing story of His work in the world.
6. Pray for the Tabitha volunteers as they begin ministry again to the women who stay in the shelter here at our church.  Pray that they would be refreshed and renewed, and ready women to continue to serve the women who are here Tuesday through Friday nights.
7. Pray for those in our congregation who are feeling the financial pressure of an uncertain economy.  Pray that God would give them peace and would provide for their needs.  Pray that those who are out of work would find jobs quickly.
8. Pray for the ministry leaders as they begin to prepare for a new ministry year.  In the next month, we will be starting Boundaries, Alpha, and Financial Peace University and more.  Pray that our ministry offerings would be a context for transformation in the lives of those who attend.Pray for our high schoolers as they spend next week at camp in Leavenworth.
9. Pray for safety and a pouring out of God’s spirit in the lives of the youth that will plant in them a desire to follow Christ into the school year and build a foundation for the rest of their lives.  Pray that God would bless the leaders who so faithfully encourage and guide these kids.

Children provide the greatest insight into our relationship with Christ. There is a good reason Christ calls us to be as little children.

The other day when I got home, my kids came running and screaming to me. They grabbed me and hugged me. My daughter kissed me. It was wonderful. My wife came into the room, and, with a smile of mischief on her face, raised her arms in the air and screamed, then kissed me, laughing. (This isn’t something she does every day!) This was the best way to come home.

How often in life do we receive such a reception? Maybe at our wedding, maybe on the day we are born, or when we graduate, but it’s not something that is a common everyday occurrence. (Indeed if it was, it might grow stale?)

Perhaps the more pointed question here is this: How often do we give Christ this reception?

As the director of worship, I think about the idea of running to the arms of Jesus, screaming with joy. We have a tendency at Bethany to be sober in our worship. The reasons for this are many, of course. We are educated, we are reserved, we are Norwegian (or fill in any other nationality that may apply); other churches spend too much time on celebration and not enough time on confession and renewal, so that is what we should focus on…whatever the reason, we hold back.

What if the problem is that we have a trust issue? A vision issue? We tend to see ourselves in the darkest of ways: broken, torn apart, unworthy. It’s true—we are these things and more, but be careful of false humility. In Christ, we are not what we think we are. The truth is that in Christ, our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. To understand that, realize that this isn’t New York City to Seattle. Neither east nor west are fixed points; it is an infinite distance between the two. So when we come to Christ, it should be as children who are pure and free from what we think is entangling us. (It’s like we have an imaginary monster holding us back.) This is how it is with my kids. When they are running to me, I don’t remember that yesterday morning they couldn’t share or Nora wouldn’t eat her fruit; instead, it’s with the sense of how beautiful they are and how much I love them.

Consider the words of Derek Webb from the song “Wedding Dress”:
I am a whore, I do confess
I put you on just like a wedding dress
And run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
I put you on like a ring of gold
And run down the aisle to you

Pardoning the language if need be, this is typical of how we see ourselves, and it is true. We are prodigals and we are whores that give ourselves over to every whim and fancy. Yet within this context, Christ gives us everything. He still marries us. He gives us His signet ring and trusts us with His kingdom. He puts robes on us that are symbols of His love. He washes our feet. He gives us His very life. In Zephaniah, it says that He rejoices over us with singing.

So why do we hold back? Cynicism, fear, looking bad—I know all the reasons. I don’t have a biblical basis for this really, but I wonder if Christ isn’t waiting for us to come running and screaming to Him. If we can’t do that, then we need to at least ask for a vision of who He is and why we are hesitant. Yes, He will address your issues. Yes, He will correct you when needed. Yet the invitation is to come and feast, come and taste and see the Lord is good. It’s not a snack, it’s a banquet. We don’t have to be on a diet for this one. We can eat and be filled and pass the love of Christ on to those that are hungry and thirsty. If we had a sense that there is plenty to go around, I think it would change how we worship. If we had a sense that Christ’s arms are wide open and His heart is full of laughter, I think it would change not only how we pray and sing but how we treat one another. After all, Christ is in us. That is another entry I suppose.

Run to Jesus.

This was unlike the “typical” process. I didn’t know the 2 women getting baptized, someone else got to talk them through the significance of what they were doing and it was in the middle of the day at Green Lake. For the record, I am not a fan of lakes and Green Lake ranks high on the list in terms of grossness. Not only were there sick looking fish darting around there were also curious ducks who kept swimming right close to where I was standing. I thought it through ahead of time and had total confidence as I waded in that even the worst case scenario wouldn’t kill me, although being held down in Green Lake by a gaggle of ducks would be a horrible way to go. But day of I pulled it all together and focused on the women and how if I got a skin condition at least it would be in service to the Lord.

Being attacked by ducks aside, the significant part of the experience was not only telling people but being reminded myself of the covenant that baptism is. Earlier this quarter we talked in my worship class about our individual beliefs regarding baptism and how necessary it is to the individual’s walk with Christ. I don’t think baptism is required in order to have a relationship with Christ, be in community with believers or spend eternity with both of the aforementioned parties but I do think that it’s an outward sign of what is going on internally. And similar to marriage when one is in the place where they are willing to commit to the best of their knowledge the rest of their lives to this relationship and invite the community into that covenant relationship, it’s worth celebrating and shedding a few tears over.

My own baptism was life changing for me, I can’t articulate why that act changed things but there was a shift and the following months I grew in my relationship with God dramatically, heard his call to leadership and service, wanted to be in close community with those around me and desired to know him more. Since then, of course, there have been ups and downs within our relationship and my interaction with the community but the covenant remains and there is comfort & strength in that commitment.

So it was a big notable day for me & while I might not get a card or any sort of memento of my “first baptism” there is no doubt that I won’t soon forget it and I will be forever honored that these women allowed me to speak into their lives & baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

-Pastor Megan Dobrasz

Did you know that 2 out of 3 voting Americans can’t name the three branches of the US government? (and speaking of branches, we’re finally trimming that giant fir tree in the front yard. OMG, it’s been growing out of control and after talking to some people in the know we decided that we could take it on ourselves, but I’m going to need to sharpen my chain saw…but I digress). Anyway, our failure to understand basic things is rooted (don’t even get me started on the danger of roots making their way into our sewer pipes. It happened to our neighbor), says the author, in our failure to be able to focus on one thing at a time.

It’s ironic that this new book is, at the time of this entry, ranked #22 on the best-seller list for books about pop-culture (it’s presently linked on Amazon to the book people buy along with my book. Oh, you didn’t know I wrote a book. Yes, well it came about, um, I’ll need to tell you later, my phone’s ringing), because this is the week that the Time Magazine cover story is about Twitter. (Just a minute, someone came into my office to talk about church planting and satellite campuses. It’s entirely new terrain for our staff and we’re investigating how it works) Oh, and so as I was saying, Time points out how we valuable twitter will be in our culture and I’m like, “really? I don’t think so. I don’t know that I want people tweeting during my sermons because how will I know if they’re listening? Plus, who really cares?”. So (just a second, my chat box is open from gmail), the question is this: Is there value in swimming upstream against the multi-tasking, intrusive tech (oops, a reminder came up that I’ve a lunch appointment in 15 minutes), culture that we’ve come to accept as normative?

How should we then live?

A. Continue to multi-task but shut it all down at a certain time (say, 9PM or so) and read, meditate pray?
B. Be more agressive in fighting back by unplugging in large swaths, allowing intrusions only at scheduled times?
C. Leave things as they are?

I’d like your thoughts because…

Declining Math scores: 40 billion in lost competitive productivity
ADD: tragic loss of (wait a sec – the phone’s ringing again)
Increasing mean age of project managers in America to nearly 60 years old: alarming
Loss of thoughtful discourse regarding literature and ideas: disconcerting (oops… IM on the phone about a rehearsel)

-Pastor Richard

Pastor Brian Hallberg

Brent says in his post that “Calvinism is about certainty.” In a world of post-modern cynicism and the despair that comes with feeling ideological rootless, it’s not surprising that the pendulum would swing and that there would be a rise in the popularity of “solid answers.” But what does the fact that a movement is growing really prove? (I’ll point out that Islam is also growing rapidly in America.) Perhaps it only proves that we enjoy certitude, and the light-speed cultural changes of the 21st century only serve to increase our hunger for answers we can believe in; live for; die for.

There’s a great deal that’s commendable in this because I do believe that we’re made for a life of faith, a life where there are truths in which we believe utterly, truths to which we’re willing to commit our very lives. Lacking such truths, we’ll forever run around in a field of inquiry, never landing solidly enough to jump into God’s calling for our lives. Suddenly, at the beginning of a new millennium, along comes a movement that tells us exactly how things are, and we find ourselves ripe for solid answers. “You had me at hello…” we say, realizing that we’re finally home.

It’s dangerous though to offer people MORE certainty than the Bible itself offers, and this is one of the problems I have with New Calvinism. Go ahead and declare the Apostles’ Creed as those truths agreed upon by the early church after much debate, prayer, and finally, declaration. Tell me it’s true. Show me it’s true. Invite me to believe it’s true. I’ll stand with you, knowing that I’m standing on solid footing because each of those declarations is easily defensible for anyone who believes the Bible to be our final source of authority.

Neo-Calvinism doesn’t end with declaring high certitude about the core beliefs found in the Apostles’ Creed, however. It goes on to tell me, systematically, about my depravity, the depth of it, how it means that I’m dead, and how, because I’m dead, I can’t choose God, and that because I can’t choose God, God needs to choose me, and isn’t it cool that God chose me! Me! ME!!! (and implied… “so sorry about you,” but don’t question God’s love or justice because the fact that He chooses any of us shows what a cool God He is…etc., etc.)

I won’t debate those declarations because there are many places in the Bible where God does, in fact, declare that He chooses us. But I will suggest that this is only half the story. While Jesus offered some words that clearly indicated the Father’s choosing and calling and sovereignty, He also said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” If not anyone can come and drink, this seems like a bogus offer. Why would John the Baptist even make an offer like this if change wasn’t a real possibility? Or consider the examples of Moses’ and Joshua’s invitations in the Old Testament to “choose life.” What? Was there some fine print somewhere that I missed that read “offer not available to the non-elect”?

The tired old argument between Calvinists and Arminians about the nature of free-will and God’s sovereignty is a classic example of how dangerous, in some settings, certitude is. The reality is that we’re treading on the ground of mystery when we try to ascertain the interplay of man’s choice and God’s activity. Probably both are true, in ways that can’t be harmonized adequately this side of eternity. There’s some MYSTERY here, and when we fail to leave the mystery as mystery, instead offering a systematized answer, we do damage to the scriptures. The systems we create run the grave of risk of distorting the character of God, as is evidenced by the doctrine of limited atonement, which is a logical consequence of Calvinism yet not in keeping with God’s character in the Bible.

But now, suddenly, at the beginning of the 21st century, after 2000 years of failing to dissect the argument well enough to settle it, a few men have come along and figured it out for us. The answers, missing for literally millennia, are now here. “Thank you! Thank you! I can sleep now at night knowing the mystery is solved.”

Nope. Not really. It’s the wrong way to go, not because Calvinism is popular or unpopular, but because it’s presumptuous. Our neo-Calvinist friends may think they have found, in John Calvin and his system, the perfect interpretation of all the mysteries of scripture, yet many good people don’t agree. And among those good people there are plenty with the good fruit of Christ’s life present. Calvin’s system, while offering allegedly solid ground, implies a degree of certitude that, when the cat’s out of the bag and people begin to have questions of their own, will leave them feeling a little misled. Far better to say this, because there are, in truth, many areas where we’re all still learning.

-Richard

SPU Workshop: Learn to Write Children’s Worship Music

Want to write worship songs that will make children giggle with joy each Sunday morning? Musicians, educators, church leaders and everyone interested in writing kids worship music are invited to Seattle Pacific University’s latest worship workshop, titled “Amazing Happens 2009: Worship Music for Kids Workshop.”

This day-long event teaches the fundamentals of writing sound theology into vibrant and exciting children’s worship music. It will be held on Saturday, February 28, from 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons at SPU. Registration is $25, or $15 for students. Free parking is available. The event is wheelchair accessible. For more information or to register online, visit www.spu.edu/amazinghappens.

The event is sponsored by SPU and R Kids, a group of Seattle-area songwriters currently working on their first kids worship music CD. The workshop will introduce an R Kids songwriting contest with a $2,000 prize.

Founded in 1891, Seattle Pacific University is a premiere Christian university that equips people to engage the culture and change the world. Known for both their competence and character, SPU graduates are bringing about positive change in communities around the globe.

7 AM. Jogging around Greenlake. Training for a triathlon that happens in August. This is ridiculous. It’s cold and gloomy. My feet barely leave the earth. With swimming, I am free of the weight I carry. With biking I can be a racer. Running does nothing for me. Every step is painful.

So, on my most recent jog around Greenlake, on a day when my mp3 player died and I had no form of entertainment to keep me going, I started skipping. I’m sure I looked like an idiot to anyone driving by and in fact got a couple of teenagers honking at me and shouting some expletives at me, stating that my skipping determined my sexual orientation. (I make the assumption they are teenagers. It’s a bias with not basis of truth.) Not willing to give into pressure from the public, I kept right on going until I thought I would die from the motion of skipping. I started running again and found that strangely enough, I had a bit more push for getting back into it. I had cross-trained without even thinking about it. The ridiculous action had paid off!

Our spiritual life demands the same elements of the ridiculous. In fact, the ridiculous comes into play all too often. Consider the saints of the Bible. Moses wants to free the slaves of Israel, tries to do it as the Prince of Egypt, fails, goes to the desert for 40 some years where God calls him to do the very thing he wants. Ridiculous. He stutters. He’s old. He tends sheep. Lead millions to the promised land? BAH!

Or how about David? He is to be the King of Israel. Are you kidding me? He is a shepherd, he is the youngest of seven, scrawny and he plays the harp. The harp? Come on. At least pick a trumpet player! (Also to be noted is that in the culture of the day, musicians were one of the lower social strata). A Shepherd King? What Israel needs is a warrior!

Look at Paul. What does he say about himself? In regard to the law, a Pharisee, circumcised on the eighth day; as for zeal, throw the Christians to the lions; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. So, God sends him to the Gentiles, the pagans, the heathens, the unclean. What is going on here?

The absurd. The ridiculous. And God is full of crazy ideas.

The ridiculous is an education concept actually. In his book Models of Teaching, Bruce Joyce talks about how we can more easily learn when we associate ideas and concepts to the ridiculous. For instance, if we want to learn the geography of the Middle East, we might come up with a statement like this: I ran to the rack of clothes and saw the serial numbers of the Jordache jeans. How many countries can you see? Let me type it again with bold: I ran to the rack of clothes and saw the serial numbers of the Jordache jeans. Let me spell it out: Iran, Iraq, Saudi (Arabia), Syria, Jordan. The point? The ridiculous and absurd mixes things up and causes us to make fresh associations in our learning. Why wouldn’t this be true of learning about Christ as well? If skipping can make me run better, maybe other bizarre and unpredictable things will help me (read: us) in our understanding of Christ.

Maybe God is calling us to something ridiculous. We want to play to our strengths, our talents, but maybe that is the opposite of what God wants. Maybe He wants to play to the desires of our hearts and the only way we can truly know those desires is to let Him lead us in ways that seem outlandish or in ways that are the opposite of what we would want to do.

Don’t be absurd you say. OK. But consider carefully these words from I Corinthians 1:27: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” Let’s not forget in our culture that praises the strong and the smart that God is looking for the weak and the broken to become part of His kingdom. It’s ridiculous, but it is one of the mysterious ways that God works.

Sure it has. It happens to everyone. The good news is that with a little deconstructing, clarifying, and rearticulating, the two of you can come closer to understanding the original intent. It takes a little work, but it is possible to understand. What’s far more difficult is finding clarity of what an author was trying to say when you’re reading a book! Lets take the Bible for example. You’re trying to understand what it all means and you run into all those slaughters in the Old Testament. Does it mean God’s OK with war, or do the teachings of Jesus about turning the other cheek mean that war is simply not an option for a person of faith? Maybe you want to know what God thinks about homosexuality, or divorce, or capitalism (of the three, God seems least ambiguous about divorce). So you read, but the feedback loop seems closed. How do we come up with a sense of what God is saying? I’d suggest that, in addition to utilizing some of the resources below for reading your bible, the following communication tools will be helpful:

1. Humility: I need to come to grips with the reality that I don’t always know what my wife is saying clearly and I’ve lived with her for 28 years! I bring my own script to the table and so I sometimes miss her point entirely. Only later, after clarifying comments, do I begin to understand. The same thing is true with the Bible. I need to live with the convictions that I have UNTIL I’m persuaded that I’ve missed something and that God was trying to tell me something other than I thought. This shifting has happened to me before. Sometimes it’s gotten me into trouble with people who’ve been threatened by a theology that evolves. But I’m convinced that if the heart is looking for truth, our theology WILL evolve.
2. Clarifying Voices: When I misunderstand someone and they know I’ve missed the point, they might look at me, cock their head say, “You just don’t get it do you!” Then they’ll say it again, “What I meant was…” and their clarifying statements will have provided the needed light. When we read the Bible, the clarifying voices are there too – you just need to look a little more closely to find them. The clarifying voices that I find most helpful are: a) Other scripture passages, b) the cultural context of a passage, and c) Church history. None of these are ‘trump cards’ that alone bring a definitive clarifying interpretation. But all are important. Without them, singular passages from the Bible can be used in incredibly destructive ways.
3. The Holy Spirit. This seems to be the most vital source of correction and clarification. If we read the Bible prayerfully, asking the Holy Spirit to show us what God is saying, I believe that prayer will be answered. Of course, two people pray such a prayer and still come to diametrically opposite conclusions in many, many areas. That’s why we need humility – but humility doesn’t mean that we stop living until we get it all figured out. It simply means we understand that until we see Christ face to face, we’re on a journey. So let’s give each other the grace to remain in fellowship and dialogue, because the voice of the other will help me see with greater clarity if I approach it with prayer, humility, and a commitment to truth.

Digital Scripture Resources

Daily Devotional
Henri Nouwen

Scripture
Verse of the Day
Daily Manna

Bible Reading Plans

Comprehensive Bible Reading Plan (365 Days)
Ready for the incredible privilege and adventure of reading the Bible through cover to cover? We hope so! It takes only about fifteen minutes a day. Enjoy! As you read, ask the Lord to help you see the redemptive story of the Bible. It’s the heartbeat of every book from Genesis to Revelation.

Biographical Bible Reading Plan (121 Days)
Want to read Bible highlights from Adam to Zechariah? It’s easy! The advantages of this approach include ease in seeing the story of the Bible and becoming acquainted with the entire Who’s Who of the Bible. As you read, be sure to thank God for what he’s going to do in and through you during the months ahead!

Survey Bible Reading Plan (61 Days)
Want to read highlights from every book of the Bible? This reading plan walks you through key passages from every book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in just 61 days. You’ll be able to trace God’s plan of salvation from start to finish in short, readable selections over the course of three months.

Chronological Bible Reading Plan (61 Days)
Would you like to read through the key stories of the Bible in chronological order, tracing the development of God’s plan from Adam and Eve to the church of the New Testament? This reading plan introduces you to the major people and events of the Bible in chronological order, beginning with Creation, moving through the birth and history of the Israel nation, and ending with Revelation’s prophetic words. It’s all broken down into 61 easily-readable segments.

The above bible reading plans may also be found in the book, How to Read Your Bible by David and Renée Sanford (W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright (C) 2005 Sanford Communications, Inc. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

After two-and-a-half hours, the demoralizing thing is not that my car is still waiting to have a flat repaired, but that many of the people who were sitting in the waiting room when I arrived are still here. Even same-day service in the middle of this winter storm is beginning to look unrealistic. The crowd of people searching for chains and studded tires now extends out the door.

How ironic to be reading Paul Young’s The Shack as I wait. “There is something joyful about storms that interrupt routine. Snow or freezing rain suddenly releases you from expectations, performance demands, and the tyranny of appointments and schedules.” Was this written for me – for today? I don’t feel released from anything. I’m expected to be in the church office, and that’s where I want to be. There’s esprit de corps to consider if nothing else.

The crowd around me ranges from young to old, passive to aggravated. Most of these people apparently find the interruption of routine no more pleasant than I do. It somehow makes my own pique more normal, more acceptable.

One guy has a smile on his face. He’s older, maybe in his 70s, and I’m guessing he has no place else to go. Is that the secret? He seems to find the whole situation humorous and keeps joking with the overworked folks behind the counter. I can tell the sales people find his attitude a nice respite from the demands of others. Amazingly, this one guy seems to be having an impact on the whole waiting room. Shamed a bit by his cheery demeanor or perhaps awakened to the reality that each of us can choose how to respond to circumstances, the atmosphere is definitely improving.

What an example of the believer’s role in a dark and traumatized world! This old fellow’s pleasant attitude isn’t mindless or manufactured. He has just lived long enough to see all this stuff before. Likewise, Christ has revealed to his followers the end of life’s story.

After the ice and snow blanketing Seattle melts away, deeper anxieties will remain. Do I have the ability to be the fellow in the waiting room? Can I influence my neighbors by exhibiting the reassuring, pleasant, community-changing demeanor that comes from knowing the end of the story?

As I was leaving work today, I called my wife to say that I was on my way home. Her reply shocked me: She told me not to get in an accident, because my four-year-old son was worried I was dead. He had asked her earlier in the day if I would die when he grew up. She gave him the brutal, honest truth: Yes. He had been dwelling on that all day and eventually started crying about it.

After I hung up, I started crying too. No four-year-old should have to think about this. I have only the Lion King to thank for this. Mufasa, father to Simba the Lion King, dies while saving his son’s life. This is where my son got this fear. From Disney for crying out loud!

So when I got home he and I did the usual stuff-wrestle, run around the house before bed, brush teeth, read stories, pray. Then I got him in bed and he asked me the same question. Will I die when he grows up? What ensued was a rather long discussion about heaven and who will be there. I told him about my life and the losses I had growing up. We talked about grandpa who passed away this past year. I cried through most of it.

I was crying for him, but I was also crying about a realization that I have kept under wraps for a long time. I’ve known about it, but this incident with my son pushed it to the forefront of my consciousness. I am waiting for God to take away from me the things I love. I am waiting for the axe to fall. I don’t trust Him.

What an odd realization. I work for a church and I don’t trust the God I supposedly serve? The fact is I want to be around for my kids. I don’t want them to grow up without a father. I want to see them play soccer or be on a swim team or learn to play an instrument. I want to see them graduate from high school and college. I want to be at their weddings and see my grandchildren. (I won’t hope for great grandchildren-I’m a little old for that.) Deep inside though, I’m afraid I won’t be.

The worst thing is that there are no promises that I will be around for any of these things. Indeed, the realization that I think God might just pull a fast one is more than disturbing-it is foundation shaking. I work for a church. I’m in the ministry. I’m supposed to believe God, trust that He ultimately has the best in store for me.

And He does. Here is the problem though: His best for us is not always our best for us. We don’t have much say in what we get and all too often what we get is never explained. Why did the cancer take a loved one? Why did the money I invested in the stock market for a nice retirement disappear? Perhaps even more importantly, why did terrorists go on a killing spree in Mumbai? What possible plan does God have in any of this? The only answer I can possibly come up with is that He wants us to believe in what we can’t see. Despite it all and through it all, He has the keys and we have to fall into Him with complete trust.

Today was rather existential. On some level, it suddenly all seemed very meaningless. Jean Paul Sartre would be proud. Albert Camus would quietly nod his head in agreement. Still, I realize I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I get the chance to talk to my son about Jesus and heaven.

As I lay in bed, the pain of our conversation is so palpable that I pray that God will grant me the desires of my heart and that if I don’t get what I want, I pray I would be content with what He has gives.

Julie Johnson is a Bethany attender who’s on staff here at the school where I teach. It’s been great to watch her working as the residential life person, caring for the students, leading a trip to Salzburg, cracking jokes during announcements, checking assignments, helping in the kitchen, and just generally doing whatever needs to be done in order for Tauernhauf to be one of the best 12 week Bible School options on the planet. She’ll stay on and teach snowboarding this winter for ski/snowboard camps, revert to the residence life role for spring school, and then be a mountain guide for their summer programs.

I love being part of a church that seems to always have people out and about, living the adventure of the Christian life in obedience to God’s calling to cross-over, whether that means crossing the room to talk to a stranger, or crossing the world to lead ski trips – all in order to be the presence of Jesus to some people who will be blessed by the crossing.

I’m also struck, while here, by the power of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words: “it is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others” In this ministry, the teaching is upheld and reinforced by residence life, cooks, housekeeping, maintenance, administration, finances, and residential teachers. Together, Christ is seen. On our own, nothing happens. This is the case at home as well, at Bethany Community Church. Where there is interdependency, the functioning of a variety of gifts, and blessing of the Holy Spirit, there is life. This is the reality of being the body of Christ.

I’m looking forward to coming home very soon now, but I leave this place encouraged that Christ’s “Bethany” body is scattered, in the best sense of the word, around the world.

]]> http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/bethany-scattered/feed/ 0 http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/unexpected-surprises/ http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/unexpected-surprises/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:38:54 +0000 katiew http://churchbcc.org/?p=1670

I would categorize myself as one who is not an admirer of surprises. I don’t care for surprise parties, or many unexpected things in general–nevertheless, life is full of surprises. God keeps showing me that life has to be lived trusting Him, and that His way is better than mine. For example, John and I found out that we are going to have a baby this May. It came to us as a major surprise! Previously, I struggled with quite a bit of anxiety about and fear of pregnancy, everything from morning sickness to labor. Yet so far, I haven’t had any nausea to speak of. How good the Lord has been to us! And what a joy it is to be expanding our family. I am so thankful my initial “plan” to wait longer out of fear was subdued by the Lord’s plan and His timing for us. This stage of my life has been such a clear testimony to how God is working despite our fears and how He even trades our fears for faith.

Another recent surprise in my life came in the area of my family’s housing situation. We moved into a cute, little one bedroom apartment last summer, knowing that it would help us save money and that we didn’t need much space anyway. Well, with a baby on the way and extended family coming to visit from out of state, a second bedroom started sounding pretty nice! I have been praying for the last few months for some specific and crazy things such as two bedrooms and two levels. Though I was praying for specific preferences, I was more than willing to take any two-bedroom place in our price range, which we all know can be quite the challenge in Seattle! To my surprise, I looked at a townhouse yesterday that is exactly what I have been dreaming of. I don’t think this is by coincidence! I have to admit I believed that God would provide, but I also knew it could mean that provision would come in the form of my contentment with staying in our small apartment. Instead, finding this townhouse has been a wonderful surprise and blessing.

I was reading my sister’s blog this morning and they were surprised to wake up to November snow on the ground in North Carolina. It made me think about my recent reflections, even about the weather. A sunny day, a peaceful snowfall, a beautiful sunset—we cannot plan these things. The truth is I can “plan” out my day, but I really have no idea what the day will hold. A meaningful conversation with a co-worker, a hug from a child, an encouraging word from a friend, a crisp fall walk in the sunshine could all be unplanned joys of a day.

Not all surprises are good ones—a heart attack, finding out you have cancer, a harsh word, and many more. No one plans that either. But all of these surprises remind me of what Christ said: “Do not worry about your life saying, ‘What will we eat? Or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the pagans eagerly seek all of these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself” (Matthew 6:31-34a).

Brian Hallberg
Children’s Pastor

But now that it’s over, millions of believers are waking up either elated or exasperated, overjoyed or angry, delighted or despairing. I know this because this is a time of seismic political shifts among people of faith, with fractures growing along geographical, generational, theological, and economic lines, depending on your particular situation. I know this because in this first election since the rise of the blogosphere, inflammatory pixels have been hurled, believer at believer, with such intensity that outsiders would think the left and right worship different Gods.

Millions of Christians are feeling that the country is headed, more than ever, in the wrong direction, while the rest are conviced that better days are finally ahead and the right man won. Many are angry at the other side, incredulous that Christians could vote as they did. But behind the sound bytes, blog attacks, and flashes of apocalyptic rhetoric, if one listens carefully, there’s a humble Jewish man saying, “by this all men will know that your are my disciples, in that you have love for one another.” This love has largely gone missing during the recent political season. Continuing to wallow in bitterness or gloat in triumphal pride are not acceptable options for people who follow Jesus. We must find a way to move towards the healing of relationships and unity of heart and purpose that is foundational to our calling. Yes, we must.

Recovery begins by realizing that the winner is neither Messiah nor Anti-Christ. Believing that any party is God’s party leads to heights of elation or depths of despair unbecoming to those who claim that Christ is our true king, His reign our true hope, and embodying that reign our true ambition. The reality that Jesus stands outside the confines of our political structures was demonstrated during His short stay on earth, when He was no party’s poster child, no ideology’s champion. He came offering a different kingdom, whose ethics and calling stand apart from the warring systems of this world. This is where we must place our hope.

We must realize that our calling is to live, right now in the present, in accordance with the priorities and ethics of our eternal King, and His coming kingdom. This will mean offering bold critique and resistance at some moments, and enthusiastic support at others, for various positions and reforms offered by both the left and the right. As we seek to embody this Kingdom, the walls that have divided us will fall down, because we will care about life in the womb, and life on the streets; we’ll care about justice and mercy; we’ll care about loving our enemies and standing up for those who are unprotetcted. We’ll become artisans of genuine hope, spilling the colors of beauty, reconciliation, celebration, serivice, justice, peace, and compassion on the canfass of our communities. This, I’m convinced, is not only our calling in Christ, it’s what our world desperately needs in these immensely challenging days. We must lay our weapons down and commit to being the presence of Jesus in the world. Yes. We must.

The rain is falling as I drive south on the Oregon coast, the road dropping off to my right offering glimpses of the waves crashing against the rocks. I see a sign for “Cooks Chasm” and impetuously pull off out of curiosity. There’s a sign at the far end of this tiny parking area and I walk over to it. From there I can stare straight down into the chasm, maybe 100 feet deep. Waves are crashing into this narrow gorge with explosive force, but nothing has prepared me for what happens next. As I’m looking down into the chasm, what appears to be a geyser suddenly shoots out from the rock, shooting sea spray about 50 feet into the sky. This is accompanied by a thunderous explosion, like the sound of thunder. This is called a ‘blow hole’, and it’s the result of the pressurized water of enormous waves shooting into the chasm.

I spend the next 20 minutes watching the blow hole perform, and each shot is pure delight. Between shots, I gaze across the landscape of wave and ocean, mindful that these waves have been crashing upon this share for generations, through the rise and fall of nations, wars, reformations, counter-reformations, and the rise and falls of political systems, economic systems, and world views. There’s something about standing in the face of that which points to power, eternality, and steadfastness that invites me into the Father’s arms. It’s good to be here, by the sea, with the Lord.

I ponder the working of sea on rock, ponder the metamorphosis of stone that comes because of water’s relentless caresses. This is how our Father transforms us as well. As we allow ourselves to be touched by His caress, we become, inevitably, shaped into His likeness. It happens through our renewal. It happens progressively. It happens so slowly. But like waves against the rock, it happens. Can we rest in this? Can we find peace in this? I hope so.

Learning how to pursue our God, how to allow that caress, how to embrace our long journey of transformation, requires discipline on our part, placing ourselves in the path of transformation so Christ can be seen. This is why silence, solitude, prayer, and Bible reading, and so vital in our lives. They are the waves that caress our soul, transform our mind, and shape our hearts. Little by little, as we show up, we place ourselves on the path of transformation. These are the ancient paths that lead to life. We keep showing up. The waves of His life, love, and mercy, keep transforming us.

We are rocks: Stubborn; resistant’ rooted. I pray that in these exciting days we’ll learn to place ourselves in the waves of His life.

]]> http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/the-relentless-waves-of-mercy/feed/ 0 http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/no-suprise-but-wwjt/ http://churchbcc.org/bethany-blog/no-suprise-but-wwjt/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:23:50 +0000 Richard http://churchbcc.org/?p=1071 Here’s the quote of the day: “We’re all worried about losing our jobs,” Rep. Paul Ryan, a Republican, declared in an impassioned speech in support of the bill before the vote. “Most of us say, ‘I want this thing to pass, but I want you to vote for it – not me.’ “

What else could you expect from an economic system predicated on the notion that everyone acting in their own self-interests will always lead to a win/win situation. Somehow, I wonder: WWJT. What would Jesus think?

He’d think that we should put the interests of others before our own. He’d think we should put the interests of the kingdom before our own. He’d think we should live generously. He’d think we should open our homes, share our food, and care for those who can’t care for themselves, and that these kinds of things should be our priorities.

We’ve been trying to reconcile Adam Smith and unregulated economics with the gospel for a long time. Can we please stop? What’s needed is a new model where the government rewards, not self-interest, but service and sacrifice. This might be an opportunity to build a new energy and technology infrastructure. Maybe America can begins producing goods again, rather than trying to live off fabricated wealth. Maybe, but I’m not sure. If Christians, who have the very words of Christ about money refuse to alter their view of self-interest economics, how will the rest of world do?

This seems, as I prepare to teach on Sunday, an apt illustration of what kind of posture is necessary for us to radiate the warmth of Christ to our world. Some of us don’t radiate warmth often enough because we neglect even showing up. We’re like stones forever in the shade; we have heat bearing capacity, but we’re not warmth on our own, needing His life as we do to radiate heat. Others of us show up, pulling the Bible out as we eat our Cheerios, reading a bit, and then closing it. But when we get up to go to work, we immediately forget what we’ve received. In the parable of the seed and the sower told by Jesus, this would be like the one who hears the word but immediately forgets. We’re stones, touched by the sun, but quickly retreating into the shade.

It’s the one who meditates, ponders, internalizes the living Word, spoken by the Holy Spirit to his/her heart that is like a rock basking in the sun. This is why Psalm 119 speaks of hiding the Word in our hearts, and Psalm 1 speaks of meditating on the Word day and night, and Deuteronomy 6 speaks of talking about the Word when you rise up and when you lie down. It’s this kind of openness, pondering, reflection, that causes the Word to sink into us like the sun’s heat into river rock.

When this happens, radiating heat isn’t really something we try to do…rather it becomes a part of who we are.

River Rock:
Receptive;
Radiating Reality
Right where we live

Rock on…

This seems, as I prepare to teach on Sunday, an apt illustration of what kind of posture is necessary for us to radiate the warmth of Christ to our world. Some of us don’t radiate warmth often enough because we neglect even showing up. We’re like stones forever in the shade; we have heat bearing capacity, but we’re not warmth on our own, needing His life as we do to radiate heat. Others of us show up, pulling the Bible out as we eat our Cheerios, reading a bit, and then closing it. But when we get up to go to work, we immediately forget what we’ve received. In the parable of the seed and the sower told by Jesus, this would be like the one who hears the word but immediately forgets. We’re stones, touched by the sun, but quickly retreating into the shade.

For myself, it’s both a joy and humbling privilege to stand in the space where Billy Graham stood back in the 50′s and declare Christ to the many couples who have come here because this is a place where Christ is declared. God did some profound things in the lives of people last week, and I hope you’ll pray with me that He continues to work this week, expecting that His faithfulness and fruitfulness will prevail as we who lead make ourselves available to Him.

Bible Camp is like any camp. There’s a zip line, swimming pool, lake, craft house, climbing wall etc. The difference is that instead just KIDS going to camp, and focusing on soccer, or math, or horses, the entire family goes to camp, and focuses on Jesus. There’s about 11 hours of direct interaction with the Bible, as campers receive teaching from the word and then break into small groups to apply the truths.

Because of the profound changes I see, I’m sitting here pondering why more people in the world aren’t willing to relieve themselves of cooking, cleaning, shopping, internet and cell phone access, all the rest of it for one week in order to, as a family, go deeper with Christ? The truth of the matter is that I can think of no better way for a family (or a couple, and yes there were single adults there too) to invest one week each year. It’s a way of calibrating, checking our spiritual compass, assuring ourselves that, indeed, we’re walking in God’s story rather than our own. People from last week made huge decisions as a result of being here: quitting 2nd jobs to choose intimacy over income; releasing bitterness; renouncing destructive patterns — all because they showed up and listened for God’s voice.

As a result of this, I’m reminded once again of just how important it is to make time in our lives to meet Christ. Yes, the week per year is excellent, and I’d recommend it for anyone. But whether or not you do the week, please, please: CARPE DEIM – seize the day. Make a little time for meeting God in His Word each day, a little time for listening, pondering, understanding. This principle of showing up is enormous.

LET’S HELP EACH OTHER!! Do any of you have resources that you’ve found meaningful for help in daily Bible reading? You’ll find a little bit about both the challenges and fundamental principles of how to read the Bible in my book, “o2″. But there are countless other resources out there. What’s been helpful for you? Please share both the challenges you face and the resources you’ve found helpful, because as I’ve been reminded this week, good things happen when we show up and allow God to speak to us.

1. I don’t think the question is hypothetical and therefore irrelevant. Indeed, there are no doubt people on this planet who’ve said yes to the creator God, and yet haven’t known about Jesus. God goes to great lengths in the book of Hebrews to explain that, even in the Old Testament times, there were those who worshiped Christ without knowing it (see Hebrews 7), certainly without knowing His name. If there indeed is, “no other name in heaven whereby we might be saved” (Acts 2), then either one must know THE NAME Jesus, with a capital “J”, or people who respond to the revelation of deity granted them are, in accordance with their faith, granted the gift of righteousness, just as Abraham was granted righteousness, not by the old covenant of keeping the law, but by the new of grace (see Romans 4). This is a real issue.

2. The notion that people use this as a smokescreen is, while certainly true in some cases, itself a smokescreen. We appeal to CS Lewis “Moral Argument” for the existence of God on the one hand, and then on the other, when our moral sensibilities are assaulted because we can’t subscribe to a god who would cause billions to burn in hell for eternity because of some missionaries disobedience to their calls, we told to shut up and not question god. We can’t have it both ways friends. If we’re going to claim, as we rightly should according to Romans 2, that the law of God is written in the hearts of every person, and thus we have a sense of right and wrong, we shouldn’t suddenly become quickly dismissive of our notions of morality because they don’t fit with what might possibly our wrong theology. Might God be trying to tell us something by the fact that so many people are offended at the thought of God holding others accountable for a message they’ve never heard. After all, parents who punish their children for not guessing the parents will and doing it before they ask aren’t exactly held up as models are they?

3. Is there really a fear going on here that, if we suggest that people might be saved who’ve never heard of Christ, all mission work and preaching would cease? That seems silly to me, kind of like saying, “if people can get by on McDonald’s, better not to tell them about the far more nourishing and sustaining food available…” Love demands that we declare Christ, and serve in His name…doing justice, loving mercy, loving our neighbors, and more.

4. Opinions seem to range from a wooden and mechantistic ‘protectionist’ mentality, to an open ended sense of “mystery” and since we can’t know, we shouldn’t bother talking about it. The ends of the spectrum seem, to me, unduly flavored by modernity and post-modernity respectively. “protectionism” means my grid has been created, and I’ve got the answers already so the rest of my days will be about defending. The “mystery” people will see answers as so unattainable that time would be better spent listening to the latest indy band. Neither viewpoint helps us become salt and light in the world. I’m pleaing here for us to become people who hold our convictions, and live by our convictions, but who hold them with an open hand, always open to the possibility that, just perhaps, we don’t yet understand everything. I know I don’t.

Thanks for the discussion so far… perhaps these observations can keep it going. I’m in Los Angeles teacching this week – pray for me.