Tuesday, January 29, 2013

For My Granddaughter


By Pastor Tim White

Pastor Rey has been teaching over the last month on how life is not a circus.  This last week, I was the substitute preacher because Elise was getting ready to deliver a new baby girl.  I entitled my message for My Granddaughter Isabela.  It was really my prayers as the founding pastor of our church that we would build a healthy - happy church.  It is so easy for a church or a family to merely become an institution or a wanna be success story.  God has designed us to have relationships that go through the good times and the bad times.  It starts by our having a personal relationship with him. 

I love the prayer for the church family that Paul prays in Ephesians 3:14-19, "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

I have five prayers for my granddaughter and for every other child raised in this church that we can be a healthy happy church.

1.  I pray that my granddaughter can be raised in a church that is out to change the world through living out the good news of the kingdom of God.
2.  I beg God that my granddaughter can be raised in a church that treats women with Biblical dignity instead of demeaning of their gifts and talents.
3.  I ask that my granddaughter can be raised in a church that cares for the less fortunate and is happily involved in a changing world.
4.  I insist that my granddaughter is raised in a church where discipleship is a premium and people are taught to live like followers of Christ instead of just a culture game of religious superiority.
5.  I request that my granddaughter will be a part of a church where grace abounds and broken people are cherished and encouraged to be on Gods journey to wholeness.

  Someday there will be a little brown haired brown eyed little girl with the salt to change the world running around this church.  And along with all the other children - we want to bless them with a healthy model of faith and not some kind of a circus that we call religion.  Amen.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Unmasking the Illusions in Your Life?



By Pastor Rey Diaz

I lived under an illusion for the majority of my life. The illusion was that I could work 60, 70 or even 80 hours a week and my family would be fine.  So I did.  For much of my life I worked under the assumption that I had to put work first and that my family would ‘understand.’  I would pray to God and ask him to make my family understand.  All the while, I would declare to all who would listen that my family was the important thing in my life. 

But it was an illusion.  My actions were not coherent with my words.  My actions communicated something else completely: “You are important.  But my work is more important.”  Again I would never say that but that is how my family processed my actions.  And because my family loved me they were willing to put up with whatever – missed dinners, canceled appointments, late nights, or working during the weekends.

The problem with this situation is that no matter how willing my family is, eventually their physical, emotional and relational weakness will overcome their mental willingness.  And sooner or later, they are not going to be able to handle it.  And when this happens families are shattered.  Marriages are ruptured.  Relationships are fragmented. 

You see, we can’t have it both ways, which is why God is asking us to choose our family instead of our job.  Jobs can come and go.  But our family won’t.  You can repair and fix and restore areas in the work department, but it is harder to do that with families.  Which is why we have to choose to cheat at work and not at home. 

We have to learn to cheat the right place and the right time.  Home is never the right place or the right time.  Daniel was in this same situation where he could either cheat God by obeying the king or cheat the king by obeying God.  Daniel chose to honor God and God honored him.  If we choose to honor God by focusing on our families, God will be faithful to us. 

So where are you cheating? Does your family feel cheated?

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Does God Care About Football?


Look we could argue this all day.  If you want to have a Bible-verse Off, we could go all day (For those who don’t know a Bible-verse off is like a dance off only using bible verses instead of dance moves).  You could challenge me but beware: I’m undefeated so far.  (Except one time in Sunday school but he was cheating)

We love God.  That’s the most important thing.  He is number 1 and there is nothing even close.  This Sunday is not an option between God and football.  That is not even a discussion.  God wins.  This is a question of leveraging, think missionally, using culture to share God’s love.  So after much prayer, discussion, crying, and cheering we have decided to have SEAHAWKS Service during the normal 11am service. 

Please read this carefully:

We are offering a dynamic and powerful Sat night service at 5:30 and Sunday morning service at 9:00 am.  We are also offering our bilingual service, Esperanza, at 11am.  But starting right at 10 am in the gym we are having a SEAHAWKS Service! Dress up in all your Seahawks gear.  Bring your lucky chair, couch, coffee table, cooler or snack.  We will all watch the game together in the gym.  Then during halftime, we will have a couple worship songs a short 10 minute message, then go back to the game.  We will have Sunday school/childcare starting at 10 am through 12-ish available.  We will have hotdogs and snacks to eat.

BYOB – Bring your own Bibles.  Sorry, no alcohol J

Please invite your family and friends.  There are people who have never stepped inside a church who would love to come and watch the game if you invite them. 

We realize not everyone cares about football.  I’m sorry for the changes.  It will only be for one weekend.  Our 11am service is our innovative service.  We are out the reach the world and we will do anything short of sin to share the message.  Please pass the word around!

Summary:
  •           Dynamic services Sat 5:30 and Sunday 9am. 
  •           Bilingual service at 11am in Spirit Falls
  •           SEAHAWKS service 10am – 1pm in the gym: Hotdogs and fun.  Worship and message at halftime.  All invited!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Does Your Life Feel Like a Circus?



By Pastor Rey Diaz

Sometimes, especially during the holidays, life feels like a circus. We are trying to juggle work responsibilities, family needs, soccer practice, special events, and remembering everyone on the gift list. All the while we are praying and hoping that the delicate house of cards we have constructed doesn't come tumbling down. 

This year, 2013, there are lots of things you will do.  Lots of things you should do.  Lots of things you could do.  Lots of things you shouldn’t do.  But there is ONE thing you have to do.  There is one main event you cannot miss.   There are so many things hanging in the balance regarding this one thing.  So this year, I’m going to challenge you to have a laser-focus on this one thing.

What is this one thing?  I don’t know.  But you do.  It the one thing God has made clear he wants you to do.  It is something that has God has put on your heart.  Something that is haunting you and you can’t get off your mind.  Maybe it is something that you might have already tried and failed at.  Or maybe you’ve never tried but you know it’s time. 

For Nehemiah, it was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.  On arriving to that ancient city from exile, he knew rebuilding the wall was the one thing he needed to do.  There were so many problems he could have addressed.  There were so many issues trying to get his attention.  But Nehemiah decided, ‘this is my one thing.’  When his detractors tried to distract him from accomplishing his main event, here is how he responded:

 So I sent messengers to them with this answer:  I am doing a great work, and I can’t come down. I don’t want the work to stop while I leave to meet you.” (Nehemiah 6:3)

Nehemiah realized that this one thing is a great work.  It’s his calling.  It’s his focus.  He couldn’t stop or lose his intensity.  He need to build this wall and nothing was going to stop him.

 

This is the challenge before all of us this year.  What is the one thing that God wants for us to focus on this year?  Our family?  Our spiritual life? A habit?  A relationship? A project? A dream? What is it? 

But more importantly, can you focus on your one thing?  When distractions, schedules, to-dos come,   can you say with Nehemiah – I’m doing a great work and I’m not coming down.

In January we are going to look into a different way of living...a way without so much chaos, so much stress...a way of living with margin. I would like to invite everyone to come explore this idea with us, of giving up the chaos and living instead with margin…. Cause life is NOT a circus"

So what is your one thing?  What is your main event?  What is your great work? And can you commit to see it through?  What are you going to change or do to make sure you stay focused? 

So I sent messengers to them with this answer:  I am doing a great work, and I can’t come down. I don’t want the work to stop while I leave to meet you."
Nehemiah 6:3