Love

John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in
the name of God's one and only son."

Absolute, gut-wrenching terror. That's what I felt as I looked around
our empty family room, searching for my mom and brother. The
furniture and other familiar objects surrounding me loomed ominously
to my eleven-year-old eyes, and my heart thundered against my chest.
Our church had been showing a graphic movie series depicting the lives
of people left behind after Jesus' second coming. Once again, I'd
convinced myself that the absence of my family signified that I'd
missed the rapture. I knew that I'd become a Christ follower during a
Sunday night service years earlier, but the memory of cheating on the
previous day's math assignment weighed heavily on my conscience. Had
I waited too long to ask God's forgiveness for that sin? Was I now
destined to spend the next seven years trying to stay one step ahead
of the antichrist's soldiers?

The comforting echo of my mother's footsteps as she climbed the stairs
from our basement put my fears to rest. For now. Flush with relief,
I ran to my room, confessed my sin and prayed the sinner's prayer yet
again. For a couple of days I felt all right, secure in my knowledge
that God still loved me. But I knew that sooner or later I'd say or
do something I shouldn't and experience a fresh wave of terror at the
sight of an empty room.

This cycle went on for years. Every time I'd mess up, I was certain
that this time God would refuse to take me back. This time, he'd draw
the line and say, "Son, I think I've been about as patient as anyone
could expect a father to be. We had a good run, you and me, but this
time, you're on your own."

My version of God consisted of an old man dressed in white robes who
kept a clipboard at his side, always ready to mark down my latest
infraction. If I could remember my sins in time, and beg his
forgiveness, he'd scratch out my mistake and I'd be ok. At least for
a while. But I knew in my heart that God always stood ready to add
another transgression to my ever-growing list.

Was my caricature of God accurate? According to the Gospel of John,
absolutely not. You see, John 3:18 reads, "Whoever believes in him
(Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in him stands
condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one
and only son."

According to that verse, even though I would continue to mess up,
because I believed in Jesus, and had surrendered my life to him, I
could no longer be condemned. Period. End of story. For the longest
time, my human mind couldn't process that simple truth. Who really
loves that way? Who can honestly look someone in the eye and say, "No
matter how you hurt me, no matter how your actions embarrass me, no
matter what you say about me, I will still love you. In me, there is
no condemnation."

Think I'm making this up? Check out what the Apostle Paul had to say
in Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit
of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Kind of Resets your definition of love, doesn't it?

- Don

* Andy said that sometimes this truth is hard for us to accept
because we don't always see this type of absurd love modeled in our
families. Have you ever seen someone in your family model absurd
love? Tell me about it.

* In the Robb Bell video we watched Sunday, Robb said that the son
thinks, "I'm found out. I'm guilty." All the while, the Father is
saying, "There's nothing you could ever do that would make me love you
less." That may be one of the hardest truths in scripture to
understand. Have you ever had to come to terms with this truth in
your life? How?

Surrneder...

Luke 5:11 "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and
followed him."

What's your net? Are you willing to leave it behind? Those are
the questions that every Christ follower has to answer. To put it
simply, are you gutsy enough to exchange your safe, comfortable life for
His bigger story?

This choice is illustrated for us in the New Testament book of
Luke chapter five, verses one through eleven. In this passage of
scripture, Jesus calls his first disciples by inviting them to throw
down their nets and become fishers of men. Sounds simple, doesn't it?
Maybe not.

In his book, Velvet Elvis, Robb Bell goes a little deeper into
the context behind this story. You see in Jesus' time, Jewish boys all
aspired to become Rabbis. Boys began their religious training quite
young, progressing through successively harder levels of schooling until
they reached the point where they would be tested and apprenticed to a
Rabbi. Those who were smart enough, and could master the complexities
of Jewish law, became followers of a teacher or Rabbi. Those who
couldn't survive the rigorous selection process had to opt for other
vocations. They became fisherman.

So when Jesus invited Peter, James and John to throw down their
nets and follow him, he was basically saying, "Look, I know you've been
told before you weren't good enough, but I think differently. Throw
away the comfortable, safe lives you've built for yourselves and take a
chance on me."

Doesn't sound quite as easy now, does it? But the story gets
deeper.

If you notice, Jesus caught up with his would be disciples after
they'd experienced one of their worst nights of fishing. Simon (Peter)
tells Jesus as much when he says in verse five, "Master, we've worked
hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I
will let down the nets."

And then a miracle occurs. The men cast their nets back into the
Lake of Gennersaret, catching so many fish that their boats begin to
sink. In the space of a moment, the fishermen's worst day on the job
transforms into their best.

This is where the story twists. While the men are enjoying the
greatest success of their lives, Jesus invites them to leave their nets
behind and follow him.

Wow. When times are tough at work, it's pretty easy for me to
imagine selling everything and moving to Mexico to work with orphans.
Funny how I don't seem to feel the same way after a big promotion. If
you study the New Testament, you'll see that many other people faced
this same choice. The rich young ruler came to Jesus at the height of
his power only to be told that, to become a Christ follower, he had to
sell everything he had. Levi, a tax collector, walked away from his
lucrative job in order to follow Jesus.

So what about you? What are the nets that are preventing you
from completely following our Savior? Is it your career, your past,
your finances, or maybe the sense of control that you would have to
surrender to a God you've never seen?

During his message on Sunday, Andy made the statement that
"before someone can make a radical decision to follow something, they
first have to make a radical decision to let something go." So which is
it my friend? Are you the follower of a Rabbi or a fisherman?

* Feeling gutsy? Try praying this prayer, "Ok, God. Not my will,
but yours be done." Feeling really gutsy? Post a response and tell me
what happened after you prayed.
* Andy said, "all of us carry nets that can entangle us." Tell me
about yours.

- Don

Fair...

Mine. I want it. I had it first. I didn’t do it. But he started it. You may think I am replaying a conversation that took place this morning with my 3 year old son. And you are right. But even more revealing (and embarrassing) is my admittance that it is also the same conversation I have had countless times with God. I admit it. I am quick to find someone to blame when I have been wronged. To take it one step further, I quickly become an expert at justifying my actions when I have been the one doing the ‘wronging’.

When I was in younger, my parents and I would argue about how they were choosing to parent one of my siblings. You see, she chose a different path for her life – one that most anyone would agree was selfish and destructive. On the other hand I was doing my best to please my parents by excelling in school, holding a job and trying to learn responsibility. Don’t misread me here, I made more than my far share of bad decisions and certainly took many opportunities to show my rebellious side – but that is a different story for a different day. I was no angel child, but compared to her, I looked pretty darn good. No matter how good I was, or how ‘bad’ she was, we were still offered the same privileges it seemed. I got a car to drive to school and work, but you know what, so did she. Didn’t they know she rarely made it to school and didn’t even have a job? Strike 1. She would hit them up for some cash for who knows what, and I had to explain what I intended to do with every cent I was given. Strike 2. You can see where this is going. I would get so angry because it appeared that if I would choose to make poor choices I would be afforded the same luxuries, or perhaps even more. They were always dealing with her latest ordeal and I was just expected to “stay out of trouble” and “don’t cause us any more problems because we already have our hands full with your sister”. It seemed the spotlight was always on her.

I had never drawn the parallels of this story to that of the Prodigal Son, but today they were made very clear. My parents were extending the same grace to her as they were me. Why should I expect them to parent me any different? It wasn’t up to me. I wasted so much time being angry and wondering why I wasn’t being applauded for my efforts.

I am sure many of us have similar stories – but that is just it – the story doesn’t really matter. What matters is who you are in the story. Are you the rebellious son, lost and far from God? Are you the self-righteous one, no longer capable of rejoicing when a sinner returns to God? Maybe you've hit rock-bottom, come to your senses and decided to run to God's open arms of compassion and mercy? Or are you one of the servants in the household, rejoicing with the father when a lost son finds his way home? No matter what, God is standing there ready and willing to accept you regardless of who you believe yourself to be or what you have done. For me, I just need to accept grace for what it is – an amazing, unexplainable gift from my Heavenly Father.

Dee

Assumptions...

Mr. Rogers with a beard. Sheppard dude. Longhaired, halo
wearing peacenik. White robed, soft-spoken pushover. Helpless,
broken man hanging on a cross.

Say the word Jesus and see what pictures pop into your head. Do
the images resemble any of the descriptive phrases I've listed above?
Probably. But does that make them true?

The new series we're undergoing as a church, Reset, challenges
us to abandon our assumptions and discover who Jesus really is all over
again. How about these phrases:

Divider.
Activist.
Revolutionary.
Crusader for social justice.

Are we still talking about the same guy?

That's just it, isn't it? If we were really honest with
ourselves, then we'd have to admit that each of us harbors a unique
version of Jesus built from a combination of cultural assumptions,
intellect, and past experiences. Our own, personal, Jesus.
Would the real Jesus please stand up?

Fortunately, we've got something more than just stained glass
pictures or cheesy movies to introduce us to our savior. Read the New
Testament book of Luke, join a Reset group, and have the guts to check
your assumptions at the door. Come with us as we discover Jesus all
over again.

- Don

* Picture Jesus and his disciples standing together. Do you see a
bunch of construction workers on a coffee break, or a theology professor
and his grad students sitting in the faculty lounge? Why?

* Would you agree that most iconic images of Jesus feature some
version of an effeminate man surrounded by lambs or children? Does that
sound like the guy who trampled on the social taboos of his day while
insulting the members of the cultural elite? How do you reconcile those
images?

* I can sum up my preconceived notions of Jesus with one
word-boring. But how do you think a person as nonthreatening and bland
as we've made Jesus could convince twelve men to leave their livelihoods
and families to follow him to their deaths?

The DARE Challenge!!!

This isn't the stick your tongue against a frozen pole type of Dare. This is a Dare for each of us to step out of our comfort zone and serve someone.

Each day you will receive a dare that you agree to fulfill that day and then post your experience, the good, the bad and the ugly in the comment section below.

Imagine what would happen if we all decided to take the Dare Challenge...

Don't just imagine it... Do it!

I Dare you too!

* To sign up for the Dare Challenge please email us @ news@lifepointvineyard.com

Thanks!

He called us his Three Horsemen. BP, Kelsey and I were three of his five Troop Commanders, great friends, and brothers in arms. Our Squadron Commander knew that he could count on us to together accomplish any mission that we couldn’t complete individually. Our relationship made the Squadron stronger, but more than that, our friendship made each of us stronger.

Like anyone deployed away from his family and loved ones for a year, I endured some dark times in Afghanistan. But the friendship and trust I placed in my fellow Horsemen helped see me through those moments. On countless days existing on little sleep while spending long hours in the cockpit, the sound of my friends’ voices checking in over the radio often brought a smile to my face. Knowing that they were in the air with me provided a feeling of security during uncertain times.

I can recall one mission in particular that went terribly wrong. While lost in the maelstrom of chaos that poets call the fog of war, the one stalwart I clung to was the conviction that if I too were shot down, Kelsey would come for me. I knew this without Kelsey ever voicing this sentiment, because if the situation were reversed, I knew that I would come for him.

The bond between the three of us didn’t develop in Afghanistan—we were a community before we deployed. Our wives were friends, our children played together and we ate dinner at each other’s houses. We’d invested the time and effort to develop our community prior to Afghanistan, so that when I needed friends the most, I already had a family to support me.

So what about you? Do you have a community that supports you? If not, do you ask God why he hasn’t sent anyone into your life? Maybe you should be asking him to point you towards someone who needs your time and energy in their life. Sooner or later all of us will face a trial like Afghanistan.

Don’t face yours alone. Take a step towards someone today.

-Don

• Is your small group a band of brothers or just a bible study? What can you do to grow authentic community in your small group?
• Andy said, “Christian life is designed to be a team sport.” Are you part of a team? Why not?
• React to this statement: Our faith in God is personal but never private. Who have you invited to share in your personal relationship with God?

Intimacy

Merriam-Webster defines the word intimate as to communicate directly and delicately. I don’t know about you, but that is certainly a characteristic I would like the relationships in my life to have. I am a wife and a mother so intimacy takes on many forms in my household. Intimacy isn’t the first word that comes to mind when thinking about parent-child relationships, but when I look at the definition above, it is one I want to strive for. I certainly communicate directly to my children, but how delicate am I? Too often intimacy is mistaken as simply a physical attribute of a relationship when it really it is so much more.
My husband, Bryson, and I were talking Sunday afternoon about Andy’s message. You see, Bryson’s story was similar to the story that was shared. He grew up going in a very religious household regulated by rules. It wasn’t that his parents didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – they did – but they also felt it brutally important to live by certain rules. To quote Bryson, “I grew up with so many rules, that when I went to college and didn’t have any, I went wild.” Lucky for both of us, Bryson never lost sight of what was most important.

Our conversation didn’t stop there – what really got me was how Bryson related his ability – or lack thereof - to be intimate with God with his level of intimacy with his own father. Because his father hadn’t shown him what it meant to have a close, delicate, relationship, my husband was sailing uncharted waters when it came to experiencing God. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but for someone whose family life may have lacked intimacy it may be extremely difficult to be intimate with anyone else. Intimacy may not be something that is always taught, but it certainly is modeled.

After hearing my husband relate his struggles with being intimate back to his relationship with his father, I thought back to how the 3 points Andy outlined on how to cultivate intimacy with God can really apply in many interpersonal relationships.

1) Give the relationship your time. This one may be the easiest of the 3 --still difficult for many, but pretty self explanatory.

2) Be transparent. This is hard for most of us – possibly even harder with someone important to us versus with God.

3) Submission. Ugh. There is that word again. But, undoubtedly the most powerful of the 3. If you submit to God, your life will be forever changed.

So I challenge you this week to look for opportunities to be more intimate with the God that made you. Personally, I am going to start with the R-rated prayers. Sure, He knows everything about you, but do you know everything about Him???