Transitions - Week 2 - Marty and Betty Proctor

Posted by Nic Colgrove | Labels: | Posted On Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 11:36 AM

For the second week, we were blessed to have Marty and Betty Proctor come and talk with us about their lives, and their wisdom for us as young people.  We are grateful to have leaders in our church who care as much as Marty and Betty.  They had so much to say... it will be impossible to put all the good thoughts in one single post.  (I may have to split it up.)

I don't think they meant it as a common theme... but something that Betty Said early on that resonated in my mind:
“We are Spiritual Beings on a Human Path – Not Humans on a spiritual Path.  God made us to last forever”
If we think about that single comment, and instill that into everything we talked about that night... and everything that we do and see in our daily lives... It can bring in a whole new perspective on WHY we live the life that we do.  And HOW we should live the life we are given.

For Instance..
Marty and Betty have both had a series of struggles in this world.  Both as individuals and as a couple.  How they have lived out these trials is a living testimony to their love in Christ.  During the night Betty said:  "Don’t be afraid when bad things happen, God might just have something great for you right around the corner."  

I LOVE to think about the lessons and wisdom she has learned from her life experiences..... unless we BELIEVE AND TRUST that we are spiritual beings... it makes it so much harder to trust in God when bad things happen.  From what I can tell, that’s not just a comment, that is their living testimony.  They opened up their lives to us... I'm sure they would do the same for you if you ask them.

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I want to make sure I cover the Challenges that Marty and Betty gave us though the evening. 
  • Challenge:  Don't forget about Friendship Evangelism.
    • What a privilege it is to get to know people.  It's a privilege to get to know people even if you don't "Bring them to Christ."  Pass on scripture to others, take them out to lunch, invite them over, etc.  Show the love of God in everything you do.
       
  • Challenge: Find your "Go"
    • In Matthew 26.  God gives us a challenge to:
      "19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
      God specifically tells us to "Go." And the question that Marty wanted to raise is "Where is your Go?"  What are you doing to "Go" and be out there.  We don't need all the answers, we can let the holy spirit do the work.  Our Go might be around the corner.  Our Go might be in the workplace.... We just need to GO!!
  • Challenge:  Be careful to say "I'll Pray for You"
    • In our daily lives, It is so easy for us to say… "I’ll pray for you" and then walk away.  But it is so hard for us to just stop and pray? There is nothing that is stopping us from saying a quick prayer, whether outside, in public or wherever.  Just stop and do it.   
    • Even if we are over email/Facebook/text.  Say it.... Let them know you are praying for them. Actively.

When the Proctors left us, they ended it on something very profound... and something we should always gauge our life by.  "The Ultimate Test of Maturity"
Hebrews 5:11-14
 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
In this passage, there is a description between what the mature need, and what the infants need.  However, the key to what a maturity is in the very last sentence.  "Have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
The ultimate test of maturity is the ability to discern “the difference between Good and Evil.”  And in turn, this can become such a key indicator of when someone is or isn’t ready to be a leader.  In our lives, in our study, in our relationships, and friendships.... we should always remember that.  We are to train ourselves to be mature leaders.... to do so.  We need to be trained to distinguish between good and evil.

I love it when God's word gives us clear advice.

Thank you to our leaders for pointing this out.

Transitions - Week 1

Posted by Nic Colgrove | Labels: | Posted On Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:33 PM

Tonight we had our first Church Leader come by for the bible study tonight, Joel Cacek, an Elder, leader, local business owner, and good friend of mine. The night had a good discussion, several life lessons, a study of Romans 14, and a couple of thought provoking challenges. It was a great night to learn more about our leaders and learn more about our faith. Joel and Myself shared our testimonies. If you would like to hear more, feel free to ask. I'm sure Joel would love to talk to you, I know I would.

Joel discussed the importance of reading the bible in a daily routine. In Joel's words... "The Bible leads to understanding, and it can change hopelessness to eternal hope." So.. what better for us to do than to do a study of Romans 14...?!?!

Joel helped point out the need of being a disciple through respect and love for each other. Including not being judgmental of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 14:1-4). We also discussed the importance of helping our brothers along the walk of faith, and doing so in Love. So many times we forget that others are on the same journey as us. We need to be reminded to do what leads to "peace and mutual edification" (Romans 14:5-21). And to conclude, Joel wanted to make sure we all knew that we shouldn't condemn ourselves to be a leader or to be a disciple because we don't "know enough," haven't "read the bible completely," or "don't understand." Basically, we ask God for direction, but then fail to believe that we are able to complete the task given to us from God. We must be free and believe that we can do what God puts on our heart because he is with us while we are executing out his will (Romans 14:22-23).

To summarize our evening, the following are a series of challenges that Joel gave us throughout his talk. I hope each of you reading will take into heavy consideration the wisdom and love that Joel has placed before us.

Challenges from Joel:
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  • Focus on God's Word
    • Even if only 5 minutes a day.. read something
    • The book of James is a great, simple study to start on. Read a chapter a Day!!
  • Simplify Your Life
    • Set goals for yourself
    • Remove idols in your life - think about non traditional forms (Internet,Facebook,Email,Sports,Cell Phone,Texting)
  • Let God Speak to You
    • Be a disciple
    • Don't condemn yourself for God's work. (Romans 14:22-23)
  • Serve Others... it might just turn out to be a great experience

I want to again thank Joel for stopping by our group tonight. I know I received a lot of wisdom from a man I personally respect. Thanks again!

 

Transitions - Intro

Posted by Nic Colgrove | Labels: , | Posted On Monday, August 2, 2010 at 9:43 AM

Changes... Transitions... Developments... a Shift.... No matter how you put it, we are in a world of constant change.  The world and culture we live in will continue to change.  We physically as people will change, grow, and mature.  Everything will transition; and all of that can be a little overwhelming.

However, there is GREAT news in the midst of this.  Because God is a part of our lives, we should be a little accustom to "This Newness" we face.
1 Cor.5:7  "If any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature; old things are passed AWAY; behold, all things are become NEW."
As well, I feel God has been anticipating our changes for some time.  Nothing comes to a surprise to him.  I really think it is summed this up very well in the following quote:

"Change is never complete, and change never ceases. Nothing is ever quite finished with; it may always begin over again. And nothing is quite new; it was always somehow anticipated or prepared for."
 - C.S. Lewis

Our purpose for the next study series is to prepare and plan for these changes, while we utilize the wisdom of the church elders and leaders. We have several topics that have been identified, and we have asked several church leaders to come in and talk to our group.

The topics may cover "Church Leadership", "Finances and Faith", maybe "Discipleship." But the topics will sure to cover something that is close to the leaders heart. I'm looking forward to this study. I will continue to blog to these subjects as well.   The complete study will last around 5 weeks (depending on availability of church leaders.)

If you are looking for a time to join our study, this would be it!!   Monday nights @ 7:00 PM.

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To start off each of the weeks, we will be asking a couple members to share their testimony.  Cody was willing to be the first, and shared his story tonight during the study.  In this "Transition" process I feel this is important, because we are asking for these church leaders to share a little bit about themselves. We are asking them to open up to us, we should be available to do the same thing. As well, this gives us an opportunity to connect in a closer way leaders of wisdom.

To share your story, it can be simple. REALLY SIMPLE. You can easily and effectively share your story in 7 sentences. Outlined in 3 easy categories as outlined in the study series "Contagious Christian." BC ==> CHRIST ==> AD Please take a look at the following outline to help you come up with your own story. Sharing our story.. our hope... our joy... is an opportunity. I hope we all take full advantage.

1 Peter 3:15   "In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
How to Outline Your Story:
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1.  BC (Before Christ became a part of your life)
   - A. What was your early spiritual background, and how did it affect you as  you grew up?
   - B. What caused you to begin to consider following Christ?

2.  CHRIST  (How did you meet Christ)
   - A. What realization did you come to that finally motivated you to recive Christ?
   - B. Specifically, how did you recieve Christ?

3.  AD  (After Christ became part of your life)
   - A. How did your life begin to change after you trusted Christ?
   - B. What other benefits have you experienced since becoming a Christian?
   - C. [End with a followup/concluding open ended question]