We've really been having some great discussions at Kynetic! This past Tuesday we continued talking about faith, and more specifically this week, peace as part of the faith walk and how we can have peace about what we know God is bringing into our lives. Dayton started off mentioning Psalm 37:4 about God giving us our heart's desires. He then took us to Philippians 4:6-7, which lets us know how to make requests to God, and the peace that comes as a result of the prayful and thankful way we approach God with our desires. (Whic are the desires He wants to fulfill in us anyway -- isn't it great how that all ties together?)
Dayton remind us that it's the peace that passes all understanding -- that means it doesn't just apply to what we think we already have figured out or have partially covered ourselves. The fun/interesting part of faith is that we often have no idea how God is going to work that situation out in our lives -- but we do know that he will. It's kind of like watching a movie or reading a book where you know that the main character/good guy wins out in the end, but you don't know how that turns out. It doesn't take any of the excitement out of it, and when the difficult stuff happens, you know to keep paying attention, 'cause the story doesn't end there. God is directing the feel-good movie of your life. (Okay, completely punny, but yeah, I went there.)
The difference here is that you're involved in this movie making process as well -- and you do have the final say. (By the way, we totally talked about speaking your faith at the last meeting. [/plug] ) Dayton made the point pretty clear: "As a child of God and heir of all that He's promised, you can read and know what He says He'll do for you, but if you don't let Him do it, you're stupid." (Absolutely the best quote of the night.) So how do we stop God from doing what He said He would do for us? By not getting settled with the knowledge that He will do it for us; by losing our peace and our faith about the situation. If we don't believe God's word is true, then we have every right to be worried and stressed out about any and all of life's circumstances. But if we say we follow God (and according to 1 John 5 this is kind of crucial to us being His children), then letting the cares of this world control us is not really an option.
There were so many great points brought up by everyone: everything from "choosing to speak what God says about you and laugh in the face of what Satan's trying to throw at you" to "there's proof in scripture that God wants you to have His quality of life in every area of your life, you just need to find what relates to the area you're seeking." What stuck out with you? What was the point you really needed to hear, or what got you thinking? These discussions continue to grow life long after Tuesday's over -- sound off below, and keep it going!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Hey -- Cookout!
Hey Everyone! Kynetic is having a cookout! It's going to be on May 31 (that's a Saturday) starting at 6:30 at Caleb Hurst's house! (Well, technically it's his parents' house, but you get the idea.) Directions are below, and if you want to see the Google map, just click here. There'll be lots of good food and good times -- this is Kynetic, after all -- so you're definitely gonna wanna be there! You're also gonna wanna bring either a 2 liter drink or a big bag of chips ('cause guests who don't bring gifts are lame). See you there!
(By the way, did you notice how all the important details are in bold? Easy to see -- easy to remember!)
Directions:
9.6 mi – about 15 mins
1.Head north on I-640 E toward Exit 3B
2.Take exit 8 for Mall Rd S/Washington Pike toward Millertown Pike 0.4 mi
3.Merge onto Mall Rd S NE/S Mall Rd 0.8 mi
4.Turn left at Millertown Pike 1.3 mi
5.Turn right at Sable Point Ln 0.2 mi
6.Turn right at Fernbank Rd 387 ft
7.Turn right at Cedargreens Rd 0.1 mi
To:5801 Parasol Ln., Knoxville, TN 37924
(By the way, did you notice how all the important details are in bold? Easy to see -- easy to remember!)
Directions:
9.6 mi – about 15 mins
1.Head north on I-640 E toward Exit 3B
2.Take exit 8 for Mall Rd S/Washington Pike toward Millertown Pike 0.4 mi
3.Merge onto Mall Rd S NE/S Mall Rd 0.8 mi
4.Turn left at Millertown Pike 1.3 mi
5.Turn right at Sable Point Ln 0.2 mi
6.Turn right at Fernbank Rd 387 ft
7.Turn right at Cedargreens Rd 0.1 mi
To:5801 Parasol Ln., Knoxville, TN 37924
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Miracle Grow
Wow! Last Tuesday was a great night at Kynetic! (And no -- that's not sarcasm!) We continued our series on faith with Dayton's topic title "Faith to Pull You Through When Others Are Pulling Back."
We went back over Hebrews 11:1, and we talked about sowing our seeds in faith and not letting them die. Dayton reminded us that we water the seeds we sow in faith with the words we speak. He took us through the parable of the sower in Mark 4, and we talked about how most of us don't lose our seed at the beginning -- it's when we have to deal with the "cares of this world" and other things that we struggle with keeping our seed alive and healthy. Speaking the Word of God concerning the things we're believing for is how we keep those things those seeds growing towards a full harvest. The verse Proverbs 18:21 also applies to your faith -- the life and death for your seed is in the power of your tongue. (And you thought "talking something to death" was just a phrase.)
Dayton also took us to Mark 4:30-32, which talks about faith being "like a grain of mustard seed." He pointed out how the growth of the "seed" benefits more than just the person receiving the harvest. In the same way that birds and other creatures (humans included) benefit from the tree that grows from the mustard seed as it produces fruit, other people can benefit in the own way from the results of the seeds we've sown as they grow and produce fruit in our lives. God even brings people into our lives for that very purpose.
We also talked about being thankful and speaking that thanks to God (instead of complaining, which is what we tend to do). Reminding ourselves of what our seed is going to do -- for us as well as for the people/places the seed is being sown into. It's just another way to water your seed for growth. Dayton reminded us to stretch ourselves in our faith. We look at what we've had faith for and seen God do in our lives and build on that for the even bigger things we have to have faith for. That's not trying to believe God for something silly and outlandish (yes I used that word), but knowing that He's come through before and He will do it again, no matter the circumstance.
Additional verses we looked at during the discussion:
Philippians 4:19 (AMP)
Deuteronomy 8:18
Psalm 23
Psalm 34:10
Proverbs 10:22
John 10:10 (AMP) -- Dayton's favorite verse!
Like I said, we had a very encouraging time! For those of you who were there, what was your favorite part? What other faith attributes have you thought about since this past Tuesday? For those of you who missed our discussion, are you encouraged by the ideas on how to keep your faith growing toward harvest? What do these verses inspire in you? Don't let the discussion die! Sound off in the comments section below!
We went back over Hebrews 11:1, and we talked about sowing our seeds in faith and not letting them die. Dayton reminded us that we water the seeds we sow in faith with the words we speak. He took us through the parable of the sower in Mark 4, and we talked about how most of us don't lose our seed at the beginning -- it's when we have to deal with the "cares of this world" and other things that we struggle with keeping our seed alive and healthy. Speaking the Word of God concerning the things we're believing for is how we keep those things those seeds growing towards a full harvest. The verse Proverbs 18:21 also applies to your faith -- the life and death for your seed is in the power of your tongue. (And you thought "talking something to death" was just a phrase.)
Dayton also took us to Mark 4:30-32, which talks about faith being "like a grain of mustard seed." He pointed out how the growth of the "seed" benefits more than just the person receiving the harvest. In the same way that birds and other creatures (humans included) benefit from the tree that grows from the mustard seed as it produces fruit, other people can benefit in the own way from the results of the seeds we've sown as they grow and produce fruit in our lives. God even brings people into our lives for that very purpose.
We also talked about being thankful and speaking that thanks to God (instead of complaining, which is what we tend to do). Reminding ourselves of what our seed is going to do -- for us as well as for the people/places the seed is being sown into. It's just another way to water your seed for growth. Dayton reminded us to stretch ourselves in our faith. We look at what we've had faith for and seen God do in our lives and build on that for the even bigger things we have to have faith for. That's not trying to believe God for something silly and outlandish (yes I used that word), but knowing that He's come through before and He will do it again, no matter the circumstance.
Additional verses we looked at during the discussion:
Philippians 4:19 (AMP)
Deuteronomy 8:18
Psalm 23
Psalm 34:10
Proverbs 10:22
John 10:10 (AMP) -- Dayton's favorite verse!
Like I said, we had a very encouraging time! For those of you who were there, what was your favorite part? What other faith attributes have you thought about since this past Tuesday? For those of you who missed our discussion, are you encouraged by the ideas on how to keep your faith growing toward harvest? What do these verses inspire in you? Don't let the discussion die! Sound off in the comments section below!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Somebody Bring the Mustard!
Hi everyone! It's been a little while -- we took an extended break for the Women's National Championship (whoo Lady Vols!), but we came together this past Tuesday and got back to talking about faith. This will be brief, since we had more of an informal discussion.
Dayton started us of with Hebrews 11:1 (amplified version): NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. The point Dayton wanted us to take note of was the "proof of ownership". Faith is the substance by which we know we own the things God's promised us.
Instead of having different points for tonight, Dayton wanted all of us to talk about different ways in our lives where we have had faith for something and watched it come to fruition. Different people brought up different things, from ways to God has provided money right when they needed it, to ways God has given them the ability to save the money for when they needed it, and from God providing direction for a new career path, to God providing all kinds of open doors and network connections to transition into that career path. It was really encouraging to hear all the stories and different things each of us has learned through our experiences with God. It is true that God has set us up to be creative in our dreams and watch Him fulfill them.
So, what do you think? (See, I told you it was short!) Really, do you have a story about how you've seen your faith for something take shape in your life? Or something that God really got put deep inside you during a "faith" experience? Sound off below! The things that encourage you can encourage us as well!
Dayton started us of with Hebrews 11:1 (amplified version): NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. The point Dayton wanted us to take note of was the "proof of ownership". Faith is the substance by which we know we own the things God's promised us.
Instead of having different points for tonight, Dayton wanted all of us to talk about different ways in our lives where we have had faith for something and watched it come to fruition. Different people brought up different things, from ways to God has provided money right when they needed it, to ways God has given them the ability to save the money for when they needed it, and from God providing direction for a new career path, to God providing all kinds of open doors and network connections to transition into that career path. It was really encouraging to hear all the stories and different things each of us has learned through our experiences with God. It is true that God has set us up to be creative in our dreams and watch Him fulfill them.
So, what do you think? (See, I told you it was short!) Really, do you have a story about how you've seen your faith for something take shape in your life? Or something that God really got put deep inside you during a "faith" experience? Sound off below! The things that encourage you can encourage us as well!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What'd You Say?
So, our discussion this past Tuesday was a great transition from our short series on having and fulfilling a vision for your life (according to our past posts) into our new series on faith for your life. Dayton took us back to our example in Genesis and noted how, even though God had made His promise to Abram perfectly clear, Abram had to show a sign of acceptance in order for the promise to come to pass. When he showed that sign of surrender to God's plan, everything changed (see Genesis 17).
The first thing that changed was Abram's name; from Abram, meaning "great father", to Abraham, meaning "father of many nations". The very first thing God did was give Abraham a reminder of His promise to him. Every time anyone called for Abraham, he would hear the very thing that God had promised to bring into his life. In the same way, the very first thing we have to change when we step out in faith about anything is what we say about it, and about us. Chip has mentioned before how science has proven what the Bible already shows us -- our own words have a direct effect on us, much greater than the words we hear anyone else speak. We have to speak what we want for ourselves (our vision) instead of what we don't want to happen or what our current circumstances are.
Dayton had this great comparison of our words to the pixels on a television or computer screen -- in the same way that all the different pixels may be distinct but combine to form the whole image on the screen, so our words, maybe from different situations or times, combine to form the complete picture of our lives. We have to specifically choose what we say since it could affect the color, shape, clarity and vibrancy of our lives on that "screen".
That's why its so important to focus on the good things in our lives and the good things we expect to have happen (again, our vision -- see how easily this ties in?). A big part of the faith process is talking about those things; it's faith that takes those words and turns them into reality (Hebrews 11:1). It can word for the negative just as easily as it can for the positive, which is why we have to make a conscious decision to focus on the positive. That's not to say that we're supposed to walk around in our little bubble and pretend that everything's hunky dory all the time, but we should realize that our final outcome is not based on our current situation, but rather on what we say about our current situation.
Hebrews 10:23 tells us to "hold fast the profession of our faith", which is to continue to speak what God has given us instead of what we see in our surroundings. Dayton gave us a great example in a story of Willie George and how he dealt with his daughter having to go through a potentially life-threatening and life-altering surgery with very little advance warning. He said that Willie focused only speaking God's Word about his daughter's healing, health, and life, and every time thoughts came to him about fear or death or other issues, he would counter them by speaking God's Word out loud. As a result, she became one of only a few people to come through the surgery with complete and speedy recover and no side effects.
Willie's decision to speak out faith instead of the fear that was trying to bombard him had another effect also. He was talking with his wife after the ordeal and mentioned the faith fight he had been in, and she pointed out that because she saw him calmly professing faith instead of being agitated or fearful, she took that faith to heart and was able to have faith herself in the good outcome that God's Word promised. Because she saw him not giving in to fear, she chose not to give in either. The story is a big reminder of how our actions affect those around us, and how we can draw people closer to God and His promises by choosing to draw close ourselves.
We have the vision that God's given for our lives in our hearts and our minds (and hopefully written down somewhere, like Dayton's been telling us to do.) Now we just need to call it like we see it.
The first thing that changed was Abram's name; from Abram, meaning "great father", to Abraham, meaning "father of many nations". The very first thing God did was give Abraham a reminder of His promise to him. Every time anyone called for Abraham, he would hear the very thing that God had promised to bring into his life. In the same way, the very first thing we have to change when we step out in faith about anything is what we say about it, and about us. Chip has mentioned before how science has proven what the Bible already shows us -- our own words have a direct effect on us, much greater than the words we hear anyone else speak. We have to speak what we want for ourselves (our vision) instead of what we don't want to happen or what our current circumstances are.
Dayton had this great comparison of our words to the pixels on a television or computer screen -- in the same way that all the different pixels may be distinct but combine to form the whole image on the screen, so our words, maybe from different situations or times, combine to form the complete picture of our lives. We have to specifically choose what we say since it could affect the color, shape, clarity and vibrancy of our lives on that "screen".
That's why its so important to focus on the good things in our lives and the good things we expect to have happen (again, our vision -- see how easily this ties in?). A big part of the faith process is talking about those things; it's faith that takes those words and turns them into reality (Hebrews 11:1). It can word for the negative just as easily as it can for the positive, which is why we have to make a conscious decision to focus on the positive. That's not to say that we're supposed to walk around in our little bubble and pretend that everything's hunky dory all the time, but we should realize that our final outcome is not based on our current situation, but rather on what we say about our current situation.
Hebrews 10:23 tells us to "hold fast the profession of our faith", which is to continue to speak what God has given us instead of what we see in our surroundings. Dayton gave us a great example in a story of Willie George and how he dealt with his daughter having to go through a potentially life-threatening and life-altering surgery with very little advance warning. He said that Willie focused only speaking God's Word about his daughter's healing, health, and life, and every time thoughts came to him about fear or death or other issues, he would counter them by speaking God's Word out loud. As a result, she became one of only a few people to come through the surgery with complete and speedy recover and no side effects.
Willie's decision to speak out faith instead of the fear that was trying to bombard him had another effect also. He was talking with his wife after the ordeal and mentioned the faith fight he had been in, and she pointed out that because she saw him calmly professing faith instead of being agitated or fearful, she took that faith to heart and was able to have faith herself in the good outcome that God's Word promised. Because she saw him not giving in to fear, she chose not to give in either. The story is a big reminder of how our actions affect those around us, and how we can draw people closer to God and His promises by choosing to draw close ourselves.
We have the vision that God's given for our lives in our hearts and our minds (and hopefully written down somewhere, like Dayton's been telling us to do.) Now we just need to call it like we see it.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
WRITE It Down!
So we reviewed our last discussion on having a vision for our lives (see previous post), and Dayton took us right into this weeks discussion with the question, "What do we do next?" Going back to our example of Abram, when God told him to look up, and that everything he could see would be the greatness of his family, he responded by walking the land and established himself by dwelling there. Once we look up and see what God has in store for us, how do we step towards it? Well, the obvious answer is to take some sort of action (especially considering James 2:26), but what? To figure that out, Dayton detailed for us the idea of having a written plan of action -- stated goals for your life.
As we noted is last week's story about the Harvard graduates, and in Habakkuk 2:2, there is power in having stated goals. They don't magically make things happen (this isn't Harry Potter), but they do affect our ability to focus on what's important and what we can do to move us in the direction of our vision. Dayton showed us a way to break down our life goals on a "vision sheet", which divides goals into four categories:
Habit -- goals for the next 21 days
Short-term goal -- 3-4 months
Mid-Term goals -- 1 year
Long-Term goals -- 10 years from now
Dayton reminded us that our long-term goals need to be BIG; we're should be a little embarrassed by how amazing they are. The shorter goals should line up with the long-term goals -- they can provide stepping stones to prepare us for the big things in our futures. The goals should be stated clearly; vague descriptions leave loopholes for your dreams to fall through. (Isn't this why legal contracts are filled with such jargon?) With this "vision sheet," we start over every 21 days, and redetermine our goals. This allows for changes to be made as priorities shift, and as we see more clearly God's plans for our lives. This also gives us the opportunity to celebrate the small victories while keeping the big ones in sight. Another idea Dayton brought up was the "20 Solutions" approach to our goals. We look at a particular goal and come up with 20 different ways to accomplish it. The first several ways may be easy to think up, but finding all 20 will usually require some critical thinking and analysis of the goals we have for ourselves.
The good thing is that it's not completely up to us to get all this taken care of ourselves. To fulfill God's plan, we should probably ask Him about it, right? That's what Proverbs 16:9 says; "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." God will help us make those mid-course corrections with our goals so we end up safely where he wants us to be. We can also talk with trustworthy people in our lives who can encourage us and help keep us on track, especially as we physically work out our smaller goals to reach our big dreams. We are much more likely to accomplish things when we don't feel that we are alone in the struggle.
Recap:
See above -- goal categories!
Having goals really is important to our lives, especially right now when so many people our age falter in reaching their dreams. And writing them down reminds us that we're not just floating aimlessly, we're headed in a good direction. To quote the quote (hehe) at the bottom of Dayton's vision sheet, "This is my vision, this is my plan. I will succeed."
As we noted is last week's story about the Harvard graduates, and in Habakkuk 2:2, there is power in having stated goals. They don't magically make things happen (this isn't Harry Potter), but they do affect our ability to focus on what's important and what we can do to move us in the direction of our vision. Dayton showed us a way to break down our life goals on a "vision sheet", which divides goals into four categories:
Habit -- goals for the next 21 days
Short-term goal -- 3-4 months
Mid-Term goals -- 1 year
Long-Term goals -- 10 years from now
Dayton reminded us that our long-term goals need to be BIG; we're should be a little embarrassed by how amazing they are. The shorter goals should line up with the long-term goals -- they can provide stepping stones to prepare us for the big things in our futures. The goals should be stated clearly; vague descriptions leave loopholes for your dreams to fall through. (Isn't this why legal contracts are filled with such jargon?) With this "vision sheet," we start over every 21 days, and redetermine our goals. This allows for changes to be made as priorities shift, and as we see more clearly God's plans for our lives. This also gives us the opportunity to celebrate the small victories while keeping the big ones in sight. Another idea Dayton brought up was the "20 Solutions" approach to our goals. We look at a particular goal and come up with 20 different ways to accomplish it. The first several ways may be easy to think up, but finding all 20 will usually require some critical thinking and analysis of the goals we have for ourselves.
The good thing is that it's not completely up to us to get all this taken care of ourselves. To fulfill God's plan, we should probably ask Him about it, right? That's what Proverbs 16:9 says; "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." God will help us make those mid-course corrections with our goals so we end up safely where he wants us to be. We can also talk with trustworthy people in our lives who can encourage us and help keep us on track, especially as we physically work out our smaller goals to reach our big dreams. We are much more likely to accomplish things when we don't feel that we are alone in the struggle.
Recap:
See above -- goal categories!
Having goals really is important to our lives, especially right now when so many people our age falter in reaching their dreams. And writing them down reminds us that we're not just floating aimlessly, we're headed in a good direction. To quote the quote (hehe) at the bottom of Dayton's vision sheet, "This is my vision, this is my plan. I will succeed."
Saturday, March 1, 2008
What Are YOU Lookin' At?
Okay, so we've moved on from our past series on the value of our decisions (if you missed it, read the previous posts -- they're awesome), and now we've started a new discussion series on our goals and moving into our future. This past Tuesday Dayton talked about having a vision for the future.
We got started with Habakkuk 2:2 -- "Write the vision and make it plain on tablet, that he may run who reads it." Dayton relayed the results of a study done at Harvard University which found that for one of its graduating classes, the 15% who had goals (regardless of grades) in mind for their life at graduation went on to make more than the 85% who didn't, and the 3% of the classes who had written their stated goals went on to become more wealthy than the rest of the class combined.
We then looked at Genesis 13:14-16, where God gave Abram a vision for his future. It was right after Lot had moved away from him, and had chosen the best of the land to dwell in (or so he thought). But God told Abram that everything he could see would belong to him, and the number of his descendants would be immeasurable. How's that for something to look forward to? But the thing that Dayton pointed out was the first thing that God said to Abram: "Lift up your eyes and look out from where you are." We can't focus on where we are and get a vision for a life we've never had. Abram had to look at what was in the distance, not where he was. We've heard it before, "What you see is what you get." People say it to show that they're real, or down-to-earth. But it can also be said when getting a vision for your future; what you see (focus on in your mind) is what you get.
Dayton quoted Webster's definition of imagination -- the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality. And he pointed out that imagination is a human characteristic; we're the ones who can develop and focus our minds on something that we have no first hand knowledge of. So when God said that He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20 NIV), He seemed to expect us to use our imaginations for our lives! (Mind-blowing, I know!) Our vision for the future needs to be something that we can only imagine right now -- something that it's going to take God to fulfill.
But goals and visions are just something we daydream about; it's not a goal if we don't try to achieve it. Dayton gave us some great examples of people who had a vision and took action, including George W. Vanderbilt, who, after traveling the world, got a vision of the house he wanted in North Carolina, and constructed Biltmore, complete with an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, exercise equipment room, two-story library, and intercom system, among other things. (Not bad for a house built in the 1800s!) Even Jacob in the Bible, when he was working for his father-in-law, had a goal to become wealthy in his own right. So when Laban (said father-in-law), said "I keep the pretty solid-colored sheep and you get the ugly spotted/striped ones ('cause he really talked like that), Jacob had the idea to take sticks and cut the bark off in a way that made them look spotted and striped. He put those sticks in plain view of the area where the sheep went to mate, and voila! The sheep produced spotted/striped sheep instead of solid-colored ones! (Please don't ask me how that works.) The point is, they produced what they saw (literally) so Jacob could produce in his life what he saw in his mind.
Chip added a real-life (not the others are real life...) story about a friend of his who decided that was going to Walmart stores, and drove to the headquarters in Arkansas, and waited for Sam Walton to come out of his office so he'd have a chance to talk to him. Even though Mr. Walton (no not that Walton) had never heard of him, he was impressed by his tenacity and hired him. This same friend, now a very wealthy man, recently had a piece of land he wanted to sell, and told Chip how he had wanted to sell it for one price, but the other people involved didn't think it would sell for that much and wanted to sell at a lower price. Once he made the decision not to market it for less than he believed it was worth, the land sold, for his price, within 24 hours. Aaron also noted a lesson he learned when he first began riding motorcycles -- where you're looking is where you're headed. It definitely applies away from motorcycles as well. And if we look nowhere, we go nowhere, which Kevin pointed out from Proverbs 29:18.
So, to recap:
-- Goals/Visions for your life are good!
-- You have to have them if you want any sort of life!
-- Dream big! Use your imagination!
-- If you aren't trying for it (in some way however small), it doesn't count!
As Dayton noted in John 10:10, God wants us to have life so abundantly it overflows the measures this world would put on it. We know what God wants us to have. What we do have is up to us.
We got started with Habakkuk 2:2 -- "Write the vision and make it plain on tablet, that he may run who reads it." Dayton relayed the results of a study done at Harvard University which found that for one of its graduating classes, the 15% who had goals (regardless of grades) in mind for their life at graduation went on to make more than the 85% who didn't, and the 3% of the classes who had written their stated goals went on to become more wealthy than the rest of the class combined.
We then looked at Genesis 13:14-16, where God gave Abram a vision for his future. It was right after Lot had moved away from him, and had chosen the best of the land to dwell in (or so he thought). But God told Abram that everything he could see would belong to him, and the number of his descendants would be immeasurable. How's that for something to look forward to? But the thing that Dayton pointed out was the first thing that God said to Abram: "Lift up your eyes and look out from where you are." We can't focus on where we are and get a vision for a life we've never had. Abram had to look at what was in the distance, not where he was. We've heard it before, "What you see is what you get." People say it to show that they're real, or down-to-earth. But it can also be said when getting a vision for your future; what you see (focus on in your mind) is what you get.
Dayton quoted Webster's definition of imagination -- the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality. And he pointed out that imagination is a human characteristic; we're the ones who can develop and focus our minds on something that we have no first hand knowledge of. So when God said that He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20 NIV), He seemed to expect us to use our imaginations for our lives! (Mind-blowing, I know!) Our vision for the future needs to be something that we can only imagine right now -- something that it's going to take God to fulfill.
But goals and visions are just something we daydream about; it's not a goal if we don't try to achieve it. Dayton gave us some great examples of people who had a vision and took action, including George W. Vanderbilt, who, after traveling the world, got a vision of the house he wanted in North Carolina, and constructed Biltmore, complete with an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, exercise equipment room, two-story library, and intercom system, among other things. (Not bad for a house built in the 1800s!) Even Jacob in the Bible, when he was working for his father-in-law, had a goal to become wealthy in his own right. So when Laban (said father-in-law), said "I keep the pretty solid-colored sheep and you get the ugly spotted/striped ones ('cause he really talked like that), Jacob had the idea to take sticks and cut the bark off in a way that made them look spotted and striped. He put those sticks in plain view of the area where the sheep went to mate, and voila! The sheep produced spotted/striped sheep instead of solid-colored ones! (Please don't ask me how that works.) The point is, they produced what they saw (literally) so Jacob could produce in his life what he saw in his mind.
Chip added a real-life (not the others are real life...) story about a friend of his who decided that was going to Walmart stores, and drove to the headquarters in Arkansas, and waited for Sam Walton to come out of his office so he'd have a chance to talk to him. Even though Mr. Walton (no not that Walton) had never heard of him, he was impressed by his tenacity and hired him. This same friend, now a very wealthy man, recently had a piece of land he wanted to sell, and told Chip how he had wanted to sell it for one price, but the other people involved didn't think it would sell for that much and wanted to sell at a lower price. Once he made the decision not to market it for less than he believed it was worth, the land sold, for his price, within 24 hours. Aaron also noted a lesson he learned when he first began riding motorcycles -- where you're looking is where you're headed. It definitely applies away from motorcycles as well. And if we look nowhere, we go nowhere, which Kevin pointed out from Proverbs 29:18.
So, to recap:
-- Goals/Visions for your life are good!
-- You have to have them if you want any sort of life!
-- Dream big! Use your imagination!
-- If you aren't trying for it (in some way however small), it doesn't count!
As Dayton noted in John 10:10, God wants us to have life so abundantly it overflows the measures this world would put on it. We know what God wants us to have. What we do have is up to us.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Simma Down Now!
So, Tuesday we finished up our series on decisions and walking them out. Our topic of discussion this week: letting peace guide our decisions.
Kevin lead the discussion off by taking us to Phillippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hears and minds in Christ Jesus." Kevin noted that the first thing people typically do when facing a situation is to worry about it and try to figure out what to do on our own. However, the first thing we're supposed to do is take it to God for Him to show us what to do. That takes all of our guesswork out of it.
Kevin looked up Webster's definitions of a couple of key words:
-- anxious(ness): extreme uneasiness in the mind or brooding fear about something. This is mindset in which we often start out.
-- decision/decide: to make a final choice of judgment.
He also looked up the Greek definition (since that was language used back then) of the word "peace": it means clearness, which the implication of pureness and sincerity, with an understanding of being guided by sunlight. He went on to point out that in the same way the courage is not the absence of fear, peace is not the absence of struggle, or a storm. It is finding the stillness (like the guiding sunlight) in the storm. As Aaron can attest to, it's being in the middle of the ground fighting in Iraq, with bullets flying and all the chaos, and still being able to know what you're supposed do and to accomplish your assignment. Decisions made out of emotions, whether they be anger, or fear, or anxiousness, pan out as quickly and with the same amount of stability as those emotions. When we take our circumstances to God, like Kevin mentioned in Proverbs 18:10, it's going to a safe and settled place, and the decisions that come out of it are settled as well.
Elizabeth also noted that we have to practice having peace in the little things about life before we can expect to know how ot have peace in major events. If we freak out over losing our car keys (like I did earlier this week), then even we find out the were five feet from us the whole time (like I did earlier this week), we have already set our attitude down the wrong path, and it can affect those around us in that situation (like I did earlier -- no wait, there wasn't anybody else around. I'm good.). And Dayton added that since we give to others only what we have ourselves, our lack of peace can spread around us like a domino effect. But the good news is that the peace that we do have can have that same effect and draw people closer to God.
We just have to make sure we've come to that place of peace with our decision so we can move forward steadily. We've all yelled at the ball player who missed the catch because he/she started to run off without securely having the ball in their hands; but we've made exactly the same play when we try to move forward in our decisions without making sure we've got the peace of God for the situation first! Kevin reminded us about the prophet Elijah, and how he ran away in fear of Jezebel trying to kill him, and when he stopped to listen for God, God was in the still, small voice beyond the wind and the fire. We have to slow down enough to find our peace; then we can move forward successfully. Dayton also mentioned how we can see the situation much more clearly when we take the time to stop and look at it, and can identify the peace of God, instead of running at it full force to try to fix it ourselves. (I think it here that Dayton used the analogy of being the middle of a fight and only being able to see "buttholes and elbows" instead of our solution. Good point, and probably our funniest of the night.)
Okay, recap time!
-- The first thing we're supposed to with any situation is take it to God! (Never mind the fact that already knows; He still likes to hear it from you!)
-- Anxiousness is unsettled; decisions are not.
-- Having peace is having clarity even in the midst of chaos.
-- Our peace (or lack thereof) spreads to those around us.
-- You have to slow down enough to find your peace (and not just buttholes and elbows!).
Peace is God's key to having success. It's how we recognize Him in the midst of this insane thing we call life. And it's crucial to accomplishing our purpose and what He's called us to do. Because, like Kevin said Webster used as the sentence to define a decision, "One blow decided the fight."
Kevin lead the discussion off by taking us to Phillippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hears and minds in Christ Jesus." Kevin noted that the first thing people typically do when facing a situation is to worry about it and try to figure out what to do on our own. However, the first thing we're supposed to do is take it to God for Him to show us what to do. That takes all of our guesswork out of it.
Kevin looked up Webster's definitions of a couple of key words:
-- anxious(ness): extreme uneasiness in the mind or brooding fear about something. This is mindset in which we often start out.
-- decision/decide: to make a final choice of judgment.
He also looked up the Greek definition (since that was language used back then) of the word "peace": it means clearness, which the implication of pureness and sincerity, with an understanding of being guided by sunlight. He went on to point out that in the same way the courage is not the absence of fear, peace is not the absence of struggle, or a storm. It is finding the stillness (like the guiding sunlight) in the storm. As Aaron can attest to, it's being in the middle of the ground fighting in Iraq, with bullets flying and all the chaos, and still being able to know what you're supposed do and to accomplish your assignment. Decisions made out of emotions, whether they be anger, or fear, or anxiousness, pan out as quickly and with the same amount of stability as those emotions. When we take our circumstances to God, like Kevin mentioned in Proverbs 18:10, it's going to a safe and settled place, and the decisions that come out of it are settled as well.
Elizabeth also noted that we have to practice having peace in the little things about life before we can expect to know how ot have peace in major events. If we freak out over losing our car keys (like I did earlier this week), then even we find out the were five feet from us the whole time (like I did earlier this week), we have already set our attitude down the wrong path, and it can affect those around us in that situation (like I did earlier -- no wait, there wasn't anybody else around. I'm good.). And Dayton added that since we give to others only what we have ourselves, our lack of peace can spread around us like a domino effect. But the good news is that the peace that we do have can have that same effect and draw people closer to God.
We just have to make sure we've come to that place of peace with our decision so we can move forward steadily. We've all yelled at the ball player who missed the catch because he/she started to run off without securely having the ball in their hands; but we've made exactly the same play when we try to move forward in our decisions without making sure we've got the peace of God for the situation first! Kevin reminded us about the prophet Elijah, and how he ran away in fear of Jezebel trying to kill him, and when he stopped to listen for God, God was in the still, small voice beyond the wind and the fire. We have to slow down enough to find our peace; then we can move forward successfully. Dayton also mentioned how we can see the situation much more clearly when we take the time to stop and look at it, and can identify the peace of God, instead of running at it full force to try to fix it ourselves. (I think it here that Dayton used the analogy of being the middle of a fight and only being able to see "buttholes and elbows" instead of our solution. Good point, and probably our funniest of the night.)
Okay, recap time!
-- The first thing we're supposed to with any situation is take it to God! (Never mind the fact that already knows; He still likes to hear it from you!)
-- Anxiousness is unsettled; decisions are not.
-- Having peace is having clarity even in the midst of chaos.
-- Our peace (or lack thereof) spreads to those around us.
-- You have to slow down enough to find your peace (and not just buttholes and elbows!).
Peace is God's key to having success. It's how we recognize Him in the midst of this insane thing we call life. And it's crucial to accomplishing our purpose and what He's called us to do. Because, like Kevin said Webster used as the sentence to define a decision, "One blow decided the fight."
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Are You Sure You Know How to Get There?
Okay, we all know it: Things don't always turn out the way we planned for them to. But as Chip talked about in our latest discussion, that's not exactly a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it's a better thing than we may ever realize.
This past Tuesday Chip led a discussion on how our decisions affect our experiences long term, in ways we wouldn't normally expect. He started off with descriptions of some of the people he knew while growing up who always had money or things than he did, who seemed to be set for their futures. These people, while they were given everything they might want, never had to make a serious decision affecting their futures, whether it was school or careers or anything else. As a result, years later they had become basically incapable of making responsible, self-sustaining decisions, and their lives were at a standstill. Unfortunately, it's a common occurrence; many people could think of someone in a similar situation.
Chip noted a particularly relevant quote from Pastor King, "Experience is not a great teacher; God is." He went on to explain that experience would teach us to be distrustful of people and of the unknown, especially the future. But God is all about trust, especially concerning the future. Chip pointed out how we tend to start down a path we've determined that we're supposed to be on (which is a good thing, as we found out at the last discussion), and sometimes -- or, a lot of times -- things don't turn out the way we expect them to, or we don't seem to be going in the direction we think we should be. But that doesn't at all mean that God has lost control of the situation, or that we are not in His will. Apparently that's the point of God knowing His entire plan for us when we don't. (Shocking, I know.)
We looked at the story of Isaac and Rebekah in the second half of Genesis 25. The Bible says that Rebekah couldn't have have children, so Isaac prayed to God for Rebekah to be able to have children, and God answered and Rebekah gave birth to twins. However, Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah (v. 20), but he was 60 when Rebekah give birth to Esau and Jacob (v. 26). He had to wait 20 years to have children. He could have given up on God at any moment during that 20 years, but he didn't, and God did grant his request. He could have thought that he had been wrong to want a child, and that he was never going to have one, but instead he continued to believe the promise that God had made to his father Abraham. God was, and is, still in control; He kept His promise.
We also looked at Joseph's story (Genesis 37... 45). Joseph had this dream that someday he was going to be so great that his whole family was going to bow and defer to him. He was so excited he even went and told his brothers, who obviously were not amused, or even tolerant. (Lesson 1: Know-it-alls are not popular!) His outspokenness almost got him killed, and it did get him taken away from his home enslaved, and then eventually put in jail. He had every chance, and even right, to become angry and bitter about the direction his life had taken. But again, Joseph didn't give up on the dream, and in the end God proved that the lows were a set up to the ultimate high; the fulfillment of Joseph's dreams, literally and figuratively.
As Chip mentioned, the paths that God has for will include difficult parts, and if we knew everything all at once, fear of the bad would probably overwhelm our ability to accomplish anything. That's why we have to trust God that we're where we supposed to be, even when it doesn't look like -- especially when it doesn't look like it. Because, really, if we knew exactly how the path for our life turns out, how many of us would have still taken that path? And who knows what would have happened to any of us if we had actually fulfilled our paths in the way we thought we were. (All very philosophical questions, I know, but stick with me here.) The point is, God doesn't plan evil or even merely okay outcomes for us. His plans for us are always not just good, but more awesome than we can ever imagine. So as long as we're trusting Him to lead us, we can also trust that anything less than that is not going to be the permanent or ultimate end for our lives.
Summary time!
-- Your decision to start down one path or another really does affect your life, but not always in the way you might expect.
-- Your path often won't look like you would have expected when you started on it -- but don't give up!
-- God is still and always in control of His plan for your life -- again, don't give up!
-- You don't have to try to accomplish God's plan on your own; you don't even know God's whole plan!
-- As long as you trust God, He will lead you the way you're supposed to go, no matter what that direction is. And His way is awesome.
The fact is, you can look forward to a challenge or unexpected chapter in your life when you realize that you're not doing it alone: God is not only there with you, but there with you to lead you every step of the way. At least one of us knows where we're going and how we're supposed to get there.
This past Tuesday Chip led a discussion on how our decisions affect our experiences long term, in ways we wouldn't normally expect. He started off with descriptions of some of the people he knew while growing up who always had money or things than he did, who seemed to be set for their futures. These people, while they were given everything they might want, never had to make a serious decision affecting their futures, whether it was school or careers or anything else. As a result, years later they had become basically incapable of making responsible, self-sustaining decisions, and their lives were at a standstill. Unfortunately, it's a common occurrence; many people could think of someone in a similar situation.
Chip noted a particularly relevant quote from Pastor King, "Experience is not a great teacher; God is." He went on to explain that experience would teach us to be distrustful of people and of the unknown, especially the future. But God is all about trust, especially concerning the future. Chip pointed out how we tend to start down a path we've determined that we're supposed to be on (which is a good thing, as we found out at the last discussion), and sometimes -- or, a lot of times -- things don't turn out the way we expect them to, or we don't seem to be going in the direction we think we should be. But that doesn't at all mean that God has lost control of the situation, or that we are not in His will. Apparently that's the point of God knowing His entire plan for us when we don't. (Shocking, I know.)
We looked at the story of Isaac and Rebekah in the second half of Genesis 25. The Bible says that Rebekah couldn't have have children, so Isaac prayed to God for Rebekah to be able to have children, and God answered and Rebekah gave birth to twins. However, Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah (v. 20), but he was 60 when Rebekah give birth to Esau and Jacob (v. 26). He had to wait 20 years to have children. He could have given up on God at any moment during that 20 years, but he didn't, and God did grant his request. He could have thought that he had been wrong to want a child, and that he was never going to have one, but instead he continued to believe the promise that God had made to his father Abraham. God was, and is, still in control; He kept His promise.
We also looked at Joseph's story (Genesis 37... 45). Joseph had this dream that someday he was going to be so great that his whole family was going to bow and defer to him. He was so excited he even went and told his brothers, who obviously were not amused, or even tolerant. (Lesson 1: Know-it-alls are not popular!) His outspokenness almost got him killed, and it did get him taken away from his home enslaved, and then eventually put in jail. He had every chance, and even right, to become angry and bitter about the direction his life had taken. But again, Joseph didn't give up on the dream, and in the end God proved that the lows were a set up to the ultimate high; the fulfillment of Joseph's dreams, literally and figuratively.
As Chip mentioned, the paths that God has for will include difficult parts, and if we knew everything all at once, fear of the bad would probably overwhelm our ability to accomplish anything. That's why we have to trust God that we're where we supposed to be, even when it doesn't look like -- especially when it doesn't look like it. Because, really, if we knew exactly how the path for our life turns out, how many of us would have still taken that path? And who knows what would have happened to any of us if we had actually fulfilled our paths in the way we thought we were. (All very philosophical questions, I know, but stick with me here.) The point is, God doesn't plan evil or even merely okay outcomes for us. His plans for us are always not just good, but more awesome than we can ever imagine. So as long as we're trusting Him to lead us, we can also trust that anything less than that is not going to be the permanent or ultimate end for our lives.
Summary time!
-- Your decision to start down one path or another really does affect your life, but not always in the way you might expect.
-- Your path often won't look like you would have expected when you started on it -- but don't give up!
-- God is still and always in control of His plan for your life -- again, don't give up!
-- You don't have to try to accomplish God's plan on your own; you don't even know God's whole plan!
-- As long as you trust God, He will lead you the way you're supposed to go, no matter what that direction is. And His way is awesome.
The fact is, you can look forward to a challenge or unexpected chapter in your life when you realize that you're not doing it alone: God is not only there with you, but there with you to lead you every step of the way. At least one of us knows where we're going and how we're supposed to get there.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Ready, Set.... GO!!!
Happy New Year plus 11 days! Sorry for the late post for this week -- but it's definitely worth the wait (you'll see)!
We started a new series Tuesday about moving into our futures. Dayton started us off with a great topic -- "Decide to Start, Not Start to Decide." (Which, by the timing of this post, I'm obviously still working on.) He began by talking about our age group -- how a lot of us are unsure and indecisive about our future, from college majors to careers to relationships, and so on. We know that indecision is based at least partially on fear of the unknown, and fear of screwing up or getting out of God's will. However, we have to step out in order to accomplish any of the things God has for us. There's no way to move into God's plan if we're not moving at all!
Dayton showed us two examples from the Bible of people who really had the heart of God and fulfilled His will for them. The first one was David (I Samuel 17:20-36). David began to walk out his destiny a result of following the path set before him. Even though David knew the call he had to be king, his everyday job was tending sheep. Then his father told him to take some supplies to his brothers on the battlefield. When he got there and found out about Goliath, he responded with fight instead of fear (unlike the rest of Israel's camp -- they even got jealous that he wasn't scared like them). He didn't do it for fame or glory (although it was offered); he did it because he new it was the thing that honored God. David started where he was, tending sheep, and did what he knew was honorable by listening to and obeying his father, and recognizing God with faith instead of fear. He even got up early in the morning to do what his dad asked. (Okay, I was all for it until that "early in the morning" part.)
The second example was Paul (Philippians 3:4-7). Paul explains that he could boast about his own heritage and accomplishments, but they were worth nothing compared to what Christ had for him. He even uses his persecution of Christians as a sign of his zeal for righteousness (through the law, not grace). But even in his path of persecution God turned him around, and he was a great apostle for God. So often we don't step out and take a chance because we're afraid we might be missing God if we do. Paul was obviously not in God's will, though he thought he was right. But when he found the truth, he changed immediately. God didn't just leave him heading down the wrong path. And he'll make sure we don't continue on the wrong path either, as long as we're moving and actively seeking Him and seeking wisdom from those we know hear from Him.
Dayton also told the story of one of coworkers, who had no problem talking to women, or rather yelling at them when they walked by (Holla!). He would say "Don't be skerred!" of them responding negatively. And we can't be afraid of negativity either, even from God. It's okay to declare a college major (or change it), or to apply for or start a new job, or even ask someone out and start a new relationship (gasp!). If we're not quite right, we have to trust God and welcome his correction. The point was brought up during the discussion that we do get points for effort! God's not going to just leave us heading in the wrong direction, but, like Dayton pointed out, it's so much easier to correct the course of a ship that's actually moving! And even when we've started out and later realize that it wasn't maybe the best decision, since we're seeking God, He can still can good things to happen in the journey, and He does -- 'cause that's what He does.
So to recap:
-- Indecision based on fear will always stop you from reaching your destiny.
-- Do what you know is set before you to do, and what you know is honorable to God.
-- Trust God that He is showing you where to go, and that He'll make adjustments to your course as necessary.
-- Don't stand still (keep swimming, keep just swimming....)
-- God can bring you out of a mistake in your journey, and he can bring good things about during that part of your journey.
It's exactly as it says in Proverbs 3:6 (NIV), "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will keep your paths straight." As long as your goal is after God, even the wrong decisions can be turned around, and they can positive results in the midst of the difficulty. God will make sure of it -- look at David and Paul!
Don't be skerred!
We started a new series Tuesday about moving into our futures. Dayton started us off with a great topic -- "Decide to Start, Not Start to Decide." (Which, by the timing of this post, I'm obviously still working on.) He began by talking about our age group -- how a lot of us are unsure and indecisive about our future, from college majors to careers to relationships, and so on. We know that indecision is based at least partially on fear of the unknown, and fear of screwing up or getting out of God's will. However, we have to step out in order to accomplish any of the things God has for us. There's no way to move into God's plan if we're not moving at all!
Dayton showed us two examples from the Bible of people who really had the heart of God and fulfilled His will for them. The first one was David (I Samuel 17:20-36). David began to walk out his destiny a result of following the path set before him. Even though David knew the call he had to be king, his everyday job was tending sheep. Then his father told him to take some supplies to his brothers on the battlefield. When he got there and found out about Goliath, he responded with fight instead of fear (unlike the rest of Israel's camp -- they even got jealous that he wasn't scared like them). He didn't do it for fame or glory (although it was offered); he did it because he new it was the thing that honored God. David started where he was, tending sheep, and did what he knew was honorable by listening to and obeying his father, and recognizing God with faith instead of fear. He even got up early in the morning to do what his dad asked. (Okay, I was all for it until that "early in the morning" part.)
The second example was Paul (Philippians 3:4-7). Paul explains that he could boast about his own heritage and accomplishments, but they were worth nothing compared to what Christ had for him. He even uses his persecution of Christians as a sign of his zeal for righteousness (through the law, not grace). But even in his path of persecution God turned him around, and he was a great apostle for God. So often we don't step out and take a chance because we're afraid we might be missing God if we do. Paul was obviously not in God's will, though he thought he was right. But when he found the truth, he changed immediately. God didn't just leave him heading down the wrong path. And he'll make sure we don't continue on the wrong path either, as long as we're moving and actively seeking Him and seeking wisdom from those we know hear from Him.
Dayton also told the story of one of coworkers, who had no problem talking to women, or rather yelling at them when they walked by (Holla!). He would say "Don't be skerred!" of them responding negatively. And we can't be afraid of negativity either, even from God. It's okay to declare a college major (or change it), or to apply for or start a new job, or even ask someone out and start a new relationship (gasp!). If we're not quite right, we have to trust God and welcome his correction. The point was brought up during the discussion that we do get points for effort! God's not going to just leave us heading in the wrong direction, but, like Dayton pointed out, it's so much easier to correct the course of a ship that's actually moving! And even when we've started out and later realize that it wasn't maybe the best decision, since we're seeking God, He can still can good things to happen in the journey, and He does -- 'cause that's what He does.
So to recap:
-- Indecision based on fear will always stop you from reaching your destiny.
-- Do what you know is set before you to do, and what you know is honorable to God.
-- Trust God that He is showing you where to go, and that He'll make adjustments to your course as necessary.
-- Don't stand still (keep swimming, keep just swimming....)
-- God can bring you out of a mistake in your journey, and he can bring good things about during that part of your journey.
It's exactly as it says in Proverbs 3:6 (NIV), "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will keep your paths straight." As long as your goal is after God, even the wrong decisions can be turned around, and they can positive results in the midst of the difficulty. God will make sure of it -- look at David and Paul!
Don't be skerred!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Mirror, mirror, on the wall....
Hi all, Alicia here! I'm going to try to give a recap of our gathering this past Tuesday. As we progress into the new year, this is where we'll recap our events, so everyone has a chance to know what great stuff has been happening, and so you can add to the discussion from here. So get excited!
This past Tuesday Dayton finished up our short series on our covenant with God. The title for this summary (which I totally stole from Dayton), represents our discussion about how the covenant with God that we have in our lives is based on what we say, especially about ourselves. Dayton started us off by talking about how our words affect us. He pointed out that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21), and how the Bible compares the tongue to a ship's rudder or the bit in a horse's mouth (James 3:3-4). He talked about the fact that nobody's going to say positive things about us like we can say about ourselves, and weren't going to respond to those things in the same way as when we say it to ourselves. We should be getting in front of the mirror every morning and reminding ourselves about who are and what we can do according to God's covenant. We should be telling ourselves how awesome we are, how smart and favored we are, how God's got amazing things for us, and how we're going to accomplish all those things. (I know what you're thinking -- and yes, you do look funny. But you'll get over it.)
After an eye-opening quote from Zig Ziglar (Ziggy!) how fleas are trained (seriously, I've never felt so sorry for a flea in my life - and we completely distracted Brooke for a few minutes), Dayton went on to talk about specific examples in his life and the lives of those around him where it events that happened were a direct result of the things people had been saying about themselves. And as he spoke, almost everyone else in the group was able to think of something that had happened in his or her life and tie it back to the words they had spoken over themselves, especially when they agreed with what God's Word says about them. For Brooke it was a blossoming career that started as an inside joke with a friend; for Aaron, acknowledgment and reward for hard work under fire, even when he initially wasn't expecting that kind of recognition. They didn't realize until later the effect their words were having. Chip explained that scientific studies have proven that how we hear our own voice is quite different from how we hear things external to us, because of how the sound travels from our mouths to our brains in a more direct manner. (Unfortunately, this doesn't explain all the other voices you keep hearing in your head.)
As different people recounted stories of how the words they spoke over themselves brought actions into their lives, we noted that some changes were evident very soon after the words are spoken, while others take a lot longer. Kevin pointed out that James 3:3-4 described those differences, with a horse being something that would respond instantly to the movement of the bit in it's mouth, while any change in a ship's course might not be noticeable until the rudder had been moving in one direction for a while. And Dayton noted how pointless it would be to go all that time saying the right things about ourselves only to get impatient and give up before the effort was rewarded. So don't give up!
So, the highlights:
-- You listen to you more than anybody, so you better speak to you more than anybody!
-- What you say about you really does change your life!
-- Practice: Get in front a mirror daily and tell yourself what God thinks about you (and if you don't know, I'd suggest reading His Word to find out)!
-- Remember, it may take longer than 3 seconds (or 3 weeks) to see change -- don't give up!
-- And finally, don't trap a flea in a cup with a glass lid. That's just cruel.
Whew! So what do you guys think? What else have you noticed about how God's covenant is fulfilled through our words? Chime in with your comments! I know I missed a few good points, so feel free to add what I've forgotten. But first, go get in front of a mirror!
This past Tuesday Dayton finished up our short series on our covenant with God. The title for this summary (which I totally stole from Dayton), represents our discussion about how the covenant with God that we have in our lives is based on what we say, especially about ourselves. Dayton started us off by talking about how our words affect us. He pointed out that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21), and how the Bible compares the tongue to a ship's rudder or the bit in a horse's mouth (James 3:3-4). He talked about the fact that nobody's going to say positive things about us like we can say about ourselves, and weren't going to respond to those things in the same way as when we say it to ourselves. We should be getting in front of the mirror every morning and reminding ourselves about who are and what we can do according to God's covenant. We should be telling ourselves how awesome we are, how smart and favored we are, how God's got amazing things for us, and how we're going to accomplish all those things. (I know what you're thinking -- and yes, you do look funny. But you'll get over it.)
After an eye-opening quote from Zig Ziglar (Ziggy!) how fleas are trained (seriously, I've never felt so sorry for a flea in my life - and we completely distracted Brooke for a few minutes), Dayton went on to talk about specific examples in his life and the lives of those around him where it events that happened were a direct result of the things people had been saying about themselves. And as he spoke, almost everyone else in the group was able to think of something that had happened in his or her life and tie it back to the words they had spoken over themselves, especially when they agreed with what God's Word says about them. For Brooke it was a blossoming career that started as an inside joke with a friend; for Aaron, acknowledgment and reward for hard work under fire, even when he initially wasn't expecting that kind of recognition. They didn't realize until later the effect their words were having. Chip explained that scientific studies have proven that how we hear our own voice is quite different from how we hear things external to us, because of how the sound travels from our mouths to our brains in a more direct manner. (Unfortunately, this doesn't explain all the other voices you keep hearing in your head.)
As different people recounted stories of how the words they spoke over themselves brought actions into their lives, we noted that some changes were evident very soon after the words are spoken, while others take a lot longer. Kevin pointed out that James 3:3-4 described those differences, with a horse being something that would respond instantly to the movement of the bit in it's mouth, while any change in a ship's course might not be noticeable until the rudder had been moving in one direction for a while. And Dayton noted how pointless it would be to go all that time saying the right things about ourselves only to get impatient and give up before the effort was rewarded. So don't give up!
So, the highlights:
-- You listen to you more than anybody, so you better speak to you more than anybody!
-- What you say about you really does change your life!
-- Practice: Get in front a mirror daily and tell yourself what God thinks about you (and if you don't know, I'd suggest reading His Word to find out)!
-- Remember, it may take longer than 3 seconds (or 3 weeks) to see change -- don't give up!
-- And finally, don't trap a flea in a cup with a glass lid. That's just cruel.
Whew! So what do you guys think? What else have you noticed about how God's covenant is fulfilled through our words? Chime in with your comments! I know I missed a few good points, so feel free to add what I've forgotten. But first, go get in front of a mirror!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Beyond Tuesday Nights
Hey everybody this is our new blog. I think that this will be a great way for us to keep the community going between us, inbetween meetings. So what I am going to try to do is recap disscussions on the blog plus post other questions or thoughts that I may have on the blog. Now what I want you all to do is post comments and continue the conversations and disscussions even after Tuesday nights. So make sure that you check this frequently because there should always be something new. This will also be a great thing for those Marvins that move off, they can still keep up. So go a head use it, LOVE IT.
Dayton
Dayton
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