Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts

Saturday, October 3, 2009

My question today...

I was reading on a church website today that the church was growing and adding a fourth service. At first thought, it sounded impressive. Wow, 4 services. That church must be doing good things for it to be growing like that. But then it got me thinking. Just because a church is growing, does that mean it is a "good" church. What I mean by "good"--Is the church honestly teaching Truth? Is the church teaching the redemptive story of Christ? Is the church teaching the entirety of the Gospel?

I'll preface this next part with saying that I think I'm often a skeptic when it comes to issues of the church. In any case, I get concerned when I see a church growing so fast and then peek into what the church is teaching and it's just self-help messages. Our society thrives on ways to make us feel better here on earth. So of course, you can pick and choose verses from the Bible that can sound like tips for better living and improved happiness for here on Earth. But paraphrasing Tim Keller, Christian Hope isn't about our happiness here on Earth, but about our ultimate, eternal state. While I'm not suggesting that we should be unhappy and miserable as Christians here on Earth, I do think we need to evaluate the types of messages churches are preaching. We can't pick and choose what makes us feel good, but rather, we have to accept the Bible in its entirety. Being made aware of our sinful nature, being called to live needing and wanting less, giving all that we have (our money, our time, our talents) to Christ (it is His to begin with, after all)--all these things and more can be hard. At times we can feel out of place and unwelcomed in society when we live according to the call of Christ.

Now if I see a church teaching the entirety of the Bible and it's growing in leaps and bounds--now that's something to stand in awe of!

Just something I was contemplating today...

Thoughts?

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bittersweet

Tonight was a bittersweet night. I joined my small group at City Church nearly a year ago. About a month ago, we were told that our group is getting too large and needed to split. About 4 people split off then, but because of timing and location, we were still left with a rather large group. Tonight was our last meeting before our group split again--this time in half.

Quick background:
City Church is a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) Church Plant in Orlando, Florida. The church is not a church with small groups, but a church made of small groups (City Groups). Nearly every person that attends City Church is connected to a Small group. Small groups meet around the city throughout the week to "multiply the gospel movement". My definition--we form a community that allows us to dig deeper into God's word and learn how to apply it to our lives. But we also spend time doing mission work together, praying together, and enjoying fellowship together. It's a great way for people new to the church (as I once was) to quickly and easily meet others and be immersed in a true gospel community. With that being said, the groups are expected to grow and then split and continue this pattern of multipication all over the city.


Continuing on:
When I first joined this small group almost a year ago the 20-some (yes, we are/were a large "small" group) were all very much strangers to me. I was nervous walking up to the Seneff's house and had no idea who was going to be there, but quickly these people have become like family to me. I think it would be fair to say that I have truly experienced authentic community with these people. I've shared joys and trials with all of them and in turn have learned their stories and begun to walk with them through life. It's become a staple in my weekly routine to show up at the Seneff's and be received with hugs and warm conversation and then spend an hour sitting among some of the most intelligent people I know pulling apart scripture and disecting what it is that God is trying to tell us. I've been able to ask questions that I've been longing to ask and my mind has been sparked into deep conversation by others as they battle through what it means to be a believer, follower, and child of Christ.

Tonight was bitter because I'll no longer be able to see some of these people on a regular basis. But at the same time, it's also very sweet. It's sweet because I know that ultimately we are growing the kingdom of God. We are dividing so that we can make room for more. We are welcoming the opportunity to bring others into our group, make them feel at home, and begin to walk beside them as they continue their journey in faith. I'm so excited to see the work that God is doing at City Church. I'm excited to get to know more believers and to see God redeem this city.

My prayer for this evening:

Thank you Lord for all of the amazing people at City Church who have opened their homes and their lives to me and helped me to experience love in The City Beautiful--they really have made this city more beautiful to me. And thank you for those who I will continue to journey with and continue to seek your Truth with. Please help us to surrender it all to you so that you may use our church, our small groups, and the people of City Church in a way that glorifies you and furthers your kingdom. I pray that we would be welcoming with arms wide open to those who are seeking You. Amen.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Orlando Union Rescue Mission

I spent my Saturday morning hanging out with some pretty cool kids at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission. The mission houses women and children who are going through a rough time and gives them the tools to get back on their feet. There is always a need for great organizations like this one, but especially in today's time, the need has grown stronger. The Rescue Mission is also Christ centered so not only are they receiving physical necessities like a warm place to sleep and food in their stomachs, but they are also being fed the everlasting Word, the true necessity. The Rescue Mission has worship, bible study, and more for both the women and the kids. This weekend was special, however. An organization based out of Texas called Spark Ministries had come to the Mission to host a 3 day Bible retreat for the women. What an awesome treat for them!!! I overheard how excited the women were about it and how some of them had looked forward to it for quite a while.

With the women at an all day retreat, that left all of their children needing care. The full time Staff members were on hand to help all weekend as well as some of the women from Spark Ministries, but with the amount of kids at the Mission, it just wasn't enough so City Church sent more volunteers. I opted to help out on Saturday morning and spent my time hanging with the toddlers in the nursery. It was certainly chaotic as there were about 20 kids ranging in ages 2 months to 5 years, with only 4-5 volunteers (sometimes as little as 3 of us), but it was also a very rewarding experience. I loved holding the 2 month old and having him cuddle up next to me. There were some adorable little girls too who were so timid! And, I even got the older boys to be excited about Beauty & the Beast and had half the room watching it at one point (not saying that I'm all for sticking kids in front of a tv to entertain them, but when you have that many and their running around the room like maniacs, you'll take tv!). Thinking about it now, I think one of my favorite parts was when I got 2 of the boys (about 5 years old) who were fighting a bit to shake hands and become buds. They smirked at me, shook each others hands, and then watched the movie pretty contently.

It was a pretty fun time but I definitely felt worn out at the end! I love kids and can't wait to have some of my own, but I'll take one at a time instead of 20 all at once, thanks. I'm excited to be able to spend more of my time down at the Rescue Mission. I think these kids are pouring into my life just as much as I am into theirs.

Anyway, if you're in the Orlando area and want a good cause to support, check it out. Give your money or give your time. Whatever you can give, the Mission certainly appreciates! I promise you'll be blessed by the experience.

Monday, March 2, 2009

The Face of Love

Yesterday at church I saw it. I've seen it before, I'm sure, but yesterday I truly saw it. Love. All around me. It was almost overwhelming. I suppose it wasn't suddenly that I noticed it as I recall in weeks prior seeing and feeling something truly special about City Church, but I think on Sunday it just clicked.

I think it started when I sat in the auditorium (our church utilizes an auditorium of a local museum as we don't have our own facility) before worship. I was there early because we had had a meeting for kids church helpers before the service. I saw families start to come into the auditorium and it was so amazing to me how other people were so eager to love on their kids and the parents.

During worship I continued to look at the people surrounding me and was just overwhelmed by how obvious love was being spoken. There were a few married couples sitting around me and sure, I know it's typical for married couples to hold hands or to put their arms around each other, but for some reason, it seemed different. When the guy sitting next to me reached over and put his hand on his wife's arm it was so much more than a thoughtless act of holding her hand--it seemed like a true "I'm so in love with you" type act. But yet it was simple. And I see it in so many of the couples in our church. The way I honestly see it is that they are so deeply in love with who Christ is that they only know how to love their wives the way the Bible calls them to love their wives (I'm certainly not saying that they are perfect for I don't know what their marriages are like behind closed doors and I know that naturally there is human failure. I'm purely saying that I see a people who love Jesus so much that it bleeds into their love for people so obviously and clearly).

During this season of Lent, our church has also been partaking in communion every Sunday. As I watched each family filter through the communion line there were two sights that particularly stick in my mind. One family has 2 children who are probably around the age of 12. As they walked through the communion line, each parent took a hold of a child's hand and guided them through the line and pulled them close while partaking in the bread and wine. I don't have adequate words to describe how this instance clearly spoke of love to me, but I just remember feeling overwhelmed with the sight of a family that clearly loves and cares about each other. The other sight I remember is seeing a husband and wife with their infant child walking through to get communion. The mother was holding the small baby and was in front of her husband. The baby was looking over her mother's shoulder at her father who was smiling ear to ear and abounding love for his daughter. The nonverbal communication that was transpiring between this infant and her father was amazing. I could tell that this dad was just head over heels for his daughter and would do anything for her.

Tonight, I think was really the topper on it all. At my small group I once again felt incredibly overwhelmed by love. I've been so stressed with a variety of items lately and have felt such a feeling of staggering discontentment, frustration, and sadness. I arrived at small group in tears tonight just paralyzed with stress. I sat outside in my car for a moment crying and praying. When I felt as though I had gathered myself and rid all evidence of red eyes, I went inside where I was greeted with many warm hugs and an instantaneous knowledge that something was bothering me. A few of us talked for a short couple of minutes before we started our study for the evening. Afterwards I went to leave and got sidetracked in a conversation where I just felt as though my life was being poured into. Sure, all of my same stresses are still present, but now I can rest in the knowledge that there are people praying for me and fighting my battles with me, and mostly, just people loving me and showing me God's love.

*Note: I'm sure that God's love is evident in churches around the world (and many many many places outside of churches), but I just had to write this moment down for my own memory. In this place in my life where I've battled with discontentment and longing, God is hearing my cries and my pleas for love and guidance and has provided a community that undoubtedly is living out the Gospel.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Life Recap

I keep putting off writing a real post because I have so much to write about that I can't decide which to write about first. So instead, I'll recap it all, here, in this post. And then if you want to know more, email/call/text/facebook me.

Running--It's been going well. I'm trying to avoid burnout, but I'm sure it's happening. I really really think this marathon will be my last for a while. I'm going to try to stick with just 1/2 marathons after that. Training just seems to be consuming my every thought and all my time. Today, though, I had a really good run. My long run was 16 miles and I was running with my running buddy, John. The weather was beautiful this morning--nice and cool and then when we got to around mile 12, we were running by a small lake when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was an otter!! It was only a few feet away and it jumped in the lake and swam around and then came back up on the shore and kept looking at us (we had stopped to look at it for a minute) and then it jumped back in the lake. It was so cute!! Also, I ran a 10k last weekend and I got my PR!! I was excited to see that despite what it feels like sometimes, I am improving and all the miles are paying off!

Football--I went to my very first Florida Gator football game yesterday (Against South Carolina and Steve Spurrier!!). It was an amazing experience!! We had 50 yard line seats and the game was really really good (despite the rain). I'm going again this weekend to see the UF/Citadel game. Very excited!

Here's a picture of Ryan and I from the game:


Gainesville--Ryan and I went up Friday night before the game to stay with Jess so we could hang out for a bit. I laughed so stinkin' hard at both of them. Saturday morning Jess told me she'd go running with me so we set out on our run...and lasted about 6 mins before we decided to walk. But then I got a nice tour of campus from Jess instead. It was great. And this might have been the funniest things from our hour long walk:

(Walking through campus as people are already tailgating):
Kristi: Aww, I wish I looked cute right now so the guys would hit on us.
*About 30 seconds pass*
Random Guy: Hey girls!
Jess: Heyyyyy! (then kind of whispering) if you're talking to us.
Kristi: Jess, I think he was Hispanic
Jess: Omigosh, we have to go back and find out!

Hahaha sooo funny. My other favorite conversation:

Jess: (coming out of the kitchen with a box) Guys, I've really been craving some coffee cake lately, so I went to the grocery and bought a box Krusteaz (as she prounces it Crusty Ass).
Ryan: Uh Jess, that's German and it's pronounced Krusteaz (and he prounces it the right way).
Jess: Ooooooh, I really thought it was prounced Crusty Ass.

Later we told the story to Ryan's parents and his dad proceeds to tell Jess, "It's times like these that I worry about you, Jess" Hahaha.

St. Augustine--Fawn and I went on a random daytrip last weekend to St. Augustine. Neither of us had every been there before and we both wanted to go to the Fountain of Youth, so we decided to go for the day! It was sooo much fun. We went on a trolley tour around the city and saw a bunch of touristy things before stopping at the Fountain of Youth where we had the most disgusting water ever. But now we both feel much more youthful. Much. We also went on a Haunted Ghost Tour that night which was soooo much fun! It was about really interesting historical stuff, too. We're hoping to go back again because there was a lot of stuff we wanted to do that we just didn't have time for. Here's a picture from our day:



Baking-I've been in the mood to bake a lot lately! I think it comes with the holidays. I made pumpking cookies with carmel frosting (one of my favorites!) a couple of weeks ago. This past week a tried a new recipe I found on the internet for Sweet Potatoe Zuchinni Bread. It was AMAZING! And it was soooo easy to make! Hopefully I'll get to make some more soon! I'm working on compiling a list of ingredients for Thanksgiving right now, though. My parents are coming here for Thanksgiving so I'm cooking! I'm excited. It'll be nice to see them and just relax and spend time with them. Anyway, here's a picture of my yummy bread (and I promise you, it was soooo yummy):





Music-Omigosh can we talk about all the new songs I'm obsessed with as of recent? Seriously, this should be a blog in itself. Then again, if you've been following my twitter you'd already know all of my new favorite obsessions. But here they are anyway:

"Come on Get Higher" -- Matt Nathanson
"Black Keys" -- Andy Black
"Beautiful Life" -- Fisher
"Be Be Your Love" -- Rachel Yamagata

And in a week, Rachel and I are going to see OneRepublic and Augustana in concert. This would be the 3rd time I've seen both of them this year!! I love, love, loooove these two bands. Especially live! And I'm excited to hang out with Rachel!

Church-I absolutely love my church family. I honestly believe that the highlights of my week are Sunday and Monday evenings. Church is on Sunday evenings (soon to be mornings in January!) and City Group is on Monday evenings. I'm just really enjoying getting to know the people of the church, getting more involved, and feeling like part of a family. It's been a real struggle for me here in Orlando at times to feel at home and I finally found where I feel at home. If I could spend my entire week giving, connecting, helping, etc. at this church, I would. I really believe in their mission and believe that God is doing great things through City Church.

Okay, so that's all for now. Basically the gist is that life is busy and chaotic and wonderful and good and stressful and crazy all at the same time. And I've never felt more of a need to rest in the love of my Savior and more loved by my Savior. I'll tell you more about that if you're ever interested!