Christmas Offering

Last night, we talked about taking a collection this month that will go towards a World Vision "Christmas gift that really matters to the world." Anyone who wishes to do so can contribute cash or check (payable to World Vision) during the month of December. We will total it up and choose to designate the gift for chickens (2 for $25), educational support ($32), hope for exploited girls ($35), goat ($75), and or clean water fund (provide wells, latrines, irrigation and more - $100). Maybe one of each! This is a great opportunity in follow-up to our reading Scripture about caring for the needy. For more information: www.worldvisiongifts.org

Wednesday Update

We gathered last night following a week off for Thanksgiving. It was good to be together.

We missed Jeff (not feeling so good), Karen (working on a paper for her class), Lalo, and Philip and Laura. Wow! Five people out — imagine how easy it was to get a good seat! Hope to see everyone back next week.

Welcome to Tabeth Gomez who joined us for the first time last night. She brought Isaiah (4th grade) and Tashi (2nd grade) who hung out in the den, watching the Disney Channel. Tabeth is a neighbor of the Petersons and co-worker of Cindi’s. So, welcome Tabeth! Glad to have you participate!

Communion Feast this Saturday!
December 1st @ 6:30pm
Jeff & Erica Amann’s Home in Placentia

Contact Information for Amanns will be sent in an e-mail.

Bring:
1. Meat to grill for you
2. Dish to pass — truly a potluck — whatever we end up with we eat! If it is only dessert, then we’ll have abundance, a good laugh, and a sweet evening. :-)

This is a casual evening to share life and honor God’s goodness in our lives as a small community of people investigating the claims of Christ and living in response.

Last Night’s Conversation
This was our final night on looking at Scripture regarding what God has to say about the needy. We began to summarize what we’d read and then discussed how we might live in response to that. Glen took notes and mentioned he’d talk with Jeff to craft a value statement to bring to the group for consensus. Stay tuned! We talked about three points of progression in getting more active in caring for the needy:

[I tried to summarize from what I recall; the title words are my summary words]

Awareness: Look for opportunity to help with what you have (time, money, possessions), and then contribute from right where you are.
Stretch: Look for where you can do with less to help others more and make some changes to do so.
Risk: Grow to the point where you can give/serve/help in radical ways, confident God’s economy can sustain (builds on the cliché “You can’t outgive God.”]

Glen said he will talk to Jeff about what we will dig into next. Bly mentioned it is good to study a book of the Bible. Cindi mentioned she’d like to know more about “tithe” and “Sabbath” from Scripture. Glen reminded us that Jeff had a list of issues we’d come up with in the past.

That’s all for this week. We closed in prayer and dismissed.

Rob Bell Review

I really enjoyed the evening we spent listening to Rob Bell and "the gods aren't angry" evening last night. He tells Scriptural and life stories and that really connects with me. I appreciated the historic and cultural background of the altar and the systems of appeasing the gods. It helped me better understand the context of religion during Bible times. This also helped clarify the purpose for participating in a church and how to evaluate our "Christian" activities. It helped me understand “living sacrifice” and repentance. It helped me begin to see in a fresh way the magnitude of the work of Christ to turn the human system of getting to the gods on its face. Lots to chew on. Made me stronger in why I believe what I believe and more natural in sharing it with my life.

Although out of context here, these points really struck me as powerful. Here are some of my notes:

Highlights
[The system of the alter/sacrifice/offering] created a great turbulance deep into the soul…
PROBLEM: ONE NEVER KNEW WHERE ONE STOOD WITH THE GODS
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Regarding Abraham...he was called by an audible voice to leave his father’s worldview behind. This was the voice of a diety speaking to a human. Unheard of at this time, in the Sumerian culture of worshipping gods afar off.

NEW: Diety connects with humanity in a way that calls for response – intimacy.
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Abraham obeyed and prepared to sacrifice Isaac and God provided a ram. This story is horrible to us, yet very normal in the day of worshipping false gods. This story is not about Abraham. It is about the God who provides…a contradiction to the local understanding of diety of that day.
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What is it that you trust as you navigate this existence? Everyone trusts something. [I really like this. When dealing with people who speak out against Christians, this gives me a common ground to start. We all trust something.]

Jesus – AN EPIC TURNING POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY

THE ALTAR THING IS OVER

As rituals developed, it was realized that the rituals are for us. For us to feel OK. The rituals became religion. [to make us feel better]

We all get stuck in destructive patterns that are evidenced in anxiety, stress, worry, doubt. The [religious] system helps us feel good.

An experience you do that might help you trust God’s work is good.

The point of repentance? It is not to do this and then God will do something. Instead,…repentance is opening your eyes to what has been done and see the peace has already been made. “Of course I live differently then in response to this realization."

Rituals…why do you go to church? To feel OK? To appease?

Caution: anything that piles on guilt, shame, falling short is not Christian no matter what it is called.

Doing things that ground you in the peace already completed in Christ is good.

Reconciliation of all things in Heaven and earth has been accomplished. [Colossians]

Offer your life as an example of this reconciliation. Live in such a way. [He gave large and small examples of living this way in helping others.]

“Some of you have been coming to church for 20 years, feeling bad about everything, but not feeling free about anything.”

This Week's Meeting

We missed you Rene, Bob, Bly, & Lalo! Hope you are all doing OK and we hope to see you next week! We prayed for you. And, Lalo, there was chocolate!

We had a good discussion about James 2...the entire chapter. Challenging thoughts!

Jeff & Erica, Philip & Laura, Bob & Rene, and Glen & Cindi are heading to the Rob Bell event next Tuesday. The Amanns are bringing some students and Glen is bringing two friends. Details are available at housechurch.blogspot.com [see entry below this one]

Sharing in prayer was sent in an e-mail.

Have a good week, everyone! Next week we will be working on wrapping up our response to the Scripture about the needy.

More About Rob Bell Event

Several from the church will be attending this event soon:

Rob Bell
"the gods aren’t angry" Tour

http://www.thegodsarentangry.com/

“Part anthropology, part history, part deconstruction - this is new material that Rob hasn't taught before, exploring how humans invented religion to make themselves feel better.”

Begins at 8pm — doors open at 7pm

Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., one of the fastest growing churches in American history. He is known for sharing spiritual insight in dynamic, fresh ways. He is the author Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and is featured in the first series of spiritual short films called NOOMA.

Proceeds raise funds for World Relief’s microfinancing project in Africa. The date in San Francisco is above.