New Blog... I'm a dot com!

I used to keep 2 blogs. Now I keep 1 blog. You can find it at www.alifewellphotographed.com. Scoot on over and let me know what you think of the new do!

Why be in a small group?

Below is an excerpt from a post I put up on the Summit West Club Campus blog. You can read the full post here.

"Why be in a small group?

2 years ago I walked into the Cole Mill Campus for our very first GroupLink. I was a little intimidated to be sure but I went and participated. Little did I know that I would not only find a Small Group, but a family.

I’ve found over the past several years that I grow to be more like Christ when I’m walking alongside of others who are seeking the same thing. One of the benefits of being in a Small Group is living life together, walking alongside of one another.

I distinctly remember the day when my small group became my family."
You can read the full post here.

Decade

Where do you hope to be in ten years?

Your mind probably jumped to an answer similar to the ones you wrote in your school papers. I hope to have graduated college, have a good job, live with my spouse in my house with a white picket fence and 2.5 children.

Let me challenge those thoughts.

This morning as I mulled over this question I couldn't shake the this thought - the things I most hope to be doing ten years from now is to be more fervently living and speaking the gospel. I hope to be doing that ten minutes from now and ten days from now.

Just shy of 20 years ago, God changed my life with the words of the gospel. Having grown up going to church I had heard that the wrong things I did (sin) broke my relationship with God. I knew that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died in my place, for my sin creating the way for me to be in a right relationship with God. God reminded me that I was created to be in a right relationship with Him but that I was only ultimately living to please myself. In God's grace, I repented of that and was welcomed in to the family.*

As I look back over the last ten years I see that God has worked in me through the gospel... as a believer. It has been the gospel that has gotten me up some mornings, the gospel that has grown me and grown those I've discipled, the gospel that has saved my family members, friends, and neighbors. The truth that God can't love me any more or any less, nothing can separate me from His love, is so freeing. I am honored to love Him in return and see Him honored and point others to Him.

Don't get me wrong. It is a great thing to have goals in life! It's good to work toward graduating from college or enlist in the military or learn a trade. It will be in those (and other) settings that you are able to live out and speak the gospel.

I am really excited right now as I think of so many people whose lives God will change as His gospel is spoken in truth and in love by those who are compelled to speak it. I pray that you and I will speak.

*I would love to talk with you more about this. You can send me an email to alifewellphotographed@gmail.com

Baptism Celebration this weekend!

Baptism Weekend! from The Summit Church on Vimeo.

This weekend, at each of our campuses, after each service, we'll be celebrating baptism. If you've never been baptized by immersion since committing your life to Christ, this weekend is your time!

Click here for more information.

Ownership

God continues to bring me back to 2 Corinthians again and again to pray for my neighbors and for my believing friends who are in relationship with them. I was just reminded by a friend that we read different genres in different ways. 2 Corinthians is a letter. So I started at the greeting this morning.

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Cor 1:21-22

Take a few minutes to see what God has and is doing for you, if you belong to Him. Be encouraged!

City Uprising 2010 Informational Mtg Invite

Check out this post on Jason Gaston's blog. I wanted to copy and paste but I don't have the capability.

Really, check it out!

Holy?

I think it's safe to say that people in the culture I live in would equate keeping the Ten Commandments (the essence of them if not the actual Ten Commandments themselves) with holiness. Okay, maybe just with being a good person. They would recognize that they don't keep them all but that they keep most of them and that is what makes them a good person. If they think there is some sort of life after death they will think that being a good person is what earns them a better life after death.

For Christians we certainly, like the Galatians, fall into this same trap. Paul calls them foolish and says to them in Galatians 3:1-3, "who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

But typically, we Christians think we don't even break any of the Ten Commandments. Okay, we remember that we used to lie but we are too old for that now, right? Or sometimes I forget to rest during the week but that project for work really needed to be done.

So wherever you find yourself, here's some expansion of (not "addition to", mind you) the Ten Commandments.


(This is from our www.SummitWestClub.com campus blog, posted by our Campus Pastor, Brad O'Brien.)
This past Sunday, Pastor J.D. continued his current series ‘Presence‘. In his sermon, he challenged us to be honest with ourselves in regards to how well we measure up to the 10 Commandments. Here is the list of commandments and how he adapted them to our everyday life. He has adapted this list from Will Metzger, Tell the Truth, Appendix A.IV.

DO YOU KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?

1. You shall have no other Gods before Me: I have never put anything before God in my life. I have never loved or trusted or obeyed anything more than God. God and God alone has always been pre-eminent in my thoughts, affections, and actions.

2. You shall make no graven images of Me: I have never had any wrong conceptions about God nor worshipped Him in a way not directly proscribed by Him. I have always rejected wrong images of God and refused to redefine Him according to my liking.

3. You shall not take My name in vain: I have always held the name of God, which signifies His character, in highest respect, invoking it only with thoughtfulness and reverence. I have never used His name as a swear word. I have never been lethargic or apathetic during worship. I have never desecrated God’s name by calling myself His follower but not representing Him well. The way I talk, act, spend money, and drive give honor to the God whose name I attach to my life and whose bumper sticker I display on my car.

4. 6 days you shall do all your work… and remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy: I have always worked diligently and willingly at whatever task is set before me, seeing it as my God-given service each day, and making the most out of the time God has given me. In the 6 days of the workweek, I work hard, am not lazy, and don’t procrastinate. And I consistently remember to set apart one day weekly to worship God with others.

5. Honor your parents: I have never disobeyed nor dishonored my parents or any others in authority over me. I have always respected the authorities in my life, and given them honor and willing obedience, whether they were watching or not. This includes my parents, my teachers, traffic cops, the IRS, and my president.

6. You shall not kill: I have never murdered anyone… nor had hateful thoughts nor have taken the slightest pleasure in seeing harm done to another human being. I have never fantasized about the premature death of my spouse nor wished harm on my boss. I have always held the highest regard for any human life, and cared as much about the pain of others as I have my own.

7. You shall not commit adultery: I have never practiced sexual impurity, neither physically having sex with someone outside the bonds of marriage nor having impure thoughts about someone I’m not married to. If married, I have never flirted with or fantasized about someone who is not my spouse.

8. You shall not steal: I have never taken anything that doesn’t belong to me. This includes taking credit that didn’t belong to me, downloading illegal music, or cheating in school or on my taxes. I have never taken extra Chic-Fil-A sauce to stock my shelves at home. I do not waste my company’s time internet surfing, twittering or facebooking. I have always respected the belongings, rights and creations of others and been completely truthful and fair. I have always been willing to take only what I’ve earned.

9. You shall not lie: I have never lied nor slandered another person. I have always told the truth in every situation regarding every person I have ever known. I have never exaggerated the truth and I have kept all my covenants and agreements, whether verbal and written.

10. You shall not covet: I have never been greedy for something that wasn’t mine, nor jealous of the abilities, looks, position or possessions of others. I have rejoiced with others in what they have, glad that they have it even when I don’t. I have never complained about what God has provided for me (your car; you job; your pay), always been thankful and fully content with what I have and where I am in life, willing to share what I have with others who have less than me.

Neighbors

Do you pray for your neighbors? Regularly? Do you see your neighborhood as one of your primary places of influence and mission? If so, do you love your neighbors or just view them as a project?

These are all questions that have been on my heart for several months. Some that have been posed to me by others, some that the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind. There is a passage in Acts 17 that has been a comfort and a catalyst for me as I think about these questions.

Acts 17:22-28
²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. ²⁴"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. ²⁵And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

There are so many things about this passage that stand out to me but the part I want to hit on here is verse 26, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." I am made in the image of God who has placed me in this home at this time. Amazing!

That is a comfort to me when I think that I will never be around my neighbors because our work schedules are so different, or that the barriers are too high to really be able to build relationships with them, or that my words have fallen on deaf ears. God has put me here, now... and I am His.

It is a catalyst for me because I know that God put me here, now. I want to take full advantage of the many opportunities He gives me with my neighbors. God knows how long I will be here, but I don't. So why should I tarry?

Pray for your neighbors. Know them by name. Get to know them personally. Live life with them. Be friends with them. And share the gospel with them in words as well as action.

Mini Silent-Prayer Retreat

Mini Silent-Prayer Retreat

Meditate on God's Presence - 30 minutes
walk, sit, swing, rock
(Mt 1:23; Jn 1:14; Ps 16:11; Ps 139:7-10; Lk 10:28-42; 2 Cor 4:13-14)

Adore God - 60 minutes
create* (alpha-pages)
(Ps 29:1-2)

Confess sin to God - 30 minutes
write out specific sins
(Ex 20; 2 Tim 3:2-5; Ps 51; Ps 19:12-14; Rom 7:24-8:4)

Thank God - 60 minutes
create*, walk
(Ps 107)

Pray for Self - 30 minutes
find 2 scripture to memorize and pray for specific situations
(Ps 77:1; Jas 4:2)

Pray for Others - 45 minutes
write 2 notes to people letting them know how you've prayed for them
(Rom 8:26; Col 1:3; Lk 6:27)

Pray aloud with others at the retreat - unlimited


*Create: paint, draw, color, cut/paste, write (list, journal, poetry).

This is only a suggested guide. You can do anything during this time. The only "rule" is no talking... and try not to nap on purpose.


If you have more time, I would suggest providing more scripture, and some challenging reading on each topic as well. While I wouldn't recommend this as the best way to do a silent retreat or a prayer retreat, it was a good introduction for someone new to either concept.

Command

"The call to the cloister demanded of Luther the complete surrender of his life. But God shattered all his hopes. He showed him through the Scriptures that the following of Christ is not the achievement or merit of a select few, but the divine command to all Christians without distinction."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Costly

"Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

"In the depth of his misery, Luther had grasped by faith the free and unconditional forgiveness of all his sins. That experience taught him that this grace had cost him his very life, and must continue to cost him the same price day by day."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Cheap

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

"Cheap grace is the grace that we bestow upon ourselves."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Gypped?

Luke 1:5-7 "In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years."

Wow.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were what we would call "good people," right? And they were older and didn't have kids? No way!

Well, maybe they didn't want children? No? But I thought they were good and honored God. Why, since they want children, don't they have children? Don't they deserve to have children? I mean, really.

You see, we forget that God doesn't work off of the same rewards system that we sometimes do.

He loves us. (If I were to say that outloud it would have sounded better. "He loves us. Period.")

He knows us and he loves us.

He knows us and extends grace to us.

He knows how to best glorify Himself through us.

Do you love God? Do you do your best to honor Him? Do you feel gypped in some way? Remember that God loves you and wants to be honored in your life as well. Continue to honor Him and know that He is good and does good (Ps 119:64).

Complete

I just came across a poem from one of my good friends, Sharon. She wrote it back in 2000. And after reading it again recently has declared that it is awful. Awful or not, I think it speaks volumes to our friendships! There are 7 of us that have been the greatest of friends since college. It's pretty amazing how God put us together especially considering that on our own we probably wouldn't have all chosen one another. I am honored and humbled that each of them calls me their friend. I love you girls!

Complete

I have traveled down many roads
But I have never walked alone.
I have sprinkled the seeds of Life about
But 6 have with me sown.
And no matte where my path may lead
I will feel them next to me
And through the hills and valleys I'll go
and still a friend they will be
For in them I have found myself or
who I'd like to become.
A nurse, a teacher, and a youth leader,
giving of themselves
One gentle, one strong, and one that is a
coach.
Dear 6, precious 6, God has his Hand on
you...

Much love,
Sharon

Elmo's Diner is yummy!

Elmo's Diner is yummy! I am going for brunch soon and wanted to check out their current specials. Well was I ever in for a treat. Check it out at http://elmosdiner.com/ and click on "specials" to see the deals they have going on. And for you pumpkin lovers, the pumpkin pancakes are being served!

Take a friend or two or three and find your way to Elmo's Diner on 9th St in Durham. You won't be sorry!

Friends

Here is something that stood out to me from this week's sermon and our discussion in my small group.

Just as we are (supposed to be) intentional about loving and sharing the gospel with our non-believing friends, we are supposed to be intentional about loving and sharing the gospel with our believing friends. The gospel isn't just for salvation but for life.

I pray that we would be on purpose in celebrating and mourning and encouraging toward Christ-likeness with our family in Christ. I pray that we would be friends enough to our friends to want them to be more like Christ and in that way to bring glory to Him. Oh that we would be God-fearers and non Man-fearers.

Room

I just wrote a blog here...
http://www.summitwestclub.com/?p=825
Check it out!

Still?

I think it's appropriate that the last post "Still" has been up for so long. Appropriate for obvious reasons. For instance, we are STILL in the Still Standing series at church. I STILL want to point you to the daily devotionals and Proverb reading.

I have another post coming this week but I hope that you will STILL visit www.SummitRDU.com and read along in Proverbs with us.

Still

We just started a new series at The Summit Church called Still Standing. We are going through Proverbs together. Won't you join us?

You can click here to read the devotionals that we as a staff are putting together for you.

You can click here to read a little more about it and sign up for email reminders.

I'm looking forward to a great end of summer time of learning about wisdom! Let me know what you're learning too.

Faithful

I've been reminded through 7 or 8 specific instances in my life over the past 2 1/2 weeks that have reminded me that God is faithful and trustworthy even when I may think otherwise.

Be reminded that God's word is true. Always.

Get in it a little more this summer!