Office 9/9/16 Office 9/9/16

Going Deeper

The Core

Many of us were amazed as we watched the 2016 Summer Olympic Games from Rio de Janeiro a few weeks ago. The athletes we saw filled us with awe as we witnessed feats of enormous strength, grace, and speed.

In some individual sports, each athlete had to demonstrate he or she could perform certain compulsory moves to move on in the completion. They had to demonstrate competency in basic skills before they were allowed to combine those skills and enhance them for new and creative performances. We would never expect to see a gymnast who could only do a mediocre cart-wheel out on the mats at the Olympics.

In the Christian life, some fundamental beliefs and actions should be expected for any of us seeking to follow Christ in this world. For example, we would expect every Christian to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We would also expect Christians to pray and spend time in Scripture. But what about other, deeper things?

That is exactly what the series "Christian to the Core" is all about. We will take a look at the Core Values of people who want to follow Christ.

These values were developed by Wes and Joy Griffin through their organization, the International Leadership Institute. They, along with their team, have taken these values and taught them to Christians, churches, and leaders in many different areas of the world. These people have used these values to transform their lives and the organizations they lead or work in.

The Core Values

Intimacy with God
Passion for the Harvest
A Visionary Life
Relevant Evangelism (Power of Your Story)
Multiplication of Disciples
Family Priority
Faithful Stewardship
Integrity (Holiness)

This fall, we will look at each of these values and apply them to our lives through sermons and Growth Group experiences. If you have not already joined a Growth Group, click here to find one for you! See what God can do in and through you, as you become Christian to the Core.

Blessings!

-Alan

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S FAITH NOTES.

Alan Cassady serves as Senior Pastor at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2011. When he's not preaching and teaching, he enjoys sci-fi movies and FSU Football. Read more about Alan here.

Office 9/9/16 Office 9/9/16

Daily Reminders

Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Daily Reminders

How many different details do you have to remember each morning to get everyone off to school and work, not to mention the fourteen other things you have penciled in on the calendar? Even so, we know that we need to make God a central part of our daily lives.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-7, God gives us some instructions and methods to use to tell and teach others, specifically our children, how to love God the most.

Impress
Talk
Write Them Down

He wants us to have things and do things in our lives that are visible daily reminders to love God.

So how can we fit one more thing in on our calendars? If I had to guess, there is not much room there. Here’s an idea that might help.

Start simple.

Find a verse that your family already knows, write it out in big print, and post it! Leave it on the refrigerator, in the bathroom, and in the car somewhere. Pretty easy, huh?
At dinner, preferable at the dinner table, read the verse out loud and then ask God to help you understand what it means. Try to memorize that verse! This is a little harder.
Throughout the week, read the verse out loud when you pass by places it is posted. Easy
Study. Look at the scripture surrounding the verse and find out what it says (its context). What is it saying inside that Bible story? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your study and understanding. A little harder.
Set aside about 15 minutes to share with your family what you have learned. Ask them to think of ways to integrate and apply the truth about this verse (in context) within the family, and within their personal lives. Integration is the hardest work, but pays the most dividends to our own spiritual life and our witness to others.

For Example: “Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 4:13 (New Century Version)

Can you see all the family applications that can be made just from this verse?

Final Thoughts

This does not have to be hard, or complicated. Talk to God and about God often. Think about ways to make God’s word a part of your everyday life.

For additional help with devotions for your family, I've written a review of ten new family/children’s devotionals. It provides some information and guidelines to help you select a devotional book that is right for your family. Download it here.

Blessings!

- Lori

Lori Ferguson serves as Children's Director at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not planning or teaching, she enjoys spending time with her grandkids. Read more about Lori here.

Office 9/2/16 Office 9/2/16

"We" Church - Not "Me" Church

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1-4 (NRSV)

We are born into a life of self-centeredness.

One of the first words kids learn is a word that parents despise hearing: “Mine!” Babies are born into this world extremely self-centered — that is their nature. Their cries communicate that their needs are not being met: I need my diaper changed, I’m hungry, I’m scared, I want that. Hopefully, they grow out of it, but sometimes they do not.

Self-centeredness is bound up in our nature. It is a good thing when it is concerned with the basic necessities of life, food, shelter, etc. A healthy sense of self is needed to make sure these things are provided. However, once we live with other human beings, we find that this mindset will not serve us well. Human society works best when we remember that we are not the only ones with needs and desires.

Sometimes we can be like that in the church. Church become all about us, our needs, our wants, our comfort, our ideas. Jesus, however, says that when we choose to follow him, we give up our rights and privileges. The only one with rights and privileges in the church is Jesus who is Lord of the church.

How should we respond?

The best way to illustrate the attitude followers of Christ should exhibit is found in Philippians 2:1-11. Here, Paul admonishes us not to be only concerned about ourselves but do things that benefit others as well. He then gives us the example of Jesus himself in what could have been an ancient hymn of the church.

In this hymn, we are reminded that Jesus was, in fact, God, but that he did not cling to his rights and privileges as God. He gave up all of that for the sake of lost humanity. Notice how the hymn goes:

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death

— even death on a cross. (Phil 2:7-8)

Jesus stepped out of his rights and privileges as God and descended a long stairway that ended with the most horrific death a person could imagine. And he did this not for his benefit, but for ours.

Paul reminds us that this is the attitude we should have as followers of Christ in the church. This attitude dismisses selfishness and conceit and promotes humility and unity.

This Sunday we will talk about how these ideas can be lived out in our lives and our fellowship as the congregation of Navarre United Methodist Church. Join us!

Blessings!

-Alan

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S FAITH NOTES.

Office 9/1/16 Office 9/1/16

New Music: Ever Be

You did it: You turned my deepest pains into joyful dancing; You stripped off my dark clothing and covered me with joyful light. You have restored my honor. My heart is ready to explode, erupt in new songs! It's impossible to keep quiet! Eternal One, my God, my Life-Giver, I will thank You forever.

Psalm 30:11-12 (The Voice)

To be completely honest, I don't usually like songs like "Ever Be," by Bethel Music. Repetitive choruses are kind of controversial in modern worship music - detractors have lots of catchy and insulting names for songs that repeat themselves like this one does - so I normally try to avoid them on Sunday mornings. The first time I heard it, the chorus caught my ear, and I found myself humming/singing it for the next week! However, one catchy chorus does not a good worship song make. But after a few listens, I found myself drawn in by the second verse:

You Father the orphan
Your kindness makes us whole
You shoulder our weakness
And Your strength becomes our own

You're making me like You
Clothing me in white
Bringing beauty from ashes
For You will have Your bride

Free of all her guilt and rid of all her shame
And known by her true name

If that verse or my reaction to it sounds familiar to you, you probably read my last blog entry about "Jesus We Love You." (Read it here) These two songs are back to back on a phenomenal album by Bethel Music called "We Will Not Be Shaken." (Buy it here, it's worth every penny) It's a complete coincidence that we introduced these back to back - I keep a running list of about 50-75 songs that we could introduce at any time, and I've never introduced two songs from the same band back to back before; much less these really popped out at me for the season that our congregation is in. Despite that coincidence, I don't think that their placement on the album or in our worship services is a coincidence at all. In the midst of so much turmoil in the world, it's easy to find ourselves feeling distant to God, or even ambivalent about God's love. But these two songs serve as a testimony of the faithfulness of God despite the storm. That's the kind of thing that we're absolutely desperate for a reminder of.

Kalley Heiligenthal wrote the chorus to "Ever Be" during a moment of spontaneous worship at an evening service, and found herself trying to make it into a complete song for nearly the entire next year. Talking about the process, she said,

"The Lord spoke to me and said 'I gave you that chorus and bridge as a freebie, so together we could mine out why My praise will ever be on your lips.' And that started a really long process - about a year - of writing draft after draft after draft about why His praise will ever be on my lips. I have a notebook that I affectionately refer to as my "Ever Be Notebook" - I filled every page...I knew in my heart who He was, but I didn't have the words that I wanted to articulate His faithfulness, His Love toward me, His commitment."

Those verses are the result of an entire year of prayer, scripture reading, discernment, and exploration of the nature of God. And maybe that's why this song resonates with me so much: It doesn't just throw out a line like "your praise will ever be on my lips," it backs it up. God has done so much in our lives that we physically can't help but praise.

For example: The first time we sang this song on a Sunday morning (about three weeks ago), I wasn't leading from the piano. I had given the reigns to my associate, Daniel, and was playing the service from the drum set. We kind of have a "procedure" for introducing new worship music. Every time we do a new song, we play it during our reflection time during the first week while the congregation is seated and focusing on their response to God. As we built the song there was a palpable tension in the room, and I couldn't quite figure out why. It soon became obvious:

You will be praised! You will be praised!
With angels and saints, we sing worthy are You Lord!

We began to sing those words, and within a few seconds I had the most amazing view: the entire congregation was on their feet worshiping God. That's not the work of a musical crescendo or a catchy melody or even good lyrics; that's the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we recognize the unshakeable goodness of God.

I strongly encourage you to take a listen to Kalley's testimony about this song - I've attached it below along with an in-depth song story interview and the live music video. May God's praise ever be on your lips.

Blessings!

-Matt

Read more about the story behind the song at New Release Today.

Matt Dailey serves as Worship Director at Navarre UMC, and has been at the church since 2013. When he's not leading worship and designing graphics, he enjoys baseball, comic books and team trivia (his team is nationally ranked. #micdrop). Read more about Matt here.

Office 8/26/16 Office 8/26/16

Banquet with Strangers

Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come so that the house will be full.’“

-Luke 14:12-23, NLT

Being from the South, I was taught from a young age how to throw a proper party. My grandmother instilled in me and my mother the importance of a well-decorated table, coordinated foods, and good hostess practices. Could you imagine how you would feel though if you went through all the work to prepare a top notch party, then all of your friends and family didn't show up? What if they all sent one excuse or another for their absences?

That's exactly what happened in the parable that Jesus tells in Luke 14. The point of the story isn't that we shouldn't get discouraged when the perfect party doesn't go well. The point of the story is that we should be seeking a different group of people to invite.

The host in the story goes into the streets and finds people to fill his home, so his perfect party isn't wasted. His table is filled with strangers.

Jesus wants us to understand the importance of seeking out people who are not expecting us to be kind to them. Individuals who have nothing to give in return. The reward we are receiving is not on this earth, but in heaven, knowing that we are doing God's will. This is the next step for us if we are going to become a Great Commission church.

Blessings,

Faith

PRAYER FOR THE SERIES

God, reignite my heart to have a passion for you. Give me eyes to see other people as you see them so that I can love them with my whole heart. Teach me how to be a living example of the hope of Jesus Christ. Give me the courage to shine for Jesus Christ in everything that I do so that I can help bring others into relationship with Christ. Give me a heart for my community. Through your strength, make me into a Great Commission Christian so we can become a Great Commission church.

Faith Parry serves as our Associate Pastor, and has been at the church since 2015. When she's not preaching and teaching, she enjoys documentaries and TV. Read more about Faith here.