Discovery Church, Guest Blogger, Ministry

Guest Blogger Andrew Bogdanov

Hey Discovery Church fam! Just wanted to update you guys on our epic LA trip. I believe Steve will also be posting this on his blog as well! First and foremost, I want to thank you guys for your prayers. We had a little trouble getting out of Phoenix but overall we made it safe and sound.

As you can see in one of the pictures because I look so dangerous and thuggish they pulled me away for a private security check which took an extra 30 minutes. After realizing we weren’t terrorists, we managed to get through. However, before checking our gate… (which we should of done) we decided to feast. As you know airports are a little pricey so you usually want to limit your purchases. We take our time and fellowship for a while and then decide to head to our gate.

As we arrive at our gate we find out our flight has been delayed an hour and a half! This was a little frustrating just because the Chi Alpha leadership team was expecting Pastor Steve to speak to them that evening. So of course we decide to spend our time getting coffee and brownies. At this point we have probably spent more money on food at the airport then our actual flights! Finally, after more snacking we board our plane and courtesy of my disability we get the front seats with extra leg room. Of course I take the window and give Steve the middle seat.

After a smooth flight out of Phoenix we land in LA and meet up with this super rad guy named Mitch. Mitch drives like a true Californian and takes us fast and furious style to our destination. We arrive at a Christian missions center across the street from UCLA and Steve and I meet all of the leaders and of course the legend Winston Bui.

Winston heads up the UCLA Chi Alpha group and loves college football almost as much as he loves Jesus. And he really loves Jesus!! Out of the kindness of his heart Winston takes us out to the Soup Plantation with all of his leaders.

This place has some BOMB food and the worst part about it is it’s a buffet. As you know, food is an essential to Pastor Steve and I, so we chow down!! It was refreshing to hear all of their stories and to talk with them. Each one of these leaders have fully devoted their entires lives to Jesus and will make any sacrifice needed. After dinner our crazy driver Mitch and his wife took us back to our hotel room. Thankfully his wife was driving this time. We check in to our rooms and pass out quickly from our food comas. Old man Steve wakes up at the bum crack of dawn and young whippersnapper Andrew sleeps in way too late the next morning. (Typical) Steve decides to explore the beautiful botanical gardens at UCLA that morning while I’m still back at the room pumping out the Z’s.

Around 11 am Mitch picks us up and we go to Fox Studios.

We meet up with our friend Tim that we met the night before at dinner for a private tour of the place. Tim has been working at Fox studios for 8 years and he was able to show us all around the grounds.

We explored sets of Bones, American Horror Story, and Modern Family. Shows neither of us have seen, but we really enjoyed seeing behind the scenes! A very cool experience. We also cruised by the Fox Sports 1 building. (Ya that’s right Matthew Simpson)

After exploring for a few hours we head back to the room and Steve and I swap this time. He takes a nap and I explore the city. After my adventure and Steve’s power nap we head to the Chi Alpha building where we prepare to speak. After everyone arrives we engage in some student led worship. We could tell that the Holy Spirit was invited in this place and that he resides within this amazing group of students! After a powerful time praising God, Winston invites Steve up and Steve begins to share about US/Discovery church! He talks about his vision and what God has been doing in our lives. He explains that we explore, trek, hike, bike, climb, swim, roast marshmallows, camp, EAT, repel, adventure, and GET OUTSIDE… So God can get INSIDE.

Shortly after, he invites me up and I share my story with the students. I definitely felt God speaking through me and I continue to pray that he uses what I said to impact those students. After I shared the story that most of you have heard, Steve finishes it off and talks about having no limits. He tells a story about how he was extremely parched hiking in the canyon with his daughter and he asked for the river to be turned into blue Gatorade. Sure enough he finds a bottle of blue Gatorade behind a rock. Super crazy how God works!!

We both talked about so much more but those are some of the highlights. After service we all fellowship, eat more food and have multiple arm wrestling competitions! After the amazing service we head back to the hotel room where Steve passes out in minutes.

The next morning we head on our ways and thank God for such an Indescribable trip to the city. Thank you so much Discovery Church for praying for us on this Journey. Love you guys!

Andrew.

Here are a few more pics of our trip to UCLA.

Discovery Church

Don’t Frighten Timothy

Here is the video and message note from Don’t Frighten Timothy.

This is the outline only.

On Frightening Timothy

It would be a shame to have a dream and not fulfill it because we were afraid.

This Sunday we wrap up our series from 1 Corinthians in a message called “Don’t Frighten Timothy.”

DON’T FRIGHTEN TIMOTHY
If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers. 1 Corinthians 16:10-11 (niv)

This is more than a 30 minute sermon to fill a space – this is a common known reality we all deal with almost everyday.

FEAR and CREATIVITY – The polar opposites of my personality and maybe yours as well.

When it comes to these two real facts in my life I talk to both of them!

CREATIVITY – “I love your energy and expression. But, I only have a certain amount of time in a day and I need a certain amount of sleep each night……HOLD THAT THOUGHT AND LET ME GET BACK TO YOU TOMORROW ON THAT.

I need to have a GRATITUDE FOR FEAR!

FEAR– “I thank fear for what it has done for me in the past …..Like keeping me from going down a certain street or not driving my car too fast or saying no to the telemarketer who needs my routing number to my checking account.

BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I REALLY DON’T NEED FEAR AND I HAVE A CONVERSATION LIKE THIS.

“Thank you FEAR for everything. But, I really don’t need your services right now….Because today I am just writing this sermon. Today I am just relaxing with this cup of coffee….I’m giving you the day off FEAR.”

Be grateful for fear – Bow to fear at the right times. ( we say things like; “I’m gonna punch fear in the face.” – “Kick fears butt” – I don’t know about you but anytime I have attacked anything….It attacked me right back.

INTERVIEW WITH JASON DYER

DON’T FRIGHTEN TIMOTHY

If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers. 1 Corinthians 16:10-11 (niv)

1. IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH TO FRIGHTEN TIMOTHY.

Timothy can represent a PERSON or a POSSIBILITY.

Allowing timothy to thrive in his:
Ambitions
Ideals
Dreams

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING “TIMOTHY” AROUND YOU .

That NEW thing – That NEW tomorrow – That YOUTHFUL HOPE – That God POSSIBILITY – That thrill of the next thing God has in store for you. – That place were you still believe the scripture that promises you “Behold I am doing a new thing .” – Isaiah 43:19

It’s an evil thing to frighten Timothy. – It’s SO easy to do it.

Timothy is very young and very tender – HE always has been and he always will be!

Timothy has solved the problem of perpetual youthfulness.

He represent the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.

He will never grow old. – He refuses to grow old.

If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, – 1 Corinthians 16:10-11 (niv)

1. The RARITY of Timothy. “If Timothy comes”. Vs. 10

2. The NEED of Timothy. “SEE TO IT”. VS. 10

3. The TENDENCY of Timothy. “fear while he is with you.” vs. 10

4. The VALUE of Timothy. “he is carrying on the work of the Lord.” vs. 10

5. The CONNECTION of the old and the new. “No one, then should refuse him.” vs.11

3. MOST PEOPLE DIE AT 25 AND AREN’T BURIED UNTIL THEY ARE 75.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young , but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (niv)

Youth – Neotetos’ – reffering to anyone under 40.

EXAMPLE IN SPEECH.
EXAMPLE IN LIFE.
EXAMPLE IN LOVE.
EXAMPLE IN FAITH.
EXAMPLE IN PURITY.

Discovery Church

My Gifted Little Child

Dear readers,

Many of my blogs are made up of sermons outlines and quick thoughts.

These are here to accompany the video of the sermon link below.

https://vimeo.com/140520861

1 Corinthians 12:1-4,11

Now, concerning the gifts from the Holy Spirit.I want you to know the truth about them, my friends. ²You know that while you were still heathen, you were led astray in many ways to the worship of lifeless idols. ³I want you to know that no one who is led by God’s Spirit can say “A curse on Jesus!” and no one can confess “Jesus is Lord,” without being guided by the Holy Spirit.

⁴There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them…..(Vs 11) But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person. (31) ³¹Set your hearts, then, on the more important gifts.

cha·ris·ma

kəˈrizmə/ – “Gift” – charisma: a gift of grace, a free gift

My Gifted Little Child

Matthew 18:3 3: And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

It’s like Jesus is saying ….the first years of your life as a believer are some of the most important ones.

GOD IS CALLING US TO BE CHILDLIKE … NOT CHILDISH.

Has you get older, the opportunities to learn new things gets harder and become fewer.

IF WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT, WHEN WILL WE HAVE TIME TO DO IT OVER?

You will only be a CHILD for a certain amount of TIME

Time cannot be STOPPED. STRETCHED. STORED.

God gives us some insights about TIME.
Eph. 5:15,16 make the most of it. – Col. 4:5 redeem it. – Matt. 6:33 prioritize it.

I Samuel 3-4:1….The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

I. God Is Crazy About Children and people that are childlike.

When it comes to gifts….”Become like little children.” – Matthew 18:3

THE GIFTS

A. DISCOVER THEM

B. DEVELOP THEM

C. DISTRIBUTE THEM

D. OR THEY WILL REMAIN DORMANT.

Illustration – NO RUNS, NO HITS, NO ERRORS

In one little Midwestern town, Miss Jones had the distinction of being the oldest resident in town. So when she died, the editor of the local paper wanted to print a little article remembering this dear old lady, except he couldn’t think of anything to say when he sat down to write the article. Miss Jones had never done anything terribly wrong. She had never spent a night in jail or had ever been drunk. On the other hand, she had never done anything significant.

With this still on his mind, the editor went down to the local café, and there, ran into the local funeral director. He too was having the same trouble. He wanted to put something on Miss Jones’ tombstone besides “Miss Nancy Jones, born such-and-such a date and died such-and-such a date,” but he couldn’t think of anything to write either.

The editor decided to go back to his office and assign the job of writing up a small article for both the paper and the tombstone to the first reporter he saw. When he got to the office, he ran into the sports editor, who got the assignment. So somewhere in some little community in the Midwest there is a tombstone which reads:

Here lie the bones of Nancy Jones,

For her life held no terrors.

She lived an old maid. She died an old maid.

No hits, no runs, no errors. (C. C. Mitchell, Let’s Live!)

I’m afraid to say, “That’s the way many Christians live their lives.” They’ve never done anything terribly wrong, but they never accomplish anything significant for the Lord.

________________________________________________________________

2. The Gift Giving Heart Of God.

“Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God.” – James 1:17

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them” – 1 Corinthians 12:4

“ as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.” 1 Corinthians 12:11

___________________________________________________________________

3. God Loves the CHILD Inside You!

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

We will have all of eternity to talk about our victories….but only today to win them and share them.

_____________________________________________________

THE OTHER GIFT

Eu·cha·rist

ˈyo͞ok(ə)rəst/ The good gift/thanksgiving/the good grace

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;^[b] this is My body which is broken^[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

The last supper is about the Christ story.

“My body is broken and my blood is spilled out”.

Its is about giving out and taking back in.

The FATIGUE Of and the RHYTHM of Jesus.

Communion and the table is all about staying in a sustainable rhythm of giving and receiving.

Your life is also a EUCHARIST TO ALL OF US – LEARN THE ART OF THE EUCHARIST RHYTHM.

BODY BROKEN-CUP POURED OUR – BODY RESTORED – FILLED UP.

Discovery Church

What Are We Working For?

Here are some of the notes from the message What are we working for?

Pastor Steve Lummer
1 Corinthians – Part 3

Take the initiative
There’s a story about a great fisherman who always came home with a load of fish. One day a stranger asked if he could accompany him the next time he went out. “Sure,” the fisherman said. The next morning the 2 made their way to a remote cave. The stranger noticed that the fisherman didn’t have any poles or other equipment, just a rusty tackle box and a scoop net. After the fisherman shut off the motor he opened the tackle box and pulled out a stick of dynamite. He struck a match, lit it, and then tossed it into the water. After a deafening explosion, he grabbed his net and began scooping up fish. With a hard look, the stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge with the words Game Warden. “You’re under arrest,” he said. His words didn’t faze the fisherman. He simply reached into the tackle box again, lit another stick of dynamite and held it while the fuse burned down. Then he handed it to the game warden and said, “So, are you just going to sit there, or are you going to fish?” The moral of this story is – successful people don’t need a fuse lit under them. Their motivation comes from their God-given purpose within. They live for a cause greater than themselves.
If we wait for others to motivate us, what happens when “others” don’t show up? We need a better plan than that. And the Bible gives us that plan: “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.”

– We all have seen the bumper sticker that reads “I OWE I OWE SO OFF TO WORK I GO.”
– I remember a sign hanging in a grocery store window in Springfield Mo. That read ” WANTED, CLERK TO WORK 8 HOURS A DAY TO REPLACE THE ONE WHO DIDN’T.”
– A sign at a highway construction sight : “MEN WORKING, and the night before someone had painted – “WE HOPE SO.”

Quotes from our discussion about work.

– “ Success comes before work only in the dictionary” – Jim Nowlin sr.

-“Whistle while you work”. – Jim Nowlin sr.

– “ We making a living by what we get ….we make a life by what we give.” Kate Pressman

– “find something you love to do and work toward that” – Dave Sewell

– They say that you get out of life what you put into it…and that for many is the problem …..a lot of people are sitting around waiting for their “ship” to come in when in fact they never sent one out.

our VOCATION is much more than what we do for a living!
For many the best part of their VOCATION is their VACATION! – But God has gifted you for the work you do!

Work gives people a sense of purpose. It’s not uncommon for work to be a large part of a person’s life. People need to feel accomplished, successful and work allows us to strive for our best and to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 (GNT)

Did You Know?

• In your lifetime you’re going to spend about 150,000 hours at work
• The average person spends from 40%-70% of his waking hours in job-related activities.

“What do we gain by all of our hard work?” Ecclesiastes 3:9 (NLT)

1. My work matters to God because WORK IS A GIFT FROM GOD.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Gen 2:15 (NIV)

“God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their work, which are gifts from God.” Eccl 3:13

2. My work matters to God because MY WORK DEVELOPS ME.

“A lazy life is an empty life, but’ early to rise’ gets the job done.” Proverbs 12:27 (Msg)

“God is far more interested in what you are than what you do.” – And WHAT YOU DO has a lot to do in SHAPING WHO YOU ARE.
“While you’re working on your job, God is working on you. What God is doing in you is more important than what you’re doing.”
“The most important thing you bring home from work every day is not your paycheck. It’s you.”

Let me ask us a question here today. – Are you satisfied with what you’re becoming?

Illus – In Florida There’s a jellyfish that loves to swallow a certain snail. But the snail has a hard shell and the jellyfish can’t digest it. So the snail fastens itself to the inside of the jellyfish and slowly begins to eat away at it. By the time the snail is fully-grown, it has consumed the entire jellyfish.

Understand this: a lot of the things we think we can handle, finish up consuming us – things like appetites, overwork, stress, greed, or simply the aimlessness of our lives; there’s a real killer!

God has a wonderful plan for you. Spend time with Him today and let Him tell you about it.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” Jeremiah 29:11-14

INVEST TIME WITH YOUR CREATOR AND SEE HOW HE SHARPENS YOU.

ILLUS – THE GRINDSTONE – ARE YOU BEING GROUND DOWN OR SHARPENED UP?

The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle. Eccl. 10:10 (message)

“Make a careful exploration of…the work you have been given…then sink yourself into that.” Galatians 6:4 TM

3 My work matters to God because IT HELPS ME TO BE GENEROUS.

“We must work, doing something useful with our own hands, so that we may have something to share with those in need.” Ephesians 4:28 GN)

4. My work matters to God because IT HELPS PEOPLE TO SEE GOD THROUGH ME.

“Take care of your own business, and do your own work: if you do, then people who are not believers will respect you.” 1 Thess 4:11-12 (NCV)

“Whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:17 (NLT)

“As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18b NLT).

REMEMBER: – WHILE YOU ARE AT WORK …..GOD IS AT WORK ON YOU.

Discovery Church

The Color of IT.

IN LIVING COLOR

Steve Lummer

“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived” –

the things God has prepared for those who love him—

¹⁰these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (NIV)

Job 11:7, – Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

1 corinthians 2:9-10, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, – no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him.” —

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 115:5-6

They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see.
⁶They have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but cannot smell.

WE GATHER HERE

– We gather here once a week for worship to remind ourselves that there is a center to the universe and that center is not us.

– I CHOOSE TO gather with others on a Sunday to remind myself that there is a throne and I’m not on it.

the term “inattentional blindness” – also known as perceptual blindness. A Wikipedia article regarding inattentional blindness says “it may be further defined as the event in which an individual fails to recognize an unexpected stimulus that is in plain sight.”

1. THE ISLAND OF THE COLORBLIND.

The Island of the Colorblind

In the Island of the Colorblind, Oliver Sacks writes a colorful account about a tiny island in the South Pacific. Pingelap is less than three square miles, and the highest elevation on the island is only ten feet above sea level. In 1775, Typhoon Lengkieki swept over the island destroying all of the vegetation and killing 90 percent of the inhabitants. The twenty survivors resorted to fishing as the only means of survival until the island revegetated.

After the great typhoon, a genetic peculiarity evolved. A surprisingly large proportion of the next generation was born colorblind. Elsewhere in the world, less than one in thirty thousand people are colorblind. On the island of Pingelap, one in twelve is born with the condition. The high percentage can be traced to the fact that several people in the surviving gene pool carried a rare gene responsible for congenital achromatopsia.

Those of us with normal color vision have approximately 7 million cones, allowing us to distinguish up to 10 million different colors. Congenital achromatopes have no functional cones. They rely exclusively on the 120 million low-light photoreceptor rods in the retina. As a result, they are hypersensitive to light. They often wear several pairs of sunglasses or avoid light altogether. Their poor visual acuity forces them to use a monocle—a handheld magnifying glass that looks like a telescope—to read text or see things from a distance. And, of course, they cannot perceive color.

The sad irony is that few places on earth are more beautiful or colorful than this tropical paradise. “It was striking how green everything was in Pingelap,” notes Oliver Sacks, “not only the foliage of trees, but their fruits as well—breadfruit and pandanus are both green, as were many varieties of bananas on the island.” The island is full of “brightly colored red and yellow fruits—papaya, mango, guava.” The island is literally bursting with tropical colors, but the colorblind Pingelapians cannot perceive it. They lack the perceptual capacity simply because they have no cones.

Sad, isn’t it? But many of us are as blind to wonder as the Pingelapians are to color. There are miracles all around us all the time, but we lack the perceptual capacity to perceive them. We are in the presence of God, but we are unaware of it. We are surrounded by the glory of God, but can’t see it.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning put it in poetic terms.

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote these words – “The average person looks without seeing, listens without hearing,touches without feeling, eats without tasting, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance and talks with thinking.”

God is awed by His own creation –

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning–the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31

It’s almost like God say’s – “I outdid myself , if I say so myself.”

“No Eye has seen, no ear has heard , no mind has conceived what God has in store for those who love him.”

OUR LACK OF WONDER IS REALLY A LACK OF LOVE

You can count the seeds in an apple , but you can count the apples in a seed.

In the Far East, there is a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree. This remarkable tree is different from most trees in that it doesn’t grow in the usual fashion. While most trees grow steadily over a period of years, the Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t break through the ground for the first four years. Then, in the fifth year, an amazing thing happens – the tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate. In fact, in a period of just five weeks, a Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet. It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.

Well, I’m convinced that life often works in a similar way. You can work for weeks, months and even years on your dream with no visible signs of progress and then, all of the sudden, things take off. Your business becomes profitable beyond your wildest dreams. Your marriage becomes more vibrant and passionate than you ever thought it could be. Your contribution to your church, social organization and community becomes more significant than you have ever imagined.

Keep Watering Your Bamboo Tree –

2. 30 MINUTES OF SILENCE.

When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1

Our relationship with God should enhance our sense of AWE. – A capacity of wonder.

3. THE MIRACLE OF SIGHT

A BABY AT 6 MONTHS BEGIN TO SEE PAST 13 INCHES IN DIAMETER OF LOW DEFINITION BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES – AFTER 6 MONTHS THAT SAME BABY BEGINS TO VISUALIZE FIVE TIMES GREATER THAN BEFORE ….NOW THE WORLD BURST INTO A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR.

Our spiritual eyes for wonder develops in much the same way.

Ephesians 1:18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

What happens when we pray: We see things no one else sees. And we see things before others see them. Why? Because prayer gives us a God’s-eye view. Prayer heightens our awareness and gives us a sixth sense that enables us to perceive spiritual realities. –

Prayer turns us into first-class noticers. It helps us see what God wants us to notice. The more you pray, the more you notice. –

We often think of prayer as nothing more than words spoken to God, but maybe it’s more than that. Prayer is also when God speaks to us through dreams and desires and promptings and impressions and ideas. Prayer is the mechanism whereby God ideas are conceived and captured. And it’s our capacity for prayer that will ultimately determine our creative potential.

4. A SIXTH SENSE

“Then Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” – Luke 24:45

“What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived” –

the things God has prepared for those who love him— I Cor. 2:9,10

church family, Discovery Church, marriage

The Three Flames

Here are a few notes from our recent message entitled “FLAMES”.

There is a book in the middle of the bible, there is this collection of love poems that are so explicit that young Jewish boys were not allowed to read them until were older.

THE THREE FLAMES OF LOVE – BED OF ROSES Of (which mine has been because of you)

Joe Cocker – (you are so beautiful)

We get a lot of mileage out of this OLD ENGLISH WORD LOVE don’t we? – “I love my wife, but I also love a new car or my best pair of pants…..I really love you BUT I ALSO LOVE TACOS’?

there are three different Hebrew words used to describe love. I have found these three things to be very important to cultivating a healthy and loving relationship.

RAYA – Friendship
The first Hebrew word used to describe love in Song of Songs is “Raya,” which means basically a friend, a companion or soulmate (Song of Songs 4:7). Basically, this special person should be our best friend.

AHAVA – Deep Affection and Commitment
The second Hebrew word is “Ahava,” which means a deep affection. It is a desire that is unquenchable, a wish to be with the other person that makes your heart ache.
love has three dimensions. — “Ahava” is a love of the will and that it is more profound than just fleeting romantic feelings. It is a desire which leads a person to make a decision to join their life to another forever. It is what makes things last. It is the commitment involved in making a relationship work. Here we see that love is very much a choice as much as it is a connection. The lovers of Song of Songs state that Ahava is as strong as death, that many rivers cannot quench “Ahava” (Song of Songs 8:7).

DOD – Passion
The third Hebrew word used in the Hebrew love poems is “Dod.” Dod means to carouse, rock or to fondle (Song of Songs 1:2). Dod is the passion and the romantic feelings that are a part of a love relationship, the physical, sexual part.

LEAVE – CLEAVE – WEAVE

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 9:5

The three ingredients of love are three distinct flames. Each component that we have is a small flame. Some people may just settle for the Dod flame in their relationship. Well, this is only a small piece of the whole of love. We can keep coming back to this flame but alone it never really satisfies. Our souls ache for more. The key is to have all three flames burning as one big flame. This big flame can warm our soul and satisfy us. Anything less is less than what we were intended for. The good news is that if you are in a relationship and one of these three ingredients is missing you can still, many times, light the flames by focusing on them.

When we separate the flames there is never enough heat to keep the fire going

All three Hebrew words are the drug that keeps the love cooking!

May you discover all three flames and pass the torch to you youngins

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.⁸Love never fails….13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13 (NKJV)

Steve

Discovery Church, Guest Blogger

Guest Blogger – Matt Simpson

Here are the notes on Matt’s recent message called “DIRT”.

Intro: Genesis 2:7

–God Formed Man (Adam) out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of Life. The man was alive, a living soul. (MSG)
God made us out of dirt. You are a pile of dirt. (Glad you came?)
Isaac camping—Dirt from head to toe in .6 seconds. If I told Isaac he was made from dirt he would have no trouble with that. Would you?
Did God make you out of dirt? If so why?

Science & History

Identical chemical and mineral make up as dirt
NASA, studying the origins of life discovered that life on earth might have gotten its start in clay.
Clay attracts proteins and DNA and has the ability to form them into chains. Those chains are the beginning of life.
The name “Adam” translates in several languages as “ruddy clay” or “red clay”.
When someone dies and is buried they turn back to dirt.

DIRT With a Purpose

Why would God choose dirt? Out of all the substances on Earth he chose…DIRT. He had a purpose.
First, we are a unique blend of earthly/natural material, and the life-giving power of God.
Everything else God created He SPOKE into existence. However, when He formed man, He put his hands into the dirt and then breathed life into us.
Highlights the value of human life—Why Would God create us in such a way if He didn’t ultimately have a plan and purpose for our lives

DIRT Knows its Place

Dirt gets a bad rap. “dirt cheap”, “dirt poor”, “old as dirt”. If you have the “dirt” on someone it’s never a good thing.
The word “dirt” in several different languages actually translates to “excrement”. Adam-Rude
Highlights our own fragility and utter dependence upon God.
Without life giving breathe of God we are just a pile of dirt.
Shifts our focus to what really matters in us; What makes us special, the dirt or the breath of God living in the dirt? What makes us special is not us but God living in us.
2^nd Corinthians 4:7 says “But we have this treasure in jars of CLAY, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (ESV)
It’s great to know that we serve a God who paves His street with gold but adopts dirt as his sons and daughters!

Constant Contact

Scribbles to Art Video
Jeremiah 18:1-6 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” ³So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

⁵Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁶“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

God’s object lesson. Not a mountain, desert, burning bush. A Potter’s
God’s work was not done with Adam, he was just getting started.
God’s desire is to constantly rework, reshape us if we’ll let him.
My story; “God never stopped loving you!”
Give God your dirt, hand over your scribbles-your best effort and watch him turn your life into a living work of art. A reflection of God’s grace, mercy and love. That’s our true purpose; to reflect the God who made us.

Conclusion

What does it look like to have God’s finger prints all over our lives?
Repent. Turn from our dirt and scribbles to give them to God.
Relinquish control; Even if it hurts. Because God writes a much better story, he fashions a much more useful and beautiful vessel.
Receive what God has for you even if it is unknown and scary. Because the God that breathed life into your dirt desires a relationship with you
If you don’t know God but want to talk to us in the back
If you do know God but have been holding on to your dirt and scribbles lets pray that you will begin to let God in and transform you from the inside out!

Discovery Church, marriage, Ministry

The Yin The Yang of Us

This Sunday …The Yin and Yang of us.

Wow, over 35 years of marriage/love/hope/dissapointments and a ton of grace, Steve and Brenda have found balance and a way to to stay through it all. Join us Sunday Discovery Church for the story of three and a half decades of marriage, ministry and the art of keeping it together.
10:00 A.M. – Prescott College

wear your flip flops

http://www.discoveryprescott.com

Discovery Church

God and your bod

GOD AND YOUR BOD

Romans 12:1,2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper (reasonable service of) worship.

²Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

1. WHAT IS THE THEREFORE – THERE FOR?

God made room for us in his family tree.

Romans 11:17-20 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”

2. WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF IT?
Vs 1 “in view of God’s mercy”

Grace is getting what we do not deserve Mercy is Not getting what we deserve.

Grace and mercy are not the same thing although they both come from God. Grace is what we receive that we do not deserve while mercy is what we do not get that we do deserve. He gives the one (grace) and withholds the other (mercy) and that is why we ought to give thanks to God for His goodness.

3. THE MINISTRY OF PRESENCE
Vs. 1b “Present (offer) your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”

Your body is a VEHICLE to get you places
Before man created cars – God gave you feet. – your feet are pointed FORWARD!

I have learned one thing. As Woody says, ‘Showing up is 80 percent of life.’
The world is run by those who show up.Your body is a VESSEL.
2 Timothy 2:22 – he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Your body is a TEMPLE.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

4. A REASONABLE THING
Vs. 1c “which is your reasonable service of worship.”

* Everybody worships someone or something. (from Mark Batterson evotional)

Vacuums
In Exodus 32, Moses is on top of Mount Sinai for forty days. And when the cat’s away the mice will play! Exodus 32:1 says, “When Moses failed to come down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. ‘Make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared’.”

Aristotle said, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” That isn’t just a law of physics. It’s a spiritual law.

I think it’s easy to miss the most obvious lesson in this story. Here it is: the Israelites couldn’t go forty days without worshipping.

Moses was gone for a few days and it created a spiritual vacuum. The Israelites had to find something to fill the spiritual vacuum that was created. Why? Because we can’t not worship! If we aren’t worshipping God with a capital “G” we’ll find a god with a lower case “g” to fill that vacuum.

Gold Earrings

So Aaron told them to bring him their gold earrings. These aren’t any old earrings. These gold earrings were a gift from God. Let me hit the rewind button and go back to Exodus 12:36. The Israelites asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. And it says, “God caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So, like a victorious army, they plundered the Egyptians.”

Here’s what I’m trying to get at: the Israelites turned a gift from God into an idol. The Israelites literally used a gift from God capital “G” to make a god little “g.”

If we aren’t careful, God-given gifts can become idols. In fact, the greatest blessings pose the greatest danger.

So Aaron melted the gold earrings. Then he “molded and tooled” it into the shape of a calf. And the people said in Exodus 32:4: “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt.”

In the margin of my Bible I wrote the words “silly slap” next to this verse because that’s exactly what I want to do.

The Israelites saw God perform the ten miraculous plagues. They had box seats for the parting of the Red Sea. They ate the manna God miraculously provided in the wilderness. They saw God perform all of these miraculous signs.

Then they give a golden calf credit for getting them out of Egypt: “These are the gods who brought us out of Egypt.”

Are you kidding me? …..Come on, people!

Do you know where you’d get if a calf was leading you. Nowhere! All they do is chew cud.

And that’s what cracks me up. Of all the idols they could have made, they choose a calf. I don’t even get it. Maybe it’s just me, but you could certainly come up with a more impressive idol couldn’t you? If you’re going to get into idolatry, at least make it a Raging Bull with three horns that shoot lasers or a two-headed calf that breathes fire. Is that the best you can do? The Israelites aren’t even good at picking idols!

Diddley Squat

– Let me give you a definition of worship. – Worship is giving credit where credit is due.

Sin is the exact opposite. Sin is giving credit to anyone besides God for anything.
Imagine someone facing the eastern horizon and motioning in a dramatic gesture intended to make the sun rise. And the sun comes up. And they think their dramatic gesturing did it. Each of us is that person. Every ounce of energy, every penny, every second of time, every thought, every talent, every opportunity, every blessing is a gift from God.

Whenever I start getting heady, Job 34:14 keeps me humble! “If God were to take back His Spirit and withdraw his breath, all life would cease and humanity would return to dust.”

Here’s my translation: without God we’re not even “Diddley Squat.”

Now let me jump back into Exodus 32.

God has rescued the Israelites. He has shown them miracle after miracle after miracle. He has given them gift after gift after gift. And what do the Israelites do? They take the gift God had given them and use it make idols. They give credit to some golden calf.

Isn’t it amazing how quickly we forget what God has done for us?

Let me demystify worship. Worship is saying “Thank You.”

Maybe I’m simple-minded. But I think “Please” and “Sorry” and “Thank You” aren’t just good manners. They are the key to spiritual maturity. Never stop saying “Sorry.” Never stop saying “Please.” And never stop saying “Thank You.”
Isn’t that what I Thessalonians 5:18 says? “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ.”

I think there’s part of us that reads a story like Exodus 32 and we chuckle. Those silly ancient people! How could they worship a golden calf? They were so ancient and so silly. But we worship little green pieces of paper with numbers on them. Is that really any different? I think our idolatry is much more refined and civilized. But if we’re worshiping anything other than God Almighty then we’re bowing down to a golden calf.

Dance Party

So the Aaron makes a golden calf and the people get all excited. They build an altar in front of it. They even throw a dance party.
“EVERYBODY DANCE NOW.”

Moses comes down the mountain with Joshua and they hear this ruckus. Joshua said, “It sounds as if there is war in the camp.” Moses said, “No, it’s neither a cry of victory nor a cry of defeat. It is the sound of a celebration.“

Have you ever seen someone get super excited about something you thought was super silly? And you’re sort of embarrassed for them. Like something who thinks they can dance, but they can’t really dance.

Permission to speak frankly? I’m embarrassed for them! You would think that this golden calf was producing Cold Stone Creamery shakes through its golden udders or something. But all it is is an inanimate object. That’s it.

Here is my observation.

They were getting excited about the wrong thing. There is nothing wrong with getting excited. The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words: En Theos. It means “in God.” In other words, the more we get into God the more enthusiastic we become. Christ followers ought to be the most enthusiastic people on the planet.

Soren Kierkegaard said, “Boredom is the root of all evil.” I find that fascinating. Let me share a personal conviction: I don’t think our biggest problem is not feeling bad enough about what’s wrong with us. I think our biggest problem is not feeling good enough about what’s right with God.

I think our greatest sin is under-celebrating. Heaven is going to be a cosmic celebration.

Let me reveal one of Satan’s tactics. The enemy tries to get us to focus on what’s wrong with us so that we won’t worship what’s right with God. I’m going to say it over and over again in this series: don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right about God.

Here’s the bottom line: the Israelites celebrating the wrong thing.

We were hardwired to worship something so much bigger and so much better than our manufactured idols.

5. BE A NON-CONFORMIST

Vs. 2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world

God made you an ORIGINAL….please don’t die a COPY.

Be a thermostat!
Don’t be a thermometer, be a thermostat. Thermometers just reflect the climate around them – thermostats set it. Actually, they lift it! Most of us are like thermometers reflecting the culture around us. We buy things others buy, say things others say, wear things others wear, and value things others value. Oh, there are slight variations, but most of the time we don’t set the climate for the world we live in; we simply adjust to it. But not overcomers! No, they take life to the next level. They become thermostats and change the environment in which they’re placed. For instance, you may know people who raise the spiritual temperature of a group, or determine the attitudes of others just by being present. They’re pacesetters. They influence, rather than merely allowing others to influence them. Paul’s challenge to the Romans was to move from being a thermometer to being a thermostat. Listen: “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Ro 12:2 TM). God calls us to be authentic. The word authentic comes from the Greek word “to author.” It means to read God’s script for your life and then write your own story, not copy somebody else’s. That’s living. That’s being a thermostat, not a thermometer! – (Bob Gass)Romans 12:1,2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper (reasonable service of) worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)