Tag: Life

We’re All Parents – Some of Us Just Have Kids

65294_10200932839150099_1427605294_nOn Sunday we are going to look at a major issue for all of us as Christians. We are looking at parenting.

You might actually want to push back a little bit. You might be asking, “Is it a major issue for all of us? What about those of us without kids? What about those of us with grown kids? What about those of us who never want kids?”

Well I hate to be the one to tell you…but if you are a follower of Jesus you are a parent.

That’s right. As followers of Jesus in a community we all matter in ensuring that the next generation launches well. You are a model and an example, even if you aren’t a biological parent.

Stanley Hauerwas writes it this way: Christians, single and married, are parents. “Parent” names an office of the Christian community that everyone in the  community is expected faithfully to fulfill.

And he is absolutely right. We all have a responsibility with the youth we, as a community, have been entrusted with. Kids matter. Youth matter. And you matter too in developing a caring community that launches them well. So yes parenting is a major issue for all Christians.

And come Sunday we are going to look at how to launch our kids well. I’m going to share with you three things that I think are really key. But before we get there what about you? What do you think is key in raising kids as a community? What did your parents do – that worked so wonderfully? What have you learned not to do from your parents?

Because the reality for good or bad, we have all been shaped by parenting. Whether that’s good parents, bad parents, or non-existent parents. The question we want to discover is then for those in our care and community how can we raise them well. How can we launch them well? What do you think?

by Andrew Mills

Changing and Shaping Decades of Life

On Sunday we asked one simple question. How do you leave a legacy that lasts and lingers into the future? How do you ensure 1161714_36739445that how you are living now matters?

And what we discovered was a simple truth, that the decisions you make today soon become the stories you tell, which become the legacy you leave.

We looked at the story of Joseph and how after being sold into slavery, thrown into prison, and have untold difficulties all because of his family, comes face to face with them again and now he is in power. Joseph has a moment where he can exact justice, and retribution from his family. Instead he chooses grace.

The question is how did he know to do this? This is not natural. Ask any 3 year old about sharing and you’ll discover grace doesn’t come easily. So how did he know to do this? Because he saw it practiced years before. Because he heard stories of it as he grew up. Because one decision by his uncle shaped his life.

We discover in Genesis 33 that Jacob (Joseph’s dad) meets up with Esau after wrecking his life. Jacob steals Esau’s birthright (inheritance, power, and position) and his blessing (his connection and future). Esau is furious and vows to kill Jacob. Jacob runs. But eventually Jacob’s past catches up with him, as it always does. And he is forced to meet Esau. Esau shows up with 400 of his armed men. So Jacob astutely guesses that this won’t be a fun family reunion or picnic. Esau is here to kill him and take everything back that he’s stolen. And so slowly Jacob comes to Esau. But Esau does an amazing and remarkable thing. He gives grace, he forgives, and he makes a decision that shapes generations. And there is a small detail buried in Genesis 33:2 and 7. Joseph is mentioned. Joseph is there. Joseph is part of that moment of grace and forgiveness. We can only assume over the years Jacob telling of Esau’s generosity and forgiveness. As they sit around campfires, and the dinner table sharing about how this one moment changed the destiny of their entire family.

So fast forward decades and we find Joseph in the same situation. And he now knows how to act because of a decision of his uncle. Esau’s decision has echoed into the future and shaped the future of his entire family. It is an amazing thought isn’t it? That one decision can shape generations down the road. But its what the Bible teaches. We landed on this main point: that the decisions you make are the stories you will tell, and the legacy you will leave.

So what kind of decisions are you making? What kind of legacy are you leaving? What if your grandkids, or grandnephews or nieces take their cue from your decision today? Maybe you thinking of giving up, leaving, forgiving, forgetting, or moving on. What if this is the decision that will shape generations?

What it does is make sure that we think about how we are living. Because one thing is for sure, how we live now is leaving our legacy for the future.

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: How you are living is the legacy you are leaving

Take Aways…

  • We want lives that matter and last
  • Decisions last and linger into the future
  • Joseph and Jacobs family were dysfunctional
  • We spend time contemplating our hurts, grudges, and desires for revenge
  • Why does Joseph give grace rather than justice?
  • Grace and love don’t come naturally
  • Joseph knows what do to because he’s seen it done
  • Our decision today last decades into the future
  • The decisions you make becomes the legacy you leave
  • The legacy you leave doesn’t start when you die, it starts now with how you live
  • What stories are you living and leaving?

Adult / Group Discussion Questions: What surprised you? What made you think? What made you laugh? What did you take away? Was this take on this passage new? Who has left a legacy in your life? What decisions you’re your past have lingered into the future? What type of a legacy are you leaving? What type of stories will the future generations tell about you?

Discussion Questions for Young Families: Take your kids and sit down and talk about today’s message. Tell them how you know the decisions you make will affect their futures. Make a vow, a pledge, or a promise in front of them to make the best decisions possible knowing that these are thing that will linger into the future. Promise them to live stories that matter

Challenge for this Week:

Live a legacy worth leaving

by Andrew Mills

Remain Faithful and Win Life

On Sunday we explored the letter written to Smyrna in Revelation 2. There was a lot of difficult news for the church in Smyrna to hear. It heard that there would continue to be testing, persecution, and difficulty. But there was one beautiful verse in the end of the letter that gives hope, not only to them but to us as well…

Jesus says, “Remain faithful, even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life”

Jesus simply says remain faithful and you will win life. He says hold on and you will win life. This is beautiful because sometimes in difficulty it seems impossible to win. Sometimes in chaos and hurt it seems like life is over. But here Jesus offers us a promise that even in the darkest times, when you are facing death, don’1346127_31038032t give up and you will win life.

This is a great reminder for all of us. Because isn’t this what we need in the dark? A reminder that the dark doesn’t win. A reminder that the dark doesn’t last. A reminder that we don’t have to conquer the darkness…we just need to hold on and we will win life.

This is what we need to hold onto in the middle of tragedy and difficulty. Not that whatever situation we are currently facing isn’t tragic, difficult, or even wrong. But that in the end the dark won’t win, it won’t last, and it won’t linger. In the end life wins. Isn’t that the whole message of Christianity in a nutshell? Death loses, and life wins if we can simply hold on…

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: Be faithful and win life.

Take Aways… 

  • “Our failure to hear His voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.” Dallas Willard
  • We need to truly be open to hearing the Spirit Speak
  • Jesus didn’t die because he said, “God loves everyone”. Jesus died because he challenged the system.
  • Jesus says, “Remain faithful, even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life”
  • If you hold on, you will win life.

Adult / Group Discussion Questions: What surprised you? What made you think? What did you take away? What has helped you to hold on in a difficult time? Who has helped you to hold on in a difficult time? How can you thank them? If you are having a difficult time how can you reach out to someone? If you aren’t struggling how can you support those around you who are?

Discussion Questions for Young Families: Spend sometime talking with your kids about some difficult times you’ve been through as a person. Help them to understand that they will come to difficult times but that Jesus helps us see it through. Give them a model and a story to remember when they go through difficulty.

Challenge for this Week:

Trust that Life Wins

by Andrew Mills

Finding Something to Die For…

380639_10152357546245643_786204358_nI think a lot about the future. I think a lot about my sons’ futures. I sense both of them have different paths in life. I’m already sensing their different personalities and as I pray for them I’m sensing God will use them both in deep but different ways.

But what I’m realizing is that how I raise them will affect what they live for. So already I’m praying for strength to be able to raise them to be courageous, grateful, grace-filled, and to have a sense of wonder. But this will be tough. This goes against what the world, marketing, and society teaches us. Namely that what we want out of life is personal happiness. Unfortunately nothing can be further from the truth…

Stanley Hauerwas writes, “What you want out of life is not happiness but to be part of a worthy adventure you want to have something worth dying for.”

The difficulty is as a dad how do I help them to see this? How do I teach them that they don’t need stuff to be happy they need someone worth following and life worth leaving. That’s right leaving. They need something worth dying for. They need something bigger than themselves to give themselves to. They need Jesus.

So the question is how do you help little boys who love fire trucks, and Kraft dinner to see and learn this? How can you help them to see past TV and see the poor, hurting, and broken around the world and in our neighborhood? How do you help people see the Kingdom that is hidden all around them?

Well what I know for sure is you can’t force it. This type of life has always been an invitation. Jesus says, “Come and learn to die with me” (Luke 9:23) A statement that on the outside makes no sense, but it’s an invitation I can’t refuse. Yes, giving grace to people who don’t deserve it doesn’t make sense. Giving generously to people who will never repay you doesn’t make sense. Forgiving enemies, welcoming the broken, making room for the messy, and making your life about others doesn’t make sense. And while it might not make much sense, it does make a difference…

So while I’m not totally sure yet on how to help my boys find an adventure worth following, I know it will require a few things. It will require many prayers, sleepless nights, and a lot of sacrifice on behalf of Krista and myself. But it’s worth it because one day I hope to sit with both my boys and share with them Jesus’ invitation to take up your cross and follow him. And I hope that we might do it together…

by Andrew Mills

Christmas Eve, Candles, and Traditions…

1409260_26919826I love tradition. I know some people don’t, but I do. The feeling of continuity, of depth, of history gives some things extra meaning. For me that is especially true tonight because my family has a tradition of going to Christmas Eve services.

There is something beautiful about the carols, the stories, and the candles. Christmas Eve doesn’t need to be a big show, there is power in the simplicity of the story of Jesus’ birth. So tonight that’s what we get to celebrate.

In our family the tradition was that on Christmas Eve my dad and my mom would lead the Christmas Eve service together. It was something special they did together each year. In fact, it was the only service they co-lead usually each and every year. The reason that this tradition matters to me is that now my wife and I get the honor of leading a Christmas service.

We will sing carols, we will long for Jesus to come, we will read the Christmas story in all of its simplicity and grandeur. We will light candles to remind us that on Christmas the Light of the World came into the dark. This is something we need to be reminded of each and every year. So if you’d like to join us it’s at 7:00-8:00 here at the church.

This is the tradition of our family to go, sing, and light a candle. But if I can make a challenge to you today. Maybe it’d be worth starting a tradition of your own to create some meaning, depth, and history for your Christmas. Start something that will give meaning to this time of the year each year. Start something that will give depth and create great memories. Start something you can pass onto your kids, grandkids, or family. Maybe it’s going to a Christmas Eve service, sharing stories, creating something as a family, or any other number of things.

But this is the year to start a good tradition, or to keep up time-honored ones. Because  for me I won’t be starting a new tradition…but carrying on an old one.

Leading a Christmas Eve service just like my dad would…Merry Christmas!

by Andrew Mills

Change, Control, and Our Lack of Both

faithful

I want to ask you one simple question today: “Are you being faithful?”

This is possibly the most important question you can answer in your life, job, calling, and relationships.

The somewhat harsh reality of our lives is this:

  • We can’t change anyone
  • We can’t do as much as we wish we could
  • Things get difficult and dark sometimes at the worst times
  • We aren’t in control as much as we would hope

This is the reality that we live in.

I think deep down we know this. We know that trying to force a 17 year old to change is next to impossible. We know that if we could there are so many people, situations, and lives we’d love to be involved in. We know that there are more needs around us than we could possibly meet. We know that life happens and for the most part we can’t control any of it. But this reality isn’t a reason to be apathetic or hopeless, because there is one thing that you can control. There is one thing you can change: Your own life.

We might not be able to change others, control the world around us, or fix the hurts of our friends but we can still act. We can focus on being faithful friends, spouses, parents, and family members. We can focus on doing our part in that friendship or relationship. We can focus on meeting the needs God is calling us to. We can focus on being faithful to what God is calling us to do.

We don’t need to do everything possible to make an impact. We simply need to be faithful to God’s calling.

So today I want to ask that question again: “Are you being faithful?”

Think through your role as a parent. Think through your role as a spouse, a friend, an employee…whatever. Are you being faithful to what God is asking you to do in that relationship? If you can say yes…then trust that God will do his part of healing, leading, guiding, and giving grace.

Our responsibility has never been to fix everything, to change others, or control the world. Our responsibility is to be faithful…so focus on that today…

by Andrew Mills

Keeping Up with the Jones’

Ever heard the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses”? I’m not sure how to correctly spell Jones-es. But my guess is that the Jones’ do and would correct my spelling…

Because isn’t that the point about that phrase? That around us are these people with perfect put together lives, lawns, children, and even grammar? These are the people who are always smiling and life seems to just go well for them. And secretly, many of us try to keep up with them, or just hope our lives would be like them. While this is a struggle for many of us on a personal level, it becomes even more difficult on a spiritual level.

Because I believe we often base our hope for God’s involvement in our lives, on our present reality. Meaning that if our lives are a bit of a mess we don’t expect God to change things that much. While we might not outwardly say it, we feel it. We think that God might answer the prayer of the Jones’ because they pray everyday, they give to the church, their kids are perfect, and their lives are put together. Sure God would show up in their always perfectly clean life, but it is less likely in our messy lives.

After many years of listening, I hear these thoughts so often. They are objections to God’s involvement in our lives because… “I did this….” “I don’t deserve God because…” “That might work for some but I’m just…”

So we don’t hope, we don’t expect God to show up, and we struggle. We know that God answers prayers for parking spaces for the Jones’ but when we’re drowning in debt he seems far away.

Well this Sunday I want to challenge that thought. I want to challenge that belief because it’s not true, and it’s not biblical. This Sunday I want to discover how God loves to show up in a mess, and we’ll discover how in the midst of family drama, division, hurt feelings, rejection, and mess, Jesus shows up. I think that’s worth discovering because if your at all like me, my life has some mess in it. But the beautiful thing is that is exactly where Jesus wants to show up…

by Andrew Mills

Power of Prayer

On Sunday we are starting a new series on spiritual practices. These practices are incredibly important. The reality is that many people want to grow closer to God but they don’t know how.

So over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at practices that have drawn Christians deeper into a relationship with Jesus throughout the years. That whether you are exploring Jesus, growing with Jesus, or completely centered in Jesus, you could discover a next step to grow further. Because the reality is that the Christian is never finished, we can always grow more, take another new step, and become more Christlike.

So on Sunday we are starting by looking at prayer. We are going to be discovering what prayer is, what it does, and how to actually do it. To do this we are looking at the creation of the world, the life of David, and Jesus all in one sermon. So it will be a bit of a whirlwind but through it, our hope is that prayer will become more real to you than ever before. Henri Nouwen writes:

“Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched.”

So we are going to discover how God can change darkness to light in prayer. We will be learning what tohu va vohu means and how it changes David’s and Jesus’ prayer life.

But before we get there, what has helped your prayer life? What questions about prayer do you still struggle with? And does prayer matter to you?

On Sunday we’ll see how it matters and how it changes darkness into light…

by Andrew Mills

Being Theologically Corrected by a 2-Year Old

Hudson loves church. It’s possible because our nursery here has better toys than we do at home. Mostly he loves the gigantic Mater that we have here.

But for a while Hudson was very proud that “This is Daddy’s church”. I’m pretty sure he thinks I own the building. He would also point and say, “Daddy’s church, daddy’s church, daddy’s church”. I tried to explain that I didn’t own the church but he kept at it.

Then one day it all shifted.

We drove into church on a Sunday and I said to him, “Look Hudson, is this Daddy’s church?” And he looks at me like I was so silly and he says in his most important voice. “No Daddy, this not Daddy’s church. This Hudson’s church. This Hudson’s church. Mine”. And with that he ran into the church, into my office, and climbed into my desk chair.

But here’s the thing – he’s right. The church isn’t mine. I belong to it, but so does he. The church is a people we belong to. And Hudson belongs to this family just as much as I do. So when he says, “No Daddy, it’s Hudson’s church” he is right because in his little mind he is trying to tell me this is part of his life too. Hudson is right, this is his church, and it belongs to everyone who decides to follow Jesus with this community. So as a dad, a pastor, but mostly as a Christian I couldn’t be more excited that Hudson has realized this is his church too. Hudson has made the shift from going to church, to believing he is a part of it.

For you though do you feel the same sense of ownership, partnership and belonging in your church? Because I think we should. In whatever church we are a part of we should be proud like Hudson to say, “this is my church.”

Now of course it could be that he just love’s the Mater toy that’s there. As a dad, but even more as a Christian, I have to believe something deeper is going on.  I believe he said “No Daddy, it’s Hudson’s church” because he knows he belongs here. And you know what – he’s right…

by Andrew Mills

Failing Communities = Failing Churches

Here is a general rule I live by:

If your church is doing well and your town isn’t; your church is not doing well.

The point is that the church can’t grow and thrive as the community that surrounds it and supports it fails. If the church is growing but your neighbors are drowning in debt, depression and difficulty, the church isn’t really growing.

  • The church cannot be doing well, if our neighbors are struggling.
  • The church cannot be doing well, if the youth of the town aren’t valued.
  • The church cannot be doing well, if single mothers across the street aren’t loved.
  • The church cannot be doing well, if people don’t know one another’s name…

The point for me is to change our perspective. My goal isn’t to have our church grow massive; but to have a deep impact in the people and places that we are a part of. My goal isn’t for the church to be the biggest church in the area but to truly be the church to the area; meaning that we bring life, love, and grace to people needing it.

I think this is what Jesus gets at when he calls the church salt. Salt is supposed to change things. It’s supposed to preserve good things, enhance flavor, and bring out great taste. This is what the church is to do too. So today why not bring a little flavor and life to your community. Help a neighbour, start a conversation, invite someone over for coffee…

Because I think the reverse of my rule is true too. If your community is being filled with grace, life, God’s love, and is doing well…then your church is doing well too…

by Andrew Mills