We are not having WNKN tonight. I wanted to be clearer in my title!!! Sor
No Wednesday kid’s night for march 6
snow day for Wednesday Kid’s Night
We follow the Triton School Corporation calendar. Because they have cancelled school today, we also will cancel our evening events. Please spread the word.
Remember Our Savior
Remember our Savior
The other day I was wandering the halls of the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center with one of the youth of our church. Aside from seeing a whole bunch of bamboo walls and doors, there were two very important landmarks for us.
At one end of the building there was a memorial established for 9/11. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It is a fountain, with a screen that scrolls the names of the lives lost on that day. Next to the fountain wall is one of the last remaining pieces of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
When we arrived at the 9/11 Memorial, I asked the young man if he remembers the event at all, and what he knew about it. He knew some information, but he didn’t remember the event itself. He only knew of what others had told him. I took the opportunity to share with him where I was, how old I was, and where I was at the time. I explained how it changed everything, and how people responded after the events. I talked to him about how important God became for the people of the U.S. who were startled at the acts of terrorism.
As we continued down the building we came across another memorial. We stopped by the statue of St. Joseph. I inquired of how much he knew about Joseph. He didn’t know much about him either. But I explained what made him such an incredible person. He could have legally divorced Mary because of the pregnancy, but he didn’t. And he would take care of Jesus as his earthly Father.
I don’t know if my message sunk in. We had other things on our mind, but hopefully it was a nice distraction for him.
I share this with you, because God frequently instructed his people to construct memorials after momentous events. When the Israelites cross the Jordan River and enter into the Promised Land, God tells his people to set up a memorial. Twelve Israelites, with representatives from the twelve tribes, were to use the stones from the dry riverbed that the Priest stood on while holding the Ark of the Covenant.
They were to do this, ”So that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:6-7
The memorial was a reminder of the faithfulness and power of God to deliver his people. We celebrate a memorial every week as we gather together as a community of believers in Jesus Christ. We remember the work of Jesus Christ, his sacrifice on the cross and the resurrection. We do so with the Lord’s Supper. We remember the sacrifice of Christ, his body and blood, broken and shed for us. This month, we will celebrate on March 31, Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We will commemorate and remember the work of God and be reminded again, much like the Israelites, that God is powerful and faithful to deliver his people. In a world ravaged with sin and heartache, we look to the Resurrection of Jesus with hope. His deliverance from death will be our own. We look to Jesus for life.
It is my hope that you will join us Easter Sunday, and encourage a friend to remember the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ with you. Let’s join together on Easter, and remember our Savior.
God Bless!
Jordan Ickes, Minister
The other day I was wandering the halls of the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center with one of the youth of our church. Aside from seeing a whole bunch of bamboo walls and doors, there were two very important landmarks for us.
At one end of the building there was a memorial established for 9/11. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It is a fountain, with a screen that scrolls the names of the lives lost on that day. Next to the fountain wall is one of the last remaining pieces of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
When we arrived at the 9/11 Memorial, I asked the young man if he remembers the event at all, and what he knew about it. He knew some information, but he didn’t remember the event itself. He only knew of what others had told him. I took the opportunity to share with him where I was, how old I was, and where I was at the time. I explained how it changed everything, and how people responded after the events. I talked to him about how important God became for the people of the U.S. who were startled at the acts of terrorism.
As we continued down the building we came across another memorial. We stopped by the statue of St. Joseph. I inquired of how much he knew about Joseph. He didn’t know much about him either. But I explained what made him such an incredible person. He could have legally divorced Mary because of the pregnancy, but he didn’t. And he would take care of Jesus as his earthly Father.
I don’t know if my message sunk in. We had other things on our mind, but hopefully it was a nice distraction for him.
I share this with you, because God frequently instructed his people to construct memorials after momentous events. When the Israelites cross the Jordan River and enter into the Promised Land, God tells his people to set up a memorial. Twelve Israelites, with representatives from the twelve tribes, were to use the stones from the dry riverbed that the Priest stood on while holding the Ark of the Covenant.
They were to do this, ”So that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:6-7
The memorial was a reminder of the faithfulness and power of God to deliver his people. We celebrate a memorial every week as we gather together as a community of believers in Jesus Christ. We remember the work of Jesus Christ, his sacrifice on the cross and the resurrection. We do so with the Lord’s Supper. We remember the sacrifice of Christ, his body and blood, broken and shed for us. This month, we will celebrate on March 31, Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We will commemorate and remember the work of God and be reminded again, much like the Israelites, that God is powerful and faithful to deliver his people. In a world ravaged with sin and heartache, we look to the Resurrection of Jesus with hope. His deliverance from death will be our own. We look to Jesus for life.
It is my hope that you will join us Easter Sunday, and encourage a friend to remember the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ with you. Let’s join together on Easter, and remember our Savior.
God Bless!
Jordan Ickes, Minister
Does God get involved?
Does God Get Involved?
Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday:
Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday:
Asked if they believe God plays a role in who wins, 27% of Americans said yes. Poll results varied among regions and religions: 36% said yes in the South, 28% in the Midwest, 20% in the Northeast and 15% in the West. 1
That might explain why the Southeast Conference in football wins so many games, and why Notre Dame lost to Alabama in the championship game… more people were praying down south.
When I thought about the question, “Does God play a role in who wins and who loses in a sporting event?” I sort of laugh it off. Who really cares, and what difference does it make anyways?
I think the notion though, that 1 in 4 people believe God to play a role (large or small) in a game, speaks to a greater concern about the purpose of God. Is God here to help our plans succeed? Is God in the business of prospering His people? I’m not so sure God exists so that I can have a comfortable life. But a lot of people do.
After all, God himself says in Jeremiah 29:11 “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.” That sounds an awful lot like God wants to help you win a football game doesn’t it?
I love that scripture. It’s just too bad we rip it from the context of the story of Jeremiah when we make it about our individual prosperity, today. God is calling Israel to repentance and giving His people, the Israelites, hope that they won’t be in exile in Babylon forever. Where we go wrong so often in our Bible reading is the word “you.” English has both plural and singular forms of “you.” We don’t distinguish between the two unless you live in the south and say “You’all.”
In Jeremiah 29:11, the audience God is speaking to is “you” Israel, a nation of people who are in the midst of exile in Babylon. He isn’t necessarily using this passage as a proof text (a text we use to justify our actions/decisions/feelings) for the person in the locker room having doubts about the coach’s game plan.
God is saying, when the time comes, Israel will return to the land He promised them, and in turn, if they call on Him, He will hear them (look at the verse before and after 11). God will continue His plan to bless and prosper Israel for the sake of God’s Promise to Abraham (Gen 12).
A better way to go about applying this passage to our lives might be in the simple fact that in Jeremiah, God reminds his people that He hasn’t given up on His plan for Israel to be a blessing to the world. Despite their blatant disobedience to God, His patience with them is unmistakable, so much so there is a “future” and “hope” for them. Similarly, God’s forgiveness is still a possibility for all of us who struggle with sin and turn our back on God.
I’m 100% certain that God does play an important role in our lives though. Not so much in football games, but in the most important of arenas, Salvation.
Psalm 85:3,5,7 – ”3You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. 5Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? 7Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.”
God answered the prayer of Psalm 85, in giving us His Son Jesus Christ. Repent, believe and be saved. And know that however far “gone” you might be, God’s grace is sufficient for you!
Your friend,
Jordan Ickes
Weird Christmas
Have Yourself a Very Weird Christmas
By Jordan Ickes
I can remember my first family holiday gathering with Wendy’s family, it was Easter 2005. It was common for me to get together with my family on Easter. I think most families still do. My family typically had ham, and all the usual fixings for the meal. Everything was fairly routine and “normal.” The grandkids ran through the yard, collecting Easter eggs, their was prayer, and even a doxology and reminder of the reason for Easter.
All the usual things that make for an enjoyable Easter holiday were happening. It was a fairly standard holiday by my estimation. Until something very weird happened…
Wendy’s grandfather, Gene, went out to his car, and came into the house with a fiddle. (You know the difference between a fiddler and a violinist right? How many teeth they have.)
I thought to myself, “Oh, that’s cool, I wonder if he will play for us?” The next thing I know, Judy (my future mother-in-law) is sitting up by her piano, Kris (my future brother in-law), is grabbing his guitar, Phil (my future father-in–law), is grabbing his banjo, Amanda (Wendy’s cousin) pulls out a fiddle of her own, and Wendy got her guitar out too. I didn’t realize I was hanging out with the Partridge family. They were all going to play old songs, mostly hymns, together, from memory. They were extraordinarily good. I couldn’t believe it.
It turns out, Grandpa Beavers and his family, enjoy playing their instruments at their family gatherings. It isn’t just Easter. Any get-together has the potential of becoming instrumental.
This was and still is very weird to me. My family would never, in a million years, participate in such activities. Music is for the professionals, not the Ickes’. Easter is for eating ham, remembering Jesus and chocolate bunnies, not banjos and fiddles.
I know what you’re thinking, “Why are you talking about Easter, when the next holiday is Christmas?”
My first experience with the Beavers was weird, because they did something very different from what I am accustomed. They were weird because they were different for being Christians.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I might be weird in how I celebrate Christmas. I am a Christian, and that should make how I live my life very weird to a watching world. Lately, my Christmas’ haven’t been all that weird to the watching world.
Don’t hear me wrong, because often, I sound like Scrooge to my family and friends. I love the spirit of Christmas, and all of the music and lights that go with it. Yes, I even love the presents. Most of all, I love the spirit of generosity that permeates throughout the church and around the world because of the wonderful holiday. I love all of the extra things that make it special, hot chocolate, snow and egg nog. I enjoy it all.
But what brings out the grump in me, is the exchange of debt that happens at Christmas. One family, gives gifts, and goes in debt, only to receive from another family gifts, in exchange for a debt of their own. It’s ridiculous and the norm. I want to be weird, not normal when it comes to Christmas.
So, it has me wondering, if it is normal for Christmas to be a massive exchange of debt, how can I be weird? I don’t want to sound too pious, but I want to encourage you with a decision I’ve made to be weird this year. Instead of my family giving me gifts this year, I’ve encouraged them all to “buy a goat.” At first they are confused, and I mean for it to be. You can purchase animals for families all around the world through organizations like IDES or World Vision. The donated animals can become a source of food and income for impoverished people.
So for this years Christmas, I’m the weird one. If my family insists on buying me something, I would appreciate a pair of slippers. I’m getting older and my feet are cold. But most importantly, families in real need will be getting help because I want to be weird. Will you be weird with me?
Just so you know, I now participate with the Beavers in their musical gatherings. I play the spoons. I’m not very good at it, but I get to be weird with them. I am hopeful that my family will be weird together, and bring about a spirit of generosity in our family that truly impacts the world, not just our wallets.
1 Timothy 6:17–18 (NRSV) “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share…”
Let’s be generous and ready to share this Christmas, with those who truly need it.
By Jordan Ickes
I can remember my first family holiday gathering with Wendy’s family, it was Easter 2005. It was common for me to get together with my family on Easter. I think most families still do. My family typically had ham, and all the usual fixings for the meal. Everything was fairly routine and “normal.” The grandkids ran through the yard, collecting Easter eggs, their was prayer, and even a doxology and reminder of the reason for Easter.
All the usual things that make for an enjoyable Easter holiday were happening. It was a fairly standard holiday by my estimation. Until something very weird happened…
Wendy’s grandfather, Gene, went out to his car, and came into the house with a fiddle. (You know the difference between a fiddler and a violinist right? How many teeth they have.)
I thought to myself, “Oh, that’s cool, I wonder if he will play for us?” The next thing I know, Judy (my future mother-in-law) is sitting up by her piano, Kris (my future brother in-law), is grabbing his guitar, Phil (my future father-in–law), is grabbing his banjo, Amanda (Wendy’s cousin) pulls out a fiddle of her own, and Wendy got her guitar out too. I didn’t realize I was hanging out with the Partridge family. They were all going to play old songs, mostly hymns, together, from memory. They were extraordinarily good. I couldn’t believe it.
It turns out, Grandpa Beavers and his family, enjoy playing their instruments at their family gatherings. It isn’t just Easter. Any get-together has the potential of becoming instrumental.
This was and still is very weird to me. My family would never, in a million years, participate in such activities. Music is for the professionals, not the Ickes’. Easter is for eating ham, remembering Jesus and chocolate bunnies, not banjos and fiddles.
I know what you’re thinking, “Why are you talking about Easter, when the next holiday is Christmas?”
My first experience with the Beavers was weird, because they did something very different from what I am accustomed. They were weird because they were different for being Christians.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I might be weird in how I celebrate Christmas. I am a Christian, and that should make how I live my life very weird to a watching world. Lately, my Christmas’ haven’t been all that weird to the watching world.
Don’t hear me wrong, because often, I sound like Scrooge to my family and friends. I love the spirit of Christmas, and all of the music and lights that go with it. Yes, I even love the presents. Most of all, I love the spirit of generosity that permeates throughout the church and around the world because of the wonderful holiday. I love all of the extra things that make it special, hot chocolate, snow and egg nog. I enjoy it all.
But what brings out the grump in me, is the exchange of debt that happens at Christmas. One family, gives gifts, and goes in debt, only to receive from another family gifts, in exchange for a debt of their own. It’s ridiculous and the norm. I want to be weird, not normal when it comes to Christmas.
So, it has me wondering, if it is normal for Christmas to be a massive exchange of debt, how can I be weird? I don’t want to sound too pious, but I want to encourage you with a decision I’ve made to be weird this year. Instead of my family giving me gifts this year, I’ve encouraged them all to “buy a goat.” At first they are confused, and I mean for it to be. You can purchase animals for families all around the world through organizations like IDES or World Vision. The donated animals can become a source of food and income for impoverished people.
So for this years Christmas, I’m the weird one. If my family insists on buying me something, I would appreciate a pair of slippers. I’m getting older and my feet are cold. But most importantly, families in real need will be getting help because I want to be weird. Will you be weird with me?
Just so you know, I now participate with the Beavers in their musical gatherings. I play the spoons. I’m not very good at it, but I get to be weird with them. I am hopeful that my family will be weird together, and bring about a spirit of generosity in our family that truly impacts the world, not just our wallets.
1 Timothy 6:17–18 (NRSV) “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share…”
Let’s be generous and ready to share this Christmas, with those who truly need it.
Homecoming
Important Homecoming Information
It’s hard to believe it, but the Homecoming is just around the corner. Part of me is really, really excited for the day and what it will mean for us and another side of me is anxious about making sure everything is covered. You can be assured I have a great group of people around me who are helping make this a special day for our congregation.
I wanted to use this month’s newsletter article as an opportunity to update you about Homecoming weekend.
On Saturday, September 15, we will spend the majority of our day at Heritage Park. Our day will begin at 10:00 am and we will finish up at the park around 6:30. It will be an exciting day for the whole family with fun and games for all ages. Every hour, on the hour, we will have games for the kids and inflatables will be running throughout the day. There will be backyard games and other events as well for adults too.
Saturday at the park, there will be a Jr. League football game at 2:00. So there will be a lot of people parked by the football field. We will want to park by the community building on the east side of the park if possible. We haven’t reserved the park building, only the pavilion at the park. Restrooms are available to us in the building. Please dress appropriately for the day outside, as we won’t be able to retreat to the park building for prolonged periods.
Also, there will be a fish fry, in the community building to support the Etna Green Museum later in the afternoon. When we finish up at the park, we will make our way to EGCC for a time of worship and celebration. That service will begin at 7:00 pm. Following the celebration, we will have a reception in the basement with cupcakes!
On Sunday, September 16, we will have our special homecoming service. We will begin at 10:30, with no Sunday school hour that day. We hope to have enough nametags for everyone that day, so to save you the awkward moment of forgetting a name! Following that service will be a carry-in dinner held in the basement. It will be a terrific time to reminisce with old friends and maybe make a new one! So we know how much food to expect, we ask that you please sign up at the info center and let us know what you are bringing.
The service Sunday will go a little longer with the specials that we have planned. Many old friends will be back to share with us that day. It will be a great day to be at EGCC!
As we look forward to the day, be mindful of the building as we have just cleaned the carpets and more. Please, let’s do our best the next couple of weeks to keep the building looking nice for the event. More importantly, let’s remember to encourage one another as the special event approaches. So many of you have worked really hard to make this day happen. I can’t thank you enough for helping to make this wonderful event possible. We are almost there!
Here are a few things that you can do between now and Sept. 15 and 16 to help make it a success:
1) Pray – for safety in travel for the event, for the church to grow and be encouraged.
2) Give of your time and energy to the event as the day approaches. Give me (Jordan) a call if you have time to help, or would like to serve in some way, before, during or after the event.
3) Invite friends. This really is going to be a great day for our friends and neighbors to come and worship with us. Please, don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity.
4) Also, please call those you are still connected with who have been a part of the church. Let them know the dates and times. They probably received a letter, but a personal invite from an old friend would mean a whole lot more.
Thank you for your prayers and the support of this event. You’re doing great and we are almost there!
Your Brother,
Jordan Ickes
It’s hard to believe it, but the Homecoming is just around the corner. Part of me is really, really excited for the day and what it will mean for us and another side of me is anxious about making sure everything is covered. You can be assured I have a great group of people around me who are helping make this a special day for our congregation.
I wanted to use this month’s newsletter article as an opportunity to update you about Homecoming weekend.
On Saturday, September 15, we will spend the majority of our day at Heritage Park. Our day will begin at 10:00 am and we will finish up at the park around 6:30. It will be an exciting day for the whole family with fun and games for all ages. Every hour, on the hour, we will have games for the kids and inflatables will be running throughout the day. There will be backyard games and other events as well for adults too.
Saturday at the park, there will be a Jr. League football game at 2:00. So there will be a lot of people parked by the football field. We will want to park by the community building on the east side of the park if possible. We haven’t reserved the park building, only the pavilion at the park. Restrooms are available to us in the building. Please dress appropriately for the day outside, as we won’t be able to retreat to the park building for prolonged periods.
Also, there will be a fish fry, in the community building to support the Etna Green Museum later in the afternoon. When we finish up at the park, we will make our way to EGCC for a time of worship and celebration. That service will begin at 7:00 pm. Following the celebration, we will have a reception in the basement with cupcakes!
On Sunday, September 16, we will have our special homecoming service. We will begin at 10:30, with no Sunday school hour that day. We hope to have enough nametags for everyone that day, so to save you the awkward moment of forgetting a name! Following that service will be a carry-in dinner held in the basement. It will be a terrific time to reminisce with old friends and maybe make a new one! So we know how much food to expect, we ask that you please sign up at the info center and let us know what you are bringing.
The service Sunday will go a little longer with the specials that we have planned. Many old friends will be back to share with us that day. It will be a great day to be at EGCC!
As we look forward to the day, be mindful of the building as we have just cleaned the carpets and more. Please, let’s do our best the next couple of weeks to keep the building looking nice for the event. More importantly, let’s remember to encourage one another as the special event approaches. So many of you have worked really hard to make this day happen. I can’t thank you enough for helping to make this wonderful event possible. We are almost there!
Here are a few things that you can do between now and Sept. 15 and 16 to help make it a success:
1) Pray – for safety in travel for the event, for the church to grow and be encouraged.
2) Give of your time and energy to the event as the day approaches. Give me (Jordan) a call if you have time to help, or would like to serve in some way, before, during or after the event.
3) Invite friends. This really is going to be a great day for our friends and neighbors to come and worship with us. Please, don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity.
4) Also, please call those you are still connected with who have been a part of the church. Let them know the dates and times. They probably received a letter, but a personal invite from an old friend would mean a whole lot more.
Thank you for your prayers and the support of this event. You’re doing great and we are almost there!
Your Brother,
Jordan Ickes
Sunday Recap
What a great day that we had celebrating together in worship this past Sunday.
A couple of points of teaching that came through the weekend for me that I felt like sharing again.
In our new Sunday morning Co-Group, we discussed what it looks like for our new identity in Christ to meet our family.
We discovered that the family lines are quite a bit different in the reality of God’s kingdom. In fact, our brothers and sisters are those who do God’s Will. We were also encouraged to think about church life different because of it. Instead of just showing up to church, doing our own thing, we are instead encouraged to see it more as a family gathering.
I really enjoyed teaching Sunday’s message. I was encouraged by the feedback. The challenge that came from the Parable of the Sower was to consider our soil, who we are in the story. And I challenged us that the majority of us are most likely in the thorns. Frequently, we are choked out by the concerns of this world.
The challenge is will we cultivate a soil that can receive the seed of the Word of God in our lives?
So this is just a friendly reminder to guard time from the thorns this week, and begin the careful task of creating a soil that the Word of God can flourish in. Spend time with God this week! God Bless!
A Tree and Fruit – Spiritual Formation
I (Jordan) did something dumb the other day that I’m not proud of doing. I didn’t blow up at the umpire, but I certainly questioned his intelligence. I’ve been telling myself lately not to overreact to things and not have such kneejerk reactions to situations. A part of my spiritual formation, in becoming like Christ, I think I should be calmer in situations and take more time to pray. In the heat of battle of church league softball, I failed, miserably. It seems I have a long way to go in my spiritual formation.
Robert Mulholland Jr. says, “Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ, a journey into becoming persons of compassion, persons who forgive, persons who care deeply for others and the world, persons who offer themselves to God to become agents of divine love and serve as Jesus did.”
I appreciate the clarity he brings to defining spiritual formation because I think we sometimes get confused in the muddled arena of “Spiritual Formation.” The confusion happens in how we talk about it, and what expectations we give for it. We say things like mature Christians pray, and read their Bibles. Or we tack on that mature Christians go to church every week. We talk about what they do, not so much with the fruit of their life. Mulholland, I believe corrects it.
While all of these things we assume a mature Christian does is accurate, this is not spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is an invitation to a process in which we become like Christ to be Christ for the world, to love the world as Jesus did.
I don’t wake up one morning and suddenly have the abilities to do everything Jesus did. That would be sweet, but that doesn’t appear to be how it works. The spiritually formed people we see in the world and deeply admire became that way through a laser focus on transformation through the giving up of control to Christ’s Spirit in us.
That takes Spiritual disciplines. Disciplines like prayer, fasting, meditation, scripture reading and memorization. If Jesus was the Word, and the Word was God, than we should work on getting the Word in us. That happens through the disciplines, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
So here’s the point. Are you a part of a journey that is leading you towards loving the world and living in the world as Jesus did? That sounds highly individual, and that isn’t the goal really. Are we, as a church, and a part of the Church, becoming like Christ and being Christ for the world?
That sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? To be like Christ, together, to show the world God’s love? That sounds like an awful lot when you consider magnitude of the love of Christ. I can’t even keep my cool in a meaningless game, how am I going to exemplify Christ in the world?
This is what the disciplines are for. Not that they magically make you a better person. But they are something that God has chosen to work through and use for his glory and honor. As we get in the habit of fasting, we learn that God is our strength. When we take time to focus on the Scriptures, it works its way in us that it eventually starts pouring out of us. This is the challenge, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” That’s Jesus words in Matthew 12:33 where he is addressing Pharisees (people who thought they were good but had evil things to say). Dallas Willard says, concerning spiritual formation, “Tend to the tree and the fruit will take care of itself.”
The point, spiritual formation is tending to our life with the long established discipline of prayer, coupled with a devotion to the scriptures through memorization, reading and meditation, as well as fasting, solitude and service. For a variety of reasons, these are the pruning sheers used by us, and guided by the Holy Spirit to make us a good tree that bears good fruit for the world.
Let us join together and bear good fruit for the world! Holy Spirit, go to work on our Life!
In Him,
Jordan Ickes
Robert Mulholland Jr. says, “Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ, a journey into becoming persons of compassion, persons who forgive, persons who care deeply for others and the world, persons who offer themselves to God to become agents of divine love and serve as Jesus did.”
I appreciate the clarity he brings to defining spiritual formation because I think we sometimes get confused in the muddled arena of “Spiritual Formation.” The confusion happens in how we talk about it, and what expectations we give for it. We say things like mature Christians pray, and read their Bibles. Or we tack on that mature Christians go to church every week. We talk about what they do, not so much with the fruit of their life. Mulholland, I believe corrects it.
While all of these things we assume a mature Christian does is accurate, this is not spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is an invitation to a process in which we become like Christ to be Christ for the world, to love the world as Jesus did.
I don’t wake up one morning and suddenly have the abilities to do everything Jesus did. That would be sweet, but that doesn’t appear to be how it works. The spiritually formed people we see in the world and deeply admire became that way through a laser focus on transformation through the giving up of control to Christ’s Spirit in us.
That takes Spiritual disciplines. Disciplines like prayer, fasting, meditation, scripture reading and memorization. If Jesus was the Word, and the Word was God, than we should work on getting the Word in us. That happens through the disciplines, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
So here’s the point. Are you a part of a journey that is leading you towards loving the world and living in the world as Jesus did? That sounds highly individual, and that isn’t the goal really. Are we, as a church, and a part of the Church, becoming like Christ and being Christ for the world?
That sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? To be like Christ, together, to show the world God’s love? That sounds like an awful lot when you consider magnitude of the love of Christ. I can’t even keep my cool in a meaningless game, how am I going to exemplify Christ in the world?
This is what the disciplines are for. Not that they magically make you a better person. But they are something that God has chosen to work through and use for his glory and honor. As we get in the habit of fasting, we learn that God is our strength. When we take time to focus on the Scriptures, it works its way in us that it eventually starts pouring out of us. This is the challenge, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” That’s Jesus words in Matthew 12:33 where he is addressing Pharisees (people who thought they were good but had evil things to say). Dallas Willard says, concerning spiritual formation, “Tend to the tree and the fruit will take care of itself.”
The point, spiritual formation is tending to our life with the long established discipline of prayer, coupled with a devotion to the scriptures through memorization, reading and meditation, as well as fasting, solitude and service. For a variety of reasons, these are the pruning sheers used by us, and guided by the Holy Spirit to make us a good tree that bears good fruit for the world.
Let us join together and bear good fruit for the world! Holy Spirit, go to work on our Life!
In Him,
Jordan Ickes
BACKPACKS!!!
We have a service opportunity for our community. Please bring backpacks this week to church. School is almost here and we have a lot of kids in need of new school supplies and backpacks. We have quite a few items from the school that were recycled, but would like to give the kids a nice new backpack for school.
Please give us some help! Thanks!
God’s Story
Follow this link to an article about the recently discovered “God Particle.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/08/how-the-higgs-boson-posits-a-new-story-of-our-creation.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/08/how-the-higgs-boson-posits-a-new-story-of-our-creation.html
I don’t claim to really understand this whole thing with the “God Particle,” but given the story of Creation given us in the Bible: about how Jesus becomes king, inaugurates a new way, forgives us, adopts us as His Children and has his church eagerly waiting the fulfillment of restored and renewed Creation –
I would much rather have that narrative than what is proposed here where they believe that, “creating ‘stuff’ from ‘no stuff’ seems to be no problem at all—everything we see could have emerged as a purposeless quantum burp in space or perhaps a quantum burp of space itself.”
Not to mention, the Higgs Boson is apparently more relevant than God in this scenario.
All kinds of stuff to be upset about here as a Christian reading this article. I would argue with the guy, but I’m not sure exactly what I would even be arguing about. I’m not a physicist, I can’t even spell it without a little help from spell checker. Regardless, it’s all pretty simple and comes down to a question of what story you want to be a part of, what narrative you will choose.
What story do you want to be a part of? Do you choose to believe you are a part of a purposeless quantum burp in space, or rather, a fearfully and wonderfully made child of God, adopted and a part of God’s creation and re-creation story that cheers on God’s coming Kingdom?
To many, the Bible story is unbelievable. I get that. Believing takes a lot more than crunching numbers and smashing particles together. It takes humility, enough to say we aren’t God and trust that Jesus is.
Jordan