Green Valley News

It was just brought to my attention that you can download for free the 40 days book, “The Relationship Principles of Jesus.”  Here is the simplest way to get them, simply copy and past this web site into your address line - it should get you there.  — http://saddlebackfamily.com/MediaCenter/DriveTime/Archives.aspx         Another way is simply through i-tunes podcasts, i typed in Tom Holladay in the search field and that took me straight to the chapters of the book.  For those of you computer challenged individuals i will have a few copies of the book in the lobby on disc this Sunday.

I don’t see the first week there any more, but beginning at week 2 it all looks good.

Enjoy

Peter

      Dusty bleached sandstone, glowing like a furnace in the dry afternoon heat, floods the Judean wilderness. Hills rise and fall monotonously throughout the plain; some lie smooth and winding like rumpled fabric while others tear through the earth’s surface with jagged cliff edges and steep inclines. The ocean-like landscape of the desert mocks both its inhabitants and travelers alike. You feel parched and famished. One drop of satisfying liquid would make your heart leap.

Suddenly, you notice the green promise of a bush emerging from the wrinkle of a mountain up ahead. Instantly you forget your fatigue and sprint to the cool refreshment of the trickling spring. You have never tasted water so delicious.

The Psalmist reflects on such a scene when he writes “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1).

While living in China for three months I experienced the novel atmosphere of a spiritually dry and weary land. I had  become used to accepting weekly sermons, passive reading, and fellowship among Christians to give me false  fulfillment. A few weeks outside of my American routine showed me that  inside I knew absolutely nothing. I had been living in a Christian oasis. There I relied on osmosis to passively attain nutrients while allowing the flourishing environment to distract me from actively pursuing and devouring Truth. I had confused spiritual saturation with spiritual satisfaction. In China, however, I had to think on my own, daily face tough questions, actively seek God and engage the Bible with my own time and effort. And I longed to drink it in.

What about you? Are you unwittingly allowing yourself to be starved? Is your life a parched stone in an oasis, depending on the dripping shade of palm trees to supply your nourishment? I hope it does not take you a trip around the world to realize that you may be spiritually starving.

I pray, in conclusion, that you will personally seek after the Word of God. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. Reflect on it. Allow it to revitalize your life.

I am so excited about our new service!  i hope you are too…  We are still putting all the pieces together about what this celebration time will look like and would love some input.  What do you think?  should the service be long or short?  should it be early in the evening or later?  should it be loud (for a young audience) or soft and quite (for an older group)?  lots of questions.  We would love your input.  One thing is for sure, God will use this time for His glory.  It iwill be a time to celebrate and worship Jesus.  It will be another hook in the water (that’s what Pastor Ray said), another opportunity for people to come to Jesus.  I am so excited…Blessings Peter

 G.V.C.C. Thursday Night High School & College Youth

The lure of temptation is strong, and all it takes is one bite to get hooked–sometimes for life.  Temptation is everywhere!  Even if you’re not experiencing temptation at this moment, it will be knocking at your door in no time.

This four-week series covers:

Identifying and dealing with temptation

The importance of positive friendships

God’s plan to help us break the cycle of temptation

How Jesus is the model for us to follow

Please join us on Thursday, September 18th at 7:00 PM at G.V.C.C.

for Part 1–Don’t Bite! Dealing with Temptation.

         In the Jewish world of the Bible, the primary goal of a disciple is to conform to his rabbi so closely that he may one day receive the privilege of taking his place. If we have accepted the call of Jesus, our Rabbi, our primary objective should be to become more like Him. Because He conquered death, Jesus certainly doesn’t need a replacement. However, we can be assured that one day we will join Him in his glorious resurrection from the dead. In the meantime, we should continue to pursue the purpose of becoming more like Christ. We are, after all, created in the image of God; the mere fact of our birth into humanity is evidence that we are designed for discipleship.

        As the original Christian disciples understood 2000 years ago, becoming like Christ requires following after Him. Saturating ourselves in the Bible reveals to us the heart of the Rabbi after whom we follow. By adopting His words and deeds into our own, we model our lives after His.

        Practically, discipleship begins with a personal commitment. In order to become like Christ, we must willfully want to become like Him. Then we decide to do it, actively work at it, and continue to do it despite setbacks, discouragement, or distraction.

        We monitor personal discipleship by examining our character. Simplified, the impromptu responses we give in any circumstance or event communicates our character. For instance, if waiting at a long red light causes aggravation and distress to arise in me, I observe a deficiency of patience in my character. Every response we make, furthermore, is a choice. Problems and temptations in our lives provide the arena in which we have the opportunity to challenge our habits and transform our character. Instead of dreading and avoiding difficult circumstances, therefore, we need to allow ourselves to embrace them as opportunities for training in godliness. In so doing, we truly follow after our Rabbi and become more like Him.

Derived in part from “Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ” in Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life.

Updated information–the Bill and Gloria Fox Family have made it to Indiana on their bicycle journey across the United States.  Catch up with their progress at this blog site:

http://www.ninefoxfamily.blogspot.com/

It’s been a very interesting read.  I’ve felt like I’ve been traveling with them, only without the pain.  :-)  It’s a free vacation!

Thursday High School and College Youth Night

Grab your doubles partner and join us at G.V.C.C. on September 4th at 7:00 pm for a Wii Tennis Tournament.  The top four teams will advance and play on Thursday, September 11th.  Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

We are pleased to present a special message from Pastor Dennis while away on Sabbatical.

Click here for the video.

Fellowship, in my opinion, is the most difficult of the five life purposes. It requires the death of my pride, stubbornness, and cynicism. It means I have to drop the mask and show my flesh. I lose the security of my independence and become vulnerable. It is a reverse of nature: the stone becomes clay; the crusted corpse begins to breathe.

Moreover, fellowship cannot happen with only the participation of one. I can “love” all I want, but if I never express it towards another person, I am only fooling myself. Fellowship exists on at least a two-way deal. Furthermore, without the deliberate involvement of every single person, fellowship reverts to a chaotic and useless mass of fragmented individuals. A broken sword has no power. Only by re-forging it to a unified whole can it regain its purpose.

The culture of the United States of America is arguably the most individualistic one currently on the planet. Our national pride reflects this: we cherish independence, self-reliance, and an army-of-one. Understanding and embracing fellowship, therefore, requires a counter-cultural reform in our thinking. Here I reiterate: fellowship is difficult. But it is worth the effort.

      Have you ever experienced that sensation of complete ease, rest, and acceptance in the presence of other people? You do not have to perform, flaunt yourself, or create a good and proper impression. Instead, you just are. Your real self is enough. It is perfect. That is a golden glimpse of effective fellowship. It is God’s purpose for His church through our lives.

How can you, today, interact with someone in a meaningful and sincere way to promote this miracle of Christian fellowship?

We all long for a place to belong. We want love and acceptance. We need innately to know that we are needed. God Himself placed this desire in us (the need for fellowship) and, consequently, He established a solution: the local church. Paul calls the community of Christians a body. All members – each with his or her unique function and shape – must work together in their diversity to form an effective and harmonious whole. This all sounds great in theory and metaphor, but how can it work in reality?

First of all, fellowship, as the term implies, can only happen with the deliberate participation of each person together. Commitment is the best step to start this process: commitment outwardly to a specific congregation (we at GVCC offer membership classes periodically and we would be honored to have you join us) and inward commitment to actively promote fellowship with our own lifestyles.

At the core of fellowship – and of life itself – is the loaded word called love. For a helpful deconstruction of this term, take a look at the operational definition Paul gives it in I Corinthians 13. In sum, love requires our undivided time and purposeful interaction. It comes at the significant cost of our selfish pride and independence. But the payoff certainly provides exceeding compensation. The real expression of Christian love reaps the reward of fellowship and, thus, satisfies one of our most basic and vital needs.

Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, provides nine characteristics of biblical fellowship in order to make this life purpose practical:

• Authenticity: sharing our true feelings
• Mutuality: encouraging each other
• Sympathy: supporting each other
• Mercy: forgiving each other
• Honesty: speaking the truth in love
• Humility: admitting our weaknesses
• Courtesy: respecting our differences
• Confidentiality: not gossiping
• Frequency: making the group a priority

I hope and pray that we each individually can work together to make this congregation a welcoming place of loving fellowship.