Steven Gibbs

Service and Honor

Most people who have any idea that God exists want to do what God's will.  God provides everything, and we want to keep our lives aligned with Him.  Many people, however, seem to never know what God wants.

In John 12, we see a hint at the answer to understanding what God wants for us.  Serving.  Unselfishness.  Sometimes God doesn't guide because nowhere in our life are we exhibiting selflessness.  Everything is for us.  On the surface, you would think our selfishness would be obvious.  But it's not.  It's hidden like a t.v. remote lost in the couch pillows.  

So, we must ask ourselves.  When is the last time I served someone?  My spouse.  An employee.  A neighbor.  Very simple question that gives us a practical step towards hearing God.

Jesus claims that God will honor us if we serve.  If you don't have God's honor, you are doomed.  Who are you serving?

John 10

It's shocking how much the word life is used in the book of John.  Seems like Jesus would have used words like REPENT!  Yeah, seems like He would be yelling like that.  Or STOP!  Or GET IT TOGETHER! Or HELL AWAITS!  Or any other numerous judgmental and demeaning words.  But He used life like it had never been used before.  

Up to this point during the fast, there are days when I probably haven't felt a lot like the word life.  However, I think I finally see the dawn breaking.  The tide is turning. Now that I've quit the pity party and all the whining I can hear God say something.

If you've joined us as we pray and fast, you may feel the same way.  Up until now, you've focused on what you'd like or what you're gonna miss out on.  So, since Jesus didn't really say it this way, let me say it to all of us. SUCK IT UP! Do I really need to pull out the "starving children in Africa would love to eat what you're eating" card?  Time to quit listening to what we're doing without, and pray for what God wants to do within.  

Remember:  ME - YOU - US

Charge The Ball

When teaching kids how to catch grounders in baseball, we teach them to charge the ball.  In other words, if a ground ball is coming to you, go and get it.  If you charge the ball, it puts you in better position to catch the ball.  Don't wait for it to come to you.  If you don't play the ball, it will play you. 

Where are you not charging the ball?  If you have joined the Daniel Fast, are you letting the Fast play you?  Are you focused on what you'd like to eat, rather than on what God has in store for you?  One thing I've realized is how controlled we really are.  If I don't get what I want, I'm frustrated and irritable. 

Don't let the Fast play you.  Enjoy the opportunity to join with God and others through this time.  See the possibilities of what God can do through us.  Charge The Ball!

John 5

I love John 5, as we see Jesus in action.  A friend sent this to me today.  It's based on John 5, and reminds me of the "you" I'm praying for during our Daniel Fast.  Enjoy.  

Brennan Manning – speaking on the life of Rich Mullins:

There’s a scene in Thornton Wilder’s play The Angel That Troubled the Waters that to me really captures the essence of the life and the spirituality of Rich Mullins.  Ah… the scene is… A doctor comes to the pool every day wanting to be healed of his melancholy, and his gloom and his sadness, and, uh, finally when the angel appears, the doctor – he’s a medical doctor – goes to step into the water and the angel blocks his entrance and says, “No, step back, the healing is not for you.”  The doctor pleads, “But I’ve got to get into the water, I can’t live this way.”  The angel says, “No, this moment is not for you.”  And he says, “But how can I live this way?”

 

And she says – the angel says to him, “Doctor, without your wounds, where would your power be?  It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men and women.  The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children of this earth as can one human being broken on the wheels of living.  In love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve.”

Sowing and Reaping

In John 4, we again see the biblical principle of sowing and reaping.  Sometimes we sow, sometimes we reap.  Sowing is the hard work.  No immediate gratification.  No guarantee that there will be a harvest. However, we need to be willing to trade what we want to see immediately for what will happen eventually.  

When you sit on the floor with 2 year olds on a Sunday morning, you may not immediately see the harvest.  When you do kid's motions to a kid's song in Splash, you may not immediately see the harvest.  When you sit on the floor with your Kidzu group and talk about a Bible story, you may not immediately see the harvest.  When you wave a car into the parking lot, call your middle/high school group, open the front door - for all of those you may not see the harvest - immediately.  

But you will see the harvest eventually.  Jesus states that reaper and sower will rejoice, together.  Eventually.  

Let's pray together that God would give us opportunities to sow immediately so that we can rejoice together eventually.  

Daniel Has Arrived

I know, I know, I haven't posted in 6 months.  Thought the next leg of Stonecreek's journey was a good time to jump back in.

We've done all the shopping. We hit Costco last night, and then Target today. As we finished Target I was completely done. Too much thinking and label reading. Don't let that tank anybody. The goal is spiritual - remember - praying in 3 directions. Me (what will God change in me), You (who does God want me to impact), Us (what does God want for us as a community). Don't forget the point. If you end up with a shred of cheese in your salad, you can still pray. If you bought something with a "forbidden" ingredient in it, God still loves you and knows your heart. We have over 100 people praying and fasting! So, let none of us forget, we are praying towards the Come Home series. It's a spiritual journey. See you tomorrow.

John Update

Well, Cincinnati was cold.  John's surgery went well.  They examined his larynx (and associated parts), as well as his lungs.  Nothing had changed, which was good news.  While not normal, it does work.  The doctor's continued to laugh at how it was possible he was swallowing.  It dawned on me that I didn't share their sense of humor...  

After we left the hospital John developed a fever and cough.  This turned out to be unrelated to the surgery, but associated with strep - very nice conclusion to the week for John.  At least we know how to treat that.  I think he hates the taste of the medicine more than surgery.

His brothers got to go with us for the first time.  They noted how calm he was heading into surgery - not showing any signs of nerves.  I guess he was compensating for Debby and I (smile).

Anyway, barring any complications, we'll head back at the beginning of next year for another follow up. It remains to be seen how his anatomy will continue to change as he grows and develops.

Thanks for praying.  

John Update

Alright, don't pass out, I'm actually posting.  We're heading out to Cincinnati with John for a check up.  We're not expecting anything, but you never know.  If you could pray for us, and I promise to post about it as soon as we know something!  

Daraja Choir

The Daraja Choir rocked our face off.  I wish we could all smile and live like these kids. They were incredible.  Thanks to all of you who hosted these kids.  What an experience.  

Alright, we're all busy, so I'll cut to the chase:  

Christmas Eve:  I want to tell you how full the services are, but you may not invite your friends.  Let's just say you better get moving.  Invite your friends, get your free tickets, and you'll see how full we are. 

Giving Table - We've got over 400 bags, representing 14,400 meals!  Nice start.  We're shooting for 1000 bags.  Get your bags and bring them Sunday.

We are having baptism on Sunday and it's not too late to get information and sign up. 

You can contribute to The Gift  and make other year end contributions online.  

Stay tuned, more to come.

Presence - Week 2

Don't miss the Daraja Children's Choir this week.  These children are a "hope" exchange, and they will offer up sounds of hope on Sunday.  Originating in Kenya, they communicate the needs of the many orphans resulting from the poverty in their country.  This  Sunday, December 14, 9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.  Invite a friend.

Your kids will have an opportunity to hear them in Kidzu, so don't feel pressed to bring them in the adult service.  Besides, I'll be talking about the virgin Mary, and it may cause some unnecessary questions (smile).  But, try to be a few minutes early, as we are expecting quite a few folks.

Get your tickets to one of our Christmas Eve services - tickets are free, but you'll need one so that we can provide a opportunity for everyone to hear the message of hope.  

And, the Giving Table - get your bag, return your bag, make a difference.

Presence

 

This Sunday launches our Presence series for Christmas.  It is truly going to be an exciting month as we enjoy the sounds of Christmas while focusing on the message of Christmas.  We always try to have a different musical vibe throughout the month of December, and this month will be maaaarvelous.  Check out this lineup and invite a friend.

Also, Christmas Eve is just days away.  We've already given away 1/2 of our seats, and one service is almost full!  You'll want to secure your free tickets ASAP so that your friends can attend the service that is most optimal for their schedule.  We've added services in order for your friends to hear the message of Hope in a great environment.  

Let me end with this - 1000 bags for food insecurity!  Pick up your Giving Table bags (notice the plural), and bring them full on Sunday.  We believe we can top 1000 bags.  The question is, how far over can we go?  Look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Don't miss Sunday's new series.  Got some special games planned!

Fear

I know, I know, I haven't written in a while.  I'm looking forward to this Sunday.  With so much craziness floating in our world right now, we're going to address some of the issues that seem to be on people's minds.  Fear is a strange taskmaster.  We don't have to be Psycho/Jason/Freddie afraid  for fear to shadow our lives.  It happens in subtle ways.  It creeps in as we over-consider an election or a stock market.  It hovers around the corner of "what if."  So, this Sunday we'll hit it.  

Don't forget to set your clocks back.  Bulldog Nation - well, that says it all.  See ya Sunday.

Turn in Man Card

Grace Stories

Three Month Tithing Challenge

Dave of Revive Clip

Men's Retreat

Men's Retreat Vibe

Grace Series Starts

This past Sunday was a great start to Stonecreek's new series, "Grace." Hopefully you picked up the Grace Study Guide for you in your chair. All of our Connection Groups, adults and students are using this guide over the next five weeks to explore and talk about God's grace, how His grace applies to our life and how we extend grace to others. Debby and my couples' group met Sunday night, and I enjoyed the different perspectives on God's pursuit of the lost.

As a family we plan to use the Table Talk question on page 11 to talk about grace. Be sure to bring your study guides with you this Sunday as I continue with week two on the fairness of God's grace.

Grace Invite Promo

As promised, the promo from Sunday. You can forward a link as an invite to our series. Don't miss it!

Invite with iTunes

On September 7th we’re going to start a churchwide journey of Grace. I see so many people that need to understand why following Christ is unique. They need Grace. Our hope is that as we understand more about grace, God’s grace will capture our lives and our community.

As one way to invite people, we are providing Invite with iTunes. Music plays a large part in our culture because music has the ability to move our lives in a way that simple words cannot accomplish. Music has a way of evoking emotions in us that can transport us to a different place and a different time.

Invite with iTunes utilizes an iTunes invite card that we have created for a free song download to be used to invite others to Stonecreek. Simply pick up a card in our lobby on Sunday morning and give to a friend as an invitation to Stonecreek. The card contains all of the information about our series, as well as a download code and instructions for a free song.

The free download that we are going to use to invite people to experience grace is a song by U2, Grace. This song helps puts into music what mere words cannot communicate.

While U2 wrote a song called Grace, we know U2 didn’t create Grace. It is a gift of God. Invite those you know to not just hear about grace, not just sing about grace, but to experience transforming grace.

The Devil Made Me Do It, Part 2

Here you go.

The Devil Made Me Do It

As promised. Rumor has it there may be more where this came from...

Wild Goose Chase

I attended a conference a few months ago led by Mark Batterson and Jud Wilhite. They are pastors and authors. Jud has actually written one of my favorite books, Stripped. Mark has recently written a book called Wild Goose Chase. I've read the first couple of chapters, and it is hitting me where I live!

I have always been intrigued by the fact that the Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit - ‘the Wild Goose.’ This can seem to describe our life with God at times.

"Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” --from the introduction, Wild Goose Chase.

Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church. NCC at times is recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. Ken Murphy and I were able to visit the coffee house this summer, and it is pretty tight.

More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com).

I'll let you know when I'm complete.

Check out Mark’s 10 Steps to Setting Life Goals at www.chasethegoose.com.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Sunday we're starting a new series entitled "The Devil Made Me Do It." Check out the promo video.

Mythbusters

Currently our Kidzu environment (grades 1-5) is learning through a series entitled Mythbusters. Their video bumper made it onto the Mythbusters fan page! Check it out by clicking the link and scrolling to Are You A Super Fan?.

Your Place

Lunch

If you were in the services today, this makes perfect sense! This was my lunch today. Notice the water cup.

Financial Analysis

With the price of gas going up, as well as food, etc., I’ve decided to go through and analyze our personal spending plan. This is a principle that Debby and I learned as we took Crown, so we are tracking our spending for the month. Sure, we could get by without it, fudge here and there to make things work out right. But it’s probably the wise thing to go through and analyze our change in spending based on current economic conditions.

Crown Financial Ministries has many great resources. Also, I’ve included a link to a blog that I read that gives some great encouragement during these financial times.

What about you? What are you seeing in your own personal financial situations during these times?

Dental Work

Nothing like dental work to make your day. John has been waiting for his new tooth all summer. Debby has been waiting to get braces since she stopped wearing her retainer in 8th grade...

Auto Off

Think. It used to auto click off at $50!

Nice Quote

I ran across this old quote from Philip Yancy in What's So Amazing About Grace.

One China expert estimates that the revival in China represents the greatest numerical revival in the history of the church. In an odd way, the government hostility ultimately worked to the church’s advantage. Shut out of the power structures, Chinese Christians devoted themselves to worship and evangelism, the original mission of the church, and did not much concern themselves with politics. They concentrated on changing lives, not changing laws.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't be involved in governmental affairs. But our primary mission is larger and more transcendent. We will stay focused on why we exist. When we lose sight of our purpose, we resort to second rate methods of operating, which result in judgmentalism and control.

Saturday experiences

Everyone should live on the wild side!

Simply Summer

Invite a friend to join you at Stonecreek this Sunday, July 13, 10:30 a.m., for week two in our Simply Summer series. Ken Murphy will be interviewing Dr. Shawn Stoever of WinShape Marriage on maximizing our relationships. No matter the health of your relationships, this Sunday will help take them to the next level.