Change

I have been considering a blog change.

http://thehousebeautiful.wordpress.com/

We Really Know How to Worship Stuff

Bike Riding

If only I had these mad skills.

Oh the Sweet Possiblities

I got this from Dave Barry III. Thought it was really interesting.

Gospel Transformation

I have begun working through a new Bible Study called "Gospel Transformation" Here are some quotes:

The Gospel cannot soak deeply inside of us unless it is addressing our ongoing need for it.

The result is a wonderful freedom to forget about ourselves and stop wondering whether we have enough abilities, knowing that god uses and empowers the weak.

Our lives are a conflict of stories.

Thank You!

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

The Head and The Heart

A New Church

Is this the new church for the 21st century? Is this just the beginning of the new landscape of the Bay Area? This is a powerful statement as to what is most important to us. It will be interesting to see what Google and Facebook do to match it.

Church

What is it about church that jumps in my heart and doesn’t let go? Why do I care so much? I suppose when you realize something saves you it becomes really personal to you and whatever instinct you have to protect it kicks in really good. I can say I would not be the person I am today if it were not for a community of people gathered together to share the gospel.

I think about that first church community I was a part of a lot. There are several things about them that strike me:

First, is that they a passion for youth. The church itself was dedicated to serving the children in the body and the community. I have been a part of many churches split on one out of two of these directions. Some want to focus on bringing in the lost at the sake of the body while others want to keep out the lost to protect the body. The gospel message of Christ doesn’t choose between the two. As difficult as it may be the body of Christ must take care of itself through putting itself out into the community in meaningful ways.

Second, they loved to teach about Jesus. One funny thing for me is that I have ended up in a different place theologically than the church of my youth, but not my passion to teach the love of Christ. I have no doubt in my mind and heart that those who formed the core of that church loved Jesus with every ounce of their potential. They were not perfect but they served the perfect one. It showed in their constant attention to my life, their desire to see me thrive, the celebration of events in my life, the way they cared for my friends, their love of teaching the Bible, their passion to drive core theological truths in my mind and heart. I never doubted their center was Jesus.

Third, they loved to have fun. Oh how many churches fail to make this simple leap. It is a sadness in my heart that people would not see the great joy in living the Christian life. Our Savior is the inventor of exciting, thriving, thrilling, demanding, and experienced life. He wants us to live fully. He wants us in the course of striving after Him to learn how completely fulfilling he can be. He wants us to enjoy the life as we live it towards Him.

The church is our gift from Christ. It is not meant to be our punishment. If you make it punishment stop. If you make it about you stop. Instead be one who seeks to make it a deeply passionate love affair with the Savior of your soul.

Conversion

I gave my life over to Jesus about three decades ago. I didn’t know what I was really doing. I had no clue that the Holy Spirit was working inside of me. I don’t know if it was working inside of anybody else. I still remember the person who shared the gospel message, the essential gospel message. He talked about feeling the rhythm of music in his legs, but not in his arms. He was a drummer.

The rhythm needed to move from his legs to his arms. He couldn’t play the drums if he couldn’t make that transition. He said the same thing happened in his life. He grew up with the rhythm of the gospel in his mind. He knew it in his mind but he had difficulty transferring it to his heart.

Today the gospel hasn’t changed from that campfire experience about thirty years ago. Every day I am seeking out that rhythm. I want to make that transfer from my mind to my heart. I think both are important, the mind and the heart, but that transfer is key. It is the Holy Spirit working inside of me delivering through the layers of sin that try to keep it out.

Jesus I pray you continue to allow my heart to know the way my mind knows. Allow your Spirit to work in me.

Love is Not Hell

The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. The Four Loves

God's Reaction to Violence

My thesis is that the practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance…My thesis will be unpopular with man in the West…But imagine speaking to people (as I have) whose cities and villages have been first plundered, then burned, and leveled to the ground, whose daughters and sisters have been raped, whose fathers and brothers have had their throats slit…Your point to them–we should not retaliate? Why not? I say–the only means of prohibiting violence by us is to insist that violence is only legitimate when it comes from God…Violence thrives today, secretly nourished by the belief that God refuses to take the sword…It takes the quiet of a suburb for the birth of the thesis that human nonviolence is a result of a God who refuses to judge. In a scorched land–soaked in the blood of the innocent, the idea will invariably die, like other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind…if God were NOT angry at injustice and deception and did NOT make a final end of violence, that God would not be worthy of our worship. ~ Volf

The Hobbit

I am excited about seeing this movie. If anything like the others instant classic!

Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

Today's Reading
"They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together." ~ Mark 14:53

Reflection
Far too often we take matters into our own hands. We plot, gather evidence, invite others to join our cause, and eventually make the attack. Instead of slowing down and turning to God, we use every human effort to get our way.

The Jewish leaders made the mistake of trusting themselves and not God. Instead of following the rule of law, the Jewish rulers sought to capture, sentence, and destroy Jesus as they saw fit. After all, Jesus was threatening the entire religious system of the day. If we don't "do something," all will be lost... our power, authority, and life as we know it.

The Jewish leaders, under the cover of darkness, took matters into their own hands and passed judgment upon Jesus. They set decorum aside and did what was right in their own eyes. Judges were to conduct and conclude capital trials during daylight. Further, trials were not to occur on the eve of a Sabbath or festival day. Pharisaic rules required a day to pass before a verdict of condemnation could be issued.

Likewise, the Sanhedrin (court of justice) should not have met in the high priest's palace. The spirit of Jewish law opposed condemning a criminal on his own admission, but the Sanhedrin treated Jesus' words here not as admission of a crime but as a crime itself--blasphemy--to which they themselves were witnesses, obviating the need for other witnesses. Finally, whatever else may have been illegal, the physical mistreatment of a prisoner certainly was; this would have shamed Jesus as well, for such treatment was inappropriate to the status he had claimed.

We too can take matters into our own hands when our little "kingdom of self" is threatened. Do we look to God as our solution, seeking Godly wisdom, looking to God's Word for guidance; or do we control every situation trying to manipulate others to gain what we want the outcome to be? Do we lord over our spouses, associates, and family members rather than trusting God to make the changes in their lives? If we forget whose servants we are, we can easily fall into idolatry, vying for the power and honor that rightfully belongs to God alone (Mt 21:38).

Response
When is the last time you took matters into your own hands and tried to play god instead of trusting him?
What was the outcome?

About The Author
Gary Middleton is a teacher at Cal High and came to Canyon Creek because of the testimony of high school students attending here. He has have been richly blessed through the teaching and followship at CCPC.

The Fullest Measure of Love and Forgiveness

Abba father," he said," everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me.
Yet, not what I will but what you will."
~ Mark 14:36

Reflection
Jesus left the upper room after revealing that He would be betrayed to the chief priests and that the disciples would deny being His followers. Jesus needed to prepare Himself for the events that had now been set in motion. He sought the solitude of the Garden of Gethsemane to connect with His Father through prayer and meditation.

Jesus was mere hours away from fulfilling His destiny, His purpose, His story. The fullest measure of strength, obedience, compassion, and forgiveness would soon be demanded of Him. Lovingly, an obedient Son called out to Abba, His Father. Jesus asked if this cup bearing the weight of the sins of all mankind might pass from Him. The Son submitted to the Father.

Jesus was determined to fulfill His Father's will, sacrifice on the cross. By trusting in the Father and committing to obey God's will, the Father strengthened Jesus to become and bear my sin, to face pain and rejection and condemnation. Can you imagine the battle fought during Jesus' three days of death and being totally separated from the Father?

My sin weighed heavily on God's heart. Adam and Eve's first sin broke the intimate bond man enjoyed with the Creator. At what cost could my sins be redeemed, be forgiven? Only the shed blood of the sinless and perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ, would forever satisfy the debt for all my sin. Roman soldiers may have placed Him on the cross, but it was my transgressions, my sins that nailed Him there. It was His love for me that willingly kept Him there. The sacrifice of God's very Son was demanded to forgive my debt and heal my brokenness. What Adam and Eve broke in the Garden of Eden, Jesus Christ began healing and restoring in the Garden of Gethsemane. He finished it on the cross and rose victoriously three days later.

Jesus had prepared the disciples to spread His message. Jesus now entrusted this mission to them. At Gethsemane He asked God to continue to protect and bless His followers. Jesus prayed for future believers who would come to know Him through the disciples' work.

Response
How would my life be different if I grasped these key points?
· Crown God the Lord of my life. Beyond just acknowledging God's existence, I must yield myself, submit myself in obedience to His purpose and will for my life. I must strive each day to allow Him to reign supreme in my heart and in my life.
· Just as Jesus sought the Father in Gethsemane, I, too, must surrender my struggles, my hardships, my hopes to God and His purpose. I must place my full trust in God who created me and loves me and reigns over all. Jesus' victory on the cross began when He fell on His face and knees in prayer in Gethsemane. I will pursue God's heart through prayer and study; I commit to listen intently and obey confidently as He speaks to me.
· I must step up to share my faith and serve others in love, compassion, obedience, and forgiveness from God. Jesus entrusted this mission to me as His follower.

About the Author
Joining the Canyon Creek family in September 2009 with his wife Sue, Bill Locke serves as a Sunday night small group leader and enjoys singing with the worship team and choirs. Daughter Chelsea enjoys serving as lobby host and greeter! They enjoy being together and traveling together.

Today's Reading
27And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' 28But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." 29Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not." 30And Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." 31But he said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." And they all said the same.
~ Mark 14:27-31

Reflection
Early in the evening of the Passover, Peter swears his allegiance to Jesus saying, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." However, before morning breaks Peter denies he knew Jesus on three occasions. Consider two questions: why did Peter's attitude towards Jesus change within a few hours? and why do we (like Peter) deny God when faced with pressures from others in our community and culture?

To understand why Peter's attitude changed leading him to deny Christ, we first need to understand the culture of the day. At this time, the Romans had been ruthlessly ruling Jerusalem for over 60 years, causing many Jews to hope for the prophecies of a militaristic Messiah to be fulfilled (refer to the prophesies of God's second coming mentioned in Joel 2 and Isaiah 9). These prophecies called for a Messiah to remove the foreign government and rule as king forever on earth, but the Jews did not understand that these prophesies would not be fulfilled until Jesus' second coming. When Peter learned that Jesus was not the militaristic Messiah, he did not want to be associated with the way Jesus was accomplishing God's will. Peter was willing to give up his life for Jesus, but only on his terms.

Why are we like Peter at times and do not have courage to trust in God's ways? Francis Chan, a pastor in Simi Valley, says that many of us have great ideas as children on how we can serve Christ, but as we grow up people/culture calms us down. We are on fire for God when when we first learn of God's grace, but over time, we become scared to share our faith publicly. Like Peter, we may be afraid of being ostracized or discriminated against. Or more simply, we may just be afraid of being politically incorrect. Jesus never promises that following Him will be easy, but He does tell Peter in Mathew 19:28, "in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones...And everyone who has left houses...for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."

The life of Peter gives us hope that through God's grace He can change our motives and give us courage. After Jesus' resurrection, we see Peter's change of heart and actions. Peter and the other disciples were arrested for teaching the word of God and brought before the same council that condemned Jesus. This time Peter boldly proclaims he is a follower of Christ (Acts 5). The council had them flogged but the disciples rejoiced that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Response
1. What do you feel God is telling you to do that you may not have the courage to do? Are you willing to suffer for Jesus' name?
2. Was there a time in your life when you had a plan for life, but God had a different plan? How did you respond?
3. What would your life look like if you trusted God completely?

About This Author
Ben and Tricia- We joined CCPC shortly after getting engaged in 2008 and have become very involved in the 20's/30's group, which is growing as it is grows us in our faith. God is currently teaching us how to trust more in him as we seek to truly show His love to those we meet every day.

The Most Incredible Video

Simply Beautiful

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

The Lord's Supper

Today's Reading
17And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." 19They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, "Is it I?" 20He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."

22And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." 23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

26And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
~ Mk 14:17-26.

Reflection
The Lord's Supper has been made the subject of many artistic creations. The interpretations may be different, but the message is the same. This supper was not only instruction to do this in remembrance of him, but that someday we will enjoy this meal in Heaven with all of God's redeemed people. His body is represented by the bread broken just as his body was broken to save us. The blood reminds us that his blood was poured out for us but it also represents the covenant he made to all who believe in him. (If we believe in him, and have faith in his word, we will be saved.) By celebrating this meal we will be reminded of this promise.

He also makes it very clear that anyone who betrays the son of man would be better off not to have ever been born. Believe and be saved, don't believe and you have nothing-no life, no future, no hope. What a powerful statement! As believers, we believe our only future is the one with him in Heaven. If you do not go to Heaven, there is nothing. Our lives, no matter how long, are but a speck of dust in the universe and a very brief moment in time. So when he refers to "better off not ever being born" I think about all those people who have had the opportunity to hear Christ's message and deny it for this brief life we live today. Refuse to have faith in his word and you will have no future with God once this life is over.

I pray often for my older sons because while they were growing up, I was lost in my faith. As a result, I did not provide the Christian foundation and education that they should have had. We went to Church at Easter and Christmas and rarely at any other time. The foundation was weak but they did hear the message of Christ and both were baptized. I know that our Lord stands by the covenant he made with us at the last supper, so I know there is hope for them. I know that in my own life experience, I strayed from him, but the Spirit tugged at my heart and brought me back. Although I tried to deny it, I knew in my soul that by denying my faith, I would have no future with him. So I believe now that he will tug at their hearts as well and bring them back to him.

Response
1. Was there a time in your life that you denied the Son of Man?
2. What brought you back to the Lord's covenant?
3. Do you remember a time when the Lord tugged at your heart?

About the Author
Joyce Feldman has been a member of CCPC for approximately 2 years, but has been attending for 4 years. Previously, she was a member of CPC in Danville. She is a local insurance agent, lives and works in San Ramon, is married to Bruce and has three sons ages 32, 30 and 13.

Are We Giving Sacrificially to Jesus

Today's Reading Mark 14:1-11
The Plot to Kill Jesus

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.


Reflection
In Mark 14:1-11, we are given the story of a woman named Mary who arrived, uninvited, at Simon's house where Jesus was dining and came to him with a jar of expensive perfume worth a year's wages. Mary broke the jar open and poured out all of the perfume on Jesus' head and feet. Upon seeing this, those present rebuked her for her extravagance, for not being more strategic in her use of this valuable perfume. Mary's actions were out of love for the Christ, not an obligation to tithe her money.

How often in our lives today do we demonstrate sacrificial acts of love towards our Savior? For most of us, the answer is probably not that often. Our charitable giving is often more of an obligation or budgeting exercise that an act of love: 10% to the 401k, 10% to the college fund, and oh, 10% to our tithe. While we may be giving our resources to God, are we doing it because we love him or are we doing it as an obligation?

We have had the opportunity to travel throughout the world with World Vision, whose mission is to share the love of Jesus by addressing the root causes of poverty with a focus on children and women. Every time we visit families who have been touched by this work, they offer us extravagant gifts of gratitude. In Ghana, a goat and a bag of yams; in Mongolia, a meal of mare's milk and goat cheese from a family living in a tent; in Ethiopia, a traditional coffee ceremony and traditional clothing from a AIDS relief group; in Zambia, a parade and a meal in the home of four orphans and their grandmother. Each time, we are tempted to say "You shouldn't have, this wasn't necessary" just like those who chastised Mary. We so easily miss that these gifts aren't for us; they were gifts of gratitude to God. How quick are we to say, "Keep the goat, sell it in the market and use the money for something you need"? These people, living in desperate poverty understood what Mary did and felt compelled to make their own extravagant gift.

How can we learn from the acts of gratitude shown by the poorest of the poor? How can we make sacrificial gifts of love to Christ today? In Jesus' own words, Mary "did a beautiful thing," she "did what she could." Do we even do what we can or do we do so much less than that, just enough to hit our 10% line item? In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says that whenever we do something for the "least of these" we do it for Him. We have the opportunity to show our love and gratitude towards God by demonstrating acts of sacrificial love to the "least of these," to those who need help, who need the love of Christ in their lives.

Response
1. What would you say if someone you know emptied their 401k to care for the poor, or sold their car to support missionaries? Would you tell them that they were going a bit too far, that they didn't really need to give these up as long as they give at church each week?
2. Giving sacrificially looks crazy - as crazy as pouring a $75,000 bottle of perfume on someone's head. Are you ready to do what you can with what God has given to you; are you ready to give sacrificially to Jesus, the Savior who gave his life to save ours?

About the Authors
Kirsten and Andy Stearns have recently relocated to the San Ramon area from New York City. Kirsten is a Program Director at World Vision and Andy is a Director of Business Development with American Express and both have a passion for serving the poor around the world.

Chosen to Bear Fruit

15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: Love each other.
~John 15:15 -17

Reflection
I struggle frequently, as I'm sure many Christians do, with the questions, "What is it that Christ has planned for me and what should I be doing to contribute to His plan?" In this passage, Christ answers these questions for the disciples during the last supper. Jesus has three messages: 1) He chose us as friends; 2) He wants us to bear fruit; and 3) Love each other.

Friendship with Christ: It is important to always keep in mind that Christ has chosen us, not the other way around. Yes, we must accept the sacrifice and grace that He gave on the cross, but as a free gift and not something that is earned. If we see Christ as only a master that we must serve and not also as a friend that we can love and enjoy, we can lose sight of this free gift that was given out of unconditional love.

Bear fruit: The image of the vine and the branches is often used to symbolize how we must depend on Jesus to accomplish His plans. Just as a grape vine feeds and provides vital nutrients to its branches so they can produce fruit, Jesus (the vine) has given us (the branches) everything we need to grow (bear fruit) for His kingdom. We bear fruit when we share God's word and exemplify His teaching in our actions and deeds. Again, He chose us, and this is important, as the fruit cannot produce the vine. No matter how many good deeds we perform, we cannot earn our own salvation nor produce it in others.

Love each other: Why does Jesus care if we love each other? The answer is His love for us and His desire that we share eternity in heaven. Jesus was the perfect model of love, one that He commands us to emulate. In Luke 10:26, when Jesus was asked how to gain eternal life, he replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" We are commanded to love God AND our neighbor. The Lord desires that we not only love Him unconditionally, but that we also love unconditionally those whom He loves-which is everyone.

Response
Recall the last long conversation you had with a friend.
1. What qualities in that friendship can you bring to your relationship with Jesus?
2. Can you "bear the fruit" that Jesus desires if your objective is to earn a reward?
3. Do others approach you when they are in need? Why do you believe this is or is not the case?

About the Author
Brendan St John and his wife, Jessica, started attending CCPC in 1999. His favorite experiences with Canyon Creek are the Wind Festival and Small Group Ministry. They have three children, Adelaide (11), Tristan (8), and Spencer (6).