What is your answer to that question?  Please leave a comment below.

Our smALL group recently wrapped up our study of Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love.  Chapter 9 is an amazing journey through a list of people who sought to live their lives fully surrendered to God.  But it begins with a quote from Rev. 3:1-2 where Jesus speaks to the church at Sardis.  This is part of what He says, “…you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die…”

I hear those words and I am reminded of a recent gathering of lay leaders and pastors from the Arkansas Conference who met in Fayetteville to “rethink” church and how we as Methodists (and most main-line denominations) are in decline and dying.  It was called Imagine Ministry.  It was not a memorial, but rather a call to “WAKE UP! STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS!”

We have some brave leaders in our conference who are beginning to lead in a new direction and model the fully-surrendered life that we are called to… we meaning you and I and all who carry the banner of Christ.  But so far, there are only a couple of names from the Arkansas Conference that could be added to Francis Chan’s list from chapter 9. His list included people like Nathan Barlow, Marva J. Dawn, Rich Mullins, Brother Yun, Shane Claiborne and others.  Just do a Google search and see what an amazing witness they have been.

So what can YOU do?  Where can YOU begin?  Who’s life can YOU change?  Take a baby step forward by watching this 20 minute video which is full of testimonies from people right here in Arkansas.  It is a WAKE UP! call.

Click here to watch the video and take the survey.

Please be in prayer for our church here in Springdale. Pray also for the revival of Methodist churches around the state. Then, get up off your knees and “strengthen what remains” through YOUR fully surrendered life and YOUR fully surrendered example. Grace and peace.

As we wrap up our independent study of the Celebration of Discipline and our sermon series God Calling, we know that this is the commencement of a re-focused journey.  We are now in the season of Easter.   In the church, we continue to celebrate for several more weeks.  I mean, should a celebration of the resurrection be contained to one day?  Just dress up, go to church, give the kids more candy and DONE!  On to whatever is next!  Why not extend the celebration in your home and your spiritual life?  Why not live like Christ’s death and resurrection really DO matter?  Wow.  What would that look like?

Meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance and celebration can all play a part in how we reflect Christ’s death and resurrection to others.  You’ve got some tools in your tool belt.  You have a greater understanding of God and how to better respond to Him.  So what are you waiting for?  It’s time to go and share.

Which of these disciplines has meant the most to you and why?  Leave your comment below as an encouragement to the others who have joined with you in this celebration.  Or let it be the motivation for others to pick up their Bible and a copy of Foster’s book and begin a journey of their own!  “We step out in confidence…”

In this poignant and vulnerable women’s Bible study, Leslie Parrot shows you how each hodgepodge piece of your life, no matter how haphazard, represents a part of what you do and who you are. While on the surface, none of these pieces may seem to make a terribly dramatic impact, Leslie will show you how they are your life and how when they are collected into a loving human heart, they become a treasure.

Click here to sign up for this women’s study.  Childcare is available at no charge.  There is also a men’s study going on at the same time.  Click here to learn more!

War, poverty, despair … the world’s problems seem overwhelming. Where do we even start? Bono, Oprah and other celebrities have the resources to make a difference … so should we just leave it up to them?  Maybe God has a role every man in our church!

Todd Phillips leads the study from  Rwanda and the Republic of Congo to explore how we can make a difference in this lifetime.  From the villages and refugee camps, we’ll use Biblical teaching to reveal the important role God has for each of us to rescue the world.

What is YOUR part in God’s remarkable plan?  Click here to sign up online.  Childcare is provided at no charge.  An optional donation will help us cover the cost of our class materials.

One of the most transformational books I have ever read is Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son, A Story of Homecoming that my friend Steve bought for me.  It is a simple book, just like the simple devotionals we are reading each day.  But in that simplicity is clarity and understanding.  He was not a perfect man or a perfect writer, but what he was able to do was to give voice and words to the struggles and joys of his life so that others could share the journey with him.

Are you sharing your life transparently through your words or your deeds?  What better way help others renew their chaotic lives by allowing them to see the renewal that Christ has brought in to your life.  May our witnesses and legacies, like Henri Nouwen’s, point others to the cross and the resurrection!

Click here to read more about Henri Nouwen on his website.

Click here for a Wikipedia article about Henri Nouwen.

Hebrews 12:1-29
Hebrews 13:1-25

We will be concluding this week. With these two concluding chapters, the author of Hebrews will lay out what it means to live out our faith, in light of everything he has said so far.

With the first half of chapter 12 the overarching theme is about running a race, with discipline from God the father being the way he instructs and trains us. This metaphor seems to dramatically {re}shape our understanding of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus. A race has purpose, direction, drawing us into the needed training & discipline. It gives our life a meaning & focus.

Deeply consider what this metaphor means for you.

The second half of chapter twelve gives us an imaginative vision of the finish line—a great crowd joyful gathered with God the father & Jesus the Son. It is a celebration, the great banquet, that we are running towards.

The last chapter of Hebrews concludes with practical exhortation about how we are to live with others, in light of what Christ has done. Search for what the essential message is, what is our act of worship & sacrifice? Hebrews 13:20-21 are an encapsulation of the gospel, the message which he has taken thirteen chapters to unpack. Take some time and slowly read through it, trying to deeply understand each part of the verses.

What we’re talking about is “an ordered way of acting and living that sets us before God so that He can transform us.”  It not a Sunday morning thing.  It’s ALL THE TIME.  It’s not about singing, clapping, standing or sitting.  It’s a lifestyle.

For me the word that comes to mind is “communing.”  I want to commune with Christ and make Him a part of my thoughts, my conversations, my work, my rest, my everything.  Paul references this concept in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  That’s how worship can become a true spiritual discipline.

What do you do in your everyday life to cultivate that communion… without ceasing?  Share one of the habits that you are working on in this area, or perhaps share your struggle.  We’re here to encourage each other as we strive to answer when God is calling.

Hebrews 10:19-11:40

Last week was our last week of heavy thinking. Now begins the time of heavy lifting. Just as classic liturgy has a call & response, Hebrews has given us the call and now he laying out what our response should look like. Chapters 11 &12 should be understood as a couplet of sorts, we look back on the faith of our forefathers to then look to the present at our own faith.

Look at the text of chapter 11 and try to identify all the sorts of ways faith is lived out. Do you remember the way I unpacked what faith was:

Faith = belief + hope + obedience + perseverance

Can you see each of these aspects being played out with the different characters?

Think about your walk of faith through the years. Can you think of how these different aspects have been present in your own life? How could Hebrews describe you? By faith, I have ________________…

That has to begin with sacrifice.  David writes in Psalm 51:17 that God will not despise a broken and repentant heart.  That’s part of what we should be seeking during this season.  I am not pursuing all the comforts that push God away, but instead I am removing everything, sacrificing of myself and giving my Heavenly Father my broken heart. ..  and by His grace I am given life, abundant life, and a joy that lasts for eternity.