Message Tool

Men, Women & Worship - 2

noreply@blogger.com (Open Door) — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:49:00 +0000

May 20, 2012 Message by David Johnson

Practice:
Pick 3-5 women that you know and pray for each of them, every day this week. Ask God to encourage them, to call gifts out of them, and to give them what they need this week.

Experience:
Go out of your way to encourage, affirm and call out the gifts you see in the women that you know this week. Write them notes or emails, give them a phone call, or meet for coffee with them to tell them what you see in them. Do this especially for the younger women that you know.

Questions:

What is your journey regarding what you’ve understood the Bible to say about women’s and men’s place in leadership and teaching roles in the church?
When you come to a place in the Bible that seems confusing and might even make you angry, what do you do?
If you’ve changed your thoughts about women in leadership in the church, what has encouraged that change?
What questions do you still have about men and women working “side by side” with each other?
What do you hope for the next generation of men and women in the church?

Recommended Reads:

Equally Yoked by Rick McKinniss
How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership by Alan F. Johnson
Designer Women: Made by God by Ruth Tuttle Conard

Men, Women & Worship - 2 (PDF)

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The Feminine Face of God

noreply@blogger.com (Open Door) — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:39:00 +0000

May 13, 2012 Message by David Johnson

Practice:
Read the attached poem (written by Mary Martin Wiens) a few times, slowly. There are two versions – read whichever one you are drawn to most. As you read, reflect on the following questions:

What part of the poem are you most drawn to?
What invitation might God have for you as you sit with that part of the poem?

Experience:
Read The Shack by William P. Young (or, better yet, get two or three other people to read it at the same time as you, then discuss it afterwards). The Shack is a fictional account of one man’s journey of experiencing God in three distinct personalities, on one memorable weekend, at a cabin in the middle of the woods. Like Dave’s message, this book might stretch your understanding concerning God’s nature, which contains both masculinity and femininity. At its core, it’s about trying to embrace a God who is bigger than any of us could ever imagine.

Questions:

What is (or was) your relationship like with your own mother?
When you think about God as mother, what thoughts, fears, feelings or reactions rise up in you?
Have you ever experienced being in “the womb of God,” where God was initiating some healing or rebirth in you?
Do you identify more with a mother wound or a father wound? How does that affect your relationship with God?
In what part(s) of your life right now would you like God to comfort, nourish, protect, feed, clothe or heal you, like the best kind of mother would?

The House of God by Mary Martin Wiens
©2012 (used with permission)

When you come to the house of God
With the mud of trying dripping from your sleeves
Covered in cruelties
Your own and others
Obscured by false agreements
She cleans your clothes, shakes them out and hangs them up to dry
And you she washes, washes, washes
Like water lapping on rock saying
Let me get that off of you and
There you are and
Now do you remember?
So let us run to the house of God

When you come wounded to the house of God
She builds a circle around you
She stands guard and houses your pain
She holds your weeping head in her lap and
Whispers, I know
Gently, methodically she tends each hurt saying
All is well
You will be well
At all times I work to make all things well
So let us run to the house of God

When you come undone in the house of God
She gathers you up
She brings back all your scattered parts
She remembers who you are
She breathes vitality back into you saying
Here. Here is your body
Here again are your hands, are your feet, is your mouth
Here is your mind
Here is your spirit
Here I am
Here you are
So let us run to the house of God

When you are hungry in the house of God
She sets out to nourish you entirely
She satisfies and delights your whole being
She heartens you with substance saying
Take your time
Listen to me
I have all you need
It is free. Free. Free.
So let us run to the house of God

When you are naked in the house of God
When you stand exposed by the limits of being human
What you can’t make happen
What you can’t stop from happening
What you can’t know
She covers you
She sees you and
She clothes you saying
Here is safety
Here is grace
I know how you are made
I call you good. Good. Good.
So let us run to the house of God

And, When the time is right in the house of God
She does a dance
She opens wide the doors
She presents you to the world saying
Here is my Beloved with whom I am pleased
So pleased
So very pleased

As I reflect on it, I realize that whether we are women or men, whether we mother children or mother in other ways, Mother’s Day is one of those days that actually can highlight our needs. You may come to this day with the need to remember. To forget. To be remembered. To be honored. To be comforted. To be forgiven. To be given hope. To be given an A+. I am more convinced than ever that we are to take our needs and run to our Home. Our Home is within the One who made us and loves us and in that place we are tenderly, intimately cared for like the best of parents would care for a child, but oh so much better. So today I want you to imagine with me that in the midst of a long journey (perhaps the long journey of parenting, of infertility, of grieving – whatever the long journey of your life is today) you suddenly arrive at the place where the heart of God dwells. And God, like a mother—but the kind of mother God would be—meets you at the door with a look of unabashed welcome and draws you in. I want you to hold that picture in your mind as I read this blessing over you...

The House of God (Revised Version) by Mary Martin Wiens
©2012 (used with permission)

When you come to the house of God
With the mud of trying dripping from your sleeves
Covered in cruelties
Your own and others
Obscured by false agreements
Love washes, washes, washes you
Like water lapping on rock saying
Let me get that off of you and
There you are and
Now do you remember?
So let us run to the house of God

When you come wounded to the house of God
Your Healer builds a circle around you
Stands guard and houses your pain
Gently, methodically tends each hurt saying
All is well.
You will be well.
At all times I work to make all things well.
So let us run to the house of God.

When you come undone in the house of God
Compassion gathers you up
Remembers who you are
And breathes vitality back into you saying
Here. Here is your body
Here again are your hands, are your feet, is your mouth
Here is your mind
Here is your spirit
Here I am
Here you are.
So let us run to the house of God.

When you are hungry in the house of God
The One who holds your life sets out
To nourish you entirely
To satisfy and delight your whole being
To hearten you with substance saying
Take your time.
Listen to me.
I have all you need.
And it is free. Free. Free.
So let us run to the house of God.

When you are naked in the house of God
When you stand exposed by the limits of being human
What you can’t make happen
What you can’t stop from happening
What you can’t know
Your Maker covers you
Sees you and Clothes you saying
Here is safety
Here is grace
I know how you are made
I call you good. Good. Good.
So let us run to the house of God

And, when the time is right in the house of God
Love does a dance
Opens wide the doors
And presents you to the world saying
Here is my Beloved with whom I am pleased
So pleased
So very pleased

Recommended Reading:

Designer Women: Made by God, Ruth Tuttle Conard

Equally Yoked, Rick McKinniss

How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership: Compelling Stories from Prominent Evangelicals, Alan Johnson

The Feminine Face of God (PDF)

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You Are Welcome at the Table

noreply@blogger.com (Open Door) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

May 6, 2012 Message by David Johnson

Practice:
Read Luke 14:15-24 three times, slowly. As you read, reflect on the following questions as a way to see if Jesus might have an invitation for you at this unique time in your life.

What word(s) seem to jump off of the page for you as you read, as if they were written just for you?
What characters do you find yourself identifying with, if you’re honest?
What invitation do you think Jesus might have for you right now?

Experience:
Gather your family or a few friends together and throw a dinner or a party for people in order to honor them. It doesn’t really matter who you invite, as long as you are a generous host, honoring the guests with your presence and with words of affirmation, as well as great food and drink. Notice what happens in them and in you during the party. Afterwards, get together with the people who planned this party and share your reflections on what it means for Jesus to be a generous host.

Questions:

What is an experience you have had of being excluded?
What is an experience you have had of excluding someone else?
How do you feel about the Host of the Table?
Be honest: Who are the people groups that you’d struggle with if you saw them sitting around Jesus’ table? Why them?
Imagine you found yourself at Jesus’ table, and he asked you if you’d like anything special, just for you. How would you answer?

You Are Welcome at the Table (PDF)

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Men, Women & Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Open Door) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:48:00 +0000

April 29, 2012 Message by David Johnson - Colossians 3:18-25

Practice:
Read Genesis 1, 2 and 3 at least three times this week. Reflect and journal on what characteristics mark Adam and Eve’s relationship before they chose to sin, and then what characteristics mark their relationship after they chose to sin.

Experience:
If you are a man, sit down with a woman (or group of women) and ask her to describe what it’s like for her as a woman as she relates to men. In what circumstances has she experienced being treated differently simply because she’s a woman? In what circumstances does gender not seem to matter?

If you’re a woman, find another woman that you admire for her ability to be who she is, no matter where she is. Ask her about the circumstances in her life that have helped her to shape that kind of identity within her.

Questions:

What was the role of women in leadership and preaching in the church in which you grew up? How did you feel about that?
What questions and reactions rise up in you as you think about women and men leading together in the church?
As you listened to Dave defend a biblical view of women leading at every level of the church, what was going on inside of you?
What do you think defines “healthy leadership” in the church?
Dave mentioned that this series will last several weeks. What do you hope he covers, or talks more about?

Men, Women & Worship (PDF)

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Next Gen Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Open Door) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:01:00 +0000

April 22, 2012 Message by Brian Houts

Practice:
Brian challenged us this week to “see young people” all around us. This week, make a daily commitment to really see the young people in your midst. Whether you are in your front yard, at a coffee shop or the mall, at a school or at church, when you see a young person, pause to really see them. In that moment, be completely for them and believe the best about them.

Make eye contact, acknowledge them, encourage them and listen to them. Pray this simple prayer, “God, may your dreams for this person become a reality. Give me the courage to play whatever part in that I can.”

Experience:
Consider how God is calling you to practically engage in mentoring the next generation. We all have a role in investing in young people. Consider these questions:

Are you able to commit to be a part of Next Gen? There is a place for everyone. Mentors, mentor coordinators, drivers and site directors are all needed. Go to www.thedoor.org to learn more.

Are there kids in your neighborhood or workplace or another environment that you could engage with in a new way? What might that look like?

Is there a young person in your life who you would like to be more intentional with? What might that look like?

Take some time to really think about what God is inviting you to do. You might need to sit down and talk with a friend or family member about a possible next step for you. Then, by the end of this week, take the first step to make the invitation a reality.

Questions:

Who in your life has mentored you?
Why was that relationship important? What did it result in?
Talk about a time that you felt disconnected as a young person. What do you think would have helped you feel connected?
Who are the young people in your midst? Where do you see them? 5. What scares you about mentoring the next generation?

Next Gen Weekend (PDF)

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