The end of the summer party is finally upon us, and barring any tropical storms, we should be good to go for this Sunday. Here are the final details you need to know:
We will still meet at the church and leave by 9:15 AM. We can carpool as much as possible, and people can leave the park when they are ready, but it closes at 6:00. Please bring $30 cash per person, a sack lunch or cooler with food/drinks, towel if you need it, and sunscreen.
We will rent a locker there for everyone's keys and wallets and everything, and we will leave the food together so we can have a lunch and short devo at about 12:30 or so. If you were not able to sign up the past two Sundays or you did not get to talk to me, email me at ryankirksey@yahoo.com and let me know you are coming. If it should rain on Sunday at times throughout the day, I think we will survive. That will just mean it is not 118 degrees all day long.
We will not plan anything the next two Sundays to let people enjoy the rest of their summer and the Labor Day weekend, but be on the lookout for new Life Group plans for the fall starting in September.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Sunday, August 12 plans
Hey gang, quite a bit going on the next two Sundays, so I will get right to it. This Sunday night at 5:30 we are going to be at Terry Alsdorf's house again. On the menu are his fabulous burgers and shrimp. Look in class for directions and a phone number if you need it.
Also in class, besides an outstanding lesson from moi, we will still be signing up for the Schlitterbahn trip on August 19. Remember, we will carpool from the church at 9:15 AM and you can feel free to leave whenever you are ready. Be sure to bring a cooler with some drinks and a lunch and we will rent a locker for your wallets, keys, etc. David will lead us in a short devo that day as well.
It will be $30 to attend as long as we all show up together and we have at least 15 people. We do have a couple of volunteers to babysit if that is an issue, so let me know Sunday morning and we will sort it all out.
We won't schedule anything for August 26 as everyone recovers from the end of the summer and gets back into everything.
Also in class, besides an outstanding lesson from moi, we will still be signing up for the Schlitterbahn trip on August 19. Remember, we will carpool from the church at 9:15 AM and you can feel free to leave whenever you are ready. Be sure to bring a cooler with some drinks and a lunch and we will rent a locker for your wallets, keys, etc. David will lead us in a short devo that day as well.
It will be $30 to attend as long as we all show up together and we have at least 15 people. We do have a couple of volunteers to babysit if that is an issue, so let me know Sunday morning and we will sort it all out.
We won't schedule anything for August 26 as everyone recovers from the end of the summer and gets back into everything.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Sunday, July 29 plans
Hey everyone - Life Group this Sunday night will be at Jeremy and Mandy's house, which is located at 17107 Grey Mist in Heritage Park. We should meet sometime around 5:30 or so and dinner and discussion will be brought to you by the new married couple, Tim and Ashley Miller.
More details and directions will be available Sunday morning in class at 10:30.
Also, congratulations to Jared and Jana Benge. Ezekiel "Zeke" Franklin Benge was born at 6:47 AM on Wednesday, July 25. He weighed 9lbs 8oz and was 21.75 inches long. Jared and Jana hope to come home this weekend, but ask that we not visit them until they get back to their house so that Jana can recover.
More details and directions will be available Sunday morning in class at 10:30.
Also, congratulations to Jared and Jana Benge. Ezekiel "Zeke" Franklin Benge was born at 6:47 AM on Wednesday, July 25. He weighed 9lbs 8oz and was 21.75 inches long. Jared and Jana hope to come home this weekend, but ask that we not visit them until they get back to their house so that Jana can recover.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Sunday, July 15 plans
Life Group this Sunday night will be at Steven and Natalie Gardner's house, probably sometime around 5:30 or so.
Steven and Natalie have a new house in Pearland, and their address is:
1826 High Falls Lane
Pearland, TX 77581
This link will take you to directions for their house.
Directions
A lot of people will not be in class this Sunday morning, so if you have any questions about group, call me or email Steven (Steven.Gardner@bakerhughes.com) this weekend.
See you then!
Steven and Natalie have a new house in Pearland, and their address is:
1826 High Falls Lane
Pearland, TX 77581
This link will take you to directions for their house.
Directions
A lot of people will not be in class this Sunday morning, so if you have any questions about group, call me or email Steven (Steven.Gardner@bakerhughes.com) this weekend.
See you then!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Sunday, July 8 plans
Life Groups are in for a special treat this Sunday night as we will be meeting at Terry Alsdorf's house for a special dinner and time to hang out.
We will be meeting at 5:30 and Terry will be making deep-fried turkey for everyone that night. We will have directions and phone number for you Sunday morning. I hope everyone can make it that night and we will fill you in with more details in class at 10:30 on Sunday morning.
Have a great weekend!
RK
We will be meeting at 5:30 and Terry will be making deep-fried turkey for everyone that night. We will have directions and phone number for you Sunday morning. I hope everyone can make it that night and we will fill you in with more details in class at 10:30 on Sunday morning.
Have a great weekend!
RK
Monday, June 25, 2007
Of Mentors and Men
There is an interesting philosophy that exists in different organizations such as businesses, churches, sports teams, etc., and that is of mentors. Mentors tend to serve different functions for different organizations: In business, they help their pupils learn the ins and outs of the company, help them understand proper practices, appropriate use of money, etc. In church, you would typically think of a mentor being someone who is older and takes someone younger under their wing and, by sharing their experience and wisdom, help take that person to a closer relationship with God. In sports, the veterans would be the mentors and they would take the rookies and show them the ropes, how to act on the road, how to handle the media, and other things.
Two separate things got me thinking about this idea of mentorship and how it relates to our relationship with Christ. One of which is the video/chapter of Velvet Elvis called Dust, by Rob Bell. The second was a chapter on discipleship and mentorship in a book called Metamorpha by Kyle Strobel (son of Lee Strobel of The Case For...fame).
These two writers/speakers both have very strong, opinionated stances on mentorship and discipleship. I will quickly and effectively try to summarize their viewpoints:
In Dust, Bell focuses on the relationship Jews in the first century were familiar with between Rabbis and students. A student would study with a Rabbi for years, learning the things they know, acting the way they act, literally trying to be this Rabbi. These students were the best of the best when it came to their studies and they were considered gifted, privileged to be able to become like these great Rabbis. Well while Jesus chose his own group to mentor and teach, they were not the best at anything. They were fishermen, tax collectors, poor people, outcasts. In short, they were just like you and me. They would spend more than two years learning to be like Jesus, following him, trying to understand His message; and then becoming his mouthpiece after his resurrection for the good news of the present kingdom.
In the chapter Discipleship: At the Foot of the Master, Strobel takes a more cautionary approach. While he agrees that the perfect model is to have Jesus be our mentor and Great Teacher, he warns that as imperfect humans, we too often look to be mentored by the next best thing, the most attractive and successful, or the most dynamic of speakers. The danger becomes that we often become students or pupils of only that person, rather than of Jesus. We fall in love with and emulate the mannerisms, ideals, and characteristics of our mentor, rather than those that are the embodiment of Jesus. Strobel uses the example of a great preacher he used to listen to. He was from out of town, so he would request all of the preachers lessons on CD. One day a friend encouraged Strobel to listen to a sermon, he did, and while the message was nothing exciting, he could tell it was the same preacher he had always listened to. His friend had to tell him it actually wasn't the same preacher, but a younger man the preacher was discipling. This younger man had picked up all of the same language, inflection, and tone of his mentor, but how had he really grown to be more like Jesus?
The perfect example of a mentor/student relationship here on earth, as pointed out by Strobel, is of Paul. He would say in his letters to do what I do, but only because I am trying to do as Christ would have done.
Strobel says that the danger comes when we sit at the feet of someone or some group and pour ourselves into them, heart and soul, giving them everything we have, and saving none for Jesus - the true mentor. And that is why he says, "we may learn from our fellow sisters and brothers who also sit at Jesus' feet, but we are never followers of them."
For me, I feel that the challenge comes down to what WE were challenged to do; and that is to make disciples and be mentors in this world:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-Matthew 28:18-20
So our mission seems to be two-fold, and it coincides with the two chapters pointed out in the first couple of paragraphs above.
While we are not anyone special to begin with, sitting at the feet of Jesus, the ultimate Rabbi, draws us into a relationship with him, and urges us to not just do things Jesus would want us to do, but to do them in the way Jesus would have done it. We could spend a lifetime learning from Jesus, trying to perfectly imitate him, striving to know what he knows. Following Jesus so closely that the dust he kicks up is all over our clothes is God's desire for us.
We are then called to bring others to Christ through mentorship and disciple-making. But our desires must not be to make people just like us, but rather like Christ; does our mentorship to others focus on the skills or programs they need to develop or rather the relationship that Christ desires with them? Not creating clones of ourselves, but rather clones of Christ is God's mission for us.
Therefore, Jesus becomes the ultimate desire, not only in what we try to know, but also in what we try to teach. It is never about ourselves, but always about God's kingdom here on earth.
Strobel sums it up quite well:
"The idea that we are Jesus's apprentices....puts the focus on us, even if we say we are learning to be like Jesus. The goal of an apprenticeship is to develop certain abilities so that we're able to function apart from our master; apprentices are meant to move on to independence at some point. The focus becomes our skill and ability to function and adapt. The most fundamental reason why creating disciples has proven to be so elusive for the North American church is that all of our....methods for discipleship put ourselves at the end rather than Jesus. The goal of discipleship should always be Jesus and never spiritual skill."
-RK
Two separate things got me thinking about this idea of mentorship and how it relates to our relationship with Christ. One of which is the video/chapter of Velvet Elvis called Dust, by Rob Bell. The second was a chapter on discipleship and mentorship in a book called Metamorpha by Kyle Strobel (son of Lee Strobel of The Case For...fame).
These two writers/speakers both have very strong, opinionated stances on mentorship and discipleship. I will quickly and effectively try to summarize their viewpoints:
In Dust, Bell focuses on the relationship Jews in the first century were familiar with between Rabbis and students. A student would study with a Rabbi for years, learning the things they know, acting the way they act, literally trying to be this Rabbi. These students were the best of the best when it came to their studies and they were considered gifted, privileged to be able to become like these great Rabbis. Well while Jesus chose his own group to mentor and teach, they were not the best at anything. They were fishermen, tax collectors, poor people, outcasts. In short, they were just like you and me. They would spend more than two years learning to be like Jesus, following him, trying to understand His message; and then becoming his mouthpiece after his resurrection for the good news of the present kingdom.
In the chapter Discipleship: At the Foot of the Master, Strobel takes a more cautionary approach. While he agrees that the perfect model is to have Jesus be our mentor and Great Teacher, he warns that as imperfect humans, we too often look to be mentored by the next best thing, the most attractive and successful, or the most dynamic of speakers. The danger becomes that we often become students or pupils of only that person, rather than of Jesus. We fall in love with and emulate the mannerisms, ideals, and characteristics of our mentor, rather than those that are the embodiment of Jesus. Strobel uses the example of a great preacher he used to listen to. He was from out of town, so he would request all of the preachers lessons on CD. One day a friend encouraged Strobel to listen to a sermon, he did, and while the message was nothing exciting, he could tell it was the same preacher he had always listened to. His friend had to tell him it actually wasn't the same preacher, but a younger man the preacher was discipling. This younger man had picked up all of the same language, inflection, and tone of his mentor, but how had he really grown to be more like Jesus?
The perfect example of a mentor/student relationship here on earth, as pointed out by Strobel, is of Paul. He would say in his letters to do what I do, but only because I am trying to do as Christ would have done.
Strobel says that the danger comes when we sit at the feet of someone or some group and pour ourselves into them, heart and soul, giving them everything we have, and saving none for Jesus - the true mentor. And that is why he says, "we may learn from our fellow sisters and brothers who also sit at Jesus' feet, but we are never followers of them."
For me, I feel that the challenge comes down to what WE were challenged to do; and that is to make disciples and be mentors in this world:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-Matthew 28:18-20
So our mission seems to be two-fold, and it coincides with the two chapters pointed out in the first couple of paragraphs above.
While we are not anyone special to begin with, sitting at the feet of Jesus, the ultimate Rabbi, draws us into a relationship with him, and urges us to not just do things Jesus would want us to do, but to do them in the way Jesus would have done it. We could spend a lifetime learning from Jesus, trying to perfectly imitate him, striving to know what he knows. Following Jesus so closely that the dust he kicks up is all over our clothes is God's desire for us.
We are then called to bring others to Christ through mentorship and disciple-making. But our desires must not be to make people just like us, but rather like Christ; does our mentorship to others focus on the skills or programs they need to develop or rather the relationship that Christ desires with them? Not creating clones of ourselves, but rather clones of Christ is God's mission for us.
Therefore, Jesus becomes the ultimate desire, not only in what we try to know, but also in what we try to teach. It is never about ourselves, but always about God's kingdom here on earth.
Strobel sums it up quite well:
"The idea that we are Jesus's apprentices....puts the focus on us, even if we say we are learning to be like Jesus. The goal of an apprenticeship is to develop certain abilities so that we're able to function apart from our master; apprentices are meant to move on to independence at some point. The focus becomes our skill and ability to function and adapt. The most fundamental reason why creating disciples has proven to be so elusive for the North American church is that all of our....methods for discipleship put ourselves at the end rather than Jesus. The goal of discipleship should always be Jesus and never spiritual skill."
-RK
Thursday, June 14, 2007
June 17 plans
Life Group this Sunday is scheduled to be at the Crain's house, probably around 5:30 PM. If you see anyone in our group this weekend or Sunday morning, please be sure to pass the word around that it is at their house this week.
Also, Jeremy will be trying to find some helpers for a project to assist Karis with VBS for Sunday afternoon. Find Jeremy on Sunday morning or call him at 832-428-3191 to find out more details. It is some decorating work up at the church and should not take very long at all.
Life Group on June 24 is tentatively scheduled to be at the Boudra's house. More details will come later to confirm that.
Also, Jeremy will be trying to find some helpers for a project to assist Karis with VBS for Sunday afternoon. Find Jeremy on Sunday morning or call him at 832-428-3191 to find out more details. It is some decorating work up at the church and should not take very long at all.
Life Group on June 24 is tentatively scheduled to be at the Boudra's house. More details will come later to confirm that.
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