get_connected
06 April 2008
hospitality
for the next four weeks we'll be running our "ACTS" series of café worships, which began tonight with the act of hospitality. we are extending our hospitality to you in inviting you to join us at the café for food, coffee, music, and a movie clip. plus maybe some new friends you'd never have met if you didn't come.
¶ 7:32 PM 0 Comments
01 April 2008
new creation
springtime is here (at least, according to the calendar), and soon we will all be experiencing a new creation: animals returning from their winter homes (or sleep), trees sprouting new leaves, the icy cold of the winter melting away.
usually around this time we are thinking about new beginnings as well: spring cleaning, baseball season, new clothes. even spiritually we find new beginnings and new creations within us.
"What we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" (2 Cor 5:17 MSG)
"to burgeon", by the way, is a verb meaning "to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout. to begin to grow or blossom. to grow or develop rapidly." (according to the american heritage dictionary.) may your faith begin to blossom this spring. amen.
¶ 11:34 AM 0 Comments
usually around this time we are thinking about new beginnings as well: spring cleaning, baseball season, new clothes. even spiritually we find new beginnings and new creations within us.
"What we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" (2 Cor 5:17 MSG)
"to burgeon", by the way, is a verb meaning "to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout. to begin to grow or blossom. to grow or develop rapidly." (according to the american heritage dictionary.) may your faith begin to blossom this spring. amen.
¶ 11:34 AM 0 Comments
23 March 2008
a new life
happy easter, from all of us at the get connected café and indiana jones.
what do you believe?
the breath of god -- only the penitent man shall pass -- the penitent man is humble before god -- kneels before god.
the word of god -- follow in the footsteps of god -- the word of god -- the name of god -- (remember, in latin "jehovah" starts with an "i").
the path of god -- only a leap from the lion's head will get you across -- a leap of faith -- believe.
the cup of god -- choose wisely -- the true cup will grant new life -- the false cup will take it away.
and...
the cup of a carpenter is not made of gold.
¶ 10:55 PM 0 Comments
what do you believe?
the breath of god -- only the penitent man shall pass -- the penitent man is humble before god -- kneels before god.
the word of god -- follow in the footsteps of god -- the word of god -- the name of god -- (remember, in latin "jehovah" starts with an "i").
the path of god -- only a leap from the lion's head will get you across -- a leap of faith -- believe.
the cup of god -- choose wisely -- the true cup will grant new life -- the false cup will take it away.
and...
the cup of a carpenter is not made of gold.
¶ 10:55 PM 0 Comments
16 March 2008
homecoming
college makes you think about homecoming in a whole new way. not homecoming in the sense of football, pep rallies, and lots of partying. homecoming in the sense of "wow, I haven't seen my family in a long time." (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.)
it's interesting to think of palm sunday as a homecoming. jesus had been away for a long time (40 days), and, while he had performed many miracles and preached many sermons, he was ready to return to civilization for what would be his final week of life. people praised him, threw their coats on the ground his donkey walked, waved palms, and so on. they were excited that jesus was coming home (even the rocks and stones would start to sing, apparently.)
have you ever had an exciting homecoming like that? probably not. but there are some who have. think of our military overseas. think of the prodigal sons and daughters of the world. think of the type of homecoming you can only see in movies like antwone fisher.
it's the kind of homecoming god gives all his children.
¶ 6:09 PM 1 Comments
it's interesting to think of palm sunday as a homecoming. jesus had been away for a long time (40 days), and, while he had performed many miracles and preached many sermons, he was ready to return to civilization for what would be his final week of life. people praised him, threw their coats on the ground his donkey walked, waved palms, and so on. they were excited that jesus was coming home (even the rocks and stones would start to sing, apparently.)
have you ever had an exciting homecoming like that? probably not. but there are some who have. think of our military overseas. think of the prodigal sons and daughters of the world. think of the type of homecoming you can only see in movies like antwone fisher.
it's the kind of homecoming god gives all his children.
¶ 6:09 PM 1 Comments
02 March 2008
giving up roadblocks
there are always obstacles no matter what: things we must overcome to achieve our goals. when faced with our roadblocks, we must remember that nothing is impossible with god. when we give ourselves a moment and ask god for guidance, the roadblocks seem to clear themselves. it takes time, sometimes. it takes patience, sometimes. but there truly is nothing we can't do with god on our side.
roadblocks can be frustrating. they force us to go a different way than we wanted. we may seem so close, but then there's a roadblock, an obstacle. sometimes the roadblock can save us from going down a dangerous and fatal path. sometimes the roadblock forces us to grow and get stronger. sometimes the roadblock even teaches us something we never would have otherwise known.
approach your roadblocks with patience and prayer; god will be there to help you out even in the most frustrating of times.
¶ 9:47 PM 0 Comments
roadblocks can be frustrating. they force us to go a different way than we wanted. we may seem so close, but then there's a roadblock, an obstacle. sometimes the roadblock can save us from going down a dangerous and fatal path. sometimes the roadblock forces us to grow and get stronger. sometimes the roadblock even teaches us something we never would have otherwise known.
approach your roadblocks with patience and prayer; god will be there to help you out even in the most frustrating of times.
¶ 9:47 PM 0 Comments
25 February 2008
giving up your voice
what does it mean in this day and age, in this country, to give up one's voice?
well, the constitution guarantees free speech and expression, whatever that means. and we are asked to express ourselves in every social and academic situation. ("how are you?" or "what do you think about...?") expression even comes down to what we wear, how we comb our hair, and who we hang out with.
we use our voices to communicate information, to give our opinion, to sing, to laugh, and to warn. some of us have been accused to giving up our voice too much, and others not enough.
our voice is enough to get people elected to public office. it's enough to have changes made to any part of this society—if the voice is strong enough.
shakespeare says: (polonius, from hamlet act I scene 3) "give every man thy ear, but few thy voice."
james says, in his letter to followers of jesus scattered around palestine:
"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear...Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like." (Jas 1:19,22-24 MSG)
giving up our voice is important, but giving up our ears is just as important, if not more so.
this was our first open mic event, and while it had limited attendance, we had a great discussion about voicing your concerns and listening. the clip was the last scenes of an episode of arrested development (titled "sobs" for "save our bluths"). it is recommended, as is the entire series, for it is very hysterical.
¶ 10:08 AM 0 Comments
well, the constitution guarantees free speech and expression, whatever that means. and we are asked to express ourselves in every social and academic situation. ("how are you?" or "what do you think about...?") expression even comes down to what we wear, how we comb our hair, and who we hang out with.
we use our voices to communicate information, to give our opinion, to sing, to laugh, and to warn. some of us have been accused to giving up our voice too much, and others not enough.
our voice is enough to get people elected to public office. it's enough to have changes made to any part of this society—if the voice is strong enough.
shakespeare says: (polonius, from hamlet act I scene 3) "give every man thy ear, but few thy voice."
james says, in his letter to followers of jesus scattered around palestine:
"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear...Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like." (Jas 1:19,22-24 MSG)
giving up our voice is important, but giving up our ears is just as important, if not more so.
this was our first open mic event, and while it had limited attendance, we had a great discussion about voicing your concerns and listening. the clip was the last scenes of an episode of arrested development (titled "sobs" for "save our bluths"). it is recommended, as is the entire series, for it is very hysterical.
¶ 10:08 AM 0 Comments
18 February 2008
giving up peace
forrest gump is a remarkable film in a few ways. it is mostly remarkable in the way it shows a range of historical events and human experience through the eyes of a man who is, shall we say, less than a genius. despite his lack of intelligence, his ability to tell the stories of his life makes him one of the most endearing characters in the cinema. tom hanks' performance as forrest earned him an oscar, and the film won five others in 1995.
perhaps this is because of the film's statements about something fundamental to human survival: peace. forrest goes to vietnam, and his description of the horrors of war (including how his best friend died and how he saved his commanding officer, lt. dan, who lost his legs) is one huge vote for world peace.
well, world peace is a huge goal. even jesus had to deal with a roman occupied judea.
there is this other kind of peace that all of us strive for. a personal peace. we war with ourselves over all sorts of things. in forrest gump, it's lt. dan warring with himself over why he was saved. he feels he should have been left in vietnam to die rather than have to spend the rest of his life without his legs. The scene that turns him around involves him and forrest shrimping. they are out on the water in a boat looking for shrimp when a hurricane hits. and while forrest is making sure the boat stays together, lt. dan is yelling at god. and laughing. telling god he can't sink this boat (though it's probably the very thing dan wants). in the next scene, we discover that they are the only boat that survived the hurricane. on calm waters, dan turns to forrest and says "i never thanked you for saving me", then shimmies out onto the edge of the boat and plunges into the water, doing a backstroke into the clearing sky. forrest narrates: "he never said it, but i think lt. dan made his peace with god that day."
we need to let go of our frustration to find peace. god can take it; he understands, and even welcomes it. throughout time god's followers have been frustrated, abused, ridiculed, persecuted, and lost. and the bible shows us time and time again when those people have made their peace with god. and god listens and understands.
perhaps when we all have made our peace with god, we will start making our peace with each other.
¶ 9:30 AM 0 Comments
perhaps this is because of the film's statements about something fundamental to human survival: peace. forrest goes to vietnam, and his description of the horrors of war (including how his best friend died and how he saved his commanding officer, lt. dan, who lost his legs) is one huge vote for world peace.
well, world peace is a huge goal. even jesus had to deal with a roman occupied judea.
there is this other kind of peace that all of us strive for. a personal peace. we war with ourselves over all sorts of things. in forrest gump, it's lt. dan warring with himself over why he was saved. he feels he should have been left in vietnam to die rather than have to spend the rest of his life without his legs. The scene that turns him around involves him and forrest shrimping. they are out on the water in a boat looking for shrimp when a hurricane hits. and while forrest is making sure the boat stays together, lt. dan is yelling at god. and laughing. telling god he can't sink this boat (though it's probably the very thing dan wants). in the next scene, we discover that they are the only boat that survived the hurricane. on calm waters, dan turns to forrest and says "i never thanked you for saving me", then shimmies out onto the edge of the boat and plunges into the water, doing a backstroke into the clearing sky. forrest narrates: "he never said it, but i think lt. dan made his peace with god that day."
we need to let go of our frustration to find peace. god can take it; he understands, and even welcomes it. throughout time god's followers have been frustrated, abused, ridiculed, persecuted, and lost. and the bible shows us time and time again when those people have made their peace with god. and god listens and understands.
perhaps when we all have made our peace with god, we will start making our peace with each other.
¶ 9:30 AM 0 Comments
