September 21, 2014

At Impact Service we worshiped with John Mark McMillan! How spoiled are we!? :)

How beautiful was it when the band went quiet and we sang these lines together!? 

Sooooo my heart runs 

Sooooo my heart runs 

Sooooo my heart runs 

My heart runs after You 

I loved what he said after that.

"I know singing is a little scary. But it's okay, it's what we were born to do. We were born to respond to what is worthy of praise, whether it be singing or however you worship."

How true is that!? It reminded me of the Message version of Hebrews 13:15 & 16: 

|| Through him let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, 

that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name... 

Make sure you don’t take things for granted 

and go slack in working for the common good; 

share what you have with others. 

God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—

that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. || Hebrews 13:15-16

Couldn't get enough?

Keep worshiping with him on Spotify!

John Mark McMillan

Interested in the story behind his new album? 

Check it out here! (I love that stuff :) )

Then, we got to hang out with Steve Carter for our last session of BAD MATH! 

Steve shared some stories from his own past, and taught us about what it looks like to live 

one life, rooted in Jesus. 

We jumped into Luke chapter 19 to uncover the story 

of the relationship between Zacchaeus & Jesus...  

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.  

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.     

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,  

“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. 

I must stay at your house today.”    

So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.     

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”     

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 

“Look, Lord! 

Here and now 

I give half of my possessions to the poor, 

and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”     

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, 

because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.    

For the Son of Man came 

to seek and to save the lost.”

Steve taught us that the original meaning of the word "seek" is "a never ceasing chase." 

I loved that, it reminded me of this song :)

I also loved how my ESV Study Bible notes summarized this passage in Luke: 

"Zacchaeus's actions reveal that his repentance and faith are genuine. 

The example of Zacchaeus, who gave away half of his goods, 

underscores the kind of open-handed generosity that characterizes 

those who hearts have been transformed by the gospel." 

Now that is a life that is rooted in Jesus.

And how cool is this picture I came across!? 

Because God created us, our need for Him will always be at the root of our DNA. 

So awesome.

It reminded me of this mind-blowing discovery :) 

Let's consider again what Steve asked us:

"What is in your life right now that is disconnected from the root?"

 "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, 

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." 

Ephesians 3:17-18

At House Group...

we got revved up for a little thing we like to call...

We spent some time writing down some names that the Holy Spirit put on our minds. 

Then we prayed over those invites as a group! 

Imagine seeing someone you invited to Fall Ball with us every weekend, or at Blast or Sandblast! Of course this is fun & games, but God is asking us to take part in a MUCH greater mission than winning prizes. He is inviting us to join His mission of showing our friends the victory available to them in Christ and His resurrection. 

If you're stumped on who to invite, here's an idea... 

Think about all your extra curricular activities, who is someone you would like to see as part of the Impact Community in the future?

Run through your class schedule in your mind, who sits next to you in each class? Let them know that this is an event they can't miss! :) 

Get all the info & register your team here!

Last but certainly not least... NEXT WEDNESDAY... 

ALPHA, y'all. 

This summer I went through Alpha for the first time and you guys- it was incredible. No matter where you are in your walk with Jesus, this is such wise way to spend your time. You will be challenged, encouraged and refreshed as you walk through what it really means to say you are a Christian.I'm super passionate about how God moves in this ministry; so please shoot me a text if you're deciding to start this journey of strengthening your faith! 

Cassie, can I bring a friend from school who is just curious about Christianity? 

Y-E-S! :D 

Find more info here! Register here!

Y'all light up my life!

Fully Known & Fully Loved,

Cass

September 14, 2014

BAD MATH continues with Bryan Jones!

At Impact Service... 

Bryan opened up chapters 6 & 7 of Judges to teach us what it means to truly trust God. 

Let's look at those verses again...

"Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the  Lord  for help.     

When the Israelites cried out to the  Lord  because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, 

“This is what the  Lord , the God of Israel, says: 

I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  

I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. 

And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; 

I drove them out before you and gave you their land.  

When the angel of the  Lord  appeared to Gideon, he said, 

“The  Lord  is with you, mighty warrior.”     

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, 

“but if the  Lord  is with us, why has all this happened to us? 

Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 

‘Did not the  Lord  bring us up out of Egypt?’ 

But now the  Lord  has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”     

The  Lord  turned to him and said, 

“Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. 

Am I not sending you?”    

 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? 

My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”     

The  Lord  answered, “I will be with you, 

and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Judges 6:6-9, 12-16

One of my favorite truths that Bryan spoke was this simple sentence. 

I think it really ties the whole message together. 

"We only see who we are, God sees who we can become." 

Bryan used the image of an iceberg to illustrate our struggle with sin. Sometimes it's tough to realize that what we see, our sinful pattern (anxiety, fear, etc), is really only the tip of the iceberg. The root of these issues lies beneath the water, beneath the surface: in our hearts. 

We must ask ourselves the question: Do we really trust God? 

At House Groups... 

We all participated in a fun web activity that illustrated our vision: 

to be Fully Known & Fully Loved.

We also learned from Brene Brown, the author of Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead 

Here's a refresher on what we learned during our activity! :) 

Brene Brown defines connection as 

“the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard and valued." 

We experienced this energy when we locked eyes with someone across the circle, said their name, and threw the ball of yarn to them! Boom- connected. :) This is the kind of connection we hope to see in our conversations over lunch and during house group & small group time! 

Brene Brown also points out that we must recognize that 

“Connection happens when we can give and receive without judgment.”

This is true connection, and being fully known and fully loved. 

If someone opens up during house group or small group so that they may be fully known, and they sense that they are being judged, they are not being fully loved. Then, we don't experience true connection. 

What happens when we accomplish this true connection? 

True connection also fosters belonging... 

Brene Brown defines belonging as… 

“the innate human desire to be a part of something larger than ourselves. 

True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves.”

This is the essence of our vision! When you show up to Impact and house group just as you are, you are engaging in something bigger than yourself- a family of believers. 

Last but certainly not least, Brene Brown defines spirituality as… 

“recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us (God, His Holy Spirit) and our connection to that power and one another is grounded in love and compassion.”

Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about this…. 

In Hebrews 10, God encourages us. It says, 

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith… 
And let us consider how we stir up one another towards love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, 
but encouraging one another.”

I love you guys! 

Fully Known & Fully Loved,

Cass

PS! Check out Brene Brown's powerful Ted Talk on vulnerability! 

September 7, 2014

Let the BAD MATH begin!

At House Group...
Maria and I shared with you what God has been stirring in us about leadership!
We talked about the 4 leadership teams that are open (and are still open) for anyone in our house group to join!
Here are some questions to consider! :)
Evangelism Team
Have you experienced the love of God so deeply that you can't help but want to tell everyone you know? Do you love witnessing new students come to Impact and House Group, taking next steps towards knowing their Creator?
Discipleship Team 
Do you have someone involved in your life that is a couple years older than you and a bit more spiritually mature?
Do you enjoy those one on one conversations that aren't just surface level small talk?
Do you want to grow in your faith while creating a bond with another believer?
Cambodia Team
When you think of students your age being sold into sex trafficking, does it stir you to action? Do you want to see Christ's Kingdom spread to the ends of the earth?
Zambia Team 
Do you have a passion for God's Word?
Do you struggle to imagine your life without your Bible?

Let me know if you're in!

Fully Known & Fully Loved,
Cass

LAUNCH weekend! August 24th, 2014

At Impact Service... 

Tony introduced to a new song that really encapsulates our call as followers of Jesus. 

Check it out here!

Then, Bryan challenged us with the question: Why do we stand around?

We looked at Acts 1:6-11, refresh your memory here!

"Then they gathered around him [Jesus] and asked him, 

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”     

He said to them:  “It is not for you to know
the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; 
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, 
and to the ends of the earth.”       

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes,
and a cloud hid him from their sight.    
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going,
when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? 
This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven,
will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Yup, believe it or not, the power of the Holy Spirit resides in you. In light of this truth, what might you have the confidence to do? It might be asking someone in your class, on your sports team or in your club to join us at Impact on Sunday!

"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
because of  his Spirit who lives in you." Romans 8:11

Want to learn more about living with this power? Check out this stellar follower of Christ and her ministry! Living With Power Ministries

At House Group... 

We played a fun memory game to get to know some awesome people in our Jacobs South family.
We also talked a little bit about our vision for this year.

But first, let's ask the question: what in the world is a vision anyway?

Our senior pastor Bill Hybels defines vision as "a picture of the future that produces passion." 

What's our vision?

To be a House Group that is
Fully Known & Fully Loved

First, we are hoping that as individuals, ours hearts would become more secure that we are fully known & fully loved by God. Then, we are freed to be fully known & fully loved by each other, in our small groups, and in our House Groups as a whole. This means we can show up to House Group every Sunday with nothing to hide and no one else to pretend to be.

And finally, as we are fully known and fully loved by God and one another, we are energized and motivated to tell others that don't know God that they are invited into a community, a family, where they can be fully known & fully loved.

To better understand our vision during House Group time, we read some scripture! I love this part :) Here are the verses we read!

"In Christ, he chose us before the world was made.

He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault.

And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ.

This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.

And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. 

God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.  

God gave us that grace fully and freely."

Ephesians 1:4-6, 8

"You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;  you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;  you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue  you,  Lord , know it completely.

For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

Psalm 139:1-4, 13-14

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power

through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power,

together with all the Lord’s holy people,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:16-19

You guys are amazing!

Fully Known & Fully Loved,

Cass