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!