tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49924097228267933492011-05-17T00:09:15.772-05:00Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-58034666788028487072008-09-16T08:17:00.002-05:002008-09-16T08:19:33.514-05:00

by Steve LeveringLiberal. Conservative. Feminist. Elitist. Pro-Life. Pro-Choice. Democrat. Evangelical. Redneck. Muslim. Gay. Republican. We’re in the middle of an election cycle, and if you’ve watched TV or read any magazines or newspapers over the past few weeks, you’ve seen or heard these words used in speeches, editorials, and news coverage. Politicians and pundits throw these terms around

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-66003267195404331682008-09-12T09:48:00.003-05:002008-09-12T09:54:48.782-05:00

We often think of being on "mission" as something missionaries do when they go to a foreign country. However, we are all on mission - wherever we happen to be at a given point in time. There are always people around us who need Christ, and in the natural flow of walking with God and seeing Him work in us is to want that for others. As we experience the healing touch of Christ, we begin to long

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-70113731644944570472008-09-09T22:20:00.001-05:002008-09-09T22:21:08.639-05:00

Cat and Mouse... Hide and Seek... not that God pursuing us is in any way a game but this could be a very real image.I was excited to write about this topic of God pursuing us and vice versa as this is truly my life as it is now. I'm not a scholar with a lot of Scripture to throw out although there is NO doubt in my mind that each word written in our Holy Bible is TRUTH and yes there are times I

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-12154770439831756492008-09-09T22:16:00.001-05:002008-09-09T22:19:24.144-05:00

If asked to describe myself, “list maker” and “rule follower” would appear in my answer. Both of these traits, which have often come in handy, have caused me trouble when it comes to pursuing rest in God.My list maker tendencies urge me to be in full-time productive mode and to gauge my weekend as “good” only if all tasks on my list are completed. And when my list maker tendency combines with my

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-78854593800253525992008-08-26T13:14:00.002-05:002008-08-26T13:28:23.054-05:00

by Ted WuesteIn her book, Invitation to Silence and Solitude , Ruth Haley Barton writes: "Your desire for God and your capacity to connect with God as a human soul is the essence of who you are."We all have the desire to see, experience, and live under the greatness of who God is. When we see an amazing sunset or stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon or spend time listening/singing to song which

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-6959376764713419472008-08-20T17:08:00.004-05:002008-08-20T17:14:37.749-05:00

by Ted WuesteOne of our folks sent this little parable to me today. It fits really well with what we've been discussing about opening ourselves up to God and each other. Read - enjoy - apply - discuss amongst yourselves ... The Land of Boxes There once was a land where everyone lived in boxes. The boxes were strong cubicles with holes in the bottoms where the people could stick their feet

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-67357265822830588072008-08-19T14:25:00.002-05:002008-08-19T14:31:04.485-05:00

by Ted WuesteIn many ways, pursuing God's love is a part 2 of Pursuing Brokenness. It is when we begin to allow God to peel back the layers - to remove the exoskeleton - that we begin to experience and appreciate God's love. Why? Because it is then that we are able to begin to love and be loved by others. Here is the piece of art that we shared on Sunday morning (from Angela Culpepper) “When you

Trinity Chapelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16409384066250651497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-61822358560259965952008-08-12T11:17:00.002-05:002008-08-12T11:22:25.737-05:00

by Ted WuesteGod calls us to Himself and he "bids us die" (as the old hymn goes). The biblical understanding of the phrase "take up your cross" has been lost in our world. It is often used to speak of someone taking on a burden or enduring a burden of some kind. However, the call to "die" is one in which we intentionally allow God to strip us of self - those self-protective layers that we

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-65597335627926291422008-08-08T15:17:00.002-05:002008-08-08T15:23:47.330-05:00

by Ted WuesteLast week, we looked at the need to have STOP DAYs and STOP Moments if we are going to rest in Christ. I received an email on Sunday afternoon that was a perfect illustration of what it means to struggle with the text of Scripture – to seek earnestly after the truth of God! With the emailer’s permission, I want to post the discussion we had this week ---Ted -I am intensely aware of

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-37814622338413832882008-08-07T14:12:00.000-05:002008-08-07T14:13:07.254-05:00

by Ted WuestePursuing Rest in God #2by Ted WuesteHere are a few more thoughts on Pursuing God through a STOP DAY or creating STOP moments in your life. The pace of life is generally too much for our souls, and living wisely (in light of that) requires intention. The following ideas come from Richard Swenson in his book Margin.1. Expect the Unexpected. Nearly everything takes longer than expected

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-47621861849843431582008-08-04T09:54:00.003-05:002008-08-04T09:58:15.696-05:00

Resting in Christ alone is a challenge and being intentional about a regular "Stop Day" (Sabbath) can be a huge challenge. Yet, making the decision to engage in "stop" disciplines is absolutely essential. I hope that this blog can serve as a discussion where we can interact - posting questions/responses/ideas/encouragements. I have several things that I'd like to post this week and likely will

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-16900391405985553202008-07-30T09:11:00.001-05:002008-07-30T09:15:19.286-05:00

Good evening friends (or morning, or afternoon)!Thank you for giving me the chance to share what was on my heart on Sunday. I have to say I was completely humbled by the opportunity to share in this series. As I said during the lesson, God has been working in my heart over the past several weeks regarding community and how we relate with each other as believers. I hope you were able to walk away

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-17668828494476441492008-07-23T15:35:00.001-05:002008-07-23T15:37:38.729-05:00

Sorry this blog post is a little later in the week than it's supposed to be; I truly apologize! But the reason it's so late actually ties in well to what we talked about Sunday, regarding pursuing God's truth and the study/meditation on Scripture. See, I'm honored to be currently working through the process of being ordained as a pastor, and one of the requirements for the process is to develop

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-64801182938138975062008-07-14T08:56:00.002-05:002008-07-14T09:01:59.378-05:00

A few folks approached me after Sunday's services and asked me where they could find more about prayer in the Bible. I figured that's a pretty darn good request, so rather than give you more of my own ramblings, I've posted some of God's own words on prayer throughout Scripture. I'd love to know what jumps out at you; what impacts you; what makes you think differently about God and about prayer

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-32447414341748563892008-07-08T10:56:00.002-05:002008-07-08T10:58:18.926-05:00

God pursues us. The pages of scripture make the point over and over that He does so many times in order that even those slow on the uptake (like me) can attest to the fact. What I sometimes have difficulty understanding is not so much THAT God pursues us, but that God would pursue ME. It seems as though God has his choice of the best and the brightest, and yet he chooses again and again to pursue

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-29056725906549218072008-07-02T10:15:00.002-05:002008-07-02T10:34:33.546-05:00

For eight weeks, we are going to walk through a study of pursuing God. If the center of life is relating to God in meaningful ways (and it is!), then growing and exploring ways to experience him is a huge value. We will begin our study by looking at the God who pursues us and then we'll study things like prayer, study, rest, community, silence, and service as vehicles for enjoying him.After each

Davey Gnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-58207702228960466602008-01-16T16:13:00.002-06:002008-07-02T10:11:45.361-05:00

By Belinda MarshallI was coaching my 13 year old son this week through the excruciating task of writing a research paper. The topic was the Transfiguration of Christ. It's a familiar story to me, but having never really stopped and meditated on the intricate elements, I had not received those deeply poignant and life changing messages woven within it. I found it interesting that six days before

Ben Connellynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-4596906385476432302008-01-16T16:12:00.002-06:002008-07-02T10:12:09.758-05:00

By Julie DuhrkopfMy time in college has been a true time to wrestle with my beliefs and to better figure out where I, not my family, stand on certain values. One of the values I have struggled with these last four years is the idea of living a Truth-centered life. Growing up I viewed the Word of God as a beautiful love letter that could provide joy and comfort to me in times of frustration or

Ben Connellynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-72298142817100780822008-01-16T16:10:00.001-06:002008-07-02T10:12:32.684-05:00

By Jenifer WuesteWhen I read the Gospel accounts of Jesus and His disciples I am often comforted and encouraged. Not only by the truth and life-giving teachings of Jesus, but also by the lives of the disciples. I see raw, honest, real-life in those twelve men. Many times they were confused by what Jesus was saying and doing, or why he was doing it. I can relate to that! Jesus did not choose his

Ben Connellynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-86137918738362543312008-01-16T16:09:00.001-06:002008-07-02T10:12:53.293-05:00

By Latonya JordanI had the privilege recently of watching my children play during recess at school. I watched many children who were playing with other kids, some playing make-believe, some playing soccer, and other children who were all alone. At many points in my life, I was just like each of those children.Relationships are especially important to me. I have come to realize that I need them

Ben Connellynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-5841336156326729172008-01-16T16:08:00.002-06:002008-07-02T10:13:17.695-05:00

By Kasey Roach"Carrying a heavy load? Try helping someone else carry theirs." This phrase is harder than it sounds. For some of us, one more thing is too much. Being submissive and obedient to God’s greatest commandment seems overwhelming. However, God wants us to experience the result of serving. Being servant-minded is where the abundant life lies.My father died when I was 18. I have struggled

Ben Connellynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4992409722826793349.post-24521975027474871462008-01-16T15:58:00.002-06:002008-07-02T10:13:42.802-05:00

By Katie VanEssWe are instructed by Christ to be “missionally-driven,” but what does that mean? Being missional is the adjective form of being a missionary. It is following Christ’s example, making His name known to those around us. How can we live our lives as missionaries for Christ, sharing the love of Christ everyday? We can start by putting aside our pride and our excuses, allowing the Holy

Ben Connellynoreply@blogger.com0