Prologue PT 2: God’s Identity: The Story of a God of generosity who is filled with abundance and capacity.
Stories have a powerful shaping influence on us. We are reintroducing ourselves to the story of Genesis 1-3 (the prologue of scripture) and the theological messages found in the first pages of scripture, asking “What does God want to reveal about who He is and what He is like? What does he want us to know about our identity? What does He want us to know about the shattering of his good world and why we experience life the way that we do—instead of the way we once did? What does God want us to know about the deep longing and ache in our heart for another world, a true HOME?In Part 2 we are asking what story has the greatest influence on your life. The story of God found in Genesis 1, which is the story of a good and generous God who has immense capacity and loves to give abundantly, or the story of our world, our own narratives and the narrative of the enemy which is a story of scarcity and fear. Which one has formed a stronger pull on your life? God wants to reset how we understand his identity and how we image him.
Prologue PT 1: God’s Identity: The Story of a master builder creating a HOME
Prologue PT 1: God’s Identity: The Story of a master builder creating a HOME
We long for another world and connectedness to God, but many of us feel trapped in the brokenness of this world and disconnected and distant from God. We know information about God, we know what we are supposed to believe, but He isn’t real to us. Many of us live with an inner conflict from the disconnection between what we believe should be and what we experience. We long and ache for beauty, purpose, and order, to know we are not alone and that rest and peace are possible. We ache for the day when death and pain are swallowed up. We are aching for something to make sense of, and bring healing to, the pain and grief we experience as normal life in a broken and dark world. We long for order in a sea of disorder.
We are reintroducing ourselves to the story of Genesis 1-3 (the prologue of scripture) and the theological messages found in the first pages of scripture, asking “What does God want to reveal about who He is and what He is like? What does he want us to know about our identity? What does He want us to know about the shattering of his good world and why we experience life the way that we do—instead of the way we once did? What does God want us to know about the deep longing and ache in our heart for another world, a true HOME?
In Part 1 we are asking if Genesis 1 isn’t so much about the material creation of the universe and the mechanisms required, but about the heart of God to reveal his true identity, our true identity and the reality of the world we live in? What if the main message of Genesis 1 is theological and not scientific? In this first part of our Prologue series we are unpacking how to read Genesis in context and how to understand the word create and how it is used in context.
GOD'S NOT DONE PT 3
GOD'S NOT DONE PT3
When we read the bible it can be easy to think that its characters don’t really struggle with the same things we do. It can be easy to read the highlights of their lives and come away thinking that they somehow had a different kind of spiritual life than we have access to today. But the scriptures are filled with men and women who struggled with sin, doubt, disappointment and failure just like we do. The message of scripture through their lives is that God is never done and the stuff of our lives, even right now, is not beyond his capacity to redeem and restore. God was not done with them and he is not done with us.
GOD'S NOT DONE PT 2
GOD'S NOT DONE PT2
When we read the bible it can be easy to think that its characters don’t really struggle with the same things we do. It can be easy to read the highlights of their lives and come away thinking that they somehow had a different kind of spiritual life than we have access to today. But the scriptures are filled with men and women who struggled with sin, doubt, disappointment and failure just like we do. The message of scripture through their lives is that God is never done and the stuff of our lives, even right now, is not beyond his capacity to redeem and restore. God was not done with them and he is not done with us.
IMPOSTER IDENTITY: The Farmer
IMPOSTER IDENTITY
In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.
IMPOSTER IDENTITY: The Athlete
IMPOSTER IDENTITY
In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.
IMPOSTER IDENTITY: The Soldier
IMPOSTER IDENTITY
In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.
IMPOSTER IDENTITY: Intro & Background of 1 & 2 Timothy
IMPOSTER IDENTITY
In the first century the Apostle Paul wrote to his protoge Timothy with the purpose of equipping and encouraging him to live out his spiritual calling and identity in really difficult circumstances. Timothy has been asked to follow after Paul in leading the church in Ephesus. Those are big shoes to follow. Paul is aware that leading in Ephesus is challenging and that Timothy will face opposition on all fronts. Paul knows that when we face great opposition it can be easy to revert to patterns and ways of dealing with struggle that are ungodly, unholy and unhelpful. In response, Paul gives Timothy 3 archetypes of Godly manhood and womanhood; the soldier, the athlete and the farmer. Paul is giving Timothy a vision for Godly character that is needed for us today.
A Consecrated Year
A Consecrated Year:
The prophetic word that God has given us for the life of the church in 2024 is consecrated. Pastor Brenda takes the first Sunday of 2024 to review what that word consecrated means and invite us to ask the Spirit what he might want to invite us to personally consecrate to him this year.