OK, so a few small thoughts about what is going on with me, mostly thoughts by others.

A couple of recommendations first:

A Blog by our friend Zeb
A Blog by Alex McManus (Erwin’s Bro)
A Blog by Eric Sweiven <<This one you really got to read

Make sure if you take the time to read these, be sure to read the comments as well. This stuff is not only cool to think about but also important to understand HOW MANY people are thinking this.

I believe we have the opportunity to do a start-over in a unique way. Let’s dream about practically what that might look like and how we could touch the lives of those in our community in a creative and unique way. If we are not willing to do that, we should just go find another church to join (IMHO).

Hope this makes sense to everyone.

On Another Topic:

Talk and more talk. I know that we have been the brunt of many rumors and things that are not true. I would like to ask folks to carefully consider being “dramatically passive” on this issue. I know it is very difficult, but I believe this is the healthy route for us.

The most important thing is that we do not fall into the trap of participating in the same behaviour.

James 3 speaks on this nicely. Here is a commentary on the subject

Understand I say this in Love and the true desire to move on to what God has for us.

This sunday Pastor Bob is preaching at his friend Richard Smith’s church near Spartanburg. Their website is http://www.hopepoint.org/ and we will leave from Gold’s Gym at 8:30 am for their service.

(Notice time change)
Later that evening, we will be gather at Just More Barbecue (Directions: http://www.justbbq.com/directions.htm )in Pendleton for hang out time, worship time and some grillin. I will need 4-5 people to help me at 4pm to clean up the restaurant from the previous night, so that we can be ready to get together at 6pm. So bring yourselves, your family, and friends for a cool evening.

Let me know asap if you are able to help with clean up at 4pm, or with clean up afterward. Right now, Bill and Bob are both planning on bringing grills.
If you are helping Zach with music, he would like for you to meet at 4:30pm at JMBBQ to run through a couple of things.

Bring your own meat to put on the grill, and a side to share with everyone.

OK. So here are a few things that are going on…

This week for Sunday service a group of people want to go to Foothills Community Church in Seneca.
Their website is : http://www.foothillscc.org/ Their service begins at 11:15, so allowing for driving, that group should meet at 10:15 at Gold’s Gym.

Another group is interested in going to New Life Church, on hwy 93 near the courthouse.
For those who are interested in New Life Church their worship starts at 10:30am and since they are so close we will obviously just meet there!

Finally the Virtues are going to the church that meets at the Main Street Deli in Central. It starts at 10:30 on Main Street in Central

On the 27th there are a couple of cool things going on. Pastor Bob is preaching at his friend Richard Smith’s church near Spartanburg. their website is http://www.hopepoint.org/ and we will leave from Gold’s Gym at 8:30 am for their service.

Later that afternoon, we will be gathering at Just Barbecue in Pendleton for hang out time, worship time and some grillin out. (we will not actually be having barbecue that evening, Dad has just allowed us to gather there). I will need 4-5 people to help me at 2pm to clean up the restaurant from the previous night, so that we can be ready to get together at 4pm. So bring yourselves, your family, and friends for a cool afternoon>evening.
Bring your own meat to put on the grill, and a side to share with everyone.

We are having a great time in our small group, hope all of you are having a good time with God, and we can share what in going on with us.

Genesis 50:20-21

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don’t be afraid.  I will provide for you and your children.”  And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. 

These are the words of Joseph – his brothers wanted to kill him, he was sold into slavery, double-crossed, and imprisoned, among other things.  This is a passage of scripture that I have turned to many times in my life when trying times rear their ugly heads and discouragement overwhelms my soul.  Sometimes I’ve felt that the world is against me, people are against me, fate is against me.  I can’t win, I can’t catch a break, I can’t get ahead.  Someone’s out to get me, and I am broken.  My feelings are hurt, I physically hurt, I am without hope. 

I have been thinking about Joseph quite a bit these last couple of months.  What mankind intended as harm to Joseph, God intended for good.  I’ve been told before that mankind will always, consistently let me down — whether intentionally and maliciously, or unintentionally and accidentally.  But the Lord remains true, and He will never let me down.  As scripture tells us, God was always with Joseph.  And he is always with me. 

We don’t know – we CAN’T know – what is in another man’s heart, in his mind.  We may be astonished, appalled by the words and actions of people we think we know – or thought we knew.  Some things are not for us to know.  Eternity is an unfathomable expansion of vastness – God’s big picture – and our own individual little fragment of the picture is but a little Kellogg’s cornflake on the breakfast table of God’s creation.  We cannot see all God sees,  nor can we know how He knows how our cornflake fits into the gargantuan painting of all eternity. 

–and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God — Romans 8:28

God is STILL good.  Christ is STILL king, and we are still his children.  Keep believing.  Stay strong in your faith.  Trust in the Lord.  God is the same, unchanging God.  We are all brothers and sisters in Him.  Love one another. 

Luke 6:31-33  Do to others as you would have them do to you.    If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that.

v. 35  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

This weekend we will leave at 8:30am to head down to the Atlanta area for our visit to Andy Stanley’s Church: Northpoint Community Church.

It is about a 2 hour trip there, and ther service starts at 11am, so in order to assure we get there in time, lets be sure we are ready to leave at 8:30am sharp.

We will find a place to eat lunch together afterwards.

This is the church that started Kidstuf and Waumbaland, so for those of you who have kids, you will be familiar with their format for them. I have a map of the campus that I will bring with us, so that we can find our way around easily. There is lots of great information on their website: http://northpoint.org/

Hope to see you all there!

Many of our folks have asked: “Why is this ‘thing’ called the Jesus Experiment, and what does that mean?” Well, I have posted an update to the About page that gives a little summary of what I think this is all about. Perhaps all will become clearer after my message at Crossway on Sunday, as it is titled “The Jesus Experiment”, but for those who want to understand a little about where I am coming from go to the main page and click on each of the 3 top buttons to read scripture that is relevant to my perspective on church and faith. Hope this helps!

-DQ

We are having our Life Group meeting tonight at 7:00 at Don and Kathy Boice’s house.  Kathy’s contact information is 885-0435, or 314-9608.  We also will be having a dinner, and discussion time.

Since Bob and Nancy are taking this month for themselves, we are all going to try to meet at different locations each week.