Every Friday night in The Oasis cafe' @TRF @7pm

Any Questions? nickr@tablerockfellowship.org or at 541-840-2042

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Hard Stuff...

I was incredibly stoked while sitting in our little bible study Friday night... As we jumped into Acts 19 a theme for the evening seemed to emerge. Questions without definitive answers. This chapter brings up all kinds questions that we hate to think about so often... "What about people who haven't heard about Jesus?", "Do we have free will?'', "What, exactly, is hell?", "How many licks does it really take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"
My purpose in this blog is not to tackle these questions in any way. It is to say that I see glory in a room full of young people wrestling to work out there faith in a safe environment. I see beauty in God's children searching his words to try to gain a better understanding of Him. And, I see amazing beauty in the ability to, after all is said and done, admit that there are some questions that we will simply not find answers to until we ask Jesus face to face. I gain joy from watching and being apart of this dialogue. May God forgive us if we ever avoid the questions that scare us... to do so, would be admitting that we don't think God is big enough to handle it. As if one day someone will ask a question that will unravel the very fabric of our faith... is our God that small.
I am incredibly comforted by the fact that He is so much larger than anything my finite mind can process! That is not to say in any way that we should not strive to comprehend all that we can about God and His creation... but, we have to know that some of it is just simply beyond human understanding.
I felt an incredible freedom a few months ago when I had one of those "A-ha!" moments. I think that my whole life I have been sub-consciously thinking that I was working my towards a total understanding of who God is, how He works, and why He does things. Suddenly, in a moment of clarity, i realized that this was never the task that God laid before us. My task is quite simple... never stop seeking. God's desire has always been relational, that I would spend my entire life longing to know Him more fully. I had my eyes set so shallow. I get the feeling now that when I am with Him in eternity I might chuckle at how low my standards once were... to understand all that my tiny brain could fathom will seem so minuscule in comparison to the glory of His company.

We should never stop seeking. learning. talking. desiring.

Tear apart the hard questions! Wrestle. Argue. Yell. Laugh. Cry. Nod your head. Shake your fist. Throw your bible at somebody while declaring that you're filled with the love of Christ!

Then remember we're all on this journey together. Repent. Apologize. Hug it out!

Never. Stop. Seeking.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Community

When I started Solid 7 months ago I desired to build the idea of community into the group from the start. I wanted it to be a place in which people felt cared for and loved and could get prayer for their lives. Little did i know at the time how much my wife and I would need this community in our own lives. Shortly after we started Solid we found out that Katie's mom had cancer and that the outlook was not good. Today we sit waiting for the inevitable fact that she will soon pass away. It has obviously been a rough time for my wife and her family... We only take joy in the knowledge that her Mom loves Jesus more than anything this world could offer her, and soon she will be with Him. And we are so thankful for the Solid community that cared for and prayed for us in this time... Thank you so much.