Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas my friends!
It’s just past noon on Christmas day. We’ve worshipped with friends this morning. Out of tradition, one person brought oranges and chocolate bars – reminders of days gone by and God’s never ending faithfulness.
Upon arriving home, I shoveled show off the roof along with one morning dove that used our upstairs bathroom window as a means of entering into birdie eternity. For all of ten minutes on the roof, I had a six and three year old shouting out the window for their daddy to be careful and not fall.
With the presents now opened and a few minutes of down time before our next party, I thank God for your friendship. I thank our Creator for the prophecy of Isaiah and others who proclaimed the birth of this child long before he arrived. And then he came in the midst of humble parents, and it’s now been two thousand years. Yet, we continue to recognize.
May your day and week ahead be filled with the recognition that God is in our midst! May we live in the midst of the kingdom, proclaim its reality, and anticipate the completion and full restoration of all his creation. May the kingdom continue to come on earth as it is in the heavens.
As I reflect on the past year, I think of a small handful of people gathering at the Urban Mill, downtown Grand Rapids. One short year later friendships have formed, missional minded people and faith communities are beginning to partner together. All of this comes in response to the Spirit in our midst.
Yet, I also wonder and even begin to marvel at what God has for our future year together. We’ve had a great start. Let us not become complacent believing that we have reached the conclusion to this conversation. For while we love coffee, and thoughtful theology, we have many people among us who need to be invited into this kingdom story.
I challenge you, and I invite you to challenge me, to continually create room in our lives for others. Let us think not only of our own interests, but let us allow the interests of others be a driving force in our lives. Let us increasingly allow the love for God and for our neighbors to dictate the passions and efforts of our lives.
Once again, Merry Christmas! For the kingdom of God is at hand!
Randy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming emergent west michigan gatherings…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, January 11, 10:30 a.m. @ the Bite
For those of you who have yet to join us for our monthly conversation, I invite you to join us this coming year! We are not an intimidating group. We’re simply trying to understand and work out the reality of the kingdom in our lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I received the following e-mail earlier this week..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi, Randy!
Doug Pagitt will meet with a gathering of leaders (limited to 20) at the Watermark Grill (on Cascade Rd. about a mile east of Forest Hills Ave) on Friday, December 30, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. You must RSVP by e-mail to Rich Correll at richcpti@cs.com
Thanks.
John Frye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few things worthy of reading:
What is the gospel?
by Scot McKnight
http://www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue84/index.cfm?id=6&ref=COVERSTORY
Someone recently asked me what Leslie Newbigin book to begin with…
Foolishness to the Greeks or The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.
The first of these two is an easy and short read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A place to post thoughts:
http://www.emergentwestmichigan.blogspot.com
It’s just past noon on Christmas day. We’ve worshipped with friends this morning. Out of tradition, one person brought oranges and chocolate bars – reminders of days gone by and God’s never ending faithfulness.
Upon arriving home, I shoveled show off the roof along with one morning dove that used our upstairs bathroom window as a means of entering into birdie eternity. For all of ten minutes on the roof, I had a six and three year old shouting out the window for their daddy to be careful and not fall.
With the presents now opened and a few minutes of down time before our next party, I thank God for your friendship. I thank our Creator for the prophecy of Isaiah and others who proclaimed the birth of this child long before he arrived. And then he came in the midst of humble parents, and it’s now been two thousand years. Yet, we continue to recognize.
May your day and week ahead be filled with the recognition that God is in our midst! May we live in the midst of the kingdom, proclaim its reality, and anticipate the completion and full restoration of all his creation. May the kingdom continue to come on earth as it is in the heavens.
As I reflect on the past year, I think of a small handful of people gathering at the Urban Mill, downtown Grand Rapids. One short year later friendships have formed, missional minded people and faith communities are beginning to partner together. All of this comes in response to the Spirit in our midst.
Yet, I also wonder and even begin to marvel at what God has for our future year together. We’ve had a great start. Let us not become complacent believing that we have reached the conclusion to this conversation. For while we love coffee, and thoughtful theology, we have many people among us who need to be invited into this kingdom story.
I challenge you, and I invite you to challenge me, to continually create room in our lives for others. Let us think not only of our own interests, but let us allow the interests of others be a driving force in our lives. Let us increasingly allow the love for God and for our neighbors to dictate the passions and efforts of our lives.
Once again, Merry Christmas! For the kingdom of God is at hand!
Randy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming emergent west michigan gatherings…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, January 11, 10:30 a.m. @ the Bite
For those of you who have yet to join us for our monthly conversation, I invite you to join us this coming year! We are not an intimidating group. We’re simply trying to understand and work out the reality of the kingdom in our lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I received the following e-mail earlier this week..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi, Randy!
Doug Pagitt will meet with a gathering of leaders (limited to 20) at the Watermark Grill (on Cascade Rd. about a mile east of Forest Hills Ave) on Friday, December 30, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. You must RSVP by e-mail to Rich Correll at richcpti@cs.com
Thanks.
John Frye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few things worthy of reading:
What is the gospel?
by Scot McKnight
http://www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue84/index.cfm?id=6&ref=COVERSTORY
Someone recently asked me what Leslie Newbigin book to begin with…
Foolishness to the Greeks or The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.
The first of these two is an easy and short read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A place to post thoughts:
http://www.emergentwestmichigan.blogspot.com
posted by Randy Buist at 10:22 PM
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