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ANXIOUS PARENTING There is no perfect parent. So give up trying! The Bible as parent instruction manual A. Teach children about God (Deut. 6:7; Prov. 1-9) B. Discipline them (Proverbs 23:13; Heb. 12:7-11) C. Be thankful for them (Psalm 127:3-5) D. Do not exasperate them (Ephesians 6:4) In God we trust. My advice to all parents: Get on your knees and pray! “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me…27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:1,27) TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME Hello, my name is _____ and I am addicted to media. Screen time with no boundaries will ruin your enjoyment of God Two ways it does this: 1. Time spend in media is time not spent in b

We have a Problem Our annual hours have increased from 1,716 for the average worker in 1967 to 1,878 hours in the year 2000.   The most serious threats (of busyness) are spiritual.   Two Dangers to Avoid: 1. The first danger is that busyness can ruin our joy.   Margin is the space between our load and our limits. Wise planning means that we understand what’s possible for us as finite creatures and then we schedule for less than that.   2. Second danger is that busyness can rob our hearts   Parable of the four soils. The third soil was choked by the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things   The Killer P’s People-Pleasing - we say yes to meet the expectations of other people Performance - we tend to overestimate our importance. Possessions - we want more stuff Proving myself - we are seeking approval through our accomplishments

Sorry, this recording is only a partial of the entire message. The wise men have (at least) three lessons to teach us about gift-giving. When considering a gift for another person... 1. Consider the gift of _____________ 2. Consider the gift of ______________ 3. Consider the gift of transferable _______________ I wonder at what moment the wise men realized they were _______________ ... I wonder at what moment you realized that.... 1. John 1: 14 2. Mark 10:45 3. Mark 10:29-31, Romans 8:28, Matthew 7:11

From the stories of Simeon and Anna, who were waiting: 1. Christmas brings comfort and forgiveness. (v.25, 38) 2. Christmas moves us either closer or away from Jesus. (v.34-35) 3. Christmas should cause us to want to “yelp” about Jesus. (v.38) “Whoever takes the Son gets it all.”

Grace: the act of offering a gift to someone who does not deserve it. God gives grace to people who do not deserve it. He offers favor to unfavored people. Two criteria of a life that is powerfully used by God: 1. Faith. Mary believed that nothing is impossible for God. (Do you?) 2. Availability. Mary was willing to have her life re-written by God. (Are you?) What do you do when you've given your life to God and things don't turn out the way you hoped? Romans 8:28 - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." "If I really believed that God was working this hardship out for my good, then I would ________"

John's calling is our calling: The very reason why you were born: set apart to prepare other people for Jesus. My life is not about me. Your life is not about you. Our lives are all about Him. John's message is also our message: Urgency!-there is such a thing as judgment day, you know What John called people to do is also what God calls us to do: Share your resources with people who lack basic needs. Find out what it means to live for God within the day-to-day duties of your current job.

To make disciples who love God, love people, and serve the world.

"You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works..." James 2: 22 What is your "Goliath"? (a Goliath is the thing that stands in your way from thriving in Christ). Do not settle for a compromised faith. What separated David from the other men (quivering with fear)?: FAITH Knowing God's character and His promises is enough to make us bold and courageous. What would it look like for you to rise up (in faith) and engage your Goliath?

God is all about covenant. “Everything God does is based on His covenant.” (Kay Arthur) When we know this truth, we will understand how much He truly loves us. “A covenant is a bond in blood, or a bond of life and death, sovereignly administered.” (O. Palmer Robertson) Examples of God’s covenants in the OT: Genesis 9:8-17 Covenant with Noah Genesis 12:1-3 Calling of Abraham Genesis 15 Abrahamic Covenant Exodus 34:27-28 Mosaic Covenant From Genesis 15, 1. When God makes promises you can trust Him. (v.7) 2. God makes promises for us because He loves us unconditionally. (v.17) 3. When God makes promises He gives us security. (v.18) So what does this mean for us today? God has ensured His covenant to us by the blood of Jesus. 23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “T

God commands us to observe the Sabbath because He cares about us and we care about Him. How are you with Sabbath? From Exodus 35:1-3 1. The Sabbath is part of a healthy rhythm for life. (v.2) 2. The Sabbath is intended for rest. (v.2,3) 3. The Sabbath is holy and for the Lord. (v.2) 4. Not observing the Sabbath has negative consequences (v.2) Applications 1. Check your calendars and schedules to see if you live a life that honors Sabbath. (Concept of Sabbath Ladder) 2. The Sabbath is a day for: a. Personal care b. Family and community care c. God care 3. Sabbath is a Date with God, space and time for us to experience the gospel and be made whole again. God gave us the gospel to create a safe environment to look beneath the surface. I don’t have to prove that I’m lovable or valuable. I don’t have to be right all the time. I can be vulnerable and be myself even if others don

Wanting More of God • "To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love..." -A.W. Tozer • At the time of Moses there was no person closer to God than he was, and yet he still desired more. • The life of Moses demonstrates that "finding God" is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a divine romance that continues to burn brighter still. Knowing God: The Attributes of God • Merciful • Gracious • Patient • Kindness/Faithfulness • Forgiving • Just Which attribute of God stands out to you the most? Which moves you towards awe and wonder?

When it comes to developing a close relationship with God, different people are at different places... How would you describe where you are today? Exodus 33 v. 7 - Moses models for us that in order to develop a close relationship with God we need s_______ and s______. Best practice: find a r______ place to meet with God. Moses called this his "tent of meeting." v.11 - Can you imagine what it would be like to talk to God "face to face" like you would a friend? v. 10 - In addition to spending time alone with God, we must also learn to worship God "at our own t___". (e.g. work/school, doing household chores, etc.)

The human heart is an "idol factory." Idol­making is taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing. What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give (Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods). So what's the big deal with idolatry? (Why is it such a bad thing?) 0. 1. 2. 3. How do we do this today? What is the cure for idolatry? Forgiveness Repentance True Worship

presentation from Jews for Jesus

sin = broken relationships - With God - With others - With creation - With self We need to own it - There’s freedom that comes when we own mutual brokenness v. 21 - There’s still hope

There’s been a lot of debate about this chapter… What’s the irreducible minimum that this chapter is saying? 1. God is infinitely powerful and creative 2. God is a talking God 3. We are created in God’s image 4. God gave humankind the gift of work How do these truths shape the way we: 1. Relate to God? 2. Hold anxiety and stress? 3. Accept ourselves (and others)? 4. Engage our work?

Nehemiah: a man of action and prayer Is there a sense of desperate prayer in your life? Holy discontent leads to desperate prayer The curse of the gifted: self-reliance Nehemiah is a good model for us: he is both gifted and reliant upon God’s power Nehemiah is called to remove the safety net. Is there a safety net that God is calling you to remove? Is your life easily explainable or do people look at your life and say, “There is no way to explain this except for God…” Corporate times for desperate prayer: Sep 14 – Prayer for our children and youth (after church @ SDA) Sep 18 – Prayer for the mission of our church (THR 8PM in Oakland) Oct 25 – Prayer for our home groups (SAT 8:30AM in Oakland) Nov 8 or 15 – Prayer for our communal worship (TBD) Dec 14 – Prayer for the mission of our church (SUN 9AM @ SDA)

In 1967 The Beatles released the song “All You Need is Love”, written by band member John Lennon. The Beatles were commissioned to come up with a song with a message understood by everyone for a global televised event that year. Another John also wrote about love: In one of the Gospels and 3 letters of the New Testament. John repeatedly wrote about love and to “love one another.” In our series of A Hero's Journey, we are looking at people in the Bible who model the core values of CLC. John gives us 3 values when lived out at CLC makes us a thriving community. 1. Love means being relational like friends. (John 15:12-17) 2. Love means being inter-generational like family. (John 19:25-27) 3. Love means working together like teams. (John 19:38-42). "Love one another" leads to a thriving community, and is an attractive witness to an unbelieving world. "By th

1. Taking the Father’s love for granted 2. Sin redefined: Sin’s core is relational brokenness with the Father 3. Love for the Father comes…when we see Him running to us 4. Prayer of response

A value of CLC is to have a “Passion for Christ”, which is important for a church to have so that a Discipleship Culture exists. How does this practically look like? Definition of Passion = ardent adoring love Question: Do you have an ardent adoring love for Jesus? Nicodemus’ spiritual journey, as told in the Book of John, has actions which demonstrate a passion for Christ: 1. Nicodemus goes to Jesus to ask his questions and receives spiritual direction. (John 3:1-21) Question: Do you want to spend time with Jesus to ask him for spiritual advice? 2. Nicodemus identifies himself on Jesus’ side when he publicly challenges his peers who are the Jewish leaders. (John 7:45-52) Question: Can you identify yourself as a Jesus follower even if it isn’t popular? 3. Nicodemus abandons playing it safe and helps bury Jesus’ body at a cost to himself. (John 19:38-42) Question: Are you