Location: Trinity

Time: Every Sunday from 4-5:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 24


This group will venture through two of C.S. Lewis' works: The Four Loves and The Great Divorce. 


The Four Loves describes (surprisingly enough) the four natures of love. The fact that there is only one word for such an expansive reality as love in the English language was one of the reasons Lewis wrote the book. Lewis describes the first three (Affection, Friendship, Eros) as the natural, or "creation" loves. The fourth love, Charity, or... Agape/Godly love, is the love of God and holds it's proper place as the overseeing, balancing, Love over the first three loves. It takes preeminence and thereby brings the first three loves to their fullest expression.

Notable quotes from The Four Loves: 


"The gnat-like cloud of petty anxieties and decisions about the conduct of the next hour have interfered with my prayers more often than any passion or appetite whatever."


"Now Eros makes a man really want, not a woman, but one particular woman. In some mysterious but quite indisputable fashion the lover desires the Beloved herself, not the pleasure she can give. No lover in the world ever sought the embraces of the woman he loved as the result of a calculation, however unconscious, that they would be more pleasurable than those of any other woman."


"Love's proper place is to God himself. To love at all involves risk of heartache, but far better this than to lock up our hearts in a coffin where they grow cold and hard, irredeemable. We trust it is God's wisdom to prune, and not to destroy, that which He planted in our hearts and therefore we embrace the learning of His love."


"If any man come after me and hate not his father and mother and wife and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." To hate, in this sense, is to set ourselves against anything, any other love even, that would try to position itself higher than God's type of love or love for God. To obey God, rather than our nearest and dearest friends, family or lover may indeed be perceived by them as hateful. When two agree, as in man and wife, to place Charity above the other loves then they need not oppose each other's obedience to God's love. Divine love, Charity, desires what is best for the beloved. God loves us who are unlovable, not attractive to God in the least, it was He who first loved us.




In The Great Divorce, it appears that only C.S. Lewis can write a story like this. A man takes a bus ride through Hell, then Heaven and witnesses the choices made by others in their lives. 


The vivid stories within the story show that indecision is still a decision... it underscores the petty things in our lives that we allow to dominate us, things that will still plague us in Hell for eternity if we don't abandon them.


Lewis' concepts (fantasized, of course) of the substance of spirit versus the substance of flesh and blood are incredibly thought provoking. There are mental images I got from reading this book that I will never forget.


It is basic truth - you choose life, you choose death, or you choose not to choose. You will either give up the things that are holding you down (whether they be bitter resentments, anger, material gain, control, etc.) or you will cling to them until they become your master and you their slave.
T
he book presents these concepts in such a non-threatening way that you've gotten a life lesson that you don't realize until you've finished this short, yet vibrant book.


Notable quotes from The Great Divorce:


"'Nothing, not even what is lowest and most bestial, will not be raised again if it submits to death.'"


"There have been men before … who got so interested in proving the existence of God that they came to care nothing for God himself… as if the good Lord had nothing to do but to exist. There have been some who were so preoccupied with spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ."

...can now be found on the Trinity website.

Location: South/Central Lansing

Location: South Lansing (by the Oak Park YMCA)
Time: Mondays from 7-8:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 25

What if, after having logged countless hours within the walls of the Church, you woke up one day feeling completely brain-dead about prayer? What's the purpose? How does it work? Why even do it? A few years ago, Kyle Lake — a pastor — found himself in this very predicament. Tired of the clichés. Annoyed with the vacant banter. And suspecting that a simple word like prayer failed to express the fullness of our interaction with God.

So he set out to "reunderstand" prayer. Here, Lake deconstructs the wrong ideas of prayer that handicap our conversations with God, including Prayer as Drama, Prayer as Social Dance, and the All-Too Hip and Relevant Prayer (just to name a few).

He seeks answers to a few of faith's most pressing questions:

• How do you hear God?
• How do you know God's voice from your own?
• How do you deal with seemingly unanswered prayers?

(re)Understanding Prayer is the first step on a journey toward a more authentic, personal, and powerful prayer life.

Synopsis:
Lake offers a healthy approach to prayer by attacking prevailing misconceptions of God and destructive approaches to prayer like prayer as taskmaster, then unpacks the essence of conversation.

Hey all,

I know you hear us say this all the time...but maybe you didn't know if we meant it...

But I am asking each of you who owns a Bible to bring it every Sunday & Wednesday night that we are in a specific series. It's sad how few students actually do this. Not that it's a rule or mandate, but because it should be a joy to explore Scriptures while looking through your own copy of the text! And- we want you to be able to check anything that a teacher says...you should never just take their word for it...no matter how much you trust them. And you can't check the Scriptures they are using without a copy of them yourself!

Check out what Luke wrote in Acts:

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." - Acts 17:11

If the Bereans examined what Paul said against the Scriptures...

Location: Bath (off of 69 & Webster Rd.)
Time: Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 28
* Note: For HS Guys Only

Every man was once a boy (maybe you still think you are still a boy...). Regardless, every little boy has dreams, big dreams: dreams of being the hero, of beating the bad guys, of doing daring feats and rescuing the damsel in distress. Every little girl has dreams, too: of being rescued by her prince and swept up into a great adventure, knowing that she is the beauty.

But what happens to those dreams when we grow up? Walk into most churches, have a look around, and ask yourself: What is a Christian man? Without listening to what is said, look at what you find there. Most Christian men are...bored.

In Wild At Heart, men are invited to recover their masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God. Eldredge explains how a man can be true to his inner self, live life more fully, and grow within the freedom of a Christian life.

This group is led by true warriors, Tim Spaulding and Gary Seelye. Spending time with these guys as they point you to a relentless God in a room they call the 'Man Cave' might be just what your soul needs.

...well most of them.

You can purchase your Rooted Group book/journal in the Trinity bookstore starting this Wednesday. You will not pay any money for your study directly to Shelly...it will all go through the bookstore!

The bookstore hours are as follows:

Sundays
10:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Wednesdays*
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. &
6 – 6:30 p.m.

Saturdays
7 – 8 p.m.

• You can only choose one rooted group per semester.
  
• You must turn in a completed commitment card into the Student Ministries Drop-box right outside of the Gym by Jan. 17!
• Please purchase your book and/or journal by Jan. 24.
  

Location: Student Center Loft
Time: 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. starting Jan. 24

It can be intimidating to think about talking to the most powerful being in the universe. But that's what God wants from us. God created us to be in relationship with him, and what better way to build a relationship than by a conversation? This engaging study will start us on a journey discovering what God thinks about prayer, what it's all about, why to pray, and how to pray.

Location: Cafe
Time: 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. starting Jan. 24
* Note: This group is an open group, meaning anyone can join week-to-week.

Peter's concise confession - "You are the Messiah, the Christ" - centered the faith of the disciples on Jesus as God among us, in flesh, carrying out the eternal work of freedom and salvation. Peter seems to have been a natural leader, commanding the respect of his peers by sheer force of personality. In every listing of Jesus' disciples, Peter's name is invariably first. Interesting since Jesus used words like 'fool' and 'Satan' to describe him (to be fair he also used 'rock').

Nevertheless, in the early church, his influence was enormous and acknowledged by all. By virtue of his position, he was easily the most powerful figure in the Christian community. And his energetic teaching, passionate prayer, bold healing, and wise direction confirmed the trust placed in him.

But here's the deal: the way Peter handled himself in that position of power is even more impressive than the power itself. He stayed out of the center, didn't abuse that influence, and maintained an unyielding subordination to Jesus. That he didn't become one who strived to promote himself (like so many spiritual sadly do), is a compelling witness to what he himself describes as "a brand new life, with everything to live for."

Sounds like a breath of fresh air doesn't it?

(Part of this taken from the introduction to 1 Peter from The Message)

Location: Gym
Time: 9:15 - 10:30 a.m. starting Jan. 24
* Note: For MS Guys Only

Who knew you could combine science and building stuff with learning the amazing story God has authored us into (and maybe even throw a couple explosions in there).

I guess we were just tired of "safe" devotions for guys. This book features the technique Jesus used when he taught his small group of disciples. He didn't ask them to read a scroll and come back a week later to discuss it. Jesus taught visually- and with amazing and unexpected results. He used inventive object lessons. Water into wine, the coin found in the fish's mouth, walking on water, calming the storm, and the withering fig tree.

So we're taking a similar approach to this Rooted Group. Each group time will involve every guy in the process. Guys in the group won't watch Greg do something cool- they'll be doing it with him, experiencing everything for themselves, and then discovering how what they're doing applies in their own lives.

Jesus didn't play it safe, so we're not feeling that either.

I walked into my office on Wednesday from being out of town for 2 weeks to the sight of 5 giant boxes of stuff that students & leaders brought in for Kids of Iraq.

I know that's only a small offering, a tiny sacrifice, but I am proud of you for thinking about others for even just a moment, because once God grabs your heart in that moment and you become aware of the beauty of thinking of others before yourself...I am convinced that those moments become realities in our lives.

Just wanted to say I am proud of all of you.

Location: Breakout Rooms in the Student Auditorium
Time: 9:15-10:30 a.m. starting Jan. 24

You can understand the truth about Jesus in a lot of different ways—just as you can understand the truth about your spouse or best friend in different ways. Not all of these ways have to do with hard facts; many have to do more with your “heart knowledge” of the person. The reason you marry someone or hang out with someone has as much to do with your emotional experience (your heart knowledge) as your “factual” assessment of who someone is.

Don't believe me?

Think about your greatest friend. Not the most popular or richest or smartest or most athletic. The one who is there for you like no other. The one who you would die for if you had to.

When someone asks about your friendship/relationship, how do you describe them?

She has blonde hair.
He lives at 1658 Glendale Rd.
He drives a beat-up Corolla.

No.

You speak from your emotions.

She helped me through my struggle with cutting.
He shows me God through his sacrificial love.
She has never given up on me.

Your emotional experience is just as weighty as your factual assessment.

So the goal of this Rooted Group is to see and experience Jesus himself, not just through the lenses of factual information and propositional truths (black and white truths), but to run to Jesus himself.

Because we believe that true transformation comes when you get closer to Jesus. The aim of this pursuit isn’t just to get closer to Jesus, but to be consumed by him. To move him from the fringes of everyday life to the bull’s-eye of everyday life.

I will be doing 8 straight posts the next 8 days giving a small glimpse into each of the 8 Rooted Groups Collide Student Ministries will be offering this Spring. I will start with middle school then move on to high school.

I can't express how crucial these groups are. They take all of the places you are seeing God work (whether through a Sunday or Wednesdsay gathering, church service, your small group, Campus Life, Young Life, your daily coming and going, etc.) and allows you to process all of this as well as focus in on a key area of faith.

It's vital.

And I'm not just promoting it because it's my job...it honestly was my favorite thing I participated in all Fall. Hope you really think and pray about it.

Much love.

How riled up do you get when you read this?

And for what reasons?

http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/12/14/this-sh_t-is-awesome/

IMPACT- One last reminder to wear your tacky garb when you come to the Christmas Dinner this Wednesday. We will have special prizes and VIP seating for the tackiest.

Also, don't forget your gift for Kids of Iraq. Nothing is too small to bring...even if it is "just" a pack of pencils.

Wednesday is a Discover night so bring your friends as I will be sharing how the Christmas story really is a never-ending one...a tale that shouldn't merely shape this season, but should re-position our life and journey.

See you on Wednesday!

Students- don't forget to bring a gift for the Kids of Iraq donation we are collecting at each of the Christmas Parties.

I was tempted to say if you bring a present we will put your name in a drawing for a gift card. But- I don't think I should manipulate you to give. It's the call of every Christ-follower. Just listen to that call, not what you are going to get out of it.

Want to know what you can bring? Check out www.kidsofiraq.org.

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"They are blessed who work for peace, for they will be called God's children."

What's up, man?" Dude sat himself on the chair with a smile on his face. He told me my pipe smelled good.

"Thanks," I said. I asked him his name, and he said his name was Jake. I shook his hand because I didn't know what to do, really. "So what is this? I'm supposed to tell you all of the juicy gossip I did at Ren Fayre, right?" Jake said.

"No."

"Okay, then what? What's the game?" he asked.

"Not really a game. More of a confession thing."

"You want me to confess my sins, right?"

"No, that's not what we're doing."

"What's the deal, man? What's with the monk outfit?"

"Well, we are, well, a group of Christians here on campus, you know."

"I see. Strange place for Christians, but I'm listening."

"Thanks," I said. He was being patient and gracious. "Anyway, there is this group, just a few of us who were thinking about the way Christians have sort of wronged people over time. You know, the Crusades, all that stuff …"

"Well, I doubt you personally were involved in any of that, man."

"No, I wasn't," I told him. "But the thing is, we are followers of Jesus. We believe that he is God and all, and he represented certain ideas that we have sort of not done a good job at representing. He has asked us to represent him well, but it can be very hard."

"I see," Jake said.

"So this group of us on campus wanted to confess to you."

"You are confessing to me!" Jake said with a laugh.

"Yeah. We are confessing to you. I mean, I am confessing to you."

"You're serious." His laugh turned to something of a straight face.

"There's a lot. I will keep it short," I started. "Jesus said to feed the poor and to heal the sick. I have never done very much about that. Jesus said to love those who persecute me. I tend to lash out, especially if I feel threatened, you know, if my ego gets threatened. Jesus did not mix his spirituality with politics. I grew up doing that. It got in the way of the central message of Christ. I know that was wrong, and I know that a lot of people will not listen to the words of Christ because people like me, who know him, carry our own agendas into the conversation rather than just relaying the message Christ wanted to get across. There's a lot more, you know."

"It's all right, man," Jake said, very tenderly. His eyes were starting to water.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat, "I am sorry for all that."

"I forgive you," Jake said. And he meant it.

"Thanks," I told him.

He sat there and looked at the floor, then into the fire of a candle. "It's really cool what you guys are doing," he said. "A lot of people need to hear this."

"Have we hurt a lot of people?" I asked him.

"You haven't hurt me. I just think it isn't very popular to be a Christian, you know. Especially at a place like this. I don't think too many people have been hurt. Most people just have a strong reaction to what they see on television. All these well-dressed preachers supporting the Republicans."

"That's not the whole picture," I said. "That's just television. I have friends who are giving their lives to feed the poor and defend the defenseless. They are doing it for Christ."

"You really believe in Jesus, don't you?" he asked me.

"Yes, I think I do. Most often I do. I have doubts at times, but mostly I believe in him. It's like there is something in me that causes me to believe. I can't explain it."

"You said earlier that there was a central message of Christ. I don't really want to become a Christian, you know, but what is that message?"

"The message is that man sinned against God and God gave the world over to man, and that if somebody wanted to be rescued out of that, if somebody for instance finds it all very empty, that Christ will rescue them if they want; that if they ask forgiveness for being a part of that rebellion then God will forgive them." Blue Like Jazz, 122-23

Worthwhile read from Pastor Perry Noble about marriages....