With the recent transition in leadership, Thomas begins a new role as Pastor of Spiritual Formation. Here he explains what this means and how rather than being a bystander in our own spiritual lives, we can step out and become active participants with God in our spiritual formation.
We’ve just wrapped up another year of Sports Camp and it was packed full of sports, fun, singing, dancing, and most of all, Jesus. Spicy Mike and Sweet T even made a surprise comeback! It was a fantastic week. Here’s a quick photo recap.
While change is sometimes scary, it is also exciting because it means that God is moving and we are responding. That is why we are really excited to share with you a big change that is happening for our church family over the next couple months.
Telling stories are a big part of what we do here, and baptism is essentially telling two stories – first that Jesus died and was buried, but then rose from the dead and is alive. And second that you believe this happened and that you became a new creation when you decided to follow Jesus.
Sports Camp starts tonight and we’d like to invite you to join us in praying for this event and the hundreds who are involved. We have a daily prayer focus and have included some specific prayers Would you join us?
We are so excited to tell you about some new things in the works for the men and women of Pulpit Rock! God has been stirring some big things into the hearts of a few people we’d like to introduce you to.
When I began to view LGBT+ related questions as not just about issues but about people, it changed things. My views of what behaviors the Bible condones and condemns did not change, but my views of how I ought to approach people who were created in the image of God were significantly changed.
We’d been married for about four years. We had two kids and had moved to Santiago, Chile to serve as missionaries. We were – or so we thought – mature Christian laborers striving to advance the gospel. But, under the surface of our seemingly healthy marriage, Mary and I were wrestling with deep issues that we were hardly aware of.
Could it be that Peter, in all his spontaneity and impulsiveness and filterless outbursts, was made this way for a reason? Perhaps God specifically chose him, in concert with Paul, to announce the most radical religious idea since Jesus was declared Son of God. And perhaps those of use who relate with Peter were made with a purpose too.
When we struggle to get along at this table that Jesus has created for us the watching world concludes: “Your Jesus must be too small – because he doesn’t even seem to be big enough for you all to stay together and love each other.” To be the church means we have to honor the fact that God created us differently.
My journey over the past nine months has been one of brokenness. I realize that I had been broken alone — and now what I really wanted was to be broken but with others. I believe Thomas. I think he will welcome the “outlier” with open arms. The true question, I think, is – will we follow that example?
Do you remember when you were a kid and summer days stretched endlessly before you, with little to do besides hang out with friends? This summer we want to offer you a chance to stop adulting. To enjoy the season, to be fully present. To sit and relax with a few friends. We hereby invite you to The Dinner Table.
