By: Rob Berreth Spirit Led Strategic Planning For 2015

As the New Year approaches many of us are thinking about what 2015 will look like and what 2014 was. This time of year I like to spend some devoted time thinking about the evidences of God grace in the previous year and also prayerfully seek how God wants me to steward my time and resources this next year. I do this for myself and with my family.

I have found that for me some dedicated time to prayerfully planning the next year has been helpful in growing more in love with Jesus and more on mission for His glory. You may have your own way of doing this, and that’s great, but if you are looking for a way to reflect on 2014 and plan for 2015 here’s some of how our family does it.

Make Sure To Pray Before you do anything humbly ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. You could ask others, like a spouse, your children, your Gospel Community, to be praying for you as well. Times of reflection and planning are much more effective when you are prayerfully dependant.

Preach The Gospel To Yourself As you pray keep telling yourself the Gospel. Your righteousness come from what Jesus has done, not what you do or don’t do. Your status as a son or daughter is from the Gospel not your good works. Anything good you have done this year is the result of the Gospel being applied to your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Gospel saturation like this will guard you from despair where this last year was filled with sin and disappointment and will keep you from pride as you reflect on things that went well and areas of faithfulness.

Evidences Of Grace:

• What can I celebrate this past year?
• What areas of my life has God really been working on?
• Who have I helped introduce to Jesus?
• How has my love for Jesus increased?
• What difficult times has God carried me through?
• What are some encouraging things that happened in our church and GC this past year?

These are just a few questions but you get the idea. I want to spend time praising God by recognizing how faithful He has been to me. As I spend time reflecting on evidences of grace I am encouraged in my faith and directed to adore my King.

In addition to evidences of grace I also spend time on growth areas.

Growth Areas:

• What things are stealing affection from Jesus in my life?
• Where am I out of step with the Gospel on a regular basis? (Look for trends and patterns not one of occurrences)
• What sin(s) do I constantly struggle with?
• Where was I off mission this past year? What was distracting me?
• What things were keeping me from being and serving in community?
• What areas of my life are not glorifying to Jesus? What areas of my life or attitude are not displaying that Jesus is my Treasure?

After spending time thinking through these questions, and others, I spend some more time planning out the next year using the following categories. There are many other questions that are helpful to ask in planning but hopefully this will get the ball rolling. Each category below has a key resource that we would encourage you to read in the new year either on your own or with some people in your gospel community.

Disciple (Forward)

• Bible Reading Plan
• Bible Memorization Goals
• Prayer List
• Set Devotional Time
• Theological Focus (Thematic, Works, Authors, Etc.)
• Funding (Bible Translation, Books, Bibles, Resources For Others)

Key Resource: God’s Big Picture This book will help you understand the big storyline of Scripture and how the different parts of the Bible fit together under the theme of the kingdom of God. This will help you read the Bible with confidence and understanding.

Key Resource: New City Catechism NCC is a free, media-interactive (video, text, q&a) resource designed to teach you the essentials of the Christian faith. This resource will work well for individual use or with your family or GC members.

Ambassador (Outward)

• Evangelistic Prayer (Who, People Groups, New Plants)
• Relational Evangelism (List Of Names)
• Specific Mission: (Area, Culture, People group, etc.)
• Funding (What will I give above and beyond my local church?)

Key Resource: The Walk If you’ve never discipled anyone, the topics covered in this book will teach you how to disciple others. The Walk is also a great book to read with a non-Christian friend as many at Redeemer have been doing over the last year.

More on Ambassador (Outward)

• Serving (Doing Something With My Time both Locally and Globally)
• Funding (Doing Something With My Finances both Locally and Globally)
• Praying (Locally and Globally)

Key Resource: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work Ever wonder what’s the point of your job? With deep insight and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about our work. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.

Key Resource: Generous Justice Generous Justice will help you develop a biblical understanding of service and justice. The book explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace: a generous, gracious justice. This book offers readers a new understanding of modern justice and human rights that will resonate with both the faithful and the skeptical.

Family (Inward)

• Gospel Community (Specific Role, Prayer, Level Of Engagement)
• Local Church (Specific Service, Level Of Engagement)
• Funding (Sacrificial, Regular, Proportional, Worshipful, Grace Responding)

Key Resource: Gospel-Centered Parenting In twelve concise chapters, Gospel-Centered Family takes us through the major Bible principles for family life, challenging us to give up our 'respectable' middle-class idols, and to become the distinctively different people that God, through His gospel, calls us to be. Short but impactful read.

Key Resource: Total Church In Total Church, Chester and Timmis first outline the biblical case for making gospel and community central and then apply this dual focus to evangelism, social involvement, church planting, world missions, discipleship, pastoral care, spirituality, theology, apologetics, youth and children's work. This book will help you love your church and serve the church well.

For those who really like to strategize and get specific, here are a few additional tools from GO, our leader and church multiplication initiative:

• Gospel_Leader_pre_assessment
• Gospel_Leader_PDP
• Planter_Pastor_Pre_Assessment
• Planter_Pastor_PDP

Some Specific Things to Considering Doing There are some great opportunities to invest, get discipled, and serve this new year. Prayerfully consider the following.

Join An EQUIP Year Group: Do you desire to be intentionally discipled in the four major areas of Redeemer's Identities (Worshipper, Disciple, Ambassador & Family)? Join an EQUIP year group. Put simply, the aim for EQUIP is to cultivate your love for Jesus and equip you to be an effective disciple-making disciple. 

Get Into a GC If you aren't in a GC, you are missing out. Gospel Communities (GCs) are really about a group of disciples growing as disciples while making disciples in their particular neighborhood as a family of believers serving Christ by serving others, learning as humble truth-seekers, and sent as witnesses of the Gospel to all people. Email info@redeemernw.org to get connected.

I hope that some of this will serve you as you set out to make the best use of the time as a missionary for Jesus. May God give you direction and wisdom. May the Gospel deepen your love for God this year, and train you and grow you in godliness. May this coming year be filled with many evidences of grace, a lot of growth, and a joy that is grounded in Jesus, which never fades.

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By: Kati Berreth

What would your summer look like if as you made plans for yourself, your family, with your friends, you did so with missional intentionality? Would it look any different than the plans you are making now? Would it place the Gospel first and have everything else line up in accordance with that? Would it give purpose to the conversations you have, the camps you sign your kids up for, the vacations you aspire to have, and the time in the sun you so desperately are hoping for after our rainy winter?

Join me this spring in making our summer vacations, our plans for our kids to be home, and even where and how our Gospel Community are going to meet intentionally missional.

Jonathon Dodson, a lead a29 pastor and author of the article “8 Easy Ways to be Missional” defines being missional in this way:

“Missional is not an event we tack onto our already busy lives. It is our life. Mission should be the way we live, not something we add onto life: “As you go, make disciples….”

So how can you, your family, your roommates, your Gospel Community, your kids be missionally intentional with your time this summer?

Over the next few weeks, I will highlight some specifics and ideas for doing just that, being missional this summer in Bellingham and Whatcom County, but to start let’s pray together.

“Father, You are a good and gracious God. You are mighty and just. We praise You alone for speaking this world, this universe, into existence as well as knowing even the smallest details of our lives as the number of hairs on our heads.

Even as we pray this prayer, we confess that our motives for making plans and pursuing ideas can be selfish, seeking worldly comfort, safety and peace, as well as worldly excitement. We confess that we often love the gifts of this world more than the Giver of those gifts – You.

Please God, change our hearts and our minds to put You and Your mission, “To make disciples of all nations” first in all we do, especially as we think about this summer. Please remind us of the good news of Your Gospel, that Jesus died for our sins, taking on our punishment, the Your wrath, then rising from the grave, defeating sin, satan, and death, so that we might be in relationship with You, the eternal and everlasting God. And please ignite us to share this amazing news with those around us…intentionally this summer.

Father, we thank you for what Jesus has done for us. We thank You that we live in a time and a place where we have the ability to even ponder what our summer plans will look like. And we thank You for loving us even when and if we don’t do this right.

God be with us as we seek to be intentionally missional this summer.

In Jesus precious name we pray.

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The Bible is awesome. The Bible is more precious than endless stacks of money, diamonds or gold (Ps.119:72). In it, we meet God because it's His Word. In it, we learn His story of redemption through Jesus and how we can be reconciled to God. In it, we learn what it means to know God and live lives of worship to Him as His people (2 Tim. 3:15-17). So, the Bible is a big deal and a ridiculously gracious gift from God to us.

Therefore, we should enjoy it and read it and seek to read it well.

Here are some helpful principles to consider when studying the Bible.

Be Submitted to the Text Because it is God’s Word

This should go without saying, but it gets forgotten, so it’s worth saying. This is the most importance principle, or posture: being submitted to the authority of the Bible. The Bible is over us and we sit under it (Isa. 66:1-2). From this posture, we will come to the text in humility, eagerness, and with a teachable mind as we expect to learn from the text, not fit the text into our ideas and preferences.

There is an Intended Meaning in the Text

Another key principle that should go without saying is that there actually is an intended meaning in Bible and in each particular passage/text. In an age of where reader response theories and me-isms reign and rule, we have to come to the Bible with the understanding that God has worked through the original writers, by His Spirit, to write the Scriptures and there is an intended meaning that is discernable in the text.

Get Meaning From the Text, Do Not Dump Meaning Into the Text

We are working for exegesis, not eisegesis. We all bring assumptions and biases to the text. We need to acknowledge that and work and pray hard to get meaning from the text as opposed to dumping meaning into it.

 Authorial Intent is the Key to Meaning

One of the ways we get meaning from the text is through close attention to the intended meaning from the text as displayed in the author’s words in the text. Here we wrestle with the text prayerfully with proper understanding of grammatical and historical elements.

 Avoid Grounding Authorial Intent in a Psychological Reading of the Author

In our work to get meaning from the text, we must avoid the speculative joyride that is pyscho-analyzing the author’s life and background or anything that is not biblical grounded or in the particular text or larger context.

 Context Is Key

As we interpret the word, context is crucial. To understand a set of verses out of Philippians, it will help us to look beyond those verses to the large point in that section. It will help us to zoom out further and get a feel for the larger meaning of Philippians itself. We may also want to examine Pauline writing.  Similarly, if a word is used or term is used in strange way, context can help us understand the intended meaning.

Word Study Is Not Just Tied to the Etymology or Historical Meaning of the Word

It’s not enough to say that the meaning of “salvation” in Greek times was X. That may be helpful, but we also have to pay attention to the way a word is used in the particular text we are examining. Since terms can shift meaning from their context, it’s not enough to do historical fact-checking since that alone cannot account for the context the term is being used in and the range of meaning for a term. (Imagine I tell someone "that's hot" in conversation. To know what I mean, it's not enough to know what hot means historically. The context will help show if I'm talking about the weather, something that's good, or the temperature of an item -- all things that "hot" could possibly mean.)

Understand Authorial Intent and Do It by Bringing In the Big Story of Scripture

At some point in interpreting the Word, we need ask where the text fits in the larger redemptive history of the Bible. For some passages, this is easy to see. In other passages, this might seem more camouflaged. Either way, we need to do this work to remain faithful to the whole of Scripture and its thread of redemption through Jesus (Jn. 5:39; Luke 24:1ff).

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November is National Adoption Awareness Month. In celebration of  National Adoption Awareness Month, we’re sharing adoption stories from different families at Redeemer.

The following blog is from Kati Berreth, a member of Redeemer, reflecting on her family's call to adopt.

Take a minute or two and listen to this song: http://stevencurtischapman.com/music/all-i-really-want-christmas

"And from everything I've heard, it sounds like the greatest gift on earth would be a mom." This line gets me even now. It makes my heart flutter and the tears well up, just as it did all those years ago.

"All I Really Want" by Steven Curtis Chapman kept playing in my car the month after Owen was born and Rob, my husband, had felt called to adopt. Which, of course, was within minutes of holding his newborn son.

I had just given birth to Owen and Rob was holding him for the first time. Rob looked down into Owen's eyes and he then whispered in my ear, "I think we have room for one more. We have room for a child who doesn't have a mom or a dad." I looked at him as if he were crazy, and probably said something to that effect as well - that part isn't as clear to me.

But what is clear is that during the whole Christmas season following that November, this song made me cry in sadness and frustration...often causing me to change to the next song on the CD quickly. I had just had a baby, our second baby, and I had no plans to adopt.

But God did. After Rob's call, and a discussion that ended with me asking for time to adjust to life with Emma and Owen, a year past. It was time again for this song to begin playing in my car and I began to pray about this call to adopt that had been so clearly placed on Rob's heart. I will be honest, I was scared. This for me was probably the most intense test of my faith.

And yet, after a season of prayer and wrestling with giving up my plans for God's plans, we did decide to adopt a little girl from China. And what ensued over the next four years was a journey that not only led us to adopt a little girl from China, but first to adopt Judson, an eight-month-old from Ethiopia. And then we welcomed Lilli, a two and a half year old from China, into our home.'

So now as I listen to this song each Christmas, I still cry. I cry for the journey that God had me on. I cry over my struggle and how God changed my heart. I cry for joy over the two beautiful children that God so graciously brought into our family. I cry because I get to be their mom. And I cry for the kids who are still waiting. Waiting for a mom and a dad. Waiting for a family.

I am adopted into God's family because God chose me and because Christ graciously gave up his life on the cross for my freedom from the wrath of God for my sin. I did nothing to deserve this. And whether I had been obedient or not during this journey, my standing as a daughter of God would still have been secure. But because of this amazing and overwhelming love and grace, God did change my heart and I was given the opportunity to grow in faith, grow in obedience, and grow in love as I was given the gift of being the mom of Emma, Owen, Lilli and Judson.

How is the Gospel opening your eyes in terms of adoption this season?

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. In celebration of  National Adoption Awareness Month, we're sharing stories from different families at Redeemer.

The following blog is from Stephanie Sund, a member of Redeemer, reflecting on the adoption of their daughter, Mekdes.

I had the immense pleasure of spending a morning alone with Mekdes last week while my other two were at school (we're at two different schools again this year).  I suggested going out for donuts, she asked if we might be able to go for a bike ride instead.  Yes! That would be MUCH healthier, great idea!  We packed up our bikes and headed to the lake for a ride.  It was a beautiful fall day with yellow leaves reflecting in the lake and I was so glad to be there, on the bike I hadn't ridden in ages, with my girl who is a beacon of light and joy in my life- so incredibly far from where we were a year ago! But, this time, instead of reflecting on how she has changed, I started thinking about how much I have changed because of her.  I am so much healthier now because of her and here are a few examples:

•   I have never exercised as much or as consistently as I have since Mekdes came home, what at first was a stress relief is now a healthy daily habit.
• I am more organized, first because with 3 kids I just need to be, but also because Mekdes needed routine.  Getting our family into routine made me realize how much we all thrive in knowing what is expected of us when. I feel that we flounder less with our time and get more done with less stress.  Life has enough kinks to keep us from getting bored, our routine helps our lives run smoother!
• We eat more beans/legumes, Mekdes really likes beans and it winds up that the rest of the family enjoys them too.  I started visiting the dry goods section of the grocery store and making more recipes with legumes and vegetables, only eating meat 2-3 times a week.  Some meals, like the  sprouted bean soup I made tonight, wasn't my favorite, but it was full of good food and both my girls devoured it, so I'll make it again.
• Spiritually I feel that I have a greater understanding of God's love for us and adopting us into His family.  He doesn't love us because we are beautiful, in His love we are made beautiful.

When I look back at the first difficult year with Mekdes I don't think so much of how hard it was, the predominant thought is HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS! It was a beautiful year! Yes hard, but my goodness, what a gift to see this child's life transform before us! I was thinking all this as we pedaled along, and out of the blue Mekdes said, "Mom, I love you!" and I wanted to jump off my bike and squeeze her so tight, because I love her SO much and she is such a gift, and I began to wonder if I would be so awestruck by my love for her if we hadn't struggled so hard to get here.   We began to peddle uphill and Mekdes spoke up "I don't like the uphills, downhills are much funner." Then as if to answer my question, she continued "Guess you can't have the downhills without the uphills." And as we sped down the hill, Mekdes shouted into the wind "Thank you downhill!" and in laughter my heart echoed  "Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you downhill!"

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. To help promote awareness about adoption, we'll be sharing a few posts about adoption, ranging from stories about Redeemer families who have adopted to devotional reflections on the doctrine of adoption.

The following blog is from Greg Sund, a pastor at Redeemer, reflecting on the doctrine of adoption from his History of Redemption Blog Series:

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. – Ephesians 1:4-6 NASB; Romans 8:29-30 NASB.

These verses are incredible.  They are so pregnant with doctrine and theology and truth about God, that I feel as if my head will explode with each step forward I take.  I feel like I could write a thousand blog posts based off of these 94 words.

While you may think of yourself as “called” or “chosen” or “in Christ”, how often do you consider that you were chosen “before the foundation of the world”.  That should cause YOUR head to explode.  Before God spoke the earth into existence by the breath of His mouth, He knew you, He loved you, and He chose you.  If you think you are significant because of your intelligence, or your charm, or your beauty, remember that God chose you before the foundation of the world.  It was THEN that He adopted you into His family.  It was not when you decided to follow Christ, or when you got your act together, or when you “figured it all out”.  It was before the foundation of the world.  Spend some time thinking about that, and let it blow your mind away.  This should point you not to your achievement and your success but to an eternal and sovereign God who is so loving and so kind that He would adopt you and love you and conform you to the image of His Son.

Adoption is a theological topic that is very dear to me, as I now have two adopted children.  I realize that any comparison I would draw between my adoption of them, and God’s adoption of me is limited and probably fraught with danger, given the infinite difference between myself and God.  But I do sometimes think about how my children, before they were adopted by my wife and I were helpless.  They could do nothing to “get adopted”.  They could not merit my favor, they could not impress me, they could not charm me into adopting them.  I loved them before I met them.  I loved them from the day back in 2002 when God called me to eventually adopt them, 7 and then 9 years later.  God loved me before the foundation of the world.  He called me to one day be holy and blameless before Him.  And since I could not make myself holy and blameless, He sent His Son Jesus Christ, to atone for all of my sins and to clothe me in His robe of holiness, that I could now stand before my Holy God, my Father, who adopted me, before the foundation of the world, who called me, who justified me, and who will one day glorify me, the praise of the glory of HIS grace!

For a wonderful discussion of the “order of salvation” (ordo salutis) please see Wayne Grudem’s book, Systematic Theology, Chapter 32.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba!’ Father!  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:4-7).