Last year we threw our first ever turkey bowl! For those who are not sure what a turkey bowl is, well its where a bunch of people pretend that they know how to play football. This year we are doing the Turkey Bowl again. Flag and/or Two hand touch (Depending on if we get enough flags).

The event is on Saturday, November 22nd from 10:30am – 2:00pm at Bloedel Donavan Park. Following the Turkey Bowl we will be doing a BBQ at Redeemer Church to make sure no one leaves hungry. Invite your friends, to this event and have a good time. If you want to help out, please sign up to bring a side dish to share with everyone. We will be grilling Burgers and Hot Dogs, so please bring some side dish to share.

We will be doing two separate tournaments this year. One tournament will include Adults (both men and women playing) and the other tournament will be for the kids to play.

(Side Note: If your kid wants to play, we are going to ask that you would comment on this post with your kids age & experience playing football so we can make sure the teams are evenly put together)

Here are a few other instructions that you need to know:

• If you desire to play, we need you to sign up. If you do not sign up, we cannot put you on a team. So please make sure you sign up saying that you desire to play. And if your friends are coming, then sign them up as well.
• If you do not want to play football, we encourage you to come out and cheer the teams on and have food with us. Just cause your not playing, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. This is a great opportunity to get to know people you wouldn’t normally get to know.
• We will start at 10:30am sharp, so please be at Bloedel on time. Give yourself some time to put your shoes on and be ready to go. If you are not at the park by 10:30am, we can not guarantee you will be able to play.
• We need coaches for the kids tournament. So, anyone (regardless of experience with football) if you are interested in coaching a kids team. Sign Up Here.
• Make sure to bring an extra pair of cloths and shoes, we anticipate the event to be quite muddy. So be prepared to change before you head to the BBQ.
• Also we are seeing if you have the desire to buy T-Shirts for the event. if we get enough people responding to wanting to pre-order a T-Shirt then we will get them made. Below is the design of the T-Shirt.

Here is the Schedule for the event:

10:30am – Start Football Tournaments at Bloedel Donavan Park 

12:30pm – Football tournaments will end, and we will all head over to Redeemer to eat some grub and watch some football

2:00pm – Event will end

This will be another fun time where we can all get together, invite friends and have fun playing football. See you all on November 22nd

Love, Hate, And A Counter-Intuitive God: I suppose I’ll end where I started: the Bible doesn’t always say what I expect it to, even when it comes to love. Then again, I’d be suspicious if it did. My love is so weak and so paltry at time. It’s really a tired, half-hearted thing if I’m honest. When I come to the love of God, the surprising, counter-intuitive love of Jesus displayed on the cross, the cross which exposes all my darknesses and shames, should I not expect to find some edges I’d never imagined?

Gospel And Race: Make sure to listen to Bob Thune and Joshua Eggerson discuss about the Gospel and race in the context of Ferguson. 

Why It's Wrong For Christians To Mistreat Creation: God gives us the opportunity to reflect him in his work of caring for and transforming all of creation. To follow this aspect of our multifaceted calling as humans is to image in our lives the One who is at work in the world and in human life, creating, sustaining, and liberating creation. Jesus’ resurrection is God’s first step in making all things new, which will culminate in a renewed world that completely honors Jesus, who rules it.

5 Current Church Views Of "Discipleship": I have been in many settings with church leaders where the question was posed, “What is your church doing for discipleship?” I am grateful that church leaders are asking questions about the church’s fundamental mission—making disciples. After all, a church can excel at anything and everything else, but if the church fails to make disciples, she has wandered from her fundamental reason for existence. But the question almost always needs to be answered with a follow-up question: “What do you mean by discipleship?” People could mean at least one of these five common and current views:

Need And Desire: Is it wrong to want to live in comfort with a big house and a new car? No, as long as those desires don’t consume you. Is it sinful to long for people in your life that love, respect, and cherish you? No, those things are beautiful in God’s eyes. But in a fallen world, where life doesn’t operate the way it should, there’s a difference between need and desire. Need means essential for life; desire means a strong feeling of want. Many of our desires aren’t wrong, as long as they don't rule us, but they’re simply not needs.

Michael Brown And My White Son: I’m thankful for Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement but this moment reminds us of how blind and numb we can become to the racism and injustice that still exists in our fallen world. This moment is not about the teenage lifestyle or behavior of Michael Brown but about the insanity of his death. The outrage for justice that this moment has induced is not only justified but long overdue. We must address the reality of racism and privilege. As Chandler writes, “we want to move past it, but we are not past it. Clearly, we are not past it. So, let’s press in to it”.

Edwards On The Christian Life: Edwards is a complicated figure who defies scholarly consensus, even among evangelicals. For that reason, even scholars and informed pastors who disagree with Ortlund on these or other points will appreciate this fine book. Edwards on the Christian Life is an excellent introduction to Edwardsean spiritual thought that is well researched yet written at such a level that students, pastors, and engaged laypeople will benefit. It is a welcome contribution to Edwardsean studies and a worthy entry in what continues to be a fine series on historical and spiritual theology.

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During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

___________________

Throughout the book of Deuteronomy God is telling His people to look back, remember and reflect on what God has first and foremost done for His Glory but on His people's behalf. For example [Deuteronomy 5:15; 7:18; 8:2; 8:18; 9:7; 15:15; 16:3; 16:12; 24:9; 24:18; 24:22] to name a few. In these verses we see examples of God calling his people to remember that they were once slaves before God intervened and brought them out of slavery. We also see examples where God calls the Israelites to remember where they once were and who is their true God to trust in who brought them out of slavery.

As Christians we are called to the same reality. To remember where we once were, slaves to our own sinful passions but we are now free because our God brought us out of slavery by the cross of Jesus Christ. This constant remembering that God calls his people to is a wonderful way for us to be humbled under the reality that we did not accomplish where we are now on our own and that our lives are ultimately products of God's beautiful grace in Jesus Christ. 

This summer we spent a significant amount of time writing about ways to not Waste Your Summer. But this blog series we rolled out this summer wasn't only for the season of Summer. These blog posts were written to help anyone, no matter what season of the year it is.

This final blog post we will help you remember where you once were, look at how and where you have grown, and how to plan for the next season of growth.

Where You Once Were

Do you realize that if you are in Christ you are counted as a son or daughter of God? But with that identity, you must remember that you were purchased with a price. A price not paid by you but a price that has been paid in full by Jesus Christ alone. 

We are enslaved sinners by nature and it took a perfect rescue plan by God himself to see to it that humanity would be brought back into a right relationship with him.

"In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son...to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." - Galatians 4:3-5

As a Christian you must realize before Jesus saved you from your own sin, you were men and women of wrath. You were enemies of God, destined for hell, corrupted by your own sinful passions. 

To be thankful for what you have in Jesus, you must remember where you were before Jesus. How to do this, take some time to reflect on the past. Reflect on where you were before Jesus captured you. Reflect what it would be like not to have Jesus as your King, Ruler & Sustainer. By doing this, you will have a sense of humility and thankfulness towards God because of Jesus Christ.

Where Has God Grown You?

A few years ago, I was dealing with some pretty bad anxiety. I remember getting really worked up when I looked at my life, and would see how I would fail at being a disciple of Jesus. Or get mad when I felt like my payer life was terrible. What I didn't realize is that within these struggles God had been slowly changing who I was. This was evidence of His grace, working to make me look more like Jesus.

Our struggles are usually the first things we look at because they are very present and they affect us deeply. But what often times happens is we forget to look and reflect on how God has been changing us over time. We tend to forget to see the small glimpses of growth happening in our lives. We tend to glaze over the reality that God is forever changing those who are in Christ. Teaching them about their sin, idols, struggles and helping them see their greater need is Jesus.

When you are sitting down and planning out the next season, it is key to first reflect on where you once were before Jesus snatched you up and also reflect on what God has been doing over the years to change you. If you don't reflect, you will always feel discouraged because you will never remember all the times God was working on changing things about you.

Remember to always reflect on the evidences of God's grace.

Plan For The Next Season Of Growth

Now that you have remembered and reflected on where you were before Jesus and what evidences of God's grace show up in your life. It is now time to plan for the next season of growth. I firmly believe that you cannot grow deeply unless you have a plan. When people go on trips, they know their destination. When people have vacations, they know what they want to do for rest and relaxation. Why then, when we look at the next season, do we feel like we don't need to plan? 

The best way I have found to be helpful is find the different areas that I want to grow in. Maybe it's leading my family, maybe it's growing in a specific doctrine, or maybe it's just growing as a friend and write out what you plan on doing to help cultivate these specific areas. Have goals that are quantifiable and reachable. You don't want to say something like, "I want to grow in Scripture memorization!" and your subgoal within that is to memorize the entire Bible word for word in a year. That goal just isn't reachable. But what you can say is "I want to grow in Scripture memorization!" and your subgoal could be something like, memorize one verse every other week for 6 months. You see the difference?

Planning is not devoid of the Spirit. God works through many avenues and for my brain when I have goals specifically written down I feel like I won't forget them and I can reach them by God's grace. You see, planning isn't the thing that will grow you, but it is one of many different tools that will help as God continues to grow you. The goal in planning isn't to make yourself better, the goal is to grow more in love with Jesus. 

The fall season is right around the corner, so take some time to look back on where you once were before Jesus. Take some time to remember the many evidences of God's grace that you have seen. And then move forward by planning out your next season. 

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Study My City: For everyday missionaries, the questions are endless. Bank clerks, grocery store checkers, hair stylists, and property development workers can tell you so much of what you need to know about your city because they are in the city, working in the city, and up to date on what’s going on in the city. Perhaps if you don’t know where to start, you should go get a trim and practice asking the person cutting your hair questions. Dear Christian, are you studying your city?

5 Myths You Still Might Believe About Puritans: Many of us have grown up with an understanding of Puritans as those gloomy religious folk who found joy in making sure others had none. The tale of spoilsport Puritans continues to be told, and it couldn't be further from the truth. Here are 5 myths about Puritans which you may still believe.

Talking About "Man-Boys": The solution to immaturity among young Christian guys is not remembering truths or tightening regulations, but a Person, who did not avoid our realities, but rushed into them for our sake: Jesus (Luke 2:52; Philippians 2:6–9) — Jesus, with his intercession, charity, and grace. What can single Christian women do about this phenomenon of immaturity besides vent and name-call? Here are some ways that they can help:

5 Great Reasons To Memorize Scripture Today: There are few areas of the Christian life where there is a wider gap between what Christians want to do and what Christians actually do than in this area: memorizing Scripture. We all know that we should, we all have some appreciation of the benefits, and we would all love to be released from the guilt of doing it so little. Here, are 5 great reasons to memorize Scripture today.

Help For Those Fighting Or Grieving Suicide: For most of us, depression is an indication of what we are believing. Let us not listen to the darkness and it’s seductive, hope-depleting half-truthed lies. It leads to a black hole. Listen to and move toward the Light. Light will dawn for those who trust him (Psalm 112:4). It’s a promise.

He Survived Brain Cancer and Leads a Church of 11,000 – but Have You Heard of Him?: Chandler’s story is just a small part of a larger one he hopes his church conveys: The story about what Christ can do. It’s especially important during a time when Christians are increasingly being marginalized.

God Does Not View Your Labors As Filthy Rags: So what does God think of our good works after we are saved? Here, unfortunately, Christians often receive mixed messages. Somewhere along the way we have begun to believe that our pride is best held in check, and God’s grace is most magnified, when we denigrate all our efforts and all our labors as merely “filthy rags” in the sight of God (Is. 64:6). But does God really view the Spirit-wrought works of his own children in such a fashion? Is God pleased only with Christ’s work, and always displeased with our own?

Do I Have To Go To Church To Be A Christian?: While we could go on for a few more pages here, you get the point. “Can you be a Christian and not go to church?” I suppose the better question is, “What kind of Christian are you trying to be?"

5 Things You Can Do For The Christians In Iraq: Like many believers around the world, I am horrified at the persecution of Christians in Iraq. It is a sobering moment to realize that the type of persecution I’ve read about so many times in the Book of Acts is happening in our day. Even our Lord Jesus spoke of the reality and the blessing that He will give to those who suffer for the faith. As I’ve pondered it all, here are five things that we can do about the persecution of the church in Iraq.

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Look! A Distraction: We are distracted. We are so distracted, and so accustomed to it, that after a while we almost become distraction. We lose the ability to be still. We fear the quiet. We are intimidated by the moments where there is nothing to look at, nothing to do...We are learning. We are learning the costs so that we might also learn the solutions. Here are three of the costs of all of this distraction.

She's Not Perfect, But She's Perfect For Me: The doctrine of providence helps me even in the suffering that inevitably comes in marriage. If my wife is quarrelsome or difficult, then I can embrace this suffering as from God. If my husband is overbearing or passive, then I embrace this circumstance as part of God’s plan to shape me. Ultimately, marriage is about our sanctification. He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me. She’s not perfect, but she’s perfect for me. Do you believe it?

Stumbling Into The Future: So consider the next century, if the Lord tarries his return. James reminds us, “You do know not what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14). All we can be sure of is that we can’t be sure of what will be tomorrow. Whether for an individual or for a nation, we just don’t know what the world of 2114 will look like. What wars, what murderers, what marvelous human achievements are pocketed in the decades ahead? How much will any of us actually see of it on this side of the thin line of life? So we know what we don’t know, but what, as Christians, do we know? Here are four certainties with which to face the uncertainties of the next year — and the next 100 years.

In Heaven, Can There Be Thrills Without Risk?: Because God’s design wasn’t an accident—because he doesn’t make mistakes—we can be sure that excitement and exhilaration will be more, not less, a part of our experience in Heaven than it is now.

10 Myths About Lust: If you embrace these 10 myths about lust, then you will find no remedy for your lust. Instead, you will dive into a “black hole” of sin. Embrace Truth; reject these 10 myths.

Your Work + My Life = Balance: It is hard to see how we could turn back the clock to the time of restricted shopping hours. But it is important to note how weaker members of our society once more have to pay for the pleasure and convenience of others. The poor, the ‘battlers’, the migrants like this Russian shop keeper—have to pay for the leisurely pleasure of others. It is the strugglers who often have to work on weekends, late at night or in the early hours of the morning if they want a job at all.

Should I Tell My Spouse About Struggles With Sexual Purity?: Help each other to heaven. Talk about these things. Cultivate intimate trust. Make a plan. Make love. Cast yourselves upon the grace of God. And do this all with your hope fixed on the glory that is to be revealed. We will be home with Jesus soon, so help each other toward that Day.

Personal Organization For The Sake of Fruitful Ministry: So, even if you don’t consider yourself an organized person, I encourage you to consider the ways your ministry to others and your capacity to do good would be enhanced by a little more attention to where you keep your pens and how you track your budget.

A Weak Mother Is A Good Mother: The most important thing I can do for my children each day is to trust God and acknowledge my weakness, not rely on myself. He will take my meager offering and turn it into a miracle.

Unrealistic Expectations (And Where They Come From): So while I have a list of burdensome expectations for myself, God holds out a whole different perspective. A life-giving perspective. The question is: will I listen to accusation and go again to my list of expectations to prove I'm not a disappointment? Or will I believe first that I'm not a disappointment (because of Christ) and let that freedom inform how I love and serve?

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During the busy summer season, we’re taking some time to look at some ways we can strive to use our summers intentionally, for the glory of God and the good of others.

Here’s what we’ve covered thus far:

• Don’t Waste Your Summer
• Plan Your Seasons
• 4 Ways To Vacation Well
• Snapshot
• Rest Rightly, Rest Well
• Reliving And Living

__________________

Supposedly, one of the things about summer that is so enjoyable is the concept of sabbath, a day to recharge with God through worship and rest. 

As I write this, I’m absolutely exhausted. For one, it’s hot. And muggy. I don’t do hot and muggy. I’ve been blessed to travel to, serve in, and attend numerous weddings, with more on the way. Work is busy and getting busier. And in the midst of the busy-ness, I often forget the sabbath, which God instituted for my good.

The sabbath has its origins in the creation narrative in Genesis 1. God created the heavens and the earth, gave the world form and the means to sustain life, and populated it with animals and the first humans. After this, God rested from His labors, to show that the work was done, and that humanity was His crowning achievement – there was no creature to left to create, and He stopped to enjoy it.

When God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5), the third of ten commandments given was “remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy”, and it is contrasted with the days of slavery in Egypt, when rest was not an option for the Israelites.

The sabbath has historically been celebrated on a specific day. To the Israelites, it was a Saturday. The early church began celebrating on Sunday, because of the day of the week of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. 

Because the sabbath has been fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2, Hebrews 4), the Law no longer binds us to celebrate the sabbath on a particular day. However, God gives us His law for our good, that we would live in such a way that we would prosper.

Here are four things to remember about Sabbath:

1. The Sabbath Points To Jesus

The sabbath is not just a day. Colossians 2 says that the point of the sabbath is not merely rest on a physical level, but points to rest on a spiritual level. Jesus has fulfilled the sabbath (Heb 4), and is the ultimate sabbath; through faith in Christ, we rest in His labor, and are credited as if we had done the work ourselves.

I myself am not much of a sports fan, so one of the strangest things to me is that people have adopted the use the pronoun “we” when discussing the outcome of a game. They aren’t part of the mechanics of the team, or how the game was played. They didn’t score a goal, touchdown, or home run. And yet, they speak, and celebrate, as if they had.

That’s a bit of how it works with Jesus. Even though we didn’t do anything, as far as our own salvation is concerned, God sees us as if we had lived the perfect life that Jesus had, and adopts us into His family as sons and daughters. He did all the work, and we get the benefit of resting and celebrating what He’s done.

2. Sabbath Was Made For You. (Mark 2.27)

When God created the heavens and the earth, He didn’t take a day off because He had to. He took a day off because He chose to.

Humans, on the other hand, were created with limits. Some have more energy than others, to be sure. But all of us suffer without sleep or food or a moment’s respite. When Adam rebelled against God in Genesis 3, he declared through his actions that he desired to be God himself.

The commandment to sabbath serves as a reminder that while we desire to be more than human, we are not. And we can’t be. We all have limitations, and rather than push ourselves to be more than human, we should embrace the way we were made, seeking to enjoy God and the work that he has done in us and for us.

3. The Sabbath Isn’t Necessarily A Day To Do Nothing.

If you read the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, you will find that He was traveling, preaching and teaching, performing miracles, and tending to people in general for the better part of four years. And yet, he kept the sabbath perfectly.

So while we celebrate, enjoy, and rest in what God has done, the sabbath rest is not “doing nothing.” Jesus regularly healed on the sabbath, even traveled long distances. The religious leaders confronted Him on this numerous times, and He continued to do good despite their opposition.

We should be willing to help people, to serve, and to give in light of how we’ve been served in Jesus. Do you have to say yes to everything? Certainly not. But it can be easy to pull the “resting” card when you have a friend that is moving and you’re the only one that can help, or your kitchen is dirty and needs to be cleaned, or someone is sick and needs help, but you’d rather go fishing or watch television.

4. The Sabbath Looks Different For Everyone

Figure out what works for you. How do you rest?

People are different, and rest differently. Some may like to spend seven hours reading 18th century English literature. Others may like to get together with 800 people and hang out at the park.

Now, it’s probably not a great idea to do something that is exhausting. Just as the sabbath is not an excuse to do nothing, it’s not an excuse to do whatever you want, either. For the Israelites (and for us, I would suggest), it was “do no work.” God even ordered that a man who was gathering sticks on the sabbath be put to death (Numbers 15.32).

But outside of the Law that Christ fulfilled, there aren’t a ton of rules about the Sabbath, and that’s intentional. The opposition that Jesus encountered over these issues was because He refused to obey the rules that the religious leaders had instituted over time. Whatever you decide to do in remembrance of God on the Sabbath day, spend it enjoying what Jesus has done.

Conclusion

As we enter the last few months of summer, remember to rest in the gospel, to say yes to some things and unafraid to say no to others. Remember the sabbath, and keep it holy.

If you’re interested in going deeper on this topic, check out the sermon "God Works, We Rest" from the Deuteronomy sermon series.

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