Elemental Faith

We're about to begin a new series on some of the key images in the Bible. We're going to explore Fire, Bread and Water (I think). We've done some preliminary brainstorming on Fire and Bread. Here's what we're thinking:

7/30 Fire: Growing Through Struggle and Pain - looking at the fact that struggles, pain and hardship are a part of life. There not a sign that you're doing something wrong, or you don't have enough faith. And Christianity doesn't answer all our questions and make us comfortable and happy. But our faith does give us a context for living...and we realize that "our light, momentary afflictions are preparing us for an eternal weight of glory." (2 Cor. 4:17)

We're thinking we'll do a creative service on this one - not a gathering with a specific message/teacher.

Creative:
Explaining the God is a potter we are the clay image with Liz unpacking it and maybe even throwing some pottery during the service.
Some sort of testimony or rough stuff happening to someone - maybe Tim?

Music:
A lot of Rich Mullins songs apply: Bound to Come Some Trouble,
Verge of a Miracle, The Agony and the Glory, Damascus Road.
Refiners Fire
Potter's Hands

Movies:
Magnolia
Rocky Balboa trailer
Dumb and Dumber (two people that don't have a whole lot going for them but are still happy)

8/6 Bread: Learning a Raw Reliance on God - talking about the Jews wandering around in the desert and how they learned to depend so desperately on God. How are we like this today? What distracts us from sensing our dependence on God? Why are we so resistant to be vulnerable? How can we live lives of raw reliance on God?

Creative:
Either challenge people to fast beforehand and break the fast on Sunday evening with some bread or challenge them to fast the week after to experience a small part of relying on God.

Music:
If You Want to Go Back to Egypt - Keith Green

Again - we could use a lot of ideas so post away!

The End of Parables

This Sunday we're polishing off our Parables of the Kingdom series. We've explored what Jesus has had to say about his cor emessage: The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, repent. This Sunday we're looking at the Parable of the Talents and doing a little recap of where we've been. Brad is going to unpack the parable of the Talents for us and explore being "good and faithful servants" and Ryan will recap what Jesus has said about the Kingdom of Heaven. Here are some of the ideas for Sunday:

General Ideas:
Use the Brick Testament again (lego illustrations of parables and Jesus illustrations)
Do the gathering in sections - with Brad starting off, then maybe some prayer, meditiation and worship and then do the recap followed by discussion?

Movie Clips:
Pay it Forward (Using what you have been given for the greater good)
Hoosiers (doing a lot with a little)
Billy Madison (someone who didn't use his gifts at all and then had to fix it)

Worship Songs:
Something about how God has blessed or given us so much maybe?

Well, that's all the ideas we had at our meeting. Any help on the blog would be much appreciated!