The Stuart Initiative

Hope for Haiti Worship Gathering

2010-02-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I wanted to make sure that you are all aware of this opportunity to reach out as a group from the Fresno/Clovis area to the people of Haiti. *Attending this event is totally Free and it is open to everyone.

Date:
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Time:
6:35pm - 10:35pm
Location:
People's Church, Ground Zero
Street:
7172 North Cedar Avenue

________________________________

Threshold College Group, The Way Campus Community, The Quest Church, Northpark Community Church present:

Hope For Haiti is our humble effort to make a difference for the people of Haiti, who have suffered the dual disasters of long term extreme poverty and now a devastating earthquake which has killed up to 200,000 and left a million displaced or homeless.

We will be raising money for Convoy of Hope, an organization that was already on the ground prior to the quake providing services for thousands of Haitians. 100% of every dollar we collect in donations and for baked goods/snacks will go to help Haiti.

Also, we are partnering with ONE.org, World Vision, Christ in Action, MMI and others to provide further opportunities for action and commitment to some of the world's poorest people. We recognize that more than emergency relief is needed. Development, infrastructure, education and accountability will all be essential for justice, peace and restoration.

Because the God we worship cares intimately for the Poor, the Outcast and the Marginalized, we cannot worship him without caring for and even fighting for the poor. Let's put our worship into action and let's make a difference for the people of Haiti. When we do that, we are truly a light for the world, a city on a hill that points towards God's mercy, compassion and justice.

*Please follow this link for more info or to RSVP to this event.
Hope for Haiti Worship Gathering

Book study done

2009-11-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

We have finished our book study now and we are going to be gathering all of the questions and answers and bundling them into a pdf document that can be used as a resource guide for this book. Look for this in the next few weeks.

Going through this book was great. Don created a great atmosphere for looking into the idea of our separation from God at into the fall of humanity and how it affects our perspective of God in the way we live out various areas of our lives. His approach to these ideas is very interesting and draws you into the very basis of our faith.

Last week through "Searching for God knows what"

2009-11-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

This Friday will be the last meeting for the book "Searching for God knows what". This has been an amazing study. Don has really laid out a lot of questions concerning our identity and where we get our worth and affirmation from. He has used many experiences to create pictures of how he has navigated through many of the same situations and feelings himself.
One of my favorite things about the book is Don's continued use of stories. The way he uses emotion to tell of an attribute of God. It makes it much more interesting that way...rather than just listing out things about God.
If you have not read this book I would highly recommend it.

This past Friday

2009-09-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well...we started our book study through Searching For God Knows What. We will be reading through the first 3 chapters this week and then discussing various topics from the study guide this coming Friday.

If you would like to join this study we would love to have you. We are doing "Bring your own fast-food dinner" every Friday while we have our discussion.

Click here for a map link.

NEW BOOK STUDY --starting Sept. 18th

2009-09-10T14:01:00.001-07:00

We will begin a read/study through the book "Searching for God knows what". We are looking forward to reading this book together with you. We will also provide a study guide to accompany you as you read.

If you want to be part of this study but did not buy a book through us, purchase a book and join us Friday Sept. 18th 6:30PM for the first session of this study.

For more info: thestuartinitiative@gmail.

"Searching for God knows what" - Starting September 18th

2009-08-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

We will begin our new study on a book called "Searching for God knows what". This will be a 6 week study in which we will read through sections of the book through the week and fill in answers in a study guide. Each meeting night of the week we will discuss as a group the concepts presented and questions we have about the material.

Books are $10.

Please signup for this class no later than August 30th.

If you would like to be part of this group, please contact us and we can fill you in more on the details.

thestuartinitiative@gmail.com

TSI latest...

2009-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

We haven't posted for a while but we wanted to give an update on what the future plans are. We are going to be taking a break from the group for a few weeks till the end of Summer. In mid-September we are going to be starting a 4-6 week book study. Our book is "Searching for God knows what", by Donald Miller. We are going to read through this book pretty quickly together and will have discussion questions each week at the meeting. We will develop the questions from the accompanying study guide which we fill out through the week.

If you interested in joining this book study, please sign-up at the GPS table outside The Quest gathering on Sunday mornings. The deadline for book payment is Sunday, August 30th. We would love to have a lot people involved in this study because we believe that numerous perspectives on this book will be valuable to understanding it.

If you have any questions about this study, please email us thestuartinitiative@gmail.com.

Game night...

2009-07-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

So last night we had a game night at The Stuart Initiative. It was a great time. We had cupcakes and brownies...lemonade and coffee. We think these nights are a good break from study time because it gives us an opportunity to connect as friends and not just as Bible study friends. At the same time we really value the discussions we have and the growth that we have a result of discovering more of who God is through reading the Bible.

In the coming weeks we will continue looking through the parables. We hope that will want to be a part of this study with us.

Matthew 13:1-9 ...in Greek.

2009-07-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight we talked about Matthew Ch 13:1-9. We have been going through the 8 parables that are told by Jesus in Ch 13. This evening we took the literal Greek words from the original writing and got the English definitions from them and looked at what was really said in this passage. It is interesting to see what these Greek words really conotate. Many times the English words don't do the authors thought justice because the Greek word totally encapsulates the idea or concept the author is communicating.

For instance, Jesus talks about the farmer scattering seed that happened to fall on the road. It says that the birds ate it up. The original words used in the Greek seem to imply a violent devouring; a consuming like a dragon... a consuming that is forcible inflicted. We always think of a pretty little bird just pecking away as they do in a bird feeder. The Greek words paint a much different picture.

Current Studies...

2009-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Currently, we are going through various parables of Jesus.

Example of our forum for these studies.

Tonight, we will launch our discussion through Matthew 13 which features about 8 parables. We will read through a commentary, in addition to the complete chapter, and in the following weeks we will discuss certain parables in the chapter, separately.

We decided to go through these parables because we believe that stories have a lot of power to influence our perspectives and thought processes. Jesus used stories in almost every setting he was in. Stories have great potential in communication because they easily identifiable across different groups of people. Their greatest potential however, happens when the story exclusively fits a certain target group... that is was Jesus did very well. He shared principles through stories that he knew people could identify with on very personal levels.

Pool party / BBQ

2009-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, The Stuart Initiative had a Pool/BBQ party. It was a bring your own meat BBQ hosted at Kara's house. It was a great time. All together, we had around 15-20 people, many of which don't even attend the Monday discussion group. We hope to do this again... soon and hope more of you will participate.

See you next week...

2009-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

So last night we didn't have group because it was Memorial Day. We hope you all enjoyed your evening. We spent ours with family...eating, swimming, and talking loud (that's how the Grillos roll ).

We look forward to resuming next week... see you then.

*In case you have not heard the news, here are the results from the recent election.

Our next study...

2009-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, Monday night we talked about what we want to do as a study for the coming up months. Tentatively, we are going to do more of a bible study style forum. We are thinking of going through many of the parables that Jesus told through his life and discovering what the complete meaning were behind them. Each week we will have a quick worksheet to complete about the parable and then on the group night we will come together and discuss each of our perspectives on what we have read.

If you are not part of our weekly email last but would like to be, please email (our email is on the right side of our homepage) us and we will add you to the list. We will be emailing the weekly parable, the worksheet and the study material each week.

We are still deciding on a start date for this next study but we will keep you posted... it will definitely be after everyone is done with school for this semester.

We are looking forward to a more involved study and we hope you will want to be a part of it.

Talk to you soon

Ch. 20 - Last chapter!

2009-05-12T16:05:00.001-07:00

Here are the discussion question from the last chapter of the book.

BLUE LIKE JAZZ - CH 20
1. What is one thing that impresses you about Jesus?

2. What is some evidence that proves to you that Jesus loves you?

3. Do you think he loves us all for the same reason or does he look at us individually and love us for who we are?

4. What is the importance of the Bible in a Christ-followers life?

Ch 19

2009-05-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Man... it is really hard to love some people isn't it? I mean... God asks us to love everyone but sometimes it is just really hard to truly do that. We as humans are so directed by our perceptions that it is sometime hard to get past those perceptions and see people through God's eyes. How do you love others? What does your love look like? How do we live Jesus' example of true love?

1. Is it easier to show or receive love?

2. What is the difference between loving yourself and self obsession?

3. True humility is: “viewing yourself how God sees you”. What problems tend to arise from this true?

4. How does our culture help us hate ourselves?

5. Talk about something that God has asked you to do for someone / people and you believe it is because he wants you to love that person / people.

A quick write on "Turn the other cheek"

2009-04-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hey there, we talked about this passage of the Bible dealing with turning the other cheek at the last Stuart Initiative. We wanted to know what the background was as far as culture, context, and figurative interpretation of what Jesus was saying. Here is what I found out after studying it a bit more.

Here is the scripture:
38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
-Matthew 5:38-42

Here is what this seems to mean when looked at through the culture of the time.

A figurative interpretation relies on historical and other factors. At the time of Jesus, striking someone deemed to be of a lower class with the back of the hand was used to assert authority and dominance. If the persecuted person "turned the other cheek," the discipliner was faced with a dilemma. The left hand was used for unclean purposes, so a back-hand strike on the opposite cheek would not be performed. The other alternative would be a slap with the open hand as a challenge or to punch the person, but this was seen as a statement of equality. Thus, by turning the other cheek the persecuted was in effect demanding equality. By handing over one's cloak in addition to one's tunic, the debtor has essentially given the shirt off their back, a situation directly forbidden by Jewish Law as stated here:

When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.
-Deuteronomy 24: 10-13:

By giving the lender the cloak as well the debtor was reduced to nakedness. Public nudity was viewed as bringing shame on the viewer, not the naked, as evidenced here:

Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
Genesis 9: 20-27

The succeeding verse from the Sermon on the Mount can similarly be seen as a method for making the oppressor break the law. The commonly invoked Roman law of Angaria allowed the Roman authorities to demand that inhabitants of occupied territories carry messages and equipment the distance of one mile post, but prohibited forcing an individual to go further than a single mile, at the risk of suffering disciplinary actions. In this example, the nonviolent interpretation sees Jesus as placing criticism on an unjust and hated Roman law as well as clarifying the teaching to extend beyond Jewish law. As a side effect this may also have afforded the early followers a longer time to missionary to the soldier and or cause the soldier not to seek followers of Jesus to carry his equipment in the future so as not to be bothered with their proselytizing.

CH 18 - Love part 1

2009-04-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Chapters 18 and 19 talk about loving others and loving ourselves. On Monday we talked about loving others and how we live that out. What are some cause that keep us from showing love in certain situations and what does love really look like. Our culture provides us with all kinds of expectations and figurative explanations about what our love should look like, but what does Jesus have to say about unconditional love towards others ...and what about the intolerance issues and the hatred issues that surround us every day?

Here are some questions that we used to stimulate our discussion :

1. How important is it to God that we love each other?
2. What are some practical ways we can love other people (and not just those "in church")?
3. What are some connections you have with people who are not in a relationship with Jesus? What are some things you have in common?
4. Talk about an experience you have had with being either accepted or rejected.
5. Why are some Christ-followers threatened by people who are not Christ-followers?
6. How do we use love like money?
7. How have you seen this (using love like money) be destructive in relationships?

We had our baby late Sunday night!

2009-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sooooo... we were going to talk about "Loving others" this week...but we were in the hospital for a few days because we had our baby.
We named him Seth Avery. 7lbs. 14oz. ... 20 1/2" long.

We had a kind of different night planned for this week but we will try to start the development conversation next week and then maybe resume the idea in a few weeks.
We really missed getting together with you guys last night...but we will see you very soon.

CH. 16 - MONEY

2009-04-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Alright so we talked about money last night. I think Don does a really good job of presenting this idea of tithing in ch - 16. He told of many experiences he has had in dealing with money and trying to make ends meet as a writer. This chapter came to a climax at the end surrounding a talk he had with Rick, the pastor of Imago De, where Don attends. The conversation that Rick had with Don about the concept of tithing was presented well.
Last night we talked about how tithing is one of the most important signs that you are bought into your relationship with God and what he is doing at your church. Tithing is way more about obedience then it is about God needing your money. God doesn't need our money but in order for us to be directed by God we need to maintain a consistent amount of obedience in our lives. There is a saying that says more or less, your heart is where your money is. This means that you will be more likely to put your money into things that are close to your heart...things that you value...things that you see as being important. God has set up church to reach people with God's love. Churches need to be places where there is an atmosphere that promotes Jesus and who is. Money provides churches many ways to accomplish these service oriented things. Money can be put directly towards things that promote a Christ cantered life.
But... when a church receives money form it's partners is has a huge responsibility to use those funds how God desires them to be used. God provides money for people to put into his work (which can take many forms but it will always point people directly to God) and churches need to use that money to further Gods work.

We talked about the passage in the bible talks about God challenge to us concerning money. It is in Malachi 3...here is a link to that passage.
Check out this passage as well it talks about the commitment God's people made after they decided to follow God with their lives.
Also we talked about having the correct attitude when giving to God...here is a link that talks about that.
Also Dave talked (here is a link to his talk handout) about this scripture on the attitude of giving.
Here is one the references he used.
Here are some things Jesus had to say about tithing.
Mathew 23
Luke 21

BLJ - CH 15...living with freaks

2009-03-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

How do we go about developing and integrating ourselves into community? There are so many aspects that influence our assimilation.
Do you struggle with living in community?
Do you find out the things that make you who you are (good and bad) as you learn and grow in your experience of bonding with others?

Read through these questions:
1. From our reading, and your experience, how would you define “living in community”?
2. Tell about a community, that you have been involved in, and how it has changed you.
3. Do you think it important to be connected to a faith community?
4. How do you see yourself, as connected to our faith community, The Quest?
5. Think about this to yourself:
-What role do you have in your community?
-Is that role about you? Or are you dying to your “self” in an effort to, as Bill put it, “follow Jesus as we serve others”?
-Do you have a bubble that keeps you from becoming part of the community?
6. What are some steps we can take to become better integrated into our community?

Blue like jazz CH 12. -- What sucks about church?

2009-03-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up I (my family) was part of a few churches that kind of turned me off to Christianity by the way they represented it. Because of this, I never felt like the church as a whole related to me in any other way than a militarized father figure. I felt like I had to fit into this straight laced model, of which was connotative of a perfect American Christian life. I always felt inferior to older generations like they held over my head the fact that I was "the younger species".
This kind of expression seems still very prevalent in our world today. You see it all over in jobs, church, government, school, etc. Somewhere in our growth as a society we have decided that this is a standard: "The older I get, the more you have to obey everything I say". Does this sound like a bad idea to anyone else? There is the sense that because someone is older in age, they are always right. There is no questioning authority and there is no room for development of ideas that go against the rooted ideas of an older generation. It makes life hard...and it makes it miserable for the know-it-all older generation. There needs to be a mutual respectfulness with everyone. What is crazy is that not all older generation people are like this. Some really buck this system of thought. That is what got me thinking..."If a person, who is obviously part of the older crew, doesn't agree with this older-is-always-right group, than maybe this idea of hirerarchy is somewhat flawed or misdirected from the origninal idea".
I have a few friends who are part of this older generation and you would probably never know that, except for the gray hair and the beginning wrinkles. These people have discovered that their experience does not give them power to control the younger generations, it gives them the responsibility to serve the young ones. On the opposite side, the young generations have the responsibility to learn form the old one's mistakes, victories, and perspectives. The key is pure humilty... defined as "having God's perspective of who you are". Being humble means being exactly who God has designed you, personally, to be...in sucess and in failings.

Alright now listen to this... this idea should also be integrated into the church community. The older we get in our relationship with Jesus, the more responsibility we have to serve the young ones. We shouldn't have this settled feeling that we have somehow "arrived", but we should use our experience to support people who are just beginning their discovery of God. This needs to be constant. Church isn't exclusively about showing up and getting something, it is about showing and letting God use us in the present situation and the present need. We should shy away from thinking that we somehow we have this right to state "how it is" to people. We, as a church, need to be available to share our lives with people and model Jesus to people.

Consider these questions:
1. What sucks about church and what is good about church?
2. Talk about some things that you struggle with as far as judging or having hard feelings about
churches you have been too or churches you used to attend.
3. How does God reach different people through different churches (stylistically, demographically,
etc.)? How important is it to have different churches?
5. What are some of your ideas for bridging generation gaps in your church?
4. In what ways should a church represent a family?
5. Name some good ways of connecting with people in church and for developing relationships in
respect to this “family” idea.
6. Name some things that you believe would make church better

The Free Market Jesus WK 2

2009-03-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

So........ we got all ready to watch the second part of this video and realized that the first we had actually watched the whole video accidentally, the first week. oops... Anyway it was probably better that we watched it all at once.
I really like this video because it gives a great perspective on our modern church and how what we do and say has detrimental affects on our representation of Jesus. We seem to be so caught up in this idea of God being the ultimate fix-all. With out getting into our various views on pre-destination, I want to say that if one is to enter into a relationship with God expecting life to be all peachy, this person will be met with great disappointment. (I say the cautiously)We can look to God to necessarily to magically rescue us out of a fallen world. What I mean is, just because we decide to follow Jesus doesn't mean that the world will for some mystical reason change for the better necessarily. Our perception and perspective will change, our realization of God's potential impact on the world will change, our motivation for waking up each day and living with a renewed hope in God and people will change. All this is good but what will also change is affirmation that there is great trouble in the world... it is in disrepair and is sick. No amount of magic can negate the consequences of previous actions that people have taken. We live in a world of cause and affect.
You see, when we sell this "fix-all antidote Jesus" to people in need of something real, all we really sell them is temporary hope in a product. Jesus is not a product so when we do this the result is confusion, false hope and a sense of distrust in God and his people. I believe one of the things we should present people with is the fact that living a life for Jesus is the way it was meant to be from the beginning. This new life won't be easy and things won't mystically or magically fall into place necessarily, but we can have confidence that our life is heading in the right direction because it is centered on God.
Look over these questions:

If "culture is the lens through which we view God", how do we go about keeping that lens clear? Is it even possible?
Why do we, as humans, seem to always be looking for a "Magic bullet"?
Think about some of the "hype" you have heard in Christianity, we why we tend to make promises to people about Christianity that will not pan out?
If you read through the Bible you will notice that there are many miracles that can from some perspectives be looked at as quick fixes. It also talks about life as a "tree planted by the water", slow growth and dedication for a goal. How do these 2 concepts fit together.
What is our next step? How should this shape or realign our view of God and our relationship with him?

Kicking Stuart #3

2009-03-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Kara's this past Friday. Her home was the host for Kicking Stuart #3. We had some great food, a load of video games, and just a good time hanging out. Thanx to all of you who were involved...and a special thanx to Kara and her family for opening up their home to us.

The Free Market Jesus WK 1

2009-03-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

We have decided to take a break this week from reading "Blue like jazz". We are going to be watching a video in 2 parts called "The Free Market Jesus", by Don Miller. It deals with the "product" we make Jesus into and of which we sell as a "fix-all" to people. This kind of presentation ultimately is a complete disappointment because it represents nothing of what Jesus truly is. Next week I will post some follow up questions for this video.

Terra had her baby !!

2009-02-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, Terra Dilks had her baby boy early Wednesday morning, Feb. 25, at 1:30 AM. He weighs 6 lbs 12 oz.
His name is Cody. If you want to, shoot Terra a message on myspace, she would probably love to hear from you.

CH 11 - Confession

2009-02-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

We are not used to the chapters being so long (we are wusses) in this book, but this chapter was well worth the length. Check out these questions and be sure to think about how vulnerable confession makes us fell but what peace it brings as well.

1. Why does it seem so hard to tell people who Jesus really is and to talk about our relationship with God?

2. Should we as Christ followers apologize to the world
about certain things? How do you think this will change people’s perception of who Jesus is?

3. Read Acts 17. How does Paul share the message of Jesus? Can we realistically model this in our world today?

CH 9 - Belief

2009-02-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

Well this seems to be the latest favorite chapter for us. We had a great discussion on Monday about it. What seems to be the case, in a vast amount of the population, is that people are very quick to jump on "Cause Bandwagons". Why do we do this? What is it about causes that make us want to join them? Does what the cause truly stand for reflect the attraction it produces? In other words, does the passion we see in the cause actually fit the belief of that cause?
Check out these questions we went over Monday...

1. Name some culturally typical, popular, or trendy, beliefs or causes that people have even though they may not know what the cause is really about.

2. Why do you think everyone wants to believe in a cause?

3. Why do people tend to believe someone who appears to be a passionate person?

4. Share your thoughts on our current political situation(s), (presidential/governmental) and how it relates to our discussion.

CH. 9 - New starts at ancient faith

2009-02-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

I really think this is a good chapter for everyone who is pursuing a Christ centered life because we are all are susceptible to getting to a place similar to what Don described as the lack of "green lumpy places". As you read through these discussion questions have this question in the back of your mind, "Am I living a life that is meeting the expectations of the human perspective or am I following God to what I believe is his next step for me?"

1. Have you ever tried to be someone you are not? Tell about it.
2. If comfortable, give a brief summary of your church involvement.
3. Tell of a time when you had a connection with God. How did it feel? Did it compel you to do anything?
4. Do you find yourself getting to the same place in life that Don talked about being in, when he was a church college leader? A place where you know the right things to do and say, a place where you’re comfortable but not complete? How should we respond to these feelings?
5. What things do you think God is trying to rescue you from? Are letting him?

Blue Like Jazz CH. 8

2009-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had questions concerning the existence of God? Do you feel sometimes as though he is not real? Have you ever desired God to be physically present with you? Have you felt like your prayers just hit the ceiling?I believe that, periodically, every human goes through times of questioning and times where we are challenged to grow in our focus of and faith in God. Someone brought up a good point last night about communication with God. They said that it is hard to communicate with a God that you are not in relationship with. In Exodus it talks about the people's 'need' for a different god. They expressed the need for a God that was tangible. Their solution was to create a god out of gold (a golden cow) because they could see it, it was physically present, and they were able to own it. Do we take this approach? Do we want a god that we can manage?...that we can predict and are able to physically 'touch'? Would this make it easier to believe? This is where faith comes in. Check this verse out: Hebrews 11:1-3. I challenge you to allow your faith to grow as you trust that God is who he says he is. As you continue to focus your life on him, you will discover more and more who he is.

Here are the questions that we discussed during The Stuart Initiative on Monday night:

1. What things have made you question the existence of God? If that time is over, what strengthened your faith?

2. Do you ever feel that God is not who we think he is?

3. How does evangelical Christian culture in America attempt to recreate God to make him fit our own desires? (EX: God wants us to be rich)

4. Why did the Israelites want a different God? (Exodus 32)

The Stuart Initiative "Movie night"

2009-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, we planned to have movie night. Well... we didn't actually watch a movie because we got so engrossed in playing Rockband. It was a good time...Thank you Ashlie and Lisa for hosting this get-together. Here are some pictures they they sent in from that night.

Ch.7 What's our problem with grace?

2009-01-27T15:38:00.000-08:00

Here are the questions we discussed from this chapter. If you have a comment please submit it and we can all think it over...

1. Why do you think people become “Christian fundamentalists”?
Def. of a fundamentalist
- A movement in American Protestantism that arose in the early part of the 20th century in reaction to modernism and that stresses the infallibility of the Bible not only in matters of faith and morals but also as a literal historical record, holding as essential to Christian faith belief in such doctrines as the creation of the world, the virgin birth, physical resurrection, atonement by the sacrificial death of Christ, and the Second Coming.
-Strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles.

2. Why do you think people become "Christian legalists"?

3. How do you feel when you blow it in your spiritual life and why do you think you have these feelings?

4. Tell of an experience where you were the recipient of grace?

5. Why do we struggle with the acceptance of grace?

Don the Rabbit and the sexy carrots

2009-01-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

What tension we live in. We are almost in a state of forced ascent to bigger and better things. (I am one to talk,...lol... as we just recently upgraded from a Rav4 to a Sequoia... but anyway). The point is, we seem to always be chasing something, many of which we probably could do without. Also, another common thing that happens is that we go after something and we end up missing what God had planned for us all along because we were so distracted with "chasing". God will bring us the desires of our hearts. (Romans 8:27-29 (NLT) What we truly desire... It has little to do with material things and much to do with the spiritual life. God said he would provide for us completely. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 (NLT) Acts 14:17 (NLT) Philippians 4:19 (NLT).

Here are the questions we went over on Monday

1. From what we see in this chapter what should be our attitude to these “things” that we chase…jobs, money, relationships.

2. Why do you think this chapter is entitled “Redemption”?
Def. of Redemption
- Deliverance upon payment of ransom; rescue.
- Recovery of something.

3. Why do we all want things that hurt us?

4. Can you identify with Don the Rabbit? (Read?)
Tell of an experience that is similar to Don the Rabbit?

5. John 3:19-21
"This is the crisis we're in: God’s light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God’s light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God’s light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."
- What does this verse say about sexy carrots?

CH. 5 Penguin Sex - The radar inside

2009-01-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

Here are the questions we went over during last Monday's discussion.

1. In your words, attempt to prove that love exists.

2. How is the radar of the penguins similar to the radar inside of us concerning God guidance?

3. Tell about a time when you listened to your inner radar

4. In what ways are you pursuing God in your life as a result of this radar?

CH. 4 - Shifts: Find a Penny

2009-01-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Last night many of us agreed that this has been the best chapter yet.
Here are the Questions we discussed last night pertaining to CH 4.

1. Are you more comfortable around people who are in a relationship with Jesus (Christians) or people who are not in a relationship with Jesus (non-Christians)?
2. Is it important to hang out with or develop friendships with people who are not following Christ in their lives?
From what we know of Jesus, who did he hang out with? Why?
3. Why do you think some people try to sell Jesus similarly to how you would sell a product?
4. Miller talked about Penny and how she said that if she were to meet Jesus, she thought that he would like her. She felt that if she were to meet “Christians” they would yell at her. How do you feel? Can you relate with her experience? Do you feel that if God met you he would actually like to be friends with you?

The following is a question that we skipped over and I decided to answer it from my perspective. If anyone has another take on it, please comment your perspective...

Here it is:
Really… what are the differences between people who are following Jesus and those who are not?

This is how I would answer it.
I think this is an interesting question because if there is a difference, than that life changing difference requires a response. If there is something different, then everything we do will be affected by this difference and it will completely alter our perspective. If there is a such a difference, then everything will lean to and eventually surcome to change.

Example: Absence of gravity.
The life you lead right now would totally change if you were subjected to a non-gravitational state of being. Your process for doing tasks would change, your bodily movements would change, your estimates of force, pressure, and impact would all change. You would be living in an altered state of perception. What you perceive as truth right now would have to change because a "higher force".

I really believe that a person living for Jesus and a person not in a relationship with Jesus possess huge, life changing differences. When you are living for yourself, you are consumed by yourself. When you are living with Jesus as your priority, he and what he is about consumes you. His agenda becomes yours. The people that he hurts for, you begin to hurt for. Instead of developing your own morality, he becomes the criteria by which you measure everything. The things in the Bible begin to make sense because your heart starts to to make a connection with the heart of God. The words he speaks in the Bible, begin influence the things you do.
I have heard it said, "The only difference between a Christ follower and a person not following Christ, is that the Christ follower has Jesus."
I would go further and say the difference is a lot about what you do with this "Jesus". How does having him change your life and the lives of those around you? I say it should have almost cataclysmic effects on your life in every area including direction, perspective, purpose, and priorities.

Kicking Stuart #2

2008-12-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Last night was our 2nd "Kicking Stuart". We all pitched in and bought a Castillo's Party Platter and watched the Packers get beat by the Bears on ESPN. I think, not positive, there might have been some pictures taken last night... I will try to get a hold of them and put them up here.
We are all going to be reading through the 4th chapter of Blue Like Jazz for the next 2 weeks. Our Monday night group meetings will resume on January 5th, 2009.
Merry Christmas to everyone and have great New Year.

What is God's promise?

2008-12-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

So, Monday was an interesting day for many of us. Between car accidents, hailstorms, crazy schedules, only 2 out of the group reading the 3rd chapter (some people had realistic reasons ...lol... uh ...mine was semi-valid), it made for an eventful study. Luckily, the study questions I write out each week are always designed to be easily interacted with, by people of whom may not read the assigned chapter. A little perk for occasional visitors.

One of the overall points that Donald made in this chapter, we found to be, was the sometimes misrepresentation we receive, or in some cases give, of what a Christ centered life will "gain" us. We seem to market this Jesus idea and add incentives to it. Many times, these add-on incentives are in the form of "fixes" or solutions to the troubles we experience in the world. There are promises made to prospective followers of Jesus that have nothing to do with the message that Jesus brought. These empty promises usually have detrimental effects on the recipients and form a very false sense of hope for their future as well as the outcome of the current problems these solutions are "supposed" to address.

Here are some questions we went over in the discussion.

Questions for CH 3

What makes it difficult for you to believe God could do something magical in your life?
From the Bible, what magical things did Jesus do for people?
What kinds of things have been marketed to you as solutions to your problems? Have they truly “fixed” the problems? Have they really brought you closer to God?
What do you think of the following phrase, “When you start following Christ, everything will be ok”.
Miller talks about “God selling something he wanted”. What was it that drew you to God? What did you think God could do for you?
Think about key people in your life that have influenced (bad or good) your concept of God and who have brought you to the point of wanting to follow him. How did they market Jesus to you? Did they make any promises?
What does God promise to those that follow him?

Find out more: Blue Like Jazz

Humanity is broken

2008-12-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

This chapter (CH 2) centered around the event of Don watching news coverage of genocide in the Congo and how it brought him to the realization of humanity being in a state of "brokenness". Not so much in the "brokenness we usually associate with a Christ-following life (one in which our pride or our strong-willed nature is broken by our connection with Jesus) but an actual mechanical or mental brokenness...one where we literally need God to fix us. He continued to address issues like thinking of others before yourself, self-addiction, and he continued deeper into the idea that each one of us innately needs and desires to return to this "fixed" state; through the process of renewed relationship and connection with God, which, initially was our condition, at the beginning, before the fall of the world.
Romans 3:21-24

Here are some questions that we used as we discussed these topics:

(Page 13) “I believe that the biggest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil, but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man’s mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God.”
-How does religion interfere with your being able to engage God with your heart?
How hard is it for you to think about other people more than yourself?
What do you feel like you are losing by thinking about people more than yourself?
(Page 23) “I know now, from experience, that the path to joy winds through this dark valley. I think every well-adjusted human being has dealt with his or her own depravity…I think Jesus feels strongly about communicating the idea of our brokenness, and I think it is worth reflection.”
-How does the realization of our own brokenness lead us through the dark valley to joy?
Don said he realized the broken state of humanity by what he saw on TV. Do you have an experience about your realization of human brokenness?
Who do we blame for the problems we see all around us? What do you think our role is in these problems?

God... as a father

2008-12-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

So, we all made it through the first chapter. During last night's gathering, we had great discussion about the differing assumptions of what God looks like. God's look are presented in many different lights in our world, in churches, classes, on TV and radio, and even in ideas passed down through the generations. God says he is a father; but what does that mean? What if my earthly father resembles nothing good or I don't get a long with my dad? What if I have a lot of hurt associated with my dad? We all have an opinion of what a father is. Sometimes, depending on our paternal experience, we form a picture of God based on what believe a father to be from our experience, when in fact, God should be the model for earthly fathers.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Ephesians 5:1-2

I wanted to post this section from the book that we talked about briefly last night:

"Today I wonder why it is God refers to Himself as “Father” at all. This, to me, in light of the earthly representation of the role, seems a marketing mistake. Why would God want to call Himself Father when so many fathers abandon their children?As a child, the title Father God offered an ambiguous haze with which to interact. I understood what a father did as well as I understood the task of a shepherd. All the vocabulary about God seemed to come from an ancient history, before video games, Palm Pilots, and the Internet. If you would have asked me, I suppose I would have told you there was a God, but I could not have formulated a specific definition based on my personal experience. Perhaps it was because my Sunday school classes did much to help us memorize commandments and little to teach us who God was and how to relate to Him, or perhaps it was because they did and I wasn’t listening. Nevertheless, my impersonal God served me fine as I had no need of the real thing. I needed no deity to reach out of heaven and wipe my nose, so none of it actually mattered. If God was on a dirt road walking toward me, He was on the other side of a hill, and I hadn’t begun to look for Him anyway."

-Blue like jazz

Questions
CH-1

What were some of your earliest perceptions of God?
If you were in a car, driving to meet with God (literally in person), what would be going through your mind? Would you be worried about how he will receive you? Are you excited about meeting him in person? What do you think he looks like?
Share a story about you getting into trouble as a kid.
At the beginning of the chapter Donald talks about his father. How would you describe your father?
In what ways does this influence your view of God as a father figure?

World AIDS Day 2008

2008-12-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

Today, Dec. 1st, is World AIDS Day. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of this world wide 'Stop AIDS' campaign. If you are interested in finding out about campaign events in the United States, the US listings start on the bottom of page 6 of the calendar.

Here is a writeup from WAC about who they are:
"The WAC was established to support and promote a global campaign on HIV and AIDS. The campaign strengthens and connects together many of the AIDS-related advocacy and campaigns happening in our countries and regions – each are supported by a multitude of groups who are demanding that their governments and other key stakeholders deliver on previous promises and commitments on HIV and AIDS. The civil society-led WAC campaign targets politicians and policy-makers countries most affected by HIV as well as donor governments, international agencies such as those of the United Nations, as well as civil society. It supports people and organisations to work together more closely, unite and soundly advocate at the national and international levels, so the campaign can deepen the partnership for a stronger response to AIDS."

www.worldaidscampaign.org

Blue Like Jazz

2008-11-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

So the Blue Like Jazz books came in from Amazon and they got passed out last night. We are going to read through the first chapter this week and then next Monday, Dec. 1st, we will base our Monday gatherings on discussion of the preceding chapter. We are really looking forward to reading this book with all of you.
If you were not there last night but still want to join us for this study and purchase a book, let us know.

Here is a cool write up From Don:
When I started writing this book I just wanted to end up with something like Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies, because in Traveling Mercies it felt like she was free, free to be herself, to tell her story, to just vent, to rant, to speak as if she were talking to a friend. Traveling Mercies helped me write this book, and in a way, for a while, Anne will be "The Beatles" of spiritual writers, because she has influenced so many of us. I definitely feel as though I got permission from Anne Lamott, permission to be human and to interact with God without all of the mind-melt that comes with growing up in a religious family. I never believed it would be published, and so I was pretty open in this book. My career was dead when I started this thing, so I felt like I was just talking to myself, or to the little reading group that met at my house.

Sting has this song where he says that he is alone on an island and puts a message in a bottle and throws it into the ocean, only to wake the next morning and have a hundred million bottles washed upon his shore. He sings "I guess I'm not alone at being alone," and I think that sums up how I feel about Blue Like Jazz. It feels like I thought I was alone but woke up one morning to discover nothing could be further from the truth. And people have been incredibly kind.
--Donald Miller

Doing what you believe

2008-11-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Donald miller writes:
"But the trouble with deep belief is that it costs something. And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them.

Even our beliefs have become trend statements. We don't even believe things because we believe them anymore. We only believe things because they are cool things to believe.

The problem with Christian belief--I mean real Christian belief, the belief that there is a God and a devil and a heaven and a hell--is that it is not a fashionable thing to believe.

If you believe something, passionately, people will follow you because they thing you know something they don't, some clue to the meaning of the universe. Passion is tricky, though, because it can point to nothing just as easily as it points to something

Passion about nothing is like pouring gasoline into a car without wheels.

What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do."

This video is called "Sunday"

Here are the questions we discussed Monday after watching this video:

What are you passionate about?
Do you find yourself going through the motions?
Is your level of involvement to the same level of your belief?
Are your beliefs supported by action? James 2:14-26
Is God asking you to trust him in a new area? Proverbs 3:5-6
Does what we do show what we are passionate about or what we value?
What are some things we do that show or support what we believe about God?

Our response to death and loss...

2008-11-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

Last night we watched a video called Matthew, by Rob Bell. The video centers on his reflection and on the feelings and emotions he experienced after losing a close friend. It is a rather dark video in comparison to the climate we are commonly used to from his videos. He quickly draws you into his story, experiance, and the emotions he felt at the time. It is almost impossible to not feel, to a certain level, what he went through. You will definitely identify with this video if you have experienced a similar loss.

Why do you think people become bitter after the loss of someone?
If you have lost someone, have you grieved completely?
How should we respond to someone who is dealing with the loss of a friend/relative?

We now have a blog

2008-11-11T00:10:00.000-08:00

The Stuart Initiative has been in full swing for a little over 4 months. We are a discussion based connection group which is part of The Quest Church. Up to this point, we have gotten most of our discussion material from various videos.
We have established this blog as a way to recap what we do each week and to keep people informed as the group develops.
Currently, at the time of this post, we have around 10-12 people who would be considered regulars and we anticipate more people to become involved as time goes on.
Periodically we hold Kicking Stuart events. The focus of these events are for people to get to know each other and develop friendships. They often include having dinner together, playing games (board games, group games, Wii, etc.), and hanging out with each other. The next Kicking Stuart will probably play host to a Rock Band or Guitar Hero competition.
If you are a young adult, young couple, or a college age person we would love for you to join us Monday nights.
Please email us and we will give you all the details. thestuartinitiative@gmail.com