SEM - Spring Term Coming April 8th

The Spring Term classes for 2013 are right around the corner The School of Everyday Mission!  Tonight was the last class for the Winter term.  We have two great classes planned starting April 8th.  The location will be the same, at 1232 W. Indiantown Road, Suite 104, in Jupiter.  Please go to our contact page if you would like more information or to sign up.

Class 1 - Loving Your Kids on Purpose

This is a unique parenting class that brings a fresh perspective on the age-old role of parenting. This class is uniquely designed to give you the tools to protect your connection with your children, teach your children to manage increasing levels of freedom, replace the tools of intimidation control and create a safe place for children to build confidence and personal responsibility.  This will be a safe space where you can learn, discuss and be encouraged to hear that you're not alone in this crazy roll we have as parents.  The framework you will learn will help you with everything from your toddler all away up to your teenage child.  Come and let's learn together how to stay off the crazy train!

 

Class 2 - Learning the Story

Have you ever struggled with understanding how the Bible fits together or simply want to get more out of your Scripture study?  Or do you just want to dive deeper into God's revelation and how he is speaking to us today?  This class is called "Learning the Story" and will help build a fundamental understanding of scripture as God's story and the Kingdom of God as the comprehensive thread that runs throughout that story.  The text for the course is by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, "The True Story of the Whole World, Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama."

Silence and Solitude

Last weekend was our second "Silent Retreat" hosted by Everyday Mission.  It may sound intimidating and super-spiritual, but that is far from the truth.  We did have some times of intentional silence (which makes for some awkward encounters at a state park with people NOT on a silent retreat).  But we also had a lot of fun together just relaxing, eating good food, and sharing with each other how God's very real presence is actively changing us from the inside out.  For me, it was a timely opportunity to find peace in the middle of a very busy season at work.  Everyone felt like the Holy Spirit gave them some specific direction or encouragment.  On Saturday night, with a fire going (yes, it actually got below 70 degrees in South Florida) and coffee in hand, we practiced Lectio Divina together and soaked in God's Word under a starlit sky. 

Silence and solitude are invaluable spiritual practices to modern followers of Jesus.  Sadly, we have become so accustomed to noise, activity, and technology, that a few hours of silence and being alone seems impossible to do on a regular basis.  Everyday Mission wants to continue providing opportunities like this past weekend to help normal people (again...the people on the retreat this weekend were people with normal jobs and families - not monks!) experience more facets of God's Kingdom and to challenge some of our assumptions about modern life.  We can be busy and active, but do we have to be constantly hurried and stressed?  We can benefit from technology, but can we walk away intentionally to catch our breath and notice the world around us?  We can work hard at our jobs and in ministry, but do we know that the real work happens in the quiet place with God?

Dallas Willard says that we need to learn how to "accept the grace of doing nothing."  This is incredibly hard for us who live in a culture that values success, productivity, and excellence above all else.  There seems to be no time to "waste time."  But didn't Jesus say something about seeking his Kingdom first and all that other stuff (food, clothes, money, and even time for the so-called important things) will be added to us?  That is why solitude and silence are so valuable. 

Will you consider joining us during the next retreat?  Send us your contact information and we'll make sure you get a personal invitiation.

School of Everyday Mission - Winter 2013 Semester

I'm sitting in my office tonight and another round of classes has started here for the School of Everyday Mission.  SEM is an effort to bring learning opportunities to people throughout northern Palm Beach county who want to grow as followers of Jesus.  The classes will deal with a variety of subjects, from healthy relationships to establishing a scriptural foundation as God's true story of the world. 

Here's a description of the two classes starting tonight:

Christian Identity: explore the biblical view of Christian Identity and to begin the journey of applying your individual calling, gifting and personality traits to Kingdom work. This class will allow for self-reflection and exploration of individual personal identity in Christ, shared identity with other believers and how understanding the truth about both of these areas of life impact everyday actions.

Boundaries: This class will help you learn God-given tools to loving others without getting run over in the process! These are great lessons that are foundational for healthy community and in all areas of life as a follower of Jesus.

Even though the classes have started, there is still time to join.  Click on contact above for more information!

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Week of 24/7 Prayer, Coming October 7th!

October 7th - October 12th

Beginning 6PM, Sunday Night

Week of Prayer

JUPITER WORSHIP CENTER

Peace...Be...Still

OUR SPACE WILL BE SET UP INTO FOUR STATIONS

WITH A CROSS IN THE CENTER

• Art, collage, and journaling station
• Lectio Divina
• Prayer for the Nations
• Communion Station

1449 Jupiter Park Dr. Jupiter, FL33458

www.jupiterworshipcenter.com

Email:  amber at amberbishop dot com

Phone:  561.222.5606

Come and join Christian community from all over Palm Beach County in a week of prayer for healing and unity. This is the third week of prayer hosted at the Jupiter Worship Center. The expectation is to again see lives impacted and hearts changed as participants patiently listen and courageously act on God’s instructions to them during this time and after.

The last two weeks of prayer saw relationships healed and local ministries birthed.  The grieving found comfort and the hurting found healing.  The Week of Prayer is organized and hosted by four local churches: The Well, Life Tree of the Nations, Spirit and Life Ministries, and Living Waters.  

The theme for this week is to celebrate the rich tradition of contemplative prayer.  There will be four prayer stations that will face the north, south, east and west and a labyrinth centered on the cross.  There will also be times of silence and praise as well as organized group prayer and nightly scripture meditation.

The concept is simple: sign up for an hour of prayer (the goal is to have someone praying every hour of the day and night during the week).  Once around noon and again at 6pm, all who are in the Worship Center will be asked to join together in a pre-determined group prayer for the Palm Beach and Martin County area.  After the 6pm prayer there will be a time of scripture meditation.

Review: Grace at the Garbage Dump by Jesse Zink

See my review of this challenging book on incarnational mission at the Englewood Review...

Grace at the Garbage Dump, Making Sense of Mission in the Twenty-First Century

The True Story of the Whole World - Part 2

This is the second in a series of posts related to a class that I'll be starting next Monday.  Sign up for the class here.

In recent history, Christians have tended towards one of two extremes when presenting the Bible to the world.  First, there is an almost embarrassed, apologetic attitude that treats the content of the scripture like it's that flowery love letter you wrote to your high school sweetheart that you don't want anyone to see.  There are all those crazy stories, violent characters, seemingly contradictory views of God, and politically incorrect ideas.  The response is to cut the story up into bits, interpret away the parts that are socially disagreeable, and leave a genericized book of values. 

The second presentation is to treat the Bible almost as another Ark of the Covenant.  This makes the Bible into something that God seemingly dropped into our laps out of thin air and is to be received mystically and without question.  The result of this response is that the scripture gets idolized and detached from its historical roots.  In this view, it might matter more that you have the right translation than trying to read and understand what the text might actually be saying.

Leslie Newbigin tells a great story about a Hindu scholar of world religions he was friends with while he was a missionary in India.  The scholar could not understand why Christians present the Bible as a book of religion.  To him, the Bible told a "history of the whole of creation and the history of the human race...and therefore a unique interpretation of the human person as a responsible actor in history."  There is literally nothing like the Bible in all of religious literature.  It tells a story - what theologians call "universal history".

We need to take the Hindu scholar's advice - we have a story to tell!  Instead of apologizing for the Bible or treating it like an idol, we need to see it as God's answer - rooted in history - to some of humanity's fundamental questions:

     - Who am I?  What does it mean to be human?
     - Where am I?  Where did our world come from?
     - What is wrong?  Why does the world seem to be so troubled?
     - What is the remedy?  Can humans alone fix the problems of the world? [1]

Next time, I'll discuss how the answers to these questions are found embedded in a story and what learning this story means to us as followers of Jesus.

[1] Bartholomew and Goheen, The True Story of the Whole World, page 15