Category Archives: Teamwork

Summer Reading Program–Week Six

Posted by pastorchrisjackson on
English: Everest - photo by Ryszard Pawłowski ...

English: Everest – photo by Ryszard Pawłowski – Polish International Mt Everest expedition 99 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grace Church Summer Reading Program: Lord, Make My Life a Miracle by Ray and Anne Ortlund. Chapter Six: “Have a close friend”

You need a Sherpa to help you get where you’re going.

You remember who the Sherpas are right? They’re a group of Himalaya-dwelling Tibetans that are renowned, among other things, for their expertise in mountain climbing.

Sought after for their skill in mountaineering, Sherpas often serve as guides for those daring people who desire to climb Mt. Everest.

Climbing Mt. Everest might not be a top priority on your bucket list, but you still need a Sherpa—you need a friend to journey through life with you. In their book Lord, Make My Life a Miracle Pastor Ray and Anne Ortlund describe what that friend should be like.

  • They should faithfully love you, never leaving any doubt that they are on your side
  • They should be skilled at killing giants so you never have to face Goliath alone
  • They should to be brave enough to confront you when you wander off track
  • And they should love your children as much as they love you

At the end of this chapter the Ortlund’s wrote: “Do you have a loving circle of friends with whom, when they live, you live; and when they die, in a sense, you die? Do you have friends who will love you and your children and your children’s children? If you don’t have anyone like that, step out by faith. Live a little dangerously, and give your heart away. Find someone who will be a godly friend to you, who will strengthen your hand in God. I plead with you for this.”

And as you set out to identify your Sherpa, remember what the Proverbs says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV).

Sometimes the first step to identifying your Sherpa is to become a mountain guide for someone else’s journey.

For more information about our summer reading program go to www.gracechurchlaverne.org.

Summer Reading Program–Week Five

Posted by pastorchrisjackson on
Sioux teepee

Sioux teepee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grace Church Summer Reading Program: Lord, Make My Life a Miracle by Ray and Anne Ortlund. Chapter Five: “Put it together with other believers”

Do you have a tribe?

Although there are some significant gaps in my family’s known genealogy, we do know that we have a close connection to the Cheyenne and Blackfoot Indian nations.

Sometimes the tribal longing of my Native American bloodline still stirs in my soul, and I yearn for a place where I belong.  Although I crave solitude at times, there is still something in my soul that needs a place to connect. Some people call that place a “band of brothers” or a “community” or a “small group,” but regardless of its name it is a rare and wonderful place.

And you don’t need Native American blood to hunger for it.

From the opening pages of the Bible we are told that it is not good for mankind to be alone (Genesis 2:18), and then all through the ensuing biblical narrative we see God placing His followers in community.

  • Moses had Aaron
  • David had Jonathan
  • Jesus had Peter, James, John, and the other disciples
  • Paul had Barnabus, Silas, Luke, Titus, and Timothy (and the list goes on…)
  • The 1st century Christians had one another

If the tribal element of your Christian faith is lacking, then you are missing out on some incredible encouragement, strength, and life that is available to you.

This is not a “join one of our small groups” sales pitch; however, if you have yet to “connect” in a significant way with our Grace Church community, please take the time and pay the price to find a niche where you can belong. God wants you to find a place where you can be strengthened, stretched, supported, and where YOU can invest in the lives of OTHERS as well.

Your tribe needs you.

For more information about our summer reading program go to www.gracechurchlaverne.org.

What Super Mario Bros. is teaching me

Posted by pastorchrisjackson on
New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Image via Wikipedia

In recent months my daughters and I have become addicted to the Wii version of Super Mario Bros. My wife laughs at us as we alternately cheer, scream, and groan while our respective characters, Mario, Luigi, and Lemon-head face off against giant mushrooms, poisonous fish, and nasty snapping turtles. We’ve gotten pretty good—we’re more than halfway through the entire game—and we’ve also learned an important lesson along the way.

Heroic fights can seldom be won alone.

Through our Mario Bros. exploits we have discovered the incredible power of synergy, and we’ve learned to rely on one another during the tougher parts of the game (Amber is the best at dodging falling rocks, and I’m the best at jumping on the giant frog at the end of each level). When we pool our strengths, and guard each other’s backs we progress much further than we could ever do on our own.

That sounds almost biblical doesn’t it? :)

The Bible makes it clear that life’s adventures should be tackled in community. Jesus never sent His followers out to do great works alone—at the very least he sent them out in pairs so that the power of unified synergy would accompany them. Leviticus 26: 8 says, “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.”

The principle in that verse has proven repeatedly true in my life–and it will likely be proven again tonight when Amber, Maddie, and I attempt to conquer level 5.