Weekly update: 11/27

Hello everyone!

Midweek Gathering - We're going to be having a game night this Thursday at 7 pm in the Surfside room. Don't even ask about the basement. I'm not sure it will ever be done. I'm starting to think the basement doesn't even exist.

Angel Tree - This Sunday we're going to be taking sign-ups from people in our church to buy gifts for the kids from Angel Tree. If you signed-up to work the table (Ilya, Krystal, Michele), please get there at least 15 minutes before the service ends, so I can explain what to do.

Sunday Gathering - Sunday, 12/3, 11 am: This past week we looked at how our desire to set up intermediaries between us and God creates pathetic outcomes that don't satisfy us. We talked about how that same tendency we saw in Israel comes out in our lives, and I mentioned a prayer project for this week that addresses this issue (the prayer project is typed out below).

Next week we'll continue our series on God's story and our story. Also, Seth has been doing a great job on worship music, so don't miss out on that. Songsheets and everything.

Upcoming: On 12/20 we'll be having an awesome Christmas party at Carrie Luskin's house on Naples island in Long Beach. More details to come.

- Bob

PS. Prayer project from Sunday in response to 1 Samuel 8:
1. Spend some time asking the Lord to show you what need (intimacy, adventure, meaning, relational, etc) is driving you to bang your head into this wall.
2. Ask the Lord to show you the truth of what options are appealing to you at this time. Why are they appealing?
3. Finally, spend some time thanking God he loves you and desires to be in relationship with you. How can this need and situation bring you into a deeper relationship with God?

Weekly update: 11/20

Hello everyone!

Midweek Gathering - We're not meeting this week. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday!

Sunday Gathering - Sunday, 11/19, 11 am: We will be having our normal Sunday gathering. We had a great time yesterday looking at Exodus and our human tendency to want to hide from God, compared to God's desire for us to be intimate and vulnerable with Him. Next week we'll continue to look at ways that humans tend to be confused about God's Story.

Upcoming: On 12/20 we'll be having an awesome Christmas party at Carrie Luskin's house on Naples island in Long Beach. More details to come.

- Bob

Weekly update: 11/13

Hello everyone!

Midweek Gathering - Thursday, 11/16, 7 pm; Meeting in the north church chapel at the church. This week we're going to be working on a project called "Angel Tree," an outreach program that provides toys for the children of imprisoned parents. It's a great chance to practice what we learned about participating in God's story of love and redemption!

Sunday Gathering - Sunday, 11/12, 11 am: This week we look at what God values in our relationships with the poor. One of the final weeks we're in Room 20 (I hope).

- Bob

Weekly update: 11/6

Hello everyone!

Midweek Gathering - Thursday, 11/9, 7 pm; Meeting in the north church chapel at the church. As you've been hearing, the college midweek landscape is going to look a bit different.

We're starting that this week with our first experiment in film and faith. No, we aren't watching Veggie Tales or a kids Bible story. We're going to be watching Hotel Rwanda, a emotionally gripping film about what one Christian man did when his country was being wrecked with genocide. Come watch an important film and stay for a brief discussion of how we as Christians should respond to such injustice and pain.

Sunday Gathering - Sunday, 11/12, 11 am: We're finishing up our discussion of connecting our story with God's story (lessons from Genesis). All the good stuff you expect from Sunday Gathering.

Update on the basement: If you're wondering if we'll ever get into our new room (and, trust me, I understand), the answer is, "Soon." Like, Jesus will return "soon." If you would like to accelerate the timeline (of the basement, not Jesus' return), come this Saturday at 8 am (or whenever you wake up) to work on the painting.

For a complete list of what our Thursday night together events will be, check out the blog (gatheringatgrace.blogspot.com).

- Bob