Peak of the Week

“Daniel is an amazing example of holding these things together, trusting God through the most difficult times and holding fast to what he knows to be true and of ultimate importance. ”

Greetings Westside!

We hope September is off to a great start for you! For those who were traveling over the weekend, we pray you arrived back home safely. During our time together on Sunday, we imagined what life was like in exile, as foreigners in a strange land where the locals don't eat like us, talk like us, or worship like us. We explored the importance of following God during difficult times, and how to hold faith and joy and difficulty and tragedy all together at the same time. Rather than an either-or situation, we are called to embrace a "third way" that holds these things together. 

This coming Sunday is Promotion Sunday: all ages will meet together at 9:30 in the auditorium for a brief time of blessing, and then we'll be sent off to our classrooms. During the sermon, we'll dive into the book of Daniel (read chapter 1 in advance for extra credit!). We begin with the difficult problem of remaining faithful to God when the world around us is lost in a different vision of what faithfulness, and God, look like. Daniel serves as an example as he stands up for what is right, upsetting the tyrannical powers that be without losing his life.

How are the missional habits going for you? (see below for more info) Are you choosing a different habit each week or focusing on just one the whole time? We're just over a month away from Family Camp (Oct 14-16), so be noticing and journaling about your experiences. We are excited to hear and learn from each other!

Peace,
Aaron and Jen

Missional Habits (from The Five Habits of Highly Missional People)
Choose one or more of these habits to incorporate into your weekly rhythm. Reflect on your experiences in a journal by writing, sketching, jotting down words or phrases, creating brainstorm maps, thought bubbles, photographs, etc. Then bring your reflections to Family Camp (Oct 14-16) and be prepared to share stories--successes and failures!

1. Bless: I will bless three people this week, at least one of whom is not a member of our church (e.g., words of affirmation, acts of kindness, gift-giving).
2. Eat: I will eat with three people this week, at least one of whom is not a member of our church. 
3. Listen: I will spend at least one period of the week listening for the Spirit’s voice (silence, solitude, at least 20 minutes).
4. Learn: I will spend at least one period of the week learning Christ (marinating in the story of Jesus: read the Gospels, read about Jesus, watch movies about Jesus).
5. Sent: I will journal throughout the week about all of the ways I alerted others to the universal reign of God through Christ (reconciliation, justice, beauty, wholeness) through announcing and demonstrating (e.g., mediating a conflict, promoting fair-trade products, hiking with a friend, helping to heal a broken relationship). This helps us to process events, make sense of God’s work, keep a record of insights, ask important questions,and identify ourselves as sent ones.