My kids, God's voice.

Monday night, my son Caden asked me how to have a quiet time. He was baptized a month ago and his spiritual interest has been explosive.  After sharing S.O.A.P. with him he told me, "God has spoken to me before." Curious, I probed to find out when it was and what God might have said to him. He told me that a kid had called him a name at school and that he was going to call him a name back but the voice in his head told him "that would not be loving God." So Caden chose to walk away.

Isn't that how God speaks. A voice that sounds a lot like ours echo's in our mind and heart revealing the heart of God in the moment. Well what echod in my mind was a reminder that even if it feels like a while since I have heard his voice he is speaking. Can't tell you how many times God's voice sounds a heck of a lot like Caden, Gabe, or Blake.

Phillip Woody
phil@ridetheriver.org

Looking silly for Jesus.

Just yesterday I was at a Starbucks with two other guys from the church to discuss men and GraceRiver and what it would look like for men to reflect Godliness inside and outside of the church. After ordering the drinks, I waited for the barista to make them. Next to me was a girl who looked very familiar. Now the deli-ma is "do I say anything?"  On one hand I could be flat wrong and she might interpret it as a pick up line. On the other hand, if I don't, she might recognize and know who I was and consider me a jerk for not saying Hi!

True to fashion for me, I chose the option to look stupid rather than a jerk. The conversation had it's embarrassing moments of trying to discover where I knew her from that led to "church?" Though that was not the connection, I discovered she was looking for a church and had not found one in the area yet. An invitation with a series card for an upcoming sermon series later,  I realized it was Jennifer Anniston she reminded me of (a good friend of mine).

I wonder how many divine appointments I have missed not willing to look silly. If silly is the worst thing I have to face to live contagious for Jesus then put a clown nose on me.

Phillip Woody
phil@ridetheriver.org

Rate your buy-in.

The vision of GraceRiver Church is to spread Jesus like a disease all over Southeast Orlando and beyond.  How do you do that.  At GraceRiver you do that by Loving God, Loving People, and Living Contagious.  Rate yourself from level 1 to level 3.

1.  You believe in the vision enough to benefit from it.  You receive something from the church and to you that is what is important.

2.  You believe in the vision enough to contribute comfortably.  Your happy to help if it doesn't interfere with your other priorities.

3.  You believe in the vision enough to give your life to it.  You belong to Jesus and are sold out to the greatest cause on earth.

-questions by craig groeschel

Don't feel bad about whatever level your at.  It's a journey to getting what Jesus got and was all about.  Rather, ask what is keeping me from engaging at the next level.  What do I fear?  What do I question?  What is in the way?  A church of 3's is a church that can change the world and that is the dream of GraceRiver.