"Human Redeemed"

These are my notes from Apex. It was a blessing to see Hope M and Kristen P. skype from the Philippines. The hands and feet of Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-10

You were made alive:

1. Out of an act of love. Not because of your morality, not because of your Christian upbringing. God is saying "I am choosing to love this dead body through mercy"

2. Through the resurrection of Jesus. We need a second Adam(Jesus) If Jesus stayed in the grave..there would be no hope. Jesus physically rose and now we follow the track record of the second Adam...not the first.

3. To a new standing before God. We are no longer enemies of the cross. Our standing is right now...not just the future.

4. To be a reflector of God's greatness. God uses the church as an object lesson to the angels. We do not wear veils. Practically..What are you reflecting at work, to your friends, to your family.

5. To be involved in God's redemptive story. Many have reduced the gospel to getting out of Hell. Jesus saved us for good works..for a mission ..just as Hope and Kristen are missionaries..so are we.

This is a passion week at Apex.

Thursday..Garden...6:30am,12noon,6:30 pm...Prayer meetings.

Friday...Cross.....Evening of Teaching and Reflection 6:30-8:00 pm

Sunday....Grave...Weekend celebration gatherings Sat 6pm and Sun 9:30 and 11:30am

"Here Burns My Candle" by Liz Curtis Higgs

A mother who cannot face her future.
A daughter who cannot escape her past.

Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.
Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.
His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.
One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.
A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

To check out this book or buy it you can go here


LIZ CURTIS HIGGS is the author of twenty-seven books with three million copies in print, including: her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, Christy Award-winner Whence Came a Prince, and Grace in Thine Eyes, a Christy Award finalist; My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, an armchair travel guide to Galloway; and her contemporary novels, Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist, and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist. Visit the author’s extensive website at www.lizcurtishiggs.com.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

"Human Broken"

These are my notes from Apex. We sang 2 of my all time favorites.."True Light" by Phil Wing and "Deliver Me" by David Crowder.

Ephesians 2:1-3

If you come to Apex, you know that Rob doesn't wear a suit/tie. Today he was dressed in black with 2 guys on stage also dressed in black..and a mannequin. Why? I'll tell you at the end.

Adam/Eve made a decision against the will of God and it impaceted all of us.
The image of God was distorted. Our moral reasoning and dignity were distorted.
Relationships were distorted.

Our sinful humanity:

1. Has been encased by sin. Many times we want to run away from things in our life..but you take it with you when you run. (The mannequin was wrapped by the 2 men in saran wrap)

2. Infects our whole lifestyle;How you raise your kids..your job..how you live.
Our human nature determines the overall course of our life.
Romans 12:2.."Don't be conformed to the pattern of this world..."

3. Connected to the satanic. Part of us is spirit..we are connected to the Holy Spirit or the unholy spirit(Satan) 1John 5:19

4. Is governed by our own authority. When we have desire...we feed it.

5. Places us on the receiving end of God's wrath..justified punishment to sin and sinners. Those with no relationship with God are an enemy of the cross. (The men place a bulls eye on the mannequin)

6. We are enslaved

7. We are deaf in hearing God's voice. John 10 "The sheep hear his voice and know his voice" (The men place earmuffs on the mannequin)

8. We are dumb in discerning God's ways..Ecclesiastes 3:11. The cross is foolishness to unbelievers. ( The men put a dunce cap on the mannequin)

9. We are blind to God's supremacy. ( The men put a blindfold on the mannequin)

10. We are communicators of empty words. Matthew 6:7
Ephesians 5:6 (The men put a gag over the mouth of the mannequin)

11. Hard hearted toward God's desires. (The men put a cardboard heart on the mannequin)

12. We are left without hope..Ephesians 2:12 (The men put the mannequin on a gurney)

You may think as a church you are cool, you are relevant...but many wear a mask and to God you are dead. "Depart from me..I never knew you..."

The reason for the black suits...this is a eulogy to a funeral for death (The men put the mannequin in a body bag and roll him away)

How will you and I die?
We need to be rescued..someone to cut the strings of enslavement..to give us new ears,new eyes,new mouth and new heart.

Rob told a story about the rescue teams for Hurricane Katrina. Many of the people refused rescue..not because they were ungrateful..because they didn't realize how desperate their situation was.

In the end..you don't answer to your family, your boss,your neighbors,...you answer only to God.

We sang the song "Rescue" by Newsong with this line "This world has nothing for me (I will follow You)"

"Human Innocence"

These are my notes from Apex

Genesis 1:27

A Dangerous Question...Who are you?

Origins
We live in a culture where many believe we evolve.."survival of the fittest"
Disciples of Jesus...we believe in creation

In Roman times there were humans/animals who fought for entertainment of humans.
It's no different today. The media allows us to watch others destroy themselves.

In the London Zoo, there was a display of humans..the purpose? To show that humans "aren't that special"

What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
We were made "like" God and to "represent" God. 1 Corinthians 11:7

What are attributes of being made in the image of God ?

Human beings have the ability to reason ..morally..wrong vs right..Animals don't

Human beings exercise dominion or authority. We have an influence on creation. We create cultures. We should be concerned about our environment, our neighborhoods, our economy.

Human beings have exclusive dignity..because of the artist(God)

End of life issues..abortion..bioethics

Psalm 139
Every human has dignity and we are unique.

Human beings thrive in relationships

Genesis 1:26 uses us and our. The trinity..they exist in a dance of self-giving love
God has relational makeup

Implications

There is not a human being that does not have the image of God

Our meaning in life is found in connection with our creator

What we do in life is dependent on who we are in life. What we do flows out of who we are.

What kind of influence are you contributing to your different culture?

How invested are you in others' lives? House churches

Look at Jesus

"Why Does Apex Use the Bible As It's Primary Source?"

These are my notes from the Apex sermon this am.
Worship with Phil and his band members was a blessing and it's truly "one voice"

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Scriptures =word of God =sacred writings

When Rob trained for his radio station job he used index cards to remember what he needed to do
When the disciples trained under Jesus for 31/2 yrs and he left them..their "index cards" were the Bible.

The Old Testament had a postive attitude on scripture
Psalm 19:8
Jeremiah 15:16
Eziekiel 1: 1-3

The American church today is sick. We have an attitude problem toward the word of God.

1. The Source of Scripture
All religions and cults have "a book" The authority of these books is radically different from the Bible.

Bible..God wrote through men about Himself.
Christianity is a rescue religion
When we get lethargic or jaded on the word of God then we are usually detached from the source and author.
Word of God..it gives us life. Do you look at it like your life depends on it?
Adam's life depended on the "breath of God"

2. Function of Scripture
Teaching
How is it taught?
1 It Confronts Us. reproof
We are biblicslly illiterate. We don't want to be wrong. The Bible calls us out. It will question our attitudes and demand change.

2. It corrects us. It sets our hearts back in place.

3. It conditions us. discipline;training
Many of us are conditioned around things like American Idol..we have American Idol parties..we talk about it alot...it takes up our thoughts. We do this for things we love. We need to do the same for the word of God.


3. Goal
You need word and spirit to grow up.
God didn't die just so we won't burn. That is NOT the gospel of Christ. He saved us for a work. We are gospel activists.

We are sending a team from Apex to Haiti. They have the baseline they need to minister...the word of God.

"Mother Daughter Duet" and "Dancing With My Father"

This is a 2 for 1 review :) I read both of these books for the blog tour this week

The first book, "Mother-Daughter Duet" was a very timely book. It's written by a mother and her daughter. It gives both of their views on different situations that mothers/daughters go through from letting to when a daughter is looking for independence through the different times of life such as wedding and motherhood. It's easy to see things through one set of eyes and this book helped to show real life feelings and emotions. I enjoyed the Connecting and Bonding chapter for ways to spend time together. It also deals with crisis situations and recognizing generation differences and also knowing when to let go. There is a fine balance in staying a mother but being a good listener and friend. I would highly recommend this book to women who have teenage daughters and are struggling with their relationships.


Author Bio:
Cheri Fuller is a best-selling, award-winning author whose books have sold more than one million copies. She speaks to a wide range of women at women’s conferences and is a frequent guest on national radio and television programs.
Ali Plum is Cheri’s daughter, a writer and songwriter, a wife, and a mother to Noah and Luke. She and her mom have weathered the ups and downs of their relationship to find one of the most treasured, honest relationships of their lives. Ali has recorded background vocals for popular musicians, and Mother-Daughter Duet marks her debut into book publishing.


The second book,"Dancing With My Father", talks about having a life of joy through all the different aspects of our lives. That joy may be in memories, it may be in friendships, it may be in trials, or just in our everyday mundane lives. The key is keeping eyes and ears open in all circumstances and looking for that joy. She gives examples with her own life circumstances which were relatable. It's a great book to read when you are feeling down and need encouragement to look at the joy of life under the dark cloud.

Sally Clarkson is a popular speaker, known across the nation and internationally for her work with women. She is the author of several books, including The Mission of Motherhood, The Ministry of Motherhood, and Seasons of a Mother’s Heart. She has worked in various ministries, including Campus Crusade for Christ. With her husband, Clay, she is cofounder of Whole Heart Ministries, which encourages and equips Christian parents. The Clarksons, parents of four, live near Colorado Springs, Colorado.


Go here and here to buy these books

These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.