The First Bite

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Phil challenged us this past Sunday to have heart surgery. He used the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to challenge our church family to go and tell the good news of what Jesus has done. If we're not going and telling then something is not right with our hearts. I don't know how you felt hearing that, but it was like a punch in the gut for me. It's too easy for me to get complacent and exist in my comfortable circle of friends instead of intentionally looking for people who don't know God. To hear those words from Phil was both convicting and hard for me to swallow, if I'm honest, because he was right: there is something wrong with my heart.

How many times have I read God's Word, it's convicted me, and at first, that conviction has tasted bitter to my soul? It has, let me tell you. Most times I don't like what I'm reading (or hearing) at first. It's not until I stop and consider what the Spirit is saying to me that I can get out of defensive mode and transition into I-need-to-change mode.

The way I react initially to hearing truth that stings (or hurts) reminds me a little bit of Tobin, our one year old. He's at the age now where we're trying new foods and are attempting to expand his taste range from just dairy products (i.e. milk in a bottle!). He'll generally open his mouth for the first bite of anything, but his facial expressions after that first bite can be hilarious. We tried peas the other day, and he DID NOT LIKE them! It was evident that they were bitter to his taste buds. I wish I had a picture I could show you, but he starts to quiver and shake his head and screw up his little lips, and you better believe he's not going to open that mouth back up for any round green thing that we might try to stick in there! (You'll have to earn his trust back with some yogurt or maybe some cheese!)

God's Word, while its truths can be painful to swallow at times, searches out our hearts and leads us to life if we're willing to change. If we surrender ourselves to undergo some heart surgery from the Holy Spirit and get our priorities right. I love how Psalm 19:7-10 describes God's Word as faithful and delicious (not bitter!):

The revelation of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
and easy on the eyes.
God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate 
down to the nth degree.

God's Word is better than a diamond,
better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You'll like it better than strawberries in spring,
better than red, ripe strawberries.

Grace

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Not sure how you feel about Bono, but in light of this past weekend I wanted to share a few thoughts he once shared about Grace:

"You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

Love interrupts. What a beautiful thing. I love how Thrice puts it as well in their song "Beggars":

All you big shots that swagger and stride with conceit,
Did you devise how your frame would be formed?
If you’d be raised in a palace, or live out in the streets,
Did you choose the place or the hour you’d be born?
Tell me what can you claim? Not a thing - not your name!
Tell me if you can recall just one thing,
That’s not a gift in this life?
Can you see now that everything is grace after all?

Here's the video put together by Adam Davis and friends from this past weekend. Thank you, Jesus, for Grace!

The Creek Church Interview (Part 3)

Here is the third and final installment of our video interview done with Matt Rice, Lead Pastor of the Creek Church, in Cary, NC. We hope you enjoy this insider's look at what makes Matt tick!

Music Recommendations!

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Now that 2011 has started with a bang I thought I'd give you a few CDs that I would most definitely recommend* to you for this new year! I'll just list them out (in no particular order) and add a few comments about genre, etc.

1. Andrew Peterson: "Counting Stars" (singer/songwriter and very mellow guitar based songs)
2. Charmaine: "Love Reality" (if you're a Mom of a teenage daughter you really need to buy her this CD!)
3. Ivoryline: "Vessels" (some good rock n' roll with great lyrics!)
4. Amberlin: "Dark is the Way, Light is the Place" (another rock record)
5. Andrew Belle: "The Ladder" (singer/songwriter from Chicago; just stumbled across this guy and he's great!)
6. Deas Vail: "Birds and Cages" (piano based pop/rock)
7. Sleeping At Last: "Yearbook" (very mellow with great lyrics! Their Yearbook project is very cool)
8. Lecrae: "Rehab" (hip/hop album of the year!)
9. Brooke Fraser: "Flags" (piano based singer/songwriter; Brooke also sings for Hillsong United)
10. Fair: "Disappearing World"(alternative rock; I love these guys!)
11. Gungor: "Beautiful Things" (a great worship record! You definitely need to get this one!)

* These are only my recommendations and I don't speak for the entire staff at ABC! :)

The Creek Church Interview (Part 2)

This is the second installment of a video interview done with Matt Rice, Lead Pastor of the Creek Church in Cary, NC. In this installment, Matt shares where he sees the Creek heading in the next few years!