|
Church-wide Campaign Curriculum
Often, people need to experiment with community before they are able to fully commit to a group on a long-term
basis. Many find it difficult or socially forced to jump from a worship experience on Sunday morning to a long-term
small group commitment. Over the last five years, I have been either written or overseen the writing of the material for ten
different church-wide campaigns. All of the resources are available for free as a download. Just click on the icon to
the left to get more details on each topic. If you are interested in purchasing physical copies of the resources, contact
Woodland Hills Church at 651-487-0001.
|
|
|
|
|
The kingdom of God is the realm where Jesus displays true beauty in the midst of a world of chaos, ugliness,
manipulation and stress. Many hear about the Kingdom of God and think, “Nice idea, but my life has little room to
make it a priority.” While understanding the Kingdom of God is good, we also need to think practically about how our
lives can be ordered so that we can actually experience the Kingdom.
In Luke 6:17-49, often called the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus explains what it means to follow him. Jesus
explains how following him impacts how we deal with the relational stuff that we face everyday. Relationships—whether
at work, in families or with friends—are messy. Jesus wants to enter our messes with us, teaching us a way of displaying
beauty in the midst of relational messes. "The Beautiful Mess" provides baby steps that help move us in the
right direction of actually living out and experiencing the beautiful life of the Kingdom of God.
Whatever is beautiful attracts; whatever is revolting repels . How can we be attracted to, and repelled
by, the same thing? The paradoxical phrase “Revolting Beauty” takes us to the essence of the Kingdom. We are
called to be a people that offer the beauty of the cross, which is both horrifying and alluring at the same time. The way
of the cross is a way of beauty that stands for something radical and counter-cultural.
Too many Christians today believe the right things about Jesus, but they have little more. To them,
life with Christ is primarily about what they understand in their heads. But there is more than belief. Jesus came
to set people free to live, not just believe. He came to open possibilities, not just settle for what we have now. He came
to provide an experience that is beyond what you can imagine.
The parables of Jesus found in Luke 14 and 15 present a God who reverses everything we naturally expect
God to be. Just as good experiences with a friend require some creativity, we need to practice different ways of relating
to God, one that allows God to reveal himself even if it doesn't fit our expectations.These parable reverse everything.
In the beginning of all things, God took something lifeless (some dust) and he interacted with it in
a way that brought it to life. He animated the dust. In this series we explored ways to animate the way we think about God
and consequently how we live for him. What would it be like to approach God with our whole selves: body, soul, and
spirit? It’s time to come to our senses. Literally.
Unfortunately, we often think of God as distant, controlling and punishing. Even though the Bible
states that “God is love,” even many in the church are trapped by images and thoughts about God that are less
than loving. As followers of this God, we need to know and receive his “scandalous” love. This seven week series
will open up your imagination to experience God for who he really is, and realize that he is passionately in love with us!
Love God. Love others. Love yourself. Sounds pretty simple, yet we tend to overly complicate this
concept with our overly stressed, overly busy, overly committed lives. What can be done about this? How can we break the
pattern? This series is about living a life that is whole and unfractured. It’s about simplicity and love and how those
two things are connected.
Why God, why? This may be the most repeated prayer in history. Most people have said it at one
point or another, if only under their breath. Why sickness? Why suffering? Why doesn’t God respond to my prayers?
Why do I struggle so much? Honest questions like these deserve honest answers. During our [Crap] Happens series, we’ll
explore these questions together to find victory in the midst of the [Crap] of life.
|