Gateway Fellowship

This was the 3rd session of fresh encounter.

These two are adorable.

Session 1 of Fresh Encounter.

...about Jesus always leading us in triumph, the aroma of Christ, and then I chat a bit about who exactly this gospel is for based on Isaiah 61.

I'm a blessed man. My future is bright. My best days are ahead. I'm the beloved of God...

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. (James 3:13-17 NRS)

James 5:13-20 New Revised Standard 13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. 19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and wil

A.K.A. "Adversity can wreck our faith." That's why we need each other! This chat is based on some of Paul's thoughts in 1 Thessalonians chapters 2 and 3.

Beauty for ashes.

Isaiah 9, wintertime blues, 75 inch tv, dollar store candy, and more. It's a Christmas chat.

What's my core identity? Who am I, really?

This was two separate topics we chatted about at last night's Wednesday Whiteboard.

Luke 15:1-2 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

I spent a week in the mountains with young people doing inner healing work. It's always intense and special. And it is SO good to have such a grace-community to come home to.

Joel is a real friend to Gateway. He spoke while I was away in Costa Rica.

This chat is based on Luke 19:11-27

What gets my attention is more important to who we become than what happens.

Our overseer Mark conducted the service to formally recognize Carl and Stan as assistant pastors at Gateway.

What is your conscience? Does it always line up with God's truth? How can we line it up? What are some religious approaches to a defiled conscience? What about religious approaches to a clean conscience? What are some gospel solutions to deal with a defiled conscience? How is conviction different than condemnation? How is an orphan spirit different from the Spirit of Adoption? What's a hyperactive conscience? What's a seared conscience?

What perfectionism isn't, what it is, what kinds of things it says, and some things that might work better for us, such as... "Done is better than perfect." "Just keep moving." "We ain't building no piani." (Acceptable tolerances)